Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
A depleted Hamas is so low on cash that it can’t pay its fighters Trump waved off Israeli strike after divisions emerged in his administration ‘No to terror, yes to peace’: New anti-Hamas protest breaks out in northern Gaza Iran says shifting U.S. messages on nuclear talks are ‘not helpful’ Saudi defense minister arrives in Tehran ahead of Iran-US talks JPost’s Eric R. Mandel: Tehran will offer nuke concessions to satisfy Trump 'victory,' ensure regime lives on Russia set to end energy ceasefire with Ukraine, even as fighting rages Lebanese army making progress in displacing Hezbollah near Israeli border North Korea criticises US for deploying B-1B strategic bomber in South Korea Bloomberg’s Karishma Vaswani: Xi’s Asian charm offensive is all about the US Latvia exits land mine convention amid fears of Russian aggression WSJ Editorial: Trump’s border success—and opportunityIn The News
Israel
Hamas is facing a new problem in Gaza: coming up with the cash it needs to pay its rank and file. Israel last month cut off supplies of humanitarian goods to the enclave, some of which Hamas had been seizing and selling to raise funds, according to Arab, Israeli and Western officials. – Wall Street Journal
Israel had planned to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as next month but was waved off by President Trump in recent weeks in favor of negotiating a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program, according to administration officials and others briefed on the discussions. – New York Times
Hamas gunmen picked the female hostage out from a cluster of captives in an apartment in Gaza. They threatened her with a pistol and led her away into a separate room. Then they commanded Keith Siegel to follow. – New York Times
The Lebanese army said on Wednesday it had detained a number of Palestinians and Lebanese suspected of involvement in two attacks from the country on Israel in March and did not mention Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has denied any role. – Reuters
The Israel Defense Forces said it is preparing to expand the area of its ground attacks in the Gaza Strip, seeking to tighten its grip on the war-ravaged enclave as hope for a new truce keeps fading. – Bloomberg
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government submitted a statement to the High Court on Wednesday announcing that they are seeking to cancel the interim order prohibiting the government from dismissing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Israeli media reported. – Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group on Wednesday published a video of hostage Rom Braslavski. Braslavski’s family approved the shorter video for publication. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF said on Wednesday that there is no timeline for concluding the Israel-Hamas War. Pressed over and over again, IDF sources said their focus was to pressure Hamas into a hostage deal and to try to defeat it completely, but provided no concrete method or time frame for achieving this. – Jerusalem Post
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday confirmed that Israel is close to backtracking on a vow not to allow the provision of more humanitarian aid to Gaza before the Israeli hostages are returned and that aid could be restarted soon, though private companies would be used to circumvent Hamas. – Jerusalem Post
The Trump administration’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler speculated on Wednesday that the lone living American-Israeli hostage in Gaza was in “a decent place,” asserting that Hamas wouldn’t be “dumb” enough to harm him, as doing so would lead the US to “come after” the terror group. – Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday held a situational assessment regarding the hostages being held in Gaza, together with his hostage negotiating team and senior defense officials, his office announced. – Times of Israel
Hundreds of residents of Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, took to the streets on Wednesday to protest Hamas rule, the first such demonstrations since the end of last month. – Times of Israel
Amichai Stein writes: One of the most troubling aspects of the story is the attempt by some to exploit the allegations to draw comparisons with the sexual crimes committed by Hamas on October 7 – crimes that have been confirmed and documented by international organizations. “Israel made unfounded claims that Hamas committed sexual crimes during October 7,” wrote several Arab news sites. “And now, when there is supposed evidence that an Israeli public official committed such crimes, the Israeli government remains officially silent.” – Jerusalem Post
Iran
Despite mixed messages from the Trump administration over whether it wants Iran to completely dismantle its nuclear program, Iranian officials said on Wednesday that they would keep talking to U.S. officials and focus on what America says in private during negotiations. – New York Times
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on Thursday for meetings with officials, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, in a visit ahead of weekend talks between Iran and the United States over the Iranian nuclear program. – Reuters
