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 Expanded Edition PDB includes a variety of critical issues such as – DoD would see a big budget boost, military justice overhaul under Senate proposal. Biden’s options to avert disaster in Afghanistan are shrinking. The U.S. launched several airstrikes in support of Afghan forces this week. U.S. expands efforts to relocate Afghans at risk of Taliban vengeance.
Special Operations Command eyes four squadrons of armed overwatch aircraft.
Colorado, North Dakota installations to join the Space Force this month.
Pregnant cadets, midshipmen must give up their child or their career.
Coerced ethics pledges for DoD nominees harm national defense.
These Marines were the first to try a new infantry training range in SoCal with a million-dollar view
And MORE.
TODAY’S PDB:
Pentagon Watch
Pregnant cadets, midshipmen must give up their child or their career. Two senators want to change that. Two senators are teaming up to change an “unfair, antiquated” policy that requires students at military academies who get pregnant to choose between abandoning their military career or their child.
Senate committee reaches deal on prosecution decisions for most felonies. The decision to prosecute sexual assault or other serious crimes such as kidnapping, or murder would be made by military attorneys outside a unit’s chain of command under an agreement reached by the Senate Armed Services Committee late Wednesday.
More female Marine drill instructors needed as boot camp gender-integration continues. The Marine Corps is about to be short on female drill instructors and is willing to pay up to $14,700 to fill its ranks.
National Security
Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth Drills with Indian Navy ahead of more Pacific exercises. The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO8) and its carrier strike group carried out a two-day exercise called Exercise Konkan with the Indian Navy from July 21 to 22 in the Bay of Bengal.
DoD would see a big budget boost, military justice overhaul under Senate proposal. The $740 billion defense authorization bill proposal received bipartisan support in the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Senate panel votes to make women register for draft. The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved language in its annual defense policy bill that would require women to register for the draft.
Coerced ethics pledges harm national defense. There is a process for changing the law, and extortion of individual DOD nominees is not it.
Iran Threat
Iran’s largest warship, frigate now in the Baltic Sea bound for Russia. Iran’s largest warship is now in the Baltic Sea – a first for the Iranian Navy – according to photos from ship spotters provided to USNI News.
Win for Iran? U.S., Iraq to agree that combat troops should leave by end of 2021. Top Iraqi and U.S. officials plan to issue a statement calling for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by year-end, both nations’ officials said, but would reaffirm the need for a U.S. military presence to help Iraqi forces in their fight against Islamic State.
Afghanistan
China risks being pulled into Afghanistan’s civil war. On July 2nd, 2021, American troops abandoned Bagram Airbase, the last U.S. military base in Afghanistan, effectively ending 20 years of U.S. military influence in the country.
Biden’s options to avert disaster in Afghanistan are shrinking. President Biden has a few precious weeks to bolster his plan for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan so that the country doesn’t degenerate into an even more chaotic and dangerous mess.
US launched several airstrikes in support of Afghan forces this week. These are the first known U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan since Gen. Scott Miller, who had been the top U.S. commander in the country, relinquished his command and left the country last week.
U.S. expands efforts to relocate Afghans at risk of Taliban vengeance. The U.S. military is preparing to house as many as 35,000 Afghan interpreters and family members at two American bases, in Kuwait and in Qatar, in an expanding effort to aid those who face Taliban retribution for helping American forces, U.S. officials said.
Military
Special Operations Command eyes four squadrons of armed overwatch aircraft. U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) wants to have four squadrons of its in-development Armed Overwatch aircraft that could be sent to austere environments where terrorists and other violent groups operate.
These Marines were the first to try a new infantry training range in SoCal with a million-dollar view. Marine infantry company ran through Camp Pendleton’s newest training range on Tuesday against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and the potential island battle scenarios that lay beyond.
Colorado, North Dakota installations to join Space Force this month. Welcome to Schriever Space Force Base, Peterson Space Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station.
END of PDB
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Meanwhile, Xi is watching and smiling ear to ear as he licks his chops at the American military being served to him on a -rat party platter and says, Thanks, Joe.