Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Biden, Netanyahu meet amid push for Gaza cease-fire Israel ready to hit Houthis again while urging US to take lead George Mason University Scalia Law School’s Eugene Kontorovich: Hypocrisy and tumult greet Netanyahu Israel warns France of Iran-backed plot Iran hangs final defendant in 2008 case after ‘unfair trial’: NGOs Bloomberg’s James Stavridis: Netanyahu was right about Iran’s role in Mideast chaos G7 framework deal on $50 bln Ukraine loan seen in Oct, EU's Gentiloni says Houthi leader threatens response to Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah North Korean hackers stealing military secrets, say US and allies Stanford University’s Oriana Skylar Mastro: Beijing can take the South China sea without firing a shot US military, seeking strategic advantages, builds up Australia's northern bases amid China tensions WSJ Editorial: Anti-Israel protesters make Netanyahu’s pointIn The News
Israel
President Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday, aiming to close the remaining gaps in a Gaza cease-fire deal after months of fruitless negotiations. – Wall Street Journal
Vice President Harris implored Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to accept a cease-fire deal that would pause the fighting in Gaza and release hostages, as U.S. leaders say they are closer than ever to an agreement. – Washington Post
A new study analyzing the first 17 days of Israel’s bombardment in the Gaza Strip found that the Gaza Ministry of Health’s death toll, a subject of debate at the time, was reliable. – New York Times
At least 30 people were killed and dozens more injured over a 24-hour period on Wednesday and Thursday in the Gaza Strip, local health officials said, as the Israeli military pushed deeper into parts of Khan Younis that it had previously designated as humanitarian zones for civilians fleeing the fighting. – New York Times
The top U.S. general said on Thursday Israel still has not shared much of its “day after” planning for Gaza once the war with Hamas ends. – Reuters
Israel is seeking changes to a plan for a Gaza truce and the release of hostages by Hamas, complicating a final deal to halt nine months of combat that have devastated the enclave, according to a Western official and a Palestinian and two Egyptian sources. – Reuters
A Hamas leader in the West Bank died in Israeli custody after a deterioration in his health condition, a Palestinian governmental body said early on Friday. – Reuters
Senior figures in Israel’s government have said it is closing in on its war aims of defeating Hamas militarily and the return of hostages seized on Oct. 7. But Hamas’ survival as a guerrilla force and its sway in Gaza may overshadow any deal. – Reuters
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, one day before meeting Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, called for a quick end to its war with Hamas and a return of the hostages, adding that Israel has to better manage its “public relations”. – Reuters
The leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Canada called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in a joint statement on Friday. – Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fiery speech to Congress may have been delivered in Washington, but his words appeared aimed at an audience back home. – Associated Press
The Czech president said his country, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once called Israel’s best friend in Europe, sees “some form” of independent Palestinian state as essential to peace in the Middle East. – Bloomberg
Israel is prepared to attack Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen again following its air strike last week, the country’s top diplomat said, though would prefer the US-headed maritime security coalition to take the lead role. – Bloomberg
Israel is privately ramping up pressure on the Biden administration and lawmakers on Capitol Hill to greenlight weapons it says it needs to protect itself from an increasingly aggressive Iran and its proxies. – Politico
A video that has been widely shared on social media showing a purported Palestinian terrorist threatening attacks on France during the Olympic Games in Paris is a fake and could be of Russian origin, security sources and experts said on Thursday. – Agence France-Presse
When a grenade shredded his leg during a botched hostage rescue mission in Gaza, Israeli soldier Barak wanted to shoot himself to avoid being taken captive by Palestinian terrorists. – Agence France-Presse
Vice President Kamala Harris may have made it more difficult to close a hostage deal, a startled senior Israeli official said after hearing the remarks she issued to the press late Thursday afternoon. – Jerusalem Post
Editorial: In pushing the demonization of Netanyahu, Harris clearly is courting this nation’s radical-chic university types and the left-wing Arab American community in swing-state Michigan, thus hoping to energize her natural base in the anti-American Left. She is courting those who Netanyahu rightly described as “Iran’s useful idiots.” All other people, though, should resent Harris’s anti-Israel posturing and her administration’s weak-kneed kowtowing to Iran. And be willing to vote accordingly. – Washington Examiner
