Biden reportedly clears Ukraine to take actions that Putin suggested would trigger NATO-Russia war



The Biden administration has reportedly cleared Ukraine to use American long-range missile systems against targets in Russia — a move long urged by Ukrainian officials, resisted by U.S. officials concerned about escalation, and identified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a trigger for a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.

Background

In February, President Joe Biden secretly signed off on the transfer of the Army Tactical Missile Systems to Ukraine. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Garron Garn told CNN that following Biden's approval, the ATACMS were included in the $300 million aid package announced on March 12 then delivered the following month.

The American-made supersonic missiles have a range of up to 190 miles. Ukraine also has British-made Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of 155 miles.

The U.S. has blocked the use of such weapons in recent months over fears of escalation. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed in September that the Biden administration was considering clearing Ukraine to start lobbing them into Russia, citing the need to adjust and adapt "as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed."

Putin, whose nation has over 5,000 nuclear warheads and boasts a supersonic missile with a range of 625 miles, responded to Blinken's suggestion by telling a reporter, "It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia."

Putin, who invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, claims the use of ATACMS would constitute direct action on the part of the U.S. because American satellite reconnaissance would allegedly be necessary for successful missile strikes. He noted in June, "Ukrainian servicemen cannot do everything on their own and strike with this missile. They are simply technologically incapable of doing this."

He equated an ATACMS strike as the work of the Pentagon and a Storm Shadow strike as the work of the British government.

Escalation

According to Reuters, two American officials and a third source familiar with the decision confirmed that the Biden administration has cleared Ukraine to employ the missiles internationally and that the first of the long-range missile strikes are expected to take place in the coming days.

A U.S. official told CNN that the missiles will likely hit targets in the Kursk region of Russia, where Kyiv launched its summer counteroffensive and where Moscow recently deployed nearly 50,000 troops, including North Korean soldiers.

According to one official, the decision to authorize the use of the ATACMS was driven in part by the recent involvement of the North Korean troops in the fighting.

'This is an impeachable offense.'

By maintaining a foothold in Kursk with the help of long-range missiles, Ukraine might be in a better bargaining position in January should Trump bring Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy and Putin to the negotiating table. The New York Times indicated that Ukrainians hope to be able to trade territory in Kursk for Ukrainian territory presently occupied by Russian forces.

Reaction

Zelenskyy noted Sunday evening, "I am deeply grateful to all our partners who support us with air defense systems and missiles. This is a truly global effort."

"The plan for strengthening Ukraine is the Victory Plan that I presented to our partners. One of its key elements is providing our army with long-range capabilities," continued Zelenskyy. "There's been much said in the media today that we have received approval to take relative actions. But strikes are not carried out with words. These things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves."

Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media, "If such a decision was really formulated and brought to the attention of the Kyiv regime, then, of course, this is a qualitatively new round of tension and a qualitatively new situation in terms of the involvement of the United States in this conflict."

The Washington Post noted that the decision was not altogether unexpected in Moscow.

"The standoff will become even fiercer, and the talks will become more difficult," said Andrei Kartapolov, a former Russian Army officer and chairman of the parliamentary defense committee. "We expected them to escalate before the end of Biden's office — that was completely obvious."

The Biden administration's decision, which comes with only months remaining in the Democratic president's term, amounts to a significant escalation that has various adversarial nations, especially China — whose alliance with Russia has grown considerably since Putin's invasion of Ukraine — paying close attention.

'Ukraine can't properly defend itself if one hand is tied behind its back.'

There are presently tens of thousands of North Korean troops engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces. North Korea not only has a defense treaty with Russia but a firm mutual defense pact with China.

Despite its defense obligations, China has emphasized that North Korea's presence in Ukraine is its "own business" and has signaled a reluctance to get directly bogged down in the conflict. Nevertheless, China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian desperately impressed upon his American counterparts the need for de-escalation.

Responding to reports that the U.S. has cleared the use of the Army Tactical Missile System by Ukraine against Russia-based targets, Lin Jian, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, stated, "China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear, and an early ceasefire and pursuit of a political solution are in the interests of all parties. Promoting a de-escalation of the situation as soon as possible is the top priority."

The Chinese regime also insisted that Russia, which executed a large-range missile and drone attack against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure over the weekend, should similarly pursue de-escalation.

