#Design and implementation planning Washington

[2netsolution7]

Tailored Strategies: Design and Implementation Planning for Washington Businesses

In the dynamic business landscape of Washington, achieving success requires more than just vision; it demands precise planning and meticulous execution. This is where our specialized design and implementation planning Washington services come into play.

Why Tailored Strategies Matter

Generic solutions rarely fit the diverse needs of Washington's businesses. Cookie-cutter approaches may work elsewhere, but here, we recognize that every organization has its unique challenges and opportunities. That's why we emphasize the importance of tailored strategies.

1. A Strategic Framework for Success

Our team of experts begins by understanding your specific business goals and requirements. We meticulously analyze your operations, your market, and your competition. This thorough assessment forms the basis of a strategic framework customized to your organization.

2. Optimizing Resource Allocation

Effective design and implementation planning aren't just about setting goals; they're also about allocating resources efficiently. In Washington, where competition is fierce, resource optimization can make or break a business. We help you make the most of your available resources, ensuring every dollar and every hour is put to its best use.

3. Risk Mitigation

Washington's business environment can be unpredictable. We understand the importance of risk mitigation. Our tailored strategies identify potential risks and provide clear, actionable plans to address them. This proactive approach minimizes disruptions and keeps your projects on track.

4. Driving Team Alignment

Collaboration is the key to success, and our strategies foster it at every level of your organization. By involving key team members, stakeholders, and decision-makers, we ensure everyone is on the same page. This alignment enhances communication and cooperation, two crucial elements for successful project completion.

Conclusion

In Washington, where businesses must navigate precision, adaptability, and innovation, our design and implementation planning services are designed to cater to these needs. By leveraging our expertise, you not only optimize your operations, but you also gain a strategic partner dedicated to your success.

Our tailored strategies are not one-size-fits-all solutions; they are finely crafted plans that align with your specific goals. Whether you're a startup aiming for rapid growth or an established business seeking to maintain its competitive edge, our services provide you with the roadmap to success in Washington's bustling marketplace.

Invest in tailored strategies, and invest in your business's future. Contact us today to unlock the full potential of your organization in Washington's dynamic business landscape.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Revelator:

Every June, cities around the globe celebrate Pollinator Week, an international event to raise awareness about the important roles that birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals serve in pollinating our food systems and landscapes. These crucial species are declining worldwide, with many on the brink of extinction.

Cities have responded to this crisis with a variety of urban initiatives designed to foster pollinator habitats and in the process transform once-stark cement landscapes — as well as pocket parks, curb strips, and highway dividers — into lush, welcoming areas for pollinators and humans alike.

In Washington, D.C., ambitious pollinator projects are abundant on rooftops of public, office, and private spaces, ranging from the renovated D.C. Public Library’s main branch to National Public Radio’s headquarters, which hosts an apiary. Throughout the District of Columbia, municipal code requires buildings to maintain the tree boxes and curb strips outside their properties. This often leads to creative landscaping on the smallest of scales.

It’s not just businesses. Parks and other public spaces also play an important role. For example, Fargo, North Dakota’s Urban Pollinator Plots Project aims to establish more than 50 acres of high diversity, forb-rich, native prairie plantings in urban parklands.

“I think some of the bigger challenges are just simply the establishment of the prairie,” says Sam DeMarais, a park forester in the Fargo Park District, who oversees the program. “It’s a skill set and a knowledge base that really takes a keen eye and some diligence on doing it properly. Everyone thinks you can just plant the prairie and let it go, but that’s not really the case.”

Fargo’s and Washington, D.C.’s programs are each over 10 years old, and time has brought knowledge of what works and doesn’t, and the ability to adapt. But less-established initiatives across the country could provide even more clues. A new project at the Port of Vancouver, in Washington state, aims to add a small native plant and flower pollinator garden in the port’s mitigation bank in the Lower Columbia River watershed. It could serve as a case study in introducing pollinators into industrial areas. In Michigan, the nonprofit organization Detroit Hives showcases how to transform vacant lots into pollinator-friendly habitat, a program that recently contributed to Detroit joining the Bee City USA program. Researchers in Puerto Rico are examining the relationships between animal and plant resources in urban areas on the island, and conducting interviews to learn more about public perspectives on plants and wildlife.

But why stop at the city level? Pollinator programs around the world can look to Ireland, where the entire island, north and south, has implemented the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, a program that brings together community groups, local authorities, councils, businesses, farmers, and others to create a pollinator-friendly landscape.

[mariacallous]

On Jan. 20, as U.S. President Donald Trump was being inaugurated in Washington, D.C., some 8,000 miles away in Dar es Salaam, the government of Tanzania was reversing prior denials and declaring that there was, in fact, an outbreak of Marburg virus. Marburg, a highly contagious hemorrhagic virus, is a cousin to Ebola with a case fatality rate as high as 88 percent, and it could bring the kind of global attention the Tanzanian government has long tried to avoid.

Using lessons from the West African Ebola outbreak that began in 2014, which took two years and more than $2 billion of U.S. funding to contain, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were mapping a way to stop the Marburg outbreak early.

The same day in the Western Hemisphere, officials were tracking a new outbreak of the extremely rare and Ebola-like Chapare hemorrhagic fever in Bolivia as they readied to prepare a response. But two weeks later, no plans have been executed, and the USAID leaders who would be responsible are on administrative leave as part of the new administration’s assault on foreign aid. None of the outbreaks have been contained.

Now, Trump has ordered an ill-considered scheme that contravenes U.S. law, could tear apart the international aid infrastructure built with bipartisan support over decades, and which would mean many more outbreaks and other disasters worldwide.

In the early hours of Monday, Feb. 3, Elon Musk—the businessman-turned-top Trump advisor—declared that he and the president had reached a decision about USAID—“we’re shutting it down.” USAID staffers were told that the agency’s headquarters were closed, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that he was the new head of the agency, and the White House confirmed plans to merge it with the State Department. Reporting suggests the move would include laying off many or most of the USAID staff responsible for crucial programs.

To be clear-eyed: This is neither good policy nor legal under the most basic elements of U.S. law and the Constitution.

There are many reasons to demand reform at USAID. Critiques of the agency have emerged from the left and the right. Too much aid is poorly designed for the world of 2025, the agency too often operates in a neocolonial model, and not enough of the investment reaches those who need it most. But many of the critiques from Musk are completely baseless.

