Tests for Trump

It doesn't take long. Only in office for 12 days (though it seems like a lifetime), Trump is now facing some serious defence/security challenges as other countries look for advantages while the White House continues to focus on domestic issues. Here are the main tests in the wind:
*Iran: The ayatollahs thought it would be a timely moment to fire off a medium-range ballistic missile, blatantly breaching a UN resolution although some people, including Putin, try to say it's not a breach. Alternative facts Moscow-style perhaps! With a US-led naval exercise beginning in the Gulf, Iran's Revolutionary Guard is bound to be gearing up for some hostile confrontations with their speedy missile boats. All grist to the mill for Bibi Netanyahu who is desperate for Trump to scrap the nuclear deal with Iran, preferring to keep open the Israeli military option of bombing Iran's nukes plants to smithereens. Trump said he wouldn't allow US Navy commanders to back away from attacking Iranian missile boats if they dared to challenge American warships in the Gulf. So wait for some lively action in the famous waterway over the next few weeks. Until now, the US has just fired warning shots when challenged by the Iranian boats, but a direct hit would lead to mayhem and could undo all the John Kerry-led diplomacy that produced the infamous nuclear deal with the ayatollahs.
*Ukraine: Putin has started to stir up more trouble in eastern Ukraine, ordering his "irregular" heavy mob troops to launch offensives. The Kremlin boss clearly feels he has a more-attuned president in the White House who will dismiss this new prevarication as a regional matter irrelevant to America's national security interests. Trump will probably tell Chancellor Merkel to sort it out. Watch out for Putin. Ever eager to exploit weaknesses around the world, he could initiate some cyber attacks or even some "unofficial" military ventures in Lithuania or elsewhere in the Baltics to test Trump's action thresholds.
*China: at some point there's going to be a dangerously volatile moment in the South China Sea when Chinese ships approach one of the islands they illegally seized and started to convert into military bases. Trump seems keen to prevent China from any further island-building. One shot fired from either side and we could be in a navy and air battle with unpredictable consequences.
*Kosovo: this former Yugoslav province is looking shakier than ever. Recognised by the US and more than 100 other countries as an independent state since Milosevic's bullyboy Serb troops were forced out in 1999 in a Nato peacekeeping operation, all the old problems are coming back with a vengeance. Belgrade, backed by Russia, is stirring up trouble, wanting the province back under its wing. If Trump knows where Kosovo is, he's going to have to decide whether he wants to get more involved. Currently there are around 700 US soldiers serving in a peacekeeping role in Kosovo. What if there's a clash and an American soldier is killed?
*Terrorism: the Seal Team Six raid on al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula at the weekend was pretty disastrous. The Seals had to be rescued when they came under fierce fire, and Marine Cobra helicopters and ground-attack aircraft were summoned to bomb the AQAP compound as the Seals were evacuated. Civilians, including a child,  were killed. Trump authorised the raid although it had been planned under Obama. But it will be a lesson for Trump: America's military might doesn't always mean instant success. AQAP are a deadly, well-armed, very determined terrorist organisation, presumably always on the alert for a US special forces ground raid.