DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby on Middle East tensions, Russia-Ukraine war & 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFormer Pentagon official Elbridge Colby on Middle East tensions, Russia-Ukraine war & 2024 electionElbridge Colby, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the state of the Middle East tensions, Israel on high alert for a potential retaliatory attack from Iran, Russia-Ukraine war, impact of geopolitical tensions on the 2024 election, and more.

Persons: Elbridge Colby, Trump Organizations: Former Pentagon, Defense Locations: Middle, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran

☆ Israel scored major intelligence wins in daring assassinations of Iranian proxy leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementA photo taken on July 30 shows the destroyed top floors of an eight-story building following an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburb. AdvertisementA man waves a Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral procession of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1. AdvertisementA man waves a Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral procession of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1. Photo by AFP via Getty ImagesYoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, said Thursday that "the operation was conducted precisely and professionally" by the IDF and Israeli security forces. In April, Israel's military intelligence chief resigned and said his directorate "did not live up to the task we were entrusted with."

Persons: —, Israel, Fuad Shukr, Shukr, Hasan Nasrallah, Jonathan Lord, KHALED DESOUKI, Bruce Hoffman, Ismail Haniyeh, Masoud, Axios, Hoffman, Mohammed Deif, Yoav Gallant, apparatuses Organizations: Service, Israel, Business, Getty, Jihad Council, US Marine Corps, Israel Defense Forces, Pentagon, Center, New, New American Security, Palestinian, Council, Foreign Relations, The New York Times, Getty Images Israel, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, AFP Locations: Lebanon, Iran, East, Beirut, Golan, New American, Beirut's, AFP, Tehran, Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Palestine

The bombs used in the Israeli strike that killed dozens of Palestinians in a camp for displaced people near Rafah on Sunday were made in the United States, according to weapons experts and visual evidence reviewed by The New York Times. U.S. officials have been encouraging the Israeli military for months to increase the use of GBU-39 bombs in Gaza because they are generally more precise and better suited to urban environments than larger bombs, including U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs that Israel routinely uses. “This is the smallest munition that our jets can use.”In response to questions from The Times, the Israeli military declined to specify the munition used. Image A fire raging after an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday night. Credit... Reuters“The Israelis have said they used 37-pound bombs,” John Kirby, a White House spokesman said at a briefing on Tuesday.

Persons: Trevor Ball, Ball, Alam Sadeq, Woodward, Alam, Salam, Biden, ”, Daniel Hagari, Admiral Hagari, ” John Kirby, Larry Lewis, Mr, Lewis, “, Wes J, Bryant, —, ” Mr, ” Neil Collier, Eric Schmitt, Aaron Boxerman, Ainara Tiefenthäler, Shawn Paik Organizations: The New York Times, The Times, U.S . Army, U.S, Credit, New York Times, Kuwaiti Al, Israel, Reuters, Pentagon, State Department, American Air Force, Times Locations: Rafah, United States, U.S, Israel, Palestinian, Colorado, Kuwaiti, Gaza

☆ Opinion: The actual hidden truth about UFOs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —A former Pentagon official — driven, he says, by his duty to the truth — goes public with an explosive allegation. Facing a scrum of TV cameras and members of Congress, this official claims that the US government has been keeping crashed alien spaceships under wraps for decades. Crashed alien spacecraft and dead extraterrestrials, right there in the Congressional Record. Because, for decades, UFO true believers have been telling us there’s a US government conspiracy to hide evidence of aliens. But — if you believe Kirkpatrick — the more mundane truth is that these stories are being pumped up by a group of UFO true believers in and around government.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Erik German, “, CNN —, David Grusch, he’d, Grusch, must’ve, Sean Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick, Tom Williams, ” Kirkpatrick, Naval Intelligence Scott Bray, Kevin Dietsch, It’s, you’ve, Harry Reid, Robert Bigelow, ’ ”, Sen, Chip Somodevilla, Reid, Bigelow, ” Reid, “ I’m, who’d Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Pentagon, Air Force, SPAN, US Department of Defense, Defense, National Security, Foreign Affairs, Naval Intelligence, Intelligence, Capitol, Roswell Army Air Field, Army, Newspapers, Roswell, US Air Force, NASA Voyager, Walker, Roswell AAF, Reuters, Nevada Democrat, Bigelow Aerospace, US Defense Intelligence Agency, New York Times Locations: New America, Roswell, New Mexico, Florida, Nevada, Washington ,

