The Alliance Strategy America Is Using To Confront China

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – After the first U.S. warship visited the Chinese-built Ream Naval Base on the south coast of Cambodia last week, analysts warn the U.S. should brace for a response from Beijing.

“We can expect China will try to neutralize U.S. influence in Cambodia and teach Cambodia a lesson or two in the months ahead, otherwise … the U.S. might do something similar with Laos, which also has a special relationship with China,” one expert noted.

U.S. Navy’s new insurance policy for war with China is an Australian base. If the U.S. and China come to blows over Taiwan, this naval base in Western Australia offers a safer berth for U.S. nuclear-powered submarines close to the fight.

Washington plans to deploy up to four submarines to HMAS Stirling in the coming years, with the first in 2027. Australia is investing billions of dollars in the base.

Arrangement offers crucial advantages. U.S. bases submarines at Guam, but China could hit there with a missile barrage early, possibly knocking out the island’s military facilities.

The U.S. Army’s quiet rotation in the Philippines is easy to overlook. Experts say that might be the point. The Philippines once hosted a large U.S. military presence, but permanent U.S. ground forces largely left in the early 1990s, against the backdrop of growing nationalism.

The new effort could deter China in the contested South China Sea. Tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated in recent years to include confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships and fishermen in disputed waters.

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:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Is the age of drones really the age of poor maneuver? On today’s battlefields, drones are undeniably lethal. They kill with precision, shape movement across the battlespace, and impose a constant psychological presence.

Army to lease land on 4 military installations for new commercial data centers. Private, public, and not-for-profit companies could soon build and host commercial data centers. Army installations, as part of a broader Trump administration-led push to expand the nation’s AI and technological infrastructure.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Two National Guard members shot in Washington, D.C. in November, one fatally, will receive the Purple Heart, War Secretary Pete Hegseth says.

Florida Army National Guardsmen and Portuguese Army military police conduct fire phobia training focused on civil disturbance control during Joint Multinational Readiness Center rotation.

DEFENSE POLITICS

Navy Secretary John Phelan reportedly listed in the flight manifest for Jeffrey Epstein’s private plane, without any link to wrongdoing.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Nevada Air Guard wing touched down on all 7 continents in a 2-year span when it completed a series of literal around-the-world missions in 2025, with crews completing airlift missions.

US DEFENSE BUILDUP

Hunt for container launchers packed with drones kicked off by the Pentagon. The entire U.S. military is now pushing to acquire hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of new drones, especially smaller types, in the coming years.

IRAN THREAT

Delay tactics. Negotiators push for more talks after U.S. and Iran convene in Oman, opening the door to modest easing of tensions even as U.S. warships mass in the Arabian Sea.

Democrat Sen. Mark Warner said he fears the U.S. doesn’t have “full power of pressure” against Iran. His comments coincide with the Trump administration’s push to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program after striking three of its facilities last year.

Sailors who served aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke were awarded the Armed Forces Service Medal for their support and execution of ballistic missile defense operations during last June’s “12-Day War” between Iran and Israel.

CHINA THREAT

U.S. accused China of secretly conducting at least one “yield-producing nuclear test” in recent years, and covering its tracks, despite having a stated moratorium on such activities.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

Ukrainian negotiators expect to meet with U.S. counterparts in Miami next week for talks to bring about an end to the war that began with Russia’s invasion four years ago this month.

Russia is frantically trying to plug massive communications gaps after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk restricted the Starlink satellite communications system in and around Ukraine to only registered users.

U.K. threatens to seize Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in escalatory move. Capture of rogue ship could open new front against Moscow as Russia’s oil revenues are tumbling.

EUROPEAN DEFENSE BUILDUP

French Navy toughening crew drills to better prepare sailors for the stress of coming under fire, following deployments to the Red Sea where Houthi rebels targeted Western warships and commercial traffic with drones and ballistic missiles.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Will Starmer resign as prime minister, and who could replace him? Discontent over the U.K.’s left-wing prime minister’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson – friend of Jeffrey Epstein – as U.S. ambassador has members of the Labor Party contemplating a change of leader.

Japan election landslide clears path for conservative nationalist Takaichi to deliver tax cuts and spending plans.

Singapore is slated join the F-35 operator club once the first of its Lockheed Martin F-35B fighters enter service later this year, becoming the fourth Asia-Pacific nation to fly the U.S.-made fifth-generation jet.

US MILITARY

Air Force F-22 Raptors pulled from Super Bowl flyover due to operations, planner says. However, Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers and F-15C Eagle fighters alongside Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35C Lightning fighters did participate.

The Marine Corps has pioneered a 3D-printed first-person view drone that is easy to assemble, ready for field use, and conforms to national security standards.

The Navy is ordering new flight helmets to replace ones that have been around for decades and improve safety aboard all fixed-wing jets.

Wearing smart glasses jeopardizes OPSEC. The Air Force prohibits their use while airmen are in uniform, citing security concerns.

TROOPS AND VETERANS

Researchers can now study gambling addiction under a Pentagon program that provides federal funding for issues affecting U.S. military personnel and veterans.

Navy has expanded its partnership with mental health app Headspace to a handful of overseas installations, extending free access to coaching and mindfulness tools for sailors and their families.

Fewer veterans took their own lives in 2023 than in 2022, roughly 17.5 deaths per day, but that rate of veteran suicides continues to be twice that of the U.S. non-veteran population.

A federal appeals court overturned a veterans’ court decision that allowed the VA to deny claims without issuing a formal notice to the veteran.

END of PDB

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