And aid money saves lives. Halting it has shut down efforts to prevent children from dying of malaria, stopped clinical trials for various drugs and medical devices, threatened a resurgence of HIV, and more.

And any reforms should be done legally. The U.S. Agency for International Development is an independent agency with authorities legislated by Congress. Its history is complex, but its status is clear. The president—let alone Musk, who is neither elected nor confirmed by Congress—does not have the legal authority to abolish USAID or move it under the State Department unilaterally.

USAID traces its origins to a bill introduced by U.S. Sen, William Fulbright that passed Congress in September 1961 and became the Foreign Assistance Act. After signing it into law in November, then-President John F. Kennedy created USAID by executive order to implement the law. Originally, the agency functioned under the authority of the secretary of state.

However, after significant debate in Washington over the independence of the agency, President Jimmy Carter created the United States International Development Cooperation Agency (IDCA) in 1979, bringing development and security assistance programs together and moving USAID from the State Department and into the agency. The order delegated the authorities created by the Foreign Assistance Act to the director of the IDCA.

In 1998, Congress took up reform of the aid infrastructure, passing the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act, which abolished the IDCA. That act formally established USAID as an independent agency, stating that “there is within the Executive branch of Government the United States Agency for International Development as an entity described in section 104 of title 5” of the United States Code.

The law required the president to come up with a plan and provided the option to, within 60 days, alternatively move all of USAID’s functions into the State Department. President Bill Clinton declined to do so and, as a result, USAID was confirmed as an independent statutory agency created by Congress. As it had done since inception, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act provided that the secretary of state would give foreign-policy guidance to USAID.

Since 2016, Congress has passed five authorizing laws that define new authorities, oversight, and authorizations of funding levels, and USAID’s independence has been maintained throughout. As such, USAID remains a distinct statutory agency with separate authorization, appropriation, and authorities. Several senators have already weighed in to make this argument.

Dissolving USAID or merging it into the State Department without the authorization of Congress would be unconstitutional. Article I of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the legislative prerogative to create and abolish agencies. And that authority has been affirmed by the judiciary in the years since: “To Congress under its legislative power is given the establishment of offices, the determination of their functions and jurisdiction,” wrote the Supreme Court in Meyers v. United States (1926).

Because Congress established USAID by statute, the executive branch lacks the unilateral authority to abolish it or subsume it without a corresponding act of Congress. This is not a small or a limited issue: The separation of powers doctrine is central to U.S. constitutional government, and allowing the executive to reshape or eliminate an agency that Congress created and continues to fund would deeply weaken the legislature’s independence.

Rubio, in fact, has been among the most recent legislative architects of USAID. He was the lead sponsor of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016, which enacted USAID’s obligation to establish measurable goals and monitor them with results posted online. Rubio also co-sponsored a follow-up bill that required USAID to publicly share which countries and organizations received the funds.

This is exactly why USAID needs highly trained, well-qualified professional staff of the type that is now threatened with dismissal.

Ongoing disease outbreaks demonstrate why attacks on USAID are not just unconstitutional, but also bad policy. Aid should be independent. Merging with the State Department and initiating mass layoffs do not serve U.S. interests as defined by Rubio in a Jan. 26 press statement. It does not make the United States safer or stronger.

A Jan. 27 report from the Africa CDC indicates that there have already been nine deaths from the Marburg outbreak—surpassing the total number of deaths from the last outbreak in Tanzania. It is occurring in the Kagera region, which borders multiple countries and is a major transit hub, creating a very real risk of spread to other Central and East African countries—and beyond.

If the virus is not quickly contained, it could develop into a regional epidemic, as occurred in West Africa in 2014 when a small Ebola outbreak spread to more than 13,000 cases in a matter of months. Although they occurred primarily in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, infections spread as far afield as the United States and Spain. It took two years and the deployment of the United States military to contain it.

But the Tanzanian government has little interest in talking to the U.S. State Department about its outbreaks. Indeed, the Tanzanian government first denied there was any Marburg outbreak—much as it has done with mpox and did previously during COVID-19. The diplomatic arm of the United States government is very unlikely to be seen as a partner, since U.S.-Tanzania relations are complex and fraught. China, not the United States, is the country’s largest trading partner, while India is the largest investor.

Tanzania has worked hard to build a middle position between Washington and Beijing, and as such, U.S. diplomats are engaged across multiple strategic areas with the government of Tanzania—from military bases to trade to human rights and democracy. The independence of agencies such as USAID and the CDC allows them to engage differently.

USAID is both funding and personnel. It funds the local organizations around the world that can often be most effective in addressing health, while also providing expertise to secure accountability and transparency. USAID helped with the effective Marburg virus response in 2023, when it supported the Tanzanian government and UNICEF to secure needed equipment, medicines, and people. It funded the Red Cross to engage its network of community-based volunteers to respond. All of that capability is now frozen, and it could be lost altogether.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization currently reports 118 other separate health emergency events. There are new outbreaks of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Uganda. The clade I strain of mpox has been detected in the Americas. Bird flu is a growing regional and global crisis. The AIDS pandemic continues.

Every one of these outbreaks not only puts lives at risk around the world, but also has implications for U.S. foreign policy, existing within complex trade-offs of geopolitics and human need. None are best tackled by the State Department directly.

Usually, the World Health Organization would take the lead on such efforts. But Trump’s recent executive order cut off U.S. cooperation with WHO and ordered the secretary of state to find bilateral alternatives—which, in a more normal world, would include USAID.

Doing aid better—and with the outcomes and focus that Rubio has pushed for—requires people, infrastructure, and political independence.

That should give us pause. Is this move really about aid at all, or is it about auditioning tactics in the aid sector that Trump and allies want to use in other areas of government, no matter the impact?

[attheexactlyrighttimeandplace]

It has been more than 24 hours since the last massacre of Palestinian civilians organized by the Americans and jewish zionists in Gaza, and Algeria has still not officially reacted to the crimes committed.

No declarations from the usual communication channels which are our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Algerian Press Agency which exclusively represents the voice of our President since last April (he "appropriated" it by decree because the war approaches our borders).

I wonder if this silence is a turning point. The final nail in the coffin on what has been a very turbulent journey to try to change our relationship with the United States.