Some American lawmakers have expressed support for Ukraine's use of the missiles, including Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who stated, "Biden's decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of ATACMS in Russia is long-awaited progress. But it's critical that authorized targets include Russian oil refineries, which pump out the lifeblood of the Kremlin's war machine."

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R) similarly expressed optimism over the development, stating Sunday, "If initial press reports are true, I am encouraged at the prospect of allowing Ukraine to use long-range ATACM missiles supplied by the U.S."

Republican Rep. Mike Turner (Ohio) wrote, "Ukraine can't properly defend itself if one hand is tied behind its back. Today's news that the Biden Administration is finally allowing Ukraine to use some U.S.-provided ATACMS to strike limited targets within Russian territory is long overdue."

Turner stressed the need to "put pressure on Vladimir Putin" ahead of Trump taking office.

Other American lawmakers are less than enthused over the prospect of a shooting war with Russia.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) tweeted, "By authorizing long range missiles to strike inside Russia, Biden is committing an unconstitutional Act of War that endangers the lives of all U.S. citizens. This is an impeachable offense, but the reality is he’s an emasculated puppet of a deep state."

Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale (R) wrote, "American long range missiles being used to attack Russia? As many as 12,000 North Korean troops staged in Russia. When will Congress reclaim its authority and stop this proxy war we are entangled in?!"

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Biden-Harris admin considering move that Putin says would put NATO 'at war' with Russia



The Biden-Harris administration is considering the possibility of committing the U.S. and other NATO countries to a direct shooting war with Russia — assuming Russian President Vladimir Putin is not bluffing about what for him constitutes a red line.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Wednesday in Kyiv, discussing the country's supposed progress toward NATO and EU membership as well possible escalations in its defensive war against Russia.

Extra to announcing more than $700 million more in assistance for Ukraine and speaking of "Ukraine's success, Ukraine's victory," Blinken signaled possible support for the embattled nation employing Western long-range weapons to strike targets deep within Russia.

The U.S. has up until now blocked the use of such weapons over fears of escalation.

The Times (U.K.) indicated, however, that American and British governments have been under mounting pressure to relax such restrictions, including by former elements of the military-industrial complex, NATO, and European political establishment.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha indicated at a joint press conference Wednesday that he had emphasized to Blinken and to Lammy that it was necessary to "remove all the obstacles and limitations with the use of British equipment, American equipment in the territory of Russia against military targets."

Blinken said that he was going to raise the matter with President Joe Biden who is meeting Friday with Britain's leftist prime minister, Keir Starmer, in Washington, D.C.

A reporter subsequently asked the trio about the use of American supersonic tactical ballistic missiles, which have a range of up to 190 miles, and the British-made Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of roughly 155 miles. Ukraine already has the latter but is only allowed to use them within its own territory.

'It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia.'

The reporter asked further whether the Blinken and his counterparts were still worried "about managing escalation with Russia."

"We discussed long-range fires, but a number of other things as well. And as I said at the outset, I'm going to take that discussion back to Washington to brief the president on what I heard," said Blinken.

Blinken intimated, however, the U.S. is open to lifting its restrictions, stating, "Just speaking for the United States, from day one, as you heard me say, we have adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed, and I have no doubt that we'll continue to do that as this evolves."

Regarding fears of escalation, Blinken said, "Of course that's one of the factors that we always consider, but it's certainly not the only factor and it's not necessarily a dispositive factor."

According to the Agence France Presse, Putin said Thursday that an easing of the restrictions on long-range weapons would "in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict."

"It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia," added Putin, whose nation has over 5,000 nuclear warheads and boasts a supersonic missile with a range of 625 miles. "If that's the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face."

Putin characterized the decision to ease restrictions as a matter of choosing "whether NATO countries are directly involved in the military conflict or not."

Citing British government sources, the Times (U.K.) noted that the Biden-Harris administration might shift its position prior to the gathering of global leaders at the UN headquarters in New York later this month.

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Blaze News originals: War over Taiwan in the near future would be a disaster for both the US and China



American lawmakers, foreign policy wonks, and military officials frequently raise the possibility of a shooting war with China, particularly over Taiwan.

Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command, noted in a memo early last year, "My gut tells me we will fight in 2025." The four-star general intimated that China would attempt to invade Taiwan in 2025 while America was still distracted with the results of the 2024 election.

