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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
SO SAID MITT ROMNEY TO OBAMA – The Pentagon is now calling Russia an ‘acute threat.' In Pentagon jargon, Russia has gone from a “great power competitor” to an “acute threat,” but it's not yet clear what that means for U.S. service members and their families.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Russia's war in Ukraine has not yet spilled over into cyberattacks on US, says lawmaker. Russia's continued belligerence in Eastern Europe has so far not translated into cyberattacks that damage U.S. public and private sectors, a leading lawmaker said March 29, amid heightened worries of a wartime domino effect in the cyber domain.
CHINA THREAT
China, Russia ‘more determined' to boost ties, Beijing says. Moscow and Beijing are “more determined” to develop bilateral ties and boost cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday following a meeting in eastern China with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, amid the Ukraine crisis.
How to prevent China from coming to Russia's rescue. The only way for Washington and Brussels to accomplish that objective is to impose harsh, compulsory penalties on any Chinese entities that skirt sanctions, in effect tying Beijing's hands.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
LYING TO PUTIN? Amid new Russian attacks near Kyiv, White House says Putin misled by aides. Strikes in key Ukrainian cities fuel skepticism of Moscow's pullback plan. Aides are ‘afraid' to tell Putin the truth about the invasion, U.S. says.
Ukraine expects Russian assault in east after invaders pushed back near Kyiv. Ukrainian forces are preparing for new Russian attacks in the southeast region where Moscow's guns are now trained after its assault on the capital Kyiv was repelled, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.
Russian soldiers in Ukraine sabotaged own equipment, UK spy chief says. The efforts are evidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin's miscalculation when he decided to invade Ukraine, Jeremy Fleming, head of Britain's signals intelligence agency, said in a speech Thursday at Australian National University. U.S. and British officials have said Putin, more isolated than ever, was misinformed by his aides, further stoking tensions.
ESCALATION? Russian hackers targeted NATO, eastern European militaries – Google. Russian hackers have recently attempted to penetrate the networks of NATO and the militaries of some eastern European countries, Google's Threat Analysis Group said in a report published on Wednesday.
DO IT ALREADY – Will Slovakia send Ukraine S-300 air defenses? The Pentagon is working on it. A top Pentagon official told lawmakers Wednesday the Biden administration is working to accommodate NATO ally Slovakia's offer to send more S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine, following Russia's invasion.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
April is likely to be a busy month for North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un. Launches over the last six months, have included two hypersonic ballistic missiles, a train-mounted ballistic missile, an intermediate range ballistic missile, submarine-launched ballistic missile, long-range cruise missiles and ballistic missile launches that tested systems related to military reconnaissance satellites.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
INDIA GOOD ON CHINA – BAD ON RUSSIA – US sends senior national security official to India to discuss Ukraine. President Joe Biden's deputy national security adviser for economics, Daleep Singh, will travel to New Delhi and meet government officials to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and develop an economic framework for the Indo-Pacific, the White House said on Tuesday.
BIDEN RUINED TRUMP'S SUCCESSES – Ukraine has widened the breach between U.S. and Persian Gulf countries. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has underscored existing strains in the Biden administration's relationships in the Middle East, even as it has brought new unity to NATO and transatlantic ties.
El Salvador declares ‘state of emergency' as homicides soar. Rights groups sound alarms. El Salvador's Legislative Assembly approved a state of emergency Sunday that was requested by President Nayib Bukele in response to a spike in homicides allegedly committed by gangs, a move that worries human rights groups who see the measure as an opportunity for Bukele's government to trample individual liberties.
BIDEN'S AFGHAN DISASTER
HORRIFIC – In Afghanistan, ‘people selling babies, young girls to survive.' Dire economic situation sees children dying of starvation as millions of Afghans struggle to put food on their tables.
THANK YOU BIDEN – Report documents claims that Taliban are using biometric data collected by US, partners. The Taliban may be using databases of biometric information left in Afghanistan by the U.S. military and international organizations to target soldiers and dissidents, according to a report issued Wednesday by a human rights advocacy group.
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.
So, does this mean the Red Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Navy (PLAN) will engage in operations against the West to be helpful?