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Also, Russia's war in Ukraine has disrupted some military supplies to India, reinforcing New Delhi's long-term desire to diversify imports or replace them with home-built hardware, Indian defence officials said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India intends to order weapons from the domestic arms industry worth over $100 billion over the next decade. "It is a reality, that we have to reduce dependence on Russia," said a senior Indian defence officer working on future capabilities of the Indian military, who declined to be identified. GAP WITH CHINAIndia still uses mostly Russian technology for traditional arms. Over time these purchases will reduce the share of Russian military technology used by India, but this would take at least two decades, Indian officials said.

Persons: Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi's, Eric Garcetti, Washington, Arzan, Tarapore, Sukhoi Su, Bill Greenwalt, Derek Grossman, Grossman, Krishn Kaushik, David Brunnstrom, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: NEW, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Defence, GE, Stanford University, GAP, CHINA, U.S, Sukhoi, Pentagon, International, Rand Corporation, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, WASHINGTON, India, Ukraine, Russia, Stockholm, Indian, Washington, U.S, CHINA India, China, Pakistan, Russian, Australia, Japan, Moscow, DELHI

☆ Ukraine and Russia should stop using cluster bombs, Human Rights Watch says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy group, called on both Russia and Ukraine to stop using the weapons, and urged the U.S. not to supply them. Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. have all to declined to sign the treaty. Ukraine fired cluster munition rockets into Russian-controlled areas in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Izium last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Human Rights Watch said, citing interviews with more than 100 residents, witnesses and local emergency personnel. The Ukrainian attacks killed at least eight civilians and wounded at least 15 civilians in Izium, Human Rights Watch said. The group has previously reported that Russia's use of cluster munitions in Ukraine has killed scores of civilians, and the United Nations' Human Rights Council has also documented the use of such bombs by both sides.

Persons: Anna Voitenko, Mary Wareham, Joe Biden's, Jonathan Allen, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, Human Rights Watch, Rights Watch, U.S, Pentagon, Russian, United Nations, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Nova Zoria, Ukraine, Kherson region, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, Russian, Ukrainian, Izium, New York

☆ US plans to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A weapons aid package that includes cluster munitions fired by a 155 millimeter Howitzer cannon was expected to be announced Friday, said two U.S officials speaking on condition of anonymity. The White House said sending cluster munitions to Ukraine is "under active consideration" but it had no announcement to make at this time. Human Rights Watch on Thursday called on Russia and Ukraine to stop using cluster munitions and urged the U.S. not to supply them. In order to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, Biden would need to sign a waiver, one of the people said, similar to one that was signed for exporting cluster munitions technology to South Korea in 2021. The cluster munitions, banned by more than 120 countries, normally release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area, threatening civilians.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Bradley, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mike Stone, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Rami Ayyub, Doina, Christina Fincher, Gareth Jones, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United, NATO, Human Rights, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Stryker, Pentagon, Munitions, ABC, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, South Korea, U.S, Kyiv, Denmark, Netherlands

☆ Biden administration could soon approve sending controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“These would undoubtedly have a significant battlefield impact,” a US official told CNN. Changing battlefield conditions inside Ukraine over the last two weeks have prompted US officials to give the cluster munitions renewed and serious consideration, officials told CNN. Administration officials also believe they have managed to alleviate some allies’ concerns about the US transferring the munitions, officials said. DPICMs stands for dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, the official name for the type of cluster munitions that the US has in its stockpile. He previously told CNN that with the cluster munitions, “Ukraine will finish this war much faster, to the benefit of everybody.”“Russia is extensively using the old styles, the most barbaric styles, of cluster munitions against Ukraine,” Goncharenko told CNN in December.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Clodagh Kilcoyne, –, ” Laura Cooper, DPICMs, Cooper, ”, Joe Biden, Oleksiy Goncharenko, ” Goncharenko, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, White, Administration, Human Rights Watch, Pentagon, Foreign, Central Command, US State Department, State Department Locations: Ukraine, France, Germany, Ukrainian, Russia, Russian, Syria, Eurasia

