PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – As Beijing beckons, is Washington sleepwalking on Egypt? While Chinese fighter jets split Egypt’s skies in May, U.S. armor shook its sands during Bright Star 25 ending Sept. 10, one of the world’s largest multinational military exercises, co-hosted by Egypt and the U.S.
But underneath all that U.S. military hardware, the sands are shifting, as Egypt slides closer to China. It’s time for the U.S. to wake up to the danger, reorient its bilateral relationship and perhaps use the next Bright Star to make a different point altogether.
May’s “Eagles of Civilization 2025” was the largest Sino-Egyptian bilateral exercise ever.
One month, Cairo is integrating Chinese forces and reportedly purchasing Chinese-made air defense systems. The next month it is carrying out exercises with the U.S. and NATO partners.
Unless Washington confronts Cairo’s double game, the Bright Star exercise series risks becoming less a symbol of enduring partnership and more a symptom of flawed U.S. strategy. To Washington, Egypt’s behavior is a strategic liability.
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:
HOMELAND SECURITY
Pentagon’s counter-drug mission could cost millions. Whatever the costs, there will be plenty of wiggle room for the department to shift funding around, according to former senior defense officials.
President Trump said the U.S. military has carried out its third fatal strike against a drug smuggling vessel this month.
Why does the U.S. have F-35s flying anti-cartel missions in the Caribbean? The Lightning II is the U.S. military’s most advanced stealth fighter, designed to defeat state-of-the-art air defense systems and destroy high-value targets.
Pentagon says it will require credentialed journalists at the military headquarters to sign a pledge to refrain from reporting information that has not been authorized for release — including sensitive unclassified information.
House lawmakers today passed a stopgap funding bill through Nov. 21, in a move to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year later this month.
Retired four-star general is stepping down as president of Texas A&M University amid an uproar about his handling of gender content instruction in a children’s literature course.
US POWER OVERSEAS
U.S. and Iraqi forces killed the head of the Islamic State group’s international operations in an early morning raid in Syria.
U.S., Japan and South Korea wrapped Freedom Edge 25, concluding the five-day trilateral multi-domain exercise that occurred off South Korea’s Jeju Island.
An undersea test launch of an aerial drone from a U.S. vessel off the coast of Portugal this week is part of a NATO exercise aimed at revolutionizing anti-submarine warfare.
CHINA THREAT
When China plays orbital hide-and-seek, Maui’s telescopes give the U.S. an edge. China is “intentionally trying to do things” in space “so we don’t see it,” and Space Force has to “keep pace, and we’ve got to keep advancing our capabilities so that that’s harder and harder for them to do,” the chief of space operations said.
China criticized the U.S. Army’s move to deploy the Typhon missile launcher in Japan this week.
RUSSIA THREAT
EU defense ministers will convene next week and discuss specifics of a planned “drone wall” meant to protect the continent from incursions of its airspace coming from Russia.
Three Russian fighters entered Estonian airspace without permission and stayed there for 12 minutes. This, just after NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland and heightened fears that the war in Ukraine could spill over.
Germany’s air force scrambled two Eurofighter jets to track a Russian reconnaissance aircraft after it had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea.
NATO launches “Eastern Sentry” to bolster eastern flank after Russian drone incursion.
UK Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets have begun NATO air defense missions over Poland, underscoring Britain’s role in deterring Russian provocations on NATO’s eastern flank.
Ukraine’s supply runs turn to nightmares as drones menace roads far beyond the front. New drones allow Moscow to menace Ukrainian vehicles up to 20 miles from the front line.
Ukraine and Russia are actively hunting each other’s drone operators on the frontline. Drones, EW, and patient reconnaissance permit the finding of weaknesses that make operators ‘visible.’ Meanwhile, protecting operators relies on digging, masking, EW, and quick communication.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine stalled, with some claiming that Ukraine had “no cards” to play. Since then, Ukraine has launched a series of successful drone strikes against Russian oil refineries, eroding one of Russia’s most important sources of revenue, and providing Ukraine with much-needed leverage.
MIDDLE EAST THREATS
Trump administration plans nearly $6B in arms sales to Israel, a fresh surge of support for the U.S. ally as it faces increasing isolation over its war in Gaza.
Canada, Australia, and Portugal have joined the UKin formally recognizing Palestinian statehood as Israel plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank and intensifies its war on Gaza.
With the backing of the U.S., a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a response to a number of countries recognizing a Palestinian state.
Israel approaches Egypt’s redline. One can be forgiven for missing the September 15 address by Egypt’s President at the extraordinary summit convened in the aftermath of Israel’s attack on Qatar.
SPACE THREATS
U.S. military satellite maneuvered in orbit to get close to a British spacecraft and relay its observations to the U.K., a first-of-its-kind international space operation.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Hundreds of thousands of passengers at Heathrow and Berlin airports faced flight delays after a cyber-attack hit check-in desk software, while cancellations at Brussels airport suggested that disruption of Europe’s air travel would continue.
Babcock Canada has signed a teaming agreement with South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean to support the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP), one of the largest conventional submarine procurements in modern history.
Civilian Boeing 737 airliner in Polish Air Force service releases flares countermeasures in stunning photos, highlighting a lesser-known aspect of this aircraft, and other governmental and privately owned jets that are similarly outfitted with self-protection systems.
France has suspended counterterrorism cooperation with Mali and ordered two staff members of the West African nation’s consulate to leave.
US MILITARY
Four Army soldiers who were part of an elite team that does nighttime missions died when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed near a military base in Washington state.
For counter cartel ops. Pentagon is moving to buy non-kinetic weapons that can disrupt, disable, or prevent the operation of small watercraft with minimal collateral damage or potential harm to nearby civilians and boat operators.
New high-speed interceptor drone from MARSS uses kinetic energy to disable targeted drones with its nose and keep flying.
Trump administration thankfully reversed its decision to cancel the E-7 airborne early warning and control aircraft, addressing a looming capability gap and deepened NATO interoperability.
END of PDB
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
So, the war criminal Netanyahu is threatening countries that recognize a Palestinian state? Israel is the problem.