Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Friday, 08 July 2022.
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- READ TIME: 2 min 30 seconds
- Russia-NATO INTSUM
- Indo-Pacific INTSUM
- Geopolitical INSTUM
NATO-RUSSIA INTSUM
MOLDOVA ‘FORCED’ TO BUY NATO WEAPONS: Moldova’s former President Igor Dodon said NATO forces the sale of its weapons to use against Russia. “We are forced to buy Western, NATO weapons – perhaps old ones. I know from unofficial channels that Moldova is supplied with weapons, which means that they must fire. It will not shoot against the West, it should shoot towards the East,” he said. Authorities arrested the former Moldovan leader in May for charges of treason and plans to flee to Russia.
NATO TASK FORCE COULD SECURE UKRAINIAN GRAIN SHIPMENTS: Citing the growing global food crisis and difficulties in moving Ukrainian grain by land, Retired Admiral James Stavridis has called for the creation of a dedicated NATO Black sea task force. The admiral suggests the task force effort would be focused on securing international shipping operating similarly to existing NATO maritime efforts combating piracy off the horn of Africa. -R.P.
UNION STATE INTEL AGENCIES JOIN FORCES: The Belarusian KGB and Russian SVR are joining forces to push back against Western influence in Europe. “It is important to timely reveal the plans of unfriendly Western countries to inflict political, economic, and military damage on the Union State and effectively counter such plans,” an SVR statement read. Past cooperation between the Union State members includes providing dual passports for intelligence operatives, grounding flights, sabotage, and assassinations in Europe. – D.M.
US-CHINA/INDO-PACIFIC INTSUM
JAPAN’S FORMER PRIME MINISTER SHINZO ABE ASSASSINATED: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a gunman while campaigning in Japan’s western Nara prefecture. The gunman, a former member of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, reportedly used a homemade weapon resembling a sawed-off shotgun. The gunman was arrested immediately by security forces and did not resist. According to police, the gunman was dissatisfied with Abe’s leadership of the country and “aimed to kill him” for it. Abe, who was 67, was one of Japan’s most senior and controversial politicians. – M.M.
CHINA CALLS U.S. BIGGEST THREAT TO WORLD PEACE AND STABILITY: China accused the U.S. of being the “biggest threat to world peace, stability and development” today during a press conference with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian. The statement was given in response to U.S. and U.K. allegations of widespread spying and political warfare by Chinese entities that include Chinese Communist Party front organizations and state security and intelligence services. The aggressive tone in Beijing’s response comes just ahead of a scheduled meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterpart Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. – M.M.
GEOPOLITICAL INTSUM
U.S. TOP GENERAL MILLEY HOBNOBS WITH CHINA COUNTERPART LI ZOUCHENG: The U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, held a phone conversation with China’s top General Li Zoucheng, Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission earlier today. According to a Pentagon spokesperson, Milley reportedly called Li to emphasize the need to “responsibly manage competition” between Washington and Beijing. The call comes amid growing tensions between the United States and China over regional and global issues, including posture on Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
RUSSIA ORDERS PIPELINE CLOSED, OIL STILL FLOWING: A Russian court ordered the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) to cut off oil from Kazakhstan to Europe for 30 days in response to recent accidents. The CPC rejected the order, saying a stoppage could irreparably damage equipment and appealed the Russian court’s decision. The pipeline delivers about 1% of the world’s oil supply, or 1.2 million barrels per day. – D.M.
IN TODAY’S EARLY WARNING: Max takes a deep dive into Chinese President Xi’s recent proclamations and what that means for the U.S. You can get access to the daily Early Warning report here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe
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