Eugene Kontorovich writes: That’s a tactic common to protest movements, including U.S.-based anti-Israel groups, which in recent months have blocked access to several major airports. Not only did the administration take no steps against those illegal actions, but it now appears willing even to allow pro-Hamas mobs to rampage in the U.S. capital. – Wall Street Journal
Liat Collins writes: Whatever transpires during the meetings between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US officials in Washington this week, Israel can take nothing for granted, especially not the enduring friendship of allies. Israel ultimately needs to rely on its own strength, creativity, and desire for survival honed over thousands of years of history. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
Israel’s foreign minister warned his French counterpart on Thursday of a potential Iranian-backed plot to target Israeli athletes and tourists during the Paris Olympic Games. – Reuters
Iran has released the oil cargo of a Greek-owned, Marshall-Islands-flagged tanker it seized in the Gulf of Oman earlier this year, a shipping source told Reuters on Thursday. – Reuters
Iranian authorities on Thursday executed Kurdish man Kamran Sheikheh, the last surviving defendant in a case linked to a Muslim cleric’s killing in 2008, rights groups said. – Agence France-Presse
Iran on Thursday denounced the US government and Congress for welcoming the Israeli prime minister amid the deadly war in Gaza that is raging into its 10th month. – Agence France-Presse
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Thursday invoked the annihilation of US adversary Iran in a social media post reminiscent of his most incendiary outbursts while in the White House. – Agence France-Presse
James Stavridis writes: If it came to war with Tehran, it would take four aircraft carriers — and likely a massive US Air Force surge into bases in Arab states Qatar, Kuwait and even Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu’s speech reminded me of what Churchill later called “a gathering storm” in Europe in the late 1930s, which led to World War II. It is beginning to feel that way in the Middle East today. – Bloomberg
Eric R. Mandel writes: A former Iranian president who was considered a moderate said Israel is a one-bomb nation, and it is worth the sacrifice of 20% of its citizens for the destruction of the hated Jews. Radicals, whether Sunni, Hamas, or Shiite in Iran, see the deaths of their citizens as a necessary price if their ultimate aim is accomplished. In the case of Iran, the aim is the destruction of Israel, the diminution of America, and a path to dominate first the region, then the world. This is how revolutionary religious zealots think, and it is high time that America wakes up to it. – Jerusalem Post
Russia & Ukraine
As Russia fights the war in Ukraine, it is losing a battle at home—against inflation. Last year, the Russian central bank more than doubled interest rates to tame prices. Inflation, though, kept rising, hitting over 9% this month, with a vast range of goods and services becoming costlier from potatoes (up 91% so far this year) to economy-class flights (up 35%). Now the central bank is set to further raise its benchmark rate on Friday. – Wall Street Journal
The Ukrainian authorities detained a suspect on Thursday in the killing of Iryna Farion, a divisive far-right Ukrainian politician who was shot dead by a gunman last week in the western city of Lviv, a crime that shocked the nation. – New York Times
More than 10,500 athletes from some 200 countries will participate in the Olympic Games in Paris, but only 15 of them will be from Russia. They will compete without the accompaniment of the Russian flag or its national anthem. – New York Times
The Group of Seven wealthy democracies are likely to have a framework deal for a Russian-asset-backed $50 billion loan to Ukraine by October, in time to tap markets by year-end, European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday. – Reuters
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited Hong Kong on Thursday and called on its leader John Lee to prevent Russia from using Hong Kong as a way to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its full-scale war in Ukraine. – Reuters
The Kremlin signalled on Thursday it was open to negotiations with Ukraine on ending the conflict while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remains in power despite publicly doubting his legitimacy to rule. – Reuters
Romania said it found Russian drone fragments on its territory on Thursday and NATO said it saw no sign of an intentional attack on the alliance’s territory after Moscow troops fired 38 long-range drones into Ukraine overnight. – Reuters
Warships from Russia’s Baltic Fleet will make a port visit to Havana from July 27-30, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, citing Cuba’s defence ministry, the second such visit this year. – Reuters
A court in Moscow on Thursday ordered the head of a Defense Ministry’s construction division to be detained for two months on suspicion of abuse of power, Russian news agencies reported, the latest in a series of arrests of high-ranking ministry officials this year. – Associated Press
