I - On Defense Podcast

For review:1. Iranian Protests Continue for 13th Day; Spread Across Iran's 31 Provinces.2. During visit to Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has said his country is seeking to open a new chapter in relations with Lebanon, at a time when Lebanon is continuing with plans to disarm Tehran's most potent proxy- Hezbollah.3. Iran’s supreme leader signaled Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters after they screamed from windows and marched through the streets overnight, directly challenging US President Donald Trump’s pledge to support those peacefully demonstrating.4. Report: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will escape to Moscow if his regime collapses- an intelligence report shared with The Times of Israel says.The Supreme Leader Khamenei, 86, will flee Tehran with his aides and family members if his security forces fail to halt the growing demonstrations or desert his side amid the unrest, the report says.5. Russia fired its new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at the western Ukrainian city of Lviv overnight on Jan. 9, the Russian Defense Ministry said, calling the attack "retaliation" for an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences, a claim Kyiv has denied.6. The US has seized another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said on Friday.7. The head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the military alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump‘s threats to bring Greenland under US control.8. Lockheed Martin says it delivered 191 F-35 Stealth Fighters in 2025, a record for the program facilitated by a backlog of jets held in storage.

For review:1. US Seizes Oil Tanker in N. Atlantic Ocean.2. President Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Wednesday in Paris with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss the U.S. plan for peace in Ukraine.3. Somaliland in Talks with Israel About Possible Military Base.4. US Ready to Start Phase 2 of Gaza Peace Agreement.5. The Lebanese army announced Thursday that it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area in the country’s south between the Israeli border and the Litani River.But Israel, which maintains a troop presence in a number of key locations in southern Lebanon to defend the border, was skeptical about the Lebanese claim.6. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Raytheon on Wednesday, saying he would cut the defense giant’s government contracts if it does not accelerate weapons production and act to rein in stock buybacks.7. USMC has selected a team of Northrop Grumman and Kratos to deliver the service’s first batch of drone wingmen, the companies announced today. Under the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) program, Northrop will serve as the prime contractor, integrating mission equipment onto Kratos’s unmanned XQ-58 Valkyrie 

For review:1. At least seven U.S. service members were injured during Operation Absolute Resolve, according to a Pentagon official and a person familiar with the situation. The Cuban government said this week that 32 of its officers died in the raid.2. France, the United Kingdom and Ukraine signed a “Declaration of Intent” on Tuesday to send their forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.3. Israel and Syria on Tuesday agreed during the second day of talks in Paris to create a mechanism that will facilitate de-escalation, diplomacy and commercial opportunities between the two countries, according to a joint statement from the two countries and the US that was released by Washington.4. Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Paris on Tuesday.5. Israeli military intelligence has warned that Iran is plotting to assassinate Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. According to the Israeli military's assessment, al-Sharaa is facing threats from Iran alongside other hostile actors.6. Iran Warns of Preemptive Strikes Against Imminent Security Threats.7. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited Somaliland on Tuesday for the first official visit since Israel recognized the breakaway state last month, where he met with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.8. N. Korea launches 2 x hypersonic missiles into the Sea of Japan. 

For review:1. Former Venezuelan Vice-President (Delcy Rodriguez) sworn in as official President.2. President Trump: US Not at War with Venezuela.3. Britain and France on Sunday said they had carried out joint strikes on the Islamic State group in Syria to prevent the Islamist extremists from resurging.4. A fifth round of talks between Israel and Syria started on Monday in Paris, the first meetings in nearly two months, after progress toward a security arrangement between the two countries stalled.5. Israel launched a series of airstrikes deep inside eastern and southern Lebanon on Monday, which the Israel Defense Forces said targeted buildings used by Hamas and Hezbollah.6.  Azerbaijan's President: No Peacekeeping Force Envisaged (in Gaza). Azerbaijan has no intention of sending a contingent of its troops to take part in peacekeeping operations outside its borders, including in the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, President Ilham Aliyev says.7. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner will take part in a leaders' summit on Ukraine's security guarantees in Paris on Jan. 6, a White House official told the Kyiv Independent.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also attend the summit, the alliance's press service said. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-host the meeting.8. The German military has awarded a 4.2-billion-euro ($4.92-billion) contract to a joint venture between Rheinmetall and KNDS Deutschland for the delivery of 200 Puma infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).9. USAF Designates Northrup Grumman Talon CCA as YFQ-48A.The Air Force in early 2025 dubbed the first round of CCAs, made by Anduril and General Atomics, the YFQ-44A & the YFQ-42A, respectively.

1. US Raid Captures Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.