Fdd's overnight brief

October 5, 2022

In The News

Iran

The protests that have gripped Iran for three weeks started over a headscarf, but are morphing into a broader movement fueled by middle-class anger over the country’s collapsing economy. – Wall Street Journal

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps bombarded opposition bases in the semiautonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks against Kurdish groups that Iran blames for fomenting some of the protests that have gripped the country for almost three weeks. – New York Times

Iran’s bold and bracing protests, stretching across an unsettled nation for more than two weeks, have been marked by defiant acts and daring slogans that challenge the country’s clerical leadership and its stifling restrictions on all aspects of social life. – Washington Post

Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the British ambassador in Tehran in reaction to “interventionist comments” from the British foreign ministry, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Wednesday. – Reuters

Iranian state media said Tuesday the government has launched a space tug capable of shifting satellites between orbits. State TV said the Saman test spacecraft was built by the country’s Space Research Center and launched Monday by the Defense Ministry. – Associated Press

In his first public remarks in weeks, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei claimed on Monday that the United States and Israel had incited the ongoing protest movement surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini—alleging that the two nations were “conspiring” against Iran’s clerical system of rule. – The National Interest

Bobby Ghosh writes: Any action against schoolkids will undoubtedly invite harsher penalties, such as expulsion of diplomats and barring Iran from international forums. Even allies like China and Russia will find it hard to back Tehran in those circumstances. But perhaps most worrying for the supreme leader is that a crackdown against children might finally bring the grown-ups into the streets. The kids are a problem Khamenei can’t easily solve. – Bloomberg

Zina Rakhamilova writes: Amplifying Iranian voices can change how global leaders respond to Iran’s tyranny. The regime knows this, which is why it quickly shut down internet access. The regime is so threatened by the power that social media holds that it has tried to kidnap Iranian – American journalist Masih Alinejad, whose reports have reached hundreds of millions of people. – Jerusalem Post

Catherine Perez-Shakdam writes: Iran has long curated the notion that the West stands an enemy of Iran’s sovereignty by virtue of its colonial past, as well as argued Britain’s rejection of Islamic values due to its support of Israel. On this basis and in view of past attempts to destabilize our institutional integrity, Tehran may double-down on its rhetoric of hate and division to support its worldview – even and maybe more to the point, especially if it means sowing discord at home and abroad, wherever it has cultivated support. – Jerusalem Post

Alan Bergstein writes: Biden made no call at all for global condemnation of the Ayatollah’s regime. He offered no actual support to Iran’s people. Nor did he call for other nations to stand tall on this issue. He reverted back to our half hearted support for Iran’s freedom loving people. He is lapping at the feet of the Islamic dictatorship of that terrorist supporting nation hoping they will give him a new nuclear deal that will ultimately destroy Israel, the Middle East and civilization as we know it. – Arutz Sheva

Russia & Ukraine

Ukrainian forces accelerated their advance into Russian-held areas of the southern Kherson region as Western officials played down the likelihood of Russia using nuclear weapons in retaliation for its military defeats. – Wall Street Journal

Russia’s defense minister said 200,000 men had entered the army as part of a mobilization drive that began last month as the rapid advance of Ukrainian forces into Russian-occupied territories outpaces Moscow’s ability to pour in reinforcements. – Wall Street Journal

Russian President Vladimir Putin is betting that an impending infusion of drafted troops can change the dynamic on the battlefield in Ukraine, but analysts say he is losing time, as his military operation succumbs further to Ukrainian advances and shows signs that it needs more than just raw personnel to regain the initiative. – Washington Post

After leaving often well-paying jobs and families in Moscow and Vladivostok and many places in between, tens of thousands of young Russians — terrified of being dragooned into fighting in Ukraine — are pouring into Central Asia by plane, car and bus. – New York Times

As Ukraine’s top diplomat began a 10-day tour across Africa this week, he said he would attempt to “better explain Ukraine” to his African counterparts, and why Ukraine needs them against Russia’s aggression. – New York Times

The last time this famously neutral country went to war, Napoleon was on the back foot in France and Britain was preparing to burn Washington. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upended 200 years of global pacifism for the children of the Vikings. – New York Times

