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☆ The battle for Bakhmut has turned into a 'slaughter-fest' for Russia, says top US general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's efforts to take Bakhmut have become a "slaughter-fest" for its troops, Gen. Mark Milley said. Russia likely wants a symbolic victory in Bakhmut, but its progress there has been slowing. "They are getting slaughtered, the Russian troops are" he said. Milley went further, describing Bakhmut as a "slaughter-fest for the Russians. The UK Ministry of Defence said last week that Russia's progress in Bakhmut appeared to have slowed.

☆ Ukrainian troops say Russia's Wagner fighters would rather die in Bakhmut than retreat and face punishment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Bakhmut say Wagner troops are the toughest opponents, NYT reported. One soldier said Wagner units face punishment if they retreat, so they "prefer to die" in battle. Wagner units have played a major role in Bakhmut battles. But that assessment isn't necessarily due to Wagner's training — Ukrainian troops told The New York Times that Wagner troops fight harder because they face physical punishments if they retreat or lose. Milley said that Wagner units have taken heavy losses in Bakhmut over the past month, CNN reported.

☆ Ukraine says Russian forces make progress in frontline city of Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Enemy forces had a degree of success in their actions aimed at storming the city of Bakhmut," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its regular nighttime report. Russian officials say their forces are still capturing ground in street-by-street fighting inside Bakhmut. [1/5] A tank is towed through a road, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near the bombed-out eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 29, 2023. Russian forces shelled towns in central Zaporizhzhia region, including the contested centre of Hulyaipole, the Ukrainian general staff statement said. Rocket and artillery in the past 24 hours struck two areas of concentration of Russian forces, an ammunition depot and two fuel depots, it said.

[1/7] FILE PHOTO-Dmytro Zilko, a soldier and a patient of the clinic exercises on a new prosthesis with rehabilitation specialist Maria in a prosthetics clinic in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 9, 2023. "Unfortunately, the number of patients has increased significantly," said Andrii Ovcharenko, who works with a team of medics and technicians at the "Without Limits" prosthetics clinic, one of almost 80 now operating in Ukraine. On a recent morning, Ovcharenko's Kyiv clinic assessed two soldiers for artificial legs and adjusted the new limb of a third. U.S. Army General Mark Milley estimated in November at least 100,000 Russian military casualties - killed or wounded, with "probably" the same for Ukraine. It plans to expand, depending on how the war unfolds but is not sure where to open new clinics.

☆ Iran Could Produce Nuclear Weapon in Several Months if It Decides to Do So, Mark Milley Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Laurence Norman | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gen. Mark Milley’s statement was coupled with a warning that the U.S. won’t allow Iran to have a “fielded nuclear weapon.”Iran would need only several months to build a nuclear weapon if Tehran opted to produce a bomb, Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress on Thursday. Gen. Milley’s assessment provides a significantly shorter estimate for how quickly Tehran could become a nuclear power than other public estimates by Western officials and adds to mounting concern about the advances in Iran’s nuclear program.

[1/2] U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Army General Mark Milley speaks with U.S. forces in Syria during an unannounced visit, at a U.S. military base in Northeast Syria, March 4, 2023. The attack against U.S. personnel took place at a coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. (1038 GMT) on Thursday, it said. The other two wounded American troops were treated at the base in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said. Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country. American officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat.

☆ U.S. carries out air strikes in Syria after deadly attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Army General Mark Milley speaks with U.S. forces in Syria during an unannounced visit, at a U.S. military base in Northeast Syria, March 4, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Stewart/File PhotoWASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria on Thursday night against Iran-aligned groups who it blamed for a deadly drone attack that killed a contractor, injured another and wounded five U.S. troops, the Pentagon said. The strikes were in retaliation for an attack against a U.S.-led coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. (1038 GMT) on Thursday, it said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes targeted groups affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. "The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC," Austin said in a statement.

☆ Top US general says Iran could produce a nuke within 'several' months
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen. Mark Milley told lawmakers it would take Iran "several" months to produce a nuke. Before then-President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — formally known as the JCPOA — in May 2018, Iran's breakout time to a nuclear weapon was roughly a year. "Back in 2018, when the previous administration decided to leave the JCPOA, it would have taken Iran about 12 months to produce one bomb's worth of fissile material," Kahl said. Iran has repeatedly maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, an assertion that has been met with widespread skepticism in the West. During a visit to the Middle East last July, Biden said that the US would use military force as a "last resort" to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

☆ Top US general predicts that much of the world's armies, navies, and air forces 'will be robotic' in 15 years, if not sooner
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He said that robots will play a huge role in the world's armies, navies, and air forces within the next decade or so. Gen. Mark Milley also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence as a military application. Within the next 15 years, if not sooner, Milley said, "you're going to see significant portions of armies and navies and air forces that will be robotic." Some examples of robotic or unmanned systems already exist within the US military, such as drones, but more systems are in the works. Just last month, the Air Force announced that it successfully let AI pilot a fighter jet, building off past testing involving simulated dogfights.

