There are no plans right now to release videos of U.S. fighter jets shooting down unidentified flying objects (UFOs) over North America last month, according to the Pentagon.
Footage of the &#8220;high altitude objects and the takedown of those objects exists,&#8221; a Department of Defense (DoD) spokesperson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-fighter-jets-shooting-down-ufos-alaska-is-classified-wont-be-released-pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a>. However, imagery of the flying objects &#8220;remains classified, and I have not received any information as to the potential timeline on a change in classification,&#8221; a DoD representative <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11907515/Pentagon-REFUSES-release-shot-UFO-footage-North-America.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained to the Daily Mail</a>.
Early last month, after U.S. jets shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina following a flyover of the United States, at least <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-suspends-lake-huron-search-for-ufo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three mysterious UFOs</a> were reported to have been blasted by missiles over Alaska, a remote part of Canada, and Lake Huron.
Just what these three objects were remains a subject of some mystery, though there is speculation that at least one of them was an <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/hobby-group-wonders-f-22-121500821.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois hobby club&#8217;s balloon</a>. U.S. and Canadian officials said the UFOs were blasted out of the sky over concerns that they endangered civilian aircraft and possibly were conducting surveillance.
While imagery of the objects may not be released, The Drive <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/listen-to-f-16-pilots-intercept-the-octagon-object-over-lake-huron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published cockpit audio</a> from the F-16 fighter jet pilots sent to intercept the UFO over Lake Huron. In their communications, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/audio-released-from-f-16-fighter-jets-as-they-intercepted-object-over-lake-huron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the pilots described</a> seeing a small object, possibly a balloon, with strings attached.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed that one missile fired by a U.S. fighter jet missed the UFO over Lake Huron and that missile landed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-suspends-lake-huron-search-for-ufo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“harmlessly” in the lake</a>. A second missile from an F-16 brought down the flying object.
U.S. and Canadian officials conducted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-suspends-lake-huron-search-for-ufo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">searches for debris</a> from the flying objects, but these expeditions were eventually <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/us/politics/search-ended-ufos-balloons.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called off</a> due to complications such as winter weather and wild terrain, raising the prospect that the UFOs would never be found and identified.
During a public address on February 16, President Joe Biden said intelligence officials assessed that the three objects were most likely balloons &#8220;tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research,&#8221; and probably not surveillance balloons from another country.
In stark contrast to what happened with the three UFOs, the U.S. military completed a salvage operation of the Chinese balloon in the Atlantic Ocean and even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-releases-new-close-up-photo-of-chinese-spy-balloon-flying-over-u-s-before-it-was-shot-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a selfie</a> taken by the pilot of a U-2 spy plane that was monitoring the vessel before it was shot down.

Gen. Mark Milley, right, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

Pentagon Refuses To Release ‘Classified’ Imagery Of UFOs Shot Down Over North America

Pentagon Refuses To Release 'Classified' Imagery Of UFOs Shot Down Over North America

Canada

Department of Defense

National Security

Pentagon

Science

World

A drone of Iranian origin killed one U.S. contractor and wounded five service members and another contractor in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/syria" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syria</a> on Thursday.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pentagon</a> disclosed the attack in a press release Thursday evening, saying that the U.S. military carried out airstrikes against affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which the U.S. <a href="https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designated</a> as a terror group in 2019.
“At the direction of President Biden, I authorized U.S. Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC),” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3339691/us-conducts-airstrikes-in-syria-in-response-to-deadly-uav-attack/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC.”
The U.S. airstrikes came after a one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility for coalition forces near Hasakah in northeast Syria on Thursday afternoon. Of the six wounded in the attack, two service members were treated on site and the others and the U.S. contractor were transported to medical facilities in Iraq, the Department of Defense said.
“As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing,” Austin said. “No group will strike our troops with impunity.”
“Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the contractor who was killed and with those who were wounded in the attack earlier today,” he added.
The incident in Syria comes as U.S. and foreign officials have grown increasingly concerned over the state of Iran’s nuclear program. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-us-general-says-iran-could-produce-a-nuke-within-several-months-2023-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> lawmakers during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday that Iran is “several more months” away from producing an “actual nuclear weapon.”
The scenario has alarmed Israeli officials who in recent months have been increasingly outspoken about the threat of a nuclear Iran and Israel’s determination to act and stop such an outcome. Israeli officials have reportedly <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/22/israel-iran-enriching-uranium-above-60-israeli-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> officials in the U.S. and Europe that Israel will strike Iran if it enriches uranium past a 60% threshold. Uranium is weapons-grade after it is enriched up to 90%.
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At the same time, Iran has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-could-strike-iran-in-months-unless-u-s-steps-in-former-israeli-general-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bolstered</a> by Russia and China. Russia is reportedly considering supplying Iran with S-400 missile systems, an anti-air missile system that Israel fears could protect Iran’s nuclear facilities from an airstrike. China has helped Iran build diplomatic ties in the region, serving as the middle man for a recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Lloyd Austin

