FRIDAY PDB – 11 ships are trapped behind the Key Bridge, including 4 considered key to national defense. There are 11 cargo ships trapped in the Port of Baltimore behind the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge – including four that are supposed to be able to set sail at a moment's notice to support the overseas deployment of U.S. military forces.
The four ships, the SS Antares, SS Denebola, Gary I. Gordon and Cape Washington, are part of the U.S. Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Force, a fleet established in 1976 to quickly supply American troops around the world.
Two of them – the Antares and the Denebola – are among the world's fastest – capable of sailing from the East Coast to Europe in six days.
The blocked ships worry some naval strategy experts. However, even if that harbor clearance is completed, one or more of our ships may still be in a reduced state of readiness because of repairs or maintenance. (RELATED: Fatal Design Flaws Ensured Collapse Of Maryland Bridge)
Biden is touring collapsed Baltimore bridge where recovery effort has political overtones. Officials have established a temporary, alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris. The Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open a limited-access channel for some vessels by the end of this month and to restore normal capacity to Baltimore's port by May 31.
WHAT ABOUT THE SHIPS CRUCIAL TO NATIONAL SECURITY?
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
US Army officer's book explores legitimacy of drone warfare. Each day these days brings news of drone warfare by state and non-state combatants in various operational theaters.
POLITICS
Warren says she would move to block sale of F-15s to Israel. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said this after Israel after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this week.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Former Air National Guardsman facing child porn charges may have defected to Russian military. A former Air National Guardsman has allegedly joined the Russian army in its fight against Ukraine.
TRAITOR EMPLOYED BY CARTELS – Texas Guardsman charged with human smuggling after high-speed chase. The National Guard member was arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border after he allegedly turned around at a Border Patrol checkpoint, then led state troopers on a high-speed chase that ended when police deployed road spikes. (RELATED: Report: Texas National Guardsman Arrested On Human Smuggling Charge)
HILARIOUS! – Defense lawyers for former Army soldier facing federal riot charge allege ‘questionable tactics' by FBI, police. The attorneys for a former Army officer charged with smashing Starbucks windows during a 2021 riot in Portland argue that the government has unfairly targeted him and used “highly questionable” tactics because he's a “left-wing protester.”
US POWER OVERSEAS
Army's top Pacific leader mum on ‘where or when' new missiles will deploy. It will field newly developed missiles in the Indo-Pacific region this year with additional types in the pipeline.
ISRAEL WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Israel to open more aid routes to Gaza and increase deliveries after pressure from Biden. Biden strongly implied to Netanyahu that the U.S. could condition military aid on how Israel addresses humanitarian concerns in Gaza and efforts to get to a quick ceasefire.
IRAN THREAT
BIDEN IS FUNDING IRAN MILITARY SPACE EFFORTS – Bolster sanctions to stop Iran's growing military space capabilities. In mid-February, the House Intelligence Committee warned of a “serious national security threat” – a Russian effort to deploy a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in space. The episode drew attention to a crucial danger – Iran in space.
All the Houthi-US Navy incidents in the Middle East (that we know of). A running list of every instance where a Navy ship or jet has shot down a Houthi attack, and every time the U.S. and its allies have hit back at Houthi sites in Yemen, since October.
CHINA THREAT
Microsoft warns China will use AI to try to influence US elections. CCP-linked accounts have frequently shared AI-generated memes, audio, and videos online. The accounts target East Asian countries but also aim to influence US elections. (RELATED: Iran Has Funneled Loads Of Chinese Arms To Hamas Terrorists)
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Drone attack kills 4 in Ukrainian city as Russia rebuilds war strength. The Kremlin's forces have apparently set in motion their strategy for the coming months of war by escalating the bombardment of civilian areas.
Western officials warn munition shortages could be catastrophic for Ukraine as US stalls on providing more aid. Ukraine's shortage of ammunition and military equipment is having an increasingly dire effect on the battlefield, as Russia intensifies its attacks on Kyiv's dwindling air defenses knowing that they likely won't be replenished anytime soon.
Pentagon defends pace of weapon shipments as Ukraine worries it's too late. Officials in Kyiv say the assistance is coming too slowly — and it might already be too late to help turn the tide of the war in Ukraine's favor.
BIDEN'S AFGHAN DISASTER
State Department officials told House investigators they created Afghanistan withdrawal plans from scratch. Closed-door testimony from three top State Department officials shed new light on the “unprecedented” situation in the final days of the US presence in Afghanistan as the officials were rushed to the country with virtually no time to prepare and no established emergency evacuation plan when they arrived.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Germany overhauls military command in quest for ‘war capable' force. The plan intends to streamline and reorganize NATO's most populous European member country's military command to ready it for war.
US MILITARY
Next Generation Squad Weapon: Unboxing video. Watch now.
GREAT IDEA! – Proposed legislation would provide troops with one-on-one counseling as they prepare to leave the military. It would jumpstart benefits for separating troops by authorizing accredited veterans' organizations to place counselors in DoD transition assistance programs for service members preparing to leave the military. (RELATED: Over 6,000 Veterans Demand Congress Overturn Massive Biden Gun Ban)
Deployed troops inhaled toxic air even while off-duty, study finds. Newly released research warns that troops who served overseas since 2001 faced significant levels of airborne contaminants both while on duty or off.
Medics' innovative blood transfusion field kit honors fallen Osprey airman. A team of medical technicians at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, has created an improved blood transfusion kit that they say will save lives in future conflicts.
How to fix the military's dangerous software SNAFU. Too many of its apps are built on code riddled with vulnerabilities—and distributed by the Pentagon itself.
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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