WEDNESDAY PDB – Trump has long promised a ‘beautiful' wall. Now he's pledging ‘the greatest dome ever.' Envious of Israel's Iron Dome, Trump has been telling audiences, “We're going to have the greatest dome ever.”
After breezing through his lines about wanting to build a border wall and to “drill baby, drill” for oil, former President Donald Trump has been adding a new refrain to his speeches — a promise to build something like Israel's Iron Dome, but better and over the entire U.S.
“We'll build an Iron Dome over our country, a state-of-the-art missile defense shield, and it's all made in the USA,” Trump said Sunday in New Hampshire. “I think it's time that we have one.”
“I will prevent World War III. We've never been so close,” he said earlier.
Experts are skeptical. BUT AREN'T THEY ALWAYS?
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
Think the new Sentinel nuclear missile program is pricy? Try living without it. The dramatically rising cost estimates for the Sentinel ground-based strategic deterrent program must not change the ultimate vector for modernizing the nation's aging force of 1970s-era Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Rebuild US production to curb reliance on foreign critical minerals. Our increased reliance on adversaries such as China for critical minerals has resulted in an unsustainable system fraught with national security concerns. The U.S. must invest in bolstering the mining industry to claim its own critical mineral supply.
HOMELAND SECURITY
Military veteran charged in Capitol riot is ordered released from custody. The veteran charged with attacking police officers with a baton during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was released a day after his arrest.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
The VA is abandoning women veterans' rights for gender identity. Women's equality is founded on sex-based rights, enshrined in law, culturally supported by nearly all Americans, and historically protected at institutions like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
POLITICS
Senators question legality of Biden's Houthi strikes in Yemen. A growing number of bipartisan lawmakers are questioning Joe Biden's legal authorities to conduct the strikes.
Republicans rap Biden's DOD nominee over border, spy balloon. The Air Force pick must “regain confidence” with the GOP, senators said.
Defense secretary makes first appearance since hospitalization. Lloyd Austin met virtually Tuesday morning with members of a coalition that supports Ukraine.
Top Republican knocks ‘unacceptable' response to questions about Austin hospitalization. Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, slammed the defense secretary's response to questions about his hospitalization earlier this month.
ISRAEL-GAZA WAR
Hamas open to releasing some Israeli hostages for pause in fighting, mediators say. The terror group previously pushed back against any proposal that didn't involve a permanent cease-fire.
CHINA THREAT
US congressional delegation makes first trip to Taiwan after island's presidential election. On Wednesday, the co-chairs of the U.S. Congressional Taiwan Caucus opened the first trip by U.S. lawmakers to the island where the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party won a third straight term this month.
Taiwan begins building anti-submarine frigate. Taiwan's largest private shipbuilder has started building an anti-sub warfare frigate expected to relieve stress on the fleet.
Filipino fisherman to China's Coast Guard on disputed shoal: `This is Philippine territory. Go away.' A fishing boat captain protested the Chinese coast guard's aggression in the disputed South China Sea, saying Chinese officers drove him and his men away from a disputed shoal and ordered them to dump their catch in the sea.
IRAN THREAT
MORE WEAK, TIT-FOR-TAT – US strikes three facilities in Iraq following attacks on US forces. The attacks targeted an Iranian-backed militia in retaliation for missile and drone attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria over the past several days.
US strike takes out 2 Houthi missiles about to launch. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had “conducted strikes against two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the Southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch.”
IT'S IRAN, STUPID! – 5th Fleet boss: Iran ‘directly involved' in Houthi rebel ship attacks. Vice Adm. Brad Cooper stopped short of saying Tehran directed individual attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea has fired several cruise missiles into the sea. It fired them into waters off its western coast, as commercial satellite images suggested the North has torn down a huge arch in its capital that symbolized reconciliation with war-divided rival South Korea.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russian plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashes near border. Russia's defense ministry accused Ukraine of shooting down the military transport carrying Ukrainian soldiers for a prisoner exchange.
Russia hits Ukraine's biggest cities with deadly missile attack as Moscow blames US for diplomatic deadlock. More than 40 Russian missiles slammed into Ukraine's two largest cities Tuesday morning, as Moscow again dismissed any diplomatic resolution to the two-year war.
German drone maker helps Ukrainian forces own the night. Quantum Systems has recorded a three-fold increase in aircraft deliveries to Ukraine, with demand driven by the need of Kyiv's forces to find the enemy after dark.
Ukraine Defense Contact Group forms 2 coalitions. Latvia is heading up a new drone coalition while Germany will helm another focusing on armor.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Russia angles for drone-making partners in the Middle East. Russian defense exports agency Rosoboronexport has said it wants to establish drone production facilities in the Middle Eastern region, including U.S. ‘ally' – the UAE.
US POWER OVERSEAS
US airstrikes kill 3 al-Shabab Jihadi militants in Somalia. This marks the first such attacks in 2024.
Navy splits major commands in Europe and Africa as missions expand. U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and 6th Fleet are separating after 19 years as a single command, this amid growing demands that include missile defense in the Baltics and carrier operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Navy eyes drone boats for Middle East missile strikes and high-seas interdiction. Navy drone boats in the Middle East are moving out of testing and into combat-ready roles under a new unit based in Bahrain.
US MILITARY
POWER CORRUPTS WOMEN TOO – Female commander was relieved after allegations of sexual assaults, harassment against male subordinates. A female Army officer was fired from a unit based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord amid allegations of multiple sexual assaults and a pattern of sexual harassment.
END of PDB
