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☆ U.S. Says Russia Has Violated Nuclear-Arms Treaty by Blocking Inspections
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The State Department has found that Moscow is in ‘noncompliance’ with the nuclear-arms accord for the first time. Russia has violated the New START treaty cutting long-range nuclear arms by refusing to allow on-site inspections and rebuffing Washington’s requests to meet to discuss its compliance concerns, the U.S. State Department said in a report sent to Congress on Tuesday. The State Department’s finding that Moscow is in “noncompliance” with the accord marks the first time that the U.S. has accused Russia of violating the treaty, which entered into force in 2011.

☆ DOJ Closes Investigation Into Former Gen. John Allen Without Bringing Charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Justice Department dropped an investigation into whether retired Marine Gen. John Allen allegedly lobbied for the Qatari government, with federal prosecutors declining to bring criminal charges, Gen. Allen’s defense lawyer said. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment but a person familiar with the matter confirmed that federal prosecutors have closed the investigation.

The U.S. and Germany outlined plans Wednesday to send dozens of modern battle tanks to Ukraine, marking a significant new infusion in Western assistance for Kyiv while raising challenges about how to get enough of the potent weaponry to the battlefield in time as Ukraine and Russia prepare new offensives. The White House said that it would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, enough for a Ukrainian tank battalion, while Germany said it would provide 14 Leopard 2 main battle tanks and allow other European nations to provide dozens more of the German-made tanks.

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is poised to send a significant number of Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine, settling a rift that threatened the unity of the alliance supporting Ukraine at a pivotal moment in the war, U.S. officials said. The move, which could be announced as soon as Wednesday, would be part of a broader diplomatic understanding with Germany in which Berlin would agree to send a smaller number of its own Leopard 2 tanks and would approve the delivery of more of the German-made tanks by Poland and other countries.

☆ U.S. Leans Toward Providing Abrams Tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is leaning toward sending a significant number of Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine and an announcement of the deliveries could come this week, U.S. officials said. The announcement would be part of a broader diplomatic understanding with Germany in which Berlin would agree to send a smaller number of its own Leopard 2 tanks and would also approve the delivery of more of the German-made tanks by Poland and other nations. It would settle a trans-Atlantic disagreement over the tanks that had threatened to open fissures as the war drags into the end of its first year.

☆ U.S., Allies Fail to Persuade Germany to Allow Tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ‘s attempt to persuade Berlin to sign off on a proposal to get German-built tanks to Ukraine failed here Friday, the first significant rift within an alliance that has held steady since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago. Berlin’s resistance to pressure from the U.S. and also European allies eager to send their own German-made Leopard 2 tanks has frustrated the White House and many European governments ahead of what they see as a critical phase of the war.

☆ U.S., Japan Expand Security Cooperation With New Steps to Counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | William Mauldin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken took part in consultations aimed at boosting U.S. commitment to Japan. The U.S. and Japan marked a new phase in their security cooperation, announcing initiatives Wednesday to protect Japanese satellites, equip Tokyo with long-range missiles and upgrade U.S. Marine forces in the country to counter China’s full-scale military buildup. The new steps are intended to give Japan a greater role in regional defense, undergirding a new military strategy Tokyo issued last month that signaled a broad shift from the strict constraints the nation imposed on its military operations after World War II.

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration announced a nearly $2 billion arms package for Ukraine that for the first time includes a Patriot air-defense system to help Kyiv protect itself against the barrage of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles Russia has unleashed on the country’s electrical grid and other infrastructure. Also for the first time, the U.S. is providing kits that will enable Ukraine to use its bombs to carry out precision strikes against Russian forces. The $1.85 billion package comes as President Biden welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky , who is scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday afternoon and address members of Congress.

☆ Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Is Set to Visit Washington on Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky also is expected to meet with President Biden during his Washington visit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Biden at the White House and address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, in an effort to buttress political support in Washington as Kyiv is involved in an open-ended conflict to counter Russia’s invasion. A senior Biden administration official said the visit is intended to provide “an important injection of momentum” for continued U.S. and allied support in the months ahead.

☆ U.S. Intelligence Agencies Unprepared for Next Global Health Crisis, House Panel Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Warren P. Strobel | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A House report criticizes former President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic as it spread from China around the globe in early 2020; a Massachusetts Covid-19 ward. WASHINGTON—Three years after Covid-19 began, U.S. intelligence agencies still haven’t made changes needed to provide better warnings of global health crises and support U.S. leaders when the next pandemic hits, a House Intelligence Committee report released on Thursday concludes. “The intelligence community has not recognized that health security is national security–and has not made organizational changes to make that realization manifest,” says the report on spy agencies’ response to the Covid pandemic, which has killed nearly 1.1 million Americans.

☆ NATO Membership for Sweden and Finland on Track, Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( William Mauldin | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Finland and Sweden are on track to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the near future despite friction with Turkey, U.S. and Nordic officials said. The Northern European nations’ foreign ministers met in Washington Thursday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken , and all three voiced optimism that Turkey and Hungary, the final two NATO members that haven’t ratified the new members, would do so soon.

☆ U.S. Altered Himars Rocket Launchers to Keep Ukraine From Firing Missiles Into Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. secretly modified the advanced Himars rocket launchers it gave Ukraine so they can’t be used to fire long-range missiles into Russia, U.S. officials said, a precaution the Biden administration says is necessary to reduce the risk of a wider war with Moscow. The U.S. since June has supplied Ukrainian forces with 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers, or Himars, and a large inventory of satellite-guided rockets with a range of almost 50 miles. Those rockets, known as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, have been used to strike Russian ammunition depots, logistics supplies and command centers on Ukrainian territory.

