Mr. Hegseth will be in the spotlight Friday at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a conference attended by Asian politicians, military officials and industry executives, including representatives from China. The event has featured high-stakes meetings between U.S. and Chinese military officials in past years.

Washington Times Asia Editor Andrew Salmon reports that the defense secretary is expected to make the case at the three-day summit that Asian allies should strengthen ties with the U.S. amid growing concerns about China. Beijing’s attendees this year have yet to be announced.

Decoding is required to assess the importance of Chinese delegates. “The Pentagon is wary of being lowballed by the People’s Liberation Army,” said Alex Neill, a defense expert with Pacific Forum and a former fellow with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which hosts the summit. Beijing’s defense ministers lack the seniority of U.S defense secretaries, so in protocol terms, “someone from the [Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission] would be appropriate,” said Mr. Neill, although he noted that “China might be wary of being put in the spotlight over things like Ukraine.”

Since Mr. Trump met with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh this month and announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Damascus, the new Syrian government has signaled to the rest of the world that the war-weary nation is finally open again for business. Washington Times Special Correspondent Jacob Wirtschafter offers a deep dive from Istanbul on how the situation could impact Middle Eastern geopolitics, economics and security dynamics — with key roles played by such regional powers as Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The Trump administration is leaning heavily on private-sector channels rather than traditional State Department diplomacy. Washington is acknowledging Turkey’s rising influence in Damascus, while Persian Gulf capitals appear to be moving in tandem to bring development funding to the table. In May, the World Bank cleared Syria’s $15.5 million in outstanding debt, thanks to payments from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This pivotal move made Syria eligible for grants and budget support.

Since the announcement that sanctions were to be lifted, Riyadh has announced investment zones for agriculture, pledged support for oil production and greenlit deals in education and housing. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-backed DP World signed an $800 million deal this month to modernize Tartus Port. Syria’s government signed a 30-year agreement with French shipping giant CMA CGM to redevelop the Latakia port, annulling a Russian lease signed under then-President Bashar Assad.

The Army’s CH-47 Chinook was introduced in 1962. For most advanced military aircraft, that might mean it’s time to retire. Yet the Chinook has proved so versatile and dependable that it is expected to continue serving U.S. forces for several decades. In March, the Army Special Operations Command gave Boeing a $250 million contract to provide it with five more Chinooks.

Threat Status Pentagon Correspondent Mike Glenn examines the Chinook’s history and future in a piece featuring interviews with service members who have piloted the aircraft, which can fly as high as 20,000 feet, making it the only U.S. military helicopter that was capable of crossing some of the rugged mountain ranges in Afghanistan.

The CH-47 is distinguished from other aircraft in the fleet by the twin fore-and-aft rotors and engines that are twice as powerful as those in the UH-60B Black Hawk, for example. The Chinook doesn’t require a tail rotor to counteract torque, a twisting force that tends to cause rotation, and help maintain directional stability. That means all the engine power in the CH-47 can focus on its heavy-lift capabilities.

The Pentagon is shipping an additional 1,000 troops to support 10,000 military personnel who are part of Joint Task Force-Southern Border. The 1,115 military personnel who will deploy to the U.S.-Mexico border come from half a dozen units in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy, officials said.

U.S. military officials announced the deployment last week, saying about 65 military personnel will be assigned to the headquarters of the task force. Others will provide logistical support and carry out civil engineering missions along the border. About 75 soldiers will provide medical care for the deployed troops.

Threat Status opinion contributor Miles Yu hones in on U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758, asserting that “few documents in modern diplomatic history have sown more confusion, distortion and injustice.”

“Passed in the shadow of the Cold War on Oct. 25, 1971, the resolution was ostensibly designed to answer a straightforward question: Who should represent ‘China’ at the United Nations?” Mr. Yu writes. “In truth, it did far more and far worse. It trampled over the U.N. Charter, abandoned legal principles for political convenience and laid the foundation for the People’s Republic of China to wage a decades-long campaign of coercion against Taiwan.”

He adds: “The resolution is not a triumph of diplomacy; it’s a vivid reminder of how the machinery of international law can be hijacked by raw geopolitical manipulation and diplomatic incompetence.”

• May 28-30 — Imagine AI Live ‘25, Imagine AI Live

• May 30-June 1 — IISS Shangri-La Dialogue (Singapore), International Institute for Strategic Studies

• June 2-4 — AI+ Expo, Special Competitive Studies Project

• June 3 — CNAS 2025 National Security Conference | America’s Edge: Forging the Future, Center for a New American Security

• June 4 — The Future of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East with Sen. James Risch, Hudson Institute

• June 25 — The New IC, Intelligence and National Security Alliance