National Defense Digest: Trump Deals in War
Digest recapping the pressing national defense news.
Every Monday morning, William Posey (UATX ‘28) will bring you a quick breakdown of the biggest national defense stories from the past week. The goal is to give you insights into US foreign policy and the state of geopolitics.
Posey is the co-chair of the UATX Institute for National Security which connects students with experts in US grand strategy and facilitates student success in that field.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more each week!
Apologies for last week’s hiatus— history, as we have seen, unfortunately does not pause for finals.
US Bombs Iran
On the evening of June 21, President Donald Trump announced that American aircraft had carried out strikes against Iran’s three nuclear powerplants, which had already sustained bombings from Israel on June 13. Following the June 13 attack, Israel and Iran spent the week exchanging further strikes, which have since taken the lives of at least 430 Iranians and 24 Israelis. The conflict’s future was very much dependent on the course of action that the United States’ chose to take, upon whom Israel relies to maintain its stockpiles. In particular, in order to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facilities, Israel required the use of munitions that were only deployable by American aircraft. Whether or not the United States should escalate their involvement is hotly debated among those in the Trump Administration’s orbit, with some advocating restraint to avoid another costly forever war, and others viewing it as a potentially lucrative opportunity for American corporations. On the afternoon of June 22, President Trump himself teased the possibility of toppling the Iranian government.
Belarusian Opposition Leader Released
On June 21, Belarusian political activist and opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski was released from prison along with 13 other detainees and is now free in Lithuania. The deal was brokered by US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg during a visit with Belarus’ president Aleksandr Lukashenko. Tsikhanouski had been arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison ahead of the Belarus’ 2020 presidential elections, in which he was slated to be a candidate. His release continues a subtle trend in Lukashenko’s governance which has seen the release of a number of political prisoners in recent months.
Pakistani Official Visits White House
On June 18, 2025, Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir met with President Trump at the White House, a landmark event in the wake of May’s brief conflict between Pakistan and India. President Trump claims that he brokered the ceasefire between the two nations, something which Pakistan credits him with but Indian officials deny. Per White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, Munir’s invitation to Washington came after he recommended Trump be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in brokering a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Earlier in the week, Trump cancelled plans to meet with Modi at the G7 Summit to attend to the Israel-Iran conflict.
Rwanda and DRC Draft Peace Deal
On June 19, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed on a peace deal, hopefully bringing an end to the fighting that has afflicted the latter country for thirty years and led to the deaths of six million people. Negotiations between the two were mediated by the United States and Qatar, and the signing of the deal is expected to be overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 27.
good read! would love more infographics and charts, the bombing path or map of the aircraft used for the iran bombings are online and would of been good to include just to tie my eyes down to the text!