I - On Defense Podcast

For review:1. US Defense Secretary on Wednesday said the future of Cuba is in the hands of President Trump and Havana's leadership amid increased U.S. pressure on the communist-ruled island.“No matter what, the Department of War is going to be prepared and postured for any possible contingency,” Sec Hegseth told troops during a visit to the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.2. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said two U.S. Army aviators “got very lucky” after an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter was downed by Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that US retaliation is not over.Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the president declared, “We hit them hard yesterday and we're going to hit them hard again today.”3. US President Donald Trump said the US would be attacking Iran again on Wednesday, indicating that Tuesday night's strikes against the regime were only the first part of Washington's retaliation against the Islamic Republic for shooting down an American military helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.4. US Central Command confirms it has launched fresh “self-defense strikes” on “multiple targets in Iran at the direction” of President Donald Trump.5. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that it struck bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in response to the latest US strikes.6. The United States and Iran have honed in on four key points of negotiation during talks to permanently end the fighting that began with a joint US-Israeli offensive back in February, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.According to the newspaper, the deal will include agreements on an extended suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran; the dilution of Tehran's existing stockpile of enriched uranium; the dismantling of Iranian nuclear sites; and the right for international nuclear watchdogs to conduct snap inspections in the Islamic Republic.7. Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are fast-tracking plans to expand oil pipelines to replace the capacity lost by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as new data reveals their stark dependency on the Persian Gulf. 8. The Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) has collapsed following the failure of industrial mediation between Dassault and Airbus on several issues, multiple reports said Monday.9. The House Appropriations Committee released its $1 trillion defense spending bill for FY27.

For review:1. Israel on Sunday carried out airstrikes in Beirut, with the military saying it targeted a Hezbollah headquarters in the group's stronghold of Dahiyeh, a large suburb just south of the Lebanese capital.Iran threatened to retaliate, saying, “Watch the sky of the occupied territories tonight.”2. Iran fired a volley of missiles at northern Israel Sunday night, catapulting the region back to the cusp of all-out war after two months of a shaky ceasefireNo Israelis were hurt in the attack, which involved some 10 missiles fired in quick succession around 10 p.m. Iran said it launched the missiles in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern Dahiyeh suburb earlier in the day targeting the headquarters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.3. Israel launched strikes on Iranian military targets and a petrochemical plant on Monday morning in response to the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile attacks on northern Israel hours earlier.4. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly called off a major strike on Iran with fighter jets on the runway. PM Netanyahu said he would halt attacks on Iran “for now,” but warned that Israel would strike Iran and Hezbollah if it is attacked again.5. The European Union said on Monday it had imposed sanctions on two Iranian individuals and a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for threatening the freedom of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil flows.The move marked the first time the bloc has used new powers to sanction Iran for restricting freedom of navigation.

For review:1. Raúl Castro, Cuba's low-profile former president and revolutionary guerrilla, appeared in public for the first time since being indicted by the United States for his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft, official video released Saturday showed.2. The United States and Iran exchanged fire overnight Friday amid a fragile ceasefire as American officials stepped up preparations for potential nuclear negotiations, including consultations this week with experts who could help determine the fate of Tehran's enriched uranium stockpile.The US military said it carried out strikes on Iranian radar sites in what it described as a defensive action after Iran launched four attack drones toward the Strait of Hormuz.3. The United States will make Iranian assets available to Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs for future damage caused by Iran, a source familiar with the matter says.The US will also consider using those assets to support repairs for past damages, the source says, adding that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has directed a team to assess costs for damage already inflicted on Gulf allies by Iran.4. A plan developed by Israel and the Mossad intelligence agency to topple the Iranian regime could still succeed if given time, but it has not been carried out to completion due to the United States' decision in April to halt the war against the Islamic Republic, a former senior Mossad official told Channel 12 on Saturday. In any event, he insisted, the regime will fall sooner or later.5. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Iran Friday of using Lebanon as a “bargaining chip” in negotiations with the United States, and called on both Hezbollah and Israel to embrace diplomacy in a bid to end the fighting between them.6. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he does not see any point in meeting Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukrainian leader requested face-to-face talks over ending the war between the two nations.7. In a rare moment of bipartisanship in the US Congress, the House tonight passed a package of Russian sanctions and military aid for Ukraine.House members voted 226-195 to pass the Ukraine Support Act, which authorizes $8 billion in military finance loans to Ukraine and extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2027.8. Russia could attack a NATO country within four years according to western intelligence assessments, UK PM warned on Friday.9. The U.S. will sell Australia three in-service Virginia-class submarines, pivoting from the planned acquisition of one new and two in-service Virginias, the countries announced.

For review:1. The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in the latest move by the Trump administration.2. A statement attributed to Iran's supreme leader on Thursday said that the United States and Israel had been dealt a “decisive blow” in their war with the Islamic Republic, as the US sent mixed signals about whether the fighting could resume.3. US President Donald Trump tells reporters that Washington does not need a deal with Iran to get enriched uranium from the country.“We could get it right now. I don't think they could stop us if we wanted, but there's no reason to. It's entombed,” he says.4. Israel and Lebanon agreed on Wednesday to renew their fragile ceasefire and create a number of “pilot” security zones inside Lebanon from which Hezbollah terrorists would be banned.5. The Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight into Thursday, killing top commanders in Hamas's general security mechanism, the military announced.6. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a face-to-face meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin in a renewed bid to end the war.In an open letter to the Russian president, the Ukrainian leader said it would be "wrong to simply wait" until the war in Europe becomes the focus of the US's attention once more, adding peace could only come "through direct engagement between" Ukraine and Russia.7. Republicans defeated an amendment to the FY27 Defense Policy Bill that would have stripped $1 billion in funds for the Trump-class Battleship during a House Armed Services Committee mark up of the bill today.8. US Army SP Howitzer Modernization.

For review:1.  Cuba on Tuesday defended a ​military-run conglomerate long the target of U.S. sanctions, saying the group of businesses known as GAESA has ‌contributed to the nation's economic and social development.2. US forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East. Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. 3. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that Iran has signaled a willingness to negotiate elements of its nuclear program that weren't previously on the table, as US President Donald Trump denied talks had been cut off.4. A new round of talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors was held in Washington on Tuesday, a day after US President Donald Trump said he had received commitments of de-escalation from both Jerusalem and Hezbollah.5. Two of Iraq's most powerful Iran-backed militias said on Tuesday they would begin handing in their weapons to the authorities, a major step in the new government's effort to rein in militias that have long operated on their own even though they were nominally under state command.6. South China Morning Post Report: President Trump Asked Xi Jinping to Push Russia Back to Negotiating Table.7. U.S. officials are engaged in NATO-internal discussions about the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons to new countries within the alliance, a new report says, in what would be a remarkable proliferation in nuclear sharing.8. Norway has become the ninth European country to sign up for French nuclear protection. 

For review:1. US SOUTHCOM X: SOUTHCOMCommander Gen. Francis L. Donovan (USMC) personally inspected all aspects of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay's security posture, leading a comprehensive perimeter security assessment and discussing force protection, operational readiness, and measures to ensure the safety and security of service members, their families, and the joint force stationed at the installation with base officials. 2. US President Donald Trump put off his decision on the memorandum of understanding with Iran after demanding his team secure more concessions on Iran's nuclear program.3. The US military stopped a merchant vessel trying to break through its blockade of Iranian ports by firing a missile into its engine room, the US Central Command said on Saturday.The Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces overnight as it tried to enter an Iranian port, the military said. 4. Bloomberg: An Iranian ballistic missile strike has targeted a major US military hub in Kuwait on Saturday, May 30, wounding multiple personnel and destroying high-value aviation assets.According to intelligence and military sources, Iran deployed a Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missile targeting the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. 5. CNN: Iran has salvaged entrances to dozens of missile facilities struck by the US and Israel in the recent war, a Sunday report said, as the Islamic Republic continues to rebuild its military infrastructure amid ceasefire talks with the US.Citing satellite images, Iran has been able to dig out 50 of 69 tunnel entrances at 18 separate underground missile facilities across the country. It has also repaired other damaged areas of those bases, including key access roads that the US and Israel bombed during the war.6. Israel captured the historic Beaufort Castle and the surrounding strategic ridge as it pushed deeper into Lebanon, the IDF announced on Sunday.7. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses the Shangri-La dialouge on May 30, 2026. The head of the Pentagon called on U.S. Western Pacific allies to maintain military strength and called on China not to disrupt the regional equilibrium while praising the current state of affairs between Washington and Beijing.8. Japan's defense minister has pushed back against Chinese allegations that Japan's push to broaden regional defense cooperation was “new militarism,” saying that Tokyo's increased defense spending and broader regional footprint has been conducted in a transparent fashion with regional security in mind. 

For review:1. The head of the U.S. military's Southern Command met with top Cuban military officials Friday at the edge of the American naval base at Guantanamo Bay.2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Friday that troops of the IDF's 36th Division have crossed Lebanon's Litani River. PM Netanyahu:  “Our forces crossed the Litani, and they've advanced to the dominating terrain,” Netanyahu said on a visit to troops on the northern border. “We're also operating in Beirut, and in the Beqaa, across the entire front, and hitting Hezbollah hard.”3. The International Stabilization Force for Gaza was announced with great aplomb at the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in February.Three months on, none of the five countries that pledged troops have made any significant contributions. Hamas has refused to disarm and Israel has seized more territory while continuing to strike terror targets.4. US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he was entering the White House Situation Room to make a “final determination” on a MOU to extend the ceasefire with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.5. The proportion of vessels not linked to Iranian ownership that are transiting the Strait of Hormuz has risen, according to data from maritime firm Lloyd's List Intelligence shared Thursday.6. The United Arab Emirates launched dozens of airstrikes in Iran in the first days of the US-Israeli war on Iran, and after the ceasefire in April was announced, according to a WSJ report published Friday.7. Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said Thursday that Europe cannot combine its strong backing for Ukraine with a neutral mediator role in future peace talks, as EU foreign ministers met informally in Lemesos, Cyprus.8. NATO accused Moscow on Friday of reckless behavior and pledged to “defend every inch of Allied territory” after Romania said a Russian drone had crashed into an apartment block in the alliance member state during an attack on neighboring Ukraine.Russia's TASS news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the incident.

