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☆ America's defeat in Vietnam offers a game plan for Ukrainian victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine can defeat Russia if it and its Western backers learn from America's failure in the Vietnam War, a Ukrainian security expert argues. Danylyuk attributes America's failure in Vietnam to a "protracted multi-dimensional strategy by the Soviet Union, on whose help it was completely dependent." Crucial ways to defeat Russia's invasion can be found in the Soviet Union's multi-pronged strategy in Vietnam, analyst Oleksandr Danylyuk says. AP Photo/John T. WheelerThe first prong of this strategy would be to "stabilize the frontline and to render any successful offensive actions by Russian troops impossible." "The only explanation for the lack of a mass anti-war movement and large-scale protests is the absence of an organized and popular opposition in Russia," Danylyuk said.

Persons: Ukraine's, Oleksandr Danylyuk, Danylyuk, Johnson, Nixon, John T, Wheeler, Vladimir Putin's, Michael Peck Organizations: Ukraine, Royal United Services Institute, Ukrainian, Soviet, Communist bloc, AP, Gripen, Meteor, MiG, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Soviet, Vietnam, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, British, China, Soviet Union, Hanoi, Saigon, South Vietnam, Vietnam's, Viet, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Russian, Kabul, Forbes

☆ Iran has developed fentanyl-based chemical weapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

These chemical weapons affect a victim's central nervous system. AdvertisementIran has developed chemical weapons based on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, warns a US expert, powerful agents that could incapacitate soldiers or civilians when added to grenades or artillery. (The US, in contrast, completed the destruction of its chemical weapons in 2023.) Nonetheless, chemical weapons do have a frightening aura, even if fentanyl gas is nowhere near as deadly as nerve gas. "I think that many, many people would see it that way because you're talking about chemical weapons," Levitt said.

Persons: —, Iran's, Matthew Levitt, Levitt, they've, Iran —, Hossein University, Israel, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Pharmaceutical, PBA, Combatting Terrorism, The U.S, Government, Washington Institute, Convention, Iran's Chemistry Department, IHU, Department, State Department, Commandos, CTC, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Iran, West, The, Iraq, Israel, Syrian, —, Iranian, Moscow, Vietnam, Tehran, Galilee, Lebanon, Forbes

☆ Russia's daily attacks on Ukraine have intensified by 10x, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian missile and drone strikes are becoming more intense, a new study found. These attacks comprised 36 different models of missiles and drones, including Iskander ballistic missiles, Kh-59 cruise missiles and Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones. Related storiesNonetheless, there is a wide variation in the intensity of Russian strikes that seems to shift according to Moscow's priorities. "There were 17 days during the study period when missile launches exceeded 82 missiles in a single day," CSIS said. "Keeping this intercept rate high will require continued Western support for Ukraine," CSIS said.

Persons: —, shivering, Yasir Atalan, Atalan, Michael Peck Organizations: Russian, Service, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Ukraine, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Ukrainian, Russian, Gaza, Iranian, Israel, Moscow, Kyiv, Iran, North Korea, China, United States, Forbes

☆ 12 Salisbury Univ. students charged with hate crimes for allegedly beating man over his sexual preferences, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Twelve students at Salisbury University in Maryland have been charged with hate crimes after they allegedly targeted a man over his sexual preferences by inviting him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him and used derogatory names, police said. The students, aged 18 to 21, have been charged with first-degree assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment and associated hate crime charges, the Salisbury Police Department said in a news release Thursday. Police said they were contacted by the Salisbury University police department on Oct. 31 about an assault that allegedly occurred in an off-campus apartment complex for college-aged students. Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre wrote on X that the students arrested have been placed on suspension, which includes being restricted from campus and barred from academic coursework. “It’s very unfortunate that Salisbury University has jumped to conclusions by suspending these young men before there has been any findings related to this incident,” he said.

