The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | August 21st, 2024: Biden's Secret Nuclear Strategy & Iran Signals Delayed Revenge

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    An exclusive report from The New York Times on Tuesday claims that President Joe Biden signed off in March on a classified nuclear strategic plan that, for the first time, reorients the U.S. deterrence strategy away from Russia to focus on China’s rapid buildup of their nuclear arsenal. While Israel continues to brace for an expected retaliation from Iran over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, officials in Tehran are indicating that a response could still be a long way off. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Patriot Gold: https://www.patriotgoldgroup.com Say Mike Baker sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Wednesday, 21 August. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, a report has emerged signaling a major change in America's nuclear deterrent strategy by the Biden administration that shifts focus from Russia to China's rapid buildup of nuclear weapons. Now, the Biden White House is disputing the report. Also, as Israel continues to brace for an expected retaliation from Iran over the assassination of Hamas leader Ishmael-Hanye, officials with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard,

have indicated that the regime's already delayed response, well, could still be a long ways off. But first, our afternoon spotlight. I want to begin with a look at America's nuclear deterrent plan following a report that suggests an unprecedented shift in strategy by the Biden administration that puts the focus squarely on China. An exclusive report from the New York Times on Tuesday claims that President Biden signed off in March of this year on a classified nuclear strategic plan that for the first time reorients the U.S. deterrent strategy away from Russia to focus on China's rapid buildup of their own nuclear arsenal. The document called the Nuclear Employment Guidance also seeks to prepare the U.S. for the possibility of coordinated nuclear challenges from China,

Russia, and North Korea. While such coordination once seemed remote, the emerging partnership between Russia and China, and Moscow's increasingly cozy relationship with both North Korea and Iran, have increased anxieties in the defense establishment that our adversaries could work together to outmaneuver America's nuclear deterrence. If confirmed, the shift in focus would be a notable development, given the current war between Russia and Ukraine, and the fact Moscow still has the world's largest nuclear arsenal with more than 4,000 nuclear warheads. How many de-eastern? How many actually need compared to roughly 3,700 active warheads in the U.S. arsenal. Still, officials of the Pentagon reportedly believe China stockpiles will rival the size and capabilities of the U.S. and

Russia within the next decade, and they want to be prepared, of course, for that eventuality. To be fair, the picture is far from clear. The report from the New York Times noted that the White House has not formally announced any such change in policy, but that sources said an unclassified notification would be sent to Congress before Biden leaves office. The White House's initial response has been to dispute the report. Further complicating reporting on this issue, the deterrence document, which is updated roughly every four years by the White House, is so highly classified that only a small number of hard copies even exist, and they are only distributed to a select group of national security and Pentagon officials. As noted, the Biden administration has pushed back on the New York

Times report, vaguely claiming that the updated nuclear guidance was routine and, quote, not a response to any single entity, country, nor threat, end quote. The U.S.-based arms control association also chimed in, saying they understood the revised guidance to be the same as what the Biden administration outlined in their 2022 nuclear posture review and that there was no formal shift in focus from Russia to China. Darrell Kimball, executive director of the U.S.-based arms Control Association, said that while the U.S. estimates China will expand its nuclear arsenal from 500 to 1,000 warheads by the year 2030, Russia, quote, remains the major driver behind U.S. nuclear strategy. Kimball cited remarks made in June by the White House Senior Director for

Arms Control, disarmament, and nonproliferation, who said that the U.S. would pursue nuclear arms restraint with China and Russia in the coming years. But if China continued its buildup, and Russia exceeds international limits, well, the U.S. would then consider adjusting the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. But Kimball noted that, per his understanding, the Biden administration does not think such changes will be necessary before the year 2030. He concludes that the Times report is significantly overstating the changes made to the U.S. nuclear weapons guidance document. Still, the story, as you might imagine, was enough to upset leaders in China and prompt a rebuke from CCP leaders who accuse the U.S. of creating, quote, the world's largest strategic risk of nuclear

threat, end quote. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry added Wednesday, quote, China is seriously concerned about the relevant report, and the facts have fully proven that the U.S. has constantly stirred up the so-called China nuclear threat theory in recent years, end quote. Coming up after the break, while Israel continues to brace for an expected retaliation from Iran over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Hanye, officials in Tehran are indicating that a response could still be a long ways off. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Iranian officials are signaling to the world that, well, if you're waiting for it to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas leader Ishmaelhani, you might be waiting for a long time. On Tuesday, a spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guard,

the IRGC, stated that, quote, time is in our favor, suggesting that the waiting period for a response could be long. The spokesman emphasized that Iranian leaders carefully consider their options and any response might differ from previous operations. Despite the delay, he assured that the response whenever it ultimately happens will be, quote, calculated and accurate. The U.S. has been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is currently in the Middle East, meeting with regional leaders, to mediate and push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. has urged its allies with ties to Iran to help de-escalate tensions. However, Iran has dismissed U.S. actions as insincere labeling the U.S. as a participant in the Gaza conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel remains on high alert, not only due to the threat from Iran, but also because of recent developments on the ground. On Sunday, an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv raised alarms about potential Iranian or Hezbollah involvement. The attacker, a palisible, a palis. the Palestinian man from the West Bank was killed when the explosive device he was carrying, detonated prematurely, injuring one other person. While Hamas claimed responsibility, the sophistication of the terrorist bomb has fueled suspicions of Iranian or Hezbollah involvement, according to local reports. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 21 August.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. We love to hear from you. And word on the street is that if you want an ad-free PDB experience, well, you know the drill. Become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. You're great of protecting your data, but lots of places could still expose you to identity theft. I thought it was safe.

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