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Biden Admin Pleads With Iraq To Protect U.S. Troops in Region; Attacks on U.S. Troops in Middle East Spike Amid Military Buildup

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By Daily Caller. The Biden administration is urging the Iraqi government to protect American troops stationed in Iraq against attacks from Iranian-backed militias, according to multiple reports.

There have been 38 confirmed attacks against U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq since the Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, raising concerns of a broader regional conflict in the Middle East. The Biden administration believes the Iraqi government has the capacity to protect these U.S. forces within the region and hopes the country will do so, the State Department told Rudaw Media Network Bureau Chief Duyar Kurda.

‘We believe that the Iraqi government does have the ability to hold those groups accountable, and we believe that that work is ongoing,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told Kurda.

(Read more from “Biden Admin Pleads With Iraq To Protect U.S. Troops in Region From Attacks” HERE)

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Attacks on U.S. Troops in Middle East Spike Amid Military Buildup

By Politico. Attacks on American troops dramatically ramped up over the weekend, the Pentagon said Monday, as the U.S. military sent ships and a submarine into the region.

U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by rockets and drones 38 times since Oct. 17, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Monday, an increase from 31 on Friday afternoon. Forty-six service members in total have now reported injuries from the attacks, which he called “harassing,” he said.

Ryder did not specify the source of the attacks, but the Pentagon has recently blamed similar events on Iran-backed proxies.

Sunday was a particularly violent day, with five rocket and one-way drone attacks near Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq, and in two locations in Syria, according to a Defense Department official, who was granted anonymity to give details on a sensitive topic.

The U.S. military was able to thwart most of the attacks, the official said, adding that the majority of missiles and drones failed to reach their targets. (Read more from “Attacks on U.S. Troops in Middle East Spike Amid Military Buildup” HERE)

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Top U.S. Senators Warn Military Will Strike Iran Under Two Conditions

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Top U.S. Senators said over the weekend that they are introducing a bipartisan resolution calling for military strikes against Iran if its terror proxies in the Middle East kill any U.S. soldiers or if Hezbollah opens up a second front against Israel.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) made the remarks during a CNN interview Sunday morning with Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

The segment comes after Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis in an unprecedented terrorist attack last month and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group in Lebanon, has conducted small scale attacks against Israel as it weighs whether to launch a full-scale attack.

“It basically says, if the war expands, if Hezbollah opens up a second front in the north against Israel in a substantial way to overwhelm Iron Dome, then we should hit the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Graham said. “There is no Hamas without the Ayatollahs’ support. There is no Hezbollah without the Ayatollahs’ support. The great Satan in the region is not Israel or the United States. It’s Iran.” (Read more from “Top U.S. Senators Warn Military Will Strike Iran Under Two Conditions” HERE)

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Chinese Generals Rattle Sabers at U.S. On War Over Taiwan

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Chinese generals took aim at the U.S. military on Monday with blunt warnings that foreign forces in a war to take Taiwan will be crushed, but they also held out the prospect of ending a lengthy boycott on direct military-to-military talks with the Pentagon.

People’s Liberation Army Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said Monday in Beijing that the PLA will “show no mercy” in dealing with attempts by the U.S. or Taiwanese forces to seek independence from the mainland.

“No matter who wishes to separate Taiwan from China in any way, the Chinese military will never agree to it,” Gen. Zhang said. In a veiled reference to the United States, he said “some countries” are working to subvert the Chinese system.

Gen. Zhang also hinted that the PLA might end its 15-month refusal to engage in talks and exchanges with the U.S. military. The boycott was sparked by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile visit to Taiwan in the summer of 2022.

A second PLA general, Lt. Gen. He Lei, told state media at the conference that a PLA war on Taiwan would be “legitimate” and “just.” (Read more from “Chinese Generals Rattle Sabers at U.S. On War Over Taiwan” HERE)

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20+ U.S. Personnel Injured in Iran-Backed Attacks in Iraq, Syria

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The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday that two dozen American military personnel were injured during drone attacks by Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria last week.

CENTCOM told NBC News that 20 United States personnel suffered minor injuries during the October 18 drone attack on the al-Tanf military base in southern Syria. All of the injured personnel were able to return to duty, and the base suffered no significant damage.

Four more American military personnel were injured during two drone attacks on United States and coalition forces at the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq on October 18. All four of the injured personnel were able to return to duty. In one of those attacks, debris from an intercepted drone destroyed a small aircraft hangar.

CENTCOM’s remarks to NBC were the first public statement about casualties incurred during attacks by Iranian proxy forces since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. An umbrella group for the militias calling itself the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” (IRI) claimed it was able to kill several American soldiers with its attacks, but the Pentagon insisted there were no fatalities.

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Tuesday there were at least ten attacks against United States and coalition forces in Iraq between October 17 and 24, plus three in Syria, using “a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets.” (Read more from “20+ U.S. Personnel Injured in Iran-Backed Attacks in Iraq, Syria” HERE)

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Defense Secretary Issues Prepare-To-Deploy Orders for U.S. Troops to the Middle East

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed additional U.S. troops on prepare-to-deploy orders to the Middle East Sunday after speaking with President Joe Biden.

“I have placed an additional number of forces on prepare to deploy orders as part of prudent contingency planning, to increase their readiness and ability to quickly respond as required,” he said in a statement.

