PDB – Iran Smuggles Arms to Russia for Ukraine War

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Today's PDB includes a variety of critical, global national security issues.

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READ TODAY'S PDB BELOW:

NATIONAL SECURITY

DANGEROUS WEAKNESS – Biden will not fund the Navy America needs. In a defense budget of $813 billion, they couldn't find $3 billion to adequately grow the fleet?

HOMELAND SECURITY

WELL DESERVED – Army vet, ex-cop convicted of storming Capitol to disrupt Congress. Jurors convicted former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson of all six counts he faced stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

The war next door: Conflict in Mexico is displacing thousands. As criminal groups battle for control over Mexican territory, the displaced are becoming increasingly visible, in towns such as Coahuayana and at the U.S. border.

CHINA THREAT

MORE THAN NOTHING – LESS THAN ALL OUT – A Chinese Invasion of Taiwan: What Response Would Americans Support? Putin's invasion of Ukraine has heightened the possibility that Chinese leader Xi Jinping might invade Taiwan. Xi has made no secret of his ambition to annex the island, and may be emboldened to act sooner rather than later absent a strong international response to Putin's aggression. The majority of respondents to a recent poll favor economic sanctions – or a combination of military support and economic sanctions  – as the appropriate response to an attack on Taiwan.

NOT SO COVERT MISSION – China delivers anti-aircraft missiles to Serbia. China has delivered anti-aircraft missile systems to Serbia as part of a contract the European nation signed with China that also included drones.

RUSSIA THREAT

BUT DID IT REALLY? Russia says it hits Ukraine air defenses before eastern push. Russia claimed that it destroyed several air defense systems in Ukraine over the weekend, in what appeared to be a renewed push to gain air superiority and take out weapons Kyiv has described as crucial ahead of a broad new offensive in the east.

Analysis: Even with sanctions, Russia can afford to feed its war machine. Russia can afford to wage a long war in Ukraine despite being hammered by Western sanctions aimed at crippling its ability to sustain the campaign, defense experts and economists say.

The next big battle in the war, in Ukraine's east, is likely to look very different, experts said. After meeting Vladimir V. Putin, Austria's chancellor said the Russian leader wants to escalate the war as he focuses on the Donbas region. Ukrainians warned of possible Russian use of chemical weapons.

Hubris and isolation led Vladimir Putin to misjudge Ukraine. A hubristic and isolated leader, beset by biases and skewed information, pressed forward with the calamitous decision to invade Ukraine without consulting his full cohort of advisers.

IRAN THREAT

AXIS OF EVIL – Russia ‘using weapons smuggled by Iran from Iraq against Ukraine.' Russia is receiving munitions and military hardware sourced from Iraq for its war effort in Ukraine with the help of Iranian weapons smuggling networks, according to members of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and regional intelligence services with knowledge of the process. RPGs and anti-tank missiles, as well as Brazilian-designed rocket launcher systems, have been dispatched to Russia from Iraq as Moscow's campaign has faltered in the last month.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Biden asks India to ‘do more' to stop Russia and help Ukraine. In a virtual meeting, the president pushed India's Modi to cut Russian energy purchases, while the White House kept a diplomatically polite facade.

Despite Russia tensions, U.S. and India deepen defense ties. Eyeing China, U.S., and India committed to deeper defense ties in space and cyberspace as well as an expansion of their joint military exercises, officials from both countries announced Monday.

US MILITARY AND SPACE

The US Navy SEALs just turned 60. Here are the missions that have made them legendary. In the 60 years since their unit was formed, the SEALs have operated all over the globe, fighting on their own or in support of other US military units.

Maxar eager to launch new satellites amid soaring demand for imagery over Ukraine. As Maxar Technologies' satellites continue to collect images of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the company is working with customers so it can allocate more capacity to meet U.S. government needs, said Maxar's CEO Daniel Jablonsky.

END of PDB

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