Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel vs. Turkey: the intensifying Middle-East power struggle Gaza ceasefire talks continue, but no apparent breakthrough Israel launches airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen as Netanyahu issues warning US disagrees with HRW’s genocide accusations against Israel Arutz Sheva’s Melanie Phillips: The diplomatic crisis between Israel and Ireland US imposes sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related targets Iran covertly ramping up nuclear ‘weaponization’ work, dissident group reveals Putin signals no rush to end Ukraine war in marathon tv appearance Top US officials in Damascus to meet new Syrian rulers, State Department says New York Sun Editorial: Will the real Al-Golani please stand up? Taiwan is getting its U.S. weaponry—but years behind schedule FBI arrests college student for plotting mass casualty attack on Israeli consulate in NYCIn The News
Israel
Turkey and Israel are the main strategic beneficiaries of the collapse of the Syrian regime, an event that has capped the dramatic decline of Iranian influence in the Middle East. – Wall Street Journal
Since the Assad regime imploded less than two weeks ago, Israel’s military has seized a strategic mountain top in its contested border area with Syria and advanced on positions beyond it, reshaping the frontier between the foes potentially for the long term. – Wall Street Journal
After more than a year of mediating ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between Hamas and Israel, the Biden administration has learned to temper its optimism. – Washington Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military struck Houthi targets in Yemen early Thursday in response to the militia’s attacks on Israel, and appeared to suggest that Israel might take further action in its campaign to weaken Iran-backed groups. – New York Times
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to ask the International Court of Justice for an opinion on Israel’s obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians that is delivered by states and international groups including the U.N. – Reuters
Nine Palestinian Americans sued the U.S. government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza where Israel’s war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis. – Reuters
Sweden will no longer fund the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) but instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Nordic country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, told Swedish broadcaster TV4 on Friday. – Reuters
Israeli airstrikes on Syria are violations of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and “must stop,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. – Reuters
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. is looking to forge a joint venture with a Vietnamese company in 2025 that would include technology transfers for the development of military equipment. – Bloomberg
The High Court of Justice demanded Thursday that the state provide answers in response to a petition accusing it of giving inadequate nutrition to Palestinian terror convicts being held in Israeli jails. – Times of Israel
Prosecutors on Thursday indicted a Nazareth man on charges he spied for the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah during the war, the Shin Bet and Israel Police said in a statement. – Times of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces supports strengthening the Palestinian Authority so it can more effectively combat terrorism in the West Bank, military officials said on Thursday, as the PA appears to step up efforts against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. – Times of Israel
Four Israeli civilians were arrested after illegally entering Lebanon on Thursday, reportedly to visit a shrine, as Israeli troops continuing to operate across the border destroyed Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers, officials said. – Times of Israel
Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that the acceptance of “the State of Palestine” as a full member of the UN and continued recognition of it by additional countries could help “leave hope for a better future for the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region” and achieve security and stability in the region. – Arutz Sheva
The United States on Thursday rejected an accusation by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip amounted to “acts of genocide” through damage to water infrastructure. – Arutz Sheva
Editorial writes: The families’ anguish is undeniable, and their voices must remain part of the national conversation. But unnecessary or unmeasured words, whether from officials or loved ones, risk complicating an already very delicate and precarious process. – Jerusalem Post
Ron Ben-Yishai writes: Their civilian governing center in Saada in northern Yemen must also be hit. There is no doubt that Iran backs the Houthi attacks, but their leaders must be targeted as the leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas was. This might prompt the legitimate rulers of Yemen, to rise up against the rebels and bring them down as was the case in Syria. Without significant military action, the threat from Yemen will persist. – Ynet
Melanie Phillips writes: Through Sinn Fein’s influence, Ireland has become enmeshed with the international radical left and its promotion of intersectionality and victim culture. Under this dogma, the Jews can never be victims because they are seen as all-powerful, controlling the Western world in their own interests to the disadvantage of everyone else. […] Ireland is simply a danger to Israel and the Jewish people. It should be treated as a pariah until and unless it decides to support civilization rather than its nemesis. – Arutz Sheva
Iran
The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on Iran and Houthi-related entities, according to the Treasury Department website which listed a number of individuals, companies and vessels that had been targeted. – Reuters
2025 will be a year of reckoning for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his country’s arch foe Iran. The veteran Israeli leader is set to cement his strategic goals: tightening his military control over Gaza, thwarting Iran’s nuclear ambitions and capitalising on the dismantling of Tehran’s allies — Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the removal of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. – Reuters
The leaders of Turkey and Iran called on Thursday for unity in Syria and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged that Israel be punished as the heads of eight Muslim-majority countries met in Cairo for the D-8 summit, following the ouster of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad. – Times of Israel
Iran has covertly accelerated activities to construct nuclear weapons despite publicly declaring that its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes, a coalition of Iranian opposition groups revealed on Thursday. – Algemeiner
IDF officials report that over the past year, there has been a significant decrease in terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria. However, they estimate that now that the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon have been weakened and the Syrian regime has fallen, the Iranian regime will use Judea and Samaria as the central source of terrorism. – Arutz Sheva
Russia & Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared in no hurry to seek an end to the war in Ukraine during his annual set-piece television event Thursday, seeking instead to project Russia’s strength despite President-elect Donald Trump’s stated goal of achieving a quick peace. – Wall Street Journal
As Russians endure soaring prices and war fatigue, President Vladimir Putin used his annual end-of-year news conference Thursday to deny that the country had been weakened by its war on Ukraine and the ousting of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad — and to signal his willingness to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. – Washington Post
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had discussed with European leaders the possibility of sending European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine as part of a cease-fire or peace deal, as the country’s allies consider options on how to help Kyiv end the fighting with Russia on favorable terms. – New York Times
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia needed a long-lasting peace with Ukraine, not a temporary truce. – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday suggested a missile ‘duel’ with the United States that would show how Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile could defeat any U.S. missile defence system. – Reuters
Ukraine could consider continued transit of Russian gas on the condition that Moscow does not receive money for the fuel until after the war, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed Russian President’s Vladimir Putin’s missile duel offer during a press conference at a European Council meeting on Thursday. – Reuters
A court in Moscow on Thursday ordered the suspect in the killing of top Russian general Igor Kirillov to be sent to pre-trial detention for a period of two months, the court said on its Telegram channel. – Reuters
A Russian missile attack injured two people and damaged buildings in Kyiv, local officials said after explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital on Friday. – Reuters
Julia Davis writes: The imperial mindset of discounting Russia’s neighbors as hapless and easy-to-conquer natives obscures the fact that danger lies a lot closer to home than Great Britain. The truth is that Ukrainians have developed a highly effective intelligence service adept at working inside Russia’s supposed ironclad security system and capable of striking at the heart of the state. No wonder Russia’s elite try to concoct a lie that is easier to swallow. – Center for European Policy Analysis
David Ayer and Michael Hewitt write: Restructuring government for economic success, security success, and a secure and resilient democracy will be key to achieving all of these long-term goals. Lastly, the story of Ukraine must be told, including why Ukraine matters and why a strong partnership with the United States matters. The values of the Ukrainian people mirror our own, and their resilience can provide hope and vision, not just for their people but for our nation as well. – National Interest
Syria
When Tasnim Alhamwi found out Bashar al-Assad had fled her home country, she couldn’t stop dancing and laughing. Her family in Baltimore County had stayed up all night huddled around a TV, watching, waiting, praying for the end of the Assad regime. – Washington Post
The Pentagon on Thursday said it has 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, more than twice the 900 it has previously said it has, and that the additional troops are considered temporary forces that were sent to support the mission against Islamic State militants. – Reuters
Syria will remove all references to the former ruling Baath party from its educational system as of next week but will not otherwise change school curricula or restrict the rights of girls to learn, the country’s new education minister said. – Reuters
Kurdish fighters who came to Syria from around the Middle East to support Syrian Kurdish forces will leave if a total ceasefire is reached in the conflict with Turkey in northern Syria, the commander of Syrian Kurdish-led forces told Reuters on Thursday. – Reuters
The International Monetary Fund stands ready to assist Syria’s reconstruction alongside the international community, but the situation on the ground remains fluid, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday. – Reuters
Top diplomats from the Biden administration are in Damascus on Friday to meet new Syrian authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a State Department spokesperson said, the first in-person and official meeting between Washington and Syria’s de-facto new rulers. – Reuters