At a foreign policy conference months later, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) indicated there was an appetite for such a war among some of his colleagues on the Hill.

"You come to my Republican caucus and you'll hear the beating of drums," said Paul, himself a critic of the "blathering about inevitability [of war]." "These are drums for war with whomever, but primarily war with China. Everything is about war with China."

That drum beat, which recently payed out billions in taxpayer dollars to Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to "counter communist China," has been echoed on the other side of the globe where China has not only engaged in saber rattling, but taken great strides to sharpen its blades — to grow and modernize its military in all domains of warfare, ending up with the largest navy in the world and the largest aviation force in the Indo-Pacific.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute revealed in its annual report last month that China — whose defense budget has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping over the past 11 years — is expanding its nuclear capabilities at such a rate where it could potentially deploy as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either the U.S. or Russia in the coming decade. The Pentagon has estimated China will have 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030.

Amidst this military buildup, Xi and other communist officials have spoken frankly about their desire to annex Taiwan, possibly by force, and routinized the buzzing of the island with military aircraft.

While the stage is set for a Sino-American conflict over Taiwan, David P. Goldman underscored to Blaze News it would be an unmitigated disaster for all parties involved were it to happen sometime in the near future, highlighting critical considerations that tend to be glossed over in mainstream discussions.

Goldman, the Spengler columnist for Asia Times Online and Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute, is the author of "You Will Be Assimilated: China’s Plan to Sino-Form the World." Goldman contributes to numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, First Things, and Tablet Magazine, and has written extensively on China.

At the outset, Blaze News presented Goldman with a concern he had expressed in 2022 — that "the knuckleheads who spent $6 trillion on forever wars and gutted our military by frittering away our resources will steer us into a confrontation with China that will lead to a war that nobody can win."

When asked how likely it was now that such a confrontation might happen, Goldman indicated he couldn't assign a probability but detailed why the prospect should be loathsome to both the U.S. and China.

"The problem is that the American Chinese military relationship is massively asymmetric. The United States military is more powerful than the Chinese military. We have many more nuclear missiles. We have many more modern aircraft. We don't have as many ships, but we have more tonnage, and we certainly have a military that has a great deal of combat experience," said Goldman.

Where land forces are concerned, Goldman indicated that the U.S. spends 15-times as much per unit than China, which also lacks a main battle tank and doesn't execute large-scale maneuvers. Goldman noted further that China lacks fighting experience, having not fought a real war since Korea in the early 1950s.

Barring experience, many of these advantages are immaterial when it comes to a conflict over Taiwan, suggested Goldman. After all, it is unlikely both that the U.S. would wage a land war with the People's Liberation Army and that the two countries' navies would engage one another in open waters.

'The fact that the Chinese can from their coast fire an arbitrarily large number of missiles at an American expeditionary force is a gigantic advantage.'

Goldman suggested it would be foolhardy for China to attempt an amphibious D-Day-style assault on Taiwan, as it would suffer a "hideous number of casualties." Instead, it would blockade the island in order to starve out a surrender.

Taiwan produces none of its own energy. There's no energy resources that has to import everything. It has perhaps 11 days storage of natural gas, which is its most important energy source, and with a blockade, the Chinese don't have to do anything but tell the shipping companies that if the natural gas LNG tanker gets too close to Taiwan, they will hit it with an anti-ship gun. At that point, the Taiwanese economy would shut down in three weeks, and the Taiwanese would have to accept Chinese terms. There's nothing that our navy can do to stop the blockade.

An attempt to break such a blockade — or even to counter the more unlikely naval assault — would expose American forces to China's coastal defenses and "home theater advantage."

"The short logistical lines are a fundamental feature of warfare, and in an era where missile warfare, missile and anti-missile warfare are probably the most important single factor in determining the outcome of an engagement, the fact that the Chinese can from their coast fire an arbitrarily large number of missiles at an American expeditionary force is a gigantic advantage," Goldman told Blaze News.

Maj. Christopher Mihal, a nuclear and counter-WMD officer with the U.S. Army, noted years before China went into high gear with its military buildup, that it already had "enough antiship missiles to attack every U.S. surface combatant vessel in the South China Sea with enough firepower to overcome each ship's missile defense."

