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☆ Head of Presidential Guard Claims Power in Niger Coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Elian Peltier | More About Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The commander of the presidential guard in Niger claimed the leadership of the West African country with a televised address on Friday, two days after his military unit detained the democratically elected president and threw into uncertainty the future of a key Western ally in the region. “We have decided to intervene and seize our responsibilities,” Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, who goes by the first name Omar, said on state television, where he was identified onscreen as the president of the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country. “We can’t continue with the same approaches.”Niger, a poor country rich in uranium, lies in the Sahel, the arid region south of the Sahara that has faced growing insecurity amid the worsening effects of climate change, political instability and armed insurgencies. The United States has 1,100 troops and two drone bases in Niger, and France, the former colonial power, more than 1,500 troops. The military takeover in Niger is the sixth in West Africa in less than three years, following in the steps of Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, and threatening to upend efforts in the region to fight Islamist insurgencies by groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Persons: ”, Abdourahmane Tchiani, Omar, Al Qaeda Organizations: National Council, United, Al, Islamic Locations: Niger, West, ” Niger, Sahel, United States, France, West Africa, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Islamic State

A top Russian general in Ukraine has lashed out at his bosses after being fired from his command, accusing them of undermining the war effort with dishonesty and politicking, in the latest sign of turmoil within the Kremlin’s military leadership. In a four-minute recording released late Wednesday night, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov addressed his troops, accusing his superiors of inflicting a blow on his forces by removing him from his post in retaliation for voicing the truth about battlefield problems to senior leadership behind closed doors. His firing, and the unusual public airing of his grievances, reflected the disarray that has roiled Russia’s military command since a failed mutiny three weeks ago. While the 58th Combined Arms Army he commanded has been holding off a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, “we were hit in the rear by our senior commander, who treacherously and vilely decapitated our army at the most difficult and tense moment,” General Popov said — an apparent reference to Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, chief of the armed forces. Since the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group and its boss, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, several senior officers have been detained or pushed out of their posts, according to a person close to the Russian military, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Persons: Ivan Popov, vilely, General Popov, —, Valery V, Gerasimov, Wagner, Yevgeny V Organizations: Arms Army Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia

“Words are incredibly powerful in white-collar cases because in a lot of them you’re not going to hear from a defendant, as they are seldom going to take the stand,” he said. Some aides and allies who interacted with Mr. Trump in the days after the election have previously disclosed that Mr. Trump indicated that he knew he lost the election. In testimony before the House select committee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, said that in an Oval Office meeting in late November or early December 2020, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he had lost the election. There wasn’t anything — the subject we were talking about was a very serious subject, but everything looked very normal to me. But I do remember him saying that.”General Milley said, though, that in subsequent meetings Mr. Trump had increasingly discussed how the election was stolen from him.

Persons: ”, ” Andrew Goldstein, Trump, Cooley, Trump’s, ” Mr, Goldstein, Mark, “, Mr, Milley, Biden Organizations: Department of Justice, Mr, Joint Chiefs of Staff Locations: Russia

☆ US says drones harassed by Russian aircraft killed ISIS leader in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The US military killed an ISIS leader on Friday in a drone strike in eastern Syria, the US Central Command announced Sunday. The strike, carried out by the same MQ-9 Reaper drones that were harassed by Russian aircraft earlier that day, killed Usama al-Muhajir, according to a press release. US drones participating in the anti-ISIS mission in Syria were harassed three times in as many days last week by Russian aircraft that are in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad. The incident Friday between the Russian fighter jets and the US drones lasted for nearly two hours, a US Air Forces Central release said. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, commander of US Air Forces Central, said in the release that Russian aircraft “flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations.”

Persons: Usama, Gen, Michael “ Erik ” Kurilla, CENTCOM, ” CENTCOM, Bashar al, Assad, Alex Grynkewich, “ Organizations: CNN, US Central Command, Russian, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Locations: Syria

But now, as Mr. Putin seeks to project an image of restored stability and control, he has been putting his defense minister on display, even if Mr. Shoigu has not addressed the public or even been heard speaking. Mr. Shoigu was also present on Monday as Mr. Putin convened a meeting of his top security chiefs. On Tuesday, as Mr. Putin praised his security forces in a grandly choreographed speech, Mr. Shoigu was again present, wearing his military uniform. Mr. Shoigu, who was a very popular minister of emergency situations before becoming defense minister in 2012, has had a long and friendly relationship with Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin may have kept both men in charge as part of his decades-long efforts to place the sprawling Russian military more under his control.