☆ Ambitious plans for US-India technology sharing face hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Standing in the way are strict U.S. rules governing export of defense technology, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, has stressed the need to break down barriers to technology sharing with allies and partners, including India. But one congressional aide said efforts to speed technology sharing with India would face "an uphill battle" both in the U.S. Congress and at the U.S. State Department, where officials have a specific obligation to protect U.S. technology. "There are concerns about (technology sharing) in the Australia context and there would be more concerns in the India context," he said. Rick Rossow, an India expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said approval processes for advanced defense technology transfer were "onerous but not impossible."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Elizabeth Frantz WASHINGTON, Biden, Ely Ratner, Democrat Mark Warner, Republican John Cornyn, Bill Greenwalt, Greenwalt, ITAR, Rick Rossow, David Brunnstrom, Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, United, Indian, General Electric Co, Center, New, New American Security, TECH, U.S . Senate India Caucus, Democrat, Republican, U.S . Congress, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, GE, State Department, U.S . Missile Technology Control, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, India, New Delhi, Asia, U.S, Britain, Australia, New American, Russia, Ukraine, Delhi

Senator Tommy Tuberville for holding up some 200 Pentagon nominees over a Defense Department abortion policy. I don't remember it happening before, and I've been around," Biden said of the actions of Tuberville at a fundraiser for wealthy donors in California's Silicon Valley. The Alabama senator has called the policy a violation of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits using federal taxpayer funds for abortion services. Jean-Pierre said the senator's blockade on the nominees was hurting military families and risking "our military readiness by depriving our armed forces of leadership." The Alabama senator is blocking what is usually a speedy process to confirm Pentagon nominees.

Persons: Joe Biden, Lucy Evans, Kevin Lamarque, Tommy Tuberville, I've, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, Lloyd Austin, May, Trevor Hunnicutt, Nandita Bose, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Interpretive, Preserve, REUTERS, Republican U.S, Defense Department, Pentagon, Alabama, House, U.S, Senate, Defense, Thomson Locations: Palo Alto , California, U.S, Silicon, Tuberville, Alabama, Los Gatos , California, Washington

During the first year of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Biden administration fretted constantly that if Kyiv hit back inside Russian borders, President Vladimir V. Putin would retaliate against not only Ukraine, but also possibly NATO and the West. As Ukraine’s counteroffensive edges closer, a series of bold attacks in Russia, from a swarm of drone attacks in Moscow to the shelling of towns in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine and an incursion into the country using American-made armored vehicles, have been greeted by the Biden administration with the diplomatic equivalent of a shrug. On Monday, fighters attacked at least 10 villages in the Belgorod region with heavy shelling, its governor said. Behind closed doors, senior administration officials have seemed even less fazed. “Look, it’s a war,” one senior Pentagon official said last Thursday.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, “ It’s, John F, Kirby, ” Organizations: Kyiv, NATO, National Security Council, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Belgorod, Ukrainian

Other NATO allies have donated 10 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, according to the State Department. Depending on the location and strength of the jamming, a rocket can still launch and result in a successful strike with significant damage. Widespread Russian jamming can have drawbacks for their own forces as well, impacting their ability to communicate and operate. For nearly a year, the HIMARS system has been the longest-range rocket system Ukraine has, allowing troops to fire up to six rockets in quick succession at Russian positions as far as 50 miles away. “Jamming is like the weather or the terrain, it’s something that happens that you have to deal with,” the official said.

It also highlights Russian frustration at failing to complete the capture of Bakhmut after more than nine months of costly, intense battle. ANGRY TIRADEWhat looked real, however, was Prigozhin's fury at Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. "If Putin wants him to be in combat, he'll force him in one way or another to do so." Marten said its involvement in the battle for Bakhmut, including fighters recruited from Russian prisons, had allowed Putin to avoid declaring a full-scale mobilization. Whatever its immediate intentions around Bakhmut, Wagner is likely to remain a significant player in the war, given Prigozhin's personal ambitions and determination to stay in the limelight.