☆ Top US general says it will be really hard and cost a lot of 'blood and treasure' for Ukraine to 'kick out every single Russian' invader
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The top US general believes Russia's war in Ukraine will likely end at the negotiating table. It'll cost Ukraine a lot of "blood and treasure" and be really difficult to expel all the invading Russians, he said. "At some point people will figure out that the cost of continuing to execute this war through military means is extraordinarily challenging. "But there's also the practical matter of being able to physically kick out every single Russian out of all of Ukraine," he continued. "That's really hard to do militarily, and it's an enormous cost in blood and treasure."

☆ Top Ukraine, U.S. defense officials discussed military aid in call, Kyiv says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Three senior U.S. security officials held a video call with a group of their Ukrainian counterparts to discuss military aid to Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff said on Saturday. "We discussed the further provision of necessary assistance to our country, in particular vehicles, weapons and ammunition," Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram. Yermak said he, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, top general Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and several other senior commanders and officials had attended the meeting. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, top military commander Mark Milley, and the White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan represented the other side. Ukrainian forces continued on Friday to withstand Russian assaults on the ruined city of Bakhmut, the focal point for eight months of Russian attempts to advance through the industrial Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia.

☆ Top Ukraine, U.S. defence officials discussed military aid in call
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, March 18 (Reuters) - Three senior U.S. security officials held a video call with a group of their Ukrainian counterparts to discuss military aid to Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said on Saturday. "We discussed the further provision of necessary assistance to our country, in particular vehicles, weapons and ammunition," Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram. Yermak said he, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, top general Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and several other senior commanders and officials had attended the meeting. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, top military commander Mark Milley, and the White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan represented the other side. Reporting by Max Hunder Editing by Gareth Jones and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Replying to Russia’s Drone Provocation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Pentagon on Thursday released footage of a Russian fighter jet that harassed, dumped fuel on and then collided this week with an American reconnaissance drone. The provocation warrants a U.S. response, and the right one is giving the Ukrainians the sophisticated and long-range weapons they need to defeat Vladimir Putin’s military. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said Wednesday that it wasn’t clear whether the Russians intended to ram the MQ-9 drone’s propeller; the U.S. was forced to bring down the drone in the Black Sea. But a collision was a risk Russia accepted when its pilots dumped fuel in what the Pentagon calls an “unprofessional” intercept. Gen. Milley noted that the “very aggressive” episode fits “a pattern” of behavior by the Russians.

☆ Russia's new offensive in Ukraine has likely fizzled out after only a month, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

UK intelligence suggests Russia's new offensive is on its last legs, just a month after it began. Russian forces have depleted their "combat power," the assessment said. "Even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable," it added. The British Defense Ministry said this is likely because Russian forces have depleted their "combat power" to such a degree that "even local offensive actions are not currently sustainable." There's been an evolving debate between Kyiv and its Western partners over Ukraine's insistence on continuing to defend Bakhmut, which analysts have suggested could fall to Russian forces in the coming days.

☆ Moscow was likely trying to send a message by harassing a US drone, but officials say the Russian pilot ran into it because they're bad at flying
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Russian fighter jet harassed a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea this week. But US officials said the fighter pilot demonstrated a "lack of competence" by clipping the drone. On Tuesday, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone that was flying in international airspace above the Black Sea. A composite image showing the rear of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone before and after the US military says a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with it. The report consists of empirical research completed in 2020 that analyzes years of Russian military activity like intercepts and other engagements.

☆ US releases video it says shows Russian fighter jet taking down Reaper drone over the Black Sea in a 'reckless' intercept
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US released footage of a Russian jet forcing down one of its Reaper drones over the Black sea. The video shows a jet flying up to the drone and dumping fuel, and the drone's propeller getting damaged. 00:09 A Russian jet passes over the drone while releasing fuel, and the video transmission is disrupted. 00:27: A Russian jet starts to release fuel as it approaches the drone, and then starts to pass even closer to the drone. A composite image showing the rear of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone before and after the US military says a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with it.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - In a rare move, the Pentagon on Thursday released a de-classified video showing Russia's intercept of a U.S. military surveillance drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago. It was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow. It also shows the loss of the video feed after another close Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon says resulted from the Russian jet's collision with the drone. It ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon says resulted from the collision, making the aircraft inoperable. [1/4] A Russian Su-27 aircraft dumps fuel while flying upon a U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unmanned MQ-9 aircraft over the Black Sea, March 14, 2023 in this still image taken from a handout video.

