PDB – Why Are 100K US Troops Now in Europe?

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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

WHAT'S THE PLAN AND PURPOSE? The Pentagon is saying diddly squat about what thousands of extra US troops are doing in Europe. Since announcing the deployment of thousands of U.S. troops to Europe in support of NATO allies, there has been little to no information available about what troops are actually doing there. Even some within the military seem confused by the lack of transparency.

BORDER SECURITY

IMPORTANT MISSION – NEEDS FIXING – Texas Guard shakeup deepens, two more two-stars out. Less than 72 hours after Gov. Greg Abbott replaced the Texas National Guard's top general, two more top officials from the agency have suddenly stepped down, signaling a wide-ranging shakeup amid heavy criticism of the governor's controversial border mission.

GOOD REFUGEES – US allows Ukrainians fleeing war into the country through Mexico. Mexican officials say at least 310 Ukrainians have reached the northern border city of Tijuana by air this month.

CHINA THREAT

MESSAGE TO BIDEN – Exclusive: Chinese carrier sails through Taiwan Strait hours before Biden-Xi call. China sailed an aircraft carrier through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday, shadowed by a U.S. destroyer, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG – CHINA SPY THREAT – Navy officer sentenced after lying about his relationship with a Chinese defense firm. The case of Lt. Fan Yang, revealed in court documents and a Justice Department press release, started before Yang became an officer in 2013 and eventually grew to include his family business and wife as money flowed in from employment contracts he signed with Chinese partners.

RUSSIA THREAT

Russia's invasion of Ukraine: List of key events from day 23. The invasion has largely stalled on all fronts in recent days amid heavy losses, British military intelligence and the Ukrainian armed forces say.

DISINFORMATION – Contrary to Russian media reports, 3 Tennessee Guardsmen were not killed in Ukraine. The National Guard Bureau is refuting claims that Tennessee National Guard members were killed in Ukraine, rebuking what officials called a “patently false” Russian media report.

Russia-Ukraine live news: Missiles strike Lviv airport site. Russian missiles have destroyed an aircraft repair plant in western Ukrainian city of Lviv, Mayor Andriy Sadovy says.

Russia is destroying Kharkiv. “Kharkiv is not yet completely destroyed, but we hear constant shelling, constant bombing,” said Natalka Zubar, a 57-year-old I.T. professional who has remained in the city. “It's a place of constant airborne terror.”

THANK GOD – Survivors emerge from bombed theater in southern Ukraine. Workers were rescuing survivors from a theater in Mariupol that was sheltering hundreds, including children, as Russia increasingly targeted urban centers.

EASTERN EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY – Slovakia ready to provide S-300s and MiG-29s to Ukraine, pending new replacements. Slovakia has agreed to provide its S-300 air defense systems and MiG-29s to Ukraine “immediately” if it can get “proper” replacements in a timely manner, Slovak defense minister Jaroslav Nad told reporters in a joint press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.

IRAN THREAT

BUT BIDEN STILL DESPERATELY WANTS A DEAL – US Navy veteran jailed in Iran sues for $1 billion, alleges torture. The federal lawsuit describes in unsparing detail the “prolonged and continuous” abuse that Michael White says he suffered behind bars.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

AFRICOM's chief warned Mali about Putin's Wagner Group mercenaries. It didn't work. America's top commander for Africa said Thursday he personally urged Mali's ruling military junta not to invite in Russian mercenaries the Wagner Group before it did just that.

Britain sends its Brand New ‘Sky Sabre' air-defense system to guard Polish skies. A British air-defense system that has only been in service for a few months is being deployed to Poland to bolster that country's capabilities, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced during a visit to Warsaw March 17.

How does Russia's invasion of Ukraine impact the Middle East? Middle East leaders are not eager to see either the US or Russia declare a decisive victory in their confrontation over Ukraine.

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.