Three enquiries are now underway into the noisy vibrations in the General Dynamics vehicles during an exercise held just after they were given initial operating capability status.

The vehicles were promptly parked as 30 soldiers riding in them took ill, with some reportedly vomiting.

The armored vehicles had been declared fully functioning after nine years of delays to the £6.3 billion ($8.4 billion) program and repeated problems with vibrations.

“Prior to Ajax’s initial operating capability being announced, I asked for and was given assurances in writing by senior Ministry of Defence personnel that the system was safe,” Luke Pollard, the U.K. Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry told the U.K. parliament on Monday.

He added he was now having daily meetings with General Dynamics which has built the vehicles in the U.K.

“Let me be clear, we will take whatever decisions are required to end this saga one way or another,” he said.

So far around 160 vehicles have been built and the U.K. is expected to order 589 of the vehicles.

After Pollard spoke, a former minister for defense procurement, James Cartlidge also addressed the parliamentary session.

“These renewed incidents with noise and vibration sound strikingly similar to the problems that I was assured, when I was minister for defense procurement, had been resolved,” he said.

“We have both been misled about the viability of the Ajax program,” he added.

“Surely the only possible conclusion is that the Ajax vehicle is fundamentally flawed,” he said, demanding General Dynamics “must be held to account.”

Cartlidge stated, “I imagine the minister is as furious as I am at being repeatedly given what have turned out to be false assurances by those responsible for the program. He is now left with a binary choice, fix it or fail it.”

Pollard responded, “I too was disgusted when I heard the news of the injuries to our service personnel, especially after the point the vehicles were assured to be safe.”

He held out the possibility that a fix was possible.

“Getting to the bottom to what has happened is really important because the Ajax vehicle has completed 42,000 km of testing without those injuries taking place,” he said, adding, “not all the vehicles on that exercise caused injuries.”

Defense Logistics Agency head Yusuf Jauhan told reporters in late June that plans to domestically produce the jets will not materialize, confirming speculations that Jakarta had cancelled agreements to domestically manufacture the Korean jets under a 2015 co-production agreement.

The KF-21 Boramae, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, is a twin-engine fighter designed to succeed South Korea’s aging F-4 and F-5 fleets. Indonesia intended to use these jets to replace older warplanes.

Jakarta had initially agreed to cover 20% of the development cost, then priced at 1.6 trillion won ($1.3 billion), to be paid until 2026. The deal includes the transfer of one prototype and technology that would allow state-owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) to produce 48 units of KF-21 Block-I fighter jets in Bandung.

But the agreement had been bogged down by delayed payments and allegations of sensitive data theft, which were carried into numerous renegotiations on cost-sharing arrangements.

In 2024, Jakarta requested to extend the payment timeline until 2034, but Seoul declined because it would derail deployment plans. The countries eventually agreed to reduce Indonesia’s contribution to 600 million won, but the deal will significantly lessen tech transfer coverage.

There had been confusion on the status of the KF-21 co-production deal, which had been kept tightly under wraps.

Earlier in April, Indonesian authorities revealed that the KF-21’s domestic production would no longer push through and confirmed in June that the government had scrapped the program.

This comes after Jakarta finished settling the 600 million won commitment under the reduced agreement in exchange for a single-seat KF-21 prototype. Officials also said they are more interested in buying ready-made jets.

Jakarta’s decision “appears to be largely practical and financial,” Ju Hyung Kim, president of the Security Management Institute think tank, told Defense News.

“Indonesia may still want the aircraft, but not necessarily the burdens of local co-production. From Seoul’s perspective, this is probably easier to manage and potentially more attractive for the KF-21’s broader export campaign,” Kim said.

If Jakarta’s plans push through, Indonesia would also become a good first reference case for the KF-21 jets and will boost its market potential, Kim said.

Local officials said that procurement plans are still being explored. PTDI told Defense News that internal discussions are ongoing and no definitive plan has been established.