☆ Front-line NATO allies worry they could be next after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and are getting ready for a fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

These countries along the military alliance's front line are now scrambling to make sure they're protected should the Russian military ever come knocking. "There is an imminent need of a stronger NATO presence in our region," Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said. For nearly 14 months, the Russian military has been bogged down by its grinding war in Ukraine. More boots on the groundSome leaders in the Baltic countries have said that they ultimately want to host more NATO troops, including permanent brigades, in the years to come. So as the threat landscape continues to shift, the Baltic defense has adapted along with it, Townsend said.

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.

☆ The worst Pentagon leak in years may have started in a gamer chatroom, where people weirdly keep posting classified documents trying to win arguments on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The leaked Pentagon documents may have started in an online chatroom for gamers. It's not the first time users have leaked classified or sensitive information to the internet to settle a debate. "Here, have some leaked documents," the user wrote in response to the discussion. In recent years, players of "War Thunder" — a combat video game — have shared highly sensitive information to various chatrooms on multiple occasions, including content about tanks, fighter jets, and missiles. In one case, a user posted information from the manual of an F-16 fighter jet, as well as content about the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

☆ Ukraine alters counter-offensive plans after document leak - CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine has been forced to amend some of its military plans ahead of a much-vaunted counter-offensive due to a leak of classified U.S. documents, CNN reported on Monday citing a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukrainian officials told Reuters on Friday the allegedly leaked documents contained fictitious information and looked like a Russian disinformation campaign. Asked about the CNN report, presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine's strategic plans remained unchanged but that more specific tactical plans were always subject to change. "Right now its impossible to reassess plans, because they are only being worked out (now)," he added. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told Reuters: "We are working on our own plans...

U.S. officials have said some giving battlefield casualty estimates from Ukraine appeared to have been altered to understate Russian losses. Ukraine said its president and top security officials met on Friday to discuss ways to prevent leaks. The Pentagon said that over the weekend, U.S. officials spoke with allies and had notified the relevant congressional committee about the leak. Some of the most sensitive information is purportedly related to Ukraine's military capabilities and shortcomings. Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, played down the lasting impact of the leak.

☆ U.S. searches for source of highly classified intel leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Following disclosure of the leak, Reuters has reviewed more than 50 documents labeled "Secret" and "Top Secret" that first appeared last month on social media websites, beginning with Discord and 4Chan. Some giving battlefield casualty estimates from Ukraine appeared to have been altered to minimize Russian losses. Some documents are marked "NOFORN," meaning they cannot be released to foreign nationals. One of the documents, dated Feb. 23 and marked "Secret," outlines in detail how Ukraine's S-300 air defense systems would be depleted by May 2 at the current usage rate. Such closely-guarded information could be of great use to Russian forces, and Ukraine said its president and top security officials met on Friday to discuss ways to prevent leaks.

☆ US searches for source of highly-classified intel leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The focus now is on this being a U.S. leak, as many of the documents were only in U.S. hands," Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, told Reuters in an interview. Following disclosure of the leak, Reuters has reviewed more than 50 documents labeled "Secret" and "Top Secret" that first appeared last month on social media websites, beginning with Discord and 4Chan. One of the documents, dated Feb. 23 and marked "Secret," outlines in detail how Ukraine's S-300 air defense systems would be depleted by May 2 at the current usage rate. Such closely-guarded information could be of great use to Russian forces, and Ukraine said its president and top security officials met on Friday to discuss ways to prevent leaks. The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it was in touch with the Defense Department and began a probe into the leak.

☆ PREVIEW Biden to host Australia and Britain to reveal details of submarine pact to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Two of the officials said that after the annual port visits, the United States would forward deploy some submarines in Western Australia by around 2027. In the early 2030s, Australia would buy three Virginia class submarines and have the option to buy two more. It will be the first time the United States has shared nuclear-propulsion technology since it did so with Britain in the 1950s. Currently no party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty other than the five countries the NPT recognizes as weapons states - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has nuclear submarines. General Dynamics Corp (GD.N), which makes Virginia class submarines, has 17 of them in its current backlog delivering through 2032.

