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Summary and Key Points: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has done something he hasn’t done in over four years of war: written directly to Vladimir Putin, daring him to meet face-to-face and end it for good, with the offer of a full ceasefire and a prisoner swap. Putin was predictably dismissive. But the most telling sign came from Moscow itself: reports suggest some Russian officials are now weighing whether to lower the country’s working age to as young as 12 — putting children into the workforce to fill the jobs the war has left vacant. The pressure on Russia is mounting.

China’s DF-100 Cruise Missile Threat Can’t Be Ignored: “If you think Iran’s missiles are a problem, wait until the U.S. Navy has to deal with China’s missiles.” That’s what a former U.S. Navy commanding officer told me when I asked him about the threats Navy warships faced in the Pacific around the First Island Chain.

I was taken aback by his blunt nature: “China has so many different missile platforms, I don’t even think the U.S. Navy can keep track of them all now, let alone defend against them.

The current war in Ukraine has lasted longer than World War II did for Russia, but they have not yet achieved one of their primary goals of the war.

But this war in Ukraine has backfired, not just militarily, but politically as well. His needless invasion of Ukraine nearly four and a half years ago has fundamentally changed Europe’s political and security landscape.

Putin with a Rifle. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

Throughout the war, Russia has maintained several strategic advantages over Ukraine. Not only did it have a larger military and more resources, but its geography also made it significantly harder for Ukraine to strike back at the same level and cause major damage to its critical industries and logistics hubs. Meanwhile, Ukraine has endured daily missile and drone strikes from the Russian side. It meant that, for years, the war was almost completely one-sided. But that has changed.

The Department of the Air Force has tapped Ashley Devoto — a veteran and cybersecurity expert — as its new chief information officer, the department announced Thursday.
Devoto enters the role after the department has been without a permanent CIO for over a year following the departure of Venice Goodwine in March 2025. With a decades-long career in cybersecurity fields, Devoto will now oversee the Air and Space Forces’ modernization and sustainment efforts for information technology and more.
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The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued to demand that any ship passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz must pay the Iranian government a toll.

The ISW reported that “Iran continues to try to frame the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ‘management’ of transit through the Strait of Hormuz as the new status quo.” Tehran threatens to target any non-compliant vessels or Western military forces operating in the critical waterway.

USS Billings. National Security Journal Original Photo.

​Russia has long held that Western sanctions have failed and that its economy is resilient. Moscow continues to insist that it can fight in Ukraine for as long as is necessary. But at Russia’s flagship economic forum this week, one of President Vladimir Putin’s most senior economic officials admitted that the war has damaged the Russian economy.

Speaking to reporters at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5, Kremlin investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev acknowledged that the war has “cost us a lot.

ST. LOUIS — In an era when unauthorized drone incursions at U.S. military installations are surging, these disruptions pose a particularly unique threat for U.S. Transportation Command.
“It is a clear and present issue that we have to pay attention to,” Transcom Commander Gen. Randall Reed said Wednesday. “So, yes, we have conversations in that realm — and we have done so quite frequently.

The Ukrainian Air Force just got another weapon that could be a game-changer in its war with Russia. Sweden announced that it will donate 16 JAS 39 C/D Gripen aircraft to Ukraine, while the administration of President Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine will purchase 20 Gripen E/F aircraft.

Sweden is replacing the donated aircraft with recently built Gripen E/F models. The first Gripens are expected to begin flying for Ukraine early in 2027. The expected cost will be $2.9 million or €2.5 billion.

JAS 39 Gripen E Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Here’s a not-so-fun fact: before the Trump administration and the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initiated their war of choice against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, American households were collectively $100 billion richer. The specific cost since February 28 has been around $750 per household.

But if you believe, as I do, that we are not getting normalization anytime soon between Iran, the United States, and Israel, that cost is going to increase over the next several months.

F-16 fighter from Lakeland, Florida Air Show.