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Israel Strikes Syrian Govt Forces in Druze-Majority Sweida + France to Spend $74.8 Billion on Defense in 2027 + US-Australian Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 + Tropic Lightning Division Now Equipped with HIMARS + More Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. No progress on Israel - Hamas Hostage and Ceasefire negotiations.

2. In a meeting in Amman on Sunday with British former prime minister Tony Blair, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas to release the hostages it is holding and hand over its weapons to the PA, stressing that the terror group “will not rule the Gaza Strip” after the war there ends.

3. Israeli jets carried out a wave of airstrikes deep inside Lebanon aimed at stopping an elite Hezbollah unit from regrouping and rebuilding its strength, authorities said Tuesday.

The strikes in Lebanon’s northeastern Beqaa Valley were aimed at military facilities belonging to the Hezbollah terror group’s Radwan force.

4. Israel Strikes Syrian Govt Forces in Druze-Majority Sweida- in what Israeli PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz said was meant to protect “the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel.”

5. Ukraine could secure victory over Russia if international partners supply Kyiv with additional air defense systems and end resistance to long-range strikes inside Russian territory, according to a Major Oleh Shyriaiev, Commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Battalion.

6. France to Spend $74.8 Billion on Defense in 2027. The move would represent a full doubling of the nation’s defense spending since 2017.

7. US-Australian Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.

Countries participating in the drills alongside the US and Australia are Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom with Malaysia and Vietnam as observers.

China is expected, as has been the case in past iterations of Talisman Sabre, to deploy a surveillance ship to spy on the sea phases of the exercise.

8. Tropic Lightning Division Now Equipped with HIMARS.

This week the US Army's 25th Infantry Division (Schofield Barracks, Hawaii) began the six-week process of replacing eight 105mm and six 155mm howitzers with 16 HIMARS launchers.

The Division is not completely shedding towed artillery, as it will retain a single cannon battalion with two batteries of 105mm howitzers and one battery of M777 155mm howitzers.

Doha Hostage & Ceasefire Talks Stalled + Russian President Putin Supports Zero Enrichment for Iran + Japan Protests to Chinese Ambassador Concerning Unsafe Aircraft Incident over E. China Sea + More Jul 13, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Doha Hostage & Ceasefire Talks Stalled.

2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “confident” he will be able to reach a deal to free hostages held in the Gaza Strip, in an interview with US media aired late Saturday.

3. Russian President Putin Supports Zero Enrichment for Iran.

4. A Syrian official and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later Saturday on the sidelines of President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s current visit to Azerbaijan,.

5. Ukrainian security agents have killed a group of Russian spies near Kyiv in another escalation of the secret war between the two countries.

It follows the assassination of a top Ukrainian intelligence officer days earlier.

6. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his full support for their war in Ukraine during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, Pyongyang state media said Sunday.

7. Japan Protests to Chinese Ambassador Concerning Unsafe Aircraft Incident over E. China Sea.

8. A Philippine Coast Guard cutter intercepted a Chinese Navy spy ship within Manila’s western exclusive economic zone over the weekend.

Lebanon's President Aoun: Peaceful Relations but No Normalization with Israel + US Sec of State Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Meet in Kuala Lumpur + Argentina to Procure US Stryker Infantry Carriers + More Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. No significant progress has been made on Hostage and Ceasefire Negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

2. Lebanon's President Aoun: Peaceful Relations but No Normalization with Israel.

Addressing relations with Israel, President Aoun “distinguished between peace and normalization,” according to a statement by his office.

3. US Sec of State Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Meet in Kuala Lumpur. This was their second in-person meeting since Mr. Rubio has become the US Secretary of State.

4. The United States is selling weapons to its NATO allies in Europe so they can provide them to Ukraine as it struggles to fend off a recent escalation in Russia’s drone and missile attacks- (President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rubio).

5. The US State Department today cleared the potential sale of up to nine HH-60W helicopters to Norway, a deal valued at $2.6 billion.

6. Argentina to Procure US Stryker Infantry Carriers.

7. The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved $913.9 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2026.

Israeli PM on Hostage & Ceasefire Deal: "Not at any price" + US Lifts Pause on Munition Shipments to Ukraine + Army - Navy - USAF Unfunded Priority List (Budget) + More Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Israeli PM on Hostage & Ceasefire Deal: "Not at any price."

Israeli PM Netanyahu: “President Trump and I have a common goal. I want to achieve the release of our hostages. We want to end Hamas rule in Gaza. We want to make sure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel anymore.”

