National Guard Preparing for War in Arctic

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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.

PENTAGON WOKE WATCH

DON'T WORRY, THE WAR WILL WAIT FOR YOU BOTH TO TAKE YOUR ‘MOMMY AND ME' TIME – All Marines can now take nearly 3 months of parental leave. Previously, secondary caregivers in the Marine Corps had received three weeks of parental leave.

PONYTAILS AND EARRINGS FOR MEN NEXT – Let it grow: Sailors, Marines disgruntled by beard ban find favorable reception to challenges. The Navy is facing a groundswell in its ranks and in court from people who believe that the service needs to take a razor to its 38-year-old beard ban.

POLITICS

White House announces nominees to lead Navy in Asia and Middle East. The White House announced Friday its next nominations to lead U.S. naval forces in Asia and the Middle East.

NATIONAL SECURITY

National Guard preps for potential Arctic conflicts with Russia, China. While active duty troops have been traveling up to the far reaches of Canada and Norway to get acclimated to fighting in deep snow and bitter cold, in January members of the National Guard tested their cold-weather skills on some home turf: northern Michigan.

Guarding contested skies. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea – not to mention the persistent threat from terrorist organizations. The United States confronts an extraordinary array of threats, with many of our adversaries working together more closely than ever.

TikTok CEO to testify before Congress amid growing concerns of privacy, national security, child exploitation. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew will testify before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee in March, Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said Monday, as the social media app faces heightened scrutiny among lawmakers over privacy and national security concerns.

HOMELAND SECURITY

NEW TREND? MILITARY BASE GATE CRASHERS – Car catches fire after attempt to break onto California Marine base. The base temporarily closed the main gate but reopened it at approximately 9 p.m. Friday.

CHINA THREAT

IT IS CLEAR TO ME – INVASION OR BLOCKADE LIKELY – What the chances of a war between the US and China actually look like, according to experts. It is unclear if China has decided to invade Taiwan.

Tokyo protests to Beijing after Chinese coast guard vessels approach Senkakus again. Tokyo lodged a diplomatic complaint with Beijing on Monday after a flotilla of Chinese government vessels entered waters claimed by Japan around the Senkakus, five islets and three barren rocks in the East China Sea, according to Japanese government statements.

US military poised to secure new access to key Philippine bases. The expansion is part of a broader push in the Indo-Pacific to buttress U.S. force posture, reinforce alliances and deter China.

China's military unveils heads-up display to let soldiers shoot around corners. Meet the MARS, the Chinese military's IVAS clone.

GOP pushes tougher China dual-use sanctions, cites lax enforcement. Republicans are using their brand-new House majority to push for tougher China sanctions enforcement on dual-use equipment even as the Biden administration greatly expands sweeping new export controls on U.S. technology that could be used by the Chinese military.

UKRAINE WAR

France doesn't rule out sending warplanes to Ukraine. President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France doesn't exclude sending fighter jets to Ukraine, but laid out multiple conditions before such a significant step might be taken.

Biden seemingly rejects request to send US F-16s to Ukraine. But the administration has yet to hold high-level discussions about arming Kyiv with the jets, a U.S. official said later.

NATO chief urges Seoul to send military support to Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called for South Korea to provide direct military support to Ukraine, saying Kyiv is in urgent need of weapons to fight off the prolonged Russian invasion.

Gates: A lot of US military aid to Ukraine ‘could have been done sooner.' Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday that a lot of the U.S.'s military aid to Ukraine “could have been done sooner.”

Russia freed prisoners to fight its war. Here's how some fared. Tens of thousands of inmates have joined a mercenary group fighting in Ukraine. Some are returning home, trained and often traumatized.

Pro-Kremlin activists in Germany gave money for Russian army gear. A group of pro-Russian activists in Germany donated funds to a Russian army division fighting in Ukraine, and the money was used to purchase walkie-talkie radios, headphones and telephones, according to an officer in the division and messages from the group's organizers.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 342. Russian missiles have killed three people in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, while fighting rages in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia again shelled the key town of Vuhledar, Ukrainian officials said. Russia has moved additional forces and equipment to its western Kursk region on the border with Ukraine, according to the region's governor.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

OOOPS, MY BAD! – South Korean soldier accidentally fires machine gun near military demarcation line (DMZ). A South Korean soldier stationed near the border with North Korea accidentally fired a heavy machine gun during a weekend training session, according to military officials.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY – NATO, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA

PODCAST – Largest joint exercise with Israel to date ends. A joint exercise with Israel concluded as tensions in the region reach a new high.

HEATING UP – Antony Blinken in Jerusalem: Urgent steps needed for calm. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for Israel and the Palestinians to take “urgent steps” to restore calm amid escalating violence.

Turkey frustrates Finland's and Sweden's NATO bids. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's dogged opposition to Sweden's application for membership of NATO has stymied hopes in Stockholm and Helsinki that Ankara will give its approval ahead of parliamentary elections in Turkey slated for May 14.

Burkina Faso says 28 soldiers, civilians killed in rebel attacks. Rebel fighters conducted separate attacks on Sunday and Monday, including 15 men killed after a minibus was stopped.

Coast Guard to resume fight against illegal fishing in Pacific. As COVID-19 restrictions gradually lift, the Coast Guard this year is making a push to step up engagement in the Pacific islands as it continues efforts to combat illegal fishing.

SPACE

NASA funding DRACO nuclear thermal rocket engine under deal with DARPA. “When people like to question the validity or usefulness of this engine, I point them to Wernher von Braun,” said Tabitha Dodson, DRACO program manager at DARPA, “because this was more or less his idea.”

NASA and the Space Force should catalyze the US space economy. Success in outer space is essential for American leadership and prosperity. Space holds infinite potential to strengthen America's national power through scientific discovery, technological advancement, international cooperation, military advantage, resource extraction, and most importantly, economic expansion.

US MILITARY

How US Navy SEALs train other special operators for maritime missions. When it comes to training foreign partners, US Navy SEALs use the same “crawl, walk, run” approach they employ in their own training.

MILITARY ROBOTS AND AI

DoD clarifies ‘confusion' around autonomous weapons. The Defense Department's original autonomous weapons policy was so unclear that even people inside the Pentagon had a hard time understanding it.

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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