Will China Spark WWIII Over Disputed Philippines Islands?

FRIDAY PDB – China deploys dozens of ships to block Philippine protest flotilla. China has sent dozens of coast guard and maritime militia vessels toward a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, aimed at blocking a civilian protest flotilla from the Philippines. This, as tensions have flared.

“What we're seeing this time, I would say, is definitely of another order,” said Ray Powell, the director of SeaLight, a group that monitors the South China Sea. “I think that the China Coast Guard is concerned that they're going to try to sort of get too close, and so they're sending an overwhelming force.”

The size of the Chinese presence and the large number of civilian Filipino boats could make any encounter near the shoal riskier, Mr. Powell said.

“If China decides that they want to send the message that says, ‘We've had enough of this,' then the scary thing you would not want to see is one of these small Filipino fishing boats hit by a water cannon, because that would not end well,” he said.

The Philippine Navy and coast guard are deploying their own armed ships to escort the civilian Philippine flotilla. And as a major U.S. ally. U.S. Navy assets have recently conducted joint training with the Filipinos and could be drawn into any confrontation with China.

Meanwhile – Can the Air Force do more to shelter its aircraft from a potential China strike? A group of lawmakers are pushing for the Pentagon to move with more urgency in fortifying ground protection of U.S. aircraft across the Indo-Pacific, arguing it is necessary to defend against the threat of China.

AND DON'T FORGET CHINA'S TIES TO RUSSIA – China and Russia to shore up ‘no limits' partnership with Thursday meetup. Vladimir Putin will travel to Beijing for meetings with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as Beijing strongly supports Moscow's war against Ukraine.

THIS IS HOW A SMALL REGIONAL CONFLICT COULD QUICKLY GO GLOBAL

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

MESSAGE TO BIDEN – A lesson from World War II: Appeasement never works. Will today's Cold War confrontation end auspiciously, the way the first one did, or will it slide through strategic miscalculations on both sides into a third world war?

CHIPS and ships: Time to stop gambling with US seapower. What do America's semi-conductor manufacturers have in common with America's naval shipyards? Answer: Both are critical to national security, and both are in danger of falling behind China.

HOMELAND SECURITY – LAW ENFORCEMENT

Coast Guard orders 2 more fast-response cutters from Louisiana shipbuilder. It has ordered two more Sentinel-class cutters from Bollinger Shipyards.

POLITICS

STOP PLAYING POLITICS WITH ISRAEL, WHICH IS FIGHTING OUR ENEMIES – US poised to give $1 billion in new weapons, ammo to Israel. It's the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by Team Biden since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold earlier in the month – to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

MORE FUNDS FOR VETS. LESS FOR ILLEGALS – Bipartisan Vets bill would expand caregiver support, boost in-home care options and raise assistance for homeless veterans.

LYING JEN – Psaki to remove lines about Biden at ceremony for fallen soldiers from new book. Former White House press secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki says she will remove a passage from her new book that falsely claimed Joe Biden didn't look at his watch (TWICE!) during a solemn ceremony for soldiers killed during Biden's disastrous retreat from Afghanistan.

House panel takes aim at Navy size, new capabilities. A House Armed Services Committee bill expresses concerns over the Navy's aging cruisers, the cost and capability of a planned amphibious ship, development of capability to rearm vessels at sea, and more.

ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERROR

How an ICC arrest of Netanyahu could play out. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is weighing an indictment against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials over Israel's conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza. This would likely be seen as a case of selective justice that ends up helping the beleaguered prime minister politically.

US POWER OVERSEAS

2 Navy destroyers will help protect military's soon-to-be-completed Gaza aid pier.

MESSAGE TO CHINA – US military aircraft gets approval for rare visit to Okinawa islands near Taiwan. A U.S. military C-20G Gulfstream, reportedly set to carry the U.S. ambassador to Japan, is cleared to land on the islands of Ishigaki and Yonaguni this week, despite objections by Okinawa prefecture.

10th Mountain Division rolls more than 500 miles across Finland, Sweden and Norway. The troops dealt with long-distance logistics, local laws, and infrastructure regulations. It also meant keeping a sharp eye out for local wildlife.

CHINA THREAT

Robocar supplier sues US, disputes alleged Chinese military ties. Hesai Technology Co., a developer of sensor technologies used in self-driving cars, is suing the US Department of Defense for including it on a list of companies accused of aiding China's military.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Ukraine, Russia race to shield battle tanks from exploding drones. Both forces are scrambling to field countermeasures for protecting tanks against one-way attack drones, which are a growing challenge even for vehicles traveling at speed.

Blinken in Kyiv tries to rally sagging Ukrainian spirits as Russia makes new military gains. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to assure them that billions of dollars in delayed U.S. military aid will make a “real difference” on the battlefield.

Second Russian invasion is worse than the first, Kharkiv region evacuees say. Thousands of Ukrainians have fled border towns and villages in the northeast Kharkiv region as Russian troops advance in a new attack.

BIDEN GIVES UKRAINE BILLIONS IN WEAPONS BUT NEVER THE RIGHT TYPE AND THEN DOESN'T LET THEM USE THEM EFFECTIVELY – Ukraine presses Biden to lift ban on using US weapons to strike Russia. Kyiv watched as Russians massed on the border, but they weren't allowed to use long-range missiles provided by Washington.

File not found: Russia is hacking evidence of its war crimes. Russian hackers from the Federal Security Services and Main Intelligence Directorate are reportedly targeting the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, the entity responsible for documenting war crimes committed by Russian combatants on Ukrainian soil.

SPACE THREAT

Space Force should consider alternative launch sites. As U.S. launch rates surge at the Defense Department's two coastal ranges, House lawmakers are pushing the military to consider alternative sites for sending space payloads to orbit.

US MILITARY

WATCH Marines fire a barrage of missiles from a HIMARS during Warrior Shield 24.

Army marching towards key M10 Booker test, 2025 fielding. An upcoming Initial Operational Test and Evaluation event will help service leaders determine just what near-term and long-term changes they want to make to the light tank.

West Point team's computerized rifle scope adjusts itself in combat. While in the mountains of Afghanistan, some soldiers faced issues adjusting their sights to differing elevations when under fire during an ambush.

FPVs, tethered drones could become formal Army programs in 2025. Two types of small quadcopter-type drones—first person-view and tethered—may vault from curiosities to formal, funded Army gear next year.

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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