THURSDAY PDB – Iran tried to seize 2 oil tankers in Gulf, fired shots at one. The U.S. Navy said the Iranian naval vessels backed off after Navy ships responded.
“The Iranian navy did make attempts to seize commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters,” said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“The U.S. Navy responded immediately and prevented those seizures.”
Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in the last two years and has harassed more than a dozen others.
Many of the incidents have occurred in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all crude oil passes.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories from national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
TOO FOCUSED ON LGBT PRIDE IMAGERY – Twitter users jeer US Pacific Fleet for July 4 graphic featuring Russian planes, warship. It apparently tweeted, then deleted, a July 4th message that depicted silhouettes of a Russian warship and fighter jets against an American flag backdrop.
NATIONAL SECURITY
DoD looks to block Chinese and Russian influence on US academia. The Pentagon just released a blacklist of mostly Chinese and Russian research institutes that it says have engaged in “problematic activity,” including trying to infiltrate sensitive Defense Department research at U.S. colleges and universities.
The West again learns that war needs industry. Biden and NATO leaders, fearing a war of attrition with Russia or China, will focus on rebuilding militaries and their supplies at coming summit.
Trump valet charged in classified documents case set again for arraignment after earlier delays. He is accused of helping the former president hide classified documents from federal authorities. He is due back in a Florida court on Thursday after an earlier appearance was postponed.
The enduring relevance of nuclear deterrence. After a bit of a lull, officials, experts and commentators in Russia are again talking up the possibility, if not the imperative, of Russia using nuclear weapons against Ukraine or countries in the NATO alliance.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Pentagon to tighten controls over classified info after major leak. It said Wednesday it is looking into updating the policies and procedures it uses to manage classified information following a massive leak of highly sensitive documents on social media earlier this year.
9 Army veterans arrested for crimes committed with Georgia biker gang. The U.S. Army recently confirmed that almost a dozen veterans were arrested for committing crimes while part of a violent Georgia motorcycle gang connected to a recent mass shooting in Augusta.
CHINA THREAT
MORE LIKE A PORCUPINE – China accuses US of turning Taiwan into a ‘powder keg’ with arms sales. China’s Defense Ministry accusation following the latest U.S. sales of $440 million in military equipment to the self-governing island democracy. SELL MORE!
China’s commercial space ventures pose a variety of threats, DoD officials say. Officials worry China may do for commercial-space capabilities what it did for cheap telecom equipment.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
SUSPICIOUS – Wagner mercenary chief is still in Russia despite deal to end mutiny, leader of Belarus says. Alexander Lukashenko told a rare news conference that Yevgeny Prigozhin was in his hometown of St. Petersburg more than a week after the armed rebellion.
Ukraine counterattack is heavy going, West says. Despite Russia’s loss of half its combat effectiveness since last year, Kyiv is struggling with tough Kremlin defenses.
Ukraine, Russia accuse each other of planning to attack Europe’s biggest nuclear plant. But neither side provided evidence to support their claims of an imminent threat to the facility in southeastern Ukraine occupied by Russian troops.
BACKROOM DEAL? – Former US officials have held secret Ukraine talks with prominent Russians. They have met with Russians, believed to be close to the Kremlin — and, in at least one case, with the country’s top diplomat — to lay groundwork for potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
NKorea satellite wasn’t advanced enough to spy from space, says SKorea. The satellite North Korea failed to put into orbit couldn’t conduct military reconnaissance from space as it claimed, South Korea’s military said after retrieving and studying the wreckage.
SPACE THREAT
Orbital Sidekick: Taking hyperspectral imaging from the garage to the Pentagon. “Hyperspectral is kind of starting to have its moment in the sun, so to speak,” said the CEO and co-founder of Orbital Sidekick.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
US releases video of Russian fighters harassing American drones. The U.S. Air Force says Russian jets flew dangerously close to several U.S. drone aircraft over Syria on Wednesday.
Thousands of airmen spread across Pacific in massive mobility exercise. The U.S. and its allies kicked off a massive air exercise, Mobility Guardian, on July 5 in the Indo-Pacific region.
Russian frigates arrive in China in sign of ‘close cooperation.’ The Cold War-era Gromkiy and Sovershenniy will take part in joint drills with the Chinese navy during a week in Shanghai.
Neutral Switzerland and Austria will join European air defense project. Switzerland plans to take part in a Europe-wide air defense project initiated in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
NO COMMENT – French navy investigates claims that off-duty marines beat up suspected rioters. Local papers reported so-called ‘anti-rioters’ wore hoods and masks to apprehend suspected troublemakers during unrest.
US MILITARY
PREPARING FOR WAR WITH CHINA – Pacific Fleet goes to Washington: How Adm. Paparo will refine the Navy. The nomination of U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo to be chief of naval operations could herald a renaissance in the CNO’s staff office not seen since the 1980s in terms of strategic and operational focus for the fleet.
DRONE FORCE! – Air Force tests new drone airspace management system. Deconflicting airspace was rarely a problem in the early days of Predator drones, but today the number and types of drones is rapidly expanding, with some that can be carried in backpacks and others that lift off vertically. That makes managing airspace a challenge.
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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Need to sink one and see if diaper heads can float!
Sink Iran’s navy Take out their gunboats and throw a few Cruise Missiles at them !
When Iran flexes their weak military … let them have a taste of the real thing !
A rogue nation attempting to seize or seizing another’s property on the high seas, in international waters, is piracy. The US should prosecute ANY nation who commits such acts with the sinking of their pirate vessels.
Piracy in International waters is punishable by “elimination”. If I owned tankers they would be heavily armed and maybe even escorted by a few “Swift Boats”.
Awesome move Bravo
Sadly the carrier didn’t have “a big gun” to blow the Iranians out of the water. That is what they should have done. A line of well placed 50 cals below the water line would have helped. .