Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 3, 2019

DW: NATO nerves on edge ahead of leaders' meeting

Who'll be the skunk at NATO's 70th birthday party? And is the alliance really "brain dead?" The upcoming summit could provide all sorts of public-relations pitfalls.

It's highly unlikely NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expected an apology from French President Emanuel Macron when the two met in Paris to clear the air over the now infamous French description of the alliance as "brain dead" due to its faulty mutual defense clause.

But Stoltenberg may still not have been prepared for Macron to double down on his criticism and declare he was even "glad" it had created the uproar which is dominating headlines ahead of what was initially hoped to be largely a self-congratulatory get-together to mark NATO's 70th anniversary on Wednesday in London.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- December 3, 2019

NATO’s London meetings are off to a rocky start -- Defense News

Troubled Nato not in party mood for 70th birthday -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC

Defense budgets set to dominate yet another NATO summit -- AP

Trump Set to Announce Cut to US NATO Contributions in 'Message' to Allies - Report -- Sputnik

China’s military might has now become a top issue for NATO -- CNBC

Is the B-21 Bomber a Viable Option for Allies? -- Defense.info

How the Air Force is taking on new challenges in the Arctic -- We Are The Mighty

Navy Beefs Up Its Japan-Based Amphibious Fleet -- Christian Lopez, Stars and Stripes

U.S. Navy Plans To Stop Buying P-8 Poseidon Sub Hunters Despite Growing Undersea Threat -- Forbes

USS Harry S. Truman, carrier strike group join 6th Fleet in Atlantic Ocean -- UPI

US Navy issues massive $22 billion order for nuclear submarines -- The Hill

102 US military bases at risk for water shortages, GAO finds -- Military Times

Amid budget uncertainty, US Army may seek funding override for virtual training program -- Defense News

EXCLUSIVE Killing Cruise Missiles: Pentagon To Test Rival Lasers -- Breaking Defense

F-16 pilot ejects at Kunsan with minor injuries; flights suspended -- Air Force Times

SEAL at center of war crimes case retires from Navy as planned -- CNN

Analysis: Spencer’s firing is latest in string of disasters for US Navy leadership -- Defense News

Meet the Only West Point Cadet to Be Named a Rhodes Scholar This Year -- Military.com

Exclusive: U.S. defense chief calls on Turkey to stop holding up NATO readiness plan -- Reuters

Trump administration releases $105M in military aid for Lebanon after months-long delay -- The Hill

US Navy ‘invited’ to go to Taiwan and ‘have fun’ after Beijing bans port visits to Hong Kong -- SCMP

The Air Force Wants to Use B-52 Bombers to Protect Taiwan from Invasion -- National Interest

South Korea’s defense minister on a mutually reinforceable, future-oriented ‘Great ROK-US Alliance’ -- Defense News

President Trump Should Offer to Sell M-1 Tanks to Poland. -- Dan Gouré, RCD

Canada declines to raise defense spending above 2 percent NATO benchmark -- UPI

France’s armed forces minister: How AI figures into operational superiority -- Defense News

UK Conservatives propose far-reaching defense review if elected -- Defense News

How China is replacing US as Thailand’s main defence partner and arms supplier -- SCMP/Bloomberg

Xingkong-2: China’s New Missile Threat? -- Dave Makichuk, Asia Times