Military Robots In The Ranks On Land And Under The Sea

THURSDAY PDB – The race toward a robotic military future is well underway. Whether that will ultimately be a good or bad thing is still up for debate. But the technology and its integration into U.S. military and naval forces is going full speed ahead.

Robots in the ranks: Army integrating robots in two platoons. Soldiers at both the Maneuver Center of Excellence and the National Training Center are testing out new platoon formations that integrate robots and other technology into dangerous combat scenarios.

US Navy subs are getting a drone that can launch through a torpedo tube. For the first time, a U.S. Navy submarine has tested an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that can leave and re-enter the sub through a torpedo tube. This creates new opportunities for surveillance, scouting and other missions.

These developments are in addition to the Air Force's Loyal Wingman program and the Navy's growing fleet of uncrewed vessels or sea drones.

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:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR OLDEST MILITARY SERVICE

National Guard, oldest component of the US military, celebrates 387th birthday. 

ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS TERROR

Israel sends new, advanced Sa'ar 6 warship to Red Sea. The ship enters a hostile area where drones and missiles fired by the Houthi group in Yemen have targeted commercial vessels and a southern Israeli city.

US seeks Israeli commitment that assault rifles won't go to settlers. Israel is requesting more than 20,000 guns from the U.S., but concerns that they would end up in the hands of settlers have held up the sale.

Nearly half of the Israeli munitions dropped on Gaza are imprecise ‘dumb bombs.' This, according to a new US intelligence assessment.

POLITICS

House Republicans vote to authorize their impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Republicans say the vote Wednesday was needed to enforce their subpoenas in court and could bolster their plans to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

Republicans blame ‘woke' policies for recruiting sag; military claims it's more complicated than that. The top challenge facing U.S. military recruiting efforts is a lack of awareness about the armed forces among U.S. youth and not “woke” policies, top Pentagon personnel officials say.

Why doesn't Gen Z want to be all it can be? Young Americans' are skeptical of the military. That's a reason to worry about national security.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Section 702 surveillance doesn't belong in the NDAA. The controversial spying power doesn't expire for more than four months.

UFO whistleblower doubles down on claims: ‘This is a nightmare for me.' Former intelligence officer David Grusch said he's been living a nightmare since making his testimony public over the summer.

As nuclear powers restart the arms race, unarmed nations call for reason. The arms control edifice, erected by the U.S. and the USSR during the Cold War, seems to be dead in the water. Virtually all the existing treaties are being broken, ignored, or terminated.

Let's bring that margin back: China, Russia too close for comfort in electronic warfare (EW), say generals. Be afraid; be moderately afraid. That's where the US and its allies stand on EW compared to Russia and China, say current and former Air Force generals.

CHINA THREAT

US should ‘take advantage' of China's recent, ‘pretty malign behavior': Senior Marine. “Like when you're ramming ships, when you're using water cannons, when you're using underwater sonar, lasers blinding people — not helpful, not helpful at all,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Lightfoot.

Why the Indian Ocean could be China's Achilles' heel in a Taiwan war. Every day, nearly 60 fully loaded very large crude-oil carriers sail between the Persian Gulf and Chinese ports, carrying about half of the oil that powers the world's second-largest economy.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia has lost 87% of troops it had prior to start of Ukraine war, according to US intelligence. Russia has lost a staggering number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 659. At least 53 people, including six children, were injured after Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv, the second in a week. The city's air defenses shot down the missiles – Iskander-M and S-400s – but debris blew out windows and destroyed parked cars.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

South Korea to increase defense spending over five years. It plans to spend U.S. $262.8 billion to bolster its defense capabilities amid growing threats.

S. Korea scrambles jets as China, Russia warplanes enter defense zone -Seoul. This, on Thursday when two Chinese and four Russian military planes crossed the line.

IRAN THREAT

USS Mason takes down drone for at least the second time this month. The destroyer shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle Wednesday that originated from Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Houthi targeting of Israel suggests new, longer-range missile in play. Armed Yemeni group is likely firing a variant of an Iranian missile toward far off targets.

SPACE THREAT

Saltzman: ‘Probably no coincidence' X-37 and Chinese space plane will launch near each other. Multiple delays and scrubbed launches have kept the Space Force's X-37B from returning to orbit this week.

Millennium to apply Victus Nox lessons to missile warning satellites. In September, the company played a key role in a Space Force mission to demonstrate the ability to deliver a spacecraft and launch it on rapid timelines.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Pennsylvania Army National Guard members to deploy to Horn of Africa. Members of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team are being called up for overseas deployment.

US MILITARY

Ukraine, Mideast conflicts place renewed pressure on Patriot units. The U.S. Army worked for the better part of a decade to reduce the pressure on troops operating Patriot air defense systems, but the increasing demand for the technology has mostly undone that progress.

END OF AN ERA – Boston Light's Sally Snowman ending historic run as last Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in US. It's the final chapter for the keeper of Boston Light. At midnight on New Year's Eve, Snowman's 20 years at the helm will be over.

Pentagon starts outreach program on blast risks from weapons use. DoD and Veterans Affairs have begun an aggressive campaign in the wake of growing evidence of the potential health risks that troops face from exposure to blasts from their own weapons.

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: Battleground State Congressman To Retire