THURSDAY PDB – The latest escalation in the Ukraine war or Russian false flag? Or neither? Russia claims Ukraine tried to hit Kremlin; Kyiv denies it.
Russia claimed it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin early Wednesday, calling it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Vladimir Putin and promising retaliation for what it termed a “terrorist” act.
Ukraine denied any involvement, saying Moscow could use it for further escalation of the war.
STILL – Real or not, reported Kremlin drone attack unsettles Russia. As Russian officials tell it, two Ukrainian drones flew into the very heart of Moscow under the cover of darkness, reaching the Kremlin before they were shot down at the last minute.
Some believe this signals the start of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Stay tuned for more.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories.
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
VERY INTERESTING – Yokota Air Base is a logical spot for NATO mission in Japan. The home of U.S. Forces Japan might host a liaison office that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will reportedly open in the Japanese capital next year.
THIS WAS A SERIOUS INCIDENT KEPT QUIET – Russian missile damaged MQ-9 over Syria, US reveals. A Russian surface-to-air missile came close to striking an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over Syria in November, passing, and detonating within 40 feet and damaging the aircraft.
CHINA THREAT
GREAT – US, Philippines promise joint defense ‘anywhere in the South China Sea.' As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits Washington, the two allies unveiled guidance to bolster and modernize their partnership in the face of an increasingly belligerent China.
PROGRESS – Senate's China bill to restrict advanced tech exports, bolster allies. It is working on a new bipartisan bill that will both further block China from using American capital to develop its most cutting-edge technology and shore up Washington's support for Pacific security partners.
URGENTLY NEEDED – White House proposes tighter national security rules around military bases after Chinese real estate purchases. Military installations in North Dakota, South Dakota, California, Iowa and Texas would be covered.
GREAT – US defense contractors want deeper cooperation with Taiwan. A delegation of American defense contractors and a former senior leader of the U.S. Marine Corps pledged the beginning of deeper cooperation with Taiwan.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russian defense chief wants wartime missile output doubled. He wants a state company to double its missile output, as a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive looms and both sides in the 14-month war reportedly experience an ammunition crunch.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 435. At least 21 civilians were killed in a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and the surrounding region, with dozens more wounded.
Ukraine seeks to bolster air defenses after Russian barrages. The Ukrainian president said further steps were being taken to shield the country's skies after Russia killed scores of people in two deadly missile barrages.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force, NRO are sharing the ground-tracking mission, for now. After two years of wrangling between the National Reconnaissance Office and the Space Force, NRO will be in charge of developing a new, classified space-based payload for tracking moving targets on the ground — with some Space Force funds.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Senate advances bill to enhance Latin America security cooperation. It has advanced a bill to strengthen U.S. security cooperation “with democratic partner nations” in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Israel tells CENTCOM Intel sharing will continue, despite Pentagon leak. Israel's defense chief told the head of the U.S. Central Command, that Israel will continue information and intelligence sharing with the U.S., despite concerns over top-secret Pentagon documents leaked online.
German troops deployed to UN mission begin withdrawal from Mali. They are currently gathering reconnaissance for the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA fighting armed groups in Mali.
US MILITARY
Army special operators are training for a fight with China, Russia. Gunshots, followed by screams, rang out at Fort Bragg last week.
Ratio of fighters to bombers may shift toward bombers in the future. The Air Force may shift its fighter-to-bomber ratio more toward bombers and longer-range platforms in the future—but not soon, because the B-21 production line is now only set up for “modest” production rates.
WE NEED A BIGGER AND MORE LETHAL NAVY – Fleet Forces chief wants to make a smaller Navy more lethal. The head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command operates a fleet smaller than the Navy planned, due to delays in ship and submarine construction and maintenance.
Short-handed Army to miss recruiting goal for second year in a row. The service's recruiting slump won't end this year, making fiscal 2023 the second year in a row that the branch won't meet its recruiting targets.
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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Test run??
Even though a “false flag” operation or an assassination attempt by the Russian military are more likely, that the Ukrainians could get a drone all the way to the Kremlin is not all that far-fetched.
Soviet-era air defense forces were notoriously disfunctional.
In 1987 a young German named Mathias Rust flew a rented Cessna from Finland to Red Square. While he was detected several times, he was never successfully intercepted.