The missiles at the PLA's disposal include long-range missiles, which Goldman indicated could hit the American Air Base in Guam; the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, which is regarded as an aircraft carrier killer; and hypersonic missiles, for which there presently is no counter.

Absent hypersonic missiles, American forces in the South China Sea would still be in trouble.

"Now there are anti-missile countermeasures, but the problem is the simple volume," continued Goldman. "An American destroyer, for example, can carry 100 interceptors, and those interceptors certainly can take down an ordinary cruise missile of the Tomahawk type. But once their interceptors are used up, they have to turn around and go away."

"Because of a home theater advantage with China's ability to store and launch missiles from its mainland, the U.S. is at an enormous disadvantage. It would almost certainly lose such an engagement," said Goldman. "If, you know, God forbid, we got into a kinetic action and the Chinese destroyed an American aircraft carrier with 10,000 servicemen on board, I think the reaction would be enormous, and [Americans would] feel compelled to do something."

Goldman indicated that payback for a destroyed carrier, such as F-18 strikes on mainland Chinese targets or missile strikes could easily lead to nuclear confrontation — a possibility explored in U.S. Navy Ret. Admiral James Stavridis' popular work of scenario fiction, "2034."

Besides China's "arbitrarily" large number of mortar systems and ship-killing missiles, Goldman noted that China also has scores of diesel electric submarines that could lurk in wait for American ships.

'We should be developing different kinds of weapons that have the potential to counteract this inherent Chinese advantage.'

Unlike certain personalities in Washington, Goldman noted that for these and other reasons, the "American military is extremely reluctant to engage [China]."

The Pentagon's awareness of China's home theater advantage may itself diminish the risk of a direct confrontation in the short to medium term. Should such caution afford America some time, Goldman advocates that it be spent on research and development, largely with the aim of blunting China's military edge.

"I think that we were very complacent investing in the same weapon systems we've had for many years, thinking that they would suffice," Goldman told Blaze News. "We were simply oblivious to the impact of the Chinese missile buildup."

In order to succeed in the Chinese theater, Goldman stressed the need of anti-missile technologies, including directed energy weapons and drone swarms.

"Given the technologies involved and our disadvantage against China's home theater arsenal, we should, in fact, be cautious, and we should be developing different kinds of weapons that have the potential to counteract this inherent Chinese advantage and try to develop them faster than the Chinese did, but that would take a while," said Goldman.

Former President Donald Trump's proposed "great Iron Dome over our country" is the kind of thinking Goldman suggested was necessary — a government initiative that doesn't dish out subsidies to civilian contractors but executes with a sense of national security need on the model of the Apollo program or the Reagan Strategic Defense Initiative.

But in the meantime, "The best thing we could do is to try to keep the status quo on China's coast and not attempt to push any issue of our liking."

The status quo has been maintained stateside in the form of the One-China policy, whereby the American government: acknowledges that Taiwan is technically part of China and that Beijing is the "sole legal government of China"; rejects the use of force to settle the dispute; will sell Taiwan weapons for its self-defense; sidesteps Beijing to maintain ties with Taipei; and reserves the ability to come to Taiwan's defense without formally committing to doing so.

In theory, this approach enables the U.S. to support Taiwan without too greatly alienating Beijing. However, incidents such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) 2022 visit to Taiwan have revealed just how sensitive the status quo really is to disruption.

Blaze News asked Goldman why China would not act now to capture Taiwan, given its awareness of its regional advantages as well as America's materiel exhaustion in Ukraine and the apparent weakness in the White House.

"They would pay a very heavy price to do so," Goldman told Blaze News.

While China could extract concessions and perhaps a surrender from a blockaded Taiwan in a matter of days or weeks, such would be a pyrrhic victory.

"I think the outrage in the United States would push us to stop importing all the Chinese goods and possibly could encourage other people to do so. I think Europe and Japan would probably get involved, as well as South Korea," said Goldman. "There would be a global economic depression and a very severe depression in China."

'It will cease to be economically viable.'

Although the "Chinese economy could probably limp through," America and allied nations would nevertheless find various ways to keep tripping them up, such as starving them off Persian oil by blockading the Straits of Malacca, or largely cutting off their supply of chicken and pork. Although China could see roughly half of its seaborne imports of food replaced by China over existing rail lines, the food embargoes will nevertheless prove impactful.

