March 21, 2025

Welcome to FDD Action's Weekly NatSec Roundup.

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🚨 NEED-TO-KNOW THIS WEEK

President Trump meets with recently released Israeli hostages in the Oval Office, March 5, 2025. (Official White House Photo)

1. After Hamas torpedoed attempts to extend the ceasefire, Israel resumed military activity against Hamas in Gaza this week, renewing airstrikes and then restarting ground operations.

What happened to the January ceasefire? The 42-day ceasefire deal led to the release of 33 hostages, including 8 dead, and increased humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. It expired on March 1. Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff had submitted a “bridge proposal” to negotiators last week that would have extended phase one of the ceasefire through April 19 in return for five living hostages and 10 who were murdered. He later said Hamas privately made demands that were, “entirely impractical.”
Israel resumes Gaza operations. Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Israel will, “act against Hamas with increasing military strength.” The Israel Defense Forces struck Hamas terror cells and other targets, killing at least two Hamas leaders. Israel also retook control of parts of the Netzarim corridor that it withdrew from during the ceasefire.
Hamas’s minimal response may indicate it is “conserving ammunition due to a dwindling rocket supply” and experiencing weapons shortages, explains FDD’s Joe Truzman. FDD Israel Program Director Enia Krivine concludes that Hamas is “nothing close to the fighting force it was on October 7, 2023, and Jerusalem appears determined to ensure that Hamas remains weakened and eroded.”
For America’s part, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel consulted the Trump administration before renewing operations in Gaza. President Trump warned Hamas several times to release all of the remaining hostages immediately or that there would be “hell to pay.” Now with Hamas’s failure to free hostages, including Americans, the President backs military pressure.
No daylight between Israel and U.S. “Trump’s policy of no daylight between Washington and Jerusalem and his willingness to wield military force as an important tool in his negotiations with adversaries differentiates him from his predecessor and may yield different and better results,” writes Krivine.

2. Russia agreed this week to a limited ceasefire with Ukraine on energy infrastructure, yet its actions indicate it continues to negotiate in bad faith.

One call, two understandings: Trump and Putin left with very different takeaways from their two-hour call on Tuesday. While the White House announced agreement on an “energy and infrastructure ceasefire,” just hours later, a Russian drone hit a Ukrainian hospital. Meanwhile, the Russian readout said it only agreed to an “energy infrastructure” ceasefire. The Kremlin is also saying it demanded any long-term peace mean the end of Western military aid to Ukraine, but Trump said that never happened: “We talked about a lot of things, but aid was never discussed.”
Trump spoke with Zelensky Wednesday in what he called a “fantastic call.” Trump agreed to work with Zelensky on his request for additional U.S.-made Patriot missile systems for air defense
More than minerals: Trump also suggested Ukraine sign over more Ukrainian resources and infrastructure to the United States. He argued that U.S. ownership of its nuclear power plants, “would be the best protection for that infrastructure.”
What’s really achievable? A cessation of hostilities leading to a frozen conflict. While it would not be a win for justice or a victory for Ukraine, FDD Founder and President Clifford May writes in his weekly column, it would mean Ukraine survives and be preferable to the bloody status quo.

🏛️ AT THE WHITE HOUSE

1. The Trump admin is cracking down on China-Iran oil sanctions evasion, per announcements by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments on Thursday. In total, this week's actions target key points in the oil sanctions evasion process: shipping, acquisition, refining, and storage.

