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☆ Russia is expanding its nuclear arsenal, U.S. defense secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | 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: +2 min

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb., Dec 9 (Reuters) - Russia is expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Friday at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin, faced with setbacks in Ukraine, has repeatedly suggested he could use nuclear weapons. Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, with close to 6,000 warheads, according to experts. Together, Russia and the United States together hold around 90% of the world's nuclear warheads - enough to destroy the planet many times over. "Russia is also modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal," Austin said at a ceremony for the incoming commander of U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the United States nuclear arsenal. The United States has warned Russia over the consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.

☆ White House slams Congress for move to rescind military's vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that scrapping the requirement that U.S. troops get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a mistake, as lawmakers moved closer to requiring the Pentagon to rescind its vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military leaders have strongly backed the vaccine mandate as necessary to safeguard the health and readiness of the U.S. armed forces. "We continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and House this month, and be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law. Austin said on Monday that the military has no data to back up claims by top Republicans in Congress that the vaccine mandate is hurting recruiting.

☆ U.S. defense secretary accuses Russia of 'deliberate cruelty' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday accused Russia of "deliberate cruelty" in its war in Ukraine, saying Moscow was intentionally targeting civilians. "With deliberate cruelty, Russia is putting civilians and civilian targets in its gunsights," Austin told the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California. "Russian attacks have left children dead, schools shattered, and hospitals smashed," he said. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pentagon chief warns Turkey against new military operation in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday told his Turkish counterpart of his "strong opposition" to a new Turkish military operation in Syria and voiced concern over the escalating situation in the county, the Pentagon said. Austin, in the call, expressed condolences over a Nov. 13 attack in Istanbul, the Pentagon said. "He also expressed concern over escalating action in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threatened the safety of U.S. personnel who are working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS," it said in a statement, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group. "Secretary Austin called for de-escalation, and shared the Department's strong opposition to a new Turkish military operation in Syria." Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia firing unarmed missiles to deplete Ukraine air defense, says U.S. military official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Russia is firing unarmed cruise missiles that were designed to carry nuclear warheads at targets in Ukraine to try to deplete Kyiv's stocks of air defenses, a senior U.S. military official said on Tuesday. The official, who declined to be named, was asked about a Nov. 26 assessment by Britain's military intelligence which said that Russia was "likely" removing nuclear warheads from cruise missiles and firing the unarmed munitions into Ukraine. Asked about the assertion, the U.S. military official told Pentagon reporters: "It's certainly something that they're trying to do to mitigate the effects of the air defense systems that the Ukrainians are employing." For that reason, the United States and other allies have focused on providing air defense supplies for Ukraine. The United States has already provided a range of air defense capabilities to Ukraine, including NASAMS air defense systems as well as more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems and counter-artillery and air surveillance radars.

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - China will likely have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues with its current nuclear buildup pace, according to a report released by the Pentagon on Tuesday. The figure underscores mounting U.S. concerns about China's intentions for its expanding nuclear arsenal, even though the projections do not suggest China is accelerating the pace of its already-brisk warhead development. The report, which primarily covers activities in 2021, said China currently has a nuclear stockpile of more than 400 warheads. The Pentagon's projection for China's nuclear arsenal of 1,000 warheads by 2030 remained unchanged, the official said, adding the projection for 2035 was based on an unchanged pace of expansion. The United States has a stockpile of about 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which roughly 1,740 were deployed, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think-tank.

Reuters is the first to report on the use of the deconfliction line, beyond regular testing. SEVERAL WAYS TO COMMUNICATEThe deconfliction line is just one of several ways the U.S. and Russia militaries still have to communicate. Other military channels include rare high-level talks between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained such hot lines at different levels. Vershbow drew a comparison to the far more active deconfliction line for Syria, where U.S. and Russian military forces sometimes operate in the same airspace or terrain.

☆ Some Republicans criticize Trump for meeting with white supremacist
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Some Republicans on Sunday criticized Donald Trump for dining with white supremacist Nick Fuentes at the former president's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, even as Trump said the encounter was inadvertent. Also, I didn't know Nick Fuentes," Trump wrote. The White House slammed Trump, saying in a statement that "bigotry, hate, and antisemitism have absolutely no place in America — including at Mar-A-Lago." "To my friend Donald Trump, you are better than this. Even a social visit from an antisemite like Kanye West and human scum like Nick Fuentes is unacceptable," Friedman wrote on Twitter.

WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Turkish air strikes in northern Syria threatened the safety of U.S. military personnel and the escalating situation jeopardized years of progress against Islamic State militants, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The public comments represent the strongest condemnation by the United States of NATO-ally Turkey's air operations in recent days against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria to date. "Recent air strikes in Syria directly threatened the safety of U.S. personnel who are working in Syria with local partners to defeat ISIS and maintain custody of more than ten thousand ISIS detainees," the Pentagon's spokesman, Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, said in a statement. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey's air operations were only the beginning and it would launch a land operation when convenient after an escalation in retaliatory strikes. This is not the first time Turkey's operations in northern Syria have threatened U.S. personnel.

☆ Debris analysis shows Iran-made drone attacked tanker -U.S. Navy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet published photos and details of its investigation into the attack on the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon tanker, including debris from the Shahed-136 drone itself. In a statement, the Navy said the drone ripped a 30-inch-wide (76 cm) hole into the back of the ship, and the explosive impact damaged a shipboard boiler, potable water tank and life raft. Gulf waters have in recent years seen attacks on tankers that have come at times of heightened regional tensions with Iran. In July 2021, a suspected drone attack hit a petroleum product tanker managed by an Israeli firm off Oman's coast. Reporting by Phil Stewart Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"They're really trying to overwhelm and exhaust Ukrainian air defense systems," Kahl told reporters during a trip to the Middle East. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Western military experts widely expected the Russian military to try to immediately destroy Ukraine's air force and air defenses. "I think one of the things that probably surprised the Russians the most is how resilient Ukraine's air defenses have been since the beginning of this conflict," Kahl said. "In large part, that's because of the ingenuity and cleverness of the Ukrainians themselves in keeping their air defense systems viable. Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin focused on air defense supplies for Ukraine at a virtual meeting he hosted from the Pentagon.

☆ U.S. says Russia's war in Ukraine offers preview to potential global tyranny
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said failure to help Ukraine secure its own future could lead to a "world of tyranny and turmoil," in a speech on Saturday that sought to lay out the stakes in the war for the international community. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a news briefing after participating a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Tom BrennerAustin's remarks, delivered at a security forum in Canada, were some of his most powerful to date on Russia's nearly nine-month-old invasion. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation," Austin said.

☆ U.S. says Russia's Ukraine invasion offered preview to potential global tyranny
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Phil Stewart | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has offered a preview of "a possible world of tyranny and turmoil," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday in a speech to a security forum in Canada. Moscow hopes to exhaust Ukraine's missile defenses, and buy time to reset its forces, Pentagon officials say. The United States and its allies have helped provide arms, intelligence and training to Ukrainian forces, while stopping short of directly intervening in a war against nuclear-armed Russia. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own," Austin said. Austin said the United States was drawing on the lessons of Ukraine to "bolster the self-defense capabilities of our Indo-Pacific partners."

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media after an alleged Russian missile blast in Poland, in Bali, Indonesia, November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueWASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has been adamant that the United States will back Ukraine in its nine-month fight to repel a Russian invasion. We will determine what happened and what the appropriate next steps would be," said White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson. Sullivan, who has been in touch with Russian officials about the risks around the Ukraine invasion, did not make contact in relation to this incident, a White House official said. "It's now just a matter of doing forensics work to determine what kind of missile it was," the official said.

[1/3] U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Army General Mark Milley speaks during a news briefing after participating a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The top U.S. general on Wednesday said Ukraine's chances of any near-term, outright military victory were not high, cautioning that Russia still had significant combat power inside Ukraine despite suffering battlefield setbacks since its invasion in February. Ukraine has vowed to keep the pressure on Russian forces until it reclaims control of all occupied territory. "The probability of a Ukrainian military victory - defined as kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine to include what they claim as Crimea - the probability of that happening anytime soon is not high, militarily," Milley told a news conference at the Pentagon. Ukraine is not going to back down," Milley said, adding that Ukraine was free, "and they want to remain free."

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.

☆ NASAMS air defense system have 100% success rate in Ukraine- Pentagon chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - U.S.-provided NASAMS air defense systems have had a 100% success rate in Ukraine intercepting Russian missiles, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday, as NATO said an errant Ukrainian air defense interceptor was likely the cause of an explosion in Poland on Tuesday. Austin, speaking at the start of a routine virtual meeting of dozens of defense ministers on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said the United States would work with Poland to gather more information on the explosion, but he did not assign blame. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pentagon says can't confirm Russian missiles struck inside Poland
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday it could not confirm reports that Russian missiles have crossed into Poland near the Ukraine border. "We are aware of the press reports alleging that two Russian missiles have struck a location inside Poland near the Ukraine border. I can tell you that we don't have any information at this time to corroborate those reports and are looking into this further," Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Firefighters in Poland said on Tuesday two people died in an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine. read more Polish Radio ZET reported earlier that two stray missiles hit Przewodow on Tuesday, killing two people, without giving any more details.

