Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 3, 2019

Trump meets with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan (right) in July.Leah Millis / Reuters

The Hill: Bolton, Shanahan, Pompeo meet at Pentagon to discuss military options in Venezuela

Top members of President Trump’s national security team met at the Pentagon on Friday morning to discuss military options for the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, a senior administration official said.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan was joined at the Pentagon by national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to the official.

National security officials also met Wednesday afternoon to discuss the issue.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- May 3, 2019

Top Pentagon brass meet to discuss security crisis in Venezuela -- UPI

Bolton, Pompeo, Shanahan Discuss Military Options for Venezuela at the Pentagon -- Sputnik

U.S. Military Must Be ‘Ready to Go’ in Venezuela, John Bolton Says -- Newsweek

Pentagon’s Shanahan, Dunford cancel overseas travel to plan for Venezuela contingencies -- Washington Examiner

Air Force tests Minuteman III missile in launch at Vandenberg -- UPI

A New Weapons Rack Just Increased the F-35’s Missiles by 50 Percent -- Popular Mechanics

Lockheed's Sidekick adds increased firepower to F-35 fighters -- UPI

HII awarded $931.7M for LCS planning yard services -- UPI

Vehicles Left to Rust, Faulty Furnaces: Most Military Depots in Bad Shape, GAO Finds -- Military.com

Permanent renewal of NSA law possible -- Greenwich Time/Washington Post

Pentagon departure expands vacancies in DOD -- The Hill

Program to train Afghan attack pilots in the US has been disbanded after nearly HALF of the airmen went AWOL in Texas -- Daily Mail

Afghan attack pilot training program ends after airmen kept going AWOL in US -- The Hill

The C.I.A. Director and Trump -- The New York Times

Three-way deal: Trump says China wants to join nuclear pact with US, Russia -- RT

Pentagon May Deploy Submarines in the Arctic to Deter Alleged Chinese Threat -- Sputnik

China threatens to blunt US military edge, Pentagon warns -- SCMP

Pentagon: Chinese military growing fast to challenge U.S. military superiority -- UPI

How China’s growing PLA Navy could close a perception gap in the South China Sea -- Collin Koh, SCMP

US defence report flags China’s expanding military reach in the Arctic -- SCMP/Reuters

Turkey not distancing itself from NATO with Russian missiles deal: minister -- Reuters

Russia Ready to Sell Su-57 to Turkey if Ankara Quits F-35 Programme - Rostec CEO -- Sputnik

New Top NATO Military Officer Sworn In -- RFE

South Korea air force test flies new F-35A stealth fighters -- UPI

South Korea Approves $6.3 Billion Deal for New Warships -- Sputnik

With Little Fanfare, Japan Just Changed the Way It Uses Its Military -- Foreign Policy

Israel Had Nukes During 1967 War, Was Ready for 'Last Resort' Use – Ex-Officer -- Sputnik