Tehran’s financial lifeline: Iran’s oil industry has been kept alive despite comprehensive oil sanctions through “shadow fleets,” a network of illicit tankers in multiple jurisdictions that conceal their activities to skirt oil sanctions. These shadow fleets load and transport Iranian oil for sale to largely Chinese buyers. This revenue is a crucial piece of the financial picture that allows Tehran to fund its malign activities.
Treasury designated a “teapot” oil refinery (and its CEO) for the first time ever for refining and purchasing $500 million worth of Iranian oil. Teapot refineries are small, privately owned oil refineries that insulate larger, state-owned Chinese oil companies from sanctions. Treasury also targeted the shadow fleet, designating 19 vessels and entities for shipping millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China.
State imposed sanctions on a crude oil and petroleum products storage terminal in the Chinese port of Huizhou, which received and stored Iranian crude oil onboard a blocked tanker. These terminals are a gateway for Iranian petroleum to enter the Chinese market.
Pushing Iran's oil exports to zero. “This is the most significant Iran-related designation during the second term of the Trump administration and is the most in line with National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 thus far. Moving forward, the administration should consider penalties against ports and even financial institutions in China that foster Beijing’s compliance with Maximum Pressure,” writes senior director of FDD’s Iran Program, Behnam Ben Taleblu.

2. Trump signed an EO to reduce the size of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and Wilson Center, as well as five other federal agencies late in the day on March 14.

The USAGM is an independent agency that oversees news broadcasting in almost 50 languages to some 361 million people every week. It oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund.
What’s happening? The admin says that the EO “eliminates non-statutory functions and reduces statutory functions of unnecessary governmental entities to what is required by law.” In response, USAGM acting CEO Kari Lake moved to terminate grants that support the global news ops of RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, and VOA. Now, RFE/RL is suing USAGM, alleging USAGM is blocking Congressionally mandated funding.
RFE/RL has strong bipartisan support. It provides news to some 50 million people in closed societies per week, many of them are lied to about America by restrictive regimes. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus said canceling the grant would be “a massive gift to America’s enemies.”
Reform can save VOA, writes former VOA Dep. Director Beth Robbins. The 1994 U.S. International Broadcasting Act erected a “firewall” to detach VOA from policy and politics. In reality, it removed any semblance of accountability and oversight. VOA staff can indulge their own political biases without checks.
Sharpen the hard edge of U.S. soft power. The USAGM, VOA, and other USG media projects need serious work, but they are also vital to public diplomacy with a worthwhile mission: countering adversaries’ anti-American propaganda and positively messaging U.S. values and culture. “VOA must be rebuilt from the bottom up, and this great brand must be resuscitated, reformed, and optimized. The first step is to burn down the firewall to start restoring the focus and accountability of this national asset,” Robbins concludes.

3. Personnel is policy. Last week, the White House released a slew of national security and foreign policy nominations. Trump nominated Aaron Lukas to be Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, the number two to DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Lukas served as an intel aide to then acting DNI Ric Grennell during Trump’s first term. He also nominated Hung Cao to be Undersecretary of the Navy, the Navy’s number two role. Cao is a Navy combat veteran who ran for Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat last year.

Other recent noms announced include:

Michael Obadal to be Under Secretary of the Army
Daniel Zimmerman to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Sean O’Keefe to be Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Michael Cadenazzi to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy
Andrew Veprek to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Population, Refugees, and Migration)
Sean Plankey to be Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Andrew Puzder to be U.S. Ambassador to the European Union
Thomas Barrack to be U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
Leo Brent Bozell III to be CEO of the United States Agency for Global Media

📆 COMING DOWN THE PIKE

Friday, March 21 –

South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun is in DC to meet with top officials, including the U.S. secretaries of commerce and energy, regarding the country’s placement on a U.S. watchlist. The U.S. Ambassador said this designation, which will become effective on April 15, was because visitors to South Korean energy department labs mishandled sensitive information. The U.S. confirmed South Korea was added to the list by the outgoing Biden admin. Ahn will also raise the issue of tariffs.

EARLY THIS WEEK –

The first U.S.-ISRAEL STRATEGIC CONSULTATIVE GROUP (SCG) meeting since President Trump took office. A senior Israeli delegation will reportedly visit the White House to talk Iran nuclear issues. Top advisers to PM Bibi Netanyahu, including Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, will meet with top U.S. officials led by U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. This follows President Trump giving the rogue state a two-month window to negotiate a new nuclear deal.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has his first trip to the Indo-Pacific next week to drive “efforts to strengthen our alliances and partnerships toward our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific” and join U.S. soldiers for PT. For U.S. stops, he will visit Hawaii to meet with leaders at INDOPACOM and then head to Guam to tour military facilities and be briefed on capabilities. He will also visit the Philippines and Japan, but notably absent from the agenda is South Korea, traditionally an early engagement in Asia.

