Elon Musk has become a surprising power player in the Ukraine war, overseeing a vast communications network that is crucial to Kyiv’s fight against Russia. A biography of the billionaire released this week shows the extent of Musk’s power, revealing how he exercised his newfound geopolitical power to single-handedly thwart a major Ukrainian raid last…
Author: BRAD DRESS
US moves forward on Iran prisoner deal
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story US, Iran move to wrap up prisoner swap deal The agreement is reaching its final stages, but has drawn intense scrutiny from Republicans. © AP Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on a blanket waiver…
Elizabeth King: Majority staff director, Senate Armed Services Committee
Elizabeth King, the majority staff director to the Senate Armed Services Committee, hardly gets a break. The new year has barely just rung in when the committee begins working on one of the biggest pieces of annual legislation in Congress — the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA is a yearlong project with King…
Ukraine: Black Sea oil platforms seized by Russia recaptured
Ukraine says its forces have captured gas and oil drilling platforms off the coast of Crimea in the Black Sea, reclaiming a strategic surveillance site from Russian forces years after Moscow first seized them from Ukraine. Videos of the raid on the oil and gas platforms, known as Bokyo Towers, circulated on the internet Monday….
US finalizes deal with Iran to release five Americans: report
The U.S. has reportedly reached an agreement with Iran to unfreeze $6 billion of funds to Tehran for the release of five American prisoners, a deal Republicans have criticized as catering to a foreign adversary. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the agreement last week, issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to…
Milley says Ukraine has 30-45 days of ‘fighting weather’ for counteroffensive
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Sunday said Ukrainian troops are making “steady progress” in the counteroffensive against Russia but are running out of time to achieve key objectives. “There’s still a reasonable amount of time, probably about 30 to 45 days’ worth of fighting weather left, so the Ukrainians aren’t done,”…
Here’s what Russia is teaching high schoolers about Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is extending his propaganda campaign about Ukraine into the country’s high schools. Russia this week released an updated textbook that supports his narrative about Ukraine, the U.S. and its western allies as he seeks to overhaul the curriculum in the coming year. Critics say the new textbook lays out a false…
Musk stymied key Ukraine raid
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story Elon Musk draws rebuke from Ukrainian officials According to a new book, Musk prevented use of a key communication and internet network provided by Starlink satellites during a Ukrainian raid over fears of nuclear war. ©…
Trump rips Biden on electric Army tanks: ‘They will not be able to go very far’
Former President Trump criticized the Biden administration Friday on an unexpected front: experimentation with making Army tanks all-electric. “The Biden Administration wants to now make our Army Tanks all Electric so that, despite the fact that they will not be able to go very far, fewer pollutants will be released into the air,” Trump wrote…
Musk acknowledges he turned off Starlink internet access last year during Ukraine attack on Russia military
Elon Musk on Thursday acknowledged turning off internet access from his Starlink satellites during a Ukrainian raid last year on a Russian naval fleet, saying he did so to prevent SpaceX from being “complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.” Musk responded on his social media platform X to new details from…