B-21 Raiders Set For 24/7 Global Ops

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – For all the new capabilities the B-21 Raider stealth bomber will bring as an individual aircraft, the Air Force’s top bomber officer says he is most excited about the sheer numbers of those aircraft that are set to enter service.

The Air Force plans to acquire at least 100 B-21s, but senior military officials have been increasingly advocating for a fleet of 145.

This, in contrast to the small number of B-2 Spirit bombers that were built. There are currently just 20 B-2s in the service’s inventory, including a severely damaged one.

U.S. can’t assume that exercising long-range airpower will always mean one-off strikes such as the recent Midnight Hammer operation against Iran, the military must invest now in options for high-tempo continuous operations many years away, Air Force 2-star says.

Bringing on the stealthy B-21 Raider, now in testing, will allow the US to build a bomber “campaign force” that can wield multiple types of munitions and strike on more than one continent at a time.

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

Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb” attack on Russian air bases, which destroyed unprotected bombers at rest on their ramps, is reshaping how U.S. thinkers approach defending military bases and the U.S. homeland.

Small defense firms are tempting targets for nation-state hackers, says NSA.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Trump administration plans to increase federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., as early as Friday morning following the assault of former DOGE staffer; the incident prompted outrage from the president himself.

Six soldiers received the Meritorious Service Medal for their actions during an active shooter incident that wounded five service members at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

WOKE WATCH

Air Force will deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early (before 20 years), instead just separating them without retirement benefits.

DEFENSE POLITICS

DOD is considering the creation of two new ‘czar’ roles to take over major defense acquisition portfolios from the Navy and Air Force, in a move that would have them report directly to Deputy Secretary of Defense.

DOGE team at the DOD will continue to move fast and influence major bureaucratic reforms in the months to come, says Press Secretary.

Six Democratic lawmakers are demanding more details from the Air Force as to how the service is siphoning funding from a new nuclear missile program to pay for retrofits for a luxury jet, gifted by Qatar, to make it usable as an interim Air Force One.

President Trump recognized nearly 100 recipients of the Purple Heart at the White House, including three service members who gave him their own medals after an attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.

US POWER OVERSEAS

A vast U.S. Army training ground in rural Bavaria is set to become home to a new camp offering German soldiers’ better facilities and more billets for rotational units.

IRAN THREAT – MIDDLE EAST

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City, marking an escalation and new dynamic in the 22-month offensive.

CHINA THREAT

China ramped up Navy and Coast Guard drills and activities in the South China Sea over the last week to counter Manila’s recent joint patrols and military exercises, including Philippine-Indian naval patrols.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Trump’s push for a Ukraine-Russia peace deal to be reached by the end of this week is unrealistic, experts say, as substantive progress is improbable without a major shift on the battlefield.

Trump is eyeing a summit with Vladimir Putin as he pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine, a potential meeting that carries huge risks and possible rewards for the White House.

Despite a week of Russian attacks, a key bridge linking the city of Kherson to the island of Korabel remains standing. The repeated bombardment sparked concerns that Russia could launch an attack across the Dnipro River.

Video shows uncrewed Ukrainian boats launch FPV drone strike on key Russian radars located on Crimea’s southern tip. A Russian Navy vessel is also seen being attacked off the coast of the occupied peninsula.

Ukrainian officials tasked with boosting the army are accused of beating, teargassing and detaining unwilling men, prompting some to flee.

Lithuania has called on NATO to strengthen allied air defenses after a Russian military drone violated its airspace for the second time in less than a month.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

South Korea and the U.S. will launch their annual large-scale military exercise this month to bolster readiness against North Korean threats, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.

Not now. South Korea has long viewed the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the U.S. as a marker of its military sovereignty. But in a dual contingency involving simultaneous wars in the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula, such a shift might prove less a symbol of independence than a structural vulnerability.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force can’t achieve space superiority on the cheap. Each branch of the military needs at least two things to succeed: a clear mission and a sufficient budget. Space Force so far has only one of them.

Space Force is launching its annual, future-facing Schriever Wargames this week, and the exercise could help create a framework for better information sharing with allies and partners on sensitive programs and capabilities.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Trump does it again. U.S. secures strategic transit corridor in U.S. brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal.

Although the duties introduced by Trump only came into force on Thursday, the president’s bombastic announcement has already had a marked effect on Africa trade balances.

Uk’s Royal Air Force has begun long-range operations in the Indo-Pacific under Operation Hightower, deploying F-35B Lightning jets to conduct joint activities with Japanese and South Korean forces.

Airborne autonomy is the next frontier in naval power. Recently, the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group deployed alongside the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, cutting a commanding silhouette through the Mediterranean.

Myanmar’s military is using advanced European technology to protect its drone fleet as it carries out brutal aerial campaigns, prompting calls for sanctions against the junta to be tightened.

More than 1,500 civilians may have been massacred during an April attack on Zamzam refugee camp, Sudan’s largest displacement site, likely the second-biggest war crime of the country’s catastrophic conflict.

US MILITARY

Army’s laser weapons ‘pretty mature,’ could ‘contribute’ to next-gen missile defense, and have potential applications for a broader missile defense effort.

Northrop Grumman has published current conceptual rendering for its submission for the Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based fighter.

Navy announced the official common name for the Navy’s new Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) strategic mission aircraft: E-130J Phoenix II.

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has prototyped a Hydrogen Small Unit Power (H-SUP) system to reduce detectability and improve readiness of Marine Corps tactical units in expeditionary warfare operations.

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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