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is seeking to reassure Ukrainians living in territory the country has reclaimed that they would be treated fairly. – New York TImes

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws formally absorbing four Ukrainian regions into Russia, even as its military is struggling to hang on to control of the regions it illegally annexed. – Associated Press

Washington’s decision to send more military aid to Ukraine poses a threat to Moscow’s interests and increases the risk of a military clash between Russia and the West, said Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States. – Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine’s military had made major, rapid advances against Russian forces and freed from occupation dozens of towns in the south and east of the country. – Reuters

A senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday she had no information to corroborate reports suggesting Russia might be moving tactical nuclear weapons by rail, and added the U.S. military had not seen anything to change its own nuclear posture. – Reuters

Russian defence ministry maps presented on Tuesday appeared to show rapid withdrawals of Russian invasion forces from areas in eastern and southern Ukraine where they have been under severe pressure from a Ukrainian counteroffensive. – Reuters

For Kremlin watchers trying to figure out whether the Russian leader’s nuclear threats are just bluffs, there is no more pressing — or tough — question. For now, analysts cautiously suggest that the risk of Putin using the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal still seems low. The CIA says it hasn’t seen signs of an imminent Russian nuclear attack. – Associated Press

A series of embarrassing military losses in recent weeks has presented a challenge for prominent hosts of Russian news and political talk shows struggling to find ways to paint Ukraine’s gains in a way that is still favorable to the Kremlin. – Associated Press

Ukraine is considering restarting Europe’s largest nuclear plant to ensure its safety just weeks after fears of a radiation disaster at the Russian-occupied facility, the president of the company that operates the plant said Tuesday. – Associated Press

The southern advance is targeting supply lines for as many as 25,000 Russian troops on the Dnipro’s west bank. Ukraine has already destroyed the river’s main bridges, forcing Russian forces to use makeshift crossings. – Jerusalem Post

The Biden administration and its international allies are hunting for votes at the United Nations this week in their quest to get as many countries as possible to support a historic resolution slamming Russia’s territorial claims in Ukraine. – Politico

It has been called the biggest nuclear threat to world safety since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis: as Vladimir Putin seeks to salvage his invasion of Ukraine, the Russian president has stepped up his threats to use nuclear weapons. – Financial Times

Moscow’s move to annex parts of Ukraine has sent a new Iron Curtain down across a vast swathe of territory – cutting off an unknown number of people from their own country. – BBC

With the fall of Liman to the Ukrainian forces on October 1, 2022 and the desperate attempt of its garrison to avoid total encirclement resulting in the loss of men and materiel, the dam appeared to break on criticism of the Russian army. Hitherto, criticism of the army had been the exclusive preserve of the pro-war military bloggers, but now they were joined by some top officials. – Middle East Media Research Institute

Editorial: Nuclear tensions between Russian and other world powers have been rising since the invasion of Ukraine. Russia has made veiled nuclear threats since the war began, but this has escalated since Ukraine began to make significant inroads in reconquering land occupied by Russia. – Jerusalem Post

Justin B. Hollander writes: The U.S. and NATO have a chance now to extend an olive branch to Putin, offer to revoke the Charter on Strategic Partnership and take down the temperature in the room. […] It is not in the U.S.’s interests to engage in a nuclear war with Russia and providing appropriate security guarantees to allow Putin to maintain a sphere of influence in Eastern Ukraine is a small price to pay for achieving peace on earth. – The Hill

Diane Francis writes: Surely, the piecemeal shutdown or sabotage of Europe’s energy system is reason enough to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and remove it from membership in the United Nations, where it has weaponized the Security Council by vetoing any attempt to impede its terrorism and warfare. – The Hill

Yulia Latynina writes: Putin is a thug. It is often said that his favorite response to a crisis is escalation. But this is not so. Putin perceives democratic leaders as weak, but he never threatens Turkey or China. Right in the middle of his current aggressive spurt, Putin agreed to swap Azov prisoners — simply because Erdogan was the go-between. There are many indications that Putin has a “Plan C,” and that this is a total isolation of Russia. This is why he didn’t close the borders — he is using mobilization to cleanse Russia of any latent opposition that is moving out under its own power. – The Hill

