MONDAY PDB – America beware: A secretive Chinese force is becoming the US military's biggest challenge. The unit has tested hundreds of missiles and developed weapons capable of evading U.S. defenses.
China's Rocket Force has built one of the largest missile forces in the world, in preparation for a possible invasion of Taiwan.
This powerful missile force capable of deep strikes into the United States could greatly complicate any U.S. defense of Taiwan.
MEANWHILE, CHINA KEEPS AGGRESSIVELY PROBING – Taiwan says 6 Chinese balloons flew through its airspace and warplanes and warships also detected nearby.
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:
NATIONAL SECURITY
Air Force's next nuclear missile at risk after costs spike. The next nuclear missile program has exceeded its planned costs severely enough to trigger a report to Congress, potentially putting the missile's survival at risk.
The US is failing to quickly field hypersonic missile defenses against China. The Pentagon warned last year that China already possesses “the world's leading hypersonic arsenal” and is sprinting to field more advanced offensive capabilities. These would allow Beijing to conduct a prompt strike that paralyzes America's command-and-control and missile-defense capabilities.
Here's what I learned as the US government's UFO hunter. A forthcoming investigational report from an office of the Pentagon has found no evidence of aliens, only allegations circulated repeatedly by UFO claim advocates.
POLITICS
Senators demand DOD answers on troops' self-inflicted brain injuries. A trio of senators want the Defense Department to speed up monitoring military brain injuries caused by concussive blasts from service members' own weapons and outline efforts to protect the force from future trauma.
Va. lawmakers rebuke Biden State Dept. for not paying group that helped Afghans. A Northern Virginia nonprofit incurred nearly $700,000 providing emergency medical care for people who fled Afghanistan under Biden in 2021. The State Department owes them.
US Space Force satellites shines light on mystery of Arctic warming. Satellites show melting Arctic sea ice has reduced the amount of sunlight the region reflects, triggering an unprecedented rise in local temperatures.
ISRAEL-GAZA WAR
Deep under Gaza, evidence of cells and hostages, Israel says. In a subterranean compound deep below Khan Younis, a Hamas stronghold in the southern Gaza Strip, the five cells with barred doors that the Israeli military says held hostages abducted from Israel had clearly been constructed long in advance.
IRAN THREAT
Navy SEALs who went missing during sea mission pronounced dead. U.S. Central Command halted search and rescue efforts for two SEALs who went missing during a mission to seize Iranian weapons this month.
US Navy fighters strike Iranian-backed Houthi missile launchers in Yemen. Fighters struck the sites for the sixth time Friday, taking out three anti-ship missiles that were prepared to fire.
Houthis seek more Iranian weapons to step up Red Sea attacks, intel shows. U.S. officials assess the group could also potentially seek to attack Western troops in the region.
Iran launches satellite that is part of a Western-criticized program as regional tensions spike. It reportedly launched a satellite into its highest orbit yet, the latest for a program that improves Tehran's ballistic missiles.
Missile barrage on US base in Iraq leaves personnel being evaluated for brain injuries. Multiple missiles were launched by Iranian-backed militants.
Iraq's leader wants US troops out, but there's no timeline in place. Iraq's prime minister has said it's time for troops to go but hasn't made any formal requests.
Iranian soldier kills 5 comrades in southeastern city where ISIS attack killed dozens. An Iranian soldier opened fire on fellow soldiers Sunday in the city of Kerman, where 94 people were killed in a bombing earlier this month.
An Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital killed at least 5 Iranian military advisers. It destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians.
CHINA THREAT
How China is winning the Middle East. China is working to present itself as a responsible alternative to the U.S. in the Middle East, just as many are questioning Washington's long-term commitment to the region.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Putin attack on NATO ‘possible' in 5-8 years. Germany's Defense Minister warned that Russia's Vladimir Putin could attack the NATO military alliance this decade.
Very dangerous: Zelensky on Trump's claim he could end Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours. For the first time, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly expressed concern over Donald Trump's claim he could end the war within a day of returning to office.
In Ukraine's river war, drones mean nowhere is safe. There are few places from where you can see Russian-occupied territory with the naked eye in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Bradley only had a two-person crew when it wrecked a Russian T-90. Decades of best practices for armor are no match for a self-described gamer and his driver.
Baltic states to bolster border security with Russia, Belarus. NATO members Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have approved the construction of defensive installations alongside their borders with Russia and Belarus, which will include a network of bunkers.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea stresses alignment with Russia against US and says Putin could visit at an ‘early date'. This, as the countries get closer in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the U.S.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
In first, UK downs aerial drone with test shot from DragonFire laser. An industry team has for the first time destroyed an aerial target using a high-power laser kill shot.
Australian officers graduate from U.S. Navy's Nuclear Power Training Unit. The first cadre of Royal Australian Navy officers graduated last week.
US POWER OVERSEAS
As war threatens to spread to Lebanon: The limits of US spying in Beirut. New American embassy a tempting target for Hezbollah with CIA, diplomats largely cooped up inside.
US MILITARY
Navy pursuing fixes for ‘roboships' after observing ‘inappropriate' interactions at sea. The service continues to learn as it gains more experience deploying unmanned surface vessels and putting them through their paces in exercises and other scenarios.
Watch Marines blow up bridge, as practice for hindering enemy forces. Marines aren't allowed to blow up a perfectly good bridge in the name of training. So, they found a bad one.
Marine Corps upgrading radios to keep sophisticated adversaries from listening. Efforts to ensure that U.S. Marines can speak undetected on the battlefield are taking a step forward with major upgrades to the radios they carry.
121 possible graves from Black cemetery found at MacDill Air Force Base. Historians first alerted the Air Force to the graveyard in 2019.
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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