MacDill AFB evacuates; Ukraine hits oil terminal; Russia downs own UCAV; Big AI vs. small AI; And a bit more on today's D Brief.

Milton intensifies: Florida residents in the vicinity of Tampa Bay are under new evacuation alerts after Hurricane Milton quickly strengthened Monday into a category five storm headed for the Florida coast. In the hours since, however, it has reduced somewhat into a category four storm expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday.

Latest: “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday. On Monday, it reached a maximum intensity of 180 mph, “making it one of the most intense Atlantic Basin hurricanes on record,” according to the Weather Channel.?

New: Personnel on MacDill Air Force Base are under a limited evacuation order, with basewide closure expected later today. MacDill, which is home to U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, is situated on a peninsula between St. Petersburg and Tampa—almost directly in the path of Milton as it’s projected to sweep northeast toward Orlando and Daytona Beach.?

Evacuations began Monday, base officials said in a video on Facebook. The airfield itself is already closed. The base commissary and Post Exchange are closing today at 12 p.m. ET.?

Portions of seven surrounding counties are also under that limited evacuation order. For more details, you can read over the order (PDF) here.?

Meanwhile in North Carolina, portions of the 101st Airborne Division are going house to house to find out what storm-hit families need, Liz Friden of Fox reported from Garren Creek, near Asheville. “Once checked, the soldiers tied a pink ribbon on the houses to mark they had what they needed and told residents they would come back in a few days,” said Friden’s colleague, Jenn Griffin.

Continue reading today's D Brief at: https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/10/the-d-brief-october-08-2024/400125/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary