Defense &
National Security
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Defense &
National Security
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Pentagon ups US troops to Middle East
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The U.S. is sending a “small number” of ground troops to the Middle East as a larger war between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to break out, the Pentagon announced Monday.
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Defense Department press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters the new detachment was being sent “in light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution.”
“We are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel to augment our forces that are already in the region,” Ryder said, declining to offer specifics about the new contingent, though he referred to them as ground troops.
The U.S. already has an array of forces positioned in the Middle East, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and the ballistic missile submarine USS Georgia, along with an additional squadron of F-22 fighter jets. In the eastern Mediterranean Sea, there are six U.S. warships, including the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship.
Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah are teetering toward full-scale war amid a deadly exchange of fire across the border in the past week.
Israeli forces targeted some 300 Hezbollah sites and killed at least 245 people in Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanese health authorities, as well as wounding around 1,000 more, marking one of the deadliest days of fighting in the country in recent history.
Ahead of the strikes, Israeli officials had warned Lebanese civilians living near Hezbollah sites to evacuate.
Hezbollah fired some 130 rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa on Monday, claiming to have struck or targeted Israeli military warehouses and defense contractor sites.
The escalation comes after intense Israeli strikes last week that killed top Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon.
Israel is also accused of detonating pager and handheld radio devices in Lebanon last week, killing at least 37 people and wounding thousands.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:
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Five things to watch for at the UNGA
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Foreign dignitaries will descend on New York City beginning Tuesday for this week’s United Nations General Assembly, tackling topics including the powder keg situation in the Middle East and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan. The 79th UNGA’s theme is “advancing peace, sustainable development, and human dignity.” It will include a Summit of the Future to address challenges in global governance, geopolitical …
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Zelensky calls Vance ‘too radical,’ suggests he study WWII
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a new interview with The New Yorker that Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), the Republican nominee for vice president, “is too radical.” “He is too radical,” Zelensky said in the interview, released Sunday, of Vance. In the interview, Zelensky said Vance’s “message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice.” “The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable,” …
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Pentagon to spend $500M on women’s health research
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First lady Jill Biden announced Monday that the Pentagon intends to commit $500 million to women’s health research as part of a broader White House push to increase funding for the study of women’s health. Jill Biden attended a Clinton Global Initiative event alongside Chelsea Clinton to announce the new investment. The Defense Department money will fund research on conditions such as ovarian cancer, rheumatoid …
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Hezbollah has fired more than 8,000 rockets toward Israel since Oct. 7: Ambassador
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Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) said Sunday that Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has fired more than 8,000 rockets toward Israel since Oct. 7.
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Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:
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The United Nations General Debate opens Tuesday morning, with speeches by Secretary-General António Guterres, President Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentinian President Javier Milei, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
- The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on “An Assessment of the State Department’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan by America’s Top Diplomat,” with testimony from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at 10 a.m.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
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Commerce proposes ban on Chinese tech in connected vehicles over national security concerns
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The Biden administration on Monday proposed banning certain Chinese-made software and hardware in vehicles connected to the internet, citing national security risks. The newly proposed rule from the Commerce Department would ban the import of cars with vehicle connectivity systems and automated …
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Events in and around the defense world:
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The National Defense Industrial Association will host its Women in Defense National Conference, with Air Force Undersecretary Melissa Dalton, at 7:50 a.m.
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The Association of the U.S. Army will have a virtual discussion on “Recruiting and Marketing for the U.S. Army,” with Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, commanding general of Army Recruiting Command; and Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant, chief of the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, at 12 p.m.
- The Atlantic Council will hold an online talk on “America’s Role in the World and the Perils of Isolationism,” with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, at 12:30 p.m.
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A House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee will have a hearing on “Tracking Progress: Examining the Department of Defense’s Financial Management Practices,” at 2 p.m.
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The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe will hold a hearing on “Russia’s shadow war on NATO,” at 2 p.m.
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The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host a discussion on “The Russia-Ukraine War: A Study in Analytic Failure,” at 3 p.m.
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News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Pennsylvania ammunition plant to thank workers and ask for more (The Associated Press)
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How a U.S. ally uses aid as a cover in war (The New York Times)
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There’s too much ‘gray area’ in Army extremism policies, lawmakers say (Military Times)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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Watch live: Trump rallies supporters in Pennsylvania
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Former President Trump will rally supporters Monday evening at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, about 55 miles east of Pittsburgh. The Keystone … Read more
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Pressure grows on Trump to accept second Harris debate
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The pressure is on former President Trump to debate Vice President Harris again now that she has accepted a CNN invite for an October match-up, with … Read more
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
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America inching toward World War III? Nonsense.
- Lessons from Israel’s pager attack
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Is China preparing to attack Japan?
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You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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Check out The Hill’s Defense page for the latest coverage.
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