The President's Daily Brief December 30th, 2025: China’s Military Encircles Taiwan & Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Foul Play
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Dec 30, 2025 China's largest military exercises encircle Taiwan, blurring the lines between training and real threats. Meanwhile, Russia accuses Ukraine of a drone strike targeting Putin, sparking intense rhetoric and denials. In a notable meeting, Trump and Netanyahu discuss a stalled ceasefire in Gaza, raising concerns over Hamas's disarmament. North Korea tests long-range cruise missiles, with Kim Jong-un signaling strength ahead of upcoming political maneuvers. The global stage is tense, with shifting alliances and escalated military posturing.
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Exercises As Rehearsals For Blockade
- China’s massive drills around Taiwan read like rehearsals for a real blockade or quarantine operation.
- Such exercises shrink warning time and create strategic ambiguity that complicates allied responses.
What Drills Really Test
- Large coordinated drills test command, control, logistics, and timing across services, not just unit skills.
- That makes any future operation faster, smoother, and harder to stop if ordered.
Learning From Russia's Playbook
- Beijing learned from Russia's pre-invasion pattern of normalizing big drills near a target.
- Normalization gives China plausible deniability and forces rivals into a response dilemma.