The following is the Jan. 23, 2024, Congressional Research Service In Focus report, China-Philippines Tensions in the South China Sea.
Report to Congress on China-Philippines Tensions in the South China Sea
I’ll be updating this, soon: Philippines Game Changer – Project Myoushu – South China Sea Analysis. You can find it, here, as well. I just hope that they don’t end up stationing any US troops at the BRP Sierra Madre (see videos, below)!
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Read More »Some US senators are calling for direct strikes on Iran in response to the killing of three American troops in a drone attack in Jordan near the Syrian border.
Senators Call for US to Bomb Iran in Response to Drone Attack in Jordan
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Three US troops killed in drone attack in Jordan, at least two dozen injured
Three US troops killed in drone attack in Jordan, at least two dozen injured
Three US Army soldiers were killed and at least two dozen service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.
The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan near the border with Syria is a significant escalation of an already-precarious situation in the Middle East. Officials said the drone was fired by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria
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President Joe Biden vowed on Sunday to hold those responsible for the attack “to account,” saying that while facts are still being gathered, “We know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.”
As of Friday, there had been more than 158 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, though officials have described the constant volley of drones, rockets, and missiles as unsuccessful as they have frequently not caused serious injury or damage to infrastructure.
It’s unclear why air defenses failed to intercept the drone, which appears to be the first known attack on Tower 22 since attacks on US and coalition forces began on October 17. US forces at the outpost are there as part of an advise-and-assist mission with Jordan.
Three US troops killed in drone attack in Jordan, at least two dozen injured
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Biden Thinks It’s Just a Matter of Time Before US Troops Are Killed in Iraq or Syria
US defense officials claim they have no boots on the ground in Yemen, despite a recent acknowledgement that US forces are indeed present in the war-torn Gulf state, a 27 January report from The Intercept shows.
Pentagon contradicts White House about US troop presence in Yemen
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Biden’s announcement on ending US support for the war in Yemen, explained
But that doesn’t mean the US will stop fighting in Yemen. Per the administration, it will continue to strike al-Qaeda and ISIS militants in the country to ensure they can’t use it as a base to hatch plots against America. The US has been targeting terrorists in Yemen, most of them against al-Qaeda, since 2002 and has killed around 1,000 people in strikes. Stopping that campaign, experts say, might give the terrorists more space to operate.
So ending support for the fight against the Houthis, and continuing the fight against America-threatening terrorists — that’s pretty straightforward. What isn’t as clear is what the second element, supporting Saudi Arabia’s defense, means in practice.
The biggest complication here is what defines an “offensive” versus a “defensive” move. Say the Houthis attack Saudi Arabia, which experts I spoke to expect they will continue to do. The rebels launched missiles at an airport and airbase in Saudi Arabia in 2019, and at Saudi oil stations last year. Under international law, Riyadh has the right to retaliate in a commensurate way.
Upon assuming the US presidency, Joe Biden asserted in his first major foreign policy address, “America is back!” For Latin America and the Caribbean, this has meant an “aggressive expansion” of the US military in the region.
US Military Projection in Latin America and the Caribbean Intensifies
The US might attack Iran directly if an American is killed
Biden Thinks It’s Just a Matter of Time Before US Troops Are Killed in Iraq or Syria
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Dave wondered why the media emphasizes, “Iran-backed”, so I sent him the following:
The SEALs went missing while boarding a boat carrying a weapons shipment allegedly bound for the Houthis
US Military: Two US Navy SEALs Missing Off Coast of Somalia Are Dead
CENTCOM says a ‘number’ of US personnel are being examined for traumatic brain injuries, and one Iraqi soldier was wounded
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According to the Pentagon, US bases in Iraq and Syria have come under attack 140 times since mid-October. The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in both countries in response, including a drone strike in Baghdad that killed a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iraqi militias that’s part of Iraq’s security forces.
US Troops Injured in Heavy Missile and Rocket Attack on US Base in Iraq
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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