☆ 2 Navy SEALs Declared Dead After Mission to Stop Iranian Weapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. military said on Sunday that it had declared two Navy SEALs dead after they went missing 10 days ago during an operation at sea to intercept weapons from Iran headed to Houthi fighters. They are among the first known U.S. fatalities in Washington’s campaign against the Houthis, who have launched dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, roiling the global shipping industry. The episode involving the SEALs occurred in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Somalia on Jan. 11. During that nighttime commando mission, according to the U.S. military, American troops boarded a small boat, called a dhow, and seized weapons including Iranian made ballistic-missile and cruise-missile components bound for Yemen. The mission led to the first seizure by U.S. forces of Iran-supplied weapons since the Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea, the U.S. military said in a statement last week.

Organizations: U.S, Navy, ., Pentagon, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iran, Red, United States, Yemen, Somalia, U.S, Gazans, Israel

Two members of the Navy SEALs remained missing on Saturday after a mishap two days ago while they were attempting to board a ship off the coast of Somalia, two current and two former Pentagon officials said. As part of those missions, the U.S. Navy and allies have been responding to distress calls. Over the past two days, the U.S. and allies have struck Houthi-linked targets in Yemen, trying to damage the militia’s offensive capabilities. In the latest incident, the members of the SEAL team were dispatched on Thursday to approach a suspicious vessel off the Somali coast, the officials said. It was unclear on Saturday what prompted the commandos to single out the vessel for a closer investigation.

Organizations: Navy, Pentagon, U.S . Navy Locations: Somalia, United States, Yemen, Red, U.S, Somali

☆ U.S. Navy Rescues Ship From Pirate Attack in Gulf of Aden
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | More About Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mason, a Navy destroyer, they fell well short of the mark: They landed in the Gulf of Aden 10 nautical miles from the American ship. The Central Park crew reported they were under attack from an unknown entity, U.S. Central Command said. When the coalition vessels arrived at the Central Park, they demanded the release of the ship. Five armed people fled from the ship and attempted to flee in the small boat they had used to attack the cargo ship. While the Houthi rebels struck in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden where the Central Park was attacked is far from their area of operations.

Persons: Mason, Aden —, Eyal Ofer Organizations: U.S . Navy, Navy, U.S, U.S . Central Command, American, Central Park, Fox News, Pentagon, Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac Locations: Gulf, Aden, Somalia, Yemen, Iranian, U.S, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Red, London, Israeli

☆ Exclusive: This pizza box-sized equipment could be key to Ukraine keeping the lights on this winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Officials from multiple US agencies played a quiet role in getting the Cisco equipment into Ukraine, sources say. In this undated photo, an employee at Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator, Ukrenergo, works on the power grid. As the world’s largest maker of computer networking equipment, Cisco had resources to spare. The switch allows an electric substation – which has the crucial task of converting power from high to low voltage – to communicate with other parts of a power grid. Years of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s gridBehind the scenes, US officials are often coordinating the delivery of key technology to Ukraine.

