FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with Paul Crespo and the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the PDB:
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING.
Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief. Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Marine Corps ‘strong,' but rest of military has weakened, report finds. While branch rivalry appears to be alive and well among troops serving in today's military, a new study from the Heritage Foundation may have just outlined a definitive service ranking. The big report, called the 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength, found the entire U.S. military's warfighting capabilities to be unusually deficient.
“In the aggregate, the United States' military posture can only be rated as ‘weak,'” the report notes.
One branch, however, the U.S. Marine Corps, has managed to rise above the rest despite the collective failures outlined in the report.
Branches were rated on a scale of “very weak,” “weak,” “marginal,” “strong,” and “very strong,” with the criteria deciding these categories comprising capability, capacity, and readiness. The breakdown of the ratings were not reflective of troops themselves, meanwhile. Rather, the study looked at “current assessments of force levels likely needed to defend U.S. interests against major enemies in contemporary or near-future combat operations.”
And while the Marine Corps was labeled as the only “strong” branch, Heritage also noted that the rating isn't enough to make a major difference.
“The Marine Corps and nuclear forces are ‘strong,' but the Corps is a one-war force, and its overall strength is therefore not sufficient to compensate for the shortfalls of its larger fellow services,” the study's authors wrote.
HOMELAND SECURITY
The intelligence community doesn't warn about all attacks against the US homeland. Why not? A simple policy change could help defend America against threats to non-military targets.
Feds charge Pentagon contractor with lying about ties to ISIS. Mohammad Rafi Mohammadi worked for the U.S. in Afghanistan. He was also allegedly helping the terrorist group behind a bombing that killed 13 American troops.
Nearly a dozen face charges for sending military tech, oil to Russia. Nearly a dozen people, including five Russian nationals and two oil brokers from Venezuela, were arrested and charged in a scheme to send American military technology to Russia, some of which has been allegedly found on battlefields in Ukraine, according to the Justice Department.
MORE ‘OUTRAGEOAUS' THAN VIOLENT BLM RIOTING? – Ex-Air Force enlistee jailed after pleading guilty to ‘outrageous' conduct on Jan 6. Aiden Bilyard, a 20-year-old from North Carolina, pleaded guilty to a felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
CHINA THREAT
China's military is catching up to the US. Is it ready for battle? The People's Liberation Army is emerging as a true competitor to the U.S. amid heightened tensions with Taiwan. The challenge for Xi Jinping is preparing troops to fight.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 240. The United States said Iranian military trainers were in Crimea helping Russian forces operate Iranian-made drones to attack targets in Ukraine.
Ukraine improvises with aging air defenses to counter Russian missiles. As Russia rains missiles down on civilian infrastructure targets, Ukrainian forces are waiting for sophisticated air defenses promised by Western nations.
‘It was horror': Liberated Ukrainians in Kharkiv share tales of occupation.. With Russian soldiers pushed out, Ukrainian investigators have been overwhelmed with accounts of detentions, torture, missing relatives and more.
US has viewed wreckage of kamikaze drones Russia used in Ukraine. Such information could prove crucial in helping the United States and its Ukrainian allies better identify and ultimately defeat the unmanned aircraft.
Ukraine in direct contact with Musk amid Starlink drama. Top Ukrainian officials are in direct contact with Elon Musk to find a way out of the controversy surrounding payment for SpaceX's Starlink terminals, which provide critical battlefield connectivity for Ukrainian forces, the country's defense minister said.
Russia's military aircraft exports are headed for a nosedive. Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's aerospace leadership had planned to market the next generation heavy fighter bomber, the Su-57, and its highly touted derivative the Su-75 to several foreign military buyers. These plans now appear to be in ruins.
IRAN THREAT
AS WE REPORTED LAST WEEK – Iranian drone trainers in Crimea to help Russians, White House says. The White House on Thursday accused Iran of sending military personnel to Crimea to assist Russian pilots who bombarded Kyiv with Iranian kamikaze drones earlier this week.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Truss quits, but UK's political and economic turmoil persist. British Prime Minister Liz Truss quit Thursday after a tumultuous and historically brief term marred by economic policies that roiled financial markets and a rebellion in her political party that obliterated her authority.
NATO chief gives security reassurance to Finland, Sweden as accession waiting game drags out. It's unfathomable that NATO would fail to respond to threats against aspirants Sweden and Finland as they await final membership approval from holdouts Turkey and Hungary, the top alliance official said Thursday.
Poland buying Korean made MLRS, continuing Seoul spending spree. Since late July, Poland has inked agreements with South Korea to purchase 1,000 K2 tanks, 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers, and 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft, along with the MLRS announcement today.
TERROR GROWS IN AFRICA – At least 151 people killed in renewed violence in Sudan's Blue Nile state. At least 151 people were killed and 86 injured in fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile state over recent days, medical sources said on Thursday, the latest outbreak of violence to rock remote conflict-weary regions.
Turkey, Kazakhstan deepen relations in space tech, drone production. Kazakhstan and Turkey have signaled plans to develop “long-term strategic cooperation” that would involve the co-production of satellites and other space systems.
Philippines gets US military helicopters after Russia deal dumped. Manila will seek to have at least some of the reported $32m Russian helicopter deal down payment ‘refunded' by Moscow.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
JUST SAY NO TO FEDERALLY-FUNDED ABORTIONS – Military to provide leave, travel expenses for troops seeking abortion. An estimated 80,000 female, active-duty service members are stationed in states where their access to abortion has been restricted by state laws enacted since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June.
SPACE THREAT
Open for business: Space Force's ‘Front Door' now fully operational. “We don't want your traditional industry brief. We want capabilities that we can get after the threat quickly,” explained Col. Joseph Roth, director of SSC's Front Door industry engagement initiative.
US MILITARY
OUR NEW BOMBER IS ALMOST HERE – Coming soon: The official rollout of the secretive B-21. Mark your calendar. The Air Force's next stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, will be revealed to the public in California on Dec. 2.
Active-duty suicides dropped 15% in 2021, but overall trend is upward. The Pentagon had a bit of good news to report Thursday as it released its latest annual suicide report: The rate of suicide among active-duty troops fell between 2020 and 2021, normalizing a spike that experts haven't been able to explain.
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: Iranian Special Forces Are in Ukraine Helping Russia With Suicide Drones >>
One hopes.
But DoD is Woke & weak!!!
As a Veteran of the USAF during the cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam War, I can’t understand the stupidity of the current leaders of our Armed Forces. We were trained to defend our Country, not a bunch of weirdo cry babies. Resign and put leaders in charge that will destroy this crazy BS.