⏱ 7 minute read
PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – A group of anonymous, likely Democrat, former military lawyers (JAGS) issued a memo condemning War Secretary Pete Hegseth for allegedly ordering a commander and military personnel to kill everybody aboard a drug-carrying vessel in early September after it had already been hit once.
In their interpretation, based on a bombshell Washington Post story, the order was illegal, and the strike was likely a war crime.
However, Cornell Law Professor and former Army judge advocate, Shreds ‘Entirely Unconvincing’ War Crime Accusation Against Hegseth. “This is an entirely unconvincing — and potentially dangerous — legal analysis.”
He argues that not only is the anonymous JAG letter unconvincing, but it’s also built on fundamental misstatements of the law, misreadings of the facts, and a dangerously destabilizing narrative about “unlawful orders” that fractures trust within the force.
If the boat was not sunk by the first strike, a second strike to fully destroy the boat, even with survivors, would be appropriate and legal.
It is also highly suspicious that the news of the two-month-old boat strike alleged orders broke just after the “Seditious Six” Democrat congresspersons made their video urging troops to disobey illegal orders.
White House said the Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second, follow-up strike on a drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in September, which has come under bipartisan scrutiny.
Still, Senate and House Armed Services committees will open bipartisan inquiries into U.S. military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, with a focus on the follow-on attack that reportedly killed two survivors of the initial strike.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:
HOMELAND SECURITY
Afghans who assisted U.S. forces during 20-year Afghan War still should be given chance to enter the country, advocates say, condemning State Department’s decision to stop issuing visas after an Afghan national shot two National Guard members in D.C. last week, killing one.
All soldiers and Army civilian employees must report any offers for secondary employment or requests to participate in academic projects amid an uptick in adversary efforts to steal classified or sensitive information.
West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last week in brazen daytime attack in D.C., remains in serious condition but showed positive signs by giving thumbs-up that he could hear nurse’s question.
DEFENSE POLITICS
Too bad. Some service members who wear beards for “religious” reasons worry the Pentagon may soon target their shaving waivers, following recent policy shifts that have already tightened rules for troops with medical exemptions.
The sabotage of Hegseth’s acquisition reform initiative. With his plan for radically overhauling how the department develops and buys military capability, one could conclude that Pentagon leaders finally get what needs to be done to innovate at speed and compete with China.
VENEZUELA-NARCO THREAT
President Trump acknowledged he recently spoke with Venezuela’s leftist dictator Nicolas Maduro but offered no details about the conversation.
US POWER OVERSEAS
These are approximate positions of Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Dec. 1, 2025.
Coast Guard Cutter and heavy icebreaker Polar Star (WAGB 10) departed Seattle for its 29th deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze.
CHINA THREAT
U.S. military is currently underway with massive strategic shift in Pacific, rebuilding island bases from World War II, reviving old units in allied countries, and fortifying important bases. It’s preparation for a potential peer-on-peer war with China in the Pacific.
In austere island outposts in Pacific, Marine Corps wants its aircraft to land on functioning airfield 90 minutes after portable GPS landing system equipment is flown in via an MV-22 Osprey or CH-53 King Stallion.
Marine Corps recently activated three new companies at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, part of Force Design 2030 and greater effort to defend the first island chain near China.
Japan considering selling surface-to-air missiles to Philippines as Tokyo moves to loosen export restrictions and respond to rising China threat.
Manila’s second Korean-made offshore patrol vessel was launched ahead of, marking latest step in Philippine Navy’s steady modernization to face China.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Putin hails Russian capture of all of eastern Ukraine’s Pokrovsk region. Ukraine denies this. The city’s fall, if confirmed, gives Moscow a platform to drive north towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the Donetsk region, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
Austria-Hungary’s mistake and Ukraine’s risk. The southeastern Polish city of Przemy on the Eastern Front was site of largest and bloodiest siege of WWI, and illustrated upsides and downsides of dogged static, positional defense — the usual approach of the underdog. It holds a valuable lesson for the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s president spoke optimistically about revising Trump administration’s peace plan, saying “it looks better” and work will continue during talks on how to end Russia’s war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity remains “biggest challenge” in ongoing negotiations over U.S. plan to end the war.
Russia fielded new version of Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone armed with single R-60 heat-seeking air-to-air missile, theoretically giving the one-way attacker way to engage Ukrainian fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, but its effectiveness is unclear.
While just few years ago Russia’s fleet in Mediterranean was significant factor in Moscow’s military and political presence, today its footprint there is virtually disappearing.
Danish aerospace manufacturer Terma Group acquired U.K.-based counter-drone company OSL in effort to boost its drone-defense portfolio, amid uptick in likely Russian aerial intrusions aimed at critical infrastructure.
MIDDLE EAST THREATS
Israeli settlers attack, beat and rob Italian and Canadian volunteers in West Bank.
U.S Central Command (CENTCOM) and Bahrain opened new bilateral Combined Command Post for air defense.
U.S. military forces working alongside Syrian counterparts discovered and destroyed 15 Islamic State terrorist weapons caches in southern Syria.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea may grow more hostile next year unless diplomacy resumes, the South’s unification minister has warned while urging renewed efforts to restart talks with Pyongyang.
SPACE THREATS
To complement RG-XX reconnaissance satellite fleet, Space Force’s strategy to replace its fleet of neighborhood watch surveillance satellites in geosynchronous orbit includes plans to field multiple satellite constellations, one focused on reconnaissance and one focused on surveillance that will autonomously track objects in GEO.
European Space Agency (ESA) has approved a new three-year $1.6 billion plan that for the first time funds an initiative to support new ‘non-aggressive’ space defense programs across its 23 member states.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Europe ponders how to ready industry for war, without being at war. Getting their defense industries ready to pump out hundreds of thousands of drones or other arms in case of war, without ending up with warehouses full of obsolete kit.
Britain can expand its long-term influence in Indo-Pacific by using its alliances, training strengths and regulatory expertise.
UK Typhoon fighters will be deploying to Arctic later this month for secret escort mission involving a cargo aircraft.
Canada joined multibillion-dollar EU defense fund, becoming first non-European country to do so, as Ottawa looks to diversify its military spending away from the U.S.
African leaders pushed to have colonial-era crimes recognized, criminalized, and addressed through reparations. Ummm. No.
US MILITARY
Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is continuing to develop ability to detect and destroy enemy aerial drones with latest Version 6 (V6) software package that enhances Apache’s qualifications as a drone-hunter.
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.
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The news commentary is not based on fact. It’s based on ideology. If one actually knows the law,, and many do not, will not accept or consider what the Post and other left wing rags and MSM’s are putting out. Know the law or shut up you bs.