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☆ China hosts Russian warships that passed by Taiwan, Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, July 6 (Reuters) - China hosted two Russian warships that had earlier sailed past Taiwan and Japan, and the vessels are expected to hold a joint drill with the Chinese navy during their visit, demonstrating the enduring military cooperation between the two countries. The two frigates - Gromkiy and Sovershenniy - made port at the financial hub of Shanghai on Wednesday, Chinese state television reported. The same ships, which belong to the Pacific fleet of the Russian Navy, passed through waters near democratically governed Taiwan at the end of June. China and Russia have pledged stronger military ties, and on Monday, China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu met with the head of the Russian navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, in Beijing. Gerasimov was quoted by Tass news agency as saying that the two sides will continue to expand their military cooperation.

Persons: Xi Jingping's, Vladimir Putin, Li Shangfu, Nikolai Yevmenov, Commission Liu Zhenli, Valery Gerasimov, Gerasimov, Albee Zhang, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Ben Blanchard, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Fleet, Pacific, Russian Navy, NATO, China's, Commission, Tass, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Taiwan, Japan, Shanghai, Vladivostok, Okinawa, U.S, Moscow, Washington, Asia, Pacific, Russia, Russian, Beijing

To help address that, Tokyo in April said it would offer like-minded countries military aid, including radars, that the officials said would help the Philippines plug defensive gaps. One, however, said the aid effort was a Japanese initiative and not anything the United States had pressed for. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not immediately able to comment on security aid from Japan or hosting Japanese troops. LOOSENING THE RULESThe scope of Japanese military aid is limited by a self-imposed ban on lethal equipment exports. But he said Japan and the United States are treading carefully in trilateral talks with the Philippines.

Persons: Read, Fumio, Katsutoshi Kawano, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Takeo Akiba, Eduardo Ano, Fumio Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kishida, Kawano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Yusuke Ishihara, Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami, Yukiko Toyoda, Neil Jerome Morales, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, Marines, Warriors, Philippine Marine Corps, Japanese, Reuters, Washington, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine, Group, Seven, Self - Defence Forces, Staff, Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Japan, South Korea, ”, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, TOKYO, Indonesia, Taiwan, Ukraine, East Asia, Tokyo, Pacific, China, Japanese, United States, Kyiv, Manila, Yonaguni, Britain, Australia

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine has cultivated sabotage agents inside Russia and is giving them drones to stage attacks, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Zachary Cohen Kylie Atwood | Natasha Bertrand | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

US officials believe these pro-Ukrainian agents inside Russia carried out a drone attack that targeted the Kremlin in early May by launching drones from within Russia rather than flying them from Ukraine into Moscow. But US officials believe that Ukraine has developed sabotage cells inside Russia made up of a mix of pro-Ukrainian sympathizers and operatives well-trained in this kind of warfare. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the head of the Ukrainian Security Service suggested to CNN that the mysterious explosions and drone strikes inside Russia would continue. ‘A culmination of months of effort’There has been a steady drumbeat of mysterious fires and explosions inside Russia over the last year, targeting oil and fuel depots, railways, military enlistment offices, warehouses and pipelines. A savvy military strategyPublicly, senior US officials have condemned the strikes inside Russia, warning of the potential for an escalation of the war.

Persons: Russia –, ‘ Cash, they’ve, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vasyl Malyuk, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Zelensky, ” Budanov, Nicolas Vaujour, ” Vaujour, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Reuters, Ostorozhno Novosti, Ukrainian Security Service, Security Service, Getty, Pentagon, CIA, Washington Post, Yahoo, Joint Staff, UK Ministry of Defense Locations: Washington CNN — Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Ostorozhno, AFP, Russia’s Rostov, Rostov Oblast, Moscow’s, ”, Belgorod, Russia’s

☆ Inside the scramble to evacuate a US embassy surrounded by the chaos of street fighting, gunfire, and explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

US forces evacuated the American embassy in Sudan days after violence erupted in its capital. As the situation deteriorated, the Pentagon dispatched Special Operations Forces to evacuate US diplomatic staff in a dramatic helicopter operation. Foreign governments began efforts to pull out their diplomatic staff and, in some cases, also moved to evacuate their civilians. People walk by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. US Marine Corps courtesy photoWith the embassy staff gone, questions remained over whether Washington would move to evacuate US citizens, as some other Western nations had been doing.

