Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel and Greece reach $3.5 billion defense deal Israel Navy acting to deter Turkish maritime aggression as Ankara encroaches on areas of interest Mine warfare with Iran hampers U.S. efforts to win control of Hormuz Iran's president says Tehran will reciprocate if US honours interim deal commitments The Ukraine drones that are carrying a bigger punch, deeper into Russia Zelenskiy, Trump's envoys discuss Ukraine visit and peace efforts Washington’s deadly new headache: an al Qaeda-Houthi terrorist alliance US approves military sale of helicopters to Iraq for $800 million North Korea and US show signs of resuming dialogue, South Korean lawmaker says Japan targets record defense spend as China pressure grows Taiwan says 'unpredictable' China strengthens air and sea control nearby WSJ Editorial: Taiwan’s drone realismIn The News
Israel
The leader of Israel’s Islamist political party, Mansour Abbas, has worked hard to show the country’s Jewish majority that he is worthy of joining the next government, despite a broad consensus among most Jewish lawmakers that Arab parties should not be permitted to do so. – New York Times
Israel and Greece announced a $3.5 billion defense deal on Monday, highlighting how Israel’s powerful arms industry still exerts global influence despite the diplomatic outcry over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank. – New York Times
Israeli airstrikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said. Medics said two people were killed and several others wounded when one strike hit a crowd near the municipal public park in Gaza City, an area packed with displaced families. – Reuters
The Israel Navy is acting to deter Turkish maritime aggression, and in response to the Turkish navy traveling to new points of interest in Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned. – Jerusalem Post
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has approved the appointment of a new head of the IDF’s Central Command, responsible for the West Bank, in a wider deal involving dozens of other senior appointments with Defense Minister Israel Katz. – Jerusalem Post
Israel and Venezuela have taken another step toward restoring ties, with Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon announcing on Monday that he had met his Venezuelan counterpart, Coromoto Godoy Calderón, following the countries’ agreement to reestablish consular relations. – Arutz Sheva
Elliot Kaufman writes: Hamas started the war by massacring Jews on Oct. 7, 2023, in a state of ecstasy, which the Palestinian masses shared as they celebrated the victory. But the initial ecstasy was memory-holed as soon as Israel fought back. Gazans suffered under bombardment as Hamas fought from and beneath Gaza’s cities instead of releasing the hostages. For Palestinians, U.N.-style humanitarians and most of the press, the war again became a tale of Israeli aggression and Palestinian victimization. […] Otherwise, what to make of a national movement that turns down its oppressor’s offers of statehood—not only in 1948, but twice in this century—and instead launches gruesome waves of terrorism and war after war it can’t win? What to make of an “international community” that rewards it every time? – Wall Street Journal
Iran
The U.S. decision to strike Iran for the first time in a month shows Washington’s determination to win its cat-and-mouse contest for control over the Strait of Hormuz even at the risk of an escalation that could turn the conflict back into a hot war. – Wall Street Journal
A Saudi oil tanker was stopped while transiting through the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported on Tuesday. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further strikes against Iran on Monday after the first exchange of direct attacks in a month, raising tensions in a conflict that had recently shifted into an economic standoff. – Reuters
The number of vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz was little changed on Monday compared with the weekend, hovering around five, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday, below the 10-day average of around 14. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump was sending a message to Iran with his social media post about Iran’s energy hub of Kharg Island being blown to smithereens, Vice President JD Vance said on Monday. – Reuters
Iran has sufficient foreign currency reserves despite U.S. sanctions, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said on Tuesday, after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tehran was lashing out because it was losing the economic war. – Reuters
Iran will immediately reciprocate if the United States returns to its commitments under an interim deal signed in June, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday. – Reuters
President Donald Trump dismissed concerns that the conflict in Iran was draining American firepower as clashes resumed in the on-again off-again hostilities that have stretched more than six months, with neither side willing to restart negotiations to end the war. “This is a relatively little war for us,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “This is not a big war.” – Bloomberg
A prominent singer has returned to Iran after nearly two decades in exile, as authorities encourage artists living abroad to return home in a show of patriotism against the backdrop of the conflict with the US. – Agence France-Presse
