GOP Wants End to Taxpayer-Funded Abortions at VA

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PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

NO TAXPAYER-FUNDED ABORTIONS – GOP relaunches bid to end VA abortion policy. Congressional Republicans have renewed an effort to overturn the Department of Veterans Affairs' recently implemented abortion policy.

POLITICS AND DEFENSE BUDGET

Future of defense spending a hot topic among Republicans. Some Republican lawmakers have said they will oppose capping or cutting defense spending.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Russia-Ukraine lessons to boost US electronic warfare, Sen. Reed says. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee wants to reimagine how the U.S. military fights, including across the electromagnetic spectrum, and is looking to Ukraine for clues.

Blinken says US to share info on alleged spy balloon with allies. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the alliance, Ukraine and the Chinese balloon.

WELCOME, BUT LONG OVERDUE – A return to the Philippines. The longtime ally could again host U.S. naval forces in the not-too-distant future.

Lawmakers worry about weapons makers' ability to meet demand. Lawmakers voiced worries on Wednesday about the health of the defense-industrial base in a House hearing where trade leaders said spending volatility and red tape make it tough for industry to surge capacity.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Navy salvages security patrol boat that sank in Washington. The ship was raised from roughly 160 feet underwater at Hood Canal.

CHINA THREAT

China has conducted spy balloon program for years, Pentagon says. A U.S. military fighter jet shot down a Chinese balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday.

Senate GOP demands answers on handling of Chinese balloon. In a letter, the senators asked why the U.S. wasn't prepared given that previous Chinese balloons had entered American airspace.

US, UK and Australia carry out China-focused air drills. The United States, Britain and Australia carried out joint air drills on Wednesday over the Nevada desert and beyond as part of an effort to simulate high-end combat operations against Chinese fighter aircraft and air defenses.

SO SHOULD U.S. AND ALL WESTERN ALLIES – Australia strips Chinese-made security cameras from defense sites. Australian Defense Minister said Chinese-made cameras will be removed to ensure the security of ministry buildings.

UKRAINE WAR

Britain to train Ukraine combat fighter pilots. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has committed to training Ukrainian combat jet pilots, according to a statement made ahead of a Feb. 8 visit to London by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 351. French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy will fly together on Thursday morning from Paris to a summit of European Union heads of state and government in Brussels, the Elysee Palace has announced. The Ukrainian president met his French counterpart and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris for talks over dinner.

Memo details effort to boost production of weapons sent to Ukraine. The Pentagon's top buyer offers a “targeted list” of weapons to help solve a problem that's been decades in the making.

Zelensky brings a shopping list to Britain, with fighter planes at the top. In a surprise visit, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine implored Britain to provide planes he said would represent “wings of freedom.''

ECHOES OF WWI – Russia throws soldiers into firing line to gain inches. Moscow has shown scant regard for the lives of its conscripts, but the battle for Bakhmut is also costly for Ukrainian defenders.

Russia's Wagner mercenaries halt prisoner recruitment campaign – Prigozhin. Russia's Wagner mercenary group has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, Wagner's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Thursday.

NATO chief says US aid is ‘making a difference every day' on battlefields in Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday during a visit to the Pentagon that U.S. aid is doing a great deal to help defend Ukraine, but he stressed Western allies must provide all the weapons Ukrainians need to beat back Russian forces in a war that's closing in on its one-year anniversary.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

North Korea shows off possible new ICBM at huge military parade. The parade in Pyongyang appeared to feature a new, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, analysts have said.

South Korea's leader calls for unified national security by military, police, government. South Korea's president described the security climate on the Korean Peninsula as “very fraught” on Wednesday and called on law enforcement agencies and the military to establish “an all-out national security posture.”

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY – NATO, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA

Carrier USS George H.W. Bush on standby to assist in Turkey earthquake relief efforts. USS George H.W. Bush is in the Mediterranean Sea, moving toward Turkey in case the country requests additional assistance, Pentagon Press Secretary said Wednesday.

Air Force ships 170,000 pounds of supplies along with rescue dogs and search teams to Turkey. The Air Force is shipping thousands of pounds of equipment and search-and-rescue teams from the U.S. to Incirlik Air Base to help assist people in Turkey following this week's devastating earthquakes that have left more than 11,000 dead.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force tracks debris after secretive Russian satellite breaks up in orbit. A Russian satellite known as Cosmos 2499 (sometimes referred to as Kosmos-2499) has broken up in orbit, creating dozens of new pieces of debris that will need to be tracked and avoided by spacecraft and other satellites.

Firefly's first US Space Force launch targeted for May. The mission will attempt to demonstrate industry capabilities to send a payload to orbit on 24 hours' notice.

Maxar wins contract to provide satellite imagery to US allies. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded Maxar Technologies a five-year contract to provide commercial satellite imagery to U.S. allies.

SpaceX's Shotwell says Ukraine ‘weaponized' Starlink network. The president of SpaceX said today that the Ukraine military's use of the Starlink broadband system for tactical communications has moved beyond the scope of the company's intention in providing the service.

US MILITARY

National Guard trains for future wars in the arctic. The Pentagon anticipates future wars to be fought in extreme cold weather, so the National Guard is training to fight on home turf in northern Michigan.

Army's New Futures Command chief shifts main effort to designing Army of 2040. The new head of Army Futures Command has shifted the organization's focus from delivering a modernized force by 2030 to designing the Army of 2040, he said Feb. 8 at an Association of the U.S. Army breakfast.

SEMPER FI – Montford Point Marines were trailblazers, integrated African Americans into Marine Corps. The Montford Point Marines integrated the Marine Corps as the first African Americans to join.

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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