Landing of aircraft at night and in bad weather, for instance - crucial to regular offshore carrier operations - remain far from routine, several of the attaches and analysts said. "Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. A new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military. Several countries operate aircraft carriers but the U.S. remains the most dominant, running 11 carrier battlegroups with global reach. A September editorial published in a magazine run by a PLA weapons manufacturer, titled "Four great advantages the PLA has in attacking Taiwan", did not mention the role of Chinese carriers.

☆ US troops rushed to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan, but thousands of Americans remain with advice to 'shelter in place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US special operators evacuated American embassy personnel from Sudan, where intense fighting continues. Thousands of Americans, however, remain in country and have been warned to "shelter in place." The Washington Post reported Sunday that an estimated 16,000 Americans, many of whom hold dual citizenship, remain in Sudan, where they have been encouraged to "shelter in place." Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. The officer noted though that 'tThis is an unfolding situation, and we cannot provide more details for security reasons."

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - All U.S. government personnel were evacuated from Washington's embassy in Khartoum, as well as a small number of diplomatic personnel from other countries, U.S. officials said on Saturday, as fighting rocks Sudan. The operation evacuated fewer than 100 people, the officials told reporters. "We evacuated all of the U.S. personnel and dependents assigned to Embassy Khartoum," said Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass. A substantial number of local staff remain in Khartoum supporting the embassy, where Washington decided to suspend operations on Saturday due to the security risks, Bass said. U.S. forces spent just an hour on the ground in Sudan before taking off again, entering and exiting Sudan without being fired upon by the warring factions on the ground, the military said.

☆ US and France evacuate diplomats from Sudan as battles rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The belligerent parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan," Biden said in a statement. It pits Sudan's army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who jointly staged a coup in 2021 but fell out during negotiations over a plan to form a civilian government and integrate the RSF into the armed forces. Saudi Arabia has already evacuated Gulf citizens from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 650 km (400 miles) from Khartoum. Egypt, which has more than 10,000 citizens in Sudan, urged its nationals outside Khartoum to head to its consulate in Port Sudan, and to a consular office in Wadi Halfa on the border with Egypt, in preparation for their evacuation. It encouraged those in Khartoum to shelter in place and wait for the situation to improve.

PinnedThe United States military airlifted embassy officials out of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, amid continuing violence as rival military leaders battled for control of Africa’s third-largest country, President Biden said late on Saturday. (Mr. Godfrey — the first U.S. ambassador to Sudan in a quarter-century — arrived in the country about eight months ago.) They had lived in the same apartment buildings as some American diplomatic staff and arrived together at the embassy, he said. “I am proud of the extraordinary commitment of our embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America’s friendship and connection with the people of Sudan,” Mr. Biden said. Credit... Ebrahim Hamid/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesU.S. officials have said that about 16,000 American citizens were living in Sudan, many of them dual nationals.

Washington CNN —The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following a major leak of classified information discovered last week. All the email lists have been reviewed, a senior defense official said, and some restrictions may only be temporary. Everyone on the lists had proper clearance, but not everyone needs to receive that information daily, the official added. Previously, slides from the Joint Staff briefing deck could be accessed by hundreds, if not thousands, of people across the government, officials said. “Having to scale that distribution back, even temporarily, is a bitter pill,” said the source familiar with internal joint staff deliberations.

☆ Intelligence leak: NYT: Leader of online group where leak documents were posted is a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Kevin Liptak Jeremy Herb Natasha Bertrand Evan Perez | Kevin Liptak | Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman has been identified by The New York Times as the leader of an online gaming chat group where a trove of classified documents was posted. CNN has not independently verified the identity of the chat leader or the FBI’s interest in talking with him. While there’s a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the person behind the leak worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances. The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following a major leak of classified information discovered last week.

