FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – With the many national security and intelligence topics that American Defense News (ADN) cannot adequately cover every day – in collaboration with the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – we are providing our readers a PDB:
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – Paul’s Daily Briefing.
Today’s PDB Includes a variety of critical issues such as – We need to wage cognitive warfare against China, B-52 shows off Hypersonic missile ‘kill chain.’ The U.S. STRATCOM chief wants the U.S., China, and Russia to rely less on nukes. Series of articles on America’s bases in Central Asia after U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, and training Afghan forces outside the country.
Plus, Comparing U.S. and Chinese influence in Africa, is China really ahead?
What role for land power in the Pacific against China?
Growing fears of a looming, deadly space war – ‘we’ll all be dead.’
And Ponytails and braids now allowed for female Army soldiers. Will male soldiers be next?
TODAY’S PDB HIGHLIGHTS:
National Security – Space and Nukes
House Democrat fears looming space war: ‘We’ll all be dead.’ Major powers are “rapidly militarizing space” to prepare for a prospective conflict that could have devastating effects in the absence of norms to restrict such weapons, according to a senior Democrat.
STRATCOM wants a smaller role for nuclear weapons in the U.S., Russia, China. The commander of U.S. Strategic Command said Thursday that he’d like to see a reduced role for nuclear weapons by the United States, Russia and China — and would like to extend the olive branch to both.
Military
B-52 demos hypersonic missile kill chain at Northern Edge exercise. A B-52H bomber demonstrated the steps necessary to fire a hypersonic AGM-183 missile at a target 600 nautical miles away during the ongoing Northern Edge exercise in Alaska, the Air Force reported.
U.S. Army to allow ponytails, braids for women. Thursday marked the final day of mandated buns for soldiers as the Army announced that it will now permit ponytails for women, regardless of uniform.
Afghanistan
US bases in Central Asia: Where will they go? The U.S. is attempting to evacuate its troops and contractors from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021, the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaeda attacks.
Concerns over leaving US bases in Afghanistan on China’s ‘western flank’. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Thursday at the Pentagon they don’t have the answers “yet” when asked how they will prevent the Taliban from taking over Kabul after U.S. forces leave Afghanistan.
Top general: US considering training Afghan forces in other countries. The U.S. military is considering continuing to train Afghan forces from different countries after U.S. troops fully withdraw from Afghanistan, the U.S. military’s top general said Thursday.
China Threat
The eagle and the dragon in Africa: Comparing data on Chinese and American influence. Pundits and past U.S. policymakers may have gotten it wrong: With its investments in Africa, ranging from infrastructure to student exchanges, China is not canceling the influence of the United States on the continent.
Time for cognitive warfare against China? Navies stalk one another all the time, as even a casual perusal of Cold War history shows.
Strategic predictability: Land power in the Indo-Pacific. When people look at maps of the Indo-Pacific region, often they see a lot of blue and very little green. They see the massive Pacific Ocean with tiny islands speckled throughout.
END of PDB
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Defense News. A defense and national security expert, he served as a Marine Corps officer and as a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at US embassies worldwide. Paul holds degrees from Georgetown, London, and Cambridge Universities. He is also CEO of SPECTRE Global Risk, a security advisory firm, and President of the Center for American Defense Studies, a national security think tank. - paulcrespo.substack.com - PAULCRESPO.COM
I believe only the Afghans are able to fix the Taliban problem. They’ll face beatings and even murder by Taliban monsters. When they’ve had enough, the Taliban rapidly will become extinct.
OK, as long as there are no “CLOTHES FOR PREGNANT TROOPS!”
Pony tails put women at a distinct disadvantage, the pony tail is a perfect way to get your neck snapped, easily grabbed and it totally controls your body when grabbed with one hand as the other hand controls the jaw. Long hair is just as easy. In the Old Corps it was called a “quick kill”, and the target didn’t need an easy grab of hair, just control of the head. Make it harder, not easier to kill our Military.