THURSDAY PDB – The violent and short-lived riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, gave the media and many recently unemployed Global War on Terror (GWOT) ‘counter-extremism' experts an excuse to focus on the supposedly huge violent threat from the far-right.
A ‘lethal threat': why the far right sees more scrutiny than the left. Officials and scholars across the political spectrum agree that far-right movements have caused most recent domestic political violence.
WELL, YES AND NO.
A lot of this is Democrat partisan posturing against conservatives as well as underutilized terrorism experts looking for a new mission. A lot of the statistics used to justify the scaremongering are also selective or manipulated.
The real numbers aren't really that big.
And the use of left or right wing to describe some of these loony extremists isn't accurate and doesn't really help.
Ultimately, the entire obsession with ‘right wing' violent extremism is overblown and politicized.
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
BIOWARFARE – Learning from COVID-19, Pentagon's Biodefense Council to break down stovepipes. A senior US official said it would be “foolish” to underestimate the number of countries developing defensive or offensive bioweapons programs.
DeSantis says he would use military force to take out Mexican drug cartels: ‘Darn right I would.' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the first GOP presidential primary debate.
CHINA THREAT
US approves new $500M arms sale to Taiwan as tension from China intensifies. The latest sale comes as the U.S. ramps up military assistance to the island despite fervent objections from China.
Philippine supply boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade. Two Philippine boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in the South China Sea to deliver food and other supplies to a contested shoal.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
DID PUTIN SHOOT IT DOWN? – Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 547. Russian aviation authorities said Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary force Wagner, was on the passenger list of an Embraer private jet that crashed on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
What to know about Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the Wagner Group chief. The fate of Prigozhin, who led a short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin in June, was uncertain in the aftermath of a fatal plane crash in Russia.
THE PURGE CONTINUES – Russian general linked to mercenary group chief reportedly dismissed. Gen. Sergei Surovikin (aka Gen. Armageddon), a former commander of Moscow's forces in Ukraine, has been dismissed from his job as chief of the air force.
Russia and Ukraine trade drone attacks. Ukraine's intelligence agency also claimed it had destroyed a key Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system in occupied Crimea.
Swedish government eyes combat vehicle production in Ukraine. Eight months after Sweden's announcement to send Combat Vehicles 90 (CV90) to Ukraine, Stockholm has taken the partnership up a notch, looking to strengthen cooperation with Kyiv around the production and servicing of the rides.
IRAN THREAT
Iran unveils Mohajer-10 combat UAV, claiming extended range, payload. The Mohajer-10 is purportedly an upgraded version of Mohajer-6 drone, though it's difficult to know its capabilities before it sees combat.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea says its 2nd attempt to launch a spy satellite has failed. Its space agency said it would make a third launch attempt in October.
SPACE THREAT
I'm in the Space Force. Please stop asking me about UFOs. As a U.S. Space Force officer, I believe that a significant understanding gap persists between Guardians — the name given our personnel — and the public we serve.
US issues threat warning after hackers break into a satellite. Three teams at the DEF CON 23 convention met a government challenge to hack a satellite in orbit.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
USAF aircraft from across Europe join in on ACE exercise. Aircraft from every flying wing in U.S. Air Forces in Europe kicked off Astral Knight 23-6 late last week, the latest in a series of exercises across the continent focused on Agile Combat Employment (ACE).
NATO exercise Agile Spirit kicks off in country of Georgia amid West's wariness of Russian clout. The exercise underway in the Caucasus nation should help dispel worries that the country is becoming “pro-Russian,” even as it attempts to build a more pragmatic relationship with Moscow.
India lands a spacecraft near moon's south pole, joining an elite club. India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole on Wednesday — a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water, and a technological triumph for the world's most populous nation.
Australia buys Tomahawk, Spike missiles in deals worth $1.7 billion. The weapons systems will enhance the military's strike capabilities (against China).
Regional hub for F-35 work: Australia boots up stealth coating factory for Indo-Pacific. “Not only does the Williamtown stealth-coating facility provide Australia with a valuable sovereign capability and cut down on cumbersome timelines for sustaining Australian F-35s in the U.S., it will also serve as a second source of service for US aircraft in the region.”
Indonesia to buy Boeing's F-15EX jets, Lockheed's Black Hawk helicopters. The Boeing-made F-15EX fighters and Sikorsky-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters will give Indonesia a big military boost.
US MILITARY
How US Navy pilots really get their callsigns. A Super Hornet pilot gives us an inside look at how Naval Aviators get their often colorful but unflattering callsigns.
The US submarine force should be silent no more. The ‘Silent Service' won't be able to rest on its laurels as the world's finest sub fleet for much longer.
Navy medicine preparing to care for troops in a Pacific conflict. As the Navy and other services turn their attention to the Indo-Pacific as the next potential site of combat, the Navy Medical Research Center is thinking about blood.
Atomic veterans overwhelmingly denied benefits for illnesses related to radiation exposure during service. Thousands of veterans who say they were sickened by radiation exposure during their military service have been denied federal benefits, the VA said, as cancer and old age whittle the remaining number of survivors.
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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