WEDNESDAY PDB – With military helicopters in the sky and soldiers on the tarmac, the drill at Taiwan's busiest international gateway reflects how Taipei is preparing for multiple scenarios in the face of fears over China's increased military intimidation.
Taiwan's main airport becomes battleground for simulated Chinese invasion. Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport became the scene of a simulated Chinese invasion on Wednesday for the first time ever as the island's military conducted an anti-takeover drill to fend off any possible attack from Beijing.
The drill was designed to test the Taiwanese military's cross-branch coordination and emergency response capabilities during a simulated Chinese invasion, the Ministry of National Defense has said.
Some parts of these drills have been cancelled due to incoming super typhoon.
China, Taiwan prepare for their most powerful typhoon this year. China urged fishing boats to seek shelter and farmers to speed up their harvest while Taiwan suspended annual military drills as Super Typhoon Doksuri spiraled closer to East Asia, potentially reaching deep into China.
The strongest typhoon of the year so far is due to impact both Taiwan and China with winds of over 125 mph.
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:
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
WHAT ABOUT MALE SOLDIERS? – Ponytails are OK until next spring, Army says in updated grooming message. Female soldiers may wear ponytails for at least another year.
GOOD – Tuberville signals he won't release holds on military promotions before August recess. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) is holding up more than 280 senior military promotions over the Pentagon's abortion policies. (RELATED: McCarthy Announces Most Serious Threat To Biden Presidency Yet)
MILITARY BURN PITS AND CANCER
VA to review link between military toxin and additional cancers. Veterans Affairs will review whether three more types of cancer should be added to the list of conditions presumed to be caused by exposure to toxic smoke from military burn pits and poor air quality throughout combat zones in the recent wars, potentially paving the way for thousands more veterans to receive expedited disability benefits.
NATIONAL SECURITY
UFO sightings linked to military training locations; report finds. Recent reports suggest public accounts of unidentified anomalous phenomena — more commonly called UFOs — were more likely to emerge when civilians were located within 18 miles of a military operations area.
Navy, Marines set to launch second iteration of Large-Scale Exercise. The Navy and Marine Corps are poised to kick off the novel drill next month, bringing together more than 25,000 personnel through live and virtual training.
How Washington can lead from behind in Europe. Although the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, was dominated by questions about expanding the alliance, a potentially more consequential shift saw the bloc adopt a new regional defense plan that promises a significantly increased presence — both permanent and rapidly deployable — in Eastern Europe.
CHINA THREAT
US Coast Guard seeks bigger role to search, board vessels in Pacific. It is in talks with Pacific Island countries to expand its maritime law enforcement role by allowing U.S. officers to board and search vessels suspected of illegal activity within their economic zones.
US and China battle for influence in Pacific island nations. Fearful Beijing is outcompeting the U.S. in even the tiniest countries, the Biden administration is rushing to boost long-dormant ties throughout the Pacific.
Hearing delayed for Marine vet accused of training Chinese pilots. Dan Duggan, a former Marine Corps major, was arrested by Australian police in October and has been fighting extradition to the U.S. (RELATED: Outsiders Caught Spying On Historic Military Exercise – Nobody Seems To Care)
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 518. Russia said one of its Black Sea Fleet ships destroyed two unmanned Ukrainian naval drones that attempted to attack it overnight. The ministry said its patrol ship had been monitoring shipping in the southwest of the Black Sea at the time.
Russian lawmakers extend age limit for compulsory military draft. The Russian parliament's lower house on Tuesday approved a bill extending the upper age limit for the compulsory military draft from 27 to 30.
US military aid for Ukraine for first time includes Black Hornet spy drone. The new aid package will include the surveillance drones made by Teledyne FLIR Defense.
Marine vet freed from Russia in 2022 injured while fighting in Ukraine. The State Department says Trevor Reed, who was released in a prisoner swap last year, was injured while fighting in Ukraine.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
Chinese and Russian officials to join North Korean commemorations of Korean War armistice. Both are sending government delegations this week for events marking the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.
SPACE THREAT
Draft commercial space ‘reserve' plan allows DoD ‘exclusive access' to services during conflict. Space Force's draft framework for how commercial satellite services could be used to support military missions would allow the Pentagon to deny participating companies the right to sell their wares to anyone else in times of “war, major conflict, national or international emergency.”
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Russian jet damaged US drone with flares over Syria, US military says. A Russian fighter jet flew within a few meters of a U.S. drone over Syria and fired flares at it, striking the American aircraft and damaging it, the latest in a string of aggressive intercepts by Russia in the region.
Air Force to send reserve fighter pilots, air planners to Europe. The service aims to bring new fighter pilots, air planners and other reservists to the region, as the military looks to relieve active-duty troops stretched thin by efforts to deter Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
How US, UK, and Australia aim to cut costs, speed delivery of E-7 Wedgetail. The three nations agreed to “generate, operate, and sustain a fleet of interoperable E-7 aircraft,” according to a document signed by each countries' air chiefs.
The Ukraine war offers a chance to solve Moldova's Transnistria problem. During last month's summit of the second European Political Community in Moldova, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seized the moment.
Mexican authorities were complicit in case of 43 missing students, report finds. An independent panel's report said the Mexican army, navy, police and intelligence agencies “all collaborated to make them disappear.”
US MILITARY
SUICIDE? – Three Marines found dead in car at North Carolina gas station. The three men were Marines from Camp Lejeune.
Marines activate first Tomahawk battery. The Marine Corps stood up its first-ever Tomahawk cruise missile battery at Camp Pendleton, Calif., last week.
Bones, BUFFs, and B-2s: All three bomber types fly in Alaska exercise. All three Air Force bomber types—the B-1 Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, and the B-52 Stratofortress—gathered in Alaska from July 18-19 to practice operating from an unfamiliar airfield, a rare assembly of the trio of America's heavy-hitters.
The Navy can't afford to get this wrong. Attack submarines have an edge, while surface ships and aircraft are increasingly vulnerable.
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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