Iran’s right to enrich uranium is not negotiable, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday ahead of a second round of talks set to take place in Rome this weekend with the United States about Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. – Reuters
The United States on Wednesday issued new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil exports, including against a China-based “teapot” oil refinery, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran. – Reuters
Iran on Wednesday rejected a British accusation that it was connected to the Sweden-based criminal gang known as ‘Foxtrot’ after Britain’s government had earlier this week sanctioned the group saying it had committed attacks on behalf of Tehran. – Reuters
Iran confirmed Wednesday that the next round of nuclear talks with the United States this weekend will be held in Rome after earlier confusion over where the negotiations would be held. – Associated Press
Eric R. Mandel writes: Iran is betting it can offer enough concessions to satisfy the president’s desire for a victory, knowing that the next American president, a Democrat harshly critical of Israel or a Republican isolationist, will look the other way when it again inches its way to a nuclear weapon. – Jerusalem Post
Simon Henderson writes: Whatever the case, as long as talks continue, U.S. support for any Israeli military action against Iran is essentially suspended. Washington’s Gulf Arab allies have engaged more with Tehran in recent months and appear reluctant to support military strikes against the nuclear program. […] President Trump’s forthcoming Gulf tour will likely concentrate on business and trade relations; he will not want it disrupted by lingering nuclear differences. – Washington Institute
Russia and Ukraine
Russia is expected to announce whether it would resume full-scale attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure following a 30-day pause that Moscow insists ends imminently, days after President Donald Trump’s envoy claimed there would soon be a deal to end the war. – Washington Post
From the hospital where his wounded stepdaughter is being held in intensive care, Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr described how he was sitting at a military medal ceremony in a university building basement Sunday when two Russian ballistic missiles tore through the surrounding area, spraying shrapnel into passing civilians and engulfing the city streets in flames. – Washington Post
The Russian authorities detained a former governor of the Kursk region and accused him on Wednesday of embezzling millions meant to build defenses for the region, which was invaded last year by Ukraine. – New York Times
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met Russian nationals freed from captivity in the Gaza strip after militant group Hamas’ October 2023 attacks on Israel and said Moscow’s longstanding ties with Palestinians helped secure their freedom. – Reuters
Ukraine and the United States have made “substantial progress” in their talks on a minerals deal and will sign a memorandum in the near future, First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A Russian mass drone attack killed two people and injured at least 16 on Wednesday evening in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the regional governor said. Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that a young woman and an elderly woman had been killed. – Reuters
Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of carrying out more than 30 attacks on its energy infrastructure since the two sides agreed in March to pause strikes on such targets. – Reuters
The Russian military said on Wednesday its air defence forces had destroyed seven Ukrainian drones over Russia’s Ivanovo region, the location of one of two missile brigades which Kyiv accuses of a deadly weekend attack on the city of Sumy. – Reuters
Ukraine’s parliament has extended martial law until August, lawmakers said, delaying the timing of new elections that the United States and Russia have been pushing for. – Reuters
Christopher M. Schnaubelt writes: Some NATO members apparently desire to be involved in a peacekeeping mission. Nonetheless, remaining outside of an agreement between Russia and Ukraine could have a positive aspect for NATO. Tactically and strategically, it may be wiser to employ additional troops to beef up the defense of the NATO members near to Russia instead of using them to perform peacekeeping within Ukraine. – The Hill
Syria
As his enemies closed in on Damascus, Bashar al-Assad, who ruled over Syria with an iron fist for 24 years, used a private jet to spirit away cash, valuables and confidential documents mapping the corporate web behind his wealth. – Reuters
Save the Children said on Wednesday that more than 400,000 children in the Syrian Arab Republic were at risk of “severe malnutrition” after the US suspended aid, forcing the charity to slash operations in the country. – Agence France-Presse