Michael Wahid Hanna and Delaney Simon write: Thus far, the U.S. response to Russia’s war in Ukraine has been notable for being equal parts robust and prudent. Congress should not push it off course with a designation that risks so much. The most promising way forward is for the U.S. to follow its current course: supporting Ukraine with arms and funds and bolstering global accountability efforts, while steering clear of policies that risk further harm both to Ukraine and the wider world. – Politico

Hal Brands writes: Putin remains committed to dismembering Ukraine, which Kyiv and Washington will not accept. Ukraine and the US have Putin on the road to a disastrous defeat that is anathema to him. Both sides are betting that fundamental compromise of their war aims is not necessary, because they can apply enough pressure to get the enemy to back down at the crucial moment. Both sides can’t be right. – Bloomberg

Israel

Israel shut down beginning Tuesday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, as security forces remained on high alert for the holiday amid a spike in terror warnings. – Times of Israel

Israeli security forces arrested nine Palestinian terror suspects in a series of overnight raids as the IDF prepares Tuesday to impose a lockdown on the West Bank for Yom Kippur as tensions run high. – Ynet

Former U.S. President Barack Obama credited ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with fueling the rise of Putinism, alongside other authoritarian leaders, before stepping down from office, newly published quotes reveal. – Haaretz

Scores of Israelis on Tuesday morning blocked the entrance to Nablus and called on the government to order an army crackdown on the West Bank in response to escalating confrontations between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants. – Haaretz

For years, the joke in defense circles has been that directed energy systems — more commonly known as lasers — are the technology of the future, and always will be. But following a series of successful live-fire tests of its new Iron Beam capability, Israel is moving forward in hopes of putting that joke to rest, potentially within two years time. – Breaking Defense

Lebanon

Israel and Lebanon are close to striking a U.S.-brokered deal on maritime borders that would allow Israel to export gas to Europe and mark a rare instance of economic cooperation between the neighboring countries. – Wall Street Journal

Lebanon has submitted to the United States a list of changes it would like to see to a proposal on how to delineate a contested maritime border with Israel, a top Lebanese official said on Tuesday. – Reuters

The Lebanese government said it will not agree to establish any security zone within its maritime border nor give up any territory at sea, Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday, in reference to a section in the U.S. proposal regarding the regulation of the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon. – Haaretz

Lebanese leaders have voiced several misgivings regarding a U.S.-brokered agreement proposal to delineate its maritime border with Israel, Lebanese daily Al Akhbar reported on Tuesday. – Ynet

Arabian Peninsula

OPEC and its allies, including Russia, are widely expected to approve a sizable cut in oil production in order to bolster prices when officials meet in Vienna on Wednesday. – New York Times

Yemen’s warring parties should revive efforts for a broader deal to end its devastating seven-year conflict, the country’s top United Nations envoy said on Tuesday after failed efforts to renew a truce deal on Sunday. – Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet agreed on Tuesday on “a memorandum of cooperation” with Britain in the energy sector, Saudi state news agency SPA reported citing a cabinet statement. – Reuters

Oman on Tuesday thanked Iran for handing over U.S. citizen Baquer Namazi, the Iranian foreign ministry said on its website, but it was unclear whether the Iranian American had left the Islamic Republic or when he might do so. – Reuters

Simon Henderson writes: The counter-spin to criticism of Riyadh is that the kingdom sees oil as a distinct file of its own, reflecting economic realities rather than diplomatic ones. Indeed, there are subtleties and the economic rationale worth noting. […]The possible impact of the action by OPEC+ could be felt by polling day in the U.S. By then we may have had a “Tom Clancy-moment” with regard to Putin’s apparent threat to add a nuclear dimension to the Ukraine fighting. It could be a rough few weeks. – The Hill

Middle East & North Africa

The U.N. special envoy for Iraq warned Tuesday that the situation in the country remains “highly volatile” nearly a year after last October’s elections failed to form a government, saying all sides have made “strategic mistakes” and it’s now time for all Iraqi leaders to hold talks “and pull the country back from the ledge.” – Associated Press

