The 12/7/21 dispatch.

The 12/3/21 dispatch. The 12/10/21 dispatch.

The 12/7/21 dispatch.

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Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone had a great weekend, and that your week is off to a good start! (Also, that you’ve at least started your Christmas shopping!)

Beginning with the biggest story, the Russian drama on the border of Ukraine continues un-abated.

The U.S. and Russia held a two-hour call today, regarding the issue.

Reporting on the issue, CBS stated:

The two leaders held a video call for two hours on Tuesday, after U.S. intelligence officials warned of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine as soon as January.

"President Biden voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia's escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation," the White House summary of the call said. "President Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy."

It’s still too early to know if the phone call achieved anything, but I thought a great summary of the situation is provided below, in this short interview with the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.

Asked if he thinks Russia will invade, he says the CIA director doesn’t know, the U.S. doesn’t know, he (as an expert on Russia) doesn’t know, and more importantly, even Putin doesn’t know.

McFaul claims Russia is certainly prepared to invade, but reminds the audience that Putin plays up the unpredictability. It’s a great four-min video, if you have a moment.

Also, here’s an updated reminder of what an invasion could look like:

washingtonpost.com/national-secur… ","username":"RALee85","name":"Rob Lee","date":"Sat Dec 04 00:16:49 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FFuPWF... Twitter avatar for @RALee85

Rob Lee @RALee85"U.S. intelligence has found the Kremlin is planning a multi-front offensive as soon as early next year involving up to 175,000 troops" "The plans involve extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel"washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

December 4th 2021

559 Retweets938 Likes Twitter avatar for @RALee85

Rob Lee @RALee85The Ukrainian MoD graphic from late November showed 40 Russian BTGs near Ukraine's borders, but the US IC assesses there are now 50 (maybe they used different distances). 100 BTGs would be 2/3rds of Russia's total BTGs. There are also more units nearby not in the red areas. 2/

December 4th 2021

87 Retweets177 Likes

In other news, the U.S. showed China that it’s not messing around regarding human rights in the country of a billion people. Though it’s already being downplayed by the Chinese, this was a pretty big deal to me. And it could lead to other Western companies deciding to veer away from China. You can almost feel the momentum in the West turning against wanting to cooperate/build/invest in China.

BBC Breaking News @BBCBreakingUS announces diplomatic boycott of China's 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

US diplomats to boycott 2022 Beijing Winter OlympicsThe White House says no US diplomats will attend the games in China, over human rights concerns.bbc.in

December 6th 2021

799 Retweets2,505 Likes

Also, while we’re on the topic of China, I had meant to share this weeks ago, but rarely have the space. But here it is now, better late than never. And still relevant.

apne.ws/b43IwqB ","username":"AP","name":"The Associated Press","date":"Fri Sep 24 20:30:09 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://cdn.substack.com/image/upload... Twitter avatar for @AP

The Associated Press @APChina has the world's largest distant water fishing fleet.After decades of overfishing close to home, thousands of Chinese ships have pushed into the high seas off South America, stirring concerns about exhausting fish stocks and illegal fishing. apne.ws/b43IwqB

September 24th 2021

213 Retweets302 Likes

I haven’t mentioned India in a long time, but here’s one of the challenges that it (and the U.S.) faces as we try to wean countries off of Russian-made weapons.

@archchaudhary\n","username":"DerekJGrossman","name":"Derek J. Grossman","date":"Sun Dec 05 20:18:44 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":8,"like_count":23,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl... - Are you a robot?","description":null,"domain":"bloomberg.com"},"video_url":null}"> Twitter avatar for @DerekJGrossman

Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossmanIndia’s continued dependence on ex-Soviet and Russian military equipment inherently circumscribes US military assistance and hence the overall defense relationship. It’ll take decades to reverse, if it ever happens at all. @archchaudhary Bloomberg - Are you a robot?bloomberg.com

December 5th 2021

8 Retweets23 Likes

Moving along, this hasn’t been in the news in a while, but I doubt this is welcome news for the Saudis…

The Washington Post @washingtonpostFrench authorities detain suspect in 2018 killing of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi France detains suspect in murder of Jamal Khashoggi at Paris airportKhaled al-Otaibi has been identified as part of the team believed to behind the columnist’s murder at the Saudi consulate.washingtonpost.com

December 7th 2021

54 Retweets212 Likes

Now for tech news, here were a couple of items worth sharing. First, this:

U.S. 5th Fleet @US5thFleetYesterday, NAVCENT's unmanned task force tested a MANTAS T-38 unmanned surface vessel as it sailed alongside USS Squall (PC 7) in the Arabian Gulf. Ongoing evaluations of new unmanned systems in U.S. 5th Fleet helps drive discovery, innovation and fleet integration.

December 5th 2021

51 Retweets197 Likes

And also this:

#thriller #AssassinsEdge #amwriting\nThe US Navy and the Future of Directed-Energy Weapons ","username":"wardlarsen","name":"Ward Larsen","date":"Fri Nov 19 18:51:18 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":5,"like_count":22,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://interestingengineering.com/th... Pew: The US Navy is Really Getting into Directed-Energy Weapons","description":"Directed-energy weapons promise a future of highly accurate, highly potent, and nearly unlimited firepower on the ground, sea, and in the air.","domain":"interestingengineering.com"},"video_url":null}"> Twitter avatar for @wardlarsen

Ward Larsen @wardlarsenDE weapons are no longer science fiction. They’re here. They also play a part in my next book, Assassins Edge. Arrives 4.12.22!#thriller #AssassinsEdge #amwritingThe US Navy and the Future of Directed-Energy Weapons

Pew Pew: The US Navy is Really Getting into Directed-Energy WeaponsDirected-energy weapons promise a future of highly accurate, highly potent, and nearly unlimited firepower on the ground, sea, and in the air.interestingengineering.com

November 19th 2021

5 Retweets22 Likes

Finally, before we wrap up, let’s end with some motivation!

CSM Nicholas M. Curry @realPatriot_7The race doesn’t always go to the swift but sometimes to the one that keeps running.

November 20th 2021

5 Retweets51 Likes#Motivation","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Tue Nov 16 14:00:32 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":76,"like_count":168,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null}"> Twitter avatar for @IMQuotes_Videos