TUESDAY PDB – US, Iran on verge of a major deal to free prisoners, release $6 billion in frozen oil funds. Tehran last month moved several Americans out of the country's notorious Evin Prison and placed them under house arrest in the first step of a significant agreement between the two longtime adversaries.
Besides its brutal clampdown on internal criticism last year and its role in regional terrorism, Iran has been providing Russia with powerful kamikaze drones to use against Ukraine.
EXPECT IRAN TO TAKE MORE U.S. HOSTAGES IN THE FUTURE, AND DESPITE ALLEGED RESTRICTIONS ON THE FUNDS, WILL RAMP UP TERROR ATTACKS WITH THIS MONEY.
Republicans remain opposed to the deal, saying the unfreezing of funds “creates a direct incentive for America's adversaries to conduct future hostage-taking,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (Tex.), the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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:
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
LINES ARE DRAWN – GOP defense budget's abortion, diversity limits draw Biden veto threat. The political acrimony represents another serious division with less than three weeks to go before a federal funding lapse triggers a partial shutdown.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon. SpaceX founder's purported actions last September has raised questions as to whether the U.S. military needs to be more explicit in future contracts that services or products it purchases could be used in war, said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.
How the ‘nuclear football' remains a potent symbol of the unthinkable. The nuclear threat has been dormant in the public's mind since the end of the Cold War.
CHINA THREAT
Chinese aircraft carrier strike group operating again near Japan. Five months after it made its first deployment to the western Pacific, the carrier CNS Shandong (17) is back conducting drills. Also on Monday, Japan's Ministry of Defense reported a total of eight PLAN ships transited the Miyako Strait to enter the Philippine Sea.
Five teams to change how US Air, Space forces prepare to fight China. The service is launching a new effort to revamp how it organizes, trains, equips and carries out missions to deter or defeat China.
RUSSIA THREAT– UKRAINE WAR
How a tiny Polish airport became a key node for Western aid to Ukraine. Daily jumbo-jet landings now eat up the fuel once allotted for a whole week of passenger flights.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 566. Ukraine said it had regained control of several offshore drilling platforms close to Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia since 2015. Known as the Boiko Towers, they were recaptured from Russia in a “unique operation.”
Milley says Ukraine has 30-45 days of ‘fighting weather' for counteroffensive. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said Ukrainian troops are making “steady progress” in the counteroffensive against Russia but are running out of time to achieve key objectives.
Ukraine is ushering in a new uncrewed era at sea. Ukraine has grabbed international attention with its asymmetric attacks using explosive-laden “sea drones” against Russian shipping and facilities in the Black Sea.
ALWAYS ‘INCHING!' – Biden inches toward decision on long-range missiles as Ukraine ups pressure. Kyiv wants an official announcement by next week's UN General Assembly, but that's unlikely.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia before an expected meeting with Putin. Joined by his top military officials handling his nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories, Kim is expected to hold a rare meeting with Vladimir Putin about a potential arms deal for Moscow's war in Ukraine.
HOMELAND SECURITY
HOW DRAMATIC – Marine sentenced to community service, probation for Capitol riot. The judge ordered Dodge Hellonen to perform 279 hours of community service — one hour for every Marine who was killed or wounded fighting in the Civil War.
REAL TERRORIST – Death penalty upheld for Islamist US Army officer who killed 13 in base shooting. A top military court delivered a unanimous decision to uphold the death penalty conviction of ex-Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who went on a terror rampage at then-Fort Hood, Texas.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
A BIG DEAL – Australia, Philippines commit to strategic partnership, pledge joint patrols. This, as the two countries elevated their ties to a strategic partnership during their first-ever bilateral meeting in Manila amid tensions with China.
MUCH NEEDED! – New Zealand seeks new ships to replace ‘majority' of naval fleet. Its Defense Ministry has issued a request for information to replace nearly the entire naval fleet, which currently includes nine ships in six different classes.
On the brink of joining NATO, Sweden seeks to boost its defense spending by 28%. This will put it on track to reach the military spending target 2% of gross domestic product set by the NATO alliance.
While international community is divided on Haiti military, support for an army grows. For more than two years the Biden administration has been pushing for a Haitian-led approach to solving Haiti's spiraling gang violence and deepening humanitarian, social and political crisis.
Israel's air force officially receives new, secretive Spark UAV, ‘gateway' to 5th gen drones. The military revealed little about the new platform, but claims it will “significantly improve” troops' operational capability.
BIDEN'S AFGHAN DISASTER
Former Marine Corps general says the Taliban's relationship with al-Qaeda is ‘far stronger' than with US. Gen. Frank McKenzie, a former commander of the U.S. Central Command, said.
US MILITARY
Air Force to miss recruiting goals for first time in more than 2 decades. It will miss its active-duty recruiting goals for the first time since 1999.
Air Force to fall nearly 150 pilots short of annual training goal. The shortfall makes it more difficult for the service to fill a pilot shortage of around 2,000 people that has persisted for years.
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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Im old enough to remember when The Mouse That Roared was a comedy and not a documentary.
Great film, isn’t it?
AND SOOO TRUE!
What I see here is that Biden has destroyed nations and has made many people suffer with his communist ways. He lies about everything, the world laughs at him and the in Congress do nothing to stop Biden’s madness!. Democrats are evil and the Feds are destroying America because they are nothing but ass kissers to the elites. That department needs burn to ground and salted to get evil out of ground. Praying to God to destroy all evil in America at once.!
He getw my vote for halfwit of the Century! Imagine the damage he will hand us next year!
If you continue to pay them and release terrorists ,they will just keepdoing it. When did the USA start bending over for terrorists. Seems that would be under Democratic power.
In a way, it is so absurd:
We prevented Iran from using 6 BILLION THEY OW, because they kicked out the Dictator-Shah we put on top of them (including his torture SAVAK police!).
But we give Ukraine billion after billion, after they sold North Korea all the Soviet Intercontinental Missiles and Technology (that can hit us!)
Are we suicidal?