Goldman noted further that the economic and resource warfare brought on in response to the annexation of Taiwan — which would be "horrible for all sides, but ... extremely uncomfortable for China" — would likely also prove to be domestically destabilizing for China, especially for its communist regime.

"I think that would be very bad for the political standing of the Communist Party of China. I don't believe the Chinese people like the Communist Party of China. Now, that said, the Chinese have never particularly liked their emperors. They've always viewed them as a necessary evil, but they'll go along with pretty much any ruler as long as that ruler brings stability and prosperity," continued Goldman. "The economic devastation that I think would ensue from military action to acquire Taiwan would be a big net negative for the Chinese Communist Party. Would be an enormous risk for them to take."

Bloomberg Economics estimated in January that a war over Taiwan would cost roughly $10 trillion — more than the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. The Chinese, cut off from major trade partners and at a loss for advanced semiconductors, would take an estimated 16.7% hit to its GDP. Taiwan's economy would be in tatters, suffering a 40% blow. The U.S. would reportedly suffer a 6.7% hit to its GDP. Global GDP would drop an estimated 10.2%.

While the conquest of Taiwan is likely a matter of pride for Xi as well as a surefire way to establish his legacy, Goldman suggested he is far too much of a "rational, calculating man" to take such an excessive risk — especially when Taiwan is just one generation away from falling into Beijing's lap uncoerced.

"Taiwan has the lowest fertility rate of any country in the world, maybe, except in South Korea. If you assume that that fertility remains constant, Taiwan's working age population will fall by 75% — will shrink by three quarters in the course of the century. It will cease to be economically viable," said Goldman.

While China similarly has a shrinking population, it will still have at least 500 million people by 2100. Goldman suggested that Taiwan will "have no choice to open up to mainland immigrants that eventually will be absorbed back."

"The Chinese never fight for what they think they can get without fighting," said Goldman. "They're patient. They have a long-term view. And therefore, unless there is a threat of a Taiwanese move to sovereignty, as long as the status quo is respected, we will not have a military action to acquire Taiwan."

While Xi and other communists may be willing to play the waiting game, that won't stop them from continuing to cajole Taipei into reasserting ties with the mainland.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence indicated in its 2024 threat assessment that "Beijing will continue to apply military and economic pressure as well as public messaging and influence activities while promoting long-term cross-Strait economic and social integration to induce Taiwan to move toward unification."

Goldman indicated the U.S. should simultaneously maintain that the penalty for aggression against Taiwan "would be extreme" and that "we would accept a great deal of economic pain ourselves to punish China for a military action" against the island but that the status quo is mutually beneficial and worth preserving for the time being.

While, despite all the rhetoric, a war over Taiwan may be far off if inevitable to begin with, the U.S. still has to contend with China's ongoing efforts to displace its power worldwide, largely through the leveraging and co-option of the so-called Global South.

While IP theft, cyber warfare, illegal Chinese communist police stations, and espionage efforts on the part of Beijing are all troubling, Goldman suggested that "focusing on these relatively minor issues distracts attention from what we really ought to be worried about, which is China becoming the dominant manufacturing power in the world, and one by one, gaining hegemony in critical technologies, and extending their influence throughout the world as a result."

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FBI director warns of Chinese hacking efforts to 'wreak havoc' on US critical infrastructure



FBI Director Christopher Wray told a congressional committee this week that hackers backed by the Chinese communist regime are preparing to "cripple" American infrastructure should Beijing decide "the time has come to strike."

Wray indicated in his statement to the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Wednesday that the intelligence community has assessed that "China is attempting to pre-position on U.S. critical infrastructure—setting up back doors to cripple vital assets and systems in the event China invades Taiwan and therefore, limiting our ability to assist Taiwan."

"China's hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike," Wray told lawmakers in his oral testimony.

In one example, the FBI director noted that hackers affiliated with the Chinese military gained access to the computer networks of a major American transportation hub. Gas pipelines, the electric grid, and water treatment plants have similarly been targeted.

FBI Director Wray opening statement before @committeeonccp : "The PRC has a bigger hacking program than that of every major nation combined."
— (@)

Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) said that "this is the cyberspace equivalent of placing bombs on American bridges, water treatment facilities and power plants," reported CNN.

