US News
- American military-industrial complex firms are guilty of “price gouging,” former Pentagon insiders told Newsweek. The Institute
Russia
- Russian officials said Monday that a Ukrainian sabotage group launched a cross-border raid in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, and the governor of the region said eight people were injured. AWC
- Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Monday that the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv will give Ukraine’s military an “incremental” boost but said it wouldn’t be a “game-changer” in the conflict. AWC
- The United States and some of its NATO allies plan to increase weapons-sharing and provide additional security guarantees to Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda told the Wall Street Journal that Western leaders were supportive of developing ties with Kiev similar to the relationship Washington keeps with Tel Aviv. The Institute
China
- On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry questioned the US’s sincerity in its calls for more communication and engagement with Beijing after President Biden said he expected a “thaw” between the two nations. AWC
- On Monday, the US and Papua New Guinea signed a new military pact and a surveillance agreement while Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Pacific Island nation as part of the Biden administration’s strategy against China. AWC
Iran
- The US military posted pictures online this month of a powerful bunker-busting bomb that could destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities it has built deep underground. The publication of the pictures is seen as a veiled threat as it came amid soaring tensions between the US and Iran. AWC
