The President's Daily Brief - December 18th, 2023: Houthi Hostilities, Ballistic Brinkmanship, & Antisemitic Attitudes

Episode Date: December 18, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We discuss the intensification of hostilities in the Red Sea, with the U.S. and allies responding to drone attacks, signaling a potential shift toward a military response to the Houthi rebels.   We cover North Korea's latest provocation, as they test the waters with a new missile launch, escalating tensions in the region.   We delve into Russia's strategic moves, as they bolster their nuclear capabilities by deploying a new intercontinental ballistic missile with MIRV technology.   In the Back of the Brief, we address a concerning trend: a recent poll indicating a rise in anti-Jewish sentiments among young Americans amid ongoing debates about antisemitism on college campuses.   Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.   Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Let's get briefed. We'll lead off today's show, with the latest from the Red Sea, where a major escalation in attacks over the weekend has the White House actively considering various military responses to the Iranian-backed Houthi threat in the region. Later in the program, North Korea fires an unidentified. missile into the sea, and staying with our theme of missiles, rockets, and all things destructive, Russian rocket forces load a new intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads to different targets.

Finally, in today's back of the brief, as the concern over anti-Semitism on college campuses continues, a new poll highlights growing anti-Jewish sentiment amongst young Americans, And yes, I said amongst because I'm posh like that. But first up, the PDB spotlight. I want to start today with our ongoing coverage of the chaos in the Red Sea. It's turning into quite the conflict zone. As Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue to target commercial and military vessels in the region. Now, there was a significant escalation of hostilities this weekend,

and it looks like the Biden administration is now considering military. action against the Yemen-based militants. First, let's take a look at what happened over the weekend. On Saturday, a U.S. warship, the USS Carney, shot down 14 attack drones over the Red Sea. The drones were all shot down with no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries, according to U.S. Central Command. At the same time, a British Royal Navy Destroyer also intercepted a drone aimed at commercial maritime traffic in the region. The action marked the first Royal Navy downing of an aerial target in a conflict since the Gulf War in 1991. Now, as we've been noting, the Bob Almandab Strait, where the Red Sea empties into the Arabian Sea, and where many of these attacks are taking

place, is extremely important to global trade, especially the oil trade. Approximately 7.8 million barrels per day of crude and fuel shards. shipments transit through the strait. That's about 12% of total seaborne traded oil and about 8% of the global liquefied natural gas trade. In response to the growing threat, major private shipping corporations are now re-evaluating their operations in the region. Danish shipping giant Marisk has temporarily suspended its fleet's transit through this route, and that's a decision influenced by a close-call incident involving one of its ships, the Marisketjebalter. Similarly, the German shipping company, Hopog Lloyd, has announced a suspension of its

Red Sea routes following an assault on one of its container ships by Houthi forces. Now, this kind of harassment of commercial vessels can't be allowed to continue without major consequences to global trade. Up until now, the Biden administration has been reluctant to respond to the Houthi threat out of fear of escalation with the group's sponsors in Tehran, but it looks like the U.S. government is now beginning to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. According to reports, top Biden administration officials are actively weighing options to strike the Houthis in Yemen. Over the past week, three more guided missile destroyers have arrived in the Mediterranean Sea in an effort to boost the U.S. presence there. Defense officials haven't commented on

if the ships are heading to the Red Sea, but that's just a quick trip through the Suez Canal. These new ships would join two destroyers, the USS Carney and the USS Mason, that are already there. The bottom line here is that the Iranian regime, using its proxies, as it always does, is disrupting and destabilizing a key global shipping and trade route, and they're doing it without any pushback thus far. The limited counterstrikes that the White House has authorized to date have done nothing, to deter the Iranian proxies from launching upwards of 100 missile and drone strikes aimed at commercial shipping, U.S. and allied military personnel and facilities since October 17th. If the Biden administration decides that the next counterstrike should be targeted directly at the

Houthi militants in Yemen, it's unclear, but unlikely that the Iranian regime will be deterred from further attacks. Attacking the Houthis, or for that matter, Hamas, Pesbolah, or any of the regional proxies sponsored and supported by Iran, is simply dealing with a symptom, not the cause of the problem. When we come back, North Korea spooked its neighbors by firing an unidentified missile into the sea off its east coast this weekend, and the Russian military prepares a new ICBM that's capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. I'll be right back.

Welcome back. The North Korean regime of Kim Jong-un is up to, its old tricks. In a move that's part of a familiar pattern, the North Korean military has once again launched a ballistic missile into the sea, a clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions that banned them from using ballistic technologies. The launch occurred on Sunday, with a projectile heading towards the waters off its east coast. Now, the missile's flight was short-lived. Within 20 minutes of the launch, it was reported to have already fallen into the sea, according to Japanese authorities monitoring the event.

