Marines Training To Defend Civilian Ships Against Iranian Attacks

MONDAY PDB – US Marines already training to escort civilian tankers in bid to blunt Iranian interference. Marines newly deployed to the Middle East already are training for shipboard roles protecting oil tankers and other commercial ships from Iranian aggression.

About 100 Marines have been training in Bahrain for specialized defensive teams that would travel briefly with commercial ships through and near the Strait of Hormuz, said a U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Putting Marines and sailors on civilian tankers is an unprecedented step in the post-World War II era and is meant to show Iran that the U.S. will protect the right of ships to pass through the strait and adjacent waters freely, the official said. (RELATED: Video: House Leader Alleges Biden Envoy To Iran May Have Committed ‘Treason')

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:

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

MOMMY WARRIORS – WOOHOO! – Navy expands maternity uniform options in pilot program. The Navy is modifying its maternity uniform pilot program so pregnant sailors may choose the uniforms that accommodate their work environment best. (RELATED: Biden Weaponizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) To Be ‘Woke')

NECESSARILY? OR OVERLY DIAGNOSED? Are thousands of potential recruits being disqualified unnecessarily? About 4% of eligible applicants would be ruled out for psychological and developmental diagnoses, such as autism, depression or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, thousands of potential recruits a year.

Space Command HQ pick gave military families an answer but worries of a continuing fight persist. For two and a half years, a decision on where to locate the Command's headquarters has languished amid a tug of war between Alabama and Colorado, between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, and between red state and blue state politics.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Putin's forever war. Vladimir Putin wants to lead Russians into a civilizational conflict with the West far larger than Ukraine. Will they follow him?

To go faster on AI, think small and build trust. For faster integration of artificial intelligence across the national security enterprise, leaders should keep in mind the advice of retired Marine General Jim Mattis: “Operations only move at the speed of trust.”

HOMELAND DEFENSE

Russia and China sent large naval patrol near Alaska. Four U.S. destroyers were dispatched to monitor the ships.

CHINA THREAT

US being ‘outcompeted' by China in Latin America, Caribbean, SOUTHCOM general says. China is expanding its influence into the region, and it could present increasingly greater threats to the U.S., says the top U.S. military commander for the area.

Philippine military condemns Chinese coast guard's use of water cannon. China used the water cannon to block a Filipino supply boat in the disputed South China Sea.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia mounts a massive missile and drone attack against Ukraine. The Russian barrage came after a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 530. Russia launched a wave of air attacks on Ukraine, using cruise and hypersonic missiles as well as Iranian-made drones, according to Ukraine. “In total, the enemy used 70 air assault weapons in several waves,” from Saturday to Sunday. (RELATED: Russian Aerial ‘Alligators' Slow Ukraine's Offensive)

Ukraine Strikes 2 Bridges Connected to Russian-Occupied Crimea with Storm Shadow Missiles. Kyiv used the UK-supplied long-range weapons to strike two key road bridges connecting Russian-occupied Crimea to the rest of Ukraine on Sunday.

Ukraine's elite forces rely on technology to strike behind enemy lines. Minefields are now preventing special operators from sneaking behind enemy lines, forcing Ukraine's most elite soldiers to rely on technology.

Wagner handoff, DNA tests: Remains of Special Forces vet may finally be coming home from Ukraine.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

Frustration and questions swirl for family of soldier who ran into North Korea. The family of Army Pvt. Travis King — the soldier who ran across the border into North Korea in mid-July — say they've heard nothing from the military since they were first informed of the incident.

North Korean leader tours weapons factories in face of tensions. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also pledged to speed up efforts to advance his military's arms and war readiness.

North Korean hackers breached top Russian missile maker. An elite group of North Korean hackers secretly breached computer networks at a major Russian missile developer for at least five months last year.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force intel focus: 50% on China; 25% on Russia. China's “space weaponry” arsenal “includes missiles that launch from the Earth that go up and destroy satellites, it includes lasers, it includes jammers, it includes a whole magazine of diversity for that [space combat],” a top Space Force officer said.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

As critical deadline for Niger's military coup expires, the country's airspace closes due to ‘threat of intervention.' Sunday was the day imposed as a deadline by a group of African countries for Nigerien military coup leaders to release power and reinstate the country's democratically-elected president.

Largest ever Talisman Sabre exercise wraps in Australia. The largest iteration of the drill, with more than 33,000 troops from 13 countries, concluded on Friday.

For U.S. Expeditionary Center airmen, a new challenge in the Pacific. The Air Force's pivot to the Pacific is opening a new chapter for the airmen who have long been among its first responders overseas.

New ‘air mobility teams' can help USAF move faster—if the kinks get worked out. This summer's massive, Pacific-focused Mobility Guardian 23 exercise helped showcase a new way to make air mobility nimbler—and how the new idea can be improved.

Hiroshima marks 78th anniversary of atomic bombing. The atomic bomb dropped by the U.S. on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city, and helped end the war.

Finland is one step closer to getting David's Sling missile shield. Finland's multiyear quest to buy a high-altitude air defense capability is nearer after the State Department approved the export of the U.S.-Israeli system to the Nordic state.

US MILITARY

Delivering the Army of 2030. The U.S. Army is transforming how it prepares to fight and win the nation's wars.

Army greenlights armored vehicle for full-rate production. This week it approved the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle for full-rate production.

Morgan Freeman visits the Pentagon, talks history with Austin. The Oscar winner is promoting a documentary on an all-Black tank battalion from World War II.

Rare footage shows US soldiers liberating Holocaust survivors in World War II. An unforgettable moment in history.

BAR FIGHT GONE BAD – Military's top judges dismiss case against last ‘MARSOC 3' defendant. The military's highest appeals court dismissed the case against a special operations corpsman who had been accused of causing the 2019 death of a Green Beret veteran.

House Democrats showed you they don't care about our veterans. Our nation's veterans have selflessly served and sacrificed for our country. We House Republicans understand it is our solemn duty to honor their sacrifice, service and heroism.

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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