Russia recently launched a counter-space weapon capable of attacking U.S. satellites in low-earth orbit, according to the Pentagon, which says the U.S. military is “ready to protect and defend the domain” of space if necessary.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder told reporters Tuesday that Russia launched the weapon on May 16. He described it as similar to other counter-space payloads that Russia launched in 2019 and 2022.

But the most recent launch comes amid fears in Washington that the Kremlin might consider putting a nuclear weapon in space and under the broader reality that space is shaping up to be a key battleground in 21st-century conflicts.

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner warned recently in an exclusive Threat Status video interview that if Russia were to deploy a low-earth orbit nuclear weapon, it would threaten “basically all of our communications and use of space.”

“We need to make sure that satellite does not go up,” the Ohio Republican said in the interview. “The moment that Russia decides to put a nuclear weapon in space, we are going to have to change every system that we have in place. We have to assume that from that day forward, all of [our systems] can be turned off in an instant.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul will lead a U.S. delegation to Taiwan at the end of the month, undeterred by Communist Party-ruled China’s efforts to isolate and intimidate the island democracy.

The Texas Republican announced plans for the trip at a gathering in Washington on Tuesday with several lawmakers hosted by Taiwan’s representative to the U.S., Alexander Tah-Ray Yui.

“We don’t have a NATO in the Pacific but we do have a lot of friends and allies and partners and I would say Taiwan is our dearest friend and partner and ally,” Mr. McCaul told the gathering. “I’m really excited about going to celebrate the results of this election with your colleagues, sir, and [to] go back to that beautiful island that I hope one day will not be under the threat of a dragon in its backyard.”

A high-level visit to Taiwan in 2022 by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked outrage in Beijing, which responded by launching a wave of threatening military maneuvers near Taiwan and ramping up tension with Washington.

The Department of Homeland Security recently gave a delegation from Cuba a look behind the curtain at airport operations at Miami International Airport, in a move critics say may have given the hostile communist regime inside information on security protocols.

Diario Las Americas reported that the delegation was given a tour of the airport’s Transportation Security Administration facilities, including the locations of the agency’s new X-ray technology.

TSA acknowledged the visit but cast it as normal international cooperation, and that the Cuban delegation didn’t have access to “sensitive technology or systems.” Officials said they work with Cuba to “jointly manage the airspace” between the countries, which includes reciprocal visits to study best practices. Miami International is one of eight U.S. airports that have direct flights to Cuba.

But Emilio Gonzalez, former CEO of the airport, raised concerns, given that Cuba is on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, along with Syria, Iran and North Korea. “Nobody in their right mind, no federal employee, would approve this unless they had top cover at the highest levels,” he said. “You do not invite a country as a state sponsor of terrorism to visit any installation, let alone a sensitive airport, as is Miami International Airport.”

“Tolerating aggression by America’s enemies and limiting support for America’s friends leads, at best, to frozen conflicts,” writes Threat Status opinion contributor Clifford D. May. “At worst, it leads to vastly increased bloodletting and tragic defeats,” writes Mr. May, who sharply criticizes President Biden’s policies with regard to Ukraine, Israel and Iran.

“President Biden is helping Ukrainians defend themselves. But he doesn’t want Russia to suffer a serious defeat,” he writes. “Mr. Biden is helping Israelis defend themselves. But he doesn’t want them to decisively defeat Hamas, or to inflict harsh punishment on its patron, the jihadi regime in Iran. Mr. Biden is trying to prevent Houthi rebels from sinking merchant ships in the strategic waterways off the coast of Yemen. But he’s not defeating the Houthis, another of Tehran’s proxies.”

“Do you see a pattern here?” asks Mr. May.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two-day summit last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping was an opportunity for both countries to challenge the U.S. and its leadership role in the global community, writes Threat Status opinion contributor Joseph R. DeTrani, a former member of the Senior Intelligence Service of the CIA.

He notes that Mr. Putin has skillfully cultivated a relationship with Mr. Xi and persuaded China to be Russia’s “economic lifeline” after invading Ukraine. “Although Russia is heavily sanctioned for its invasion of Ukraine, trade with China has increased exponentially, up more than 64% since 2021 to $240 billion in 2023, using their own currencies for over 90% of the trade,” Mr. DeTrani writes. 

“China provides Russia with cars, clothing, raw materials and other products,” he adds. “Of special concern are the dual-use products China provides to Russia for its war in Ukraine: machine tools and microelectronics, to the tune of about $300 million per month.”

• May 22 — The Next Generation of National Security Leaders: A Conversation with Major General Arnold Punaro, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

• May 22 — Nikki Haley on the Dangers of National Security Weakness, Hudson Institute.

• May 22 — Can China offer a real alternative to liberal democracy? The Brookings Institution.

• May 23 — Where Does The U.S. Go From Here — Gaza: The Human Toll, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

• May 23 — Hearing: Key Economic Strategies for Leveling the U.S.-China Playing Field, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

• May 29 — Lessons for an Unserious Superpower: The “Scoop” Jackson Legacy and U.S. Foreign Policy, American Enterprise Institute.