U.S. Contractor Killed, Service Members Wounded In Drone Strike

Conflicts

Iran

Syria

The Pentagon said Tuesday that defense officials would deploy U.S. Patriot missile defense systems and Abram tanks to Ukrainian forces much earlier than expected as troops wrap up an “aggressive” training schedule on American soil.
Over the last couple of months, about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-press-sec-says-ukrainian-forces-to-start-training-on-u-s-air-defense-system-on-american-soil-next-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">65 Ukrainian troops</a> learned how to operate, maintain and sustain the defensive system at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, which was initially supposed to last longer. Fort Sill officials told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/politics/us-patriots-ukraine/index.html#:~:text=US%20Patriot%20missile%20defense%20systems,days%2C%20the%20defense%20officials%20said." target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> that the Ukrainian troops included men and women ranging from 19 to 67 years old.
Brig. Gen. Shane Morgan, commanding general of the Army’s Fires Center of Excellence, said, according to CNN, that the Ukrainian soldiers were “hand-picked by their country” that quickly learned the complex equipment.
“Due to their extensive air defense knowledge and experience in a combat zone, it was easier — though it’s never easy — for them to grasp the Patriot System Operations and Maintenance concepts,” Morgan said. “Their higher education and their certification certainly aided their training — they are the best of the best in what they do in air defense for Ukraine.”
As reported by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/what-is-patriot-missile-defense-system-2022-12-21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>, the Patriot, an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is an advanced U.S. air defense system built by Raytheon Technologies Corp with theater-wide surface-to-air missile defense. While the manufacturers designed the system to intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles, Reuters writes it could also strike down “kamikaze” drones Russian forces have frequently used to destroy Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
Raytheon reported Patriot systems had intercepted over 150 ballistic missiles in combat since 2015.
Meanwhile, Pentagon officials shifted original plans to provide Ukraine with 31 tanks of the M1A2 Abrams model but decided to refurbish existing M1A1 Abrams tanks to accelerate the delivery process by this fall.
But as the war between Russia and Ukraine heightens, the U.S. wants to accelerate delivering military-grade equipment across the Atlantic and into the possession of Ukrainian troops.
“The Pentagon is working as fast as they can,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday on MSNBC when asked about the tanks. “We’re working on that,” adding, “there’s some changes that you can make to the process to sort of speed that up.”
U.S. officials authorized speeding up the delivery of tanks and Patriots after Ukraine reportedly said it’s planning to launch more attacks in the spring against Russian forces. Once the soldiers finish their training in the coming days, Politico reported they would travel back to an undisclosed location in Europe to join other troops learning similar defense systems supplied by German and Dutch allies.
Officials told the outlet that those troops would return to the battlefield with the new Patriot equipment in the coming weeks.
NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ukraine-russia-training-patriots-air-defense-rcna65142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Russian President Vladimir Putin called the system outdated and said Russia would “knock down” the Patriots.

3-2 Field Operations

Pentagon Officials Accelerate Patriot Air Defense Systems, Abrams Tanks Delivery To Ukraine

Biden Administration

Russia

U.S.

Ukraine-Russia War

The Department of Defense (DoD) reportedly spends about $130,000 a day on border wall materials that are sitting in storage.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that the cancelation of the border wall contracts by the Biden administration in 2021 &#8220;left a variety of excess materials&#8221; and the &#8220;total costs to store, maintain, and secure all the materials across all sites is estimated to be approximately $130,000 per day,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dod-spends-nearly-50-million-year-to-do-nothing-trumps-border-wall-materials-drawing-gop-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Fox News</a>.
&#8220;Some of these materials, to include security cameras, overhead lights, and electrical and stormwater materials are being disposed of in accordance with federal excess material disposal laws and regulations,&#8221; the USACE added. &#8220;Overall, 61% of non-bollard panel materials, and 4% of bollard panel materials have been transferred to other government agencies or disposed of through the DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] disposition process. The total value of these materials is estimated at approximately $300 million. However, the cost to the government cannot be finalized until audits are completed and negotiations with contractors are concluded.&#8221;
Former President Donald Trump made building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a top campaign priority in 2016. Once in office, Trump&#8217;s administration appropriated about <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-02-07/how-much-of-president-donald-trumps-border-wall-was-built" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$15 billion</a> to build an estimated <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/11/texas-border-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">458 miles of the barrier</a> at the end of his four years in office.
During his first day in office, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-termination-of-emergency-with-respect-to-southern-border-of-united-states-and-redirection-of-funds-diverted-to-border-wall-construction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed a proclamation</a> to &#8220;pause&#8221; the construction project.
Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, led by ranking member Roger Wicker (R-MS), sent a letter to a top DoD official this week saying they &#8220;are disturbed to learn the Department of Defense is paying private landowners to store border wall materials procured under the Trump Administration instead of fortifying the southern border with those materials.&#8221;
The GOP senators urged the DoD to &#8220;pursue all possible avenues to sponsor or endorse the reuse of excess Department of Defense property, including further transfer to states.&#8221; The Republicans also posed a series of questions to Melissa Dalton, assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, including a request for details about the contracts for the storage and maintenance of the unused border wall materials that they estimated cost over $47 million in the past year.
&#8220;The Department of Defense should not be incurring these daily charges but should be using these funds to bolster national security,&#8221; the GOP senators wrote.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Republicans often criticize Biden for not doing more to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, not only to stop illegal crossings but also the flow of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmaker-says-he-would-arrest-mayorkas-if-he-could" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal drugs such as fentanyl</a>. Border authorities encountered <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/19/u-s-mexico-border-arrests-record-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 2 million aliens</a> in fiscal year 2022, according to federal data, a significant increase over the prior year.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-border-patrol-chief-bucks-dhs-secretary-mayorkas-the-u-s-southern-border-is-not-secure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified to House lawmakers</a> on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have operational control of the southern border, conflicting with a statement made by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Border wall construction

