Volunteers vs Regular Armies, Russia Conquers Luhansk and Navy Loses Missiles in Pacific

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Today's PDB includes a variety of critical, global national security issues.

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READ TODAY'S PDB BELOW:

NATIONAL SECURITY

How volunteers can help defeat great powers. The vast majority of Ukraine's volunteers would never pass the physical fitness tests of the U.S. Army. And yet earlier this year, they pulled off a feat almost unparalleled in modern warfare: they helped defeat one of the largest standing armies in the world and held the capital.

CHINA THREAT

Taiwan touts new air force advanced training jet's abilities. Taiwan's air force showed off its new locally designed and made jet trainer on Wednesday, touting the more advanced, combat-capable abilities of the aircraft that will replace aging and accident-prone existing equipment.

RUSSIA THREAT

Russian army turns Ukraine's largest nuclear plant into a military base. Land mines and missile launchers are deployed at Zaporizhzhia, as cameras and instruments go dark and workers are held for ransom.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 133. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said air alerts rang out across almost all of Ukraine on Tuesday night as there were attacks in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine, the central region of Dnipropetrovsk, the border region of Sumy, and the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv and its region.

High cost of Russian gains in Ukraine may limit new advance. After more than four months of ferocious fighting, Russia claimed a key victory: full control over one of the two provinces in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland.

Russia's offensive gains pace in Donetsk; focus shifts to Slovyansk. After sweeping through Luhansk, Russian forces are now gaining ground in the neighboring Donetsk region. Both are part of the prized industrial Donbas heartland of eastern Ukraine that Moscow is seeking to control.

Finland seizes hundreds of Russian freight cars as EU sanctions bite. Finland has seized nearly a thousand freight cars belonging to Russian companies as a result of European Union sanctions, according to Finnish state-owned rail operator VR and a letter from Russia's rail monopoly seen by Reuters.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Spain boosts military spending to close gap with NATO goal. Spain is increasing military spending as it works toward meeting a NATO commitment by dedicating 2% of gross domestic product to defense, the government said Tuesday.

Explosive kills at least two UN peacekeepers in north Mali. At least two United Nations peacekeepers were killed and five severely wounded in northern Mali when a logistics convoy hit an improvised explosive device on Tuesday, the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSMA said.

The Navy is paying $100,000 for tips on smuggling drugs and guns in the Persian Gulf. Are you a smuggler or do you know one? Do you know about transporting guns and drugs into, say, certain countries near the Gulf of Aden? Do you want some money? If you've answered yes to those questions, then here is a proposition from the U.S. Navy: Provide some information that leads to the seizure of illicit cargo and the Navy will pay you up to $100,000. What could possibly go wrong?

Colombia's President-elect Petro calls for ELN talks, ceasefire. The left-wing leader says he has sent a message that it is a ‘time for peace' to the country's last major rebel group.

One million set to perform Hajj as COVID-19 restrictions ease. International pilgrims will perform the annual ritual for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

US MILITARY AND SPACE

Stunned by UFOs, ‘exasperated' fighter pilots get little help from Pentagon. In April 2014, four naval aviators narrowly escaped disaster. Just as they entered highly controlled airspace for a training exercise, their two F/A-18F fighter jets nearly collided with an unidentified flying object (UFO). To the frustration of dozens of their fellow aviators, such a near-catastrophe was inevitable.

Pentagon ends blocking of abortion-related sites on computer networks. The Pentagon has quietly lifted a longstanding ban that prevented troops and civilians from searching for abortion-related terms on the department's computer networks, a move that follows the Supreme Court's landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last month.

Navy searching for case of missiles that fell off helicopter into Pacific Ocean. The Navy is searching for a case of missiles that fell off of a helicopter into the Pacific Ocean last month.

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.

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