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Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski Welcomes Eielson AFB Announcement on Microreactor Pilot Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
    06.12.25
    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) welcomed the United States Department of the Air Force’s (DAF) Notice of Intent to Award the microreactor pilot project at Eielson Air Force Base (AFB). This announcement clears the way for the DAF and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prepare an environmental analysis.
    Microreactors are small nuclear reactors that can be transportable, offering operational flexibility that can benefit remote and rural communities. Senator Murkowski is a long-time advocate of microreactor technology, providing support for small modular and microreactors through her work on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Energy Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). She has also worked to secure key policy provisions to advance innovative energy technologies through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and in her capacity as a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
    “This announcement, though long-delayed, is a very welcome development and brings us one step closer to having this critical next generation of clean, baseload energy technology to help power our communities,” said Senator Murkowski. “Microreactors have the potential to provide safe and affordable energy to remote rural areas, which is why I’ve been spearheading investment in this technology in Congress for years.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Retired Military Leaders File Brief in Support of California’s Lawsuit Challenging Unlawful Federalization of State’s National Guard

    Source: US State of California

    Thursday, June 12, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    OAKLAND – Yesterday, former secretaries of the Army and Navy and retired four-star admirals and generals filed an amicus brief in support of California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s unlawful orders federalizing the California National Guard and deploying Marines to Los Angeles:

    “The United States military is not primarily a law enforcement organization and is prohibited by law from acting as a domestic police force unless doing so is ‘expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress’…

    “A bedrock principle of American democracy is that our military is apolitical. Accordingly, United States military personnel are not permitted to engage in political conduct while on duty or to use their military status to endorse political candidates or political causes. Critical to the military’s ability to carry out its core functions is retaining the public’s respect and maintaining cohesion and unity within its ranks—regardless of the political leanings of individual citizens or soldiers. Particular caution is therefore necessary if the U.S. military is to be deployed domestically in the context of a politically charged situation. It is essential that such deployments be a last resort, especially in the context of policing protests and other constitutionally protected speech and activities.

    “For that reason, and as noted above, federal deployments on U.S. soil have been rare, serious, and legally clear. The last major deployment of federal troops domestically occurred during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, at the request of California Governor Pete Wilson and pursuant to the Insurrection Act. That deployment followed widespread violence and looting of businesses, the burning of entire blocks of homes and businesses, and dozens of civilian fatalities. Public reporting from Los Angeles suggests that, notwithstanding troubling incidents of property damage and violence, the recent and ongoing situation appears to be different in kind…

    “The active-duty military and National Guard serve a critical role in U.S. national security. Domestic deployments that fail to adhere to exacting legal requirements and long-established guardrails threaten their core national security and disaster relief missions, put the military at risk of politicization, and pose serious risks to both servicemembers and civilians.

    “We appreciate the Court’s due consideration of these critical factors in adjudicating Plaintiffs’ Ex Parte Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order.”

    A copy of the brief is available here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoyer: If Russia Wins, America Loses.

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks during the House Appropriations Full Committee Markup of the FY26 Defense Bill. Below is a video and transcript of his remarks:
     

    Click here to watch a full video of his remarks.

    “Thank you, Mr. Chairman [the budget was due] on February 3rd. (checks microphone) Seems to be on, it’s not working? It is not down. But when Mr. Vought appeared before our subcommittee, he told us why. Not because he doesn’t have it, not because you can’t give us the information, but because they have chosen until the reconciliation [passes], they will not give it to us. That is why we don’t have that information on which to act.

    “Now, I’m going to be talking at greater length on Ukraine when Ms. Kaptur offers her amendment. But let me say this. Last night I met with a group of Ukrainians. One of them was Sergeant Andrei Smolenskyi. He’s receiving treatment at Walter Reed for wounds he sustained fighting Russian invaders. He lost his eyesight. He lost both arms, but he has not lost his determination to make Ukraine free and whole once more. Let us not lose our determination to do the same. That’s what strength looks like. He came to our Capitol, asked for us to stand with Ukraine. So sad that he had to ask, I thought we did stand with Ukraine. Frankly, Mr. Trump, Mr. Vance, Mr. Hegseth, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Gabbard have put that at risk almost every time they talk. If Russia wins, America loses. Mr. Rogers, the Chairman of our Armed Services Committee, says – the Mike Rogers – says, that if – [he] puts in a different way: He says Russia must lose this war or the message we send will be louder than all the dollars we put in this bill.

    “I hope every one of us will support the Castor amendment – Kaptur amendment, I’m going to talk more about it. Putin – I’ve said this before, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Khomeini and the rest of their axis of aggression are watching us right now with this bill. Legislation like this, even when it fails to become law, makes America look weak, timid, lacking resolve, and uncommitted to defending freedom here and around the world from dictators, despots, and international war criminals. So do the reckless terminations of civilian national security employees and top-ranking military officers. We have to reject this bill and work on a bipartisan alternative to address these issues if we are to reaffirm our strength to the world.

    “I have voted for 90% of the defense bills that have gone through this House in the last 44 years. I believe that America needs to have a strong defense. A defense which surpasses all other in the world, a military that has the equipment and the training to be the best in the world when we put them at the point of the spear. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022 of Ukraine, this Congress has had at least 12 votes on the issue of supporting Ukraine. On average, 80% of the Congress of the House of Representatives has voted to support Ukraine. 80%, eight out of ten. Both sides, except on one vote, had a majority of their members voting to help Ukraine. And yet this bill withdraws money to do exactly what 80% of this Congress is committed to do.

    “I’m going to talk more about what Senator McConnell has to say about this and what Senator – what President Kennedy had to say about it. Suffice it now to say that we need to demonstrate our resolve, and we can do it today on our voting in this, in this House. Sergeant Smolenskyi and thousands of others in Ukraine, but millions and billions of others throughout the world count on America. Let’s not let them down. I yield.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Stansbury Press Trump on Musk’s and DOGE’s Failures, Offer Recommendations to Cut Waste, Lower Costs Without Hurting Middle-Class Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 12, 2025

    Lawmakers’ recommendations would save U.S. government more than $2 trillion over next decade while making everyday Americans better off; provide stark contrast to Republican bill that would cut health coverage for millions

    “Mr. Musk’s efforts at DOGE were never truly about cutting waste….DOGE pushed reckless policies that gutted essential services and ousted experienced civil servants, all while reducing oversight and increasing profits for Mr. Musk’s companies.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee for Delivering on Government Efficiency, wrote to President Donald Trump, pressing him on Elon Musk’s and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s failures to cut government waste and lower costs. The lawmakers laid out a set of recommendations that would, in stark contrast to Republican proposals, eliminate $2 trillion in wasteful government spending without slashing critical government programs and causing economic chaos.

    The letter follows a public feud between Trump and Musk, which began shortly after Musk’s departure from the White House. It also comes as Republicans jam through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts for the rich, paid for by massive cuts to Americans’ health care coverage.

    “It is time to eliminate the real waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, rather than ravaging programs that keep Americans safe, secure, and healthy just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations,” wrote the lawmakers. “You should learn from Elon Musk and DOGE’s mistakes, end your attacks on critical federal programs, and instead act on these recommendations.”

    The lawmakers highlighted DOGE’s failure to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse — instead, Musk’s approach increased costs and suffering for Americans. DOGE’s “wall of receipts” included significant errors and misinformation. Musk’s efforts to gut up to 10% of the federal workforce were found to have created “exponentially larger waste.” When DOGE did make cuts to the federal budget, they seemingly ran afoul of the law.

    “In a futile search for fraud in the wrong places, and an ill-informed effort to slash the federal workforce, DOGE has imposed more costs on American taxpayers than it has saved, all while helping Elon Musk’s business empire and DOGE employees’ pockets,” wrote the lawmakers.

    As an alternative to DOGE’s failures, the lawmakers offered recommendations to reduce wasteful government spending, eliminate unfair loopholes and giveaways to the wealthiest Americans, make the government more efficient and effective, and save taxpayers at least $2 trillion over the next decade.

    “Although Mr. Musk and DOGE have failed at achieving their purported savings goals, you could choose to end this government waste while avoiding dangerous cuts to important federal programs,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers’ recommendations include: cracking down on healthcare profiteering, negotiating better contracts for the Department of Defense, saving on education programs, cutting waste and abuse in the federal tax code, keeping the federal government’s cloud and other IT markets competitive, and reducing waste in unnecessary federal arrests and detention programs.

    “Our recommendations would save the U.S. government more than $2 trillion over the next decade. Meanwhile, your tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy would cost U.S. taxpayers $4 trillion over the same period,” concluded the lawmakers. “It is time to eliminate the real waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, rather than ravaging programs that keep Americans safe, secure, and healthy just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.”

    In April, Senator Warren and Representative Stansbury introduced the SGE Ethics Enforcement & Reform (SEER) Act, a bill to strengthen transparency and ethics requirements for Special Government Employees (SGEs). The bill would have reined in Elon Musk while he was in the SGE role by restricting certain SGEs from officially communicating with agencies and offices that regulate or contract with large companies owned by the SGE.

    To mark 130 days of Elon Musk’s government service as an SGE, Senator Warren recently published a report detailing 130 acts of Musk’s corruption. While serving as an SGE and leading DOGE, Musk maintained extensive financial conflicts of interest through his ownership of or stake in several private and publicly traded companies including Tesla, SpaceX, X and xAI, the Boring Company, and Neuralink.

    Senator Warren first wrote to Musk in January with 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade. She has identified numerous instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in government during her twelve years in Congress and repeatedly called out unsustainable spending, abusive practices and programs, and government contractors that line their pockets at taxpayers’ expense.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New artillery factory opens in Sheffield creating 200 skilled jobs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    New artillery factory opens in Sheffield creating 200 skilled jobs

    British exports and sovereign manufacturing have been boosted today with the opening of a new state-of-the-art artillery factory in Sheffield, creating 200 skilled British jobs. 

    • State-of-the-art artillery manufacturing facility opens in Sheffield. 
    • Defence Secretary visits new factory, which will create 200 skilled jobs and support more than 60 businesses in the supply chain. 
    • Export deals enable new facility to open, highlighting how defence is an engine for growth and supporting the Government’s Plan for Change. 

    The new factory, run by BAE Systems, was opened by the Defence Secretary John Healey, who visited the site today. The facility positions Sheffield as the home of UK artillery howitzer production, showing how defence is an engine for growth and a foundation of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    Successful export deals of more than £25 million made this factory possible, showcasing the British defence industry’s design and engineering prowess globally. It will create apprenticeship opportunities and support 60 businesses across the UK supply chain.

    This comes the week after the Government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) which confirmed a major £6bn commitment to munitions production this parliament, including £1.5bn for an ‘always on’ pipeline for munitions and at least six new energetics and munitions factories, meaning that the UK can innovate and rapidly restock key ammunition.  

    Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: 

    This new factory is a big boost for South Yorkshire and a significant step forward in strengthening our British defence industrial base. This is a vote of confidence in our world-leading defence sector and good, skilled British jobs, underpinned by this government’s Plan for Change.

    I welcome BAE Systems’ long-term commitment to this new site, which demonstrates how defence can be an engine for growth, bringing investment and opportunities to communities across the UK, including right here in South Yorkshire.

    The facility covers 94,000 sq ft, making it significantly larger than the pitch at Wembley stadium, and will manufacture the only combat-proven 155mm lightweight howitzer in the world, the British M777.

    The investment comes as the UK continues its support for Ukraine, while developing sovereign British manufacturing. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence awarded BAE Systems a contract to deliver 150 British-designed artillery barrels to Ukraine, working with nearby Sheffield Forgemasters to fulfil the government’s commitment.

    Fully operational later this year, the factory will initially focus on M777 lightweight howitzer manufacturing, with capacity to expand production lines. The site will evolve to develop and produce a range of world-class combat systems.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Burundi: Elections Without Opposition

    Legislative and local elections in Burundi on June 5, 2025, took place in a context of severely restricted free speech and political space, Human Rights Watch said today. 

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (Commission électorale nationale indépendante, CENI) announced on June 11 during a press conference that the ruling party had won 96.5 percent of votes and all elected national assembly seats. The ruling party also won almost every seat in the commune-level election. Ruling party officials and youths intimidated, harassed, and threatened the population and censored media coverage to secure a landslide victory. 