Defense Department Spends $130,000 A Day On Unused Border Wall Materials: Report

DoD Spends $130,000 A Day On Unused Border Wall Materials: Report

Border Wall

Illegal Immigration

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pentagon</a> worked closely with experts on facial recognition technology that could be used to identify people on footage captured from street cameras or drones.
New information about the government’s research was revealed in a trove of thousands of documents released as part of an open records lawsuit filed by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/aclu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Civil Liberties Union</a> (ACLU) against the FBI, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/03/07/facial-recognition-fbi-dod-research-aclu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>. The facial recognition technology sought would significantly boost the government’s surveillance capabilities.
The program was underwritten by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency (IARPA), part of the U.S. Intelligence Community. An IARPA program manager described the goal of the project in 2019 as to “dramatically improve” U.S. facial recognition tools with “scaling to support millions of subjects.”
The FBI is “committed to responsible use of facial recognition technology ensuring it appropriately respects individuals’ privacy and civil liberties,” the bureau told the Post in a statement. The Department of Defense did not immediately return The Daily Wire’s request for comment.
The research into facial recognition technology has alarmed some on Capitol Hill. Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced legislation on Tuesday that would prohibit the government from using facial recognition technology and other biotech tools, according to <a href="https://www.nextgov.com/technology-news/2023/03/lawmakers-intro-bill-ban-government-use-facial-recognition/383691/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nextgov</a>.
“The year is 2023, but we are living through 1984. The continued proliferation of surveillance tools like facial recognition technologies in our society is deeply disturbing,” Markey said in a statement. “Biometric data collection poses serious risks of privacy invasion and discrimination, and Americans know they should not have to forgo personal privacy for safety. As we work to make our country more equitable, we cannot ignore the technologies that stand in the way of progress and perpetuate injustice.”
Concerns over government use of facial recognition technology are bipartisan. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio <a href="https://fox59.com/news/republicans-and-democrats-concerned-about-facial-recognition-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in 2021 that law enforcement could be risking civil rights violations by utilizing the technology.
“There are serious first amendment, fourth amendment concerns about the use of FRT by law enforcement,” Jordan said.
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The ACLU <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/10/31/aclu-sues-fbi-doj-over-facial-recognition-technology-criticizing-unprecedented-surveillance-secrecy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> the FBI over the research into facial recognition technology in 2019.
“These technologies have the potential to enable undetectable, persistent, and suspicionless surveillance on an unprecedented scale,” ACLU attorneys wrote at the time. “Such surveillance would permit the government to pervasively track people’s movements and associations in ways that threaten core constitutional values.”

Surveillance camera

FBI, Pentagon Researched Facial Recognition Tech To Handle ‘Millions Of Subjects,’ Documents Say

ACLU

Facial Recognition

Politics

Technology

Washington D.C.

The U.S. Military released a selfie taken by the pilot of a U-2 spy plane that was monitoring the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> spy balloon that was shot down earlier this month off the coast of South Carolina.
The spy balloon was first detected over U.S. airspace on January 28 and was shot down a week later after President Joe Biden allowed it to travel across the entire country, flying over sensitive military sites.
The photo was taken as it hovered over the Central Continental United States February 3, 2023, the Pentagon said.
CNN first reported the existence of the photo.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
News: DoD has released a selfie taken in the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane, as an airman flew above the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down by the US military earlier this month. 
 CNN first reported the existence of the selfie. <a href="https://t.co/4TBsBnFdk4">pic.twitter.com/4TBsBnFdk4</a>
&mdash; Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZcohenCNN/status/1628497300891791360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The U.S. Department of Defense just released this photo of the Chinese government spy balloon that was taken by the pilot of a U-2 spy plane. <a href="https://t.co/gxXn4RiZTO">pic.twitter.com/gxXn4RiZTO</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 یاشار (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1628503718164566016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The spy balloon was finally shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4th when the U.S. military used an F-22 Raptor to down the object with a single air-to-air AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.
VanHerck, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), said that the balloon was up to 200 feet tall and weighed “in excess of a couple thousand pounds.”
After the spy balloon was shot down, the U.S. subsequently downed three more unidentified objects over Alaska, Lake Huron, and Canada.
“It is also common for U.S. balloons to illegally enter the airspace of other countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed without evidence. “Since last year, U.S. high-altitude balloons have illegally flown over China’s airspace more than 10 times without the approval of Chinese authorities.”
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that the communist nation’s claims were a lie and that China was trying to deflect from the embarrassing situation they have caused.
“It is China that has a high-altitude surveillance balloon program for intelligence collection, connected to the People’s Liberation Army, that it has used to violate the sovereignty of the United States and over 40 countries across five continents,” Watson tweeted.
“This is the latest example of China scrambling to do damage control,” she continued. “It has repeatedly and wrongly claimed the surveillance balloon it sent over the United States was a weather balloon and to this day has failed to offer any credible explanations for its intrusion into our airspace and the airspace of others.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Chinese spy balloon flying above Charlotte

