The Washington Times

Threat Status for Friday, December 26, 2025. The Threat Status daily newsletter team is on hiatus in recognition of Christmas. While we’re away, please enjoy some recent highlights from the deep-dive journalism produced by the Threat Status team.

Share this newsletter with your friends, who can sign up here. Send tips to National Security Editor Guy Taylor and National Security Correspondent Ben Wolfgang.

Threat Status exclusive videos

WATCH: U.S. is now in a ‘second Cold War’ in space

Then-United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno joined Mr. Taylor and National Security Correspondent John T. Seward for an exclusive video interview at the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum, discussing the urgency of space operations in the great power competition between the U.S., China, Russia and more. This video is sponsored by United Launch Alliance.

WATCH: New defense tech was the talk of Reagan National Defense Forum

Mr. Seward sat down at the forum with Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a key Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, for a deep-dive discussion on how Congress views the Pentagon’s push to more rapidly embrace and deploy fast-evolving advanced technology weapons.

PODCAST: Is China dominating the AI race?

Also at the Reagan forum, Booz Allen Hamilton President and CEO Horacio Rozanski joined the Threat Status weekly podcast for an exclusive interview on U.S.-China competition for artificial intelligence dominance and a range of other advanced-tech issues intersecting with national security.

EXCLUSIVE FEATURE: Somali pirates stage comeback with Houthi support

Threat Status Special Correspondent Joseph Hammond examines how Somali pirates are stalking commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean in coordination with Iran-backed Houthi militants and terrorist groups operating in the Horn of Africa.

Threat Status Events Radar

• Jan. 12 — Next Steps for the U.S.-Japan Alliance: Deterrence, Cybersecurity and Indo-Pacific Partnerships, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Jan. 14 — A New Direction for AI and Students: Findings from the Brookings Global Task Force on AI and Education, Brookings Institution

• Jan. 15 — The Future of U.S. Foreign Assistance, Center for a New American Security

• Jan. 15 — 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2026, Chatham House

• Jan. 20 — The Future of Biosafety: Confronting Gain-of-Function Research, The Heritage Foundation

• Jan. 21 — Artificial General Intelligence: America’s Next National Security Frontier, Institute of World Politics

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