US News

• A partial “shutdown” of the federal government, which seemed inevitable amid battles over spending in both chambers of Congress, was averted after the House and Senate passed a stop-gap funding bill without any Ukraine aid on Saturday night. Passed before the midnight deadline, the bill will fund the government until November 17th at 2023 spending levels. AWC
• Elon Musk-owned SpaceX inked a deal with the Department of Defense to provide the Pentagon with a secure satellite-based communications network. Recently, several members of Congress have attacked Musk and called for an investigation into SpaceX’s contracts with the Pentagon. The Institute 
• The United Nation’s most powerful body is set to vote on a US-backed resolution that will authorize a Kenyan-led military force to be sent to Haiti. The White House hopes the deployment will restore order in Port-au-Prince, where gangs are estimated to control 80% of the capital city. However, the UN legacy in Haiti is causing more harm than providing aid. The Institute 
• The Biden administration has quietly struck a deal with Ecuador to deploy troops to the country and patrol the waters off its coast to combat drug cartels, the Washington Examiner reported on Friday. AWC

Russia

• Russian forces have gained more territory in Ukraine this year than the Ukrainian side despite the Ukrainian counteroffensive that was launched in June, The New York Times reported on Thursday. AWC
• French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday and discussed joint weapons production a day before Ukraine will host a forum of international arms contractors. AWC
• Moscow announced that it plans to increase military spending by nearly 70% in 2024 as it fights against what the Kremlin has dubbed NATO’s “hybrid war.” Russia’s defense budget next year, which is dwarfed by the Pentagon budget, will still be less than the total amount the US has already pledged to assist Kiev in its proxy war with Moscow. The Institute 
• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday said that comments made by his defense secretary about sending troops into Ukraine for training are part of long-term planning, not something the UK would do in the “here and now.” AWC
• President Biden on Sunday told Congress to “stop playing games” and authorize the additional $24 billion in Ukraine aid that he’s requested, which would bring total US spending on the proxy war to about $137 billion. AWC
• A populist party in Slovakia that opposes providing military assistance to Ukraine has won the country’s elections, a vote that could significantly change the NATO member’s foreign policy and support for the proxy war. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged arms makers to produce weapons inside Ukraine in a speech opening Ukraine’s first International Defense Industries Forum. AWC

China

• Australia on Thursday announced a restructuring of its army that’s part of a military overhaul aimed at countering China, Australia’s largest trading partner. AWC
• Saudi Arabia and China are set to hold their second-ever joint naval exercise as Riyadh continues to move closer to Beijing, AFP reported on Thursday. AWC
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday claimed that China is seeking to become the “dominant” world power and wants to replace the US-led “liberal” world order. AWC

Middle East

• Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a defense pact with the US in exchange for normalizing with Israel regardless of whether or not concessions are made to the Palestinians, Reuters reported Friday, citing regional sources. AWC