Space War Is Coming As China And Russia Rush To Defeat US

THURSDAY PDB – The first space war is coming. Here are 3 things the US must do to win. China, Russia are working hard to displace the U.S. as the odds of war in space increases.

US warns allies Russia could put a nuclear weapon into orbit this year. US intelligence agencies assess that if Russia is going to launch a nuclear weapon into orbit, it will probably do so this year — but that it might instead launch a harmless “dummy” warhead into orbit to leave the West guessing.

DOUBTFUL – How the Outer Space Treaty could prevent Russia's purported new weapon. Learn more in ‘How It Works.'

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

US Army to test missile defense command system with THAAD weapon. It will test this month whether its key command-and-control system can operate its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System.

What the Pentagon has learned from two years of war in Ukraine. With hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and still no end in sight, the conflict has revealed that U.S. battlefield calculations must evolve.

HOMELAND SECURITY – LAW ENFORCEMENT

Navy chief charged with espionage. A Navy chief is facing espionage and other criminal charges over allegations that he delivered classified information to a foreign contact in 2022 and 2023.

Rocket launcher seized inside car at hotel in Massachusetts. A police officer found a small amount of crack cocaine and a M190 U.S. Army rocket launcher. The owner was arrested and charged with possession of a Class B drug and possession of an incendiary device.

No, the military isn't recruiting illegal immigrants. Illegal aliens would not be eligible for the program.

POLITICS

Pentagon slashes weapons programs to stay under debt deal. The department will take a $10B cut under congressionally mandated spending caps this year.

McConnell cites Reagan in pitch for national security bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) used former President Ronald Reagan in a Wednesday opinion piece.

US POWER OVERSEAS

OOPS – Air Force says its new China-focused reorganization ‘not best optimized' for Middle East. When officials announced historic sweeping changes to the Air Force and Space Force's structure last week to prepare for potential conflict with China, it seemed they had thought of everything.

B-52 flies with Philippine fighters over the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy earlier announced its participation in the activity, but the Air Force has not publicly noted the bomber's involvement.

IRAN THREAT

Iran sends Russia hundreds of ballistic missiles. It has provided a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, deepening the military cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.

Suspected Houthi rebel missile sets cargo ship ablaze as Israel intercepts separate attack near port city of Eilat.

US drone goes down off Yemen; underwater Houthi drone taken out. The latter marked the first observed employment of an underwater drone by the Houthi militants since they began their attacks in October.

CHINA THREAT

US lawmakers arrive in Taiwan as tensions in strait simmer. Group led by Mike Gallagher to meet island's leadership.

An online dump of Chinese hacking documents offers a rare window into pervasive state surveillance. The leaker could be “a rival intelligence service, a dissatisfied insider, or even a rival contractor,” said the chief threat analyst of Google's cybersecurity division. The data implicates China's Ministry of State Security and the People's Liberation Army.

If China dominates 5G and 6G, no defense system can protect America. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) threatens the free world in myriad ways and with varied technologies. To counter this, the U.S. must move decisively to resolve its radio spectrum deficit and by projecting ‘tech diplomacy,' a new category of statecraft.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

US lacks long-term sustainment plan for key Ukraine weapons. The Pentagon transferred Patriot air defense systems and various combat vehicles to Ukraine without a plan to sustain them long-term, which could lead to problems down the road.

Ukraine's military spy chief says Russia will struggle to keep up the fight. He says Russians 'don't have the strength' to achieve the goal of seizing two eastern regions this year.

Desperate for soldiers, Ukraine weighs unpopular plan to expand the draft. When the Russian army invaded two years ago, Ukrainian men zealously rushed to recruitment centers across the country to enlist, ready to fight and die in defense of their nation.

Russia has broken the stalemate in Ukraine. This, according to Robert Gates, former CIA director and US Secretary of Defense, and following Moscow's successful push to take the front-line city of Avdiivka.

ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST HAMAS

The Americans fighting and dying for Israel in the Gaza war. Amichai Oster was in Salt Lake City when Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct 7. Within days, the 24-year-old, among thousands of Americans and American Israelis, rushed to join the fight in Gaza. Three months later, he was dead.

Sexual assaults carried out ‘systematically' during Hamas attack. Israeli civilians suffered “brutal sexual assaults” that were carried out “systematically and deliberately” during Hamas' October 7 terror attack.

Israel military investigates soldiers for criminal offenses in Gaza War. Israel's top military lawyer said they were also looking into other misconduct, including destruction of property, looting, abuse of prisoners and excessive use of force.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

UK Trident submarine missile launch failed with top brass aboard. The British Defense Secretary Grant and other top officials were on board a Royal Navy nuke sub when the Trident II 5 nuclear missile test failed last month.

Is Italy needed in the Indo-Pacific? Amidst Washington's push for European support to face China, Italy has proven eager to pivot. Between directly supporting U.S. efforts to counter Beijing in the region or focusing on threats closer to home, Italy, has opted for the former. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced that Rome will soon deploy its aircraft carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific region.

US MILITARY

Navy building out non-kinetic effects teams. The teams will vary in size and scope, but include some combination of cyber, electronic warfare and/or space capabilities for fleet commanders.

Marine Corps fields new technology that can measure bullet trajectory, simulated wounds in California exercise. Marines are testing new technology this week to measure just how deadly they can be — and to shed decades-old equipment.

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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