The LOWDOWN
The LOWDOWN Podcast delivers a weekly intelligence briefing designed for military professionals, analysts, and strategic thinkers. Each episode summarizes the most critical open-source developments related to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, covering real-world reporting across diplomatic, military, economic, cyber, and information warfare domains. With a clean, voice-ready format and zero fluff, The LOWDOWN helps you stay mission-focused with timely, fact-driven updates. Whether you're prepping an intel brief, tracking adversary TTPs, or just need the facts without the noise—this is your weekly OSINT download.
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The LOWDOWN
Report to Congress on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2025
This episode breaks down the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2025 report to Congress on People’s Republic of China, assessing how Beijing is accelerating military modernization, coercive force employment, and global power projection to support its long-term goal of national “rejuvenation” by 2049. The report highlights China’s prioritization of Taiwan as a core interest, sustained whole-of-government pressure short of war, and a growing PLA posture capable of near-no-notice joint operations around the island, including air, maritime, missile, cyber, and information domains. It details expanded PLA exercises in 2024—most notably JOINT SWORD operations integrating the China Coast Guard—alongside rising ADIZ incursions, maritime lawfare in the South China Sea, and increasingly aggressive paramilitary tactics against U.S. allies. The episode also covers China’s deepening defense ties with Russia, rapid growth in overseas access and logistics nodes, and heavy investment in emerging technologies such as AI, space, missiles, and autonomous systems to enable “intelligentized” warfare. The assessment concludes that while China continues to face structural challenges, Beijing is methodically building the military, industrial, and informational capacity required for sustained competition—and potential conflict—with the United States and its allies.
https://media.defense.gov/2025/Dec/23/2003849070/-1/-1/1/ANNUAL-REPORT-TO-CONGRESS-MILITARY-AND-SECURITY-DEVELOPMENTS-INVOLVING-THE-PEOPLES-REPUBLIC-OF-CHINA-2025.PDF
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