For review:1.  The Pentagon has spent months positioning the troops and weapons needed for the U.S. to launch a military attack on Cuba — all it needs is a final go-ahead from the President.2. The US military carried out new strikes overnight Wednesday-Thursday in Iran, targeting a military site that officials believed posed a threat to US forces and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a US official tells Reuters. US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war. 3. US President Donald Trump indicated during a Wednesday cabinet meeting that progress in talks with Iran on a deal to end the war had slowed, departing from his assertion at the start of the week that an agreement was nearly finalized. 4. Hamas on Wednesday confirmed the death of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of the terror group's military wing, who Israel killed in a strike in Gaza City.  5. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that Israel is “intensifying operations” in Lebanon by taking strategic positions and reinforcing the security buffer zone as the IDF pushed past the lines it held as it seeks to counter the recent surge in drone attacks by Hezbollah. 6. Ukraine is urging the EU to help negotiate an end to the war with Russia, a topic that will be discussed in detail at an informal meeting of European foreign ministers in Cyprus. Ukraine's foreign minister has told the BBC that Kyiv is keen to introduce some "new dynamics" into the negotiation process. 7.  The U.S. intends to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including fighter jets, warships and mid-air refueling aircraft, German news outlet Spiegel reported. 8. North Korea test fired a newly-developed lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapons systems on Tuesday, state media Korean Central News Agency reported. North Korea's state media did not disclose the exact nature of the special mission warhead, but imagery released shows the tactical ballistic missile being the Hwasong 11-D tactical ballistic missiles capable of carrying conventional explosive, fragmentation, submunition, chemical or nuclear warheads. 

For review:1. Latest on US - Iran Negotiations and Deal.2. Israel Ramping Up Strikes Against Hezbollah

For review:1. The U.S deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its accompanying strike group into Caribbean waters this week.2. US President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the US and Iran were finalizing a deal to end the war.Iran has agreed to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of an agreement with the US to end the war, two US officials tell the New York Times.3. The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said it hit Hezbollah sites in the terror group's strongholds in south and east Lebanon overnight following evacuation warnings.4. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 22, that peace negotiations regarding Ukraine are currently suspended, though Washington remains ready to resume its mediating role if future discussions prove constructive.5. Poland will receive its first batch of F-35 stealth fighter jets under a deal signed with the United States.6. On Thursday, President Trump said in a Truth Social post he was "pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland."It wasn't clear whether the troops would be based in the country permanently or on a rotational basis.7. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is casting new doubt on NATO's relevance to the United States after key allies recoiled from backing Washington's “Operation Epic Fury.”8. A drone wingman built by General Atomics has resumed flying roughly one month after crashing in the California desert shortly after takeoff. In a press release Thursday, the company said its YFQ-44A aircraft “returned to flight testing following a round of safety reviews and software enhancements.” The drone is being developed for the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Program. 

For review:1. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that there were “good signs” for a deal to end the war with Iran, but that an agreement would be “unfeasible” if Tehran pursues its plan to toll ships in the Strait of Hormuz. 2. WSJ Report: Israel has created a list of all Palestinians who took part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and is working to kill or arrest each one.3. The Navy doesn't have the bandwidth to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Navy's top officer- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle.4. Russia launched its largest nuclear exercises in years on Tuesday, mobilizing nearly 65,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 surface vessels and 13 submarines, including eight strategic nuclear submarines, in a three-day drill that runs through Thursday.The exercises involve the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, Long-Range Aviation Command, and units from the Leningrad and Central Military Districts, according to the ministry statement. Live launches of ballistic and cruise missiles at ranges inside Russia are planned as part of the drills.5. The remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper was the workhorse in the U.S. air campaign against Iran, Air Force leaders told Congress on May 20.6. The carrier-based MQ-25A Stingray reached the milestone C authorization that the Pentagon requires for a program to enter the low-rate initial production stage of acquisition.

For review:1. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez insisted Cuba "poses no threat" to the United States and doesn't have "aggressive plans or intentions against any country," after Axios reported that the island nation has hundreds of military drones and has been allegedly discussing plans to strike the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay and potentially Florida's Key West.2. The Republic of Somaliland will open an embassy in Jerusalem, its first anywhere in the world, the state's ambassador to Israel said Tuesday.Currently, seven countries have embassies in Jerusalem — the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Fiji. 3. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had called off a major attack against Iran, which he claimed was slated to take place on Tuesday after Gulf allies assured him that a deal with Tehran was now possible thanks to the renewal of “serious negotiations.”4. The US State Department has cleared potential military support deals worth a combined $428.2 million for India's Apache rotary-wing aircraft and M777A2 155mm howitzers.5. The Trump administration is planning to tell NATO allies this week that it will shrink the pool of military capabilities that the U.S. would have available to assist the alliance's European nations in a major crisis.6.  NATO Supreme Allied Commander: Europe should “absolutely” expect additional United States troop withdrawals in the future as European NATO allies strengthen their capability to provide more of their own  conventional defense. 

For review:1. Cuba has posted a “family guide” on provincial websites on how to survive “potential enemy attacks,” as the communist-run island reels from US pressure and energy shortages.The release of the document– comes days after the head of the CIA visited Cuba, an extraordinary step in contact between Washington and Havana. 2. The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday confirmed killing Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the terror group's leader in Gaza, in a “precise strike” on Gaza City in the Strip's north the previous day.3. NYT Report:  Israel built two covert bases in Iraq to aid in its wars with Iran.4. President Trump told Axios in a phone call that "the clock is ticking" for Iran and warned that if the Iranian regime doesn't come with a better offer for a deal "they are going to get hit much harder."5. NYT Report: Israel and the United States are carrying out their most intense preparations yet to renew attacks on Iran, possibly as soon as next week.6. Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries were in talks with Tehran over transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.7. The UK has down-selected a group of four competitors to develop drone wingman aircraft capable of teaming with British Army Apache attack helicopters.8. Four Navy pilots are safe after their EA-18G Growlers crashed during the Gunfighter Skies air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday. The crash is under investigation.  

For review:1. CIA Director Ratcliffe met with counterparts from Cuba's Ministry of the Interior on Thursday during a high-level visit to the island nation amid "complex bilateral relations" between the long-time adversaries.2. President Donald Trump says he has not yet decided whether a major sale of US arms to Taiwan can move forward following his three-day visit to China. 3. Israel said that it had targeted Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip and the head of the terror group's military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday.  A senior Israeli security official told reporters that were “initial indications” that Haddad was killed.  The IDF has not yet officially commented on the strike.4. US President Donald Trump counted “the military decimation of Iran” among his administration's accomplishments in a social media post on Thursday, adding, “to be continued!”The phrase, included in a lengthy Truth Social Post suggested he may resume the war against Iran after he returns from his trip to China on Friday. 5. US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension of the uranium enrichment at the heart of Iran's rogue nuclear program if Tehran gave a “real” guarantee, in an apparent shift from his previous demand that Iran permanently halt its program and his pledge to ensure Iran can never attain nuclear weapons.6. US CENTCOM CDR Admiral Brad Cooper appears at SASC Hearing. Admiral Cooper:- US has the military power to permanently reopen the Strait of Hormuz.- Iran's ability to threaten its neighbors and US interests has been dramatically reduced by US bombings, and Tehran's defense industry has been set back by 90%.- Iran was no longer able to transfer arms and other resources to its main allies in the region: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza. “Those transfer paths and methods have been cut off.”7. The United States on Friday announced a 45-day extension of a porous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as the Iran-backed terror group continued to clash with IDF soldiers and launch missiles and drones into Israeli territory.8. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party on Thursday began a three-day conference to elect its highest leadership body for the first time in 10 years.

For review:1. US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the Iran war, trade, and US arms sales to Taiwan. 2. If Iran does not accept US terms for a deal to end the war and address its nuclear program, the United States will “finish the job,” US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday.3. Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US said on Monday the Islamic Republic is “ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression,” as US President Donald Trump reportedly considered restarting the war after negotiations with Tehran reached a dead end.4. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Wednesday that he made a secretive visit to the United Arab Emirates and met with its leader, President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, during the US-Israeli war with Iran earlier this year.5. The heads of Israel's two main intelligence agencies separately visited the United Arab Emirates in recent months, including during the war with Iran, according to Wednesday reports.The reported visits are the latest reported signs of increased cooperation between the two countries during the war.6. Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the war, two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials said.7. Russia will deploy its new Sarmat strategic nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile at the end of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after his forces tested it on Tuesday, describing the missile as “the most powerful in the world.” 8. US Army has canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division — more than 4,000 soldiers and associated equipment — to Poland.

