Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness briefing for Friday, 30 July 2021. You can receive this daily intel brief by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Situational Awareness
- DOJ threatens to sue Texas Gov.
- Intel and SpecOps go back to school
- Canada’s border unions to strike
Subscribers can also watch the full briefing starting at 10am Central here: https://forwardobserver.com/early-warning-show/
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
JUSTICE: Attorney General Merrick Garland sent a letter to Texas’ Governor Greg Abbott threatening legal action over his recent executive order. Gov. Abbott’s order requires the Texas Department of Public Safety to interdict any and all vehicles suspected of trying to relocate un-tested or sick migrants, including federal vehicles. While Washington originally used U.S.C. Title 42 (public health) to deport illegal immigrants, the current administration has all but stopped that practice. Gov. Abbott appears to be waiting for the Attorney General’s lawsuit to come to fruition, without changing course until then. (AC: The federal government has broad constitutional authority on border matters but Texas has a compelling case for acting where the national authorities refuse. Given the inconsistent approach to pandemic rules, this will be a direct challenge in court to Washington’s authority, capacity and dereliction of responsibility. – D.M.)
NDAA: The Intelligence and Special Operations portion of the National Defense Authorization Act broadens the military’s ability to combat irregular warfare efforts globally. The Special Operations Command is tasked to guide university research programs on combating irregular warfare with “the integration of data-based responses to such threats…(and) to support classified research when necessary”. The intelligence community will begin treating Open Source Intelligence as strategically important to directly combat disinformation and misinformation. (AC: This is a rapid symbiotic restructuring of capabilities, likely leveraging “big data” and still classified AI-systems oriented toward information warfare. Recent reports from the Foreign Malign Influence Center made the Presidential Daily Briefing Tuesday, signaling the importance across branches of government.- D.M.)
O’CANADA: More than 8,500 members of Canada’s Border Service Agency will begin striking next week. Commercial traffic, mail deliveries and goods requiring inspections at ports of entry are expected to slow dramatically as the unions timed their strike just before the U.S.-Canadian border reopening. Their chief demands are equal pay to other law enforcement agencies, a work from home option, and better discrimination protections. Labor-related disruptions at the Port of Vancouver would be catastrophic for Canadian and U.S. logistics recovery. (AC: Separate from the direct economic impact, successful strikes in Canada could further motivate or inspire Far Left groups in the U.S. to initiate a corresponding labor disruption, particularly at West Coast terminals. – D.M.)
HAZARDS WARNING
HURRICANE SEASON: Nothing significant to report.
In today’s Early Warning briefing, Mike discusses considerations for a potential Biden administration pandemic lockdown, and Max examines scheduled Far Left activity this weekend. Upgrade your Situational Awareness to Early Warning here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe