China Preparing for War Under Xi

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with Paul Crespo and the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the PDB:

Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING.

Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief. Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.

NATIONAL SECURITY

DAY LATE, DOLLAR SHORT – Biden National Defense Strategy tackles China, Russia, nuke deterrence. The Biden administration laid out a national defense strategy aimed at China, which it views as America's most consequential strategic competitor, and Russia, which it sees as an “acute threat” capable of cyber and missile attacks on the U.S.

US troops put in harm's way by lack of White House info-sharing, report says. A Navy SEAL sniper's killing of an ISIS fighter in Cameroon, the wounding of a Marine in battle in Tunisia and large-scale gunfights in Somalia.

HOMELAND SECURITY

NO, DEMS, ACTUALLY, IT DOESN'T. OVERBLOWN, POLITICIZED ‘THREAT' – Extremism among vets needs study and prevention, lawmakers warn. Federal officials need to find new ways to study and prevent extremism among veterans before the problem becomes widespread, according to a new report released by Democratic lawmakers on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Texas pulls from state prison budget for Operation Lone Star funding. Of the $359.6 million being diverted to the Operation Lone Star border security operation, $339 million will pay for Texas National Guard troops involved.

CHINA THREAT

‘LEADER-FOR LIFE' XI PREPARING FOR WAR – Taiwan, missiles and spying set to be China's priorities under new Xi term. The nature of the battle for which Xi is preparing can be divined from the backgrounds of the country's two dozen most senior leaders, selected at the twice-a-decade political meeting that just concluded. His choices reflect a focus on developing advanced military and technological capabilities so that Beijing can withstand any pressure from the United States and its allies, particularly when it comes to enforcing territorial claims over Taiwan.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Fearing Russian false flag in Ukraine, US launches plan to track arms. The U.S. State Department released plans Thursday to better track weapons supplied to Ukraine, voicing fears Russian forces could capture and use them to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 247. Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no regrets for the war against Ukraine, insisting it was going to plan as he played down any nuclear standoff with the West, while both sides prepared for what could be a key battle in Kherson in Ukraine's south.

Pentagon: Ukraine to get advanced air defense systems early next month. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the imminent delivery of two anti-aircraft batteries but quashed hopes on longer-range missiles Kyiv says it needs.

PROBABLY TRUE – Putin: “It doesn't make sense” to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that he would conduct a nuclear strike in Ukraine, saying Thursday that “it doesn't make sense for us to do it.

South Korea denies sending weapons to Ukraine after Putin remarks. President Yoon Suk-yeol said no lethal military aid was sent to Kyiv after the Russian president warned of harmed relations.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles towards Sea of Japan. Missile launches come four days after North Korea and South Korea exchanged warning shots off the west coast.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

‘Fat Leonard' extradition gives Maduro regime an edge in redefining relations with US, says legal expert. The extradition of international fugitive Leonard Francis from Venezuela to the United States could mark the start of a major shift in the relationship between Caracas and Washington, D.C., a Venezuelan legal expert told USNI News on Thursday.

US wants to find a country to lead Haiti military intervention by early November. The State Department is pushing back against the notion that a U.S. resolution at the United Nations proposing the deployment of a rapid reaction force to Haiti is in peril, with a senior administration official stating Wednesday that he expects the dimensions of a force to be settled by early November.

Air Force to replace Kadena F-15 squadrons with rotational fighters. The Air Force is planning to replace the two squadrons of F-15C Eagle fighters it has stationed at Kadena Air Base in Japan with a rotational force of fighters.

FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER? Israel's Benny Gantz relaunches defense ties with Turkey. Israeli defense minister heralds a new era in the country's security ties with Ankara after a decade-long rupture.

Somalia asks US to step up drone strikes against Qaeda-linked fighters. A new administration in Somalia has launched an offensive against Al Shabab, which are also facing an uprising from local militias.

Sea exercise for Navy drones tests their capabilities in front of Middle East partners. The Navy's aquatic drones had to up their game this week in the largest exercise so far of unmanned vessels operating with crewed ships of different countries from the Middle East, the Navy's 5th Fleet said Thursday.

PENTAGON ‘WOKE' WATCH

Traditional military themes missing from the US military's new pitch. Diversity, equity and inclusion replace words like teamwork, grit, cohesiveness, fighting spirit and bravery.

Renaming the USS John C Stennis is not in line with American values. By renaming bases and warships, we as a nation are teaching society to push obstacles to the side, to become victims, the author of this commentary writes.

DOUBTFUL – Austin ‘confident' about meeting recruiting challenges. Although headlines abounded this summer that the military faces a recruiting crisis, spurred by the Army's announcement that it expected to miss its accessions goal by thousands, the Defense Department's most senior leader says he is confident the services will be able to man themselves appropriately to achieve DoD's stated goals of competing with and deterring China and Russia.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force on notice as Russia warns commercial satellites may be a ‘legitimate target.' Russia is warning it could target commercial satellites assisting U.S. military operations as its invasion of Ukraine drags on — a threat that could prompt the Space Force and U.S. Space Command to see action if Moscow follows through.

US MILITARY

‘Shifting threats,' drones, F35s the stars of new Marine recruiting ad. The Corps needs a few good drones. And Marines.

“You can't take a move back”: How chess teaches military values. Space Force chess contender on how thinking for a game like chess relates to a military mindset — including the finality of potentially fateful decisions.

DEFENSE CONTRACTORS

Working in fear: Some private contractors are accused of abusive labor practices on US military bases. “Our taxpayer dollars are being used potentially to support forced labor and human trafficking, and that's just unacceptable,” a U.S. government auditor said.

Abuses on US bases in Persian Gulf ensnare legions of migrant workers. Defense contractors employ thousands of migrant workers on U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf. Many are trapped by employment practices banned by the U.S. government

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: Lefty Media Manufactures Existential Threat to US Armed Forces >>