FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Defense News (ADN) – in collaboration with the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the 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 – Air Force to allow scalp tattoos and morale patches as part of raft of changes to appearance rules. Biden’s Pentagon nominees: More diverse and more of them.
Joe Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal is looking like a disaster.
China’s new missile fields are just part of the PLA Rocket Force’s growth.
Space Development Agency launches experimental infrared sensor into orbit.
Chinese see US littoral combat ship as ‘powerful tool’ in future distributed conflicts.
And MORE.
READ TODAY’S PDB BELOW:
Pentagon Watch
WHY? Biden’s Pentagon nominees: More diverse and more of them. Eight months into President Joe Biden’s first year as commander-in-chief, he’s making good on a campaign pledge to form an administration that would “look like America,” selecting for the Defense Department top officials meant to reflect the country’s diversity.
Air Force to allow scalp tattoos and morale patches as part of raft of changes to appearance rules. The Air Force said Tuesday it will allow airmen to wear morale patches on certain days, put hands in their pockets, and to tattoo their scalps as part of an upcoming revision to dress and appearance standards.
National Security
China, Russia hold military drills amid security concerns in Afghanistan, Central Asia. Exercises by two U.S. strategic adversaries are focused on counterterrorism and maintaining stability.
Afghanistan
Really? Speed of Taliban advance surprises Biden administration, dismays US allies. Fears spread among countries that worked to prop up the Afghan government, from the fate of their embassy staff to the value of U.S. commitments.
Too Late? Biden administration tries to mobilize international diplomatic effort to halt Taliban. The Biden administration has mounted a last-ditch effort this week to convince the Taliban, as it continues its relentless march across Afghanistan, that the world will reject it if it takes over the entire country by force.
Biden Still Owns This. US keeping distance as Afghan forces face Taliban rout. Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than U.S. military leaders thought possible just a few months ago when President Joe Biden ordered a full withdrawal. But there’s little appetite at the White House, the Pentagon or among the American public for trying to stop the rout and it probably is too late to do so.
Joe Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal is looking like a disaster. Over the summer we’ve seen the debate over the tactics of withdrawal from Afghanistan ebb and flow as headlines announce more bad news.
China Threat
‘Close to the danger zone’: Security experts warn about increasing possibility of war over Taiwan. A panel of security experts, including a former Japanese government official, expressed concern this week about the increasing potential for war between China and the United States, but made clear they believe conflict can be avoided.
China’s new missile fields are just part of the PLA Rocket Force’s growth. Since 2017, the PLARF has grown by one-third and worked to streamline and improve various support functions that are key to combat efficiency.
Chinese see US littoral combat ship as ‘powerful tool’ in future distributed conflicts. The Chinese military sees the littoral combat ship armed with anti-ship missiles as a key element of a U.S. distributed maritime force in the Western Pacific, according to a translation of a 2020 Chinese government research paper on the U.S. Navy’s distributed lethality concept reviewed by USNI News.
Russia Threat
Blast from the past: Cold War artillery command in Germany resurrected and restructured. A two-star general will lead a new European theater command in Germany that will oversee efforts to coordinate artillery and other advanced weaponry focused on hitting more distant targets.
Iran Threat
Iran’s new president chooses defense minister, names former as interior minister. Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, presented a Cabinet dominated by hard-liners on Wednesday, state TV reported, providing one of the first glimpses into the policies he might pursue over the next four years.
Space
Spacesuits and lawsuits put 2024 moon landing in jeopardy. Two lunar-exploration spacesuits won’t be ready, a new report says, while bid protests have held up work on the lander.
Space Development Agency launches experimental infrared sensor into orbit. The demonstration will help the agency reduce background noise and detect hypersonic weapons from space.
Space Force planning for new component in the Middle East alongside AFCENT. Space Force leaders are hashing out a plan to create a new group under U.S. Central Command to coordinate what military space assets to use in the region, complementary to the Air Force’s own ops organization in the region.
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
There’s no reason for Biden not to know. I’ve been reading from day 1 what will happen. This is just a hopeless administration and we’re stuck with it unless the Republicans win hugely in 22 and control the House and the Senate and get the spine to impeach!!!
Our fate is in doubt if the Imbecile-in-Chief lasts another year.
We will get another imbecile when he goes.
The article is written like the current administration doesn’t know what it is doing. This is a concerted effort to build up the terrorist regime in Afghanistan and leave Israel along with its allies vulnerable.. Destable the middle east, and let terror run amok, while they weaken the U.S defenses at every level.. These are the end of times playing out..
The Republic won’t last till Nov 22. That’s fifteen months you’re talking about. Look at the damage he has done in nine months.
Only problem with impeaching is that we get stuck with Kamala and that would actually be even worse it worse is possible.
The Buffoon is even more of a Boob that could possibly be imagined by 10 yr old. Head will roll and we Just re-armed the Taliban again because the Afghan troops cut and ran left it all behind. Same as the Baboonzo when he pulled the troops from Iraq… lives are expendable to Democrats and Maybe the Officer will send the Buffoon some movies of them raping little boys thats always good for the buffoon and his pervert son.
WE HAVE A BUNCH OF TRAITORS IN WASHINGTON AND WE MUST GET RID OF THEM. TO CONTROL THIS GOVERNMNET WE MUST HAS A MAJORITY IN THE SENATE AND A MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE AND KEEP IT WHEN TRUMP IS ELECTED FOR THE NEXT 8 YEARS.
Why would the man without a brain be shocked at anything. I have just read Biden’s record along with his cackhead son. Hunter. Either his son is also clueless or he is retarded. What comes out of his mouth is enough to put him behind bars for fifty years yet he keeps blathering on and taking pictures of him getting it on with prostitutes. The Biden Crime Family makes Al Capone look like a Saint. Joe is a perv and I guess it runs in the family. .America shoiuld be ashamed to have such an obvious criminal leading the country.
With these criminals in charge all I can think is God help us.
The Afghan government is as corrupt as the Biden government. It will be ANOTHER war that the liberal DIMMS lost (Vietnam).
L ISTEN UP….TWO of the WORLD’S GREATEST THREATS are the TERRORISTS and the CHINESE GOVT. Followed By N.KOREA and RUSSIA a nd IRAN. GOD Can DESTROY AL L These NATIONS and THREATS. Do NOT Underestimate the POWER of GOD. From SamuraiQueen. 😄😄😄
Well, defeating our country’s enemies isn’t exactly the Democrats’ strong suit. Mainly, they want to cancel the present version of the United States and replace it with another Venezuela.