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of tricking Washington into going to war with the Islamic republic, calling him a “serpent.” – Agence France-Presse
Walter Russell Mead writes: Let us hope that U.S. and allied military and intelligence agencies are thinking through the next steps. Suppose economic pressure succeeds, and the Iranian population rises against the regime. Does America stand by as the regime renews its power through another bloodbath, do we intervene in what is likely to be a bloody civil war, or is there some third alternative? Mr. Trump’s critics are right that six months into this war, the pathway out remains obscure. But this is how war normally works. Risk and unpredictability are baked into the cake. That is a good reason to avoid unnecessary wars; it is also a reason to avoid excesses of either gloom or joy as the fortunes of war shift and turn. – Wall Street Journal
Eric Wargotz writes: If the United States and its allies maintain this absolute economic blockade, the pressure will become structurally unsustainable. We must refuse to offer premature sanctions relief. To walk away now would be a catastrophic mistake. Lowering the temperature for another weak, temporary diplomatic deal fails our goals. It would allow the water to cool just as it is on the verge of turning. We have not missed the opportunity for a definitive breaking point. We are simply in the critical window right before it happens. Resolving the Iranian conflict does not require an overextended land war. It does not require a retreat into passive defeatism. It requires holding the line. If we keep the heat turned up, economic paralysis and popular fury will cause the regime to fracture from within. The water will boil. We just have to let the stove finish its job. – Washington Examiner
Russia and Ukraine
Ukraine’s growing ability to strike deep inside Russia is thanks to long-range drones such as the Mammoth, which can fly 1,500 miles. In a secret warehouse in Ukraine, Oleg Krot stood among 600 of the black, delta-winged machines, fully armed and waiting for collection by Ukraine’s military. – Wall Street Journal
Russia is trying to pound Ukraine’s capital into submission by using its growing fleet of jet-powered drones for nearly continuous attacks, combining improved weaponry with new tactics. – Wall Street Journal
The appearance of Russia’s finance minister at a G-20 meeting, his first in person since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sparked protests Monday from European participants. – Washington Post
Ukraine’s former defense minister and a mastermind of its drone warfare, Mykhailo Fedorov, has been enlisted to advise the Italian defense minister on modern military strategy, weeks after he was fired from his position in the Ukrainian government. – New York Times
Nine people were killed and over a dozen injured in Russian air attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region on Tuesday, authorities said, in the sixth consecutive day of strikes on the Ukrainian capital. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he held a “detailed and constructive” call with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and that the sides were working to finalize dates for their visit to Ukraine aimed at advancing peace efforts. – Reuters
China has privately assured Finland that it would not allow Russia to use nuclear weapons, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview. – Politico
Anna Husarska writes: On Aug. 15, Prime Minister Donald Tusk singled out the right-wing opposition politicians for turning voters against Ukraine, and made the case for Poland helping its neighbor. […] Many of my worried Polish friends felt a bit better hearing his words. Perhaps Tusk’s appeal to self-interest can reach those who have been poisoned. But there is no easy recipe for how to repair bilateral relations and save a crucial alliance against a dangerous common enemy. I will soon take my 53rd trip to Ukraine, driving a donated car from Helsinki to Kharkiv. And I continue to raise funds to buy power banks and tourniquets. It’s the least I can do to help. If the Ukrainians prevail in their struggle, their monumental sacrifice will have kept my country safe. – Washington Post
Lebanon
About 200 families are sheltering in the school in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre. Most are from villages farther south that have been destroyed in the latest war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah or are occupied by Israeli forces, like Fatima’s hometown of Mansouri. – Associated Press
Last year, as Israel battled Hezbollah, the Security Council ordered the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to end by December 31, 2026, a mission that was first launched in 1978. Paris, Beirut, and Turtle Bay are desperately seeking to extend the UN presence at least temporarily. – New York Sun
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Greece on Monday for support in implementing a US-sponsored agreement with Israel, hours after Greece and Israel announced a multibillion-dollar arms deal. – Agence France-Presse
Gulf States
