20 February 2025

Military Times | New director of Concerned Veterans for America aims for more influence
The new head of Concerned Veterans for America wants to make sure the recent rise in awareness around the group leads to even more influence and involvement in national policy discussions.

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NBC News | Inside the week that upended U.S.-Ukraine relations
Tensions between the Trump administration and the Ukrainian government had been escalating behind the scenes for the past week before they fully erupted into public view Wednesday.

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The American Conservative | How Elbridge Colby Can Vanquish America-Lasters

One week after President Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet appointees—Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—sailed through the Senate with near-unanimous Republican support, a lower-profile nomination has surfaced deep divisions within the GOP over foreign policy. Though the nominee has garnered less media attention than Kennedy and Gabbard, he will, if confirmed, handle matters of paramount importance for U.S. national security. 

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Reuters | Exclusive: US will not co-sponsor UN motion backing Ukraine
The U.S. is refusing to co-sponsor a draft U.N. resolution marking three years since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine that backs Kyiv's territorial integrity and condemns Russian aggression, three diplomatic sources told Reuters, in a potential stark shift by Ukraine's most powerful Western ally.

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Washington Post | Trump administration orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping budget cuts
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered senior leaders at the Pentagon and throughout the U.S. military to develop plans for cutting 8 percent from the defense budget in each of the next five years, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post and officials familiar with the matter — a striking proposal certain to face internal resistance and strident bipartisan opposition in Congress.

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Military.com | A News Conference Between Zelenskyy and Trump’s Ukraine Envoy Is Canceled Amid Growing Tensions
A planned news conference after talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy was canceled Thursday as political tensions deepened between the two countries over how to end the almost three-year war with Russia.

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Newsweek | Iran Responds to US Show of Force
Iran's top military commander has said that any threat to its national security would have dire consequences for the entire region, according to state media. The warning comes after the U.S. staged a major regional show of force this week, deploying B-52 bombers over nine countries in the Middle East in a strategic display of military strength.

Foreign Affairs | Ukraine Must Guarantee Its Own Security | Emma Ashford
At last week’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, newly minted U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that the position of the U.S. government was that Ukraine will not join NATO. Although greeted with horror by some in Washington and in European capitals, Hegseth’s remarks were in fact more a public statement of reality than a genuine change in policy.

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Foreign Policy | How Europe Can Defend Itself | Garvan Walshe
French President Emmanuel Macron appears to understand the urgency facing Europe’s leaders. Immediately after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s blistering attack on Europe on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, the same venue in which Russian President Vladimir Putin assailed in the Western security order in 2007, Macron convened an emergency summit of key European leaders in Paris with the goal of coordinating Europe’s response.

Responsible Statecraft | Hegseth orders 8% cut to Pentagon budget. Not so fast. | William Hartung
Critics of overspending at the Pentagon were excited to see a Washington Post piece, first published yesterday, that initially gave the impression that the Trump administration was entertaining the idea of imposing substantial cuts in the Pentagon budget.

This week, Concerned Veterans for America officially welcomes John Vick, our new Executive Director, to the team!

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John Vick is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Navy, and he continues to serve in the Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer supporting U.S. Central Command. 

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His service has earned him two Joint Service Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various unit, campaign, and service medals. He holds bachelor's degree in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy, a master’s degree in Defense & Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a graduate credential in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. 

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You can read the full press statement here. 

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