FRIDAY PDB – US Air Force Secretary urges Congress to ‘do its job' and ‘give us the funds needed to defend the country.' Frank Kendall emphasized the importance of modernizing the military to keep pace with China, particularly in AI technology – highlighted the need for congressional funding to maintain U.S. military superiority. Additionally, he asserted that the military is “not top heavy” and dismisses claims of it being “woke” as “ridiculous.”
NO, KENDALL IS A BIDEN HACK. HE IS RIDICULOUS AND WOKE.
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:
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR
Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has proposed a “four corner” plan for post-war Gaza in which there will be no Israeli civilian presence and Palestinians will have civil control. The plan would see Israel assume security control, Palestinian take over civil duties, with a multinational force to take charge of reconstruction and an unspecified role for Egypt.
Mother and uncle of a US serviceman are rescued from Gaza in a secret operation. They were safe outside of Gaza after being rescued from the fighting in a secret operation coordinated by the U.S., Israel, Egypt and others.
Tensions in the Middle East are rising beyond Israel. Here's where. The risk of war in the Middle East is growing despite few indications that actors in the region are eager to fight.
NATIONAL SECURITY
A big Navy is vital. A more lethal one would be even better. On the last day of 2023, Navy helicopters took fire from — and then sank — three Iran-backed Houthi gunboats that attacked a private container ship in the Red Sea. This was the first time the rebels had fired directly on U.S. forces. Ten Houthis paid for that decision with their lives.
Water increasingly at the center of conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. Six months ago, an explosion ripped apart Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine, unleashing floods that killed 58 people, devastated the landscape along the Dnipro River and cut off water to productive farmland.
CHINA THREAT
Experts See a Message in Chinese Balloons Flying Over Taiwan. Some see the objects as a calculatedly ambiguous reminder to voters that Beijing is watching. A surge in sightings of balloons from China flying over Taiwan has drawn the attention of the island's military and struck some as a warning to voters weeks before its presidential election.
Beijing has ‘a lot of legal weapons' to challenge Manila's claims in South China Sea, an international law expert says. China could assert fishing rights, demand transit passages and contest baselines if disputes with the Philippines escalate. Tensions between the neighbors have continued to stew over contested reefs and closer US-Philippine defense ties.
Maxar to provide Indo-Pacific imagery, models for US mapping agency. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded Maxar Intelligence a contract to provide space imagery of the Indo-Pacific region.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
‘We're out of money': US exhausts security funds for Ukraine. The U.S. had no funds left to replace weapons sent to Ukraine.
Russia fires missiles supplied by North Korea into Ukraine, says US intelligence. Ballistic missiles provided by Pyongyang to Moscow are now being used on the battlefield.
Putin offers easier path to citizenship for foreigners who join Russian military. Vladimir Putin has made it easier to gain Russian citizenship for foreigners who join his country's military.
Russia will not stop in Ukraine, warns Latvian foreign minister. He says Moscow will seek new targets after the conflict with Kyiv ends.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea fires artillery shells towards South's border island. North Korea has fired more than 200 rounds of artillery shells off its west coast, towards the South's Yeonpyeong island.
IRAN THREAT
US airstrike in central Baghdad kills Iran-backed militia leader. The Thursday strike killed a high-ranking leader of an Iran-backed militia involved in recent attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria.
Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea 25 times since November. The Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthi militia launched another attack on shipping lanes in the Red Sea on Thursday morning, the 25th attack since No. 18.
IT'S IRAN, STUPID! – Former CIA director optimistic US has ‘good intelligence' to mitigate Houthi dangers. John Brennan said Thursday that he is optimistic the U.S. has “good intelligence” that can mitigate dangers from Iran-backed Houthi rebels. ANOTHER DEMOCRAT HACK.
ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Iran bombing. ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly Iran bombing that killed more than 80 people and wounded scores more.
Red Sea protection effort faces early hurdles. Though the Pentagon says 20 nations have joined Operation Prosperity Guardian, almost half have preferred to remain unnamed.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force wargames potential satellite refueling plans. A tabletop exercise looked at how military refueling assets could be integrated with commercial services.
Five steps to secure the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite environment. Much of modern life is powered by satellites. Communications, navigation, defense, timing, weather, environmental and other critical systems depend on data transmitted through a rapidly growing volume of satellite networks.
Two companies will attempt first US moon landings since Apollo mission. The U.S. has not attempted a moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.
US leads world in 2023 launches, sats on orbit. SpaceX alone was responsible for 98 of the 109 launch attempts made by the US in 2023, and 1,937 of the 2,234 US satellites successfully orbited.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Marines dodged fog, ash and typhoons in volcano response mission. The 31st MEU was tasked with delivering 118 pallets of disaster relief supplies by air across the island's jungle landscape.
US Marines test radars, networks for expeditionary base operations. The 13st MEU continued the Marine Corps' push to experiment with expeditionary advanced base operations during its two deployments in 2023.
US MILITARY
B-1 bomber crashes at South Dakota Air Force base, crew ejects safely. A B-1 Lancer bomber from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota crashed Thursday, with all four of its crew members ejecting.
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.
READ NEXT: Another Republican Announces He Won't Seek Reelection