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to establish a secretariat in Saudi Arabia under their Mecca joint defence agreement, which will initially be headed by a Pakistani secretary-general for three years, the three countries said in a joint statement on Monday. – Reuters
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency on Monday extended until September 30 its warning to airlines to avoid airspace over the waters of the Persian Gulf within Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, narrowing an earlier advisory that recommended avoiding the countries’ entire airspace. – Reuters
UAE developer Arada signed an agreement with the Syrian Sovereign Fund on Monday to build a real estate project valued at $7 billion, the Syrian state news agency reported. The project, which will be Arada’s first in Syria, will include residential complexes and health, education and entertainment facilities, the agency said. – Reuters
The United Arab Emirates called for a “more realistic approach” to end the six-month Iran war after fending off an Iranian drone attack. – Bloomberg
Middle East & North Africa
The budding alliance benefited both sides. Al-Shabaab, the world’s richest al Qaeda wing, had cash but needed weapons and training. The Houthis had sophisticated arms and tech know-how, but coveted money and a new perch for attacks against the West. – Wall Street Journal
The U.S. State Department said on Monday it had approved a military sale of helicopters to Iraq for $800 million. The principal contractor will be Bell-Textron, located in Fort Worth, Texas, the department said in a statement. – Reuters
Clashes with local armed groups in Syria’s Druze-majority province of Sweida left 10 government security personnel wounded, state media reported Tuesday. – Agence France-Presse
Turkiye’s top diplomat stressed Monday the regional defense pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was not aimed at any particular country and open to others, including Egypt. – Agence France-Presse
Korean Peninsula
North Korea and the United States are showing signs of resuming dialogue, a South Korean lawmaker said on Tuesday after being briefed by Seoul’s intelligence agency. There had, however, been nothing confirmed on specific contacts between Pyongyang and Washington, he told a televised briefing. – Reuters
South Korea will send a 44-member emergency relief team to Nepal to support search-and-rescue operations after flooding in the Rasuwa region, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. – Reuters
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s top economic policy lieutenant has stepped down days after a cabinet reshuffle following public concerns about uneven growth and doubts over whether he can deliver on a pledge to improve housing affordability. – Reuters
China
As the leaders of China, Russia, India, Iran and other nations converged on Central Asia for a two-day summit beginning on Monday, one thing was clear from the outset. Even as President Trump tries to bend the world to revolve around Washington, Xi Jinping of China has his own powerful orbit. – New York Times
China said it had serious concerns about Taiwan’s presence at the annual Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, warning of “consequences” after the democratically ruled island attended the group’s opening ceremony on Monday. – Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday told Russian President Vladimir Putin that under their “strategic guidance and joint efforts”, the foundations of bilateral ties will be stronger, with brighter prospects, China’s state-run Xinhua reported. – Reuters
China pushed back against claims by some Indian commentators who debated whether Beijing was to blame for last week’s deadly landslide along the Nepal-Tibet border. – Bloomberg
China will start checking the security of its military supply chains, joining other nations in ramping up self-reliance of their defense industries. – Bloomberg
South Asia
The death toll from last week’s massive floods in Nepal and China surpassed 900, as army and police teams raced to reach hundreds of hydropower workers trapped inside mountain tunnels buried in mud. – Wall Street Journal
Myanmar’s junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing will make an official visit to Vietnam from September 4 to 6 at the invitation of Vietnamese President To Lam, state media in both countries reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
India must uphold a water-sharing treaty with Pakistan it suspended amid bilateral tensions and must limit work on an hydroelectric plant it is building in the Kashmir region, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said on Monday. – Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that the war in Ukraine needed to end for humanity’s sake and that New Delhi would support every peace effort to stop the fighting. – Reuters
Indian regional airline Fly91 is close to placing an order for at least 20 turboprop aircraft from Franco-Italian planemaker ATR as it seeks to expand its fleet, three sources familiar with the matter said. – Reuters
Nepali rescuers built temporary bridges to reach remote areas and dug through the ruins of hydropower projects in the Himalayas to rescue close to 300 trapped workers, nearly a week after devastating floods left a trail of destruction across the country’s towns and valleys. – Reuters
