PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – U.S. intelligence ties Chinese explosive test to push for a completely new nuclear arsenal. China is developing a new generation of nuclear weapons and has conducted at least one covert explosive test in recent years as part of a broader push to completely transform its nuclear arsenal into the world’s most technologically advanced.
U.S. assessment of China’s intention to radically advance its nuclear weapons is fueling debate inside the intelligence community and beyond over Beijing’s shift in thinking on nuclear strategy.
The investment in its nuclear arsenal is pushing China closer to peer status with Russia and the U.S. and could yield technical capabilities neither of the two dominant nuclear powers currently possesses.
China secretly conducted an explosive nuclear test in June 2020 at the Lop Nur facility, in the country’s northwest – despite a self-imposed moratorium on nuke tests in place since 1996 – and was planning to do more in the future, say U.S. officials.
While the 2020 test was disclosed publicly by the State Department this month, the purpose of the test has not been previously revealed.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:
HOMELAND DEFENSE
Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel and thrusting swaths of the nation into violent cartel chaos, especially near the U.S. border.
DEFENSE POLITICS
Defense Innovation Unit is gearing up for the first flight of its commercially developed hypersonic testbed as soon as the end of February — part of a larger project to quickly increase the cadence of the Pentagon’s hypersonic flight testing and field advanced, high-speed systems and components at scale.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Military strikes another drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing 3 narco smugglers.
IRAN THREAT
Talks between the U.S. and Iran are expected to take place Thursday in Geneva, “with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal.” Iranian officials held out hope for progress towards a deal amid a massive build-up of U.S. military might in the region.
Iran and the Gulf: Why hedging is no longer enough. During recent protests in Iran, most Gulf states quietly but actively pushed back against calls in Washington for military strikes. To them, escalation would almost certainly destabilize the region without producing meaningful political change inside Iran, while leaving Gulf cities, infrastructure, and populations directly exposed to retaliation.
MIDDLE EAST THREATS
Islamic State claims two attacks on the Syrian army, announces “new phase” of operations.
GREENLAND CRISIS
Danish military evacuates U.S. submariner who needed urgent medical care off Greenland.
CHINA THREAT
China dominates with 5,500 commercial ships U.S. has under 100 — but Trump’s fighting back. President releases comprehensive Maritime Action Plan as Congress pushes bipartisan SHIPS Act to rebuild fleet.
RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR
EUROPEAN DEFENSE BUILDUP
NORTH KOREA THREAT
US MILITARY
Drones “change everything” about combined arms combat and training, Army aviation chief says.
New Army organization aims to meld service leaders’ mandates to cut bureaucracy and adopt a venture-capital mindset with a push to turn soldiers’ ideas into manufactured gear.
Navy eyes BAH increases, barracks updates to house more sailors ashore with “No Sailor Lives Afloat” initiative announced last year. Effort is part of a larger push to keep sailors by ensuring their quality-of-life expectations are being met.
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is asking his fellow Marines to “reach out to someone” and ask for help when in need.
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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And democrats want to help China build that nuclear force, by accepting China’s bribes and kickback just as the Bidens have done.