For review:1. US military intelligence-gathering flights are surging off the coast of Cuba, a CNN analysis of publicly available aviation data shows.Since February 4, the US Navy and Air Force have conducted at least 25 such flights using manned aircraft and drones, most of them near the country's two biggest cities, Havana and Santiago de Cuba, and some coming within 40 miles of the coast, according to FlightRadar24.2. US President Donald Trump on Monday said the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support,” a day after he rejected the proposal submitted by Iran over the weekend for a permanent truce.3. The United Arab Emirates carried out military strikes on Iran, making it the only other country to join the United States and Israel in its war against the Islamic Republic, according to a report on Monday.During the US-Israel war on Iran, Tehran launched sustained attacks on the UAE, firing some 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones, according to the Emirati defense ministry, making it the most targeted country in the region, including Israel.4. The UK and France will on Tuesday host a multinational meeting of defense ministers on military plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the British government said.The announcement came hours after Iran warned London and Paris against sending warships to the region.5. The EU has dismissed Vladimir Putin's suggestion that the Kremlin-friendly former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could serve as a European mediator in peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.6. A 10-ship Russian convoy transited Japan's Tsushima Strait to enter the East China Sea over the weekend, according to Japan's Joint Staff Office.The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) spotted two Russian corvettes, a fleet oiler, a tugboat and six cargo ships around 5 p.m. Saturday sailing southwest 140 kilometers northeast of Tsushima.7. Taiwan's parliament has approved a proposed government boost to defense spending after a protracted standoff — although it pared back the proposed supplementary budget by a third, and limited spending to US defense systems. 8. United States, Philippine, Japanese and Canadian forces combined land, sea and air platforms to sink two decommissioned ships off the western Northern Luzon coast during Balikitan 2026 last week, according to a Defense Department release.

For review:1. President Trump Announces Russia & Ukraine Ceasefire and Priosner Exchange.The ceasefire will begin on Saturday and run through Monday, President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country."2. NYT Report: Russia is sending drone components to Iran via Caspian Sea shipping, US officials told the NYT in a report published Saturday, turning the world's largest lake into a key conduit for both covert and overt trade.3. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff met today in Miami with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, as Doha assists in efforts to mediate a permanent ceasefire deal between Washington and Iran, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.Qatar has been quietly operating as a go-between, while allowing Pakistan to play the main mediating role, the source says, confirming an earlier report.4. Fresh “sporadic clashes” broke out Friday between Iranian and US naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media, marking the latest flare-up despite a monthlong ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.The fighting came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington expected a response from Tehran on Friday to its latest proposal.5. Iran's foreign ministry issued an unusual warning on Wednesday to the “rulers of Abu Dhabi,” the capital of the United Arab Emirates.It accused the tiny oil-rich state of conspiring with the United States and Israel against Iran, and threatened “dangerous consequences” unless the Emirates pulled away from those countries.6. Israel reportedly set up a secret military base in the Iraqi desert in February in order to support its aerial campaign against Iran.7. The UK will deploy one of its warships to the Middle East as part of planning for a European-led mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz once there's a stable ceasefire. France recently announced it had moved its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Red Sea in a move aimed at signaling that the coalition stood ready to secure the strait. 

For review:1. US Secretary of State Rubio announced new sanctions Thursday on Cuba's military-industrial enterprise, its leader and a state-owned natural resources company.2. US President Donald Trump says three US Navy destroyers transited out of the Strait of Hormuz under fire, adding that the American destroyers were not damaged but “great damage was done to Iranian attackers.”3. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that he had met with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his appointment in early March.President Pezeshkian did not say when their meeting took place.4. The US will host the third round of ambassador-level talks between representatives from Israel and Lebanon on May 14 and 15, a State Department official and an Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Wednesday.Joining diplomats from each side will, for the first time, be military representatives, an Israeli official said, adding that the sides would discuss more concrete measures that can be taken to disarm Hezbollah.5. Israel on Wednesday evening carried out its first airstrike in Beirut since before the ceasefire in Lebanon entered into effect last month, killing the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, who the military said had advanced plans to invade the Galilee.6. The 23-year-old son of Hamas's chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya succumbed Thursday to wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on Gaza City on Wednesday, a hospital and senior Hamas official said.Reports of Azzam al-Hayya's death came as Hamas leaders were in Cairo to discuss the future of the ceasefire agreement.7. The United Arab Emirates transferred $100 million to the Board of Peace in recent days to fund a contract for the training of a new Palestinian police force for Gaza, a US official and a Middle Eastern diplomat told The Times of Israel this week.8. Israel said Thursday that it was working to help counter rat infestations in Gaza, helping move hundreds of cartons of rat poison into the territory as the warmer weather sees a surge in pests spreading through the tents of displaced Palestinians.9. European Council President Costa said on Thursday that he believed there was “potential” for the bloc to negotiate directly with Moscow, adding that it had the backing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do so.   

For review:1.  A high-level Trump administration official informed Iran on Sunday of the impending US operation to "guide" ships through the Strait of Hormuz and warned Tehran not to interfere, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge.2.  US President Donald Trump says the US will be pausing the operation it launched just one day earlier to assist vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to progress made in talks toward a permanent ceasefire with Iran. 3.  The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Tuesday it would respond firmly to any ships that diverge from Iran's approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, as Israeli television reported US President Donald Trump came close to ordering renewed strikes over the weekend before calling them off. 4.  Iran fired over a dozen missiles and several drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, renewing attacks on the Gulf state for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold last month. The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran. 5.  The United Arab Emirates' contracting authority has inked a deal with Brazilian firm Embraer to procure 10 C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft with an option to procure 10 more in the future. With this deal, the UAE is the first country in the Middle East to be on contract with the C-390 aircraft. 6.  Germany's ambitions to close a long-range strike capability gap are facing a fresh setback after the Trump administration moved to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from German soil and effectively shelved a Biden-era plan to temporarily deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles there. 7.  The U.S. Army Pacific's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force and the Philippine Army Artillery Regiment have test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Typhon Launcher in the central Philippines — and successfully hit a target around 600 kilometers away. 8.  USMC Commandant Gen. Eric Smith told audience members in Washington on Thursday that the demand for ARG-MEUs has exceeded the 3.0 presence he previously called for. Calls for ARG-MEUs are coming from the U.S. military's Southern Command, European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command. A 3.0 presence indicates a three-ship ARG-MEU deployed at all times: one out of the East Coast, one out of the West Coast and the 31st MEU delivering periodic deployments out of Okinawa, Japan.  

For review:1. President Trump said the U.S. Navy will start guiding ships from foreign countries through the Strait of Hormuz from Monday and warned that if Iran tries to disrupt the process the American military will use force.2. US President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran's latest proposal to end its war with the US and Israel, calling it unacceptable.The 14-point proposal reportedly includes multiple stages of negotiations, with the sides first bringing the fighting to a close and opening the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days. The US and Iran would only later begin talks on Tehran's nuclear program, according to reports on the Iranian terms. 3. Amid a spike in Hezbollah drone strikes against Israeli troops stationed in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he has initiated a counter-drone project.4. Israel will procure two more squadrons of F-35I and F-15IA fighter jets from the United States, following lessons learned from the recent Iran war, the Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.5. NATO said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington's decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war.Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Friday the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”6. Naval aviators will no longer command amphibious warships, according to a directive issued last week by Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle.Citing poor amphibious ship readiness and operational availability, Caudle said that surface warfare officers would become the only officers authorized to command amphibs starting in Fiscal Year 2028, according to the April 24 memo reviewed by USNI News.7. The Defense Department's unfunded priority lists have hit Capitol Hill. Two of the military services and several combatant commands said they have no unfunded requirements due to the size of the $1.5 trillion defense budget request for fiscal 2027.In the UPL letters, leaders of the Marine Corps, Space Force, Strategic Command, Space Command, Africa Command and Central Command,  told Congress that they had no unfunded requirements for the year. 

For review:1. The White House asserts to US Congress in a letter that hostilities with Iran have “terminated” despite the continued presence of US armed forces in the region.The message from President Donald Trump effectively skirts a May 1 legal deadline to gain approval from members of Congress to continue the war with Iran. 2. Axios Report: The Pentagon estimates Iran has lost $4.8 billion in oil revenue due to the US Navy's blockade of its ports.3. US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was dissatisfied with a new ceasefire offer from Tehran and confirmed he had been briefed on ways to “blast the hell out of them” if no deal were reached.4. Any shippers paying tolls to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organizations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, are at risk of punitive sanctions, the US Treasury warned on Friday.5. Israel is on heightened alert, ramping up preparations for a possible return to fighting with Iran, amid indications that US President Donald Trump may be nearing a decision on renewed military action, Israeli television reported Thursday.6. Iran's supreme leader purportedly said Thursday that the only place Americans belong in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters” and that a “new chapter” was being written in the region's history.7. Israel dispatched a version of the Iron Beam laser-based air defense system to the United Arab Emirates during the recent fighting with Iran to help protect the Gulf nation from missile and drone attacks, according to a report on Thursday, in a significant step for the defense ties between the two countries.8. The US State Department said on Friday it was approving military sales totaling over $8.6 billion to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.9. The United States is withdrawing 5,000 troops from NATO ally Germany, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

For review:1. US CENTCOM Commander: CENTCOM Forces have redirected 42 x commercial vessels attemtiong to violate the Strait of Hormuz blockage.2. President Trump told Axios he's going to keep Iran under a naval blockade until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses U.S. concerns about its nuclear program.U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran in hopes of breaking the negotiating deadlock, three sources with knowledge said.3. The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday announced it had located and destroyed two major Hezbollah tunnels in the southern Lebanon town of Qantara, which it said were constructed by the terror group with “direct guidance” from Iran.The tunnels were built over a decade, reaching depths of some 25 meters.4. US Secretary of War appears in hearing before the US House Armed Services Committee.5. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he discussed a possible ceasefire in the four-year war in Ukraine in a phone call with Russian President Putin.He spoke after the Kremlin reported the two leaders discussed a temporary Ukraine ceasefire to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II next month.6. The UK Ministry of Defence will resume tests and acceptance of Ajax fighting vehicles after a safety review cleared the program to move forward. 7. Australia has announced further boosts for its army with the acquisition of more Lockheed Martin High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) for long-range strike and Thales Bushmaster wheeled armored vehicles.8. The first of the new Columbia-class of ballistic missile submarine is tracking for a 2028 delivery due to improvements in workforce efficiency and the supplier base, General Dynamics officials said Wednesday (District of Columbia - SSBN-826).

