Silicon Bites #121 - Leaked Pentagon Document Suggests Europe is on its Own in Fight Against Russia.

Edition No121 | 02-04-2025 - This is another of the worst-case scenarios that we flagged on this channel in several conversations and Bites episodes. If we were to create an ideal ‘wish list’ for Vladimir Putin – what would he want to achieve most from his substantial investments in assets, agents and useful idiots, as well as through reflexive control. It would be the dismantling of NATO and the EU, as well as other international institutions that put limitations on Russia’s European and global operations. And more than this, he’d want to drive a wedge between Europe and the US and undermine the commitment of the Americans to defending the principles of Article 5 – NATO’s deterrence policy where members states assist each other in the event of attack.And it seems that the Pentagon under Trump has delivered the ultimate prize to Putin. An internal guidance memo from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth focuses on deterring China’s seizure of Taiwan and shoring up homeland defence. This represents a major reorientation of the US military. The document suggests that ‘risks in other theatres’, may not be a priority given constraints on personnel and resources. There is emphasis on pressure allies in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia to spend more on defence to take on the bulk of deterrence against threats. We have a reasonable idea what these threats are assumed to be: Russia, North Korea and Iran, according to the guidance.----------LINKS:https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/leaked-pentagon-memo-says-wont-34958459https://kyivindependent.com/putin-orders-compulsory-military-draft-of-160-000-men-the-largest-in-14-years/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-admin-considers-giving-nato-command-exclusively-american-eisenho-rcna196503https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/29/secret-pentagon-memo-hegseth-heritage-foundation-china/----------Easter Pysanky: Silicon Curtain - https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/easter-pysanky-silicon-curtainCar for Ukraine has joined forces with a group of influencers, creators, and news observers during this special Easter season. In peaceful times, we might gift a basket of pysanky (hand-painted eggs), but now, we aim to deliver a basket of trucks to our warriors.This time, our main focus is on the Seraphims of the 104th Brigade and Chimera of HUR (Main Directorate of Intelligence), highly effective units that: - disrupt enemy logistics - detect and strike command centers - carry out precision operations against high-value enemy targetshttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/easter-pysanky-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur first live events this year in Lviv and Kyiv were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. We may add more venues to the program, depending on the success of the fundraising campaign. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------