The European Dilemma: Countering Russia Without The US

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – DELAYING TACTIC – Putin says he supports US proposal for 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

UK’s PM Starmer tells global leaders to ‘keep the pressure’ on Putin over ceasefire in Ukraine.

French president Emmanuel Macron has said France, the UK, and other nations providing security guarantees for Ukraine after any ceasefire would not be aiming to deploy a “mass” of soldiers but could send several thousand troops to key locations in Ukraine without Russia’s permission.

NATO will ask alliance members to raise their military capability targets by 30% as the organization seeks to boost its force posture.

The Polish government has reacted to the new foreign policy course in Washington by doubling down on its commitment to more defense cooperation with the US.

Duda: US nuclear weapons in Poland would be ‘deterrent’ for Russia.

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

The main reason that Germany, Japan, South Korea, other states have not developed independent nuclear forces is the US security commitment. Now that the U.S. is questioning those commitments, the rationale for nonproliferation has disappeared. We should expect a rapid growth of nuclear-armed states.

HOMELAND SECURITY

U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes are flying missions near Mexico border, Air Force confirms, along with RC-135V/W Rivet Joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft and drones, as part of still-increasing military support for border security.

The Pentagon has deployed a Navy destroyer involved last year in combat in the Middle East on an unusual mission to bolster security at the US southern border, to waters typically patrolled by the Coast Guard.

Judge blocks Trump from using wartime act for deportations. The president has invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals from the US. (RELATED: Team Trump Reveals Crucial Reason For Ignoring Federal Court)

POLITICS

Amid Democratic turmoil, Senate passes yearlong GOP-authored funding stopgap with $892B for defense.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

Navy details separation process for transgender personnel.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Trump says more US troops may go to Greenland.

US Navy F-35C stealth fighters from carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), and US Air Force and South Korean Air Force carried out joint training Thursday as part of the Freedom Shield exercise. Meanwhile, Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft completed surveillance missions over the South China Sea with one instance of harassment by Chinese fighters.

Two B-52H Stratofortresses on Tuesday carried out practice drops of live guided bombs at a Swedish weapons range, before flying over the nation’s parliament to mark the anniversary of Sweden joining NATO.

TOP US GENERAL: USAF, Japan to share maintenance on common aircraft closer to the fight. The joint maintenance center will perform repairs on aircraft operated by both nations—creating a “deterrent effect that will make adversaries think twice.”

The head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed in Iraq by Iraqi and US-led coalition forces.

ISIS’s chief of global operations, the second in command for the terrorist group, was killed on Thursday in a US airstrike.

CHINA THREAT

Cheers in China as Trump dismantles Voice of America. One nationalist influencer called it “truly gratifying.” Another said he was laughing his head off. And state-media hailed the demise of what it called the “lie factory.”

China has lashed out at accusations it is endangering maritime safety made by top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies, saying G7 members are “filled with arrogance, prejudice and malicious intentions.”

Report to Congress on US investigation into Chinese shipbuilding. (RELATED: US Enemy Caught Creating Enormous Vessels To Change The Game)

Citing a growing threat from China, the nominee for US ambassador to Japan recently told senators he plans to ask Tokyo to increase its military spending.

IRAN THREAT/ISRAEL WARS

US fighters shot down multiple Houthi drones fired from Yemen over the Red Sea, marking the first time in more than two months that Houthis targeted US warships and a day after the Truman Carrier Strike Group bombed several targets inside Yemen.

US and Iran-backed Houthis both vow escalation after US airstrikes target rebels in Yemen to stop the rebels from attacking military and commercial vessels on one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.

Hamas says it will only release US-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel implements their ceasefire agreement.

Sudan rejects US request to discuss taking in Palestinians under Trump’s Gaza plan to turn the territory into a “riviera on the Mediterranean.”

NORTH KOREA THREAT

New imagery shows the progress made on North Korea’s shadowy airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, based on an Ilyushin Il-76 Candid airlifter, with its rotodome now fitted.

SPACE THREAT

PEW, PEW, ZAP, ZAP – Space Force wants laser weapons. Despite the name, Space Force doesn’t have much force in space. The service is trying to change that and build up its “orbital warfare” capabilities.

A bipartisan push to establish a Space National Guard has resurfaced on Capitol Hill, challenging a compromise reached just months ago on how to structure the new services reserve component.

SpaceX’s Transporter-13 rideshare mission on March 15 carried dozens of small satellites into orbit, including several funded by US military and intelligence agencies.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Libya, where US and Russia joust, could test Trump-Putin vibes.

South Africa’s Ambassador to the US has 72 hours to pack bags as Marco Rubio calls Ebrahim Rasool persona non grata.

Royal Navy receives first autonomous mine countermeasures system as part of Anglo-French naval cooperation program.

Canada to review the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets and see if there are other options, “given the changing environment.”

US MILITARY

Is voice-control the future of military drone piloting? Instead of the traditional joystick or hand-held controller, what if you could just talk to your drone to tell it what to do?

US Navy needs to embrace autonomy and AI for maritime dominance. Right now, the navy is incapable of fighting in three simultaneous theaters, lacks the depth in munitions, ships, and personnel for sustained combat operations, and struggles to produce the necessary warships, using outdated concepts from WW II and the Cold War.

Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, the Army’s latest modern concept unit, to get its own Typhon missile system in the next year, as it works its way up to full operational capability.

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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