 | 12/19/2024 |
Morning Recon
Good Thursday morning and welcome to MORNING RECON. On this day in 1944, at a meeting of senior Allied commanders, Eisenhower decides to appoint Field Marshal Montgomery, commanding British 21st Army Group, to lead all Allied forces to the north of ” the Bulge” in the line created by the German attack. General Bradley, commanding US 12th Army Group, is responsible for all Allied forces to the south. The arrangement is not made public at this time.
RealClearDefense Exclusives: Today's Top Stories
NATIONAL Trump Signals Jones Act Policy Will Stay the Course
By Mike Schuler, gCaptain: “President-elect Donald Trump has reignited the debate over the Jones Act, sharing a pro-Jones Act article that underscores the century-old law’s significance to America’s maritime industry and national security.”
U.S. Drone Mystery Deepens With 5,000+ UAV Sightings,
Including Military Bases
By Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering: “There were six instances of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) observed entering Camp Pendleton’s airspace.”
Senate Passes $895B Defense Bill
By Ellen Mitchell, The Hill: “The Senate on Wednesday voted to pass the $895 billion Defense authorization bill, despite a provision on transgender care that turned off some Democrats, moving it along to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.”
Congress Demands Answers on
Low Testosterone Issues Among Special Operators
By Patty Nieberg, Task & Purpose: “A range of health issues in the special operations community caused by low testosterone, dubbed "Operator Syndrome," has drawn congressional attention.”
The Judge That Released the Chinese National Surveilling U.S. Bases
By Adam Kredo, The Washington Free Beacon: “A federal magistrate judge moved to release a Chinese national accused of taking covert drone shots of a military base in central California on cashless bail.”
Musk’s Alleged Russia Contacts Worry Air Force’s Kendall
By Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg: “Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has told Democratic senators that he shares their security concerns over Elon Musk’s reported contacts with Russian leaders but added that the Pentagon has adequate competition in its space programs to prevent over-reliance on the billionaire’s SpaceX.” Navy’s Future E-130J TACAMO ‘Doomsday Plane’ Seen In New Rendering
By Joseph Trevithick, The WarZone: “The Navy has awarded a nearly $3.5B contract to Northrop Grumman to lead the work on crafting its next 'Doomsday planes.'”
Ships Act To Beef Up U.S. Shipbuilding
By Meghann Myers, Defense One: “A bipartisan group of lawmakers is hoping to cure America’s maritime-industry woes with the introduction Thursday of an ambitious bill cheekily dubbed the SHIPS (Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security) for America Act.”
Army Awards Contract for First Domestic TNT Production in 38 Years
By Allyson Park, National Defense Magazine: “The Army recently awarded a contract to Repkon USA for the design, construction and operation of a trinitrotoluene, or TNT, production facility in Graham, Kentucky, which will be the first to domestically produce the explosive since 1986.”
The Long Range Desert Group and the Birth of Special Operations Around the World
By Stavros Atlamazoglou, Sandboxx News: “Not many people know about the small British special operations unit known as the “Long Range Desert Group” (LRDG).” Read more at RealClearDefense INTERNATIONAL RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR:
Putin Signals No Rush to End Ukraine War in Marathon TV Appearance
By Georgi Kantchev, The Wall Street Journal: “Trump has vowed to secure a quick end to the conflict, which is seeing incremental Russian gains.” CHINA:
DoD: Corruption in China’s Military Threatens Its Readiness
By Nancy A. Youssef & Chun Han Wong, The Wall Street Journal: “Pentagon assessment says Xi Jinping’s crackdown on fraud might delay efforts to turn China’s military into a 21st-century force.”
Read more at RealClearDefense including: Russian Airborne Has a New Division, Kind Of COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS
Flat Budgets Threaten To Leave the Army Lost at Sea
By Cole Spiller, RealClearDefense: “Just weeks ago, a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) sounded the alarm on the Army’s Pacific pivot: only 40 percent of the Army’s watercraft fleet is ready for operations in the Indo-Pacific.”
Homecoming 250 to Honor Navy and Marine Corps
From Homecoming 250: “As preparations for the historic celebration honoring the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are underway, Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps (Homecoming 250TM), the non-profit organizing the milestone event, has secured a significant fundraising opportunity to support the commemoration.”
Breaking the Ice: Canada’s Arctic Reawakening
By Andrew Latham, RealClearDefense: “The B-21 Raider’s first flight last month was a noteworthy milestone for U.S. airpower and a signal of the Pentagon’s commitment to conventional and nuclear deterrence.”
China’s Mosaic Warfare
By Matthew P. Arsenault, RealCearDefense: “Clashing Strategies: Mosaic Warfare and China's System Destruction Warfare in a Taiwan Conflict”
PLA Maneuvers Near Taiwan in December:
Misperceptions and Strategic Realities
By Yu-cheng Chen, The Diplomat: “Although China continues to employ military force as a primary tool for deterring Taiwan, the recent series of military activities differs significantly from previous operations.”
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