THURSDAY PDB – Lawmakers launch investigation into Austin's health secrecy. The House Armed Services Committee will look into how senior leaders mishandled the defense secretary's hospitalization earlier this month.
Democrat calls for Austin to resign following hospitalization scandal. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) called for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's resignation Wednesday, becoming the first Democrat to publicly support the removal of the Pentagon leader.
UMMM – YES, HE DOES – HE IS NUMBER TWO IN THE NUKE CHAIN OF COMMAND – Lloyd Austin doesn't deserve to be the piñata of the day in Washington. One of the most lamentable features of Washington life is the political and press pile-on when some public figure has made a mistake, however minor.
THIS IS NOT A MINOR MISTAKE.
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:
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR
The US nudges Israel toward an off-ramp from war. An Arab proverb warns that you should “think of how to leave before you enter.” That's proving painfully true for Israel in the Gaza war, where it still doesn't have a coherent exit strategy.
Democrats say Biden must notify Congress about Israel arms transfers. Team Biden has sought to bypass such requirements as it seeks billions of dollars more in urgent military assistance for Israel.
Israeli military says traces of hostages found in an underground tunnel in Gaza. The tunnel was found in a part of the city that appears to have endured heavy fighting.
In first, UN sending envoy to investigate Hamas sexual crimes on October 7. This due to the growing mountain of evidence that Hamas terrorists engaged in sexual violence during their terror onslaught against southern Israel.
RIDICULOUS AND INSULTING – Israel faces accusation of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in case brought by South Africa at U.N. court.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
THIS IS INTENTIONAL – WOKE DIVERSITY – Army sees sharp decline in white recruits. The Army's recruiting of white soldiers has dropped significantly in the last half decade, a decline that accounts for much of the service's historic recruitment slump that has become an increasing national concern.
NATIONAL SECURITY
American intel officials warn of risk of Hezbollah attacking US. Hezbollah has more capability to strike inside the U.S. than other terrorist groups like ISIS.
No, Taylor Swift is not a Pentagon PsyOp. Responding to the claim, the Pentagon said it was going to “shake it off.” BUT DOES SHE SOMEHOW WORK FOR TEAM BIDEN?
HOMELAND SECURITY
As Senate seeks border deal with Mayorkas, House GOP may impeach him. Republicans have been increasingly critical of the Department of Homeland Security secretary as border crossings hit record highs.
VA gets flak for using staff to help ICE process illegal immigrant health care despite backlog of veterans. The arrangement has been in place since 2002.
POLITICS
Takeaways from CNN's Iowa debate with DeSantis and Haley. During a clash over the U.S. role in supporting Ukraine, DeSantis said Haley believes “we're somehow globalists and we have unlimited resources.” Haley responded with a withering criticism of DeSantis' campaign's failure to date to live up to expectations.
CHINA THREAT
Taiwanese election may determine whether Beijing opts to force the issue of reunification. Independence on the ballot?
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
The two ways Russia's Ukraine war can end. Is this 1917 or 1938?
Ukraine builds barricades, digs trenches as focus shifts to defense. Rows of white concrete barricades and coils of razor wire stretch across an open field for more than a kilometer. Trenches with rudimentary living quarters are being dug under cover of darkness.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Russia can be stopped but Kyiv badly needs more air defense systems. Ukraine has shown the world that Russia's military can be stopped, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday as he began a visit to the Baltic nations in search of more help for his country against the Kremlin's larger and better-supplied forces in the 22-month-old invasion.
Questions surround Canada's promise of air defense system for Ukraine one year on. Canada promised to donate to a $406-million surface-to-air missile defense system.
Deported Ukrainian children sent to ‘survival training' with Belarus military. The ‘forcible transfer and russification of Ukrainian children' is ‘evidence of a genocide,' the Council of Europe says.
IRAN THREAT
UN Security Council demands Houthi rebels stop Red Sea attacks in vote that implicitly condemns Iran. Iran is the Houthis' main weapons supplier.
Tanker in Gulf of Oman boarded by men in military uniforms in apparent seizure in Mideast waters. An oil tanker once at the center of a crisis between Iran and the U.S. was boarded by “unauthorized” men in military uniforms early on Thursday morning, a British military and a private security firm warned.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
The North Korean threat remains, and America must be ready. While the U.S. and the world are focused on Israel and Ukraine, our government must not fail to prepare for the threat North Korea poses as it continues to ramp up its weapons development — including more than 100 missile launches since the start of 2022.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Somalia's militant Shabab capture downed UN helicopter, at least 1 dead. The al-Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgent group seized the crew of a U.N. helicopter that made an emergency landing in Somalia on Wednesday.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Guyana turns to US to help boost its military as territorial dispute with Venezuela deepens. This, amid fears that neighboring Venezuela might one day seize a disputed region in western Guyana that is rich in minerals and oil.
No spy drones flying over US military posts, Army says after activity reports at German bases. Russian spy drones haven't interfered with the training of Ukrainian troops at American bases in Germany, following reports of unmanned aircraft disrupting similar efforts at a German base west of Berlin.
Navy tests how to relieve carrier strike group warships on station. The Navy is exploring a new surface fleet model that would augment a carrier strike group with additional destroyers and cruisers that the strike group did not initially deploy with.
US MILITARY
Air Force creates digital clone of secretive ‘Doomsday Plane.' The Air Force has four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft.
Navy Secretary Del Toro wants to accelerate funding for directed energy weapons. He is looking to boost investments in high-powered lasers as the service pursues new tools to defeat drone swarms.
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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