Fdd's overnight brief

Iran

A senior Iranian official visited the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, just days after Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in a Chinese-brokered deal that raised hopes of a broader rapprochement across Middle East. – Associated Press

Eager to end its political and economic isolation, Iran had been trying for two years to restore ties with its long-time rival Saudi Arabia, an Arab heavyweight and oil powerhouse. – Reuters 

European lawmakers called on the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday to conduct an independent investigation into a wave of poisonings that have hit schoolgirls in Iran. – Reuters

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck the Iraqi-Iranian borderline, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported on Thursday. – Reuters

The death of a man while in the custody of security forces has sparked fresh anti-government protests in the northwestern Iranian city of Bukan. – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Iranian labor activist Sepideh Gholian has been rearrested by security forces just hours after her release from Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, where she served almost five years after being forced to confess to treason. – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 

Michael Singh writes: Finally, the United States should be honest but resolute about its own commitments. U.S. credibility with partners boils down to two things — candor with partners about our strategy, and how, especially in the Middle East, it is changing on account of our increasing focus on competition with China and war in Europe. And, perhaps most important of all, we need to muster the will to back up our words with action. – Washington Post

Ahmad Hashemi writes: Third, the U.S. needs to give Ukraine training and weapons. America can exhaust Russia and defuse the Iranian-made drones in Ukraine by providing the Ukrainian forces with new weapons, advanced drones, fighter jets, and training to improve Ukraine’s chances of shooting down Iranian-made drones and targeting Russian sites where those drones are being prepared for launch. – Washington Examiner

Suzan Quitaz writes: Yazdanpana supports regime change in the country and the demands for the self-determination of Kurds, Balochs, Azeri, and Ahwazis, which have been subjugated and oppressed through a brutal assimilation policy. He believes that the dissolution of the Iranian state into ethno-states will democratize the region, slow down terrorism and militarism, strengthen the economy and trade, and bring regional peace. – Middle East Media Research Institute 

Yaqoub Beth-Addai writes: In the face of strong unity amongst the Christian community and the leading Bishops of the Nineveh Plains the NPU petitioned on March 13 to be removed from the Kataib Babiliyoun brigade order of battle and placed in their prior status – as a Tribal Mobilization Force under the Nineveh Operations Command. During the separation negotiations on March 14 – at the PMF provincial office in Mosul – seven members of the NPU delegation were seized under charges of insulting the PMF and sent to Baghdad. Though their release was quickly achieved on March 16, this is unlikely to be the last retaliatory action by Kataib Babiliyoun. – Washington Institute 

Faris Almaari writes: Apart from any further action on the 1998 and 2001 agreements, policymakers should watch for diplomatic steps such as reopening embassies, dispatching ambassadors, and establishing minister-level relations on various issues. Also notable will be how the two governments handle Iranian participation in the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, which has often been a contentious issue. They signed a memorandum of understanding on that matter in early January, so they may find coordination and cooperation easier this year. – Washington Institute

Annika Ganzeveld, Amin Soltani, Johanna Moore, Nicholas Carl, and Frederick W. Kagan write: Some Iranian leaders are likely concerned about their ability to convince the population that the national Iranian identity is inextricably interwoven with the regime’s religious ideology. Iranian officials and state media have scaled back their discussion on the recent student poisonings—an unusual response to this recent, large-scale security crisis. […]At least five protests occurred in five cities across two provinces. – Institute for the Study of War 

Israel

Eleven weeks into his third stint as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to be received at the White House, signaling apparent U.S. unhappiness over the policies of his right-wing government. – Reuters

Jerusalem woke on Thursday to the sight of a long red line painted by protesters along roads leading to Israel’s Supreme Court, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a compromise deal for his government’s planned judicial overhaul. – Reuters

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged Israel to preserve its status as a liberal democracy and expressed concerns to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a planned judicial overhaul that has plunged his country into crisis. – Reuters

Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including at least two gunmen and a teenager, during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian medics and militants said. – Reuters

