⏱ 6 minute read
PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Can the two nuke powers keep a lid on it? Norms have changed in South Asia, making future de-escalation much harder. India and Pakistan have seen the scenario play out before: a terror attack in which Indians are killed leads to a succession of escalatory tit-for-tat measures that put South Asia on the brink of all-out war.
But in another important way, the flare-up – which began on April 22 with a deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed – represents significant departures from the past.
It involved direct missile exchanges targeting sites inside both territories and the use of advanced missile systems and drones by the two nuclear rivals for the first time.
But what truly distinguished the latest crisis from those of the past is its multi-domain nature. The conflict is no longer confined to conventional military exchanges along the line of control – as it was for the first five decades of the Kashmir question.
Both countries largely respected the line of control as a de facto boundary for military operations until the 2019 crisis. Since then, there has been a dangerous progression: first to cross-border airstrikes into each other’s territories, and now to a conflict that spans conventional military, cyber and information spheres simultaneously.
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
DOD has established 12 of 14 new cyber mission force teams, with two more slated to come online in the next few years.
The wildly ambitious Golden Dome missile-defense vision is turning up the heat on a long-running fight between DOD and the telecommunications industry for control of certain radio frequencies.
The worldwide TNT shortage. As a large supplier of 155mm and 152mm artillery shells requires tons of trinitrotoluene for the explosives in its warheads and nitrocellulose to make the propellants that launch those shells.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Navy’s USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) interdicted a drug smuggling vessel with more than 20 bales of cocaine in early May, with assistance from the Coast Guard.
DHS ends humanitarian relief that allowed individuals from Afghanistan to remain in the U.S. as long as their country was deemed unsafe.
Trump administration welcomes 59 white South Africans as refugees, saying they face discrimination and violence at home.
Converting a Qatar-donated Boeing 747 into a new Air Force One for President Trump could cost vast sums, take years to complete and may introduce alarming capability shortcomings and security vulnerabilities into the aircraft.
Senate Republicans indicated they have multiple concerns with Trump’s DOD potentially being gifted a new luxury jet from Qatar, ranging from safety to legal and ethical worries.
VA would begin work on a pair of major new veterans’ services facilities on opposite ends of the country and ramp up efforts to fire poorly performing employees under a series of sweeping reforms directed by Trump.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Watch Philippine and US soldiers leap from a helicopter during helocast training.
US ground troops join Arctic naval exercise as drones change the battlefield.
Navy KC-130T Hercules tanker/transports are gaining the ability to link up to the Starlink satellite constellation to help with long-range missile and other test work out in the Pacific.
These are the approximate positions of the Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of May 12, 2025.
New US F-35 training group graduated its first batch of two Polish pilots, with more on the way from Poland, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, and other partners.
CHINA THREAT
Countering China’s space stalkers: Helping turn Space Force’s Competitive Endurance theory into practice.
As Chinese ambitions in Africa grow, so does the US military’s role in security partnerships. China’s efforts to buy influence in Africa through infrastructure and investment may not yield the returns Beijing hopes for, says the Navy’s second-highest commander in Europe and Africa.
China has added new spacecraft to two separate classified satellite series with a pair of launches across Sunday and Monday.
See the Taiwanese army blast off US – made HIMARS rockets for the first time.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged Vladimir Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday, the latest move in a weekend-long exchange of proposals from both sides on the next steps in the U.S.-led peace effort.
Trump has said he is open to attending the potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday, as the US ramps up pressure on Moscow and Kyiv to end the three-year conflict.
Ukraine’s military intelligence service has released details of a captured new Russian small cruise missile, the S8000 Banderol, that it claims makes extensive use of components sourced from foreign manufacturers, including in the US. The missile was apparently developed for launch from drones.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,174.
NATO must make drastic changes, a ‘paradigm shift,’ to its electronic warfare (EW) capabilities if the alliance wants to win a future war against Russia.
IRAN THREAT/MIDEAST
Trump Lands in Saudi Arabia, Kicking Off Tour of Gulf States.
Released Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander has been reunited with his family in Israel after being held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 19 months.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
Top US general in Korea talks maps, China, and getting Patriot missiles back.
SPACE THREAT
When the Space Force put out a aggressive new “warfighting” framework, it included a blunt warning for military commanders: ensure the rules of engagement for space operations aren’t too restrictive, or the US will be at a severe disadvantage.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
NATO has deployed three E-3A Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft to Lithuania, to support enhanced Vigilance Activities in the Baltic region.
The Royal Navy and Italian Navy have combined their carrier strike groups for a significant joint NATO exercise in the Mediterranean, as part of the Royal Navy’s flagship global mission.
France kicked off its high-intensity naval exercise Polaris 2025 on Monday, moving the action to the Atlantic with a scenario including attacks against French naval ports, a multinational sea battle and amphibious operations on the English and French coasts.
Increased Israel-Greek defense ties over the last decade are opening options for Israeli defense firms.
Singapore navy orders new submarine and unmanned mine countermeasure vessels.
UN has called for urgent de-escalation in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, as rival gunmen exchanged fire in the city’s southern districts after the killing of a powerful militia leader.
US MILITARY
Army’s new XM7 rifle reignited debate over volume of fire. An Army captain’s research paper criticized the service’s new rifle and reignited a long-standing debate among infantrymen: heavier caliber or more rounds?
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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