Persons: Ryder Baker, Bennan Aird, Riley Brister, Cruz Cespedes, Dylan Earp, Elijah Johnson, Zachary Leinemann, Cameron Guy, Jacob Howard, Eric Sinclair, Patrick Gutierrez, Dylan Pietuszka, Aird, “, Carolyn Ringer Lepre, Lepre, Steve Rakow, ”, Leinemann Organizations: Salisbury University, Salisbury Police, Delaware . Police, Terrace, Police, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, NBC, NBC News, SU, ” Salisbury University Locations: Maryland, Salisbury, Delaware

☆ 12 Salisbury Univ. students charged with hate crimes for allegedly beating man over his sexual orientation, police say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Twelve students at Salisbury University in Maryland have been charged with hate crimes after they allegedly targeted a man over his sexual orientation by inviting him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him and used derogatory names, police said. Salisbury University in Salisbury, Md. Megan Raymond/Salisbury Daily Ti / USA Today NetworkPolice said they were contacted by the Salisbury University police department on Oct. 31 about an assault that allegedly occurred in an off-campus apartment complex for college-aged students. Salisbury University President Carolyn Ringer Lepre wrote on X that the students arrested have been placed on suspension, which includes being restricted from campus and barred from academic coursework. “It’s very unfortunate that Salisbury University has jumped to conclusions by suspending these young men before there has been any findings related to this incident,” he said.

Persons: Ryder Baker, Bennan Aird, Riley Brister, Cruz Cespedes, Dylan Earp, Elijah Johnson, Zachary Leinemann, Cameron Guy, Jacob Howard, Eric Sinclair, Patrick Gutierrez, Dylan Pietuszka, Aird, Megan Raymond, Salisbury, “, Carolyn Ringer Lepre, Lepre, Steve Rakow, ”, Leinemann Organizations: Salisbury University, Salisbury Police, USA Today Network Police, Terrace, Police, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, NBC, NBC News, SU, ” Salisbury University Locations: Maryland, Salisbury, Delaware, Md

☆ A US invasion of Taiwan in WWII would have been a disaster. A Chinese operation faces similar dangers.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-03 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementThe US once planned an invasion and seizure of Taiwan that would have been as big as D-Day. The CMSI study makes clear that a US invasion of Taiwan in 1945 — or a Chinese invasion today — would be difficult and risky. The objective would be to occupy southern Taiwan and the mainland Chinese port of Xiamen across the Taiwan Strait. US troops suffered 50,000 casualties in two months of hard fighting in the Okinawa invasion. "Taiwanese military officers pay close attention to history, and especially the history of island warfare, urban warfare, and amphibious warfare," said Easton.

Persons: —, Ian Easton, Taiwan —, Adm, Ernest King, Douglas MacArthur, MacArthur's, Easton, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, China Maritime Studies Institute, Getty, US Navy, Army, Orange, Marine, US Marine Corps, Japan, Imperial, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Taiwan, Pacific, China, Beijing, Battleship, Tennessee, Okinawa, Japan, Philippines, Normandy, Xiamen, AFP, Forbes

☆ Ukraine fooled Russia with the same deceptions Germany used at WWII's Battle of the Bulge
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-02 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The question for Ukraine is whether Kursk will fare better than Germany's Battle of the Bulge. AdvertisementWhen Ukraine unleashed its Kursk offensive in August, it wasn't just the Russians who were surprised. By massing forces for offensives in eastern Ukraine, this thinned out the rest of the 600-mile front line, including the Kursk region. For example, "Ukraine's military announced the 61st Mechanized Brigade would be moving to Vovchansk, a city in the northern sector of the fighting in eastern Ukraine," said TRADOC. Allied cryptographers had broken high-level German radio codes (the "Ultra" program), but German forces employed radio silence, and orders were conveyed by courier and telephone.

Persons: —, TRADOC, Hitler, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wouldn't, Ukraine prepped, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US, Kremlin, British, Armed Forces of, 61st Mechanized Brigade, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Germany, Normandy, Ardennes, Belgium, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Nazi, Moscow, Forbes

☆ The West is trying to starve the wrong part of Russia's war machine, defense experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russian artillery depends on a complex supply chain vulnerable to sanctions, defense experts say. Each company has its own supply chain of subcontractors, such as factories that make special steel. Current Western sanctions tend to be too broad and sporadic to cripple Russian defense production. A better approach would be a mixture of economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure focused on Russia's artillery supply chain, concluded the report. AdvertisementNonetheless, sanctions might ultimately prove to be a more effective approach than trying to destroy Russian artillery in combat.