    “Burundians voted in an atmosphere devoid of genuine political competition as the ruling party further consolidated power,” said Clémentine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Against a backdrop of growing discontent over a deepening economic crisis and systemic human rights failings, the ruling party took no chances in the elections.”

    The National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil national pour la défense de la démocratie-Forces pour la défense de la démocratie, CNDD–FDD), in power since 2005, has sought to dismantle all meaningful opposition, including from its main rival, the National Congress for Freedom (Congrès national pour la liberté, CNL). Several opposition parties, including the CNL, the Patriots’ Council (Conseil des Patriotes, CDP), and the Union for National Progress (Union pour le progrès national, UPRONA) denounced irregularities in the vote. Senatorial and further local elections are scheduled for July 23 and August 25, respectively, and the next presidential polls will be in 2027.

    In the days following the vote, Human Rights Watch spoke with local activists, journalists, private citizens, and a member of the ruling party’s youth league – the Imbonerakure – who spoke of intimidation and irregularities in both the lead-up to the election and during the voting.

    Media reports and witness accounts indicate that the voting on June 5 was overwhelmingly dominated by the ruling party. “The Imbonerakure were in front of the polling station telling people to vote for the ruling party,” said a voter in the town of Bururi. “All the workers at the polling station were members of the ruling party. The head of the polling station himself told me to vote for the ruling party.” 

    People interviewed in Bujumbura, the country’s largest city, Cibitoke, and Rumonge described similar scenes at their polling places. A Burundian civil society organization reported the same patterns in Bubanza, Gitega, Makamba, and Ngozi. “We were told to do everything necessary to make sure that people only voted for the CNDD-FDD,” the Imbonerakure member said. 

    Opposition parties and witnesses said that opposition party representatives, journalists, and observers were prevented from entering polling places, including when votes were being counted. 

    In several communes (municipalities), the number of votes cast reportedly exceeded the number of registered voters. Media and witnesses also reported ballot stuffing and the selective distribution of voter cards, excluding opposition members from voting.

    A coalition of radio stations, television channels, and print or online media outlets coordinated coverage of the elections, reportedly funded by the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology and Media, and all content produced had to be submitted to a central editorial team, which censored reports that did not align with the official narrative, media reported. A journalist told Human Rights Watch that officials of the electoral body told the media “not to talk about irregularities.”

    In December, the electoral commission barred opposition candidates, including members of the opposition Burundi for All (Burundi Bwa Bose in Kirundi) coalition and the CNL, from contesting the June elections, effectively sidelining major opposition voices. Some were able to appeal the decision at the Constitutional Court, but presidential runner-up and former leader of the CNL, Agathon Rwasa, was among those still barred from running.

    In January 2024, the interior minister accused the CNL of collaborating with a terrorist organization, after which the party’s general assembly voted to remove Rwasa from leadership. In April 2024, Burundi adopted a new electoral code that significantly raised candidate registration fees and imposed a two-year waiting period for those leaving political parties before they can run again, effectively ensuring that Rwasa would not be eligible.

    The authorities, aided by the Imbonerakure, forced the population to register to vote in late 2024, according to media reports and witness accounts. “The population wanted to show that they don’t see the point in this election, and tried to boycott the registration process,” said an observer in Cibitoke. “They were forced [to register], prevented from accessing markets, healthcare centers, administrative services or going to the fields. The Imbonerakure were everywhere to intimidate people.”

    The African Union deployed an observation mission and issued a preliminary report on June 7 praising the “peaceful” conduct of Burundi’s legislative and communal elections. It also praised high voter turnout, the “climate of freedom and transparency,” and media coverage. This stands in stark contrast to the AU’s own normative framework on democracy, elections, and human rights, which emphasizes credible, inclusive, and transparent electoral processes. The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the Economic Community of Central African States also deployed observer missions. The Catholic Church, which has criticized previous elections, deployed observers but some were turned away from polling places.

    General elections in May 2020 took place in a highly repressive environment, marred by allegations of irregularities. Throughout the pre-election period, Imbonerakure members committed widespread abuses, especially against people perceived to be against the ruling party, including killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, beatings, extortion, and intimidation. 

    Burundians have told Human Rights Watch that they feel growing frustration at the ruling party’s governance, at a time when the population is facing a 40 percent annual inflation rate, chronic shortages, significant discrepancies between official and unofficial exchange rates, limited foreign currency reserves, and a fuel crisis that has crippled transport for years. The escalating conflict in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, which has jeopardized cross-border trade and prompted the arrival of over 70,000 refugees and asylum seekers since January 2025, as well as cuts in donor funding have further compounded the situation.

    In February, Burundian authorities expelled the director and security officer of the United Nations World Food Programme from the country, after they reportedly advised staff to stock up on essential goods. Civil society and opposition figures continue to report ongoing harassment, extortion, arbitrary detention, and beatings by the Imbonerakure and the authorities as the government remains deeply hostile to perceived criticism. 

    Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Burundi is a party, states, “Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity … [t]o vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors.”

    “Burundi’s democracy has been hollowed out, with a ruling party unaccountable to its people and unwilling to tolerate dissent, even as economic desperation grows,” de Montjoye said. “Without credible opposition, this election only further entrenches authoritarian rule and pushes Burundians further into a deeply rooted governance crisis.”

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Murray, Booker, Schumer Renew Push to Protect IVF Amid Ongoing GOP Attacks Against Reproductive Freedom

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 11, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Muray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today led 25 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing legislation that would establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Ever since Roe was repealed by Donald Trump’s Supreme Court majority, Republicans’ ongoing assault against reproductive freedom has threatened Americans’ access to IVF services—as evidenced by the Alabama Supreme Court ruling last year that shut down state clinics and painted IVF parents and their doctors as criminals. The Protect IVF Act would protect against such attacks by creating a statutory right for patients to access IVF services, a right for doctors to provide IVF treatment in accordance with medical standards as well as a right for insurance carriers to cover IVF without prohibition, limitation, interference or impediment. By establishing a statutory right, this would preempt any state effort to limit such access and help ensure no hopeful parent—or their doctors—are punished for trying to start or grow a family.

    “Donald Trump loves to tell everyone how strongly he supports IVF—but the reality is, he’s the reason IVF is at risk in the first place,” said Senator Duckworth. “If Trump really cares about protecting IVF, then the choice is simple: instead of signing toothless executive orders, he should call on Republicans to support my bill to establish a nationwide right to IVF. Otherwise, all the pro-IVF talk is just more lip-service from people who have proven time and again they have no interest in actually taking any meaningful action to protect IVF access.”

    “The anti-choice movement has never been about protecting life—it has always been about controlling women. Republicans’ efforts to rip away women’s reproductive rights and enshrine fetal personhood bit by bit are having catastrophic consequences for women across America and putting access to IVF in jeopardy,” said Senator Murray. “Trump is full of empty talk when it comes to IVF, but he’s refused to take any action that would meaningfully improve access, and he’s empowering the very same anti-abortion activists who are working to ban IVF nationwide. The Protect IVF Act would establish a statutory right to access IVF and other assisted reproductive technology, so that all Americans can grow their families on their own terms, free from Republican interference.”

    “Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have repeatedly jeopardized American families’ fundamental right to make their own decisions about when and how to start a family,” said Senator Booker. “Congress must act to ensure that the freedom to start and grow a family using IVF treatment is protected and accessible to everyone in the United States.”

    “Despite all the smoke and mirrors and hollow Executive Orders, Donald Trump and Republicans have led an unrelenting crusade against reproductive rights for years, refusing to support legislation that would truly protect access to IVF. Senate Democrats are united in protecting access to pro-family fertility treatment and giving every American the freedom to decide when and how to build a family. We will continue to fight extreme rightwing Republicans threatening access to IVF across the country, going against scientific evidence, and accelerating their ideologically-driven crusade,” said Leader Schumer. 

    In addition to Duckworth, Murray, Booker and Schumer, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Fetterman (D-PA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Angus King (I-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

    The Protect IVF Act is endorsed by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, Endocrine Society, MomsRising, Indivisible, What to Expect Project, Legal Momentum: The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Women’s Law Center.

    “In February 2024, a single court ruling in Alabama put providers’ ability to offer standard-of-care fertility treatments at immediate risk,” said Sean Tipton, ASRM Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer. “Since then, we have only seen an uptick in government leaders on both sides of the aisle expressing their support for medical procedures like IVF that make it possible for millions of Americans to start and grow their families. As a result, our federal lawmakers should rally behind legislation that would protect patients’ rights to reliable access to high quality fertility care and providers’ rights to deliver IVF in accordance with scientific and evidence-based clinical guidelines. We thank Senators Duckworth, Murray, Booker, and Schumer for their tireless leadership on the Protect IVF Act and urge immediate passage of this important bill.”

    “The path to parenthood is often filled with emotional and financial challenges, and for too many Americans, uncertainty about the future of IVF only adds to that burden,” said Barbara Collura, President/CEO, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. “No one should have to wonder if accessing medical care to build their family will be legal in their state. We can solve this right now by passing the Protect IVF Act, championed by Senator Tammy Duckworth. This legislation offers a clear solution to protect access to IVF nationwide. It’s time to give people the peace of mind they deserve and ensure that the ability to build a family is protected—once and for all.”

    Full text of the legislation can be found on the Senator’s website.

    Throughout her time in the Senate, Duckworth has made protecting reproductive freedom a top priority in the face of Republicans’ anti-choice crusade. Duckworth has long pushed to pass her Right to IVF Act—which Senate Republicans blocked not once, but twice last year—that would both establish a right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART), expand access for hopeful parents, Veterans and federal employees, as well as lower the costs of IVF for middle class families across the country. Last September’s vote marked the fourth time Senate Republicans blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect access to IVF nationwide—Duckworth’s Access to Family Building Act, which builds on previous legislation she introduced in 2022.

    Duckworth was the first Senator to give birth while serving in office and had both of her children with the help of IVF. In 2018, she advocated for the Senate to change its rules so she could bring her infant onto the Senate floor.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Warren, Democrats Lead Push to Reverse Trump and Hegseth’s Ban on Transgender Servicemembers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 12, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic colleagues in introducing legislation to support our military readiness and national security by prohibiting discrimination against transgender servicemembers.

    “If you are willing to risk your life for our country and you can do the job, it shouldn’t matter if you are gay, straight, transgender, Black, white or anything else,” said Duckworth. “Every transgender servicemember earned their role through rigorous training and is more qualified to serve in those roles than Pete Hegseth is to be Secretary of Defense. I’m proud to join Senator Warren and my Democratic colleagues in working to reverse the Trump Administration’s offensive transgender military ban, which is disruptive to our military, hurts readiness and not only does nothing to strengthen our national security—it actively makes things worse.”

    Banning transgender servicemembers undermines our military’s readiness. The Administration’s actions hurt our national security and dehumanize the thousands of transgender servicemembers who have made meaningful contributions to our Armed Forces. To ensure the United States can continue to benefit from the service of transgender individuals, who have raised their hand to defend and protect their country and meet the same rigorous standards as their peers, the Fit to Serve Act prohibits the Defense Department from: 

    • Banning transgender servicemembers from the military; 
    • Prescribing qualifications for service on the basis of gender identity; 
    • Denying necessary health care for servicemembers on the basis of gender identity; 
    • Forcing a servicemember to serve in their sex assigned at birth; or 
    • Otherwise discriminating against servicemembers on the basis of gender identity.

    In addition to Duckworth and Warren, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA-09) introduced companion legislation in the House, which is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI-01), Becca Balint (D-VT-AL), Joe Courtney (D-CT-02), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03), Laura Friedman (D-CA-30), Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Chris Pappas (D-NH-01), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), Mark Takano (D-CA-41) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12).

    Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), has been leading the opposition in the Senate against Donald Trump’s un-American transgender military service ban. In April, Duckworth led over a dozen of her colleagues in pushing back against the ban for being a blatant violation of our brave servicemembers’ civil rights and weakening our national security. Secretary Hegseth responded to Duckworth’s letter—but he did not answer many of the questions that were asked about the short- and long-term impacts of the ban on servicemembers, readiness and national security as well as taxpayer cost and more. In response, last week Duckworth led 22 of her colleagues in urging Hegseth to not implement the ban and in demanding answers from the Secretary—including what specific data is being used to back up their misguided claim that transgender servicemembers are not in the “interests of national security” and how much it will cost taxpayers to train the replacements of perfectly capable transgender servicemembers that they are forcing out of our military.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IN THE NEWS: Ranking Member Coons highlights Secretary Hegseth’s “poor judgement” in appropriations hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, drew attention for his opening statement and questioning of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday, where he called attention to Secretary Hegseth’s “poor judgement.” Reports noted that Ranking Member Coons criticized Secretary Hegseth’s leadership on multiple fronts, including his failures to secure appropriate funding for the department, his focus on culture war issues at the expense of military readiness, and his role in the administration’s efforts to weaken our nation’s relationships with NATO allies.

