FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with respected national security expert Paul Crespo and the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the PDB:
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING.
Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief. Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.
POLITICS
Bipartisan band of brothers: The West Point grads coming to Congress. Cross-aisle bonds between Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), Rep.-elect John James (R-Mich.) and Rep.-elect Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) were forged in the same class at the storied military academy.
2nd AMENDMENT – RED FLAG LAWS – Hawaii gun permit ruling sides with ‘homesick' Navy officer. A U.S. Navy officer stationed in Hawaii cannot be denied firearms permit solely because he sought counseling for feeling depressed and homesick, a federal judge ruled.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
Veterans Affairs Dept. discloses breach of employee vaccine data. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said sensitive personal information concerning employees' vaccination status was improperly disclosed last fall.
WHAT ABOUT THE MEN? – Marines Corps partially relaxes its strict hair rules for women. Here's what's allowed.
Army expanding pre-boot camp course for overweight and low-scoring applicants. The Army is going all-in on pre-basic training courses that aim to get applicants within weight standards and boost scores on the military's entrance exam as it scrambles for recruits to fill the ranks.
HOMELAND SECURITY
DON'T ENDANGER THEM BY PUTTING THEM ON RICKETY BOATS TO US, AND THEY WON'T BE (SAFELY) SENT BACK – ‘This is obscene': Haitians angered by babies being sent back after reaching Florida Keys on boat. A group of Florida-bound migrants, including almost 50 children, who reached the Florida Keys in a rickety sailboat from Haiti on Monday, resulting in a frantic federal, state and local rescue effort, have been returned to the Caribbean nation.
Former US pilot facing extradition wrongly classified ‘extreme high risk' – Australian lawyer. The lawyer for a former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia and facing possible extradition to the United States said his client was wrongly classified as an “extreme high risk” prisoner, and he had asked the attorney-general to release him.
CHINA THREAT
At the heart of China's protests against zero-Covid, young people cry for freedom.
For the first time in decades, thousands of people have defied Chinese authorities to protest at universities and on the streets of major cities, demanding to be freed not only from incessant Covid tests and lockdowns, but strict censorship and the Communist Party's tightening grip over all aspects of life. Across the country, “want freedom” has become a rallying cry for a groundswell of protests mainly led by the younger generation.
China poses increasing threat in military space race, top U.S. general says. Rapid advancements in China's military capabilities pose increasing risks to American supremacy in outer space, the head of the United States military's space wing said on Monday. Nina Armagno, director of staff of the U.S. Space Force, said Beijing had made significant progress in developing military space technology, including in areas such as satellite communications and reusable spacecraft, which allow countries to rapidly scale up their space programs.
Canada launches new Indo-Pacific strategy, focus on ‘disruptive' China. Canada launched its long-awaited Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, vowing more resources to deal with a “disruptive” China while working with the world's second-biggest economy on climate change and trade issues.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
US to send anti-drone machine guns, air defense ammunition to Ukraine. The Pentagon said it will send Ukraine up to $400 million in artillery ammunition, weapons, and supplies in its latest drawdown package to help the nation defend itself against Russia.
Ukraine is firing so many barrages its artillery pieces are breaking down. A third of its artillery force is out of action at any given time, officials say.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 278. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia was “planning new strikes” on his country, urging defense forces and citizens to be prepared to withstand a new week of strain on the power grid amid freezing temperatures.
Top Polish general: No need for Ukrainian forces to change tactics near border. “I do not expect any change in Ukrainian performance because they are fighting for their country,” said Gen. Rajmund Andrzejczak, chief of staff of the Polish armed forces. “I cannot imagine myself telling Ukrainians, ‘Change your position because it's not sufficient for me.'”
JUST DO IT – US weighs sending 100-mile strike weapon to Ukraine. The Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines as the West struggles to meet demand for more arms.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
NEXT IN LINE – SISTER OR DAUGHTER? – Kim's daughter appears again, heating up succession debate. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter made a public appearance again, this time with missile scientists and more honorific titles as her father's “most beloved” or “precious” child. She's only about 10, but her new, bold photos are deepening the debate over whether she's being primed as a successor.
South Korean navy training group arrives in Hawaii. The Republic of Korea navy's cruise training task group arrived Friday at Pearl Harbor for five days of classes and cultural events for sailors and the South Korean navy's future leaders.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY – NATO, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA
SHOOT BACK! – Pentagon condemns rocket attack near US base in Syria. The Pentagon on Friday condemned a rocket attack that targeted a U.S. base in northeastern Syria, which resulted in no injuries or damage.
The land down under the sea: AUKUS is about submarines, not bombers. A recent article by Mitchell Center for Aerospace Studies expert Robert Haddick asserts that the Australian government should acquire the B-21 Raider strategic bomber, instead of the nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) planned under the AUKUS trilateral partnership agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
USS Nitze seizes $20M in illicit drugs from vessel in Gulf of Aden. The guided-missile destroyer Nitze seized roughly $20 million worth of illicit drugs from a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
Kongsberg precision-strike missiles to replace Harpoons on UK warships. Britain's Royal Navy is to be equipped with a new long-range precision strike missile in an agreement announced Nov 22 with the Norwegian Government.
Asim Munir: Pakistan's former spy chief named as army head. Pakistan's government has named a new army chief ending months of speculation over who would land what many see as the country's most powerful job.
Why Imran Khan can't outplay Pakistan's military. Imran Khan is a cornered tiger.
SPACE
Space Force opens first regional command headquarters in Indo-Pacific. The Space Force on Tuesday opened a regional command center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to manage military space operations across the Indo-Pacific.
NASA's Orion spacecraft snaps a selfie on its journey beyond the far side of the moon. NASA released a selfie taken by the Orion capsule and close-up photos of the moon's crater-marked landscape as the spacecraft continues on the Artemis 1 mission, a 25-and-a-half-day journey that will take it more than 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon.
US MILITARY
USS Gerald R Ford slated to wrap up first deployment. Aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is slated to return to Naval Station Norfolk from its inaugural deployment Saturday.
Coast Guard cutter Oliver Berry returns home following 7,000-nautical-mile patrol in South Pacific. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry returned home to Honolulu this week in time for holiday festivities following a 38-day expeditionary fishery patrol in the South Pacific.
A surprising source of tech advancement? The Naval Medical Research Center | Military tech advancement isn't always smart munitions and updated optics. For decades the Naval Medical Research Center has offered innovations across the spectrum.
Army tests blood delivery drones, applying lesson from war in Afghanistan. Army drones are dropping packages of simulated blood over the Mojave Desert in an effort to find better ways to rush medical supplies to wounded troops as quickly as possible.
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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