Israeli forces have set up a position in an abandoned Syrian army base in the village of Maariyah and prevented local farmers from accessing their fields, residents said Thursday. – Associated Press
Editorial: So far, so good. Mr. Sharaa’s transformation to a moderate Syrian nationalist from a global Jihadist could well prove genuine. Yet, his endless press interviews with willing Western reporters seem mostly designed to ensure the removal of his group from global terrorist lists. Ending that designation could help the new Syria rebuild. Yet one must be on guard against the possibility that it could also prove an incentive to return to armed jihad. – New York Sun
Gregory D. Koblentz and Natasha Hall write: In his second term, Trump has the opportunity to cement his legacy as the leader who ended the scourge of Syria’s chemical weapons. The United States and its partners in the region, working together with the OPCW and the new government in Damascus, can finally eliminate the threat of Syria’s stockpiles and strengthen the norm against these barbaric weapons. – Foreign Affairs
Munqeth Othman Agha writes: However, these measures alone are insufficient. Foreign support must also empower local actors across the country and enhance their capacity to deliver localized services that complement, rather than compete with, the central government. Two weeks ago, such a statement would not be more than a cliché; today it is a realistic objective. The fall of the Assad regime presents a rare opportunity to overcome longstanding restrictions on and the politicization of aid, opening new doors for direct outreach to local communities in Syria. – Middle East Institute
Dennis Ross writes: America withdrawing will reduce our leverage with Turkey and all the players in Syria. It would also almost certainly add to the instability in and around Syria and make it far more likely that ISIS would re-establish itself. Should it do so, the terror organization will once again threaten the United States and its friends. Better to keep a cost-effective presence in Syria now and not have to return later under worse, more dangerous circumstances. – US News
Turkey
U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) vowed on Thursday to fight Turkey and groups it supports in the city of Kobani in northern Syria. – Reuters
Turkey has received an exemption for gas payments to Russia after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Friday in response to a question from Reuters. – Reuters
The rapid downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad has touched off a new round of delicate geopolitical maneuvering between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. – Associated Press
Turkey is considering the removal of Syria’s new leaders from its list of terrorism organizations without waiting for similar steps from other countries or the United Nations. – Bloomberg
Middle East & North Africa
Iraq sent back nearly 2,000 Syrian soldiers on Thursday to their homeland after they had sought refuge in Iraq during the advance of rebel forces that toppled President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, according to an Iraqi military statement. – Reuters
Delegations from rival Libyan legislative bodies agreed at talks in Morocco on Thursday to work together with a United Nations mission to pave the way for elections to end years of political deadlock. – Reuters
Libya’s prime minister said it would be unacceptable for Russia to move weapons from Syria to the divided OPEC country, where rival powers in the east have previously drawn on Kremlin support. – Bloomberg
In a diplomatic breakthrough, Paraguay’s Parliament has recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, following recent discussions between Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Paraguayan leaders. – Jerusalem Post
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday voiced hope that President-elect Donald Trump will pick up his work to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, acknowledging a historic deal will not happen under Joe Biden’s administration. – Times of Israel
Korean Peninsula
South Korean police have questioned Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo as part of an investigation into the short-lived decision this month to impose martial law, an official at his office said on Friday. – Reuters
South Korea’s financial authorities said on Friday they would loosen foreign exchange regulations and allow more corporate borrowings abroad, in a bid to defend the won that is trading at a 15-year low with improved liquidity. – Reuters
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s dramatic fall is building public support for his biggest political rival — Lee Jae-myung — to run as the nation’s next leader if fresh elections happen. – Bloomberg
China
The Chinese government after weeks of secret talks allowed European investigators accompanied by Chinese officials to board the ship suspected of sabotaging two key data cables in the Baltic Sea, European law-enforcement officers and diplomats said. – Wall Street Journal
China’s President Xi Jinping urged Macau’s new government to have the “courage” to diversify the economy of the world’s biggest gambling hub as the former Portuguese enclave swore in its first city leader born and raised in mainland China. – Reuters
Apple (AAPL.O), is in talks with Tencent (0700.HK), and TikTok owner ByteDance about integrating their artificial intelligence models into iPhones sold in China, according to three sources familiar with the matter. – Reuters
Yan Xuetong writes: Currently, both Chinese leaders and Trump’s team are preoccupied by domestic matters more than foreign ones. If Chinese leaders do a better job of implementing reforms than Trump does in the next four years, China will narrow the power gap with the United States. But if Trump does a better job than China in this aspect—and eschews damaging foreign conflicts and entanglements—the power gap between the two countries will get bigger. – Foreign Affairs
South Asia
A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an “emerging threat” to the United States. – Reuters
