Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Netanyahu hints he would hit Iranian oil fields if Tehran attacks Iran's president says Tehran has to deal with Washington Israel’s ambassador to UN Danny Danon: U.S. transition makes Iran especially dangerous The ‘Deathonomics’ powering Russia’s war machine Russia stages first missile attack on Kyiv since August, Ukraine says US warships repelled attack from Yemen's Houthis, Pentagon says U.S. military says it strikes Iran-backed militia facility in Syria AEI’s Michael Rubin: The fiction of Yemen’s government shouldn’t be a Straitjacket North Korean soldiers joining Russia in combat, US State Dept says Zhuhai car attack: China clears memorial as government scrambles to respond Amsterdam struggles to quell unrest days after attacks on Israeli soccer fans NYT’s Bret Stephens: A worldwide ‘Jew Hunt’In The News
Israel
On Tuesday, the State Department said that there would be no changes in U.S. weapons shipments after concluding that Israel “had taken a number of steps” outlined by Washington over the past month, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Tuesday. – Wall Street Journal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a direct message to Iranians on Tuesday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s government feared the people of Iran more than Israel. – Reuters
France’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Israel’s ambassador on Tuesday to tell him that an incident in Jerusalem that saw armed Israeli security forces entering a property administered by France should never be repeated. – Reuters
The United States stressed at the United Nations on Tuesday that “there must be no forcible displacement, nor policy of starvation in Gaza” by Israel, warning such policies would have grave implications under U.S. and international law. – Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was nominating former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, tapping a staunchly pro-Israel conservative whose choice could signal future U.S. policy toward conflicts in the Middle East. – Reuters
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had delivered hundreds of packets of food to cut-off areas of northern Gaza as fighting raged ahead of a U.S. deadline for Israel to get more aid into the Palestinian enclave or face cuts in military assistance. – Reuters
Rocket fire from Lebanon on Tuesday killed two men in their 40s in northern Israel, close to the town of Nahariya, first responders said. – Agence France-Presse
The Kissufim border crossing has been opened for the passage of humanitarian aid trucks, the IDF and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) jointly announced on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
IDF troops killed several terrorists and captured numerous weapons from warehouses, as well as dismantling terror infrastructure, the military announced on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that the IDF would hit Iranian oil fields should Tehran make good on its threat to launch another ballistic missile attack on Israel. – Jerusalem Post
The Israeli navy announced on Tuesday the name of its six nuclear submarines, dubbed “the Dragon”, in a ceremony in Germany with the naval vessel expected to be delivered to Israel later in 2025. – Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organization released a new sign-of-life video on Wednesday of Russian-Israeli hostage Alexander Troufanov, who has remained in captivity since October 7. – Jerusalem Post
The Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday said there was a “growing fear of attacks on Israelis and Jews across Thailand,” as Thai police reportedly warned of a terror plot at the November 15 Full Moon party on the popular vacation island of Koh Phangan. – Times of Israel
Iran
In a rare interview last week, Iran’s ambassador in Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, acknowledged the diverging interests of Russia and Iran in the region, rather than the “strategic partnership” they often profess, banding together against the United States. – New York Times
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not be able to ignore its arch-foe the United States and needs to “handle its enemies with forbearance”, state media reported on Tuesday, a week after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. – Reuters
U.N. atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi appealed to Iran’s leadership on Tuesday to take steps to resolve longstanding issues with his agency a day before he arrives in the Iranian capital for crunch talks over its nuclear programme. – Reuters
Iran is building a “defensive tunnel” in the capital Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, following strikes by Israel on targets in the country. – Reuters
An Iranian man convicted of raping dozens of women over the past two decades has been executed in public, the country’s state media reported on Wednesday. – Associated Press
Iranian bank cards can now be used in Russia, state television reported, as the two countries linked their banking systems in the latest bid to counteract sanctions. – Agence France-Presse
Danny Danon writes: The Islamic Republic’s goal is to destroy Israel and upend the region by financing, arming and directing terror proxies. Both Israel and the U.S. must remain on high alert […]Yet Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shows no interest in peace. Concerned with a second Trump term, he sent Iranian agents to assassinate the former president on the campaign trail […]The free world should be willing to confront the evil of the Islamic Republic both economically and militarily. This threat can’t be appeased as past American administrations have tried to do. – Wall Street Journal
Merrill Matthews writes: Russia and China have vastly stepped up their cyberattacks and election interference […] Both Russia and China are testing the West’s resolve to oppose their expansionist efforts. Holding Iran accountable for its actions would have a deterring effect on other bad actors. There will be no peace in the Middle East until the Iranian menace is addressed. Trump has long campaigned on draining the Washington swamp. He still needs to do that. But he, perhaps with the aid or Europe and Israel, also needs to drain the swamp in Iran. – The Hill
Salem Alketbi writes: The limited scope of the Israeli attack, which targeted only a few military bases and weapons storage facilities without causing widespread damage or casualties, does not necessitate an Iranian response. Indeed, such a response would likely give Israel the opportunity it originally sought to destroy strategic targets – an action the United States had previously prevented. – Jerusalem Post
Russia & Ukraine
Going to war is now a rational economic choice in Russia’s impoverished hinterlands. Facing heavy losses in Ukraine, Russia is offering high salaries and bonuses to entice new recruits. In some of the country’s poorest regions, a military wage is as much as five times the average. The families of those who die on the front lines receive large compensation payments from the government. – Wall Street Journal
Russian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to ban the advocacy of child-free lifestyles, in a move that is part of a broader effort by the Kremlin to reverse a falling birthrate and promote the country as a bastion of traditional values that is battling a decadent West. – New York Times
A 68-year-old Russian doctor was convicted on Tuesday and sentenced to five and a half years in prison, according to her legal team, on accusations that she told a young boy during a medical appointment that his father, who was killed while fighting in Ukraine, deserved to die. – New York Times
Blasts rang out over Kyiv on Wednesday morning after officials said Russia launched its first missile attack on the Ukrainian capital since August and urged residents to take cover. – Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Wednesday as the outgoing Biden administration sought to cement support for Ukraine ahead of Donald Trump’s return as president. – Reuters
A Russian Navy frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has conducted drills in the English Channel and is carrying out tasks in the Atlantic Ocean, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Russia’s growing economic and military cooperation with China, North Korea and Iran is threatening Europe, the Indo-Pacific and North America, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused European leaders on Tuesday of seeking to dangerously escalate the Ukraine conflict following the re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump. – Reuters
The nominee for the European Union’s top foreign policy post said the bloc should tap some $300 billion in frozen Russian assets directly to fund the rebuilding of war-battered Ukraine. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Mr. Biden’s weakness has failed to deter adversaries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Restoring U.S. deterrence against those adversaries won’t be as easy as sending a drone to kill an Iranian general or bombing Islamic State out of its Syrian sanctuary. The potential rewards in a more peaceful world will be great if Mr. Trump can re-establish deterrence. But a settlement and exit without honor from Ukraine would set the stage for a far uglier second term. – Wall Street Journal
Martin Kragh writes: With that said, the deepening ties between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea constitute a grave threat to all countries in their geopolitical crosshairs, from Ukraine to Taiwan. Regardless of the formal nature of their entanglements, they challenge stability and order in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In doing so, they coordinate their actions. Furthermore, they share and give voice to a common worldview, albeit not necessarily ideologically coherent, which serves as political glue. To decouple this relationship, as some analysts have suggested, is an attractive idea but would be easier said than done. – National Interest
Kateryna Bondar writes: The development and integration of military AI into future weapon systems is inevitable. While the United States leads in technological innovation, it faces limitations in testing these advancements under real combat conditions. Collaboration with Ukraine presents a unique and mutually beneficial opportunity to bridge this gap. By working together with Ukraine, the United States can gain firsthand insights into the practical applications of military AI and autonomous systems without putting “boots on the ground.” Otherwise, real combat environments remain theoretical or simulated for U.S. systems manufacturers. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Benjamin L. Schmitt writes: And for those policymakers — most notably the isolationists — who still aren’t swayed by arguments to support Ukraine’s moral cause at the front lines of the struggle against revanchist authoritarianism, some simple economics: rebuilding the majority of the energy infrastructure across a country the scale of Ukraine will cost far more than sending the needed air defense equipment and allowing long-distance strikes on launch sites in Russian territory. – Center for European Policy Analysis
Syria
The U.S. military said on Tuesday it had conducted strikes against an Iranian-backed militia group’s weapons storage facility in Syria. “These strikes were in response to a rocket attack on U.S. personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi. There was no damage to U.S. facilities and no injuries to U.S. or partner forces during the attack,” the U.S. military said in a statement. – Reuters
United Nations peacekeepers warned Tuesday that the Israeli military has committed “severe violations” of a cease-fire deal with Syria as its military continues a major construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. – Associated Press
Russia has asked Israel to avoid launching aerial strikes as part of its war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah near one of Moscow’s bases in Syria, a top official said Wednesday. – Agence France-Presse
Lebanon
Israel’s military struck neighborhoods south of Beirut where Hezbollah holds sway and issued sweeping new evacuation warnings across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, intensifying Israel’s conflict with the militant group just as diplomatic momentum appeared to be building toward talks aimed at a temporary cease-fire. – New York Times
In the quiet seaside town of Amchit, 45 minutes north of Beirut, public schools are finally in session again, alongside tens of thousands of internally displaced people who have made some of them a makeshift shelter. – Reuters
US special envoy for Lebanon Amos Hochstein told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that “there is a shot” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah soon and that he is “hopeful” about the prospects for such a deal. – Times of Israel
Middle East & North Africa
Two branches of Qatar’s royal family began their fight over a diamond worth millions of dollars at London’s High Court on Monday, with a company run by a cousin of Qatar’s Emir trying to enforce his alleged right to buy the 70-carat gemstone. – Reuters
Nadhmi al-Nasr, the long-time chief executive of the $500 billion NEOM mega-project at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s drive to diversify away from oil, has departed, NEOM said on Tuesday without giving a reason. – Reuters
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will visit Turkey on Thursday for high-level meetings, Turkey’s trade minister said on Wednesday, after Doha said at the weekend it stalled its Gaza mediation efforts for now. – Reuters
U.S. warships shot down drones and missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis while they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Karen Amouyal writes: An expanded Abraham Accords would not just be an alliance; it would be a new balance of power in the Middle East, one that counters Iran’s influence with strength and cooperation. For Arab and Muslim states, aligning with Israel isn’t just a political choice, it’s a strategic necessity. Iran’s shadow has loomed large for too long, and the stakes are simply too high to remain on the sidelines […]The Abraham Accords 2.0 isn’t just an option – it’s the path forward for a Middle East defined not by division but by a united front that can ensure peace, security, and strength for generations to come. – Jerusalem Post
Michael Rubin writes: Yemen is like Somalia or Afghanistan: deeply tribal, where identities are more local than national. While there were two Yemens during the Cold War—the Arab nationalist North and communist South—most scholars suggest a more natural breakdown would have between six, twelve, or even several dozen natural entities in Yemen […]If Trump wishes to defeat the Houthis and allow a Yemeni government to emerge that poses no threat to its neighbors or itself, it is time to prioritize those who control territory in Yemen rather than those who sit in Istanbul cafes dreaming of power. – American Enterprise Institute
Korean Peninsula
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is refreshing his golf skills in preparation for Donald Trump’s presidency, picking up the clubs for the first time in eight years, Yoon’s office confirmed Tuesday. – Washington Post
South Korea’s military said it will hold a three-day joint exercise with the United States and Japan starting on Wednesday, featuring fighter jets and marine patrol aircraft as well as the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington. – Reuters
North Korean troops have begun engaging in combat operations alongside Russian forces, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, expressing concern that Russia had turned to North Korea for soldiers to fight in its war with Ukraine. – Reuters
Chels Michta writes: By bringing Pyongyang into the fight, Moscow has dropped all pretense that it is concerned about horizontal escalation […] Pyongyang’s decision redefines a confrontation over the international order that pits the US and its allies against the Russo-Chinese led axis of anti-Western powers. With each passing month as the war rages on, Russia becomes more dependent on China’s backing to continue the campaign, giving it ever-more influence with Moscow to shape the outcome. – Center for European Policy Analysis
China
Thirty-five people were killed and dozens injured when a man plowed a car into a crowd at a sports stadium in southern China, police said Tuesday. It is the latest in a string of violent acts that prompted leader Xi Jinping to publicly urge authorities to get “conflicts and disputes” under control. – Wall Street Journal
China’s air force showcased a suite of new armaments this week, including a new stealth fighter and an attack drone, demonstrating its advancing ability to challenge the U.S. military presence in the Asia Pacific. – Wall Street Journal
Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai removed wreaths, candles and bottles of Chinese alcohol, offerings laid at the scene of the deadliest mass killing in the country in a decade, as the government scrambled to respond and censor the outrage online. – Reuters
CATL, the world’s top battery maker, will consider building a U.S. plant if President-elect Donald Trump opens the door to Chinese investment in the electric-vehicle supply chain, the company’s founder and chairman, Robin Zeng, told Reuters. – Reuters
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that a U.S. order to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to halt shipments of advanced chips to some Chinese customers – as reported by Reuters – proved that the United States was “playing the Taiwan card” to raise tensions in the Taiwan Straits. – Reuters
A hacking group that is believed to be Chinese state-sponsored has compromised two websites with ties to the Tibetan community in an attack meant to install malware on users’ computers, according to findings released Wednesday by a private cybersecurity firm. – Associated Press
China held sea and air combat drills Wednesday at disputed Scarborough Shoal, an uninhabited area of reefs and rocks it had seized from the Philippines in the South China Sea. – Associated Press
South Asia