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday said those responsible for a rare roadside bomb attack this week which officials said may have involved Lebanon’s Hezbollah, would be found and held accountable. – Reuters

For the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel has authorized the sale of defensive military equipment to Kyiv, a report said Thursday. – Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he is paying attention to the protests against his government’s judicial overhaul plan, and intends to work toward a compromise deal while rejecting the one put forward by President Isaac Herzog. – Times of Israel 

United Arab Emirates AE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered that $3 million be given to rehabilitate the West Bank Palestinian town of Huwara, where Israeli settlers rampaged last month in revenge for a deadly terror attack. – Times of Israel 

The editorial argues the Netanyahu government’s effort to restructure the judiciary threatens a constitutional crisis, with the Jewish state particularly vulnerable to internal discord. – Times of Israel  

A Michigan high school has apologized after a Palestinian American anti-Israel activist was invited to a student-led diversity event where she went on a hateful tirade against Israel. – Arutz Sheva 

Foreign Ministry Director-General Ronen Levi (Maoz) today (Thursday) led a delegation to Warsaw that met with members of the Polish government and in principle reached an agreement that would enable the resumption of Israeli youth delegations to Poland. The delegation included representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Education Ministry, and the Israel Security Agency. – Arutz Sheva 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Thursday afternoon in Berlin. – Arutz Sheva 

Israel recently approved the export licenses for the possible sale of anti-drone jamming systems that could help Ukraine counter Iranian drones used by Russia during the war, three Israeli and Ukrainian officials told Axios on Wednesday. – Arutz Sheva 

In his March 12, 2023 column in Qatar’s Al-Watan daily, titled “The Time Has Come For You To Get Out,” Palestinian journalist Samir Al-Barghouti, who frequently writes in favor of armed struggle against Israel, stated that it was time to expel the Israelis “from Huwara to Tel Aviv…  from the river to the sea,” and to fight them in brigades and with lone attackers. […]In conclusion, he addressed the Israelis, saying: “We will fight [you] as long as we live, and you will never enjoy a good life on land that rejects you.” – Middle East Media Research Institute  

A Gallup poll published on Thursday shows an increasing trend of American Democrats sympathizing with Palestinians. – Ynet

Itamar Ben Gvir writes: Rather than being enemies, I believe that most people living in Israel and the broader region—Jews, Bedouins, Circassians, Druze, Arabs, and others—share a covenant of life. With the help of God, I am confident that the efforts of the Israeli government to provide security for all will allow peace-loving residents to enjoy a bright future in the Holy Land. – Newsweek 

Yonathan Arfi writes: As Israel is facing a new wave of terrorism and Iran is on the threshold of a nuclear weapon, the solidarity of French Jews with Israel must not weaken in these times of crisis: on the contrary, it is growing in the conviction that it is in their heritage, both Jewish and democratic, that the Israelis will find a modus vivendi. – Jerusalem Post 

Melanie Phillips writes: The less charitable explanation, meanwhile, is that some of those promoting the Palestinian Arab cause are motivated by malign hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. In the Biden administration, several such individuals are working in sensitive Middle East policy positions. In Britain’s Foreign Office, its history of antisemitism going back to its shameful administration of the Palestine Mandate in the last century continues to this day, fueled by anti-Zionist “intersectionality” that has become the orthodoxy in much of Britain’s official class and many of its institutions. – Arutz Sheva

Amos Harel writes: In addition, relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates have been cooling off. It appears that some of the defense agreements between the two sides are proceeding sluggishly. The Emirates postponed at the last minute a conference to be attended by Israeli journalists, scheduled in Abu Dhabi with participants from all the countries that were signatories to the Abraham Accords. – Haaretz 

Amos Harel writes: But there is also an opposite process, on the backdrop of the current regime overhaul, which justifiably identifies the exemption for Haredi youths as a cause that brings previously apathetic secular people out on the streets. This was demonstrated on Thursday, with protesting reserve soldiers setting up a symbolic “draft center” in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city, clashing for the second consecutive day with Haredi residents. – Haaretz 