Persons: —, Charly TRIBALLEAU, RUSI, NIMI Bakhirev, Reich, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Scranton Army, Plant, Getty, Burevestnik Research, NATO, Allied, Germany, Central, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, British, Soviet, Scranton, Pennsylvania, AFP, China, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Yekaterinburg, Volgograd, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kazakh, Turkey, Forbes

☆ Iran's attacks on Israel suggest ballistic missiles are an overhyped threat
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-12 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But after launching hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in two separate barrages, what has Iran to show for it? The October strike by 180 ballistic missiles saw a higher percentage of rockets penetrate defenses. All of which raises a question: is the danger of ballistic missiles overhyped? In 2015, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen began a bombardment campaign against Saudi Arabia that included ballistic missiles. Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty ImagesIt is not that conventional ballistic missiles aren't lethal, especially the modern versions.

Persons: —, Hitler, Ilia Yefimovich, doesn't, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Israeli Air Force, Soviet Union, British, Fortress, Getty, Minuteman, Soviet, Patriot, Aegis, Allied, South, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Iran, Britain, Jordan, Nazi Germany, Western Europe, British Lancaster, Iraq, Iranian, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, America, Russia, Nodong, Tehran, Europe, Berlin, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Lebanon, Gaza, Forbes

☆ Israel's clash with Hezbollah may be shaped by its past mistakes in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Israel launched a ground incursion that risks repeating its past mistakes in Lebanon. From 1985 to 2000, Israel occupied a 15-mile-wide "security zone" in southern Lebanon, ostensibly run by a Lebanese Christian faction backed by IDF troops. Israel returned in 2006, when 30,000 Israeli troops crossed the border in retaliation for a Hezbollah ambush of IDF troops in northern Israel. AdvertisementAs Israel's prime minister in 1998, Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep troops in southern Lebanon "whatever the cost." Currently two IDF divisions are operating in southern Lebanon, to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure there.

Persons: Israel, —, Benjamin Netanyahu, EFFI, Boots, 2S0qw1pBaJ — Emanuel, Mannie, Fabian, Hassan Nasrallah, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Lebanese Christian, IDF, Getty, Hezbollah, Hamas, Division, Egoz Commando, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Lebanon, Israel's, Lebanon's, Vietnam, Israel, Afghanistan, Soviet Union, —, Gaza, AFP, Forbes

☆ Armies will be able to maneuver on battlefields again, but it's going to be difficult and bloody
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Ukraine war raises a difficult question: Can armies maneuver to win anymore? Advertisement"Firepower kills," warned the French General Philippe Pétain just prior to the First World War. By temporarily suppressing the defensive drone-artillery combo that has proven so devastating in the Russo-Ukraine War, armies can again maneuver to defeat their enemies. ISW sees three problems with trying to maneuver in Ukraine, lessons that broadly apply to modern battlefields. AdvertisementArtillery and machine guns were so deadly in World War I that armies fought from trenches.

Persons: it's, —, Philippe Pétain, Pétain, ISW, That's, Michael Peck Organizations: Artillery, Service, Getty, Ukraine, Air Force, BAI, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russo, Washington, Russia, Russian, Kursk, Ukrainian, Russians, Forbes

☆ The battle of Irpin narrowly saved Ukraine. Here's how it went down.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine narrowly won the battle of Irpin in the war's earliest days. That's the conclusion of American and British experts who examined the fighting along the Irpin River northwest of Kyiv. "The Battle of Irpin River was a close-run thing," wrote Richard Sladden, Liam Collins and Alfred Connable in an article in British Army Review, a British military magazine. An attack in the east and south of Ukraine was the most likely course of action, therefore Ukrainian forces were primarily arrayed against this." Russian forces weren't prepared to rapidly deploy pontoon bridges to replace those across the Irpin River that Ukrainian troops had blown up.

Persons: —, Richard Sladden, Liam Collins, Alfred Connable, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Collins, weren't, Oleksii Chumachenko, Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, British Army, Paratroopers, Hostomel Airport, Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade, Kyiv, Airport, 5th Company, 72nd Brigade, Hostomel, US Army Special Forces, Getty, 72nd Mechanized Brigade, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Irpin, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian, —, British, Russian, Belarus, Dnipro, Hostomel, city's, Holland, Germany, Forbes

☆ Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system almost didn't get built
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Some of the IDF brass feared that missile defense would lead to a defensive mentality, rather than taking the war to the enemy. Ran Kochav, the former head of Israel's air and missile defense system. Indeed, there were similar criticisms in the US as to whether President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" missile defense would work. Israel's missile defense system faced its most difficult test in April, when Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel. Ultimately, the virtue of missile defense may be that it is the least bad alternative.