    The comments occurred yesterday at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request.

    From the Washington Post: Sen. Chris Coons describes ‘chaos and poor judgement’ under Hegseth

    Sen. Chris Coons (Delaware), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, opened his remarks at a hearing featuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with a list of ways the former Fox News host has exhibited what Coons called “poor judgment” and executed decisions that Coons said are damaging to the country’s military and national security.

    “For the very first time,” Coons noted, U.S. troops are “operating under a full-year continuing resolution” — a temporary piece of legislation to keep the government open because the administration and Congress have failed to pass an annual appropriations bill. And that means “tens of billions of dollars less in purchasing power than under the previous administration,” Coons said.

    From NBC: Sen. Chris Coons says Hegseth spending too much time ‘fighting culture wars’

    Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., the top Democrat on the subcommittee, criticized staffing shake-ups at the Pentagon and the focus on culture war issues…

    He also slammed Hegseth for sharing military information on Signal. “Mishandling important and sensitive information in the middle of an operation by a secretary is unthinkable,” Coons said.

    From NOTUS: Congress Wants to Know Where the Department of Defense’s Budget Is

    “The department has been unacceptably slow in providing us with the account-level information that we need to draft the defense appropriations bill,” Sen. Susan Collins told Hegseth, echoing a critique her Democratic colleague Sen. Chris Coons lodged earlier….

    “We are still waiting for real budget details. This is officially the latest budget submission of the modern era,” Coons said. “This committee, to do its job, wants to work with you on the details.”

    From The Daily Beast: Hegseth Blasted by Top Republican Over Trump-Putin Bromance

    When it was Senator Chris Coons’ turn to question Hegseth, he also raised concerns, and said it seems Putin has no intention of negotiating.

    “It seems to me concerning that the 2026 request eliminates aid to Ukraine entirely,” the Democratic Party senator said.

    Coons also took issue with Hegseth’s comments about Europe freeloading. He noted that Article 5 was only invoked once after 9/11, when America’s allies deployed to Afghanistan alongside the U.S. and suffered casualties. He also noted that 50 other countries have delivered support for Ukraine.

    From the Las Vegas Sun: Senators critical of Defense Secretary as hearing kicks off

    Pete Hegseth met with bipartisan criticism Wednesday as the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee hearing kicked off.

    Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, slammed him, saying that “more of your time so far has been spent inside the building on culture wars, rather than outside the building, deterring real ones.”

    He criticized Hegseth’s moves to fire the previous chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other “qualified uniformed leaders” and said the Pentagon is worried more” about each other than America’s enemies.

    From CBS News [VIDEO]: Coons blasts Hegseth for request to eliminate funding for Ukraine’s war against Russia

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Budd, Blumenthal Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Award MACV-SOG Elite Special Operations Units with Congressional Gold Medal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group (MACV-SOG). The bill recognizes the service members of MACV-SOG, one of the most distinguished and elite special operations units in United States military history, for their achievements in conducting rescue missions for downed pilots, deep-penetration reconnaissance, sabotage, and direct-action missions against the North Vietnamese.

    “MACV-SOG operators rank among the most elite special operations forces in U.S. military history. During the Vietnam War, they carried out highly classified, extraordinarily dangerous missions to combat communist insurgencies by obtaining vital intelligence for critical military operations, setting the gold standard for U.S. special operations. In North Carolina, there are fifty-nine living members of this unit, and many more across the country. Their devotion to duty deserves our deepest respect and recognition. I hope my colleagues will join Senator Blumenthal and I in our effort to honor these service members with a Congressional Gold Medal for their unparalleled bravery, sacrifice, and enduring contributions to our nation’s security,” said Senator Budd.

    “The servicemembers who were a part of MACV-SOG played a vital role in protecting and defending our great nation. Performing highly covert operations, facing incredible dangers, and gathering invaluable intelligence, members of MACV-SOG displayed a bravery and dedication to our country that is profoundly inspiring. Awarding these servicemembers a Congressional Gold Medal rightfully recognizes their great contributions to our nation and shines a light on the pivotal roles they played in our military history,” said Senator Blumenthal.

    Read the full bill text HERE.

    Background

    MACV–SOG was established in January 1964 as a dedicated joint military task force to conduct high-risk and special activities in the denied areas of North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

    These covert operations remained unacknowledged by military leadership and unknown to the United States public until their existence began to be declassified decades later. This secret war denied MACV–SOG members their just recognition and deprived the families of deceased and wounded operators from knowing the full extent of the sacrifice of their loved ones to the United States.

    To date, twelve MACV–SOG operators have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King Announce USS Gravely to Visit Eastport for Fourth of July Celebration

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Eastport will receive a port visit during the city’s 2025 Fourth of July celebration. The U.S. Navy has committed to sending the guided missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG-107), which has a crew complement of approximately 330 sailors.

    USS Gravely is a battle-tested warship and recently saw action in the Red Sea.

    “We are grateful to the U.S. Navy for honoring the State of Maine with this port visit during Eastport’s Fourth of July celebration,” said Senators Collins and King. “The arrival of the USS Gravely will give Mainers a special opportunity to meet the sailors bravely serving our country. It’s an honor to welcome these servicemembers to our state as we mark Independence Day, and we thank the Navy for making this visit possible.”

    The Eastport Fourth of July parade and festival is the largest in the state and draws thousands of Maine people every year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Introduces Legislative Package to Protect American Way of Life from Communist China

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced a legislative package of four bills that would counter malicious efforts to disrupt American prosperity by Communist China and other adversaries. The package includes the No Capital Gains Allowance for Americans Adversaries Act, the PRC Military and Human Rights Capital Markets Sanctions Act, the No China in Index Funds Act, and the Protecting Endowments from our Adversaries Act (PEOAA). This legislative package limits the ability of adversaries like Communist China from taking advantage of America’s economic strength and tax benefits intended for Americans.
    “Communist China is the greatest threat to the American way of life,” said Ricketts. ”Communist China is actively threatening a rules-based system that has maintained peace and prosperity for over 80 years. America’s markets are supposed to benefit Americans. We can’t allow our markets to fund our adversaries like Communist China.”
    The No Capital Gains Allowance for Americans Adversaries Act would:
    Treat capital gains on all Chinese, Russian, Belarusian, Iranian, and North Korean stocks as ordinary income. Such investments would then not be eligible for the lower capital gains tax rates.
    Eliminate the “step-up in basis” for Chinese, Russian, Belarusian, Iranian, and North Korean assets inherited at death – which reduces an heir’s tax liability by ignoring gains that occurred before inheritance.
    Direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to maintain a public list of securities covered by this Act and require that sellers of covered securities disclosure to customers that sales of those securities will be treated as ordinary income.
    The PRC Military and Human Rights Capital Markets Sanctions Act would:
    Direct the President to compile and maintain a single public list of sanctioned companies and their affiliates.
    These lists include those that target human rights violators, including companies that utilize coerced labor in production, companies that proliferate dangerous technologies, and those that have connections to the Chinese military and intelligence services.

    Prevent U.S. persons from purchasing, selling, or holding:
    A publicly-traded security issued by a sanctioned company or affiliate of the sanctioned company;
    A publicly-traded security that is a derivative of a publicly issued security issued by a sanctioned company or affiliate of the sanctioned company;
    A security that provides investment exposure to a publicly-traded security issued by a sanctioned company or affiliate of the sanctioned company.

    Give a U.S. person 180 days after enactment to divest from the prohibited securities.
    The No China in Index Funds Act would:
    Prohibit index funds from investing in Chinese companies and require them to divest from such investments within 180 days after date of enactment.
    The Protecting Endowments from Our Adversaries Act (PEOAA) would:
    Apply to private college and university endowments over $1,000,000,000
    Disincentivize endowments from investing (directly or indirectly) in adversarial entities that are on any of the following US Government Lists (USG):
    Entity List
    Military End User (MEU) List
    Unverified List
    FCC Covered List

    Impose a 50% excise tax on the principal investment at the time of acquisition if an endowment invests in a company that is listed.
    Impose a 100% excise tax on the realized gains derived from listed investments one year after an entity is listed.
    BACKGROUND:
    Other countries have investment incentives not applicable to some foreign investments. For instance, China provides investment incentives through its tax code, but foreign investments are eligible only with the pre-approval of the Chinese government.
    Companies that have their business relations with the United States cut off or strictly restricted should not be allowed to sell securities in the U.S., or to U.S. persons, whether directly or indirectly through a mutual fund or ETF.
    Index mutual funds minimize their expenses by simply investing in all the companies in a certain market sector, without looking closely at the individual companies. There are unique difficulties in evaluating the risks of investing in Chinese companies. Americans should not invest in these companies without carefully evaluating the risk. This bill will keep these hard-to-evaluate Chinese stocks out of index mutual funds.
    University and college endowments are funds or assets donated to support various activities of the institution. These institutions often invest billions from their endowments into organizations and companies listed on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List. While maintaining a tax advantage, endowments can fund these entities even if they pose national security concerns.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cohen Says Budget Proposal is a “Big Deadly Bill”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) went to the House floor this evening to deliver a speech on the budget bill the House passed last week and the Senate is considering. In his remarks, he said in part:

    “My father was a physician. One of the things he was taught in medical school, as part of the Hippocratic Oath, was ‘Do No Harm.’ Our budgets are doing a great deal of harm to our health care system. The Association of Medical Colleges came out with a statement yesterday that our heath care is in ‘existential crisis’ because of the cuts to research and the cuts to graduate medical education; that our medical schools will suffer, the number of doctors that are produced will suffer. And that’s not even to mention the needs of the people by taking away their Medicaid, their ACA, taking away that health care. Do No Harm. This bill is a big, deadly bill. People will die because of it. We’re not putting money to the NIH that does the research to protect us from cancer, from Alzheimer’s, from Parkinson’s, heart disease and diabetes – the diseases that kill us. The NIH is our Department of Defense. Francis Collins did a great job; left it in good hands. Do No Harm”

    See the speech here.

    # # # 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy to Defense Secretary Hegseth: You Are Not Willing to Defend Our Democracy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    [embedded content]

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, on Wednesday questioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a Defense Subcommittee hearing on President Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Murphy challenged Hegseth on his readiness to deploy the military for President Trump’s political benefit but not to defend the Capitol during January 6th. He also pushed Hegseth to explain why taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill to modify and upgrade the luxury jet the Qatari government gifted Trump for his personal use after his term ends. 

    Murphy pressed Hegseth for refusing to say whether he supported calling in the National Guard to quell the January 6th Capitol riot: “I think that speaks to the worry that many Americans have, that there is a double standard. That you are not willing to defend against attacks made on our democracy by supporters of the president, but you are willing to deploy the National Guard to protect against protesters who are criticizing the president. 

    Murphy continued: “That’s not how our taxpayer dollars are supposed to work. They’re supposed to be used to defend the United States, no matter the nature of the political affiliation of the protesters.” 

    Murphy highlighted the brazen corruption of using taxpayer dollars to upgrade the luxury jet from Qatar after Hegseth confirmed it would be transferred to Trump after his presidency ended:  “Why would we ask the American taxpayer to spend upwards of a billion dollars on a plane that would then only be used for a handful of months and then transferred directly to the president? … I think this is extraordinary, Mr. Chairman. We’re talking about a pretty massive investment of appropriations dollars into a plane that, the Secretary is saying, is currently planned to be transferred personally to the president. There’s a lot of other pending needs that we need to fund. This would seem to be low on the list.” 

    A full transcript of Murphy’s exchange with Hegseth can be found below:

    MURPHY: “Thank you very much Mr. Chairman. Thank you Mr. Secretary for being here today.

    “I wanted to build on some of the questions that Senator Schatz was asking, just to try to build a fact predicate for some of the tough spending decisions we’re going to have to make here. Just to confirm, I heard you say, with respect to the gift of the plane from Qatar, that we do not yet have a signed MOU with the government of Qatar, is that right?”

