War Monitor

About two dozen unidentified, large, military-style drones flew in formation over Faßberg Air Base in northern Germany on December 16. The base hosts the main technical and logistical training center for helicopters used by both the German Air Force and the Army. Prior to Tuesday night’s incident, a similar swarm of roughly two dozen drones—believed to be the same ones—was seen circling the Celler-Immelmann Barracks for several hours last Friday. In both cases, no attempts were made to down the drones, as they were deemed not to pose an immediate threat and, according to the Bundeswehr, there was “nothing to spy on.”

Secretary Kennedy announced six decisive measures aimed at protecting children from chemical and surgical interventions related to gender transition. “So-called ‘gender-affirming care’ has caused lasting physical and psychological harm to vulnerable young people,” Kennedy said. “We are ending junk science driven by ideology rather than the well-being of children.”

Local media report that the private jet—a Cessna Citation II—that crashed earlier this morning at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina was carrying NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, along with his wife and children. View quoted note →

Footage released today by Ukraine’s General Staff shows a series of drone strikes conducted on December 14 against the Russian Air Force’s 568th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment near Raivka in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast. The operation was carried out by Ukraine’s 15th Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade, known as the “Black Forest” Brigade, and resulted in the destruction of two fully loaded launchers from an S-400 surface-to-air missile battery.

Reports now indicate that the private jet that crashed this morning at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina was a 1981 Cessna Citation II, tail number N257BW, owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle.

The Trump administration has begun sounding out U.S.-based oil companies—including Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, and Weatherford—about whether they would consider resuming operations in Venezuela if President Nicolás Maduro were removed from power. So far, the response has been a firm “no,” according to three people familiar with the discussions cited by POLITICO.

According to internal guidance issued by the Trump administration for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and obtained by The New York Times, USCIS field offices have been instructed to provide the Office of Immigration Litigation with 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month in 2026. The directive comes as President Trump and other administration officials move to significantly intensify their immigration crackdown in the coming year, including efforts to revoke the citizenship of thousands of Americans.

The U.S. State Department announced tonight what it described as the largest arms package ever approved for Taiwan, valued at more than $11 billion. The move is expected to anger China. According to officials, the package is set to include: • The U.S. Armed Forces’ Tactical Mission Network (TMN) • 82 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) • 420 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) • 120 M109A7 “Paladin” self-propelled howitzers and M992A3 tracked ammunition carrier vehicles • 1,545 Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) 2B BGM-71F-7-RF missiles • 1,050 FGM-148F “Javelin” anti-tank missiles • Seekers and repair support for Harpoon anti-ship missiles • ALTIUS-600M and 700M loitering munition systems • Spare parts and repair support for AH-1W “SuperCobra” attack helicopters View quoted note →

Jesse Watters claimed that Brown University’s head of campus security was fired from a previous position for lacking the required credentials, and alleged that Brown’s president may have removed campus security cameras at the request of Palestinian activists. He also said that Providence’s City Council chief of staff was arrested while protesting at Trump Tower, and noted that the city’s police chief, who was born in Colombia, has a nephew who was involved in running one of the largest fentanyl trafficking rings on the East Coast.

The Trump administration has approved a $10 billion arms package for Taiwan that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers, and drones, according to the Associated Press.