For review:1. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that a reported offer from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under strict conditions is not acceptable to the United States or other countries.Secretary of State Rubio: “What they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open, as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we'll blow you up, and you pay us.”2. The IDF said it launched a wave of airstrikes Monday against Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon as a fragile ceasefire appeared to be rapidly unraveling just days after it was extended.The strikes came following repeated recent attacks by the Hezbollah on IDF troops and Israel during the truce, including a deadly FPV drone attack in Lebanon the previous day that killed an IDF soldier and wounded six.3. Battered but still breathing, Hamas is set to hold a long-delayed internal election to choose a new chief and political bureau in the coming weeks.Hamas generally holds leadership elections every four years, but the latest vote, initially scheduled for 2025, was delayed by the war sparked by the terror group's October 7, 2023, massacre. 4. Israel sent the United Arab Emirates an Iron Dome air defense system with troops to operate it early in the war with Iran, two Israeli officials and one U.S. official tell Axios.5. A 14 percent increase in European defense spending contributed significantly to global military expenditure increasing for the 11th consecutive year, reaching $2.89 trillion in 2025, according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think tank.6. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, with the Russian president telling the Iranian diplomat that he hoped for peace soon.7. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov held talks in Kyrgyzstan on Monday with Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Reza Talaei-Nik, state-run TASS news agency reports.8. Under Project Sea 3000, Australia and Japan inked a deal to buy three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The contract was signed by the two countries' defense ministers aboard JS Kumano in Melbourne earlier this month.

For review:1. US President Donald Trump canceled a trip to Islamabad by two envoys to meet Iran war mediator Pakistan on Saturday after Iran's foreign minister flew out of the Pakistani capital following talks, dealing a new setback to peace prospects.Presidnet Trump said in a social media post that he had called off the planned visit by his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, citing what he said was tremendous confusion in the Iranian leadership.2. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF to go after Hezbollah targets “with force” on Saturday, as the terror group and the Israeli military continued to trade fire in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, despite the extension of the tenuous ceasefire between the warring sides by several more weeks.3. East Coast carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is now operating in the Middle East after a sailing around the southern tip of Africa, U.S. Central Command announced on Thursday. Bush's entrance into CENTCOM marks the first time three carriers have been in the Middle East since the height of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has been operating in the Arabian Sea since January while USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has been operating in the Red Sea since last week, USNI News reported.4. North Korea recently launched five short range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) armed with cluster munitions against an island target in the Sea of Japan for the second time this month, further trialing the warhead's capabilities, state media reported Monday.5. USAF plans to more than double its F-15EX Eagle II fleet to 267 aircraft, up from the previously planned 129, as part of the fiscal 2027 budget request rolled out this week. The revised plan calls for 24 additional Eagle IIs next year at a cost of roughly $3 billion, according to the service's fiscal 2027 budget request.6. The Pentagon's Munitions Acceleration Council (MAC) is homing in on 14 legacy and “emerging” munitions as part of its ambitious plan to ramp up the production and ink a series of multi-year deals, according to fiscal 2027 budget documents.The Legacy Weapons: ·        Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors·        Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) interceptors ·        Standard Missile-3 IIA ·        SM-6·        SM-3 Block IB·        Tomahawk Land Attack Missile ·        Joint Advanced Tactical Missile  ·        Low-Cost Cruise Missile ·        Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile ·        Maritime Strike Tomahawk ·        Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range·        Long Range Anti-Ship MissileEmerging Capabilities: ·        Low-Cost Hypersonic Strike Weapon ·        Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 1 7. US Army has unveiled plans for the future of its ground vehicle fleet, as well as what it refers to as its biggest modernization priority: Next Generation Command & Control (NGC2). The newly released budget documents reveal, that the service is looking to procure over 100 XM30 vehicles in the coming years, provide hundreds of millions of dollars for the Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program, and invest almost $4 billion across consolidated NGC2 budget lines.

For review:1. Iranian forces seized two container ships on Wednesday, according to global security monitors and the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They also attacked but didn't seize a third.2. US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US Navy would “shoot and kill” any boat mining the Strait of Hormuz.Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel was ready to renew the fighting with Iran and was awaiting a “green light” from the US to target Iranian energy sites and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.3. The ceasefire between Israel & Lebanon will be extended by another three weeks, President Trump said after hosting the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in the Oval Office on Thursday.4. French President Macron said Thursday he will not continue in politics after leaving in 2027, after serving two terms, the maximum number allowed.5. The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only if such a meeting is to sign peace agreements.6. France is moving closer to a decision on its future rocket artillery system, with the country testing domestically developed weapons this month that will allow for a comparison with foreign systems in a few weeks' time, the head of the country's armaments agency said.7. Estonia's government has decided to put on hold its planned acquisition of new infantry fighting vehicles.The Baltic nation will instead direct the funds toward drones, counter-drone measures and air defense systems, while squeezing more service life out of the country's existing fleet of second-hand CV90 vehicles.8. John Phelan is out as the Secretary of the Navy, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. 

For review:1. The Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza admitted Monday that talks with Hamas on disarmament were going to take more time, even though the deadline he gave for the terror group to accept his proposal on handing over its weapons expired nine days earlier.“We've had some very serious discussions with Hamas over the last few weeks. They're not easy,” Nickolay Mladenov told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Brussels. “2. Hours before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was set to expire, US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he was extending the truce for the time being and that the US will hold off on attacking Iran.Israel and the US have been preparing for a resumption of the war since the ceasefire began, sources familiar with the matter told the network, including conducting exercises involving fighter jets and refueling tankers across the Middle East.3. The Hezbollah terror group violated a ceasefire in Lebanon on Tuesday by firing several rockets at Israeli troops stationed in the south of the country, as well as launching a drone at Israel, the military said.Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks, which it claimed were in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire.The IDF said that it struck the launcher used in the attack within a few minutes.4. A second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday, an Israeli and a US official tell The Times of Israel.5. The head of the U.S. command for the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday stressed the importance of Taiwan passing its stalled defense budget, saying the United States “can't want Taiwan's defense more than they want it itself.”Taiwan's President last year proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending to counter China.6. US Department of War Releases FY27 Defense Budget Request of $1.5 Trillion.7. The U.S. medium-sized USV fleet could jump from roughly four to 30 vessels by 2030 in the Indo-Pacific, according to officials.8. US SOUTHCOM is standing up a new unit aimed at connecting tactical missions to long-term outcomes with unmanned systems.The development of the Autonomous Warfare Command was mandated by the SOUTHCOM CDR, GEN Francis Donovan (USMC).9. The Air force's Experimental Operations Unit conducted hands-on testing with the Anduril YFQ-44A aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California. 

For review:1. American forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it tried to bypass a U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, President Trump said Sunday.“Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade,” the US Central Command says in a statement. 2. Vice President JD Vance will lead a U.S. delegation for another round of talks with Iran in Islamabad before the ceasefire is scheduled to end on Tuesday night, two U.S. officials tell Axios.US President Donald Trump said Sunday that talks with Iran on extending the ceasefire would resume on Tuesday, while the Islamic Republic indicated it was not planning to send a delegation and was pessimistic about the prospects of the talks.3. Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping.4. The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed carrying out several strikes in southern Lebanon over the previous day against Hezbollah operatives who “violated the ceasefire understandings,” in the first such action since the truce took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday.5. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said Hezbollah was responsible for the death of a French soldier in an attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, while the UN Interim Force in Lebanon blamed “non-state actors,” code for the Iran-backed terror group.6. Australia has outlined plans to boost its defense spending to three percent of its Gross Domestic Product in the coming years, while reaffirming that the US remains its closest ally and principal strategic partner.7. Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is now operating in U.S. Central Command, two defense officials confirmed to USNI News on Friday.Ford joins the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group already in CENTCOM. The move to the Red Sea comes as a third carrier strike group is approaching U.S. Central Command. USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is transiting around the southern tip of Africa, heading to the Middle East, USNI News reported last week.8. If the US Army gets its way, it will not be buying additional M109A7 Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) howitzers next year as it looks at alternative options to fill the gap.  

For review:1. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to take effect at midnight Thursday-Friday after being declared hours earlier by US President Donald Trump, who also announced that he was inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese president for peace talks at the White House.2. The Israeli military said Friday that it remains on high alert and ready to return to fighting in both Iran and Lebanon if the fragile ceasefires in both countries collapses or expire without an extension in the coming weeks.3. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday accused Iran of piracy and terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and said the US was ready to resume fighting “with more power than ever before” if the current ceasefire ends.4. US President Donald Trump signaled growing optimism Friday about a potential deal with Iran to end the war amid a temporary ceasefire, saying negotiators could meet as soon as this weekend and that an agreement may be reached within days. 5. Axios Report: US & Iran talks are expected to take place in Islamabad, likely on Sunday, according to a source familiar with the mediation efforts.6. Pakistan's air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from inconclusive peace talks with the US last weekend, launching a major operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three sources told Reuters.Pakistan deployed some two dozen jets in the escort, as well as the force's Airborne Warning and Control System for aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the operation.7.  Iran used a Chinese spy satellite to target US bases in the Middle East for missile and drone strikes, according to a report by The Financial Times published on Wednesday. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force acquired the sophisticated spy satellite from China in late 2024, agreeing to pay roughly $36.6m for the system, the report said.8. Australia this week announced three major shifts in military leadership, appointing a new Chief of Defence Force, as well as new leaders of the Navy and Army.Vice Adm, Mark Hammond, the current navy chief, will take over as Australia's top military officer.