While purchasing the KF-21 remains on the table for Jakarta, official sources told Defense News the odds are in favor of existing contractors with more attractive tech transfer arrangements.

Officials are reportedly weighing the purchase of 24 additional French Dassault Rafale jets to supplement the 42 jets the government ordered under a contract signed in 2022.

Jakarta also signed in April an overseas loan scheme to buy 48 KAAN stealth jets from Turkish Aerospace Industries worth $10 billion, which will be delivered beginning in 2032.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the name of the president of the Security Management Institute think tank.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance electronically signed the accord Sunday, ahead of a formal ceremony scheduled for Friday in Switzerland. Vance is expected to lead the American delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The agreement leaves the most difficult points of contention between Washington and Tehran – such as the fate of Iran’s nuclear program – to the next phase of negotiations.

Trump, speaking at the Group of Seven summit in France on Wednesday, warned that any Iranian violation of the terms would spark a renewed U.S. military campaign.

“If they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head,” the commander-in-chief told reporters.

The full text of the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran” is as follows:

Paragraph 1

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operations against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and other provisions of this paragraph.

Paragraph 2

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.

Paragraph 3

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days, extendable with mutual consent.

Paragraph 4

Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade, and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of prewar traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.

Paragraph 5

Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements, using its best efforts, for the safe passage of commercial vessels, with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and considering the needs for removing the technical and military obstacles, and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.

Paragraph 6

The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.

Paragraph 7

The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions. IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned, and expressed their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

Paragraph 8

The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven with the minimum methodology to be down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned, and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

Paragraph 9

Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.

Paragraph 10

The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU and until the termination of sanctions, U.S. Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.

Paragraph 11

The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during negotiations. Such funds, whether obtaining the original account or transfer, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.

Paragraph 12

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.

Paragraph 13

After signing this MOU, and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of this MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

Paragraph 14

The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution.

“For too long this Department has neglected its responsibilities to set and maintain the appropriate standards for barracks, and that ends now,” he said in a memo dated Oct. 6 and posted to his social media on Thursday.

The Barracks Task Force will be led by the Assistant Secretary of War for Energy, Installations and Environment. The team must develop an initial barracks plan within the next 30 days that will identify investment opportunities and create department-wide policies for barracks standards that will prioritize air and water quality for troops, according to the memo.

“How can we expect them to be ready for anything on the battlefield when their own living space is a constant source of stress and frustration?” Hegseth questioned in a video posted on X Thursday.

“Every war fighter of our joint force deserves housing that is clean, comfortable and safe,” he added.

Hegseth said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in early July gave the Department of Defense “the down payment” to upgrade barracks and address “long overdue deferred maintenance.”

The bill provides $230 million for the Marine Corps Barracks 2030 initiative, $425 million for enlisted boot camp barracks and other related facilities, and $1 billion for Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force “sustainment, restoration, and modernization of military unaccompanied housing.”

In May, Military.com reported the Pentagon shifted $1 billion meant for military barracks to support its troop surge at the U.S. southern border.

A defense official who spoke to Military Times on the condition of anonymity said the shifted funds were part of the Facilities, Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization program and were used at that time to improve facilities near the border instead of elsewhere.

In 2023 the Government Accountability Office released a report observing barracks in “poor condition, including some with safety risks like sewage overflow and inoperable fire systems.”

Maintenance teams were found to be slow or unresponsive.

Hundreds of thousands of service members live in military barracks, with concerns about poor living conditions and management going back decades, according to the non-partisan government watchdog.

Earlier this year, mold-infested walls, exposed electrical wiring and other subpar living conditions at Andersen Air Force Base’s military barracks in Guam prompted a recent Navy-wide review of all unaccompanied housing.

Service members in Henderson Hall in northern Virginia had to move out last year for a multimillion-dollar renovation after poor conditions including mold, roof leaks and failing HVAC systems.

And a massive mold infestation in barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, forced more than 1,000 soldiers to temporarily relocate in 2022.

