US raid allegedly killed undercover agent instead of IS official
A raid by U.S. forces and a Syrian group aiming to capture an Islamic State official instead reportedly killed a local man who was working to gather intel.
Flashpoints
China’s military may discard its rigid command structure, report warns
A new Rand report explores the prospect of China embracing the more flexible Western concept of mission command and what that means for U.S. strategy.
Houthi rebels have shot down 7 US Reaper drones in recent weeks
It's a loss of aircraft worth more than $200 million in what is becoming the most dramatic cost to the Pentagon of the military campaign against the group.
Pentagon chief to visit Philippines for security talks, envoy says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Philippines, the first stop in his first trip to the Indo-Pacific next week.
Putin agrees to ceasefire on energy, infrastructure targets in Ukraine
The Russian leader stopped short of backing a broader 30-day pause in fighting that the U.S. administration is pressing for.
Islamic State leader for Iraq and Syria killed, Iraq says
Al-Rifai was killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service and U.S.-led coalition forces, Iraqi officials said.
Putin says he supports US proposal for 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the terms of the ceasefire need to be worked out, including a mechanism to control possible breaches of the truce.
US arms flow to Ukraine again as the Kremlin mulls ceasefire proposal
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it’s important not to “get ahead” of the question of responding to the ceasefire, which was proposed by Washington.
China’s shipbuilding dominance a national security risk for US: Report
A report details how China has grown to be the dominant global player in shipbuilding, dwarfing the U.S., which now has only 0.1% of the global market.
US agrees to resume military aid, intel sharing with Ukraine
The U.S. and Ukraine agreed to an “immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire,” which could be extended but first hinges on Russia’s acceptance.
Ukraine-US talks on ending war with Russia start in Saudi Arabia
The talks come after President Trump paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine last week, along with some intelligence sharing.
