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Meet the woman behind US equipment transfers to Ukraine and Israel on October 24, 2023 at 10:00 am

Published

3 years ago

October 24, 2023

As the head of a major State Department office that oversees some $40 billion annually in global arms transfers, the crises in Ukraine and Israel have Mira Resnick up to her knees in work.

The days may be long, but Resnick, deputy assistant secretary for the Regional Security Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, knows how important the job is for the country and to help manage the dual conflicts.

“We are going to handle both because we will have to handle both,” she told The Hill in a recent interview. “And the secretary has said before that we have to walk and chew gum at the same time … so that is what we will do. Our partners rely on us, and we will be there for them.”

Resnick oversees the bureau’s Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, making her the person on the State Department side behind all the defense equipment and weapons headed to embattled countries, such as Ukraine. She works closely with other officials in the federal government, including the Pentagon, in a key partnership that ensures the transfers get to where they need to go.

Resnick is also managing peacetime security aid to countries, including Egypt, and is overseeing critical work ensuring nations have military grant assistance and the financing to purchase U.S. equipment.

It’s a big task: Resnick usually travels twice per month, has daily intelligence readings, frequent meetings with leadership and even calls her work partners on the way home and before bed.

“We are in constant motion here,” she said.

“I’ve been interested in foreign policy for as long as I can remember,” says Resnick, who grew up in California. “The U.S.-Israel relationship was a private focus in my household because of my Jewish background, but also because we were just a politically aware family.”

She studied political science at Columbia University, where she graduated in 2005, and later earned a master’s degree in security studies from the Pentagon-funded National Defense University.

She jumped into foreign policy work with Congress not long after leaving the school, working for multiple Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Bill Keating (Mass.) and former Reps. Henry Waxman (Calif.), Ron Klein (Fla.) and Steve Israel (N.Y.).

This lengthy experience on Capitol Hill has proved invaluable, says Resnick, who works closely with Congress to make sure everyone is “on the same page.”

Resnick’s first foray in the State Department was from 2011 to 2013, when she worked as a congressional liaison in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

But she transitioned back to work for the House Foreign Affairs Committee before assuming her current position in January 2021, when President Biden came into office.

Resnick says she rejoined the State Department out of interest in advancing peace and security, primarily in the Middle East, and restoring ties with alliance members.

This month’s conflict in Israel with the Palestinian militant group Hamas has shocked her deeply.

“I think it’s been hard for everyone on a human level,” Resnick says.

She has helped speed up emergency air defense munitions to Israel in the wake of the war, working with the Israeli government to allow private citizens to donate equipment, such as body armor, and is also pushing an effort to potentially get Israel more assistance through foreign military financing.

The frenzy in responding to Israel’s needs reminds Resnick of the first days of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

“The early days were full of urgent requirements, making sure that our partners were communicating with us, and that we were communicating with our partners as they sought to send U.S. origin equipment to Ukraine,” she says.

Congress quickly passed legislation that awarded billions of dollars to Ukraine, which led to an immediate and ongoing effort to ensure weapons and equipment are being used properly.

“We knew [it was] going to be a tremendous challenge to keep track of,” Resnick says. “We knew that there was going to be a lot of oversight, and there should be a lot of oversight on this money, and so we took that opportunity to develop standard operating procedures to develop training for our Ukrainian colleagues and to work with them to really press on the importance of making sure that they are using the equipment and that they are not diverting it to other sources.”

The U.S. has provided $43.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia first invaded.

Washington gets military equipment to Ukraine through presidential drawdown authority, which takes from existing military stocks; third-party transfers, which involve working with allied nations to move U.S. defense articles; and purchasing from the defense industry directly.

Resnick’s office works “very closely” with the Pentagon, she says, but State has the authority on third-party transfers.

She also emphasizes a key part of her job is “to work on ways that we can help partners diversify away from Russia” by meeting their security needs instead.

And it’s not just Ukraine and Israel. Countries around the globe are relying on Resnick and the U.S., including the independent island nation of Taiwan, which is increasingly being threatened by China.

