For review:

1. NYT Report: President Trump Suspended Attack on Iranian Nuclear Sites Planned for May.

2. IDF continues pressure on Hamas during Gaza Strip operations with three Divisions. No deadline for major offensive yet.

3. US Secretary of State Traveling to Paris to Discuss Ukraine & Middle East. Separately, on Thursday, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu will travel to Washington to meet with his counterpart, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

4. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani will discuss efforts to find a possible peace deal (Russia - Ukraine), when they meet in Moscow tomorrow.

5. Turkey Hosts Black Sea Security Talks in Event of Russia - Ukraine Ceasefire.

According to an official statement by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, the meeting includes military representatives from several countries, including Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey.

6. Opinion Article via Breaking Defense. In order to defend its' air and sea approaches more effectively, Australia should invest in long-range strike systems via air power- more specifically USAF B-2A Spirit Bombers.

7. Latest on US Space Command Headquarters final location- either Colorado Springs or Huntsville.

For review:

1. President Trump On Iran's Nuclear Ambition: "I'll solve that problem." US President Donald Trump vowed Monday to “solve” the issue of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, even if it means taking “very harsh” actions to thwart them.

2. Israel - Hams Hostage Negotiations. The Haaretz daily, citing Palestinian sources involved in the talks, reported that Cairo and Doha are working with the US toward a potential additional stage of the ceasefire-hostage release deal reached in January that would also include talks to end the 18-month war.

3. New Ukraine Capability Coalition: Electromagnetic Warfare. The goals include protection of friendly communication and disruption of the enemy’s, persistent reconnaissance, drone defense, and effectiveness of weapon systems.

4. Ukraine troops provide feedback on German weapons employed in war with Russia.

5. Switzerland plans to buy four or five IRIS-T SLM medium-range air-defense systems from Germany’s Diehl Defence, as part of the European Sky Shield Initiative.

6. Armor Not Dead: US M1E3 Tank Variant in 24 - 30 Months. Desired characteristics for the new variant included making it lighter, better protected and giving it an autoloader.

7. President Trump on April 9 signed into law, a policy aimed at revitalizing the American shipbuilding industry. Navy officials in March 2024 stated the service’s goal is to grow the fleet of battle force ships to 381 over the next 30 years.

For review:

1. US & Iran Talks in Oman: "Productive and Positive". Both countries agreed to hold a second round next week.

2. Rafah cut-off from rest of Gaza between two IDF Security Corridors. The IDF said Rafah was now surrounded by its forces, with the 36th Division holding the Morag Corridor and the Gaza Division operating in the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border area.

3. US Envoy Steve Witkoff met in St. Petersburg with Russian President Putin for more than 4 hours on Friday. Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev as described the talks as "productive".

4. Former US intelligence official (unnamed) told Reuters that Chinese military officers have been present behind Russian lines with Beijing’s approval to observe and draw tactical lessons from the war.

5. Germany & UK-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group Pledges $23.8 Billion.

6. US Senate Confirms New Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Dan Caine's experience includes numerous roles in the special operations community, director of joint operations and training on the Joint Staff, and — most recently — three years as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs before his retirement in 2024. General Caine is also a former F-16 pilot.

7. US Secretary of Navy John Phelan pledges a focus on shipbuilding and expanding the industrial base.

8. Upcoming US Navy Submarine and Aircraft Carrier efforts are facing delays.

The lead Columbia-class submarine vessel (USS District of Columbia SSBN-826), is 12-18 months behind schedule.

The future aircraft carrier (USS Enterprise CVN-80), is estimated to be 28 months behind schedule, with delivery now anticipated to be in the 2028-29 timeframe.