Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness briefing for Tuesday, 24 August 2021. You can receive this daily intel brief via email by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- China to conduct drills with Iran
- DoD crafts medical mandate
- Progressive agenda stumbles in Congress
- Chip makers flee Asia
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SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
PERSIAN GULF: China, Russia, and Iran are set to hold military exercises in the Persian Gulf. The official purpose is to improve shipping security and combat privacy. The three nations have signed individual security cooperation and economic agreements, largely in an effort to replace declining U.S. influence in the region. Iranian leadership has welcomed China and Russia in Afghanistan to “bring peace and security” as the U.S. and NATO leave. (Analyst Comment: China’s expanded cooperation with Iran is designed to make the Middle East and Central Asia a contested multi-domain environment. Beijing’s stated goal is to construct naval facilities in the Persian Gulf, likely in Iran, which would solidify their long-term partnership. – D.M.)
DEFENSE: Following government approval of the Pfizer vaccine, the Defense Department is authoring new guidance for the troops. “A timeline for vaccination completion will be provided in the coming days,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. The current military mortality rate is 0.01 percent and troops refusing the mandate can request medical or religious exemptions. Noncompliance will be met with administrative action or criminal charges, according to Defense analysts. (AC: The use of coercion and threats of career interference are driving many commissioned officers to consider resignation. Enlisted troops will likely be left to the military justice system for administrative separation. – D.M.)
CONGRESS: Last night, Congress failed to pass Democrats’ progressive legislative agenda. A new round of votes is scheduled for today following caucus meetings and a classified brief on Afghanistan. Lawmakers are using parliamentary procedures to delay a floor vote, while the ordering of bills and votes remains under negotiation. (AC: Senators Sinema (D-AZ) and Manchin (D-WV) said again they will not support the $3.5 trillion reconciliation plan. Speaker Pelosi’s (D-CA) latest Dear Colleague letter contends a 51-vote majority is all that’s needed to implement “in a transformative way” the favored progressive agenda. – D.M.)
CHIPS: Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC is chartering container vessels to move products to the United States. In addition to supplies for the new Phoenix, Arizona facility, the chip maker is bringing long-awaited components to U.S. technology and auto manufacturers. TSMC is investing $30 billion a year to expand production outside of Taiwan. (AC: The rush to move technology production is in response to existential threats TSMC faces from China. The U.S. is investing at least $50 billion in domestic wafer production as significant portions of the supply are in jeopardy. – D.M.)
HAZARDS WARNING
HURRICANE SEASON: The National Hurricane Center predicts the remnants of Henri may produce up to an additional inch of rain across portions of southeast New Hampshire, northeast Massachusetts, and southern most Maine. The remaining low pressure systems in the Atlantic continue moving west, with an increased likelihood of organizing into a tropical depression later this week.
In today’s Early Warning briefing, Mike examines the current state of left-wing extremism and Max details upcoming Far Left activity. Upgrade your Situational Awareness to Early Warning here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe