FRIDAY PDB – Iranian attack expected on Israel in next two days. Israel is preparing for an imminent direct attack from Iran; Tehran yet to decide.
Top US military officer visits Israel amid fears of Iranian attack. U.S. Central Command head Gen. Erik Kurilla is in Israel to speak with officials as fear grows about a possible attack on Israel by Iran and the militant groups it backs.
Iran wants to hit Israel while avoiding retaliation from Washington, US assesses. Team Biden expects Iran's response in the coming days, and as early as this weekend.
MEANWHILE – Pentagon frustrated by lack of notice from Israel in Syria strike. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has complained directly to his Israeli counterpart.
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
Lower military secrecy thresholds coming this year, Plumb says. The Pentagon's top space policy official expects the military services to implement updated classification guidance meant to make it easier for the U.S. to communicate with allies and partners by the end of this year.
HOMELAND SECURITY
THIS IS SERIOUS – FBI chief warns of “coordinated attack” threat to US after Moscow terror attack. “As I look back over my career in law enforcement, I would be hard-pressed to think of a time where so many threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once.”
THANKS TO BIDEN – Man on terror watchlist was released by Border Patrol. The database indicates he is a member of Hezb-e-Islami, or HIG, a political and paramilitary organization that the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.
Maine shooter's commanding Army officer acknowledges his inaction over missed counseling sessions. He told an independent commission on Thursday that he did nothing when the reservist skipped counselor sessions and didn't attempt to verify that the shooter's family took away his guns.
POLITICS
House Speaker Mike Johnson is negotiating with White House to advance Ukraine and Israel aid.
Pelosi pushes for independent commission to examine Israel's World Central Kitchen (WCK) strike. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) this week pushed for an inquiry to look into the Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers earlier this month.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Don't abandon Iraq. The case for a continued US military presence.
USS Antietam shifts homeport from Japan to Hawaii. The cruiser's move to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is part of a “planned rotation of forces” in the region.
V-22 Ospreys will be critical to US operations in Haiti — here's why. Recent turmoil in Haiti reminds me of just how critical the V-22 Osprey's capability was in 2010, and again in 2016, when I helped respond to a crisis situation in Haiti.
In the Arctic, American commandos game out a great-power war. Navy SEALs and Green Berets train, as the Pentagon, wary of a conflict with Russia or China, stress-tests their preparedness.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Israel announces new operation against Hamas, day after killing top leader's sons. The precise operation to kill members of Hamas in Gaza was announced on Thursday,
CHINA THREAT
Marines work with new ships, interceptors, and drone platforms. The Marine Corps seeks to purchase eight new ships over the next five years to move littoral regiments around islands in the Pacific as it aims to counter the Chinese military.
China-made batteries eliminated from Navy, Marine Corps infrastructure after Camp Lejeune incident. After national security concerns spurred an American power company to disconnect Chinese-made batteries from Camp Lejeune last year, the Navy Department said it has taken a “proactive approach” to procure U.S. or allied-supplied batteries for its installations.
Chinese military willing to raise strategic trust level with Vietnam. China's defense minister told his Vietnam counterpart.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Britain cements foothold in Ukraine for weapons upkeep, production. Light artillery pieces donated to Ukraine by Britain's Ministry of Defense are to be repaired and maintained locally under a deal agreed by the two governments.
Can Ukraine find new soldiers without decimating a whole generation? The roughly one million men who serve in Ukraine's army are battered and exhausted. Many soldiers have been on combat duty for two years. Tens of thousands have been lost to death or serious injury. New recruits are desperately needed.
What about Ukraine's Abrams tanks? In early March Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade reportedly lost three M1A1 battle tanks, at least four M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and two Assault Breacher Vehicles in combat. This represents 10 percent of the brigade's tanks, five percent of its infantry fighting vehicles and about one-third of its armored engineer vehicles.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force launches weather satellite to replace 1960s-era spacecraft. It launched an operational weather satellite for the first time in a decade, as it upgrades a meteorological network that's been in orbit for more than half a century.
Space Force picks satellite providers for rapid delivery mission. It selected True Anomaly and Rocket Lab to develop spacecraft for its next Tactically Responsive Space mission, dubbed Victus Haze.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
In first, France's aircraft carrier to deploy under NATO command. France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group will deploy as the French Navy's flagship resumes operations after interim maintenance that kept it out of action most of last year.
AUKUS allies float path for Japan to join tech sharing pact. The U.S. is inviting Japan to be a potential partner on part of the trilateral AUKUS pact that aims to deepen top-secret technology sharing and joint development on advanced defense capabilities.
Russian military trainers arrive in Niger as relations deteriorate with the US. State TV footage shows Russian military trainers arriving in the country aboard a plane equipped with security supplies.
US MILITARY
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says amphibious ship could cost triple Navy's estimate. The Landing Ship Medium program will cost billions of dollars more than the U.S. Navy previously estimated, though the organization noted that ongoing questions about the ship's role create uncertainty on the final design and cost.
HILARIOUS – Marines take aim at Navy for fumbled firearm photo on social media. The Marine Corps schooled the Navy over social media Wednesday after the sea service uploaded a photo of a ship's commanding officer firing an improperly configured rifle.
Get a closer look at a fully autonomous underwater drone on display at Sea-Air-Space 2024. Watch now.
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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