Situation Report

A weekly digest of national security, defense, and cybersecurity news from Foreign Policy reporters Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer, formerly Security Brief. Delivered Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky leans forward with his arms braced against the back of an armchair as he waits for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Washington. Various officials and security officers stand around him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky leans forward with his arms braced against the back of an armchair as he waits for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Washington. Various officials and security officers stand around him.

What NATO Gave Ukraine

Kyiv didn’t get an invite to join the alliance, but it left the summit with more weapons to fight Russia.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer, Rishi Iyengar
Bands that wrap the bottom of artillery shells made for the U.S. military and used by Ukraine in its war against Russia are pictured at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16.
Bands that wrap the bottom of artillery shells made for the U.S. military and used by Ukraine in its war against Russia are pictured at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16.

NATO’s Arms Race Against Russia Heats Up

Alliance leaders look to shake awake long dormant defense industrial bases.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., on July 8.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., on July 8.

The Republican Party Grapples With Its NATO Platform

The new GOP has a love-hate relationship with the trans-Atlantic alliance.

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
Groundskeepers prepare the baseball field before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C. on July 8.
Groundskeepers prepare the baseball field before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C. on July 8.

What to Watch for at NATO’s 75th Birthday Bash

Allies are bickering about whether to give Ukraine a path into NATO and worried about Biden’s fitness for office.

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Amy Mackinnon, Jack Detsch
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, Jr. speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 26.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, Jr. speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 26.

U.S. Military Courts New Partners in Africa After Major Setbacks

Top military chief visits Africa to reassess U.S. presence.

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
Flagpoles bearing national flags of NATO members adorn the entrance of NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 13.
Flagpoles bearing national flags of NATO members adorn the entrance of NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 13.

NATO Hits Peak 2 Percent

Seventy percent of the alliance has now reached NATO’s defense spending target.

Situation Report
Amy Mackinnon, Jack Detsch
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to review the honor guards of the presidential regiment following his inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin’s Sobornaya Square in Moscow on May 7.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to review the honor guards of the presidential regiment following his inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin’s Sobornaya Square in Moscow on May 7.

Russia Ramps Up Sabotage Operations in Europe

Western officials struggle to respond to a new wave of “hybrid warfare.”

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Amy Mackinnon
People pass a television showing footage of an attempted North Korean satellite launch during a news report at a train station in Seoul on May 28.
People pass a television showing footage of an attempted North Korean satellite launch during a news report at a train station in Seoul on May 28.

Tensions Flare Between North and South Korea

It started with dung-filled balloons and spiraled from there.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
The liquefied natural gas tanker Vladimir Rusanov is seen after its arrival from Russia’s Arctic Yamal peninsula in Nantong, China, on July 19, 2018.
The liquefied natural gas tanker Vladimir Rusanov is seen after its arrival from Russia’s Arctic Yamal peninsula in Nantong, China, on July 19, 2018.

The Geopolitics of New Arctic Shipping Lanes

Turmoil in the Middle East makes the Northern route more attractive, if still treacherous.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Alma el-Chaab near the Lebanon-Israel border on May 22.
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Alma el-Chaab near the Lebanon-Israel border on May 22.

Israel and Hezbollah Inch Closer to War

Skirmishes in Israel’s north heighten risk of a new front in the war.

Situation Report
Amy Mackinnon, Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
Air Force One’s shadow is seen on farmland after taking off with then-U.S. President Barack Obama and the first family on board, seen in Merced County, California, on June 19, 2016.
Air Force One’s shadow is seen on farmland after taking off with then-U.S. President Barack Obama and the first family on board, seen in Merced County, California, on June 19, 2016.

Chinese Companies Keep Buying U.S. Land Near Military Bases

National security experts warn that some of those purchases are too close for comfort.

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
U.S. President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023.
U.S. President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023.

Biden Draws a Red(Ish) Line on Israel

The U.S. president pauses some military aid as tensions with Israel mount.

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
U.S. Representative Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, speakings during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 29, 2021.
U.S. Representative Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, speakings during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 29, 2021.

Top House Democrat ‘Deeply Worried’ About Israel’s War Strategy in Gaza

Israel is losing the support of Democrats over how it’s prosecuting the war, lawmaker warns.

Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
Taiwan’s reserve soldiers take part in military training during a two-week education convocation at a local Taoist temple in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Taiwan’s reserve soldiers take part in military training during a two-week education convocation at a local Taoist temple in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Congress Helps Steer Taiwan Toward the ‘Porcupine Strategy’

The national security bill gives Biden more leverage to tell Taiwan what weapons to buy.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
An Israeli army vehicle moves along the border with the Gaza Strip on Feb. 28, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.
An Israeli army vehicle moves along the border with the Gaza Strip on Feb. 28, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.

Israel’s Military Risks Being Overstretched

It’s been at war for six months—and now faces another front with Iran.

Situation Report
Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer
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