There has been a major backlog of weapons to Taiwan, but Resnick said the U.S. is drawing lessons from the challenges, particularly in cooperating with the defense industry.

“We want to make sure items are getting on an island quickly, we want industry to take that very seriously,” she says, noting it can take up to four years to build an F-16. “We all need to do better.”

But the most important work for Resnick is actually something much simpler and core to the function of government: protecting human rights.

She was a major force behind the Biden administration overhauling its guidelines on conventional weapons transfers earlier this year.

The revised code requires a stricter review of whether any arms transfer is likely to violate human rights or international war laws.

Resnick says the Biden administration “set a new standard for when we would not conduct a transfer.”

“This was my goal in the beginning of my administration,” she says. “To make sure that we could have a conventional arms transfer policy that reflected this administration’s commitment to putting human rights at the center of our foreign policy.”

As the head of a major State Department office that oversees some $40 billion annually in global arms transfers, the crises in Ukraine and Israel have Mira Resnick up to her knees in work. The days may be long, but Resnick, deputy assistant secretary for the Regional Security Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, knows how important…

Business

GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT RETURNS FOR ITS 5TH EDITION AT THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT – HOUSE OF LORDS, PALACE OF WESTMINSTER

Published

3 weeks ago

May 16, 2026

Bolanle Media Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Theme: “People, Planet, and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation”

London, United Kingdom — The Global Sustainability Summit (GSS) is officially back for its landmark 5th Edition, continuing its legacy as one of the leading international platforms driving sustainable development, climate action, ethical investment, innovation, and global collaboration.

Convened annually at the prestigious British Parliament, House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, by Ambassador Canon Chinenem Otto, the Summit has, over the last four years, successfully fostered international dialogue and partnerships that have contributed to the advancement of global sustainability goals, the establishment of sustainability-focused ministries, departments and policy structures across national and subnational governments, and the attraction of major investors into sustainable development projects, corporations and emerging economies.

This year’s summit, themed “People, Planet, and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation,” will explore how emerging technologies, responsible leadership, sustainable finance, innovation, and global partnerships can shape a more inclusive, resilient and environmentally conscious future.

The 5th Edition promises to be the most impactful yet, bringing together world leaders, policymakers, diplomats, investors, academics, innovators, climate experts and youth leaders from across the globe to discuss actionable solutions toward achieving a sustainable and equitable future.

Among the distinguished speakers, delegates and honorees already lined up for the Summit are:

• His Excellency Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq — Executive Governor of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum

• His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Otu — Executive Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria

• Ambassador Patricia Espinosa Cantellano — Former Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Former Foreign Minister of Mexico

• Lord Marvin Rees, Baron Rees of Easton OBE — Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom

• Hon. Neema K. Lugangira — Secretary-General of Women Political Leaders (WPL), Brussels and Former Member of Parliament

• Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah — President of the Republic of Namibia

• His Excellency Nangolo Mbumba — Former President of Namibia

• Former President of Tanzania

• Her Excellency Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq — First Lady of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairperson of Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum

• Your Excellency Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, PhD, CON — Executive Governor of Katsina State and Chairman of the Northwest Governors Forum, Nigeria

• Hon. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma — Governor of Khomas Region, Namibia

• H.E. Mr. Veiccoh Nghiwete — High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia to the United Kingdom

• Her Excellency Ms. Macenje “Che Che” Mazoka — High Commissioner of Zambia to the United Kingdom

• Ms. Danielle Newman — Partner Lead, ICT, World Economic Forum

• Leanne Elliott Young — Co-founder, Institute of Digital Fashion & CommuneEast

• Ms. Chloe Russell — Producer & Presenter, Art, Science and Nature

• Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger — University of Cambridge & University of Waterloo

• Dr. Alexandra R. Harrington — IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL)

• Professor Payam Akhavan — Massey College, University of Toronto

• Mr. Mallai C. E. Sathya — President, Dravida Vetri Kazhagam and International Movement for Tamil Culture Asia

The Summit will feature high-level panel discussions, strategic investment conversations, sustainability awards, policy dialogues, innovation showcases, youth engagement sessions and international networking opportunities focused on climate resilience, ethical financing, food-water-energy sustainability, circular economy, artificial intelligence, diplomacy and sustainable development.