Monday, March 24 –

Ukrainian and U.S. officials will meet in Saudi Arabia to resume peace talks. Russian officials have also confirmed talks between U.S. and Russian officials there the same day. Putin tapped Sergei Beseda, former spy agency head for FSB ops in former Soviet states, to lead the Russian delegation. Beseda retired from the post last summer, a little over two years following the failed "special operation" to take Ukraine.

The HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE holds a business meeting to set rules for floor consideration of three bills, including the FDD Action-endorsed DETERRENT Act, H.R. 1048 (see more details below).

Tuesday, March 25 –

The INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE AND GOVERNMENT ADVANCEMENT (IDGA) hosts Homeland Security Week for conversations with high-ranking current and former U.S. government officials and industry experts, at the Hilton Mark Center Tuesday through Wednesday. The speakers include officials from the Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and FDD’s own RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery.

The SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE holds a nominations hearing.

The SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE holds a closed hearing to examine Pentagon strategy for countering unmanned aerial systems.

The SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE holds an open hearing on worldwide threats, immediately followed by a closed hearing. SSCI holds these open hearings annually to review the intel community’s assessment of current and projected national security threats.

The HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS Subcommittee on Africa holds a private panel hearing, Metals, Minerals, and Mining: How the CCP Fuels Conflict and Exploitation in Africa.

The HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MENA Subcommittee holds a hearing, Streamlined and Rightsized: Consolidating State Department Administrative Services. The subcommittee will hear from Former Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Carrie B. Cabelka, who served during President Trump’s first term, as well as former U.S. Ambassador Michael C. Polt, who served as ambassador to Estonia, Serbia, and Montenegro during the Bush 43 and Obama administrations.

The HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS Subcommittee on Trade holds a hearing, American Trade Negotiation Priorities.

The HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence holds a markup on almost a dozen bills, including a number of national security bills from countering the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work to requiring an assessment of the terrorism threat in Syria.

The SENATE ARMED SERVICES Subcommittee on Seapower holds a hearing to Receive Testimony on the State of Conventional Surface Shipbuilding. The subcommittee will hear from U.S. officials at the Navy and Government Accountability Office.

The SENATE ARMED SERVICES Subcommittee on Cybersecurity holds an open hearing to Receive Testimony on Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Cyber Capabilities from private sector witnesses. It will be immediately followed by a closed hearing.

Wednesday, March 26 –

The SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE holds a subcommittee hearing, PRC Influence and the Status of Taiwan’s Diplomatic Allies in the Western Hemisphere, with a private witness panel.

The SENATE ARMED SERVICES Subcommittee on Strategic Forces holds an open hearing to review the FY 2026 NDAA request for US Strategic Command and US Space Command. The subcommittee will receive testimony from US STRATCOM Commander Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, USAF, and US SPACECOM Commander Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, USSF.

The HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE holds its annual open worldwide threats assessment hearing, to be immediately followed by a closed session. HPSCI will receive testimony from the heads of America’s intelligence services, including the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and FBI Director Kash Patel.

The SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE holds a hearing with a private witness panel, Shared Threats: Indo-Pacific Alliances and Burden Sharing in Today’s Geopolitical Environment.

The SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE holds a closed hearing on “certain intelligence matters,” but on what intelligence matters remains unbeknownst to us mere mortals. #Secrets

Thursday, March 27 –

The HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS Western Hem Subcommittee holds a hearing, INL Should Fight Crime, Not Fight Conservatives. The subcommittee will hear from private and public witnesses.

The SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE holds a business meeting to consider a number of national security bills including on fentanyl trafficking, Hezbollah, the One China Policy, Beijing's destruction of Hong Kong's democracy, and the Department of State’s Taiwan guidelines.

Friday, March 28 –

Hegseth then heads to the Philippines March 28 where he will meet with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro and President Ferdinand Marcos to discuss Chinese actions in the South China Sea and amping up support for Philippine security forces. Lastly, he heads to Japan where he will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima and meet with Japanese leaders and U.S. military forces.

🔍 WHAT'S MOVING ON THE HILL

✔ Endorsed Bill Headed to House Floor: Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act (H.R. 1048) – Led by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) and House Ed & Workforce Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI), this bill enhances transparency over all foreign financial gifts to American colleges and universities from, including from countries of concern like China.

Dive deeper: FDD’s Natalie Ecanow looks at how the DETERRENT Act would limit foreign influence over U.S. universities by enhancing disclosure requirements and the need for this type of increased transparency.
🎤 Quotable: “As foreign adversaries expand their influence on college campuses, this bill is essential to protecting academic freedom from intellectual theft, censorship, and intimidation.” said FDD Action's Nick Stewart. “By tightening reporting requirements, closing loopholes, and enforcing consequences for noncompliance, this legislation strengthens national security and ensures America’s educational institutions remain bastions of free inquiry.”

✔ Endorsed Bills Headed to HHSC Markup (March 25): The House Homeland Security Committee is holding a markup on almost a dozen bills, including two FDD Action-endorsed bills. The Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act (H.R. 1327) led by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) would require a DHS threat assessment of terror threats to the U.S. emanating from Syria, especially from individuals tied to U.S.-designated terrorist groups. The bipartisan Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025 (H.R. 2158) led by HHSC Counterterrorism & Intelligence Subcommittee Chair August Pfluger (R-TX) would create a dedicated transnational repression office in DHS to (a) improve the USG response to foreign threats against U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, and (b) provide an assessment of such incidents and related threats.

✔ Endorsed Bills at SFRC Markup (March 27): After rescheduling, the committee will consider two bills key to countering terror threats in Latin America and the fentanyl crisis, among other legislation on the docket.

The No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act (S.842) is led by Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and directs the Secretary of State to determine if any Latin American countries are “terrorist sanctuaries” for Hezbollah and if such foreign government officials should face visa revocations. The BUST FENTANYL Act (S.860) led by Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) would crack down on the import of deadly fentanyl and its precursors flowing from China to Mexico, and across our borders by expanding sanctions authorities and broadening the list of precursors chemicals tracked in the annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

🎤 Quotable: FDD Action's Tyler Stapleton said, “Despite Hezbollah’s military leadership being thoroughly degraded, the terror group maintains a global illicit finance network that could help the organization reconstitute itself, especially with the backing of terrorist sponsors like Iran.” While this is acutely felt in Latin America, few countries in the region have designated Hezbollah and some even openly support it. “The No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act seeks to address the permissive environment for Hezbollah in the region through a comprehensive assessment of Latin American countries to determine whether they meet the criteria of a terrorist sanctuary under U.S. law,” Stapleton concluded.

💡 HERE'S AN IDEA

Block coercive and illegal Chinese activities threatening U.S. Pacific territories. FDD Non-Resident Senior Fellow Cleo Paskal testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Thursday on U.S. interests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and the inroads China is making in the region. Here are her top recommendations:

President Trump could visit a Compact State (Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia). Compact states are vital to the U.S. security architecture in the Pacific. They afford the U.S. broad defense and security rights and responsibilities. No sitting U.S. president has visited any of these countries so deeply tied to America. A visit would show the enduring depth and importance of the relationship.
Set up a special investigative unit to uncover strategic corruption and prosecute criminal networks operating in U.S. territories and Compact states. Under the Compacts, Washington has an obligation to defend the Compact states and their peoples from attack or threats. China’s attempts at economic destruction should count as such a threat. At this point, a few good outside investigators and lawyers could provide them more security than any number of F-35s. The region is not equipped to investigate and counter the scale and complexity of Chinese penetration and the corruption that Chinese money has introduced. The Department of Defense has the largest U.S. ground presence in the Compact states and it knows them best. With Palau’s attorney general constantly looking for lawyers, perhaps military reservists could assist.

