TUESDAY PDB – An imprisoned opponent of Vladimir Putin was murdered just after Tucker Carlson's sycophantic interview of the Russian tyrant. What we know about Alexei Navalny's death in Arctic Circle prison.
Days after Navalny's death was first reported, details about what happened to him remain scarce.
Biden says he's considering additional sanctions on Russia over Navalny's death. Joe Biden said Monday he is weighing additional sanctions against Russia over the death of the Russian opposition leader.
PUTIN KILLS OPPONENTS EVEN IN WESTERN CAPITALS LIKE LONDON AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
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:
NATIONAL SECURITY
WikiLeaks founder Assange may be near the end of his long fight to stay out of the US. Prosecutors say he conspired with U.S. army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and release secret diplomatic cables and military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
NSA's transformation from secret agency to public cybercrime warrior. The National Security Agency, once so secretive that its acronym NSA was jokingly referred to by insiders as “No Such Agency,” is out of the shadows.
America can't ignore the national security concerns tied to the LNG freeze. As former national security advisor to President Obama and former supreme allied commander of NATO, I must warn of the significant national security risks involved in Team Biden's decision to pause new U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licenses.
HOMELAND SECURITY
YES! – Texas to build 80-acre border base for National Guard troops. Troops are scattered around the area, living in tents, hotels and private residences, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
WOW – Unruly high school asks Massachusetts National Guard to restore order. Officials have asked Gov. Maura Healey to send in the Guard to stop violence and address security concerns at a troubled school in a city south of Boston.
POLITICS
Troops aim to be made ‘first-class voters' with new DARPA tech. U.S. service members deserve to cast a paper ballot on election night.
Bipartisan House members unveil new border, foreign aid proposal. It's not yet clear if House GOP leadership would consider the proposal.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Navy SEALs in Cyprus pledge ‘unyielding response' to any adversaries in Eastern Mediterranean. The SEALs said that drills carried out off the coast of Cyprus were a signal to adversaries that attacks in the region will be opposed with plenty of force.
US, Singapore air forces to team up at vital Pacific base in Guam. Andersen Air Force Base in Guam is set to open its doors to half of Singapore's F-15 fleet, as the city state seeks to ramp up its combat readiness.
IRAN THREAT
Houthi rebels' attack severely damages a Belize-flagged ship in key strait leading to the Red Sea. The crew of the ship traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden was forced to abandon the vessel. Another ship reportedly came twice under attack nearby.
US assessing whether air strike against al-Shabaab in Somalia killed two Cuban doctors held by group. The US is assessing the terror group claims.
CHINA THREAT
Why China prefers diplomacy to military pressure in the Middle East. The U.S. is considering deploying two more aircraft carriers to its western Pacific fleet, which already consists of three carriers.
These potential deployments, along with recent naval exercises involving Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea and the expected visit of US senators to Taiwan this week, underline America's focus on the strategic region.
Australia unveils plan for largest navy buildup since World War II. Australia is allocating more than $35 billion for the defense project over the next 10 years, in a move pointed to heightened tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine war has cost Russia up to $211 billion. Almost two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon shared new figures on the toll that war has had on Moscow.
DOJ: Confiscated Russian funds will support Ukraine — via Estonia. It is the first time the U.S. will transfer funds to a foreign ally for the explicit purpose of assisting Ukraine.
ALWAYS TOO SLOW ON THE IMPORTANT THINGS – Biden administration is leaning toward supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles. If Republicans continue to block U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the White House could turn to an ally to provide Kyiv with ATACM missiles capable of striking Russian-held Crimea.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force cancels classified military communications satellite project. The move comes even as the Space Force pushes to build out its orbital infrastructure.
Space Force's long-awaited commercial strategy may finally be coming. Chief of Space Operation said so on Feb. 13, as the service takes a deliberate approach to the crucial plan for collaboration.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Israel vows Rafah ground assault by Ramadan if hostages are not freed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military would “finish the job” in Gaza, saying a hostage release “can be achieved through strong military action and tough negotiations.”
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Finnish President-elect wants China ‘involved' in Ukraine war peace negotiations. Alexander Stubb also indicated he wants Europe's financial institutions to modernize their rules in order to help speed up production of munitions.
Sweden makes fresh Ukraine military aid pledge as NATO membership nears. Budapest is the last NATO capital needed to approve Sweden's membership bid.
Hungary's government declines offer to meet US senators seeking approval for Sweden's NATO bid. The bipartisan delegation called on the nationalist government to immediately approve Sweden's request to join NATO.
US MILITARY
Six Marine Embassy Security Guards have died overseas since 2022. “Those are really high numbers.”
Air Force recruiting rebounds while Army, Navy still struggle. The Pentagon ended fiscal year 2023 falling tens of thousands of new enlisted troops short of its goal in what it called “the toughest recruitment year for the military services since the inception of the all-volunteer force.”
The Corps has a plan to stop Marines from leaving. Is it working? Junior enlisted Marines have a decision to make: stay in the Marine Corps, or leave the service?
JUST SAY NO! – Marine Corps won't consider allowing hands in pockets, for now. The Navy now allows sailors to stick their hands in their uniform pockets, but the Marine Corps is not planning to follow suit.
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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