Latest / The President's Daily Brief / PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 20th, 2026: British Fighter Jets Enter the Fight Against The Houthis & China Sends Bombers Toward Taiwan

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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 20th, 2026: British Fighter Jets Enter the Fight Against The Houthis & China Sends Bombers Toward Taiwan · The President's Daily Brief

0:11
It's Tuesday,
0:12
the 20th of October,
0:14
and welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin.
0:16
I'm Mike Baker,
0:17
your eyes and ears on the world stage.
0:20
Alright,
0:21
let's get briefed.
0:22
First up,
0:23
the war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen is expanding.
0:28
Britain is sending fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia,
0:31
as a Houthi missile attack
0:33
kills 73 Saudi-backed government soldiers in Yemen.
0:38
Later in the show,
0:39
nearly 60,000 American and Japanese troops
0:42
launch major military exercises near Taiwan,
0:46
deploying advanced missiles as China expands its naval patrols and
0:50
sends bombers toward the island.
0:52
Well,
0:52
2026 is
0:54
really shaping up.
0:56
But first,
0:56
today's afternoon spotlight.
0:58
Britain is getting more deeply involved in
1:01
the war against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis,
1:03
announcing today that British fighter jets will
1:06
begin flying defensive missions over Saudi Arabia.
1:09
The move comes as Houthi missile and drone attacks continue to batter the kingdom,
1:14
and it follows a Houthi missile strike inside Yemen
1:17
that's left at least 73 government soldiers dead and more than 200 wounded.
1:23
The British Ministry of Defense says Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets
1:27
will be deployed to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure
1:31
from incoming missiles and drones.
1:33
The aircraft will operate in a strictly defensive capacity,
1:37
with London insisting that they will not conduct
1:39
offensive strikes against Houthi positions inside Yemen.
1:43
Britain will also deploy an A400M military transport aircraft
1:48
to help move equipment around Saudi Arabia,
1:50
along with additional military advisors to assist Saudi commanders.
1:55
Now,
1:55
this is not Britain's first contribution to the current Saudi war effort.
2:00
As we reported last month,
2:02
London announced it would provide aerial refueling support for Saudi warplanes.
2:07
That mission
2:08
is now being extended,
2:09
and British refueling aircraft
2:11
can support Saudi defensive operations,
2:14
including attacks against Houthi military targets inside Yemen.
2:18
But putting British combat aircraft into Saudi airspace
2:22
represents a significant expansion of that commitment.
2:25
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting
2:27
called the continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia absolutely despicable.
2:32
Well,
2:32
that's a very British thing to say,
2:34
pointing specifically to the targeting of
2:36
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
2:39
Earlier this month,
2:40
a Houthi missile attack on that airport killed 13 people
2:43
and wounded more than 300.
2:45
The facility has since come under repeated attack,
2:48
disrupting commercial flights and forcing Saudi authorities
2:51
to suspend operations at the airport.
2:54
The attacks are also reaching Saudi
2:55
oil facilities and other critical infrastructure,
2:58
threatening an economy already under pressure
3:01
from the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
3:04
For Britain,
3:05
there are economic considerations here as well.
3:08
Continued disruption to Saudi energy production and regional shipping routes,
3:12
threatens to drive up fuel prices further,
3:14
increase inflation,
3:15
and impose additional costs on British businesses.
3:19
And London has made clear that protecting those
3:21
interests is part of its decision to intervene.
3:24
But Britain's growing involvement comes as the Houthis are demonstrating
3:29
just how much damage they can inflict on the forces opposing them.
3:32
On Monday,
3:33
the group launched one of its deadliest attacks
3:35
since fighting in Yemen escalated earlier this summer.
3:38
According to Yemeni authorities,
3:40
3 Houthi ballistic missiles struck the Al Alam military training camp
3:44
in the southern province of Shabwa,
3:47
hitting hundreds of young recruits as they
3:49
assembled in formation for a training session.
3:52
The death toll has now risen to at least 73,
3:55
with more than 200 others wounded.
3:57
Some of the injured remain in critical condition,
3:59
while authorities say additional recruits are still missing.
4:03
According to the provincial governor,
4:04
the victims were young men between the ages of 18 and
4:07
20 recruited from communities across Shawa to provide local security.
