PAUL’S DAILY BRIEF (PDB) Monday – North Korea’s Kim threatens to destroy South Korea with nuclear strikes if provoked. This, after the South’s leader warned that Kim’s regime would collapse if he attempted to use nuclear arms.
South Korean leader says North Korea wants US attention by showing off nuclear might. Its disclosure of a nuclear facility was an attempt to grab U.S. attention ahead of the looming presidential election, and the North will also likely stage major provocations like a nuclear test explosion and a long-range missile test.
North Korea launches a missile, and U.S. Forces Korea and Indo-Pacific Command initially manage command and control of the situation in a hypothetical scenario. With foundations laid, Pentagon building CJADC2’s data backbone.
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
Collapse of national security elites’ cyber firm leaves bitter wake. IronNet was founded by a former NSA director and stacked with elite members of the U.S. intelligence establishment. It promised to revolutionize how governments and corporations combat cyberattacks. THEN IT COLLAPSED.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Navy identifies three vessels impacted by faulty ship weld work at the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia. an aircraft carrier and two submarines but say that the substandard work did not take place on components that affect ship safety or operations.
YOU ARE LATE, BIDEN-HARRIS – 82nd, 101st Airborne send troops to join other Army, and National Guard from 16 states, with the mission of “reaching the hardest hit areas as quickly as possible.”
POLITICS
DOUBTFUL – On military policy, there’s not much daylight between Harris and Trump. This, according to Michael O’Hanlon, a former Defense Policy Board member.
LIKELY – BUT TOO BAD – Biden says he doesn’t know whether Israel’s Prime Minister is holding up peace deal to influence 2024 US election.
Trump says he’d change name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg if elected. Trump made the remarks on Friday night during a town hall in Fayetteville, N.C., which is near the military installation.
THEY EARNED IT – ILLEGALS DIDN’T – Fight over right to restrict naturalizations for troops, revived by the Biden admin, blasted by ACLU. The legal battle is over whether the military can offer service members an expedited path to citizenship.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Are US deployments containing the fighting, or inflaming it? US military officials discuss whether sending more force to the Middle East is helping to prevent a much wider war, or emboldening Israel.
Different adversaries mean different US answers to missile attacks on Israel, Ukraine. The US helped Israel shoot down Iranian missile attacks in recent days while declining Ukraine’s request to do the same against Russian missiles.
ISRAEL WAR AGAINST TERROR
Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary.
Israeli troop reinforcements cast doubt over ‘limited’ Lebanon invasion. Third division redeployed to join invasion force as Israeli operations expand rapidly on multiple fronts.
US arranges flights to bring Americans out of Lebanon as others seek escape. 350 have left so far.
Israel’s Oct. 7 early warning failure: Who is to blame? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his intelligence chiefs appear locked in a blame game. The short answer is that both are responsible.
IRAN THREAT
Alleged plots against US campaign are only the latest examples of Iran targeting adversaries. Iran has emerged as a twofold concern for the US as it nears the end of the presidential campaign.
AS BIDEN-HARRIS GAVE IRAN BILLIONS – US will spend $1.2 billion to maintain deployed ships and restock arms after Iran, Houthi attacks.
CHINA THREAT
US Republicans fear UK deal to cede Chagos Islands will boost Chinese interest in region.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine kills nuclear plant’s pro-Russian security chief with car bomb. The Russia-controlled nuclear power plant is in southern Ukraine.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
PHOTOS – North Korean troops smash bricks with sledgehammer on fellow soldier’s body.
THANKS, TRUMP! – The US and South Korea reach tentative new deal on costs for the American troop presence.
SPACE THREAT
Inside the Marine Corps’ first-ever littoral regiment. “We’re going to be pretty disaggregated, seizing key maritime terrain, providing the sensing capability, and things like that,” one staff sergeant says.
Report to Congress on US Marine Corps force design.
US MILITARY
Can the Air Force make its next-gen fighter jet cheaper than the F-35? Since the Joint Strike Fighter’s inception the price tag has mushroomed to roughly $80 million or $100 million per jet.
END of PDB
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