Persons: CNN —, Illia Vitiuk, Biden, Palantir, Ukrenergo, Joe Marshall, intently, Marshall, he’d, ”, ” Marshall, Taras Vasyliv, ” Vasyliv, Andrew Kravchenko, Vasyliv, Ukraine “, ” NERC Organizations: CNN, Engineers, Cisco, US Air Force, Washington, SpaceX, Microsoft, Pentagon, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, Stanford University, GPS, Cisco’s, Ukrenergo, Bloomberg, Getty, GRU, US Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Locations: Austin , Texas, Ukraine, Russian, Stanford, Russia, Ukrainian, Denver, Ukraine’s, Kyiv, Silicon Valley, Alabama, East Coast, Germany, Rzeszów, Poland, California, ”, North America

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he walks with U.S. President Joe Biden at Filoli estate on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Woodside, California, U.S., November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO/HONG KONG, Nov 16 (Reuters) - When Chinese President Xi Jinping met executives for dinner on Wednesday night in San Francisco, he was greeted with not one, but three standing ovations from the U.S. business community. All three were outcomes the United States had sought from China rather than the other way around, said two people briefed on the trip. Biden administration officials have acknowledged that creating functional military relations won't be as easy as semi-regular meetings between defense officials. That's not going to be a favor to us," one senior Biden administration told Reuters in October in the run-up to the Xi-Biden meeting.

Persons: Xi, Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Xi Jinping, Alexander Neill, Biden, Nancy Pelosi's, hotlines, Craig Singleton, That's, China's, Drew Thompson, Vladimir Putin, it's, Li Mingjiang, Michael Martina, Greg Torode, Trevor Hunnicutt, Antoni Slodkowski, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Tom Hogue Organizations: U.S, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, United States, Communist Party, Hawaii's, Commerce Department, Biden, Republican, ., Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Reuters, Pentagon, National University of Singapore, Analysts, Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Thomson Locations: Filoli, Asia, Woodside , California, U.S, HONG KONG, San Francisco, United States, United, China, Beijing, Chinese, Taiwan, Washington, Russia, Singapore

☆ What Does the U.S. Space Force Actually Do?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Jon Gertner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military, was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2019. Its creation was not a partisan endeavor, though Trump has boasted that the idea for the organization was his alone. At its incarnation, the Space Force was an assemblage of programs and teams that already existed, mainly as entities within the Air Force. “It’s one of the common misperceptions that it cost money to create the Space Force — and it really didn’t, because we already had space forces,” Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told me. “One of the things that we were lacking without a Space Force was an organization that would argue for its own destiny,” Douglas Loverro, a former Pentagon official involved in helping start the branch, told me.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, ” Todd Harrison, ” Douglas Loverro, Loverro, Wang Hucheng Organizations: Space Force, U.S ., Congress, Air Force, Force, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Pentagon Locations: United States

☆ Biden’s Gulf allies want an ‘ironclad’ security pact with the US. Here’s what it might look like
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“They (the Americans) don’t want to see Saudi Arabia shifting their armament from America to another place,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview last month. Gulf states have over the past few years faced attacks they have blamed on Iran and its proxies, and have found the US’ response to them inadequate. Among the Gulf states, Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, was the first to be declared a MNNA in 2002. It is however unclear if the US would commit to a treaty that would require it to come to the Gulf states’ defense in case of attack. The president can offer some concessions without Senate ratification, he said, but that won’t meet Gulf states’ requirements.

Persons: Biden, don’t, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Bret Baier, Anwar Gargash, ”, ” Ali Shihabi, Saudi Arabia’s, Israel –, Joe Biden, Jean, Loup, David Des Roches, ” Des Roches, Washington’s, Gargash, Des Roches, Samaan, “ Organizations: UAE CNN, United, United States ’, United Arab Emirates, Fox News, US, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Saudi, Washington, MBS, Gulf, NATO Allies, NATO, Fifth, US Central Command, Middle East Institute of, National University of Singapore, “, Autonomy, East South Asia Center for Security Studies, Pentagon, Senate, ”, CNN Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States, Washington, East, Saudi Arabia, America, Saudi, New York, Iran, U.S, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Tokyo, Seoul, Bahrain, Qatar, China, Russia, Gulf

Newly installed Foreign Minister Qin Gang vanished with scant explanation in July, the same month as an abrupt shake-up of the military's elite Rocket Force, which oversees China's nuclear arsenal. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. PROXIMITY ISN'T PATRONAGERegarding Defence Minister Li's disappearance and investigation, a ministry spokeswoman told reporters on Friday she was not aware of the situation. With corruption long permeating China's military and state institutions, some analysts and diplomats believe Xi's anti-graft crackdowns mark political purges across the Communist Party. If Li's fate "reflects Xi's increasingly inward focus, it is not good for those of us who want greater openness and lines of communications with China's military," said one Asian diplomat.