☆ U.S. reviewing whether Ukraine war documents were leaked
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A member of the Ukrainian special force engages in zeroing his weapon prior to a mission, amid Russia?s attack on Ukraine, in the region of Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 6, 2023. They are not war plans and they provide no details on any planned Ukraine offensive. If the published documents are authentic to any degree, however, the leak of classified data is troubling and raises questions about what other information about the Ukraine war — or any coming offensive — could be distributed. The Justice Department released a statement Friday night saying, "We have been in communication with the Department of Defense related to this matter and have begun an investigation." One U.S. official said the documents resemble data produced daily by the Joint Staff, although some numbers are wrong.

☆ Angry senators grill Pentagon officials over Chinese spy balloon response
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, director for operations of the Joint Staff, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) questions witnesses during a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill about the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2023. The hearing was part of a series of events Thursday morning in Congress, all related to the spy balloon. In the House, a resolution condemning "the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon" passed unanimously, 419-0. That vote took place shortly after House members received a classified briefing about the balloon and the recovery efforts from defense and intelligence officials.

☆ US officials say getting their hands on China's spy balloon was a 'key' reason for shooting it down near a South Carolina beach
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US officials say balloons have crossed over the US before as part of a wider Chinese surveillance program. The eight-day wait and the sensitivity of those bases have alarmed lawmakers, who called defense officials to Capitol Hill on Thursday to explain their handling of the incident. US sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off of Myrtle Beach on February 5. US sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off of Myrtle Beach on February 5. A Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the South Carolina coast on February 4.

☆ Pakistan ex-President Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after years in exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf salutes during the playing of Pakistan's national anthem at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi November 27, 2007. REUTERS/Mian KhursheedISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani former President Pervez Musharraf died on Sunday following a prolonged illness at a hospital in Dubai, after years in self-imposed exile. Musharraf joined what Washington called its "war on terror" after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. This made Musharraf a target for militants in Pakistan as well as causing him to lose support among conservative elements in Pakistan. Allowed abroad for medical treatment even as he faced a treason case in Pakistan, Musharraf last flew to Dubai in 2016.

☆ Explainer: Why the U.S. is overhauling its marines on Japan's Okinawa
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Tim Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. military presence on Okinawa, which began during World War Two, includes most of the 18,000 U.S. marines stationed in Japan. MARINE LITTORAL REGIMENTSThe U.S. Marine Corps is creating 'Marine Littoral Regiments' of around 2,000 troops as part of restructuring plan proposed by the Marine Commandant General David Berger in 2020. Dispersing marine units across Okinawa, even if only temporarily, could see U.S. troops return to islands along the chain for the first time since Washington returned Okinawa to Japanese control in 1972. JAPAN'S OKINAWA PIVOTTo reinforce Okinawa, Japan is building new anti-ship and air defence missile bases, and radar stations, including one on Yonaguni, it hopes will deter Chinese forces from attacking. Those weapons, along with anti-ship missiles fielded in Okinawa by the new littoral regiments, could help close a growing missile gap with China, say experts.

☆ The scramble to rearm Ukraine is transforming NATO in a way that would've been hard without Putin's help
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

NATO countries have scrambled to rearm and resupply Ukraine as it fights off Russia's invasion. Troops from six NATO countries during a joint terminal attack controller training in Latvia on April 6. Germany has agreed to send some older hardware to countries that send their Soviet-made tanks and armored vehicles to Ukraine. Interoperability with weapons and alignment on tactics will also make it "veritably impossible for these countries to leave NATO," Banerjee added. "The weapons are from NATO, they're going to be from NATO, they will be back-built, and these components will be from NATO countries."

A North Korean missile launch is seen in a photo released by state media on Monday. Rodong SinmunAnalysts noted that with Monday’s reports, North Korea broke six months of silence on its testing program. Kim Jong Un watches a missile launch in a photo released by North Korean state media on Monday. Rodong SinmunIn the report, Kim called South Korea and the United States “the enemies” and said North Korea doesn’t need to hold talks with them. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a military drill on October 8 in photo from North Korean state media.

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