For review:1. Military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, in case President Trump gives an order to intervene there, USA TODAY has learned.Two sources familiar with the order spoke to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak to media.2. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was not considering extending a ceasefire with Iran, predicting “an amazing two days ahead” amid renewed diplomatic efforts with Tehran for an agreement to end the war.3. The US Navy prevented an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel from leaving Iran on Tuesday after it attempted to evade the maritime blockade that began Monday, US CENTCOM announced.4. The military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns that Iran will sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decides to “police” the key shipping bottleneck.5. Iran could consider allowing ships to ​sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has ‌offered in negotiations with the United States, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.The source, who declined to be ​identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait ​in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.6. US Brokers Talks Between Israel and Lebanon. Before the meeting, Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun expressed his hope that “an agreement will be reached on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of initiating direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which will be handled by a Lebanese negotiating team to put an end to hostile actions.”US Secretary of State Rubio: “The hope today is that we can outline the framework upon which a permanent, lasting peace can be developed so that the people of Israel can live in peace and the people of Lebanon can live, not just in peace but in the prosperity and security that they deserve."7. The US Army has officially given a new name for its MV-75 tiltrotor, calling it the Cheyenne II, though the service is closely holding additional details about the rotorcraft's timeline, including its expected first flight.

For review:1.  The U.S. proposed that Iran accept a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment during talks over the weekend, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge..  The Iranians countered with a shorter "single digit" period, according to the sources.2.  US Aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is operating off the coast of Namibia, as it sails around the African continent and is set to join a growing naval force in the Arabian Sea amid a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, USNI News has learned. 3.  The US military on Monday detailed the boundaries of its Strait of Hormuz blockade, saying it would extend east to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, while ship-tracking data showed two ships turned around in the strait as the blockade went into effect. The blockade began at 10 a.m. US Eastern Time on Monday. 4.  Responding to the US blockade announcement, Iran said the move was illegal and “amounts to piracy,” and threatened a “forceful response” to any renewed military action amid a fragile 14-day ceasefire that was reached last week. 5.  France and Britain will co-host a summit this week to discuss a “coordinated, independent, multinational plan” to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday. 6.  All three major Hebrew TV networks reported that the IDF is gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran after the ceasefire talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic collapsed, in what appeared to be a coordinated leak by defense officials on Sunday. 7.   The Israeli military has nearly completed the capture of the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, killing more than 100 members of the terror group in the area in the process, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday. 8. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington the following day, reiterating his group's rejection of direct negotiations with its sworn enemy. 9.  Israeli PM Netanyahu castigated Europe on Monday, as Israel ushered in Holocaust Remembrance Day in a pre-recorded ceremony, amid ongoing hostilities with Iran and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. 10.  European allies must wean themselves off an “addiction” to US defense capabilities and step up regional military planning and rearmament, Swedish defense minister Jonson told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview. 

For review:1. The talks in Islamabad stretched into the early hours of Sunday morning following hours of marathon negotiations, even as Iran warned that Washington was making “excessive demands” over the Strait of Hormuz that could undermine Pakistan's peacemaking efforts.2. The US military said on Saturday that it had begun a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, with two US warships passing through the key waterway.Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, said in a statement: “Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce.”3. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns that any attempt by military vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be met with “a strong response,” saying only non-military vessels would be allowed to pass under specific regulations, the IRGC declares in a statement carried by Iranian media after the US Central Command announced two US Navy warships transited the strategic waterway to clear mines laid by Tehran.4. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries suffered in the airstrike that killed his father at the beginning of the war, three people close to his inner circle told Reuters.5. Israel and Hezbollah traded fire throughout Saturday, with the Israel Defense Forces striking hundreds of targets in Lebanon and the Iran-backed terror group launching dozens of rockets and drones at northern Israel.6. The first in-person meeting in the expected negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Tuesday in Washington, a US official familiar with the details told The Times of Israel on Friday.7. China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments.8. The Board of Peace does not expect to receive a final approval from Hamas to its disarmament proposal by the Saturday deadline set by the international body overseeing the postwar management of Gaza, three sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.9. Finland has signed a €547 million ($642 million) contract with South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace to procure 112 additional K9 self-propelled howitzers, accelerating its artillery expansion.Finnish authorities announced the government-to-government deal on Thursday, expected to bring its total K9 inventory to over 200 systems, making Finland the second-largest European operator behind Poland.

For review:1. Items from the 10-Point Ceasefire Plan.The lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions on Iran. Continued Iranian control over the strait of Hormuz. US military withdrawal from the Middle East. An end to attacks on Iran and its allies. The release of frozen Iranian assets.A UN security council resolution making any deal binding. 2. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday night renewed his threat to use unprecedented force against Iran if it doesn't comply with the terms of the ceasefire, ahead of scheduled peace talks between Washington and Tehran.3. The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday carried out its largest wave of airstrikes yet against Hezbollah.The IDF branded the wave of strikes launched on Wednesday with the codename of “Eternal Darkness.”  According to the IDF, the strikes were carried out across Lebanon by 50 fighter jets that dropped some 160 bombs on 100 targets within 10 minutes.4. The secretary of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was killed on Wednesday evening in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, the Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday.5. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening that Israel would begin negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” aimed at disarming Hezbollah and reaching a full peace agreement between the countries.6. The UK and several EU countries on Thursday condemned the large wave of IDF airstrikes in Lebanon.7. France today announced a €36 billion ($42 billion) boost to its defense budget for the next four years as part of an updated military planning law.

For review:1. The White House asserts that the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran is a victory for Washington.The U.S. has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran proposed by Pakistan, President Trump said Tuesday night.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Tehran's acceptance and said Iran would allow "safe passage" of the Strait of Hormuz during those two weeks "via coordination with Iran's armed forces."2. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is unconscious and being treated for a “severe” medical issue, rendering him unable to govern the country, according to an intelligence assessment obtained by the UK News Outlet The Times.3. The Israeli Air Force bombed eight rail sections and bridges in Iran on Tuesday.Meanwhile, the US military conducted strikes on military targets on Iran's Kharg Island, the Axios news outlet reported on Tuesday, citing an unidentified senior US official. 4. The Israeli Air Force launched a wave of attacks on Iran overnight Sunday and on Monday, killing two senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers in Tehran, hitting the country's largest petrochemical plant and blowing up several airports used by the IRGC as fighting continued despite efforts to reach a ceasefire.5. The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had completed deployment of ground troops along a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon from which Hezbollah could fire anti-tank guided missiles directly at Israeli communities.The so-called anti-tank line is located several kilometers deep in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's anti-tank missiles have an estimated range of around 10 kilometers.6. Russian satellites have made dozens of detailed imagery surveys of military facilities and critical sites across the Middle East to help Iran strike US forces and critical infrastructure in Israel, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment seen by Reuters this week.7. France has completed the delivery of armored personnel carriers to the Lebanese Armed Forces, fulfilling its commitment to strengthen the country's ground mobility capabilities.The donation includes 39 Armored Forward Vehicle (VAB) platforms, originally developed for the French military and in service since the 1980s.8. Israeli defense firm Elbit announced today the Greece is formally acquiring the Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) rocket artillery system in a $750 million agreement.Elbit noted that its PULS system had been selected by Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. 9. The U.S. Navy is requesting $3 billion to replenish its stockpile of Tomahawk missiles that have been depleted over the course of the Iran war, according to the Defense Department's fiscal 2027 budget request.As part of the $1.5 trillion budget request released Friday, the Navy has asked for a 1,200% increase in the number of the long-range land attack missile.

For review:1. US special forces conducted a daring raid deep into enemy territory to safely rescue a wounded US airman who was shot down over southwest Iran, with US President Donald Trump triumphantly declaring “WE GOT HIM,” on Sunday, ending a 36-hour race to find the aviator before he could be captured by pursuing Iranian forces. 2. In an expletive-laden post on his Truth Social account on Sunday, US President Donald Trump warned that the US would attack power plants and bridges in Iran starting Tuesday — when his latest ultimatum for Tehran to make a deal ends — if the Islamic Republic failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 3. Iran fired four salvos of missiles at northern and southern Israel on Sunday, with one projectile hitting an industrial zone, as the Islamic Republic damaged critical infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. 4. Russian President Putin and Turkish counterpart President Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East war during a phone call on Friday, the Kremlin said.  5. NATO Secretary General Rutte will meet President Trump next week on a visit to Washington, as the US president lashes out at the alliance over the Iran war, NATO said Friday. 

