Fdd's overnight brief

March 24, 2022

In The News

Russia

NATO estimated Russia has lost as much as one-fifth of its combat forces sent to Ukraine in about a month of fighting as President Biden and alliance leaders gathered in Brussels for a summit to discuss providing further support to Kyiv to repel the Russian invasion. – Wall Street Journal 

Repeated attempts by the United States’ top defense and military leaders to speak with their Russian counterparts have been rejected by Moscow for the last month, leaving the world’s two largest nuclear powers in the dark about explanations for military movements and raising fears of a major miscalculation or battlefield accident. – Washington Post 

The FBI is trying a novel strategy to recruit Russian-speaking individuals upset about the country’s invasion of Ukraine: aiming social media ads at cellphones located inside or just outside the Russian Embassy in Washington. – Washington Post 

Even as Western sanctions start to hit the Russian economy, the nation’s oil and gas exports are softening the blow, helping blunt the ruble’s fall and giving the Kremlin continued resources to wage its war in Ukraine. – Washington Post 

Russia will seek payment in roubles for gas sold to “unfriendly” countries, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, and European gas prices soared on concerns the move would exacerbate the region’s energy crunch. – Reuters 

Russia is reopening its stock market for limited trading nearly one month after shares plunged and the exchange was shut down following the invasion of Ukraine. – Associated Press  

Anatoly Chubais has stepped down from his role as an international envoy for President Vladimir Putin, the most senior official to resign since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. – BBC 

A Russian official accused the United States of inciting “Russophobia” after the State Department declared President Vladimir Putin’s actions as war crimes. – Newsweek 

A Russian-controlled port in southern Ukraine, the capture of which was heralded as a “milestone event” in the war by Vladimir Putin’s military, is now burning, and a tank-landing ship docked at the port has been sunk, according to the Ukrainian Navy. – Washington Examiner 

Ukraine is ratcheting up the pressure against Russian forces near Kyiv, putting its troops in a position to possibly encircle Vladimir Putin’s soldiers in the outskirts of the capital city, the British Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. – Washington Examiner 

The Russian military’s first month of war in Ukraine is coming to a close, and it couldn’t have gone much worse from the Kremlin’s perspective. – Washington Examiner  

A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused the U.S. of seeking “the end of our motherland” and said escalating tensions could result in a nuclear disaster. – The Hill  

The Russian military has reportedly destroyed a laboratory near the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was working to improve the management of nuclear waste and contained “highly active samples.” – The Hill 

Editorial: Our fear is that Mr. Biden, and perhaps other NATO leaders, will lean on Mr. Zelensky to agree to let Ukraine become one more “frozen conflict” like Georgia. Russia would be able to keep the Ukrainian territory it occupies in return for no more bombing. Mr. Putin would be able to consolidate control over those areas and rearm to threaten Ukraine again in the future. The NATO leaders could put that fear to rest if they said publicly that sanctions against Russia won’t be lifted until its troops leave Ukraine. – Wall Street Journal  

Mark Kimmitt writes: The inescapable conclusion is that these attacks on civilians are deliberate. Mr. Putin is primarily to blame, but so are the generals he counts on to plan, order and carry out the operations. They also bear responsibility for the enormous loss in lives and destruction of infrastructure in Ukraine. The time will come to punish them. The time to subject them to sanctions is now. – Wall Street Journal 

Douglas London writes: Mr. Putin will use intimidation, violence, repression and bribery to combat counterintelligence risk and will reward blind loyalty from the incompetent and opportunistic sycophants who lord over his system. But these measures will only create incentives for the brave to act—and it takes only a few to make an extraordinary difference. – Wall Street Journal 

David Cameron writes: What does or doesn’t happen at the G-20 won’t change the world. But it could be an important signal. Our leaders need to show that we are on a war footing. At times like this, a prime minister or president needs to reach into the machine and make sure that everything that can be done is being done. – Wall Street Journal 

