The U.S. Air Force is warning personnel that China is targeting current and former U.S. service members as part of an exploitation campaign to "fill gaps" in its military capabilities.

In a letter written by Gen. Charles Brown (PDF), chief of staff of the Air Force and nominee for Joint Chiefs Chairman, service members are warned that foreign companies doing business with the Chinese government are “targeting and recruiting U.S. and NATO-trained military talent across specialties and career fields.”

General Brown continues:

"By essentially training the trainer, many of those who accept contracts with these foreign companies are eroding our national security, putting the very safety of their fellow service members and the country at risk, and may be violating the law. Just as I am asking for your help, I have also asked for help from our allied Air Chiefs to address the same issue within their ranks. Protecting our national defense information is the responsibility of each
service member and veteran.”

Officials are urging current and former military personnel to report if they have been recruited to train foreign militaries.

The Pentagon refers to China as its “pacing threat” because its military growth, prowess, and plans rival those of the United States.

FBI Director Chris Wray further elaborated on the national security challenge posed by China during a public event this week in Washington:

“I’ve been very vocal since early in my tenure that there is no country—underline no country—that represents a broader, more severe counterintelligence threat to the United States than the People’s Republic of China."

The U.S. is not the only target for the Chinese recruitment efforts. Late last year the British government revealed that 30 former military pilots had gone on to train members of China's People's Liberation Army. In June, Der Spiegel reported on former Bundeswehr fighter pilots working as trainers in China.

This week the DoD announced an additional security assistance package valued at up to $175 million to help Ukraine counter Russia's invasion. The 46th drawdown of equipment from DOD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, the package includes additional air defense equipment, tank rounds such as the M829A4 (shown above) which use a depleted uranium sabot that acts as its penetrator, as well as assorted anti-tank weapons.

This week UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed that the Royal Air Force has been protecting cargo vessels carrying grain from Ukraine in the Black Sea. The mission includes surveillance aircraft and fourth-generation Typhoon fighter jets. The UK Ministry of Defence stepped up its activities in the region as Russia has continued its near nightly attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea and Danube seaports.

Readers are reminded that on July 17, Russia announced the withdrawal of guarantees for the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, declaring that all ships transiting to Ukrainian Black Sea ports are treated as military vessels irrespective of the cargo they are carrying. Three days later, Ukraine announced that it would consider any vessels heading toward Russian seaports and occupied Ukrainian seaports as carrying military cargo.

According to Downing Street: "Before Putin’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine was the world’s 5th largest wheat exporter, 4th largest corn exporter and 3rd largest rapeseed exporter. Grain ordinarily accounts for 41% of Ukrainian export revenue, and almost two thirds of the grain exported by the country goes to the developing world."

Extending Deterrence by Detection

In May 2022, the “Quad” nations — the U.S., Australia, Japan, and India — announced the creation of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to monitor illegal fishing, humanitarian crises, maritime security, marine conservation, and related issues in the region.

This study's authors argue that providing IPMDA with a small fleet of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) would bolster the quality and quantity of intelligence it produces, including both peacetime and potential wartime surveillance of the South China Sea, where China has concentrated the bulk of its antagonistic maritime activities.

~ READ MORE HERE (CSBA) ~

Growing Military Cooperation Between N. Korea and Russia

The White House’s acknowledgment of intelligence indicating a possible meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 10-13 to advance ongoing arms negotiations is only the latest evidence of a growing military alignment between the two countries.

~ READ MORE HERE (CSIS) ~

China: Preparing for War

China's President Xi is doubtless weighing the risk-reward ratio of launching an aggressive operation against Taiwan during US President Joe Biden's term of office. Xi is doubtless aware that his "window of opportunity" may be closing in 18 months, accompanied by a felicitously distracting US presidential election.

~ READ MORE HERE (Gatestone Institute) ~

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Sept 5, 2023 based on U.S. Navy, public data provided by the U.S. Naval Institute, and open source reporting.

AMERICAS

Biden to observe upcoming 9/11 anniversary in Alaska
Blinken pledges another billion in aid to Ukraine
Cuba uncovers Russia-Ukraine war trafficking ring
FBI Director Wray warns about number of Russian spies in the US
New Mexico governor suspends open carry in single county for 30 days…
NM sheriff tells tyrannical Governor he will not comply with gun ban
Eric Adams says illegal immigrant crisis will 'destroy New York City'
DoD: Growth in partnerships signals U.S. success in Indo-Pacific
Marine leader eyes drone swarm launched from above, beneath waves
MX Senator Xochitl Galvez hailed as opposition candidate for 2024 election
Panama announces new measures to curb migration through Darien Gap
Panama Canal water levels at historic lows, restrictions to remain
Fierce storm in southern Brazil kills at least 21 people
Colombia restarts peace talks with ex-FARC mafia, but violence persists
Security in Ecuador undone as drug cartels exploit the banana industry

EUROPE

Police search huge London park for escaped terrorism suspect
Russia redeploying troops amid 'pressure' on defensive lines
US envoy sees European security org as key to peace on continent
British forces to get new rifles designed in the US
Moscow warns of direct clash with NATO
NATO: Ukraine counteroffensive slow but making progress
U.K. Defense chief bullish on Ukraine’s spring offensive
Wagner to be declared a terrorist organization by UK
Poland eyeing F-15EX buy amid weapons buying spree
Demand for uranium for reactors seen jumping 28% by 2030 -report

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Passenger yelling “Allahu Akbar” tried to open plane door midflight
War against the Islamic State rages in Iraq and Syria
U.S. troops in Niger could drop by half as Pentagon repositions forces
Niger: France reportedly in talks for possible withdrawal of its troops
EU confirms official from Sweden detained in Iran
Israeli military kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank clashes
Jordan shoots down drug-laden drone from Syria in ninth incident
Syria: Dozens killed in fighting between SDF and Arab tribesmen
Nigeria's police tells universities to act to avert possible student unrest
Nigerian election tribunal upholds Tinubu's presidential win
Niger junta reopens airspace after coup - transport ministry
Gabon's coup leader sworn in, doesn’t say how long he’ll hold power
Infighting between rival US-backed groups in Syria could undermine war
UN: Humanitarian situation in Eastern DRC 'alarming'
Militants in Burkina Faso kill more than 50 fighters

ASIA / OCEANIA

Project to link India, Middle East and Europe via rail, waterways unveiled
China seeks to 'exploit' American, NATO military knowledge
China’s top chipmaker appears to have violated sanctions
Claim: N. Korean has stolen hundreds of millions to fund nuclear programs
North Korea launches 'tactical nuclear attack submarine'
More turmoil in Pakistan: Karachi residents left with dry taps
Taiwan: Dozens injured, widespread damage in wake of Typhoon Haikui
Mobile internet services suspended in Gilgit-Baltistan amid tensions

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