For review:1. A U.S. F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, and one crew member from the plane was later rescued by American forces, U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.  The F-15E is flown by a two-member crew, and the search for the second crew member, a weapons system officer, is continuing, two U.S. officials said. An A-10 Warthog was part of the search and rescue mission when it took fire and was damaged. The Warthog pilot ejected over the Persian Gulf and was successfully recovered, according to the officials.2. Current mediation efforts led by regional countries, including Pakistan, to broker a ceasefire between the United States and Iran have reportedly reached a dead end.Iran has officially told mediators that it is unwilling to meet US officials in Islamabad in the coming days and considers US demands unacceptable.3. US President Donald Trump on Friday claimed that the United States can “easily” open the Strait of Hormuz with “a little more time,” and suggested that Iran's power plants were next on his target list, as the US military shifted to striking civilian infrastructure.4. A senior Israeli military official said Friday that while the Israel Defense Forces aims to significantly weaken Hezbollah and remove the threat the terror group poses to residents of northern Israel, the prospect of fully disarming the group was unrealistic and not a “required goal” of the army's ongoing ground offensive.The Israeli military later clarified in a statement that it was still committed to a “long-term objective” of disarming the terror group.5. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accused Russia of escalating its attacks on Ukraine days before Easter as he spoke by phone with Pope Leo XIV during the latest aerial barrage by Moscow.  "At the very moment of our conversation, the Russians attacked Ukraine yet again," Zelensky said, adding that "the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation." Ukraine's President Zelensky had said earlier that Kyiv was ready for a truce over the Easter holidays, but the Kremlin said it had not received any proposals. 6. In the coming weeks, the Pentagon is expected to release in-depth FY27 budget justification documents detailing how it wants to funnel $1.5 trillion to specific programs next year. The Department of the Navy, comprising the Navy and Marine Corps, gets the largest share of the planned spending in FY27, with $150 billion — $126 billion in the budget request and another $24 billion planned in reconciliation. The Department of the Air Force, which includes both the Air and Space Forces, gets $101.2 billion, with $83.4 billion in the budget request and $17.6 billion in reconciliation. And the Army brings up the rear, sitting at $60.5 billion total, of which $36 billion is from the budget request and $24 billion is from reconciliation. 

For review:1. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, sources familiar with the decision told CBS News. 2. The U.S. military is poised to double its A-10 presence in the Middle East, as the  close air support plane plays a key role in combating Iranian boats and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.3. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Israel and the United States were close to completing their key objectives in the war against the Iranian regime and that the conflict would soon be over, without providing an exact timeline.4. A US military option to seize some 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium would reportedly require flying in excavation equipment and building a runway for cargo planes to fly off with the radioactive material.US President Donald Trump was presented with the plan by his military over the past week, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.5.  Israel came under attack from Iran, Yemen's Houthis and Lebanon's Hezbollah on Thursday, as Tehran and its proxies increased their assaults amid the Passover holiday.6. An overnight Israeli Navy strike in Beirut killed the commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front.The strike in the Lebanese capital killed Hajj Yusuf Ismail Hashem, who took over the Southern Front from Ali Karaki in September 2024, after the latter was killed alongside Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike.7. A senior Houthi official warned that the Iran-backed terror group in Yemen could move to shutter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if any Gulf countries join the US and Israeli strikes against Iran.The strait, a key shipping chokepoint and narrow passageway that controls sea traffic toward the Suez Canal, is located at the southern mouth of the Red Sea, between Houthi-controlled Yemen and Djibouti.8. About 40 countries discussed joint action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran holding “the global economy hostage,” Britain said Thursday, after US President Donald Trump said securing the waterway was for others to resolve.British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Iran's “recklessness” in blockading the Persian Gulf waterway was “hitting our global economic security” as she chaired the virtual meeting, which included France, Germany, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and India, but not the US.9. The Trump administration plans to propose a $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027, broken into a $1.15 trillion base budget request and an additional $350 billion from a forthcoming reconciliation bill, according to a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget.It will mark the first time the base budget defense spending has hit the $1 trillion mark.

For review:1. The US Central Command confirms that CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper visited Israel this week and met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.2. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush deployed Tuesday and is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 Sailors.3. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran does not have to agree to a deal to end the ongoing US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic, as he stated that the United States will probably wrap up the war in two or three weeks.4. China and Pakistan presented on Tuesday a new initiative for ending the war in Iran that includes an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.5. Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging US President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn't been weakened enough by the monthlong US-Israeli bombing campaign, according to US, Gulf, and Israeli officials.6. The day after Spain announced it was closing off its airspace to US planes involved in the Iran war, senior US officials seemingly called into question a fundamental pillar of the NATO alliance: collective defense.7. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will ask US mediators to relay his offer of an Easter truce to Russia, halting attacks on the country's energy facilities, amid an ongoing deadlock in peace talks.

For review:1. Hundreds of U.S. Special Operations Forces, including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers, are now in the Middle East, as well as thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers, according to sources familiar with the deployments.The NYT first reported the forces had arrived in the region. 2. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that progress was being made in “serious discussions” with Tehran about ending the war, but warned that the US would destroy Iranian energy sites and infrastructure if a deal is not reached in the near future.3. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the war on Iran has achieved more than half its aims, without putting a timeline on when it would end.4. A month into the war with Iran, the Israeli military has almost completed bombing all of the targets it defined for itself at the start of the conflict, and has now been ordered by Israel's political leadership to shift to hitting “economic” targets of the Iranian regime.5. Israeli PM Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel would capture additional territory in southern Lebanon to expand a security zone on Israel's northern border.6. Iran on Monday defied Lebanon's expulsion order for its ambassador by saying he would stay.Lebanese officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 7. The Japanese destroyer JS Chokai is now capable of launching U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles, making it the first Japanese warship that can strike targets beyond 1,000 kilometers.Japan committed to acquiring 400 Tomahawks last year to equip its eight Aegis destroyers as part of a larger standoff capability.8. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has rolled out the first production KF-21 fighter jet, less than two years after construction on it began and four years after the first prototype aircraft made it maiden flight.The KF-21 is considered a 4.5 generation fighter jet and will be equipped with a mix of indigenous and Western sensors and weapons in service, including the KGGB precision glide bomb and European MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile.

For review:1. US President Trump said Friday “Cuba is next. President Trump did not specify what he planned to do with Cuba, telling the media to “disregard that statement” before repeating “Cuba's next.”2.  US Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group & USMC 31st MEU Arrives CENTCOM AOR.3. Pakistan's prime minister said he had a “detailed” call with Iran's president on Saturday, as foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey prepared to meet in Islamabad for talks on the war in the Middle East. The US and Iran are not expected to be present.Top diplomats from Riyadh, Cairo and Ankara are due in the Pakistani capital Sunday and Monday,” the Pakistan foreign ministry said.4. Yemen's Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack at southern Israel on Saturday morning, triggering sirens in Beersheba, in their first offensive action since the start of the war.5. The Israel Defense Forces assessed on Saturday that it would finish targeting nearly all of Iran's key military industry sites in the coming days.6. Two soldiers were seriously wounded and seven others were moderately hurt during clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Friday and overnight into Saturday, Israel Defense Forces said, as the terror group continued to pound northern Israel with rocket and drone attacks.7. Last year represented the first time that all NATO countries met or exceeded the 2 percent benchmark on defense spending, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed during a press conference on March 26, something he largely attributed to US President Donald Trump's relentless pressure to end allies' free-riding.8. The US State Department has approved a proposed sale to Japan of equipment and services to support its program to develop hypersonic weapons.The Foreign Military Sales (FMS) announcement on Wednesday flagged the possible sale to Japan in support of its indigenous Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectiles (HVGP) program, in a deal that would cost an estimated $340 million.9. Last year, Army Materiel Command's LTG Christopher Mohan told Breaking Defense the Army was considering jettisoning the mobile cache in the Indo-Pacific, known as APS-3, in favor of dispersing the equipment throughout the INDOPACOM theater.  The reasoning behind the potential decision derived from the Army “doubling down on the INDOPACOM from a theater standpoint,” he said then.LTG Mohan: “The idea is to put much of that ground based, and we started doing that in several countries overseas,” Mohan said in an interview. “The end state will be that we will have a much, much reduced APS afloat.”10. The Trump administration will send its fiscal 2027 budget request to Congress on April 3, an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson confirmed today.

For review:1. Ten U.S. service members were wounded Friday in an Iranian missile strike on Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported. Friday's strike reportedly damaged multiple U.S. refueling aircraft and involved Iranian drones.2. The Pentagon is considering sending up to 10,000 more ground troops to the Middle East to potentially support operations in Iran in a move aimed at giving President Donald Trump more military options,  The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. 3. US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was postponing his deadline for Iran to agree to an American proposal to end the war, setting a new date of April 6. President Trump is reported to be considering ordering a ground operation in Iran to pressure Tehran into acquiescing to American terms to end the nearly monthlong war.4. The US expects the bombing campaign in Iran to conclude within weeks, not months, and Washington can meet all its objectives without using ground troops, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday.5. The Israeli Air Force on Friday bombed two of Iran's largest steel factories, according to Iranian media and Israeli security sources, as well as two facilities linked to Iran's nuclear program, in moves that sparked vows of retaliation from Tehran.The Fars news agency reported that Israeli strikes hit Khuzestan Steel near Ahvaz and Mobarakeh Steel in Isfahan, two major production facilities.6. From the Iran War, Pakistan has emerged as an unexpected mediator, offering to help bring Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table.Pakistani government officials have said that their public peace effort follows weeks of quiet diplomacy, though they have provided few details. 7. The Pentagon is weighing whether to redirect weapons originally meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran strains supplies of some of the U.S. military's most critical munitions, the Washington Post reported Thursday.8. Russia is in contact with the United ‌States about a new round of talks on a Ukraine peace settlement as soon as conditions allow, the Kremlin said on Thursday."We remain open, we are in contact ​with the Americans, and we are counting on holding the ​next round of talks as soon as circumstances permit," Kremlin ⁠spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