Hal Brands writes: Even in the best-case scenario, the U.S. would confront enormous challenges helping a liberalizing Russia emerge from authoritarian rule. More plausibly, Washington could face a recalcitrant, perhaps even a further radicalized, Russia instead. The war in Ukraine will eventually end, but America’s problems with Russia may only be getting started. – Bloomberg 

Milton Bearden writes: If Putin is to be taken out of the game before he escalates to the unthinkable, it will most certainly take his own military or intelligence people to accomplish the task. As the war in Ukraine drags on day by day and the international media reports on Russian atrocities and civilian casualties, the world continues to turn on Moscow. – Foreign Affairs 

Frederick W. Kagan, George Barros, and Kateryna Stepanenko write: Russian mobilization efforts are likely becoming urgent given Russian losses in the war. […]The protracting pause of Russian offensive operations in Ukraine and increasing anecdotal reporting of breakdowns in the morale and capability of Russian combat units all accord with these assessments. These reports and assessments collectively suggest that Russia may not be able to find new combat power with which to regain offensive momentum for weeks or even months. Russian forces are increasingly preparing for protracted defensive operations in various parts of the theater. – Institute for the Study of War  

Michael Rubin writes: If Russia uses tactical nuclear weapons, expect other countries to do so within a decade. Iran already has precision missiles, enriched uranium, and it has experimented with warhead design. A Russian strike on Ukraine might be a green light for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to move on Yanbu, Tel Aviv, or the Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain. Should they do so, perhaps the new stigma would be proportionality: The international community might demand Israel or the United States respond with the same yields or below. Such constraints on yield, however, would erode slowly with each use. – 19fortyfive 

Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic and world powers are closer than ever to reviving a 2015 nuclear deal. – Reuters 

Iran, under sweeping economic sanctions, was hawking weapons on Wednesday at a Qatari defense exhibit, a surprising sight at the major conference also showcasing American companies and fighter jets. – Associated Press 

The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria, two allies of Russia, discussed the war in Ukraine and other developments during a meeting in Damascus on Wednesday. Syria’s top diplomat said Moscow is defending its people. – Associated Press 

Iran’s enemies, such as Israel and the United States, have an “expiration date” as a new world order is upon us, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander-in-chief Hossein Salami threatened on Wednesday, Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported. – Jerusalem Post  

Removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a U.S. terror list would be “a dangerous capitulation,” three former senior Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said in a joint statement exclusively shared with Axios. – Axios  

Iranian officials have not agreed to publicly commit to de-escalation in the region — a U.S. condition for removing the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a terror list, two U.S. sources with direct knowledge of the issue and one Israeli official told me. – Axios 

Following a classified briefing to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the state of nuclear talks with Iran on Tuesday, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) indicated that major issues still remain unresolved between the U.S. and Iran before a deal is reached. – Jewish Insider 

Victoria Coates and Robert Greenway write: The goal of the new nuclear deal is purportedly to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon. If the Revolutionary Guard is delisted in pursuit of the deal, it will once again escalate its terrorist activities around the globe, dangerously disrupting the very peace the deal is supposed to ensure. No politically motivated diplomatic “victory” is worth the terrible defeat this would be for us all. – Washington Post 

Afghanistan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Kabul on Thursday to meet his Afghan counterpart, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said, the highest-level visit by a Chinese official since the Taliban took power last year. – Reuters 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed the Taliban for ditching its commitment to reopen high schools to girls at the last minute, posing the latest setback for a regime struggling to build a footing in the international community. – Bloomberg 

Editorial: Unfortunately, the Taliban’s broken promise suggests that the Biden administration is right to be skeptical of the de facto Kabul regime’s intentions. Unless reversed immediately, the decision to deny girls secondary education will confirm that those who rule Afghanistan place a higher value on ideological purity than human needs — or human rights. – Washington Post 

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah writes: Congress must move quickly to pass legislation that provides lasting safety and stability for our Afghan allies. Anything less would represent a mission unfinished and a promise unfulfilled. – Washington Post 

