Trump’s Naïve Ideas On Cutting Nukes And Defense Spending

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Or does he have a bigger plan? Trump said that he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China and that, eventually, he hopes all three countries could agree to cut their massive defense budgets in half.

Trump in his first term tried and failed to bring China into nuclear arms reduction talks when the U.S. and Russia were negotiating an extension of a pact known as New START.

Russia suspended its participation in the treaty during the Biden administration, as the U.S. and Russia continued on massive programs to extend the lifespans or replace their Cold War-era nuclear arsenals.

MEANWHILE – Within a year, the US could have a single integrated grid of sensors from under the sea to space to bolster its air and missile defenses, says US Northern Command’s top general.

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

Military leaders aim to unleash and control AI. Artificial intelligence is massively accelerating military decision making, and militaries that don’t keep up risk being outmatched, says NATO commander in charge of strategic transformation.

Trump’s interest in owning Greenland has been criticized for its imperialistic overtones, but it spotlights that the Arctic could become the next frontier in the global space race.

How Trump could productively reshape the transatlantic defense relationship. Trump wants NATO allies to “pay their fair share” for defense, while they want to build strategic autonomy, boost domestic defense industries, and fend off Russian aggression.

HOMELAND SECURITY

NORAD commander says hundreds of drone incursions were detected at US military installations, adding that it needs more technology and expanded authorities to deal with large numbers of incursions.

Mexico’s president accused the US of harboring drug cartels and US citizens of working with organized crime groups in Mexico, in a riposte to Trump’s claim of an “intolerable alliance” between traffickers and her government.

SURGE – The number of Army, Navy, Marine Corps troops deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to turn the Navy base into a detention camp for migrants arrested in US has nearly tripled — to about 900.

Apple and Google have made TikTok available on their U.S. app stores again.

POLITICS

A federal judge ordered the Team Trump to temporarily lift a three-week funding freeze that has shut down US aid work worldwide, citing damage done to the organizations that help carry out U.S. assistance overseas.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, as FBI director.

DOD wants to cut red tape on selling US weapons to foreign countries, Hegseth says.

Federally employed military spouses who work remotely are now “categorically exempt” from the Trump return-to-office directive.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

The VA has unveiled new rules banning LGBTQ Pride flags and other unofficial banners at department offices and spaces, saying the move will bring “consistency” to agency messaging.

The Air Force is pushing technical sergeant promotion testing back two weeks while it removes DEI content from study materials.

DEI, DOA: How the defense industry is racing to bury its diversity efforts.

US POWER OVERSEAS

F-35s from the US, Australia, and Japan are boosting F-35 integration in Guam as part of Pacific Air Forces’ largest annual multilateral exercise.

The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel in the Mediterranean Sea.

Frozen drones and robotic mules: What the US Army learned from a key exercise in Germany.

IRAN THREAT/ISRAEL WARS

Iran is rearming its missile force. The first of two Chinese vessels carrying 1,000 tons of chemicals that are a key component in fuel for Iran’s military missiles has anchored outside the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, signaling that Iran’s missile production is back in business after the devastating attacks by Israel last year.

Hamas says it will free 3 more hostages. That could resolve its ceasefire dispute with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

While the Houthis do not care how many Yemenis die, the group might be deeply impacted by the death of one specific Yemeni: the leader of the group, Abdul-Malik al Houthi.

CHINA THREAT

China is rehearsing for war. The Chinese government is “on a dangerous course” and its military’s “aggressive maneuvers around Taiwan right now are not exercises, as they call them. They are rehearsals,” says US Indo-Pacific Commander.

China is set to increase its military activity around Alaska, likely including bomber flights, the top US general in charge of defending North America said.

A Chinese Air Force J-16 fighter deliberately released flares 30 meters away in front of a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon on patrol in the South China Sea.

We may have just gotten first sight of China’s next-generation aircraft carrier, the Type 004 — or at least part of it. Construction work at a shipyard in Liaoning province reveals a module consistent with an aircraft carrier — which would be China’s fourth once it enters service.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Trump says ‘I think we’re on the way to getting peace’ after calls with Zelenskyy and Putin.

Hegseth qualifies statement on Ukraine NATO membership, says Trump will lead negotiations.

Ukraine war: Macron warns against ‘capitulation’ as Trump suggests Russia may not make concessions.

Putin has waited for this moment for 3 years, as Zelensky is left in the cold. For three years he was the center of the room, but now is perhaps unsure if he is even in the right one.

NATO is testing its ability to rapidly deploy across eastern Europe — without direct US assistance — as Washington shifts its approach toward European defense and the war in Ukraine.

Chernobyl nuke plant radiation shield hit by Russian drone, Ukraine says.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

From rebuilding the armed forces to selling drones, how Turkey can enhance Syria’s defense.

Sudan says plan for first Russian naval base in Africa will go ahead in Red Sea, after years of delays.

US MILITARY

Taking lessons from Ukraine, a US Army ‘transforming-in-contact’ unit tested an experimental concept employing the most drones it’s ever used in an exercise of its kind, to great effect against the enemy.

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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