On one hand, it’s the ultimate inside-Washington story. On the other, it could have a lasting impact on the quality of public discourse in America and eliminate a crucial forum for public officials to explain — and defend — their positions.

Threat Status has a deep dive into the Defense Department’s decision to slash participation in think tank events, such as the forums routinely listed in the “Threat Status Events Radar” section of this newsletter each day. The Pentagon says it will conduct a “thorough vetting” of all such events before granting permission for any military officials to attend.

For the Trump administration, it seems to be the next logical step in an effort to sever connections between the Pentagon and its senior officials from any outfit deemed “globalist” in nature or those seen to be advocating for the kinds of left-wing social values that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to root out of the military.

But some specialists warn that it could fundamentally weaken the flow of accurate information from the government to its citizens. And beyond that, it could spark tension within the Defense Department, specifically between military services and the office of the defense secretary, as Mr. Hegseth and his team could be seen as micromanaging the public schedules of all high-ranking military officials.

The U.S. Air Force enjoyed a shining moment with the success of Operation Midnight Hammer, the daring June airstrike that dealt a severe blow to Iran’s nuclear program. But behind the scenes, aerospace experts say there are serious problems facing American airpower.

Retired Air Force Gen. David Deptula, now the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, joined the Threat Status weekly podcast and explained in great detail just how dire the situation has become.

“Today, the Air Force is the oldest, the smallest and the least ready in its history. And that’s not an opinion. It’s a fact and it’s a strategic liability,” he said. 

The Ukrainian military has a manpower problem. And it’s looking for an influx of cash from European allies to help fix it.

Threat Status correspondent Guillaume Ptak has a fascinating dispatch from Kyiv about how the Ukrainian army, more than three years into its conflict with Russia, is struggling to replenish its ranks. It’s partly a numbers game: With 6.5 million Ukrainians having fled the country and about 3 million now living under Russian occupation, Ukraine’s population has shrunk from a pre-war total of 41 million to about 30 million at most.

At the same time, Mr. Ptak reports, the initial patriotic surge that had led tens of thousands of Ukrainians to enlist in the early months of the war has waned. Much of the population willing and able to serve has already joined the army, and many have since been wounded, killed or exhausted by repeated deployments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently appealed to European nations to, in addition to providing money for weapons, provide cash to offer new recruits. 

The Defense Department says it will save at least $25 million from cuts at the Defense Technical Information Center, which include a reduction of about 80% of the office’s nearly 200 employees. Emil Michael, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said in a memo Monday that the center’s outdated information platform and structure limit its ability to keep pace with U.S. allies and enemies.

Since 1945, the DTIC has been the Defense Department’s central repository for research and development information. The DTIC’s vast collection of scientific and technical information gleaned from U.S. defense projects is a valuable asset for current Pentagon researchers.

Pentagon officials promised an “AI-first digital transformation of DTIC,” though they did not elaborate on exactly what that means. 

What’s the real driving motivation behind China’s obsession with conquering Taiwan? For leaders in Beijing, it is a “sacred ideological mission” crucial to the survival and legitimacy of Chinese Communist Party rule.

In his latest piece, Threat Status opinion contributor Miles Yu offers a detailed explanation of the CCP’s rationale for why Taiwan, an island democracy, must be reunited with communist China.

“For the Chinese Communist Party, Taiwan has never been a mere provincial concern or a nationalist grievance. Rather, the conquest of Taiwan is the unfinished chapter of the ‘War of Liberation,’ not a civil war but a sacred ideological mission,” writes Mr. Yu, the director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.

“From the CCP’s perspective, its legitimacy as the last vanguard of global communism hinges on completing this task.”

• Aug. 5 — Washington Brief: South Korea’s Security Concerns About U.S. Policy, Washington Times Foundation 

• 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