Between 1948 and 1977, the Israel Defense Forces grew from 90,000 personnel and 12 brigades to 700,000 personnel and 44 maneuver brigades. Initially, it fielded only 20 obsolete tanks; 30 years later, it could field 3,800 tanks, most of which were state-of-the-art.

During the same period, the Israeli Air Force grew from a single, ill-equipped fighter squadron to 20 fighter-attack squadrons armed with cutting-edge combat aircraft. The number of combat sorties the IAF could sustain daily grew from a mere 20 to 1,200. The navy grew from virtually nothing to the dominant force in the eastern Mediterranean with 24 very capable fast-attack craft.

Since 1977, the IDF continued to grow and modernize. However, in 2003, and again in 2014, the IDF’s mobilizeable order of battle was significantly reduced.

via The Amazing Growth & Operational Capabilities Of The IDF

So just as America’s fertility rate is tanking, China is waking up to the damage of its one-child policy.

In mid-May, the Centers for Disease Control reported that “The birthrate fell for nearly every group of women of reproductive age in the U.S. in 2017.” A drop that led to “the fewest newborns since 1987.”

via Demographics Are Destiny: China Finally Gets It, Do We?

President Xi will host Iranian President Rouhani in China in June. As European companies begin to cave to US imposed sanctions, will Iran mitigate the damage to its economy through trade with China? Gordon Change, author of “The Coming Collapse of China,” provides an analysis.

via WATCH: Can Iran use China to skirt US economic sanctions?

Iran-backed forces, including Hezbollah, are preparing to withdraw from southern Syria against the backdrop of regional and international negotiations currently underway between the United States, Russia and Jordan over the war-torn country’s future, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Thursday.

Specifically, the London-based organization reported, Iran and Hezbollah are planning to withdraw forces from the Dara and Kuneitra areas near Israel’s northern border.

via Report: Iranian forces, Hezbollah prepare to leave southern Syria – Middle East – Jerusalem Post

COPENHAGEN, May 31 (Reuters) – Denmark has banned the wearing of face veils in public, joining France and other European countries in outlawing the burqa and the niqab worn by some Muslim women to uphold what some politicians say are secular and democratic values.

Parliament voted on Thursday for the ban proposed by the center-right government, which says veils are contrary to Danish values. Opponents say the ban, which will take effect on Aug. 1, infringes women’s right to dress as they choose.

via Denmark bans the wearing of face veils in public – AOL News

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will pardon conservative provocateur Dinesh D’Souza, and revealed he is weighing pardons or commutations for Martha Stewart and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

via Trump weighs leniency for Martha Stewart and Blagojevich, will pardon conservative Dinesh D’Souza – AOL News

The FBI has issued a warning advising people to turn their routers off and back on again to help halt the spread of a dangerous piece of Russian malware.

The threat is known as VPNFilter.

“There is no easy way to tell if your device may be affected,” said Jody Westby, cybersecurity expert and CEO of Global Cyber Risk LLC. “Since CISCO has said there are 500,000 devices affected in over 54 countries, I would just assume were are at risk and try to do something about it.”

via Your Router Is at Risk: What You Can Do to Protect Your Home From Russian Hackers | CBN News

Experts warn of an increase in the risk of conflict after word surfaced that China was ramping up a nuclear arms race with the United States and Russia. According to Chinese state media, a number of their recent nuclear arms tests have “outpaced” the US.

Between September 2014 and last December, China carried out around 200 laboratory experiments to simulate the extreme physics of a nuclear blast, the China Academy of Engineering Physics reported in a document released by the government earlier this year and reviewed by the South China Morning Post this month.

via China Steps Up The Pace In Nuclear Arms Race With Russia And US

An Argentine minister issued a public apology after he gleefully ate a piece of a cake shaped like the body of Jesus Christ at an art exhibition in Argentina, Newsweek reported.

Enrique Avogadro, the Minister of Culture for Buenos Aires, took to Facebook to apologize, saying he “sincerely regrets” offending people’s “most intimate beliefs” by eating the life-size cake.

via This Life-Sized Jesus Christ Cake Has Ignited a Firestorm Among Christians – Faithwire

via Deadly attacks feared as hackers target industrial sites | TheHill