Adam Januszko, the chief executive of Niewiadów Polish Military Group, told Defense News the group’s strategy is focused on developing domestic ammunition production capacities that are to “ensure the sovereignty of deliveries for Poland and NATO allies.”

“The key element of this strategy is the construction of a robotized 155mm ammunition factory with a target production capacity of 180,000 rounds per year. At the same time, in cooperation with a partner from Singapore, we are developing production of 40mm ammunition with a planned output capacity of up to 480,000 rounds per year,” Januszko said.

The development comes as Niewiadów is readying to debut on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange in late April 2026. The group is following in the footsteps of another ammunition producer from the region, Czechoslovak Group (CSG), whose recent stock market listing reinforced its status as central-eastern Europe’s largest defense industry player.

CSG is the main industry actor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia where it runs numerous factories that make weapons, ammunition and military gear. The business is also a major supplier of artillery shells to the Ukrainian military.

Similar to many other countries across the region, Poland is advancing efforts to accommodate new ammunition factories that would provide a domestic supply for its military, with a particular focus on artillery rounds.

In September 2025, the country’s state-run defense group PGZ selected the U.K.’s BAE Systems as its technology partner for the planned ramp-up in ammo production. The British company said in a statement the designed munitions factory “will use BAE Systems’ manufacturing technology and feature the same automated technology that will deliver a sixteen-fold increase in production capacity of 155mm artillery shells at its facilities in the U.K.”

In the long term, Poland’s Army is to operate a fleet of some 1,000 self-propelled howitzers. This necessitates a boost in domestic manufacturing capacities for 155mm rounds that not only PGZ but also privately-owned companies such as Niewiadów are seeking to accommodate.

With numerous allies across the region looking to boost their ammo stockpiles, Niewiadów acknowledges that the company has eyes on future exports. Its cooperation with foreign partners is designed to accelerate the roll out of the first rounds from production lines.

“The group is gaining access to proven solutions from global leaders which significantly strengthens its technological advantage and shortens the time required to bring products to the market,” Januszko said, referring to the partnership with Northrop Grumman and ST Engineering. “The ultimate goal of these efforts is the gradual localization of production in Poland while maintaining the highest global standards of quality and firepower performance.”

Along NATO’s eastern flank, Germany’s Rheinmetall is also making headway with its campaign to develop local artillery ammunition production capacities. In Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania, the firm has established joint ventures with state-owned companies to build 155mm factories. In the Romanian market, local offshoot Rheinmetall Munitions Romania will produce medium-caliber ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles and air-defense systems, while the explosive powder plant in Victoria will make propellants, with Rheinmetall supplying the know-how and technology.

Other countries from the region that are currently negotiating with foreign ammunition producers include Estonia whose defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, recently said an agreement with a yet-undisclosed supplier of 155mm shells is to be signed this month. Estonian state-run broadcaster ERR has reported the chosen company is “a Swedish defense industry firm” that is to open a €300 million ($351 million) ammunition plant in the country’s Põhja-Kiviõli defense industry park.

Niewiadów is currently listed on the NewConnect market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In addition to its ammunition business, other areas of the group’s activities include drones, mines, personal weapons and military logistics operations, according to data from the company.

The service’s Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition broke ground Feb. 5 on a 6.8 mm ammunition production facility at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri, according to an Army release.

Current plans show the facility being completed by 2026 and fully operational by 2028, officials said.

The move aims to give the service its own production line for the 6.8 mm cartridge, which is the caliber the Next Generation Squad Weapon is chambered for, both in its rifle and automatic rifle configuration.

The XM5 and XM250, respectively, are replacing their counterparts, the M4 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, among the close combat forces. Both are chambered in the legacy 5.56 mm cartridge.

The Army is leading the project, while the Marine Corps and Special Operations Command have been closely involved in the development of the weapon and round in recent years.

Lake City has been a major source of small arms ammunition for the Army and other services for decades. Historically, the plant has produced 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, .50 Browning Machine Gun, and 20 mm ammunition.

