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The Biden administration has dropped threats to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for an oil-production cut last year and is moving to step up security coordination to counter Iran in 2023, U.S. and Saudi officials said, three months after ties hit a historic low point. Officials pointed to signs of improved U.S.-Saudi cooperation in recent weeks as falling U.S. gasoline prices, better-than-expected midterm election results for Democrats, and heightened concerns about Iran take the edge off a long-simmering spat that spilled into the open in October when the Saudis rebuffed White House requests to delay the production cut. The output decision fueled inflation fears just a month before the midterms, and President Biden vowed to work with Congress to impose unspecified “consequences” on Saudi Arabia.

☆ U.S. Military Works to Enlist Recruits Who Have Faced Behavioral Challenges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon said it plans to assess the effectiveness of its new program in six months’ time so that it has a year of data to study. The Defense Department has for the first time allowed 700 recruits who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to join the military without a waiver under revamped rules that could be a pathway for those who have battled mental-health or other developmental conditions. In June, the military, which has been facing major recruiting challenges, said that those who had suffered from 38 different medical conditions could serve as long as they hadn’t demonstrated symptoms nor required medication for treatment for three, five and seven years, depending on the condition.

☆ U.S. Steps Up Raids Against Islamic State Militants in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. military on a patrol near the town of Qamishli, Syria, months after an Islamic State official was killed in a raid. WASHINGTON—The Pentagon said it has stepped up raids against Islamic State in Syria, conducting nearly a dozen risky helicopter and ground operations to kill or capture top militant operatives. In December, the military said it had conducted at least 10 operations and raids, according to officials at U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. military operations in most of the Middle East. That included three operations Tuesday with the Syrian Democratic Forces, the U.S.’s ally in Syria, that led to the detention of six Islamic State operatives, a spokesman for the command said.

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.

Police officers check an area in Przewodow, Poland, where a missile killed two people in November. Ukraine’s initial claim last month that a strike fired by Russia—and not by its own forces—was responsible for the death of two Polish citizens revealed one of the sharpest public divergences between Ukraine and the U.S. since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February. The incident caused a moment of dangerous high drama, as the world watched to see if Russia had attacked Poland, a NATO alliance member, a possibility that was quickly discarded.

☆ Americans Support U.S. Backing Ukraine, Despite Risk of Wider War, Survey Finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Overall, 57% of survey respondents said the U.S. must continue supporting Ukraine with weapons and financial support. WASHINGTON—Americans fear Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to instability in Europe and even spur China to make a similar assault on Taiwan, but they still support the U.S. providing Kyiv weapons and financial support, according to a national defense survey. In addition, the survey found that Americans have less trust in their military leadership, in part because they feel it is becoming too politicized.

☆ China’s Swelling Nuclear Stockpile Makes It a Growing Rival to U.S., Pentagon Finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China is on pace to challenge the U.S. militarily and prevent it from intervening in a crisis with Taiwan, including through Beijing’s increasing stockpile of nuclear warheads, a Pentagon report released Tuesday concluded. China will “likely field a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads by its 2035 timeline,” concluded the report, which assesses China’s military and security strategy. Previous editions of the Pentagon’s report, which is mandated by Congress, predicted China would have 1,000 warheads by 2030.

WASHINGTON—U.S. government and congressional officials fear the conflict in Ukraine is exacerbating a nearly $19 billion backlog of weapons bound for Taiwan, further delaying efforts to arm the island as tensions with China escalate. The U.S. has pumped billions of dollars of weapons into Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February, taxing the capacity of the government and defense industry to keep up with a sudden demand to arm Kyiv in a conflict that isn’t expected to end soon. The flow of weapons to Ukraine is now running up against the longer-term demands of a U.S. strategy to arm Taiwan to help it defend itself against a possible invasion by China, according to congressional and government officials familiar with the matter.

☆ Senators Urge Biden Administration to Provide Ukraine With Armed Drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of U.S. senators urged the Biden administration Tuesday to reconsider its decision to not give Ukraine advanced drones, saying that technology could help Kyiv to hold its territory and gain battlefield momentum. In a Nov. 22 letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin , 16 senators urged the administration to give Ukraine MQ-1C armed drones, or Grey Eagles, which are medium-altitude armed drones that can fly for more than 24 hours.

Senior U.S. officials have begun nudging Kyiv to start thinking about peace talks in the event winter stalls its momentum, following Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson in one of its most stunning triumphs of the war. The imminent onset of winter—coupled with fears of inflation spurred by mounting energy and food prices, the billions of dollars of weaponry already pumped into Ukraine, and the tens of thousands of casualties on both sides—has prompted talk in Washington of a potential inflection point in the war, now in its ninth month.