2. Israeli ground troops raided several sites inside Lebanon in recent days, destroying Hezbollah weapon depots and other infrastructure, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.

3. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem admitted that the Lebanese terror group drastically underestimated the extent of Israel’s surveillance capabilities in the run-up to the pager operation last September.

4. Pope Leo told visiting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Wednesday that the Vatican was willing to host Russia - Ukraine peace talks.

5. US Lifts Pause on Munition Shipments to Ukraine.

Munitions heading into Ukraine include 155mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS. It was not clear if Patriot missiles would be added.

6. Denmark considering the purchase of more F-35 Fighters.

7. Army - Navy - USAF Unfunded Priority List (Budget).

Israeli PM in Washington DC to Discuss Hostage Negotiations & Regional Issues + IDF Strikes Houthi Ports in Yemen + BRICS Leaders Condemn Military Strikes on Iran + More Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. During interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed that Israel attempted to assassinate him.

2. IDF Strikes Houthi Ports in Yemen. More than 50 munitions were dropped by IAF fighter jets on the Houthi targets, in response to repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory.

3. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats, despite pressure from Lebanon’s Western-backed government demanding the terror group disarm.

4. BBC Report: A senior Hamas commander quoted in a BBC report published Sunday said that the terror group has lost control of around 80 percent of the Gaza Strip and that there is “barely anything left” of its military structure, after 21 months of intense fighting with the Israeli military.

5. Israeli PM in Washington DC to Discuss Hostage Negotiations & Regional Issues.

President Trump is slated to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dinner on Monday evening, with Gaza at the top of the agenda along with the recently diminished Iranian nuclear threat and other regional issues.

In preparation for the dinner, PM Netanyahu met separately on Monday afternoon with US Envoy Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Blair House.

6. Wall Street Journal Report: A group of five leading sheikhs in the Palestinian Authority’s Hebron district sent a letter to the Israeli government expressing a desire to join the Abraham Accords and to have peace with Israel.

The letter expresses the sheikhs’ desire to break off from the Palestinian Authority and establish Hebron as an emirate that “recognize[s] the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.”

7. Meeting in Brazil, BRICS Leaders Condemn Military Strikes on Iran.

BRICS 11 = Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.

Israel Sending Team to Qatar for Hostage Talks + UK Reestablishes Diplomatic Ties with Syria + Iran's Supreme Leader Makes First Appearance Since Ceasefire with Israel Jul 05, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Israel Sending Team to Qatar for Hostage Talks. However, the Prime Minister’s Office cautioned in a statement that Hamas had suggested several amendments to the proposal, which Israel found to be unacceptable.

According to a source involved in the mediation efforts, Hamas proposed three amendments to the proposed framework.

The source said that Hamas wants the agreement to say that talks on a permanent ceasefire will continue until an agreement is reached; that aid will fully resume through mechanisms backed by the United Nations and other international aid organizations; and that the IDF withdraw to positions it maintained before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March.

2. UK Reestablishes Diplomatic Ties with Syria.

3. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began last month. There was no immediate report on any public statement made.

4. President Volodymyr Zelensky described his recent phone call (occurred on 04 July) with US President Donald Trump as "the best conversation in all this time" in an evening address on 05 July.

5. Breaking Defense Opinion Article - Titled: S-400s or not, don't give Turkey the F-35.

Authored by:

Bradley Bowman is senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at FDD and director of its Turkey Program.

6. Japan's Ministry of Defense all-in on Australian Frigate competition. Japan's shipbuilder (Mitsubishi Heavy Industry) is competing against Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) to sell Australia 11 x Frigates.. A final decision on the winner is expected by the end of this year. Delivery of the first ship is expected by the end of 2029.

7. The US Military is preparing for the difficult challenge of sustaining a possible protracted operation in the Pacific theater, by developing Joint Theater Sustainment Distribution Centers.

Universal characteristics:

a. Port capability to move surface vessels with large amounts of materiel.

b. Storage capacity for classes of supply.

c. Airfield/air capability to move materiel and supplies rapidly.

Report: US & Iran to Resume Nuclear Talks in Oslo + Hostage & Ceasefire Efforts Between Israel and Hamas Advancing + Pentagon Reviews US Military Support to Foreign Countries + More Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace deal with Israel were “premature.”

2. The IDF carried out an airstrike Thursday in the Lebanese village of Sil, near Beirut, targeting an operative for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the IDF, the target was involved in smuggling weapons and advancing terror plots, acting on behalf of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign arm.

3. Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog- the International Atomic Energy Agency. Following a parliament vote on the matter last week, the bill was approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before it received a final ratification from the presidency.

4. Axios Report: US & Iran to Resume Nuclear Talks in Oslo. There is not yet a final date for the talks in the Norwegian capital. Neither Washington nor Tehran has publicly confirmed the meeting.

5. Hostage & Ceasefire Efforts Between Israel and Hamas Advancing.

6. US President Trump said on Thursday that a phone call earlier in the day with Russian President Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

7. Pentagon Reviews US Military Support to Foreign Countries. The Trump administration is pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles, following a review of military spending and American support to foreign countries, a senior White House official told CNN.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed off on the review, which the official noted had been underway for months.

8. The House has passed President Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill,” sending the bill with $150 billion for defense to the President’s desk ahead of his 04 July deadline.

Israel & Syria Hold Talks on Security Matters + Iranian Foreign Minister: Diplomacy Not Off the Table + Australia & UK Conduct Freedom of Navigation Patrol Around Spratly Islands + More Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Iranian Foreign Minister: Diplomacy Not Off the Table. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it will take time and assurances from the US before Tehran is ready to re-engage in talks on its nuclear program.

2. US President Donald Trump said Monday he is not holding discussions with Iranian leaders and not offering them anything.

3. Israel & Syria Hold Talks on Security Matters. The neighboring states have been opposing sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades, including from the 1948 War of Independence through the 1982 First Lebanon War.

4. After months of diplomatic stalling, the Kremlin on June 29 blamed Kyiv and Washington for the lack of progress in peace talks.

5. Australia & UK Conduct Freedom of Navigation Patrol Around Spratly Islands.

6. USAF plans to use leftover funds from the LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile program to help pay for refurbishing the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 into a new Presidential transport aircraft.

7. US Army is considering scrapping General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) management of the three new 155mm artillery production lines in Mesquite, Texas, according to a “show cause” letter obtained by Breaking Defense.

8. US Senate passed a massive party-line spending package Tuesday ("One Big Beautiful Bill Act"), by a vote of 51-50. Next, the bill goes back to the House for final consideration.

Israel - Iran War Summary + IAEA Chief on Iran's Enriched Uranium "We don't know where this material could be" + Japan Tests Type 88 Surface to Ship Missile + More Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. Israel - Iran War Summary.

2. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months,” despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks, CBS News said Saturday.

3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel’s operation against Iran has opened up “broad regional possibilities,” while stressing that freedom for hostages was a top priority.

4. A ballistic missile launched at Israel by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was likely intercepted by air defenses on Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said.

5. Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a decree to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines. The 1997 treaty, joined by over 160 countries, bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines in efforts to protect civilians from the scattered explosives.

6. Japan Tests Type 88 Surface to Ship Missile. The truck-mounted Type 88 guided missile, developed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have a range of about 100 kilometers (62 miles).

9. Latest on development of US Army Multi-Domain Task Forces (5 of them) and new Multi-Domain Commands.

IDF Chief of Staff: Iran No Longer Nuclear Threshold State + Russian President: Moscow Ready for New Round of Direct Talks with Ukraine + US Army & USAF FY26 Budget Info + More Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

For review:

1. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has told colleagues that Iran is no longer a nuclear threshold state following the Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear program. While Iran may still maintain parts of its nuclear program, it has been set back by years, LTG Zamir has concluded.

2. Iranian Parliament votes to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. Bill sent to Iranian President for ratification.

3. President Trump prepared to remove sanctions on Iran- changes mind after Iranian Supreme Leader's "blatant and foolish" statement. In a video statement on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the (US) strikes did not "achieve anything significant."

4. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a circuit of interviews aired Thursday evening that Israel sought to eliminate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during its 12-day conflict with Iran, but the opportunity never presented itself.

5. The IDF said Thursday that it had eliminated two Hezbollah operatives in separate airstrikes in southern Lebanon in the span of two hours.

6. Russian President: Moscow Ready for New Round of Direct Talks with Ukraine.

7. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Politico on 25 June that President Donald Trump will resist European pressure to escalate sanctions on Russia, arguing that doing so could close the door to potential peace negotiations with Moscow.

8. US Army & USAF FY26 Budget Info.

9. US Army Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) program.

CAML = autonomous/optionally crewed, highly mobile, air transportable, cross domain fires launcher with the potential to augment or replace existing Army launchers (offensive & defensive).

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