I - On Defense Podcast

For Review:1. Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen’s port city of Mukalla on Tuesday over what it described as a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there, which arrived from the United Arab Emirates. 2. US Drone Strike on Venezuelan Port.The drone strike targeted a remote dock on the Venezuelan coast that the US government believed was being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs and move them onto boats for shipping. There were no casualties, according to the sources.3. The United States is offering Ukraine security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.4. A top Russian official on Monday issued personal threats against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia claimed that Ukraine launched a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's official residences.5. President Trump meets wit Israeli PM Netanyahu; Discusses Gaza Peace Deal; Iran Missile Development; Lebanon; & Syria.  6. The United States defended Israel’s right to recognize the breakaway territory of Somaliland as a state at the United Nations on Monday, comparing it to the recognition of a Palestinian state by numerous countries.7. Chinese forces fired more than two dozen rockets and rehearsed port seizures on the second day of ongoing blockade drills around Taiwan.In statements and posters, Beijing cites Washington’s recent $11 billion arms sale of artillery systems, short-range ballistic missiles and loitering munitions to Taipei as one of the main reasons for the Justice Mission drills. 

For review:1. The United States hasn’t given up its pursuit of the massive, rusted oil tanker it chased into international waters near Venezuela last weekend, Officials no longer expect the Bella 1 to return to the country to load up with oil as the US military and Coast Guard chase it. The ship is currently empty.2.  Busy Week: President Trump to Meet with Ukraine President & Israeli PM.3. Israel on Friday became the first country to recognize Somaliland, a former British protectorate that unilaterally declared independence from formerly Italian-ruled Somalia in 1991.4. The United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency session on Monday to discuss Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, with members slated to condemn the move.The European Union joined the chorus of condemnations of Israel’s move.5. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Sunday the delivery of the first operational high-power laser interception system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., dubbed “Iron Beam,” to the Israel Defense Forces.6. The Pentagon has claimed that Chinese missile forces are operating a new type of anti-ship ballistic missiles that are capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States, according to the annual report on Beijing’s military power.  

For review:1. US Strikes ISIS Militants in Nigeria.2. Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday accused the United States of committing the “greatest extortion known in our history” at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council called over Washington’s seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers.3. Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the United States was reviving piracy and banditry in the Caribbean Sea by blockading Venezuela and said it hoped that U.S. President Donald Trump's pragmatism would help avoid a disaster.4. US Coast Guard Still Pursuing Sanctioned Venezuelan Tanker in Caribbean. 5. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida at the weekend, as talks continue on ending Russia's full-scale war.6. Lebanon’s foreign minister on Wednesday criticized Hezbollah and demanded its entire military system be dismantled and disarmed, saying that it was “unacceptable” that a non-state armed organization continues to operate within the country.7. China Sanctions 20 US Companies over Recent Taiwan Arms Package.The recent announcement of the $10 billion U.S. arms-sale package for Taiwan has drawn an angry response from China, which claims Taiwan as its own and says it must come under its control. 

For review:1. US Continues Military Build-Up in Puerto Rico.The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that at least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, which are used to transport special forces, arrived in the Caribbean theater from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.The Journal also reported that C-17 cargo planes from Fort Stewart and Fort Campbell Army bases arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday.2. Israel reportedly started shipping weapons to the Syrian Druze just days after Syria’s Iran-backed President Bashar al-Assad was ousted a year ago.3. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met on Wednesday with Hamas officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing to the second phase of the agreement, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.4. As President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled details of a U.S.-Ukraine draft peace plan on Dec. 24, aimed at ending Russia's full-scale war, two key provisions remain unresolved.The disagreements center on provisions 12 and 14 of the 20-point proposal. Both deal with issues Kyiv calls existential: territories and the future of critical infrastructure.5. Senior Russian General Killed by Car Bomb in Moscow.6. Sweden will soon have the capability to conduct deep strikes far behind enemy lines, as the Gripen will be integrated with the German-made Taurus cruise missile earlier than planned (2028).7. China Plans Future Naval Force with Nine Aircraft Carriers.

For review:1. Israel has reportedly warned the Trump administration that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may be using an ongoing military exercise focusing on missiles as cover to launch an attack on Israel, amid fears that Jerusalem and Tehran are readying for another confrontation.2. Finland's President (Alexander Stubb): Russia - Ukraine Peace Closer than Any Point in the War3. US Coast Guard Pursuing 3d Sanctioned Venezuelan Tanker.4. President Trump Announces New "Trump-Class" Battleship.The U.S. Navy will buy two new “battleships” as part of the “Golden Fleet” effort, President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan announced Monday at Mar-a-Lago.5. The U.S. Coast Guard Legend-class will serve as the basis of a new Navy frigate program, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle announced on social media Friday.The new frigate design will focus on American designs and American yards.6. The US Air Force has awarded nine companies contracts for an early stage of the second round of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, selecting a wide array of designs that will be evaluated for potential future prototyping, an Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense today. The spokesperson did not say when the awards were made or what companies were picked. The nine successful firms will now compete for a prototyping deal, which the spokesperson said could be offered to more than one company.7. U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defense policy bill. The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes a record $901 billion in annual military spending, $8 billion more than the President requested.