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Today’s PDB includes a variety of critical national security issues.
READ TODAY’S PDB BELOW:
Homeland Security
WITCH HUNT CONTINUES – Small numbers of military extremists can still pose a large threat, experts warn. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Wednesday held its first in a series of hearings on the issue of extremism in the veteran community.
Biden’s Afghan Disaster
US troops have hundreds of relatives still stuck in Afghanistan, and Congress is trying to help. At least 48 service members in the Army and Marine Corps are trying to help 509 relatives evacuate Afghanistan more than a month after a U.S. military withdrawal, a retired Marine Corps officer, working with several private veterans groups trying to evacuate Afghans.
An Afghanistan evac flight was almost hijacked, Air Force reveals. While the chaos at HKIA is over, the effort to evacuate Afghans is not. Here’s how the U.S. is still getting people out.
National Security
STILL VERY BAD – Combined Russian and Chinese military power will approach, but not exceed US: report. On its current trajectory, U.S. planners should expect greater military cooperation on a global level between Beijing and Moscow.
Congress is full of Uzbekistan stans. Uzbekistan is quietly mounting an aggressive outreach campaign to U.S. officials in hopes of creating tighter links between Washington and Tashkent — and it seems to be working.
WHAT? Maybe losing the AI race to China isn’t such a bad idea. The Pentagon’s first-ever chief software officer abruptly quit earlier this month, and now we know exactly why: Nicolas Chaillan, former CSO of the United States Air Force and Space Force, told the Financial Times that the United States has “no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years” when it comes to cyberwarfare and artificial intelligence.
SFAB soldiers are heading out in smaller teams to more places. The Army’s security force assistance brigades have revamped how they deploy soldiers since their first major deployment to Afghanistan. Now, its about small teams, regionally aligned to different parts of the world.
China Threat
U.S. and Philippines eye return to full military drills in 2022. The U.S. and the Philippines are planning to return to full-scale military drills in 2022 after two years and will invite Australia and the U.K. as observers, in another sign of the Biden administration’s push to deepen ties in the Indo-Pacific and counter China’s assertiveness.
U.S. calls Cambodia opaque over Chinese activity at navy base. The United States on Wednesday accused Cambodia of lacking transparency about Chinese construction activities at its biggest naval base, and urged the government to disclose to its people the full scope of Beijing’s military involvement.
Russia Threat
Are Russians using microwaves to attack Americans? Diplomats, CIA operatives, and even White House employees have been struck. The Pentagon memo was essentially an acknowledgement that, if you work for the department, you could be at risk.
Military
Why the Army clings to its space troops: ‘Translating geek to grunt.’ The Army says it needs that tactical and operational capability for its forward Soldiers to maneuver in theater and to conduct defensive and offensive operations in and through space.
The Army wants reusable, networked landmines. Army combat engineers are looking for new ways to deploy “terrain shaping obstacles” or landmines by artillery, drone or robot ground vehicles for the close, middle and long-range fight.
Pentagon Watch
Marine officer who posted videos criticizing Gen. Milley, other military leaders faces court-martial. A Marine lieutenant colonel who was thrown in the brig for posting videos in which he criticizes the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior military leaders for their roles in the Afghanistan withdrawal will plead guilty to multiple charges at his court-martial Thursday.
WHY? Pentagon’s arms sales chief resigns as Biden administration faces decisions on transfer policy. The director of the Pentagon agency in charge of foreign military sales is stepping down after 15 months in the role.
END of PDB
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