Russia ‘Attacking’ NATO Allies, Trump Says Shoot Them Down

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) –  Civil aviation at risk. In the past week, Russia has ramped up a diplomacy of intimidation in the Baltic Sea using planes, drones and words aimed at Ukraine’s European allies.

Two of Scandinavia’s busiest airports – Oslo and Copenhagen – were forced to close for several hours due to drone sightings overnight, disrupting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people.

Denmark has said that the drone incursions that shut down two major Nordic airports overnight constituted an “attack.” This, after more than a dozen Russian drones entered Polish airspace, with some being shot down, and following a flight into Estonian airspace by Russian MiG-31.

Trump said that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that enter their airspace.

Drones and cyber outages exposing aviation weak spots since 2017. A hack hitting major airports across Europe followed by drone incursions in Copenhagen and Oslo have highlighted vulnerabilities in aviation infrastructure and security.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories ending the week from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEFING – the PDB:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Navy conducted four missile test flights of unarmed Trident II D5LE missiles from an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine off the east coast of Florida. One launch test was visible from Puerto Rico.

Ongoing restructuring of the Sentinel ICBM program is expected to culminate in a new Milestone B decision by mid-2027. Brig. Gen. William Rogers said he has “every intention” of having it fully operational before 2050.

DEFENSE POLITICS

Pentagon plans to terminate a 75-year-old advisory committee promoting female service members, citing a “divisive” and harmful agenda — days after a previous memo established plans for reactivating it.

Senate Democrats demand cost estimate for renaming the Department of War as a secondary title.

US POWER OVERSEAS

CENTCOM forms task force to speed delivery of drones, tech to troops.

USS Stockdale arrived in the Caribbean after traveling through the Panama Canal to support anti-narcotics operations.

Washington is looking to set up a military storage facility in the Philippines at the former U.S. naval base at Subic Bay by the summer of 2026.

Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base. USS John L. Canley (ESB 6). arrives in Palau during Pacific Partnership 2025.

CHINA THREAT

Space Force and industry officials want dynamic space operations with frequent satellite maneuvers in orbit. But with China’s advances in space, the urgency for figuring out how is growing.

While the U.S. dominates reusable rocket technology, officials are warning that China’s rapid progress in the field could one day erode that lead and reshape the strategic balance in orbit.

Chinese spacecraft have imaged orbiting U.S. commercial and military early warning satellites as the two countries seek to demonstrate and assess respective capabilities.

Unlike the vitriol directed at NATO allies, Washington’s pressure for Pacific partners to do more underscores their centrality in U.S. security thinking and has helped assuage regional apprehensions of abandonment.

RUSSIA THREAT

President Trump said that he now believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from his repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

NATO Secretary General insisted that the alliance and Poland are aligned on how to counter drone incursions over allied territory as Warsaw vows to unilaterally shoot down “objects” that enter its airspace without permission.

Kremlin is threatening Moldova’s independence, president warns ahead of key vote. Moldova holds a parliamentary election that could have sweeping consequences for its bid to join the EU, while it confronts Russian interference in its domestic politics.

Moldovan police launch sweeping raids over alleged Russian meddling.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

Israel is close to striking a “de-escalation” agreement with Syria, after the latter’s president signaled that his country was “scared” of the former’s relentless attacks since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s rule last year.

Organizers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists have reported explosions and multiple drones that targeted some of their boats, currently near Greece.

Iran has begun rebuilding missile-production sites targeted by Israel in June, satellite images show, but a key component is likely still missing — the large mixers needed to produce solid fuel for the weapons.

SPACE THREATS

“A game changer.” New Space Force planning document predicting future enemy trends through 2040 should be released later this year.

Plans to provide military operators with positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals in situations where GPS is unavailable now are up in the air — as the Space Force reconsiders pushing forward with the agency’s next set Transport Layer data relay satellites.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Germany is the latest country to announce plans for a missile-toting new class of uncrewed vessels that will serve as arsenal ship ‘wingmen,’ supporting conventional surface combatants.

Germany to buy anti-torpedo torpedo in 2026, leaked document shows.

US MILITARY

The pork patty is out, and buffalo chicken is in, as the Pentagon is set to dish up revamped MRE field rations with more protein-filled snacks and caffeine starting next year.

Air Force wants a more in-shape force, but the department’s top leadership has no plans to mandate that time during the duty day be set aside for airmen and Space Force guardians to work out.

As Air Force is starting to deploy AI operationally, service leaders are grappling with AI’s limitations— including the extensive data and technical and human infrastructure it needs to work.

Air Force is currently looking toward a single next-generation airlifter to supplant both the C-17A Globemaster III and the C-5M Galaxy, starting in the mid-2040s.

Air Force is assessing the full range of possibilities for what it wants its sixth-generation tanker aircraft to look like.

Winning future wars will require air dominance achieved through a blend of stealth, numbers, spectrum warfare, and an ability to swiftly adapt.

Honeywell successfully demonstrates counter swarm drone technology to military operators in a format that can be operated directly from a ground vehicle. Key elements were also demonstrated from an aerostat at more than 1,000 feet above the ground.

Embraer and Sierra Nevada Corp. are eyeing a new mission set for the turboprop A-29 Super Tucano as an option for the growing counter-unmanned aerial system (cUAS) market.

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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