Pakistan said six to seven Muslim-majority countries are interested in joining the Mecca Defense Agreement, as top diplomats from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Istanbul on Monday to discuss security and military cooperation. – Bloomberg
David Fickling writes: Nepal’s vast natural water resource and relatively small population should be allowing it to earn good money selling electrons to its energy-hungry neighborhood. […] Even amid the current building boom, it has completed just 3.4 gigawatts of the 42 gigawatts of hydro that’s economically viable, with another 4.3 gigawatts under construction. The question for the future isn’t whether Nepal will continue to develop its rivers. It’s whether the next generation of hydro projects merely extracts electricity with run-of-river, or builds storage dams to give downstream communities greater protection against the consequences of our increasingly deadly climate. – Bloomberg
Asia
Japan plans to shift more of its military spending toward drones and missiles and build up supplies of ammunition, as officials eye a record defense budget for the next fiscal year. – Wall Street Journal
An increasingly unpredictable Beijing is tightening its grip on the air and sea around Taiwan, Taipei said in an annual review of the Chinese threat that also said China was learning lessons from issues faced by the United States in waging war on Iran. – Reuters
New Zealand and the U.S. will jointly fund a major upgrade of a World War Two port on a Cook Islands atoll, the three governments said on Tuesday, in a fresh sign of Western efforts to reinforce ties in a Pacific region that is increasingly being influenced by China. – Reuters
The United States and Indonesia launched their annual joint military exercises on Monday, the first since announcing a new defence partnership this year, with drills from tactical airborne jumps and missile firing to jungle training and cyber defence. – Reuters
Editorial: One practical step the U.S. can take: Passing the bipartisan Blue Skies for Taiwan Act, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, among others. The bill tries to push the U.S. government to work more with Taiwan on drone production, particularly on building a supply chain free of Chinese parts, one of the biggest challenges in making cheap unmanned vehicles at scale. President Trump can also unlock a pending $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan. It has been in limbo ahead of Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington in September. Taiwan sees its future in the free world and is willing to sacrifice to preserve its liberty. Other Presidents have been able to conduct diplomacy with China without betraying U.S. commitments to Taiwan, and there’s no reason Mr. Trump can’t do the same. – Wall Street Journal
Europe
Iceland’s rejection of European Union membership talks is a blow to the bloc’s effort to position itself as a geopolitical counterweight to President Trump’s high-pressure tactics. – Wall Street Journal
A 43-year-old man was arrested in Switzerland on Monday, suspected in a shooting at a rave that killed one woman and wounded five other people, the Swiss police said. – New York Times
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain said on Monday that 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, weeks after more than 70,000 people surged from Morocco into the Spanish territory in North Africa. – New York Times
Iceland needs to find new ways to strengthen its security after voters rejected restarting accession talks with the EU, the country’s foreign minister told Reuters on Monday, including by seeking bilateral cooperation and deepening ties with the bloc. – Reuters
A Canadian woman accused of spying while working as an intern at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium will remain in custody, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office said on Monday in a statement. – Reuters
As Poland builds Europe’s biggest army, it is pivoting toward domestic and other central European defence companies to reduce reliance on far-flung suppliers unable to quickly ramp up deliveries, government officials and companies say. – Reuters
Sweden officially signed a €4.3 billion ($5 billion) contract with France for Naval Group SA to supply four frigates to the Nordic state as it seeks to increase maritime defenses and take a more active role in NATO operations at sea. – Bloomberg
NATO and European Union countries are pressuring Spain and Greece to hand Ukraine Patriot interceptor missiles as Kyiv struggles to repel Russia’s mounting air strikes. – Bloomberg
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and opposition leader Lumir Abdixhiku agreed on a candidate for president on Monday, a breakthrough in talks aimed at ending months of political deadlock and avoiding another snap election. – Bloomberg
Italy has extended border checks it first introduced with Spain after the Ceuta migrant crisis for another 15 days, but signaled it’s ready to reconsider the measures soon. – Bloomberg
Hungary has met European Union criteria to access all €10 billion ($11.6 billion) of the bloc’s pandemic-era aid plus more in cohesion funding, Transportation Minister David Vitezy said. – Bloomberg
The European Commission is exploring ways to persuade Beijing to rein in its exports to the bloc as Brussels seeks to reduce an eye-popping trade deficit with China, its trade chief said Monday. – Politico
