Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness briefing for Friday, 27 August 2021. You can receive this daily intel brief via email by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Army okay’s involuntary vaccinations
- Vietnam factories closing
- Navy needs dogfight upgrade
- China’s DNA sequence theft
- Eviction moratorium blocked
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SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
MANDATE: The U.S. Army published an informational paper from Army Medical Command regarding vaccine refusals. The document reminds commanders of their court-martial authority to administer “involuntary vaccinations” when “conditions of imminent threat exist (where the threat of naturally occurring disease or use of biological weapons is reasonably possible).” Army Headquarters issued a directive to the force saying “the processing of service member exceptions, exemptions and refusals of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination are forthcoming and will be address[ed] in a later [order].”
DEAD HORSE: Factories in Vietnam are facing new rounds of shut downs as COVID cases continue to spike. “We can’t deliver our products. We only have a few stocks left but we couldn’t even sell them,” said one factory worker who makes plastic injection moldings. Vietnamese supply chains remain in disarray as the country has lockdown restrictions for a third of the country’s provinces. (Analyst Comment: We hate to beat a dead horse, but there’s no end in sight to supply chain disruptions. Expect conditions to worsen, for U.S. shelves to be bare, and for long wait times for restocks. – M.S.)
DEFENSE: The House Armed Services committee is pressuring the Navy to use modern aircraft in adversary training. In the chairman’s view, the continued use of F-5 and F-16 fighters for training missions doesn’t adequately prepare for 5th generation air conflicts. While China still uses F-5s and F-16s, they are rapidly phasing out legacy systems in favor of more advanced aircraft to address the F-35 and F-22. (AC: The F-22 is due for replacement by the Penetrating Counter-Air platform. The U.S. relies heavily on maintaining overmatch and fire superiority in all domains, which can no longer be guaranteed. The Defense Department is preparing for a contested battlespace in which adversarial near-peer aircraft will meet and victory is not assured. – D.M.)
DNA: China is using its worldwide testing apparatus to collect genomic data in more than 180 countries. The U.S. doesn’t allow for China’s COVID-19 test but is losing the information through Chinese acquisitions and cheap sequencing services offered to hospital chains. Lawmakers are concerned the data could upend U.S. pharmaceutical development or result in another pandemic. (AC: China’s aging population and healthcare are common reasons for this data use, but ignoring the military application is likely shortsighted as relations continue to deteriorate. The only two bills in Congress addressing “bio revolutions” have yet to advance. – D.M.)
EVICTIONS: Following the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) decision to extend the eviction moratorium, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to stop the extension. The eight page decision was unsigned but the court said the CDC’s action “strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts.” Notably, Congress is not due to return to Washington until late September, leaving little time for legislative action. (AC: Far Left groups are already decrying the millions of people who will be homeless as a result of this ruling. This is the second defeat for Biden in court as they also reinstated the “remain in Mexico policy.” – D.M.)
HAZARDS WARNING
HURRICANE SEASON: Hurricane Ida is bringing “life-threatening storm surge inundation” to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Hurricane force winds are expected to begin Sunday with landfall occurring early Monday morning. The National Hurricane Center says coastal areas and the Lower Mississippi Valley will experience considerable flash, urban, and riverine flooding. The mid-Atlantic areas of low pressure are not currently projected to impact the U.S.
In today’s Early Warning briefing, Max examines an Antifa after action report from Portland and details upcoming Far Left activity for the weekend. Upgrade your Situational Awareness to Early Warning here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe