PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – U.S. forces struck another vessel illegally carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, Trump said to thousands of sailors at a ceremony celebrating the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary. He added that the U.S. would also start looking at drug trafficking happening on land.
The Navy has joined an armed conflict with drug cartels, leading to four strikes in the Caribbean on fast-boats engaged in drug trafficking.
During his speech, Trump said the navy had supported the mission “to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water. There are no boats in the water anymore. You can’t find them.”
On top of the counter-narcotics effort, some Trump officials are pushing to oust Venezuela’s illegitimate leader, Nicolás Maduro. (RELATED: Maduro Says US Warships With 1,200 Missiles Targeting Venezuela)
With the possibility of direct actions inland on cartels — now designated as unlawful combatants — becoming a real possibility, it’s worth taking a look at the air defense assets available to Venezuela, which comprise a somewhat unusual mix of older, lower-end equipment and smaller numbers of very capable systems, mainly Russian-supplied.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news 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
HOMELAND SECURITY
Trump “authorized” the activation of 300 National Guard troops for operations in Chicago, following weeks of immigration raids in the city and threats from the White House to deploy the military. (RELATED: Texas Governor Defies Illinois Governor, Green Lights National Guard Deployment)
Almost a third of bosses have reported an increase in cyber-attacks on their supply chains over the past six months, as the fallout from devastating hacks on corporate stalwarts including Jaguar Land Rover highlighted a growing threat to businesses.
DEFENSE POLITICS
US POWER OVERSEAS
CHINA THREAT
China’s new ‘drone light show in a box’ massive swarm launcher speaks to evolving threats. A company in China recently unveiled a containerized system it says is capable of quickly launching and recovering thousands of small quadcopter-type drones at the touch of a button.
Images of what appears to be China’s J-50 tailless stealth fighter reveal new details about the plane’s stealth design, and hints towards its likely eventual mission. (RELATED: Russia Helping China Invade Taiwan Could Spark WWIII)
RUSSIA THREAT
MIDDLE EAST THREATS
Trump urges mediators to ‘move fast’ as key Gaza peace talks set to begin.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that an independent Palestinian state is “not even a realistic thing right now.” (RELATED: Kirk’s Final Gift To Israel: A Strategy For Victory In The Information War)
SPACE THREATS
Space Force is hoping to get its own permanent opposition force as orbital aggressors to help Guardians prepare for potential conflicts. (RELATED: US Army To Begin Recruiting For Space Operations Specialist MOS)
Real space war is being fought in cyberspace. When it comes to warfare in space, many envision lasers, missiles and maybe a nuclear device tucked into orbit. But the head of the National Reconnaissance Office isn’t worried about death rays. He’s worried about hackers.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
US MILITARY
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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I am far less concerned about war with Venezuela than about the drugs coming into the country. At least we finally have someone willing to do what it takes to destroy the cartels afteer endless decades of the “war on drugs” doing nothing significant.
Government shutdowns are nothing more than political theater. Almost always orchestrated by Democrats for their own benefit.