The Washington Times

Threat Status for Monday, August 4, 2025. Share this daily newsletter with your friends, who can sign up here. Send tips to National Security Correspondent Ben Wolfgang.

The Trump administration gave a clear indication that it’s ready to impose secondary tariffs on Russia’s oil sector and live with the geopolitical consequences that follow.

… White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller took direct aim at India for buying Russian oil and, in the process, “financing” Russia’s war in Ukraine.

… President Trump has given Russia until Friday to make a ceasefire deal with Ukraine or face those secondary tariffs, which would have a significant impact on the biggest customers for Russia’s oil: India and China.

… A new report from strategic intelligence company Strider details how state-affiliated actors from China, Russia and North Korea can exploit vulnerabilities in open-source software.

… Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials want Mr. Trump to pressure Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

… U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said trade talks with China have been “very positive.”

… Thousands of workers at Boeing who make fighter jets for the U.S. military are now on strike.

… At least 68 migrants died and another 74 were missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen on Sunday.

… And Iran says it launched a new council to handle “defensive plans and improve the capabilities of Iran’s armed forces” in the wake of its clash with Israel.

Golden Dome in focus at SMD Symposium

Threat Status will have exclusive stories and video this week from the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, where top Pentagon officials and defense industry leaders will gather for both high-level policy discussions and a showcase of the world’s most futuristic military technology.

The three-day forum is expected to draw well over 7,000 attendees. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, and Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, are among the Pentagon leaders slated to speak.

Mr. Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile shield, designed to protect the U.S. from ballistic and hypersonic missile threats from China, Russia and other adversaries, will be a central theme at the event. Top defense companies, many of which will be represented at the symposium, are angling to be part of the effort and to secure potentially lucrative Golden Dome contracts.

U.S. undertakes a sweeping maritime buildup

It’s been a long time coming, but there are clear signs that the U.S. is finally moving ahead with the kind of major shipbuilding initiative that military insiders say is crucial to keeping pace with adversaries such as China. Washington Times Military Correspondent Mike Glenn has been tracking this story for years and reports on the latest developments, including how Mr. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will inject billions of dollars into the U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industrial base.

The Coast Guard expects to receive $14 billion earmarked for shipbuilding. And the Navy is set to grow from its current fleet of 296 manned warships to 381, along with 134 unmanned surface vessels and subsurface vessels by 2045.

Analysts caution that there is a long way to go to turn that funding into actual maritime capability. But if the plans come to fruition, they would represent some of the most radical changes for U.S. naval power in the post-World War II era.

South Korea's new president rides high

A trade deal with the U.S. Making good on campaign promises to hold businesses accountable for abusive labor and consumer practices. A sky-high approval rating.

He’s only two months into his term, but South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is riding high and already notching wins on some of his most high-profile campaign promises. The Times’ Asia editor, Andrew Salmon, has a deep dive into the new South Korean leader’s early days in office and his attempt to steady the country following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Mr. Salmon covers all of this in detail, but one of the biggest takeaways is Mr. Lee’s soaring approval rating: Over 60%, according to an opinion poll conducted late last month.

Pressure mounts on Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure from inside and outside his country over the war in the Gaza Strip. A letter from hundreds of retired Israeli security officials asking Mr. Trump to intervene was followed by a video address from a group of high-ranking former officials. Those officials say Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas is no longer necessary for strategic reasons but that Mr. Netanyahu has his own political motivations for continuing it.

The Trump administration has shifted its tone on the conflict in recent days amid harrowing images and video of the humanitarian conditions across Gaza. The administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met over the weekend with the families of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas and reportedly indicated that the U.S. is now pushing for a full ceasefire.

Opinion: Britain, France, Canada side with Hamas

What’s driving the decisions by Canada, France and Britain to formally recognize a Palestinian state? Jed Babbin, a national security and foreign affairs columnist for The Times, argues that it’s simply an example of those governments actively siding with the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas over the state of Israel.

Mr. Babbin argues in a new column that those three nations are trying to push for an end to the fighting in Gaza that would allow Hamas to remain in control. And the United Nations, he writes, deserves criticism as well.

“The United Nations, France, Britain and Canada aren’t really making mistakes. They are, in their bias against Israel, taking actions intentionally and with malice,” Mr. Babbin writes. “The disdain the United Nations, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have for Mr. Netanyahu is almost enough to propel them. Worse still, they are trying to keep Hamas as a viable government for the Gaza Strip.”

Threat Status Events Radar

• Aug. 5 — Misinformation: What Is It and What Should We Do About It? Cato Institute

• Aug. 5-7 — 2025 Space & Missile Defense Symposium, SMD Symposium

• Aug. 11-13 — Ai4 2025: Artificial Intelligence Industry Event, Ai4

• Aug. 13 — The U.S. Space Force’s Jonathan Farrow on the U.S. Space Warfighting Framework, Atlantic Council

• Aug. 13 — In-Person Two-Day NetBrain Power User Training, NetBrain Technologies

• Aug. 15 — Deterrence Dynamics in the Asia-Pacific: An Australian Perspective with Christine Leah, National Institute for Deterrence Studies

• Aug. 20 — The Future of U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Cooperation, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Aug. 26 — The Future of Naval Aviation: A Conversation with Vice Adm. Daniel L. Cheever and Lt. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, Center for Strategic & International Studies

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If you’ve got questions, Guy Taylor and Ben Wolfgang are here to answer them.