THURSDAY PDB – Venezuela's Maduro accuses US of building ‘secret' bases in disputed region Essequibo. Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused the U.S. of building “secret military bases” in the oil-rich region of Guyana that Caracas claims as its territory.
HOPEFULLY, HE IS RIGHT.
But there is a lot of nonsense in Maduro's propaganda.
“We have information proving that in the territory of Guyana Essequibo, temporarily administered by Guyana [NONSENSE – IT ALL BELONGS TO GUYANA], secret military bases of the (US) Southern Command… a body of the CIA [IT IS NOT], have been installed,” Maduro said.
He said the bases are an “aggression” against the people of southern and eastern Venezuela and were built “to prepare for an escalation against Venezuela.”
Maduro's provocative remarks came as his rubber-stamp “parliament” held a ceremony commemorating a recent law laying out the defense of Guyana Essequibo, four months after a controversial, referendum overwhelmingly approved the creation of a Venezuelan province in the disputed region of Guyana, sparking fears of a military conflict.
He also claimed that his Guyanese counterpart, President Irfaan Ali, “does not govern Guyana” and that “Guyana is governed by the Southern Command, the CIA and ExxonMobil.”
Southern Command, part of the Department of Defense, maintains a U.S. Security Cooperation Office in Guyana.
The U.S. defense office serves as a military consultant to the Guyana Defense Force, coordinating “security cooperation engagement activities” and providing military support and training.
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
‘Havana syndrome' might have been a Russian attack. The US must keep investigating. Startling new information about the so-called Havana syndrome, or “Anomalous Health Incidents” suggests that Russia's military intelligence agency is responsible for the attacks. Earlier, the U.S. intelligence community had said that “it is very unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible.” They need to look again.
BUT, WHY? – Biden White House signals opposition to NATO-led weapons group for Ukraine. It pushed back on a proposal to move the U.S.-led group coordinating weapons delivery for Ukraine under the leadership of NATO.
POLITICS
FOG OF WAR – US defense secretary denounces Israel's strike on aid workers in Gaza. A bristling phone call reflected a shift in Lloyd J. Austin III's tone toward his Israeli counterpart as he stressed the need for better protection of aid workers.
A new ‘litmus test' rises in GOP primaries: Ukraine aid. The latest ad targets GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who was born in Ukraine, as Congress weighs additional aid for the country in its war against Russia.
Biden's New York critics to submit blank ballots over Gaza war. Activists are urging voters to submit blank ballots in Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary race in an effort to pressure Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Florida State Guard recruit threatened to ‘blow up' military base, witnesses told cops. A recruit for the Florida State Guard — a civilian military force under the governor's control — was removed from a Jacksonville training facility and sent to a hospital for a mental health evaluation in February after he reportedly told others he wanted to kill Jews and Palestinians and “blow up” a military base.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Marines on Okinawa train, certify Japanese army's first JTAC instructor. A master sergeant in the Japanese army learned English to become the first Japanese instructor taught by U.S. Marines to direct close air support for infantry from both countries.
US military deploys new JADC2 capability to Middle East. “It is [the] Hungry Hippo of data. And it's going out and it's pulling in lots of data, and then you can layer it and look at it different ways.”
DOES IT, REALLY? – US needs to get troops out of Niger. Earlier this month, the illegitimate military government of Niger revoked its military cooperation agreement with the U.S. and demanded the withdrawal of approximately 1,000 U.S. military personnel from the West African nation. Washington is currently negotiating with the Nigerien junta, which came to power in a July coup, to keep some troops in place.
ISRAEL WAR AGAINST HAMAS
‘The machine did it coldly': Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets. Israeli intelligence sources reveal use of ‘Lavender' system in Gaza war and claim permission given to kill civilians in pursuit of low-ranking militants.
IRAN THREAT
WISHFUL THINKING? – Houthis may be running low on their weapons stocks as attacks on ships slow, US commander says. Houthi rebels in Yemen may be running through their supplies of drone swarms and anti-ship ballistic missiles as the pace of their attacks has slowed a bit.
ON AGAIN – OFF AGAIN – MORE SILLY BIDEN GAMES – US may revoke Houthi terrorist label if militants stop Red Sea ship attacks. Team Biden would consider revoking its recent designation of Yemen's Houthis as terrorists if the Iran-backed group ceases its shipping attacks.
Five security forces killed in ‘terrorist attacks' in Iran, state media says. Suspected Sunni Muslim militants launched two separate attacks on Iran's Revolutionary Guards headquarters in the country's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
CHINA THREAT
Pacific problems: Why the US disagrees on the cost of deterring China. In 2020, Mac Thornberry wanted to answer two questions: How much is the U.S. spending to prevent a war with China, and is it enough?
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russian military ‘almost completely reconstituted,' US official says. Russia has rebuilt its military after suffering enormous losses during its invasion of Ukraine.
Finland signs Ukraine security deal, Zelenskiy warns of Russia troop plans. Finland's president signed a 10-year security deal with Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he believed Russia planned to mobilize 300,000 new troops for its war by June.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
NATO marks its 75th birthday as Russia's war in Ukraine gnaws at its unity. With top diplomats from Europe and North America vowing to stay the course in Ukraine as better armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield.
New IDF Mountain Brigade to bolster Israel's northern defenses. The new brigade represents a consolidation of Israeli forces in the north, which an IDF official said made sense as operating across the whole mountainous area requires specialized gear, vehicles, and training.
US MILITARY
NOT THE WAY TO DO IT! – Air Force proposes bypassing governors in 7 states to move Guard units into Space Force. Air Force officials have submitted a legislative proposal to Congress that would move Air National Guard units with space missions into the Space Force, angering National Guard supporters.
EXCELLENT! – Newly approved rapid blood test for traumatic brain injury (TBI) could speed up treatment for troops. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a test to detect concussion that produces results in minutes rather than hours — a breakthrough for service members with TBI.
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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