📣 WINNING MESSAGES

📘 KEEPING UP W/ FDD

On Iran

Max Pressure: Iranian Officials – U.S. Sanctions Should Target Tehran’s Top Economic Operatives (Saeed Ghasseminejad | FDD Policy Brief | March 20, 2025)

Max Pressure: Iranian Minerals – U.S. Should Impose Sanctions on Iran’s Nascent Lithium Industry (Saeed Ghasseminejad | FDD Policy Brief | March 17, 2025)

State of Crime – Iran’s ties to Western organized crime networks (Janatan Sayeh | FDD’s Long War Journal | March 17, 2025)

On Israel

International Org Reform – UNESCO Remains Detrimental to U.S. Interests Despite Attempts at Reform (Enia Krivine and Jake Schlanger | FDD Policy Brief | March 21, 2025)

Reneging on Ceasefire Terms – Hezbollah Reneging on Surrendering Its Arms (Hussain Abdul-Hussain | This is Beirut | March 18, 2025)

Hamas at the UN – It’s time to abolish the UN’s pro-Hamas bureaucracy (Ben Cohen | Jewish News Syndicate | March 14, 2025)

On China

U.S. Steps on the Gas – Aiming for Parity With U.S., China Announces Increase in Science and Technology Spending (Jack Burnham and Johanna Yang | FDD Policy Brief | March 19, 2025)

Root Causes of PRC Aggression – To Confront China, President Trump Should Target its State-Owned Enterprises (Mark Montgomery, Isaac Harris, and Patrick Jenevein| The National Interest | March 21, 2025)

On Russia & Ukraine

Send Putin a Message – Why NATO Should Move Nuclear Weapons to Poland (Peter Doran | The National Interest | March 17, 2025)

Max Pressure on Putin – Pressure Putin: That’s what Trump must do to achieve a ceasefire (Clifford D. May | The Washington Times | March 19, 2025)

Deterrence Needed in Western Balkans – A quick Western win over Putin is there for the taking, if we dare (Ivana Stradner | The Telegraph | March 17, 2025)

Energy Sanctions Toughening? – With Lapsing Sanctions Waiver, Trump Tightens the Vise on Russian Energy (Alexander St. Leger | FDD Policy Brief | March 20, 2025)

In Other News

USAID Cuts Demolish Cyber Assistance to U.S. Allies and Partners (Annie Fixler and Johanna Yang | The Cipher Brief | March 17, 2025)

US strike in Iraq eliminates top Islamic State leader (Seth J. Frantzman and Bill Roggio | FDD’s Long War Journal | March 15, 2025)

Syria’s New Constitution: A Shift Toward Unchecked Presidential Powers (Ahmad Sharawi | FDD Policy Brief | March 19, 2025)

🤓 ON A LIGHTER NOTE…

🤑 Short on cash? Turn in a terrorist! Ever heard of the State Department's rewards for justice program (RJP)? There are some hefty rewards - seven digits hefty - for helping the United States achieve its national security and counterterrorism aims. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid over $250 million to more than 125 people who provided actionable information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented terrorism worldwide.

🎰 Just yesterday, the U.S. announced it is offering a reward up to $15 million for a woman named Liu Baoxia (a.k.a. Emily Liu) and three accomplices who have been allegedly smuggling U.S. technology to Iran for nearly 20 years.

Beginning as early as May 2007, Liu and her associates allegedly utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to send dual-use U.S.-origin electronic components to IRGC-linked companies that could be used in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses.

👋 Thanks for sticking with us! Until next week.

P.S. If you liked this and don’t want to wait another week for more, check out FDD Action’s new X account for endorsement updates and timely analysis on breaking national security news.