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April 14th, 2021
General Tod Wolters, the dual-hatted top commander of U.S. European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 13 as part of a review of the 2022 Pentagon authorization request and the Future Years Defense Program. He appeared primarily in his first capacity, though the two roles are coterminous. As top NATO commander he can requisition the military assets of thirty nations with a combined population of over one billion people.
Next year's National Defense Authorization Act will include a base budget of $715 billion and a total allotment of $753 billion, in nominal dollars the largest military expenditure in the history of the world and in real dollars the most the Pentagon has been granted since the end of World War II. By Rick Rozoff Read the full story >
Biden to Proceed With Trump's $23 Billion UAE Arms Sale After pausing it for a "review," the Biden administration has told Congress it is proceeding with a massive $23.4 billion weapons sale to the UAE that was first advanced by President Trump.
The arms package includes F-35 fighter jets, reaper drones, and munitions and is Abu Dhabi's reward from the Trump administration for normalizing ties with Israel. An effort to block the sale failed in the Senate in December.
According to Reuters, a State Department spokesperson said the Biden Administration was proceeding with the deal "even as we continue reviewing details and consulting with Emirati officials." By Dave DeCamp
Push Saudi Arabia To End the Assault on Yemen More than six years ago Saudi Arabia attacked Yemen. The goal was to reinstall a friendly president to do Riyadh's bidding. The royal regime assumed the campaign would be over in six weeks.
Yet again the gods punished hubris and made the vainglorious pay a terrible price.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was merely the latest wealthy, technologically advanced nation to underestimate its adversary. Nader Hashemi, who directs the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, observed: "The Houthis have proven to be a formidable fighting force. Saudi Arabia does not have a comparable ground game that can match their adversaries."
The movement Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, fought the Yemeni central government for years. In 2015 the group joined its old adversary, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to oust his presidential successor, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. This political game of musical chairs was unexceptional, reflecting the usual vagaries of Yemeni politics. By Doug Bandow Putin and Xi Have Red Lines, Too In recent days, Russian tanks, artillery, armor, trucks and troops have been moving by road and rail ever closer to Ukraine, and Moscow is said to be repositioning its 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade in Crimea. Military sources in Kyiv estimate there are now 85,000 Russian troops between six and 25 miles from Ukraine's northern and eastern borders.
"I have real concerns about Russia's actions on the borders of Ukraine. There are more Russian forces massed on those borders than at any time since 2014 when Russia first invaded," said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday's "Meet the Press." Blinken added this warning:
"President Biden's been very clear about this. If Russia acts recklessly, or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences." By Patrick J .Buchanan The Biden administration risks creating a crisis with Russia with its ill-considered shows of support for the Ukrainian government. President Biden expressed his "unwavering support" for Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, and there are reports that U.S. ships may be sent into the Black Sea to "send a message" to Russia. Zelenskiy has also started calling on the US and NATO to expedite Ukraine's membership in the alliance in a "signal" to Moscow in response to a buildup of Russian forces along the border. "NATO is the only way to end the war in Donbass," Zelensky has said. It would be more accurate to say that talk of NATO membership is a good way to ensure that the war in the Donbass escalates and spreads. By Daniel Larison Iran to Enrich Uranium to 60 Percent in Retaliation for Sabotage In a move that seems set to greatly complicate ongoing talks over the JCPOA nuclear deal, the Iranian government has announced it will install more new centrifuges, and will begin enriching uranium up to 60%, by far the highest they've ever attempted. By Jason Ditz
Taliban Won't Attend Peace Talks Until US Leaves Afghanistan Immortal Technique on Slavery, Israel-Palestine and the Politicization of American Society Could the Philippines Drag the US Into War with China? Do you want more news? Keep your finger on the pulse of US foreign policy. Subscribe to our Daily Digest and each evening, the day's top news stories and editorials are delivered straight to your email. Please support our work by signing up. Subscribe now >Antiwar.com, 1017 El Camino Real #306, Redwood City, CA 94063 | 323 512 7095 | www.antiwar.com
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