Tom Rogan writes: Hence why Putin has been dangling nuclear threats in an increasingly public fashion. Xi and Putin will hope this exercise moves the U.S. against policies that challenge China and Russia. Top line: This exercise didn’t pose a specific threat, but it wasn’t just for show either. China and Russia share an ambition to seize territories of some nations and undermine the resolve of democracy in others. And they know the U.S. is the primary obstacle to their fulfillment of that ambition. – Washington Examiner
Yemen
A Houthi response to Israeli airstrikes near Yemen’s Hodeidah is coming, the Iran-backed group’s leader declared in a televised speech on Thursday. – Reuters
Yemen’s Houthi militants have attacked more merchant ships hauling Russian commodities than products from anywhere else in the world, highlighting the limits of safe-passage assurances that the rebels gave Moscow earlier this year. – Bloomberg
Middle East & North Africa
Multiple rockets were launched at Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase housing U.S.-led forces late on Thursday, U.S. and Iraqi sources said, with no damage or casualties reported. Two U.S. officials said the base itself had not been struck in the attack. – Reuters
Bahrain Olympic chiefs are convinced they are sending their best ever team to Paris and although they will again be relying heavily on athletics for success, there are high hopes of a first medal away from track and field. – Reuters
Algeria expressed “great regret and strong denunciation” on Thursday about the French government’s decision to recognize an autonomy plan for the Western Sahara region “within Moroccan sovereignty”. – Reuters
Egypt raised prices for a wide range of fuel products by up to 15%, the latest trimming of state subsidies following a new pact with the International Monetary Fund. – Bloomberg
Mohanad Hage Ali writes: If an all-out military conflict can be avoided in the short term, the same kind of mediation efforts that brought about the maritime pact could open a process to resolve the two countries’ thornier land-border disputes—and potentially bring a more lasting end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. – Foreign Affairs
Korean Peninsula
North Korea’s economy grew sharply in 2023 after shrinking for three straight years as trade with China increased after COVID-19 pandemic border controls were eased, according to estimates by South Korea’s central bank. – Reuters
North Korean hackers have conducted a global cyber espionage campaign in efforts to steal classified military secrets to support Pyongyang’s banned nuclear weapons programme, the United States, Britain and South Korea said in a joint advisory on Thursday. – Reuters
North Korea appears to be upgrading its missile production capabilities, heightening concerns about the isolated state’s objectives amid escalating tensions with its southern neighbor. – Newsweek
China
China’s central bank took new steps to shore up the country’s sputtering economy, highlighting officials’ growing anxiety about growth only days after leader Xi Jinping set out his long-term vision to transform China into a technological powerhouse to rival the U.S. – Wall Street Journal
Typhoon Gaemi reached southeastern China on Thursday night as rescue personnel searched for six sailors still missing after a cargo ship sank in bad weather near Taiwan. – New York Times
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said China and Russia should maintain communication and coordination on East Asian cooperation to promote regional peace and stability amid international turbulence. – Reuters
The increased use of digital assets in cross-border settlements between Russia and China is easing bilateral payment issues, digital platform Qifa told Reuters, as some settlements directly through banks are taking months to clear due to sanctions. – Reuters
Chinese military forces will participate in joint counter-terrorism exercises with Mozambique and Tanzania later this month, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said. – Bloomberg
Oriana Skylar Mastro writes: Neither U.S. option — standing up to China or backing down — is attractive. But unless the United States asserts itself, China will continue chipping away with its tactics of bluster and intimidation until its military presence in the South China Sea becomes so dominant that it no longer fears war. The United States can re-establish a favorable balance of power, but it must act now. – New York Times
John Calabrese writes: To be sure, increased Chinese engagement in humanitarian assistance can strengthen global responses to displacement crises by offering substantial financial support, leveraging its infrastructure capabilities, and fostering South-South cooperation. This has the potential to promote sustainable development in affected regions. Yet as seen in the Syrian case, there are valid concerns about China’s adherence to international humanitarian principles like neutrality and impartiality, as well as apprehensions about potential political motivations behind its aid allocations. – Middle East Institute
South Asia
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday in Laos, where the two leaders agreed to resolve border issues as soon as possible. – Reuters
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb arrived in Beijing on Thursday for talks on power sector debt relief alongside structural reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund, two government sources said. – Reuters