Seren Selvin Korkmaz writes: As Erdoğan and his party face a severe economic crisis and elite division within the ruling coalition, Turkey’s opposition has learned from its mistakes and developed strategies to combat populist authoritarianism in a politically polarized environment. The Turkish opposition’s tactics and struggles are thus not only crucial to understanding Turkish politics, but will also be added to the international playbook of democratic opposition strategies for opposing populist autocrats. – Middle East Institute

Farzin Nadimi writes: And given the high stakes involved in ongoing unrest, an unattributable attack against its chief regional rival, Saudi Arabia, is a distinct possibility. Such an operation would presumably be similar in purpose and scope to the September 2019 attacks on Saudi oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais, once again targeting the kingdom’s critical infrastructure and originating from Yemen, Iraq, or Iran proper. It could also put local CENTCOM forces and assets at risk. – Washington Institute

Melissa Horvath writes: All things considered, that does not mean the level of effort is not worth it. With CENTCOM transitioning to an economy of force theater, the region needs more opportunities for Middle East security cooperation that go beyond just arms sales. And long-term cooperative projects like the Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center strengthen relationships, counter great power influence, and help our partners modernize and integrate their systems to defend against the most challenging regional threats. – Middle East Institute

Korean Peninsula

North Korea’s latest missile launch over Japan represents a major escalation that returns Pyongyang to a pattern of provocation it hasn’t used in years, testing how much international resolve can be summoned to thwart it. – Wall Street Journal

South Korea and the U.S. military conducted missile drills in response to North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile over Japan, as the United Nations Security Council prepares to meet over what was Pyongyang’s longest-range test. – Reuters

This week’s rare North Korean test flight, which sent a missile soaring over Japan, underscored the nuclear-armed state’s rapidly advancing arsenal amid stalled denuclearisation talks. – Reuters

South Korea’s military apologised on Wednesday for causing residents to worry about a failed missile launch during its joint drill with the United States in response to North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile over Japan a day earlier. – Reuters

North Korea’s launch of a missile over Japan on Tuesday was a “reckless and deliberately provocative action” that violated U.N. security council resolutions, a European Union spokesperson said on Tuesday. – Reuters

North Korea has carried out more than 30 missile tests this year – using some with a long enough range to reach the US. These include ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles. Hypersonic missiles fly at several times the speed of sound and at low altitude, to escape radar detection. The latest missile tested over Japan is thought to be an intermediate-range Hwasong-12, which has a range of 4,500km – far enough to hit the US island of Guam from North Korea. – BBC

Eleven U.S. and Japanese fighters flew a show of force mission over the Sea of Japan following a North Korean missile test over the Japanese home islands, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday. A combined force of seven Japanese Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-15J and F-2 Fighters flew with four U.S. Marine F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters over the Sea of Japan following North Korea’s Tuesday test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile. – USNI News

Editorial: The post-Cold War era is over, and a new axis is forming against allied democracies. China seems to view Pyongyang’s nuclear posturing as a useful irritant and won’t block the provocation. Russia is happy to have the U.S. worry about a front other than Ukraine. Mr. Biden and other leaders have to explain to the American people the reality of this dangerous new world and what is required to meet it. – Wall Street Journal

Eunjung Irene Oh writes: In sum, focusing on the denial strategy alone, as South Korea has done, is ineffective in halting North Korea’s cyber aggression, while U.S. cyber strategy lacks a clear and credible signaling mechanism for how it will act collectively with allies and partners in response to cyber operations. To address this gap, the alliance should develop a joint cyber deterrence strategy—including appropriate punishment measures—which clearly states the threshold of activities it seeks to deter and its proportional responses. At the same time, the two countries should continue to strengthen their cyber resilience in partnership with other global and regional partners. – The National Interest

China

China has destroyed a tacit agreement on military movements in the Taiwan Strait by crossing an unofficial “median line” running down the waterway, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Wednesday. – Reuters