☆ U.S. Refuses Advanced Drones for Ukraine to Avoid Escalation With Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration won’t give Ukraine advanced drones despite pleas from Kyiv and a bipartisan group of members of Congress, a reflection of the limit of the kinds of weaponry Washington is willing to provide for Ukraine’s defense. The decision deprives Ukraine of the kind of advanced weaponry Kyiv has been requesting for months. The Pentagon declined the request based on concerns that providing the Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones could escalate the conflict and signal to Moscow that the U.S. was providing weapons that could target positions inside Russia, U.S. officials and other people familiar with the decision said

More portable weapons, such as Stinger antiaircraft missiles, have historically posed a greater risk of ending up in the wrong hands, U.S. officials said. WASHINGTON—The Biden administration’s efforts to check on the billions of dollars of weapons sent to Ukraine, though limited in scope, haven’t found any evidence of large-scale malfeasance, U.S. officials say. For the past two months, a small team from the Department of Defense has been on the ground inside Ukraine conducting inspections. The group, based at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, has so far been able to check only a small amount of the more than $18 billion of arms provided to the Ukrainians, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. and South Korea responded defiantly after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile and two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, saying they would extend their military exercises this week and return next year to large-scale field exercises. In Washington, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin condemned the tests in a press briefing at the Pentagon alongside his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup.

☆ 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.

☆ Ukraine Gets Help Bundling Up for Frigid Winter Fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The war in Ukraine isn’t expected to pause for the winter, as its forces are battling to regain territory lost to Russia. WASHINGTON—In addition to artillery pieces, tactical vehicles, light arms and other weapons, the U.S. and its allies have begun providing the Ukrainians with warm materiel for their arsenal: parkas, socks, pants and other cold-weather gear. With winter approaching on the Ukrainian steppe, where overnight lows can drop below freezing next month, U.S. officials have said the provision of warm clothing is one way allies who are unable—or unwilling—to turn over lethal weapons can contribute to the Ukrainian war effort. And it is expected to give the Ukrainians a battlefield advantage over Russian forces, who have struggled with logistics throughout the war.

☆ Amid U.S.-Saudi Tensions, Officials Say Military Ties Will Endure
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. isn’t currently planning any significant changes to the number of U.S. forces stationed in Saudi Arabia but some aspects of the two nations’ extensive defense cooperation could be affected following President Biden’s decision to reassess relations after OPEC+ unveiled an oil production cut, U.S. officials said. The officials said that the U.S. relationship was too critical to American interests in the Middle East to change the overall course and that the U.S. was determined to continue its strategic cooperation with Riyadh that is central to combating Iran. But there could be a decline in some areas of defense cooperation.

☆ Stopgap Funding Bill Includes $12.3 Billion in New Ukraine Aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Lindsay Wise | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Senate Democrats have included another $12.3 billion in economic and military aid for Ukraine in a must-pass government funding bill, a proposal that would bring U.S. spending on Kyiv’s efforts to repel Russia’s invasion to more than $65 billion this year. Congress has until Friday, the end of the fiscal year, to pass the bill and keep the government funded through Dec. 16.

WASHINGTON—Widespread support in Congress for pumping aid to Ukraine is starting to show signs of fracturing as many Republicans in the House question whether the money would be better spent combating China and tackling economic problems facing the U.S., according to a dozen lawmakers and congressional staff from both parties. Concern about a potential shift in U.S. support comes as Ukraine continues its push east, with its forces seizing about 3,500 square miles of territory in the northeastern Kharkiv region as part of a surprise offensive earlier this month. U.S. military assistance, including Himars—long-range rocket launchers—have been credited with helping Ukraine push back Russian forces.

☆ Bipartisan Group in Congress Urges Pentagon to Send Ukraine Advanced Drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Gordon Lubold | Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of 17 members of Congress are urging Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide advanced drones to Ukraine, saying the technology could be key to giving Kyiv a battlefield advantage. In a letter dated Wednesday and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the group told Mr. Austin that it was time to complete a security review of advanced drones requested by Ukraine “to better hold the territory they fought so hard to reclaim.”

☆ Top U.S. General Visits Troops in Poland, Reviews U.S. Troops’ Security
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WARSAW—The top U.S. military commander visited a military base in Poland on Sunday and reviewed security measures for U.S. forces supporting Ukraine amid uncertainty about how Russia could respond to its biggest battlefield losses of the war. “I’m particularly interested in checking things like force protection, to ensure that [U.S. forces] are in an adequate state of readiness in the event of anything ever happening,” Army Gen. Mark Milley , the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Warsaw, after visiting the base. “That is not an indicator that something might happen [or] an increased level of threat against U.S. forces.”

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