The journey began with the war in Ukraine in 2022: like all Arab countries, we really angered the United States by refusing to side with the EU against Russia. And we reached the point of open conflict with the United States (they sent their deputy secretary of state in March 2022) when we terminated our energy contract with Spain (we are their main supplier of gas) after the Spanish Prime Minister began supporting Morocco's claims on Western Sahara's land.

But Algeria surprisingly backed down on many points and began to rapidly improve its relations with the United States - Blinken, the US Secretary of State came to Algeria several times, our Foreign Ministry was invited to Washington - to the point that our country, which has been a faithful ally of Russia for 60 years seemed on the verge of joining NATO last April (I think Algeria might become a Major Non Nato Ally but is hidding its true intention for various reasons linked to the international context in North Africa, more precisely in the Sahel where 3 countries have expelled, under the influence of Russia, the American and French military bases from their lands and are openly eyeing the Algerian borders to destabilize us, in addition to the conflict with Morocco).

A few decades ago, the genocide of the Palestinians would have stopped these efforts very quickly, probably leading to a further breakdown in diplomatic relations with the United States.

Not this time: Algeria was still signing massive contracts in fossil fuels and unconventional energy (shale gas) with major American companies like Exxon Mobile and Chevron (although at a slower pace than expected) in May 2024, and our president was invited to the G7 summit which will take place next week in Italy, an invitation designed as a reward for Algeria's support for Europe's energy security and for its fight against illegal immigration which largely benefits Europeans.

This is why the decision of the Algerian mission to the UN to oppose the very important vote scheduled for Friday, June 7 to transform Biden's plan for Gaza into a resolution at the UN Security Council, was the most stupid move ever taken.

Blinken, the US Secretary of State, made a very special call to our Department of Foreign Affairs to obtain our consent to the plan proposed by Biden. This call was heavily promoted as a turning point by the entire US diplomatic network on all social media platforms, including on X: from the US Embassy in Algiers to the US State Department account, and their X account in Arabic for the MENA region.

Algeria obviously adhered to this plan, there is no other way to explain our pure and simple abandonment of the resolution we wrote to implement the latest decision of the ICJ which ordered the end of all operations in Rafah.

It is therefore easy to measure the extent to which Algeria has been incoherent, senseless and dangerous for itself and for Palestine in this context where the United States show no mercy, approve of genocide and have repeatedly rejected our demands during the previous negotiations in the UN Security Council to save more lives - when through the voice of our ambassador to the UN, Algeria gave the feeling of thinking that it could once again stop the vote, and try to negotiate new demands regarding Palestinian prisoners.

This is not surprising when you consider who our ambassador to the UN is: an overly old diplomat who has been unable to include the American point of view in his analysis. His conviction of being right against the rest of the world, his romantic views on resistance and his desire to play the savior of Palestine lead him to demonstrate a lack of humility and a lack of relevance in his analysis (like in his speech on terrorism at the UN where he asked for compassion for terrorists as if we hadn't lost 100,000 people in a civil war because of terrorism (!).

However, I do not believe that it was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or by our President. We have experienced a lot of management problems in the last 15 days at the highest level of the state, due to keeping the wrong people in important positions for the wrong reasons, to the point that it has had disastrous consequences, with deadly human consequences. Last week, some civil servants were fired and others were forcibly transferred, but explaining that doesn't cover the extent of the problem.

But back to the UN, after a revised version of Biden's plan was presented, we were given a 48-hour period of silence to object. In the end, the vote was to take place on Friday June 7, 2024, but due to Algeria's intervention in the Security Council, it was postponed until next Monday. There is no doubt that Algeria is responsible for the breakdown of consensus on the plan, because China seems to have forgotten the issue and only reacted and opposed it after us, and Russia only followed China!

The next day, the massacre took place in the Nuseirat camp: the latest reports say that there were 274 deads, 814 injured.

I really wonder, given the timing, how it would be possible that Algeria's decision, which comes after a long period of tense disagreements with the United States in the UN Security Council, not only on Palestine but also Africa and the Arab world, might not have triggered the so-called rescue? The United States had known for weeks where the hostages were because English planes had been flying over the area to gather information for weeks as well, so the plan was set and ready to be executed in case it was needed.

Which to me is the decisive proof that this was an American operation from conception to execution, Netanyahu would not have waited a second to take the opportunity to increase his popularity, and could never have carried it out without American support (his genocidal zionist soldiers only know to drop bombs on civilians). On the same day of the Nuseirat massacre, Gantz, a member of Netanyahu's war cabinet and government, was expected to resign. A few weeks ago, at the request of the United States, he issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu to find a solution for Rafah, or to accept his (Gantz) resignation which would have led to new elections that Netanyahu was certain to lose. Yesterday, not knowing what to do after the rescue, Gantz asked the United States what they wanted and the United States' response was that they do not interfere with Israel's internal politics! Algeria probably also ruined this plan indirectly.

My impression is that the United States did not betray Algeria: it did not intend to carry out its rescue mission because it was more concerned about the potential support Algeria could provide in the war against Russia (the Algerian army has been training with live ammunition for weeks, and my theory is that a large Algerian contingent is going to be sent to Ukraine), than they cared about the zionist settlers and zionist soldiers being held hostage by Hamas.

But Algeria's inability to keep its word after Biden's plan was officially accepted by our officials made us truly unreliable, even to be sent to Russia, and even though Algeria is the best card the West has, given the Ukraine's lack of soldiers (Algeria has been Russia's main customer for all types of military contracts for decades and is very familiar with Russian aircraft and equipment, and has conducted joint military exercises with Russia even deep within Russian territory).

If our president decides to save Algeria's commitments to the West: he should really fire our ambassador to the UN, and completely review and change our internal process of opposition to resolutions at the UN (we have a status of non-permanent membership until the end of 2025, which the United States helped us gain).

If he doesn't save it, and doesn't go to the G7 summit, I don't know how we will survive future wars to come: Morocco has expansionist views, and its military capacity is currently being improved by the genocidal Israeli. who are building a drone factory on our borders and launching two satellites for Morocco; Russia, which threw us under the bus because we refused to help Putin in his plan to destroy the EU's energy security, entered Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Libya militarily, made them its vassals and now claims a percentage of our oil and gas resources!

I don't know what the future holds for us….

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Marita Vlachou at HuffPost:

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has designated the counting and certification of electoral votes of the upcoming presidential race by Congress, a National Special Security Event, the U.S. Secret Service announced Wednesday.