Sri Lanka will vote on Sept. 21 to elect a new president, a government notice said on Friday, a crucial contest that is expected to determine the future of reforms in the South Asian island nation weathering its worst financial crisis in decades. – Reuters
Bangladesh has said that it forgot to remove U.N. markings from vehicles during an army-enforced curfew to contain deadly violence that spread across the country last week and killed nearly 150 people. – Reuters
A rebel army in Myanmar said on Thursday it had seized control of a major regional military headquarters near the border with China, in what could be the biggest recent defeat for a ruling junta that is battling to contain a widening revolt. – Reuters
Shristi Pukhrem writes: By focusing on cooperation, maritime security, cultural ties, sustainable development, and technological partnership, India can play a vital role in further strengthening its engagement with the organization and its constituent nations. While the region steers through rough waters, India’s proactive and constructive approach toward ASEAN will be the key to instilling peace, stability, and shared prosperity. – The National Interest
Asia
From a nondescript seventh-floor office at 135 Bonham Strand near Hong Kong’s financial district, at least four companies are operating with a shadowy mission: facilitating the illicit trade of Western technology to Russia. – New York Times
A tanker sank in Philippine waters and began spilling fuel oil on Thursday, as the remnants of a typhoon complicated efforts to contain the spill. – New York Times
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) is expected to decide on Friday whether to allow the restart of a plant that lies above a fault line, state broadcaster NHK reported, marking a key ruling since the Fukushima disaster in 2011. – Reuters
Thailand’s main opposition figurehead is hopeful his election-winning Move Forward party will survive an upcoming dissolution case, but warned of the impact of another investigation that could leave the popular progressive outfit decimated. – Reuters
Indonesia’s foreign minister at a regional meeting on Thursday called out warring camps in Myanmar over their refusal to agree to dialogue, as fighting intensifies between the ruling military and an alliance of armed groups. – Reuters
The European Union and Singapore concluded a digital trade agreement on Thursday designed to ease cross-border data flows and shape global rules for data. – Reuters
A prominent activist jailed and made famous over his public call for reforms to Thailand’s powerful monarchy was given four more years in prison for another violation of the country’s royal insults law, a legal aid group said on Thursday. – Reuters
Thailand will form a task force to enhance the due diligence capabilities of its financial institutions in order to prevent transactions by banks that could lead to arms purchases and human rights abuses in Myanmar, the foreign ministry said. – Reuters
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce a new cabinet following the retirement of two senior ministers, putting the center-left government on a pre-election footing ahead of a vote due in less than 12 months. – Bloomberg
Europe
EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Thursday urged Israel to revoke its decision to outlaw the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), calling it nonsense. – Reuters
A German national sentenced to death on terrorism charges by a court in ex-Soviet Belarus said on Wednesday that he regretted his actions and hoped to secure a pardon from President Alexander Lukashenko, media reports said. – Reuters
Belgian police have conducted 14 house searches in a terrorism investigation, the federal public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday, adding seven people were taken in for questioning. – Reuters
France’s anti-terror police PNAT said a second 18-year-old man had been arrested on Thursday in connection with plans to commit one or several attacks against people. – Reuters
As President Emmanuel Macron welcomes business leaders including Elon Musk to Paris ahead of Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony, there are early signs France’s political deadlock is hurting business sentiment and affecting corporate decision making. – Reuters
On the eve of the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, France’s interior minister thanked Belgium Thursday for a string of raids that led to the detention of seven people for questioning over suspected terrorist activities. – Associated Press
Carrying backpacks and small children, hundreds of people sleeping on the streets of Paris climbed aboard buses surrounded by armed police on Thursday, the latest group of migrants and homeless people to be driven out of the city ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. – Associated Press
Greece formally approved an offer to buy 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States as part of a major defense overhaul, government officials said Thursday. – Associated Press
Croatia has banned three Montenegrin politicians from entering the country for allegedly harming relations between the two Balkan neighbors, in a dispute that may complicate Montenegro’s progress towards EU membership. – Bloomberg
