Daily Whiplash From The US-Iran War Rollercoaster

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): U.S. and Iran reportedly closing in on one-page memo to end war.

Tehran questions approval of war-ending memo, reviewing U.S. proposal amid new Trump threats.

Recent exchange of fire between U.S. and Iranian forces in Strait of Hormuz does not constitute breach of four-week ceasefire, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff says.

Trump says Iran will be bombed at “much higher level” if it doesn’t agree to peace deal.

Pentagon assures safe passage through a lane in the Strait of Hormuz despite the presence of mines as part of Project Freedom’s U.S. naval protection.

Trump says U.S. “Project Freedom” effort to escort ships through Strait of Hormuz is on pause amid push for deal. U.S. says it will now only operate defensively to enforce naval blockade.

Trump advisers step up their calls on China to help open Strait of Hormuz ahead of Beijing summit.

China tells Iran’s foreign minister in Beijing to open Strait ‘as soon as possible.’

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of the top defense news of the last couple of days from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Pentagon’s high stakes nuclear arsenal overhaul. “It’s fallen to… us to modernize the entire [U.S.] nuclear triad at once… in retrospect, we should have been doing pieces of it over the last 30 or plus years. Plus… “we’re having to modernize the nuclear weapon production [warheads, bombs] as well as the triad platforms [bombers, submarines, missiles]… It’s a lump that’s moving through that we’re just going to have to swallow in order to maintain… [nuclear] deterrence.”

DEFENSE POLITICS

Weapons combat drain and replacement surge shows need for acquisition stress testing wargame. Navy requested 785 Tomahawk cruise missiles this year. In 2025, Congress funded 55. That 1,200% jump is cost of choices never stress-tested against the scenario unfolding today — a sustained air campaign against Iran while China watches the magazine drain.

US POWER OVERSEAS

U.S. flexing its military might in Panama. Trump pursuing “American dominance” in the region with biggest-ever buildup of U.S. troops.

Military kills three more ‘narco-terrorists’ in another strike against narco-fast boats in eastern Pacific.

Army Pacific’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force and Philippine Army Artillery Regiment test-fired Tomahawk cruise missile from Typhon launcher in central Philippines —successfully hitting target 373 miles away.

As U.S. pulls troops and eyes smaller military footprint in Europe, new unit trains for drone and electronic warfare in Germany.

Monthly danger pay for troops in regions that put them at risk of hostile fire or other job-related dangers could double, expand to more regions.

IRAN THREAT

Army’s 82nd Airborne Division supplying AI, C2 network support for now paused Project Freedom. This, for fusing sensors, surveillance platforms, and manned and unmanned air and watercraft into a networked, AI-enabled command and control architecture to help retain nonstop overwatch and localized control over Strait of Hormuz.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

Israeli army chief says West Bank troops ‘killing like we haven’t killed since 1967.’ His leaked remarks describe fatal shootings of stone-throwers and different treatment for Jewish settlers.

CHINA THREAT

Retired Air Force fighter pilot that taught U.S. tactics to Chinese airmen drove erratically to avoid an FBI tail, kept fake passport, and deleted messages from foreign pilots to cover his tracks.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

Zelenskyy condemns Russian ‘cynicism’ over request for Moscow WWII victory parade truce as 23 killed in Russian “missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it.”

Ukraine’s Drones Now Strike 1,000 Miles Inside Russia.

Moscow shuts down airports and mobile signals as Victory Day parade looms.

Ukrainian forces test direct-to-device satellite imagery for frontline troops: “We have more imagery, more sensors but much of that data still isn’t reaching the people who need it.”

Ukraine could lift arms-exports ban this year as would-be buyers showing interest in Ukrainian unmanned systems, anti-drone solutions and other tech.

Video published by drone maker General Cherry claims to show an interceptor drone bringing down multiple Russian Shahed drones.

EUROPEAN DEFENSES

Germany’s ambitions to close long-range strike capability gap facing fresh setback after Trump administration moved to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from German soil and effectively shelved a Biden-era plan to temporarily deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles there.

NATO nations size up interceptor-drone bazaar where low price is everything. Lithuania, a NATO state bordering Russia and Belarus, bought 48 Merops interceptors from a U.S., becoming latest NATO country to buy the $15,000 per-shot counter-drone system.

As demand for commercially generated intelligence grows, NATO needs to replace outdated policies to share that intelligence quickly and without barriers, said British Royal Marine and NATO leader.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Chad’s army says 23 personnel killed in Boko Haram Islamist terror attack in the African country.

Hantavirus-hit cruise ship to head to Canary Islands, Spain.

US MILITARY

Marine Corps may make Scouts a Primary Military Occupational Specialty, similar to Machine Gunners and Mortarmen.

Freshly minted reconnaissance Marines were showing up to their first units less prepared than expected. To fix that, the Corps is overhauling recon training.

END of PDB

FOR MORE DETAILED, UNCENSORED, INTELLIGENCE, AND ANALYSIS FROM PAUL CRESPO, SUBSCRIBE TO HIS SUBSTACK.

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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