Pentagon Releases New Close-Up Photo Of Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over U.S. Before It Was Shot Down

Communist China

Espionage

Military

Former Director of National Intelligence <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-ratcliffe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Ratcliffe</a> rejected the claim that three Chinese spy balloons &#8220;transited&#8221; the United States during Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency.
The suspected Chinese balloon that traversed across the lower 48 states before being shot down off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday represented an &#8220;unprecedented national security blunder of incalculable damage,&#8221; Ratcliffe said during <a href="https://rumble.com/v28fmmk-john-ratcliffe-the-biden-administration-committed-an-unprecedented-blunder-.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Fox News interview</a> on Sunday.
Anchor Maria Bartiromo then asked Ratcliffe to respond to what she said was the Department of Defense claiming three Chinese spy balloons entered U.S. airspace during the Trump administration, they were not shot down, and they were not disclosed.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not true. I can refute it,&#8221; Ratcliffe responded. He said his view is backed by other Trump administration officials, including <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-over-us-02-04-23/h_1f1e4d057e1aa906e5ef3b686e63527b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former Defense Secretary Mark Esper</a>, who said he does not recall Chinese surveillance balloons traversing the skies over the United States.
On Saturday, a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-over-us-02-04-23/h_1f1e4d057e1aa906e5ef3b686e63527b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">senior U.S. defense official</a> said Chinese government surveillance balloons &#8220;transited the continental United States briefly at least three times during the prior administration and once that we know of at the beginning of this administration, but never for this duration of time,&#8221; according to CNN.
Ratcliffe insisted the American people can refute the Biden administration&#8217;s claim for themselves.
&#8220;Do you remember during the Trump administration when photographers on the ground and commercial airline pilots were talking about a spy balloon over the United States that people could look up and see even with the naked eye and that the media that hated Donald Trump wasn&#8217;t reporting? I don&#8217;t remember that either because it didn&#8217;t happen,&#8221; he said.
Trump himself <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109812699029727017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a denial</a> on his social media platform on Sunday.
&#8220;The Chinese Balloon situation is a disgrace, just like the Afghanistan horror show, and everything else surrounding the grossly incompetent Biden Administration,&#8221; Trump posted to Truth Social. &#8220;They are only good at cheating in elections, and disinformation — and now they are putting out that a Balloon was put up by China during the Trump Administration, in order to take the &#8216;heat&#8217; off the slow moving Biden fools. China had too much respect for &#8216;TRUMP&#8217; for this to have happened, and it NEVER did. JUST FAKE DISINFORMATION!&#8221;
The U.S. government first publicly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-spy-balloon-hovering-over-united-states-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged a suspected reconnaissance balloon</a> on Thursday as it was spotted over Billings, Montana, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-flying-over-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">near a military base</a> that houses 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles after it traveled above the Aleutian Islands and through Canada.
While China&#8217;s government claimed the balloon was a &#8220;civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes&#8221; and essentially got blown off course, the Pentagon rejected that explanation on Friday, calling it a &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-is-maneuverable-has-changed-direction-at-60000-feet-pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maneuverable</a>&#8221; surveillance balloon. The Pentagon also expressed concern that shooting the balloon down over land could create a debris field that would endanger people below.
The balloon was destroyed off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, a moment caught on video. An F-22 Raptor shot down the balloon with one air-to-air A9X sidewinder missile, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-video-emerges-of-chinese-spy-balloon-being-shot-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a senior U.S. military official</a>. The Pentagon said a <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3288618/senior-defense-official-and-senior-military-official-hold-an-off-camera-on-back/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recovery operation would follow</a>. China&#8217;s foreign ministry <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/04/us/politics/chinese-spy-balloon-shot-down.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded by condemning</a> the United States for &#8220;an excessive reaction that seriously violates international convention&#8221; and warned that Beijing &#8220;retains the right to respond further.&#8221;
Ratcliffe, a former U.S. congressman who served as the nation&#8217;s spy chief from May 2020 until the end of Trump&#8217;s administration in January 2021, called it an &#8220;incredibly successful intelligence operation&#8221; for China. He also said other foreign adversaries such as Iran, Russia, and North Korea are watching and likely &#8220;thrilled&#8221; by the possibilities this scenario presents them.

John Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe Shoots Down Claim That Three Chinese Balloons Crossed Over U.S. Under Trump

Balloon

China

Donald Trump

Global Politics

The United States is tracking a high-flying, suspected Chinese spy balloon over the lower 48 states.
Here is what we know so far:
Where is it?
The Pentagon first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-spy-balloon-hovering-over-united-states-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged the suspected reconnaissance balloon</a> on Thursday as it was spotted over Billings, Montana, after it flew over Alaska&#8217;s Aleutian Islands and through Canada, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-found-northern-us-rcna68879" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to NBC News</a>.
On Friday, the Pentagon said the balloon was above the central continental United States, moving eastward, and could be over the United States for a few more days. Its exact whereabouts were unclear as of early Friday afternoon, however there were some indications that it could be somewhere over northeast Kansas or Missouri. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1621627742289645568" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> that she had &#8220;received reports of the suspected Chinese spy balloon&#8221; over the northeastern part of her state Friday afternoon and had &#8220;reached out to the White House&#8221; about taking precautions.
The suspected surveillance balloon is expected to cross into central and southern Missouri Saturday morning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration&#8217;s (NOAA) HYSPLIT model, a system that projects air parcel trajectories, Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/chinese-spy-balloon-forecast-predicted-trajectory-us-states-1778786" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Other predictions show that the balloon could travel over Kentucky, Tennessee, and toward the Carolinas in the coming days.
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Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RogerMarshallMD</a> says the suspected Chinese spy balloon is over northeast Kansas as of 12:15 p.m. <a href="https://t.co/KQLuPd76xu">https://t.co/KQLuPd76xu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KAKEnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KAKEnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/03UgpHg14M">pic.twitter.com/03UgpHg14M</a>
&mdash; KAKE News (@KAKEnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/KAKEnews/status/1621575734249521155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Lots of interest in suspected Chinese spy balloon. Recent sighting north of Kansas City. Forward trajectory based on atmospheric steering currents would bring it close to St. Louis tonight &amp; into North Carolina Saturday. Follow Wash Post live updates here: <a href="https://t.co/mHZpCHHQes">https://t.co/mHZpCHHQes</a> <a href="https://t.co/JKvL78Ve0w">pic.twitter.com/JKvL78Ve0w</a>
&mdash; Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) <a href="https://twitter.com/capitalweather/status/1621578390149922817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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We have had several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon. It is now visible from our office in Pleasant Hill and the KC Metro. We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon. <a href="https://t.co/CKQWOw7God">pic.twitter.com/CKQWOw7God</a>
&mdash; NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSKansasCity/status/1621562137717141505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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What is it?
China&#8217;s government claimed on Friday the balloon is a &#8220;civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes.&#8221; Beijing claimed the balloon essentially got blown off course.
The Pentagon rejected this explanation on Friday, describing the balloon as being a &#8220;surveillance balloon&#8221; that &#8220;violated U.S. airspace and international law,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-us/h_5754e4ddc7a5bd188d2053f432920320" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per CNN</a>.
Is the balloon a threat?
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder says the balloon <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3287173/dod-statement-on-high-altitude-surveillance-balloon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently does not</a> &#8220;present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.&#8221;
He added that the balloon was &#8220;traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic.&#8221;
Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china-expresses-regret-that-civilian-airship-strays-over-us-2023-02-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the balloon is a &#8220;clear violation&#8221; of U.S. sovereignty and that the incident is an &#8220;irresponsible act&#8221; by China. &#8220;The first step is to get the surveillance aircraft out of our airspace,&#8221; he <a href="https://twitter.com/kylieatwood/status/1621615872187015169" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
What could the balloon be looking for?
Multiple reports have noted the suspected spy balloon was spotted near a base in Montana that houses 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
A senior defense official <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/blinken-trip-to-china-postponed-after-spy-balloon-spotted-over-u-s-11675437406" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Wall Street Journal</a> the U.S. government was taking steps to shield sensitive sites while stressing such a balloon is believed to offer China &#8220;limited additive value&#8221; beyond what it could gather from satellites.
What does the balloon look like?
KSVI-TV, a news station in Montana, <a href="https://www.yourbigsky.com/billings-beat/picture-of-what-appears-to-be-a-top-secret-satellite-balloon-taken-from-ground-in-mt-faa-not-making-statement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published a photo</a> taken by Megan Nielsen from the ground in the state. It shows what appears to be a device attached to a white balloon.
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PHOTO 🚨 The giant Chinese spy balloon over Montana &#8211; KSVI-TV <a href="https://t.co/Kkob5ECTuU">pic.twitter.com/Kkob5ECTuU</a>
&mdash; Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1621289531419795456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Is the balloon being controlled?
Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Friday the balloon is at about 60,000 feet in the air and is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/suspected-chinese-spy-balloon-is-maneuverable-has-changed-direction-at-60000-feet-pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;maneuverable.&#8221;</a>
He did not share any more details on how it could be controlled, but said the U.S. is communicating with China.
Why not shoot it down?
The U.S. has determined that shooting down the balloon could endanger people on the ground, according to a senior defense official.
&#8220;President Biden was briefed and asked for military options. Secretary [Lloyd] Austin convened senior DOD leadership yesterday, even as he was on the road in the Philippines,&#8221; the official said during a briefing Thursday, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-shoot-down-balloon-chinese-spy-orb-1778817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Newsweek</a>.
&#8220;It was the strong recommendation by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Milley, and the commander of NORTHCOM, General VanHerck, not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field,&#8221; the official added.
Ryder <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-us/h_c97d212b03202241e7ee28fc83830ef4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters on Friday</a>: &#8220;In terms of the size, I&#8217;m not able to get into the specifics other than to say that it is big enough that, again, in reviewing our approach, we do recognize that any potential debris field would be significant and potentially cause civilian injuries or deaths, or significant property damage.&#8221;
Still, there are those who are demanding the balloon be shot down. &#8220;I&#8217;d pull the trigger if they let me,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanZinke/status/1621537361262792704" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT)</a>.
Are there more of them?
Canada&#8217;s military said it is monitoring a &#8220;potential second incident,&#8221; and the country&#8217;s intelligence agencies are in contact with their U.S. counterparts, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/02/03/canadas-military-tracking-surveillance-balloon-possible-twin-to-one-over-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per the Toronto Star</a>.
Ryder, over at the Pentagon, told reporters on Friday the U.S. is <a href="https://twitter.com/DanLamothe/status/1621559545834213377" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tracking one balloon</a> and referred questions about a possible second balloon to the Canadian government.
Broadly speaking, <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3287173/dod-statement-on-high-altitude-surveillance-balloon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Pentagon says</a>: &#8220;Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years.&#8221;
What is the fallout from this balloon controversy?
Blinken <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/secretary-of-state-blinken-will-postpone-china-trip-over-spy-balloon-incident" target="_blank" rel="noopener">postponed a planned trip</a> to China this weekend. &#8220;I told [Central Foreign Affairs Office] Director Wang [Yi] that the United States remains committed to diplomatic engagement with China and that I plan to visit Beijing when conditions allow. In the meantime, the United States will continue to maintain open lines of communication with China, including to address this ongoing incident,&#8221; Blinken said.
Some lawmakers, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-alarmed-montana-gop-sen-steve-daines-wants-briefing-from-secdef-about-chinese-spy-balloon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1621311735914266626" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)</a>, demanded briefings from the Biden administration.
The United Nations called on the U.S. and China to &#8220;do whatever they can to lower tensions,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/suspected-chinese-balloon-us/h_5c2f8151342068431cbbbba39e903f0c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>.
This is a developing news story; check back in for updates.

