MONDAY PDB – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – DUELING PACIFIC BASES AND ALLIES – Both the U.S. and China are expanding and deepening their military ties with two key Pacific allies. China with Cambodia and the U.S. with the Philippines.
China and Cambodia hold first naval drills in Cambodian waters. Exercises underline deepening relationship between Phnom Penh and Beijing, which has expansive claims in the South China Sea.
US, Philippines to announce new sites for US military as soon as possible – US official. The U.S. and Philippines will announce new sites as soon as possible for an expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which gives the Western power access to military bases in the Southeast Asian country.
TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEW BOND – Air Force F-22 Raptors make their first appearance at Clark Air Base, Philippines. U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth aircraft have been training out of a Philippine air base that was once part of America’s largest overseas military community.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of other developing stories.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
HOMELAND SECURITY
REASONABLE SENTENCE? – Former Air Force officer gets prison term for Capitol attack. A former Air Force officer who stormed the U.S. Capitol dressed in combat gear and carried zip-tie handcuffs into the Senate gallery was sentenced to two years in prison.
NATIONAL SECURITY
China’s Xi meeting Putin in boost for isolated Russia leader. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
PENTAGON BUDGET
SecDef defends the White House budget. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week will make his first appearance before Congress to discuss the White House’s record $842 billion fiscal 2024 budget request.
IRAQ WAR
Twenty years after US invaded Iraq, Congress wants war powers back. The Senate is set to vote on rescinding the authorization for use of military force given to President George W. Bush in 2002, but some House Republicans may balk.
DAMN RIGHT – Iraq War veterans refuse to be defined by a war they didn’t lose. For those that survived the Iraq War, the legacy is one of failure and mistakes made, not by the troops, but by decision makers who didn’t have clear goals or the ability to communicate clearly with the American public.
Wars in Iraq and Syria cost half a million lives, nearly $3T: report. The U.S. military is about to surpass 20 years since invading Iraq, a war that has cost more than 550,000 lives, and nearly $1.8 trillion, according to a report.
CHINA THREAT
SO WHAT? – Former US Marine may have been ‘lured’ from China before arrest, lawyer says. A former U.S. Marine Corps pilot may have been “lured” from China to Australia by security agencies before his arrest, his lawyer said after an extradition hearing in Sydney.
First wave of tech to defend Guam from newer threats due in 2024. The first wave of defenses designed to counter complex missile threats against Guam will include radars, launchers, interceptors, and a command-and-control system, and they’ll be on the island next year, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency director said.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Slovakia to transfer 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine, after Poland gives four, out of planned twelve jets. Slovakia’s Prime Minister has announced his country will deliver 13 out-of-commission Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as part of Bratislava’s support to the nation’s struggle against the Russian invasion.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 390. Putin made a surprise visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Sunday in a trip condemned by members of its exiled city council.
Ukrainian forces running out of shells, equipment in fight for Bakhmut. Russian forces spearheaded by the infamous Wagner private military group are steadily wearing down the last holdouts in the city of Bakhmut, with the nearly encircled Ukrainians taking heavy casualties and running out of firepower, after a monthslong fight.
NATO should offer Ukraine an arms supply pact. It’s the strongest commitment the alliance can realistically give.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea launches missile into sea amid US-South Korea drills. The launch was North Korea’s third round of weapons tests since the U.S. and South Korean militaries began joint military drills last week.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
A ‘new Cold War’ looms in Africa as US pushes against Russian gains. Fueled by guns, gold and social media, the rivalry between Russia and the West in Africa is rapidly escalating. The latest flashpoint is Chad, a sprawling desert nation at the crossroads of the continent, now a plum target for Russia’s expanding effort.
Japan faces readiness hurdle as it modernizes military, former defense chief says. Japan’s toughest hurdle, as it launches an unprecedented military modernization program and doubles defense spending, is the operational readiness of its air, naval and land forces.
Greece buying vehicles that Marines Corps beached after fatal sinking. The U.S. has approved the sale of dozens of Assault Amphibious Vehicles to Greece roughly a year after the Marine Corps barred the tracked vehicles from regular deployments following a fatal sinking incident in 2020.
SPACE THREAT
PODCAST – Space security imperative: Issue update. John “Slick” Baum talks to Tim Ryan, Henry Heren, and Charles Galbreath of the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) about the latest spacepower topics.
US MILITARY
STEALTH MATERIALS AND HUGE ELECTRONIC RADIATION? – Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews. In a new study the Pentagon has found alarmingly higher rates of cancer among aviators than in the U.S. general population, and has further reviews planned.
Marines accelerate Force Design transformation in FY24 budget request. The Corps is asking for money in fiscal 2024 to speed up its force-wide modernization effort as it tries to rapidly field new weapons, sensors and data processors, the commandant said.
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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