PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – “The U.S. Service Academies and other defense academic institutions shall teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered late last month.
SECDEF Hegseth restored the name of the special operations forces base back to Fort Bragg, but now named after a different Bragg. The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national effort under Biden to remove names of Confederate leaders.
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
Twin political paths Trump can take to ensure nuclear deterrence. Trump enters office at an inflection point in the nuclear competition with China and Russia. Though it is a moment of peril for the US nuclear modernization program, it is also one of great opportunities — should Trump choose to seize it.
Vance’s ‘America First’ argument on AI deregulation. In his first big moment on the world stage, VP JD Vance delivered an unmistakable message: the US under Trump has room for you on the train — but it is also happy to leave you behind.
VP Vance talks ‘weaponized AI’ and its effects on national security at Paris Summit.
HOMELAND SECURITY
POLITICS
President Trump signed an executive order that will require federal agencies to severely curtail hiring, once the current freeze is lifted, and to develop new plans to implement widespread layoffs across government.
US POWER OVERSEAS
SECDEF Hegseth started his day here Tuesday lifting weights with Green Berets and ended it by giving special recognition to a US Africa Command team that assisted with a recent airstrike on Islamic terrorists in Somalia.
IRAN THREAT/ISRAEL WAR
Trump faces showdown with Jordan over Gaza plan.
Trump says ‘all hell is going to break out’ if Hamas doesn’t promptly return hostages.
CHINA THREAT
At least 20 Air Force tanker aircraft, 10 KC-46s and an equal number of KC-135s, supported the first day of the latest Bamboo Eagle exercise off the California Coast. The first China-focused Bamboo Eagle occurred last year. The large force exercise series has quickly become one of the most important for the U.S. military, as well as key allies, preparing for a future coalition fight with China in the Pacific.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine will offer to swap territory with Russia in any potential peace negotiations, Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday, adding that Europe alone would not be able to shoulder Kyiv’s war effort.
Russian spy ship caught fire off Syria’s coast, its broadcast recorded.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
Vulnerable US cybersecurity systems are indirectly allowing North Korea to bolster its nuclear arsenal, but with existing technology this can be easily avoided, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) says.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
The number of Americans arrested in Mexico for offenses related to organized crime increased by 457% – or nearly sixfold – during the 2018-24 presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) compared with his predecessor.
Chinese, Russian surveillance assets linger off Japan. A Russian Navy surveillance ship made a nine-day cruise in the vicinity of Japan’s southwest islands approaching as close as 12 nautical miles from the coastline.
French Mirage 2000-5F and Rafale fighters shot down “nearly a dozen drones” in recent combat operations over and around the Red Sea. The Mirage 2000-5Fs just arrived in Ukraine will face similar threats.
US MILITARY
In one of the Marines’ most iconic jobs, a stunning pattern of suicide. Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark reality.
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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Dear Mr. Crespo,
I thoroughly reading your journalism on American Liberty Defense News. You touch on all subjects that really matter and that makes me feel reliably informed. Just stopping by to thank you for what you have done and what you do.
Kind regards Captain, Semper Fi.
James Ryan