Turkey

Iran may be upping tensions with Turkey. The evidence can so far be found in one article at Fars News which accuses Turkey and its leading AKP party of backing “terrorists.” This comes as the world is changing and countries weigh their next moves amid the Ukraine war. Turkey is seeking to play both sides, being friendly with Russia and also Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia is holding up the Iran deal. – Jerusalem Post 

Michael Rubin writes: Any Biden administration deal to return Turkey to the F-35 program will empower Turkey to blackmail America in the future by giving Erdogan the power to betray NATO further. At every opportunity, Erdogan has shown the West should not trust him. For Biden to think he can is the ultimate naivete. To believe a grand bargain is possible is to put not only America’s security at risk but also the entirety of NATO. – Washington Examiner 

M. Murat Kubilay writes: The war in Ukraine coincides with a period of weakness for the Turkish economy, at a time when the government is using unconventional tools to induce export-led growth and thus boost employment. The weaknesses of this strategy would be relieved if Turkey could achieve a sizeable foreign trade surplus, but the war has made this impossible. – Middle East Institute

Israel

A United Nations special rapporteur has accused Israel of committing the crime of apartheid in the occupied territories, joining a growing group of international, Israeli and Palestinian rights watchdogs that have sought to recast the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a struggle for equal rights instead of a territorial dispute. – New York Times 

The Israeli government rejected requests from Ukraine and Estonia in recent years to purchase and use Pegasus — the powerful spyware tool — to hack Russian mobile phone numbers, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. – New York Times 

Israel is encouraging the Biden administration to approve a major arms deal with Egypt for the sale of F-15 fighter jets, two senior Israeli defense officials told Axios. – Axios 

The US State Department has offered a grant of up to $987,654 for projects that include reporting human rights violations by Israel, raising concern about the potential for abuse by organizations seeking boycotts, sanctions and international law tribunals against Israel. – Jerusalem Post 

The terrorist who killed four people in Beersheba was under Shin Bet surveillance at the time of this week’s stabbing and car-ramming attack, Israeli television reported Wednesday. – Times of Israel 

Middle East & North Africa

Turkey urged Libya to refrain from any steps that would lead to renewed conflict and called on authorities to follow democratic processes, amid a crisis over control of executive power in the country. – Reuters 

A car bombing killed a senior Yemeni military leader and three of his entourage in the southern port city of Aden on Wednesday, three security sources said. – Reuters 

The Syrian Kurdish forces that spearheaded the battle to crush the Islamic State group’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” in 2019 warned Wednesday that the world’s lack of support risked allowing for a jihadist rebirth. – Agence France-Presse 

In an article on the March 22, 2022 meeting in Sharm Al-Sheikh between Egyptian President ‘Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi, Emirati Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the London-based Emirati daily Al-Arab claimed that the meeting had given birth to an Arab-Israeli coalition. This coalition, it said, begins with economic and commercial cooperation among the countries, but is likely to develop into a security and military alliance as well. – Middle East Media Research Institute 

Korean Peninsula

North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, Japanese and South Korean officials said, which traveled a distance indicating it could reach the U.S. mainland in Pyongyang’s most powerful test since 2017. – Washington Post 

Sue Mi Terry writes: Although the West should remain resolute in the face of North Korean provocations, Seoul and Washington should not be afraid to talk with Pyongyang. If the North does decide to return to negotiations, the United States should test the waters to see if it would be possible to conclude an interim deal that would freeze the North Korean nuclear program in a verifiable manner in return for partial sanctions relief from the United States. – Foreign Affairs 

Josephine Wolff writes: Overall, North Korea’s cyber operations have been splashy and high-profile, but not especially sophisticated, targeted, or profitable, pointing to how limiting the country’s resources are even in the cyber domain. – The National Interest 

China

The Biden administration will allow some products imported from China to once again bypass stiff tariffs imposed by President Donald J. Trump, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said on Wednesday. – New York Times 

The Biden administration, seeking to deter China from aiding sanctions-hit Russia, on Wednesday warned Beijing not to take advantage of business opportunities created by sanctions, help Moscow evade export controls or process its banned financial transactions. – Reuters 