Poland suspects a fire at a factory operated by a drone component maker was an arson attack involving foreign intelligence services, according to a statement issued by the prosecutors. – Politico
Finland is sending seemingly contradictory messages on Israel, ending its multi-year funding agreement with UNRWA while quietly deepening defense cooperation with the Jewish state, even as Helsinki has become increasingly critical of Israel’s war in Gaza. – Jerusalem Post
Katja Hoyer writes: It’s just about possible that the Saxony-Anhalt election will produce another firewall coalition, which may keep the AfD out of government for a while. But it’s too late to restore the old political order. The AfD is no longer just protesting from the outside. Voters, bosses and sections of the center-right increasingly treat it as a potential governing force. That’s why the significance of Sept. 6 goes beyond whether the AfD gets to govern. For the first time in German postwar history, a far-right party can campaign to rule a state on its own and the prospect seems entirely plausible. The firewall may still be standing when polls close in Saxony-Anhalt, but the ground beneath it has shifted. – Bloomberg
Africa
Flight delays at Kenya’s main international airport on Monday affected thousands of travellers as airport workers’ go-slow strike action continued into its second day, with the main union saying negotiations were ongoing. – Reuters
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed the 6,000 mark, government data showed on Monday. The epidemic has become the largest in the central African country’s history, surpassing the previous worst outbreak that lasted from 2018 to 2020. – Reuters
Discussions between Senegal’s government and the International Monetary Fund have been constructive and “positive developments” are expected at the conclusion of a mission on Tuesday, a person close to the matter told Reuters on Monday. – Reuters
India has resumed talks with Zambia to explore investment opportunities in copper and other critical minerals, two sources said, as New Delhi looks increasingly overseas for raw materials to meet rising demand from its rapidly growing economy. – Reuters
President Daniel Francisco Chapo has appointed Waldemar Fernando de Sousa as Governor of the Bank of Mozambique and Felisberto Dinis Navalha as Deputy Governor. – Reuters
Yagiz Sullu writes: Washington should utilize Equatorial Guinea’s clean-energy potential to encourage new American investment beyond oil while expanding targeted development assistance. With U.S. foreign assistance historically limited to roughly $2 million annually, modest, carefully targeted support for health, education, and economic diversification could strengthen engagement. Equatorial Guinea’s declining oil production may make the country less attractive to Western energy companies, but it does not make it less strategically important to the United States. If Washington retreats as oil production declines, Beijing will have an opportunity to fill the economic vacuum and potentially turn it into a strategic foothold on the Atlantic. – Washington Examiner
The Americas
An unprecedented deal for the U.S. to gain access to a fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves – and the central role a Venezuelan businessman will play – is prompting questions and hesitation from some oil companies evaluating potential investments in the country, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. – Reuters
Brazilian and U.S. officials spoke virtually on Monday to discuss tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, and agreed to hold further meetings at a later date, Brazil’s industry and trade ministry said in a statement. – Reuters
Augusto Cury, a psychiatrist and best-selling author with no previous elected office experience, has emerged as a surprise contender in Brazil’s presidential race, unsettling a contest dominated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. – Reuters
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would win a potential second-round vote in the October presidential election against opposition Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, an AtlasIntel/Bloomberg poll showed on Monday. – Reuters
About $5 billion in US-backed investment and financing is converging on an open-pit mine in the forested hills of Brazil’s central state of Goias, part of Washington’s push to break its dependence on China for rare earths. – Bloomberg
North America
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for the collapse of trade talks this month aimed at averting steep U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, and brushed off concerns about a trade war with America’s second-largest trading partner. – Wall Street Journal
A recent spate of bomb attacks has swept across Mexico, from car bombs to drones rigged with explosives, exposing an escalation in cartel violence that local authorities say has intensified over the past three years. – Reuters
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals swept three special elections on Monday night, strengthening the Canadian leader’s hand domestically as he defends against President Donald Trump’s tariffs. – Bloomberg
United States
