PDB – North Korea Tests Most Powerful Missile Since Biden Took Office and Putin’s Trouble in Eastern Ukraine

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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

US military readies to ‘walk and chew gum' as multiple crises loom. As roughly 100,000 Russian troops amass around Ukraine, a series of emerging crises around the world — the Middle East, China, North Korea — are demanding the full attention of NATO, and particularly its most powerful member, the United States.

China Threat

RACING TO FIND IT BEFORE CHINA – Navy says the leaked images of the F-35 crash into the South China Sea are real. A video and photos of an F-35C Joint Strike Fighter that suffered a “landing mishap” Jan. 24 aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and then fell into the South China Sea show the jet just before and after its impact with the flight deck.

Russia Threat – Ukraine

Russia, US, Ukraine to square off at UN Security Council. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday for the first time on Russia's troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact.

US Navy and NATO presence in the Black Sea has fallen since Russia took part of Ukraine, figures show. A Stars and Stripes analysis of the data revealed that despite NATO rhetoric about a stepped-up presence in the Black Sea, the trend has gone in the opposite direction.

GOOD NEWS – In Eastern Ukraine's largest city, Pro-Russia sympathies wither. While Kharkiv may have been a relatively easy target for Russia in the past, sentiment in the city of 1.4 million has since shifted dramatically against the Kremlin.

MORE GOOD NEWS – Pro-Moscow separatists once marched in this Ukraine city. Now it stands against Russia. Ukraine's fault lines over language and identity run deep in the border city of Kharkiv. Yet the greater pull now comes from the West.

PUTIN UNAFRAID – Deal on Russia sanctions bill possible this week – US senators. U.S. senators are very close to reaching a deal on legislation to sanction Russia over its actions on Ukraine, including some measures that may take effect before any invasion, two leading senators said on Sunday.

UK prepares to deploy forces to NATO's eastern flank, as Ukraine sees continued cyberattacks. The British government ordered its armed forces to prepare to deploy across Europe as a result of the Ukraine crisis on Saturday, as Ukrainian authorities reported a renewal of cyberattacks and Russia agreed to move a planned naval exercise off Ireland's coast following an outcry by local fishermen.

North Korea

N. Korea confirms test of missile capable of striking US bases in Guam. North Korea confirmed Monday it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, the North's most significant weapon launch in years, as Washington plans steps to show its commitment to its Asian allies.

International Security

UAE intercepts Houthi missile strike as Israeli president visits. The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement as the UAE hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his first visit to the Gulf business and tourism hub.

PROVIDING US MISSILES IS BETTER – Philippines signs deal for Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile. The Philippines has signed a contract with an Indian company for shore-based medium-range supersonic anti-ship missiles, enhancing the U.S. ally's ability to target adversarial ships from land.

Biden's Afghan Disaster

THEIR BLOOD ON BIDEN'S HANDS – UN report says Taliban have killed scores of former Afghan officials, others. A U.N. report seen by Reuters says the Taliban and its allies are believed to have killed scores of former Afghan officials, security force members and people who worked with the international military contingent since the U.S.-led pullout.

Biden calls for release of US hostage, a Navy veteran, in Afghanistan. Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Illinois, was kidnapped in January 2020 from the capital of Kabul.

Military and Space

The US Army has an artillery problem, but it's working on high-tech solutions. Today's Russian army has continued the tradition with a formidable array of howitzers and multiple rocket launchers. But in the US, the god of war now has grown feet of clay.

Winter Fury: Marine cold weather training exercise coming to Moses Lake, Wash. Dubbed Winter Fury 22, the exercise will bring Marines from bases across the western United States for five days of simulated combat — including long-range air strikes and practice seizing an airbase and repairing runway damage.

END of PDB

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.