MONDAY PDB – US prepared ‘rigorously' for potential Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine in late 2022, officials say. The Biden administration was specifically concerned Russia might use a tactical or battlefield nuclear weapon, the officials said.
Jim Sciutto first reported that US officials were worried about Russia using a tactical nuclear weapon in 2022, but in his new book, “The Return of Great Powers” being published on March 12, he reveals exclusive details on the unprecedented level of contingency planning carried out as senior Biden officials became increasingly alarmed.
What led the Biden administration to reach such a startling assessment was not one indicator, but a collection of developments, analysis, and – crucially – highly sensitive new intelligence.
The administration's fear, a second senior administration official told him, “was not just – hypothetical – it was also based on some information that we picked up.”
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
Pentagon report: no sign of alien life in decades of UFO sightings. A DOD study released Friday that covered most of the last century of reported UFO sightings found no evidence of aliens or extraterrestrial intelligence, a conclusion consistent with past U.S. government assessments.
F-35A officially certified to carry nuclear bomb. This marks the first time that a stealth fighter can carry a nuclear weapon, in this case the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT PROMISE – Biden says “no US boots will be on the ground” for Gaza aid pier at his State of the Union speech. Watch now.
‘NO US BOOTS ON THE GROUND'? 1,000 US troops deploying to build offshore port for Gaza aid. This temporary pier will help flow more than 2 million meals a day into the territory, using an established military capability that officials say can build and deploy the structure without having any U.S. troops on the ground.
US denies that American aid drop in Gaza killed civilians on ground. A U.S. official did confirm dropping more aid into Gaza Friday morning but denied causing any deaths on the ground.
Bid to pause Israel-Hamas war falters before Ramadan starts. Tensions deepen between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu as hopes for a deal to pause fighting before the start of Ramadan crumbled and a U.S. ship sailed to ease the flow of aid into Gaza. Biden warned that an Israeli attack on the city of Rafah would cross a ‘red line' if it caused extensive civilian casualties.
‘Not an exaggeration': Fears rise of Israeli incursion into Lebanon to push back Hezbollah. Of a larger conflict, a retired Lebanese Brig. Gen. stated, “Hezbollah is ready but it doesn't want it, while Israel wants [it] but is not ready” to fight on two fronts. That may soon change.
HOMELAND SECURITY
National Guard helicopter crashes at Texas-Mexico border, killing 3. A helicopter flying over the border crashed Friday, killing two Guard soldiers and a Border Patrol agent. Another soldier on board was injured.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
Veterans and advocates urge due process before VA removes gun rights. A veteran's need for help managing disability payments and other benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs should not trigger the loss of his or her right to own a gun.
POLITICS
Father of Marine killed in Afghanistan arrested at State of the Union. His son was killed in a Kabul airport suicide bombing during Joe Biden's disastrous retreat from Afghanistan in August 2021. He was thrown out of Thursday night's speech after attempting to shout down Joe Biden.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US forces fly in to beef up security at US embassy in Haiti and evacuate nonessential personnel. The Pentagon said Sunday that it had flown in Marines.
THIS WAS ALWAYS THE BEST PART OF THESE DRILLS – US Marines make ‘lasting impression' on migrant children in Thailand. Children laughed, danced and cheered during a visit from Marines taking a community-relations break from two weeks of Cobra Gold military drills.
IRAN THREAT
US, allies shoot down 28 Houthi drones in large Red Sea skirmish. U.S., Brit, and French forces took out a “large-scale” attack targeting commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Central Command eyes drone-countering lasers for Middle East. Development and deployment of directed-energy weapons would enhance defense across the Greater Middle East, where Iran-backed militants are targeting U.S. troops with missiles and explosive drones.
CHINA THREAT
Hong Kong's new national security bill includes stiff penalties and more power to suppress dissent. The proposed law threatens life imprisonment for residents who “endanger national security,” and comes four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that all but wiped-out public dissent.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Poland's foreign minister says the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is ‘not unthinkable.' He added that he appreciates the French president for not ruling out that idea.
Russia's advance around Avdiivka loses momentum after quick gains. Ukraine has committed significant forces to defending the area, and Russian troops are now attacking across open fields with little cover.
Ukraine's Crimea campaign. The West risks imperiling Kyiv's progress on the peninsula by failing to provide enough weaponry.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea holds large scale artillery drills. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw large-scale firing drills on Thursday and called on his forces to further prepare for combat mobilization.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force eyes expanded network of ‘neighborhood watch' satellites. It may develop a new constellation of domain awareness satellites to detect and track objects in geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles above Earth.
France prepares for space wars in ‘AsterX' European exercise. In silent orbit around Earth, a potentially hostile satellite approaches an allied communication node, intentions unknown.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
A French frigate ‘destroys' a German sub in Norway's waters in NATO's biggest drills since the Cold War. Large NATO drills in the frigid fjords of northern Norway may be just war games meant to hone the fighting skills of the newly expanded 32-nation military alliance. But for troops taking part, they are very real.
US MILITARY
BROKEN TRACK: Suicides & suffering in Army's exhausted armor community. ‘What is the mission that we're killing ourselves for?' asked one officer.
Fire! See Marines run through the load-and-launch process of a Howitzer. Watch now.
V-22 Osprey fleet will fly again, with no fixes but renewed training. This, three months after it grounded the entire inventory of more than 400 aircraft following a fatal crash off the coast of Japan in November.
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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