NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who is the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of 30 European and North American countries. He visited Washington DC in January 28, 2024 to meet with top US defense officials and lawmakers, and urged them to continue supporting Ukraine with weapons, ammunition and spares in its war against Russia.

Jen Stoltenberg argued that US military funding for Ukraine carries a key deterrent message for China, which is closely watching the allies’ response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that if Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine, it will embolden other authoritarian powers, such as Iran or North Korea, and make the world more vulnerable.

He also called for a more ambitious new defense investment pledge from NATO members, with 2% of GDP as a minimum to be invested in their defense. He said this was necessary to reverse Russia’s aggression and to maintain NATO’s credibility and cohesion.

This tragic incident occured on Sunday, January 28, 2024. Three US troops were killed and at least 34 were wounded in a drone attack by an Iran-backed militia on a US base in northeast Jordan, near the border with Syria. The base, known as Tower 22, is part of an advise-and-assist mission with Jordan.

President Joe Biden condemned the attack as “despicable and wholly unjust” and vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable. This is the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023. The drone attack is a significant escalation of the tensions in the region, where US and coalition forces have faced more than 158 attacks from Iranian-backed militants since October 17, 2023.