Clara Keuss writes: The Abraham Accords are serious, in part because they included real policy that addressed real problems: free trade deals for the economy, formal defense ties for national security. Could talks between Israel and Palestine ever be that productive? Perhaps, actually—but only if upcoming meetings are treated not as public exercises of “good faith,” but as real policy workshops. – American Enterprise Institute 

Iraq

Almost exactly 20 years after US forces invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power, the US Senate moved Thursday to revoke the law that authorized then-president George W. Bush to launch the war. – Agence France-Presse

Joe Lieberman writes: It is understandable this progress in Iraq will not convince people it justifies the war’s enormous costs in life and treasure, but it does argue that the brave and effective service of the Americans who fought, worked and died there should give us gratitude, pride and guidance as the United States faces a world full of challenges to our values and threats to our security in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and beyond. – New York Post

Domènec Ruiz Devesa and Emiliano Alessandri write: As the anniversary of the 2003 U.S. military operation approaches, and with events in Ukraine providing a daily reminder of the horrors associated with military conflict, any contribution to replacing a geopolitics of confrontation with one of engagement should be welcome. Despite its recent tumultuous history — or perhaps precisely because of it — Iraq should be front and center as part of a new positive regional agenda. With the right vision and sufficient political will, the EU, together with the U.S. and relevant MENA partners, can be a lead promoter of this new approach. – Middle East Institute 

Middle East & North Africa

The U.N. special envoy for Yemen said Wednesday that intense diplomatic efforts are underway to end the eight-year war in Yemen. He cited new regional and international momentum, including the recent restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who back rivals in the conflict. – Associated Press

A meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Syria, scheduled for this week, has been postponed to an unspecified date, a source from the Turkish foreign ministry said on Thursday. – Reuters

The draft election manifesto of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party marks a return to more orthodox, free market economic policies, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. – Reuters

Two U.S. military leaders stressed to lawmakers the growing presence and threat posed by China in both the Middle East and Africa. China brokered an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore full diplomatic relations, which was announced last week. The deal was the culmination of years of negotiating and fighting between the rival countries, though Beijing only became involved in these talks in the past several months. – Washington Examiner 

Yossi Yehoshua writes: Another topic to be addressed is communication on social media and during emergencies in general. Over the past two days, there has been a concerning proliferation of fake news, stirring panic and anxiety among hundreds of thousands of residents in northern Israel. During times of emergency, it is important for citizens to be responsible and avoid spreading rumors, recognizing that the enemy may also be spreading misinformation to sow chaos. – Ynet

Bahadırhan Dinçaslan writes: The emergence of an independent nationalist candidate in this context might have a large impact disproportionate to the percentage of votes he or she might get—even a few percentage points could make a big difference. If an independent nationalist candidate took several percentage points from the MHP base, neither Kılıçdaroğlu nor Erdoğan would win in the first round. In the second round, the atmosphere would be much more in favor of the opposition. – Washington Institute

China

Fresh off a legislative congress where he cemented his vision for governing China, Xi Jinping turned to how he would create a better world order. It would be based on mutual respect, tolerance and equality — and China would be its natural leader, he told heads of political parties for an array of countries, including Russia and South Africa, Nicaragua and East Timor. – Washington Post 

China’s Communist Party unveiled a broad overhaul strengthening its role in managing finance, social affairs and technological development, as part of leader Xi Jinping’s efforts to entrench his brand of top-down rule. – Wall Street Journal 

China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has cast himself as a global statesman, helping Saudi Arabia and Iran broker a deal to restore diplomatic ties while extolling the virtues of “Chinese solutions and wisdom” in solving the world’s biggest security challenges. Now, Mr. Xi is putting himself at the center of Russia’s war with Ukraine, potentially positioning himself as a mediator to end the protracted fight. – New York Times

China says President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday in an apparent show of support for Vladimir Putin, the foreign ministry said Friday. – Associated Press

United States Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino said Thursday that Washington does not seek to contain China, nor seek conflicts in the region, but it would take action to support the region against coercion and bullying by authoritarian regimes. – Associated Press

