TUESDAY PDB – If we don't stop them all now, it is just a matter of time, writes GOP Rep. Young Kim. Congress must act to support our allies Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.
Ukraine is fighting for its existence against Russian aggression; Israel is defending its right to exist against Hamas terrorists; and Taiwan and our Indo-Pacific partners face growing military threats from China and North Korea.
These rogue dictatorships don't just have their eyes on these targets — they're watching the U.S. Our response to these threats will directly determine our national security and standing on the world stage.
It's nothing new that weakness invites aggression. Our adversaries have been emboldened by Team Biden's foreign policy disasters, particularly with the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Joe Biden said he owed “no apologies” and that no one would be left behind, but Americans and allies know this was not the case.
As a result, our adversaries are emboldened, and our allies and partners are questioning our leadership.
We would be fools to think that Putin will end his aggression with Ukraine, that Hamas and Iran will not seek the complete destruction of Israel, and that Xi Jinping will be content with the status-quo in the Indo-Pacific.
If our adversaries win, they will rewrite the rules of the road at the expense of America's national security and global standing.
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
Time for a cabinet-level Department of Space? Maybe, says new report. If a new department or, alternatively, a “National Space Agency,” were to be established, it recommends that it be modeled on the Department of Energy (DoE), rather than the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that still suffers from an abundance of red tape.
HOMELAND SECURITY
WHAT FOREIGN COUNTRY? – Trial begins for Navy chief facing multiple espionage charges. The court-martial trial of a Navy chief charged with passing classified information to a foreign contact is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
POLITICS
THEY SHOULD STAY OUT OF THIS – Trump immunity bid opposed by 19 top former defense officials in brief filed with Supreme Court. Nineteen retired generals, admirals and former top civilian defense officials have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court opposing Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution.
Pompeo urges Johnson to bring Ukraine aid package to vote. Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to approve more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, arguing that backing Kyiv is vital to securing American freedom and values.
SEEMS TRIVIAL TO ME – Montana GOP Senate candidate says he lied to park ranger about gunshot wound in 2015. Tim Sheehy was cited for illegally discharging a weapon in a national park but says he made up the gunshot to cover up a bullet wound he received as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan that he never reported to superiors.
US POWER OVERSEAS
BUT IT ALREADY IS – US doesn't want to make Arctic contested battlespace, admiral says. The U.S. and its partners are not aiming to create a contested environment in the Arctic – despite an uptick in presence and exercises in the region.
US, Japan to announce military cooperation, joint NASA lunar mission. Joe Biden is hosting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a state visit this week, deepening ties between close allies.
USS America wraps drills with JMSDF, Russia flies bombers near Japan. Big deck amphib – LHA-6, and other U.S. Navy ships, and a submarine wrapped up the Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training 24 drill with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) in the Philippine Sea on Saturday.
Army to hold training in the Philippines as maritime tensions rise. It is introducing a joint battlefield training in the Philippines to improve combat readiness including by ensuring adequate supply of ammunition and other needs in difficult conditions in tropical jungles and on scattered islands.
EXCELLENT – US agrees to expand Samoa and Coast Guard cooperation. The U.S. and the Independent State of Samoa agreed to continue and expand cooperation to tackle transnational crime at sea, including a provision that essentially deputizes U.S. Coast Guard patrols to enforce Samoan law within its territorial waters.
ISRAEL WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Active fighting subsides in Gaza, but the war is not over, officials say. Israeli troops have left southern Gaza, and some Palestinians returned to the area.
IRAN THREAT
Israel's shadow war. The Israeli airstrike next to Iran's embassy in Damascus on April 1 targeted several high-ranking members of Iran's Quds Force — an elite division of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, a terrorist organization. Among those killed: top IRGC-Quds Force commander.
CHINA THREAT
China says it patrolled the South China Sea in an apparent response to US naval drills with allies. China's military said that all activities that “disrupt the South China Sea” are under control.
GET THEM OUT! – Controversial enlistment of 36 Chinese nationals by Philippine Coast Guard auxiliary unit can be traced to softer past stance on Beijing. The Chinese nationals on its active roster of civilian volunteers has aroused suspicions of spying amid maritime tensions between Manila and Beijing.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
US Army vet and Ranger school graduate killed fighting in Ukraine. More than 50 Americans have died in Ukraine since February 2022.
Britain, France ramp up warnings over Ukraine as they push for more military support. They called on NATO countries to do more, warning that the world is watching and “will judge us if we fail.”
NORTH KOREA THREAT
South Korea launches second military spy satellite. This, days after North Korea reaffirmed its plan to launch multiple reconnaissance satellites this year.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Kremlin: US military presence in Japan impedes any peace treaty with Tokyo. This has always been a stumbling block in Moscow and Tokyo reaching a peace treaty.
Polish defense leaders push ‘dronification' of the armed forces. They plan to embed drone capabilities into all levels of the armed forces, building a new military component devoted to unmanned aircraft and speeding up their acquisition.
DO MORE! – Canada to boost military spending by nearly $6 billion but falls short on NATO goal. The new defense policy paper does not offer a timeline for the country to meet the 2 percent GDP target, but it argues a move to double military spending between 2016-2017 to 2026-2027 is “on track.”
Aussie PM says no Japan as AUKUS member, but Pillar II on table. Officials from the U.S., UK and Australia today seemed to express confidence that new members could be added to the AUKUS agreement without becoming a distraction from the already-underway submarine work — only for the Australian prime minister to temper expectations.
German troops arrive in Lithuania, their first long-term foreign deployment since World War II. Lithuanian leaders hailed a “historic event” as Germany began deploying troops in the Baltic country — a fellow NATO member.
US MILITARY
Top Navy leader has ordered ‘deep dive' on amphibious ship readiness after delays with USS Boxer. She ordered a “deep dive” into maintenance and readiness issues following the big deck amphibious ship's monthslong deployment delay that finally ended last week.
‘Here and now': CNO Franchetti on the looming munitions issue for ships in Middle East. Adm. Lisa Franchetti acknowledged the Navy hasn't invested in munitions sufficiently in previous years but is sending a demand signal to industry.
Why getting better barracks matters to the top enlisted Marine. Giving Marines better barracks will take hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
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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