This is the first time the certification event, scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025, has been granted this designation, the agency said. The move, which appears to be an effort to avoid a repeat of the violence seen on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, was first reported by The Washington Post. “National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement. Ranaghan added that the agency “in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants.” The designation follows a request by Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser, the agency said. Reports by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and the Government Accountability Office had also made a similar recommendation.

As a result of the Trump-incited January 6th Insurrection in 2021, the January 6th, 2025 Electoral College certification joint session will now be treated as an National Special Security Event, on par with the Super Bowl.

[beardedmrbean]

Vice President-elect JD Vance raised concerns on Sunday about the Syrian rebels who have ousted Syria's authoritarian leader Bashar Al-Assad, saying that some of the rebels are an "offshoot of ISIS."

Assad's regime collapsed this weekend after a stunning turnaround after nearly 14 years of conflict. The deposed Syrian leader reportedly fled the country as rebels took control of the major Syrian city of Homs as well as the capital Damascus.

Various rebel groups continue to operate in Syria, with different regional and international allies. The principle rebel group that has led the charge to depose Assad in recent days is Hay'at Tahrir al Sham (HTS), which came out of Al-Qaeda and is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. HTS was formerly known as Al-Nusra Front.

"As President Trump said, this is not our fight and we should stay out of it," Vance wrote in Sunday X, formerly Twitter, post, commenting on the situation in Syria.

"Aside from that, opinions like the below make me nervous. The last time this guy was celebrating events in Syria we saw the mass slaughter of Christians and a refugee crisis that destabilized Europe," Vance, who is currently serving as a Republican senator for Ohio, wrote.

The vice president-elect's post shared comments from Josh Rogin, a Washington Post columnist who covers foreign policy and national security.

"Syria is free. The rebels won. The people liberated themselves from tyranny. Freedom won. Russia, Iran, Hezbollah & Assad lost. Historic. The road ahead for Syria won't be easy. But it will be better than the past. The world should celebrate Syria's liberation & help it succeed," Rogin wrote on X on Saturday.

In a follow-up post, Vance added, "Many of 'the rebels' are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they've moderated. Time will tell."

Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment on Sunday morning.

What Rebels Have Said About Their Plans for Syria

Like HTS, ISIS did emerge from Al-Qaeda, but the groups have been at odds in Syria. Critics of HTS have said the militant group will rule Syria as an extremist Islamist state. But Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of HTS, has said that his organization aims for all Syrians to coexist in unity.

"No one has the right to erase another group. These sects have coexisted in this region for hundreds of years, and no one has the right to eliminate them," Jolani told CNN in an interview this week.

Jolani was formerly a member of the Islamic State in Iraq, which eventually morphed in ISIS. He founded Al-Nusra Front in 2012, but it became HTS in 2017 as the group tried to moderate its image.

"People who fear Islamic governance either have seen incorrect implementations of it or do not understand it properly," he told CNN.

While the majority of Syrians are Muslim, the country has vibrant and sizable communities of Christians, Alawites and Druze, among others. Assad's family is part of the Alawite minority.

How Syrians Have Reacted

This weekend, the rebels advanced into Damascus after capturing Homs, Syria's third-largest city. In Homs, thousands of residents poured into streets after the army withdrew, chanting "Assad is gone, Homs is free" and "Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad."

Youths tore down posters of the Syrian president as rebels fired celebratory shots. Security forces left in haste after burning their documents, Reuters reported. Videos have circulated widely on social media of Syrians toppling statues of Assad throughout the country.

What Donald Trump Has Said

As Vance mentioned, Trump commented on Assad's removal from power in a Truth Social post

"Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever," the president-elect wrote.

"Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success. Likewise, Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians."

[lboogie1906]

Michael Stanley Regan, Sr. (August 6, 1976) is the first African American to lead the EPA and its 16th Administrator. He was nominated to serve as Administrator by President Joe Biden on December 17, 2020. He is the first African American to serve as the environmental regulator secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality. He was an air quality specialist in the EPA.

He was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is the son of Zeb Stuart Regan Jr., a Vietnam veteran and retired colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard, and Mavis Regan.

He graduated from North Carolina A&T State University, where he received a BS in Earth and Environmental Science. He graduated from George Washington University where he received a MPA.

He began his career serving in a summer internship in the EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standard. He continued to serve in the EPA’s two-year management internship program. He served as the National Program Manager, Program Design, in the Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards. He served as an environmental regulator.

He served as Senior Director of State Strategic Implementation for the US Climate and Energy Program. He served as the Environmental Defense Fund Associate Vice President, US Climate and Energy & Southeast Regional Director. He founded his consulting company M. Regan & Associates, LLC. Governor Roy Cooper named Regan Secretary of North Carolina. Department of Environmental Quality, where he served as the Governor’s 17th Cabinet Secretary in that post. As Chief Executive Officer of the Department, he oversaw approximately 2 billion dollars in state-owned assets, 1,600 employees, and seven regional offices across the state.

He served on several environmental boards and commissions, including the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Law Center for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Economics, Green 2.0, the North Carolina Commission on Global Climate Change, the North Carolina Energy Policy Council, and the Executive Steering Committee of Envision Charlotte.

He and his wife, Melvina have two sons. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[fifty-volt-studios]

It's been a while since the last time I posted. In that time I have taken the decision to stop using the Quest Game engine, and have taken one of my main projects, Dead Earth Cascadia, and have turned it into a more conventional RPG which I'm making using RPG Maker MV. With that being said, the attached photo is the world map for the game (albeit with placeholder assets). I hope to have completed this game by sometime next year, though I can give no guarantees, as I tend to suffer from procrastination, I frequently jump between projects as I work on more than one thing at a time, and I've been and will likely continue to be super busy with college.

I intend to develop this game using a specific development plan:

Design all of the various maps of the game (world map, towns, dungeons, etc)

Do all the general programming things (add NPCs, enemies, cutscenes, etc)

Replace the placeholder assets with my own original pixel art (will be 8-bit, or something similar to that, at least with my current plans)

Implement a soundtrack

The game's setting is "Southern Cascadia" which in this case refers to Washington State, Northern Oregon, and a tiny sliver of Northwestern Idaho (though I could potentially expand this if I so choose to. What do you think?). It takes place roughly 78 years after a series of nuclear wars called the Great Devastation. The game is inspired by Wasteland 1 and the Fallout series.

