As Marines Prepare To Fight China, Will They Still Be Ready For Everything Else?

FRIDAY PDB – The Marines transformed to take on China. Will they be ready for everything else? A plan to redesign the Corps stirred warnings that it might have gone too far.

THAT'S THE BIG QUESTION. WHICH I'VE ASKED MANY TIMES BEFORE.

MEANWHILE – Marine Corps asks for public feedback on 8-year upgrade plan in Hawaii. The Marine Corps is seeking public comment on a draft environmental assessment for plans to modernize equipment, facilities, and training in Hawaii to prepare its ground forces for expeditionary-style warfare in the Pacific.

AND END OF AN ERA – The Marine Corps has trained its final 8 scout snipers. The Marine Corps is cutting infantry battalions' scout sniper platoons and replacing them with scout platoons.

ALL THIS AS IRAN THREAT READY TO EXPLODE – READ BELOW.

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:

BIDEN AVOIDING GROWING IRAN THREAT

US Navy warship downs Iranian-backed attack in the Red Sea. The Navy's USS Mason shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthi rebels.

HIT IRAN! – To deter Houthi strikes in Red Sea, US must turn from defense to offense. Two senior commanders of US naval forces in the Middle East as well as an expert from JINSA argue the US must hit Houthi targets in Yemen to deter that group and other Iran-backed forces from widening the current conflict.

HIT IRAN! – Biden needs to strike back hard against Houthis to protect Red Sea — and US influence. Iran is on the offensive.

HIT IRAN! – It's five minutes past midnight in Armageddon. It is five minutes past midnight in Armageddon and Team Biden continues to dither in how to decisively respond to Iran's hastening pursuit of nuclear weapons.

HANDGUN ICON

Gaston Glock, creator of handgun that flooded the world, dies at 94. The Glock handgun, designed in the early 1980s, has been embraced by police and military but decried by gun-control advocates.

ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR

Austin, Gallant discuss ‘stabilization phase' to follow current stage of Gaza war. In their latest phone call earlier today, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “discussed Israel's military campaign in Gaza.”

GOOD! – Israel's ultra-Orthodox, exempt from military service, now enlisting. Mordechai Porat leaves his home each morning in a crisp black suit and hat. It isn't until he arrives at this army base in central Israel that he changes into his green military fatigues.

POLITICS

Democratic lawmaker calls for release of Paul Whelan from Russian custody. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) re-upped calls for the release of American Paul Whelan from Russian custody on Thursday, five years after he was apprehended.

Nikki Haley alleged she was set up by Democratic ‘plant' after being asked what caused the Civil War. The Republican presidential candidate who is facing backlash over her response to a question at a New Hampshire campaign event, alleged that that the questioner was potentially a Democratic “plant.”

HOMELAND SECURITY

WOO-HOO! – After USA TODAY investigation, military finally releases internal extremism report. More than a year and a half after it was completed, the Department of Defense has finally published a report about extremism in the ranks.

CHINA THREAT

LEARNING SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY ABOUT THIS GIANT BIDEN BLUNDER – US intelligence officials determined the Chinese spy balloon used a US internet provider to communicate. An American intelligence assessment found that the balloon used a commercially available U.S. network to communicate, primarily for navigation.

China urges regional alert as US military steps up forward deployment. China's defense ministry on Thursday urged the Asia-Pacific to be on high alert as the U.S. military edges closer, amid plans to revive a WWII Pacific airfield that launched atomic bombings of Japan.

‘BETTER TIES' BULLS**T – China Names New Defense Minister, Removing Block to US Talks. China named Dong Jun to replace the ousted Li Shangfu as defense minister, in a move that could pave the way to better military ties with the US.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Team Biden is quietly shifting its strategy in Ukraine. For two years, Biden and Zelenskyy have been focused on driving Russia from Ukraine. Now Washington is discussing a move to a more defensive posture.

Russia's Lavrov claims Ukraine's Western allies are quietly changing strategy in bid to end conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this as the conflict approaches its third year.

Russia fires 122 missiles and 36 drones in what Ukraine calls the biggest aerial barrage of the war. Russia launched 122 missiles and 36 drones against Ukrainian targets, killing at least 18 civilians across the country.

SPACE THREAT

US military space plane blasts off on another secretive mission. The Space Force's reusable, robotic craft is carrying classified experiments. There's no one on board.

Pentagon agencies team up in upcoming launch of hypersonic tracking satellites. Satellites developed by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Space Development Agency (SDA) will be part of a national security space mission currently projected for the second quarter of 2024.

6 exciting space missions set to launch in 2024. This year proved to be an important one for space missions, with NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returning a sample from an asteroid and India's Chandrayaan-3 mission exploring the lunar south pole, and 2024 is shaping up to be another exciting year for space exploration.

US POWER OVERSEAS

USS Bataan, USS Carter back in the Eastern Mediterranean after 5 months in Middle East. Amphibious warships Bataan (LHD-5) and Carter Hall (LSD-50) transited the Suez Canal on Thursday.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Venezuela will hold military exercises off its shores as a British warship head to Guyana. Nicolás Maduro ordered Venezuela's armed forces to conduct defensive exercises in the Eastern Caribbean after the UK sent a warship toward Guyana's territorial to deter Venezuela after it threatened its neighbor.

New Zealand naval chief talks future fleet, unmanned tech. The Royal New Zealand Navy recently introduced three high-speed, 41-foot Littoral Maneuver Craft to its fleet of nine ships and is now testing the Australian-made 22-foot uncrewed surface vessel Bluebottle.

Russia, India discuss joint production of weapons amid Ukraine war. India's foreign minister met Wednesday with Vladimir Putin, who said relations between the countries are progressing even amid turbulent times.

US MILITARY

Army numbers smallest since WWII — what units face cuts in 2024? The new year will likely prove to be one of significant force structure changes for the Army.

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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