What We Know About The Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Flying Over United States

The U.S. Department of Defense said Friday that service members discharged for refusal to comply with the COVID vaccine requirement might receive back pay after Pentagon officials repealed the mandate last week.
Pentagon officials ended the coronavirus vaccine mandate for the U.S. Military, which was instituted in August 2021, after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) forced an end to the program after Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote in a memo on Tuesday that officials had formally rescinded the vaccine mandate for the U.S. Military and the National Guard, which <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/13/pentagon-back-pay-troops-covid-vaccine-mandate-00077902">Politico</a> reported &#8220;opened the door to reinstating troops&#8221; who believe they were wrongfully discharged.
However, officials still have not decided whether such service members would receive back pay.
&#8220;The Department is still exploring this and will provide its views on legislation of this nature at the appropriate time and through the appropriate process,&#8221; Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Charlie Dietz told the news outlet in a Friday email.
At the Biden administration&#8217;s direction, the Defense Department discharged more than 8,400 troops from the military, including some 3,300 Marines, 1,800 soldiers, 1,800 sailors, and 900 airmen that decided to forego taking the vaccine.
A federal judge wrote in December that thousands of other troops sought medical and religious exemptions.
Still, Secretary Austin said in the <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/10/2003143118/-1/-1/1/SECRETARY-OF-DEFENSE-MEMO-ON-RESCISSION-OF-CORONAVIRUS-DISEASE-2019-VACCINATION-REQUIREMENTS-FOR-MEMBERS-OF-THE-ARMED-FORCES.PDF">memo</a> that more than two million service members and about 96% of active duty and reserve forces had been fully vaccinated.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-house-leader-kevin-mccarthy-the-covid-vax-mandate-on-our-military-is-ending">asserted</a> that President Joe Biden and Austin opposed repealing the Defense Department&#8217;s vaccine mandate.
&#8220;Secretary Austin&#8217;s been very clear that he opposes the repeal of the vaccine mandate, and the president actually concurs with the secretary of defense,&#8221; Kirby stated, adding that Biden &#8220;continues to believe that all Americans, including those in the armed forces, should be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 . . . Vaccines are saving lives including our men and women in uniform.&#8221;
President Biden, however, eventually signed the bill after it made its way through Congress.
Former Vice President Mike Pence told <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3810810-pence-discharged-military-members-should-be-reinstated-get-back-pay-over-vaccine-mandates/">The Hill</a> last week after the Pentagon rescinded the mandate that Biden should reinstate the discharged troops with back pay, calling the initial decision to force service members to take the shot &#8220;unconscionable.&#8221;
&#8220;I think now that Secretary Austin has implemented what Congress passed into law, lifting the vaccine mandate on members of our armed forces, now I&#8217;m calling on the Biden administration and the Pentagon to reinstate every man and woman that was discharged from our armed forces because they refused to take the vaccine, and give them 100 percent back pay for the time after they were discharged,&#8221; Pence said.
Pence, who led the White House COVID task force during the Trump administration and supported Operation Warp Speed, which developed the vaccine years ahead of schedule, said the administration never supported mandating the shot, arguing such requirements contributed to why many Americans were skeptical about getting vaccinated.
&#8220;And I understand the concern that people in this country have about the vaccines, but I really believe it ultimately finds its origins in the fact that a vaccine mandate came along and people were required to take it.&#8221;