    HEGSETH: “Correct. We’re in the process of working through that.”

    MURPHY: “And did you also say we don’t have a signed contract with the company that is going to do the work, or did you say that we have a contract, you’re just not willing to disclose the terms?”

    HEGSETH: “The terms should not be disclosed of anything related to an aircraft of this type.”

    MURPHY: “So, in 2018, when the contract was signed with Boeing to do the upgrades, or the new contracts for Air Force One, the terms of that contract were disclosed. They were made public. In fact, it was the Trump administration that issued a press release giving the total as $3.9 billion. Are you saying this time around, even after you signed the contract, you’re not going to make public any of the terms of the contract?”

    HEGSETH: “I wasn’t involved in that previous administration decision, but we’re happy to take a look.”

    MURPHY: “The Air Force testified before the House that that contract would likely deliver the new Air Force Ones by the 2028 timeframe. It doesn’t stand to reason that you will be able to retrofit the plane from Qatar much sooner than 2028. I’m trying to understand what the gap is that we’re trying to fill. If this contract ends up being a half a billion dollars and the gap only ends up being six months, that doesn’t sound like a wise investment for this committee to make.”

    HEGSETH: “Senator, I would defer to the expertise of the Air Force as far as timing of modifications and when that would happen, but there’s also been delay after delay after delay on the Boeing side, so I don’t know that a firm fixed date yet, unfortunately, can be counted on.”

    MURPHY: “So, obviously the underlying question here is ‘what is going to happen to the plane at the end of Trump’s presidency?’ The president said on May 12 that this plane would be transferred to his presidential library at the end of his term. Is that your understanding of what is going to happen with this plane?”

    HEGSETH: “The president said that. That’s my understanding, although I would look at what comes out in the MOU.”

    MURPHY: “Why would we ask the American taxpayer to spend upwards of a billion dollars on a plane that would then only be used for a handful of months and then transferred directly to the president? That doesn’t sound like a wise use of taxpayer dollars.”

    HEGSETH: “A lot of the capabilities, as you know, Senator, of that particular platform are and should remain classified. So there are reasons why you might modify, even for a short period of time, an aircraft to ensure the safety and security of the president of the United States.”

    MURPHY: “When do you believe that those upgrades would be made? How long would the president have it before it got transferred to his personal possession?”

    HEGSETH: “That would be a determination of the Air Force, that would take hold of it and make those modifications within whatever time window they believe gets it to the place where it needed to be.”

    MURPHY: “Yeah, I think this is extraordinary, Mr. Chairman. We’re talking about a pretty massive investment of appropriations dollars into a plane that, the secretary is saying, is currently planned to be transferred personally to the president. There’s a lot of other pending needs that we need to fund. This would seem to be low on the list. 

    “Mr. Secretary, one final question. Obviously you know that there is a concern in the public about a double standard that is applied to protests – sometimes protest that turns violent. The president, when he came into office, issued pardons to the individuals that attacked the United States Capitol, including those individuals who beat, savagely, police officers. You have deployed the National Guard and readied Marines in a way that many people think is unnecessary given the state and the local resources. So maybe let me ask the question this way so that you can assuage people’s concerns that there is a double standard: the National Guard was deployed here on January 6, and that was a decision made by the Department of Defense. Do you support that decision? Do you believe that that was the right decision, to deploy the National Guard to defend the Capitol on January 6?”

    HEGSETH: “All I know is it’s the right decision to be deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles to defend ICE agents, who deserve to be defended in the execution of their jobs.”

    MURPHY: “But I think it’s important to know whether you think it was also important to have the National Guard defending the United States Capitol, when there were violent protesters here on the president’s behalf, to make sure that folks know that you care about protest, whether it’s against the president or on behalf of the president.”

    HEGSETH: “Senator, I was in the Washington D.C. National Guard when that happened, and was initially ordered to go guard the inauguration of Joe Biden. But because of the politicization of the Biden administration, my orders were revoked, and ultimately, because of the politics that were being played inside the Defense Department by the previous administration.”

    MURPHY: “But do you support the decision made on January 6 to send the National Guard here to defend the Capitol?”

    HEGSETH: “I support the decision that President Trump made, in requesting the National Guard, that was denied. President Trump requested support for the National Guard in advance and was denied.”

    MURPHY: “You do not support the decision to send the National Guard here to defend the Capitol.  I think that speaks to the worry that many Americans have, that there is a double standard. That you are not willing to defend against attacks made on our democracy by supporters of the president, but you are willing to deploy the National Guard to protect against protesters who are criticizing the president. That’s not how our taxpayer dollars are supposed to work. They’re supposed to be used to defend the United States, no matter the nature of the political affiliation of the protesters. 

    “Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Kelly statement on anti-ICE protests in Chicago

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) released a statement following peaceful protests in Chicago against the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE):

    “Yesterday, thousands of people exercised their constitutional right to peacefully assemble in Chicago to defend their immigrant neighbors. Unlawful detentions and arrests by ICE in the city have caused fear, chaos and untold grief in immigrant communities. The separation of families and random deportation quotas are cruel. I will continue to defend the human dignity of those who choose to call Illinois their home and the civil rights of protestors.

    “As protests in Chicago continue to remain peaceful, I warn against any similar actions taken by President Trump in Los Angeles. He deployed the Marines and National Guard in Los Angeles, calling protestors ‘violent, insurrectionist mobs.’ Where was the National Guard when MAGA extremists stormed the Capitol? I still remember crawling on my hands and knees on the House gallery with my colleagues as we escaped on January 6 – that was a violent insurrection. President Trump needs to stop escalating the situation in Los Angeles and pull out the Marines and National Guard. These abuses of power against our democracy would not be welcomed in Chicago.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Global outrage over Gaza has reinforced a ‘siege mentality’ in Israel – what are the implications for peace?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney

    After more than 20 months of devastating violence in Gaza, the right-wing Israeli government’s pursuit of two irreconcilable objectives — “destroying” Hamas and releasing Israeli hostages — has left the coastal strip in ruins.

    At least 54,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military, close to two million have been forcibly displaced, and many are starving. These atrocities have provoked intense moral outrage around the world and turned Israel into a pariah state.

    Meanwhile, Hamas is resolved to retain control over Gaza, even at the cost of sacrificing numerous innocent Palestinian lives for its own survival.

    Both sides have been widely accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and mainly in Israel’s case, genocide.

    While the obstacles to ending the fighting remain stubbornly difficult to overcome, a troubling pattern has become increasingly apparent.

    The very outrage that succeeded in mobilising, sustaining and swelling international opinion against Israel’s actions — a natural psychological response to systematic injustice — has also reinforced a “siege mentality” already present among many in its Jewish population.

    This siege mentality may have undermined more proactive Israeli Jewish public support for a ceasefire and “day-after” concessions.

    A toxic cocktail of emotions

    Several dominant groups have shaped the conflict’s dynamics, each driven by a distinct set of emotional responses.

    For many Israeli Jews, the massacres of October 7 have aggravated longstanding feelings of victimhood and mistrust, fears of terrorist attacks, perceptions of existential threats, intergenerational traumas stemming from the Holocaust, and importantly, the strong sense of siege mentality.

    Together, these emotions have produced a toxic blend of anger, hatred and intense desire for revenge.

    For the Palestinians, Israel’s devastation of Gaza has followed decades of oppressive occupation, endless rights violations, humiliation and dispossession. This has exacerbated feelings of hopelessness, fear and abandonment by the world.

    The wider, global pro-Palestinian camp has been driven by moral outrage over the atrocities being committed in Gaza, alongside empathy for the victims and a sense of guilt over Western governments’ complicity in the killings through the provision of arms to Israel.

    Similarly, for Israel’s supporters around the world, anger and resentment have led to feelings of persecution, and in turn, victimisation and a sense of siege.

    Many on both sides have become prisoners of this moral outrage. And this has suppressed compassion for the suffering of the “other” — those we perceive as perpetrators of injustice against the side we support.

    Complaints of bias and content omissions

    Choosing sides in a conflict translates almost inevitably into biases in how we select, process and assess new information.

    We search for content that confirms what we already believe. And we discount information that would go against our pre-existing perceptions.

    This tendency also increases our sensitivity to omissions of facts we deem important for our cause.

    Since early in the crisis, voices in the two camps have accused the mainstream media in the West of biased coverage in favour of the “other”. These feelings have added fuel to the moral outrage and sense of injustice among both sides.

    Outrage in the pro-Israel camp has focused mainly on a perceived global conspiracy to absolve Hamas of any responsibility.

    In that view, Israel has been singled out as the only culpable party for the killings in Gaza. This is despite the fact Hamas unleashed the violence on October 7, used the Gazan population as human shields while hiding in tunnels, and refused to release all the Israeli hostages to end the fighting.

    On the other side, pro-Palestinian outrage has focused on “blatant” omissions by the media and Western governments of important historical facts that could provide context for the October 7 attacks.

    These included:

    On both sides, then, significant focus has been placed on omissions of facts that could support one’s own narrative or cause.

    A siege mentality in Israel

    Many Israelis continue to relive October 7 while remaining decidedly blind to the daily horrors their military inflicts on Gaza in their name. For them, the global outrage has reinforced a long-existing and potent siege mentality.

    This mindset has been fed by a reluctance to directly challenge Israeli soldiers risking their lives and other rally-around-the-flag effects. It’s also been bolstered by the desire for revenge and an intense campaign of dehumanising all Palestinians — Hamas or not.

    The so-called “ring of fire” created around Israel by Iran and its proxies —Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Houthis — has further amplified this siege mentality. Their stated objective is the destruction of Israel.

    I’ve conducted an exploratory study of Israeli media, government statements and English Jewish diaspora publications from October 2023 to May 2025, reviewing some 5,000 articles and video clips.

    In this research, I’ve identified strong, consistent uses of siege mentality language, phrases such as:

    In a detailed analysis of 65 English articles from major Israeli outlets, such as The Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel, and Jewish publications in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, I found siege mentality language in nearly nine out of ten searches.

    Importantly, nearly half of these occurrences were in response to pro-Palestinian rhetoric or advocacy: campus protests and actions targeting Israelis or Jews, university groups refusing to condemn October 7, or foreign governments’ recognition of Palestinian statehood.

    The sharp increase in attacks on Jews and Jewish installations since October 7 has also sparked global debates over rising antisemitism. Distinguishing honest critiques of Israel’s actions in Gaza from antisemitic rhetoric has become contentious, as has the use of antisemitism claims by Israeli leaders to dismiss much of this criticism.

    Moving forward

    When viewed through the prism of injustice, the strong asymmetry between Israeli and Palestinian suffering has long been apparent. But it’s grown even wider following Israel’s brutal responses to October 7.

    The culpability of Israel’s government and Hamas for the atrocities in Gaza is incontestable. However, many in the Israeli-Jewish public must also share some of the blame for refusing to stand up to – or by actively supporting – their extremist government’s policies.

    The pro-Palestine movement’s justice-driven campaigns have done much to combat international bystanding and motivate governments to act. At the same time, the unwillingness to unite behind a clearer unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ massacres may have been a strategic mistake.

    By ignoring or minimising the targeting of civilians, the hostage-taking and the reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas, a vocal minority of advocates has weakened the movement’s otherwise strong moral authority with some of the audiences it needed to influence most. First and foremost, this is people in Israel itself.

    My research suggests that while injustice-based outrage can be effective at generating attention and engagement, it can also produce negative side effects. One adverse impact has been the polarisation of the public debate over Gaza, which, in turn, has contributed to the intensification of Israelis’ siege mentality.

    Noam Chomsky, a well-known Jewish academic and fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, once noted in relation to Palestinian advocacy:

    You have to ask yourself, when you conduct some tactic, what the effect is going to be on the victims. You don’t pursue a tactic because it makes you feel good.

    The question, then, is how to harness the strong mobilising power of moral outrage for positive ends – preventing bystander apathy to atrocities – without the potential negative consequences. These include polarisation, expanded violence, feeding a siege mentality (when applicable), and making peace negotiations more difficult.

    The children in Gaza and elsewhere in the world deserve advocacy that will prioritise their welfare over the release of moral outrage — however justified.

    So, what approaches would most effectively help end the suffering?