Zaid Al-Ali writes: Syria’s new leadership may be making impressive gains in pushing the transition forward, but it still faces unprecedented challenges that could derail the transition at any moment. If the leadership hopes to be successful in the long run, it must be bolder in its effort to address those challenges. Otherwise, Syria risks falling back into the same patterns of instability and conflict that have plagued the region for decades. – Foreign Policy
Lebanon
The Lebanese army has increased its deployment in the country’s south over the past few months, confiscating Hezbollah’s arms and dismantling its positions under the terms of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between the militant group and Israel, according to interviews with Lebanon’s prime minister, Lebanese military officials and diplomats. – Washington Post
Qatar is sending scores of military vehicles to the Lebanese army and a new, $60 million donation to help it pay salaries to officers as the small Mediterranean country recovers from the fighting in Hezbollah’s latest war with Israel, the two Arab countries announced Wednesday. – Associated Press
Iraq has summoned Lebanon’s envoy over remarks by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun concerning Iraq’s popular mobilization forces (PMF), Iraq’s state news agency said on Wednesday citing a statement from the foreign ministry. – Agence France-Presse
Two Hezbollah members were killed in separate Israeli drone strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the military said. – Times of Israel
Middle East & North Africa
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will discuss efforts to find a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet in Moscow on Thursday, Russia and Qatar said. – Reuters
Major industrial groups from Oman, the Netherlands and Germany have signed an agreement for the development of the world’s first liquid hydrogen import corridor, Tata Steel Nederland said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The European Commission on Wednesday included countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, where human rights have come under scrutiny, on a list of “safe countries” to which failed asylum seekers could be returned. – Reuters
Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday arbitrary detention was being used to eliminate dissent in Tunisia and called on its government to halt the crackdown and free all detainees, amid a trial of prominent opposition figures on conspiracy charges. – Reuters
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday denied media reports they are involved in talks with the U.S. over a possible land offensive by military factions in Yemen against the Houthi group that controls much of the country. – Reuters
Houthi media said more than a dozen air strikes hit the militia-held capital Sanaa on Wednesday, blaming them on the United States. – Agence France-Presse
Korean Peninsula
As South Korea prepares for trade talks with the United States next week, it thinks it has a way to appeal directly to President Trump: through its thriving shipbuilding industry. – New York Times
North Korea criticised the United States for deploying a B-1B strategic bomber in a recent joint military drill with South Korea, describing the move as an “open threat” to Pyongyang’s security, state media KCNA reported on Thursday. – Reuters
South Korea’s financial watchdog ordered on Thursday Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS), to submit another revision to its share issue plan, pushing back on the capital raising plans of the country’s largest defence contractor for a second time. – Reuters
China
President Trump has sparked conflict with trading partners around the world with threats of stiff new tariffs on their goods. In response, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is now seeking to exploit those tensions and peel countries away from the U.S. But he must first overcome deepening concern about Beijing’s own aggressive trade practices. – Wall Street Journal
China’s economy got off to a strong start in 2025, growing at a faster-than-expected annual rate of 5.4 percent in the first three months of the year — a clip that will be difficult to sustain as the trade war with the United States intensifies. – Washington Post
China has warned its people to think twice before visiting the United States, citing trade tensions. It also told its students to be careful about studying there and accused two American universities of hacking. And it has vowed to cut down on the number of Hollywood films that can be shown in China. – New York Times
China wants to deal with the European Union as a partner instead of a rival, its ambassador to Spain said, amid shifting geopolitics and Washington’s new trade policy which he described as unilateral economic abuse. – Reuters
China will pay no attention if the United States continues to play the “tariff numbers game”, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, after the White House outline how China faces tariffs of up to 245% due to its retaliatory actions. – Reuters
China will next week convene an informal United Nations Security Council meeting to accuse the United States of bullying and “casting a shadow over the global efforts for peace and development” by weaponizing tariffs. – Reuters