"There is no economic benefit for these actions. There's no pure intelligence-gathering rationale," continued Gallagher. "The sole purpose is to be ready to destroy American infrastructure, which would inevitably result in chaos, confusion and potentially mass casualties."

The U.S. has long known of efforts by state-backed Chinese hackers to compromise American systems and exploit vulnerabilities.

These efforts in cyberspace to compromise American security come amidst similarly brazen aerial and ground operations. The regime has, for instance, sent spy craft over the mainland U.S.; operated illegal police stations on American soil; threatened diplomats; and dispatched agents to execute espionage and political destabilization missions.

China does not appear to be merely posturing. The communist regime, which has been building up its military and preparing for war at a time when the U.S. military has been assessed as "weak," has made expressly clear in recent months that it intends to take the island nation of Taiwan. In the face of significant demographic, economic, and social troubles at home, the communist regime may increasingly see such a military adventure as an opportunity to change its fate and fortune.

"[Communist China] represents the defining threat of this era," said Wray. "There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our innovation, our economic security, and, ultimately, our national security."

Wray also expressed concerns about the use of Tiktok by the Chinese regime to "control data collection on millions of users, which can be used for all sorts of intelligence operations or influence operations."

Extra to collecting data on Americans and pushing influence operations, the FBI director indicated TikTok gives Beijing the ability "to control the software on millions of devices, which means the opportunity to technically compromise millions of devices."

— (@)

Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of the National Security Agency, told lawmakers, "We need to have a vigilance that continues onward."

"This is not an episodic threat that we're going to face. This is persistent," added Nakasone.

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Pentagon gearing up for space warfare with Chinese and Russian forces, seeks over $30 billion for Space Force



Former President Donald Trump founded and funded the U.S. Space Force as the sixth arm of the military in 2019, noting that "American superiority in space is absolutely vital."

The current administration evidently agrees with Trump on at least this: To deter aggression in this present age, America will need to "control the ultimate high ground."

Earlier this month, the Biden administration submitted to Congress a 2024 budget request of $842 billion for the Department of Defense, representing a $26 billion increase over the fiscal year 2023 budget and $100 billion more than in FY 2022.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin noted in a March 13 statement that the "FY 2024 budget is the most strategy-driven request we've ever produced from the Department of Defense."

"As our National Defense Strategy makes clear, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is our pacing challenge," said Austin.

"This budget seeks to meet this critical challenge today, tomorrow, and into the future by providing the resources today to continue to implement our National Defense Strategy and keep our nation safe while delivering a combat credible Joint Force that is the most lethal, resilient, agile, and responsive in the world," added Austin.

With the nearly $842 billion, the DOD hopes to defend the homeland and keep up with the "multi-domain threat" posed by communist China; deter strategic attacks against the U.S., its allies, and its partners; deter aggression, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region; and build a resilient joint force and defense ecosystem.

Extra to modernizing military equipment, locking down a full complement of hypersonic missiles, and ensuring traditional forces are ready for a showdown with a possible Sino-Russo military alliance, the DOD wants over $30 billion for Space Force — roughly $3.9 billion over what it received in FY 2023.

According to Austin, this is will cover "vital space capabilities, resilient architectures, and enhanced space command and control."

The Pentagon wants an additional $3.3 billion (an 11% increase of FY 2023) to ensure Space Force core readiness.

To this end, the spending request includes plans to train the Space Force's Guardians, ensuring they are ready for battle, reported the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal noted "training will be critical. The physics and the mechanics of steering objects through space at more than 17,000 miles an hour give attackers the advantage they lack on the ground."

$350 million has been requested for simulators and other facilities so that Guardians can hone their skills waging cosmic battles remotely.
Readiness will ultimately mean the capacity to handle both threats from space and threats to space assets.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 15, "Both China and Russia continue to develop, field, and deploy a range of weapons aimed at U.S. space capabilities."

"The spectrum of threats to U.S. space capabilities includes cyber warfare activities, electronic attack platforms, directed energy lasers designed to blind or damage satellite sensors, ground-to-orbit missiles to destroy satellites, and space-to-space orbital engagement systems that can attack U.S. satellites in space," Saltzman added.

China has launched dozens of spacecraft to target U.S. forces in recent years, reported the New York Post.