For review:1. The U.S. military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the plans.2. Chief of the US Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, says the American military has struck over 10,000 targets in Iran since the start of the war, as part of which it destroyed two-thirds of the regime's military production facilities.3. Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.4. Iranian officials on Wednesday gave a cold reception to the current US proposal to reach a ceasefire, as the White House warned Tehran it would be hit harder than before if it did not accept the offer to end the conflict.5. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem purportedly said Wednesday that negotiating with Israel under fire would amount to “surrender” for Lebanon, and urged the government to reverse its ban on the party's military activities.Mr. Qassem called on the Lebanese people to embrace “national unity,” saying this could be achieved by the government reversing its decision to ban Hezbollah's military activities.6. Lebanon's foreign ministry said Tuesday it had withdrawn the accreditation of Iran's ambassador, giving him until Sunday to leave the country.7. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel will maintain control of a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, up to the Litani River, until the threat of Hezbollah is removed.8. Airstrikes in Iraq killed 15 members of Iraq's umbrella group for Iran-backed Shiite militia on Tuesday, the deadliest attack on the group since the Iran war began.9. Recent Israeli airstrikes off the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea targeted a key shipping route used by Iran and Russia for the exporting and importing of weapons, including those used by Moscow in its war on Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.10. The United States has tied its offer of security guarantees for a Ukraine peace deal to Kyiv's giving up its entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

For review:1. The United States is reportedly planning a weeks-long operation to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, an Israeli report claimed Sunday2. In a bombshell announcement, US President Donald Trump revealed early Monday that his administration was engaged in productive talks with Iran regarding a “complete and total resolution” of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.Trump's initial statement, made on social media, came nearly two days after he had threatened to bomb Iran's power plants unless it opened the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. On Monday, Trump said he had postponed those strikes for five days to allow for more negotiations.3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday evening that any deal to end the hostilities between the US, Israel, and Iran would protect Jerusalem's “vital interests,” in his first comments since US President Donald Trump announced earlier in the day that he was holding talks with Tehran about ending the war.4. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, is taking a more central role, as Israeli and US strikes pick off the Islamic Republic's political leadership, making him a critical figure at a decisive moment.5. The Israeli Air Force blew up a bridge over Lebanon's Litani River on Sunday, accusing Hezbollah of using it to move operatives and weapons into the country's south, as Israel warned that its fight against the Iran-backed terror group had “only just begun.”6. In partnership with France, Germany says it is working to a deadline next month aimed at resolving a long-running industrial dispute over the troubled New Generation Fighter (NGF) element of Europe's Future Combat Air System (FCAS). 7. Polish Deputy State Assets Minister Konrad Gołota has announced that Poland is considering to join the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), aiming to involve its defense sector in the project to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet.8. Lockheed Martin Australia is seeking to sustain the Australian Army's fleet of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) vehicles in-country.The company is working with Rheinmetall Defence Australia to explore potential opportunities at the latter's military vehicle production and sustainment facilities.9. Direct talks between US and Iran could be held in Islamabad as soon as this week. A Pakistani official and a second source tell Reuters that direct talks on ending the war could be held in Islamabad as soon as this week.

For review:1. The United States struck Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility on Saturday, several media reports claimed, Iranian media said US-Israeli forces attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found that no radioactive leaks had occurred, and nearby residents were not at risk.2. US President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out a ceasefire with Iran, as American officials said more US Marines were headed to the Middle East in a possible sign of a coming ground operation three weeks into the war.3.  US President Donald Trump threatens to “obliterate” Iran's power plants if it doesn't open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.4. The Pentagon is reportedly sending the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and the rest of its Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), loaded with elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). This follows reports last week that the America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and its ARG, carrying elements of the 31st MEU, had also begun moving from the Pacific toward the Middle to support ongoing operations against Iran.5. The Israeli Air Force recently struck an Iranian nuclear weapons research and development site in Tehran, the military announced on Saturday, as Israel and the United States continued their operations to eliminate the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.6. Iran was “unsuccessful” in targeting the joint UK-US Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia, a UK official source confirmed on Saturday, a day after the Wall Street Journal reported Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at the base but failed to hit it.The Iranian attack on the Diego Garcia air base — located about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran — indicated Tehran has in its stockpile missiles that can travel much further than it had previously acknowledged.7. A British nuclear-powered submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles has taken position in the Arabian Sea, giving Britain the capability to launch long-range strikes if regional conflict escalates, the Daily Mail reports.Reuters cannot immediately verify the report. The British Ministry of Defense does not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.8. Over 100 people were injured by Iranian strikes in the southern cities of Dimona and Arad on Saturday.Iranian state media said the strikes were targeting Israel's nuclear research facility, located some 10 kilometers (six miles) outside of Dimona and 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) outside of Arad, in retaliation for an alleged US attack on Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility earlier in the day. 9. Hezbollah fired several rockets at northern Israel on Saturday, damaging a number of buildings and infrastructure, as the Israeli Air Force struck targets belonging to the terror group, and soldiers operating in south Lebanon killed gunmen in exchanges of fire.The army announced Saturday that its 162nd Division had completed preparations ahead of deployment in southern Lebanon.If the 162nd is deployed, it would bring the total number of IDF divisions operating in southern Lebanon to five.10. The disarmament proposal presented to Hamas by Gaza ceasefire mediators this month in Cairo envisions all armed groups in the Strip gradually handing over their weapons over the coming months, two Arab diplomats familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Friday.The proposal requires Hamas to — within 90 days — hand over its heavy weaponry, such as missiles and rocket launchers, in addition to maps of its tunnel network.

For review:1. The Israeli Air Force struck Iranian gas infrastructure in the country's south on Wednesday. The strikes targeted Iran's massive offshore South Pars natural gas field. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes on the gas facility, but an Israeli official confirmed the strike was carried out by the IAF.2. US President Donald Trump said early Thursday that he would not allow another Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars natural gas field.3. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said the US would again launch “the largest strike package yet” in the ongoing US-Israeli campaign in Iran, and said Israel's recent strike on an Iranian gas field was a “warning.”“To date, we've struck over 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure,” Secretary Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing. “ 4. Iran can no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.“After 20 days, I can tell you — Iran today has no ability to enrich uranium, and no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” said PM Netanyahu.5. The Israel Defense Forces said it struck Hezbollah targets in response to the Iran-backed terror group's rocker barrage on northern Israel overnight.The IDF also renewed its call for residents of Hezbollah's southern Lebanon heartland to flee northward, and said it would bomb crossings used by Hezbollah to move troops and equipment south over the Litani River, which runs some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the Israeli border.6. Israel reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Thursday, allowing a group of Palestinians wounded in the Israel-Hamas war to leave for treatment after a nearly three-week closure due to the war with Iran.7. The Pentagon plans to ask lawmakers for some $200 billion in supplemental funds to pay for operations in Iran and refill American munition stockpiles, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said today. 8. The U.S. Army has confirmed that its first operational Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon battery is only weeks from full fielding. 

For review:1. Top Iranian official Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight Monday-Tuesday, Israel's military and top leaders announced on Tuesday.The Israel Defense Forces said that the commander of Iran's oppressive Basij force had been killed in a separate overnight strike as well.2. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US would not be fighting Iran for “much longer,” but declined to give a clear timeline, as he disparaged NATO for not doing more to help.President Trump reiterated his disappointment with NATO over its members' refusal to heed the US request to help secure the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz.3. European NATO allies pushed back against demand from President Trump to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force.4. The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it has pushed even more forces deeper into southern Lebanon to create an expanded buffer zone, as Hezbollah attacked towns in northern Israel with rockets and drones.5. Gulf Arab states did not ask the US to go to war with Iran, but many are now urging it not to stop short by leaving the Islamic Republic still able to threaten the Gulf's oil lifeline and the economies that depend on it.6. The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board, US officials said on Tuesday, the 18th day of the war with Tehran.The carrier, America's newest and the world's largest, is currently located in the Red Sea. It is expected to temporarily go to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, the two officials said.7. US President Donald Trump mused over whether he would have the “honor of taking Cuba” on Monday.

For review:1. A missile strike on a house in Baghdad on Tuesday killed two people, with initial reports suggesting they are “Iranian advisers” to Tehran-backed groups, a security official tells AFP.2. Rockets and at least five drones were launched at the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday from areas around the city, Iraqi security sources say, describing the attack as the most intense since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.3. Amid the latest Iranian missile attack on Israel, the military announces that it has launched “extensive” strikes against targets in both Tehran and Beirut.In the Iranian capital, the IDF says it's striking “infrastructure of the terror regime,” while in Beirut it's attacking Hezbollah targets.4. US President Donald Trump's administration is urging US diplomats abroad to push allies to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon-based Hezbollah as terrorist groups, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.5. US efforts to open Strait of Hormuz:Both The Wall Street Journal and Axios reported that President Trump was planning to announce the formation of such a multinational coalition as early as this week. Axios added, citing unnamed US officials, that President Trump was also mulling the option of seizing Iran's key oil depot on Kharg Island -- if Tehran continues to deny oil tankers passage through the strait, a move that would require American boots on the ground.US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC earlier Sunday that he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump had mentioned previously, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait.“It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and that's why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side,” Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said Monday ahead of a meeting of the 27-nation bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels.6. Iran's military apparatus is “in distress” and incapable of launching many missiles at Israel, while members of the country's security forces stay inside for fear of Israeli and US warplanes, according to an assessment reportedly delivered by the IDF intelligence chief to political leaders.7. Iraq's powerful armed group Kataeb Hezbollah said Monday that its senior security commander, Abu Ali al-Askari, had been killed, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.8. A “significant Israeli ground offensive” in Lebanon must be averted since it could have devastating humanitarian consequences, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain say in a joint statement.9. US Navy mine warfare capabilities.10. Lockheed Martin has announced it carried out the first flight test for the Army's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 2 program, the service's initiative at developing a multimode seeker capable of hitting maritime targets on the move. Lockheed's announcement comes shortly after the Army announced its PrSM Increment 1 capabilities, also developed by Lockheed Martin, were used for the first time in combat during the ongoing conflict in Iran. 