4:12
The governor insisted
4:13
they were not preparing for frontline combat operations.
4:17
The Houthis have acknowledged responsibility for the attack,
4:21
but tell a different story.
4:22
They claim the camp was being used by Saudi officers to organize forces
4:27
for operations against their group.
4:29
They also claim Saudi personnel were among the casualties,
4:32
although those allegations have not been independently verified.
4:36
Shabwa is part of an energy rich region in southern Yemen
4:40
that remains under the control of the internationally recognized government.
4:44
The training camp sits along an important supply route
4:47
connecting Shabwa with neighboring Marib,
4:49
another strategically valuable province.
4:52
The strike demonstrates that the Houthis can
4:54
inflict heavy casualties on Saudi-backed government forces,
4:57
even away from immediate front lines.
5:01
And the strikes on Saudi territory,
5:03
well,
5:03
they point to a critical problem for the kingdom.
5:06
Despite spending tens of billions of dollars on its military and including
5:10
advanced American fighter jets and missile defense systems,
5:13
the Saudis have struggled to stop Houthi attacks.
5:16
Saudi Arabia has an enormous amount of territory to defend,
5:20
with oil installations,
5:21
airports,
5:22
military bases,
5:23
and urban centers scattered across the country.
5:26
The Houthis meanwhile have become increasingly
5:29
effective at targeting that infrastructure.
5:32
Now,
5:32
as we've discussed,
5:33
at the heart of this conflict really is the Iranian regime.
5:37
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that
5:39
Iran has been providing the group with intelligence,
5:42
targeting assistance,
5:43
guidance,
5:43
and technical support for attacks against Saudi Arabia.
5:47
That assistance is reportedly helping the Houthis
5:50
conduct more sophisticated missile and drone operations,
5:53
although there is no confirmed evidence connecting Iranian
5:56
personnel directly to Monday's training camp attack.
6:01
And here's the problem confronting Riyadh and its allies.
6:04
The Houthis don't have to defeat Saudi Arabia's military in a conventional war.
6:09
They can continue launching missiles,
6:11
attacking infrastructure,
6:12
disrupting aviation,
6:13
and inflicting casualties on Saudi-backed forces
6:17
until the cost of continuing the
6:19
conflict becomes increasingly difficult to sustain.
6:22
You might recognize that strategy.
6:24
It's exactly the same strategy used by the Iranian regime
6:28
in its conflict with the US over the Strait of Hormuz.
6:32
The US meanwhile has offered logistical support to Saudi Arabia
6:36
but has made it clear
6:37
that it has no intention of sending American ground troops
6:41
into another Middle Eastern conflict.
6:44
For now,
6:44
the attacks continue,
6:46
the casualties are mounting,
6:47
and Saudi Arabia's allies are becoming more deeply involved.
6:52
All right.
6:52
Coming up next,
6:53
American and Japanese forces deploy powerful new missile systems near Taiwan
6:58
as China intensifies its military pressure on the island.
7:02
I'll be right back.
7:04
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Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin.
10:07
As Chinese vessels expand their patrols around Taiwan,
10:10
American and Japanese troops are rehearsing for the possibility of those waters
10:14
becoming a war zone.
10:16
Nearly 60,000 troops are taking part in a major joint exercise,
10:20
deploying advanced missiles and testing how allied forces
10:24
would coordinate and operate if under attack.
10:27
The exercise,
10:28
known as Keen Sword27
10:30
began Monday and will run through October 29th.
10:33
Approximately 45,000 Japanese troops and 12,000
10:37
American service members are participating,
10:40
with seven additional countries joining portions of the training.
10:43
Much of it centers on Japan's southwestern islands,
10:46
including
10:47
Yoneguni,
10:48
just 68 miles east of Taiwan.
10:51
At that distance,
10:52
Japan cannot assume that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would remain
10:56
somebody else's problem.
10:58
Fighting that close
10:59
could threaten Japanese territory,
11:01
shipping routes,
11:02
and airspace.
11:03
As a result of that geography,
11:05
Tokyo
11:05
has spent recent years
11:07
strengthening its southwestern defenses with
11:09
longer range missiles and interceptors.
11:12
Japan also faces security challenges from North Korea and Russia.
11:16
But China's expanding military activity around Japanese islands
11:19
and across the Pacific is a key concern.
