PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 19th, 2024: NATO Prepares Largest Drill Since Cold War & North Korea Tests Underwater Nuclear Attack Drone
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00:33If you're wondering, Mike, besides listening to the PDB, how should I start my day?Well, the answer is by pouring yourself a great cup of American-made Blackout Coffee,family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting.Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first purchase.It's Friday, January 19th.Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, as Russia's war on Ukraine continues to drag on, NATO is preparing for their largest military drill in Europe since the Cold War. Also, North Korea claims to have tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone that allegedly triggers a large radioactive wave, as the country,issued a fresh round of threats against South Korea and the U.S.But first, our afternoon spotlight.
01:47NATO is preparing to conduct their largest military exercise since the Cold War next week,which will see an estimated 90,000 NATO personnel from all 31 member nations and Swedenparticipate in months-long war games.While NATO officials did not mention Russia by name in their announcement,NATO does identify the Putin regime,as the most pressing threat to European security. General Chris Kavoli, NATO's top commander,said Thursday that the large-scale exercises dubbed Steadfast Defender 2024, because all military exercisesneed to have a cool name, will begin next week and continue through May across Europe. The drills
02:30will reportedly rehearse the execution of NATO's regional plans, which detail how the alliancewould respond to an expanded Russian attack on Eastern European member states, and that's accordingto a Reuters report. The show of strength is reportedly intended, at least in part, to send a clearmessage to Putin of what he would face if he ever attempts to expand the current war in Ukraine.Officials hope the display will deter any aggression by the Putin regime against member countriesthat share a border with Russia. General Kovoli said Thursday, quote,steadfast Defender 2024 will be a clear demonstration of our unity, strength, and determinationto protect each other, our values, and the rules-based international order, end quote.
03:16Now, the drills will include some 50 naval ships from various member states,including aircraft carriers and destroyers, as well as more than 80 fighter jets,helicopters, drones, an estimated 1,100 combat vehicles, including 133 tanks,that's very specific, and 533 infantry fighting vehicles. The first stage of exercises will reportedlysimulate an emerging conflict scenario against a near-peer adversary, focusing on mobilizingreinforcement forces from North America and efficiently transporting them to Europe for deployment.Another major part of Steadfast Defender will involve simulating the deployment of NATO'sresponse force to their eastern flank in Poland. The alliance is responsible.
04:03Response Force is intended for rapid deployment in the event of an emergency.Other drills will involve the Baltic states, which are geographically the most vulnerable to Russianaggression.Germany, Norway, and Romania will also be a focus of the drills, serving as strategic locationsto centralize incoming reinforcements in the steadfast defender scenarios.Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, outlined the potential threatposed by Russia in remarks on Thursday, saying an all-out war with Russia is a substantial riskover the next 20 years. Now, Bauer warned, quote, we have to realize it's not a given that we
04:45are in peace, and that's why we are preparing for a conflict with Russia. He added that Europeannations must make plans to rapidly mobilize their civilian populations in the event of alarge-scale war. Bauer said, quote, it starts there. The realisteningthat not everything is planable and not everything is going to be hunky-dory in the next 20 years.You have to have a system in place to find more people if it comes to war, whether it does or not.Then you talk mobilization, reservists, or conscription.Now, I imagine that the Russian military leaders are currently pouring over Bauer's statementin trying to find a translation for hunky-dory.
05:28Steadfast Defender will be the first time in 30 years that the nation's,NATO alliance is engaged in drills on this scale. The last time was what was called thereforger exercise towards the tail end of the Cold War in 1988, which included 125,000 militaryparticipants. All right. Coming up after the break, we'll discuss the latest provocations fromNorth Korea following their reported test of a nuclear-capable underwater drone. I'll be rightback. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin.our focus to the deteriorating relations on the Korean Peninsula, North Korean officials areonce again threatening their southern neighbor and expanding their nuclear capabilities. North
06:15Korea announced Friday that they had tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone thatcould reportedly be used to target naval vessels and U.S. ports in the region. Reuters reportedthat the test of the weapon named the Hale 523, not a catchy name, but that's what it is,was conducted off the DPRK's East Coast by the Defense Ministry, though no date was given.The announcement of the nuclear drone test appears to have come in response to joint navalexercises conducted this week by South Korea, the United States, and Japan.The U.S. and allies in the region have been stepping up their combined military exercisesin response to North Korea's increasingly belligerent behavior.
07:00However, North Korea has blamed the tensions on the U.S.South Korea and Japan. An unnamed spokesperson with North Korea's defense ministry said,the U.S., South Korea, and Japan are, quote, getting frantic in their behavior and will facecatastrophic consequences if their alleged military provocations continue. In a statement onFriday, the ministry said, quote, our army's underwater nuke-based countering posture is beingfurther rounded off, and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions willcontinue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the U.S. and its allies."Oh, I'll be honest with you. I've read and reread that statement a few times from the North
07:46Korean Defense Ministry, and I have no idea what they're saying. Now, the Hale weapon, which meansactually the translation for the Hale, and I apologize for my pronunciation, is Tsunami,was first tested in March 23 and can reportedly trigger a large radioactive wave,through an underwater explosion meant for sneak attacks on naval vessels and ports in the region.Kim Jong-un, reportedly, came up with the idea after watching the Austin Powers movies.We should note that South Korean intelligence agencies have disputed the capabilities of this underwater drone.The U.S. has also not been able to independently verify North Korea's claims regarding the weapon.South Korea defiantly responded to the saber-rattling from the north,
08:33saying on Friday, quote,Our military is thoroughly prepared for North Korea's provocationsunder a solid joint defense posture with the United States.South Korean officials added that the North would face an overwhelming response if they did attack.The latest escalation came last Sunday when North Korea successfully test-firedan intermediate-range missile outfitted with a hypersonic warhead.And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday,January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.
09:10I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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