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Title: October 6, 2025

DOMESTIC SITREP

ARMY NG CALLED UP IN ILLINOIS

President Donald Trump moved to deploy the National Guard in another city Saturday by authorizing 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, where the government said Border Patrol agents shot and injured a woman while firing at someone who tried to run them over.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed that the president authorized using the Illinois National Guard members, citing what she called “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local leaders have not quelled.

“President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities,” Jackson said.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said the guard received notice from the Pentagon early in the day. He called the move unnecessary and “a manufactured performance — not a serious effort to protect public safety.”

“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

Meanwhile, a similar mobilization of 200 National Guard troops in Oregon was temporarily blocked after a federal judge’s opinion was that President Donald Trump was “likely overstepping his legal authority in responding to relatively small protests” near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland.

Why It Matters:

Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities, including Baltimore, Maryland; Memphis, Tennessee the District of Columbia, New Orleans, Louisiana; and the California cities of Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

GLOBAL SITREP

NZ NH90 HELOS FLY RECORD DISTANCE ACROSS TASMAN SEA

Two Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopters have flown from Australia to New Zealand on a two-day, record-breaking journey for the aircraft, which each carried two 1,100lb external fuel tanks, according to the service.

The aircraft flew from Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, near Brisbane, via Norfolk Island, to RNZAF Base Auckland, a distance of 1,765 miles over water. The longest leg of the trip, 660 miles, took around four and a half hours.

Why It Matters:

Both of the 3 Squadron aircraft landed safely home at RNZAF Base Ohakea Sept. 30.

The flight broke the RNZAF NH90s’ previous over-water record, achieved at the end of last month, of 521 miles across the Coral Sea Basin between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

BRAZIL INCREASES OIL PRODUCTION

According to data from Brazil’s hydrocarbon regulator, Brazil extracted an average of 4.9 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in June. This is the largest volume of hydrocarbons that Brazil, Latin America’s top oil producer, has ever pumped. Crude oil output also reached a new record of 3.8 million bpd.

Why It Matters:

Oil discoveries in ultra-deep waters off Brazil’s coast bode well for its plans to become a top-five global oil producer.

Petrobras, the national oil company, plans to invest $111 billion by 2029. It expects to drill more than 50 new wells and add 10 new floating production units, increasing its production capacity to 4.5 million bpd by 2029, 80 percent of which will come from pre-salt assets.

Brazil also expects to attract more than $120 billion in investment by 2029, primarily in its pre-salt oil fields, where the average breakeven cost is below $40 per barrel. The low carbon intensity of Brazilian production also makes it appealing from an environmental sustainability perspective.

MIDDLE EAST SITREP

Key Takeaways:

• Israel 2-Day Ship Boarding and Interdiction Operation Complete: A humanitarian aid flotilla was stopped as it attempted to deliver aid items to Gaza illegally, without the permission of the Israeli government. A 2nd flotilla of 11 more aid ships is on the way.

• Reported Attack on US Forces in Syria: A Syrian militia sympathetic to the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance claimed an attack on a US base in northeastern Syria on October 2. This attack marks the first time that the militia has claimed to attack US forces.

• Iraqi Elections: Iranian-backed Iraqi actors are continuing to try to detract voter support from their political opponents ahead of the November 2025 Iraqi parliamentary elections. A Middle Eastern news outlet that is likely affiliated with Iranian-backed actors claimed on September 30 that Sunni Sovereignty Alliance head Khamis al Khanjar is involved in a US-supported effort to return Baathists to power in the upcoming elections.

• Houthi Weapons Shipment Interdiction:Yemeni security forces seized a vessel that was transporting equipment, including manufacturing equipment, surveillance gear, and raw materials, to the Houthis on October 2. The Houthis could have used the equipment to strengthen their drone capabilities.

ISRAEL

Israeli forces boarded the final vessel in a 44-ship humanitarian aid flotilla that was trying to deliver vital supplies to Gaza. Capturing the Polish-flagged Marinette marked the end of a tense two-day naval operation.

11 more ships with the goal of delivering aid items to Gaza without Israel’s permission is on the way.

U.S. TARGETS AQ IN SYRIA

Syrian media reported on October 2 that the International Coalition likely conducted a drone strike targeting a former al Qaeda (AQ)-affiliated faction leader in Harem, Idlib Province. The drone reportedly fired several missiles that killed former Ansar al Islam leader Abu Darda Kurdi.

Ansar al Islam is an AQ-affiliated faction that was formed in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2003 and has operated in Syria since 2011.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not claimed responsibility for the strike at the time of this writing. US CENTCOM has repeatedly targeted members of designated terrorist organizations in Syria, including ISIS and AQ-affiliates, since the fall of the Assad regime.

