TUESDAY PDB – HAPPY NEW YEAR! – North Korea's Kim says military should ‘thoroughly annihilate' US and South Korea if provoked. This, after he vowed to boost national defense to cope with what he called an unprecedented U.S.-led confrontation.
North Korea has increased its warlike rhetoric in recent months in response to an expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills.
In a five-day major ruling party meeting last week, Kim said he will launch three more military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and develop attack drones this year in what observers say is an attempt to increase his leverage in future diplomacy with the U.S.
MEANWHILE, JUST LIKE JAPAN – South Korea's military has a new enemy: Population math. South Korea, with the world's lowest birth rate, may soon find itself without enough troops to keep its military fully staffed as it deals with new threats in an increasingly tense Western Pacific region.
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:
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
Powerful earthquakes leave at least 48 dead, destroy buildings along Japan's western coast. Japan's military dispatched 1,000 soldiers to the disaster zones to join rescue efforts, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.
Japan Airlines plane in flames on runway at Tokyo airport; all passengers and crew evacuated. The passenger jet appears to have collided with a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft that was heading to Niigata to provide relief for the recent earthquake.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel. After months of extra duty at sea providing protection for Israel, the carrier strike group will be heading home.
Israel says it will pull several brigades from Gaza Strip. The announcement could signal a shift to the more limited and targeted war against Hamas that the U.S. has been urging.
IS BIDEN A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY? – The Biden administration once again bypasses Congress on an emergency weapons sale to Israel. For the second time this month Team Biden is bypassing Congress to approve emergency weapons sale to Israel.
POLITICS
How many vets will be in Congress after the election? Congress hasn't had at least 100 members of the House and Senate with military backgrounds since 2017. But the veterans caucus in the legislature right now is close enough to challenge that mark in the 2024 elections.
CHINA THREAT
China's military purge deepens. China's leaders are expanding an anti-corruption campaign targeting power centers within the military, risking instability and a crisis of confidence during a sensitive time in China's foreign relations.
Inside the US Coast Guard patrols off Peru in mission to stop Chinese overfishing. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring Chinese fishing fleets off South America as part of a multinational law enforcing effort aimed at curbing overfishing, primarily a large group of Chinese vessels pursuing giant squid.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russia hammers Kharkiv with New Year's Eve strikes after Ukraine's attack on border city. Sunday's assaults come a day after Moscow accused Kyiv of launching a deadly air attack inside Russia.
Russian ballistic missiles strike Ukraine's two largest cities. Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles struck on Tuesday morning, killing at least four people, and injuring almost 100.
Zelensky vows increase in Ukraine-made weapons in 2024. In a year-end speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised an increase in domestically produced weapons in the coming year for the country's war against Russia.
IRAN THREAT
Iran dispatches warship to Red Sea after US sinks Houthi small boats. In a display of heightened tensions, Iran dispatched a warship to the Red Sea, one day after the U.S. Navy destroyed and sank three Iran-backed Houthi attack boats.
NOT ENOUGH – US Navy sinks Houthi small boats during hijack attempt in Red Sea. It shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Hours later, four boats tried to attack the same ship, but U.S. forces opened fire, killing several of the armed crews.
NOT ENOUGH – US air raids over eastern Syria near Iraqi border kill 6 Iran-backed militants. Three overnight airstrikes hit eastern Syria near a strategic border crossing with Iraq.
SPACE THREAT
US Space Force sends X-37B craft on another secretive mission. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launch vehicle successfully lifted the secretive test platform to orbit, continuing the vehicle's experimental and largely classified mission.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Marines build 3rd Littoral Regiment to fight peer threats. Another littoral regiment is planned for Guam in 2025.
Marines start moving from Japan to new base on Guam. In 2024, the U.S. and Japan plan to spend more than $1 billion on construction at Camp Blaz, Guam.
Pennsylvania Army National Guard company deploys to Horn of Africa. Pride, hugs, smiles, and some tears were shown at the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's Cambridge Springs Readiness Center on Sunday.
RIP, DEVIL DOG – Marine embassy security guard dies on duty in Republic of Congo. Lance Cpl. Nicholas Maurice Dural, 20, of Lafayette, Louisiana, had been serving at the U.S. embassy in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, since April.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Venezuela says troops will stay deployed until British military vessel leaves waters off Guyana. It will continue to deploy nearly 6,000 troops until the British warship sent to support neighboring Guyana leaves.
Even more US-Australia submarine collaboration on the horizon. The U.S. and Australian navies will see their submarine-specific partnerships grow in multiple ways throughout 2024.
TESTING? – Poland says ‘everything indicates' a Russian missile briefly entered its airspace and left. Poland's defense forces said an unknown object entered the country's airspace Friday morning from the direction of Ukraine and then vanished off radars.
US MILITARY
Surge in drone warfare leads Pentagon to open counter-drone warfare school for US troops. Small inexpensive “off the shelf” drones like those Ukraine is using against Russia, and Hamas is deploying against Israel, are transforming modern warfare.
Army's mixed reality device nears fielding with final testing in 2024. If testing goes well, the Army plans to field the futuristic device by 2025.
Time to test a ship-based hypersonic missile launcher. Flight tests using a ship-based hypersonic missile launcher will start in 2024.
Navy's supercarrier strategy will go on after USS Nimitz is gone. The Nimitz has been the template of American sea power for nearly a half-century.
Air Force said its nuclear missile silos were safe, but dangers lurked. Documents show the risks that toxic substances posed in the underground capsules and silos where nuclear missile crews have worked since the 1960s.
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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