I - On Defense Podcast

For review:
1. Iranian forces seized two container ships on Wednesday, according to global security monitors and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They also attacked but didn’t seize a third.
2. US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US Navy would “shoot and kill” any boat mining the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel was ready to renew the fighting with Iran and was awaiting a “green light” from the US to target Iranian energy sites and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
3. The ceasefire between Israel & Lebanon will be extended by another three weeks, President Trump said after hosting the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in the Oval Office on Thursday.
4. French President Macron said Thursday he will not continue in politics after leaving in 2027, after serving two terms, the maximum number allowed.
5. The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only if such a meeting is to sign peace agreements.
6. France is moving closer to a decision on its future rocket artillery system, with the country testing domestically developed weapons this month that will allow for a comparison with foreign systems in a few weeks’ time, the head of the country’s armaments agency said.
7. Estonia’s government has decided to put on hold its planned acquisition of new infantry fighting vehicles.
The Baltic nation will instead direct the funds toward drones, counter-drone measures and air defense systems, while squeezing more service life out of the country’s existing fleet of second-hand CV90 vehicles.
8. John Phelan is out as the Secretary of the Navy, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

For review:
1. The Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza admitted Monday that talks with Hamas on disarmament were going to take more time, even though the deadline he gave for the terror group to accept his proposal on handing over its weapons expired nine days earlier.
“We’ve had some very serious discussions with Hamas over the last few weeks. They’re not easy,” Nickolay Mladenov told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Brussels. “
2. Hours before a two-week ceasefire with Iran was set to expire, US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he was extending the truce for the time being and that the US will hold off on attacking Iran.
Israel and the US have been preparing for a resumption of the war since the ceasefire began, sources familiar with the matter told the network, including conducting exercises involving fighter jets and refueling tankers across the Middle East.
3. The Hezbollah terror group violated a ceasefire in Lebanon on Tuesday by firing several rockets at Israeli troops stationed in the south of the country, as well as launching a drone at Israel, the military said.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks, which it claimed were in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire.
The IDF said that it struck the launcher used in the attack within a few minutes.
4. A second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place on Thursday, an Israeli and a US official tell The Times of Israel.
5. The head of the U.S. command for the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday stressed the importance of Taiwan passing its stalled defense budget, saying the United States “can’t want Taiwan’s defense more than they want it itself.”
Taiwan’s President last year proposed $40 billion in extra defense spending to counter China.
6. US Department of War Releases FY27 Defense Budget Request of $1.5 Trillion.
7. The U.S. medium-sized USV fleet could jump from roughly four to 30 vessels by 2030 in the Indo-Pacific, according to officials.
8. US SOUTHCOM is standing up a new unit aimed at connecting tactical missions to long-term outcomes with unmanned systems.
The development of the Autonomous Warfare Command was mandated by the SOUTHCOM CDR, GEN Francis Donovan (USMC).
9. The Air force’s Experimental Operations Unit conducted hands-on testing with the Anduril YFQ-44A aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

For review:
1. American forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it tried to bypass a U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, President Trump said Sunday.
“Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade,” the US Central Command says in a statement.
 2. Vice President JD Vance will lead a U.S. delegation for another round of talks with Iran in Islamabad before the ceasefire is scheduled to end on Tuesday night, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that talks with Iran on extending the ceasefire would resume on Tuesday, while the Islamic Republic indicated it was not planning to send a delegation and was pessimistic about the prospects of the talks.
3. Iran swiftly reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iran-linked shipping.
4. The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed carrying out several strikes in southern Lebanon over the previous day against Hezbollah operatives who “violated the ceasefire understandings,” in the first such action since the truce took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday.
5. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said Hezbollah was responsible for the death of a French soldier in an attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, while the UN Interim Force in Lebanon blamed “non-state actors,” code for the Iran-backed terror group.
6. Australia has outlined plans to boost its defense spending to three percent of its Gross Domestic Product in the coming years, while reaffirming that the US remains its closest ally and principal strategic partner.
7. Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is now operating in U.S. Central Command, two defense officials confirmed to USNI News on Friday.
Ford joins the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group already in CENTCOM. 
The move to the Red Sea comes as a third carrier strike group is approaching U.S. Central Command. USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is transiting around the southern tip of Africa, heading to the Middle East, USNI News reported last week.
8. If the US Army gets its way, it will not be buying additional M109A7 Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) howitzers next year as it looks at alternative options to fill the gap.

For review:
1. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to take effect at midnight Thursday-Friday after being declared hours earlier by US President Donald Trump, who also announced that he was inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese president for peace talks at the White House.
2. The Israeli military said Friday that it remains on high alert and ready to return to fighting in both Iran and Lebanon if the fragile ceasefires in both countries collapses or expire without an extension in the coming weeks.
3. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday accused Iran of piracy and terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and said the US was ready to resume fighting “with more power than ever before” if the current ceasefire ends.
4. US President Donald Trump signaled growing optimism Friday about a potential deal with Iran to end the war amid a temporary ceasefire, saying negotiators could meet as soon as this weekend and that an agreement may be reached within days. 
5. Axios Report: US & Iran talks are expected to take place in Islamabad, likely on Sunday, according to a source familiar with the mediation efforts.
6. Pakistan’s air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from inconclusive peace talks with the US last weekend, launching a major operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three sources told Reuters.
Pakistan deployed some two dozen jets in the escort, as well as the force’s Airborne Warning and Control System for aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the operation.
7.  Iran used a Chinese spy satellite to target US bases in the Middle East for missile and drone strikes, according to a report by The Financial Times published on Wednesday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force acquired the sophisticated spy satellite from China in late 2024, agreeing to pay roughly $36.6m for the system, the report said.
8. Australia this week announced three major shifts in military leadership, appointing a new Chief of Defence Force, as well as new leaders of the Navy and Army.
Vice Adm, Mark Hammond, the current navy chief, will take over as Australia’s top military officer.

For review:
1. Military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, in case President Trump gives an order to intervene there, USA TODAY has learned.
Two sources familiar with the order spoke to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak to media.
2. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was not considering extending a ceasefire with Iran, predicting “an amazing two days ahead” amid renewed diplomatic efforts with Tehran for an agreement to end the war.
3. The US Navy prevented an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel from leaving Iran on Tuesday after it attempted to evade the maritime blockade that began Monday, US CENTCOM announced.
4. The military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns that Iran will sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decides to “police” the key shipping bottleneck.
5. Iran could consider allowing ships to ​sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has ‌offered in negotiations with the United States, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.
The source, who declined to be ​identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait ​in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.
6. US Brokers Talks Between Israel and Lebanon. 
Before the meeting, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun expressed his hope that “an agreement will be reached on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of initiating direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which will be handled by a Lebanese negotiating team to put an end to hostile actions.”
US Secretary of State Rubio: “The hope today is that we can outline the framework upon which a permanent, lasting peace can be developed so that the people of Israel can live in peace and the people of Lebanon can live, not just in peace but in the prosperity and security that they deserve."
7. The US Army has officially given a new name for its MV-75 tiltrotor, calling it the Cheyenne II, though the service is closely holding additional details about the rotorcraft’s timeline, including its expected first flight.