🇺🇸⚡- The US, Australia, India and Japan launch a joint 'maiden mission' to 'strengthen maritime security' in the Indo-Pacific region.

🇹🇼⚡- Taiwan announces its 41st edition of Han Kuang exercises will be the largest ever. The exercises are set to begin next week.

🇺🇸⚡- The US returns a Cold War era exercise, the REFORPAC, which is to be held in the Indo-Pacific.

It will be the largest air force exercise any country has ever held, an unprecedented 300 aircraft will be participating. The exercises are set to begin in the middle of July.

🇺🇸🇦🇺⚡- The joint US-Australia annual military exercises 'Talisman Sabre' this year will be the largest in scale ever.

They will span six locations across the Indo-Pacific, and with 19 other nations also participating. They are set to begin in the middle of July.

🇺🇸⚡- "The goal is to integrate and experiment with logistics, sustainment, and enabling capability to bring fifth-gen fighters, command and control aircraft, and airlift and air refueling into the Western Pacific at speed and scale, with approximately 25 operating locations, almost 300 aircraft, and sister services and partner nations involved," - Laura Lenderman, Deputy Commander of Pacific Air Forces, on REFOFPAC.

🇵🇭🇨🇳🇹🇼⚡- Philippines Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro says the country's military will begin merging the East and South China Sea into 'one theatre'.

The move will merge Philippines military operations in the Taiwan Strait and the Scarborough and Second Thomas shoals into one command.

Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani had previously made a similar proposal to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

🇵🇸🇸🇦🇮🇱⚡- "Removing Hamas from power a condition for Saudi normalization.

Saudi Arabia is insisting that Israel finish the job in Gaza by removing Hamas from power completely in the coastal enclave as a precondition for a normalization agreement with Israel," - i24, citing a Saudi source.

🇨🇳🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "China is the only one capable of influencing Iran. Iran would collapse without China buying its oil," - Israel’s Consul General in Shanghai urges China to curb Iran’s military and nuclear ambitions.

🇺🇸⚡- "Credit where credit is due.

President Trump has successfully resolved several serious conflicts around the world," - Elon Musk.

🇺🇸⚡- Scenes from Esparto, California.

🇺🇸 - Before and after images of the site. There is no structure left intact.

🇲🇱⚡- The Malian Armed Forces, FAMa, claims it killed over 70+ JNIM terrorists across the country yesterday.

🇸🇴⚡- BREAKING: A helicopter carrying an African Union delegation crashes at Mogadishu International Airport, Somalia.

🇺🇸🇨🇩🇷🇼 - Local Congolese outlet Actualite says fighting across the front in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has stopped.

With a US-brokered ceasefire in place, territorial control between the DRC military, FARDC, and M23, AFC, has frozen along its current front-lines.

M23 control 12,750 sqkm, that's 48% the size of Rwanda. Some of the major towns and cities the group captured include Goma, Kitsambiro, Kiwanja, Masisi, Bukavu, Kavumu, and Kamaniola. However, M23 were unable to achieve the capture of Lubero, Pinga, Mera, and Kasika - populated centers the group desperately fought for.

The ceasefire does not demand a withdrawal of Rwanda's Armed Forces, RDF, from M23-controlled territory. Kigali denies the presence of RDF in Congo. The ceasefire is exclusive to FARDC, plus the anti-M23 group 'Wazalendo', and M23, it does not include Uganda's military operations against CODECO in the Ituri region.

🇬🇧🇰🇪⚡- The UK and Kenya reach a $70m defense cooperation agreement. The deal includes the sale of military equipment to Nairobi, as well as training and creating a new 'counterinsurgency, terrorism and stability' operations center.

The deal comes amid the violent ongoing protests against the Kenyan government.

🇺🇦🇺🇸⚡️- Ukraine has summoned the US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇦🇿⚡- "Russia has never threatened and does not threaten Azerbaijan. Ukraine will try to add fuel to the fire in the situation between Russia and Azerbaijan," - The Kremlin.

🏛⚡️- Sean "Diddy" Combs verdict has been partially reached. Guilty on two counts of transportation for prostitution, not guilty on two counts of sex trafficking, still pending deliberations on the racketeering charges.

🇨🇳🇫🇯⚡- In a major blow to China's Indo-Pacific ambitions, Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says China's military bases are 'not welcome' in the Pacific.