Short Sleepers.
Speech without a speaker.
News Items is as invaluable a way to start the day as a strong cup of coffee or a sip of mild gin” — Graydon Carter, editor and author of ‘When The Going Was Good’.
1. The U.S. is sending significant numbers of jet fighters and support aircraft to the Middle East, assembling the greatest amount of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yet it still couldn’t be determined whether President Trump would order strikes against Iran—and if he did, whether the aim would be to halt Iran’s already-battered nuclear program, wipe out its missile force or try to topple the regime. Over the past few days, the U.S. has continued to move cutting-edge F-35 and F-22 jet fighters toward the Middle East, according to flight-tracking data and a U.S. official. A second aircraft carrier loaded with attack and electronic-warfare planes is on the way. Command-and-control aircraft, which are vital for orchestrating large air campaigns, are inbound. And critical air defenses have been deployed to the region in recent weeks. The firepower will give the U.S. the option of carrying out a sustained, weekslong air war against Iran instead of the one-and-done “Midnight Hammer” strike the U.S. carried out in June against three Iranian nuclear sites. (Source: wsj.com)
2. Iran’s leaders want to reach a nuclear deal with the U.S., but they are also rushing to prepare for war in case talks between the countries fail. Tehran is deploying its forces, dispersing decision-making authority, fortifying its nuclear sites and expanding its crackdown on domestic dissent. The moves reflect its leaders’ belief that the survival of the regime itself is at stake. (Source: wsj.com)
3. U.S.-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Geneva broke off yesterday without any significant progress or indication that Russia was ready to step back from its maximalist demands for subjugating Ukraine. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, tersely said the talks had been “difficult but businesslike” and had ended after just two hours of discussions on Wednesday following longer conversations the previous day. The reappearance of Medinsky, known to be a hard-line aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as head of the Kremlin’s delegation had signified that Russia was digging in its heels on core demands — including significant cuts to the Ukrainian military, the dismantling of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government and guarantees for Ukraine’s neutrality, analysts said. (Source: washingtonpost.com)
4. Russia’s war is getting cheaper. That’s the worst news Europe has heard in years. Four years of data show Russia trading tanks for drones—while its new armor heads not to Ukraine, but to NATO’s border. "Russia has been trying to take Kyiv in three days for four years," said Col. Volodymyr Polevyi, head of communications for the 7th Rapid Response Corps of Ukraine's Air Assault Forces. Four years in, it has no plans to stop. But how Russia fights is changing. Trends from Ukrainian General Staff statistics across the first four years reveal a strategic shift: from maneuver warfare supported by massive firepower to a war of attrition sustained by drones and guided glide bombs; from expensive heavy weapons to cheap high-tech; from soldiers to robotics; from precision strikes to indiscriminate destruction. The data points to an uncomfortable conclusion for Europe: Russia's ability to sustain this war is improving while the scale of Ukrainian devastation increases. (Source: euromaidanpress.com)