China’s government has leaned towards Russia by backing Moscow’s complaints about Nato expansion and refusing to call its actions an invasion. But while Beijing’s censors are working hard to suppress any criticism of that position, the conflict has ignited heated controversy both among Chinese policy experts and the public. – Financial Times 

China is eyeing a potential double victory for the country’s national interests in achieving a resolution for the crisis in Ukraine, one that puts an end to Russia’s war against the neighboring country while also addressing the expansion of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance. – Newsweek 

The ineptitude displayed by Russia’s military throughout the first four weeks of its invasion of Ukraine could lead China to reconsider its plans for Taiwan, Sen. Jack Reed, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, believes. – Washington Examiner 

On March 22, 2022, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-affiliated Chinese media outlet Global Times wrote an editorial, titled “U.S. Is Reestablishing A New Inquisition Using Russia-Ukraine Crisis As Excuse.” The editorial accused the U.S. of having launched a “new Inquisition” against those countries and people that do not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “All [those] who disagree with the U.S. have been labeled ‘heretics.’ And the U.S. also wants to tie and burn the ‘heretics’ on the pillars of international public opinion.” – Middle East Media Research Institute 

John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge write: Biden should pursue a two-stage strategy: First, deepen economic integration among like-minded nations; but leave the door open to autocracies if they become more flexible. China could be wooed toward freedom. But nothing will improve unless Biden first glues together the free world. That means freer trade — and the sooner he tells his party that, the better. – Bloomberg 

South Asia

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi drew a rebuke from the Indian government ahead of his expected but unconfirmed visit to New Delhi on Friday, upsetting his hosts with remarks made in Pakistan this week concerning the disputed Kashmir region. – Reuters 

Sri Lankan lawmakers on Tuesday approved reforms to a harsh anti-terror law that rights groups have long criticized, as the country looks to shore up its trade relations with the European Union amid its worst economic crisis in memory. – Associated Press 

When 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a recent border clash with China, the military hardware New Delhi sent to bolster its Himalayan frontier was mostly Russian-origin, showing not for the first time its closeness to “longstanding and time-tested friend” Moscow. – Agence France-Presse  

Asia

A senior Taiwanese official said on Thursday he did not see China adopting a “reunification law” as it would put too much pressure on Beijing to set a timetable for bringing the island under its control, which could severely raise tensions. – Reuters 

A Southeast Asian envoy said on Wednesday he had urged Myanmar’s ruling military to show restraint during offensives and was told by the junta leader there would be no access to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi while her trial was ongoing. – Reuters 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Japan on Wednesday to ramp up pressure on Russia with a trade embargo, making an unprecedented direct appeal to parliament that invoked the two nations’ shared experience of nuclear disaster. – Reuters 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called holding normal talks with Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit  a “step too far,” but stopped short of threatening to boycott the event if the Russian leader attended. – Bloomberg  

Cambodia’s foreign minister on Wednesday claimed he made minor progress in his mission as a special regional envoy to strife-torn Myanmar despite not being allowed by the military to meet with ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. – Associated Press 

Nozomu Yoshitomi writes: If the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Marine Corps establish sea-denial zones on the north and south sides of Taiwan, the U.S. Navy would then be able to focus on conducting operations for broader sea control in the East China Sea and the northern part of the South China Sea. At the same time, U.S. Air Force aircraft can fly there, and the U.S. Army’s Multi-Domain Task Forces with medium- and long-range missiles can deploy there. This posture will have strong impacts on China’s intention and capability to invade Taiwan. – War on the Rocks 

Europe

U.S. intelligence agencies see concrete evidence of war crimes by Russian troops in Ukraine, the Biden administration said Wednesday, as President Biden arrived in Europe to rally NATO support for ramping up economic and military pressure against Moscow. – Washington Post 