Speaking ahead of the Summit, Convener Ambassador Canon Chinenem Otto noted:

“As the world rapidly evolves through artificial intelligence and technological innovation, we must ensure that sustainability remains people-centered, environmentally responsible and economically inclusive. The Global Sustainability Summit continues to serve as a bridge connecting governments, institutions, innovators and investors to accelerate practical sustainability solutions globally. Our fifth edition is not only a celebration of progress made over the years, but also a renewed call for global collaboration and actionable impact toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Net Zero ambitions.”

The Global Sustainability Summit continues to position itself as a catalyst for transformative partnerships and sustainable global progress, reinforcing the urgent need for collective action toward a more resilient and sustainable future.

More announcements regarding additional speakers, partners and summit activities will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

News

US May Completely Cut Income Tax Due to Tariff Revenue

Published

6 months ago

November 30, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

President Donald Trump says the United States might one day get rid of federal income tax because of money the government collects from tariffs on imported goods. Tariffs are extra taxes the U.S. puts on products that come from other countries.

What Trump Is Saying

Trump has said that tariff money could become so large that it might allow the government to cut income taxes “almost completely.” He has also talked about possibly phasing out income tax over the next few years if tariff money keeps going up.

How Taxes Work Now

Right now, the federal government gets much more money from income taxes than from tariffs. Income taxes bring in trillions of dollars each year, while tariffs bring in only a small part of that total. Because of this gap, experts say tariffs would need to grow by many times to replace income tax money.

Questions From Experts

Many economists and tax experts doubt that tariffs alone could pay for the whole federal budget. They warn that very high tariffs could make many imported goods more expensive for shoppers in the United States. This could hit lower- and middle‑income families hardest, because they spend a big share of their money on everyday items.

What Congress Must Do

The president can change some tariffs, but only Congress can change or end the federal income tax. That means any real plan to remove income tax would need new laws passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. So far, there is no detailed law or full budget plan on this idea.

What It Means Right Now

For now, Trump’s comments are a proposal, not a change in the law. People and businesses still have to pay federal income tax under the current rules. The debate over using tariffs instead of income taxes is likely to continue among lawmakers, experts, and voters.

News

Epstein Files to Be Declassified After Trump Order

Published

7 months ago

November 20, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to declassify all government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose death in 2019 continues to fuel controversy and speculation.

The order, signed Wednesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, instructs the FBI, Department of Justice, and intelligence agencies to release documents detailing Epstein’s network, finances, and alleged connections to high-profile figures. Trump described the move as “a step toward transparency and public trust,” promising that no names would be shielded from scrutiny.

“This information belongs to the American people,” Trump said in a televised statement. “For too long, powerful interests have tried to bury the truth. That ends now.”

U.S. intelligence officials confirmed that preparations for the release are already underway. According to sources familiar with the process, the first batch of documents is expected to be made public within the next 30 days, with additional releases scheduled over several months.

Reactions poured in across the political spectrum. Supporters praised the decision as a bold act of accountability, while critics alleged it was politically motivated, timed to draw attention during a volatile election season. Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, emphasized caution, warning that some records could expose private victims or ongoing legal matters.

The Epstein case, which implicated figures in politics, business, and entertainment, remains one of the most talked-about scandals of the past decade. Epstein’s connections to influential individuals—including politicians, royals, and executives—have long sparked speculation about the extent of his operations and who may have been involved.

Former federal prosecutor Lauren Fields said the release could mark a turning point in public discourse surrounding government transparency. “Regardless of political stance, this declassification has the potential to reshape how Americans view power and accountability,” Fields noted.

Officials say redactions may still occur to protect sensitive intelligence or personal information, but the intent is a near-complete disclosure. For years, critics of the government’s handling of Epstein’s case have accused agencies of concealing evidence or shielding elites from exposure. Trump’s order promises to change that narrative.

As anticipation builds, journalists, legal analysts, and online commentators are preparing for what could be one of the most consequential information releases in recent history.