SATURDAY PDB – Drones are everywhere. We need to shoot them down cheaply. The Pentagon's growing costly headache: Cheap drones.
The Pentagon faces a dilemma exemplified by its battles in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: How to cost-effectively intercept cheap but deadly drones wielded by a growing number of forces.
Navy secretary vows more money for anti-drone lasers. The Defense Department's spending on lasers is down, but the need is up.
Army gets four drone zappers in rush to defend troops. The drone-frying prototype weapons from defense contractor Epirus, are part of a deal through a rapid acquisition effort to boost defenses against unmanned aerial systems.
MAYBE DOD SHOULD BUY BRITISH – UK reveals development of low-cost Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon. It beams radio waves to “disrupt or damage” electronic equipment of enemy vehicles “causing them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky.
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:
HOMELAND SECURITY – LAW ENFORCEMENT
Former Army sergeant convicted of killing armed BLM protester pardoned. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a full pardon for a former Army sergeant convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed demonstrator during the 2020 nationwide riots.
Family: Army frustrated efforts to get reservist help before Maine mass shooting. The sister and brother-in-law of an Army reservist responsible for killing 18 people in Maine gave an emotional apology for the deadly rampage and blamed Army officials for frustrating their efforts to get him mental health care before the shooting.
POLITICS
House passes bill to undo Biden's partial Israel weapons hold. The bill passed 224-187. It aims to force Joe Biden to reverse his recent hold on a shipment of some 3,500 air-to-ground munitions for Israel.
Kill the zombie Space National Guard idea. Guardsmen in space-related jobs belong in the Space Force.
BIDEN TREATS ILLEGALS BETTER – Thousands of Afghan allies who fled after US withdrawal trapped in immigration limbo. But retired military brass slam Republican lawmaker's proposal as an unhelpful distraction.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
Soldier says he lost a leadership position due to his beard. An Army master sergeant wants to know why his beard became a problem only after he was appointed to a first sergeant position.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERROR
Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on. The Lebanese terror group this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Military's novel floating pier arrives in Gaza amid security concerns. Since Joe Biden announced that the U.S. military would build a humanitarian aid pier on the Gaza Strip, and that “no U.S. boots will be on the ground” in Gaza, retired military logistics officers have been watching.
Takeaways from the voyage to Gaza for the US Army's watercraft program. The Army's largest watercraft, LSV-1, followed by the deployment of several additional ships loaded with equipment to establish a pier and parts of a modular causeway, represents a significant portion of the Army's mission-critical, intra-theater lift capability.
Four ways US Army's Pacific chief plans to boost regional land forces. America and its Pacific partners are building a network of land forces to deter those who would threaten regional stability. These are four building blocks to make this joint effort a success.
Army experiments with command structure for Guam missile-defense system. Its “composite” missile-defense battalion will become part of an integrated defense system for the strategic U.S. island.
IRAN THREAT
US gathers more participants for Eager Lion exercise, reminding Iran of its influence. “No other country is able to organize exercises of such scale in the Middle East.”
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim shooting down another US MQ-9 Predator drone as footage shows wreckage. The U.S. military did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
CHINA THREAT
US postured to lose without a STANDING Combined Joint Task Force in INDOPACOM. We need this Joint Task Force, that includes all services and our allies, to face the China threat.
How Marines took an airfield in the Philippines in a show against China. The Marines were just over a hundred miles away from the southern tip of Taiwan when they seized the airstrip. They were operating in Northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, Philippine territory north of the mainland — key terrain for a potential conflict with China.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
US announces $2 billion to help Ukraine make its own weapons. The aid package for Ukraine is largely intended to help the country grow its native defense capabilities and move away from Soviet-era equipment.
Ukraine slows Russia's advance and unleashes a wave of drones on Crimea. Ukrainian troops have stabilized the situation in the northeastern Kharkiv region and that the Russians have pushed no more than 6 miles into Ukrainian territory.
Russia has opened up a new front. What comes next? Last week, the Russian military opened a new front in its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia incapable of ‘strategic breakthrough' in Ukraine despite successes. The Russian military lacks enough troops despite recent battlefield gains, the top U.S. military commander in Europe said.
No ‘big appetite' in Finland for ‘boots on the ground' in Ukraine. Help Ukraine, Yes. NATO boots on ground, not so much. Said the Director General for Defense Policy at Finland's Ministry of Defense.
Russia seizes more land than Ukraine liberated in 2023 counteroffensive. While Russia's gains over the last several weeks have been comparatively small, analysts say they are straining Ukraine's military over a broad geographic area.
As Russia advances, NATO considers sending trainers into Ukraine. The move could draw the U.S. and Europe more directly into the war. Team Biden continues to say there will be no American troops on the ground. AND THEY NEVER LIE.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea test-fires suspected short-range ballistic missiles a day after US and South Korea conduct a fighter drill. This, off its east coast on Friday.
Pair of US F-22s practice dogfights over the Korean peninsula with South Korean F-35s. Making a rare appearance over the peninsula's inland airspace.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Deadly clashes in a French Pacific territory raise fears of civil war. France has sent troops to quell violence in New Caledonia, where Paris is seen as backtracking on promises of self-determination.
US MILITARY
Army's future artillery may include wheeled howitzers, automated cannons, and long-range mortars. This, as part of a plan to modernize its artillery fielded in Europe.
Airbus developing an unmanned Lakota UH-72 helo for Marine resupply mission.
Military Ospreys can't fly more than 30 minutes from landing airfield months after grounding lifted. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy V-22s have been slowly taking to the skies following a tragic crash that killed eight airmen late last year in Japan. But major restrictions remain.
Demand for older Norfolk-based cargo planes surges after Navy stand-down of Osprey fleet. The Navy is relying on its remaining C-2 Greyhound squadron — 15 planes based at Naval Station Norfolk — to fill in the gaps for cargo and personnel deliveries to aircraft carriers across the globe.
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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