☆ Frontier flight diverted to Atlanta after passenger found with box cutter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 12 (Reuters) - A Frontier Airlines flight heading to Florida was diverted to the city of Atlanta after a passenger on board the aircraft was observed in possession of a box cutter, the airline said in a statement on Saturday. "The passenger in question was taken into custody by Atlanta law enforcement," a Frontier spokesperson said in a statement. No one was injured in the incident and passengers were offered a new flight on Saturday morning to Tampa, Florida. "So I went up to talk to the flight attendants in the front of the airplane," Hoffman told NBC News. "They ended up telling me that they were going to land the plane immediately and we were down in 20 minutes."

WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - America's top general estimated on Wednesday that Russia's military had seen more than 100,000 of its soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine, and added Kyiv's armed forces "probably" suffered a similar level of casualties in the war. Asked about prospects for diplomacy in Ukraine, Milley noted that the early refusal to negotiate in World War One compounded human suffering and led to millions more casualties. The United States and its NATO allies have stopped short of direct intervention in Ukraine, but are arming, advising and enabling its military to defend Kyiv against Russia's invading armies. Milley said the conflict so far had turned anywhere from 15 million to 30 million Ukrainians into refugees, and killed probably 40,000 Ukrainian civilians. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] A destroyed Russian T-72 tank is seen near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Mykolaiv region, Ukraine October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday announced an additional $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, including refurbishing T-72 tanks and missiles for HAWK air defense systems for Kyiv. Deputy Czech Defense Minister Tomas Kopecny told Reuters that in total 90 tanks from third parties and private stocks would be modernized. In October, Reuters first wrote about the initiative to furnish HAWK interceptor missiles to Ukraine. The Army replaced it with the MIM-104 Patriot, and the Marines shifted entirely to using smaller, more portable air defense systems.

☆ Ukrainian forces brace for bloody fight for Kherson
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in Kherson region, said on Thursday that he hoped Russian forces would put up a fight. With control of the Dnipro's west bank, military experts said, Ukrainian forces would have a springboard from which to seize a bridgehead on the east side for an advance on Crimea. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared the Russians already had begun "an organized, phased withdrawal" from the Dnipro's west bank. But Ukrainian troops could also face serious obstacles that could stall their takeover of Kherson, including booby traps and concentrated Russian artillery and rocket fire from the east bank, Hodges said. The unit, with six armoured personnel carriers, took its positions in September after Ukrainian forces drove Russian troops back to Kherson's border with Mykolaiv province.

Austin's remarks coincided with a Russian-installed official in Kherson region saying Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River, signaling a significant retreat, if confirmed. Ukraine said it was still fighting in the area and was wary of the occupying Russian forces setting a trap. The region's capital and river port Kherson is the only big city Russia has captured intact since its invasion began on Feb. 24. Russia has fought for months to hang on to the pocket of land it holds on the west bank at the mouth of the Dnipro river that bisects Ukraine. Ukraine has targeted the main river crossings for months, making it difficult for Russia to supply its huge force on the west bank.

The drills have presented a potential challenge to the United States and its allies. Putin has muddied the waters about his intentions after threatening to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia in its unraveling invasion of Ukraine. "We haven't seen anything to cause us to believe, at this point, that is some kind of cover activity," Austin said. Austin said declined to outline the kinds of potential responses that the United States and its allies would consider if Moscow took such a step. "I don't think this sends any message to Putin," Austin said.

The decision to cancel the submarine-launched cruise missile could help President Joe Biden address calls from fellow Democrats to scale back America's nuclear arsenal without sacrificing major components of its nuclear "triad" of nuclear-tipped ground-based inter-continental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable bomber aircraft and submarine-launched nuclear arms. The Biden administration released three documents on Thursday: the National Defense Strategy, Nuclear Posture Review and Missile Defense Review. Under President Donald Trump's administration, the military made a decision in 2018 to develop a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, with a focus on the threat from Russia. But the Biden administration said in its review the sea-launched cruise missile program (SLCM-N) was unnecessary and would be cancelled because the United States already had the "means to deter limited nuclear use." U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters the military did not need the SLCM-N because there was enough capability in the nuclear inventory already.

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