Top Republicans are urging the White House to crack down on nuclear co-operation between Russia and China following reports that Moscow’s state-owned nuclear energy company is providing highly enriched uranium to Beijing. – Financial Times

Chinese companies, including one connected to the government in Beijing, have sent Russian entities 1,000 assault rifles and other equipment that could be used for military purposes, including drone parts and body armor, according to trade and customs data obtained by POLITICO. – Politico 

The U.S. still has not seen any intelligence to indicate China has supplied Russia with lethal aid for the use in Ukraine. U.S. officials have said for about a month now that Beijing was considering such a move, which they warned would incur significant consequences. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday that they still haven’t seen it happen yet. – Washington Examiner 

With tensions high between the U.S. and China, one small island in the Pacific stands as a nuclear-capable front line in what has the potential to be one of the devastating wars the world has ever seen. – Newsweek 

A Chinese-manufactured drone was shot down by soldiers last weekend in eastern Ukraine. Soldiers from the 111th Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine and situated near the city of Sloviansk shot down the Mugin-5 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with AK-47s at about 2 a.m. March 10, according to CNN. – Newsweek 

China has not responded to any of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s requests to establish direct communication channels between its commander and the commanders of China’s main military commands, Adm. John Aquilino said Thursday. – USNI News

David Ignatius writes: The truth is that a unipolar Middle East, where a dominant United States was encouraged in confrontational policies by its allies Saudi Arabia and Israel, wasn’t a very stable region. A multipolar Middle East, with its ceaseless hedging and balancing, will have its own dangers. And as Kissinger suggests, it will be a new game with new rules. – Washington Post 

Hugioi Gordon writes: The task of decoupling America from China is hugely difficult if it is at all possible. Our economies seem inextricably entangled. Most manufactured goods we buy are made at least partly in China. It will be immensely hard to get the public to understand the importance of abandoning the convenience and low costs they’ve become accustomed to, let alone accept the pain it would involve.- Washington Examiner 

Tom Rogan writes: Put another way, it might be in America’s interest to avoid Xi’s engagement on internet rule of law. Just as his minions use the internet to steal whatever they deem valuable, they want to build a new internet that subjugates any thought deemed undesirable, wherever in the world the thinker happens to live. – Washington Examiner 

Robby Stephan Saunders writes: U.S. investors don’t want to support China’s repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. It’s time for Congress to force the issue by conditioning access to America’s financial markets on ending corporate complicity in China’s egregious human rights abuses. – The Hill

David P. Goldman writes: The United States should lead a consortium of firms from friendly countries including Sweden, Finland, South Korea, and Japan to create products that can compete with China’s offerings. Huawei alone spent $22 billion on R&D last year, compared to $4.8 billion for Nokia and $4.7 billion for Ericsson, its two largest competitors. Huawei’s R&D budget, moreover, has twice the punch in China, where costs are much lower than in the West. – Newsweek 

Anushay Hossain writes: “We have also determined that the Chinese government has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “The international community must continue to condemn these atrocities,” she added. “We must continue to demand accountability. And we must continue to call for all those unjustly detained in [China] to be released and reunited with their families.” – Newsweek 

Michael Cunningham writes: Beijing will initially have to tread lightly to keep businesses and investors engaged. But its efforts to attract investment and appease businesses are just means to facilitate Beijing’s bigger plan of restructuring its economy in line with its domestic and global ambitions. The days when economic growth reigned supreme in China are long gone. China’s leaders have, once again, signaled they have bigger priorities than keeping investors happy. – 19fortyfive 

Jacob Heilbrunn writes: Figure out some way to not ban TikTok but to force it to keep all Americans’ data on servers in the United States without any backdoors. It does store data in the United States but that data has also been accessed from China many times. – The National Interest 

Joshua Eisenman writes: The same conditions that have precipitated China’s investments in the African media sector—the continent’s youthfulness and its growing population—should also be attractive to the United States. Despite decades of neglect and China’s best efforts, Africans in many countries continue to hold favorable views of the United States. By investing in objective, high-quality local reporting and juxtaposing this grassroots approach with China’s heavy-handed censorship, the United States can offer an alternative to China’s propaganda on the continent. – Foreign Policy 

