FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with respected national security expert Paul Crespo and the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the PDB:
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING.
Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief. Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.
POLITICS
Wisconsin judge won’t order sequestering of absentee military ballots. A Wisconsin judge has refused to order that military absentee ballots be pulled aside and sequestered until it can be verified that they were cast legally, saying that would be a “drastic remedy” that could disenfranchise voters.
PENTAGON ‘WOKE’ WATCH
NOT WOKE – Marine Corps’ 247th birthday message emphasizes toughness, lethality. The commandant of the Marine Corps on Tuesday released his annual birthday message, which emphasizes the confidence and toughness of Marines in battle.
GOOD – VA staff providing abortions may not be protected in some states, Democratic lawmakers warn. The Department of Veterans Affairs should do more to clarify legal protections for employees providing abortion care in states where the procedure is now illegal, House Veterans Affairs Committee Democrats said in a report released Monday.
NATIONAL SECURITY
BIG TALK, SMALL NAVY – Big mismatch between the Biden administration’s new defense plan and an underfunded US Navy. The global campaigning plan envisioned by the new National Defense Strategy (NDS) recently released by the Biden administration will need to rely greatly on a shrinking Navy to accomplish its goals, especially in the more remote areas of interest including the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic.
HOMELAND SECURITY
San Diego man who spied for China sentenced to 20 months. Shapour Moinian, 67, handed over information “related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States.”
More than a dozen states have activated the National Guard to secure midterm elections. Other states can request help, but some leaders say more capacity is needed.
Putin-linked businessman admits to US election meddling. Kremlin-connected entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted Monday that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so — confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years.
CHINA THREAT
OR NOT – DOWNPLAYING THREAT? – China will increase pressure on Taiwan in next two years rather than invade, says Pentagon official. The Pentagon’s top civilian for policy does not think China is likely to attack Taiwan in the next two years, although he expects Beijing to ratchet up pressure on Taipei as Xi Jinping continues to expand his military’s capabilities for a possible amphibious invasion.
Chinese election meddling hits the midterms. Beijing-linked cyber actors seek to sow divisions, discourage Americans from voting, and discredit the election process.
ALSO IN US – Trudeau accuses China of ‘aggressive’ election interference. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused China of attempting to interfere in the country’s elections. Trudeau accused Beijing of playing “aggressive games” with democracies and of targeting Canadian institutions. Local media report that Canadian intelligence identified a “clandestine network” of Beijing-backed candidates at recent elections.
ALSO IN US – ‘A brazen intrusion’: China’s foreign police stations raise hackles in Canada. Beijing says Toronto locations are ‘services stations’ to renew licenses – but China watchers say they monitor and pressure the country’s diaspora.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russia hasn’t killed any US-supplied HIMARS in Ukraine, according to a senior defense official. Today, we spell ‘undefeated’ H-I-M-A-R-S.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 258. Ukraine accused Russia of looting empty homes in the southern city of Kherson and occupying them with troops in civilian clothes to prepare for street fighting in what both sides predict will be one of the war’s most important battles.
NASAMS arrive in Ukraine in US bid to bolster air defense. Ukraine has received its first National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), providing the country with a long-awaited capability as its infrastructure is being attacked by Russian missiles and Iranian-made drones.
Pentagon adds 40 armed patrol boats to latest Ukraine military aid package. The United States will send 40 armored riverine boats to Ukraine as part of the latest assistance package.
Advance work in Ukraine blunted Russian cyber advantage, US says. At the Aspen Security Forum this summer, a top Biden administration official said there are “any number of theories for what we saw and what, frankly, we didn’t see” regarding Russian employment of cyberattacks tied to its war against Ukraine.
Putin just backtracked under pressure. That’s a hopeful sign for Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s power rests on the impression that he is invincible and implacable — that the Russian president can’t be defeated and will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.
Mozart’s mission in Ukraine. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Wagner Group? They’re Russian mercenaries. They claim they’re not taking orders from Vladimir Putin, but you should be skeptical. At this moment, the Wagner Group is fighting on Putin’s side in Ukraine — but not as effectively as many expected.
Russia’s heavy casualties in Ukraine spark outcry and rare official response. It was the first time since the start of Russia’s invasion that the ministry has officially responded to reports of mass casualties and criticism of commanders on Telegram.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea says missile tests were practice to attack South, US. North Korea’s military says its recent barrage of missile tests were practices to “mercilessly” strike key South Korean and U.S. targets.
North Korea slams US for raising alleged arms supply to Russia. Last week, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby accused North Korea of covertly supplying a “significant number” of ammunition to Russia.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Congo trains 3,000 new army recruits amid Rwanda tensions. More than 3,000 new military recruits began training Monday as the Congolese army steps up its fight against the M23 rebels that it alleges are backed by neighboring Rwanda.
SPACE THREAT
USSF’s Bythewood takes command of joint ‘Space Troopers.’ Space Force Brig. Gen. Dennis O. Bythewood took over U.S. Space Command’s Joint Task Force-Space Defense on Nov. 4, becoming only the second commander of the task force’s “Space Troopers” at Schriever Space Force Base, Colo.
From ‘lunar intelligence’ to orbital waystations, the US needs to keep the moon on the mind. The second moon race is on, and the US needs better eyes in the sky and coordination on the ground, writes Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs Director Joshua Huminski.
Space Force official: We need the Commerce Department’s space traffic office to be successful. Maj. Gen. Deanna Burt said it’s imperative to have a civilian office to manage traffic given the rapid growth in commercial space activities.
US MILITARY
BAD ASS – What it takes to join the Air Force’s 24/7 ‘SWAT’ team for nuclear missile fields. Need to storm a nuclear alert facility? This is the team you need.
US Air Force seeks the aircraft equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. The C-17 Globemaster is one of the workhorses of the U.S. Air Force’s mobility fleet, transporting everything from heavy weaponry, like tanks, to hundreds of passengers.
Facing dire recruiting realities, Navy raises max enlistment age to 41. The Navy raised its maximum enlistment age to 41 on Friday for sailors joining the fleet, a nod to the current recruiting struggles plaguing the entire U.S. military.
Why the Department of Defense’s schools are outperforming the competition. In the first major national assessment of K-12 students since the height of the pandemic, schools dedicated to educating U.S. military-connected children have outperformed most school systems across the nation, despite the impact of the pandemic.
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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As a young man in his teens I served in the Navy in the Pacific during WWII and saw some of our Marines in action. There most definitely is no military unit any tougher and willing to fight that the members of the USMC. I’m just glad we were fortunate enough to have them on our side. Thanks to our Commander in Chief the entire military is now undermanned but I feel that won’t matter with the Marines.They’ll no doubt fight with what they need and not what they want. They proved that in the Sollmans during the second world war. I just hope it won’t come to that.
I won’t believe anything from the Pentagon until they get adults vice the political hacks currently running it.
Bravo Marines long overdue