During the height of the post-9/11 wars, from 2007 to 2018, the plant produced nearly 1.4 billion rounds, according to Northrop Grumman.

“It is not lost on me that victory on the battlefield begins in our production facilities,” Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, program executive officer for armaments and ammunition, said in a statement. “Lake City has been central to our nation’s ammunition production since 1941, and this new facility builds on that proud and historic legacy.”

The 6.8 mm round delivers the distance and energy on target of the larger 7.62 mm round but at a lighter weight and with better accuracy, according to Army officials.

Currently, rounds for the Next Generation Squad Weapon are being produced by Sig Sauer, manufacturer of both the rifle and automatic rifle variants.

Ammunition manufacturer Olin Winchester will operate the new plant. The facility will span 450,000 square feet at the Missouri site, according to the Army.

The operation will include manufacturing systems for cartridge cases and projectiles, quality controls, packaging and testing laboratories. According to the release, industries in the Kansas City, Missouri, region will support an estimated 90% of the work.

When the facility hits operational status, it is expected to produce 385 million cases, 490 million projectiles and 385 million loading and packaging operations rounds each year.

There are about a dozen units in the fielding pipeline for the Next Generation Squad Weapon in fiscal 2025. They include:

• From October to December, the Army Reserve’s 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment at Fort Shafter, Hawaii; elements of the 25th Infantry Division, at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; the Army’s Ordnance School, at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia.
• From January to March, the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, at Fort Bliss, Texas.
• From April to June, the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia.
• From July to September, the 1st Brigade, 34th Infantry Division with the Minnesota Army National Guard; multiple 10th Mountain Division battalions.

Last October, the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division was one of the units to conduct live-fire testing of the weapon. The “Red Curahee” soldiers ran tactical patrols after having run shooting ranges at limited visibility, according to the Army.

The squad-sized elements put the weapon through its paces on terrain at their home station of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. At the time, Maj. Craig Hymel, the battalion executive officer, explained the culminating event.

“The squad live [fire] will be the last event in conjunction with the stress shoot that participants execute,” Hymel said. “At which point, the Operational Assessment Team is going to collect and finalize all the data.”

Seoul plans to launch its first boat in the mid-2030s, and commission it in “the late 2030s,” the government proclaimed last week.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced what it has dubbed the “Basic Plan for the Development of South Korean Nuclear-Propelled Submarines” on May 26.

This effort is being labeled as the Jang Bogo-N project, named after South Korea’s first ever submarine; built in Germany, it was commissioned in 1992. The “N” refers to “next generation,” “nuclear” and “neo technology.”

The Republic of Korea Navy previously declared a need for four SSNs. The submarines are likely to displace some 8,000 tons, which makes them similar in size to the American Virginia class.

Why is South Korea going nuclear?

Kim Jae Yeop, senior researcher at the Sungkyun Institute for Global Strategy in Seoul, listed four reasons why Seoul wants to adopt SSNs. The first has to do with fielding a counterweight military capability, as it must “counter Pyongyang’s submarine-launched ballistic missile threats, and possess a highly survivable deterrent against neighboring powers like China.”

North Korea unveiled its new nuclear-powered, missile-armed submarine in December 2025. Pyongyang’s first move in this direction gave South Korea a political and moral green light to follow suit.

Secondly, Kim said, Seoul wishes to deepen and enhance cooperation with the United States, just as Australia is doing under the AUKUS program.

A new national nuclear-submarine push “will enable Seoul to broaden the geographical range of combined military activities with the U.S beyond the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

A third factor is boosting the politico-military status of Korea in the international community. Finally, Kim pointed out, SSNs “present a valid alternative to nuclear armaments, which have been strongly demanded in Korea for the past several years in response to growing threats of nuclear weapons by the Pyongyang regime.”

According to the Defense Ministry announcement, “Nuclear-powered submarines possess dramatically enhanced operational capabilities compared to existing diesel submarines,” especially their submerged endurance and mobility.