[catdotjpeg]

As Gaza’s population starves, Israeli politicians are refusing to lift the siege on Gaza to allow adequate amounts of aid trucks to enter the strip. Instead, in collaboration with the U.S. and Jordan, they are exploring the possibility of continuing airdrops and building a port to receive aid.  Following a boat tour of Gaza’s coast, Israeli War Cabinet and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he thinks Washington’s plan for building a port to get humanitarian aid will hurt Hamas. “The process is designed to bring aid directly to the residents and thus continue the collapse of Hamas’s rule in Gaza,” said Gallant, who was accompanied by military officials on the visit, as cited by Al Jazeera. “We will ensure that supplies reach here for those who need them and not for those who don’t,” he added. However, the plan to build a port has been criticized as an attempt to divert attention from hundreds of thousands of starving Palestinians and Israel’s consistent blocking of assistance to the enclave. Similarly, human rights groups have slammed plans to continue airdropping humanitarian assistance as incredibly inefficient when the dire needs of Gaza’s population are put in context.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel says that aid airdrops are not sufficient, as Palestinian families resort to animal feed for nourishment or skip meals, leading to acute malnutrition among a large section of the population in the besieged coastal enclave, according to Al Jazeera. The group also refutes Israeli claims that food is entering the Strip in pre-war amounts, “since there is no local production due to the destruction of crops and local bakeries, so the need is much higher.”  “According to the International Criminal Court, starvation is considered a war crime. Israel must immediately stop all forms of carnage in the Gaza Strip and stop limiting life-saving humanitarian aid. This is a moral stain that will stay with us for generations,” Physicians for Human Rights Israel concluded. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has described the international failure to protect Palestinians during Ramadan as “an assassination of humanity.”

In a statement posted on X, it said: “The failure of the Security Council to implement Resolution 2720 and its inability to guarantee the entry of humanitarian and medical aid on a constant basis to civilians in the Gaza Strip has no justification.”

-- From "‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 157" by Leila Warah for Mondoweiss, 11 Mar 2024

[biblenewsprophecy]

Germany wants to dominate EU militarily and wants EU to fight USA tariffs harder

COGwriter

Germany keeps taking steps to lead Europe in various ways.

Notice one related to military matters:

June 9, 2025

Germany’s Defense Awakening

Berlin’s military spending surged to $88.5 billion in 2024, making Germany the world’s fourth-largest defense spender and the largest in Central and Western Europe.

After years of underinvestment and political caution, Germany now allocates 1.9% of its GDP to defense, just short of NATO’s 2% target. This marks a 28% increase from 2023 and an 89% leap since 2015, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

This military renaissance is not merely a response to shifting NATO expectations or American pressure. It is a structural transformation backed by a €100 billion special defense fund, …

Germany is also investing heavily in its ground forces, with acquisitions that underscore a pivot toward mobility, survivability, and networked warfare. …

Germany’s maritime capabilities are receiving a significant boost with:

Three Type 424 SIGINT vessels, modern signals intelligence ships designed for enhanced surveillance.A €4.7 billion deal for four advanced submarines from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.Four Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) costing €52.5 million for mine detection and underwater reconnaissance. …

Germany has approved the procurement of Brimstone missiles to enhance the Eurofighter Typhoon’s precision ground-attack capabilities. In parallel, drone and loitering munition programmes are progressing rapidly:

Plans are underway to acquire 147 fixed-wing UAVs, with an option to expand to 600, for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance purposes.AI-enabled loitering munitions such as the Helsing HX-2 and STARK OWE-V are being developed for precision strike operations.

These additions reflect Germany’s desire to operate across the full spectrum of aerial warfare, including unmanned and autonomous systems.

Communications, Satellites & Cyber Capabilities

A modern military must be digitally connected. Germany is investing heavily in communications, encryption, and space systems, including:

A €1.9 billion investment in a Tactical Wide Area Network (TaWAN LBO) for secure land communications.1,350 multi-cryptophones to secure command-level communications.Over 9,000 GPS M-Code receiver cards for encrypted and accurate positioning. …

Germany’s military transformation is more than a budgetary uptick—it is a recalibration of its postwar identity. … Germany has taken the first irrevocable steps toward becoming a “framework nation” in European defense—not just economically, but militarily. https://www.eurasiantimes.com/military-renaissance-in-germany-from-ad-missiles/

A reader sent me a link to the following:

‘Meet force with force’

Policy advisors in Berlin are urging a tougher EU response to Trump’s tariff offensive. The message: escalate, take risks and act as a global power.

BERLIN/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (own report) – In the face of the Trump administration’s escalating tariff offensive, foreign policy advisors and economic experts in Berlin are urging significantly tougher countermeasures by the EU. …

In order to put a stop to the US trade warfare it is, they say, necessary to “meet force with force”. The situation demands not only the implementation of counter-tariffs but also export restrictions on vital products. For example, the United States depends heavily on Dutch-made lithography equipment used in semiconductor production. The EU must, they say, even take the risk of causing widespread instability on the financial markets. This may be the only scenario that can make the Trump administration back down. These calls for a more aggressive response go hand in hand with ambitious long-term demands: the EU should assume the role of an independent global power. …

The calls for a more offensive response by the EU to the Trump administration’s punitive tariffs are accompanied by demands that the EU should move towards an independent role as a world power. Last week, for example, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explicitly demanded that the EU must “shape” a “new international order” that “will emerge in this decade”. She exclaimed that, “Our mission is European independence.”[6] Speaking in Berlin, shortly before, the European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde had called for the euro to take on “a greater international role”. Her ambition is for the euro to offer a partial challenge the dollar as a global reserve currency.[7] Berlin, for its part, is seeking to increase military spending to a massive five per cent of German GDP. Indeed, the goal of upgrading the Bundeswehr has explicitly been stated as Germany becoming the strongest conventional armed forces in Europe.[8] The thinking is that such a huge level of spending could eventually enable the EU to become a leading military power on the world stage. In this scenario, Europe equipped with a strong global currency and an independent economic policy could be a global leader – under German leadership. 06/04/25 https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/10007

A New Era

Berlin celebrates the formal commissioning of the Lithuanian Brigade with a military roll call. Merz and Pistorius seize the opportunity of the first permanent German military base in Eastern Europe …

In his speech in Lithuania, Chancellor Merz reiterated to an international audience that Berlin’s arms buildup’s objective is to make the Bundeswehr the “strongest conventional army in Europe.” The allies are “virtually demanding this,” 05/30/25 https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/9996

Yes, Germany wants the EU to dominate trade. Note that Ursula von der Leyen is also German.