☆ Russia Cancels Arms-Control Talks, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A recent missile test in Plesetsk, Russia. The New START treaty is due to expire in early 2026. WASHINGTON—Russia has postponed arms-control talks scheduled for this week, U.S. officials said, a fresh setback to efforts to shore up the last major nuclear-weapons treaty between Washington and Moscow. U.S. officials had hoped that the meeting, which had been scheduled for Tuesday in Cairo, would lead to the resumption of inspections under the New START treaty, which cuts long-range U.S. and Russian nuclear arms.

☆ South Korea to Sell Arms to U.S. for Ukrainian Forces Fighting Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

South Korea will for the first time sell artillery shells destined for Ukrainian forces through a confidential arms deal between Seoul and Washington, a move that reflects a global scramble for munitions after months of war with Russia. U.S. officials familiar with the deal said that the U.S. will purchase 100,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery that will be delivered to Ukraine, enough to supply Ukraine’s artillery units for at least several weeks of intensive combat.

☆ Senior White House Official Involved in Undisclosed Talks With Top Putin Aides
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Vivian Salama | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—President Biden’s top national-security adviser has engaged in recent months in confidential conversations with top aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to reduce the risk of a broader conflict over Ukraine and warn Moscow against using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, U.S. and allied officials said. The officials said that U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has been in contact with Yuri Ushakov , a foreign-policy adviser to Mr. Putin. Mr. Sullivan also has spoken with his direct counterpart in the Russian government, Nikolai Patrushev , the officials added. The aim has been to guard against the risk of escalation and keep communications channels open, and not to discuss a settlement of the war in Ukraine, the officials said.

☆ Ukraine’s Patchwork Air Defense Faces New Threat From Cheap Iranian Drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine is relying on a hodgepodge of air-defense systems to counter the Russian threat from the sky that has intensified with Moscow’s use of drones that Ukraine and Western governments say have been supplied by Iran. Kyiv has pleaded for more air-defense help from the U.S. and other Western backers. The top U.S. military officer, Gen. Mark Milley , and other allied officials have promised to help Ukraine acquire additional systems and connect them into an integrated network. But that assistance is coming slowly, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to continued attacks from drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

☆ U.S. Defense Strategy Casts China as Greatest Danger to American Security
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Brett Forrest | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration unveiled a new defense strategy Thursday, casting China as the greatest danger to American security and calling for an urgent, concerted effort to build the military capabilities to deter Beijing in the decades to come. The strategy document warns that China is seeking to undermine U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific, engaging in coercive activity on Taiwan and is posing a potential threat to the U.S. homeland through its ability to mount cyberattacks against the U.S. industrial base and the system used to mobilize American forces.

☆ Ash Carter, Former Defense Secretary Under Obama, Dies at 68
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter , a physicist who pushed for closer ties between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon, opened combat positions to women and helped restructure the war against the Islamic State terror group, died of a heart attack Monday evening, his family said. An experienced Pentagon official, he became President Barack Obama ’s last defense chief, serving from 2015-2017, a period defined by the U.S. campaign against Islamic State.

NATO and Russia are moving ahead with major nuclear exercises amid spiraling tensions over the war in Ukraine and hints from Russian President Vladimir Putin that the territory Moscow claims to have annexed could be protected by nuclear arms. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Monday began its exercise, which is dubbed Steadfast Noon and includes B-52 bombers flying from their base in Minot, North Dakota.

☆ Iran Is Training Russian Drone Pilots in Crimea to Aid Moscow’s War Effort, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Vivian Salama | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Iranian personnel have been working in Crimea to train Russian pilots to use Iranian-made drones, the U.S. said Thursday, as Moscow attempts to maintain its hold on the territory in southern UkraineThe statement by John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, marks the first official U.S. accusation that Iran is directly involved in the war in Ukraine.

☆ Russian Missile Strikes Highlight Ukraine’s Limited Air Defenses
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The barrage of missiles Russia unleashed on Ukrainian cities Monday illustrates Kyiv’s limited ability to defend its population centers against missile attacks, according to Western military experts. Ukraine’s vulnerability, in part, stems from the technological challenge any nation would face in protecting cities from attacks by salvos of cruise missiles, which hug the earth and can overwhelm limited air defenses. But it also reflects the delays in acquiring sophisticated air defenses from the West.

ScienceThe benefits and difficulties of liquid hydrogen as a propellant for rocket launches are well known to engineers at the space agency. Some space companies aren’t using the fuel for engines on rockets they are developing.

☆ Russia’s Annexation Moves, Nuclear Threats Raise Stakes in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Some experts say Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troop mobilization may shore up his military’s positions in Ukraine, eliminating the need for Moscow to consider more dramatic steps. WASHINGTON—The U.S. and Russia are entering a risky period in which existing guardrails for averting military escalation over Ukraine are increasingly coming under challenge, current and former U.S. officials say. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to redraw his red line by moving to annex portions of Ukraine, suggesting they will become part of Russia proper once the results of referendums are announced later this week. Mr. Putin warned last week that Moscow might use nuclear weapons if the West attacks Russian territory, which in its view will soon be larger.

☆ U.S. Warns Russia of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ of Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. has warned Russia that it would face “catastrophic consequences” if it uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine. “We have communicated directly privately to the Russians at very high levels that there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia if they use nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” Mr. Sullivan said Sunday on the ABC News show “This Week.”

☆ U.S. in Talks to Build First Nuclear Subs for Australia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration is exploring an arrangement to expedite Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines to respond to China’s growing military might by producing the first few subs in the U.S., Western officials said Friday. The idea is to provide Australia with an initial nuclear-powered fleet by the mid-2030s, while a longer-term effort is under way to give Australia the capability to produce nuclear-power submarines at home.

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