409: Israeli PM Visits Washington D.C. + Ukrainian President Denies Receiving $177 Billion in American Aid + Saudi Arabia Increases Defense Spending in 2025 + German Army to Develop 120mm Turreted Mortar + More
For review:1. Israeli PM Visits Washington D.C.2. Major General Eyal Zamir to be the new Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff. Major General Zamir’s background in the armored corps is unique for a Israeli Chief of Staff. 3. New Iranian Ballistic Missile (Etemad) can reach Israel with a 1,700 kilometer range.4. Saudi Arabia Increases Defense Spending in 2025. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has allocated $78 billion for defense spending in 2025, up from $75.8 billion spent in 2024.5. Ukrainian President Denies Receiving $177 Billion in American Aid. In an interview with the AP: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy noted during an interview that he does not know where $100 billion of the $177 billion that the US has given to Ukraine. 6. US President Trump wants Ukrainian Rare Earth Materials as condition for continued American support to Ukraine. President Donald Trump: “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”7. German Army to Develop 120mm Turreted Mortar. Germany and Patria have signed a research and development agreement for the Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS) NEMO mortar and mortar command & control variants for the German Armed Forces.8. Estonia receives the first six of twelve Caesar mobile 155mm howitzers. The newly-established 3rd self-propelled artillery battalion operating under the command of the Estonian Division will be assigned the 155 mm truck cannons. 9. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth travels to Fort Bliss, Texas and meets with US Troops operating on the Southern Border. Secretary Hegseth will also likely announce a further 400 to 500 troops heading to the area. Members of the 10th Mountain Division, stationed at Fort Drum in New York, will travel to Texas this week to set up a separate headquarters to command the military’s expanded role at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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21:27
408: Three Israeli Hostages Released After 484 Days of Hamas Captivity + Iran Threatens War in Region if Nuclear Sites Attacked + US Wants Ukraine Presidential Elections Possibly This Year + US Army Mobile 155mm Artillery Effort in 2025 + More
For review:1. From DoD Release: US AFRICOM conducts airstrikes against ISIS operatives in the Golis Mountains of Somalia.2. Three Israeli Hostages Released After 484 Days of Hamas Captivity.3. Iran Threatens War in Region if Nuclear Sites Attacked.4. US Wants Ukraine Presidential Elections Possibly This Year. Keith Kellogg, President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done." He argued that most democratic nations hold elections during wartime and that doing so would strengthen Ukraine’s democracy. 5. Russia declines to comment of status of N. Korean Troops operating in the Kursk Region.6. Denmark supports the Ukraine war effort by spending military aid funding on locally-made materiel, instead of foreign equipment. Buying local gets weapons to the front faster and at lower cost, and facilitates training and maintenance. 7. US Army Mobile 155mm Artillery Effort in 2025. The Army is planning to pick an unspecified number of companies to proceed and award Phase I contracts around the July to September timeframe. Those vendors will then participate in additional “competitive evaluation testing” that will run through fiscal 2026.8. US President Trump directs building of the Iron Dome Missiles Defense Shield for America.
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24:11
407: US Army Black Hawk Collides with Passenger Jet Near Reagan National Airport + Iran Unveils Long Range / Endurance Drone + Sweden's Latest Military Aid Package to Ukraine Worth $1.2 Billion + More
For review:1. US Army Black Hawk Collides with Passenger Jet Near Reagan National Airport.The two aircraft crashed as the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, with 64 people aboard, was approaching the runway flying over the Potomac River. The Black Hawk was on a training flight from Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir. There were no survivors found. 2. Eight Hostages released from Gaza after 482 days in captivity- 3 Israelis & 5 Thai citizens.3. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visits Hamas leaders in Qatar.4. Iran Unveils Long-Range & Long-Endurance Drone- Shahed-149.5. Sweden's Latest Military Aid Package to Ukraine Worth $1.2 Billion.Sweden will also provide financing for priority needs such as artillery, long-range strike capabilities, and drones. 6. Netherlands to procure 22 x Skyranger Mobile Air Defense Systems protect the maneuver battalions of its medium and heavy infantry brigades. The Skyranger’s Oerlikon 30 mm revolver cannon has a firing rate of around 1,200 rounds per minute, and can fire programmable airburst munitions.
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15:28
406: Three Israeli and Five Thai Hostages Set for Release on Thursday + US Navy MQ-25 Unmanned Tankers to Operate From Carriers in 2026 + USAF F-35A Crash in Alaska - Pilot Safely Ejected + More
For review:1. Three Israeli and Five Thai Hostages Set for Release on Thursday.In exchange for the three hostages to be freed on Thursday, Israel will free 110 Palestinian security prisoners.2. In Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa is appointed President to lead the transitional phase. After cancelling the country's constitution passed in 2012 under the Assad regime, Mr. al-Sharaa will be authorized to form a temporary legislative council until a new constitution is drafted.3. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Russian President Putin trade insults while war continues on. (Neither ready to commit to peace negotiations).4. Denmark to invest $2 billion to strengthen Arctic defense capabilities.Copenhagen said the spending pledge covers the purchase of three Arctic naval vessels capable of carrying helicopters and drones; two long-range drones with the “ability to conduct surveillance over large areas at great distances;” and increased situational awareness through additional satellite “capacity.”5. Poland continues high-level modernization by signing a $745 million contract to purchase 200 x Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles – Extended Range missiles. The missiles- to be used on Poland’s fleet of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters- are scheduled to be delivered between 2029 and 2035.6. US Navy MQ-25 Unmanned Tankers to Operate From Aircraft Carriers in 2026.7. USAF F-35A Crash in Alaska - Pilot Safely Ejected.The stealth fighter exploded on impact and is likely a total loss.8. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth revokes the security clearance and removes the security detail of Retired General Mark Milley - former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition, a second portrait of General Milley (Retired) was removed- one that marked his service as a former Army Chief of Staff. (This is the 2d portrait of him removed from the Pentagon. The first portrait- one that marked his service as a CJCS- was removed hours after President Donald Trump was inaugurated on 20 January 2025.)
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23:05
405: Hamas to Release Three Hostages on Thursday + Syria Seizes Shipment of Weapons Bound for Hezbollah + President Trump Directs US Forces to Reinforce Southern Border + More
1. After broken agreement & negotiations, Hamas to Release Three Hostages on Thursday- Gazans can begin moving north tomorrow. Israeli PM Netanyahu’s office says Israel reached an agreement with Hamas after “strong and determined negotiations,” and reiterates that it will “not tolerate any violation of the agreement.”2. US President Trump to end delivery hold on 2,000 pound bombs to Israel.President Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One, “We released them (the bombs). We released them today. And they’ll have them. They paid for them and they’ve been waiting for them for a long time. They’ve been in storage.”3. Syria Seizes Shipment of Weapons Bound for Hezbollah.The shipment was heading to Hezbollah via smuggling routes on the Lebanon-Syria border, in the area of the border city of Sarghaya. Images showed several assault rifles, RPG launchers, and ammunition.4. Italy’s Leonardo and Turkish drone maker Baykar are discussing a team-up which could see Leonardo’s electronics and radar mounted on Baykar’s TB2 drones.5. Trump Administration looking into future support for Ukraine war effort.6. President Trump Directs US Forces to Reinforce Southern Border.There are already roughly 2,500 military personnel along the border supporting the US Customs and Border Protection mission- & today’s announcement brings the total up to around 4,000 troops deployed. Other assets, such as drones, are also under consideration to be sent to the border.
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