JOINT DRILLS NEAR CHINA: The U.S., Japan and the Philippines will launch joint naval patrols in the South China Sea later this year, a U.S. official and a foreign diplomat familiar with the planning told our own PHELIM KINE, ALEXANDER WARD and LARA SELIGMAN. The maneuvers are part of a package of initiatives that Biden, Japanese Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA and Philippine President FERDINAND MARCOS JR. will unveil at their first-ever trilateral summit next month, the official and the diplomat said. It’s a major move to counter China in the region — and one likely to elicit a strong response from Beijing. The White House is also expected to announce that it will “seriously consider” having Japan as a technological partner in elements of the “AUKUS” security partnership between the U.S., U.K. and Australia, a DOD official and another person familiar with the planning told our colleagues. BILLIONS IN BOMBS: The Biden administration quietly authorized the transfer of “billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets” to Israel in recent days, The Washington Post’s JOHN HUDSON writes. Those packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, Pentagon and State Department officials told the Post. The MK84s have been linked to mass casualty events in Gaza. Those bomb transfers, approved by Congress years ago, had not yet been fulfilled. Last week, the State Department also authorized “the transfer of 25 F-35A fighter jets and engines worth roughly $2.5 billion, U.S. officials said. The case was approved by Congress in 2008, so the department was not required to provide a new notification to lawmakers.” PROGRESS ON ‘MARTYR PAYMENTS’: The U.S. is close to reaching a deal with the Palestinian Authority to end its contentious “martyr payments” for people who commit acts of violence against Israel, two Biden administration officials told our own NAHAL TOOSI. The program financially supports Palestinians and their families if they are wounded, imprisoned or killed while carrying out acts of violence against Israel. It has long infuriated Israelis who say it incentivizes terrorism and call it “pay for slay.” Many Palestinians say it provides crucial support for people standing up to an oppressive Israeli occupation. “There’s been a great deal of work on this behind the scenes, and the progress is encouraging,” a senior Biden administration official told Nahal. Another official confirmed changes to the system were expected soon. It would be a key win for the multifaceted U.S. push to reform the PA — from instituting anti-corruption measures to improving basic services — so that it can take over governance of the Gaza Strip whenever the Israel-Hamas war ends, which the Biden administration has been pushing for. DEADLY ALEPPO STRIKE: Syria accused Israel of conducting massive airstrikes on the northern city of Aleppo this morning, which are thought to have killed at least three dozen soldiers, The New York Times’ RAJA ABDULRAHIM and VICTORIA KIM report. The airstrikes appear to be Israel’s largest attack in the country in years, the Times writes. Israel’s military didn’t immediately comment on the strikes, but have previously said they’ve conducted hundreds of assaults on Iran-linked forces in Syria. STOP ‘STRANGLING’ NORTH KOREA: Russian officials called on major powers today to take a new approach to North Korea, a day after Moscow vetoed the renewal of a panel that monitors Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, Reuters’ GUY FAULCONBRIDGE reports. Russia’s veto on the U.N. Security Council to block the panel of experts, which monitors enforcement of U.N. sanctions against North Korea’s nuke and ballistic missile efforts, struck a blow to the international sanctions regime against Pyongyang. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson MARIA ZAKHAROVA accused the U.S. of stoking military tensions with North Korea and said that international restrictions on the country haven’t improved the security situation. “The United States and its allies have clearly demonstrated that their interest does not extend beyond the task of ‘strangling’ the DPRK by all available means, and a peaceful settlement is not on the agenda at all,” she said, using the abbreviated name for North Korea. ENERGY GRID ATTACKS: Parts of Ukraine were left without power following large-scale strikes by Russia on three energy stations in the country, our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA reports. Ukraine’s largest private energy provider DTEK said three of its thermal power stations were targeted in the attacks, which saw at least 60 explosive drones and dozens of missiles aimed at energy infrastructure, according to Kyiv’s military. ICYMI — Egypt seeks border security support from US amid Gaza negotiations by our own ERIN BANCO DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of Washington’s national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring TORY BRUNO, the CEO of the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin and a leading aerospace company. He likes a “good single malt, and I prefer the peaty stuff,” Tory said, relaxing in his chair at ULA’s office in Rosslyn. Ardbeg is his preferred bottle, because “they do the malting of the barley by burning peat, so they taste really, really smoky. A really good one like that, you feel like you can almost chew it.” As to where he likes to chew his smoky spirit, “I drink it at home, out on the deck, usually with my son and or a friend.” And yes, we did ask about the potential sale of his company to Blue Origin: “If there were ever a sale, I wouldn’t be able to talk about it,” he soberly responded. Maybe after a few whiskeys… Cheers, Tory! IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND. Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @alexbward, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.
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