Weekly News Update: Mar 29, 2024

23 - 29 Mar 2024

Good morning,

Despite overwhelming evidence, including prior warnings from the US intelligence community of Islamic State terrorist threat and the terrorist group claiming it, Russia tries to link spectacular attack against a Moscow concert hall to Ukraine. For its part, Ukraine seems content to continue sinking Russian warships in the Black Sea.

Uncrewed systems continue to dominate the defense technology landscape, with the US military continuing to invest heavily in the sector. Additionally, the Pentagon continues work to build out and secure the defense industrial base.

Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea continue to build closer ties, underscoring a growing divide between autocracies and classically liberal democratic regimes. China continues to bully its neighbors, particularly the Philippines as it appears to be continuing to build its capabilities to attack and seize Taiwan, including building a mock-up of the island nation’s capital in a Chinese desert for rehearsals.

Let…