THURSDAY PDB – On June 6th, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops invaded the northern French coast, marking the start of France's liberation from Nazi occupiers. It is remembered as a defining moment of World War II.
Today, 80 years later, in Normandy's once-blood drenched beaches, echoes of history.
Parachutes flapped open in midair over France on Sunday as U.S. paratroopers leaped out of World War II-era military planes, launching the start of a week of solemn commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
TOO BAD – Sea conditions stop Marines from amphibious landings at Normandy to mark D-Day. Marines came ashore at Normandy by aircraft rather than landing craft on Tuesday to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day due to sea conditions.
D-Day was the name given to the June 6, 1944, invasion of the beaches at Normandy in northern France by troops from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries during World War II.
At the time, France was occupied by the armies of Nazi Germany, and the amphibious assault—codenamed Operation Overlord—landed some 156,000 Allied soldiers on the beaches of Normandy by the end of the day.
At the time, the D-Day invasion was the largest naval, air and land operation in history, and within a few days around 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and 100,000 tons of equipment had landed.
By August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and in the spring of 1945, the Allies had defeated the Germans. Historians often refer to D-Day as the beginning of the end of World War II.
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
US adversaries have ‘formidable' electronic warfare tools, officials warn. The Pentagon must either find ways to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum or prepare its forces to operate in contested or even denied environments. (RELATED: China And Russia ‘Converging' Threat As Allies Converge Against Them)
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
WOOHOO! – THAT WILL MAKE US MORE COMBAT READY IN PACIFIC – ‘Lactation pods' debut for nursing mothers at Air Force base on Okinawa. It recently opened three private compact rooms for nursing mothers at the home of the 18th Wing.
LGBTQ+ veterans face more health problems than peers, study finds. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans are more likely to suffer from depression and face a host of other serious medical issues than their heterosexual peers.
POLITICS
Trump's plan to end the Ukraine war: Bankrupt Putin's regime. Will the outrageous NYC trial of Donald Trump make a difference to how the arguments will play out in the campaign — especially on what the contest means for the rest of the world?
Defense spending bill forces Israel arms transfers, nixes Ukraine aid. The House panel advanced the first draft of its annual Pentagon funding bill over objections from Democrats, who said it would block the president's authority to withhold arms transfers to Israel and lacks security assistance for Ukraine. (RELATED: GOP Rep Tells Israel To Wipe Hamas ‘Off The Face Of The Earth')
Enlisted pay raise, abortion travel funding ban included in panel's defense budget.
After easing veterans' access to guns, House Republicans vote to tie VA's hands further in new spending bill. The Department of Veterans Affairs would not be able to send names of veterans who have had financial managers appointed for them to the FBI's gun background check database under any circumstances.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERROR
BUT OF COURSE THEY WOULD – Hamas leader demands full end to Israel's Gaza conflict in blow to Biden plan. Hamas would demand a permanent end to the war in Gaza and Israeli withdrawal as part of a ceasefire plan.
OF COURSE IT WAS BEING USED BY HAMAS! – THAT'S WHAT THEY DO – Dozens killed in strike on Gaza school Israeli military says was being used by Hamas. Women and children were among the dead, Hamas said, in what the Israel Defense Forces said was a “precise” strike targeting militants involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Amidst Gaza war, Israel signs $3 billion deal with US for 25 more F-35 stealth warplanes.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US military hopes to reinstall Gaza aid pier later this week. It should have aid moving again days after that.
The concept driving the Army's air assault plans for the Indo-Pacific. FLRAA will be a keystone for the Army's future in the region.
IRAN THREAT
Flexing its muscles, Iran steps away from deniability in arming the Houthis. New statements from Iran are “abandoning the fiction” that they are not supplying anti-ship ballistic missile technology. (RELATED: 3 European Countries To Reward Hamas With A Palestine State)
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Germany must be ready for war by 2029, defense minister warns. “We must not believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine's borders.”
Ukraine has used US weapons to strike inside Russia in recent days.
Putin warns that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets. This, in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory.
Are Putin's nuclear threats working? A new book examines the past and present of Russian thinking on deterrence.
Ukraine increasingly frustrated with US over F-16 pilot training. The U.S. says it has other customers too.
US dual citizens may be stuck in Ukraine under mobilization law. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv warns they will no longer be able to depart the war-torn country if they are otherwise eligible for conscription.
CHINA THREAT
China wants to recruit military pilots from the US and its allies to strengthen Chinese air power, ‘Five Eyes' intelligence bulletin warns. This, to also gain insights into Western aviation tactics.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
US B-1B bomber flies precision bomb drill with South Korea for first time in seven years as tensions simmer with North Korea. (RELATED: Media Hypes Fake Pro-Trump N. Korea ‘October Surprise' Story)
South Korea preps new anti-missile weaponry to counter North's arsenal. Threatened by Pyongyang's burgeoning stocks and varieties of ballistic missiles and rockets, South Korea is moving forward with a key class of interceptor weaponry.
SPACE THREAT
Boeing spacecraft carrying two NASA astronauts lifts off on historic voyage. The third attempt was the charm for Boeing's Starliner mission after launching its first crewed flight test Wednesday in a milestone that has been a decade in the making.
DARPA project uses AI to flag space weapons, spy satellites. As more governments and commercial companies look to proliferated satellite constellations for increased capacity, some are concerned that these large fleets could be providing cover for space weapons or spy satellites.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Russian warships headed to Caribbean for drills as tensions rise over Ukraine. They are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, in a Russian show of force.
Russia's top diplomat promises more military support for Burkina Faso in fighting militant groups as he tours West Africa. This, in an attempt to fill a vacuum left by the region's traditional Western partners.
NATO to kick off largest Baltic operations exercise to date. The 53rd iteration of NATO's Baltic Operations series of exercises is set to be the alliance's largest amid the inclusion of new members and security concerns with Russia.
New NATO member Sweden joins US Navy and other allies for first time in annual Baltic Sea drills. This year's focus is on amphibious operations and mine countermeasures in the Baltic region.
US MILITARY
Air Force's top leaders urge unity, patience as changes abound. Four months after Air Force leaders rolled out a slew of initiatives aimed at readying troops to ‘compete' (PREPARE TO FIGHT) with China, they're grappling with the most difficult part of change: turning ideas into reality. (RELATED: Navy SEALs Salute Pride Month, Trump Vows To Oust ‘Woke' Generals)
New Marine center aims for immersive, realistic approach to wargaming. They have opened a 100,000-square-foot wargaming center to meet the complex tactical and operational problems the service faces now and in the future.
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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