U.S. imposes drone tariffs up to 100%.
Today's events
Drone tariffs.
Trump's proclamation sets a 100% tariff on heavy and thermal-imaging drones and 25% on smaller ones; the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan pay 15%, Britain 10%. It takes effect in 21 days.1Aug 13 · WHNavy shipbuilding.
A presidential memorandum orders a fifth naval shipyard — the first in over 80 years — lets foreign shipbuilders investing in U.S. yards deliver two ships from home, and returns the next carrier to steam catapults.2Aug 13 · WHFalcon Strike.
Central Command is standing up its first multinational attack-drone task force, building on the squadron that struck Iranian ports with unmanned boats in July.3Aug 13 · CENTCOMCongo–Rwanda talks.
Congo and Rwanda met U.S., Qatari and African Union mediators in Geneva for the sixth security meeting under the Washington Accords, and set an October planning conference.4Aug 13 · StateNigeria working group.
Washington and Abuja held a second round of talks on Nigeria's religious-freedom blacklisting, reviewing terrorism prosecutions and the recruitment of 50,000 police officers.5Aug 13 · StateMarriage-fraud indictment.
Federal prosecutors in New York charged eleven people with arranging more than 1,000 sham marriages over a decade, mostly for Chinese citizens paying up to $100,000.6Aug 12 · DOJIndustrial control flaws.
CISA published a batch of industrial-control advisories covering Siemens, Johnson Controls, Hitachi Energy and AVEVA systems; one Johnson Controls product ships a hard-coded encryption key identical across every installation worldwide.7Aug 13 · CISACalifornia prisons.
Two California women's prisons failed to protect inmates from staff sexual abuse; the state has 49 days to comply or face a federal lawsuit.8Aug 13 · DOJMexico labor case.
The trade representative restored normal tariff treatment for a Yazaki wire-harness plant in Guanajuato after Mexico trained workers and the company pledged neutrality in union organizing.9Aug 13 · USTR
This week
Critical minerals.
The White House announced more than $2 billion in critical-minerals projects on August 7: $1.4 billion for silicon-carbon battery anodes at Sila Nanotechnologies, $400 million for the world's first primary scandium mine, $150 million for rare-earth-free magnets and $180 million for the country's mining schools. The trade representative separately welcomed new S&P Global price benchmarks for gallium, germanium, tungsten, antimony and rare earths, calling them a step toward border-adjusted price floors in a planned trade agreement.2Aug 7 · WHPrivate cyber operations.
A presidential memorandum on August 13 authorized vetted U.S. companies to run cyber surveillance and disruption operations against foreign criminal organizations, with directors at Justice and Homeland Security approving each operation. The memorandum sets a policy of using private-sector capabilities alongside government ones against cybercrime. It arrived in the same week as the 19-nation cartel coalition and a State Department task force that revoked more than 600 birth-tourism visas.4Aug 13 · WHAmericas cartel coalition.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met 19 partner nations in Panama on August 12 for the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, and Southern Command will write and approve a joint campaign plan by November. It follows a rapid U.S.–Colombia reset: a delegation attended President Abelardo de la Espriella's August 7 inauguration, Washington said it intends to announce $1 billion in security assistance, and Trump certified Colombia's drug-interdiction authority on August 10.5Aug 12 · War Dept.175,000 visas.
The State Department said on August 10 it has revoked more than 175,000 visas under Trump, most after law-enforcement encounters involving assault, drunk driving, theft and drug crimes. A separate task force revoked over 600 more for concealed birth-tourism travel. The same day, a Homeland Security final rule extended the $2,000 H-1B and $2,250 L-1 surcharge to every extension petition filed by large visa-dependent employers, including renewals with the same employer.6Aug 10 · StateAir-traffic datalink.
