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PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Commander of Indo-Pacific Command said he was unfazed by media reports that DOD’s draft National Defense Strategy will prioritize defense of the homeland over challenging Beijing and Moscow globally, believing homeland defense extends across the Pacific.
“[T]he homeland is in the Pacific,” Adm. Samuel Paparo said.
The American territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are in the Western Pacific, while the state of Hawaii is in the Central Pacific, he added.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is joined in compacts of free association with Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Marshall Islands, which means the U.S. is responsible for their national defense, he said.
“Defense-in-depth means that the Pacific is a priority theater because four of the five priority threats to the United States of America — to the security, freedom and well-being of the United States —traverses the Indo-Pacific geography,” Paparo concluded.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories ending the week from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
The threats facing the U.S. today are the greatest since World War II. China is pressing hard in the Pacific, Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Iran, and North Korea remain fixated on their nuclear aspirations. Worse, all four are closely aligned. Our homeland is increasingly under threat with the proliferation of strike capabilities.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Republicans in Congress are eager for Trump to expand his use of the military on U.S. soil.
Could National Guard soldiers be deployed in Dallas to combat crime? Texas Republicans laud Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in D.C., saying the move has helped reduce violent crime in the nation’s capital and bolstered public safety.
Army veteran who burned U.S. flag wants to legally challenge White House order that directs prosecutors to criminally charge individuals who burn the American flag.
House, Senate leaders will work to advance the annual defense authorization bill this week and adopt final drafts to be used in conference negotiations.
President Donald Trump celebrated that an alumni group from West Point canceled an award ceremony set to honor Tom Hanks, with the president calling the famous actor “destructive” and “WOKE.”
US POWER OVERSEAS
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Puerto Rico as the U.S. steps up its military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean.
These are the approximate positions of the Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of September 8, 2025.
USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRF CSG) led an allied maritime force with Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) and NATO Allies Norway, Germany and France to conduct routine operations in the High North region which ended on Sept. 8.
Navy’s most advanced carrier has spent the last two weeks operating at the edge of the Arctic Circle alongside a combined NATO flotilla, underscoring just how central the High North has become in great power competition.
Marine Corps’ forward-deployed air-ground task force took to the high seas around Australia and boarded expeditionary sea base USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5), setting the stage for the unit to conduct future afloat operations.
Marine Corps will deploy two new missile systems to Japan’s Ishigaki Island for the first time during a largest Resolute Dragon joint exercise beginning this week.
U.S. Africa Command has now launched more annual airstrikes in Somalia this year than at any time in the organization’s nearly 20-year history.
For the first time, Army AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters launched Spike NLOS missiles in the European theater. The Israeli-made missiles were used during a live-fire exercise in Poland.
MIDDLE EAST THREATS
Tunisia denies claims Greta Thunberg’s Gaza flotilla was hit by drone. The flotilla plans to continue its voyage despite the incident, with organizers vowing to press ahead in what they call a “global act of civil resistance.”
Israeli strike targets senior Hamas leadership in Qatar, escalating its conflict with the Palestinian terror group by targeting its political leadership in the Gulf state for the first time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Palestinians in Gaza City to “leave now,” as the UN human rights chief condemned Israel for what he described as the “mass killing” of civilians and deliberate obstruction of lifesaving aid.
Israel struck and destroyed another high-rise building in Gaza City after warning residents to evacuate, part of an offensive aimed at taking over the largest Palestinian city. The military said it was targeting Hamas observation posts and bombs placed around the 12-story office building.
CHINA THREAT
Canadian frigate and Australian destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, prompting protests from China.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
After attending China military parade, an emboldened Kim Jong Un watched a test of North Korea’s new high-thrust rocket engine, an event that sets the stage for Pyongyang to test its newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-20.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
MBDA, Europe’s largest missile maker, is developing a non-line-of-sight missile for tanks that crews can load like a regular shell and launch from their 120-millimeter cannon, giving them a way to hit adversaries hiding behind buildings, tree cover or a hill using the main gun.
Despite increased investments in homegrown weapons and systems, European nations are still facing major gaps in intelligence gathering, space access, long-range strike and missile defense, leaving governments heavily reliant on the U.S.
A commercial ship likely cut cables in the Red Sea that disrupted internet access in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, showing the lines’ vulnerability over a year after another incident severed them.
US MILITARY
Marine Corps plans to push ahead with buying the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to replace its Humvees, though it may end up with fewer than planned if the Army’s sudden exit drives up the cost per vehicle.
Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment has tested using First Person View, or FPV, one-way attack drones to destroy enemy tanks, drawing heavily from tactics that have become commonplace in Ukraine war.
USS St. Louis (LCS 19) crew completes ‘at-sea Main Propulsion Diesel Engine repair,’ enabling the ship to remain on mission. This self-sufficient repair, previously requiring contractor assistance, marks another milestone in the Navy’s effort to strengthen crew-led maintenance and improve operational readiness of the LCS fleet.
Navy failed to correct certain ‘open deficiencies’ with its new unmanned surveillance aircraft MQ-4C Triton ahead of green-lighting it for operations.
Navy’s new top officer pledged to bring free barracks Wi-Fi, off-ship housing for every sailor and a payroll review as part of a broad effort to improve quality of life across the fleet.
Air Force last week awarded a two-year contract to design and prototype the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP) follow up of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-busting bomb that this year struck a key Iranian nuclear facility.
New collaboration between commercial space and defense firms Varda Space Industries, LeoLabs, and Anduril successfully demonstrated advanced hypersonic vehicle tracking.
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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