The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 19th, 2024: NATO Prepares Largest Drill Since Cold War & North Korea Tests Underwater Nuclear Attack Drone

Episode Date: January 19, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     NATO 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 Sweden participate in months-long wargames. North Korea announced Friday that they had tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone that could reportedly be used to target naval vessels and U.S. ports in the region. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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If 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.

NATO 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 Sweden participate 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 exercises need to have a cool name, will begin next week and continue through May across Europe. The drills

will reportedly rehearse the execution of NATO's regional plans, which detail how the alliance would respond to an expanded Russian attack on Eastern European member states, and that's according to a Reuters report. The show of strength is reportedly intended, at least in part, to send a clear message 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 countries that share a border with Russia. General Kovoli said Thursday, quote, steadfast Defender 2024 will be a clear demonstration of our unity, strength, and determination to protect each other, our values, and the rules-based international order, end quote.

Now, 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 reportedly simulate an emerging conflict scenario against a near-peer adversary, focusing on mobilizing reinforcement 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's response force to their eastern flank in Poland. The alliance is responsible.

Response 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 Russian aggression. Germany, Norway, and Romania will also be a focus of the drills, serving as strategic locations to centralize incoming reinforcements in the steadfast defender scenarios. Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, outlined the potential threat posed by Russia in remarks on Thursday, saying an all-out war with Russia is a substantial risk over the next 20 years. Now, Bauer warned, quote, we have to realize it's not a given that we

are in peace, and that's why we are preparing for a conflict with Russia. He added that European nations must make plans to rapidly mobilize their civilian populations in the event of a large-scale war. Bauer said, quote, it starts there. The realistening that 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 statement in trying to find a translation for hunky-dory.

Steadfast 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 the reforger exercise towards the tail end of the Cold War in 1988, which included 125,000 military participants. All right. Coming up after the break, we'll discuss the latest provocations from North Korea following their reported test of a nuclear-capable underwater drone. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. our focus to the deteriorating relations on the Korean Peninsula, North Korean officials are once again threatening their southern neighbor and expanding their nuclear capabilities. North

Korea announced Friday that they had tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone that could reportedly be used to target naval vessels and U.S. ports in the region. Reuters reported that 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 naval exercises 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 exercises in response to North Korea's increasingly belligerent behavior.

However, 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 face catastrophic consequences if their alleged military provocations continue. In a statement on Friday, the ministry said, quote, our army's underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off, and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue 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

Korean Defense Ministry, and I have no idea what they're saying. Now, the Hale weapon, which means actually 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,

saying on Friday, quote, Our military is thoroughly prepared for North Korea's provocations under 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-fired an 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.

I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.