US News The Biden administration announced a change in US military policy that bans the use of anti-personnel land mines everywhere in the world, except for the Korean Peninsula. [Link] Almost 1,400 New York Army National Guard Soldiers are deploying to East Africa and Kuwait. [Link] SpaceX launched a German military satellite into space. [Link] Ukraine The British Defense Ministry backed the Ukrainian claim that Ukrainian forces sunk a Russian tugboat with US-made Harpoon missiles. [Link] German self-propelled howitzers arrived in Ukraine in the first delivery of heavy weapons. [Link] In...
Pacific
News Roundup 6/18/2022
Assange British Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday signed an extradition order to send Julian Assange to stand trial in America. [Link] Julian’s wife Stella vowed to fight the order. "We're going to fight this. We're going to use every appeal avenue," Stella Assange told reporters, calling the decision a "travesty". "I'm going to spend every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free, until justice is served." [Link] Assange's brother said the Assange legal team's appeal to London's High Court of the decision to extradite him to the United States would include new information...
US, Chinese Officials Warn of Looming Conflict Over Taiwan
Tensions between China and the US continue to escalate as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned of a Ukraine-like crisis in Taiwan, accusing Beijing of pursuing “aggressive” foreign policies after trading threats over the disputed island with his Chinese counterpart.
News Roundup 6/14/2022
US News Reps Barbara Lee and Mark Pocan introduced a bill to cut $100 billion from the defense budget. [Link] The Pentagon's new AI and data chief says the Pentagon bureaucracy is so inefficient it took several days for him to receive his common access id. [Link] Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi s pleaded guilty to four out of five charges brought against him by US authorities, claiming he belonged to al-Qaeda and was responsible for war crimes in Afghanistan. [Link] Colombia A leader of the Colombian rebel FARC group has been killed in a military operation, according to President Ivan Duque. [Link]...
News Roundup 5/29/22
US News The FBI claims to have foiled an ISIS attack on former President George W. Bush. [Link] Russia A US general offered to create military options for breaking the Russian blockade of Ukraine. [Link] The US awards Raytheon a nearly $700 million contract to replenish the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles sent to Ukraine. [Link] Zelensky called for more weapons. [Link] Kissinger called for Ukraine to cede territory to achieve peace. [Link] Zelensky attacked Kissinger for making the suggestion. [Link] The EU is considering making breaking sanctions on Russia a crime. [Link] Russia controls...
UK Wants ‘Global NATO’ Capable of Defending Pacific
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said her government favors the creation of a “global NATO” that is able to guarantee the defense of Taiwan and the broader Pacific region, calling for preemptive action against would-be aggressors.
News Roundup 4/19/2022
US News Vice President Harris announces a self-imposed ban on testing anti-satellite weapons. [Link] NATO begins its annual cyberwar games. [Link] Russia-Ukraine The Czech Republic will repair damaged Ukrainian military equipment. [Link] Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will push US allies to add more sanctions on Russia. [Link] Senator Coons calls on the US to send troops to Ukraine. [Link] Russia’s Ambassador to the US says he is being denied meetings with Biden administration officials. [Link] British soldiers are training Ukrainian troops in Kiev. [Link] The White House is planning...
Uncle Sam’s Grand Delusion
On Monday, March 28, the Pentagon submitted its 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) to Congress. While the entire report remains classified, an unclassified fact sheet was released to the media. It identified the Pentagon’s four main defense priorities: Defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the PRC. Deterring strategic attacks against the United States, Allies, and its partners. Deterring aggression, while being prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary, prioritizing the PRC challenge in the Indo-Pacific, then the Russia challenge in Europe....
3/31/22 Lyle Goldstein: This War Is a Disaster for Russia, Ukraine and the Entire World
Download Episode. Scott talks with Lyle Goldstein about the war in Ukraine. Although Goldstein did expect some kind of Russian invasion to take place, he’s been surprised by the difficulty Russia has faced on a number of fronts. Scott and Goldstein discuss a number of theories and takes they’ve been reading across the media landscape. Among the topics covered are the global dangers posed by reductions in Ukrainian farming, Washington’s alleged interest in supporting a long-term insurgency, and the intentional drought in Crimea— which Goldstein says is an often omitted reason behind the...
White House Hides War Spending in State Department and USAID Budgets
On Monday, the White House released its spending proposal for the 2023 fiscal year. The whopping $5.8 trillion budget includes $773 billion for the Pentagon. However, billions in war spending are allocated to other government agencies, including the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Biden administration’s spending plan calls for the two agencies to receive a combined $60 billion for various global projects. One program directed by the State Department doles out military aid. In the coming year, Isreal will get $3.3 billion, Jordan will receive $1.45...