TUESDAY PDB – Finland doubling NATO’s border with Russia in blow to Putin. The blue-and-white Finnish flag rises outside NATO headquarters Tuesday afternoon, making Finland a member and doubling Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance.
Four maps explain how Finland could alter NATO’s security. The move will transform Europe’s security landscape for years to come — and further strain relations with Russia.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of other developing stories.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
NO TAXPAYER-FUNDED PENTAGON ABORTIONS – Senator holding up military promotions over abortion policy speaks. Sen. Tommy Tuberville talks about why he’s holding up promotions following a Pentagon policy about abortion access.
The Pentagon shouldn’t wage culture war. Why I’m holding up the President’s nominees for Defense.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Congressman: US support for aid to Ukraine is ‘overwhelming.’ The head of the House Intelligence Committee said there is “overwhelming” support in the U.S. to continue supplying aid to Ukraine, despite vocal opposition from a faction of his own Republican Party.
HOMELAND DEFENSE
OF COURSE, IT DID – DESPITE BIDEN DENIALS – AS I WROTE ABOUT AT THE TIME –Chinese spy balloon gathered intelligence from sensitive US military sites, despite U.S. efforts to block it. The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel.
CHINA THREAT
China’s intensifying nuclear-armed submarine patrols add complexity for US, allies. For the first time it is keeping at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine constantly at sea – adding pressure on the U.S. and allies as they try to counter Beijing’s growing military.
Four B-52s arrive on Guam for latest bomber task force mission. The bombers arrived at Andersen Air Force Base as part of missions to project U.S. air power in the region.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 405. The Czech and Slovak prime ministers have called on the EU to stick to sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. And should “prevent bypassing the sanctions and create mechanisms to punish those responsible for crimes related to this aggression,” they added.
Ukraine to buy 100 Rosomak armored vehicles from Poland. It announced the purchase of the eight-wheel vehicles during a visit to the Polish plant that makes the vehicles.
Ukraine is now fielding 1940s-era anti-aircraft guns as artillery. The KS-19 is the latest decades-old weapon brought out of retirement in the conflict.
Russia accuses dissidents and Ukraine of killing pro-war blogger. Authorities detained an unlikely woman they claim had delivered the bomb.
A web of trenches shows Russia fears losing Crimea. Satellite imagery shows that it has recently built dozens of trenches across Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.
Ukraine destroys 14 out of 17 drones Russia launched overnight. Thirteen of the Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia launched were destroyed over the Odesa region in the southwest.
IRAN THREAT
BIDEN’S DESPERATE FOLLY – US discussing freeze-for-freeze approach to Iran nuclear program. Team Biden discussed with its European and Israeli partners a proposal for an interim agreement with Iran that would include some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran freezing parts of its nuclear program.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
No sign of an imminent nuclear test from North Korea. The U.S. military “hasn’t seen any indications” of an imminent nuclear weapons test by North Korea, though it continues to monitor the communist regime’s testing facilities.
North Korea shows off up-close footage of missile launches. State TV aired footage of its latest missile launches, as U.S. and South Korean forces perform military drills.
US, South Korea, Japan hold anti-North Korea submarine drill. The two-day drills come after North Korea unveiled battlefield nuclear warheads.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force fleshing out second phase of missile-tracking program. It is ramping up its medium-Earth orbit missile tracking program, part of a broader effort to make the service’s space-based missile defense capabilities more resilient against enemy threats.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
US troops are quietly helping fight ISIS, al-Qaida in West Africa. Islamo-terrorism is on the rise in West Africa.
US strike kills senior ISIS leader in Syria, US Central Command says. The senior ISIS leader had planned attacks into Europe.
Philippines names 4 new camps for US forces amid China fury. They include some bases across from Taiwan, where rotational batches of American forces with their weapons would be allowed to stay indefinitely.
Soldiers fire long-range rocket artillery as exercise wraps up in the Philippines. The Army notched another live-fire practice with its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, during training Friday with Philippine forces on the island of Luzon.
China is eating Russia’s lunch in the defense market. The script has flipped in the countries’ traditional defense-industrial relationship.
US MILITARY
Navy tests secret Project Overmatch tech with Carl Vinson strike group. The technology is being tested with the aircraft carrier group in the waters off California.
Just in time F-35 supply chain too risky for next war, general says. The stealth jet will need a more resilient supply chain to ensure the military can keep it flying in a future, highly contested war.
Can gas-hauling cargo planes fuel the Air Force in the Pacific? Its largest aircraft turned into a giant fuel transport in February, when a C-5M Super Galaxy landed at Dover Air Force Base, Del. and kept half its engines running while Airmen pulled fuel out of the wings and into a refueler truck.
MAYBE WE WILL GET MORE AFTER CHINA SINKS HALF OUR CURRENT FLEET – CNO expects new US Navy force study to call for more than 373 ships. The Navy will submit another study to Congress by mid-June that is likely to show the need for more ships compared to today’s target of 373 and actual inventory of just 296.
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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Like all loony, left-wing rabid Democrats, Putin should “off” himself.
But like all loony, left-wing rabid Democrats, he won’t.
Is it just a given that people who read this publication should be fans of Ukraine? I for one, am not. At least Putin isn’t arresting priests and has a good relationship with the head of the Russian Orthodox church. I also think Zelensky is a fraud and a criminal extraordinaire. Where’s the money going? Laundering surely.
Agree 100%. The Biden regime & NATO caused this War. Now NATO is expanding its front on Russia’s borders with Finland! They are pushing Putin to do something stupid. It seems the USA just won’t be happy until we have nukes involved. This Military Industrial Complex is going to be the ruination of our country.
Finland coming into NATO is another violation of the Treaty the US made with Moscow on not expanding NATO