THURSDAY PDB – Biden must take a tougher stance on Iran and the Houthis. As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the threat posed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels does too, with risks to international shipping and global peace and security.
BIDEN IS DANGEROUSLY WEAK WITH IRAN.
US allies reluctant on Red Sea task force. Two of America's European allies who were listed as contributors to Operation Prosperity Guardian – Italy and Spain – issued statements appearing to distance themselves from the U.S.-led maritime force created by Team Biden.
YET, BIDEN STILL HASN'T RESPONDED TO ATTACKS – Trump falsely claims US soldier killed abroad in burst of misstatements. Donald Trump incorrectly said a U.S. soldier died in recent days, appearing to exaggerate the injuries from an attack in northern Iraq on Monday as he sought to criticize Joe Biden.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE AMERICANS ARE KILLED BY IRAN OR THEIR PROXIES.
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 war in Gaza threatens to spill into Lebanon and beyond. Escalating strikes and counterstrikes along the border between Israel and Lebanon are raising fears of a possible new front for Israel, even as its troops continue bloody urban combat against Hamas in Gaza to the south.
The number of wounded Israeli soldiers is mounting, representing a hidden cost of war. Igor Tudoran spent just 12 hours inside the Gaza Strip before a missile slammed into his tank, leaving him with a life-altering injury.
POLITICS
The Space Command fight isn't over. And the next round could involve Trump. “We've got two paths, both of which are good,” House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers said.
UMMMM – IT'S COMPLICATED – BUT ALSO ABOUT SLAVERY – Nikki Haley makes no mention of slavery when asked to name cause of Civil War. After a voter said he found it “astonishing” that Haley hadn't used the word “slavery” at any point in her answer, she asked, “What do you want me to say about slavery?”
BIDEN'S ARMY SECRETARY JUST FIRED HIM – The Army's first-ever lead special trial counsel just got fired for behaving ethically. Brigadier General Warren Wells served for a year as the Army's Lead Special Trial Counsel. The new position was part of a sweeping Congressional effort to reform the military justice system to insulate against unlawful command influence in cases of serious criminal offenses.
CHINA THREAT
Chinese submariner appointed head of People's Liberation Army Navy. China's leader Xi Jinping appointed a new Chief for the PLAN on Monday while the post of top defense minister remains vacant. Meanwhile Taiwan continues to report Chinese balloons crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
China decries Taiwan for ‘hyping up' military threat, sends warplanes. China's defense ministry says Taiwan is deliberately “hyping up” the military threat from China ahead of elections on the island, but then again sent warplanes into the Taiwan Strait.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
With hopes of victory fading, Ukraine's war against Russia could get even harder in 2024. Intense fighting is likely to continue in the new year, with much hinging on the presidential election in the U.S.
US announces new weapons package for Ukraine. It could be the final package of military aid to Ukraine unless Congress approves supplemental funding legislation that is stalled on Capitol Hill.
Ukraine doesn't need all its territory to defeat Putin. The New York Times reports that Russia is quietly signaling a readiness to freeze the war in Ukraine is both suspicious and tantalizing.
How many Russian generals have been killed in Ukraine? The Russians have lost at least seven generals.
Russia covered up and undercounted true human cost of floodings after dam explosion. They recognized the TV repairman.
Russia's military wives emerge as wild card to Putin's triumphal mood. The families of drafted Russian soldiers have tried everything: They appealed to the Defense Ministry, wrote to Vladimir Putin, met with officials, and even protested publicly. Their questions to Putin's annual “direct line” call-in show last week were ignored.
Russian frigate enters service, with plans for hypersonic armaments. The frigate Admiral Golovko is the country's first ship built to launch Zircon hypersonic missiles.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea's Kim vows to bolster war readiness to repel US-led confrontations. The North's leader Kim Jong Un called for bolstered war readiness to repel what he said were unprecedented U.S.-led confrontational moves, as the South vowed retaliation against any provocations by the North.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force hosts inaugural ‘orbital warfare' training exercise. The simulation-based Red Skies exercise allowed guardians to hone skills in orbital mechanics and satellite flight.
US POWER OVERSEAS
It's all coming together: Logistics Marines will lead Okinawa-to-Guam move late next year. A logistics detachment is expected to kick off a long-awaited, multiyear relocation of Marines from Okinawa to the service's newest base in the Indo-Pacific.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
What's old is new again: How to boost NATO's air defenses in Europe. Today, NATO's border with Russia is double the length of the Cold War's inner-German dividing line.
Global defense orders surge as geopolitical tensions mount. Sustained state spending on weapons drives investor interest in sector.
Criticize this African country's Army and you might be drafted. The military junta in Burkina Faso, a West African nation struggling to defeat extremist groups, has been forcibly conscripting critics.
US MILITARY
Big moves ahead on light tank, Bradley replacement and robot vehicles. The Army's ground combat forces will see three new vehicles arrive in 2024.
US Army wants thousands more ‘Coyote' drone interceptors. The US Army seeks to expand its “Coyote” anti-drone interceptor arsenal by thousands amid the growing threat of loitering munitions.
Surface navy emphasizes frigates in its latest modernization plans. Navy study puts even greater importance on small combatants, a shift in priorities that could require the surface navy to rebalance its ongoing modernization plans.
Beyond the Osprey: DARPA wants high-speed vertical takeoff X-plane. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working on an experimental vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft that can fly at speeds far faster than the V-22 Osprey.
AND NOT WOKE? THAT WOULD BE KEY! – New in 2024: Air officer, enlisted training gets a makeover. Schoolhouses across the Air Force are reimagining education for a new generation of airmen, hoping to shape troops who are more critical thinkers, more capable workers, and wiser leaders.
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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