Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Thursday, 29 August 2024.
- Global Rollup
- China reports that U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “the United States does not support ‘Taiwan independence’” while the White House readout does not deny this allegation but says that they “discussed cross-strait relations.”
- The Philippines used a helicopter to conduct its latest resupply at the Sabina Shoal so it would not be stopped by the Chinese ships at the shoal. (Helicopters are less stable in flight, leaving them more vulnerable to crashing if the Chinese take dangerous and disruptive actions around them. Continued use increases the risk of a crash and subsequent Filipino death, likely resulting in an activation of the Philippines-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty. – J.V.)
- The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will hold a series of military drills this fall for “defending the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the organization’s member states.” The drills will take place in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
- The Scranton, Pennsylvania ammunition plant announced a 50% increase in production rate from 24,000 155mm artillery shells per day to 36,000. The officials in charge claim that they are only halfway through the modernization and production will likely increase further.
- The Air Force officially merged the Sentinel and Minuteman III directorates into a single entity. Air Force officials say this will streamline response times and deliver new weapons systems on schedule.
THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.