Persons: Sidharth Kaushal, Ran Kochav, Israel Defense Forces —, Critics, Kochav, Ronald Reagan's, Yitzhak Rabin, Saddam Hussein, Israel, JALAA MAREY, RUSI, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Royal United Services Institute, Business, Cricket, Israeli Air Force, General Staff, Getty, Arrow, Israel, Iron, IDF, Forces, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, British, Iran, Brig, Lebanon, Israeli, AFP, Gaza, Hezbollah, Britain, Jordan, Ukraine, Russia, Forbes

☆ Iran wants Israelis to worry that Hezbollah has a rare and powerful EMP weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Nuclear EMP pulses can travel hundreds of miles depending on their altitude of detonation, while NNEMP devices only have ranges of about 5 miles. AP Photo/Mohammed ZaatariIran does have a nuclear program, and probably could build a nuclear EMP weapon if it wanted to. But a non-nuclear EMP weapon might enable Iran to sidestep any red lines. But this raises another question: would Iran give EMP weapons to Hezbollah, its most important proxy? Giving EMP weapons to Hezbollah would risk the possibility that Israel and other nations would hold Iran responsible.

Persons: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps —, Mohammed Zaatari, Trump, Israel, Joseph Votel, Votel, Israel —, It's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Kuwaiti, Al, Force, National and Homeland Security, AP, Iranian, American, US Central Command, Middle East Institute, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Iran, The, Tehran, Russia, Europe, Mohammed Zaatari Iran, Iranian, Jerusalem, China, North Korea, Washington, New Jersey, Northern Israel, Beirut, Forbes

☆ The battle of Kursk hinges on the Russian railroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Related storiesExactly how overloaded the Russian rail network may be isn't clear. Despite the humiliation of foreign troops occupying Russian soil, Russian forces continue to grind forward in bloody attacks at places such as Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region. Relying on trucks would require an extraordinary number of vehicles, so it seems likely that Russian forces at Kursk will require multiple railheads that depend on a limited number of railroad bridges. However, Ukraine has captured data about the Russian railway system, which will make it easier to disrupt operations, Fraser noted. Barros believes that Ukraine could seriously disrupt Russian rail traffic and logistics if the US would lift those restrictions.

Persons: —, We've, George Barros, ZwsdIWSBwg, — Rob Lee, Ben Hodges, Kyiv's, Barrow, Oleg Palchyk, Callum Fraser, Fraser, Biden, Barros, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Belarusian, Moscow Railway, Moscow Railways, Russian Railways, Study, UR, 101st Airborne Division, US Army, Interior Ministry, FSB, Kremlin, Getty, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Ukraine, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Los Angeles, Russia, railheads, Kursk, Russian, Orel, Belarus, Smolensk, Moscow, Ukrainian, Washington, Belgorod, Europe, Ukraine, Donetsk, Bryansk, Russia's Kursk, Kharkiv, Leningrad, Oryol, Voronezh, Forbes

☆ Hedge fund turned to a wargame to plan for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Related storiesIn the second phase of the game, soon after the Chinese invasion began, US forces were said to have engaged and stopped the Chinese amphibious assault, though China continued to bombard Taiwan. Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty ImagesThis caught the hedge fund players by surprise: they had assumed EU sanctions were unlikely because of the depth of China-Europe trade, which reached $815 billion annually in 2023. The hedge fund "agreed that any room for avoiding a total divestment from China and the South China Sea was now completely lost, and market re-entry was probably many years away." The hedge fund responded by choosing to invest heavily in semiconductors manufactured in regions not affected by the war. "This would provide potential opportunities for new players to emerge in the Global South, particularly if loans can be collateralized," Knightsbridge noted.

