PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Defense Secretary Hegseth says ‘all options will be on the table’ when asked about military strikes against criminal drug cartels in Mexico.
Rubio says Trump’s Greenland bid ‘not a joke’ because of the risk that China would station resources on the island that threaten American security and the importance of Arctic shipping lanes for energy exports.
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
With more troops on the way, military assumes a familiar role on the border, as dozens of Marines unfurl coils of concertina wire to make it more difficult to climb a border wall separating Tijuana from San Diego.
Trump says US will send some migrants to Guantanamo Bay.
Air Force flies migrants to Guatemala as US military’s border role grows.
WASHINGTON, DC AIR CRASH
Control tower at National Airport understaffed before deadly collision.
Air traffic controllers twice alerted the crew of the Army helicopter to the presence of an inbound American Airlines jet, with the first warning issued a full two minutes before the aircraft collided.
Data from the deadliest US air accident in 24 years show conflicting altitude readings of the airliner and Army helicopter when they collided near Reagan National Airport in Washington.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
The Pentagon revoked its Biden-initiated abortion access policy for troops, following an executive order from Trump cracking down on the use of taxpayer dollars for any abortion services.
POLITICS
Elon Musk said Trump agreed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) needs to be “shut down,” after its funding was frozen and dozens of its employees were put on leave.
Trump has threatened to widen the scope of his trade tariffs, warning that the EU – and potentially the UK – will face levies, even as he conceded that Americans could pay a price in a global trade war.
The loneliest General: Silence surrounds Gen. Mark Milley amid Trump retaliation. The president focused his ire on one person in the very first minutes of his presidency, even before his inauguration concluded.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US kills key figure in Syrian terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda.
IRAN THREAT/ISRAEL WAR
A key group of Arab nations have said they “firmly” reject any efforts to resettle or evict Palestinians from Gaza, after Trump said he wanted to “clean out” the enclave and move its population to neighboring countries.
CHINA THREAT
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THEM – Not 10 feet tall: Despite the growing China threat, some defense experts are skeptical that the Chinese military has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite to fight and defeat the US military in a conventional conflict.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian troops lose ground with shortage of troops and exposed supply lines coming under Russian drone attacks in Pokrovsk, where decisive battles in the nearly three-year war are playing out.
Repeated Russian attacks on key infrastructure have recently intensified, leaving Ukraine’s damaged electrical grid 70 percent reliant on three complexes of nuclear reactors.
SPACE THREAT
The emergence of China’s DeepSeek has shaken up the artificial intelligence sector, promising new opportunities for space companies beginning to explore ways to leverage AI.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
The increased frequency of underwater infrastructure damage across Europe has raised legal challenges for NATO related to the jurisdiction and ownership of undersea cables, which may limit NATO’s ability to respond.
US MILITARY
Operating close to the enemy by the Navy and Marines in the future will be harder than ever due to the proliferation of detection capabilities and other technologies. They are working to overcome those difficulties.
Trump’s Army Secretary pick says pay boost isn’t enough to fix recruiting woes.
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.
READ NEXT: Far-Left Protesters Ignite LA ‘Insurrection’
Yes & needed