Germany also wants to dominate the EU militarily.

There will be many unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s statements and policies, including relating to trade, military matters, and tariffs.

Now notice something from my latest book available at Amazon Kindle: Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? as well as Amazon print Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Trade …

One of the unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and other trade matters is that it is motivating nations he has threatened to look to trade more with each other.

Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally …

Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. This is also helping set the stage for the coming European Babylonian Beast to dominate international trade. …

the United States, which is a mixture of ethnicities like biblical Samaria, is on the receiving side of the end time biblical prophecies related to Joseph’s son Manasseh. …

The Bible, itself, teaches that the Assyrians will be used to punish “an hypocritical nation” (or hypocritical people, as the Hebrew can be translated as is done in Bishops’ Bible of 1568) that refuses to repent:

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation (Isaiah 10:5–6, KJV). … Germany (Assyria)

(Thiel B. Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Nazarene Books, 2025)

So, are Germany and the European Union taking actions consistent with those predictions?

Yes.

Consider, further, a full quotation of Isaiah 10:

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (Isaiah 10:5-11, KJV)

Notice that the above prophecy, which relates to the Germanic people of Europe states, “it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.”

The push to become the dominate military is consistent with that.

To see more scriptures related to future trade, we put together the following video:

Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …

US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Then listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.

Here is a link to our video: Trade Wars – and the Winner will be …

The idea of Germany wanting to lead is not new. Back in 2022, we put out the following video:

Germany wants to lead a united Europe

Various leaders in German have pointed to a more unified, militaristic, and German-led Europe. After Russia’s ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine, Germany declared it would increase its military spending to the third highest level of any nation on the planet? German-Foreign-Policy.com reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants the European Union to play a powerful and more unified geopolitical role. Does what he is stating consistent with prophecies in the Book of Revelation about Europe reorganizing and turning power over to one called the Beast? Are some in Poland and Hungary (like Peter G. Feher) concerned about the domination of Europe by Germany? Is a European/German leader prophesied as the “King of the North” to make some type of a deal with a leader of nations in the Middle East and North Africa called the “King of the South”? Is that King of the North prophesied to have a great army and many ships? Could the Beast/King of the North be German? Did the old Worldwide Church of God warn back in 1980 that, in the future, the German people be concerned enough about Russia that it would call for a Bavarian strongman to lead them? Does the Bible point to such a leader rising promising peace? Steve Dupuie and Dr. Thiel address those issues.

Here is a link to our video: Germany wants to lead a united Europe.

Church of God warnings on trade and military matters are coming to pass.

In the Continuing Church of God:

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)

We continue to see international affairs that are aligning with properly explained biblical prophecies.

Related Items:

Trade Wars – and the Winner will be … US President Trump imposed tariffs on a global scale. Those tariffs were imposed on friend and foe alike. It seems as if President Trump is no respecter of nations. But how will this work out for the United States? Will these tariffs result in other nations drawing closer together that have had rather cold, and even not so cold, relations in the past? Will global tariffs result in trade wars? Were the events which are happening predicted by any in the Continuing Church of God? Is Europe drawing closer to China? Is Europe drawing closer to Latin and South America? With the exception of a few of America’s allies, is the net result of these tariffs a worldwide scramble to create new alliances and new trading partners to the exclusion of the United States? What will be the future result of these new alliances? Many of the nations that are now seeking new alliances were just recently America’s allies. They were her friends. Dr. Thiel brings to light the fate of America and her allies at the hands of her former friends, as revealed in the book of Lamentations. As we rapidly approach the end times listen in to this video as Dr. Thiel brings to light world events. Also listen as he shines the light of Bible prophecy directly on the questions raised from these world events.

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.

25 items to prophetically watch in 2025 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 25 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related sermon video: 25 Items to Watch in 2025.

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;�� When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?  Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.

Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?

LATEST AUDIO NEWS REPORTS

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[seniorhelper]

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[meret118]

Trump's new threat 'will keep the internet out of reach for millions': nonpartisan group

“The Trump administration is spiking plans states spent years developing to help their own residents, in favor of trying to redirect billions into Elon Musk’s pockets via his Starlink satellite internet service. It’s the sort of government graft, seizing resources from the public and awarding them to Trump loyalists, that has come to typify this White House,” Aaron said in a press release.

The bipartisan infrastructure law was passed during the Biden administration and was designed to help the elderly, working people, veterans, disabled individuals, low-income families, and people in rural communities.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2671923800/

The Actual Math Behind DOGE’s Cuts

None of this is to say that DOGE has failed. Musk might not have followed through on his unfocused and evolving promises to eliminate payment errors, balance the entire budget, and implement regulatory reform. But he has successfully given the White House cover to purge and intimidate the civil service, helped Congress justify exorbitant tax cuts, rewarded MAGA voters with revenge against their perceived enemies, and granted himself the ability to access sensitive government data and possibly ensure his companies’ continued government contracts. Sure, annual budget deficits remain on track to double over the next decade. But if you thought DOGE was really about cutting costs, you were never in on the joke.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/05/musk-doge-spending-cuts/682736/

Is Starbase the future of America?

Starbase is a company town. That company is Musk’s SpaceX. Its new mayor, Bobby Peden, is a SpaceX vice president. He was the only name on the ballot. Its two commissioners are also SpaceX employees. The local measure creating Starbase passed 212 to 6. Almost everyone who voted works for SpaceX or has a relative who does.

America is starting to look like one big national company town. The largest 1 percent of U.S. corporations now own a record 97 percent of all U.S. corporate assets.

. . .