    Most immediately, the solution rests primarily with Israel and, by extension, the Trump administration as the only international actor powerful enough to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to halt the killings.

    Beyond that, and looking toward the future, justice-based activism should be grounded in universal moral principles, acknowledge all innocent victims, and work to create space for both societies to recognise each other’s humanity.

    I served as a counterterrorism specialist with the Israeli Defence Forces in the 1980s.

    – ref. Global outrage over Gaza has reinforced a ‘siege mentality’ in Israel – what are the implications for peace? – https://theconversation.com/global-outrage-over-gaza-has-reinforced-a-siege-mentality-in-israel-what-are-the-implications-for-peace-258561

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO-Jordan statement on the signature of the legal agreement for the establishment of a diplomatic NATO Liaison Office in Amman

    Source: NATO

    Today NATO and Jordan marked an important milestone in their partnership with the signature of the bilateral legal agreement for the establishment of a NATO Liaison Office (NLO) in Amman, Jordan. The agreement was signed by the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, and the Head of Mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to NATO, H.E. Ambassador Yousef Bataineh.

    The decision to open the Office, which will be the Alliance’s first diplomatic office in the Middle East, was announced in July 2024 at the NATO Summit in Washington D.C. It builds on three decades of deep-rooted bilateral relations between NATO and Jordan, and on the recent decisions taken by Allied leaders to strengthen NATO’s approach towards the southern neighbourhood. This includes increasing presence and visibility in the region in the framework of the Southern Neighbourhood Action Plan.

    The NATO Liaison Office will bring NATO and Jordan even closer together, enhancing political dialogue, practical cooperation and shared understanding of the regional context. It will also contribute to the development and implementation of partnership programmes and activities, particularly in support of Jordan’s Defence Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative, among other projects.

    The signature of the agreement will be followed by the upcoming opening of the NLO in Amman. This builds on a year of significant accomplishments in the NATO-Jordan partnership, including Special Representative Colomina’s visit to Amman last November, and last week’s visit of the Partnerships and Cooperative Security Committee to Jordan.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: 14th China-Switzerland defense policy coordination dialogue held in Beijing 2025-06-12 The 14th China-Switzerland defense policy coordination dialogue was held in Beijing on June 12, 2025.

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      BEIJING, June 12 — The 14th China-Switzerland defense policy coordination dialogue was held in Beijing on June 12, 2025.

      Leader of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China’s Ministry of National Defense co-chaired the dialogue with the Deputy State Secretary of the State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS) and head of SEPOS’s Strategy and Cooperation Division, the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS), Switzerland.

      The two sides had view exchanges on China-Switzerland relations, military-to-military ties, international and regional situations, and other issues of common concern.

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    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Issa Introduces Valor Has No Expiration Act; Heroes to be Recognized Past Time Limits

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Medal of Honor may be awarded for acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty that occurred decades ago because of new legislation authored by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48).

    The Valor Has No Expiration Act extends and expands a key provision from the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that waived the five-year limitation for Medal of Honor consideration—but only for actions occurring between 1940 and 1990, and only for classified “intelligence activities.” Rep. Issa’s bill specifically removes this arbitrary end date and expands the criteria to include acts that were classified or withheld from public record. Current law states that service members must be recommended and awarded within five years.

    “Valor never expires – and neither should the opportunity for our bravest heroes to be recognized with our highest honor,” said Rep. Issa. “There is no reason why those who went above and beyond are ineligible for the Medal of Honor due to an arbitrary time standard, when their true account may not be known or was kept classified for decades.”

    Rep. Issa specifically cited his friend and constituent Royce Williams as both the inspiration and example of why the Act is necessary.

    In 1952 during the Korean Conflict, then-Lieutenant Williams engaged in one of the most dramatic and heroic dogfights in U.S. history, single-handedly taking on and downing multiple Soviet MiG-15 fighters. His action, however, was kept classified for more than 50 years before becoming public, which made Williams ineligible for the Medal of Honor.

    “Captain Royce Williams – now 100 years young — is an American hero of the highest order. Every American should know his story and what he did on that day nearly 73 years ago should go unrecognized no longer,” said Rep. Issa. “With this reform legislation, America’s heroes – whether undiscovered, unknown, or unrevealed – can be honored as they should. Acts of valor have no expiration date.”

    Full text of the Valor Has No Expiration Act can be found here. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Pingree Slams Proposed Republican Cuts to VA and Shipyard Resilience During Appropriations Bill Markup

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Today, during the House Appropriations Committee’s markup of the Fiscal Year 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree blasted Republicans’ proposed funding cuts, speaking out against glaring issues in the bill, including giving DOGE unfettered access to the VA and ignoring critical resilience efforts for Maine’s public shipyards. A summary of the bill is available here.  [embedded content]
    Click here to watch Pingree’s opening remarks; Watch the full markup here.

    Pingree’s full remarks are copied below.

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

    I am extremely disappointed to see the damage to the vital funding for the MilCon-VA bill that is done in this bill before us today.

    Just to mention a few things. You’ve heard people talking about the 80,000 proposed staffing cuts [at the VA], which is absolutely a way to move forward to privatizing our veterans’ medical care. This cuts veterans’ and families’ access to reproductive health care and has many more problems that we’ll have a chance to address in our amendments that will be coming soon.

    But I want to talk about a couple of specific impacts that we will see in Maine. The first one is called Installation Resilience funding—a $30 million cut. Now it’s kind of a wonky term, but it will mean a lot to our state.

    For those of you who don’t know, I am blessed to have the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in my district. Luckily, there’s no one in here from New Hampshire, because sometimes they think it’s a New Hampshire shipyard. But it’s very clearly in Maine, even if it’s called Portsmouth. It is in Kittery, Maine, and it is a vital military facility where we overhaul, repair, and modernize our U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered subs—specifically, the Los Angeles and Virginia class.

    This shipyard, for you history buffs, was established in 1800, and the first ship they built was a 74 gun warship called the USS Washington in 1814. It was a vital shipyard during World War II, where we constructed 75 submarines and had up to 25,000 people there working every day.

    Now, I’m very grateful to this committee for consistently investing in upgrades and improvements in the drydock and modernization of facilities there. But you should know that when you build on the coast—any of your coast, my coast, the West coast—it is not stable. And if you were in Maine in 2024, just a year ago in November, we had two severe storms that wiped out about 50% of our working waterfronts. And even this year, there has been some of the greatest sea level surges in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard recorded in all time.

    So, what happens then? It risks flooding of our nuclear submarines. You can imagine how expensive and delicate this operation is.

    This year, they had to use sheets of plywood to keep the dry docks from flooding. The millions and millions of dollars you have invested are now being kept safe with some sheets of plywood. Why would we spend millions of dollars in the SIOP (Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Project) to modernize these facilities, if we’re not going to spend a measly $30 million for resilience funding?

    It just doesn’t make any sense. You know why? Because resilience is one of those prohibited words. Perhaps it’s woke. Perhaps it means climate change. So, for the sake of some prohibited words and things that people think don’t actually matter, we are not going to protect our essential investment. Now, as you can imagine, I could go on and on, but I do want to mention one more thing.

    The staffing cuts that are being proposed, and have already happened, whether it’s through the DOGE or the deferred resignation—by the way, that deferred resignation that Elon Musk thought up means that you let people out of their jobs, say, “Go ahead, go home, don’t go to work,” but we’ll keep paying you till September—and we can’t fill those vital positions.

    So, all those people who thought, huh, maybe I should take the buyout because I might get fired are sitting home wishing they were at work, getting paid. And we are spending the taxpayers’ dollars for people to do nothing. I am lucky to represent a VA clinic. I also have Togus, a medical facility in my district. And I want you to know the number one call that we get from veterans who call in for constituent service—and I know you all do a lot of veterans’ services in your offices, too—is the wait times for VA appointments. It used to be about 17 days, which is a long time to wait, but most recently we heard from a vet who was recently separated and waited 63 days to get to that appointment. You tell me it’s not going to get worse if we layoff 80,000 more people.

    The need is there. These cuts are shameful. The damage we’re doing in this bill will be shameful. I’m sorry. I can’t support it. And I yield back my time.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union Stays in Fight Against Cuts to Military Veterans’ Care, Benefits

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    Thousands of veterans rallied on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on June 6, the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings that began the end to World War II. The ongoing actions of the so-called DOGE committee and proposed spending cuts being considered by Congress have already hit many current military veterans hard, and the rally was a call to action to stop further cuts to hard fought benefits.   

    The IAM Veterans Services Department and the IAM Human Rights Rapid Response teams showed up to support the rally.

    Current proposals call for 83,000 job cuts at the Veterans Administration.

    “The math just doesn’t math,” said IAM Veterans Services Coordinator Rich Evans.  “Taking away healthcare workers, taking away our claim examiners – it doesn’t make any sense. The VA since the beginning of this year has opened up 10 new clinics, so how are we going to cut 80,000 people?”

    Congressional estimates say that more than 6,000 veterans have already lost their jobs due to the job cuts by the DOGE committee. The job cuts plainly ignored laws under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) and the Servicesmen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly referred to as the GI Bill.

    The currently proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the House, will require spending impoundments if signed into law. 1.6 million veterans receive healthcare through Medicaid. Estimates are that 14 million Medicaid recipients will lose coverage if the OBBB becomes law, including at least 300,000 veterans under age 65, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 1.2 million veterans receive some form of food assistance through SNAP, commonly referred to as “Food Stamps”, but includes programs like “meals on wheels” for home bound disabled people.  

    Unite 4 Veterans rally organizers called attention back to “The Bonus Army” of 1932. At the height of the Great Depression, World War I veterans demanded immediate payment of the “tombstone bonus” that many veterans were desperately waiting on, which would amount to $11,400 in today’s U.S. dollars. 

    In the summer of 1932, 40,000 veterans and their families occupied the National Mall and surrounding areas in tents demanding that President Hoover give the bonus but he refused. In July of 1932, General Douglas McArthur and the U.S. Army used tear gas and tanks to evict the bonus army from the mall and Washington, D.C. That ignited the modern efforts for veterans benefits legislation.

    Bonuses to U.S. service members date back to 1776 when the original Continental Congress offered half-pay for life for any servicemember disabled in the Revolutionary War. In 1781, Congress reneged on that offer, but started war pensions in 1788.

    Veteran U.S. Army assault helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs to an RPG strike in Iraq, and who is now a U.S. Senator from Illinois, was the featured speaker at the rally.  

    “Our mission today is not too different from what it was when we were in uniform,” said Duckworth. “To defend the Constitution, to protect this democracy, to defend freedoms, and to keep our Nation as strong as she should be. I need you to think of today as not just a singular moment, but the start of our new collective mission.”  

    A mission as old as the ink on the U.S. Constitution itself.

    The post IAM Union Stays in Fight Against Cuts to Military Veterans’ Care, Benefits appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom plus the EU High Representative

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    News story

    Joint statement by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom plus the EU High Representative

    Joint Declaration by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom as well as the High Representative of the European Union.

    We met in Rome on 12 June to discuss Euro-Atlantic security and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, for which the NATO Secretary General and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister joined us.

    We reaffirmed our commitment to a stronger and more sovereign Europe, able to defend its citizens and its interests and to contribute to international peace and security. To this end, we will continue working together to strengthen our collective security and defence and to reinforce the European contribution to NATO.

    The Atlantic Alliance remains the cornerstone of our collective defence. The NATO Summit in The Hague will demonstrate our unity, based on an enduring transatlantic bond, an ironclad commitment to defend each other, and fair burden-sharing. The Summit must take further decisions to build a stronger Alliance, prepared to defend every inch of the Allied territory.

    European countries must play an even greater role in ensuring our own security. For European allies to take on more responsibilities within NATO, we called for an ambitious reinforcement of European defence capabilities, stepping up in a flexible and sustainable manner national security and defence expenditures, enabling us to effectively deter and defend across all domains in the Euro-Atlantic area. This includes collaborative projects, joint procurement, and support for interoperability, as well as strengthening our defence technological and industrial base. To this end, we welcomed the European Union’s initiatives in security and defence, fully complementing NATO, while emphasising the need for additional structural measures by the European Union and its partners to mobilise the resources necessary to achieve the new common level of ambition.

    We will continue to work within NATO, the EU, and like-minded formats to achieve our common goals. The EU-UK Security and Defence Partnership is a concrete sign of the resolve to work together, as Europeans, to face an evolving and complex international landscape.