As President Biden landed in Brussels on Wednesday for urgent talks about Russia’s war on Ukraine, splits were emerging within NATO and in Washington about how to deter the Kremlin from further escalation. Allied leaders are discussing whether it is best to keep Russia guessing about what will trigger a bigger military response or to outline precisely what would draw NATO into a conflict. – Washington Post 

President Biden and European leaders are expected to announce a major initiative to direct shipments of liquefied natural gas to Europe during his visit to Brussels this week, part of a broader effort to help reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the plan. – Washington Post 

As the conflict in Ukraine ticks on, hospitals and health care continue to be in the firing line — with potentially devastating consequences. The World Health Organization has verified 64 attacks on health-care facilities, personnel and patients since Russia invaded a month ago, with 15 deaths and 37 injuries as a result. – Washington Post 

Russian shelling and siege tactics have devastated Mariupol’s residential neighborhoods, drone video published Wednesday by Ukraine’s far-right Azov Battalion revealed. The video was verified by The Washington Post. – Washington Post 

At first glance, the Ukrainian government’s report that its forces had pushed Russians out of this town seemed true: Armed Ukrainian soldiers stood guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to this rural enclave west of Kyiv, seemingly in full control. – Washington Post 

Day and night, truck convoys rumble through once quiet Polish border towns and villages. Giant military transport planes land several times an hour on the single runway at a local airport. Their cargo: weapons for the Ukrainian forces fighting to beat back Russia’s invading army. – Wall Street Journal 

Britain’s Boris Johnson intends to use a meeting of G7 and NATO leaders on Thursday to work with partners to “substantively increase defensive lethal aid to Ukraine”, the prime minister’s office said following a call with the Ukrainian president. – Reuters 

NATO members plan to approve additional support for Ukraine in that country’s defense against Russia’s invasion, including equipment to counter a potential chemical or biological attack. – Defense News 

President Joe Biden will meet with dozens of allied heads of state and governments Thursday to discuss new measures to punish Russia for its grinding war in Ukraine, testing his ability to persuade sanction-weary countries to support penalties on Moscow that could ricochet back on their own economies. – Washington Examiner 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expects that leaders will agree to increase their force presence on the eastern flank. – Washington Examiner 

Daniel Henninger writes: The harder question is: Where will old Europe be in the next four weeks, as Mr. Putin launches cruise missiles from Russian territory or the Black Sea into apartment buildings, schools and hospitals across Ukraine? The increasingly clear answer is that Mr. Biden and Europe will stay on the short side of what Ukraine needs militarily to force Mr. Putin into a cease-fire and negotiation. Worse, to get it over, they may pressure Mr. Zelensky into a premature de facto surrender. – Wall Street Journal 

Ethan Brown writes: Outsourcing warfare, contracting stateless entities whose loyalties are terminal through payment rendered, asking for ‘volunteers’ who do not understand the world they are being recruited into, delegitimizes the gambit for sovereignty Ukraine is currently engaged in. – The Hill 

Liza M. Theriault writes: The tragedy of Syria’s experience with displaced persons, especially those trapped in camps, should be a lesson for the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis. As refugees begin to relocate across the continent, steps should be taken to ensure that the women and children fleeing from Ukraine are not targeted for radicalization. – Washington Institute 

Tom McTague writes: The reality is that the West functions as an American-led alliance, but it is not clear that Europe entirely agrees on America’s principal strategic threats. Whether Trump returns to the White House or Biden is the one who returns to some future NATO summit, there will come a point when Europe and the U.S. must decide whether and how to renew their alliance for the next challenge—be that Russia, or China, or something else entirely – The Atlantic 

Africa

Sudanese demonstrators erected barricades that paralysed much of the capital Khartoum for the second day on Wednesday, protesting against a military coup whose leader called for dialogue. – Reuters 

Gunfire rang out in Somalia’s capital Wednesday as Islamic extremists attacked the international airport, injuring at least three police officers. Somali security forces repulsed the assault, killing two armed attackers, Somali Police Commissioner Gen. Abdi Hassan Hijar told the Somali National News Agency. – Associated Press  

