US Marines Need Better Support To Fight China

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Moving Marines from Okinawa to Guam ‘puts us going the wrong way’. Top Marine cautions that ongoing efforts to relocate Marines will move those forces away from where they are needed to fight China.

Funding gaps slowing down Marine Corps’ modernization efforts. The Marine Corps is working to break out of the ground-combat box the Global War on Terror wedged them into, but whether Force Design 2030 is actually realized by that date depends quite a bit on whether Congress decides to fund everything it asks the military to do.

Navy now seeking commercial ship designs after years of delays procuring the Landing Ship Medium (LSM) to ferry platoon-size elements of Marines between West Pacific islands during a war with China.

MEANWHILE: Top Marine general rules out beards ‘because we’re Marines and we’re different’.

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

A Pentagon watchdog found that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin needlessly risked national security by not immediately informing Congress and the White House of his hospitalization last January.

Reported Trump ‘loyalty tests’ for national-security officials draw criticism. Incoming senior Trump administration officials have begun questioning federal employees who work on the National Security Council about their political affiliations. AS IT SHOULD.

Biden’s national security advisor is advising members of Trump’s incoming team on their lessons learned on how to expand the defense industrial base and modernize the production and procurement of military arms and assets.

Japan and the Philippines will convey to Trump the urgent need for the US to remain committed an Asian region where security concerns have become “increasingly severe.”

POLITICS

Combat veteran, sexual assault survivor GOP senator backs Hegseth for defense secretary, signaling that Hegseth is now likely on track to getting approved.

Hegseth envisions priority on Pacific, global force reviews for other US missions that will reassess how many troops are needed in other parts of the world.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s Secretary of State nominee warns China is America’s ‘biggest threat,’ affirms value of NATO alliance, and painted a dark vision of the consequences of America’s “unbalanced relationship” with China.

Rubio lays out vision for Africa. From countering China to investing in fossil fuels, the US senator from Florida offered insights into the incoming administration’s priorities for the African continent.

LAST GASP ‘THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’ SPIEL – Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation to starkly warn about an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy.

US POWER OVERSEAS

US Army aviators and Japanese troops are rehearsing their disaster response techniques, a year after they flew real-world missions for that deadly quake.

First Zumwalt stealth destroyer to wrap hypersonic missile tube install this year, USS Michael Monsoor to deploy to WESTPAC.

IRAN THREAT/MIDDLE EAST

Potential for an ISIS resurgence looms for Trump. Early in Trump’s first term, U.S. forces and its Syrian Kurdish allies, defeated the Islamic State’s “caliphate” and liberated its capital. But the fall of Assad has left Syria at risk of coming apart under pressure from various terrorist groups and local militias.

Israeli cabinet to vote on Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, a day after mediators announced an agreement they hope will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war.

It is unclear if Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden will continue following the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

TRUMP DESERVES CREDIT FOR BREAKTHROUGH – Biden hails ceasefire deal as both he and Trump claim credit.

CHINA THREAT

The US can’t afford NOT to harden Pacific air bases. The U.S. has relied on its superior airpower to maintain advantage over its adversaries. But that advantage is rapidly eroding as China fields sophisticated air defense networks, and highly capable missiles and aircraft.

Chinese scientists have studied undersea cable-cutting tech since at least the late 2000s, according to a recent report. This, as undersea infrastructure in tense regions was damaged under unclear circumstances.

U.S. AI AGAINST CHINA – US Indo-Pacific Command, working with corporate partners and the Pentagon, will evaluate how generative AI tools similar to ChatGPT could help commanders make battlefield decisions more quickly against high-tech adversaries like China.

Amid a strong Chinese presence, India’s navy just simultaneously launched a submarine, a destroyer and a frigate to protect the Indian Ocean region through which 95% of the country’s trade moves.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Major Russian ballistic and cruise missile attack across Ukraine forced the government to shut down power grid in some areas, despite freezing winter weather.

Norwegian F-35s, in Poland to help defend a key logistics hub bringing materiel into Ukraine, scrambled during Russian missile strikes on Ukraine. Rogue Russian missiles and drones have entered Polish airspace several times since the invasion began.

SPACE THREAT

Global government space spending hit a record $135 billion in 2024, highlighting the growing militarization of space and shifting dynamics among spacefaring nations.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

UK says a deal to hand over sovereignty of the contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius won’t be finalized until Trump White House is consulted.

US MILITARY

The Navy may have capped its fleet of much-anticipated—and much-maligned—littoral combat ships (LOCS) at 28 for now, but their commanders haven’t stopped trying to squeeze every last ounce of capability out of them.

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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