LEBANON

The United States has taken steps to provide Lebanon with military support. Unspecified US and Lebanese sources told Reuters on October 2 that the United States approved a $230 million military aid package for Lebanese security forces. An unspecified Lebanese source noted that the funding includes $190 million for the LAF and $40 million for the Internal Security Forces (ISF).

Unspecified US congressional aides noted that the United States has already provided these funds to Lebanon. A US State Department spokesperson stated that the US military aid package supports Lebanese forces’ efforts to “assert Lebanese sovereignty” and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The LAF has historically faced resource deficits that have limited its ability to successfully counter Hezbollah.

IRAN & SYRIA

A Syrian militia sympathetic to the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance claimed an attack on a US base in northeastern Syria on October 2.

This attack marks the first time that the militia has claimed to attack US forces. The Syrian Popular Resistance announced that it and “allied forces” targeted US forces with unspecified weapons south of Hasakah City. Syrian social media accounts posted videos purporting to show US air defense systems activating over al Shaddadi Base, Hasakah Province, on October 2. The United States has not confirmed the attack at the time of this writing and CTP-ISW is unable to independently verify the group’s claim.

The Syrian Popular Resistance previously limited its attacks to entities associated with the Syrian transitional government and had not targeted US forces, despite its opposition to the US force presence in Syria.

Unspecified US officials told US-based al Monitor on October 2 that the United States has paused its planned reduction of forces in Syria due to concerns about the Syrian transitional government’s stability. The Syrian Popular Resistance warned in August 2025 that it would expand its target bank and operational reach because of its opposition to the United States, Israel, and the Syrian transitional government.

The Syrian Popular Resistance formed immediately after the fall of Assad in December 2024 to oppose the Syrian transitional government. The group’s last claimed attack was in March 2025, when it claimed to poison the meals and water of Syrian government soldiers using a “biological weapon.”

The Syrian Popular Resistance has venerated former Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani on its channel in addition to its regular pro-Assad content, suggesting that the group is ideologically aligned with the Axis of Resistance. The Syrian Popular Resistance celebrated Iran’s attack on US forces in Qatar during the Israel-Iran War in June 2025, further underscoring the group’s ideological alignment with Iran.

GZB INFOCUS: Part 1:

Internet Cost by Country in 2025

Key Takeaways:

• UAE has the world’s most expensive fixed internet at $4.31 per Mbps.

• Eastern Europe leads affordability, with Romania as low as $0.01 per Mbps.

In a world more connected than ever, internet access has become essential infrastructure. But the price people pay for that access varies dramatically around the globe.

This graphic compares the cost of fixed broadband internet per megabit per second (Mbps) across 60+ countries in 2025. The data for this visualization comes from We Are Social (https://wearesocial.com/us/blog/2025/02/digital-2025/).

The Most Expensive Internet: Gulf States and Sub-Saharan Africa:

At the top of the list, the United Arab Emirates stands out with an average cost of $4.31 per Mbps—nearly double that of the second-most expensive, Ghana ($2.58).

These high prices are often due to limited competition, infrastructure challenges, and regulatory factors. Switzerland, Kenya, and Morocco also rank high on the list, all exceeding $1.00 per Mbps.

Affordable Internet in Europe and Asia:

In stark contrast, countries like Romania ($0.01), Russia ($0.02), and Poland ($0.03) offer some of the cheapest broadband in the world.

Eastern Europe consistently leads on affordability, likely due to robust competition and government investments in digital infrastructure. Asian nations such as Vietnam, China, and South Korea also deliver fast internet at low prices, some as little as $0.05 per Mbps.

Where Does the U.S. Stand?

The United States ranks among the more affordable countries, with internet priced at $0.08 per Mbps. Other Western economies like France, and Japan also fall below the global average of approximately $0.42 per Mbps.

GZB INFOCUS: Part 2

Obesity has long ceased to be a local problem – today it is a global challenge for healthcare systems. According to a variety of recent global studies and reports, approximately 900 million adults worldwide have a body mass index of 30 or higher.

The highest rates are recorded in the Pacific region, the United States, and the Persian Gulf countries, where the proportion of obese people reaches 40-75%. In Europe, obesity rates vary considerably, from 10-13% in France, Switzerland, and Denmark to more than 30% in Romania and Hungary.

In Latin America, rates are generally higher, ranging from 23% in Venezuela to 39% in Chile, while in Africa and East Asia, rates are significantly lower, although they are trending upward.

It’s 2025 and time for to get of your ass and start exercising and gettin fit! (Not fitting’ some more processed foods and trans fats into your cake hole!!!

Pray.

Train.

Stay informed.

Make human connections like your life depends on it.

Build resilient communities.

—END REPORT