While there has been widespread condemnation of the attacks on Ukrainian civilians and their own citizens fleeing the warzone — from countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya — there has been a much more muted response from some key African nations. – CNN 

The Americas

Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Organization of American States denounced his own country as a dictatorship Wednesday in a dramatic and unprecedented speech during an online conference at the Washington, D.C.-based hemispheric organization. He then apparently quit his post. – Wall Street Journal 

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and his Saudi Arabian counterpart on Wednesday agreed to strengthen bilateral economic relations on the first day of the diplomat’s 10-day tour of the Middle East and India, Mexico’s government said. – Reuters 

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Prince William and Kate on Wednesday that the British commonwealth intends to become fully independent in an unexpected announcement that comes as other countries consider cutting ties with the monarchy. – Associated Press 

United States

Russia is moving to expel some American diplomats from the country after the U.S. removed 12 Russian diplomats late last month. – The Hill 

Anthony H. Cordesman writes: The U.S. can, however, work more closely with regional powers in many cases to service both its national security needs and achieve some level of progress in areas like security, stability, human rights, democracy, development, regional and local security, and the rule of law. It also can work with its key partners in every part of the world to share the cost of effective action – particularly if it enforces conditionality – rather than effectively throwing money at such problems without regard to the honesty and effectiveness with which it was used – as it did in Afghanistan. – Center for Strategic and International Studies 

Paul Bledsoe writes: Even so, the president must also continue to shore up the domestic security rationale for clean energy to be successful. […]Russia’s war on Ukraine demands that the administration reevaluate the geopolitical costs of our current energy policies. Fortunately, the president has the opportunity to use America’s oil and gas resources today and especially our clean energy production potential to address these geopolitical, economic and climate challenges in a way that galvanizes support from the American people and moderates in Congress. He must not waste this moment. – The Hill 

Cybersecurity

As Russian troops massed on the border on January 14, dozens of Ukrainian government websites were defaced with the words “be afraid and wait for the worst”. The co-ordinated hack was viewed by Ukrainian and western cyber security officials as an initial warning that Russia would wage a fearsome digital war alongside a ground invasion of the country. – Financial Times 

A senior State Department official has told Newsweek that the United States is calling on the world to reject an appeal by Russia’s top cyber diplomat to engage in efforts to establish a global treaty to avoid an all-out war in the digital realm. – Newsweek 

A Russian national accused of running a cybercrime forum that sold stolen credentials and sensitive information faces up to 20 years in federal prison, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday evening. – The Record 

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday warned the private sector to prepare for potential cyberattacks, saying U.S. agents were “particularly focused on the destructive cyber threat” from Russian agents. – The Hill 

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had their sensitive health data breached in 2021, a threefold increase in three years, according to a POLITICO analysis of the latest HHS data. – Politico 

Zhanna Malekos Smith writes: Overall, the fact that countries use cyber power to tip the geopolitical scales is unsurprising, for as James A. Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, writes, the “internet undergirds this global connectivity, and cyberspace has become a focal point for contest.” Bearing that in mind, understanding the ecosystem of this “focal point for contest” is essential for offensive and defensive cyber operations planning—because no state is an island in cyberspace. – Center for Strategic and International Studies 

Defense

Forty Republican members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees are pressing President Biden to increase defense spending by 5 percent above inflation for fiscal year 2023. – The Hill 

The U.S. Army has spent roughly five years refining its multidomain operations warfighting concept and it will become doctrine in June, according to Richard Creed, director of the service’s Combined Arms Center doctrine division. – Defense News 

The latest U.S. planeloads of anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons for Ukraine are expected to arrive in Europe this week, then be rushed into the country via ground routes, a senior defense official told reporters Wednesday. – Defense One 

The Army will hold an industry day April 20 for it’s long-awaited pilot program to explore buying satellite communication services in the same way that civilians subscribe to a mobile phone plan, with an eye on making awards in fiscal 2023, service officials told Breaking Defense today. – Breaking Defense