Noah Barkin writes: If the Trump administration was prepared to lower tariffs against Europe in exchange for bolder action against China, it could be pushing against an open door in Berlin. But a transatlantic deal on China can only work if the president tones down his attacks on Europe. Failing that, the deal that materializes in the coming months could be one between the E.U. and China, not the one that Team Trump is hoping for. – Washington Post
Karishma Vaswani writes: Instead of trade wars, regional visits by senior members of the Trump administration, like US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s recent trip to the Philippines and Japan, would help. Compared to Xi’s visit, though, next week’s tour by a mid-level US official is unlikely to inspire confidence. Washington must recognize the competition with Beijing isn’t just about economic might, it’s also about strategic influence. Xi is playing the long game — and right now, it looks like he’s winning. – Bloomberg
James Stavridis writes: As I wrote it, in my head were the opening days of World War I, when an assassin’s bullet in a dusty corner of the Balkans lit a conflagration that put out the lamps all over Europe. History turns on small hinges. We need to watch these five yellow lights — cyberattacks, Taiwan incursions, the South China Sea, Beijing’s naval construction, and the escalading trade war — because if they turn red, they could turn out the lamps all over the world. – Bloomberg
South Asia
India plans to end taxes on U.S. ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports under broader negotiations with Washington as it looks to reduce its trade surplus and ease its tariff burden, three sources familiar with the matter said. – Reuters
The Himalayan nation of Bhutan is exploring ways to mine and leverage green cryptocurrencies using hydropower to boost its economy and create jobs to reduce brain drain, the chief executive of its sovereign wealth fund said. – Reuters
The head of Myanmar’s military government granted amnesty to around 4,900 prisoners to mark the country’s traditional new year, state-run media reported Thursday, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many were political detainees locked up for opposing army rule. – Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance and his family will travel to Italy and India this week and next to meet with leaders and visit cultural sites. Vance’s office said Wednesday his trip from Friday to April 24 will include visits to Rome and New Delhi along with the Indian cities of Jaipur and Agra. – Associated Press
Mihir Sharma writes: Emergency, piecemeal purchases simply won’t cut it. The IAF needs political direction and cover so it can produce a plan that takes it into the next decades — one that includes technology transfer and localized supply chains of the sort that we know, post-Ukraine, is vital if you get into a war. Whatever option delivers this is the one India must go with — and it can’t put off making a clear choice for much longer, or it will find itself outmatched in the sky. – Bloomberg
Ye Myo Hein writes: Beijing does not want this to happen. It will continue under any future circumstance to undermine the very cooperation among the rebels that is necessary to one day form a peaceful, stable, and federal democratic Myanmar. China has no genuine interest in peace or stability in Myanmar; it wants strategic dominance. And if Beijing can best grow its influence by playing Myanmar’s factions off one another, keeping them weak, fragmented, and dependent on China, then that is what it will do. – Foreign Affairs
Asia
This month in the White House’s Rose Garden, as he held up a placard showing the global wave of tariffs he wanted to impose, President Trump paused to fondly recall a fallen friend. – New York Times
Even as the United States and China push their economies further apart with escalating tariffs, they share an inescapable challenge. Both depend on Taiwan for semiconductors. – New York Times
China and Malaysia emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea in a joint statement issued on Thursday at the end of a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed tariffs and ways to deepen defense and security cooperation with Indonesia in a meeting with the Indonesian foreign minister on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said. – Reuters
Three U.S. senators are visiting Taiwan this week and will discuss trade and other issues with President Lai Ching-te, a trip that comes as Taipei pushes ahead with tariff talks with Washington. – Reuters
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is set to hold talks in Bangkok on Thursday with Myanmar’s junta chief to push for a ceasefire extension, a meeting criticised by some groups battling the military in the quake-ravaged nation. – Reuters
Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov has persuaded parliament to push back the date of the next election by several months, in an indication he may be turning his thoughts towards running for a second term. – Reuters