    We recognised that a 360° approach to Euro-Atlantic security is necessary to protect our citizens and societies, to overcome the consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and to counter threats and challenges in all domains in our Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods, and in the Baltic region. We will enhance our partnerships in the regions that have an impact on our security to tackle instability and foster peace and prosperity, especially in the Mediterranean, in Africa, the Western Balkans, in the Black Sea region, and in the MENA region in a context profoundly marked by the attack on 7 October and its aftermath with the need to achieve the release of all the hostages taken by Hamas, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a urgent resumption of aid.

    We once again stressed our unwavering support for Ukraine, its people, its democracy, its security, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. A strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine is vital for the stability and security of the Euro-Atlantic area.

    We welcomed US-led peace efforts and recent talks between Ukraine and Russia as a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Charter. Europe will continue to contribute to these efforts and stands ready to support the implementation of a peace agreement following the principles of the UN Charter. We appreciated Türkiye’s role, being prepared to support any other relevant facilitation initiatives that can contribute to advancing towards a fair and lasting solution.

    We commended Ukraine’s constructive engagement in the process, which demonstrates its strong commitment to peace, particularly its readiness to commit to a 30-day immediate, comprehensive, and unconditional ceasefire as a solid foundation for serious and credible negotiations, as well as the openness for meeting at the presidential level. We urged Russia to reciprocate without further delay, and to drop its unacceptable maximalist demands and preconditions, to prove it is genuinely interested in peace. We deplored recent massive Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilian populations, which are a clear breach of international law.

    To that end, we reiterated our readiness to step up our pressure on Russia as it continues to refuse serious and credible commitments, including through further sanctions and countering their circumvention. We are also ready to swiftly adopt new measures (notably in the energy and banking sectors) aimed at undermining Russia’s ability to continue waging its war of aggression and to ensure Ukraine is placed in the best position possible to secure a just and lasting peace. We are determined to keep Russian sovereign assets in our jurisdictions immobilised until Russia ceases its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused.

    A just and lasting peace must include adequate security guarantees for Ukraine, beginning with a strong Ukrainian army and defence industry. To this end, and building on Transatlantic unity, we will work with Ukraine on initiatives to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces; we are prepared to enhance our support, including through improving defence industrial cooperation with Ukraine, and exploring additional forms of security and defence cooperation in line with our support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

    We will also continue working with the US on this.

    We remain firmly committed to supporting Ukraine’s economic stability under its IMF programme, ensuring it has sufficient fiscal assistance for 2026 and beyond, and its recovery and reconstruction, in close coordination with our international partners. Early recovery and reconstruction will help lay the foundation for a more prosperous Ukraine that is integrated into Europe. This presents an opportunity to embed resilience, foster prosperity, and advance reforms toward Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, with the ultimate goal of EU membership, adopting a “whole of society” approach and focusing on “building back better”. The Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will be hosted by Italy in July 2025, will represent a pivotal moment for advancing such efforts.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nevada Woman Sentenced to 120 Months for $7 Million Advance Fee Ponzi Scheme and Obstructing the Government’s Investigation

    Source: US FBI

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A Nevada woman was sentenced to 120 months in prison for orchestrating a $7 million advance fee Ponzi scheme and obstructing the government’s investigation, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Anna Kline, formerly Jordana Weber, 35, of Sparks, Nevada, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to two counts of an Indictment charging her with wire fraud. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence in Camden federal Court. Kline was also ordered to serve three years’ supervised release and pay $3,403,000 in restitution.

    According to the Indictment and documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    The Fraud Scheme

    Between April 2017 and July 2019, Kline owned and operated several shell companies that falsely purported to offer lending services to customers, typically small business owners seeking high value loans, often in excess of $100 million.  As part of the scheme, Kline required the victim borrowers to pay up to 5% of a potential total loan amount as a “fee” prior to the loan being funded.

    After the victim’s “fee” was paid, Kline purported to conduct due diligence on the loans. During this period, Kline frequently gave victims bogus explanations for why the funding of their loan was delayed. It was also common for the victims to be provided with falsified or fraudulent documents, including bank statements that purported to show that the shell companies had sufficient money to fund the loan.

    Throughout the scheme, Kline and her significant other, Jason Torres, used the “fees” paid by the victims for their daily living expenses, as well as for numerous lavish purchases, which included several luxury vehicles, high priced artwork, and vacations.  The “fees” were also used to pay back previous victims of the fraud, in the manner of a traditional Ponzi scheme.

    At least six victims transferred a total of approximately $7 million being transferred to bank accounts controlled by the Kline as a result of the scheme.

    Kline’s Obstruction

    Kline was arrested on charges related to the fraudulent advance fee scheme in July 2019. While released on bail on those charges, Kline, through her then-attorney, Attorney-1, provided the Government with a .pdf document that purported to be a portion of a Cellebrite report showing iMessages between Kline and Torres that appeared to show Torres making threats toward Kline and insinuating that Torres was primarily responsible for the fraudulent advance fee scheme.

    A forensic review of the .pdf document Kline provided to the Government revealed that it had been falsified.  Further investigation revealed that Kline presented the fake Cellebrite report to a Family Court in California as part of a custody dispute between Kline and Torres.  During that hearing, Kline represented that the report had been generated by a forensic examiner named “Drew Andrews.”  Investigation revealed that “Andrews” did not exist but was actually an alter-ego of Kline’s that Kline used to deceive the California Family Court, Attorney-1, and a forensic expert into believing that the fraudulent Cellebrite Report was legitimate.

    In addition to the fraudulent Cellebrite report, Kline also provided the Government a computer that she claimed contained an iTunes backup that included the alleged text messages from Torres.  A forensic review of the computer revealed that data on the computer, including the iTunes backup, had been manipulated. Specifically, certain time stamps on the computer had been changed to make it appear as if the iTunes backup and other files stored on the computer were created in April 2020, when the fictional “Andrews” purportedly ran the fraudulent Cellebrite Report.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark. 

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel:

    Michael Huff, Esq., Philadelphia, PA

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Passaic County Lawyer Sentenced to 21 Months for Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $300,000 in COVID-19 Relief Funds

    Source: US FBI

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey attorney was sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $300,000 in COVID-19 relief benefits, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced. 

    Morton Chirnomas, 62, of Clifton, New Jersey previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to an Information charging him with wire fraud. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence in Camden federal Court. Chirnomas was also ordered to serve three years’ supervised release.

    According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

    From May 2020 to September 2020, Chirnomas fraudulently obtained a $150,000 loan through the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans program. He also falsely obtained $200,000 in unemployment insurance benefits using the names and identities of other people without their authorization. 

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited postal inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark.

    The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                                                          ###

    Defense counsel: Saverio A. Viggiano, Newark, New Jersey

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NATO Deputy Secretary General addresses the Brussels Forum on Transatlantic Defence

    Source: NATO

    On Wednesday (11 June 2025) at the Brussels Forum, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska underlined the relevance of the transatlantic bond throughout the Alliance’s 75 year history.

    In a session titled “Transatlantic Defence: Who Pays? Who Acts?,” moderated by Claudia Major, Senior Vice President of the GMF, the Deputy Secretary General emphasised that European and US defence efforts must remain transatlantic and complementary. In addition, Ms Shekerinska highlighted that European Allies and Canada are “taking more responsibility and this will make the Alliance a more formidable military partnership.”

    She outlined that the upcoming Summit in the Hague will create the grounds for a stronger, better, fairer and even more lethal NATO.

    The Brussels Forum is an annual event organised by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States. The Deputy Secretary General participated in an on-stage conversation with other panellists, including  Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space at the European Commission, Maria Malmer Stenergard, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • Government e-Marketplace surges past ₹4 lakh crore GMV in just 10 months of FY 2024-25

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Under the transformative leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who completes 11 years in office, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has achieved a remarkable milestone by surpassing a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of ₹4.09 lakh crore within the first 10 months of Fiscal Year 2024-25. This feat, announced by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, reflects a nearly 50% growth compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, cementing GeM’s role as a cornerstone of India’s digital procurement revolution.

    Launched in August 2016, GeM has emerged as a trusted platform for transparent and efficient public procurement, serving over 1.6 lakh government entities and 22.5 lakh sellers and service providers. The platform’s GMV for FY 2024-25, achieved by January 23, 2025, outpaces last year’s historic high of ₹4 lakh crore, driven significantly by the services segment, which accounted for ₹2.54 lakh crore (62% of total GMV). The product segment contributed ₹1.55 lakh crore (38%). The services segment’s near-100% growth, fueled by the addition of 19 new service categories, has enabled government entities to procure specialized services like debit card printing, bulk email services, dark fiber leasing, and data center operations management with enhanced efficiency.

    Central government entities, particularly the ministries of Coal, Defence, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Power, and Steel, have been pivotal in this surge. The Ministry of Coal led as the top procurer, with a transacted order value of nearly ₹1.63 lakh crore, including over 320 high-value bids worth approximately ₹42,000 crore for handling and transport services by Coal PSUs. GeM’s versatility is evident in its facilitation of both everyday essentials, such as rations and stationery, and high-end, complex items like advanced technology systems and missile components.

    The platform’s operational excellence was further highlighted by processing 49,960 orders in a single day during FY 2024-25, showcasing its robustness and widespread adoption. Since its inception, GeM has facilitated over 2.59 crore orders, amassing a cumulative GMV of more than ₹11.64 lakh crore. Continuous reforms, including simplified processes and reduced transaction charges, have made GeM more accessible, particularly for Micro and Small Enterprises, startups, and women-led businesses.

  • MIL-OSI: Drone Industry Applauds AUVSI Advancing U.S. Leadership in Drones Operations Putting Spotlight on Drone Stocks

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) applauded executive orders advancing U.S. leadership in drones on what they called an historic day for advanced aviation. AUVSI represents leaders from more than 60 countries across industry, government, and academia in the defense, civil and commercial sectors. AUVSI has long advocated for many of these reforms through active engagement with the White House, public comments, Congressional testimony, and federal agency engagement. An outpouring of support from AUVSI member companies highlights the strong industry consensus on the Executive Orders and their significance for the future of autonomous aviation. Active Companies in the markets today include ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZENA), Unusual Machines, Inc. (NYSE American: UMAC), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX).

    Example of the key provisions of the AUVSI executive orders include: BVLOS Expansion and Drone Integration Acceleration: Directs the FAA to enable routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations for commercial and public safety missions, and to accelerate development, testing, and scaling of U.S. drone technologies, including advanced air mobility and autonomous systems. — Updated UAS Integration Roadmap: Calls for the FAA to publish a revised roadmap for the integration of civil UAS into the National Airspace System, reflecting updated capabilities and timelines. — Domestic Drone Industrial Base Strengthening: Prioritizes U.S.-manufactured UAS in federal procurement, promotes their export, and takes steps to protect critical drone technologies from foreign exploitation. — Supporting the Warfighter and Airspace Access: Improves access to high-performance, U.S.-made drones for military use and streamlines airspace and spectrum access to better support national security missions. — Detection and Tracking Authorities & Grants: Authorizes federal agencies to use existing legal authorities to detect, track, and identify drones and drone signals; and allows state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) agencies to access grant programs for related detection technologies.

    ZenaTech (NASDAQ:ZENA) ZenaDrone to File Patent and Accelerate Deployment of Counter-UAS Technology on the ZenaDrone 1000 in Response to US Executive Order – ZenaTech, Inc. (FSE: 49Q) (BMV: ZENA) (“ZenaTech”), a technology company specializing in AI (Artificial Intelligence) drone, Drone as a Service (DaaS), enterprise SaaS, and Quantum Computing solutions, today announces its subsidiary ZenaDrone’s intent to file a patent and accelerate the deployment of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (Counter-UAS) technology, to be mounted on the company’s flagship ZenaDrone 1000 drone platform in response to a new executive order policy directive. Counter-UAS technology refers to tools or systems that can detect, track, or mitigate unauthorized or dangerous drones to protect people, property, and airspace.

    ZenaDrone’s technology for this was originally designed last year but was placed on hold as the company prioritized other commercial and defense applications. However, the recent policy directive on Counter-UAS contained in the June 6th, 2025, White House Executive Order, ‘Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty’, has clarified the urgency and importance of bringing effective drone defense solutions to market. In response, ZenaDrone is accelerating development and commercialization efforts to meet growing domestic and international demand.