Europe

Poland said it would send four MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine in coming days, making it the first Western nation to supply warplanes to Kyiv, which is preparing a counteroffensive against Russia’s invading forces. – Wall Street Journal 

On Sept. 6, a small group set out from Rostock aboard a rented yacht, the Andromeda, a slender 50-foot-long, single-masted sloop, ostensibly on a pleasure cruise around Baltic Sea ports. Within two weeks, the group returned the boat and disappeared. Not long after, on Sept. 26, a series of underwater explosions, powerful enough to register with seismologic measuring stations, tore apart three of the four main Nord Stream pipes, built to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany. – Wall Street Journal 

French President Emmanuel Macron’s government bypassed Parliament and invoked special constitutional powers on Thursday to raise the country’s retirement age, a step that places him at odds with France’s legislative branch and millions of protesters. – Wall Street Journal 

Poland on Thursday said it had detained nine foreigners accused of spying for Russia and preparing sabotage operations to disrupt the flow of Western arms into neighboring Ukraine. – New York Times

The government of Slovakia said on Friday that it would send 13 Soviet-designed fighter jets to Ukraine, a day after a similar announcement by Poland’s president, marking a possibly significant shift from NATO allies in increasing arms supplies for Kyiv. – New York Times

Turkey is nearing ratification of Finland’s accession into NATO, which would bring the military alliance a step closer to welcoming its 31st member as the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spread across the European security landscape. – Bloomberg

Demonstrations involving some 10,000 protestors opposed to a Russia-style “foreign agent” law took to the streets of Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia, last week. They were met in front of the Parliament building by police who used water cannons and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds – Newsweek 

Russia’s intelligence services, though busy with the Kremlin’s quagmire in Ukraine, still pose a threat to Western nations, the former intelligence chief of a front line NATO nation has said. – Newsweek 

A decision to impose sanctions against the former director of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s intelligence and security agency and two other individuals associated with the Balkan country was made after a lengthy and thorough investigation, a U.S. official said on March 16. – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Editorial: The dilemma for welfare-state democracies is that their expansive entitlements are unaffordable but politically entrenched. Elected officials are reluctant to ask their citizens to make any kind of sacrifice. Mr. Macron has been an exception, and his political ordeal is probably America’s future too. – Wall Street Journal

Adrian Wooldridge writes: Boris Johnson, the former prime minister but one, was fond of quoting Cicero’s injunction about the health of the population being the supreme law (“salus populi suprema lex esto”). The deteriorating health of Britain is not only the supreme condemnation of recent government policy but may prove to be the toughest barrier to improving the economy long-term. – Bloomberg

Sadanand Dhume writes: Fortunately, some politicians are willing to stand up to radicals, while at the same time being careful not to tar peaceful Muslims. In a recent op-ed in the Times, Home Secretary Suella Braverman flatly declared that “we do not have blasphemy laws in Great Britain, and must not be complicit in the attempts to impose them.” Ms. Braverman is right. Britain’s Enlightenment project may have run aground in today’s Pakistan. But the least we can expect is that it doesn’t run aground in Britain too. – Wall Street Journal 

Aura Sabadus writes: These measures would transform the Romanian energy market. They would increase national income, improve energy security, bolster the country’s reputation as a destination for foreign investment, ease the burden on consumers, and improve regional relations. – Center for European Policy Analysis 

Bill Wirtz writes: Even and especially with Republicans controlling the House, growing the U.S farming sector while supporting European allies at a crucial moment through trade should be a bipartisan priority. The Biden administration can do well by the American farm sector by embarking on renewed negotiations with the European Union, setting an example for innovative agriculture, and creating economic opportunities for all. – The National Interest 

Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard write: The biggest threat to the new marriage of nationalists and cosmopolitans comes from outside the EU, however. Ironically, it has less to do with Moscow than with Washington. One of the major effects of the war has been to expose Europe’s dependence on the United States’ security umbrella. […]His readiness to sacrifice Ukraine could cause a major change not just in the way that Europeans see the future of the war, but even in how they see the future of the EU. – Foreign Policy

