Category: NEWS FROM THE CENTER

Australia is teaming up with the United States to codevelop the Precision Strike Missile, a long-range surface-to-surface weapon that could expand its strike capabilities. The new defense agreement also opens the door to local manufacturing and supply chain roles.

The June 6 agreement makes Australia a full partner in the U.S.-led program, providing access to the cutting-edge PrSM system, which can hit high-value targets hundreds of miles away.

How will this affect Australia’s defense capabilities?

PrSM can be launched from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, which the Australian army received in March. The system allows for deep-strike capability from mobile platforms, and the new missile extends the range of its predecessor, the ATACMS.

The missile’s Increment 1 variant is compatible with both the wheeled HIMARS and the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and is designed to strike fixed, high-value targets beyond 250 miles with sub-meter precision.

According to the Army Recognition Group, the PrSM Increment 2, currently under development, will feature a multi-mode seeker designed to engage moving and maritime targets, including ships and mobile air defense systems. The seeker may use imaging infrared, active radar or semi-active laser guidance. Increment 2 also increases the missile’s range to more than 310 miles.

Increment 3, a future concept, aims to extend the missile’s range up to 620 miles or more through enhanced propulsion and improved aerodynamics. It is designed to bridge the gap between tactical and theater-level strike systems and seeks to improve improve lethality in strategic operations.

Will Australia manufacture PrSM components locally?

The memorandum establishes PrSM as a cooperative program between the two countries, allowing for Australian industry participation in the global supply chain. Australian companies may contribute components and sub-systems for the missile, and talks on domestic manufacturing are expected to begin later this year. The agreement also enables local maintenance and sustainment work.

Australia is investing about $310 million over 10 years to support the partnership and contribute to ongoing development. An additional $150 million will be allocated toward acquiring initial missile stocks and establishing the country’s first “Long-Range Fires Regiment.”

What have officials said about the partnership?

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said that the missile program builds upon the 2024 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations and reflects Canberra’s strategic commitment to strengthening deterrence.

“Australia’s capability and technology cooperation with the United States is a critical part of our alliance,” Marles said. “The Albanese government’s investment in the Precision Strike Missile will expand and accelerate land-based long-range strike capabilities.”

He also noted that this investment supports goals outlined in Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy, including a shift toward a “Strategy of Denial” through enhanced land-based precision fires.

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the agreement also benefits Australia’s defense sector.

“This is another example of the Albanese government working with the United States to increase opportunities for Australian industry in global supply chains,” Conroy said. He added that the partnership demonstrates Canberra’s push to accelerate the acquisition of strike weapons and deepen industrial ties with the U.S.

Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer)

and Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)
contributed to this report.

By Emma Stoltzfus

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025

At the White House on Thursday, June 12, President Donald Trump downplayed the likelihood of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran. Strikes “could very well happen,” Trump said, but probably not while negotiators were close to reaching an agreement to restrict Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Now Iranian — and Israeli — officials suggest Trump’s remarks were a ruse, one that threatens to draw the United States into an escalating Mideast conflict.

However, U.S. officials deny any involvement, and they pointedly stopped short of pledging to back Israel if its assault on Iran turns into all-out war.

Israel: ‘Full and complete coordination’

Hours after Trump’s remarks, Israel launched attacks on a key Iranian nuclear facility, missile-launch sites, air defense installations and other targets. Top military officials and scientists working on Iran’s nuclear program were among the 78 fatalities cited by the FARS News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Iran fired about 100 drones at Israel in retaliation, apparently causing little harm, according to the Israeli military.

The attacks took place as Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was preparing to meet on Sunday, June 15, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi in Oman for a sixth round of talks aimed at restricting Iran’s development of nuclear capabilities. Iran says it is not trying to build nuclear weapons, but Israel and the United States dispute that assertion. 

Israeli media reports say the United States knew about the attacks in advance, and that its recent diplomatic efforts helped lull Iran into complacency.

“We presented the American administration with evidence of Iran’s breakthrough toward a nuclear bomb,” an unidentified Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post. “There was full and complete coordination with the Americans.”

Iran warns of ‘dangerous consequences’

The conflict seems likely to escalate quickly.

“We must brace for a lengthy operation,” said Israel’s chief military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin. “We will continue to act until the objectives of the operation have been achieved.”

In Tehran, Aragchi, the foreign minister, pledged his country would defend itself “decisively and without hesitation, using whatever methods they consider necessary.”

He strongly suggested Israel won’t be Iran’s only target.

“The aggressive actions of the Zionist regime against Iran could not have happened without the coordination and approval of the United States,” he said, according to the FARS News Agency. “Therefore, the American government, as the main supporter of this regime, is also responsible for the dangerous consequences of these actions.”

Rubio: ‘We are not involved’

On Thursday evening, the White House issued a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that tried to distance the United States from Israel’s attacks.

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” Rubio said. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners.”

A day before the attacks, the State Department had begun moving some diplomatic personnel out of the Middle East amid rising tensions over the Iranian nuclear talks.

Rubio’s statement concluded with a warning.

“Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” he said.

Trump weighs in

On social media, Trump used the attacks to pressure Iran to complete a deal to restrict its nuclear program “before there is nothing left.” In his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 agreement under which Iran pledged to restrict nuclear development for more than a decade.

“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told,” he wrote on Truth Social. He warned that “the next already planned attacks” will be “even more brutal.”

“Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal,’” Trump wrote in a second post. “They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”

Chris Field (Executive Editor)

and Devin Pavlou (Digital Producer)
contributed to this report.

By Alan Judd

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025

The Trump administration has begun issuing notices to 500,000 foreign nationals — primarily from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — instructing them to leave the United States immediately. The Biden administration admitted these individuals under a humanitarian parole program known as CHNV, which allowed them to live and work temporarily in the U.S.

What is the CHNV program?

The CHNV program, established in 2023, granted eligible individuals two-year humanitarian parole to enter and remain in the U.S., along with work authorization. Officials did not consider the program as a formal immigration status, but it provided short-term refuge to citizens fleeing political turmoil and humanitarian crises in their home countries.

President Donald Trump formally terminated the program in May. On Thursday, June 12, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began notifying recipients that it had terminated their parole and revoked their employment authorization, effective immediately.

What did the administration say?

In a strongly worded statement, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the program. 

“The Biden Administration lied to America. They allowed more than half a million poorly vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed,” McLaughlin wrote in the statement.

What legal backing does this have?

In late May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s authority to terminate the CHNV program, ruling that the administration may revoke humanitarian parole for the more than 500,000 recipients. That decision followed a separate ruling allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for about 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants, a program that had offered relief since 2021 amid Venezuela’s collapse.

What’s next for CHNV recipients?

According to CNN, the notices direct recipients to self-deport: “If you do not leave, you may be subject to enforcement actions, including but not limited to detention and removal, without an opportunity to make personal arrangements and return to your country in an orderly manner.” 

Officials also instructed recipients to return their work permits to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Those who comply voluntarily will be eligible for travel assistance and a $1,000 exit bonus.

Jason Morrell (Morning Managing Editor),

Shianne DeLeon (Video Editor),

and Devin Pavlou (Digital Producer)
contributed to this report.

By Craig Nigrelli

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025

At least five people are dead and two others missing after flash flooding swept through San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, June 12. Torrential rains triggered rising waters that carried away more than a dozen vehicles and stranded dozens more.

Police confirmed that first responders recovered the bodies of two men and two women. One victim was found a mile away from their vehicle, according to officials. A fifth body was located later with the help of search dogs.

What happened?

The flooding began early Thursday morning as a storm system with torrential rains hit the region. Firefighters said they found people clinging to trees on an island formed by the floodwaters. Ten people were rescued from trees, while two others managed to escape the water on their own.

At least four people were hospitalized with minor injuries. Officials say they responded to more than 70 water rescues throughout the day.

Fire Department’s response

In a statement, the fire department said, “While the majority of the water rescue operations were not severe in nature and consisted of our crews assisting drivers from vehicles that were stalled in high water, several of these calls were harrowing and involved our crews entering swift moving water to effect rescues.”

Wife desperate for answers 

Angela Richards is still searching for her husband, Steve Richards, who went missing during the flooding. She says Steve called her from his car, saying it had been swept up in the rising water and he was trapped.

“I could hear whatever the car hit and then the water taking over the car,” she told reporters. “And that’s the last I heard.”

Richards believes her husband may still be inside a submerged vehicle identified by first responders. “The way they proceeded to search the car, yes, I can tell that someone’s on that driver’s side,” she said. “I know for a fact that’s my vehicle.”

Authorities said the search for the two remaining missing individuals is ongoing.

Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer),

Jack Henry (Video Editor),

and Jason Morrell (Morning Managing Editor)
contributed to this report.

By Craig Nigrelli

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025

Washington is gearing up for the biggest U.S. military parade in more than three decades. On Saturday, June 14, more than 6,600 troops, 150 armored vehicles and 50 military aircraft will roll through the capital to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.

The event stretches along Constitution Avenue, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument and will include Abrams tanks, rocket launchers, precision-guided missiles and paratroopers presenting Trump with a flag.

How much does it cost — and who’s paying?

The Army has budgeted up to $45 million for the event, covering equipment transport, troop housing and street repairs. That estimate doesn’t include Secret Service costs or city expenses like cleanup and transit support.

Critics say the spectacle feels more like a personal tribute than a national celebration. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called it “a discredit to the military,” and opponents have pointed to Trump’s long-standing push for displays of military power since attending France’s Bastille Day parade in 2017.

Are protests expected?

Although Washington isn’t expecting large-scale protests, the No Kings Movement has organized more than 2,000 rallies across the country. Organizers said they launched the effort to shift focus from what they call “an authoritarian birthday party” to core democratic values.

Federal agents are monitoring at least nine demonstrations and said they’re ready to respond quickly if necessary.

How tight is security?

The Secret Service has deployed drones, concrete barriers, magnetometers and fencing around the parade route.

Up to 200,000 people are expected to attend. Officials said metro delays, traffic closures and flight disruptions are likely to occur. Washington braces for the noise, the crowds and whatever weather rolls in with the tanks.

Is the weather a concern for the event?

Possibly. Forecasters expect rain and a chance of thunderstorms Saturday evening. The Army said rain won’t stop the parade, but lightning could force delays or even cancellation. Helicopters, fighter jets and parachute teams are all scheduled — weather permitting.

Alexandria Nohalty (Production Specialist),

Devan Markham (Morning Digital Producer),

and Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor)
contributed to this report.

By Alexandria Nohalty

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025