FRIDAY PDB – DeSantis sending officers, aircraft, ships to southern Florida to curb potential wave of Haiti immigrants. Florida's GOP governor announced Florida he will reinforce the southern part of the state as Haiti collapses amid street violence and political instability. (RELATED: Marines Flown Into War-Torn Country, Ordered To Save Americans)
More than 200 additional state law enforcement officers and about 50 National Guard members will be deployed to South Florida and the Keys, DeSantis said, alongside more than a dozen aircraft and ships.
He added: “No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard's interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida.”
Team Biden has floated Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as a possible migrant processing center for Haitians interdicted at sea during the dangerous 700-mile journey to Florida, CNN reported Wednesday. The same center was used for Haitians fleeing the country after devastating 2010 earthquakes.
MEANWHILE – US naval base at Guantanamo Bay is prepared for Haitians fleeing gang violence, SOUTHCOM general says.
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
Biden's budget neglects the military. Sequestration and chronic underfunding have opened a yawning gap in American strength and readiness. (RELATED: West Point Abandons Its Mission)
The next arsenal of democracy: Send partners low-cost drone components. From Ukraine to Taiwan, these systems provide defenders cheap ways of generating mass, denying terrain, and imposing costs on attacking states. The U.S. can export the knowledge and electronics our partners need to scale up their own production of these systems.
HOMELAND SECURITY
The dangers in leaving TikTok at Beijing's disposal. Congress is right in wanting to curtail China's ability to use TikTok to scoop up Americans' private information and, more importantly, to influence views and opinions in a country that it views as its primary geopolitical rival.
Why the National Guard can't ease all fears about riding the subway. More bag checks will not calm the nerves of New Yorkers worried about being shoved onto the tracks by someone with mental illness.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
Two services were slow to process COVID vaccine exemptions, IG finds. While the services largely followed policy when considering waivers, the Army and Air Force routinely overran deadlines.
POLITICS
McConnell raises pressure on Johnson over Ukraine: ‘Finish the job.' Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Thursday again pressed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to take up the Senate-passed national security package that includes $60 billion for Ukraine, despite Johnson's message to GOP senators that he's moving in a different direction. (RELATED: Foreign Leader Drops Trump-Ukraine Bombshell)
US POWER OVERSEAS
Air Force plans $400 million upgrade to airfield on tiny Pacific island of Yap. The Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept depends on U.S. forces gaining footholds and airstrips on dozens of small islands throughout the Pacific—places like Tinian, Palau, and Saipan, all fewer than 200 square miles each. All have hosted troops and received millions of dollars in investment in recent years.
Lawmaker presses Army to explore permanent armor presence in Europe. The service should “give serious consideration” to basing armor units overseas after an investigation of high suicides in Army tank units.
US force posture in Poland and Romania ought to be strengthened. The U.S. Army should permanently station a brigade in Poland and maintain a similarly sized rotational force in Romania, according to new research that argues those steps could help military families strained by years of long overseas deployments.
IRAN THREAT
Houthi rebels claim hypersonic missile, raising stakes in Red Sea. This, according to Russia's state media.
Houthis threaten to target merchant ships in Indian Ocean. They plan to attack ships as they travel toward the Cape of Good Hope.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas presents ceasefire proposal detailing exchange of hostages, prisoners. Their proposal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences.
Israel assures US weapons used in Gaza according to international law. Israel's Minister of Defense said Israel will also allow foreign humanitarian aid into Gaza.
CHINA THREAT
US Pacific military leaders say they need more funding to compete with China. They are asking Congress for a surge in funding to keep their edge against China.
US, Japan conduct joint military exercises amid high tensions with China. The two allies are expanding the scale of their joint military drills. Okinawa is where the most recent exercises were held.
Amid Chinese activity, new NORTHCOM chief calls for more exercises near Arctic. The increased US military “presence” via exercises along Alaska's coast is to help push back against growing Chinese and Russian military activity.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Macron again declines to rule out Western troops in Ukraine, but says they're not needed now. The French president warned Western powers against showing signs of weakness to Russia and reiterated his position that sending Western troops into Ukraine shouldn't be ruled out.
Russia's war machine is trying to turn kidnapped Ukrainian teenagers into Russian soldiers.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Russia, China, and Iran finish drills in Gulf of Oman. The three rogue nations completed the at-sea phase of the Sea Security Belt 2024 exercise on Thursday and carried out a shore phase along with a debriefing in the Iranian city of Chabahar, with the drills scheduled to end on Friday.
Most people agree NATO should protect their country. They're less sure about returning the favor. A large majority of people living in NATO countries expect allies to come to their defense if their own nation is attacked, but fewer want their forces to defend others.
Sweden and Finland have dropped neutrality. Austria still fetes it. Amid Russia's war against Ukraine, can Vienna square its European commitments with a dearly held tradition?
BIDEN'S AFGHAN DISASTER
Senators warn more visas are urgently needed for Afghans who aided US. Senators from both political parties are urging congressional leaders to ensure more visas for Afghans who worked alongside U.S. troops before a crucial pathway to safety in the U.S. abruptly closes.
US MILITARY
Rocket Cargo is go! Air Force's experimental resupply program moves closer to the launch pad. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Rocket Cargo Vanguard program gets “real boy” status as a Space Force prototype effort — and a new name, Point-to-Point Delivery (P2PD) — in the service's 2025 budget request.
HELP FIX SOME OF IT – BUT NOT TOTALLY FIX IT – How addressing waivers and eligibility can [help] fix the recruiting crisis. One problem the Pentagon' can fix is the process by which potential recruits are evaluated for their medical ability to serve. Two common-sense changes to the overly bureaucratic processes and stringent standards would enable the military to access thousands more service members per year.
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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