THURSDAY PDB – How pirates kick-started India's navy into action. The unexpected and dramatic resurgence of piracy off the east coast of Africa has galvanized the Indian Navy into playing a dominant security role in one of the world's critical waterways, with its biggest-ever naval deployment to the waters off Somalia.
India, the world's most populous nation, is increasingly seen as a key U.S. ally against China in the region.
India's naval renaissance shows its great-power ambitions – and sends a message to Beijing about how it will challenge China for dominance in the wider Indian Ocean region.
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
Russian efforts to create nuclear anti-satellite weapons are cause for US concern. The intelligence sparked an urgent but vague warning Wednesday from the Republican head of the House Intelligence Committee, who urged the Biden administration to declassify information about what he called a serious national security threat.
Navy SEAL mission is shifting from raids to supporting the Navy. The leader of the Navy SEALs — the elite special operators says the Teams are pivoting away from being a counterterrorism force.
MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE OF TRUMP – NATO chief Stoltenberg hails allies' record defense spending. Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that European allies and Canada have ramped up defense spending to record levels, warning that former U.S. President Donald Trump was undermining their security by questioning the U.S. commitment to its allies.
HOMELAND SECURITY
I was head of the NSA. In a world of threats, this is my biggest worry. Gen. Paul M. Nakasone was commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, and director of the National Security Agency until Feb. 2. This column was written in his official capacity while still in office.
POLITICS
GOP Speaker Johnson says House won't be ‘rushed' to approve aid for Ukraine as $95B package stalls. Mike Johnson Wednesday signaled a further stall over sending military hardware and munitions Kyiv badly needs to fight Russia.
House lawmakers to offer their own Ukraine and border bill. Several members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus argued any legislation should prioritize border security and contain offsets for foreign aid.
Lawmakers again seeking creation of Space National Guard. They argue it would boost readiness and efficiency and retain talent.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US Pacific Fleet to stand up second unmanned surface vessel squadron this year. Adm. Samuel Paparo emphasized the squadron's capabilities would be uniformed, rather than contractor owned and operated.
US sends 100 sailors, Marines to Norwegian Arctic for role in giant NATO exercise. This, to establish a maritime command as part of NATO's largest military exercise in Europe since the Cold War.
IRAN THREAT
Iran declares Antarctica its property in direct challenge to Biden, global treaty. Iranian Navy commander announces planned military base in South Pole.
UAE restricts US ability to launch retaliatory airstrikes against Iran proxies. Other Arab countries are restricting operations as well, according to people familiar with the matter.
Houthi rebels present little threat to undersea cables, US admiral says. Threats by Houthi rebels based in Yemen to slice a lattice of undersea cables in the Red Sea region, jeopardizing communications and financial data, are unrealistic.
How to counter the Houthi threat at sea. Experts call for a “comprehensive and fully-resourced interdiction regime at sea” to stop Iran's ability to supply the Houthis with weapons.
To apply pressure on Iran, the US must sever the ‘Shia Crescent' in Syria. Joe Biden' retaliatory strikes against Iranian terror proxies have landed flat, failing to deter additional attacks on U.S. forces throughout the region because they did not really hurt Iran. Team Biden must take Iran's attacks more seriously, hitting the Axis where it hurts.
CHINA THREAT
US lawmakers led by China hawk Mike Gallagher to visit Taiwan next week. Gallagher, who heads the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is due to arrive on February 21.
China unveils new turreted truck-mounted 155mm howitzer. China's state-owned land systems manufacturer Norinco has developed the highly automated system, which is aimed at export markets, mates a 6×6 truck chassis with an unmanned turret containing a 155mm L/52 howitzer.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine decodes Russian ‘carrots' and ‘tea bags' chatter to save lives. As the radio crackles with enemy communications that are hard to decipher, one Russian command rings out clear: “Brew five Chinese tea bags on 38 oranges.”
On Ukraine's front line, soldiers are forced to tune in to Washington politics. Troops ration ammunition and watch as U.S. aid package struggles through Congress; ‘McConnell is not a bad dude.'
France and Ukraine to sign a security agreement in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron will sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday as part of a trip that will also go through Germany.
SPACE THREAT
New Space Force ‘combat squadrons' to allow tailored deployment, alleviate ‘exhaustion': Officials. The combat squadron arrangement aligns the Space Force with how the Air Force, Army and Navy present and deploy forces to combatant commands, such as Indo-Pacific and European Command.
Pentagon launches six satellites to boost missile tracking capability. The Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency launch Wednesday is designed to demonstrate the ability to track high-speed missile threats.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
This centuries-old border dispute pits an army against unarmed volunteers. Some Guatemalans call Belize their 23rd state. The territorial claim is creating jitters in one of Central America's most lawless corners.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Gaza cease-fire talks in Cairo appear to stall as Rafah offensive looms. Diplomatic efforts to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages faltered Wednesday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Hamas of making “delusional demands.”
Starlink approved for service in Israel, Gaza. The Israeli government reached an agreement with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet company to use the technology in Israel and parts of the Gaza Strip.
US MILITARY
Space Force mulls 8-year active-duty enlistments for new recruits. This is twice as long as first-term troops usually sign up for — in a bid to build a more stable workforce to span the coming decades.
Marines test robotic mule that could carry weapons, sensors. The program seeks to take the load off of dismounted troops.
Are Marines relying more on the CH-53E helicopters while their Ospreys are grounded? “Removing V-22s from the list produces a tremendous level of reliance on one large, aging platform.”
BUT WHY? – Finally, sailors can put hands in their pockets under policy update. The Navy announced a sweeping range of uniform and personal appearance policy updates on Wednesday – including reinstating the female bucket cover and allowing sailors to place their hands in their pockets.
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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