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☆ Pentagon’s Unidentified-Object Office Is Underfunded, Senators Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon office set up to detect and identify mysterious objects, such as the three shot down by the U.S. jet fighters over the past week, was mistakenly underfunded, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Democrat who pushed to create the office. The Pentagon last year established the classified All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, from legislative language Ms. Gillibrand and Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) put in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022.

☆ Ukraine’s Troops Will Need Fewer Bullets and Shells After Training, U.S. Hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Daniel Michaels | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS—Ukraine’s Western backers hope that improved combat training will help trim Kyiv’s voracious demand for ammunition and artillery, said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Ukrainian troops over the past year have fired so many rounds at Russia’s invading forces that the countries supporting Kyiv are struggling to supply munitions fast enough and have had to increase arms production.

☆ As Mystery Objects Get Shot Down, U.S. Sets Up New Task Force on UFOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Amid a baffling series of incidents in which the U.S. has shot down three unidentified flying objects, the White House said Monday it would create a team expected to study airborne objects and the potential security and safety risks they pose. The new group, created at the behest of national-security adviser Jake Sullivan, would comprise elements of the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies, said U.S. officials.

WASHINGTON—Biden administration officials on Monday defended their decisions to shoot down three unidentified flying objects over the U.S. and Canada, even as they acknowledged they knew little about what they were destroying. The three unidentified objects were flying at altitudes of 20,000 to 40,000 feet—much lower than the suspected Chinese spy balloon taken out Feb. 4—and posed a hazard to civilian air traffic, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

☆ U.S. Military Shoots Down Fourth High-Altitude Object Over North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Paul Vieira | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon said it began tracking the latest object over Montana. WASHINGTON—The U.S. shot down a fourth flying object Sunday afternoon at 20,000 feet above Michigan’s Lake Huron, the Pentagon said, underscoring its stepped-up defense of North American airspace following the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. An F-16 jet fighter shot down the object on orders of President Biden at 2:42 p.m., the Pentagon said, with the same kind of missile used in the previous three shootdowns, an AIM-9X Sidewinder.

‘Until a few months ago we didn’t know of these balloons,’ Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. U.S. and Canadian officials were seeking Sunday to determine the origin and purpose of two objects shot down by military jet fighters over Alaska and Canada in the wake of increased aerial surveillance following the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. U.S. officials said they had stepped up monitoring of high-altitude airspace following the discovery of the Chinese balloon. In two separate incidents this weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed off airspace to civilian operations—first over Montana, and later over Lake Michigan—to support Department of Defense operations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Beijing, where officials raced to gather information about the balloon sighting. Americans weren’t the only ones surprised by the appearance of a Chinese balloon over Montana on Feb. 1. The same day, a quiet démarche by Washington to Beijing over what U.S. officials believed was a spying mission sparked questions in China’s corridors of power.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. military downed a “high-altitude object” spotted in the sky over Alaska, the White House said Friday, the second time in less than a week that an Air Force jet fired on a craft that had intruded into U.S. airspace. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat to the safety of civilians,” John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters at the White House.

☆ U.S. Shoots Down High-Altitude Object Over Alaska
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. military downed a “high-altitude object” spotted in Alaska’s airspace, the White House said Friday, marking at least the second time in less than a week the Biden administration had to take action to protect the skies over the U.S. The U.S. couldn’t say who owned the object, but a White House official said it didn’t appear to have a sophisticated capacity to maneuver and appeared to be unmanned. The U.S. planned to recover the debris, which landed on frozen water in northeastern Alaska. That location could “make it easier for us to try to recover some of the debris,” John Kirby , a White House National Security Council spokesman, told reporters.

☆ Senate Republicans Demand Answers on Handling of Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Warren P. Strobel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans demanded the Biden administration provide more information about its handling of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that crossed the U.S., particularly decisions made soon after its detection and why the military and spy agencies weren’t better prepared given previous incursions. Since an Air Force F-22 jet fighter shot down the balloon Saturday as it crossed the South Carolina coast, critics on Capitol Hill have said the administration needs to explain why it didn’t shoot the craft down sooner and how at least four suspected Chinese balloons had previously entered U.S. airspace.

☆ China Refused U.S. Call After Downing of Suspected Spy Balloon, Pentagon Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—China’s defense minister rejected a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speak immediately after the U.S. downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon, the Pentagon said, indicating how the episode has further inflamed the powers’ fraught relations. The Defense Department submitted the request for Mr. Austin to speak over a secure line with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe after the Air Force shot down the balloon Saturday, said Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON—House Republicans held a pair of hearings Tuesday to weigh how best to counter Beijing’s economic and military power, including the Pentagon’s response to the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down Saturday by the Air Force. China represents “the single greatest threat to America’s global standing,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.) the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, at the start of a hearing about China’s economic threats.