Starbase is hardly a democracy. It’s the brainchild of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who founded the town because he didn’t want to deal with local regulations in getting approvals for his space launches. Musk’s DOGE has hamstrung federal agencies under whose authority SpaceX falls, such as the EPA and FAA — which just decided to allow him to go from five Starship launches a year to 25. America, too, is looking less and less like a democracy.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/is-starbase-the-future-of-america

Shameless mob boss corruption': Critics say State Dept acting as Musk's 'sales force'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has specifically directed State Department officials to pressure countries challenged by President Donald Trump’s global tariff war to approve deals with Starlink, the satellite internet company led by top Trump donor Elon Musk, according to an exclusive Washington Post report.

https://www.alternet.org/corruption-state-department/

DOGE Aide Who Helped Gut CFPB Was Warned About Potential Conflicts of Interest

Before he helped fire most Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staffers, DOGE’s Gavin Kliger was warned about his investments and advised to not take any actions that could benefit him personally, according to a person familiar with the situation.

. . .

But days later, court records show, Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old software engineer who has been detailed to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since early March, went ahead and participated in mass layoffs at the agency anyway, including the firings of the ethics lawyers who had warned him.

https://www.propublica.org/article/cfpb-gavin-kliger-doge-conflict-of-interest-consumer-financial-protection-bureau

[mariacallous]

More than 2.5 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Moscow continued to make rapid advances in the east and launch relentless missile attacks across Ukraine, Kyiv seemed to be facing a stark choice: make territorial concessions for an unjust peace or prepare for a prolonged war, sacrificing more lives with no guarantee of success.

Then, President Volodymyr Zelensky made an unexpected announcement – he has a plan on how to end Russia’s war with Ukraine’s victory.

The so-called "victory plan" was designed to strengthen Ukraine’s future negotiating position and push Russia to make a just peace.

Kyiv remains secretive about the plan's details as Zelensky prepares to present it to U.S. President Joe Biden and American presidential candidates during his visit to the U.S. next week. The plan is expected to address military, political, diplomatic, and economic strategies.

A source close to Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent that the "victory plan" aims "to create such conditions and such an atmosphere that Russia will no longer be able to ignore the peace formula and the peace summit."

As Moscow has maintained initiative on the battlefield in the east of Ukraine for most of the year, it has repeatedly rejected Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, which calls for a complete Russian troop withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, among other steps.

"The problem is, to get to that point where we have any sort of peace negotiations, Russia must feel like they're going to lose, and we are not there yet," Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee in Congress, told the Kyiv Independent.

"I hope part of this victory plan is how we can shape battlefield conditions to reach that point," said Panetta, who met Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials in Kyiv last weekend.

Zelensky announced his team was preparing the "victory plan" as Ukraine gained momentum following its incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which has widely been considered a successful operation that exposed Russia’s inability to defend its own territory and challenged its so-called "red lines."

Kyiv appears to be rushing to secure substantial backing behind its “victory plan” from Washington ahead of the November election that might bring former President Donald Trump back to the White House and jeopardize the U.S. support for Ukraine.

According to Zelensky, for the "victory plan" to work out, allies need to make “quick decisions” between October and December this year.

What is the plan?

In a few statements he has made about the “victory plan,” Zelensky mentioned it consists of four main points, with an additional fifth point to be implemented after hostilities end. The plan focuses on strengthening Ukraine's defense and creating the conditions to end the war.

Zelensky told CNN that the plan covers issues such as security, Ukraine's geopolitical position, "very strong" defense aid, and economic assistance. In a Sept. 16 address, Zelensky said that curators had been assigned to each area, emphasizing that "nothing is impossible" in the plan.

Ukraine's Presidential Office has not responded to the Kyiv Independent's request for more details on the plan's contents. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi declined to elaborate but said that the plan "will strengthen Ukraine, Ukrainian warriors, and Ukrainian people."

While Kyiv remains tight-lipped about the plan's specifics, Ukrainian officials have refuted media reports that it includes a partial ceasefire. "There is not and cannot be any alternative to peace, no freezing of the war or any other manipulations that will simply move Russian aggression to another stage," Zelensky said in his evening address on Sept. 18.

Danylo Lubkivskyi, the head of the Kyiv Security Forum, suggested that the victory plan would likely include ramping up sanctions against Russia and ensuring a safe sky over Ukraine, as well as the prospects of Ukraine's NATO membership and international security guarantees

"These elements clearly need to be addressed," Lubkivskyi told the Kyiv Independent.

One of the critical elements of the victory plan is likely the U.S. and other allies' approval for Ukraine to use long-range weapons to target military sites deep inside Russia, a capability experts see as essential for Ukraine to have chances at defeating Moscow.

Striking deep inside Russia will enable Ukraine to destroy the airfields from which Russian aircraft are taking off to attack Ukrainian civilian infrastructure as well as degrade Russian air defenses, thus allowing Ukrainian drones to hit key Russian oil and gas infrastructure, according to retired U.S. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges.

Oil and gas sales are the key sources for financing Russia's war machine, with 10.7 trillion rubles ($115 billion) expected in revenue in 2024, up 21% compared to 2023.

Long-range strikes will also allow Ukraine to destroy Russia’s transportation infrastructure, military headquarters, artillery and rocket positions, airfields, and logistics, "which will degrade Russia's only advantage — mass (numbers)," Hodges told the Kyiv Independent.

"Without those capabilities, it doesn't matter how many unlucky, untrained Russian soldiers there are," he added.

Although Western countries eased restrictions on the use of certain Western-provided weapons just across the border following Russia's May offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, limits on long-range strikes deep within Russia have remained in effect.

Hodges expects that during the upcoming U.S. trip, Zelensky will also continue to press for the rapid delivery of some long-promised equipment, munitions, and additional air defense capabilities needed to protect Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

According to Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who also attended the meeting with Zelensky last weekend, one of the victory plan's priorities seems to be improving cooperation between Ukrainian oblasts and American states. This could mean developing "more connections on the ground with the American public to garner more U.S. support of Ukraine," according to Panetta.

Why now?

Since November 2022, when various countries began promoting their strategies on how to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Kyiv has been advocating for its 10-point peace formula, which demands a full withdrawal of Russian forces and accountability for war crimes, among other things. However, this plan struggled to gain support among the nations of the so-called Global South such as Russia-friendly India and China.

The introduction of the smaller “victory plan” doesn't mean that Ukraine was forced to abandon any points of its peace formula and come up with a more modest strategy, according to Lubkivskyi. Instead, the “victory plan” likely builds on it, specifying some of its most relevant aspects, the expert believes.

Zelensky said that the “victory plan” could pave the way to a lasting peace, achievable through the full implementation of the peace formula.