CISA published five vulnerabilities on August 7 in the unauthenticated, clear-text messaging link that carries controller-pilot clearances worldwide; rogue ground stations can inject false instructions or reset sessions, and no mitigation is available. It headed a heavy cyber week: three actively exploited flaws added to the federal catalog, a joint U.S.–South Korea advisory on Gunra ransomware, and a Johnson Controls product shipping one hard-coded encryption key across every installation worldwide.7Aug 7 · CISA
Allied Governments
Houthi escalation.
Britain told the Security Council that Houthi drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, attacks on Red Sea shipping and Iranian overflights have escalated the war; 22 million Yemenis need aid.aAug 13 · UK FCDOJapan's Gulf mission.
Japan's foreign minister will visit Saudi Arabia and Oman from August 17 to reaffirm cooperation on de-escalation and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.bAug 14 · Japan MoFABritain–Australia radar.
British and Australian firms QinetiQ and CEA Technologies signed a radar-technology agreement in Canberra, building on a June ministerial deal and the submarine partnership with the United States.cAug 12 · UK MoD
Voices
“[Drones] are a key technology in modern armed conflict and are critical for present and future U.S. military operations.”
Presidential Proclamation on Unmanned Aircraft Systems · Aug 131
“The United States Navy has experienced a series of shipbuilding setbacks stemming from overly complex designs and iterative design change procedures, which have resulted in cost growth, delays, and cancellations.”
National Security Presidential Memorandum · Aug 132
“Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike's success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander · Aug 133
“[Congo] and Rwanda agreed to advance two initiatives to strengthen monitoring and verification of Washington Accords implementation on the ground.”
Joint Security Coordination Mechanism statement, Geneva · Aug 134
“Today's arrests have dismantled a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history.”
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, Southern District of New York · Aug 126
“These facts are unacceptable. California owes a legal and moral duty to safeguard prisoners in its custody.”
First Asst. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Central District of California · Aug 138
Sources
- White House, “Adjusting Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components into the United States” (Proclamation), August 13, 2026. whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/…/adjusting-imports-of-unmanned-aircraft-systems
- White House, “Rebuilding the United States Navy and America's Shipbuilding Industrial Base” (National Security Presidential Memorandum), August 13, 2026. whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/…/rebuilding-the-united-states-navy
- U.S. Central Command, “CENTCOM Launches First-Ever Multinational Attack Drone Task Force,” August 13, 2026. centcom.mil/MEDIA/…/multinational-attack-drone-task-force
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Joint Statement on the Sixth Meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism for the Peace Agreement Between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda,” August 13, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/sixth-joint-security-coordination-mechanism
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Second Session of the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group to Address Nigeria's Country of Particular Concern Designation,” August 13, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/us-nigeria-joint-working-group
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “11 Defendants Charged in Dismantling of Decade-Long Nationwide Marriage Fraud Scheme,” August 12, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/nationwide-marriage-fraud-scheme
- CISA, “Johnson Controls Inc. Airwall” (ICS Advisory ICSA-26-225-03, CVE-2026-64887, CVE-2026-34492), August 13, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-26-225-03
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Justice Department Finds California Women's Prisons Violate the Constitution by Failing to Protect Female Prisoners from Sexual Abuse by Staff,” August 13, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/california-womens-prisons
- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, “United States Announces Successful Resolution of Rapid Response Labor Mechanism Matter at Grupo Yazaki, S.A. de C.V.,” August 13, 2026. ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/…/grupo-yazaki
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “Reckless Houthi actions have triggered a serious escalation of violence in the region: UK statement at the UN Security Council,” August 13, 2026. gov.uk/government/speeches/…/uk-statement-at-the-un-security-council
- Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Foreign Minister MOTEGI's Visit to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Sultanate of Oman,” August 14, 2026. mofa.go.jp/press/release/…/motegi-saudi-arabia-oman
- UK Ministry of Defence, “UK and Australia boost radar technology and industry cooperation as Defence Minister visits Indo-Pacific partners,” August 12, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/uk-australia-radar-technology-cooperation