☆ Russia’s Casualties in Ukraine Near 200,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW—Close to 200,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine, according to estimates from U.S. and European officials, a toll that is likely to continue to rise as the Kremlin readies a fresh offensive in the coming weeks. The U.S. military, which keeps rough estimates on Russian casualties in Ukraine, puts the figure for wounded and dead at roughly 180,000, though officials stressed such figures aren’t precise, a U.S. defense official said.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, days after it was spotted crossing the U.S. and adding to already high tensions between Washington and Beijing. An Air Force F-22 Raptor jet fighter on Saturday downed the balloon with a single AIM-9X Sidewinder missile off the coast of South Carolina at 2:39 p.m. ET within U.S. territorial waters, officials said. The jet fighter was flying at 58,000 feet, below the balloon, which had been flying as high as 65,000 feet.

WASHINGTON– U.S. fighter planes shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, days after it was spotted crossing the U.S. and leading to renewed tensions with Beijing. The downing took place off the Southeast coast on Saturday afternoon, U.S. officials said. Updates to follow as news develops. Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com, Nancy A. Youssef at nancy.youssef@wsj.com and Doug Cameron at Doug.Cameron@wsj.com

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration said that a suspected Chinese reconnaissance balloon drifting over the continental U.S. violated American sovereignty, and indefinitely postponed a scheduled visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed at easing the acrimony in the nations’ relationship. Officials pulled the plug on the trip hours before Mr. Blinken was set to depart, underscoring the enormous challenges of finding areas of constructive cooperation, even as both capitals reiterated on Friday their commitment to reviving talks at a later date.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, pictured at press briefing last year, said the U.S. is tracking the high altitude surveillance balloon over the continental U.S.WASHINGTON—The U.S. tracked what officials described as a Chinese reconnaissance balloon over the continental U.S. this week, in what would be an aggressive act of intelligence gathering over sensitive U.S. national security sites. The balloon sighting came days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to make a planned trip to the Chinese capital, according to U.S. officials, throwing into question efforts to repair relations between the two powers at odds over a host of global and regional issues. The balloon was first spotted on Wednesday by civilians in a commercial airliner, U.S. officials said. U.S. Air Force F-22 fighters were dispatched to Montana, where the balloon was observed, before the administration decided not to shoot it down.

☆ U.S. Expected to Send Ukraine Longer-Range Smart Bombs in Next Aid Package
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Doug Cameron | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The next batch of U.S. military aid for Ukraine that could be announced as soon as Friday is expected to include longer-range smart bombs for the first time, people familiar with the matter said. The new smart weapon is a Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb, or GLSDB, a precision-guided 250-pound bomb that is strapped to a rocket. It has a range of 94 miles, which is farther than any bomb the U.S. has so far provided to Ukraine.

☆ U.S. Company Offers Advanced Drones to Ukraine for One Dollar, With Some Costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A U.S. weapons maker is offering to sell the Ukraine government two Reaper MQ-9 drones for a dollar to help the country defend itself as it prepares for an expected Russian offensive. The deal would require Kyiv to spend about $10 million to prepare and ship the aircraft to Ukraine, and about $8 million each year for maintenance and sustainment of the older model drones, which currently aren’t being used in Ukraine.

☆ U.S. Pushes for Military Sites in Philippines to Counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in Seoul for talks over security issues, will meet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later this week. WASHINGTON—The U.S. is hoping to reach an agreement this week to open as many as four U.S. military sites at Philippine bases in Washington’s latest push to expand its strategic footprint across the region to counter threats from China, U.S. officials said. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is meeting later this week with recently elected Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr . in Manila and hopes to secure the deal, which would rotate groups of U.S. forces to sites in the country, U.S. officials said.

☆ New U.S. Base on Guam Is Aimed at Deterring China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ASAN BEACH, Guam—The U.S. Marine Corps marked the opening of a new base on America’s westernmost Pacific island, as the Pentagon redirects its forces to counter China, which Washington has identified as a growing threat to U.S. security. The first new Marine base since 1952, it is still under construction. It will eventually house 5,000 Marines tasked in the short term with deterring and detecting threats in the region.

☆ Air Force, Marine Generals Seen as Top Picks for Joint Chiefs Job
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Army Gen. Mark Milley found himself a target of critics on the right and the left during his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. WASHINGTON—President Biden is considering two service chiefs and the head of the U.S. cyber defense command to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in what will be the president’s biggest opportunity to date to shape U.S. military leadership. Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, and Gen. David Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, are leading candidates to succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley as the Pentagon’s top officer when his four-year appointment ends Sept. 30. Army Gen. Paul Nakasone , who serves as both head of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency, also is a contender, U.S. and defense officials said.

☆ U.S. to Train Ukrainian Troops on Patriot Missile at Oklahoma Base
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Ukrainian troops will train on the Patriot system at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. WASHINGTON—Roughly 100 Ukrainian troops will begin training to use the Patriot missile defense system at a U.S. military base as early as next week, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The Ukrainian troops, who specialize in air defense, will travel to Fort Sill, Okla., for the training, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Tuesday.

The U.S. will soon send Ukraine their first Bradley Fighting Vehicles, such as these deployed in Latvia. The arrival of armored vehicles from the U.S. and allies on the battlefield in Ukraine is designed to bolster Kyiv’s momentum in the war as well shore up defenses, as U.S. officials anticipate another Russian offensive when the ground thaws. The latest aid package, announced Friday, is the largest yet. It includes for the first time dozens of Bradley Fighting Vehicles that can carry troops and new artillery pieces that don’t need to be towed.

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