Pete Hegseth jokes:

We were in a cabinet meeting just a couple of days ago and the president said, "Hey, it will be a great deal, and if Iran doesn't want to make a great deal that ensures they don't get a nuclear weapon, they can deal with the guy on my left."

And that was the only time I've ever been accused of being on the left.

Pete Hegseth:

Alliances only work when they are true partnerships. It is a two-way street.

You don't have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game. No freeloading. History is not over.

Alliances are not judged by the number of flags, but by the number of formations.

We don't need more conferences. We need more combat power. I'm sorry to say this here. Less Shangri-La, more ships, more subs.

Pete Hegseth:

What we seek and what the President has constantly articulated is a genuinely stable equilibrium that works for Americans as well as our allies.

A favorable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.

The United States seeks to preserve the conditions that have long underwritten peace and prosperity in this region. We are the power working to sustain equilibrium, not disrupt it, plain and simple.

We defend a status quo that has enabled extraordinary growth and opportunity across the region.

Pete Hegseth:

The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over.

We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency.

Pete Hegseth:

You can have all the rules you want, and rules are great, but if you can't back them up with hard power, the rules are not worth the paper they are written on.

Pete Hegseth:

When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond.

Trump is no longer expected to call Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te before deciding on a proposed U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.

The planned call had drawn attention because no sitting U.S. president has spoken directly with a Taiwanese leader since 1979.

Trump had previously said he intended to speak with Lai before making a decision on the weapons package.

Source: CBS News

Trump admin is in talks to give equity/debt funding to U.S. drone companies (Unusual Machines, Neros Technologies, Performance Drone Works) to scale domestic manufacturing and hit a ~$5K/unit cost target.

It’s part of the Pentagon’s $1.1 billion “Drone Dominance” program targeting 300,000 low-cost attack drones by end of 2027.

Stocks surged 33–57% on the news.

Trump Jr. is an adviser and shareholder in Unusual Machines, raising conflict-of-interest questions.

Source: WSJ

An Iranian ballistic missile strike on a Kuwaiti air base on May 30 injured several Americans and severely damaged two MQ-9 Reaper drones, despite Kuwaiti air defenses intercepting the missile.

Falling debris from the intercepted Fateh-110 missile hit Ali Al Salem Air Base, causing minor injuries to about five US personnel and contractors.

One Reaper drone was destroyed and another seriously damaged.

Source: Bloomberg

BIG: Ukraine claims its FP-1/2 strike drones destroyed two Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft and an Iskander ballistic missile launcher at Taganrog airfield — roughly 600km inside Russian territory.

The Tu-142 is a naval variant of the Tu-95 strategic bomber, and Taganrog hosts the plant that maintains them.

NEW: Russia recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing Yerevan's growing alignment with the EU.

Russian threatens to cut off duty-free gas and oil supplies if Armenia continues its westward pivot.

A US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet shot down over southwestern Iran last month was probably struck by a Chinese-made shoulder-launched missile (MANPAD).

China may also have provided Iran with a YLC-8B long-range early-warning radar capable of detecting stealth aircraft early in the conflict.

Source: NBC