Throughout the full-scale war, there have been reports of Western pressure on Kyiv to negotiate with Russia, which many Ukrainians fear could result in territorial concessions. These calls apparently intensified in the spring and summer of 2024 as Ukraine experienced a series of setbacks on the battlefield.

However, in early August, Ukraine made a move that might have turned the tide of the war.

On Aug. 6, Kyiv launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast — the first invasion of Russian territory by a foreign power since World War II — causing talk of peace negotiations to fade. In just several weeks, Ukraine seized around 100 Russian settlements and over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles), according to Kyiv.

Zelensky soon began speaking of his “victory plan,” saying that the Kursk operation is an integral part, though the exact role it plays remains undisclosed.

"The victory plan clearly takes advantage of the so far successful Kursk operation," William Taylor, vice president for Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent.

"There's a new momentum on the battlefield with the Ukrainians on the offensive and taking the initiative… I think the actions on the battlefield reinforce the potential of the ‘victory plan.’"

The “victory plan” also comes as the U.S. prepares for its presidential election, which could impact future aid to Ukraine. Ukraine is also reportedly planning a second global peace summit with Russia's potential participation ahead of the election in November.

However, the "victory plan" had to be prepared regardless of the U.S. elections, according to Lubkivskyi. Ukrainians and Kyiv's foreign partners have been long expecting from Kyiv a clear strategy on how Ukraine sees the victory over Russia, Lubkivskyi said, calling the plan's creation "a politically important step."

"The logic of constantly proposing new steps, offering tools (to ensure Ukraine's victory), must be followed regardless of political events in certain states," he added. "The pressure must continue. This is the main guarantee of our success. And the bar must be kept high."

Will the plan work?

Biden will be the first in the U.S. to see the full “victory plan” next week. After that, Zelensky aims to present it to presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as members of Congress.

Zelensky explained that the plan is designed to end the war with the backing of international partners, without relying on Russia's cooperation, though he did not specify how it would achieve this.

"The ‘victory plan’ will focus on pushing the Russians back with military support, as well as strong backing from Europeans and Americans," said Taylor. He added that once Putin realizes, through this plan and international support, that victory is unattainable, he will seek a way out.

Some U.S. officials have already seen parts of Zelensky's plan and believe it is a strategy "that can work," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during a press briefing on Sept. 17. Thomas-Greenfield added the U.S. plans to promote the plan among world leaders during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York, which Zelensky will attend.

When asked if Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he could end the war "in 24 hours," is likely to support Zelensky's plan, Taylor said it's uncertain but emphasized that "we do know where the American people are."

"There are strong supporters of Ukraine in the Congress, House, and Senate, who will have an influence on former President Trump if he's reelected."

According to Panetta, the “victory plan" "serves as an answer" to the Republicans in Congress who voted against the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in April, citing the absence of a clear strategy for Ukraine's victory.

Taylor also suggested Zelensky's U.S. visit could be pivotal in securing approval for Ukraine to use West-provided long-range weapons against targets deep inside Russia. He compared this potential shift to the U.S. secretly providing Ukraine with ATACMS missiles in March, revealed only after the first attack on Crimea.

"I think there's a very good chance that either quietly or publicly, the United States, Great Britain, France, and others will give the Ukrainians the green light to use these weapons against military targets in compliance with international law sometime over the next week or so," he said.

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Whether you're setting up a new office, dealing with a lock emergency, or planning to upgrade your security system, a commercial locksmith brings expertise, fast solutions, and peace of mind.

Why Business Security Requires a Pro

Residential security and commercial security are completely different. Businesses have unique needs: multiple access points, employee turnover, valuable assets, confidential documents, and even compliance requirements. A professional commercial locksmith understands all of this and knows how to design and implement solutions that work for you—not just in the short term, but as your business grows. It’s not just about locking doors. It’s about creating a secure, functional environment for your team and your customers.

Full-Service Solutions from a Commercial Locksmith A professional locksmith doesn’t just come in to fix a broken lock. They provide full-service commercial security solutions tailored to your industry and building layout. Here’s what you can expect from a trusted provider in Washington: • High-security lock installation: Heavy-duty locks and deadbolts for better protection. • Electronic access control systems: Keypads, card readers, and smart locks. • Master key system design: Simplify access without sacrificing security. • Lock repair and replacement: For doors, file cabinets, gates, and more. • Key duplication and rekeying: Fast service when staff changes occur. • Exit devices and panic bars: Keep your business compliant and safe. • Safe installation and unlocking: For cash storage, documents, and valuables. • Emergency commercial lockout assistance: Quick help when you’re locked out.

No matter the size of your operation—from small offices to large warehouses—a professional locksmith in Washington can build a custom plan to secure every corner of your business.

When Should You Call a Commercial Locksmith? Many business owners wait until there’s a problem to call a locksmith, but proactive service is always better. Here are some of the most common (and smart) reasons to reach out: • You’ve moved into a new commercial space • An employee with keys has left the company • You’ve experienced a break-in or attempted intrusion • Your locks or hardware are outdated • You want to upgrade to a keyless or smart access system • You’re expanding or remodeling your business Acting before a problem occurs means fewer disruptions—and far less risk.

The Local Advantage: Choosing a Washington-Based Locksmith Hiring a local locksmith brings more than just convenience. A professional commercial locksmith based in Washington understands the area, traffic, common building structures, and what kinds of security threats local businesses face. They can get to you faster during emergencies and provide advice based on real experience in your neighborhood. That kind of insight can’t be found in a one-size-fits-all online security solution.

What Makes a Locksmith Truly Professional? Not all locksmiths specialize in commercial services. So when searching for the right provider, make sure they: • Are licensed, bonded, and insured • Have strong experience with commercial properties • Provide custom solutions, not just quick fixes • Offer 24/7 emergency support • Are transparent with pricing and timelines • Have positive reviews and local references

Professionalism shows up not only in skill but also in how the locksmith treats your business—with respect, urgency, and clear communication.

Final Thoughts: Make Security a Smart Business Move Security is more than just locks—it’s a critical part of protecting your operations, your people, and your peace of mind. With help from a professional commercial locksmith in Washington, you can strengthen your property, prevent security breaches, and respond quickly when issues arise.

Don’t wait until something goes wrong. Partner with a locksmith who brings experience, efficiency, and real protection—so you can focus on running your business with confidence.