Indian militant groups that took refuge in Myanmar and fought in its civil war have been streaming back across the border to Manipur state this year, Indian security officers said, inflaming the bitter 19-month ethnic conflict there with weapons and battle-hardened cadres. – Reuters
India is preparing to offer tariffs cuts on some farm and other goods mainly imported from the U.S., aiming to clinch a broader trade and investment deal once president-elect Donald Trump takes charge, government and industry sources in New Delhi said. – Reuters
Two highway crashes in southeastern Afghanistan have killed a combined total of 50 people and injured 76, a government spokesman said Thursday. – Associated Press
An active-duty IDF soldier was forced to leave Sri Lanka quickly after being identified in its capital city by a pro-Palestinian Arab organization. – Arutz Sheva
Asia
Taiwan hailed the arrival of its first state-of-the-art American tanks this week, celebrating what it described as “the world’s greatest war machine.” – Wall Street Journal
Australia will provide over $100 million to the Solomon Islands to expand its police force so the Pacific Islands nation, which also has security ties with China, can reduce its reliance on external partners, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. – Reuters
The foreign minister of Myanmar on Thursday informed a regional meeting of its neighbours of its progress towards holding elections next year in the war-torn country, Thailand’s foreign minister said. – Reuters
Malaysia has agreed in principle to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, its transport minister said on Friday, more than 10 years after it disappeared in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. – Reuters
Vietnam’s government said on Friday that plans to significantly overhaul its administration will not affect project approvals amid investor concern it could lead to delays in the coming months. – Reuters
A new wave of political wrangling between Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties that has involved street protests and lawmakers tussling adds to questions about President Lai Ching-te’s ability to govern one of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical hotspots. – Bloomberg
Europe
A French court convicted the former husband of Gisèle Pelicot and 50 other men in a rape trial that transformed the 72-year-old woman into a feminist icon and shocked the conscience of a nation. – Wall Street Journal
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the capital, Mamoudzou, on Thursday, after the French military said it had delivered more than 120 tons of aid. Macron spoke with civilians and officials and toured the destruction in a helicopter. – Washington Post
Kyiv’s European allies are seriously weighing the idea of deploying troops to Ukraine in the event of a deal with Russia to stop the war, as they lay the groundwork for negotiations and adjust to Donald Trump’s return to the White House. – Washington Post
The British government is expected to appoint Peter Mandelson, a Labour Party elder, as ambassador to the United States, two senior British officials said on Thursday, putting an influential onetime aide to Tony Blair at the helm of a potentially fraught relationship with President-elect Donald J. Trump. – New York Times
Austria is reviewing the status of Syrian refugees who arrived less than five years ago, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Thursday after media reports that some had been notified by letter that they “no longer have to fear political persecution”. – Reuters
Romania’s leftist Social Democratic Party on Thursday withdrew from negotiations to form a pro-European coalition government, extending political turmoil that has gripped the European Union country after a top court annulled a presidential election. – Associated Press
Croatia’s premier said European Union leaders will seek a solution to help Serbia steer clear of sanctions targeting a key oil refiner controlled by Russia’s Gazprom. – Bloomberg
Bulgaria’s interim premier backed out of signing a security agreement with Kyiv, which presented a risk to negotiations to form a government in the Balkan nation. – Bloomberg
An Estonian university has cut ties with an Israeli university, setting off a chain of rebukes from the government, and pressure from its board. – Jerusalem Post
Max Hastings writes: In Britain, the people who voted so eagerly for Brexit might yet embrace Nigel Farage, our own micro-Trump, next time they get a national vote. Farage would build the walls of little England higher than ever. Brexit and the spirit that prompted it aren’t responsible for Britain’s near-demolition of its own armed forces. But they have cost us any claim upon the leadership of our continent in the struggle to sustain freedom, such as our forefathers exercised to such effect in the conflicts of the last century. – Bloomberg
Africa
Under a scorching sun in Democratic Republic of Congo, many of the farmers tending to their fields in the troubled eastern region are guarded by United Nations peacekeepers. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday had a blunt message for countries providing military support to Sudan’s warring parties or profiting from the conflict: “Enough.” – Reuters
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the chief of staff of the armed forces and dozens of other senior military figures in one of the biggest shake-ups of its kind in recent years, state television said on Thursday. – Reuters
President Joe Biden’s administration will provide U.S. lawmakers an assessment by Jan. 17 on the credibility of assurances by the United Arab Emirates that it is not providing – and will not provide – weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. – Reuters
Four French nationals held in Burkina Faso for a year have been released following mediation from Morocco, France and Morocco said on Thursday, resolving a diplomatic row over their detention. – Reuters
The Kenyan government on Thursday declared gender-based violence the nation’s most pressing security threat, with 100 women killed in the past four months alone, most of them by men who were known to them, including intimate partners. – Associated Press
