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PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Space Force is underfunded for space control, other critical new missions, says the service’s top official. “We are not adequately funded for new missions that I’ve been given in space superiority,” warns Gen. Chance Saltzman.
“Despite the dramatic rise in threats and increasing importance of space over the last few budget cycles, the Space Force has experienced shrinking resources. This disconnect …creates risk for our nation,” Saltzman said during a Senate hearing.
“Further exacerbating the situation, Space Force has been asked to accept new responsibilities and missions forcing tough choices between delayed readiness, reduced capacity and vulnerabilities.”
The Space Force has recently named “space control” as its newest and most important core function. The mission requires capabilities and guardians that conduct orbital, electromagnetic and cyber warfare operations to achieve “space superiority” by protecting on-orbit assets and military personnel from an adversary’s space-enabled attacks.
But, Space Force executes its mission with roughly 9,400 military personnel and an additional 5,000 civilian employees, a fraction of the size of other services. Despite its modest size, its responsibility in the defense of the nation in space is expanding rapidly.
Meanwhile: Efforts to shrink the size of the civilian workforce across the federal government are having a disproportionate effect on the Space Force.
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
DOD has accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar’s Ministry of Defense, a week after the Gulf state was reported to be providing the plane as a gift for use as Air Force One.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Two staff members (diplomats) from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed by a pro-Hamas activist outside an event at a Jewish museum in the capital.
Coast Guard needs a service secretary and must grow its force by 15,500 people by 2028 to reverse its “downward readiness spiral,” according to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
ICE agents will work alongside base security at three Marine installations as part of a pilot program to prevent foreign nationals from unlawfully accessing the bases.
Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) is on its way to support the Trump administration’s ongoing border mission.
Federal judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic African nation of South Sudan.
The U.S. is being asked to explain why it appears to be deporting migrants from as far away as Vietnam and Cuba to South Sudan, a chaotic country that’s once again in danger of collapsing into civil war.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
House Democrats plan to introduce legislation rolling back DOD efforts to force ‘transgender’ troops out of the ranks, a move that could force a public vote by GOP lawmakers on the issue in coming weeks.
All but a few of the nearly 400 books that the Naval Academy removed from its library because they dealt with DEI are back on the shelves after the newest DOD-ordered review.
Defense Secretary Hegseth hosted an evangelical prayer service in the middle of the day at the Pentagon in which a pastor praised Trump as “sovereignly appointed.”
Army started loading up some of the tanks that will take to the streets of the nation’s capital during its 250th anniversary celebration next month, which coincides with President Trump’s B-Day. A parade will feature hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers.
After months in unlawful Venezuelan custody, a U.S. Air Force veteran was handed over to Trump’s diplomatic envoy, in a deal that could help Chevron continue operations in the country for another two months.
Poll shows majority of Europeans want to boycott U.S. products.
Trump ‘ambushed’ the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, by playing him a video that he claimed proved genocide was being committed against white people under “the opposite of apartheid.” (RELATED: [WATCH] Trump Uses Shocking Footage To Confront Foreign Leader)
US POWER OVERSEAS
Army’s newest air defense platform recently conducted its first live fire in the Arctic alongside NATO allies while another air defense unit deployed the Avenger Air Defense System in Africa for the first time.
Head of Navy Reserve says that acquiring new KC-130J Hercules aircraft is a top priority, particularly because of the critical aerial refueling capacity they would provide in a future Pacific fight.
F-15E Strike Eagles at RAF Lakenheath to leave England for good and consolidated with the rest of its fleet stateside.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
To deter Putin, revive the ‘Reforger.’ During the Cold War, the biggest NATO military training exercises were the annual Reforger drills, designed to ensure NATO’s ability to deploy troops rapidly to West Germany if war broke out with the USSR.
Russia can afford to take a beating in Ukraine. Russian forces are suffering more than 400,000 casualties per year. These losses have fueled simultaneous talk of inevitable Russian defeat or victory.
WTF?! Russia is introducing new nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles as part of an overall expansion of its nuclear forces, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), something unseen since the Cold War.
‘Preparing for the worst.’ Finland has said it expects Russia to further build up troops along their shared border when the war in Ukraine ends, as Moscow strengthens its military bases near the NATO frontier.
Intercepted radio chatter and drone footage appear to capture Russian orders to kill surrendering Ukrainian troops. The order was clear: Capture the commander and kill the others.
IRAN THREAT/MIDEAST
Iran’s supreme leader pushed back against U.S. criticism of the country’s nuclear program, saying that Tehran won’t seek permission from anyone to enrich uranium and calling U.S. statements “nonsense.” (RELATED: Israel’s Military Strategy Revealed — What Will Trump Do?)
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea’s newest warship was severely damaged during a launch ceremony, with leader Kim Jong Un, who witnessed the accident, furiously saying it brought shame to the nation and vowing to punish those found responsible.
SPACE THREAT
Can spacecraft sweat? New tech could make them reusable.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Why it matters: Pakistan promotes army chief Asim Munir to field marshal, following the country’s recent military conflict with India.
British Army has successfully test-fired the Javelin’s new Lightweight Command Launch Unit (LWCLU) at a record long range.
General Atomics is in talks to sell Saudi Arabia up to 200 MQ-9 unmanned systems.
Portugal’s election adds momentum to Europe’s shift to the far-right.
US MILITARY
Air Force might want to buy more than the planned fleet of 100 B-21 Raider bombers, particularly if the coming B-52J upgrade proves more challenging than anticipated.
Air Force test-launches unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
The “greatest risk” for the Navy’s planned 2034 delivery of the nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Nuclear (SLCM-N) is integrating it onboard Virginia-class submarines that were never designed to carry a nuclear weapon.
Sig Sauer’s controversial 6.8x51mm XM7 service rifle has received a standard Army classification, now known as the M7. This comes after an Army captain publicly criticized the rifle as potentially unsafe, ineffective, and overly expensive, and Sig Sauer vehemently rebutted.
Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is testing new formations where soldiers are part of specialized teams that focus on using a certain kind of drone technology or specific electronic warfare threat.
Planned DOD training center “mega-project” in Alaska will boost the Air Force’s training capability to defend North America.
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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Use funds from Tariffs if 2.0B a year
We have created a fifth column in this country who use our laws against for the purpose of undermining our county. I hope the recent middle east tour and promise to invest does not exacerbate the problem – more investment is great so long as it does not mean more immigration from the middle east.