Military

• [New] Russia is more likely to rely on military force to protect its claims, which could contribute to instability that threatens China's economic interests in the Arctic.
• [New] There is a real danger that the British judge's ruling in the Julian Assange extradition case will encourage other governments to charge and seek to extradite journalists in the UK and elsewhere for exposing their military operations and human rights abuses.
• [New] Russia on Monday denied that its military movements posed a threat to Ukraine and dismissed fears of a buildup even as it warned that it would respond to new Ukrainian sanctions against Russian companies.
• [New] Both China and Russia are investing heavily in AI, in part because they hope to challenge the conventional military superiority of the United States.
• [New] The Kremlin has said that Russian military movements near its shared border with Ukraine posed no threat to Ukraine or anyone else and that Moscow moved troops around its country as it saw fit.
• [New] If China decides to stand with Myanmar's military instead of with the people whose democratically elected government was overthrown, then they risk paying an enduring price in Myanmar and around the world.
• [New] Beijing's aggressive foreign policy shows that its political supremacy and growing military clout have heightened China's willingness to assert its interests in a conflictual manner - quite brutally, if necessary - through the use of economic and military threats.
• [New] Any military conflict between Iran and the United States could bring China face to face with the United States.
• [New] Israeli combat troops and soldiers in training will no longer have to wear face masks when they are in open areas beginning this week.
• [New] NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine after Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraine's Donbass region could destroy Ukraine.
• [New] The UK pledges to its NATO allies a more robust defense posture vis-a-vis Russia; it reaffirms its support for Eastern European countries; and it plans to continue military assistance to Ukraine.
• [New] The United States will need to have tough conversations with Taiwan about the need for it to invest more in its own defense and to increase its military preparedness.
• [New] Russia has warned Nato against sending any troops to help Ukraine, amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on its borders.
• [New] The steady growth of defense spending and acquisition of American hardware like the F-35 5th Generation fighter facilitates hopes for closer operational coordination between the U.S. and Japanese military forces.
• [New] For the United States, having an opportunity to stage operations, base troops or simply project power from land locations in Australia or Japan, for instance, introduces many new dynamic possibilities when it comes to possible military operations.
• [New] France will participate in joint military drills in Japan along with host Japan and the United States for the first time next month.
• [New] An arms race, even over an ineffective weapon, increases international tensions and could make conflict among China, Russia, and the United States more likely.
• [New] The US Secretary of Defense stressed that in the event of an escalation of Russian aggression, the United States will not leave Ukraine alone.

Last updated: 08 April 2021