☆ Russian jet's collision with a US drone shows Russia may have a fighter pilot 'problem,' former US aviators say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A Russian fighter jet collided with an American drone this week after harassing it. The collision was likely unintentional, and former US naval aviators say that it could point to problems with Russian fighter pilots. A State Department official said it "probably was the result of profound incompetence on the part of one of these Russian pilots." Russian military failures in Ukraine have altered this view, he continued, "and now, you've got something like this." Charles Larkin Sr./US Air Force via AP"The tactical portion here is that poor training or poor decision making by a Russian pilot caused a collision," Snodgrass said.

☆ Russia making small advances near Bakhmut, but at cost- top U.S. general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - Russia is making small advances near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut but this was coming at a great cost, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday. "The Russians are making small, tactical advances (but) at great cost," Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told reporters. Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Rami AyubbOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. surveillance drone brought down over the Black Sea after a Russian military intercept probably broke apart and would be difficult to recover given the depth of the water in the area, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday. Russia's defense ministry blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the crash and said its jet did not make contact. Milley said the United States had already taken measures to guard against a loss of sensitive intelligence if the drone were to be recovered by Russia. The State Department on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, to express U.S. concerns over the encounter. Antonov after the meeting said the drone "deliberately and provocatively was moving toward Russian territory with transponders turned off."

☆ Russia expanded its territory in Ukraine by less than 0.04% in a month of brutal fighting that cost it thousands of soldiers and vital equipment, says think tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia gained just 0.039% of additional territory in Ukraine in February, the ISW told Insider. It continues to lose equipment and a large number of soldiers in exchange for meager gains. Washington DC-based think tank The Institute for the Study of War told Insider that its mapping data showed Russia had gained just 0.039% more territory in Ukraine between January 31 and February 28. Russia gained this tiny amount of land while losing thousands of soldiers and hemorrhaging military equipment. And a senior US diplomat was also scathing about Russia's progress, saying: "Russia has declared that it is launching a new offensive.

☆ Gen. Mark Milley in Syria to Support U.S. Troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a logistics base in northeastern Syria on Saturday. NORTHEAST Syria—The Pentagon’s top officer made an unannounced visit to the U.S. mission in northeastern Syria Saturday in a show of confidence for American operations against Islamic State. Army Gen. Mark Milley , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a brief stop at a logistics base to talk with troops and commanders as he prepares recommendations for the future of the Pentagon’s operations in Syria.

American officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat. Asked by reporters traveling with him if he believed the Syria mission was worth the risk, Milley tied the mission to the security of the United States and its allies, saying: "If you think that that's important, then the answer is 'Yes.'" Four U.S. troops were wounded during a helicopter raid last month when an Islamic State leader triggered an explosion. U.S. Army Major General Matthew McFarlane, who commands the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, described the attacks as a "distraction from our main mission." McFarlane cited progress against Islamic State, including through the reduction in the numbers of internally displaced people at refugee camps -- a pool of people who could be recruited by Islamic State.

Thousands of other Islamic State fighters are in detention facilities guarded by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, America's key ally in the country. American officials say that Islamic State could still regenerate into a major threat. Four U.S. troops were wounded during a helicopter raid last month when an Islamic State leader triggered an explosion. U.S. Army Major General Matthew McFarlane, who commands the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, described attacks against U.S. forces as a "distraction from our main mission." McFarlane cited progress against Islamic State, including through the reduction in the numbers of internally displaced people at refugee camps -- a pool of vulnerable people who could be recruited by Islamic State.

☆ Ukraine Military Holds Simulated War Exercises on U.S. Base
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley said the tabletop exercise is meant to test assumptions and possible outcomes in the war. WIESBADEN, Germany—The U.S. is hosting members of the Ukrainian military here for a weeklong war-planning exercise, designed to help Kyiv game out its strategy against Russia in the next phase of their war. Dozens of members of the Ukrainian military are participating in what is often referred to as a wargame or a tabletop exercise, held at a U.S. military base to give the Ukrainian forces an opportunity to assess their next courses of action in the war, now in its 13th month.

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