MONDAY PDB – Impact on military and veterans will likely be minor. PODCAST: What to expect in a government shutdown. Talk about the possibility of a government shutdown, the roadblocks to an agreement and the House defense bill stalled in the lower chamber.
Congress eyes protecting military pay ahead of government shutdown. Lawmakers are prepping plans to guarantee paychecks for troops and in case of a government shutdown next month, arguing that jeopardizing military family finances could hurt national security.
Government shutdown would not affect VA medical care and most benefits, secretary says. Medical care and burials at its cemeteries would continue at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the event of a government shutdown, as would benefits such as disability compensation, pensions, education, and housing assistance.
Half of DoD civilians would get furloughed in a shutdown, plans show. Team Biden is planning to take a novel approach at some agencies.
Pentagon says Ukraine training, weapons shipments will continue despite any government shutdown. This, if Congress is unable to pass defense spending in the coming days and avert a shutdown of the federal government at the end of the month.
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:
BIZARRE MARINE F-35 CRASH
I'm not sure where the airplane is…? Hear F-35 pilot's 911 call. This, after ejecting from his F-35 and landing in a rural neighborhood.
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
I'M WITH THE CRITICS. Gen. Mark Milley, polarizing Joint Chiefs chairman, exits center stage. Admirers say he helped save American democracy. Critics contend he dragged the military deeper into the toxic political fray. HE REPEATEDLY SHOWED IGNORANCE OF THE WOKENESS AT THE PENTAGON. AND OVEREACTED TO LIBERAL MEDIA CRITICISM.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Russia, North Korea likely spoke ‘in detail about weapons transfers,' DIA says. The Defense Intelligence Agency previously took the lead on reporting Russia's use of Iranian weapon systems in Ukraine.
Zero trust is breaking things at the DIA, and ‘that's good': CIO. The Defense Intelligence Agency's CIO says “comply-to-connect” protocols can mean “things just stop working,” pulling troublesome “shadow IT” into the light.
CHINA THREAT
Blasting bullhorns and water cannons, Chinese ships wall off the South China Sea. Traveling by boat, they saw firsthand how the world's most brazen maritime militarization has transformed a major trade route.
Aussie researchers warn Chinese ‘overwhelmingly' ahead in sensor research. Of 10 advanced sensor tech areas, China leads in seven and the US in three, says the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Taiwan moves closer to acquiring 160 Turkish-made Jackal drones. Taiwanese company GEOSAT Aerospace and Technology has inked an agreement with British firm Flyby Technology that paves the way for the purchase, technology transfer and production of the attack drones.
Taiwan is using generative AI to fight Chinese disinfo. But LLM models will enable new adversaries as well as allies, top intelligence official warns.
RUSSIA THREAT– UKRAINE WAR
Biden tells Zelenskyy that US will send Ukraine ATACMS long-range missiles. Biden had resisted supplying the weapons system, known as “attack-ems,” out of fear that it would widen the war with Russia.
Ukraine targets a key Crimea city a day after striking Russia fleet HQ. Ukraine on Saturday morning launched another missile attack on Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 579 of the invasion. Ukraine's southern port of Odesa was hit by Russian missiles overnight, destroying grain stores.
Army hospital in Germany caring for wounded American volunteers in Ukraine. Americans and other foreign nationals are among those being treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
Russia learns from its mistakes on Ukraine battlefield. Early in the war, the West was shocked at Russia's poor performance. But Moscow has fixed many errors and adapted its approach.
SPACE THREAT
Why the military is integral to America's return to the moon. The stakes in the race to the moon are literally astronomical.
Pentagon plans to transfer ‘high accuracy' space tracking data to Commerce. “Commercial data, commercial processing is not classified. It does not matter that the DoD wishes it were,” said the special advisor to Space Systems Command.
USSF gets weather-monitoring satellite from NOAA, explores options beyond 2030. The Space Force has a new satellite in the Indian Ocean region, ready to replace an older one.
HOMELAND SECURITY
BIDEN BAND-AID – More troops headed to Mexico border as migrants surge. The administration is sending 800 active-duty military troops to the border, adding to 2,500 National Guard members there.
Military police fire shots at driver breaking onto California Marine base. The breach wasn't an act of terrorism, according to a Marine spokesman.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Austin to visit key allies in Africa amid bloody struggles on the continent. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hopes to shore up U.S. defense relationships with allies during a time of heightened bloodshed across the continent and growing influence from China and Russia.
US forces fly in much-needed aid to Libya after major floods. U.S. Africa Command flew in several tons of aid to Libya this week after disastrous floods ravaged the country's northeastern region.
FACING CHINA – Baby steps for ASEAN as it wraps up first-ever joint military drills. The exercise focused on humanitarian relief as the regional grouping makes tentative steps towards military cooperation.
President Emmanuel Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup. He announced this Sunday because of the coup that removed the democratically elected president.
BIDEN'S AFGHAN DISASTER
Taliban weighs using US mass surveillance plan, met with China's Huawei. The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the U.S. before its 2021 pullout. This, in addition to the thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.
US MILITARY
This unit has the M4 and SAW replacement and begins testing soon. The Army sent its newest rifle, automatic rifle and optics to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky this week.
SEALs operate in the Arctic during Polar Dagger. The drill earlier this month sought to showcase how the SEALs can conduct missions alongside the conventional fleet.
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.
What is hurting the American Military and Veteran is this out of control spending by this out of control administration, replete with RINOs.
Need a Stalinesque Purge.
Should NOT save DoD Admin, bureaucracy should suffer vs combat forces & vets