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Over recent years, NATO allies and Russia have scaled up military exercises in the region; Chinese and Russian warships conducted a joint exercise in the Bering Sea in September. Four Arctic experts say it would take the West at least 10 years to catch up with Russia's military in the region, if it chose to do so. "NATO is increasing its presence in the Arctic with more modern capabilities," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters. Now NATO and Arctic allies are changing their stance. Sweden and Finland have begun investing in surveillance and deterrence capabilities and military hardware including jets so their air forces can fight alongside Arctic NATO allies.

☆ South Korea scrambles dozens of fighter jets after detecting 180 North Korean warplanes near their border
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

South Korea mobilized dozens of fighter jets after detecting 180 warplanes from the North. The US and South Korea's air forces have been conducting joint air training all week. Seoul responded by launching 80 warplanes, including the F-35A fighter jet, and there were no reports of clashes between the rival sides. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have soared this week, as Pyongyang expresses anger about joint military drills between the US and South Korea. North Korea's missile launching spree and threatening rhetoric have drawn international criticism, including from the US and South Korea.

☆ U.S. and South Korean warplanes begin largest ever air drills
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills on Monday, with hundreds of warplanes from both sides staging mock attacks 24 hours a day for the better part of a week. In protest of recent drills, North Korea has launched missiles, conducted air drills, and fired artillery into the sea. Vigilant Storm will include variants of the F-35 stealth fighter from both the United States and South Korea, among other aircraft. "(South Korea) and U.S. Air Forces will work together with the joint services to perform major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations 24 hours a day during the training period," the U.S. Air Force said. On Friday South Korean troops finished the 12-day Hoguk 22 field exercises, which featured mock amphibious landings and river crossings, including some drills with U.S. forces.

☆ Russian naval officers discussed nuking Berlin during a training exercise to unnerve Germany and erode support for Ukraine, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian naval officers chatted last year about nuking Berlin and two military bases in Germany, per Der Spiegel. The military bases — Ramstein and Buchel — are both used by the US military. The Times of London reported that the chatter may have intended to spook Germany and the West. Reuters reported that deeply-held fears of a nuclear war in Germany, felt strongly during the Cold War, have begun to re-emerge. Towns near US military bases, such as Ramstein, are particularly nervous, Reuters said.

☆ North Korea fires missiles toward sea as U.S. warns against using nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

South Korea’s military has strengthened its surveillance posture and maintains readiness amid close coordination with the United States, it said. North Korea sees such regular drills by Seoul and Washington as practice for launching an attack on the North, though the allies say their exercises are defensive in nature. The area was apparently closer to South Korea than any other missile launch site North Korea has used so far this year. South Korea and the United States have strongly warned North Korea against using its nuclear weapons preemptively. North Korea has said the artillery firings were in reaction to South Korean live-fire exercises at land border areas.

☆ New videos from a sailor show 'horrible' polluted drinking water on a US Navy aircraft carrier
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The US Navy found drinking water on an aircraft carrier was polluted with bacteria and bilge water. Videos shared with Insider by a USS Abraham Lincoln sailor show murky water bubbling out of drinking fountains and sinks on September 21-22. The sailor told Insider that the water smelled and tasted "horrible" and said "you can't escape it." One sailor told Insider "it was horrible" and that at times the water the crew used to drink, bathe, and cook appeared "black." The Lincoln is the second aircraft carrier to deal with water contamination within the last few weeks.

☆ The US Navy now knows why the water on an aircraft carrier looked and smelled strange. It had wastewater in it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Navy found last month that the water on an aircraft carrier had an "odor and cloudy appearance." The service said early last week it didn't know why the water looked and smelled strange. Those tanks were immediately isolated and secured from the potable water system," Naval Air Forces Cmdr. A sailor on the ship — and their parents — told Insider that the issue was worse than what the Navy originally revealed to the public. Navy and Marine Corps veterans told Insider that sailors on Navy flattops, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, have been drinking and bathing in water contaminated by jet fuel for decades.

☆ The US Navy found water that looked and smelled weird on an aircraft carrier last month, and it still has no idea why
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Navy discovered last month that the water on the USS Abraham Lincoln looked and smelled strange. Testing found E. coli in the water, but Navy officials said it was unrelated to the odor and cloudiness. Nearly a month later, the Navy still has no idea what caused issues with the ship's water. Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln first noticed on September 21 that the water they drink and bathe in had an "odor and cloudy appearance." The day after the unusual smell and appearance were detected, testing of the water supply revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria in a few of the ship's water tanks.

☆ The US Navy found E. coli in aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln's drinking water after another carrier discovered jet fuel in its water supply
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Navy said it recently found E. coli bacteria in the drinking water of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Contaminated water on Navy ships is not unique to the Abraham Lincoln, which discovered its contaminated water shortly after another aircraft carrier did the same. "When you go to take a shower, it smells a lot like jet fuel. It tastes like jet fuel. It was terrible," recalled one veteran sailor who served on the Forrestal-class carrier USS Ranger in the 1980s.