Indigenous development

The ministry said development of SSNs “is a national industrial development project spanning over 40 years (ten years of construction plus over 30 years of operation) that connects shipbuilding, nuclear power and defense industries.”

The emphasis is on domestic construction, with a prediction of 40,000+ jobs being created. This is in contrast to President Donald Trump’s declaration last October that Seoul should construct them at Philadelphia Shipyards in the United States. Hanwha Ocean acquired that shipyard in late 2024, but the site is not equipped to build nuclear-powered vessels.

Importantly, Korean submarines will use low-enriched uranium and long-cycle reactors, rather than the highly enriched fuel the U.S. Navy utilizes. This choice of fuel will minimize Korean submarine refueling requirements.

“As one of the leading powerhouses in nuclear energy and shipbuilding industry in the world, Korea is widely believed to have sufficient capacity for developing and building its own nuclear-powered submarine,” said Kim.

This includes developing a small modular reactor. Nonetheless, the main challenge will be nuclear fuel supply and complying with international nonproliferation regulations, Kim indicated.

Seoul will work with the United States to secure and manage its uranium, and the two allies are expected to launch a working group in early June.

Kim pointed out that his country has produced more than 20 conventional submarines to date. The latest 4,000-ton vessel arrived in Canada on May 23 after completing a first-ever trans-Pacific voyage.

Design concept

The same day the Jang Bogo-N project was announced, shares in local shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries rose 10.2% and 9.6%, respectively.

Hanwha Ocean displayed an SSN concept at Busan’s MADEX exhibition in May 2025. That radical submarine design featured technological leaps such as a rim-driven propulsor, X-form rudder, electro-optical mast with 360º view, AI-based combat management system, a diver lockout, and manned-unmanned teaming.

Not all these features will end up on the Jang Bogo-N, but it does indicate Korea’s shipbuilding ambitions. A vertical-launch missile section will definitely be part of the design, however.

Because it will take at least a decade for Korea to develop the new submarine type, Kim said the navy “will need to keep up efforts to improve current conventional submarine forces in countering underwater challenges from Pyongyang or other regional powers.”

The Defense Ministry described the Jang Bogo-N as a “historic milestone that opens a new horizon for the Republic of Korea’s maritime security.”

The government vowed not to pursue nuclear weapons, but Kim noted the acquisition of SSNs “will contribute to efforts of the U.S and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region to maintain a strategic balance against the challenge of revisionist powers like China.”

However, one side effect, according to Kim, is that “it’s highly probable Japan may also pursue development of nuclear-powered submarines in response to Korea’s choice. In this case, Seoul will have to closely coordinate with Tokyo on the matter, so that such moves shall not endanger security cooperation between the two countries.”

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said last November that Tokyo would consider acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

A rocket artillery unit participating in the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command’s “Justice Mission 2025” drills fired shells into the sea into the contiguous zone 24 nautical miles off Taiwan’s coast on Dec. 30, the National Defense Ministry told domestic media.

The unit’s fire took place during PLA drills in five tracts of ocean — described overall as practice for blocking major Taiwanese air and sea routes with aircraft and naval assets, but this time without aircraft carriers. Carriers have joined other drills and are seen helping to ward off external intervention in the event of conflict.

Experts in Taipei said December’s drills were the biggest since 2022, when China began using military exercises to vent anger toward Taiwan’s defiance of Beijing and such U.S. moves as arms sales to Taipei. China has the world’s largest military in terms of active personnel, according to the market research firm Statista.

“The latest Justice Mission 2025 is quantitatively the second biggest,” said Enrico Cau, an associate researcher at the Taiwan Strategy Research Association think tank.

“In terms of complexity, like tactics and mission goals, all the exercises seem to have covered different missions and tasks, some overlapping, some different,” Cau said.

In particular, the “range” of the zones used for the latest exercises was “the largest”, said Chen Yi-fan, assistant professor in the Diplomacy and International Relations Department at Taiwan’s Tamkang University.

Beijing has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan for more than seven decades and threatened force to take it, if necessary. Years of opinion polls in Taiwan show preference for self-rule.