11:23
Since June,
11:24
we've discussed here on the PDB how Chinese coast guard
11:27
vessels have been conducting increasingly regular patrols east of Taiwan.
11:32
Taiwanese officials believe Beijing
11:34
could be rehearsing elements of a maritime blockade.
11:37
China could use coast guard vessels,
11:39
maritime militia,
11:40
and other assets
11:42
to restrict access to Taiwan's ports while calling it routine law enforcement.
11:47
A persistent presence off Taiwan's Pacific facing east coast
11:50
could also threaten routes for supplies and outside assistance.
11:55
Randall Shriver,
11:56
the chairman of the congressionally appointed
11:58
US-China Economic and Security Review Commission,
12:00
that's a mouthful,
12:02
issued a warning in Taipei today
12:04
that the patrols are advancing Beijing's claim of sovereignty.
12:08
He called them quote,
12:09
an extension of legal warfare and political and information warfare,
12:13
warning that the approach is quote highly destabilizing
12:16
if China continues putting that law enforcement role into practice.
12:20
The pressure also extends overhead.
12:22
Just this afternoon,
12:23
Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported another
12:26
Chinese joint combat readiness patrol
12:29
involving 27 military aircraft,
12:31
including nuclear-capable H6 bombers.
12:35
So,
12:36
how are American and Japanese forces preparing?
12:38
Well,
12:39
I'm glad you asked.
12:40
Japan has deployed its new Type 25 land to
12:42
ship missile to Yonaguni for the first time.
12:46
Its reported range is approximately 620 miles,
12:49
putting mainland China well within reach.
12:52
No test firing is planned,
12:53
but the deployment
12:55
demonstrates how Tokyo could threaten hostile
12:57
ships approaching its southwestern territory.
13:00
American forces have also brought in the Nemesis system,
13:03
that's the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System,
13:08
to Yonaguni for the exercise for the first time.
13:11
The mobile ground-based system
13:13
allows Marines to target enemy warships in nearby sea lanes,
13:17
but those Marines,
13:18
of course,
13:18
also need protection.
13:20
So American forces have
13:21
deployed the MTIS system to Yonaguni
13:24
for the exercise,
13:25
also for the first time,
13:26
providing short range air defense against threats including drones and aircraft.
13:32
On another nearby island they've positioned HMAS,
13:35
the mobile rocket artillery system
13:37
widely known for its use in the Ukraine war.
13:40
Keene's sword27 includes amphibious landings,
13:43
air and missile defense operations,
13:45
minesweeping,
13:46
intelligence gathering,
13:47
logistics,
13:48
resupply,
13:49
and casualty evacuations.
13:51
Now,
13:51
to avoid outright aggression or retaliation,
13:54
Japan's Chief of the Joint Staff
13:56
says the exercise does not target a particular country.
14:00
At the opening ceremony,
14:01
a Japanese admiral said,
14:02
quote,
14:03
It's essential to be fully prepared and cooperate with
14:06
our allies and partners to prevent the crisis,
14:09
end quote.
14:10
But the reality is that Tokyo has acknowledged
14:13
that a Taiwan conflict could draw Japan in.
14:16
About a year ago,
14:17
Japan's Prime Minister
14:19
said Chinese military action against Taiwan
14:21
could justify Japanese involvement,
14:24
which of course
14:25
triggered diplomatic and economic tensions with Beijing.
14:29
Washington remains Taiwan's principal arms supplier,
14:31
of course,
14:31
and
14:32
most important international security partner,
14:34
despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
14:38
President Trump has approved significant weapons sales
14:41
to Taiwan and supported military training.
14:43
Although a proposed $14 billion package,
14:47
well,
14:47
that has yet to be approved.
14:49
After meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in May,
14:52
Trump called those sales
14:54
a
14:55
very good negotiating chip.
14:58
And that my friends,
14:59
is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday,
15:01
the 20th of October.
15:02
If you have any questions or comments,
15:04
and I hope you do,
15:05
just reach out to me at PDB@hefirsttv.com
15:09
and to listen to the show ad-free,
15:10
well,
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that's easy to do.
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Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief
15:14
by visiting PDBpremium.com.
15:17
I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow.
15:19
Until then,
15:20
stay informed,
15:22
stay safe,
15:23
stay cool.
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