Taiwan has been taking monthly inventories of critical supplies like food and energy in case of a conflict with China, a government official said on Wednesday. – Reuters

The US is preparing to introduce sweeping export controls in an effort to slow Chinese efforts to obtain semiconductors and chipmaking equipment for supercomputers and other military-related applications. – Financial Times

Tom Rogan writes: Again, the U.S. must reject any such gambit. Instead, Washington should draw sharper international attention to the fact that China remains the overwhelming economic source of Kim’s ability to retain power and maintain his associated patronage circles. This would bear particular relevance to European powers, which are already frustrated by Beijing’s support for Russia in Ukraine, and China’s arrogant dismissal of Western human rights concerns. Moreover, many European economies have strong trade links with South Korea and do not want to see Kim threatening that stability. – Washington Examiner

Joseph Bosco writes: Biden’s personal commitment to Taiwan’s security is welcome, but his random responses to reporters’ questions, like Trump’s stream-of-consciousness tweets, lack official gravitas and are no substitute for a thoughtful, well-staffed declaratory administration policy that America will defend Taiwan. Strategic clarity will help China’s planners avoid a catastrophic strategic miscalculation. – The Hill

Martin Wolf writes: But reimposition of the old Leninist orthodoxies on today’s highly complex China must be a dead end at best. At worst, as Xi stays indefinitely in office, it could prove something even more dangerous than that, for China itself and the rest of the world. – Financial Times

Kris Osborn writes: As far as a global footprint is concerned, China clearly lacks the ability to project fifth-generation air power from the sea in areas throughout the world, as there are not many carrier-launched J-31s just yet. It is also unclear how many forward bases China may have in strategic hotspots throughout Europe and Africa. China has recently built a large military base in Djibouti, Africa which might have the capacity to launch J-20s throughout some places in or near the Middle East, yet without a credible sea-launched fifth-generation capacity, China’s ability to truly project global power from the sea is likely to be quite limited. – The National Interest

Asia

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will visit Australia on Thursday as both countries look to mend ties which soured after the Pacific nation struck a security pact with China in April. – Reuters

Nuclear powers have criticized an effort led by the Marshall Islands at the United Nations to seek help on dealing with the consequences of nuclear testing, sources following the talks involving countries including the United States, Britain, Russia, India and China told Reuters. – Reuters

The Solomon Islands refused to sign the US government’s Pacific partnership deal until “indirect” references to the Chinese government were removed, with Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele saying his country did not want to “choose sides.” – Bloomberg

As India and Japan held their Defense and Foreign Ministerial 2+2 talks on September 8, both nations reaffirmed to strengthen their ties through deepening cooperation on defense and both India and Japan planned to hold a joint military drill involving their air forces. China’s increasing military capabilities have been drastically affecting nations like India and Japan which face severe threats from Beijing’s expansionist behavior. – The National Interest

Europe

The European Union has advanced work on a price cap for Russian oil under an approach that keeps the U.S.-led effort on track, but holds off on final approval. – Wall Street Journal

For 27-year-old Nikolae Hristov, a bouncer in a Moldovan nightclub, unaffordable energy prices are proof that the pro-EU government should turn away from Brussels and look to Russia, which has its grip on the country’s gas supply. – Financial Times

Ukraine has demanded the EU provide a stable and predictable flow of financial support to keep its government functioning, warning that Kyiv was being “squeezed by uncertainty” over cash flows. – Financial Times

France was pushing for the European Union to “target senior officials and hold them responsible for their actions” over Iran’s repression of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, foreign minister Catherine Colonna told parliament Tuesday. – Times of Israel

Leaders from more than 40 countries meeting in the Czech capital Thursday are set to launch a “European Political Community” aimed at boosting security and prosperity across the continent. But critics claim the new forum is an attempt to put the brakes on European Union enlargement. – Associated Press

Andreas Kluth writes: A more generous view is that Macron and other European leaders are refusing — even at a time when one European, Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatens others with nuclear war — to jettison their dream of continental peace, security and harmony. This week’s convention won’t be a another Peace of Westphalia or Congress of Vienna. It won’t solve the continent’s problems, unite the divided or pacify the bellicose. But it deserves attention and support. In times such as ours, gathering in peace is so much better than not gathering at all. – Bloomberg

Mark Temnycky writes: A weakened Lukashenka regime would allow the opposition to challenge the current Belarusian government. This, in turn, could see Tsikhanouskaya emerge as a post-revolutionary, democratic leader. There is much uncertainty for the future, but Putin’s defeat would be certain to ripple into Belarus and the opposition will need to be ready. Lukashenka must be worried. And he should be. – Center for European Policy Analysis

Africa

The Sahel-based branch of Al Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), has claimed an attack on a convoy in Burkina Faso that killed over a dozen soldiers last month, the SITE Intelligence Group said on Tuesday. – Reuters

Sudanese pro-democracy groups will ask the country’s United Nations mission to help them integrate a paramilitary force and former rebel factions into a unified army, or disarm and demobilise them, according to a draft letter seen by Reuters. – Reuters

President Yoweri Museveni has removed his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as commander of Uganda’s land forces, the military said on Tuesday, after Kainerugaba repeatedly threatened on Twitter to invade neighbouring Kenya. – Reuters

The Americas

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday backed Colombia’s recent efforts to rethink its drug policy and said the Biden administration and Colombia’s newly elected government will work together on rural development programs and interdiction efforts, while sharing intelligence on drug trafficking groups. – Associated Press

Daily life in Haiti began to spin out of control last month just hours after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said fuel subsidies would be eliminated, causing prices to double. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere is in the grips of an inflationary vise that is squeezing its citizenry and exacerbating protests that have brought society to the breaking point. – Associated Press

The Mexican government or army has allegedly continued to use spyware designed to hack into the cellphones of activists, despite a pledge by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to end such practices. – Associated Press

Adam Taylor writes: To many inside and outside Brazil, Bolsonaro’s surprise showing is about more than just one election: It’s evidence that the far right is undervalued by polls globally, echoing claims in other parts of the world. – Washington Post

Cybersecurity

Anonymous and other global hacking groups are engaged in a multipronged cyber assault on Iran, joining the fight with protesters on the ground in resistance to the country’s strict hijab laws. Thousands of amateur hackers have organized online to orchestrate cyberattacks on Iranian officials and institutions, as well as share tips on how to get around curbs on internet access by using privacy-enhancing tools. – CNBC

The White House today released a “blueprint” to help guide the development and use of artificial intelligence and automated systems with a focus on protecting the rights of consumers, a step that the White House says aims to hold big technology companies accountable and one that comes in the wake of the Defense Department’s own ethical AI pledges. – Breaking Defense

U.S. cybersecurity, law enforcement and intelligence officials revealed on Tuesday that sophisticated hackers infiltrated a likely U.S. military contractor and maintained “persistent, long-term” access to their system. – CyberScoop

Justin Sherman writes: American ownership of a tech company does not mean Americans’ data is protected from exposure, plain and simple. While CFIUS did what it could, the U.S. government needs to fill in the rest of the picture with strong data privacy and security laws, regulations, and policy frameworks to account for the rest of the data ecosystem. – CyberScoop

Defense

The US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier – which was commissioned and then later critiqued by former President Donald Trump – deployed Tuesday from Norfolk, Virginia, to head to the Atlantic. – Business Insider

The U.S. Navy has spent more than four years repairing one of its amphibious ships, blowing past its budget by at least $99 million. Yet, the ship is still not ready to deploy. After pouring nearly $300 million into its repairs, the service says it would prefer to simply decommission the ship and move on. – Defense News

The newest U.S. weapons package heading for Ukraine will not include the advanced long-range missile system that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several congressional leaders have requested. But Pentagon leaders said its latest gift will include more of the medium-range rockets and long-range artillery systems they claim have helped Ukrainian forces to reclaim territory and momentum from invading Russians during the counteroffensive in recent weeks. – Defense One

The Navy is boosting its recruiting goal by 3,400 sailors to meet its Fiscal Year 2023 end strength requirement despite an increasingly difficult recruiting environment. – USNI News