    “We developed our Counter-UAS system with future threats in mind, and the Executive Order has made it clear that the time to act is now,” said Dr. Shaun Passley, CEO of ZenaTech. “Integrating this technology into the ZenaDrone 1000 positions us to meet urgent security needs with a smart, autonomous aerial defense platform and be seen as a provider of safe, trusted, and mission-ready solutions.”

    The company will immediately expand its engineering and defense teams to fast-track R&D, testing, and deployment. The enhanced ZenaDrone 1000 will feature real-time threat detection and neutralization capabilities, making it a viable solution for military, homeland security, and critical infrastructure protection operations.

    The recent executive order, one of two historic policy directives announced on June 6th, 2025, provides a boost to US drone companies by driving demand for counter-UAS technologies, setting needed federal standards for secure airspace integration, and prioritizing US-made systems over foreign alternatives.

    The ZenaDrone 1000 is an AI multifunction autonomous drone that is a 12X7-foot rotary-wing octocopter design—built for commercial applications including surveillance, inspection and precision agriculture, as well as for defense. It features a patented foldable-wing design, can carry up to a 40 kg or 88 lbs of payload, and can fly for up to an hour before recharging on its docking station. It can be equipped with a variety of thermal imaging, LiDAR, or multispectral sensors to enable real-time ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), border patrol, and other defense applications.   Continued… Read this full release by visiting: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-zena/

    Other recent developments in the markets include:

    Unusual Machines, Inc. (NYSE American: UMAC), a U.S.-based manufacturer of drones and NDAA-compliant components, recently announced it has signed a lease for a 17,000-square-foot drone motor production facility in Orlando, Florida. The factory will significantly expand the company’s domestic manufacturing capabilities. Motor deliveries from this facility are scheduled to begin in September 2025.

    The facility is designed to support the production of high-performance brushless motors for First-Person View (FPV) and commercial drones. Initially, it will focus on three core motor sizes: 2207, 2807, and 3220. In-house winding capabilities will support both standard and custom KV ratings and hybrid workcells will allow for both high-volume and small-batch production. The space is located near the company’s existing headquarters and is an expansion of Unusual Machines’ Orlando campus. The proximity to Rotor Riot’s technical team and pilot community allows for rapid product feedback and alignment with end-user needs. The production system is designed to eventual scale to monthly production volumes exceeding 50,000 motors.

    AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) recently announced that it will report its financial results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2025, which ended April 30, 2025, after the market closes on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Management will host a conference call and live audio webcast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time that same day to discuss the results. The call will be led by Wahid Nawabi, AV’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer; Kevin P. McDonnell, executive vice president and chief financial officer; and Denise Pacioni, director, investor relations.

    Investors may access the conference call by registering through the following link up to 10 minutes before the event begins:

    Conference Call Details:

    Date: June 24, 2025

    Time: 4:30 p.m. ET | 1:30 p.m. PT | 2:30 p.m. MT | 3:30 p.m. CT

    Participant registration URL: https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI7c8f067ba6664132925fef2e6130428b

    Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), a technology company in defense, national security and global markets, announced recently that it was awarded a task order under the Command and Control System-Consolidated (CCS-C) Sustainment and Resiliency (C-SAR) contract with the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to support ground system capabilities for Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (SATCOM) (ESS). The ESS system will provide the survivable and endurable satellite communications capability for the Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) mission in all operational environments.

    First, the task order will begin to lay the CCS-C infrastructure groundwork to eventually support an out-of-band (OOB) ESS telemetry, tracking, and command capability as part of the larger SSC Military Communications & Positioning, Navigation and Timing Program Executive Office (PEO) mission. Second, it will create the necessary infrastructure to link the ground system solutions as required for operations. Third, through a pair of study efforts, it will facilitate the development of a road map for implementation of ESS Mission Unique Software and CCS-C micro-services implementation. Finally, the effort will facilitate a prototyping effort to allow CCS-C users to utilize new enterprise architecture.

    Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, was recently awarded a $646 million contract to continue producing AN/SPY-6(V) radars for the U.S. Navy. This is the fourth option exercised from the March 2022 hardware, production and sustainment contract that is valued up to $3 billion over five years.

    Under this contract, the U.S. Navy will receive four additional radars, increasing the total amount of radars under contract for procurement to 42.

    “SPY-6 enables the U.S. Navy to see further than they’ve ever seen before, providing sailors with more time to respond to detected threats,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. “This latest contract builds on our decades of experience and technical expertise in developing modular, scalable, and highly maintainable radars.”

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    This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “may”, “future”, “plan” or “planned”, “will” or “should”, “expected,” “anticipates”, “draft”, “eventually” or “projected”. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company’s annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

    Contact Information:

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    SOURCE: FN Media Group

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Canada’s $80 Billion Defence Modernization Package Signals Strategic Shift—Draganfly Positioned for Rapid Growth with Integration of DND-Specified Radio Systems

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Toronto, ON , June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a decisive move to fortify Canada’s national security capabilities, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced an $80 billion long-term defence investment package focused on technological modernization, domestic industrial capacity, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This landmark announcement, inclusive of robust support for drone development and Canadian manufacturing, marks a generational shift in federal defence procurement strategy.

    Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO) (CSE: DPRO) (FSE: 3U8), an award-winning, industry-leading drone solutions and systems developer. Draganfly is positioned to contribute to objectives within the Our North Strong and Free (ONSAF) defence policy expansion. Draganfly’s interoperable and multi-mission family of UAS platforms is strategically aligned with stated DND priorities such as “Expanding and Enhancing Existing and Emerging Military Capabilities” related to border security and Arctic sovereignty. Demonstrating this adaptability, Draganfly confirms the successful integration and demonstration of a Department of National Defence (DND)-specified radio communications system into its flagship drone platforms, in addition to several other communication system integrations to support interoperability with existing assets. These integrations help prime the company for eligibility in upcoming federal UAS procurements that emphasize secure, interoperable, and sovereign systems.

    Draganfly, with multiple R&D and Manufacturing sites in Canada, is one of the world’s longest standing commercial UAS manufacturers. The capacity for expansion of domestic production, in combination with long standing strategic relationships that Draganfly holds with various related technologies providers across various Five Eyes regions uniquely positions Draganfly as a technology integrator and solutions provider.

    This week’s developments signal a major policy realignment by Ottawa, anchoring defence spending to strategic domestic priorities such as resilient supply chains, sovereign manufacturing, and interoperability with NATO and Five Eyes partners. The emphasis on drone capabilities and homeland industrial content is particularly relevant in an era marked by asymmetric threats and hybrid warfare.

    Prime Minister Carney’s announcement effectively maps a multi-year demand curve for Canadian aerospace, cybersecure communications, and autonomous systems providers. Analysts anticipate that a minimum of 20% of the $80B envelope will be earmarked for next-generation battlefield technologies, with drones expected to account for a significant share of this investment.

    Draganfly’s ability to support existing architecture and protocols while providing the ability to rapidly test and adopt emerging technologies with domestic manufacturing and engineering expertise is poised to support these pillars of the Defence Modernization package. Adoption of Draganfly product for testing and use by Canadian and US Military Customers and Prime Contractors through 2024 and 2025, validates its platforms for critical applications such as reconnaissance, force protection, and logistics resupply. This positions Draganfly as one of the few Canadian OEMs and Supply Chain Managers capable of delivering mission-ready systems that meet both tactical requirements and industrial policy criteria.

    Strategic Implications for Capital Markets and Domestic Industry

    • Domestic Preference: The federal focus on Canadian manufacturing aligns with the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy, making domestically-integrated platforms poised to win procurement bids.
    • Supply Chain Security: In an age of escalating global tensions, Canada is reducing reliance on foreign critical components. Draganfly’s control over its own airframe and avionics IP gives it a defensible advantage.
    • Dual-Use Upside: Beyond military contracts, the integrated communication system enhances the company’s value proposition in emergency response, disaster relief, and public safety markets.
    • Revenue Catalysts: Analysts expect RFIs and RFPs for defence-grade drones to accelerate in the second half of 2025, with contract awards potentially materializing as early as Q1 2026. Draganfly’s early compliance could provide a first-mover advantage.

    About Draganfly

    Draganfly Inc. (NASDAQ: DPRO; CSE: DPRO; FSE: 3U8) is the creator of quality, cutting-edge drone solutions, software, and AI systems that revolutionize how organizations can do business and serve their stakeholders. Recognized as being at the forefront of technology for over 25 years, Draganfly is an award-winning industry leader serving the public safety, agriculture, industrial inspections, security, mapping, and surveying markets. Draganfly is a company driven by passion, ingenuity, and the need to provide efficient solutions and first-class services to its customers around the world with the goal of saving time, money, and lives.

    NASDAQ (DPRO)
    CSE (DPRO)
    FSE (3U8)

    Media Contact:
    Erika Racicot
    Email: media@draganfly.com

    Company Contact:
    Email: info@draganfly.com

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward-looking ‎‎‎‎information” as ‎‎‎‎defined under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎and information can ‎‎‎‎generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ‎‎‎‎‎“may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, ‎‎‎‎‎“estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans” or similar ‎‎‎‎terminology. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎and information are based on forecasts of future ‎‎‎‎results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and ‎‎‎‎assumptions that, while believed by ‎‎‎‎management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant ‎‎‎‎business, economic and ‎‎‎‎competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements ‎‎‎‎include, but are not ‎‎‎‎limited to, statements with respect to Draganfly’s interoperable and multi-mission family of UAS platforms being strategically aligned with stated DND priorities such as “Expanding and Enhancing Existing and Emerging Military Capabilities” related to border security and Arctic sovereignty as well as the statement regarding analysts’ anticipation that a minimum of 20% of the $80B envelope will be earmarked for next-generation battlefield technologies, with drones expected to account for a significant share of this investment. Forward-‎‎‎‎looking statements and information are subject to various ‎known ‎‎and unknown risks and ‎‎‎‎‎uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to ‎control or ‎‎predict, that ‎‎‎‎may cause ‎the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be ‎materially ‎‎different ‎‎‎‎from those ‎expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions ‎about ‎‎such ‎‎‎‎risks, uncertainties ‎and other factors set out here in, including but not limited to: the potential ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎impact of epidemics, ‎pandemics or other public health crises, including the ‎COVID-19 pandemic, on the Company’s business, operations and financial ‎‎‎‎condition; the ‎‎‎successful integration of ‎technology; the inherent risks involved in the general ‎‎‎‎securities markets; ‎‎‎uncertainties relating to the ‎availability and costs of financing needed in the ‎‎‎‎future; the inherent ‎‎‎uncertainty of cost estimates; the ‎potential for unexpected costs and ‎‎‎‎expenses, currency ‎‎‎fluctuations; regulatory restrictions; and liability, ‎competition, loss of key ‎‎‎‎employees and other related risks ‎‎‎and uncertainties disclosed under the ‎heading “Risk Factors“ ‎‎‎‎in the Company’s most recent filings filed ‎‎‎with securities regulators in Canada on ‎the SEDAR ‎‎‎‎website at www.sedar.com and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on EDGAR through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes ‎‎‎no obligation to update forward-‎looking ‎‎‎‎information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-‎‎‎looking information represents ‎‎‎‎‎managements’ best judgment based on information currently available. ‎‎‎No forward-looking ‎‎‎‎statement ‎can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. ‎‎‎Accordingly, readers ‎‎‎‎are advised not to ‎place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or ‎‎‎information.‎

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Chris Hedges: The last days of Gaza

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    The genocide is almost complete. When it is concluded it will have exposed the moral bankruptcy of Western civilisation, writes Chris Hedges.

    ANALYSIS: By Chris Hedges

    This is the end. The final blood-soaked chapter of the genocide.

    It will be over soon. Weeks. At most.

    Two million people are camped out amongst the rubble or in the open air. Dozens are killed and wounded daily from Israeli shells, missiles, drones, bombs and bullets.

    They lack clean water, medicine and food. They have reached a point of collapse. Sick. Injured. Terrified. Humiliated. Abandoned. Destitute. Starving. Hopeless.

    In the last pages of this horror story, Israel is sadistically baiting starving Palestinians with promises of food, luring them to the narrow and congested nine-mile ribbon of land that borders Egypt. Israel and its cynically named Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), allegedly funded by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the Mossad, is weaponising starvation.

