Trump’s Defense Chief Nominee Fires Back At Dems

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Let’s get him confirmed! – Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth appeared unapologetic and combative at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, blasting the “left-wing media” for attacks on his character and dismissing concerns over his lack of qualifications for running the Pentagon.

Hegseth, the 44-year-old National Guard combat veteran, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead American military forces, described himself to Senate Armed Services Committee members as “a change agent” who will be focused on “the health and well-being of troops and a strong and secure America” if confirmed to the job.

Hegseth has been a fiery supporter of Trump and a critic of “woke” military policies. In several books, he wrote pointedly against a sense that America’s military has become obsessed with leftist cultural issues, such as so-called ‘diversity and inclusion.’

The former Fox News commentator also vowed to “rebuild our military” through improvements to personnel policy and increased investment in procurement.

Hegseth also promises to reinstate, repay troops who refused the experimental COVID vaccine.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories ending the week from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEFING – the PDB:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Take Sentinel nuke ballistic missile off the Air Force books? Air Force budget isn’t big enough for all the service needs for great power competition with China— and one of the biggest items on the service’s books is the new missile.

The political debate over America’s manufacturing decline has raged for decades, but it has generally overlooked one critical point: the threat deindustrialization poses to our national security.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Idaho National Guard helicopter battalion deployed 10 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and crews to DC area for year-long mission in support of the Joint Emergency Evacuation Plan mission in the National Capital Region.

Homeless vets and nursing home patients evacuated from temporary shelters on the grounds of the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center to protect them against the bad air and encroaching wildfires.

Army recovers 2 of 3 stolen Humvees from an Army Reserve Center in Tustin, California during widlfires. Of course, the good one is still missing.

POLITICS

Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.

Biden is packing up to leave the White House. But the last time Biden left, he took with him thousands of papers from his decades in government — including classified ones.

US POWER OVERSEAS

American troops recently joined a 12-nation parachute drill near Tokyo to hone skills needed to recapture remote islands.

Navy leaders say faster training is key lesson learned from the months of sustained combat in the Red Sea against Houthi forces in Yemen, including how the service shot down its own jet last month.

WHAT AN EXPENSIVE WASTE – The Navy’s surface fleet has fired nearly 400 individual munitions while battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea over the past 15 months.

Army’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade to deploy to Middle East for counter-ISIS mission. Approximately 2,000 air assault soldiers will ship overseas to take over “all aviation-related missions for the Joint Task Force” already there.

CHINA THREAT

Filipino security official says China pushing Philippines ‘to the wall’ with sea aggression in the disputed South China Sea and warned that “all options are on the table” for Manila’s response.

Taiwan’s military is not prepared for a Trumpian world. Taipei needs to rethink its defense strategy.

Biden in late push to boost Indo-Pacific ties sends to Congress three key agreements that would cement relations with critical allies and partners in a region increasingly dominated by China.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Moscow is open for talks with President-elect Donald Trump and praised him for pointing to NATO’s plan to embrace Ukraine as a root cause of the nearly 3-year-old conflict.

NATO launches Baltic Sea patrol mission, eyes standard for detaining ships. This, following a series of sabotage incidents against underwater infrastructure. The mission will include frigates, naval drones, submarines and surveillance aircraft to use against a shadowy fleet of Russian vessels.

Sweden will join NATO in its efforts to bolster the alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea by providing up to three warships and other defense equipment.

Moscow has resorted to using a so-called shadow fleet of hundreds of aging tankers of uncertain ownership and safety practices to dodge western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine and keep the oil revenue coming.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

North Korea fired several suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast toward Sea of Japan Tuesday morning in its second day of testing so far this year.

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was detained in a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound Wednesday, defiantly insisting the anti-corruption agency didn’t have the authority to investigate his actions but saying he complied to prevent violence.

SPACE THREAT

Among the payloads launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission Jan. 14 was a Varda Space capsule carrying an Air Force payload, marking a milestone for military hypersonic vehicle testing and commercial space capabilities.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

UK emphasizes need to arm Tempest next-generation stealth fighter with larger, longer range air-to-air missiles.

Vietnam and Russia inked Tuesday an agreement to boost cooperation on nuclear energy during Russian Prime Minister’s two-day visit to Hanoi.

US MILITARY

The Navy’s massive Orca highly capable submarine drone, also known as the Extra-Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) will soon be operational as the service figures out how it will use the capability.

Two Marines spent years firing heavy weapons. Then came headaches and hemorrhage.

Military sees significant spike in mental health diagnoses among troops over a five-year period.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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