BRUSSELS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The United States reaffirmed its commitment to defend "every inch" of NATO territory ahead of talks among defense ministers from the alliance on Thursday that will include closed-door discussions by its nuclear planning group. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAustin spoke shortly before attending a meeting by NATO's Nuclear Planning Group, which is NATO's senior body on nuclear matters and handles policy issues associated with its nuclear forces. NATO's website says its nuclear policy is under "constant review, and is modified and adapted in light of new developments." "We're going to stay with our efforts to support Ukraine for as long as it takes," Austin said alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. NATO told Moscow on Tuesday it would meet attacks on allies' critical infrastructure with a "united and determined response."

Advanced air defence systems are designed to protect entire cities from air attacks. Russian air raids on Monday killed 19 people in Ukraine, wounded more than 100 and knocked out power supplies across the country. On Tuesday, Ukraine received the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defence systems Germany promised to supply, a German defence ministry source said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking ahead of a two-day meeting of the alliance's defence ministers on Oct 12-13 in Brussels, urged allies to provide additional air defence systems. Discussions of the more than 50 countries will focus on providing additional air defence systems to Ukraine, said the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith.

☆ Kremlin scolds West for 'provocative' nuclear rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Kremlin scolds WestKremlin says no moves toward Biden meetLONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday scolded Western leaders for engaging in "provocative" nuclear rhetoric after a series of warnings from Russia, the United States and NATO on the dangers of escalating the Ukraine conflict into a nuclear war. President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 21 warned the West he was not bluffing when he said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia against what he said was "nuclear blackmail" from major Western powers. U.S. President Joe Biden, who has cautioned that the world faced the biggest risk of nuclear Armageddon since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, said he doubted that Putin would use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We express our daily regret that Western heads of state, in the United States and Europe, engage in nuclear rhetoric every day," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Biden's interview to CNN. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

BRUSSELS, Oct 11 (Reuters) - NATO told Moscow on Tuesday it would meet attacks on allies' critical infrastructure with a "united and determined response" and was also monitoring Russia's nuclear forces closely as the country was "losing on the battlefield" in Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that while the defence alliance had not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture, it was vigilant and would proceed with a nuclear preparedness exercise of its own next week. "Now is the right time to be firm and to be clear that NATO is there to protect and defend all allies... It would send a very wrong signal if we suddenly now cancelled a routine, long-time-planned exercise because of the war in Ukraine," Stoltenberg said. "We will further increase protection of critical infrastructure in light of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines," he said.

☆ The war in Ukraine may keep Russia's new Su-75 stealth fighter jet out of the air
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Maya Carlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Su-75 "Checkmate" is Russia's attempt at building a fifth-generation fighter for export. Originally revealed at the MAKS Airshow last year, the Su-75 was hailed as a solid move by Russia's United Aerospace Corporation, building off the Su-57 platform — Russia's first fifth-generation fighter. Stats and specsA Su-75 Checkmate prototype at MAKS-2021 in July 2021. They note that "The Checkmate fighter is outfitted with versatile armaments capable of fighting any threat: from unsheltered command posts to especially sensitive targets for a potential enemy." Additionally, if the production estimates of the Su-75 continue to be delayed, foreign clients may look elsewhere to fulfill their fighter needs.

☆ The US Navy keeps finding traces of jet fuel in the water on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, even after it thought the water was safe
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Navy recently found traces of jet fuel in the water on board the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier. Those laboratory tests, which were conducted several days after traces of jet fuel were initially detected in the ship's water, did not reveal any "measurable" amounts of hydrocarbons, highly-combustible jet fuel components, Ensign Bryan Blair, a Navy spokesperson, told Insider. Navy Times reported that traces of jet fuel — also known as jet propellant-5 or simply JP-5— was originally found in the Nimitz's water system on September 16 while the ship was in the Pacific Ocean. USS Nimitz Spokesman Lt. Cmdr. The USS Nimitz was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned in 1975.

☆ China's new J-20 is nothing 'to lose a lot of sleep over,' but the US's stealth advantage isn't safe, US commanders say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

China's air force has rapidly grown in size and capability, adding advanced jets like the J-20. The J-20 isn't "anything to lose a lot of sleep over," the head of US Pacific Air Forces said this week. But US Air Force leaders do say the US needs to work to stay head of the progress China is making. "We can take a look at it today and say we're not going to lose a lot of sleep. I'll lose sleep if we don't continue to modernize our Air Force to ensure that we stay ahead of where they are."

☆ US Air Force special operators turned cargo planes into bombers. Now they're showing other militaries how it's done.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One effort involving Air Force Special Operations Command is modifying cargo planes to drop bombs. Other air forces could easily deploy those weapons from their cargo planes, the head of AFSOC said. A major part of that effort has been repurposing its largest aircraft, cargo planes and tankers, for other missions. Brandon EsauThe Air Force has been contemplating how to deploy more firepower with its existing fleet for nearly a decade. US Air Force Special Operations CommandAFSOC is looking to add other capabilities to its MC-130s as well.

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