The DOD's budget overview notes that the U.S. also faces a threat from the anti-satellite weapon capabilities that "have made a resurgence in the past decade, with a number of different Russian military 'Cosmos' satellites believed to be designed to kinetically kill satellites in low Earth orbit."

To provide American forces and equipment protection on Earth and beyond, Saltzman said, "we are accelerating the pivot towards resilient satellite constellations, ground stations, networks and data links."

While the U.S. presently has the advantage in space, its superiority is not guaranteed.

According to a 2022 Defense Intelligence Agency report entitled, "Challenges to Security in Space," the combined operational space fleets of China and Russia grew by roughly 70% between 2019 and 2021.

"China and Russia ... are developing various means to exploit the perceived U.S. reliance on space-based systems and challenge the U.S. position in the space domain," said the report. "Beijing and Moscow seek to position themselves as leading space powers., intent on creating new global space norms. Through the use of space and counterspace capabilities, they aspire to undercut U.S. global leadership."

China's 2020 "Science of Military Strategy" document from the country's National Defense University stated, "Space has already become a new domain of modern military struggle; it is a critical factor for deciding military transformation; and it has an extremely important influence on the evolution of future form-states, modes, and rules of war. Therefore, following with interest the military struggle circumstance of space and strengthening the study of the space military struggle problem is a very important topic we are currently facing."

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NATO and China showcase their latest killer drones, turning page on autonomous ground warfare



October was a big month for ground-based killer drones. The Royal Netherlands Army announced on Oct. 14 that it had begun armed robot trials, deploying four armed and unmanned tanks to Lithuania. China similarly showcased defense contractor Kestrel's "combat dog" system in an Oct. 3 video demonstrating the unmanned ground vehicle's carriage by aerial drone and ability to run with a light machine gun.

While UGVs are presently an unreliable supplement to flesh-and-blood ground forces, their development and growing capabilities may signal their future adoption as soulless substitutes.

A new breed of dog

A social media account affiliated with Chinese defense contractor Kestrel released a video earlier this month of an unmanned aerial vehicle dropping off a robotic four-legged dog equipped with what WarZone reported was possibly a Chinese QBB-97 light machine gun, capable of firing 650 rounds per minute.

\u201cBlood-Wing, a Chinese defense contractor, demonstrates drone-deploying an armed robodog.\n\nThe Future is Now.\u201d
— Lia Wong (@Lia Wong) 1664871123

A translation of the post in which the video first appeared on the Chinese micro-blog site Weibo said, "War dogs descending from the sky ... Red Wing forward heavy-duty drones deliver combat robot dogs, which can be directly inserted ... behind the enemy to launch a surprise attack."

The post also suggested that the UGV could "be placed on the rooftops and work with troops on the ground to ambush enemies inside buildings."

A longer version of the demonstration shows the Chinese UGV climbing stairs and performing simulated ground operations with human companions.

Kestrel Defense Blood-Wing | Military promotional video #3 youtu.be

The same Chinese defense firm also released a video revealing the doglike UGV's ability to carry a loitering munitions launcher.

\u201cChina\u2019s Kestrel Defense demonstrates a robo-dog that carries a loitering munitions launcher. Welcome to your next war tech... https://t.co/4FNUBqy2F2\u201d
— Samuel Bendett (@Samuel Bendett) 1661033547

Unmanned tanks

Armored UGVs are not unprecedented, but have historically been grossly ineffective.

Russia, for instance, deployed its semi-autonomous Uran-9 tanks in Syria in 2016, which proved to be more trouble than they were worth. The technology is, however, improving.

Janes reported that the Royal Netherlands Army became the first Western military to start operational trials with UGVs.

Lt. Col. Sjoerd Mevissen explained that the four Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry Systems tanks that were deployed with the Netherlands' 13th Light Brigade to Lithuania last month "have been handed over for experimental use in an operational unit in a military-relevant environment."

"These are not simply tests on a training ground," said Mevissen. "We are under the direct eyes and ears of the Russians, and as such in a semi-operational environment.

The THeMIS tank's various capabilities are showcased in this video:

THeMIS UGV with the PROTECTOR RWS youtu.be

General Dynamics announced on Oct. 4 that it would be unveiling the AbramsX, a modified version of the Abrams battle tank. Although it will not be a fully unmanned vehicle, General Dynamics indicated that it will have a "reduced crew size and AI-enabled lethality, survivability, mobility, manned/unmanned teaming ... and autonomous capabilities."

