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Today’s PDB includes a variety of critical national security issues.
READ TODAY’S PDB BELOW:
National Security
POLITICAL HYPERBOLE – Biden to call out Trump’s ‘singular responsibility’ for Jan. 6 attacks. President Joe Biden will tell Americans that his predecessor, Donald Trump, carries “singular responsibility” for the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol when he marks the first anniversary of the assault on Thursday, the White House said.
China Threat
Taiwan air force stages drill to intercept Chinese planes amid tensions. Taiwan air force jets screamed into the sky on Wednesday in a drill simulating a war scenario, showing its combat readiness amid heightened military tensions with China, which claims the island as its own.
With beer, rum and chocolate, Taiwan rallies behind Lithuania in spat with China. Taiwanese are rallying to support the East European country as it faces retaliation from Beijing for drawing closer to Taiwan, whose democratically elected government has few diplomatic allies.
Russia Threat
STEALTH INVASION – Dozens reported dead in Kazakhstan, as Russian alliance sends troops. A revolt inspired by anger over a surge in fuel prices has since spread across the country. A Russia-led military alliance has sent troops to help quell the violence in what it described as a temporary peacekeeping effort.
What is happening in Kazakhstan and why? Thousands of angry protesters have taken to the streets of Kazakhstan in recent days, the biggest crisis to shake the autocratic country in decades.
US F-16s head to Poland to strengthen NATO air policing mission. U.S. F-16 fighter jets from Ramstein Air Base in Germany made their way to Poland Jan. 4 to work with Polish and Belgian F-16s on air policing missions, a NATO press release shared.
North Korea Threat
North Korea says hypersonic missile tested to modernize weaponry. Wednesday’s launch indicates that the country will press ahead with plans to build powerful, sophisticated missiles rather than returning to disarmament talks anytime soon.
Homeland Security
Capitol Police working more closely with DoD ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary. A day before the one year anniversary of the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building, the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police said he is more closely coordinating with Defense Department officials to make sure the campus is ready for future threats
International Security
Eying military gains, France goes big on national quantum technology. France is diving into the quantum realm with a new multi-sector, cutting-edge computing platform, and by investing billions of euros over several years to support research-and-development efforts in the emerging technology field.
Biden’s Afghan Disaster
The life I built as an Afghan woman went in the blink of an eye. A university lecturer reflects on how the Taliban takeover upended her life and asks: was the hard work all for nothing?
Military and Space
Security forces airmen step up anti-drone training after recent attacks in Iraq, Syria. Security forces airmen at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait are stepping up their counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems efforts following a series of drone strikes against U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria carried out in the past few days.
Space Force wants to help fund technologies to recycle, reuse or remove space debris. Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson in a video released Jan. 5 called on the private sector to help clean up space junk.
END of PDB
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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