DHS Secretary Mayorkas Visits FEMA Community Vaccination Center In Philadelphia

Pentagon Officials ‘Exploring’ Back Pay For Troops Discharged For Refusing COVID Vaccine

Pentagon 'Exploring' Back Pay Options For Troops Discharged After Refusing COVID Vaccine 

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Mike Pence

Vaccine Mandate

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Navy</a> Secretary Carlos Del Toro <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2023/01/navy-secretary-warns-if-defense-industry-cant-boost-production-arming-both-ukraine-and-us-may-become-challenging/381722/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> to reporters Wednesday at the 2023 Surface Navy Association National Symposium in Arlington, Virginia, that the military may face a &#8220;challenging&#8221; decision within the next six months to either continue arming itself or aid Ukraine amid a weapon production shortage.
Del Toro&#8217;s remarks came after reporters asked him for a response to comments made at the conference by Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, who said that the Navy may be faced with a decision halfway through the year regarding whether it needs to arm itself or arm Ukraine.
“With regards to deliveries of weapons systems for the fight in Ukraine … yeah, that&#8217;s always a concern for us,&#8221; Del Toro said. “And we monitor that very, very closely.”
Del Toro later said on Twitter that he doesn&#8217;t believe the U.S. has reached that point yet, &#8220;but if the conflict does go on for another six months, for another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging.”
Del Toro joined dozens of military members, defense industry officials, and members of Congress at the conference held January 10 to 12, which focused on discussions about national defense and security, Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/us-run-out-weapons-ukraine-navy-secretary-1773120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Pentagon officials report that the United States has funded Ukraine with more than $24.2 billion in security assistance since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Officials said that such aid had funded ammunition, vehicles, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, radar systems, small arms, artillery, air defense systems, anti-aircraft, and anti-armor systems.
Defense One <a href="https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2023/01/navy-secretary-warns-if-defense-industry-cant-boost-production-arming-both-ukraine-and-us-may-become-challenging/381722/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> most of the U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine came from Army stockpiles. However, U.S. officials said they would begin sending RIM-7 Sea Sparrow anti-air missiles to Ukraine, which come as part of a $2.85 billion presidential drawdown <a href="https://news.usni.org/2023/01/06/u-s-sending-ukraine-sea-sparrow-missiles-in-latest-aid-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last week.
&#8220;The DOD and particularly [United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks] has been working very, very closely with industry, to motivate them to find out what their challenges or obstacles are, to be able to increase their own production rates,&#8221; Del Toro said.
The secretary noted that Hicks has worked alongside other officials who have started making progress.
&#8220;It&#8217;s obvious that these companies have a substantial pipeline for the future,&#8221; Del Toro wrote. &#8220;They now need to invest in their people, again, their workforce, as well as the capital investments that they have to make within their own companies to get their production rates up.”
&#8220;So when that occurs, we&#8217;ll be in a better place,&#8221; he added. &#8220;How long that takes varies often weapon system to weapon system.&#8221;
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(1/5) To clarify earlier comments from the Secretary:
&quot;If the conflict does go on for another six months to another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging.
&mdash; Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro (@SECNAV) <a href="https://twitter.com/SECNAV/status/1613263073120231437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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During the conference, Adam. Caudle blamed weapons production delays on supply chain issues and labor shortages over the last three years caused by the pandemic, Defense One reported.
However, Caudle still accused weapon makers of using the pandemic as an excuse for missing deadlines to deliver more weapons.
&#8220;All this stuff about COVID this, parts, supply chain this, I just don’t really care,&#8221; Caudle said. &#8220;We’ve all got tough jobs.”
“We’re talking about war fighting and nation security and going against a competitor here and a potential adversary that is like nothing we’ve ever seen and we keep dilly dallying around with these deliveries,” the admiral added. “I don&#8217;t see good accountability and I don&#8217;t get to see good return on investment from the government [side], I really don&#8217;t.”
Pentagon officials <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3264235/ukrainian-troops-headed-to-us-for-patriot-missile-training/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> yesterday that approximately 100 Ukrainian soldiers would begin training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma on the Patriot Air Defense System as soon as next week amid ongoing aerial attacks from Russian forces.
Officials said the training with Ukrainian soldiers would last several months before delivering the Patriot system overseas.