Africa
Teenagers toyed with guns at a museum exhibit. Young men posed in front of posters of the country’s military leader. Over dinner in restaurants, families watched television monitors showing footage of drone strikes. – New York Times
Ugandan police detained several people in the capital Kampala on Thursday during a second day of anti-corruption protests that are demanding the resignation of the parliament speaker, footage broadcast by local media showed. – Reuters
Kenyan police detained several people on Thursday who attempted to present a petition to the president’s office and lay flowers to honour those killed a month ago on the most violent day of anti-government protests, protesters said. – Reuters
Sudan’s agriculture minister said there is no famine in the country and cast doubt on U.N.-backed data that 755,000 are experiencing catastrophic hunger, rejecting the idea of aid agencies overriding cross-border delivery restrictions. – Reuters
Nigeria’s military will intervene to prevent any violence at protests by citizens planned for next month against bad governance and economic hardship, defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba said on Thursday. – Reuters
Burkina Faso’s army has condemned videos shared on social media this week showing people presenting themselves as soldiers and army auxiliaries mutilating corpses. – Reuters
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance took the African National Congress, the party it co-governs the country with, to court Thursday over a preelection speech in May given by President Cyril Ramaphosa. – Associated Press
Lawrence Nowosenetz writes: Beneath the surface, DIRCO appears to have been strategically and fundamentally infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood and its associates. Left unchecked, funds will certainly continue to be collected from local and international Islamist sources and may be channeled into the hands of terrorist organizations. It is time for concerned people to start connecting the dots, which are starting to be increasingly visible from Pretoria. – Jerusalem Post
Jason K. Stearns writes: Congo has what it takes to sort out these challenges. Despite its dysfunctional government, the country is pluralistic, and has a strong, if raucous, civil society. Its democratic spirit runs deep. But it needs outside help with some of the obstacles standing in its path—which means it needs the West to rein in Rwanda. – Foreign Affairs
The Americas
Venezuela opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said on Thursday he trusts the country’s military will ensure respect for the result of the presidential election this Sunday, as he and his rival, incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, held final rallies. – Reuters
The world’s 20 biggest economies (G20) agreed on Thursday to work together to ensure the ultra rich are effectively taxed, in a declaration that seeks a balance between national sovereignty and more cooperation on tax avoidance. – Reuters
Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela has attracted a level of voter enthusiasm not seen in at least a decade. – Reuters
Chilean President Gabriel Boric urged Venezuela’s government to guarantee fair elections and respect the country’s Sunday vote during a meeting with reporters on Thursday. – Reuters
Argentine President Javier Milei arrived Thursday in Paris, his office said, where he is expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron after tensions escalated between their countries over the Argentine soccer team’s derogatory post-match chants about French players. – Associated Press
The US ambassador to Canada said he’s encouraged by signs of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government closing a “loophole” that might have allowed Chinese-backed electric vehicles to enter the US via Canada, sidestepping its tariffs. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Without international-observer teams on the ground, Venezuelans will have to guard polling stations. But on Tuesday the opposition said its volunteers aren’t being accredited. Tally this up and you get a step by step manual for how to steal an election—and how to lose any last friends Mr. Maduro may have had among the region’s democracies. – Wall Street Journal
María Corina Machado writes: Nobody can prevent our people from making possible a new beginning. This struggle is a journey of redemption. Our common aspiration is to bring our children back home, reunite our families and proudly live in our own country, Venezuela. This is the truth that will prevail. – New York Times
Joseph Nepomuceno writes: A friendly Venezuela would help stabilize Latin America geopolitically by depriving anti-American powers of a base of influence in the region. The Venezuelan elections this Sunday could prove crucial to the future of Latin American geopolitics. Gonzalez has already signaled he is willing to cooperate with the U.S. if elected. The U.S. would be foolish to pass on an opportunity to develop our relations with Venezuela and secure the Western Hemisphere. – Washington Examiner