The number of forces put on prepare-to-deploy orders was not specified, but the Pentagon has previously confirmed the number was roughly 2,000. Some troops would come from the U.S. and some from within Europe or other areas of operation.

Austin said he has also activated the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as well as additional Patriot battalions to locations throughout the region to increase protection for U.S. forces.

(Read more from “Defense Secretary Issues Prepare-To-Deploy Orders for U.S. Troops to the Middle East” HERE)

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Iranian-Backed Terrorists Launch Attacks Against U.S. Forces in Iraq, Syria

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U.S. forces have come under fire multiple times throughout the Middle East over the last several days from Iranian-backed terror proxy groups.

The attacks come after the USS Carney, a destroyer, was sailing in the northern Red Sea on Thursday when it detected and shot down three cruise missiles and multiple drones that were launched by Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, in Yemen. Officials said that the guided-missile destroyer was swarmed by approximately two dozen drones and they did not disclose what munitions were used to shoot down the missiles or drones.

An American contractor died on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack while running to a shelter during a drone attack at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq.

The New York Times noted that while military investigators were still trying to ascertain who launched the drone attacks, Iran has launched these types of attacks on U.S. forces.

Multiple blasts from rockets and drones struck inside the base on Thursday night, according to Reuters. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties or damage from the attacks. (Read more from “Iranian-Backed Terrorists Launch Attacks Against U.S. Forces in Iraq, Syria” HERE)

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Report: Leaked Veterans Affairs Training Video Promotes Abortion, Says Pregnancy Not Exclusive to Women (VIDEO)

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A training video allegedly leaked from the Department of Veterans Affairs promotes abortion and even suggests that men can become pregnant, Fox News reported Wednesday.

The “Reproductive Health Training” video from April 2023 tells staffers how to talk to veterans who are considering aborting their babies.

“Before discussing counseling procedures, the video began with a ‘note’ on language that clarified, ‘Not all people who seek abortions identify as women.’ Another note read, ‘Person who is pregnant’ is inclusive and preferred to ‘pregnant woman,’” according to the report.

Another slide tells staffers to use certain language about abortion, like “embryo or fetus” instead of “baby or unborn child,” “veteran or person” instead of “mother,” and “embryonic or fetal cardiac activity” instead of “fetal heartbeat.”

(Read more from “Report: Leaked Veterans Affairs Training Video Promotes Abortion, Says Pregnancy Not Exclusive to Women (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Yikes! Military Actually Forgets How to Build Ships for Arctic Defense

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The United States is still relearning how to construct technology and iron for its polar icebreakers despite spending billions of dollars on its Arctic defense program, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard currently operates two icebreakers, one of which is set to retire this year, and is not set to complete construction on a replacement ship until at least 2028, according to the WSJ. While the COVID-19 pandemic caused some of the gaps in production, the U.S. has not produced a new heavy icebreaker since 1976, meaning the industry has had to relearn how to make and construct material heavy enough to withstand the wear caused by thick Arctic ice.

“According to Coast Guard officials and shipyard representatives, the U.S. industrial base lacks experience designing and building a heavy polar icebreaker, since the Polar Star and Polar Sea were designed and built over 45 years ago,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote in a report on the U.S. icebreaker shortage. “Coast Guard officials and shipyard representatives told us that unlike in other shipbuilding programs, there are no existing U.S.-developed hull designs for a heavy polar icebreaker that the shipyard could easily leverage as a basis for [Polar Security Cutters] PSC.”

Pressure to create new icebreakers has risen over the past few years because of escalated U.S. tensions with Russia and China, according to the WSJ. Both countries have drastically increased their presence in the Arctic Circle over the past few years, and Russia, which currently has three dozen icebreakers in its national fleet, continues to build more of the heavy ships each year to patrol in the area. (Read more from “Yikes! Military Actually Forgets How to Build Ships for Arctic Defense” HERE)

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F-35 Jet Reported Missing by Authorities After Pilot Ejects During ‘Mishap’: Officials

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US military officials are searching for a missing F-35 jet after a “mishap” caused its pilot to eject on Sunday afternoon.

Joint Base Charleston said on Facebook that the aircraft was a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II belonging to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

The pilot ejected safely and was transported to a local medical center.

The base is working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to help locate the missing aircraft.

Emergency response teams have been deployed to find the jet. (Read more from “F-35 Jet Reported Missing by Authorities After Pilot Ejects During ‘Mishap’: Officials” HERE)

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Three Military Branches Lose Confirmed Leaders Amid Senate Impasse

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Three branches of the U.S. military now lack Senate-confirmed chiefs amid a standoff over Pentagon nominees in the upper chamber.

As Adm. Mike Gilday relinquished command of naval operations on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a warning about the national security implications of being forced to rely on acting leadership.

“Because of this blanket hold, starting today, for the first time in the history of the Department of Defense, three of our military services are operating without Senate-confirmed leaders,” Lloyd said during a ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy.

“This is unprecedented, it is unnecessary, and it is unsafe,” he added before calling on the Senate to end the deadlock.

President Joe Biden nominated Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, but she took over command in an acting capacity on Monday, joining leaders stuck in similar positions heading the Marine Corps and the Army. (Read more from “Three Military Branches Lose Confirmed Leaders Amid Senate Impasse” HERE)

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