The Americas
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to shuffle his cabinet after a tumultuous week that saw his finance minister quit and a growing number of lawmakers call for his resignation. – Wall Street Journal
El Salvador said on Thursday it would keep buying bitcoin, possibly at an accelerated pace, a day after the government reached a financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund that had said it should limit its exposure to the cryptocurrency. – Reuters
Canada’s new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the country’s financial reserves are enough to support businesses and individuals if the United States imposes a major new tariff. – Reuters
The IMF on Thursday said its executive board completed the first review of an extended fund facility for Ecuador, allowing for an immediate disbursement of around $500 million. – Reuters
One of the six members of Venezuela’s political opposition who have been sheltering for nine months in the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital, Caracas, abandoned the premises Thursday. – Associated Press
Mexico is prepared to receive its nationals living in the US if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his deportation pledges, but it won’t serve as a “safe third country” for migrants of other nationalities. – Bloomberg
Michael Taube writes: Mr. Trump seized on Mr. Trudeau’s weakness: “So, your country can’t survive unless it’s ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion?” he replied, according to news reports. At an Equal Voice Foundation event in Canada last week, Mr. Trudeau admonished Americans for having “voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president” and said, “I am, and always will be, a proud feminist.” If Mr. Trudeau hopes to win a war of taunts with Mr. Trump, my money is on the president-elect. – Wall Street Journal
United States
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 271,484 immigrants to nearly 200 countries last fiscal year, the highest tally in a decade, according to the agency’s annual report published Thursday. – Washington Post
The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) executive Brian Thompson was charged with federal murder and stalking crimes in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, alongside state murder and terrorism charges previously announced by New York prosecutors. – Reuters
A Chinese national was arrested Thursday on charges of acting as an illegal agent for Beijing when serving as the campaign manager for an unnamed politician elected to a city council in Southern California two years ago. – Associated Press
President Joe Biden will visit the Rome and Vatican City next month in what will likely be his last presidential mission overseas, as he tries to solidify his legacy on the world stage. – Bloomberg
In the month Joe Biden has left in office, his administration is focused on using all the resources it has left to deliver military aid for Ukraine and more sanctions aimed at weakening Vladimir Putin’s economy. – Bloomberg
The FBI has arrested a suspect for a planned mass casualty terror attack against the Israeli consulate in New York City, the consulate said on Thursday. – Times of Israel
US President Joe Biden’s administration will not sanction far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich before the end of his term, two US officials told The Times of Israel this week. – Times of Israel
Alexander B. Gray writes: As history has demonstrated, open-source technology typically becomes the global standard over the closed alternative. AI will be no different. The AI standard that emerges will become embedded in the financial, e-commerce, infrastructure, manufacturing, and communications systems of the future. The domains and industries AI affects are too consequential for the United States to ever fall behind an adversary, including China. The incoming Trump administration is positioned to ensure the United States leads on this front for decades to come. – National Interest
Cybersecurity
The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday finalized an award to SK Hynix (000660.KS), of up to $458 million in government grants to help fund an advanced chip packaging plant and research and development facility for artificial intelligence products in Indiana. – Reuters
Russia has carried out a mass cyberattack on Ukraine’s state registries, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said late on Thursday, resulting in a temporary suspension of services. – Reuters
The United States is attempting to extradite an Israeli citizen, Rostislav Panev, who is charged with working as a software developer for the LockBit ransomware group. – The Record
More than $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency has been stolen from crypto platforms in 2024 according to blockchain research firm Chainalysis. – The Record
Defense
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a monthlong ban on flying drones in parts of New Jersey for security reasons, adding a wrinkle to a mystery that has unnerved the region. – Wall Street Journal
Outgoing Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Thursday downplayed Elon Musk’s recent pronouncements that crewed fighters are obsolete in the era of drones, and suggested the billionaire industrialist learn more about the military. – Defense News
South Korean conglomerate Hanwha today announced it had closed its $100 million deal to take a controlling stake of Philly Shipyard, capping off one of the company’s most aggressive moves this year to solidify its foot in the American defense industrial base. – Breaking Defense
Andrew Erickson writes: This is the bigger picture that we lose sight of at our own risk. Revealing China’s weaknesses to deter and buy time is part of the strategy we need, but only part; we must not fool ourselves into complacency. The other part is recognizing that Xi is a man on a mission with a military to match and urgently shoring up defenses and deterrence while we still have time. – War on the Rocks