TUESDAY PDB – Hawley, Cotton call on Biden to deploy National Guard over Gaza protests at colleges. GOP Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.) called on Joe Biden to send Guard troops to colleges, particularly Columbia University in New York City, where pro-Palestinian protesters have staged sit-ins and other disruptive activities.
Cotton called on the Biden administration to “break up” the pro-Palestinian groups on Columbia's campus if New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) fails to take control of the situation by deploying the New York National Guard.
“The nascent pogroms at Columbia have to stop TODAY, before our Jewish brethren sit for Passover Seder tonight. If Eric Adams won't send the NYPD and Kathy Hochul won't send the National Guard, Joe Biden has a duty to take charge and break up these mobs,” Cotton posted on X.
Columbia, where swelling protests have drawn national attention, announced Monday it would hold classes remotely to defuse the tense situation on campus. Meanwhile, the protests have spread to other universities, such as Yale in Connecticut, where police arrested more than 45 demonstrators Monday.
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
America's crisis of repetition is hurting national security. The author calls for an end to the “mind-numbing cycle of far too many studies coming out of the Pentagon and the US government as a whole — with little progress on implementation.”
HOMELAND SECURITY
DEFLECTION FROM CITY AND STATE FAILURE – Baltimore files legal claim against owner and operator of cargo ship that rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, causing it to collapse.
POLITICS
UNTRUE! THE LAWS DON'T “PUNISH HOMELESSNESS,” THEY ALLOW MUNICIPALITIES TO KEEP PUBLIC SPACES FROM BEING OVERRUN BY HOMELESS FOR PUBLIC ACCESS, SAFETY AND HYGIENE.
Vets advocates push Supreme Court to dump laws ‘punishing homelessness.' Activists are warning that laws against camping and sleeping illegally in public spaces by homeless people could have a troubling impact on efforts to help former troops struggling to find housing.
Next Ukraine package to be larger than normal, include armored vehicles. The Senate could approve more than $60 billion for Kyiv as soon as Tuesday.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
DON'T PROMOTE HIM – HE IS A CLUELESS REVERSE RACIST – Nomination of Air Force officer at center of GOP's fight against ‘woke' military extended to 2025. His promotion to brigadier general has been stalled by a Republican senator fighting against divisive and racist “diversity” initiatives in the military has been granted another year to try to win Senate confirmation.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US, Philippine forces launch combat drills in South China Sea. They launched their largest combat exercises in years Monday in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing.
US vs. Russia: Why the Biden strategy in Africa may be failing. U.S. officials are starting to accept that their strategy of pressing Niger and other war-battered African countries to break off ties with Moscow and embrace democratic norms is no longer working.
Failed rocket strike launched on US-led coalition forces base in Syria. Iraqi authorities said they were searching for “outlaw elements” who launched about five missiles across the border from Iraq into Syria late Sunday. U.S. forces also shot down two drones near al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.
IRAN THREAT
The Iran-Israel war is just getting started. As long as the two countries remain engaged in conflict, they will trade blows—no matter what their allies counsel.
STILL – Israel planned bigger attack on Iran but scaled it back to avoid war. This, after intense pressure from the U.S. and allies.
Satellite photos suggest Iran air defense radar struck in Isfahan during apparent Israeli attack. The Israeli missile strike hit a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery, contradicting repeated denials by officials in Tehran of any damage in the assault.
ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS
Israel beefs up armored corps with new tank companies, for now and the future. And IDF tank company commander is helping to create the new units, which will rely less on reservists for tank operations.
WHITEWASHED NONSENSE – Independent report does not find UN's Palestinian agency is compromised by outside groups. The report did not find the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is compromised by outside groups or has a systemic neutrality failure. This, after Israel accused 12 staffers at UNRWA of participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
CHINA THREAT
China's new H-20 stealth bomber ‘not really' a concern for Pentagon, says US intel official. “The thing with the H-20 is when you actually look at the system design, it's probably nowhere near as good as US LO [low observable] platforms, particularly more advanced ones that we have coming down.”
In ‘major' shakeup, China creates new Information Support Force, scraps Strategic Support Force. The PLA says it “is a brand-new strategic arm of the PLA and a key underpinning of coordinated development and application of the network information system,” which seems to indicate a sharp focus on networks.
Australia and Papua New Guinea leaders trek toward WWII South Pacific battleground. The two leaders headed into the island nation's mountainous interior to commemorate the WWII campaign and to underscore their current security alliance, which faces challenges from China's growing regional influence.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Europe-but not NATO-should send troops to Ukraine. To Halt Russia's Advance, Kyiv Needs More Boots on the Ground.
Polish president wants NATO nukes for deterring Russia. Polish authorities are in talks with the U.S. about including the Polish Air Force in NATO's nuclear sharing program.
Russian man sentenced to 5 years of hard labor for criticizing war in Ukraine. His crime? – giving an antiwar comment to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) two years ago. The criminal prosecution shows the Kremlin is intensifying its crackdown on dissent and that could have a chilling effect on international media still operating in the country.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Australia got a new sub drone far faster than the US Navy could have. Technical details were sparse as Anduril announced a prototype undersea drone in Australia last Thursday, but company officials stressed a different aspect of the effort: its early, under-budget arrival could not have happened with the U.S. Navy.
US MILITARY
SIZE MATTERS – As the US Air Force fleet keeps shrinking, can it still win wars? In February 2017, then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein issued a warning.
Army rethinks its approach to AI-enabled risks via Project Linchpin. Here's the latest update on the Army's first-ever AI program of record.
How one group is trying to make Navy and Marine beach landings better. Watch now: The Navy and Marines use an old-school method to judge sea state for beach landings. Here's how they hope to improve their practices.
SO, HE WAS PROMOTED?! Army captain gives up his rank to enlist in the Marine Corps. He gave up his position as an Army logistics officer to join the Marines as an infantry grunt.
See an AV-8B Harrier land vertically on the amphibious assault ship Wasp in low-light. Watch now.
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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