The Pakistan Cricket Board has sought clarification from the sport’s governing International Cricket Council (ICC) following India’s refusal to travel across the border for next year’s Champions Trophy, a PCB spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday. – Reuters
Beijing is pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation, during talks after a car bombing in Karachi that was seen as a major security breach, sources said. – Reuters
Sri Lanka votes to elect a new parliament this week in a snap general election called by its Marxist-leaning president who wants a fresh mandate in the legislature to drive economic reforms in the debt-ridden island nation. – Reuters
A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Tuesday asked the international police organization Interpol to issue a red notice for the arrest of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in connection with the deaths of hundreds of protesters during a mass uprising against her. – Associated Press
A police officer has been arrested in connection with facilitating a suicide bomb attack at a mosque on the premises of a police compound in northwest Pakistan. – Associated Press
Richard M. Rossow writes: The American approach to relations with India may again shift to become more transactional. But the significance of the partnership was well-understood by officials in the first Trump administration and supported by President Trump himself, allowing both sides to manage areas of friction while seizing opportunities to deepen cooperation. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Asia
Among democratic nations, Japan has one of the most abysmal records of giving women political power: Before a general election late last month, women held just over 10 percent of seats in the lower house of Parliament, putting the nation at 163rd out of 183 countries in the proportion of women in its national legislature, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a Swiss-based organization. – New York Times
The president of the Pacific Islands nation of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr, was returned for a second term after a national election held last week, a final tally by the Palau Election Commission showed on Wednesday. – Reuters
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the International Criminal Court (ICC) should ‘hurry up’ with its probe of his war on drugs, remaining firm in his defence of the brutal campaign as he said the investigation should start immediately. – Reuters
Judges at the International Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that competing anti-discrimination cases between Azerbaijan and Armenia can move forward. The court first threw out all objections Azerbaijan raised against Armenia’s case, which accuses its Caucasus neighbour of violating a U.N. anti-discrimination treaty in 2021. – Reuters
China is stepping up pressure on the Philippines to concede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Manila’s Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after meeting his Australian counterpart in Canberra. – Reuters
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday and offered his congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump by phone during an official visit to Washington. – Reuters
Europe
Authorities in Amsterdam are grappling with unrest after violent assaults targeting Israeli soccer fans last week sparked outrage around the world and kicked off a charged debate over migration and integration in the Netherlands. – Wall Street Journal
Germany is set for early elections in February following the collapse of its center-left coalition government last week, leaders of the parliamentary groups involved said Tuesday. – Washington Post
The authorities in Amsterdam said on Tuesday that they expected to make more arrests in connection with what they have called antisemitic assaults on Israeli soccer fans in the city last week, as well as related confrontations and incendiary behavior by both sides. – New York Times
Dutch police detained several people in Amsterdam on Tuesday who were holding up white banners in front of city hall, defying a ban on protests imposed after violence between locals and Israeli soccer fans last week, a Reuters witness said. – Reuters
Jailed Belarusian dissident Maria Kalesnikava, a key figure in the opposition movement to President Alexander Lukashenko, was permitted to meet her father on Tuesday, the first time any picture of her has been seen in well over a year. – Reuters
Donald Trump’s victory may be a political boon for Hungarian leader Viktor Orban but on the economy, Trump is bad news for Hungary – adding to inflationary risks due to a weak forint and lower output due to possible tariffs on Europe’s auto sector. – Reuters
Moldova handed Russia’s ambassador to Chisinau a protest note on Tuesday over alleged interference by Moscow in a presidential election and a referendum on joining the European Union. – Reuters
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold a vote of confidence in parliament on Dec. 16, a source told Reuters on Tuesday, a move that would pave the way for snap elections following the collapse of his three-way governing coalition. – Reuters
The leader of the Russian-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia called for an emergency security council meeting after protests in the biggest city, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Europe needs to strengthen its autonomy and improve its competitiveness following the reelection of Donald Trump, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. – Bloomberg
German prosecutors on Tuesday said that a 17-year-old had been arrested for plotting an Islamist terror attack, with media reports saying he wanted to target a Christmas market. – Agence France-Presse
German airline group Lufthansa said on Monday it was extending the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv up to and including December 15. – Agence France-Presse
