PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – China adds new satellites to Guowang constellation, expanding its LEO broadband network, eyes accelerated launch rate, as part of a growing effort to build a sovereign space internet.
Jamming of GPS signals around Ukraine has become so severe it is even affecting satellites up to 1,200 miles above the Earth’s surface – Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) – a striking example of why the Space Force and DOD are moving to bolster the ubiquitous navigation service.
Sleepwalking into danger: managing traffic above 60,000 feet. The stratosphere is no longer empty. High-altitude platform and suborbital spaceplane operations are booming, yet our management of “near-space” remains stuck in the last century.
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
Secret Service Debut Armored “Golf Force One” To Help Protect Trump. During a golf outing in Scotland, Trump was trailed by an armored Polaris Ranger X utility task vehicle (UTV) designed to provide ballistic protection. The vehicle is “part of the Presidential fleet of specialty vehicles.”
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) seeks Ukraine-like conditions for drone testing. Five companies brought drones and radio prototypes to a range near the Army’s Fort Wainright to see how they’d fare against simulated electronic warfare systems looking to jam their navigation and command-and-control capabilities.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Police officer among four dead in shooting at New York City office building.
DOD recently asked Congress to shift $200 million in funding – originally allocated for barracks, aircraft hangars and military-operated elementary schools – to construct a 20-mile-long, 30-foot-high barrier along the border in Arizona.
DEFENSE POLITICS
A wide swath of DOD officials fear that new rules banning employees from participating at think tank events – a key way DOD delivers its message and solicits feedback – will leave the military muzzled and further isolated from allies.
Trump administration has accepted the “unconditional donation” of a luxury jet from Qatar, with no stipulation on what should happen to the aircraft after President Trump leaves office. Cost of retrofitting is classified.
House Defense Modernization Caucus secured provisions in the House draft of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, including legislation that would expand the military’s AI integration, advance counter-drone operations, and update test and evaluation infrastructure.
US POWER OVERSEAS
One of Navy’s four guided-missile nuclear submarines, USS Ohio, has surfaced in Australia.
IRAN THREAT/MIDDLE EAST
Trump expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged Israel to ‘make sure they get the food’ to people, modifying his stance on Gaza amid widespread images of emaciated children in the territory.
U.S. military has launched its most intensive Somalia bombing campaign on record, carrying out more than 50 airstrikes in the country since the start of the year against ISIS and al-Shabab.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russian forces in Ukraine are learning that tactics based on “brutality” and quantity over quality can improve their fortunes, according to U.S. Army report. “How Russia Fights” lays out a series of hard lessons U.S. troops are learning from Russia.
CHINA THREAT
NORTH KOREA THREAT
Bridging the Ambiguity-Explicitness Gap in the U.S.-South Korean Alliance. One side wants more explicitness in the level of commitment to the relationship, while the other wants to remain ambiguous.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Trump wins again. Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire after five days of deadly border clashes. The Malaysia-brokered truce follows talks involving U.S. and Chinese diplomats.
Turkey has secured a landmark defense export agreement with Indonesia, signing contracts for 48 KAAN fighter aircraft and two frigates – a sign of Ankara’s growing defense industry footprint in Southeast Asia.
US MILITARY
Some units within the Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC) have now restricted the use of Sig Sauer M18 pistol in the wake of a recent fatal incident in Air Force Global Strike Command’s (AFGSC) that prompted an indefinite command-wide “pause” on M18 use.
AFGSC has a “detailed” plan in hand for how new B-21 Raiders will replace existing bombers in the coming years. Personnel numbers will expand “significantly” to handle that transition and a raft of other modernization programs.
“Swiftly prototype.” Navy invited defense contractors to submit white papers on how they would go about quickly designing, developing and demonstrating autonomous unmanned surface vessels carrying containerized payloads.
Navy SEAL and Navy Special Warfare (SWCC) training share a foundation rooted in rigorous training, water competency and high fitness standards. While both are highly selective and physically challenging, they differ in their tactical mission and training focus.
Our Troops Deserve Better Than Moldy Barracks. While there is no doubt that the U.S. military remains the most powerful and capable fighting force in the world, it is suffering from systemic challenges in a critical component of warfighting success: personnel readiness.
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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