Persons: Xi Jinping, GIANLUIGI, Xi Jinping's, Li Shangfu, Qin Gang, Drew Thompson, Thompson, Li's, Li, Helena Legarda, Alexander Neill, Zhang Youxia, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Ja Ian Chong, Chong, Greg Torode, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Rights, Reuters, Foreign, Rocket Force, Pentagon, National University of Singapore, State Council and Defence Ministry, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Hawaii's, Military Commission, Washington, U.S . Defence, Pacific ., East, South China Seas, Thomson Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights BEIJING, India, China, Russia, Belarus, Beijing, Jakarta, Berlin, Singapore, Washington, Asia, Pacific, Taiwan, South, East China, South China, Hong Kong

☆ Biden administration did not sanction unofficial talks with Russians, State Dept says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was not clear how frequently the group, which included former Pentagon officials, held discussions with other prominent Russians thought to be close to the Kremlin, NBC News reported. "The Biden administration did not sanction those discussions," a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions from Reuters. "And as we've said repeatedly, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine." The spokesperson was referring to an administration policy of not discussing possible negotiations on ending the war without involving Ukrainian officials. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said in an interview with CBS News that the White House was aware of the unofficial discussions.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Richard Haass, Biden, we've, John Kirby, Jonathan Landay, Simon Lewis, Eric Beech, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Russian, White House and State Department, NBC News, Foreign Relations, White, Pentagon, Kremlin, State Department, Reuters, House, CBS News, NBC, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, New York, U.S, Russia

☆ Short-Lived Mutiny in Russia Sheds Light on Putin’s Hold on Power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For more than a year, American officials have quietly asked themselves a question they would not dare pose in public: Could Russia’s botched invasion of Ukraine eventually lead to the downfall of President Vladimir V. Putin? For a few chaotic, head-snapping hours this weekend, the notion did not seem so far-fetched. But even with the apparent end to the immediate threat posed by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellious mercenary army, the short-lived uprising suggested that Mr. Putin’s hold on power is more tenuous than at any time since he took office more than two decades ago. The aftermath of the mutiny leaves President Biden and American policymakers with both opportunity and danger in perhaps the most volatile moment since the early days of the invasion of Ukraine. “The main thing we care about is making sure that professional military remains in control of all of the nuclear facilities.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Putin’s, Biden, ”, Evelyn N, Farkas Organizations: McCain Institute for International Leadership, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Syria

Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, speaks during an interview at an Economic Club of Washington event in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, April 14, 2022. The White House described the meeting between Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan and China's top diplomat Wang Yi as "candid, substantive and constructive." The White House said it aims to keep up open communication with China, as Washington increasingly sharpens its rhetoric around Beijing's policies around the globe. The White House has said that it has not observed Beijing providing military assistance to the Kremlin for its fight in Ukraine. Such brinksmanship weakens our national security," the former Pentagon chiefs wrote in a letter.

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats" at the U.S. Capitol in Washington May 10, 2022. In January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress that the U.S. government started to use extraordinary measures to fend off default. Since 1960, Congress has raised the debt ceiling 78 separate times under both Republican and Democratic presidents. Read more: What is the debt ceiling? Such brinksmanship weakens our national security," the former Pentagon chiefs wrote in a letter.