Henry Ziemer, Tina Dolbaia, and Mathieu Droin write: Although all these countries are trade competitors, they share similar strategic objectives, and while their focus has been on the threats and challenges posed by China, Iran, and Russia in Eurasia, they should consider LAC a full-fledged—not marginal—theater of strategic competition. They should harness their respective competitive advantages to build offers catering to LAC’s most urgent needs in terms of infrastructure, energy, security, and defense, as well as in the informational space. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
United States
Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was arrested by U.S. agents Thursday after a high-ranking Sinaloa cartel member tricked him into flying to Texas, Mexican and U.S. officials said. – Wall Street Journal
The White House on Thursday expressed concern about the threat of violence in Venezuela’s election on Sunday and warned President Nicolas Maduro of the need to hold a fair vote free of political repression or intimidation. – Reuters
The United States on Thursday will impose sanctions on a coalition of rebel groups it accused of seeking to overthrow the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and fuelling conflict, according to a statement seen by Reuters. – Reuters
Editorial: On Thursday she, too, condemned the “despicable acts.” How about prosecutions? Credit to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who led several Republicans to Union Station on Wednesday night to raise new American flags. Not all pro-Palestinian protesters are this despicable, but most of the anti-Israel movement despises America and seeks to intimidate Democrats into submission. This faction of the Democratic coalition could spoil the Chicago convention—and a public place near you. – Wall Street Journal
David J. Urban and Mike Pompeo write: These steps, and not the half-measures of the Biden administration, will end the war, establish a lasting peace, ensure Europe bears the burden of maintaining it, and re-establish freedom and security on the Continent. To those who doubt: The last thing Mr. Trump wants in a second term is a foreign-policy failure that distracts from his domestic agenda and makes Mr. Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan look like a success in comparison. – Wall Street Journal
Eli Lake writes: Kamala’s absence from the chaos has left her open to attacks. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference, “Madam Vice President, you say you want to be the leader of the free world, and yet you can’t bring yourself to sit behind our most important and strategic ally in this moment.” – The Free Press
Mark Toth and Jonathan Sweet write: Since Austin and Sullivan are likely lame ducks, are they already ceding policy decisions to Harris and Gordon? Or is Biden nominally still in charge? Likely not. Strategic ambiguity has its value — up to a point. We perilously crossed that threshold on Wednesday when Russian and Chinese bombers told us in Alaska that they were seeing through it. Moscow and Beijing are likely betting no one is really holding the reins at Biden’s unraveling White House — and that’s a dangerous place to be. – New York Post
Cybersecurity
Misinformation and disinformation threats are being exacerbated this election season by artificial intelligence, legal battles, the continued low cost of influence operations and Americans’ increased willingness to believe outlandish things, Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said Thursday. – CyberScoop
Scores of overlapping and contradictory cyber regulations are overburdening the banking, oil and natural gas, and IT sectors, representatives from those industries told House lawmakers Thursday. – CyberScoop
A suspected Belarusian state-sponsored hacker group targeted Ukrainian organizations and local government agencies with PicassoLoader malware, according to a new report. – The Record
Russia enacted a law this week allowing military unit commanders to detain soldiers in military prisons for up to ten days if they are caught using personal mobile phones while fighting in Ukraine. – The Record
Defense
The U.S. military is building infrastructure in northern Australia to help it project power into the South China Sea if a crisis with China erupts, a Reuters review of documents and interviews with U.S. and Australian defence officials show. – Reuters
The Marines are looking for weapons-mounted gear and ammo that can detect and blast drones out of the sky with “buckshot-like” capability. – Defense News
The joint office established to find solutions to countering air drone systems sought to challenge industry with large barrages of drone attacks during a demonstration in the Arizona desert last month. – Defense News
The Defense Department wants to see whether industry’s drone killers can get the job done while operating in a contested electromagnetic environment. – DefenseScoop
Zachary Szewczyk writes: The new cyber lieutenants my unit receives today have gone through much of the same training I did six years ago. The specifics have changed, but they still go to the field, they still ruck, and they still get told that these things will make them better cyber officers. Survivorship bias is strong. A Cyber Force is the best chance to address the many challenges inhibiting the military’s cyber forces, cultural challenges chief among them — but in the meantime, the Army has other options. A Cyber Force is not the only solution. – War on the Rocks