I - On Defense Podcast

For review:1. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is leaving the possibility of a war with Venezuela on the table.2. US Secretary of State: We Need to Clarify (ISF) Mandate Before We Can Expect Countries to Contribute Troops.3. Report: Turkey to Return S400 System to Russia to Allow F-35 Purchase.4. European leaders on Dec. 19 approved a $105 billion interest-free loan for Ukraine.5. Potential US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases for Taiwan- estimated $11 billion include:·        82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), 420 ATACMS systems and other strike weapons, valued at up to $4.05 billion·        60 M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers valued at up to $4.030 billion ·        Altius Autonomous Air Vehicles valued at up to $1.1 billion·        Tactical Mission Network Software valued at up to $1.01 billion·        1,050 Javelin Missiles valued at up to $375 million·        1,545 TOW 2B Missiles valued at up to $353 million·        AH-1W Helicopter spare and repair parts valued at up to $96 million.“China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,” said a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

For review:1. President Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers.2. Speaking at an annual meeting with top military officers, Russian President Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” by diplomatic means, but he added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”3. Six Countries Join (Gaza) Board of Peace. The US has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join US President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace.4. The United States Central Command hosted a conference in Qatar on Tuesday with dozens of partner nations to discuss plans for an International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip.Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Italy, France, the UK, and Azerbaijan were among the attendees. Other countries at the summit included Cyprus, Georgia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Jordan, Japan, Greece, Singapore, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Morocco, Bahrain, Bosnia, Finland, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Spain, and Yemen.5. Senators voted 77-20 on a bipartisan basis to send this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will sign the bill. The 2026 NDAA authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House’s request. 

For review:1. US Agrees to Unspecified Security Guarantees for Ukraine; Talks to Continue.2.  Estonia Begins Installing Concrete Bunkers on Border with Russia. The initial batch represents the first phase of the Estonian 600-bunker network as part of the Baltic Defense Line project- coordinated with Lithuania and Latvia.3. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday met with the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria and Lebanon Tom Barrack, amid concerns that Israel could launch a major military offensive against Hezbollah if Beirut does not step up its campaign to disarm the terror group.4. The US is hosting a conference in Doha tomorrow aimed at offering potential donor countries more details on how the ISF will operate in a bid to move ahead with the initiative that has appeared to stall since the UN Security Council backed its formation roughly a month ago.5. Tom Barrack (US Ambassador to Turkey), said there were “ongoing discussions with Türkiye regarding their desire to rejoin the F-35 program and their possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.”6. Trinidad & Tobago Allow US Military Access to Airports. Only 7 miles (11 kilometers) separate Venezuela from the twin-island Caribbean nation at their closest point. It has two main airports: Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago.

For review:1. Joint US-Syrian Patrol Ambushed; Two US Soldiers Killed; President Trump Vows Serious Retaliation.2. WSJ Report: A US special operations team in the Indian Ocean raided a ship headed to Iran from China last month and seized military-related articles.3.  The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday issued a warning to residents of the southern Lebanon town of Yanouh ahead of planned airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure, but postponed the strike after Lebanese troops went to search the site.4. On Friday, Lebanese Officials  received warnings from Arab and international parties that Israel is preparing for a wide-scale military operation against Hezbollah.5. Top Hamas commander Raad Saad was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Saturday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces said.6. International troops could be deployed in the Gaza Strip as early as next month to form a UN-authorized stabilization force, two US officials told Reuters, but it remains unclear how the Palestinian terror group Hamas will be disarmed.7. US and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet for high-stakes peace talks in Berlin on December 14 as disagreements persist over territorial control and security guarantees.8. Switzerland has decided to cut an order of 36 Lockheed Martin F-35A fifth-generation fighter jets due to a price increase of roughly $610 million enforced by the US government.

For review:1. US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza.2. Taiwan’s high-profile Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu made a previously unpublicized visit to Israel recently, three sources familiar with the trip told Reuters, at a time when Taiwan is looking to Jerusalem for defense cooperation.3. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Thursday that he would travel to Beirut for talks after his Lebanese counterpart had declined a day earlier to visit Tehran.4. The United States has suggested creating a “free economic zone” in parts of the eastern Donbas region from which Ukraine would withdraw under a negotiated peace with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.5. The Croatian Ministry of Defense has placed an order for 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks, a deal valued at almost €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion).6. Russian and Chinese bombers conducted a joint patrol Tuesday, flying over the East China Sea and Western Pacific, prompting Seoul and Tokyo to scramble fighter aircraft to monitor the flights.7. — South Korea’s Hanwha is set to invest in a new $1 billion plant in the United States to produce Modular Charge Systems (MCS) for 155mm howitzer ammunition.8. The House passed the fiscal 2026 defense policy authorization bill, setting up passage in the Senate before Congress goes on holiday break.Lawmakers voted 312-112 to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House’s request.