Shortly after the launch, North Korean state media broadcast a statement from the nation's defense ministry. Now, the statement attacked the United States and South Korea, there's a surprise, labeling them as, quote, military gangsters, and accuse them of escalating tensions through military exercises, shows of force, and plans for nuclear warfare. The ministry's statement asserted that North Korea's military is fully prepared to counteract any perceived threats from the U.S. and its allies, which it claims are trying to start a nuclear war. Now, as we've been reporting here on the BDB, North Korea has been busy over the past few months.

In November, the country launched its first military reconnaissance satellite, which Kim described as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles. So why this latest launch? Now, there's a few reasons. First, this launch and rhetoric coincides with the presence of the USS Missouri, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in the South Korean port of Busan, an event that clearly didn't go unnoticed by North Korean officials. It also follows closely on the heels of high-level security talks in Washington, D.C., between American and South Korean officials. In these discussions, both nations agreed to revise their nuclear deterrent strategies and integrate nuclear nuclear deterrent strategies and integrate nuclear

operation scenarios into their joint military drills. In the aftermath of these talks, the United States and South Korea delivered a stern warning to the Kim regime. A joint statement following the talks read, The United States reaffirms its unwavering commitment to provide extended deterrence to the Republic of Korea, backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. Any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime, and the U.S. side reiterates that any nuclear attack by the DPRK against the Republic of Korea will be met with a swift, overwhelming, and decisive response, end quote. Now, clearly, North Korea's Kim read that statement from the U.S. in South Korea and decided it was

time to throw his teddy under the crib, which in North Korean terms means launch another test missile. As a side note, whichever toady in Kim's propaganda department came up with the term military gangsters, they deserve the day off because that's a solid retort. All right. Now, I want to shift focus from North Korea to Russia, where Kim's bromance pal, Vladimir Putin, is also compensating for something by playing with his own new ballistic missiles. According to the country's defense ministry, Russian rocket forces have loaded a new Yars Intercontinental Ballistic Missile into a silo southwest of Moscow. Now, Russia deploying an ICBM isn't strange, but the danger lies in the technology behind this

particular type of ICBM. This missile is equipped to carry a payload known as Mervs or multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles. So what does that mean in plain English? Unlike traditional ballistic missiles, which deliver a single warhead to one-tenths, target in a predictable flight path, a Merv-equipped missile can disperse multiple nuclear warheads each program to strike different targets. This capacity significantly elevates the missile's destructive potential, allowing one missile to take on several targets, and consequently, that complicates the task of missile defense systems. To put it plainly, MIRVs are a game-changer in missile technology. These kinds of missiles were previously restrained by international arms

agreements, particularly the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or the New Start, which was ratified by Russia and the United States a decade ago. Unfortunately, Putin announced that he was suspending Moscow's participation in the New START Treaty during his annual state-of-the-nation address back in February. This latest deployment of advanced nuclear technology demonstrates the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, and strategic weapons agreements between members of the Nuclear Club. Unfortunately, right now, there are a few guardrails left in place between the U.S. and Russia. All right. On that cheery note, coming up in the back of the brief, as the concern over anti-Semitism on college campuses continues, a startling new poll highlights growing anti-Jewish sentiment among young Americans. I'll be right back.

In today's back of the brief, I want to look into a concerning trend on college campuses regarding the perspective of young Americans on Jews and Israel. Recent data from a Harvard Harris poll highlights a very alarming shift in sentiment among this young generation. The survey reveals that 51% of Americans aged 18 to 24 believe the resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict should involve the complete dissolution of Israel, handing over control to Hamas and the Palestinians. Only 32% advocate for a two-state solution, and just 17% suggest integrating the Palestinian population into other Arab nations. Now, this viewpoint sharply contrasts with the opinions of older age groups, where the majority significantly favors a two-state solution. Among those 65 and older,

only 4% support the idea of ending the state of Israel. Now, even worse, 60% of the younger demographic with this survey see the October 7th attack by Hamas as justifiable based on Palestinian grievances. Now think about that for a second. We're talking about the brutal murder, rape, torture that was committed on the 7th of October by Hamas, which kicked off this war. 60% of the younger demographic sees those attacks as justifiable. Again, this differ starkly from the broader American population, where only about 27 percent, that's still bizarre, hold this belief. Okay, here are the last numbers I'm going to throw out at you. According to the survey, 67 percent, 67 percent of the 18 to 24 age group suggest that Jews,

quote, should be treated as oppressors. And, according to the same survey, those same 67 percent of those between 18 and 24 are not to. sympathizers. All right, I made that last number up. But really? I mean, seriously, to repeat, 67% of this age group surveyed think the Hamas attacks of 7 October were justified, and 67% believe Jews should be treated as oppressors. Joseph Goebbels would be delighted with these survey results. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief from Monday, 18 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker.

I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.