10.20.15

Vetoing American Security

As Global Crises Continue To Spread, President Obama’s Threat To Veto The Bipartisan Defense Bill Remains Unchanged

 

Q: “On the Hill yesterday, lawmakers reached a compromise on the annual defense authorization bill.” … JOSH EARNEST, White House Press Secretary: “…if the President got this bill he’d veto.” (White House Press Briefing, 9/30/15)

 

Strong Bipartisan Support For 2016 Defense Authorization Bill

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 passed the Senate 70-25. (H.R. 1735, Roll Call Vote #215, Bill Passed To 71-25: R 49-0; D 21-22; I 1-1, 6/18/15)

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 passed the House of Representatives 269-151. (H.R.1735, Roll Call Vote #239, Passed 269-151: R 228-8; D 41-143, 5/15/15)

Meanwhile China, Iran, Russia, North Korea & ISIL Are Making Headlines…

‘Syrian Pro-Regime Forces Backed By Russian Airstrikes Have Expanded Their Ground Offensive’

“Syrian pro-regime forces backed by Russian airstrikes have expanded their ground offensive to the strategic city of Aleppo, one of the clearest signs yet of how Russia’s recent military intervention has emboldened President Bashar al-Assad and his loyalists.” (“Syrian Regime, Backed By Russia, Iran And Hezbollah, Expands Ground Offensive To Aleppo,” Wall Street Journal, 10/19/15)

  • ‘This is the largest deployment of Russian forces outside the former Soviet Union since the collapse of the USSR’ “Russia's military build-up in Syria has grown to include the shipment of a half-dozen highly sophisticated battle tanks -- and more troops -- a defense official told Fox News, in what the source called the ‘first clear sign of offensive weapons arriving in Syria.’ The Pentagon has now tracked a total of 15 Russian Antonov-124 Condor flights into Syria, reflecting a steady stream of military cargo into Syria. According to the latest intelligence, this also includes the arrival of two more Russian cargo ships, containing the tanks. … The defense official, briefed on the latest satellite photos of the Syrian coastline, said: ‘This is the largest deployment of Russian forces outside the former Soviet Union since the collapse of the USSR.’” (“Russia Shipping Tanks Into Syria…” Fox News, 9/14/15)

 

Iran Violates UN Security Council Resolution, Tests ‘New… Long-Range Missile’

“Iran announced Sunday it had successfully tested a new domestically produced long-range missile without specifying its exact range. Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said the new missile ‘can be guided and controlled until hitting the target.’ The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power on Friday said the missile launched by Iran is a ‘medium-range ballistic missile inherently capable of delivering a nuclear weapon’. ‘This was a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1929,’ she said, echoing similar criticism from the French foreign ministry, adding that the US would seek action at the Security Council. Resolution 1929 prohibits Tehran from conducting ballistic missiles tests.” (“Iran Rejects Criticism Of Its Missile Test,” Yahoo News, 10/17/15)

 

‘Between 10,000 And 13,000 Islamic State Fighters Active In Iraq’

“Britain believes there are between 10,000 and 13,000 Islamic State fighters active in Iraq, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Tuesday. … ‘It is estimated ... that there are 10,000 to 13,000 active ISIL fighters in Iraq,’ he told lawmakers, using a different title for Islamic State.” (“Britain Says Up To 13,000 Islamic State Fighters Are Active In Iraq,” The Globe & Mail, 10/20/15)

 

‘Chinese Hacking On US Companies Persists,’ China ‘Straining Geopolitical Tensions … [With] Island-Building Spree’

“Chinese hacking attempts on American corporate intellectual property have occurred with regularity over the past three weeks, suggesting that China almost immediately began violating its newly minted cyber agreement with the United States, according to a newly published analysis by a cybersecurity company with close ties to the U.S. government. …‘We've seen no change in behavior,’ said Dmitri Alperovich, a founder of CrowdStrike…” (“Cybersecurity Firm: Chinese Hacking On US Companies Persists,” AP, 10/19/15)

  • “The Irvine, California-based company, CrowdStrike, says it documented seven Chinese cyberattacks against U.S. technology and pharmaceuticals companies ‘where the primary benefit of the intrusions seems clearly aligned to facilitate theft of intellectual property and trade secrets, rather than to conduct traditional national security-related intelligence collection.’” (“Cybersecurity Firm: Chinese Hacking On US Companies Persists,” AP, 10/19/15)

“China has been rapidly piling sand onto reefs in the South China Sea, creating seven new islets in the region. It is straining geopolitical tensions that were already taut. The speed and scale of China’s island-building spree have alarmed other countries with interests in the region.” (“What China Has Been Building In The South China Sea,” The New York Times, 9/23/15)

 

‘North Korea Is Preparing For A New Nuclear Test’

“North Korea is preparing for a new nuclear test, South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday, according to the Yonhap news agency.” (“Report: North Korea Prepping For New Nuclear Test,” USA Today, 10/20/15)

  • “North Korea conducted three nuclear tests between 2006 and February 2013, provoking sanctions from the United Nations Security Council. Analysts in the region have previously said that the North might conduct a fourth test to master the technology to build a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on an intercontinental ballistic missile, although the North claims it already has such know-how.” (“North Korea Said To Be Preparing For Nuclear Test,” New York Times, 10/20/15)

 

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Related Issues: National Security, Iraq, America's Military, ISIL, NDAA, Iran, North Korea