PDB – Major National Security Threat and GOP Senator Moves on Russia

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

READ TODAY'S EXTENDED ‘RUSSIA THREAT' PDB BELOW:

National Security

The biggest threat to US national security today is the US Congress. The failure to pass a defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2022 means that the Department of Defense (DOD) will be restricted in how it operates for the year, and it will also stifle new initiatives to deal with the array of growing threats to the U.S.

GOP senator blocks Russia pro from joining Pentagon, drawing fiery rebuke. A key Russia expert and two other defense experts are being blocked from joining the Pentagon by GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, as the Biden administration struggles to solve the deepening Russia-Ukraine crisis and deploys thousands of U.S. troops to bolster European allies. 

Denmark may allow US troops on its soil, pact in the work. Denmark says it will begin negotiations on a new defense cooperation agreement with the U.S. that may include allowing American troops and military equipment to be stationed on Danish soil — in reversal of a decades-old policy. Read More.

Russia Threat – Ukraine

Russian troops bolster deployments near Ukraine, new satellite images show. Satellite images released Thursday show new military deployments in Crimea, Belarus and western Russia near Ukraine amid growing concern that Russia could try to invade its neighbor.

Ramstein Air Base is ready for a Russia contingency, but not a ‘worst-case scenario'. The two 10,000-foot runways at Ramstein Air Base were quiet and the flight line was calm under overcast skies and a blistering winter wind Feb. 4 as base commanders from three wings juggled priorities from two theaters and prepared for a Russia contingency.

American military aircraft on the move in Europe amid ongoing Ukraine crisis. The U.S. Air Force is sending eight F-15 Eagle fighter jets to Poland to bolster NATO defenses amid ongoing fears of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia could again invade Ukraine during Olympics, Blinken says. “We're in a window when an invasion could begin at any time and, to be clear, that includes during the Olympics,” Blinken added. The Olympic Games are scheduled to end on Feb. 20.

Aid to Ukraine might not make it ahead of potential invasion as Congress is gridlocked. As the United States mobilizes to forestall a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Congress is at risk of being missing in action.

4 east coast destroyers deploy to Europe joining US Naval buildup. The Navy sortied four East Coast guided-missile destroyers as the U.S. and NATO have massed naval forces in the region, USNI News has learned.

Armed nationalists in Ukraine pose a threat not just to Russia. Kyiv is encouraging arming nationalist paramilitary groups to thwart an invasion. But they could also destabilize the government if it agrees to a peace deal.

Finland to sign deal bringing US-built stealth jets to Russian border. Finland will sign a $9.4 billion agreement on Friday to buy U.S. F-35 fighter jets, bringing 64 radar-evading warplanes to a country bordering Russia at a time when Moscow is threatening military action unless the West pulls back its forces in Europe.

Iran Threat

Iranian president says Tehran ‘never has hope' in Vienna nuclear talks. Hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday Tehran “never” pins hope on ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the country's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

Biden Afghan Disaster

From the White House down,' pleas for help disrupted Afghan evacuation, top US commander says. The U.S. military mission to evacuate American citizens and foreign allies from Afghanistan was hampered by continuous appeals for help from an array of advocates including White House officials, members of Congress, veterans of the war, media outlets and even the Vatican, according to the operation's senior commander. .

Americans were promised an ‘orderly and safe' withdrawal from Afghanistan. US troops say it was anything but President Joe Biden assured the nation in April that the nearly 20-year-old Afghanistan war would come to an end with “an orderly and safe drawdown of U.S. personnel,” but when Kabul fell just four months later, U.S. troops rushed to the capital to save as many Americans and Afghans as possible from the sweeping advance of the Taliban.

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.