THURSDAY PDB – Biden shrinks the US military. His Pentagon budget reveals the armed forces in a state of managed decline. Joe Biden opened his State of the Union address last week invoking Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. But this week he rolled out a military budget fit for 1991.
Will Congress step up to defend the country amid compounding threats?
Biden's $850 billion request for the Pentagon in 2025 is a mere 1% increase over 2024. That's A CUT after inflation, the fourth defense budget cut in a row Biden has proposed.
But just this past year, Israel was brutally attacked and is now fighting a war for survival. Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. troops in the region more than 150 times, and its terrorists in Yemen have taken a global shipping lane hostage. (RELATED: US Military Warns Crucial Ally Heading Toward Catastrophe)
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine is a bloody slog that he could still win. North Korea is ratcheting up its belligerence toward South Korea, which the U.S. is treaty-bound to defend. And China recently announced a huge 7.2% increase in defense spending.
One think-tank estimates Beijing is fielding high-end equipment five to six times faster than the U.S.
But Biden thinks this is an acceptable moment to put American defenses on a diet.
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
West Point military academy drops ‘Duty, Honor, Country' from mission statement. The Academy Superintendent said: ‘Duty, Honor, Country is foundational to the United States Military Academy's culture.'
MEN NEED NOT APPLY! – Navy launches Women's Initiatives Team to aid retention, recruitment. The Navy is standing up a Women's Initiatives Team, or WIT, as it aims to foster more inclusive warfighting teams while improving recruitment and retention across the fleet.
POLITICS
House passes bill that could ban TikTok if Chinese owner won't sell. The House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn't sell its stake. This, as concerns grow that the company's current ownership is a national security threat. (RELATED: House Republicans Defy Trump With Latest Legislative Move)
Former US military and political leaders call on Senate to ratify law of the sea. Move is part of an effort to spur the country's interest in deep-sea mining amid competition with China for critical minerals.
GOP Congressman helps airlift author Mitch Albom, 9 others out of Haiti. Author Mitch Albom, who runs an orphanage in Haiti, said he was among 10 people rescued from the violence-ridden nation early Tuesday morning by a GOP lawmaker who has led similar evacuation missions in Afghanistan and Israel.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Marine anti-terrorism unit sent to protect US Embassy in Haiti. This to protect it from a soaring wave of violence as armed gangs run amok across the island nation, sparking a regional crisis.
Army 4-star eyes new opportunities, exercises focused on sustainment, logistics in Indo-Pacific. “There's no way [that] we go into a large-scale fight without relying on allies and partners for supply chain airfields [and ports]. We've identified [those], you know, down to every airfield and port there is.”
Army should permanently station armor brigade in Poland, report argues. The Pentagon should reassess its force posture in Europe and reduce its reliance on revolving door-style unit rotations.
SEALs break new ground while submarine breaks through ice at Arctic allied exercise. U.S. special operators and allied commandos moved across frozen tundra in snowmobiles and linked up with a fast-attack submarine after it cracked through a thick sheet of ice, marking a first in the Arctic Circle.
IRAN THREAT
All the Houthi-US Navy incidents in the Middle East (that we know of). A running list of instances where a Navy ship or jet has shot down a Houthi attack, and when the U.S. and its allies have hit back at Houthi sites in Yemen.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
How will the US build a pier to send aid into Gaza? Learn more in ‘How It Works Wednesday.'
UN HUMAN SHIELDS OR HAMAS COLLABORATORS? – Israel acknowledges strike on UN facility, says it targeted Hamas commander. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Wednesday that at least one of its staff members was killed and 22 were injured when Israeli forces struck one of its food distribution centers in southern Gaza. (RELATED: US Ally Makes Grisly Discovery)
CHINA THREAT
On board a Philippine Coast Guard ship during a confrontation with China. Reporter joined a resupply convoy to a remote Philippine outpost in the disputed South China Sea. The mission would end in one of the most significant confrontations between China and the Philippines in recent years.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
New US arms for Ukraine will help, for a little while. The $300 million in new weaponry the U.S. is sending to Ukraine, the first American military aid package in months, will help for a few weeks, but it will not change the overall situation on the battlefield, where Moscow currently has the advantage.
EU agrees on $5.5 billion boost for Ukraine military aid fund. This, as part of a revamp of an EU-run assistance fund, handing Kyiv a timely boost as its forces struggle against Russian invaders.
The US military is running short on ammunition—and so is Ukraine. If Congress fails to pass a national security supplemental funding bill, Ukraine will be getting fewer bullets.
For Germany's Scholz, Taurus missiles are a bridge too far in Ukraine. The Chancellor is reiterating his opposition to supplying Kyiv with German Taurus cruise missiles, arguing the long-range weapons would require tactical assistance from Berlin that contravenes NATO nations' mantra of containing the war in Ukraine.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea's Kim ‘drives' new tank during mock battle. Kim Jong Un guided a military demonstration involving a new battle tank, in the latest show of force as South Korea and the U.S. wrapped up joint drills.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Denmark to begin conscripting women for the military in rare move. This, part of a broader defense overhaul with an eye on Russia.
Arming Poland faster is critical to US interests, NATO's security. Twenty-five years ago, Poland joined NATO. Since then, it has emerged as a leading force for stability in Central and Eastern Europe.
Air defense for $13 a shot? How lasers could revolutionize the way militaries counter enemy missiles and drones. Britain this week showed off a new laser weapon that could save tens of millions of dollars over the cost of missile interceptors that do the job now.
UK declassifies test footage of DragonFire laser blasting an aerial target. Watch now.
BIDEN'S AFGHAN DISASTER
Pentagon has completed additional review of deadly Kabul airport bombing. The deadly Abbey Gate bombing killed 13 service members (almost all Marines) and dozens more Afghan civilians during the disastrous 2021 Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan.
US MILITARY
Marines may revamp pistol training to require more lethal shots. Marines can also now rest their rifles on the magazine while qualifying.
What we now know about the Marine Corps' plans for Medium Landing Ship. The inclusion of the Medium Landing Ship in the 2025 budget is a major win for the Marines, which faced significant amphibious shipbuilding cuts last year.
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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