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday there was little comfort in the U.S. postponing most of its proposed “reciprocal” tariffs, saying the changes had already created great uncertainty around the world. – Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cambodia on Thursday for a two-day state visit that serves as an opportunity to further strengthen already robust relations. – Associated Press
Europe
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is feeling the weight of the moment as she prepares to take her chances negotiating with President Trump after he hit pause on tariffs above 10%. Meloni sought to make light of her mission as the first European leader to meet with Trump in Washington since “Liberation Day.” – Wall Street Journal
Latvia’s Parliament, citing Russian aggression against Ukraine, voted on Wednesday to pull out of an international convention banning anti-personnel mines, starting what is expected to be a rush of departures by Eastern European nations that border Russia or its closest ally, Belarus. – New York Times
A Telegram group called French Prisoner Rights (DDPF), created the day before a series of attacks against jails across France, is being investigated by police for clues as to who could be behind the assaults. – Reuters
Finland said on Wednesday it had decided to keep its eastern border against neighbouring Russia closed until further notice. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday during his visit to Paris and they will discuss the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and Iran nuclear talks, a French diplomatic source said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Repair work on the damaged subsea power line EstLink 2 that runs between Finland and Estonia will start in May and is expected to return to commercial use on July 15, Finnish power grid operator Fingrid said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Serbia’s populist president said Wednesday that he hasn’t changed his mind about attending Vladimir Putin ’s victory day parade in Moscow next month despite great pressure from the European Union over his decision. – Associated Press
Greece on Wednesday announced plans for managing human activities in maritime areas, such as tourism, offshore energy drilling, fishing and environmental protection, irking neighboring Turkey, which said the plans encroach on its jurisdiction. – Associated Press
UK government officials have raised private concerns that Chinese-manufactured drones are being used to take high resolution images of critical national infrastructure sites in the UK, going against guidance from the country’s security services. – Bloomberg
Two legal NGOs in the United Kingdom sought arrest warrants Wednesday against Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar during his visit to London, accusing Israel’s top diplomat of committing crimes in the Gaza Strip during the ongoing war with Hamas. – Times of Israel
Katja Hoyer writes: Looking at Germany’s energy policy over the last quarter of a century, an old adage springs to mind: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. The way to free Germany from its foreign dependencies and domestic malaise can’t be to do more of the same. German voters know this, which is why the majority of them opted for change at the ballot box. Now would be a good time for politicians to listen. – Bloomberg
Africa
Hawa Adam spent hours hiding in a hole she dug inside her makeshift shelter at the Zamzam refugee camp in Sudan’s Darfur region. Heavy gunfire and loud explosions drowned out the cries of women, children and the elderly trying to outrun what was one of the worst attacks in the country’s two-year-long civil war. – Wall Street Journal
Two Belgian teens pleaded guilty to the illegal possession and trade of wildlife in Kenya after authorities accused them of trying to smuggle over 5,000 ants out of the country to sell as exotic pets. – Washington Post
Al Shabaab fighters attacked a town in central Somalia on Wednesday that government forces have been using as a staging area for their efforts to drive back the militants, who have been gaining ground in recent weeks, residents said. – Reuters
Gambia’s Supreme Court has commuted the death sentence of a government minister convicted of killing the finance minister to life in prison, one of few to be convicted of crimes committed during the 22-year rule of ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh. – Reuters
Mozambique’s security forces carried out a brutal, three-month crackdown on protesters after the country’s election last year, a leading international rights group said Wednesday, citing local activists who alleged that more than 300 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured in the unrest. – Associated Press
Editorial: This is especially unfortunate because AGOA costs the United States so little — about $250 million a year in forgone tariffs, or about 2 percent of U.S. foreign aid to the continent, according to estimates from the Center for Global Development. And its benefits are large. If it is lost, the cost to America’s standing and its future relationship with Africa would be incalculable. – Washington Post
The Americas
