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.
POLITICS
A new book and more from the ‘accountability' Marine veteran. As Marines faced their final days in Afghanistan in August 2021 a devastating suicide bombing claimed the lives of 11 Marines, one soldier, one sailor and an estimated 170 civilians as those Marines helped usher Afghan civilians to safety, then-Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller had reached his limit.
They make you take an oath to the Constitution: They don't make you read it. Officers in the U.S. armed forces take an oath to the constitution. In doing so, they pledge their loyalty to the country and their subordination to its laws. This oath is central to maintaining healthy civil-military relations. But repeated crises over the last several years have shown the military's fealty to the constitution cannot be expected to save American democracy from presidents who violate their own oath to it.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What a GOP win in November would mean for defense policy in 2023. If Republican lawmakers take control of either the House or Senate following midterm elections, experts expect bigger defense budgets, more debate over foreign military aid and more fighting about how “woke” military issues affect national security.
US sending satellite antennas to Ukraine after Musk's Starlink U-turn. The U.S. said it will send Ukraine satellite communications antennas that can work without Elon Musk's Starlink network to assist the battered country in its fight against Russia.
Senate Democrat wants national security investigation of Saudi Arabia's role in Elon Musk-Twitter deal. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is calling on the federal government to investigate national security concerns raised by Saudi Arabia's role in Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter.
Pentagon attributes UFO sightings to spies or airborne trash. Intelligence officials are set to deliver Congress a new report today on unexplained aerial phenomenon, better known as UFOs.
Russia recruiting US-trained Afghan commandos, vets say. Afghan special forces soldiers who fought alongside American troops and then fled to Iran after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal last year are now being recruited by the Russian military to fight in Ukraine.
CHINA THREAT
US curbs on microchips could throttle China's ambitions and escalate the tech war. Chinese leader Xi Jinping's push to “win the battle” in core technologies and bolster China's position as a tech superpower could be severely undermined by Washington's unprecedented steps to limit the sale of advanced chips and chip-making equipment to the country, analysts say.
China fishing fleet defied U.S in standoff on high seas. This summer, a heavily-armed U.S. Coast Guard cutter sailed up to a fleet of a few hundred Chinese squid-fishing boats not far from Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. Its mission: inspect the vessels for any signs of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing. The Chinese captains of several fishing boats did something unexpected. Three vessels sped away, one turning aggressively 90 degrees toward the Coast Guard cutter James, forcing the American vessel to take evasive action to avoid being rammed.
China launches 3rd and final space station component. China on Monday launched the third and final module to complete its permanent space station and realize a more than decade-long effort to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit, as its competition with the U.S. grows increasingly fierce.
China slams reported plan for US B-52 bombers in Australia. A news report says the United States is preparing to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in northern Australia.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
US military now doing onsite weapons inspections in Ukraine. A small number of U.S. military forces inside Ukraine have recently begun doing onsite inspections to ensure that Ukrainian troops are properly accounting for the Western-provided weapons they receive, a senior U.S. defense official told Pentagon reporters Monday.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 251. Russia has fired dozens of missiles at Ukrainian energy facilities, including hydroelectric power stations, causing blackouts, mobile phone outages and reductions in water supplies.
Russia launches barrage of strikes across Ukraine. The attacks in Kyiv and across Ukraine knocked out electricity and water supplies in parts of the country, as the Kremlin intensified its attacks on civilian infrastructure.
UN says no ships in grain corridor when Russia says it was attacked. The United Nations on Monday said no ships involved in a U.N.-brokered Ukraine grain export deal were transiting a Black Sea maritime humanitarian corridor on the night of Oct. 29, when Russia says its vessels in Crimea were attacked.
Russia completes partial mobilization of citizens for Ukraine war. President Vladimir Putin announced Russia's first mobilization since World War II in September, but the process was chaotic.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea warns US of ‘powerful' response to allied drills. The United States and South Korea's “Vigilant Storm” air force drills are scheduled to continue through Friday.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Death toll from Somalia car bombings rises to 120. Twin car bombings in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu this weekend killed at least 120 people, Somalia's Health Minister Ali Haji Aden said on Monday.
Marines aim for ‘culture of interoperability' with Japan, Philippines. A pair of U.S. Marine Corps exercises in the Pacific this month focused on working side-by-side with allies as the Marines pursue more sophisticated ways of sensing coastal waters and picking out targets.
PENTAGON ‘WOKE' WATCH
ENOUGH WITH RACIAL PREFERENCES – Military a key focus of Supreme Court argument on affirmative action. The government's top legal advocate on Monday urged Supreme Court justices to preserve affirmative action in service academies and civilian institutions alike.
SPACE THREAT
Commercial satellites are the next front in space war. Private satellite networks that aid militaries in wartime are becoming potential targets for enemy forces — stoking fears that earthly conflicts are extending further into space.
US MILITARY
New Army social media policy pushes stricter rules. The Army is taking a tougher stance on social media use, according to a new service-wide policy announced last week.
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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The entire world is very tense at this time; if we only had a diplomat in our white house it could change the course of history