FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with respected national security expert Paul Crespo and the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the PDB:
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Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief. Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
VA employee sues department over new abortion policy. A Veterans Affairs health care employee working in Texas sued the department Wednesday over its new abortion policy, saying the change violates her religious beliefs as well as state law.
IDIOTIC – What did the Air Force's “Beast Week” training get renamed to? WATCH VIDEO – The Air Force basic training mock deployment exercise gets a major rename and it's… not an improvement. Find out what “Beast Week” is called now.
DEFENSE BUDGET
WE NEED TO FUND FOR NEAR-TERM THREATS – For Pentagon's 2024 budget, OMB ‘passback' must give the DoD a big boost. Geopolitical trouble is closer than it appears, and the Defense Department needs more money to spend on troops and near-term procurement, AEI's John Ferrari says.
Congress pushing for more amphibs despite Navy projecting production shutdown. Lawmakers can't force the Navy to buy more amphibious ships. But they can – and did – set them up for it.
NATIONAL SECURITY
NO MORE TIKTOK – Senate passes bill to ban TikTok on government devices. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to pass a bill that would ban TikTok on government-issued devices.
Paul Whelan's fate could hinge on swap for a brazen Russian assassin. Vadim Krasikov does not have the world-spanning reputation of Victor Bout. But there are signs that Russia wants him back just as much — if not more.
TURNING THE F-35 INTO AN EXPENSIVE BRICK – Pentagon not prepared for software updates at the speed of war, report finds. Without working software, the F-35 stealth fighter is a trillion-dollar lawn ornament.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Pending NDAA would require Pentagon to report quarterly to Congress about US-Mexico border mission. Pentagon officials under a provision in the defense policy bill would be required to report every three months to lawmakers about its mission along the U.S.-Mexico border to improve oversight and understanding of the work that troops are doing to help secure the region.
ENDING POLITICIZED WITCH HUNTS – Final NDAA removes most House provisions on hate groups. The lawmakers who wrote this year's final defense authorization bill deleted or diluted all eight House-passed NDAA provisions pertaining to extremism in the U.S. military or American society.
7 charged in scheme to smuggle military equipment to Russia. Two Americans and five Russian nationals were charged in a plot to smuggle military-grade equipment to Russia, according to an indictment unsealed yesterday by the Department of Justice.
The Citadel suspends cadet who pleaded guilty to participating in the Jan. 6 riot. The Citadel has suspended Elias Irizarry, the cadet who pleaded guilty to participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
CHINA THREAT
US defense policy bill calls for Pentagon to prevent Taiwan takeover by military force. The U.S. military must be able to deter China from taking over Taiwan by force: stipulates a provision in the compromise Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
U.S. Cracks Down on Chinese Companies for Security Concerns. The Biden administration placed severe restrictions on trade with dozens of Chinese entities, its latest step in a campaign to curtail Beijing's technology ambitions. The new rule requires dozens of Chinese firms to work with the U.S. government to verify that their products were not being used for activities that would pose a security risk to the United States.
China's War Against Taiwan Has Already Started. How Beijing tries to make a democracy submit without putting up a fight. Sometimes Chinese pressure on Taiwan has been military, involving the issuing of threats or the launching of missiles. But in recent years, China has combined those threats and missiles with other forms of pressure, escalating what the Taiwanese call “cognitive warfare”: not just propaganda but an attempt to create a mindset of surrender.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
US Air Force veteran freed in Russia prisoner swap, Ukraine says. Suedi Murekezi, a U.S. Air Force veteran whose family says he was captured by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine earlier this year, has been freed in a prisoner swap, a senior Ukrainian official announced.
Russian defector says training consisted of being given a weapon, a target and 5,000 bullets. A Russian defector said his unit was given “no actual training” before being sent to Ukraine.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 295. Russia says no “Christmas ceasefire” is on the cards after nearly 10 months of war in Ukraine, rejecting a call by Kyiv to start withdrawing troops by Christmas as a step to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War II.
Russia launches a wave of Iranian-made drones at Kyiv after a lull. Analysts had surmised the drones were malfunctioning, but if a problem has been fixed, it remains unclear how long Russia can sustain such attacks.
US planning to give Ukraine smart-bomb kits. Joint Direct Attack Munition kits incorporate global positioning devices for precision and can be bolted onto a variety of weapons and aircraft.
Plan for more donors and faster aid yields $1 billion for Ukraine repairs. A French-led effort to involve dozens of countries aims to help Ukraine survive a harsh winter with quick repair of vital electrical, heating, water and health care systems.
Russians still support the war but are less certain what it's about. Majorities of those surveyed said that it's a good time for Moscow to begin negotiations.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
US military creates space unit in South Korea amid North Korea threats. U.S. Space Forces Korea is a subordinate of a bigger U.S. Space Force unit established within the Indo-Pacific command.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY – NATO, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA
US and Romanian troops train to fight together. The 101st Airborne Division trained in Romania with their 280th Mechanized Battalion to shoot, move and communicate together.
F-35s FOR GERMANY – Germany clinches $8 billion purchase of 35 F-35 aircraft from the US. German government leaders on Wednesday announced a deal to buy 35 F-35 fighter jets from the United States, a package pegged at $8.4 billion by the Pentagon in its offer from the summer.
UN blocks Myanmar military from taking UN seat. A key U.N. committee has again blocked Myanmar's military junta from taking the country's seat at the United Nations, two well-informed U.N. diplomats said Wednesday.
WOW – WE'VE COME A LONG WAY – U.S. defense companies in talks to sell Vietnam helicopters, drones. U.S. defense firms have discussed supplying military gear, including helicopters and drones, to Vietnam in talks with top government officials, two sources with knowledge of the dialogue told Reuters, a new sign the country may reduce its reliance on Russian arms.
Peru's new government gives military new power amid protests. Peru's new government imposed a police state Wednesday in response to violent protests following the ouster of President Pedro Castillo. The 30-day national emergency declaration suspends the rights of “personal security and freedom” across the Andean nation.
SPACE
SDA delays first satellite launches. It will take a few extra months for the Space Development Agency's “Tranche 0”—the initial batch of satellites in SDA's planned constellation in low-Earth orbit—to lift off, as the agency has delayed two planned launches.
US MILITARY
BOOM! – See the Air Force weapon that breaks ships in half, sinks them in seconds. The Air Force is testing a weapon that can sink a commercial vessel in seconds with a lethal munition launched from the air. It's called the Quicksink.
Developing a mastery of irregular warfare. The U.S. military has failed to master irregular warfare above the tactical level.
Want air power? Then you need to buy aircraft. Shockwaves swept the Washington security establishment this fall upon hearing the U.S. Air Force is going to retire F-15C/Ds based at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan, without a direct replacement, instead reverting to a rotational presence.
HOW QUICKLY WILL IT BECOME A SPOUSE DATING APP? – Swipe right: New social app allows military spouses to connect, create friendships. Matthew Shanks founded MilitarySocialNetwork.org, a website and free mobile app that allows military spouses and service members to search for and connect with new acquaintances.
VETERANS
FIX THIS – This vets program was supposed to help fix the teacher shortage in Florida. It's only added 7. Six months after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state's veteran to teacher certification pathway into law, only a handful of veterans have been approved for certification across all 70-plus school districts.
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.
READ NEXT: Investigators Ready to Pounce on Social Justice-Obsessed Pentagon >>
Only Dems want Tik Tok on their phones
Final NDAA removes most House provisions on hate groups.
What were the 8 provisions on hate groups? Were they against Demonrat buddies like BLM or ANTIFA OR were they against real Americans???