US Military Services Preparing For Big War Soon

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Air Force revokes four-day weekends around holidays, saying the widespread leave known as “Family Days” hurt the department’s ability to carry out its missions.

Lockheed Martin is boosting production of its Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor as it awaits Navy decision on whether it will buy the missile to replace long-serving SM-2s.

‘Every Marine a drone pilot’: With drones, Individual lethality to go from meters to kilometers. The increasing prevalence of weaponized drones, especially first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze types, could modify the Corps’ famous mantra of “every Marine a rifleman.”

Over the next five years Marine aviators should see more F-35s, an upgraded MV-22 Osprey fleet, a larger fleet of cargo aircraft and data-enabled predictive aircraft maintenance.

The Army has begun 3D printing swarms of small aerial drones for soldiers to train against, in anticipation of an initiative to cheaply and quickly mass produce drones. (RELATED: Trump Ready To Launch Drone Strikes In New Country, Unilaterally If Necessary)

Navy secretary says Trump told him to ‘fix the damn rust’ on warships. For years, pictures on social media have shown Navy ships covered in rust, making them look like they’d been at sea for far too long.

Boeing’s MQ-25 tanker drone is set to make its first flight sometime this year, but Navy warns of “a ton of work” to do before takeoff.

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

Did the Trump administration move too quickly to commit to the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter?

Former Marine Commandant’s letter endorsing amphibious shipbuilding. Our citizens abroad are at risk, and our National Command Authority lacks a full range of options to deter and respond.

HOMELAND SECURITY

The Air Force has conducted more than 50 surveillance missions around the southern border with crewed and uncrewed aircraft, as DOD gathers intelligence on foreign cartels, drug and human trafficking and illegal migration.

Mexico again warns against potential unilateral US drone strikes on cartels.

New Mexico governor mobilizes National Guard to tackle crime emergency in Albuquerque, the state’s largest city, saying that a significant increase in crime in the city warrants the help of the Guard.

Fort Bliss soldier was found guilty of keeping an explosive device in his barracks room but acquitted on charges that he posted antisemitic comments online about attacking synagogues.

POLITICS

Trump has ordered DOD to review all major weapons programs and consider cancelling any effort that is more than 15% over budget or behind schedule — or just deemed unwanted by SECDEF — to make weapons buying faster and more efficient.

Members of Congress on both sides expressed concern this week over cuts to special operations forces, with many vowing to plus-up their budget as a response.

The Navy is at a ‘tipping point’ with its over-schedule, over-budget Constellation-class frigate and needs to quickly nail down an achievable design, even if it doesn’t meet every single mission need, two GOP lawmakers said.

Former VP Pence agrees Trump’s tariffs a potential midterm liability for GOP, even as he expressed relief about a walk-back of some of the most severe tariffs.

A top Alabama congressman is predicting Space Command will announce its pending relocation to Huntsville this month.

US POWER OVERSEAS

US aid cuts hamper AFRICOM’s defense mission. The US military command created to prevent conflict on the African continent has lost a core element of its influence.

CHINA THREAT

Marine Corps provides details on how new littoral regiment would fight China as the service contends with how to resupply and sustain it in the vast Pacific region. (RELATED: US Enemy Caught Creating Enormous Vessels To Change The Game)

‘Collateral damage’:  Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee warned Wednesday that tariffs levied against Australia and other security partners in the Indo-Pacific region were harming relationships needed to deter China.

Trump’s trade war with China has entered a new phase, as Beijing’s 84% retaliatory tariffs came into effect hours after Trump announced a pause of steep reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries except China.

Experts are warning that bureaucratic obstacles and sluggish procurement processes are preventing DOD from keeping pace with China’s rapidly expanding space capabilities.

As NASA faces cuts, China has unveiled a long-term exploration roadmap for planetary habitability and the search for extraterrestrial life. The Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) plan outlines a series of upcoming and proposed missions across the solar system.

Can India afford to keep chasing China’s growing military shadow — or should it accept strategic realities and choose a different path?

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Ukraine says it has detailed intelligence on more than 150 Chinese mercenaries fighting for Moscow allegedly recruited through social media. China says the allegations “totally unfounded.”

Russian-American woman wrongly sentenced to 12 years in Russia for treason on her way to the US, Secretary of State Rubio said. (RELATED: Trump Strikes Critical Deal With Russia To Fulfill Key Campaign Promise)

European Defense Agency enters its third decade with a beefed-up mandate and record spending, as officials face pressure to transform political ambitions into combat-ready capabilities.

EU won’t struggle to fill a void left by the potential departure of thousands of US troops from Europe, Italy’s defense chief said.

IRAN THREAT/MIDEAST

Iranian military plans to establish new drone bases in the country, as the US and Iran meet over Tehran’s nuclear program.

France plans to recognize a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June, President Emmanuel Macron said.

Israel reportedly plans to seize the entire city of Rafah as part of a newly announced security corridor.

Israel’s plan for Gaza is clear: ‘Conquest, expulsion, settlement.’ Facts on the ground and its leaders’ own words bear this out.

Houthi rebels aired footage they said showed the debris left after shooting down yet another US MQ-9 Reaper drone.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

HMS Prince of Wales (R09) will depart Portsmouth on April 22 and deploy as the lead ship of UK Carrier Strike Group 2025 to traverse the Mediterranean on way to Indo-Pacific.

Once expected to arm Iran, satellite imagery has confirmed Russian Su-35 Flanker-M multirole fighters in Algerian service, indicating some have been transferred to the country, a new customer for the type.

India’s language war: Why is Hindi sparking a north-south divide?

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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