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In an analytical essay this week for the Jamestown Foundation, the author, Ukrainian-British political analyst Taras Kuzio, details how Russia continues to sustain defense production despite an increasingly stringent sanctions regime imposed by the US, the UK, the EU, and other allied nations.

Moscow’s defense industrial base nonetheless continues to thrive and even expand since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he writes. Moscow has skilfully navigated various loopholes in the sanctions regime and embargoes.

The status of the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its antebellum status, one Iranian lawmaker stressed during an interview with Iranian media. Iran’s Parliament Vice Speaker Ali Nikzad said that “while Iran mourns the martyrdom of its commanders and citizens, the strait belongs to Iran and Tehran will not back down from this right.”

Nikzad added that “we consider the strait as an achievement of the recent imposed war and a divine gift to the great Iranian nation,” striking a decidedly defiant note.

A U.S.

Russian President Vladimir Putin could be preparing to mobilize an additional 500,000 troops, according to comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky’s comments were given during an interview with Sky News, a British broadcaster. The Ukrainian president cited a range, explaining that the latest round of Russian mobilization would number somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports. “Putin is not ready to stop this war. Our intelligence reports that he is preparing for mobilization,” the president said.

The most successful deterrent threats leave no evidence behind. No missiles fly. No networks go down. No troops cross borders. Nothing happens. For policymakers, that is often the desired outcome. For researchers, it is a nightmare. Imagine, however, being able to observe a decision-maker preparing to attack, receiving a deterrent threat, and then changing their mind. That moment — the instant deterrence succeeds — is arguably the most important observation in international security. It is also one we almost never see.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force has reassigned its unique early production J-20 fifth generation fighter aircraft to the 99th Air Brigade based at Hotan Air Base in China’s Xinjiang region, providing a significant improvement to the air combat capabilities at the strategically critical location.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has provided the first confirmation that U.S. combat aircraft have been operating from Israeli military bases to conduct strikes against Iran. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 14 television, Katz reported that “U.S. fighter jets are taking off from Israel to launch attacks on Iran,” adding that Iranian authorities were fully aware of the arrangement. Katz also stated that while Israel wished to expand attacks against Iranian energy infrastructure, Washington had so far opposed such operations.

The U.S. Navy’s plan to procure 15 nuclear powered surface combat ships under the BBG(X) program has sparked growing concerns regarding the future direction of the service’s acquisitions, with analysts warning that the ambitious program could place further strain on already overstretched shipbuilding resources needed for aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines.

The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors for the MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence system, which represents by far the largest procurement agreement ever signed for the missile type. The award comes as the Pentagon seeks to rapidly rebuild inventories depleted by extensive combat operations in Iran and continuing military assistance to Ukraine, while also preparing for the possibility of future high-intensity conflicts.

The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force is scheduled to commission the world’s most heavily armed destroyer into service in 2027, which will be the first of two ships built under the Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV) program. While original plans for the called for a 20,000 ton ship, this was later revised to 14,000 tons, with a planned 190 metre length and 25 metre beam giving the ships larger dimensions than any other destroyers in the world.

…do we?

China stole a march on us.
In any multiplayer game, you cannot get scope-locked. While you may focus on one enemy or one particular part of the game, others are not standing by idly, politely waiting their turn to move. No, they will encourage your distraction. They will let you indulge yourself in other problems. Meanwhile, they move through the unguarded gates into fertile fields.
We live on a large, round ball—but we think right and left because that is what our maps look like on our wall, across our screens.