Defense &
National Security

Defense &
National Security

The Big Story 

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday directly lobbied dozens of Western defense officials for more military aid, assistance that is sure to stretch thin with the conflict between Israel and Hamas raging. 

© AP Photo

Zelensky’s attendance at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a meeting of more than 50 defense leaders in Brussels, is the first time the Ukrainian leader has attended such a gathering. 

The event offered a gain for Kyiv, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announcing that the U.S. will send another $200 million in new weapons and equipment to Ukraine. That package includes munitions for air defense systems, anti-tank and anti-drone weapons and various artillery rounds. 

But Austin also signaled that the Defense Department was preparing to offer more support to Israel in its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas, telling reporters that it “stands fully ready to deploy additional assets if necessary” — even as he assured that Washington could aid both countries. 

“Make no mistake, the United States will remain able to project power and to direct resources to tackle crises in multiple theaters,” Austin said following the meeting. “We will stand firmly with Israel as we continue to support Ukraine.” 

And as the gathering kicked off, Austin, flanked by Zelensky, said U.S. support for Israel will “remain ironclad.” 

The meeting comes as Ukraine hopes to gain more Western weapons for its fight to reclaim territory from Russian troops ahead of winter. 

But there are signs of the Western world growing weary of continuous funding for Ukraine as the country has only made minimal progress in its counteroffensive launched earlier this spring. 

Zelensky’s attendance at the meeting Wednesday appeared to try to counterbalance that fatigue.  

“Of course, everybody’s afraid” of diminishing Western assistance with the Israel and Hamas conflict, he said at a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “And I think also Russia’s counting on it, on dividing support.” 

But the war in Israel has thrown a new wrench into Ukrainian efforts to shore up additional help, as it is sure to further strain weapons stocks already running low thanks to 19 months of helping Kyiv’s military.  

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

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On Our Radar 

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat: 

NATO defense ministers meet for a second day at headquarters in Brussels, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to give brief remarks at 1:30 a.m.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold a news conference at the conclusion of the two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers at 8:45 a.m. in Brussels

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

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On Tap Tomorrow 

Events in and around the defense world: 

The Atlantic Council will host a virtual discussion on “Applying an Irregular Warfare Lens to Outer Space,” with Col. El Gardner, director of strategy, policy, and plans at U.S. Space Force, at 9 a.m.

Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, will speak at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Association of the U.S. Army’s “Strategic Landpower Dialogue,” at 9 a.m.

Brookings Institution will discuss “Poland’s election and the direction of democracy in Central Europe,” with former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried, at 11 a.m.  

What We’re Reading 

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

‘Always under fire’: On the battlefield with Ukraine’s elite troops, (The New York Times)

Air Force charges former pilot training boss with sexual assault, (Military Times)

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