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☆ As US and Philippine defense ties grow closer, China drives wedge over Taiwan issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But the election of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, last year has returned relations to a more even keel, in part because Manila has become wary of a more assertive China. Last year the US granted $100 million to boost the Southeast Asian country’s defense capabilities and military modernization. Heydarian added that China has to rethink its strategy towards the Philippines, as the Marcos Jr administration is openly more aligned with the US. China remains one of the top trade partners of the Philippines, while Marcos Jr also continues to negotiate energy and agriculture investments from Beijing. Some worry Marcos Jr might be giving too much access to the US, especially when it comes to bases and facilities close to Taiwan, Heydarian said.

☆ US and Philippine forces fire on mock enemy warship in South China Sea military exercise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —United States and Philippine forces fired on a mock enemy warship in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the latest display of American firepower in Asia as tensions with China continue to rise. Earlier this month, China’s state-run media labeled the drills as an “attempt to target China.”US and Philippine military leaders said Wednesday’s exercise was designed to synchronize combat forces. “Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains,” Jurney said. The four bases joined five included earlier, including three on the main island of Luzon, close to Taiwan, and one on Balabac Island close to Chinese installations on the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, in another sign of increasing US-Philippine military cooperation, the US Pacific Air Forces said Tuesday a key air exercise will return to the Philippines next month for the first time since 1990.

☆ How Putin spent 20 years rebuilding Russia's military 'and then just simply destroyed it' in Ukraine, according to an expert who watched it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Vladimir Putin has spent his two decades in power rebuilding and reforming Russia's military. Below, Galeotti describes those reforms, what they achieved, and how, in a devastating war in Ukraine, Putin has squandered the military he built. IGOR SAREMBO/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Putin came to power at the end of the 1990s, what was the state of the Russian military? How did the Russian military underperform in that conflict in Georgia? What did those conflicts show about the capabilities of the Russian military and about the impact of those reforms?

☆ How Russia could spot Ukrainian F-16s before they even got off the ground, according to an air-warfare expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Those calls center on the US-made F-16, which proponents say will boost Ukraine's air force. But Russia would notice if Ukraine began modifying its airbases to support F-16s, one expert says. Despite being numerically and technologically outmatched by Russian aircraft and air-to-air missiles, Ukraine's air force has proven remarkably resilient and resourceful. But so far, Russia has chosen to not to use its limited stockpile of long-range missiles against Ukrainian airbases because Ukrainian airpower "doesn't pose a massive threat," Bronk said. US Air National Guard crews replace a part on an F-16 at Ukraine's Mirgorod Air Base in July 2011.

☆ Ukrainian officials planned 'mass strikes' on Moscow and other cities 'with everything' they had, but they stood down after US intervention: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Washington Post reports Ukrainian officials had plans for "mass strikes" on Russian cities on the first anniversary's of the war. Ukraine's military intelligence chief directed an officer to hit "with everything" available, but the plan wasn't carried out. Officials in Kyiv have disputed the Post report based on leaked documents, calling it "strange media" and "sensation." Ukraine is also suspected to be behind a number of explosive sea drone attacks on Russian installations. Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022.

☆ Ukrainian forces reportedly cross a key river, raising hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnieper River, according to a new analysis, giving rise to speculation Sunday that the advances could be an early sign of Kyiv's long-awaited spring counteroffensive. In the south, the Dnieper has for months marked the contact line in the Kherson region, where its namesake capital is regularly pummeled by shelling from Russian forces stationed across the river. The think tank cited comments from financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group — a private Russian military company whose fighters have spearheaded the offensive on Bakhmut. Russian forces on Saturday and overnight also dropped five guided aerial bombs over the Kherson region, Ukraine's Operational Command South said in a Facebook post Sunday. In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, Russian shelling wounded a 56-year-old man in Stepnohirsk, a town on the banks of the Dnieper river, local Gov.

☆ U.S. to Begin Training Ukrainian Forces on Abrams Tanks in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Nancy A. Youssef | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: Adam AdadaThe U.S. will send 31 Abrams tanks to Germany next month and begin training Ukrainian forces on how to operate them, defense officials said Friday. Speaking to reporters at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where Ukrainian allies met Friday to discuss how to coordinate their support, Army Gen. Mark Milley , the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that tanks designed for training would begin arriving in the next few weeks.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO reaffirms Ukraine will eventually join alliance; Russia accidentally strikes own city
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Once the war in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have "the deterrence to prevent new attacks," he said in comments reported by Reuters. Ukraine's Western allies on Friday convene at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss further assistance to Kyiv, in the fourteenth month of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who unexpectedly undertook his first visit to Ukraine since Russia began its offensive in February last year, reaffirmed that Kyiv will eventually join the military alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 20 reiterated his long-standing call that his country should benefit from fast-tracked admission into NATO. NATO and EU allies have so far offered military, humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine.