For review:1. On Sunday, citing “a senior source close to the new Iranian leader,” Kuwait's Al-Jarida news outlet reported that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been smuggled out of Iran in a secretive Russian operation on Thursday to receive medical treatment in Moscow for injuries sustained in the same airstrikes that killed his father and wife on the first day of the ongoing US-Israeli offensive.2. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran had neither requested a ceasefire nor sought negotiations with Washington.3. Iran's relations with Arab Gulf states will require a “serious review” in light of the US-Israeli war on Iran, limiting the power of external actors so the region can become prosperous, Tehran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia told Reuters on Sunday.Asked if he was concerned that relations would be harmed by the war, Ambassador Alireza Enayati said: “It's a valid question, and the answer may be simple. 4. The Israel Defense Forces' campaign in the joint war with the United States against Iran is proceeding according to plan, and at a faster pace than initially expected, military officials said on Sunday.Despite being apparently ahead of schedule, the military has said it is preparing for at least three more weeks of operations in Iran, as it still has thousands more targets to hit, both in Tehran and in other parts of the country.The IDF is now focusing its efforts on destroying Iran's military industry, according to the officials. 5. US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speak today about the “importance” of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran, the UK leader's office says.6. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denied reports on Sunday that Israel and Lebanon are set to hold direct talks in the coming days amid the fighting with Hezbollah, and demanded that Beirut first act against the terror group on its soil.7. As the United Arab Emirates confronts a large number of attacks from Iran, the small Gulf nation just to Iran's south appears to be sharing less information about how successful its air defenses have been in recent days.8. The Australian government announced on March 10 it would send an E-7A Wedgetail early-warning aircraft to the Middle East and help replenish United Arab Emirates stocks of AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.9. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry issued a response on March 14 after Iranian politician Ebrahim Azizi called Ukrainian territory "a legitimate target for Iran" in a social media post.Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the threat "absurd" in a statement from a Spokesperson to the media."The Iranian regime has been supporting the murder of Ukrainians for years, by directly sharing drones and technology for Russian aggression against Ukraine," 

For review:1. US President Donald Trump's administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war. Iran, for its part, has rejected talk of a ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes end, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, 2. US President Donald Trump says that the United States may carry out more strikes on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub, saying that while Tehran appears ready to make a deal to end the conflict, “the terms aren't good enough yet.”3. President Trump on the Strait of Hormuz: Tthe US “will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline” and “one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait open, safe and free.”Later on Saturday Trump said that “countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — a lot! The US will also coordinate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.4. Hamas on Saturday called on its benefactor Iran to refrain from striking neighboring nations, including Qatar and Turkey, two of the terror group's other leading state sponsors.5. Lebanon was said Saturday to be seeking talks with Israel on ending the renewed flareup between the Jewish state and the Hezbollah terror group, with landmark direct negotiations reportedly expected to be held within days.6. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Friday his terror group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.7. Israel is planning to launch a “massive” ground invasion of southern Lebanon in order to push the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group away from the border and destroy its weapons stores and positions, US and Israeli officials told the Axios news site on Saturday.8. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on March 13 confirmed his government is holding talks with the Trump administration, in the latest sign that the communist-run nation is open to signing a historic economic deal with the United States.9. The US Navy has prolonged the service life of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) to March 2027.

For review:1. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “wounded and likely disfigured,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a briefing Friday.2. US President Donald Trump announces that American forces “totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island.3. Five US Air Force refueling planes were struck and damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing two US officials.The planes, which were hit during an Iranian missile strike on the Saudi base in recent days, were damaged but not fully destroyed and are being repaired, the Journal says, adding that no one was killed in the strikes.4. All six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed while supporting operations against Iran are dead, the U.S. military said Friday.CENTCOM said the crash in Western Iraq on Thursday followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” and that the other plane landed safely.5. After several statements over the past months and weeks urging Iranians to prepare to take to the streets and seize power from the government once the bombing stops, US President Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged that it will be very difficult for them to overthrow the regime.6. Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday threatened the Lebanese government that Israel would destroy the country's national infrastructure used by Hezbollah if the terror group isn't disarmed, after the Israel Defense Forces struck a bridge that it described as a “key crossing” for the group.7. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped former minister and longtime aide Ron Dermer to handle the Lebanon file for the duration of the ongoing Mideast war, Channel 12 news reported Friday, citing senior Israeli and US officials.Dermer, who served as strategic affairs minister from 2022 until his resignation late last year, will lead talks with the US government regarding Lebanon, the report said.8. The Pentagon's supplemental funding request to replace weapons expended in Iran is expected to involve buying new types of equipment, not just legacy systems, the department's chief financial officer said today.9. On March 4, when a U.S. Navy submarine sunk an enemy combatant ship for the first time since World War II, three Australian submariners were aboard.Two days later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the presence of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) sailors aboard the U.S. submarine when the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena was sunk.10. A fire broke out aboard aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) on Thursday, multiple sources confirmed to USNI News.The initial fire has been extinguished, but the crew is still doing damage control, according to a U.S. official. “On March 12, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) experienced a fire that originated in the ship's main laundry spaces,” reads a U.S. Central Command statement posted to social media website X. “The cause of the fire was not combat-related and is contained. 

For review:1.Two oil tankers were struck in the Gulf, killing one person, as Iran continued its attacks on targets across the region and the IDF reported hitting a “critical” nuclear site near Tehran, amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.2. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public, ostensibly vowed on Thursday to avenge the deaths since the start of the war with the US and Israel, in a statement read out by a presenter on state TV.3. UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a Bahrain-led resolution condemning Iranian attacks on several regional states, while a separate draft resolution introduced by Russia on the wider crisis failed to pass.4. Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday as a diplomatic standoff worsened between the two countries over Spain's opposition to Israeli policies.Israel's embassy in Spain is also run by a charge d'affaires after Israel in May 2024 recalled its ambassador, Rodica Radian-Gordon, in protest of Spain's decision to recognize a Palestinian state.5. Israel and the US appeared Wednesday to be increasingly at odds over the time frame for the war with Iran, with US President Donald Trump saying the conflict would end “soon” as there was “practically nothing left to target” and Israel's defense minister meanwhile insisting there was no time limit to the US-Israeli operation against Iran.6. There is no guarantee that the Iranian people will rise up after Israel “creates the conditions” for them to topple the regime in Tehran, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“You can lead someone to water, you cannot make him drink,” says PM Netanyahu. “We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give them the space needed to take to the streets.”7. The IDF said it continued to strike key strategic targets across Iran, while the US military said it had struck around 6,000 targets since the start of the war. Among the targets hit by US forces were more than 90 Iranian vessels — around 60 ships and 30 minelayers — according to US Central Command, Targets struck by Israel included members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force as well as its drone operations and capabilities.8. At least 25 Iranian attacks have targeted US sites or locations housing American military personnel in the Middle East since the start of the war, according to an AFP analysis.Of Iran's attacks, recorded between February 28 and March 11 at 5 p.m. in Israel, four targeted US embassies or consulates in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.The other 21 Iranian missiles or drone attacks targeted 13 different military sites housing American personnel.9. The US Central Command on Thursday said a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq in an apparent accident involving another tanker.“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely,” CENTCOM said in a statement.10. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday he has warned Lebanon that if it does not stop the Hezbollah terror group's continuing rocket and drone attacks, Israel will “take the territory and do it ourselves.”On Wednesday, Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets and around 20 drones at Israel over a period of several hours. The vast majority of the rockets were intercepted or struck open areas. 11. The International Energy Agency agreed Wednesday to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the effects on energy markets of the war in the Middle East.The Paris-based organization said it will make 400 million barrels of oil available from its members' emergency reserves 

For review:1.The Swedish Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, published its global arms export and import report on Monday, comparing the arms exports of various countries in the years 2016–2020 to 2021–2025.2. Kurdish rebels say they are ready to fight the Islamic Republic, but hope for an uprising before they intervene, with or without US support.3. In a press conference at the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday would be “the most intense day of strikes” on Iran. “The most fighters, the most bombers, the most intelligence, more defined and better than ever.”At the same time, he said, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number of missiles Iran has fired over the course of one day in the ongoing campaign.4. The US military said it destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the key waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil shipments travel.“US forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command wrote on X.5. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Tuesday that Israel was not seeking an “endless war” in Iran, while hosting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Jerusalem.While declining to give a timeline for the operation, Mr. Sa'ar said Jerusalem does not aim to continue the conflict indefinitely and would coordinate with Washington on when to end the fighting.6. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday his country would keep fighting as long as necessary, casting doubt on US President Donald Trump's insistence the previous day that the conflict would be over “soon.”And the Islamic Republic's security chief, Ali Larijani, dismissed Trump's “empty” threats, insisting that the people of Iran did not fear them.7. About half of the roughly 300 ballistic missiles Iran has launched at Israel in the current war carried cluster bomb warheads, according to Israel Defense Forces assessments published Tuesday.8. British warplanes have begun “defensive air sorties” in support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and taken out drones elsewhere in the Middle East amid the ongoing war, the UK defense ministry says.More US B-52 bombers landed at the UK air force base in Fairford, in southwestern England, today, AFP witnessed, after a first one landed on Friday.9. Saudi Arabia says that it has intercepted seven ballistic missiles in separate attacks targeting an airbase and its eastern region.10. The IDF says it has launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut's southern suburbs.The strikes come after the military on Tuesday reiterated its warning to evacuate the area, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.