Laura Thornton writes: The protests have shown that an angry citizenry is clearly not afraid to fight for Georgia’s democracy. But this is not only a domestic struggle. Russian imperialist ambitions are expansive, and the Kremlin will continue its influence operations to ensure Georgia stays on a track away from democracy and the West. U.S. and European leaders, in turn, should raise the pressure on the GD government to implement reforms and, at the same time, find ways to support and encourage Georgia’s civil society, including independent media and democratic activists. – Foreign Policy   

The Americas

Unable to fly through Russian airspace because of the war in Ukraine, U.S. airlines are stepping up a lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill and at the White House to address what they say is a growing problem: They are losing business to foreign competitors who can take passengers between the United States and Asia faster and more cheaply. – New York Times

A high-ranking envoy of President Joe Biden will travel to Panama and Honduras this month, the U.S. Department of State said on Thursday, days after Taiwan ally Honduras said it would establish formal diplomatic ties with China. – Reuters

Honduras’ decision to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China is yet another sign of growing Chinese influence in Latin America. – Associated Press

Brazil’s new President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has so far shown little concern about defying consensus in the West on foreign policy — even when it comes to dealing with authoritarian governments. – Associated Press

Fareed Zakaria writes: Biden campaigned on undoing many of these policies, but once he took office he found it politically easier to just go along with the tough line. All this evokes the inertia of an aging empire. Today, our foreign policy is run by an insular elite that operates by mouthing rhetoric to please domestic constituencies — and seems unable to sense that the world out there is changing, and fast. – Washington Post 

Defense

Australia said it’s planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Department approved the sale Friday. – Associated Press

The first flight of Northrop Grumman Corp.’s B-21 Raider has slipped a few months even as the Air Force seeks congressional approval for increased procurement funding for the bomber, according to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and budget documents. – Bloomberg

The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says he has not had contact with his Chinese counterparts, despite a previous agreement between the U.S. defense secretary and the Chinese defense minister. – Defense News

The Army and Navy scrubbed their latest hypersonic test flight due to a battery failure during a pre-launch check, the Navy’s top officer for strategic programs said Friday. – USNI News

The Defense Department is set to begin the first round of experiments this year under an effort aimed at addressing capability gaps and delivering emerging technologies quicker to warfighters, according to Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu. – Breaking Defense 

A new, “subtle” loosening in US policy regarding export licensing for satellites and satellite components will have “major business implications” for American satellite firms looking to hawk their wares to friendly foreign nations, according to a top Commerce Department official. – Breaking Defense

Vasabjit Banerjee and Benjamin Tkach write: There is no one silver munition to resolve the current crisis, but a number of concrete steps could go a long way. The government should put forward a policy package that eases contracts, includes allies in the manufacturing base, expands and modernizes existing government-owned, contractor-operated facilities, and encourages research to save costs and incentivize private reinvestment. […]Whatever contingencies may arise in the future, Washington will want to have enough ammunition for them. – War on the Rocks 

Morgan D. Bazilian, Emily J. Holland, and Joshua Busby write: Over the past few years, the Pentagon has pushed to strengthen domestic production of critical minerals. A framework for this plan was pursued under the 2019 use of the Defense Production Act and was expanded under the Biden administration to include battery materials. But the Pentagon cannot work alone. To overcome regulatory and legal hurdles that have hamstrung U.S. mining, production, and supply chain sectors for decades, elected officials, regulators, and environmental groups must put aside their differences and work together. – Foreign Policy 

Cmdr. Jared Harlow writes: By building and operating modular reactors to power U.S. domestic bases, the military could help address the existential challenge of climate change by reducing the department’s carbon footprint. Since the military has a long history of operating nuclear power reactors and has high security — and often remote bases to house them — there may be less public pressure against building military nuclear power facilities than there would be against the immediate expansion of civilian facilities. – Defense News