Persons: Finley Grimble, liquidating, KSG, Daniel Ceng, Knightsbridge, Grimble, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Knightsbridge Strategic, Getty, Treasury, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: British, China, Taiwan, South China, Europe, South America, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Anadolu, South, Ukraine, Africa, East, Southeast Asia, Zimbabwe, Forbes

☆ The battle of Kursk has unchained Ukraine from a failing war strategy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

At the start of August, Ukraine seemed doomed to remain on the defensive, slowly but relentlessly being ground into retreat by Russian onslaughts. But its successful new Kursk offensive has done more than seize 480 square miles of Russian territory and humiliate Putin. After nearly a year of a grim defensive battle, the Kursk operation has also allowed Ukraine to seize the initiative and force Moscow to dance to Kyiv's tune. The Russians no longer hold the initiative across the entirety of the theater, like they have for most of last year." Which means Ukraine has to find some economical way of keeping up the pressure on Russia, without losing more territory of its own.

Persons: Putin, George Barros, Barros, Vladimir Putin, " Barros, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Kursk, Moscow, Donetsk, Russia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Polohy, Zaporizhia, Zabrama, Bryansk, Belgorod, Forbes

☆ Israel's urban warfare tactics in Gaza offer lessons for NATO armies
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Urban warfare in Gaza has revealed a painful truth for NATO: Many of its armies are ill-prepared for fighting in crowded cities. There is good reason for concern: urban warfare has become a fixture of warfare on a rapidly urbanizing planet, from Fallujah in 2003 to Bakhmut in 2023. Israeli troops and their vehicles have faced challenges operating in sections of Gaza that the Israeli Air Force shattered. The biggest lesson of Gaza is the importance of firepower in urban warfare, according to RUSI. Related storiesFirepower played a decisive role "in determining initiative during the fighting in Gaza," RUSI said.

Persons: RUSI, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Watling, Reynolds, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, British Army, Business, Royal United Services Institute, US Army, IDF, Israeli Air Force, Anadolu, Getty, Fighters, Hamas, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Gaza, British, Fallujah, Bakhmut, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Forbes

☆ Japan's latest strategy review names the growing threats it faces
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Japan's newest strategic review names China, North Korea and Russia as threats to Japanese security. Clearer explanations of the threats to Japan's national security will prove critical as the government seeks public support for an ambitious defense spending plan." The review is part of a reconsideration of Japan's needs in the face of growing threats from its well-armed neighbors, especially China. China has "conducted joint bomber flights and naval navigations with Russia in the vicinity of Japan," the paper said. AdvertisementBesides external threats and new equipment, the paper highlighted a critical need for the Japan Self-Defense Forces: more people.

Persons: Nicholas Szechenyi, Ryo Hinata, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Ministry of Defense, South China, Japan Self - Defense Forces, Forum, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, North Korea, Russia, Japan, South China, South, Korea, Yamaguchi, Honolulu, Forbes

☆ Chinese scientists claim Star Wars-like laser submarines can blast US satellites
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewChinese scientists claim that it's possible to destroy satellites — including SpaceX's Starlink system — using lasers mounted on submarines. Chinese researchers envision the solution as flotillas of mass-produced laser subs that could be dispatched to oceans around the world. They would wait for tracking data from other non-submarine platforms to determine when a target satellite is overhead. In addition to destroying satellites, these subs could also blast aircraft or land targets such as radars and oil refineries. Laser subs could also shield China's ballistic missile submarines from detection.

Persons: —, Chris Carlson, Carlson, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, navy's Submarine Academy, Business, China Morning, US Navy, Defense Intelligence Agency, Communications, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, Hong, Russia, Ukraine, Forbes

☆ Canada's 'shoestring' navy needs drastic changes to buy the new submarine fleet it wants
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Submarines could be very useful for defense of Canadian territory, or asserting a presence in contested Arctic waters. But tripling Canada's submarine fleet will require more than buying new boats. AdvertisementThough Canada acquired its first submarine in 1914, its recent experience with undersea boats has not been a happy one. In 1998, the Royal Canadian Navy bought four used British Upholder-class diesel-electric subs that became surplus as Britain switched to an all-nuclear submarine fleet. Several foreign shipbuilders have expressed interest in selling subs to Canada, including South Korea's Hanwha Ocean and Sweden's Saab.