    It is enticing Palestinians to southern Gaza the way the Nazis enticed starving Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto to board trains to the death camps. The goal is not to feed the Palestinians. No one seriously argues there is enough food or aid hubs. The goal is to cram Palestinians into heavily guarded compounds and deport them.

    What comes next? I long ago stopped trying to predict the future. Fate has a way of surprising us. But there will be a final humanitarian explosion in Gaza’s human slaughterhouse. We see it with the surging crowds of Palestinians fighting to get a food parcel, which has resulted in Israeli and US private contractors shooting dead at least 130 and wounding over seven hundred others in the first eight days of aid distribution.

    We see it with Benjamin Netanyahu’s arming ISIS-linked gangs in Gaza that loot food supplies. Israel, which has eliminated hundreds of employees with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), doctors, journalists, civil servants and police in targeted assassinations, has orchestrated the implosion of civil society.

    I suspect Israel will facilitate a breach in the fence along the Egyptian border. Desperate Palestinians will stampede into the Egyptian Sinai. Maybe it will end some other way. But it will end soon. There is not much more Palestinians can take.

    We — full participants in this genocide — will have achieved our demented goal of emptying Gaza and expanding Greater Israel. We will bring down the curtain on the live-streamed genocide. We will have mocked the ubiquitous university programmes of Holocaust studies, designed, it turns out, not to equip us to end genocides, but deify Israel as an eternal victim licensed to carry out mass slaughter.

    The mantra of never again is a joke. The understanding that when we have the capacity to halt genocide and we do not, we are culpable, does not apply to us. Genocide is public policy. Endorsed and sustained by our two ruling parties.

    There is nothing left to say. Maybe that is the point. To render us speechless. Who does not feel paralyzed? And maybe, that too, is the point. To paralyse us. Who is not traumatised? And maybe that too was planned. Nothing we do, it seems, can halt the killing. We feel defenceless. We feel helpless. Genocide as spectacle.

    I have stopped looking at the images. The rows of little shrouded bodies. The decapitated men and women. Families burned alive in their tents. The children who have lost limbs or are paralyzed. The chalky death masks of those pulled from under the rubble. The wails of grief. The emaciated faces. I can’t.

    This genocide will haunt us. It will echo down history with the force of a tsunami. It will divide us forever. There is no going back.

    Palestinians under the rubble in 2023 after Israeli airstrike of homes in the Gaza Strip. Image: Ashraf Amra /United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East/ Wikimedia Commons /CC BY-SA 4.0

    And how will we remember? By not remembering.

    Once it is over, all those who supported it, all those who ignored it, all those who did nothing, will rewrite history, including their personal history. It was hard to find anyone who admitted to being a Nazi in post-war Germany, or a member of the Klu Klux Klan once segregation in the southern United States ended.

    A nation of innocents. Victims even. It will be the same. We like to think we would have saved Anne Frank. The truth is different. The truth is, crippled by fear, nearly all of us will only save ourselves, even at the expense of others. But that is a truth that is hard to face. That is the real lesson of the Holocaust. Better it be erased.

    In his book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, Omar El Akkad writes:

    “Should a drone vaporize some nameless soul on the other side of the planet, who among us wants to make a fuss? What if it turns out they were a terrorist?

    “What if the default accusation proves true, and we by implication be labeled terrorist sympathisers, ostracised, yelled at? It is generally the case that people are most zealously motivated by the worst plausible thing that could happen to them.

    “For some, the worst plausible thing might be the ending of their bloodline in a missile strike. Their entire lives turned to rubble and all of it preemptively justified in the name of fighting terrorists who are terrorists by default on account of having been killed. For others, the worst plausible thing is being yelled at.”

    You can see my interview with El Akkad here.

    You cannot decimate a people, carry out saturation bombing over 20 months to obliterate their homes, villages and cities, massacre tens of thousands of innocent people, set up a siege to ensure mass starvation, drive them from land where they have lived for centuries and not expect blowback.

    The genocide will end. The response to the reign of state terror will begin. If you think it won’t you know nothing about human nature or history. The killing of two Israeli diplomats in Washington and the attack against supporters of Israel at a protest in Boulder, Colorado, are only the start.

    Chaim Engel, who took part in the uprising at the Nazis’ Sobibor death camp in Poland, described how, armed with a knife, he attacked a guard in the camp.

    “It’s not a decision,” Engel explained years later. “You just react, instinctively you react to that, and I figured, ‘Let us to do, and go and do it.’ And I went.

    “I went with the man in the office and we killed this German. With every jab, I said, ‘That is for my father, for my mother, for all these people, all the Jews you killed.’”

    The Sobibor extermination camp gate in the spring of 1943. The pine branches, braided into the fence to make it difficult to see in from the outside. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

    Does anyone expect Palestinians to act differently? How are they to react when Europe and the United States, who hold themselves up as the vanguards of civilisation, backed a genocide that butchered their parents, their children, their communities, occupied their land and blasted their cities and homes into rubble? How can they not hate those who did this to them?

    What message has this genocide imparted not only to Palestinians, but to all in the Global South?

    It is unequivocal. You do not matter. Humanitarian law does not apply to you. We do not care about your suffering, the murder of your children. You are vermin. You are worthless. You deserve to be killed, starved and dispossessed. You should be erased from the face of the earth.

    “To preserve the values of the civilised world, it is necessary to set fire to a library,” El Akkad writes:

    “To blow up a mosque. To incinerate olive trees. To dress up in the lingerie of women who fled and then take pictures.

    “To level universities. To loot jewelry, art, food. Banks. To arrest children for picking vegetables. To shoot children for throwing stones.

    “To parade the captured in their underwear. To break a man’s teeth and shove a toilet brush in his mouth. To let combat dogs loose on a man with Down syndrome and then leave him to die.
    “Otherwise, the uncivilised world might win.”

    There are people I have known for years who I will never speak to again. They know what is happening. Who does not know? They will not risk alienating their colleagues, being smeared as an antisemite, jeopardising their status, being reprimanded or losing their jobs.

    They do not risk death, the way Palestinians do. They risk tarnishing the pathetic monuments of status and wealth they spent their lives constructing. Idols.

    They bow down before these idols. They worship these idols. They are enslaved by them.

    At the feet of these idols lie tens of thousands of murdered Palestinians.

    Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East bureau chief and Balkan bureau chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor and NPR.  He is the host of show The Chris Hedges Report. This article was first published in Scheerpost.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Federal R&D funding boosts productivity for the whole economy − making big cuts to such government spending unwise

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Andrew Fieldhouse, Visiting Assistant Professor of Finance, Texas A&M University

    Research can make everyone better off.
     Emilija Manevska/Moment via Getty Images

    Large cuts to government-funded research and development can endanger American innovation – and the vital productivity gains it supports.

    The Trump administration has already canceled at least US$1.8 billion in research grants previously awarded by the National Institutes of Health, which supports biomedical and health research. Its preliminary budget request for the 2026 fiscal year proposed slashing federal funding for scientific and health research, cutting the NIH budget by another $18 billion – nearly a 40% reduction. The National Science Foundation, which funds much of the basic scientific research conducted at universities, would see its budget slashed by $5 billion – cutting it by more than half.

    Research and development spending might strike you as an unnecessary expense for the government. Perhaps you see it as something universities or private companies should instead be paying for themselves. But as research I’ve conducted shows, if the government were to abandon its long-standing practice of investing in R&D, it would significantly slow the pace of U.S. innovation and economic growth.

    I’m an economist at Texas A&M University. For the past five years, I’ve been studying the long-term economic benefits of government-funded R&D with Karel Mertens, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. We have found that government R&D spending on everything from the Apollo space program to the Human Genome Project has fueled innovation. We also found that federal R&D spending has played a significant role in boosting U.S. productivity and spurring economic growth over the past 75 years.

    Measuring productivity

    Productivity rises when economic growth is caused by technological progress and know-how, rather than workers putting in more hours or employers using more equipment and machinery. Economists believe that higher productivity fuels economic growth and raises living standards over the long run.

    U.S. productivity growth fell by half, from an average of roughly 2% a year in the 1950s and 1960s to about 1%, starting in the early 1970s. This deceleration eerily coincides with a big decline in government R&D spending, which peaked at over 1.8% of gross domestic product in the mid-1960s. Government R&D spending has declined since then and has fallen by half – to below 0.9% of GDP – today.

    Government R&D spending encompasses all innovative work the government directly pays for, regardless of who does it. Private companies and universities conduct a lot of this work, as do national labs and federal agencies, like the NIH.

    Correlation is not causation. But in a Dallas Fed working paper released in November 2024, my co-author and I identified a strong causal link between government R&D spending and U.S. productivity growth. We estimated that government R&D spending consistently accounted for more than 20% of all U.S. productivity growth since World War II. And a decline in that spending after the 1960s can account for nearly one-fourth of the deceleration in productivity since then.

    These significant productivity gains came from R&D investments by federal agencies that are not focused on national defense. Examples include the NIH’s support for biomedical research, the Department of Energy’s funding for physics and energy research, and NASA’s spending on aeronautics and space exploration technologies.

    Not all productivity growth is driven by government R&D. Economists think public investment in physical infrastructure, such as construction of the interstate highway system starting in the Eisenhower administration, also spurred productivity growth. And U.S. productivity growth briefly accelerated during the information technology boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s, which we do not attribute to government R&D investment.

    More R than D

    We have found that government R&D investment is more effective than private R&D spending at driving productivity, likely because the private sector tends to spend much more on the development side of R&D, while the public sector tends to emphasize research.

    Economists believe the private sector will naturally underinvest in more fundamental research because it is harder to patent and profit from this work. We think our higher estimated returns on nondefense R&D reflect greater productivity benefits from fundamental research, which generates more widely shared knowledge, than from private sector spending on development.

    Like the private sector, the Department of Defense spends much more on development – of weapons and military technology – than on fundamental research. We found only inconclusive evidence on the returns on military R&D.

    R&D work funded by the Defense Department also tends to initially be classified and kept secret from geopolitical rivals, such as the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. As a result, gains for the whole economy from that source of innovation could take longer to materialize than the 15-year time frame we have studied.

    Research takes not just time but money, and the government is now cutting that funding.
    Nitat Termmee/Moment via Getty Images

    Role of Congress

    The high returns on nondefense R&D that we estimated suggest that Congress has historically underinvested in these areas. For instance, the productivity gains from nondefense R&D are at least 10 times higher than those from government investments in highways, bridges and other kinds of physical infrastructure. The government has also invested far more in physical infrastructure than R&D over the past 75 years. Increasing R&D investment would take advantage of these higher returns and gradually reduce them because of diminishing marginal returns to additional investment.

    So why is the government not spending substantially more on R&D?

    One argument sometimes heard against federal R&D spending is that it displaces, or “crowds out,” R&D spending the private sector would otherwise undertake. For instance, the administration’s budget request proposed reducing or eliminating NASA space technology programs it deemed “better suited to private sector research and development.”

    But my colleague and I have found that government spending on R&D complements private investment. An additional dollar of government nondefense R&D spending causes the private sector to increase its R&D spending by an additional 20 cents. So we expect budget cuts to the NIH, NSF and NASA to actually reduce R&D spending by companies, which is also bad for economic growth.

    Federal R&D spending is also often on the chopping block whenever Congress focuses on deficit reduction. In part, that likely reflects the gradual nature of the economic benefits from government-funded R&D, which are at odds with the country’s four-year electoral cycles.

    Similarly, the benefits from NIH spending on biomedical research are usually less visible than government spending on Medicare or Medicaid, which are health insurance programs for those 65 years and older and those with low incomes or disabilities. But Medicare or Medicaid help Americans buy prescription drugs and medical devices that were invented with the help of NIH-funded research.

    Even if the benefits of government R&D are slow to materialize or are harder to see than those from other government programs, our research suggests that the U.S. economy will be less innovative and productive – and Americans will be worse off for it – if Congress agrees to deep cuts to science and research funding.

    The views expressed in the Dallas Fed working paper are the views of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

    Andrew Fieldhouse does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Federal R&D funding boosts productivity for the whole economy − making big cuts to such government spending unwise – https://theconversation.com/federal-randd-funding-boosts-productivity-for-the-whole-economy-making-big-cuts-to-such-government-spending-unwise-255823

    MIL OSI Analysis –