Suspected U.S. airstrikes struck areas around Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa that are held by Iran-backed Houthi militants overnight and into Monday morning, according to The Associated Press. The latest attacks came after airstrikes on Friday that appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15.

The news agency cited the Houthis as saying at least three people were killed. The Pentagon has not commented on the most recent strikes. U.S. Central Command, which oversees activity in the Middle East, said in a March 15 statement that American forces had “initiated an operation consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi  targets across Yemen in order to restore freedom of navigation.” The statement did not specify how long the operation would last.

Houthis militants carried out waves of missile and drone attacks on commercial cargo ships and American warships from November 2023 until January, creating a security meltdown in the Red Sea and forcing global shipping companies to reroute around Africa to avoid the area that leads to the strategic passage of the Suez Canal.

North Korea is receiving technical and intelligence assistance from Moscow in exchange for providing troops to back the Russian military campaign against Ukraine, according to Daniel N. Hoffman, a retired high-level CIA official who says the intensity of the war forced members of the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea “axis of tyranny” to integrate their economies and intelligence apparatuses.

Mr. Hoffman, a Washington Times columnist and contributor to Threat Status, made the comments in a wide-ranging discussion featured on the latest edition of the Threat Status Influencers video series. “Putin has suffered massive, hundreds of thousands of casualties, spilled a lot of blood and treasure,” Mr. Hoffman said. “But he’s successfully swiveled in the direction … to China, where Russia exports their hydrocarbons. … And of course, Iran now has a drone factory inside Russia, and they’re getting a lot of artillery and soldiers they’re using as cannon fodder from North Korea.”

“Russia’s kind of brought North Korea out of the cold diplomatically, so they’re not as isolated as they once were. Kim Jong-un traveled to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin. They’ve hosted Russian senior officials,” Mr. Hoffman said. “So that’s one thing. Secondly, the technology that they need for their military dual-use technology, it’s not a surprise that Putin and Kim Jong-un met at a Russian space facility.”

Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Ishiba wrapped up a high-level meeting in Tokyo over the weekend with a stark warning on Sunday about “severe” security threats in the Asia-Pacific region. Both men said the U.S.-Japan alliance is critical to countering an aggressive communist China.

At a joint press conference, Mr. Hegseth said the U.S. is creating a “warfighting headquarters” to upgrade the 55,000 U.S. troops in Japan and deter Chinese military action in the region, including any threat to Taiwan. “America and Japan stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the communist Chinese,” Mr. Hegseth said.

The upgrade will help the U.S. military better coordinate operations with Japan’s recently established joint operations command. The headquarters also has been designed to increase military readiness for regional crises or conflicts. “We must be prepared. We look forward to working closely together as we improve our warfighting capabilities, our lethality and our readiness,” said Mr. Hegseth, who added that the U.S. seeks peace but will prepare for war.

The U.S. military is sending a new autonomous missile system and drone sea vessels to the Philippines amid growing tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.

Mr. Hegseth says the planned deployment of the advanced Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System — NMESIS — will be backed by highly capable unmanned surface vessels. Mr. Hegseth made the announcement during a high-level visit to the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, on Friday.

The mobile ground-based anti-ship missile system will further strengthen U.S. missile strike power in the Philippines. In April 2024, the Army’s new Typhon missile, known as the strategic mid-range fires, was deployed in northern Luzon, the Philippines’ largest and most populous island, for military drills and remained in place after the exercises.

Taiwan helps keep America well ahead of China in the race to develop the world’s fastest, highest-performing semiconductor chips — a reality that makes Beijing’s talk of imminent “reunification” with Taiwan “all the more alarming” and underscores how it is “vital that we continue to stand by such a staunch ally,” writes Ed Feulner, founder of The Heritage Foundation.

“America’s commitment is reflected in the Taiwan Relations Act. Signed into law 46 years ago, the spirit and intent of the TRA — to deter aggression from Beijing, promote economic freedom and protect human rights on Taiwan — are as robust today as they were in 1979,” Mr. Feulner writes.

“Under the TRA, the United States must assist the island with its defense,” he writes. “Of course, we also must work with China, which has many missiles pointing at Taiwan. This situation makes managing cross-strait relations tricky, but we must remain resolute and honor our promise to Taiwan.”

• March 31 — Fully Exploiting Autonomous Military Systems, Hudson Institute

• April 2 — The Future of U.S.-Japan-ROK Trilateral Cooperation, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• April 3 — World to Come: The Return of Trump and the End of the Old Order, Stimson Center

• April 3 — Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs: What are They? How will They Work? The Brookings Institution

• April 7 — Maximum Support: Operationalizing the Other Iran Policy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

• April 10-11 — Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats, Vanderbilt University