US-politics-BIDEN-MILITARY

U.S. Navy Secretary Suggests Branch May Face Challenges Arming Itself And Ukraine Within Six Months Amid Weapons-Production Shortage: Report

U.S. Navy

The U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Defense</a> has ended its coronavirus vaccine mandate for the U.S. Military after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-house-leader-kevin-mccarthy-the-covid-vax-mandate-on-our-military-is-ending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced</a> an end to the program last month when the the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense policy bill, was passed.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote in a memo on Tuesday that he has rescinded the vaccine mandate for the U.S. Military and the National Guard.
&#8220;No individuals currently serving in the Armed Forces shall be separated solely on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds,&#8221; the memo said. &#8220;The Military Departments will update the records of such individuals to remove any adverse actions solely associated with denials of such requests, including letters of reprimand.&#8221;
&#8220;The Secretaries of the Military Departments will further cease any ongoing reviews of current Service member religious, administrative, or medical accommodation requests solely for exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine or appeals of denials of such requests,&#8221; the memo continued. &#8220;Religious liberty is a foundational principle of enduring importance in America, enshrined in our Constitution and other sources of Federal law. Service members have the right to observe the tenets of their religion or to observe no religion at all, as provided in applicable Federal law and Departmental policy.&#8221;
Austin said that Service members who were discharged over their refusal to take the vaccine can petition their Military Department&#8217;s Discharge Review Boards and Boards for Correction of Military or Naval Records to request a correction to the characterization of their discharge.
McCarthy, while serving as House Minority Leader, forced an end to the vaccine mandate last month after he <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3763875-lawmakers-agree-to-repeal-military-vaccine-mandate-in-defense-bill-over-pentagon-objections/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the NDAA would &#8220;not move&#8221; unless the mandate was removed from the bill.
“The end of President Biden’s military COVID vaccine mandate is a victory for our military and for common sense,” McCarthy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-house-leader-kevin-mccarthy-the-covid-vax-mandate-on-our-military-is-ending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement last month. “Last week, I told the president directly: it’s time to end the COVID vaccine mandate and rehire our service members.”
“Unfortunately, the mandate has already had negative consequences for our military: The Army and Navy missed their 2022 recruitment goals by thousands of service members,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;And, at the direction of the Biden administration, the Defense Department discharged 3,300 Marines, 1,800 soldiers, 1,800 sailors, and 900 airmen simply based on their personal decision to not take the COVID vaccine.”
McCarthy also demanded that the administration &#8220;correct service records and not stand in the way of re- enlisting any service member discharged simply for not taking the COVID vaccine.&#8221;
This report has been updated to include additional information.

U.S. Military Members Receive COVID-19 Vaccinations At Fort Knox

Pentagon Ends Vaccine Mandate For U.S. Military After Kevin McCarthy Demanded To End It

Kevin McCarthy

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> is preparing to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine to help its forces fend off Russian aerial attacks, according to multiple reports.
Pentagon officials are putting together a plan which would need to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, after which it would be subject to final approval by President Joe Biden.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/13/politics/us-patriot-missile-defense-system-ukraine/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Officials told CNN</a> that approval is expected, and an announcement could come as soon as this week. The White House, Pentagon, and State Department have so far declined to comment on the reports published on Tuesday.
The Patriot surface-to-air system, among the most advanced hardware provided to Ukraine in its efforts to fend off a full-scale Russian invasion that began in late February, is designed to counter missiles and aircraft. The Biden administration has already given about $20 billion in military aid to Ukraine over the course of the war, including mid-range defensive National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/13/patriot-missile-defense-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per The Washington Post</a>.
In recent months, Kyiv has pressed its Western allies for more sophisticated weapons. “Unfortunately, Russia still has the advantage in artillery and missiles,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech to the Group of 7 nations on Monday.
Although there has been concern about escalation provoking the ire of Moscow, Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine as the frigid conditions of winter return factored into the decision to push ahead with transferring the Patriot battery, officials <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-government-and-politics-ba8468e34e3c7eb78bdc47393c417ecb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Associated Press</a>. Other U.S. allies, including Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Japan, <a href="https://qz.com/1539125/all-the-countries-that-raytheon-now-supplies-with-its-patriot-missile-defense-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have purchased the Raytheon-made system</a>.
During a call with Zelensky on Sunday, Biden &#8220;highlighted how the U.S. is prioritizing efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense through our security assistance, including the December 9 announcement of $275 million in additional ammunition and equipment that included systems to counter the Russian use of unmanned aerial vehicles,&#8221; <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/11/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-president-zelenskyy-of-ukraine-11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a White House readout</a>. This comes amid reports of <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3770944-russia-using-more-iranian-made-drones-in-attacks-on-ukraine-infrastructure-think-tank/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia using Iranian-made drones</a> to attack infrastructure in places such as Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa.
Certain details about a Patriot system transfer remain unclear as of press time, including how many missile launchers would be sent to Ukraine. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/13/politics/us-patriot-missile-defense-system-ukraine/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Officials told CNN</a> that Ukrainians would be trained to use the systems at a U.S. Army base in Germany.

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