China sees Taiwan President Lai Ching-te as a champion for independence, and talks between the two sides fell apart in 2016.

In August 2022 — the biggest ever Taiwan-targeted drill — the PLA held four days of exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taipei. They included air sorties, ballistic missile tests and naval deployments.

The PLA has held seven of these drills since the Pelosi visit, Chen said.

Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry said it had tracked 60 sorties by Chinese fighters, bombers, drones and support aircraft in the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. on Dec. 30. It said 44 of those crossed a median line in the 100-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait that separates the two sides.

The ministry said it logged 40 sorties and eight median line crossings the following day.

Simulated PLA blockage of major Taiwanese sea and air routes disrupted hundreds of civilian flights, many connecting Taiwan to its outlying islands, domestic media outlets said.

Triggers for the December drills include the announcement of an $11.1 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan alongside Taiwan’s own pledge to raise defense spending, Chen said.

The U.S. package is “specifically designed to tear apart the blockade concept that the PLA just showcased,” said Sean Su, a Taiwan businessperson and longtime political commentator.

The 1979 U.S. Taiwan Relations Act allows the United States to help defend Taiwan, if attacked, but Washington is vague about what it would offer and maintains diplomatic relations with Beijing rather than with Taipei.

Chinese robot dogs and “intelligent warfare” used on Dec. 29 and 30 looked good on television, Su said, but he said it is unclear whether the PLA could sustain the actions of the two days of drills during a longer conflict.

“The sustainability question is one Beijing doesn’t want to answer,” Su said. “The PLA has never shown its ability to sustain a blockade for weeks because they need to handle personnel shifts and logistics while operating under enemy fire and maintaining sensor-to-shooter connections against and potentially U.S. and Japanese interference.”

From a Chinese perspective, the Dec. 29-30 drills were “successfully completed,” PLA Eastern Theater Command Senior Captain Li Xi said via the military’s website. The command will now “remain on high alert at all times, keep strengthening combat readiness through arduous training, resolutely thwart the attempts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatists and external intervention, and firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Li said.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, a government body in charge of China affairs, criticized the drills on Dec. 29 as an “irrational” move disrupting civilian traffic, affecting the security of “life and property” and trying to change the “status quo” of relations between the two sides.

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, started evacuating personnel on Monday as Hurricane Milton approaches.

The emergency storm preparation comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded parts of the base, where U.S. Central Command’s and U.S. Special Operations Command’s headquarters and the 6th and 927th air refueling wings are located.

And it comes as Milton rapidly intensified, reaching category 5 status.

Milton formed as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend and is heading northeast towards Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts it will hit the Tampa Bay area late Wednesday or early Thursday.

MacDill, which is the home of KC-135 Stratotankers, began flying aircraft to safer locations on Sunday, 6th wing commander Col. Edward Szczepanik said in a video posted on social media.

Szczepanik on Sunday issued a mandatory evacuation order for base personnel living in certain areas likely to be hit by the hurricane, including those who live in on-base housing, which was to begin at 12:30 p.m. Monday and finish by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Personnel who are mission-essential or assigned to a hurricane recovery team are not being evacuated, the base said, and child development centers remain open to accommodate personnel who must respond to the storm.

Parts of MacDill were temporarily powerless and flooded in low-lying areas after Hurricane Helene struck Florida Sept. 26, as it passed north. MacDill said at the time that the storm surge that resulted from Helene brought near-record water levels and left debris scattered across roads, though the water soon subsided.

Dassault Aviation said it was moving sensitive equipment from a site closest to the wildfires to one nearer Bordeaux, with most workers staying home in line with instructions issued by the authorities. ArianeGroup had evacuated its affected sites, while the French Atomic Energy Commission CEA closed its military nuclear research site near Bordeaux as the wildfires approached.

The Gironde department of southwest France has been battling one of the country’s largest wildfires on record, with over 100,000 acres burned — an area roughly four times the size of Paris. The fires in recent days approached the cluster of defense and aerospace sites west of Bordeaux that represents one of France’s most important concentrations of missile, propulsion, combat aircraft, and military electronics production.

