TUESDAY PDB – Fears grow that Israel, US and Iran's allies are inching closer to war. Each strike and counterstrike increase the risk of the catastrophic war in Gaza spilling across the region.
How Iranian tech empowers Houthi drone, missile attacks in the Red Sea. Houthi rebels attacking crowded shipping lanes in the Greater Middle East are relying on foreign arsenals for their missiles and drones in the air and on the water.
But Iran backs every other terror group in the region (except ISIS). From Houthis to Hezbollah, a look at the Iran-backed groups rallying to arms around Middle East. Missiles, rockets, and drones struck targets around the Middle East and a senior Hezbollah figure was killed by an Israeli airstrike as the U.S.
Meanwhile, Israel and others clashed with Iran-backed militant groups – with attacks hitting ships in vital Red Sea shipping lanes, and along the now empty Israeli-Lebanon borders.
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:
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR
Inside the daring plot to rescue an American soldier's mother from Gaza. The mission to extract Zahra Sckak required days of negotiation between the U.S. and Israel as officials rallied on behalf of her son, an American soldier.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Austin's chief of staff failed to tell anyone about hospitalization. The Pentagon has refused to offer details about Austin's initial medical procedure on Dec. 22 and what prompted him to be admitted into intensive care at Walter Reed on New Year's Day.
JUST LIKE MY HEART EMERGENCY AND REBOUND IN 2022! OORAH! – Marine commandant had open heart surgery. Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps is expected to return to full duty as the service's leader.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Driver in custody after crashing into White House gates. The crash occurred just before 6 p.m. ET, on Monday, according to the Secret Service.
POLITICS
TOUGH TO NEGOTIATE ON SLAVERY – Trump says Civil War ‘could have been negotiated.' Historians disagree. One historian described the former president's assertion as ‘elementary school nonsense' and ‘historically ignorant.'
Congressional leaders agree on spending, key step to averting shutdown. The agreement speeds up the roughly $20 billion in cuts already agreed to for the IRS and rescinds about $6 billion in COVID relief.
CHINA THREAT
New focus in military spending can keep Pentagon step ahead of China. Some fear the possibility of ‘runaway AI' on the battlefield.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry issues an alert saying China has launched a satellite and urging caution. This, days before the island's critical elections.
Navy sailor that spied for China gets two years in prison. The California-based sailor was paid close to $15,000 to send sensitive information and documents to a Chinese spy.
Intel wing starts new course to train Chinese speakers faster. The U.S. military needs more Chinese language speakers as it prepares for a possible conflict in the Pacific.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
GIVE MORE – IT'S YOUR FRONT YARD, NOT OURS – Germany's Scholz badgers EU countries to boost military aid for Ukraine. Arms deliveries by the majority of EU countries are ‘too small,' chancellor warns.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 685. Four people were killed and at least 45 injured as Russia continued its barrage of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.
Exhausted, on the defensive and at ‘Hell's Gate' in Ukraine. Under the cover of darkness, leaning forward under the weight of packs and rifles, a squad of soldiers walked along a muddy lane and slipped into a village house.
IRAN THREAT
IRAN DID THIS – My heart is still hopeful: US soldier wounded in drone strike to have brain surgery, wife says. An American soldier wounded in a Christmas Day drone attack by Iran-backed terrorists in Iraq is having brain surgery this week in hopes that he can be medically cleared for transport to the U.S.
USS Laboon shoots down Red Sea air drone in ‘self-defense.' The Navy destroyer shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle on Saturday fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Sri Lanka to join US-led naval operations against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Red Sea. Debt-ridden Sri Lanka 's navy is preparing to join a U.S.-led operation to protect merchant vessels sailing in the Red Sea.
SPACE THREAT
Urgent need: Army ‘Space Vision' calls for new investment in kit, personnel. As well as leveraging space systems for its own operations, the Army intends to invest in capabilities to counter enemy space systems.
Red Skies: Space Force launches new orbital warfare exercise. The service held its first-ever “Red Skies” exercise last month—48 years after the first-ever Air Force “Red Flag”—simulating orbital combat and putting Guardians to the test.
First US lander in half century rockets to moon on commerce mission. The payload includes NASA experiments, toy-sized cars that will cruise around the lunar surface and the ashes of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry.
United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket flies debut mission. The rocket successfully completed its debut launch, continuing the vehicle's path toward certification to fly national security missions later this year.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US fighters fly over Bosnia in a sign of support to the country. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons flew as part of joint air-to-ground training involving American and Bosnian forces.
Pentagon says not planning a US withdrawal from Iraq. It won't withdraw its roughly 2,500 troops from Iraq, despite Baghdad's announcement last week it would begin the process of removing the U.S.-led military coalition from the country.
FIX THIS – Marine units rotating to Indo-Pacific to face China don't have their own counter-drone capabilities. Without organic counter-drone capabilities they must rely on partnered forces to combat the unmanned aircraft.
US Air Force logistics officer talks basing, drones in the Pacific. After decades of relying on major military hubs from Hawaii to South Korea, the Pentagon is laying the groundwork for more dispersed operations across the Pacific region.
US MILITARY
The surface Navy should design for competition, rethink fleet make-up. Balancing tight budgets with global demands should push the Navy to rethink how it's buying ships.
The US military must transform and coordinate. A shared understanding of how it intends to fight in the future would be useful.
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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