A U.S. Air Force C-17 “RCH140” is crossing the Gulf of America on its way back to the United States, after carrying out a DHS Deportation Flight to Guatemala City from Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas.

A memo, from West Point’s U.S. Army Corps of Cadets, indicates that a number of clubs, forums and initiatives have been dissolved. These include, among others, the Asian-Pacific Forum, Latin Cultural Club, and the Native American Heritage Forum. The changes reflect the service academy’s compliance with the series of executive orders on DEI initiatives last week.
Photo excerpt: @DanLamothe

The General Services Administration (GSA), an Independent Agency of the U.S. Government which supports the Basic Function of all other Federal Agencies, with Products, Communication, Transportation, and Office Space, while managing over $500 Billion in U.S. Federal Property, as well as a 215,000 Motor Pool; is reportedly planning to sell upward of 50% of the 363 Million Square Feet of Office Space in 8,397 Buildings, leased and owned by them for Federal Agencies across the United States.

Amidst an uptick in Chinese coercive measures in the South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines have announced that they will conduct a joint Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity alongside the air and naval forces of the United States, Japan, and Australia inside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) today, February 5. The 6th such activity of its kind comes amidst continuous Chinese aggressive measures within the Filipino EEZ in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea.

Since Asian Affairs is my remit, I’ll be looking to include more developments from the Indo-Pacific over time. Tensions in the Western Pacific have been heightened for awhile, and this is not a measure that should be deemed as an outlier. I just haven’t been covering it. For example, just yesterday, the Philippines and the U.S. flew a joint air patrol of two U.S. Pacific Air Force (PACAF) B-1b Lancer and Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50 fighter jets over the West Philippine Sea.
- @DefenseBulletin

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) confirms the joint Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity alongside the Philippines, Australia, and Japan.

Some info on the release of the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-2) on the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump earlier today. As we covered before, the memo green lights the resumption of the “Maximum Pressure” approach towards Iran, with the goal of “denying Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence.”
The memo directs the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Secretary of Commerce, and the Attorney General to all exercise their respective authorities to impose a multifaceted and comprehensive sanctions regime on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Notable hearings (not confirmation hearings) in the U.S. House of Representatives today, mentioned by ChadPergram of Fox News. Most notably, the hearing noscriptd “The State of American Education” is ongoing now in the House Committee on Education and Workforce. U.S. President Donald J. Trump has signaled a desire to completely revamp and overhaul the U.S. Department of Education.

After yesterday evening’s comments by U.S. President Donald J. Trump that the U.S. will “take over” the Gaza Strip at a joint presser with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli official has told Axios that the comments made by President Trump “exceeded all of our expectations and dreams.”

Citing an unnamed source close to the president, Axios is reporting that U.S. president Donald J. Trump’s comments at yesterday's joint presser with Benjamin Netanyahu do not indicate that Israel has a “green light” to move forward with fully occupying the Gaza Strip.

After the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced that they would be temporarily suspending the acceptance of International Packages from both China and Hong Kong, USPS has now released a statement saying that they “will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts.”

Despite U.S. President Donald J. Trump stating yesterday that Saudi Arabia was now willing to “Normalize Ties” with Israel without the guarantee of Palestinian Statehood; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia release a Statement earlier, stating that this was not true, and that there would be No Diplomatic Ties with Israel unless a Palestinian State is established with East Jerusalem as its Capital.

The Foreign Minister of Israel, Gideon Sa'ar announced today that following yesterday’s withdrawal of the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council, Israel will also withdraw from the Council.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, being greeted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. @KToropin

According to a U.S. Official, only Illegal Migrants deemed to be “High Risk” or Violent, including confirmed Cartel and Gang Members, will be housed at the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC) in Cuba for now.

The Wing of a taxiing Japan Airlines Flight collided earlier with the Tail of a parked Delta Airlines Aircraft at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, resulting in Serious Damage to both Aircraft.

Another Angle showing the extent of the Damage to the Tail of a Delta Airlines Aircraft, that was struck earlier by a taxiing Japan Airlines Flight at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

When asked earlier about whether American Ground Troops would be deployed to the Gaza Strip, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the Pentagon is “prepared to look at all options.”

The White House today “backpedaled” on several Statements made yesterday by U.S. President Trump regarding the Gaza Strip; with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating that the U.S. would like to see the “Temporary, not Permanent, Relocation” of roughly Two Million Palestinians to Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab Countries. Additionally, Leavitt stated that President Trump has not committed to sending U.S. Troops to Gaza, and that the United States will not pay for the Rebuilding of the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order today on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, dubbed the “Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports” Order, banning Biological and Transgender Men from competing in Women’s Sports. The Signing Ceremony was attended by roughly 60 Athletes, Coaches, and Advocates who have campaigned against Transgender participation in Women’s Sports, including Former Swimmer for the University of Kentucky, Riley Gaines.

According to Al Jazeera, they have now been told that Hamas will hand over the bodies of the remaining Bibas family members, Shiri Bibas and the two children, Ariel and Kfir. Ariel would have been 5 and Kfir just 2 years old if they survived captivity. Yarden Bibas, who has been freed as a result of the second ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, is the sole surviving member of his immediate family.