WEDNESDAY PDB – Rough surf no deterrent to US, South Korean marines practicing amphibious landings. Explosions rocked the beach and fifth-generation fighters roared overhead as U.S. and South Korean marines and sailors rehearsed an amphibious landing this week on South Korea’s southeastern coast.
The annual drill this year brought two Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) to South Korea, rather than one, along with the first use on the Korean Peninsula of the Corps’ recently introduced amphibious combat vehicle.
Roughly 9,500 Marines and sailors and 3,500 of their South Korean counterparts are taking part in this exercise in Pohang.
The large-scale Ssang Yong 24 amphibious exercises will use four big-deck amphibious ships — two U.S. and two Korean. The exercise, held from Aug. 26 – Sept. 7, also includes the U.K. Commando Force, which is participating for a second consecutive year.
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
Ukraine lessons in many domains: What US military intel officials are learning. “You know who the best innovators are? The people who have to innovate or they’re going to die the next day,” a US Army official said.
How Navy chiefs conspired to get themselves illegal warship Wi-Fi. Today’s Navy sailors are likely familiar with the jarring loss of internet connectivity that can come with a ship’s deployment.
NGA, the Pentagon’s mapping agency, deepens push into AI with country’s largest data-labeling effort. Data labeling is the painstaking process of annotating images and other information to train machine-learning and AI models.
POLITICS
Trump’s nephew: Former president ‘doesn’t give a shit about’ soldiers.
BIDEN-HARRIS’ AFGHAN DISASTER
House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenas Blinken over disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. This, after his refusal to go voluntarily.
US POWER OVERSEAS
THE THUGS WEREN’T ‘YOUTH.’ Two US Marines assaulted in Izmir, Turkey by anti-American group. Turkish authorities on Monday detained 15 members of an anti-American youth organization.
Commander of Navy warship relieved of duty 4 months after his backward rifle scope photo flap. The destroyer is currently helping protect the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Middle East.
ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST TERROR
DAY LATE AND DOLLAR SHORT – US charges Hamas leaders with terrorism in connection with Oct. 7 attacks. Six leaders of the militant group were charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death, conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals and other crimes.
Hamas murders six hostages, Israel is blamed. They were killed in Rafah, where Biden and Harris delayed Israel’s entry with threats and by withholding weapons.
IRAN THREAT
Salvagers abandon effort to tow burning oil tanker in Red Sea targeted by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terrorists. They said it “was not safe to proceed,” leaving the abandoned Sounion stranded and its 1 million barrels of oil at risk of spilling.
CHINA THREAT
American ambassador to Japan questions Chinese intent behind Japan air, sea ‘incursions.’ Rahm Emanuel poked the dragon again Tuesday with a tweet aimed at Chinese incursions into Japanese air and maritime territory.
Chinese icebreaker mission to Arctic ‘clear signal’ of Beijing’s polar ambitions. Sending three icebreakers into Arctic waters for the first time shows that Beijing is serious about pursuing its great power ambitions commercially, scientifically, diplomatically and militarily in the polar regions.
China claims breakthroughs in autonomous vehicles. If Chinese companies succeed in solidifying their dominance of the autonomous vehicle and LiDAR markets, the security implications are profound.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Putin will never give up in Ukraine. The West Can’t Change His Calculus—It Can Only Wait Him Out.
Biden must abandon his ‘half-assed’ Ukraine policy, before it’s too late. In her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris cited her mother’s alleged advice: “Never do anything half-assed.” But she and her boss have been doing just that.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine plans to indefinitely hold Russian territory it has seized. “For now, we need it,” he said in an exclusive interview.
Ukraine’s foreign minister resigns in largest shake-up since Russia invaded in 2022.
What the ‘rocket drone’ Palianytsia means for Ukraine. Military analysts are buzzing online about a new, secretive Ukrainian weapon that blurs the line between missile and drone.
UN nuclear watchdog warns conditions ‘very fragile’ at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant. This, following fresh attacks near the site in central Ukraine. The agency also vowed to expand its inspections to include critical electricity supplies.
TRAGIC – RIP – Two Ukrainian Top Guns lobbied for F-16s. They won’t get to see if the jets help fend off Russia. This, after the death of a pilot and loss of a critical jet last week.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
North Korea develops suicide drones.
SPACE THREAT
Astronauts stuck on space station will be brought back home by Space Force guardian. A Space Force officer will command a mission later this month to safely bring home the two astronauts, marking the first time a Guardian will launch into space for such a high-profile operation.
SDA more than doubles GD’s contract for ground ops, integration. The Space Development Agency has contracts for more than 250 satellites in ‘Tranche 2’ of its proliferated low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. General Dynamics will now help develop the ground systems and integration needed to capture all the data pouring down from those satellites.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Mongolia ignores an international warrant for Putin’s arrest over Ukraine war crimes, giving him a red-carpet welcome.
Why the EU should never be a military actor. A common strategy among 27 members is a fantasy—and would make Europe less likely to stand up to Russia.
Human rights group implicates Venezuelan security forces and pro-government armed groups in killings during post-election protests. The country’s disputed presidential election was held in July.
Italian aircraft carrier F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter fleet initial operational capability.
US MILITARY
Warfighting, quality of life prioritized in USMC commandant guidance. This, a year into Commandant Gen. Eric Smith’s tenure as the top Marine.
Marine Corps extremist, gang activity must be immediately reported up the chain, service says. It is streamlining how its commands report this activity among Marines.
Cheap electronic decoys providing Army units more flexibility and options on battlefield. Commercially available technology, operationalized in the right manner, is yielding tactical advantages for soldiers.
Tomorrow’s Army is here. Can it get past yesterday’s bureaucracy? The gee-whiz factor was off the charts at an exercise at Fort Johnson. But how much of the fancy gear will be replicated across the military?
‘Trade steel for blood’ — The Army’s plan to bring soldiers into the 21st century. Soldiers at the Joint Readiness Training Center took pages from the war in Ukraine to fight against one another for a battle in the woods of Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
How the Army is challenging soldiers to think on their feet in the field. Sticking to the book is good for training – but to survive in warfare soldiers need to quickly adapt to win.
The US Navy’s chief supply force is in peril. Seeing the Military Sealift Command lose ships and personnel will embolden America’s foes.
Navy testing autonomous flight capabilities with aerial targets. This, laying the foundation for the service’s plans to introduce autonomous flight capabilities into its aviation fleet.
BIDEN-HARRIS’ Inflation has some military families ‘grasping at pennies.’ Inflation is “destroying any joy we may have been able to afford,” the airman wrote. “We are literally grasping at pennies to survive and it’s killing us.”
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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America’s role in Israel should be to supply their needs including bombs and intelligence(like Ukraine). We shouldn’t be demanding they use our tactics or we’ll take our ball and go home. Netanyahu knows ten times better what must be done to protect his country than a brain dead dummy like Biden.