Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the firing of Pentagon leaders and the removal of a full Pentagon press corps under Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth “concerns” him, but he noted, “I don't know the rationale for those changes.” “When you have a lot of changes like that, yeah, I think there is an obligation to explain, at a minimum, to the Congress, the rationale,” Gates told @margbrennan. Asked whether the systems are operating that way right now, Gates replied: “No.”

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the chances of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan are “pretty low,” over the next several years, “partly because Xi has other options open to him that involve far less risk.” “I don't think they want to go in and attack Taiwan. They don't want to destroy the very chip factories they want to take over,” Gates told @margbrennan, adding China could impose a blockade or quarantine around the island “anytime they wanted.”

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said “it would be a mistake” for the U.S. to change or shift rhetoric on its longstanding, “carefully-worded” position of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan. Gates told @margbrennan the U.S. policy on Taiwan is “one of those things where the experts parse these things down to the tense of the verbs,” and added that “keeping the U.S. position as it has been was important.”

BREAKING: Defense News and Task & Purpose both report that the Pentagon has stopped the ongoing transfer of a U.S. armored brigade that was supposed to deploy to Poland for 9 months with 4000+ troops and hundreds of armored vehicles. The 2nd ABCT (“Black Jack” Brigade), 1st Cavalry Division, was scheduled to replace the 3rd ABCT, also from the 1st Cavalry Division (the “Greywolf” Brigade). These are standard ~9-month rotational deployments under Operation Atlantic Resolve. Some advance elements, including soldiers, already in Poland will turn around and head back to the U.S. The 3rd ABCT will likely redeploy back to the U.S. on its original timeline this summer and U.S. troop numbers in Poland are likely to decrease from around 10 000 currently to around 6000. The increase to 10 000 was made in the weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedotov and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited frontline regions of Ukraine and several military headquarters near the front. “Boris Pistorius is one of the few foreign defense ministers who has personally come this close to the front line. This is true European leadership,” Fedotov said. Ukrainian troops demonstrated the DELTA battlefield management system, assault planning, reconnaissance operations, strikes on Russian logistics, and drone coordination within a unified combat system. Germany has allocated more than $1 billion for Ukraine’s deep-strike and mid-strike capabilities. According to Fedotov, Ukrainian forces already carry out around 5,000 strikes every month at depths of over 20 km, with effectiveness expected to grow further through expanded drone procurement. Video: Mykhailo Fedorov / Facebook

Two former Chinese defense chiefs received suspended death sentences on corruption charges. How is Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge affecting the People’s Liberation Army’s readiness? Join the conversation at #IPDF# #China# #IndoPacific#

A Chinese defense spokesperson said on Monday that China stands ready to work with the United States to promote the steady and long-term development of a stable and positive military-to-military relationship. Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks responding to a media query about the recent meeting between Chinese and U.S. heads of the state.

Ukraine's air defenses knocked down 279 of 287 Russian drones overnight, a 97% intercept rate. Russia launched the swarm anyway, which means the goal wasn't to break through air defenses. It was to exhaust them.

Johnson's defense of congressional stock trading: lawmakers need the income because their $174,000 salary has been frozen since 2009. Seven in ten Americans can't cover a $1,000 emergency. The argument that Congress deserves a side hustle in the markets they regulate is one of the more honest admissions of how Washington actually works.