🥫 US Moves Additional Troops

December 26, 2025

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Three Minute Prepper - US Moves Additional Troops

Before we get to the news, Merry Christmas, happy Boxing Day, and to everyone, may 2026 bring you and yours health, preparedness, and resilience for whatever comes next.

US moved additional troops and special operations aircraft to the Caribbean. At least 10 CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft assigned to special operations forces flew into the region Monday night from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. C-17 cargo planes from Fort Stewart in Georgia and Fort Campbell on the Tennessee Kentucky border arrived in Puerto Rico. The deployments come as the US began enforcing a blockade on Venezuela that so far involved seizure of two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil. Trump said if Maduro plays tough, it will be the last time he is ever able to play tough. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Maduro needs to be gone, one of the most explicit statements about desire for regime change. Enforcing a naval blockade against a country is traditionally considered an act of war, which would require authorization by Congress. Last week the House voted on a War Powers Resolution meant to block Trump from launching war with Venezuela without congressional authorization, but it failed in a vote of 211 to 213. When special operations aircraft and cargo planes full of troops deploy to islands near a blockaded nation while cabinet members declare the leader needs to be gone, those deployments are not defensive posturing. Those are invasion forces prepositioning for action.

Gold and silver smash records again as rally gathers momentum. Spot gold rose as much as 1.2 percent to a peak above $4,530 an ounce. Frictions in Venezuela where the US blockaded oil tankers and ramped up pressure on the government added to the precious metal's haven appeal. Spot silver for immediate delivery advanced for a fifth session, climbing as much as 5 percent to cross $75 an ounce. The white metal's recent advance has been buoyed by speculative inflows and lingering supply dislocations following a historic short squeeze in October. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was down 0.7 percent for the week, its biggest drop since June. Gold has gained around 70 percent this year and silver more than 150 percent, with both metals on track for their best annual performances since 1979. Previous issues documented silver hitting $66 all-time high while gold approached records. Now both metals continue shattering every ceiling as systems break.

Chinese military simulates Caribbean war scenario amid Trump's gunboat diplomacy. China Central Television showed People's Liberation Army wargaming simulations of hypothetical conflict scenarios in the Caribbean theater. Red PLA forces and blue enemy forces maneuvered aircraft and warships near Cuba and Mexico, with blue units near Houston before moving into the Gulf of Mexico. In a typical PLA drill, red side represents Chinese military while blue side is the enemy. PLA war games are rarely revealed, and to air on state television is yet another sign Beijing is furious with the Trump administration's gunboat diplomacy to topple regimes in Venezuela and Cuba. China has received much of Venezuela's seaborne crude exports in recent years, accounting for well over half of total shipments. PLA's decision to publicly broadcast wargaming scenarios, an unusually rare event, constitutes an external signal directed at the Trump administration in response to US gunboat diplomacy in the Caribbean. When adversary nations air war simulations on state television showing forces maneuvering near allied territories, those broadcasts are not entertainment. Those are warnings that interventions in one theater create responses in others.

China sanctions 20 US defense firms and issues red line warning over record Taiwan arms deal. China's foreign ministry announced sanctions on ten individuals and 20 American defense companies in response to American arms sales to Taiwan. The sanctions freeze any assets the listed people and firms hold in China and prohibit Chinese organizations and citizens from conducting business with them. Sanctioned firms include Boeing's St Louis based defense branch, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, and L3Harris Maritime Services. The ministry stated anyone who attempts to cross the line and make provocations on the Taiwan question will be met with China's firm response. The punitive measure follows Trump administration's announcement of an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, the largest such US sale to the island to date. The biggest chunks of the package include some $4 billion of Himars truck based missile launchers, enough for 82 of the advanced systems. The Himars have enough range to reach targets on China's east coast. Beijing said the Taiwan issue lies at the heart of China's core interests and represents the first red line in China US relations that must not be crossed. When nations sanction entire defense industries while declaring territorial issues as first red lines that must not be crossed, those sanctions are not diplomatic protests. Those are declarations that red lines have already been crossed and responses are coming.

Silver surges toward the magical $100 mark as global debt levels explode and the US dollar dies. This year silver has been on the greatest bull run ever seen, up an astounding 166 percent since January 1st. The price of silver has already surpassed $80 in Shanghai. Global debt climbed to an all-time high of $337.7 trillion by the end of second quarter 2025. The first half of 2025 alone saw an increase of over $21 trillion. This is the first time in world history that all major powers are facing a nightmarish debt crisis simultaneously. For the year, the US dollar index is down about 9.8 percent, which would mark its steepest annual drop since 2017. The share of dollar denominated assets held by other central banks dropped to 56.9 percent of total foreign exchange reserves in Q3, the lowest since 1994. Over the last two months, there has been massive inflow of silver from Latin America into the United States. On Black Friday, JPMorgan effectively pulled silver off the market. That removal of available supply triggered a forced response. Someone in China who was structurally short silver had to cover aggressively. Spot platinum rose 8.7 percent to $2,411.46 per ounce while palladium climbed nearly 10 percent to $1,850.76. When silver rises 166 percent in one year while global debt hits $337.7 trillion and the dollar suffers its steepest annual drop since 2017, precious metals are not appreciating. Currencies are collapsing.

Connect every signal. Special operations forces deploy to Caribbean while regime change gets openly declared. Gold and silver shatter records as blockades disrupt oil flows. China airs Caribbean war simulations on state television. Sanctions hit 20 defense firms while $11 billion in weapons flow to Taiwan. Silver approaches $100 as global debt reaches $337.7 trillion and the dollar dies. Previous issues documented blockades imposed, tankers seized, drumbeats intensifying, and Pentagon failing audits while getting $901 billion more. Now the final convergence accelerates into year end. Invasion forces preposition on islands. Precious metals confirm monetary system failure. Adversaries broadcast war simulations. Red lines get declared crossed. Silver surges as debt explodes and reserve currency status dies. Those who stacked silver before it hit $80, understood that special operations deployments precede invasions, knew that public war simulations signal private war preparations, and recognized that $337 trillion in debt cannot be sustained were not being pessimistic. They were preparing for the convergence now arriving. When Ospreys land on Caribbean islands, when war games air on state television, when sanctions freeze defense industries, and when silver approaches $100 while debt reaches $337 trillion, 2026 will not resemble 2025. Prepare accordingly.

Stay prepared,

Alex Simm

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