Military Aid

Activists say clamp down on period products to target insurgents is gender-based violence and violates rightsMyanmar’s military regime is expanding its ban on the distribution of period products, claiming they are being used to treat wounded resistance fighters, according to local activists.The south-east Asian country has been locked in civil war since 2021, when the military usurped the democratic government and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents. Artillery fire, the burning of townships and arbitrary arrests have become common in the years since then. Continue reading...

Bipartisan backing for special relationship is fraying as Middle East conflicts turn public opinionIsrael’s conflicts in the Middle East have driven a sea change in US public opinion, threatening a bipartisan consensus of support for military aid for Israel that has been the status quo for decades.In public opinion polling of Americans, among likely candidates for president, and even in pro-Israel lobbying circles, the special relationship enjoyed by Israel with the US is now under fire as human rights concerns from the left and a new “America First” foreign policy groundswell on the right could impact coming elections – including the 2028 presidential elections. Continue reading...

• NATO members approved a €4.2 billion additional military assistance package for Ukraine on April 10, including air defense systems, ammunition, and electronic warfare equipment to counter Russian offensives. • Russian forces intensified bombardment across the Donbas region this week, launching over 850 artillery strikes daily and deploying newly mobilized forces toward Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian logistics hub 50 kilometers from the front. • NATO Secretary-General emphasized the aid reflects alliance commitment to Ukraine's defense, with additional commitments expected at the NATO summit scheduled for June 2026 in Madrid.

• The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on April 8, 2026, targeting 12 Chinese companies accused of supplying dual-use technology to Russia's defense sector amid the Ukraine conflict. • Key firms include Shenzhen-based tech exporters providing drone components and microelectronics, with transactions totaling over $500 million since 2024, per Treasury documents. • These measures aim to disrupt Russia's war machine, as Washington claims Beijing's indirect support prolongs the invasion; experts warn of escalating US-China tensions.

• Russia launched a major offensive across multiple fronts in eastern Ukraine on April 7, with forces advancing in the Donbas region and attempting to encircle Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk. • The US State Department announced a $1.2 billion military assistance package including air defense systems, artillery ammunition, and counter-drone equipment to bolster Ukrainian defenses. • Ukrainian officials report heavy casualties but say their forces are holding key defensive lines; NATO allies expressed concern about Russian momentum and pledged additional support.

Ocasio-Cortez says Israel can fund its own defense and she will oppose any new US aid amid human rights concernsUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a US representative, said on Wednesday that she will oppose any future US military aid to Israel, including for defensive systems.In a statement on social media, Ocasio-Cortez said that Israel was fully capable of funding “Iron Dome and other defensive systems”, and that “consistent with my voting record to date, I will not support Congress sending more taxpayer dollars and military aid to a government that consistently ignores international law and US law”. Continue reading...

Defense secretary had said relatives of service members killed in refueling tanker crash told him ‘do not stop until the job is done’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe father of a US military member killed in the Iran war has contradicted Pete Hegseth’s claim that bereaved families urged him to “finish” the job in the Middle East.Hegseth, the defense secretary and a former weekend Fox News host, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that he had spoken with relatives of all six service members killed in last week’s refueling tanker crash during a “dignified transfer” of their remains at Delaware’s Dover air force station the night before. Continue reading...