SpaceX had to file suit before winning its first defense orders from the Pentagon. The Pentagon is seeking to enlist Silicon Valley startups in its effort to fund and develop new weapons technology and more-nimble suppliers, as the U.S. races to keep pace with China’s military advances. The push to tap private capital comes in the midst of concern that U.S. defense-industry consolidation has led to dependence on a few large companies that rely on government funding for research and is hampering innovation. Meanwhile, China has pulled ahead in some key technologies, ranging from small drones to hypersonic missiles, helped by Beijing’s use of external public-private guidance funds, according to current and former Pentagon officials.

They are demanding steep spending cuts to tame the deficit at a time when the United States is pumping billions of dollars in military and other aid into Ukraine. For now, Republican leaders in Congress, who fiercely oppose Biden on most issues, support aid for Ukraine's defense, even calling for Washington to send more powerful weapons, more quickly. "Americans' support for Ukraine is reflected in strong bipartisan support Ukraine assistance has received in both houses of Congress," Watson said. A global Ipsos poll late last year found that majorities in NATO members including Canada, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Poland back continued military support to Ukraine. Only in Hungary and Italy did more oppose than support it, and those countries' leaders have fallen in line with European initiatives to support Ukraine.

☆ 3 suspicious objects have been downed across North America this week. Officials have no idea where 2 of the UAP came from and the pilots who shot them down can't agree on what they even look like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

US fighter aircraft shot down an object threatening airspace over Alaska yesterday. On Saturday, another unknown object, described as "cylindrical," was shot down over Canada. Here is what we know about the object shot down on Friday. The object shot down on Saturday was spotted in the Northern Canadian territory of Yukon. It is unclear if the object shot down off the Alaskan coast was of similar size or shape.

☆ Marines fooled a DARPA robot by hiding in a cardboard box while giggling and pretending to be trees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Pentagon policy analyst Paul Scharre discusses global power and AI in his upcoming book. He writes that Marines trained the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's robots. The robots, trained to identify humans, were fooled by Marines doing somersaults and hiding in boxes. In the passages, Scharre details how, at the end of their training course, the Marines devised a game to test the DARPA robot's intelligence. Another took branches from a fir tree and walked along, grinning from ear to ear while pretending to be a tree, according to sources from Scharre's book.

☆ Former US Navy fighter pilot explains why TOPGUN fines aviators $5 each time they quote the iconic 1986 film 'Top Gun' starring Tom Cruise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US Navy's premiere fighter pilot training school, commonly known as TOPGUN, fines people for various infractions. At the Navy's decades-old tactical air combat training center commonly known as TOPGUN, there are fines for various infractions. Any quote from the iconic 1986 film "Top Gun" starring Tom Cruise as the hotshot naval aviator Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell will cost you $5, former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor Cmdr. Decades later, the school, since relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, is still producing some of the world's top combat aviators. He is a TOPGUN graduate and former instructor, as well as a retired naval aviator who flew combat missions overseas.

☆ House Jan. 6 committee found military officials were concerned Trump would use troops to overturn the election
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The House January 6 committee found evidence that top military officials had "genuine concerns" about Trump using the military to overturn the election. The revelation adds further context to why top officials were so outspoken about clarifying the military's role. "Again, at this time, there is no evidence the Department of Defense understood exactly what President Trump and his associates planned for January 6th." . . and the employment of forces, and you know, that was something that we were all, you know, conscious of," McCarthy told the committee. "They may try, but they're not going to f**king succeed," Milley told his deputies, according to the book.

That hearing discussed an unclassified report issued by a Department of Defense task force in 2021. There is precedent for the Defense Department, scientists and the media playing down reports of UFOs rather than prioritizing truly open scientific inquiry. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Air Force established a UFO task force named Project Blue Book and commissioned an independent scientific study of the phenomena. There is now a danger that the NASA study, which is also supposed to be objective, may not live up to this scientific ideal. If government and academia don’t do so with UFOs, we may end up with another independent scientific panel in another 50 years, but be no closer to the truth.

Search resuls for: "Former Pentagon"

23 mentions found