U.S. military forces in the Pacific are deploying large numbers of drone weapons and increasing overall force readiness in preparation for a potential 2027 war with China, according to the commander of the Indo-Pacific Command.

Adm. Sam Paparo stated in a new naval journal article that his forces are rapidly building drone weapons and armed robots for use in both air and sea as part of “Project 33,” named for Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the service’s 33rd CNO.

The strategic guidance plan calls on the Navy to increase its warfighting power “in the fastest time,” according to a Navy fact sheet, with the key goal of preparing “for the possibility of war with the People’s Republic of China by 2027.”

Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro is expected to extend his increasingly repressive rule over the South American nation upon being sworn in Friday for another term in power, after refusing to relinquish power after the country’s widely criticized presidential elections last year that many in Venezuela and beyond believe was won by the opposition. 

The situation rankles not only Washington, but others in the region, specifically Argentina’s conservative President Javier Milei, whom Mr. Maduro has called a “cowardly bug,” “fascist trash” and an “ugly, stupid SOB.”

Washington Times Special Correspondent Frederic Puglie offers a deep dive from Buenos Aires, examining how Mr. Maduro’s authoritarianism is a political gift that keeps on giving for Mr. Milei in a continent-spanning ideological grudge match that shows little sign of abating.

The Argentine president is a self-styled libertarian populist, who denounces what he calls the “cancerous” socialism that has sent Venezuela into full-fledged authoritarianism. Mr. Milei’s strong support for the embattled Venezuelan opposition, his close ties to Mr. Trump, and his firmness in the face of Caracas’ provocations make him an uncomfortable thorn in Mr. Maduro’s side.

The chief of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s security service resigned Friday amid intense scrutiny over how his forces have blocked law enforcement efforts to detain Mr. Yoon — the latest twist in the ongoing political crisis gripping the U.S. ally on the periphery of North Korea and China.

Mr. Yoon, a hawkish conservative, was impeached last month after a short-lived attempt to impose martial law in South Korea on the claim it was needed to confront domestic political paralysis in the face of rising threats from North Korea.

While the crisis grinds ahead, Washington Times Asia Editor Andrew Salmon reports from the South Korean capital that Mr. Yoon’s downfall has appeared less certain this week, with opinion polls signaling the popularity of the impeached president and his party have rebounded in the weeks since the Dec. 3 martial law declaration was quickly annulled.

It’s also notable that the opposition-controlled National Assembly has failed this week to pass bills that would have authorized investigations into Mr. Yoon’s abortive martial law decree and his wife’s suspected illegal activities.

A 3,000-mile land border running from the Atlantic seaboard to the Indian Ocean separates five other countries from South Africa, where tension around the immigration issue has risen since May elections in which the long-ruling African National Congress (ANC) gained only 40% of the seats in the country’s Parliament.

Threat Status Special Correspondent Geoff Hill examines the situation in a dispatch from Johannesburg, explaining how the ANC has been forced to cobble together a coalition of 10 parties, including the leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is pro-business and has support among the country’s minority white population.

The result finds a DA member of German descent who received a doctoral degree in Berlin now heading South Africa’s Home Affairs department. What comes next is hard to predict. Critics fear the DA’s determined efforts to tighten entry processes could fan the growing disquiet about foreign workers and the steep levels of unemployment in South Africa.

The CIA should be poised to “turbo-boost its efforts in Syria, where a U.S.-designated terrorist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has emerged as the most powerful faction of the Syrian opposition coalition that toppled the Assad regime,” writes Daniel N. Hoffman, a retired officer of the spy agency and contributor to Threat Status. Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted last month.

“Under the leadership of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who is also a designated terrorist, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, is the foundation of Syria’s de facto transition government,” writes Mr. Hoffman. “Formerly known as the al-Nusra Front and once aligned with al Qaeda, HTS joined forces with southern rebel militias, who were the first to enter Damascus, to overthrow Mr. Assad last month.”

“The CIA,” Mr. Hoffman writes, “should not hesitate to embark on a liaison with the new director of Syria’s General Intelligence Service, Anas Khattab, even though Mr. Khattab is also a former member of al-Nusra Front.”

• Jan. 14 — Passing the Baton 2025: Securing America’s Future in an Era of Strategic Competition, U.S. Institute of Peace

• Jan. 14 — Reflecting on the Commerce Department’s Role in Protecting Critical Technology with Under Secretary of Commerce Alan Estevez, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Jan. 14 — National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director Michael Casey, Intelligence and National Security Alliance

• Jan. 14-16 — Surface Warfare: Sharpen the Sword; 37th National Symposium, Surface Navy Association 

• Jan. 15 — Infrastructure Security in the Cyber Age: A Conversation with CISA Director Jen Easterly, Foundation for Defense of Democracies