Persons: —, Paul Mitchell, Mitchell, Refits, Sweden's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Royal Canadian Navy, NATO, Business, Canadian Forces College, Canada's Department of National Defense, East, Pacific, RCN, Britain, Sweden's Saab, Canada, Shipbuilding Strategy, Royal Canadian Air Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Canada, Britain, Germany, Victoria, Canadian, Russia, China, Pacific, Davis, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Barents, West, British Columbia, South, Forbes

☆ Xi wants the world to know China's military is totally loyal despite the purges
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's military is loyal and will faithfully execute the policies set down by the Communist Party. In June, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping reminded the Central Military Commission — the country's top political-military body — that the military reports to the Communist Party. "Xi stressed that political work is always the lifeline of the country's military. "Xi stresses PLA's political loyalty at crucial meeting held in old revolutionary base," read the Global Times headline. Beyond military corruption, Xi also is concerned about what he sees as decadence in Chinese society — especially among young people — which is undermining Chinese military power.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei, he'd, he's, Stalin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Communist Party, Central Military Commission, Global Times, Business, Party, Times, People's Liberation Army, PLA, RAND Corp, Taiwan, PLA Rocket Force, CMC, Soviet Union, Political, Red Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, US, China —, Germany, Soviet Union, Forbes

☆ In a Taiwan war, the US could find itself fighting China without its top allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The study excluded nations that already faced a risk of direct conflict with China, the US and their respective allies. On the other hand, America's top allies don't share American fears that a massive Chinese military buildup and Chinese leader Xi Jinping's avowed determination to "reunify" Taiwan with China are steps toward war, but rather may be nationalistic posturing. AdvertisementYet if Japan, Australia, Britain and Canada are reluctant to confront China, there are actions they can take to help Taiwan. In addition, the four middle powers could play a role in mediators to prevent a Taiwan war from happening. "To build credibility with both great powers, the four middle powers need to rebuild and bolster their strategic autonomy, material power, and commitment to the Asia-Pacific region."

Persons: Rafiq Dossani, isn't, Xi Jinping's, China's, Dossani, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, America's, RAND Corp, RAND, Business, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada, Chinese Communist Party, NATO, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia, Canada, American, South Korea, India, Beijing, Asia, South China, Pacific, Okinawa, East China, Britain, Europe, Forbes

☆ Ukraine's Air Force must ditch its Soviet-style approach to get the most out of F-16s
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But only if the battered Ukrainian Air Force is capable and willing to drastically change the way it fights in the middle of the war. Finally, Ukrainian Air Force leadership must be incorporated into the Ukrainian General Staff to foster and facilitate integrated, all-domain concepts, planning, and employment." "The bottom line is that it will not be easy," Deptula, a retired US Air Force lieutenant general, told Business Insider. "It will take years for the Ukrainian military culture to shift from the model based on their Soviet military history, to Western military doctrine." For example, ground-based artillery and rockets can destroy Russian air defense systems, which enables Ukraine's air force to operate over the battlefield, and thus provide close air support to the army.

Persons: David Deptula, Christopher Bowie, Nichols, Goldwater, interservice, —, Mitchell, Deptula, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Mitchell Institute, Ukrainian, Staff, US Air Force, Russian Air Force, Goldwater, Navy, Joint Chiefs, Missions, Army, Marines, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Grenada, Ukrainian, Forbes

☆ The British Army has shrunk to its smallest size since the Napoleonic wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The British Army has shrunk to its lowest level since the early 1800s. That's a far cry from the Chinese army of 2 million soldiers, Russia's 1.3 million, or the 460,000 active-duty troops of the US Army. "As things stand, the British Army is a one-trick pony," Nicholas Drummond, a British defense expert and former infantry officer, told Business Insider. AdvertisementIn 1989, the British Army had 156,000 soldiers, or more than twice its present size. "Right now, the British Army cannot generate a single division, let alone two," Drummond said.

Persons: —, Napoleon, Nicholas Drummond, Rudyard Kipling, Tommy, Chuck, Drummond, Keir Starmer, Conservative government's, It's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, British Army, US Army, Business, Britain's Army, NATO, Royal Navy, Treasury, Army, Labor, Conservative, Royal Air Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Romania, Bangladesh, Canada, Armenia, Russia, Washington, DC, Ukraine, British, Forbes

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