Remote-controlled terrors

Killer drones have long been a feature of modern combat. Unmanned aerial vehicles have been on the scene since the 1990s. The Guardian reported that one of their first impactful deployments was in the 1999 Kosovo war, when they were used to identify hidden Serbian positions.

Slate reported that in January 2001, the U.S. armed a Predator drone for the first time, equipping it with a laser-seeker and a Hellfire air-to-ground missile. Several months later, after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the U.S. recorded its first drone kill when, on Nov. 14, 2001, a Predator-launched Hellfire missile obliterated al Qaeda's Mohammed Atef and six of his terrorist allies.

Drones have been shown to be capable of hitting hard and airborne targets as well.

The first UAV air-to-air kill was recorded in 2017, when a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down another with an infrared guided air-to-air missile, but by then drones were already ubiquitous.

This year, hundreds of lightweight U.S. Switchblades have been deployed in Ukraine, where they have been used to strike small targets.

This is the Power of the Switchblade Drone That Is So Scary! youtu.be

Janes indicated that by 2030, over 80,000 surveillance drones and nearly 2,000 attack drones will have been purchased. A 2019 estimate indicated that the biggest purchaser of combat drones over the next decade would be the United States, with over 1,000 prospective purchases. China was a distant second, looking to acquire only 68 drones.

With tensions rising between the U.S. and both China and Russia, as well as smaller international conflicts, those estimates may prove conservative.

How Americans Can Fight China’s Cold War Without Rules

A book by Air Force Gen. Robert Spalding, 'War Without Rules,' highlights how the CCP is willing to fight dirty to achieve global dominance.

Polish national team refuses to play Russia in the World Cup playoffs, Swedish and Czech teams also boycott



Poland’s national soccer team is refusing to play Russia in a 2022 World Cup playoff match in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The president of the Polish football association, Cezary Kulesza, said that the Polish national team “does not intend” to participate in the playoff match, the BBC reported.

In a joint statement, members of the Polish team said, “We, the players of the Polish national team, together with the Polish Football Association, decided that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we do intend to play in the playoff match against Russia.”

“It is not an easy decision,” the statement continued, “But there are more important things in life than football. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation.”

Polish footballer Robert Lewandowksi said, “It is the right decision! I can’t imagine playing a march with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”

It is the right decision! I can\u2019t imagine playing a match with the Russian National Team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can\u2019t pretend that nothing is happening.https://twitter.com/Czarek_Kulesza/status/1497489152434061315\u00a0\u2026
— Robert Lewandowski (@Robert Lewandowski) 1645866878

Cezary Kulesza, the current president of the Polish Football Association, said, “Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia.”

No more words, time to act! Due to the escalation of the aggression of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine the Polish national team does not intend to play the play-off match against Russia. We are in talks with and federations to bring forward a joint statement to FIFA.
— Cezary Kulesza (@Cezary Kulesza) 1645871093

Polish President Andrezj Duda replied to Kulesza’s statement saying, “Rightly so, Mr. President. You don’t play with bandits!”

Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, also chimed in saying, “You cannot play a match against Russia under such circumstances … Thank you so much for this decision.”

National teams from Sweden and the Czech Republic joined Poland in a joint statement.

The Swedish and Czech teams are to play each other in a playoff match and whichever team wins would likely advance to play the Russian team in the World Cup tournament.

The Swedish team said on Twitter that they “will not play against Russia – regardless of where the match is played.” In a statement, the team said, “The Federal Board also urges FIDA to cancel the playoff matches in March in which Russia participates.”

SvFF\u00b4s besked: Herrlandslaget kommer inte att spela mot Ryssland \u2013 oavsett var matchen spelas.\n\nF\u00f6rbundsstyrelsen uppmanar samtidigt FIFA att st\u00e4lla in de play off-matcher i mars d\u00e4r Ryssland deltar.
— Svensk Fotboll (@Svensk Fotboll) 1645886279

On Saturday, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire and owner of the Chelsea Football Club, handed over the “stewardship and care” of the Premier League club to the trustees of its charitable foundation. Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, forfeited ownership of the team after the British parliament pressured him to do so in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

Abramovich said, “I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea.”