Dassault Aviation had to move “a certain number of sensitive equipment” from its site in Martignas and a logistics center in Cestas to its site in Mérignac and the local Air Base 106, working in close cooperation with France’s Directorate General for Armament and local authorities, the aircraft maker said in an emailed statement late Monday.

Satellite data on Tuesday morning showed wildfires remained active less than 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) west of Dassault’s Martignas site, which is the wing assembly plant for the Rafale jet, before final assembly of the aircraft in Mérignac.

NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System showed fires and hot spots west of Bordeaux were significantly reduced as of 9 o’clock in the morning local time, though authorities have warned that a new wave of hot weather with a peak on Wednesday, combined with near-record drought conditions, could cause fire activity to pick up again.

Employees at the Mérignac and Martignas plants are staying home, in line with instructions issued by authorities, unless they’ve been evacuated, Dassault Aviation said. Those still working are the teams necessary for the transfer of equipment and those in charge of protecting the site to help with fire-fighting efforts, the company said.

ArianeGroup is working in close cooperation with local and national authorities, and the company’s sites west of Bordeaux “have been evacuated, and all necessary measures have been taken to secure them,” the space-launch company said in an emailed reply to questions. The firm said it’s not commenting on security measures around its sites.

Satellite data as of Tuesday morning showed active wildfires around 12 kilometers west of ArianeGroup’s Candale site, where the propulsion units of the M51 missile stages are integrated and assembled, around 13 kilometers from the site of Saint-Médard-en-Jalles where the missile is fueled, and some 16 kilometers of the Le Haillan site that produces the company’s solid-propulsion systems.

“Whilst the unprecedented forest fires in Gironde are above all an environmental and humanitarian disaster, they also threaten sites that are of vital strategic importance to our nuclear deterrent,” said Etienne Marcuz, an associate fellow at the Foundation pour la Recherche Stratégique, in a post on the social media network X on Sunday.

Emergency services aided by local construction companies worked during the night of Friday to Saturday and throughout the day to clear vegetation and create firebreaks around a number of sensitive sites, Gironde department Prefect Sophie Brocas said in a press conference on Saturday.

Marc Vermeulen, the head of the Gironde department fire and emergency service, said that after protecting lives, the next priority is protecting at-risk strategic sites. The DGA has a missile testing site just west of Saint-Médard.

Thales said its site at Mérignac has been closed since Monday as a precautionary measure, in accordance with guidelines from the authorities. The company said it’s doing everything possible to safeguard its strategic equipment at the site and ensure continuity of its commitments to customers.

The Thales site sits across from the Dassault Aviation campus in the Bordeaux suburb, and supplies equipment including avionics systems for the Rafale as well as military helicopters.

MBDA’s Roxel unit has one of its main production locations in Saint-Médard, where it produces propellant, solid rocket motors and carries out integration work for rockets and drones, on a site shared with ArianeGroup. Roxel produces the motors for a number of MBDA missiles, including the Aster range of air-defense interceptors.

“Roxel is managing the situation and the necessary measures have been taken to ensure the safety of our staff and our operations, with the support of the relevant authorities and emergency services,” MBDA said in an emailed statement, declining further comment.

The CEA said its site in Le Barp southwest of Bordeaux has been closed due to the wildfire situation. After wildfires in 2022, the center put in place new procedures, provided additional fire-fighting equipment to the in-house fire brigade, and created firebreaks around the center, the government organization said in an emailed reply to questions.

The CEA Cesta site houses the organization’s megajoule laser, a research instrument used to create conditions of extreme heat and pressure similar to those produced by nuclear weapons, and part of France’s efforts to maintain the credibility of its nuclear deterrent without live nuclear testing.

As of Tuesday morning, satellite data showed active wildfires around 7 kilometers from the site, after the fire front got to around 4 kilometers from the CEA site over the weekend.