TUESDAY PDB – From stolen technology to overt military provocations, the U.S. must be ready to fight China on many fronts.
US Army budget invests in lessons from Ukraine with focus on deterring China. As Ukraine's fight against Vladimir Putin's invasion enters its third year, the Army's newly released fiscal 2025 sends a powerful message as a deterrent against possible conflict with China.
Indo-Pacific security hinges on allies and cross-domain technology. The Indo-Pacific region is undergoing China's rapid expansion of its nuclear forces and increased provocations. The U.S. is supported by a long list of allies, the majority of whom have deepened their ties to Washington in recent years.
House panel questions Pentagon on Chinese biotech firms. The outgoing chairman of the House's China-focused committee and its top Democrat are asking the defense secretary to brief Congress on whether several Chinese biotechnology companies belong on a civil-military fusion list.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
US defense official had ‘Havana syndrome' symptoms during a 2023 NATO summit, the Pentagon confirms. A senior Defense Department official who attended last year's NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, had symptoms similar to those reported by U.S. officials who have experienced “Havana syndrome.” (RELATED: Russian Spies Fighting Over Wagner Group's ‘Terrorist' Empire)
POLITICS
GOP congressman walks back remarks on using nuclear weapons in Gaza. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) clarified Sunday that his comments that Gaza should be “like Hiroshima and Nagasaki” were not literal, backing off remarks that many interpreted to be endorsing the use of nuclear weapons.
BRAINWASHED, MENTALLY ILL – IDIOTS – Airman on hunger strike at White House over Gaza support. Inspired by a U.S. airman who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in protest of the war in Gaza, an Air Force member has begun “a long-term hunger strike” while taking leave from service.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Military help to open small channel in Baltimore as bridge salvage effort promises to grow. The Army and Navy have played a key role in helping to reopen a narrow channel at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
US POWER OVERSEAS
USAF, Philippines gear up for fighter exercise over the South China Sea. They are slated to conduct their first combat training exercise of the year this month, escalating tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea. The fighters from both countries will be operating from a newly renovated runway at Basa Air Base. (RELATED: Chinese Warship Spies On ‘Largest-Ever' US-Australia Military Drills)
Army office in charge of rapid development takes on Guam air defense. The Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office is standing up a joint team to execute the Pentagon's vision for an air and missile defense architecture for Guam.
Triton arrival in Sicily marks first Europe basing for Navy's advanced drone. One of the U.S. military's newest intelligence drones has arrived in Europe as part of the only Navy unmanned patrol squadron's second detachment.
IRAN THREAT
Israeli strike on Iran's consulate in Syria killed 2 generals and 5 other officers, Iran says. The strike appeared to signify an escalation of Israel's targeting of military officials from Iran, which supports terrorist groups fighting Israel in Gaza, and along its border with Lebanon.
Army tests Stryker-mounted lasers in Iraq amid directed energy push. A top U.S. general presses for more directed energy and microwave weapons to counter developing Iranian-backed threats as troops in Iraq test new laser kits. (RELATED: Report: Russian Unit Secretly Making US Officials Sick)
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
LET ISRAEL FINISH THE JOB! – Team Biden pushes alternatives to Rafah invasion in Hamas war talks with Israel. The U.S. opposes the planned assault on humanitarian grounds and that has frayed relations between the two allies. (RELATED: Biden's Gaza Pier Folly Will Seriously Endanger US Troops)
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russian assault piles pressure on fragile Ukrainian defensive line in the east. A key Ukrainian defensive line appears to have partially fallen to Russian forces in the past week.
Deepest Ukraine drone attack into Russian territory injures 12. The drone attack in Russia's Tatarstan region is more than 800 miles from the Ukraine-Russia border.
Zelensky: ‘We are trying to find some way not to retreat.' President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a stark message to Congress as Russian missiles were pounding southern Ukraine: Give us the weapons to stop the Russian attacks, or Ukraine will escalate its counterattacks on Russia's airfields, energy facilities and other strategic targets.
Danes train Ukrainians in planes for fight against Russia. A NATO nation takes the lead to train Ukrainian pilots in advanced jets as the embattled nation looks to challenge Russia in the skies.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea launches intermediate-range ballistic missile as South's election looms. The missile was fired into waters east of the Korean Peninsula early Tuesday.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT – France wants China to send ‘clear messages' to Russia over Ukraine war. The French foreign minister made comments during visit to China.
FACING CHINA – Japan stands up Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, electronic warfare unit for defense of southwest islands. Last month Japan also deployed a surface-to-surface-missile unit on Okinawa – the first time this type of unit has deployed on Okinawa.
GPS jamming spreads in Lebanon, civil aviation caught in the electronic crossfire. When it comes to the proliferation of UAVs, “one of the best ways to counter them is to jam their communication systems by cutting the link between them and the operator or the GPS signal.” (RELATED: Israel Takes Out Another Key Iranian Terror Leader)
US MILITARY
Meet the Infantry Squad Vehicle: The unholy union of pickup truck and UTV. Troops in contact! The forward operating base comes alive. Strap on your plate carrier, throw your assault pack over your shoulder, grab your rifle and suck down some water on your way out the door.
Vampire at sea: L3Harris eyes maritime version of counter-drone system. It is doing early design work to create a Vampire payload that could be mounted on an unmanned surface vessel.
Army units practice urban combat with robots. Robot dogs and self-propelled machine guns lead the way with drones overhead to spot threats as troops practice futuristic urban warfare. (RELATED: Watch Submachine Gun-Equipped Robot Dog Ripping It Up at Shooting Range)
Last survivor of USS Arizona dies at 102. The sole survivor on the ship during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died.
Want to walk beneath a massive battleship? Here's how to take a ‘once-in-a-lifetime' tour. As the New Jersey sits in the dry dock at the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the next two months undergoing maintenance, the public will be able to tour underneath the warship for the first time in its long history.
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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