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele plans to double the size of the maximum-security prison where his government is holding U.S. deportees. Bukele plans to expand the Terrorism Confinement Center, the sprawling compound known as Cecot that is already the largest prison in the world, he told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she visited last month, people familiar with the discussion said. – Wall Street Journal
The gaping pit alongside a tiny town in rural Brazil has all the elements to solve the West’s sudden problem of finding critical rare earth metals — vital for building electric vehicles, wind turbines, guided missiles and robots. – New York Times
Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off with his chief rival for the first time during Canada’s election campaign on Wednesday, in a French-language debate that could help determine who wins the April 28 vote and then deals with U.S. tariffs. – Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that Mexico would not renew diplomatic relations with Ecuador as long as Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa remains in office. – Reuters
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that she had sent a diplomatic memo to the United States about security collaboration at the two countries’ shared border. – Reuters
United States
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his aides shut down a State Department office on Wednesday that tracks and counters global disinformation from foreign actors, including the governments of China, Russia and Iran, U.S. officials said. – New York Times
A federal judge in Washington threatened on Wednesday to open a high-stakes contempt investigation into whether the Trump administration had violated an order he issued last month directing officials to stop planes of Venezuelan migrants from being sent to El Salvador. – New York Times
Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, on Wednesday tried and failed to secure a meeting in El Salvador with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant and Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration and remains imprisoned in his native country. – New York Times
A former New York City police sergeant was sentenced to 1-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday over his 2023 conviction for acting as an illegal Chinese agent. – Reuters
Editorial: Mr. Trump seems to understand the need for more imported workers. Last week he suggested the U.S. might help immigrants who self-deport “come back as legal workers.” It isn’t clear how many migrants would trust the government, but this is the right policy direction. Immigration politics has been poisoned by the past four years of failure. Perhaps Mr. Trump’s success at the border will open an opportunity to forge a larger immigration legacy. It’s worth a try. – Wall Street Journal
Cybersecurity
TikTok’s U.S. public policy chief, Michael Beckerman, a key figure in its fight against a U.S. government ban, plans to leave his Washington-based role and transition to a global advisory position, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a staff memo. – Reuters
In a last-minute switch, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said it will continue funding a contract for MITRE to manage the CVE program and other vulnerability databases. – Cyber Scoop
Thousands of Social Security and driver’s license numbers were pilfered from car rental giant Hertz when hackers exploited a vulnerability in a popular file sharing tool last fall. Hertz, which owns its eponymous car rental company as well as top brands like Dollar and Thrifty, began reporting a data breach to state regulators in California, Iowa, Maine, Texas, Vermont last week. – The Record
A Chinese state-owned company that was previously sanctioned by the U.S. for facilitating human rights abuses against Uyghurs is now training police officers in Tibet on hacking techniques and digital forensics, according to a watchdog organization. – The Record
Thomas J. Duesterberg writes: Finally, enlist allies in the fight. The administration has competing foreign-policy priorities, but limiting China’s ability to compensate for losing the U.S. market would measurably enhance success. […] Such a strategy could undercut the liquidity bubble supporting Chinese shares and its ability to acquire advanced technology, data and expertise without the vast capital investment needed by Western firms to innovate. – Wall Street Journal
Defense
Aerojet Rocketdyne supplies one of the most critical parts of a munition — solid rocket motors — and since L3Harris acquired the company roughly two years ago its goal has been to ramp up production to meet the skyrocketing demand for tactical and strategic missiles. – Defense News
The Air Force Research Lab issued a solicitation this week for its Sensing Operation Using Prediction (SOUP) program, which aims to develop new and improved artificial intelligence capabilities that could boost the military’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance enterprise. – Defense Scoop
A drumbeat of suspensions of top Pentagon officials continued into a second day on Wednesday with a defense official confirming that Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, was suspended. – Military.com