"Do not go gentle into that good night.

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage, against the dying of the light."

- Dylan Thomas

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

-Winston Churchill

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Russian forces will likely prioritize winning the Battle of Severodonetsk over reaching the administrative borders of Donetsk Oblast.
• Russian forces did not advance in the Slovyansk direction due to unsuccessful offensive operations in the Izyum area. Ukrainian aviation continues to operate north and east of Izyum.
• Russian forces continued to launch artillery, air, and naval assaults on the Azovstal Steel Plant, but Mariupol defenders maintained their positions.
• Russian forces are fortifying occupied settlements along the southern axis, indicative of Russian objectives for permanent control of the area.

• Main effort—Eastern Ukraine (comprised of one subordinate and three supporting efforts);
• Subordinate main effort—Encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the cauldron between Izyum and Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts
• Supporting effort 1—Mariupol;
• Supporting effort 2—Kharkiv City;
• Supporting effort 3—Southern axis.

• Russian forces will likely complete their withdrawal from the vicinity of Kharkiv City but will likely attempt to hold a line west of Vovchansk to defend their GLOCs from Belgorod to Izyum. It is unclear if they will succeed.
• The Russians will continue efforts to encircle Severodonetsk and Lysychansk at least from the south, possibly by focusing on cutting off the last highway connecting Severodonetsk and Lysychansk with the rest of Ukraine.
• A Ukrainian counteroffensive around Izyum will likely begin soon.
• The Battle of Mariupol will, apparently and surprisingly, continue.

• Audio published by Ukrainian officials captured a Russian soldier talking to his mother
• Soldier told her he and others in the military did not want to be fighting war in Ukraine

• Summary
• Ukraine says its forces have pushed through to Russian border
• Russia warns of consequences over Finland, Sweden NATO move
• NATO chief says Russian offensive not going to plan
• Situation still tough in south

• The divestment of one of eight infantry regimental headquarters.

• The divestment of three of 24 active component infantry battalions and two of six reserve component battalions, and the redesign of all remaining battalions.

• A dramatic restructuring of Marine Corps cannon and rocket artillery capabilities.

• Divestment of all organic tank units.

• The total number of active component strike fighter squadrons remained unchanged at 18, albeit with a reduction in aircraft per squadron to ten from 16. The reduction reflected, in part, the difficulty in training and maintaining enough pilots for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the Marines’ primary tactical aircraft.
• Three MV-22 tiltrotor squadrons, three heavy lift helicopter squadrons, and “at least” two light attack helicopter squadrons would be divested, leaving 14, five and five squadrons of each type aircraft, respectively. These moves were made possible by the reduction of three infantry battalions, which made these squadrons excess to need.
• The only increases in aviation capability would come in the form of one additional aerial refueler squadron (from three to four) and three additional unmanned aerial vehicle squadrons (from three to six).

• Russia-Ukraine war

The executive branch should have discretion in applying the Caesar Act, yet in this instance it is defying both the plain meaning of the text as well as the intent of Congress. The White House is likely counting on congressional passivity and partisan divisions to prevent a coordinated response. If lawmakers confound that expectation by acting in a unified and proactive manner, they can steer the White House back into compliance. If lawmakers remain passive, they will affirm the administration’s blueprint for evading its statutory obligations. The United States should help Lebanon to mitigate its power shortages but should do so without violating the law or enriching Assad.

• Hold public hearings on the two energy agreements, during which senior administration officials must fully explain their rationale for exempting the agreements from sanctions. The hearings should also address whether the administration has made commitments to support World Bank financing and what reforms to the Lebanese electricity sector the administration would consider sufficient.
• Absent a more compelling rationale, senior lawmakers from both parties should inform the White House that they consider its exemption invalid. This may not change the administration’s policy, but it would likely compel the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese governments to re-evaluate the risk that a future U.S. administration may treat the deals as sanctionable. Currently, Cairo and Amman continue to press the Biden administration for stronger assurances it will protect them from sanctions.
• Pass amendments to the Caesar Act further clarifying the criteria for exemption. The original text is clear, yet amendments could deter further efforts to bend the law for political purposes. The proposal and passage of amendments would also constitute a clear signal of congressional resolve to the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese governments.

We found all seven of the key character virtues – humanity, temperance, justice, courage, transcendence, wisdom and prudence – evident in Zelenskyy’s responses to the interviewers’ questions.

• US special operators are shifting focus to great-power competition after 20 years of counterterrorism.
• Special-ops leaders told lawmakers in April that in a new era they will focus on an old skill: supporting conventional forces.