☆ Allies move to bolster Ukrainian tank forces ahead of counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine has pressed its allies for long-range weapons, jets and ammunition ahead of a counteroffensive to push back Russian troops that is expected in the coming weeks or months. Abrams battle tanks will arrive in Germany in the coming weeks for Ukrainian troops to begin training, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters. NATO member states and their allies have provided Ukraine with weapons and armour, but Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly asked for more powerful weapons and quicker supplies. "The Russians are cautious to come into Ukraine because of the effective use of the Ukrainian air defense system. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban poured cold water on Ukraine's NATO prospects, simply tweeting "What?!"

☆ NATO's Stoltenberg reaffirms Ukraine to eventually join alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

RAMSTEIN, Germany, April 21 (Reuters) - All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will eventually become a member of the alliance but the main focus now is to ensure the country prevails against Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday. Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Ukraine defence contact group at Ramstein air base in Germany, he also told reporters that, once the war in Ukraine ends, Kyiv must have "the deterrence to prevent new attacks". Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Hundreds have died so far and a nation reliant on food aid has been tipped into what the United Nations calls a humanitarian catastrophe. Washington has said that private American citizens in Sudan should have no expectation of a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation from the country. UN WORKS TO EXTRACT STAFFOther countries and the United Nations are also looking at how they can evacuate citizens and employees. The U.N. has about 4,000 staff in Sudan, of which 800 are international staff. Switzerland said on Friday it was examining ways to evacuate nationals from Sudan, and Sweden said it will evacuate embassy staff and families as soon as possible.

☆ NATO's chief is talking openly about alliance membership for Ukraine as Putin's war continues to shoot Russia in the foot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine has long sought NATO membership, something Vladimir Putin deeply opposes. Ukraine has long sought NATO membership. As early as April 2008, NATO said it "welcomed" aspirations from Ukraine and Georgia — the latter was attacked by Russia later that year — to join the military alliance. Finland officially became the 31st member of the military alliance earlier this month, a huge setback for Putin. in a Friday tweet that included a link to a media report about Stoltenberg telling Zelenskyy Ukraine belongs in NATO.

☆ Canada to send rifles, radios in new C$39 million Ukraine aid package
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, April 21 (Reuters) - The Canadian government on Friday announced C$39 million ($28.9 million) in new military assistance for Ukraine that will include 40 sniper rifles, 16 radio sets and a donation to a NATO fund to help Kyiv in its war against Russia. The contribution to the NATO fund, of about C$34.6 million, will help to provide Ukraine with fuel supplies and other assets. "The donations and support announced by Canada today will help ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity," Anand said. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" to combat what it describes as a security threat. ($1 = 1.3475 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pentagon Speeds Up Tank Timeline for Ukraine but Resists Calls for Jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Helene Cooper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Ukrainian troops will begin training on American M1 Abrams tanks in Germany in the next few weeks, U.S. defense officials say, in what would be a major step in arming Kyiv as it seeks to seize back territory from Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III announced the timeline on Friday during a meeting with allies at Ramstein Air Base. Defense officials said that about 31 tanks were expected to arrive in Germany to begin a training program for Ukrainian troops that is expected to take 10 weeks. Combat-ready tanks could reach the battlefields in Ukraine by the fall, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters. But the United States stood firm in its refusal to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

☆ The F-35 is becoming the most popular fighter jet among NATO militaries — with one 'baffling' exception
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Romania is the latest NATO member to say it will buy the F-35 stealth fighter jet. To some in the West, Turkey's decision to choose the S-400 over the F-35 just does not compute. As one of the original partners in the US-led F-35 program, Turkey should have been among the first to get the cutting-edge stealth fighter. The F-35/S-400 controversy illustrates Turkey's position as the odd man in NATO since it joined in 1952. Putin and Erdogan inspect a Russian Su-57 fighter jet at the MAKS air show in Russia in August 2019.

☆ Ukraine appeals to NATO chief for membership and more arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NATO has supported Ukraine throughout the war, with member states supplying it with weapons, but Zelenskiy said more were needed. [1/6] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visits the Wall of Remembrance to pay tribute to killed Ukrainian soldiers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich 1 2 3 4 5"Mr President, I am here today with a simple message: NATO stands with Ukraine," he said. Ukraine announced a bid for fast-track membership of NATO last September after the Kremlin said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions that its troops have partially occupied. The Kremlin reiterated to reporters on a conference call that Moscow opposed NATO admitting Ukraine, a former Soviet republic.

