The economic impact of COVID-19 in the U.S. evidently is forcing the federal government to assess the affordability of a range of initiatives. The Pentagon had already been expecting relatively flat budgets for the next few years but an explosion of spending on virus relief efforts could cause an implosion in defence spending and a revision of national security priorities.

Hungary’s parliament has given Prime Minister Viktror Orban’s government the power to rule by decree for as long as the country’s COVID-19 state of emergency remains in effect. Among other things, the legislation provides for prison terms for spreading false information or interfering with efforts to contain the outbreak.

While NATO is not a humanitarian relief agency, Elisabeth Braw, who directs the Modern Deterrence program at the Royal United Services Institute in London, says it could play a key role in tacking the COVID-19. Although not the kind of “attack” foreseen in the alliance’s treaty, it is nonetheless the worst national security crisis to hit any of its member states. She suggests its “formidable” resources could play a pivotal role in not only dealing with this enemy while also proving NATO’s worth as a mutual defence alliance.

A formal framework for safeguarding 5G telecommunications in the U.S. has been released by the administration. Its seven-page policy document sets out President Donald Trump’s “vision for America to lead the development, deployment, and management of secure and reliable 5G communications infrastructure worldwide, arm-in-arm with closest partners and allies.”