For review:

1. US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza.

2. Taiwan’s high-profile Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu made a previously unpublicized visit to Israel recently, three sources familiar with the trip told Reuters, at a time when Taiwan is looking to Jerusalem for defense cooperation.

3. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Thursday that he would travel to Beirut for talks after his Lebanese counterpart had declined a day earlier to visit Tehran.

4. The United States has suggested creating a “free economic zone” in parts of the eastern Donbas region from which Ukraine would withdraw under a negotiated peace with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

5. The Croatian Ministry of Defense has placed an order for 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks, a deal valued at almost €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion).

6. Russian and Chinese bombers conducted a joint patrol Tuesday, flying over the East China Sea and Western Pacific, prompting Seoul and Tokyo to scramble fighter aircraft to monitor the flights.

7. — South Korea’s Hanwha is set to invest in a new $1 billion plant in the United States to produce Modular Charge Systems (MCS) for 155mm howitzer ammunition.

8. The House passed the fiscal 2026 defense policy authorization bill, setting up passage in the Senate before Congress goes on holiday break.

Lawmakers voted 312-112 to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House’s request.

For review:

1. Latest in Ukraine/US/European negotiations to end war.

2. A Hamas source told The Times of Israel on Sunday that the group will only agree to give up its weapons through negotiations that result in the establishment of a Palestinian state.

3. Armor Not Dead: Australian Army's 3d Brigade (Armored) Transformation.

The first tranche of the new AS9 Huntsman SP 155mm howitzers is set to reach the 3d Brigade by the end of 2027,.

Other new kit heading the brigade’s way includes M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks, AS21 Redback infantry fighting vehicles, several types of Abrams-based combat engineering vehicles, and Boxer 8x8 combat reconnaissance vehicles.

For review:

1. Ukrainian President to Meet with E3 Leaders in London to discuss last week's US Negotiations (Miami).

2. US Envoy Kellogg Says Deal Close; Sticking Points include Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant.

3. The Russian and Chinese militaries conducted joint anti-missile drills in on Russian territory in early December as part of scheduled military exercises, China's Defense Ministry said on Dec. 6.

These drills followed joint artillery and anti-submarine exercises that were conducted in the Sea of Japan in August.

4. Hamas is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire with Israel, a senior official says, offering a possible formula to resolve one of the thorniest issues in the US-brokered agreement.

5. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza is “almost” complete, and that he expects to move on to its second phase soon.

6. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani suggested Sunday that his country will not foot the bill for rebuilding Gaza, despite speculation that it would be the main backer of reconstruction.

“We are not the ones who are going to write the check to rebuild what others destroyed,” Al Thani said during an onstage interview at the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference.

7. During a visit to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that the Yellow Line, demarcating where the Israeli military withdrew to under the terms of the ongoing ceasefire, is “a new border line.”

“We will not allow Hamas to reestablish itself. We control large parts of the Gaza Strip and stand along [strategic] lines. The Yellow Line is a new border line, a forward defensive line for the communities and an offensive line.”

8. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for stepped-up military recruitment after the United States deployed a fleet of warships and the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean.

9. President Javier Milei on Saturday hailed the arrival of Argentina’s first six F-16 jets purchased from Denmark, describing them as “guardian angels” that will strengthen the South American country’s armed forces.

The US-built aircraft are among the 24 fighters bought last year from Copenhagen for roughly $300 million.