THURSDAY PDB – Expect the same to happen in America thanks to Joe Biden's open border – Sweden's PM calls in army chief as gang violence surges. A wave of killings has shaken Sweden over the past few weeks, leaving 11 people dead in September alone.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson summoned the head of Sweden's armed forces and the state's police chief, as a wave of gang violence grips the country.
“We're going to hunt down the gangs and we're going to defeat them,” Kristersson said.
“I cannot stress enough how serious the situation is,” he said. “Sweden has never seen anything like this before. No other country in Europe sees anything like it.”
Kristersson blamed an “irresponsible immigration policy” and “failed integration,” along with “political naivety,” for the rise of gang violence.
“Everything is on the table, both within the current law, and the laws that need to be changed quickly,” He added.
MEANWHILE THE WAVE OF IMIGRANTS TO EUROPE CONTINUES WITH 186,000 ARRIVING BY SEA THIS YEAR.
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:
POLITICS -DEFENSE BUDGET
House narrowly clears hard-right Pentagon funding bill after Ukraine aid carve-out. The measure is one of four spending bills Republicans aimed to pass this week. But the incremental GOP victory is overshadowed by an increasingly likely government shutdown this weekend.
Ukraine funds to backfill US stocks will expire amid GOP opposition. House GOP opposition to additional Ukraine aid threatens to deprive the Pentagon of funds it needs to backfill weapons it has given Kyiv from U.S. stocks.
Rogers calls for Pentagon IG probe of Space Command basing decision. Rogers and other House lawmakers claim the Space Command basing process included “striking irregularities.”
I AGREE WITH POCAHONTAS – Senator Warren accuses Pentagon appointees of using position for “personal profit.” Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the Pentagon with ethics concerns with the office dedicated to private funding defense technology.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
WE WILL SEE ABOUT THAT – Legal review refutes claim that DoD abortion rules need congressional approval. The Defense Department did not need congressional approval to implement abortion rules earlier this year, including allowing female troops to use taxpayer funds to travel out of state for abortions.
WOMEN SIMPLY DON'T HAVE THE SAME PHYSICALITY OF MEN – Marine Corps leaders struggle with how to train female infantry officers amid worries about standards. Internal communications regarding gender integration efforts at IOC highlight struggles the Corps faced as it adapted its infantry officer training after opening combat arms to women in 2013.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Lessons from Ukraine: US Army using conflict in Europe to prepare soldiers for the next war. Chief concerns are drones, electronic surveillance, and artificial intelligence.
7 ways to fix the most glaring issues facing America's military. Let's refocus and ensure US military is the world's most effective and respected fighting force.
The demographic and fiscal time bombs ticking inside the Pentagon. The lack of 18-year-olds to serve and our country's towering fiscal deficits will endanger our national security in the near term.
For 13th time, sensitive military information leaked on ‘War Thunder.' “There is no way to 100% guarantee that someone else wouldn't go crazy one day and do one more post.”
CHINA THREAT
MOD IS MIA – China's defense minister has been MIA for a month. His ministry isn't making any comment. A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson said that he was “not aware of the situation” in the ministry's first public comments on the disappearance of the defense minister from public view about one month ago.
Taiwan's big stake in Washington's budget battles. It's in the U.S. national security interest to accelerate the democratic island's procurement of the capabilities it needs to deter an invasion.
RUSSIA THREAT– UKRAINE WAR
Ending Ukraine aid would be ‘devastating' to its war effort, nominee for top Pentagon post warns. This warning comes from the nominee for what's widely considered the third-most powerful position in the Pentagon.
Ukrainian F-16 pilots arrive in the US for initial training. In the past few days, several pilots arrived at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to first begin English language training.
Only Ukraine's ‘guardian angel docs' know true toll of counteroffensive. The medical teams near Ukraine's front lines estimate they've treated tens of thousands of troops.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 583. Russia launched its largest air attack on Ukraine this month, targeting three regions – Mykolaiv and Odesa in the south and Kirovohrad in central Ukraine. Ukraine said its air defenses shot down 34 of 44 Shahed drones.
A WIN-WIN – Western leaders urge arms manufacturing in Ukraine. NATO is pitching weapons making as economic development for war-torn Ukraine, and it could be lucrative for Western arms makers.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
Pentagon labels North Korea a ‘persistent threat' in strategy update. Warning that the isolated regime has developed the capability to use nuclear weapons at “any stage of conflict.”
IRAN THREAT
Iranian Navy shines laser at US helicopter during ‘unsafe' interaction. “IRGCN vessels shone a laser multiple times at the aircraft while in flight,” according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
US quietly acknowledges Iran satellite successfully reached orbit as tensions remain high. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard successfully put an imaging satellite into orbit this week in a launch that resembled others previously noted as helping Tehran's ballistic missile program.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force could be the service branch hurt most by a government shutdown. Two space experts say a government shutdown and the disruption to military funding likely could be most devastating to the Space Force of all the service branches.
HOMELAND SECURITY
AGREED – US government surveillance tool should face limits, privacy panel says. Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers say they won't vote to renew Section 702 when it expires at the end of the year without major changes.
VETS-TO-COPS – Muzzle pits veteran-turned-cop into quest for revenge, identity. Approximately a quarter of American law enforcement professionals have served in the military, according to the Department of Justice.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
ETHNIC CLEANSING – Congress calls for sanctions on Azerbaijan after military takeover of disputed Christian region. Nearly 100 House and Senate are calling for sanctions against military officials in Azerbaijan after the country took over an independent mountainous region that is home to tens of thousands of ethnic, mostly Christian, Armenians who are now fleeing the territory.
NATO turns to underwater drones and AI in bid to deter Russia. It is racing to develop technologies to allow real-time detection of suspicious activity near underwater critical infrastructure, after the Nord Stream pipeline blasts one year ago laid bare the difficulty of monitoring.
US MILITARY
Minihan: These ‘magic' airmen need more SOF-like capabilities. “The Global Air Mobility Support System is the secret and the magic that will ultimately define our tempo,” Minihan said. “Quite frankly, what is aspirational to others, they do on a daily basis.”
Lawmakers, Army, headed for a fight over Special Operations Forces cuts. “It doesn't pass the smell test,” said one Senate staffer.
END of PDB
