“Pentagon leaders have launched a new, more aggressive campaign this week to pressure Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville into finally releasing a nine-month hold on senior military nominations they say is harming national security,” Politico reports.
U.S. Conducts Test Launch of Minuteman III Missile
“The U.S. Air Force tested an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile with nuclear capabilities early Wednesday morning, as the Minuteman III launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at around 1:30 a.m. PT,” CBS News reports.
“The long-range missile carried three test reentry vehicles and traveled roughly 4,200 miles from its launch site to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.”
U.S. Navy Struggles to Change
New York Times: “A new generation of cheaper and more flexible vessels could be vital in any conflict with China, but the Navy remains lashed to big shipbuilding programs driven by tradition, political influence and jobs.”
Chinese Gate-Crashers at U.S. Bases
“Chinese nationals, sometimes posing as tourists, have accessed military bases and other sensitive sites in the U.S. as many as 100 times in recent years,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The incidents, which U.S. officials describe as a form of espionage, appear designed to test security practices at U.S. military installations and other federal sites. Officials familiar with the practice say the individuals are typically Chinese nationals pressed into service and required to report back to the Chinese government.”
Defense Secretary Says Tuberville Hurting Country’s Safety
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) ongoing hold on hundreds of military promotions as an “unprecedented” move that threatens the country’s safety, NBC News reports.
Said Austin: “Because of this blanket hold, starting today, for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, three of our military services are operating without Senate-confirmed leaders.”
He added: “This is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe. This sweeping hold is undermining America’s military readiness. It’s hindering our ability to retain our very best officers. And it’s upending the lives of far too many American military families.”
Spy Agencies to Share Intelligence With Private Sector
“U.S. spy agencies will share more intelligence with U.S. companies, nongovernmental organizations and academia under a new strategy released this week that acknowledges concerns over new threats, such as another pandemic and increasing cyberattacks,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The National Intelligence Strategy, which sets broad goals for the sprawling U.S. intelligence community, says that spy agencies must reach beyond the traditional walls of secrecy and partner with outside groups to detect and deter supply-chain disruptions, infectious diseases and other growing transnational threats.”
Ex-Coast Guard Head Covered Up Sexual Assault Probe
“The then-leader of the US Coast Guard covered up an explosive investigation four years ago into rapes and sexual assaults at the agency’s academy despite prior plans by top officials to come clean about the inquiry,” CNN reports.
“Commandant Karl L. Schultz took charge of the agency in June of 2018 as the secret investigation, dubbed Operation Fouled Anchor, was concluding. The inquiry revealed a dark history of sexual misconduct at the prestigious academy, substantiating dozens of rapes and assaults from the late 1980s to 2006.”
Tuberville Hold Snarls Pentagon’s Top Ranks
Politico: “For the first time in U.S. history, two of the eight seats on the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff are filled by interim officers, thanks to Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s eight-month-long hold on military promotions.”
“On Friday, outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville retired, handing the job of running the service to his No. 2, Gen. Randy George. And with that, the Army joined the Marine Corps as the second military branch to be without a uniformed leader who’s able to act with the full force of Senate confirmation, with no end in sight to the blockade.”
Two Navy Sailors Charged with Helping Chinese
New York Times: “The charges appear to reflect the Chinese government’s deep interest in the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and other aspects of the American military’s operations in that region, part of a broader effort by China to steal American corporate and national security secrets.”
Confidence in U.S. Military Hits 20 Year Low
Americans are now less likely to express “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the U.S. military, with a noticeable decline that has persisted for the past five years, according to a new Gallup Poll.
“At 60%, confidence in the military was last this low in 1997, and it hasn’t been lower since 1988, when 58% were confident. From the late 1970s to the early 1980s — during the Cold War and amid threats to U.S. power, including the Iran hostage crisis — between 50% and 58% of Americans were confident in the military.”
Biden to Keep Space Command in Colorado
“President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama and ending months of politically fueled debate,” the AP reports.
“The officials said Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. Dickinson’s view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move.”
Washington Tries to Add Some Teeth to Its Cyberdefenses
Foreign Policy: “The implementation plan, published this month, lays out concrete steps to protect U.S. pipelines, electrical grids, the water supply, and other key infrastructure from being ground to a halt by devastating cyberattacks and to prevent hackers from infiltrating the emails of senior U.S. government officials, as China has done.”
“That includes leaning more on the private sector companies that actually build and run those systems, such as Amazon and Microsoft, as well as working with allies around the world to take down bad actors more proactively.”
Biden Picks Female Admiral to Lead Navy
“President Joe Biden has chosen Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, an unprecedented choice that, if she is confirmed, will make her the first woman to be a Pentagon service chief and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” the AP reports.
Austin Says Tuberville Is Hurting National Security
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told CNN that Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) holds on hundreds of senior military nominations are a “national security issue.”
Said Austin: “This is a national security issue. It’s a readiness issue. And, we shouldn’t kid ourselves. I think any member of the Senate Armed Services Committee knows that.”
Most Say TikTok Is a National Security Threat
A new Pew Research survey finds 59% of Americans see TikTok as a major or minor threat to national security in the United States.
Nearly 40% of U.S. Attack Submarines Out of Commission
“Delays at naval shipyards mean that nearly 40% of US attack submarines are out of commission for repairs, about double the rate the Navy would like,” Bloomberg reports.
“As of this year, 18 of the US Navy’s 49 attack submarines — 37% — were out of commission… That leaves the US at a critical disadvantage against China’s numerically superior fleet.”
House Freedom Caucus Roils NDAA Fight
“The National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill setting Pentagon priorities and policies, has been signed into law 60 years straight. But this year, it’s looking shakier than ever before,” Politico reports.
“At issue is whether the House will take up hard-right floor amendments this week that could decimate the broad, bipartisan support the bill won last month in the House Armed Services Committee — and lawmakers are deeply worried that partisan battles could break the six-decade streak.”
Punchbowl News: “It’s the latest sign of the difficulties that McCarthy and senior Republicans will face as they attempt to muscle through FY2024 funding bills and other high-profile legislation with only GOP votes. The NDAA is usually done on a bipartisan basis, but facing heavy criticism from the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives, McCarthy is under pressure to give on a number of high-profile issues touching defense policy.”
“Yet the further House Republicans move to the right on any of these proposals, the more valuable every GOP vote becomes due to their razor-thin, four-vote margin. And that just means more trouble for moderate House Republicans already chafing at conservative domination of these policy debates.”
The All-Volunteer Force Is in Crisis
The Atlantic: “As it turns 50 this week, America’s all-volunteer military appears unsustainable. It is threatened on three fronts: cost, capacity, and continued ability to find enough Americans willing and able to serve. A military that has to compete with the civilian job market for workers is extremely expensive.”
“Military pay and benefits make up the single largest category in the Defense Department budget. These costs have skyrocketed since 9/11, rising by more than 50 percent in real terms.”
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