☆ Biden to host Australia and Britain to reveal details of submarine pact to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In the early 2030s, Australia would buy three Virginia class submarines and have the option to buy two more. Under the initial AUKUS deal announced in 2021, the United States and Britain agreed to provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. It will be the first time the United States has shared nuclear-propulsion technology since it did so with Britain in the 1950s. Currently no party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty other than the five countries the NPT recognizes as weapons states - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has nuclear submarines. General Dynamics Corp (GD.N), which makes Virginia class submarines, has 17 of them in its current backlog delivering through 2032.

☆ Russia will emerge from the Ukraine war a 'shattered military power,' top Pentagon official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia will emerge from war in Ukraine a "shattered military power," a senior Pentagon official said. Colin Kahl told lawmakers that Russia lost the war — echoing a similar remark by the top US general. He added that US military support for Kyiv has been, and will continue to be, flexible and dynamic. "They intended for Russia to emerge out of this war a great power in a multi-polar world — they will emerge from this conflict a shattered military power," he added. His remarks in November, and again on Tuesday, echo what other top US officials and generals have said in stating that Russia has already lost and failed in Ukraine.

REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The United States does not expect Russia to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in the near-term, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday, describing the front lines in the year-long war as a "grinding slog." Kahl made the remarks during a hearing focused on oversight of the billions of dollars in military aid Washington has provided to Kyiv. In October, the U.S. restarted on-site inspections in Ukraine to help keep track of the billions of dollars of weapons being provided to Kyiv. One of the weapons the U.S. has not provided -- despite public appeals by Ukrainian officials -- are F-16 fighter jets. Kahl was asked repeatedly by lawmakers about sending the jets to Ukraine.

☆ ABC anchor calls out Sen. Marco Rubio during tense exchange over Chinese spy balloon: 'This happened 3 times under the previous president'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

ABC's Jonathan Karl called out Sen. Marco Rubio during a tense exchange about the Chinese spy balloon. In response, Karl said former President Donald Trump did not disclose three different sightings of Chinese balloons during his term. "And we're also told, by the way, that this happened three times under the previous president," Karl said. The Chinese balloon in question was shot down by the Air Force over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday. Trump has also been ranting about the Chinese balloon on his Truth Social page.

☆ Republicans are blaming Biden for letting a suspected Chinese spy balloon cross into the US. It happened 3 times during the Trump administration, officials say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration's response to the Chinese spy balloon. "Would Trump have let China fly a spy balloon over our country?" Chinese spy balloons were sighted three times during the Trump administration, US officials said. The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] can send spy balloons over our nuclear silos and we will do nothing." It's unclear what information the suspected Chinese spy balloon could have gleaned from its various positions.

☆ U.S. military shoots down suspected Chinese surveillance balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been transiting across the country for several days, according to NBC News. Department of Defense officials have not yet confirmed the balloon being shot down. Defense officials said the Pentagon considered shooting down the balloon earlier this week but decided against it after briefing Biden. Biden concluded that the U.S. would not shoot down the balloon because debris from it could cause damage on the ground, a Pentagon official said. A senior Pentagon official told reporters Thursday night that the object was clearly a surveillance balloon that was flying over sensitive sites to collect intelligence.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a few days, and senior U.S. officials have advised President Joe Biden against shooting it down for fear the debris could pose a safety threat. The old-fashioned spy-movie-like intelligence collection method recalls lengths to which Beijing and Washington have been willing to go to spy on each other amid increased tensions. China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, have experienced tensions of late, clashing over Taiwan and China's human rights record and its military activity in the South China Sea. Spy balloons have flown over the United States several times in recent years, but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, the official said. "Currently, we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective, but we are taking steps nevertheless to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information," the official said.

☆ U.S., German defense ministers meet as differences emerge over tanks for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Germany will allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to help its defense against Russia if the United States agrees to send its own tanks, a German government source told Reuters. "The secretary (of defense) will be pressing the Germans on this," one senior U.S. defense official said. The United States has committed roughly $24 billion to help Ukraine to defend itself against Russian forces. Some Eastern European officials have publicly called on Germany to allow the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Some U.S. officials remain hopeful that they can convince Germany to allow the transfer of third party tanks to Ukraine.

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