Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Friday, 04 March 2022. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Biden considers sanctioning India for Russian arms deals
- Space war warning from Russia-Ukraine conflict
- Oathkeeper pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy
- US drought conditions persist
- Hazards Warning
UPGRADE TO EARLY WARNING AND GET THESE BRIEFINGS:
- Russia-NATO SITREP: RUSSIA’S SOUTHERN ADVANCE, CSTO IN UKRAINE, WAR WITH NATO
- Indo-Pacific SITREP: QUAD ALLIANCE MEETS ON TAIWAN, RUSSIA TURNS TO CHINA’S BANKS
- Far Left Activity Rollup & Outlook
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
BIDEN ADMIN CONSIDERS SANCTIONING INDIA FOR PRIOR RUSSIAN ARMS DEALS: The Biden administration is considering sanctions against India under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The act authorizes sanctions against any country having significant business with Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Wednesday that it was for President Biden to decide whether to apply or waive sanctions on India at this point. U.S. officials are particularly vexed by India’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems. India claims it needs the S-400 system to counter Chinese aggression along its disputed Northern border. (Analyst Comment: India has equipped its military with Russian arms, to include air defense missiles and tactical fighter aircraft, for decades. It is a key member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) alliance in the Indo-Pacific and is a significant counter to Chinese expansion in the region. It is currently embroiled in a decade-long armed conflict with China on its Northern border. It is unlikely India could, or would, re-tool its entire military to comply with the latest U.S. sanctions regime against Russia. – M.M.)
WARNINGS OF SPACE WARS COMING FROM RUSSIAN-UKRAINE CONFLICT: Russia’s senior space official, Roscosmos Director-General Dmitry Rogozin, warned that tampering with the nation’s satellites is grounds for war. The comments follow previous threats Rogozin made regarding potentially damaging the International Space Station. The warning comes after the western sanctions have negatively impacted the Russian space program by suspending the use of Russian rockets. Fears that the escalation might include commercial space companies come after Elon Musk tweeted that Starlink’s “probability of being targeted is high.” (AC: The U.S. hasn’t made the line clear whether satellite attacking is the basis for declaring war. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has previously mentioned the unprecedented nature that such an attack would have and declined to comment if such an attack met the threshold of an act of war. The strategic ambiguity may provide an avenue for increased satellite attacks as a part of gray zone conflict. – D.F.)
OATHKEEPER PLEADS GUILTY TO SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY: The Justice Department (DOJ) announced Joshua James, a “regional leader” for the Oath Keeper organization, pled guilty to charges of seditious conspiracy and obstruction. The DOJ’s release said James “used encrypted and private communications, equipped himself with a variety of weapons, donned combat and tactical gear, and was prepared to answer a call to take up arms.” No weapons charges were included in the announcement, but the DOJ notes James gathered “thousands of dollars in weapons” for distribution to supporters. (AC: This high-profile guilty plea is likely to be used in ongoing domestic extremist hunts. The current administration could expand targeting of activist groups. Political advertising and media coverage will highlight James’ access to weapons. Talking heads will disingenuously tie firearms ownership to domestic extremism. As the midterms approach, expect these cases to reemerge in support of Democrat campaigns. – D.M.)
U.S. DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSISTS IN WEST/MIDWEST: U.S. drought area for winter wheat persists at 73% this week. Increases were seen in Kansas by 14% and Texas by 1%, with minimal improvement in Oklahoma. Most Midwest states saw no change. (AC: Food price rises with wheat products will persist despite small improvement with supply chain bottlenecks. Geopolitical instability from the Russian invasion of Ukraine has severely restricted wheat supplies in Europe and is currently influencing wheat capacity around the world – D.F.)
HAZARDS WARNING
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