Persons: Vladimir V, Sergei K, Shoigu, Valery V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Wagner, ” Mr, Gerasimov, Mr, Prigozhin, Ramzan Kadyrov, —, ”, ” Andrei Guryulov, Aleksandr Dugin, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Dugin, Long, General Gerasimov, It’s, Andrei Soldatov, Putin “, ” Oleg Matsnev Organizations: Putin, Cuban, National Defense Control Center of Russia, Russian military’s Zvezda, United, Defense Ministry, General Staff Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Cuba, Russian, Ukrainian, Lyman, Chechnya, United Russia, Belarus

Image Mr. Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin at one of Mr. Prigozhin’s factories in St. Petersburg in 2010. Mr. Prigozhin accused the Russian military of attacking his forces, vowed to retaliate, on Friday. In an earlier videotaped speech, Mr. Prigozhin did not explicitly impugn Mr. Putin, instead casting him as a leader being misled by his officials. But, during the battle for Bakhmut, Mr. Prigozhin also emerged as a populist political figure, excoriating Russia’s military leadership for corruption. Others theorized that the Kremlin had orchestrated Mr. Prigozhin’s tirades against Mr. Shoigu, the defense minister, to deflect blame from Mr. Putin himself.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Vladimir V, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Mr, ” Gen, Vladimir Alekseyev, ” Mr, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Russia’s, ’, “, ”, GOH, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, —, Sergei K, Shoigu, Dmitri S, diatribes, excoriating, Prigozhin’s, Igor Girkin, Girkin, ” Julian E, Barnes, Cassandra Vinograd Organizations: Russian, ., Reuters, Russian Defense Ministry, Russia’s, Defense Ministry, Telegram, Twitter, National Security, Associated Press, Bakhmut, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Rostov, Don, Russia, White, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin, Russian, Ukraine’s, “

☆ NATO Nations Kick Off Giant Air Force Drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The exercise, known as Air Defender, is led by the German government and brings together the largest number of aircraft from outside Germany for a training mission since NATO was founded in 1949. The United States flew about 100 National Guard and Navy aircraft to Germany for the exercises. Pilots will conduct other missions with fighter jets, the show horses of the sky, at five other bases across Germany. Air Force Gen. Ingo Gerhartz of Germany, who is overseeing Air Defender, said it was not “directed at anyone,” and emphasized that no offensive scenarios would be practiced. “We are a defense alliance, and so this exercise will be of a defensive nature,” General Gerhartz told reporters in Berlin.

Persons: Ingo Gerhartz, General Gerhartz, Gerhartz, Putin, “ Organizations: Air, NATO, United States, National Guard and Navy, Pilots, Air Force Locations: Germany, Wunstorf, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Berlin, Crimea, Ukrainian, Moscow

☆ Ukraine Says It Shot Down Russia’s Most Sophisticated Missile for First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine used a newly delivered Patriot air-defense system to intercept the most sophisticated missile in Russia’s arsenal for the first time over Kyiv this week, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Saturday. It was the first time Ukraine said that its military had used the advanced American-made missile system, long coveted by the Ukrainians. Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said that the Patriot system was used to shoot down a hypersonic Kinzhal missile fired by Russia over the capital on Thursday. “I congratulate the Ukrainian people on a historic event,” General Oleshchuk said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app. “Yes, we have shot down the ‘unparalleled’ ‘Kinzhal.’”There was no immediate confirmation from Ukraine’s Western allies, including the United States, of the use of the Patriot or whether it had hit a hypersonic missile.

☆ Army Grounds Nonessential Flights After 2 Helicopter Crashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( John Ismay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army said on Friday that it was grounding all Army flights except those needed for critical missions until aviation squadrons complete required training after two deadly helicopter crashes in a month. Units can resume flights after completing the daylong training, which can begin as early as Monday. Active-duty units are required to complete the training by May 5, and Army National Guard and Reserve units will have until May 31. The grounding of flights follows the deaths of 12 soldiers in two separate midair collisions during training missions. Both incidents remain under investigation, and there is no indication of any pattern between the two mishaps, the Army said in its statement.

☆ Russian ground forces 'bigger today' than at start of the war in Ukraine, general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“The Navy has lost one ship.”Classified military documents allegedly leaked by a junior enlisted National Guard airman for months gave a snapshot of where Russia’s ground forces were committed in the war. One document, dated February and March, said that 527 of 544 of available Russian battalions have been committed to the war against Ukraine; 474 of them are already in the country, the intelligence said. One document also estimated that between 35,000 and 43,000 Russian forces have been killed in action during the conflict. “For about the last 20, 21 days, the Russians have not made any progress whatsoever in and around Bakhmut. Asked about Russia’s submarine patrols in the Atlantic, Cavoli said that “much of the Russian military has not been affected negatively” by its invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Pentagon Speeds Up Tank Timeline for Ukraine but Resists Calls for Jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Helene Cooper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Ukrainian troops will begin training on American M1 Abrams tanks in Germany in the next few weeks, U.S. defense officials say, in what would be a major step in arming Kyiv as it seeks to seize back territory from Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III announced the timeline on Friday during a meeting with allies at Ramstein Air Base. Defense officials said that about 31 tanks were expected to arrive in Germany to begin a training program for Ukrainian troops that is expected to take 10 weeks. Combat-ready tanks could reach the battlefields in Ukraine by the fall, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters. But the United States stood firm in its refusal to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

☆ Ukraine War Shows Difficulty of Large-Scale Cyberattacks, NSA Director Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Niharika Mandhana | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gen. Paul Nakasone, who heads the U.S. Cyber Command, says American authorities have focused on securing U.S. infrastructure and elections. SINGAPORE—U.S. adversaries have become more capable of carrying out sophisticated cyberattacks, but the Ukraine war shows how difficult it is to conduct large-scale operations against critical infrastructure, said National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone . “Many thought that Russia—which is a sophisticated actor—was going to conduct significant cyberattacks,” Gen. Nakasone told The Wall Street Journal on the sidelines of a defense technology summit in Singapore. “They’re not as easy to do.”

☆ NSA chief worries TikTok could censor videos for 'large population of listeners' as part of Chinese influence operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok’s collection of data and its control over the algorithm that serves user content are also concerning, Nakasone said. US officials have for years accused TikTok – and its Chinese parent firm ByteDance – of collecting data that could enable surveillance by the Chinese government. A TikTok spokesperson said that the company has been working with the US government to address national security concerns. We will continue to do our part to deliver a comprehensive national security plan for the American people,” Brooke Oberwetter from TikTok said in statement. “I characterize it much more as a loaded gun.”“I would not expect individualized targeting through [TikTok] to do malicious things,” Joyce said.

☆ Why this retailer is bypassing Millennials and Gen Zers for Gen X customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Not Lands’ End. As it looks to grow its customer base, Lands’ End is bucking the trend by purposely embracing the “forgotten generation,” Gen Xers. “It didn’t fly with our customers.”In a rush to grab the attention of younger consumers, the retailer stumbled and made fashion missteps. But the company says it knows who its core customers are. They’re Gen Xers,” he said, adding that Gen X shoppers showed the same long-term loyalty to the brand as Baby Boomers.

Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

☆ Navy, Coast Guard intercept boat with 180 tons of Iranian explosive materials headed to Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard intercepted an enormous Iranian shipment of explosive materials headed to Yemen last week, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. The USS The Sullivans transferred the four Yemeni crew to the Yemeni Coast Guard in the Gulf of Aden so they could be handed over to Yemeni civil authorities. The U.S. seized a ship with 180 tons of Iranian explosive material and spent days unloading the vessel before sinking it. The dhow also had more than 100 tons of urea fertilizer, which can be used as an explosive precursor. “This was a massive amount of explosive material, enough to fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles, depending on the size,” according to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S.

☆ Russia evacuates civilians in Kherson as Putin's military faces Ukrainian advance
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The new commander of Russian forces in Ukraine said Tuesday that his troops in the country’s south were facing “a rather difficult” situation after a Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed them back and threatened their supply lines. “Our further plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson itself will depend on the emerging military tactical situation,” Gen. Sergei Surovikin said. “Difficult decisions could not be ruled out,” he added in a rare interview with Russian state television that came not long after he was installed by the Kremlin. Ukraine has been laying the ground for a counteroffensive there for months, striking key bridges and military infrastructure, while also advancing in the east. “The Russian military has been rumored to be pushing for a withdrawal for weeks, with some pushback from the Kremlin, and we may be seeing a reversal of this policy,” he said.

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