THURSDAY PDB – Two-theater tragedy: A reluctant Europe cannot easily escape a Sino-American war over Taiwan. It is a trope in superhero stories that the hero must try and be in two places at once.
Europe is trying to do the same by splitting its military capabilities between the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific. But neither European states individually nor Europe collectively are or have been superpowers for a very long time.
Rather than dilute the fragile sense of purpose and growing power they have built in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European powers should prioritize their home region.
Backfilling maritime security in the Euro-Atlantic up to the western Indian Ocean is a more valuable distribution of tasks with the United States than sending limiting capabilities that are unfit for the deterrence of China.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
SHOULD HE? – Biden says he's considering Australia's request to drop prosecution of Wikileaks founder Assange. This, after a decade-long U.S. push to prosecute Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, for publishing a trove of American classified documents.
At a historic low, Air Force fleet size will keep shrinking, top planner says. It plans to reduce its fleet below 5,000 aircraft for the first time in its history as an independent service, divesting 250 aircraft and buying just 91. But that will not be the end of the decline.
HOMELAND SECURITY
IT NEEDS TO BE LIMITED – A vital intelligence tool needs reauthorization. The House might wreck it instead. When the feds intercept foreigners' communications, conversations with or about Americans inevitably get swept up. Congress is battling over whether and how the FBI should be able to access this information.
POLITICS
TOTALLY AGREE! – Esper: Former military leaders should stay out of Trump immunity debate. Former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper said former military leaders should not get involved.
GOOD – Republicans pick defense hawk to usher spending bills. Republicans on Wednesday selected their new leader of the House Appropriations Committee..
US POWER OVERSEAS
US Air Force issues $409 million award for long-sought Pacific airfield. The airfield is on Tinian, a Pacific island military leaders consider crucial to their plans in the region.
TRUMP STARTED THIS – US, Japan announce generational upgrade to alliance amid China threat. The two leaders unveiled a lengthy list of defense agreements Wednesday in what Joe Biden called “the most significant upgrade in our alliance since it was first established.”
US troop numbers in Eastern Europe could continue to grow. This, as Russian threats continue to grow, but U.S. officials aren't yet pushing to add more permanent bases in the region as part of a larger military footprint.
Secretive US cyber force deployed 22 times to aid allied governments. U.S. cyber specialists from the U.S. Cyber Command and the NSA toiled in more than a dozen countries last year as part of a push to fortify networks and expose tools used by hackers.
USS George Washington to deploy to South America. The aircraft carrier is slated to depart in the coming months, marking the carrier's first deployment in nearly a decade.
IRAN THREAT
Navy destroyer Mason shoots Houthi missile ‘likely' headed for US commercial ship. It was an anti-ship ballistic missile flying over the Gulf of Aden.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Hamas does not have 40 hostages who meet terms of potential swap with Israel, official says. The claim raised fears that more hostages may be dead than previously believed.
CHINA THREAT
CAN'T TRUST THEM – China has reached out to US on orbital safety amid thawing comms freeze: SPACECOM Chief. “[W]e've heard proactively from the Chinese twice on two things they wanted to talk to us about with space safety related issues,”…“We think that is very positive …”
China sanctions 2 US companies over support for arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing claims the self-governing island democracy as its own territory to be recovered by force if necessary.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine will be outgunned by Russia 10 to 1 in weeks without US help, top Europe general says. This, if Congress does not find a way to approve sending more ammunition and weapons to Kyiv soon.
Our best hope to stop the war in Ukraine is at the negotiating table. Sixty billion dollars. That's the price tag Congress is weighing for the fourth emergency spending bill to Ukraine. It would bring U.S. support to nearly $200 billion in just three years. Meanwhile, Team Biden willfully ignores pressing security issues on our own southern border.
Eggs, ammo, and underwear: Inside Ukraine's new push against military graft. Ukrainian security officers have raided properties, seized wads of cash and detained suspects in a recent crackdown on graft in the purchase of goods for the military.
Ukraine's parliament passes a controversial law to boost much-needed conscripts and fill army ranks. This, following months of delay and after thousands of amendments were submitted to water down the initial draft.
Pentagon working with Ukraine, SpaceX to prevent Russian exploitation of Starlink constellation. “Just the idea of this being more available and so people can find it and try to exploit it, that's something we just have to bake in and understand.”
Russian air force has only lost 10 percent of air fleet in Ukraine, US officials say. And many of its military capabilities remain largely unaffected after more than two years of war in Ukraine.
SPACE THREAT
Hundreds of small satellites in low orbit to give military faster tactical comms and data. This is a key to Marine Corps war-fighting needs.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
2 alleged Iraqi terrorists arrested in Germany, accused of keeping Yazidi girls as slaves. They are accused of being members of the Islamic State group and keeping two young girls as slaves and sexually and physically abusing them.
US MILITARY
BETTER THAN AWFUL? – Army ‘feeling a lot better' with recruiting this year, says Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. This, after missing its goal for new soldiers for two consecutive years.
Army Special Forces students are learning Ukrainian in new language course. The new language courses are based on the operational needs and plans of the various theater special operations commands.
Army pushes more safety training as helicopter crashes spike. Its aviation “safety stand up,” will add aviation training across the force following a dozen mishaps that have resulted in 10 fatalities in only the first six months of the fiscal year.
END of PDB
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