THURSDAY PDB – Ariane 6 launch returns in-house space access to Europe’s armed forces. Europe restored sovereign access to space with the first launch of its heavy-lift rocket on Tuesday, after years of delays and retirement of the previous launcher had left the continent without guaranteed access to orbit and kept a French spy satellite grounded.
The most urgent upcoming military missions for Ariane 6 are observation satellites including CSO-3. France also still has to launch the Yoda agile satellite demonstrator, after the small patroller satellite was held up by a lack of launch slots.
The lack of autonomous access to space was “becoming dangerous,” leaving Europe unable to launch satellites that are “extremely sensitive and extremely useful for our armed forces,” and pushing back future programs such as the French IRIS military-observation satellites.
European armies “need this type of space capability, particularly at a time when war is on Europe’s doorstep,”
Sweden inks first military space strategy – looks to bolster role in global space race. Sweden’s first-ever strategy for space defense is aimed at building the capabilities of its armed forces to play a larger role as nations around the world gird for potential conflict in the heavens.
WWIII WILL LIKELY START IN SPACE.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
Ukraine’s seaborne success an ‘arbiter’ of future naval warfare: NATO SACEUR. The way Ukraine has successfully used small, unmanned vehicles to force the dominant Russian navy away from its shores is an “arbiter of things in the future” for naval warfare, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe said recently.
WHY? – Trump considering cutting back intel sharing with Europe, officials warn. European officials say they rely on U.S. intelligence to help fend off Russian aggression on their own soil.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Quieting Discord: A new frontier in military leaks and extremism. Following the leak of national security secrets and other high-profile, nefarious uses of the Discord gaming and chat platform in recent years, researchers are grappling with what to think of the platform’s small but headline-grabbing dark side. Many disagree on whether Discord as a company is doing enough to root out bad actors.
POLITICS
THANKS TO TRUMP – As more NATO countries meet spending targets, some push to raise goals. After years of failing to meet NATO’s military spending targets, most of the alliance’s 32 members entered the 75th anniversary summit touting a statistic: more than two-thirds now meet the minimum threshold.
Support for Israeli military campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza ticks up in US: Gallup Poll.
Veterans group hits goal of recruiting 100,000 volunteer election workers. When voters head to the polls this November, at least one out of every 10 election workers they see will be a veteran or a family member of a veteran.
US POWER OVERSEAS
This is a big shift: Top US commander in Europe says his NATO headquarters transformed for warfighting. His command is assembling new teams to carry out combat readiness inspections of allied units, a move aimed at ensuring NATO can move with speed should its territory come under attack.
IRAN THREAT
An attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on a Liberian-flagged ship transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This, as authorities acknowledged the rebels launched their longest-range attack yet on a U.S.-flagged vessel near the Arabian Sea.
CHINA THREAT
Chinese military ships spotted near Alaska’s Aleutian islands. They were seen inside the U.S. exclusive economic zone of the Bering Sea by a USCG cutter on a routine patrol late last week.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russian influence ops are the ‘preeminent threat’ to November’s elections. Russian influence operatives have already begun targeting specific U.S. voter demographics, promoting divisive narratives and denigrating specific politicians in an effort to undermine the integrity of the election process and sow further domestic divisions.
F-16s to be ‘flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer,’ US says. This, more than two years into the war with Russia.
Ukraine bets on land robots for next phase of war. It is seeking billions more in investment to boost its domestic weapons manufacturing.
ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST TERROR
Team Biden to resume 500-pound bomb shipments to Israel. These were initially part of a package of weapons held up over concerns about their use in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been accused of using heavy munitions in densely populated areas [THIS IS WHERE HAMAS TERRORISTS LIVE AND HIDE].
Israeli military extends evacuation order to the whole of Gaza City. This, after sending tens of thousands of Palestinians from several of the city’s neighborhoods earlier this week.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
US to send Tomahawks, hypersonics, other long-range fires to Germany according to statement released amid the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C.
German brigade entering Lithuania is a welcome change for NATO. Germany has come under heavy fire for neglecting its defense spending [ESPECIALLY BY TRUMP]— a situation that dates to the end of the Cold War. This criticism is warranted, but Germany has taken some significant steps since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, building up its military capabilities and beefing up deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank.
Canada commits to buying 12 new conventionally powered, under-the-ice submarines. It is “taking the first steps” towards buying the arctic warfare subs — a massive acquisition with numerous shipbuilders from around the world already eyeing the program reported to be worth at least $60 billion Canadian dollars.
Japan reveals test launch of its hypersonic strike missile program. It showed video footage of the missile’s maiden test launch.
US MILITARY
PREPARING FOR WAR – Air Combat Command boss makes the case for uniform, ops inspections. Gen. Kenneth Wilbach expects his airmen to gear up for their own potential fight against China across the Pacific.
Air Force should keep the ‘block 20’ F-22s it asked to retire. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, head of Air Combat Command, came out in favor of retaining the 32 fighters, despite the service asking to retire the older jets in its last three budgets.
US Eisenhower carrier’s combat deployment offers lessons for sailors across the Navy. The experiences of sailors who spent months fighting Houthi missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea at operational levels unseen since World War II will shape the next generation of naval warriors.
KC-46 aerial tanker completes round-the-world flight in 45 hours. Air Force Col. Brent Toth needed to stay awake into the wee morning hours as he prepared for an upcoming marathon mission that would usher him and a crew around the world in less than 48 hours.
WATCH – Could you stomach this jump? See airmen free fall during Balikatan 24.
After a decade, the Marine Corps releases new deception doctrine. Deception is the military art of deliberately deceiving the enemy through decoys, demonstrations, ruses and manipulation of information.
Navy had record high suicides so far this year amid reports of high stress, quality-of-life issues. This, again drawing attention to the myriad issues revealed about the quality of life for sailors and the service’s ability to prevent such deaths.
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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