Bret Stephens writes: Antisemitism in Europe has now reached the point where the future of many of its Jewish communities is seriously in doubt. I’m not sure most Europeans understand what a civilizational catastrophe this represents — albeit less for Europe’s Jews, most of whom will find other places to go and thrive, than for Europe itself. The fate of societies that become “Judenfrei” — free of Jews — has not, historically, been a happy one. – New York Times
Africa
Voters in Somaliland head to the polls on Wednesday to choose a president at a time when the breakaway Somali region sees international recognition within reach after three decades of de facto self-rule. – Reuters
A committee of Guinean opposition groups, civil society organisations and activists known as the Forces Vives called on Tuesday for the West African country to establish civilian rule by Jan. 1. – Reuters
The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, accusing him of being involved in human rights abuses in West Darfur, as Washington increases pressure over the war in the African nation. – Reuters
Russia has deployed up to 200 military instructors to Equatorial Guinea in recent weeks to protect the presidency, sources told Reuters, showing Moscow is expanding its footprint in West Africa despite a recent defeat in Mali. – Reuters
Chad said on Tuesday it had approved the licensing of Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink to improve access to internet services in the central African country. – Reuters
The U.N. political chief accused allies of Sudan’s warring military and paramilitary forces on Tuesday of “enabling the slaughter” that has killed more than 24,000 people and created the world’s worst displacement crisis. – Associated Press
The Americas
Mexico’s government on Monday signaled that it planned to hit back with trade restrictions of its own if President-elect Donald J. Trump followed through on his threats to impose sky-high tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States. – New York Times
Mexican law enforcement announced on Tuesday the arrest of a top municipal security official for the assassination of the mayor of the capital of the violence-plagued state of Guerrero. – Reuters
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it will bar U.S. airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days after three commercial jetliners were struck by gunfire on Monday. – Reuters
Costa Rica on Monday bestowed its highest diplomatic honor on El Salvador President Nayib Bukele for his success in lowering levels of violence during a more than two-year campaign against powerful street gangs. – Associated Press
In a letter sent to U.S. legislators in late September, New York’s attorney general and 13 other colleagues across the U.S. demanded new measures to stop the flow of guns, noting that 90% of weapons used in the Caribbean were bought in the U.S. and smuggled into the region. – Associated Press
United States
With the expected appointments of Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mike Waltz to cabinet positions, President-elect Donald Trump is putting together what some China hawks call a tough-on-China “dream team.” – Wall Street Journal
The Biden administration will allow Americans to hear from speakers who are subject to U.S. sanctions — including members of Hamas and Hezbollah — at overseas conferences sponsored by American organizations. – New York Times
The United States is pursuing an inquiry into Russian clients that UBS took on when it bought Credit Suisse, three people familiar with the matter said, heightening scrutiny of one of the world’s biggest wealth managers. – Reuters
The U.S. Senate’s Democratic majority began a crusade on Tuesday to confirm as many new federal judges nominated by President Joe Biden as possible to avoid leaving vacancies that Republican Donald Trump could fill after taking office on Jan. 20. – Reuters
A federal jury on Tuesday found U.S. defense contractor CACI International (CACI.N), opens new tab liable for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraq war and ordered it to pay $42 million in damages. – Reuters
Cybersecurity
Technology company executives could be held personally liable for allowing illegal knives to be advertised on their platforms, under new British government plans to combat a recent rise in crime with weapons, some of which are readily available online. – New York Times
New Zealand on Wednesday proposed to limit the number of licenses for online casino gambling operators, require them to set up an age verification system and ban advertisements aimed at children, as it looks to rein in the fast-growing sector. – Reuters
Germany must bolster its defences against cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns, particularly out of Russia, as it prepares for snap elections in the coming months, the interior minister warned on Tuesday. – Reuters
United States authorities have publicly released their indictment of two suspected cybercriminals, allegedly responsible for breaking into the cloud platforms used by major companies, including AT&T. – Cyber Scoop
Defense
President-elect Donald J. Trump announced on Tuesday that his nominee to lead the C.I.A. would be John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as the director of national intelligence during Mr. Trump’s first term. – New York Times
The United States will officially open a new air defence base in northern Poland on Wednesday, as Warsaw seeks to reassure citizens that NATO guarantees their security amid jitters after Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. – Reuters
It is up to the United States to decide what to do with Taiwan’s decommissioned HAWK anti-aircraft missiles, the island’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday, when asked if they would be transferred to Ukraine. – Reuters
Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison for leaking online highly classified U.S. military documents, including some related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. – Reuters
The U.S. Air Force said that it would retire its A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in key regions including South Korea by the fiscal year 2025 in favour of advancing fourth-generation fighter jet upgrades. – Reuters