U.S. oil company North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) will take over some oilfields previously controlled by several Chinese companies and a Russian firm, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was reviewing the United States’ position on the Falkland Islands, the remote British-ruled archipelago in the South Atlantic. “I always review every position. That’s just one of many,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the islands’ sovereignty. – Reuters
When Vice President JD Vance stepped on stage in Michigan on Monday, it was MAGA Inc. writing the check for the campaign event. It was a rare bit of spending in a battleground state from a powerful political organization that has mostly been missing in action this year. – Associated Press
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is meeting with finance ministers of the world’s largest economies this week at a time when the United States has disrupted the international order with aggressive tariffs on major allies and an unpopular war on Iran that is keeping gas prices high for consumers. – Associated Press
Cybersecurity
Meta on Monday removed dozens of advertisements after India flagged a pattern of Facebook and Instagram ads using sexually explicit content to lure users into downloading malware that could steal banking credentials and drain bank accounts. – Reuters
The European Union on Monday awarded French state-owned Bull a 387.8 million euro ($449.4 million) contract to build a new AI-focused supercomputer, the company’s largest-ever order, as Europe seeks to expand computing capacity and close the gap with the United States and China. – Reuters
Taiwan’s semiconductor prowess is built on the foundations of democracy and rule of law, becoming a trusted international partner that keeps its promises to supply the world, President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday. – Reuters
South Korea on Tuesday unveiled its most aggressive fiscal spending plan on record, setting total government expenditure for 2027 at 821 trillion won ($596.92 billion) to strengthen the country’s technological edge amid the global AI race. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to Apple about changing the name of “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” and the company may soon alter its maps, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Monday. – Reuters
The Trump administration rolled out a six-month test program in Texas on Monday that will draw on volunteer expertise and technology from cyber and artificial intelligence companies to protect the water sector. – Cyberscoop
Five Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank larceny after prosecutors accused them of being part of a group dedicated to robbing ATMs using malware. – The Record
Andrew D’Anieri writes: US companies are rightly driving American AI development in Eurasia. Led by Firebird.ai’s compute infrastructure agreements in Armenia and Kazakhstan, the United States is positioned to provide high-quality advanced technologies to emerging economies. US government policies should reinforce these private sector gains by creatively packaging and marketing the US AI stack abroad. Doing so would make it easier for potential partners to adopt American technologies and cut deals with American companies, ideally at the expense of less-regulated Chinese options. Rather than driving countries into China’s arms, the US government should look to multiply the mutual benefits of American AI offerings abroad. – The National Interest
Defense
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, officials said Monday, paving the way for him to depart the administration in coming days after repeated clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. – Washington Post
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Ken Wilsbach met with Israeli military leaders last week to discuss what Israel Defense Forces called the “regional situation” of the Iran war just before the conflict passed its six-month mark. – Defense News
The Defense Department on Monday announced two framework agreements between General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Lockheed Martin to boost production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors. – Defense News
Congressional leaders are demanding answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the independent office tasked with reviewing new military programs and weapons pulled all public reports from its website. – Defense News
The Pentagon’s suite of commercial generative AI products has expanded beyond Google’s Gemini offering, according to officials who told DefenseScoop Monday that insiders can now chat with approved versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Starshield AI’s Grok frontier models when they log on to the GenAI.mil platform. – Defensescoop
Ben Kesling writes: Last year an Army Airborne field artillery unit released a video on DVIDS, the Defense Department’s official media channel, touting its testing of EcoFlow battery units in the field. The demand from troops and military officials for power is overwhelming, but there are solutions available. Compliant systems don’t have to rely on 100 percent domestically produced parts. Components can come from allied and trusted nations, including reliable European sources. The Pentagon’s “Blue List” for drones follows this approach. The list serves to ban potentially compromised Chinese components, approve well-vetted foreign parts and encourage use of domestic products. – Washington Post