FRIDAY PDB – Behind the scenes of the Pentagon's race to aid in Taiwan's defense. Last fall, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, the Pentagon came with a message: Help us help Taiwan.
The year before, Congress had for the first time allowed the Defense Department to ship its own stocks to the island nation — up to $1 billion each year. But lawmakers didn't offer funding to replace those stocks.
So as lawmakers quizzed witnesses about how to better support Taiwan, officials repeated their request for funding. “There is no money,” Ely Ratner, head of Pentagon policy for the Indo-Pacific region, said during the 2023 hearing.
But there is now: In April, Congress passed a $95 billion defense bill, with about $4 billion in potential Taiwan aid. Nearly half of that chunk is for replacing donated stocks.
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:
POLITICS
ABSOLUTE TRAVESTY – Guilty: Trump becomes first former US president convicted of felony. Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records.
AS ALWAYS – LATE AND HALF-ASSED – Biden partially lifts ban on Ukraine using US arms in Russia strikes. Ukraine can now use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv.
USELESS – Austin meets with Chinese counterpart for the first time since 2022. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart for the first time, ending an almost 18-month break.
GIVE AID TO VETS NOT ILLEGALS – Advocates fear growing backlash against aid for homeless veterans. Housing advocates aren't just worried about the rising number of veterans experiencing homelessness in recent years. They're also concerned about growing apathy and anger towards the problem.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERROR
Mapping Israel's expanding battle for Rafah, a test of US red lines. Israeli forces have begun to push into Rafah's most populated areas in recent days, according to satellite imagery and videos.
SADLY NECESSARY – Israeli families say government has given up on Gaza hostages and is prioritizing the destruction of Hamas.
US military pier removed from Gaza coast, recovery is ongoing for Army vessels. The temporary pier installed by the U.S. military two weeks ago off the coast of Gaza has been removed, and the recovery of two Army vessels that were moored to the floating dock continues.
NOT OUR JOB! – US military hasn't airdropped Gaza aid since May 9. The Pentagon blamed the weather and Israel's offensive in the southern city of Rafah.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Former Navy chief sentenced to 18 years on attempted espionage charges.
31 M17 Glock pistols went missing from Fort Moore, Georgia — the Army's Criminal Investigation Division is offering $5,000 for information.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Lava reaches wall around US military site in Iceland, but defenses expected to hold. Lava from the latest volcanic eruption in Iceland has reached a defensive barrier around a U.S. Navy communications site on the southern coast.
USAF B-52 bombers fly over Baltics near Russian territory. Two Stratofortresses from a U.S. Air Force bomber task force flew over the Baltics and Eastern Europe on May 28.
The Navy's much-touted goal of a regional fleet of 100 unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East fell so short of expectations that the service has scrapped the notion of a numerical target for the program.
400 hundred Marines prep for multinational live-fire drills near Australia's northeastern coast. This, as Aussie sailors help crew a Navy submarine tender that recently arrived Down Under.
US Africa Command boss defends US counterterrorism strategy in Africa. He also vowed to press forward with it despite a wave of criticism and a drift among African nations toward seeking security help from Russia instead.
Five allied powers plan bigger, deeper Asia military drills. Australia, Britain, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore have agreed to stage more complex military drills in the region this year involving drones, fifth-generation fighter planes and surveillance aircraft.
IRAN THREAT
HIT THE SOURCE – IRAN – US, Britain strike Houthi targets in Yemen after surge in attacks. They struck 13 Houthi targets in several locations in Yemen on Thursday in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
CHINA THREAT
China's defense ministry condemns US missile deployment in Philippines. It claims the deployment of a U.S. intermediate range missile system in the northern Philippines during drills in April “brought huge risks of war into the region.”
Keeping ahead of China requires investment in military R&D. The Pentagon has been focused too much on operational needs, not enough on strategic ones.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Soldiers in Ukraine say US-supplied tanks have made them targets for Russian strikes. Ukrainian crews working on US-supplied Abrams tanks note a series of the weaknesses and flaws with the armored vehicles, calling into doubt their utility on the war's ever-changing frontlines.
Russia raises income tax on rich to pay for Ukraine war. Military expenditure is running at over 6% of GDP, approaching levels reached by the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.
Ukraine's army chief says Russia is augmenting its troops presence in the Kharkiv region. Russia conducted an array of aerial attacks on Ukraine with cruise missiles, drones and ballistic missiles, while Russia is increasing its troop concentration in the Kharkiv region where Moscow's forces have made significant advances in a spring offensive.
North Korean missile debris found in Ukraine: Defense intelligence report. Remnants of the ballistic missiles further confirming U.S. accusations that Pyongyang is arming Russia's war effort, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Ukraine signs security deal with Sweden in push for Western support. The bilateral security agreement is one of three planned with Nordic countries, as it seeks further military support for the war against Russia.
Berlin lets Ukraine use German weapons against targets in Russia just over their joint border. This, a day after Joe Biden gave Kyiv a green light to strike back with American weapons at Russian military assets targeting the country's second-largest city.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Mexico's next president will be a woman. But violence has overshadowed the glass ceiling being shattered. This is a remarkable achievement in a country known for its patriarchal culture and high rates of gender-based violence, where around 10 women are murdered every day.
US MILITARY
WATCH – Get up close and personal with the M240 at a Marine machine gun range.
WATCH – the POV of a Marine leaping out of a helicopter during helo cast training.
Amphib USS Boxer soon to be sidelined again for 18 months of maintenance. The amphibious warship will undergo maintenance from April 2025 through October 2026.
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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