Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Tuesday, 26 April 2022. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Russia warns airlines “prepare for no GPS”
- Beijing residents prepare for lockdown
- SecDef Austin calls to bleed Russia dry; Russia: Prepare for nuclear war
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
RUSSIA WARNS AIRLINES “PREPARE FOR NO GPS”: Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) warned national airlines of “GPS failures, degradations, and abnormal performance.” A Russian media outlet said, “Experts believe that the recommendation to prepare does not mean a ban on the use of GPS.” (AC: If Russia isn’t banning GPS access, but is warning pilots of disruptions, it is a key indicator a cyber attack may be executed against U.S. global positioning, navigation, and timing systems. The U.S. needs 25 of 33 known GPS satellites to maintain service. – D.M.)
BEIJING RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR LOCKDOWN: Chinese government and health officials have begun a new widespread COVID testing regime in another of its most populated cities. Beijing’s 21 million residents are now facing the same testing regime that government officials used in Shanghai starting in late January. Beijing authorities reported a total of 80 new cases since Friday, a minuscule number relative to the city’s large population. However, due to China’s zero-COVID policy the same lockdown regime that brought food and medicine shortages to Shanghai appears imminent in Beijing. (AC: The lockdown of Beijing and subsequent economic disruption will most likely result in increased China-side supply chain disruptions to the West. If this lockdown mirrors Shanghai’s expect at least 60-90 days of reduced economic output from Beijing-based industries. – M.M.)
SECDEF AUSTIN CALLS TO BLEED RUSSIA DRY: During a high-level visit to Kyiv, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the U.S. would like to see Russia weakened to the point it could no longer pose a threat to the rest of the world. In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the “risk of nuclear war is very significant.” Lavrov stressed that the risks of a direct conflict should not be underestimated. (AC: As the U.S. and its Western allies continue to arm the Ukrainian military and make calls for regime change in Russia, Russia is responding in increasingly bellicose terms. It is likely there will be some East-West direct confrontation over Ukraine in the coming months as neither side appears to be listening to each other’s diplomatic signals. – M.M.)
This week’s High Side briefings:
Today: LatAm View
Wednesday: NATO-RUSSIA Update
Thursday: Economic Early Warning
Friday: Early Warning Roundtable with Bear Independent
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