Russia Suspends Last Nuke Arms Treaty With US as China Grows Its Nuke Force

WEDNESDAY PDB – Does it really matter that Vladimir Putin just suspended its last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the U.S.? Many question whether this is just more empty posturing from Putin since Russia has been accused in the past of violating the treaty, and others argue it was only restricting the U.S. vs. China, which isn’t under any treaty obligations to restrain their massive nuke build-up.

Meanwhile, as Joe Biden dithers, Iran, also totally unconstrained, is steadily building up its own ballistic missile force and likely its nuke capability as well.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of those and other developing stories.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:

NATIONAL SECURITY

A year of Russian fighting in Ukraine shows the US military what it needs to improve, analysts say. Hidden amid Russian failures is a threat still facing the United States military and its allies in Europe, where vulnerabilities persist on its eastern borders, experts say.

CHINA SHORING UP RUSSIA AGAINST COLLAPSE? – China’s top diplomat visits Moscow ahead of anniversary of Russia’s Ukraine invasion. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, in the first visit to Russia by a Chinese official in that role since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago.

HOMELAND SECURITY

US military investigating leak of emails from Pentagon server. The US military’s Special Operations Command says it is investigating a report from a cybersecurity researcher that the command was leaking a trove of unclassified email data on the internet.

CHINA THREAT

PILOT SHORTAGE? – Chinese naval aviation to allow female, non-military college pilots for the first time. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is now recruiting females and graduates from non-military colleges to be naval aviators, it announced through a new recruitment drive.

GROWING ANTI-CHINA PACIFIC NAVAL COALITION – Australia, Philippines consider joint patrols in South China Sea. Australia and the Philippines are exploring the possibility of joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, where recent “aggressive activities” by the Chinese Coast Guard towards a Philippine vessel saw Beijing’s envoy in Manila summoned by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia suspends only remaining major nuclear treaty with US. Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States — in a bid to up the ante with Washington.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 364. United States President Joe Biden has warned Moscow that the West’s support for Kyiv in its fight against the Russian invasion “will not waver” and promised that the conflict in Ukraine will never be a win for Russia. Biden is due to meet leaders of NATO’s eastern flank after he met Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

After N. Korea missile test, USAF B-1s, F-16s fly in allied show of force. U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters flew alongside Japanese and South Korean aircraft in separate training exercises Feb. 19, a day after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that fell off Japan’s coast.

Fears, questions about North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal. North Korea claims its nuclear weapons are combat ready, but many foreign experts call the North’s claims propaganda.

IRAN THREAT

Tools of terror: Iran’s growing ballistic missile threat. The Islamic Republic of Iran possesses the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East, and Tehran is working hard to increase its size and quality by pursuing improvements in precision, range, mobility, warhead design, and survivability. This according to a major new Monograph, “Arsenal: Assessing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program.”

US Navy official says Iran has ‘attention of everyone.’ Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, discussed Iranian attacks in the waterways of the Middle East and elsewhere in the region.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force considers public-private partnerships to respond to crises. The Space Systems Command kicked off a new initiative called Commercial Augmentation Space Reserves.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

BUT OF COURSE, IT DOES – SO DOES STEADY NEGLECT AND BUDGET CUTS – UK denies Challenger 2 gift to Ukraine reduces operational capabilities by nearly a third. The increased threat posed to European security by Russia has led to UK lawmakers intensifying scrutiny around British Army capabilities, which have long been in the spotlight because of cancelled acquisitions, technical difficulties, contractor disputes, and operational readiness issues.

Al Shabaab attack kills 10 at officials’ house in Somalia – ministry. Ten people were killed in an attack in Somalia’s capital claimed by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group, which said it was targeting military officials and militia fighters involved in an offensive against it.

US MILITARY

CNO sees uncrewed vessels as critical to US Navy’s future. Uncrewed vessels with the ability to jam electronics, spy on faraway activities and even help coordinate the flow of fighting will play an increasingly important role in the service’s mission, according to Chief of Naval Operations Gilday.

Lawmakers renew push for veteran centers at colleges. A group of lawmakers are continuing a yearslong push to establish student veteran centers at universities and colleges, calling for more support for former service members adjusting to academic life.

END of Paul’s Daily Briefing

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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