☆ Leaked documents reveal China's plans to launch a supersonic spy drone that could fly 3 times the speed of sound, WaPo reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some of the documents showed China's plans for a supersonic drone, The Washington Post reported. China's WZ-8 rocket-propelled reconnaissance drones can travel three times the speed of sound. The drones could assist China in real-time mapping that would inform strategy or enable high-speed missile strikes in a future conflict, The Washington Post reported. The documents reported on by the outlet included flight paths for the drone, as well as the bomber plane used to launch the device. Representatives for the Department of Defense and China's Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

[1/2] Migrants are escorted into Dover harbour, after being rescued while attempting to cross the English Channel, in Dover, Britain, August 24, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Britain is anticipating that 56,000 migrants will cross the Channel in small boats to its shores this year, court documents show, meaning it would be need to house as many as 140,000 asylum seekers. Already this year, more than 5,000 more people have arrived in Britain across the Channel. "Significantly, the number needing support is predicted to grow still further: Home Office operational plans are based on scenarios of up to 56,000 small boat arrivals in 2023," the document said. ($1 = 0.8055 pounds)Reporting by Michael Holden and Sam Tobin, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Leaked US assessment says China readying supersonic spy drone unit - Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - A leaked U.S. military assessment says the Chinese military may soon deploy a high-altitude spy drone that travels at least three times the speed of sound, the Washington Post reported late on Tuesday. The newspaper cited a secret document from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The Washington Post said it obtained the assessment of the program from a trove of images of classified files posted on the Discord messaging app, allegedly by a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who was arrested last week. The FBI on Thursday arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard, over the leaks online of classified documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world. The leaks first became widely known earlier this month, setting Washington on edge about the damage they may have caused.

☆ US to advance small F-16 equipment sale to Turkey -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. State Department could send the formal notification for the smaller sale, which includes radars and avionics, as early as Monday, the sources said. If it is cleared by Congress during the formal approval process, the package would be the first major military sale to Turkey that Congress has approved for years. The Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees, who have cleared the modernization package during the informal review, declined comment. The package is separate from the proposed $20 billion sale of new Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits that Turkey requested in October 2021. Such conditions are likely to anger Turkey, which has said the United States had "endless" demands relating to the sale of F-16s and that Washington's behavior wasn't fair.

☆ The US and its allies are stuck in a violent cycle with Iran-backed militias who want blood but don't want to 'poke the bear'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

But even still, miscalculation is possible, and these deadly exchanges nearly sent the US and Iran to war just a few years ago. In response, two US Air Force F-15E fighter jets carried out airstrikes later that evening against IRGC Quds Force facilities in Syria, killing eight Iran-backed militants. Angel Ruszkiewicz"We do not seek conflict with Iran, we don't seek escalation with Iran," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. "As soon as the Iranian special forces and their proxies showed up in Syria, the Israelis started hitting them. The next day, Iran-backed militias attacked US forces near Hasakah, killing the American contractor.

☆ Taiwan president thanks fighter pilots as Chinese drills ebb
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoTAIPEI, April 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday thanked fighter pilots who scrambled against China's air force during its drills around the island and pledged to keep strengthening the armed forces, as Beijing's military activities around the island ebbed. On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had not spotted any Chinese military aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours. In its regular morning report on Chinese military activities in the previous 24-hour period, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had seen four Chinese military aircraft and eight Chinese warships around Taiwan. But in an accompanying map of China's activities it did not show any Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial boundary between the two. China says it does not recognise the median line and has since August, when it staged war games after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flown fighter jets regularly across it.

☆ Factbox: Recent attacks on Indian military personnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Following are the major attacks on Indian military bases in the last few years:Aug. 2022 - Militants attack an Indian army post in Rajouri in the disputed Kashmir region, killing three soldiers, while two attackers died in the shootout. Nov. 2016 - Militants attacked an army base at Nagrota near Jammu city, killing seven security personnel and taking hostages in the military base. Oct. 2016 - At least six militants attacked an Indian army camp in Baramulla in Kashmir, killing one border guard. Sept. 2016 - Four gunmen burst into a brigade headquarters in the town of Uri in Kashmir, killing 18 Indian soldiers. Jan. 2016 - Indian security forces killed six militants who launched an assault on a military air base in Pathankot in Punjab that killed seven security personnel and injured 22.

☆ Russian jamming may have hamstrung a US-made bomb kit being used in Ukraine, leaked documents say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked Pentagon documents highlighted concerns about the Joint Direct Attack Munition weapon. The American-made bomb kit used by Ukraine may have been hamstrung by Russian jammers. One document in particular highlights concerns about US-made bomb kits which have been sent to Ukraine in recent months. One factor is the bomb fuses aren't arming at their release, which Ukraine's air force has worked to fix. Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe Pentagon documents first became public last week and circulated through social media platforms like Discord, Twitter, and Telegram.

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

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