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☆ Ukrainian forces in Kursk are readying for a long fight and may plan to 'bleed' the Russians just like in Ukraine, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That figure is more than the amount of territory Russia has seized in Ukraine so far this year. AdvertisementThat's a rate of more than 1,100 casualties a day, and there are indications Russian forces are continuing to take heavy losses. A pair of Ukrainian soldiers walk in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region. But he said there's also a danger that Ukraine's forces could get overextended and "get too widely spaced that the Russians can take advantage of it." Furthermore, this unexpected invasion of Russian territory has allowed Ukraine to regain the initiative after months in a grueling defensive position.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Fabien Nachi, Matthew Savill, David Cohen, Michael Bohnert, Savill, Ed Ram, Mark Cancian, there's, Cancian, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Business, NBC, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, UK Ministry of Defence, Russia, Ukraine, CIA, RAND Corporation, Washington, Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Russia's Kursk, Russia, Ukraine, Kursk, Sudzha, Ukrainian

☆ The US Air Force's potential shift to adaptable 'light fighters' to solve budget woes is more complicated than it seems
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-03 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

US Air Force photo illustration by Staff Sgt. The Air Force needs new missiles, new bombers, and new fighters — but is struggling to pay for them allThe B-21 Raider in flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Cultural inertia in the fighter businessUS Air Force fighter aircraft fly in formation. A rendering of a future crewed next-generation air dominance aircraft by the US Air Force Research Laboratory. Nonetheless, for a cash-strapped Air Force, this would be a significant challenge.

Persons: David Allvin, Parth Satam, Allvin, Madeline Herzog, that's, it's, Will Roper, I'm, Charles, CQ, Brown, Preston Cherry, America's, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Marine Corps Lockheed Martin, Peter Nicholls, —, Danielle Purnell, Frank Kendall, Tom Williams, Will Roper's, Kendall —, I've, Kendall, there's, Northrop Grumman's, Roper, Giancarlo Casem, today's, they've, wouldn't, John Raven, James M, Holmes, we've Organizations: Service, senior Air Force, Air Force, Global Air, Space Chiefs, Conference, UK's, Space Power Association, Business, Fighter, US Air Force, Force, American, Next, Sabre, Convair, Delta Dart, Rand Corporation, National Museum of, Staff, Joint Chiefs, Raptors, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Senior, Boeing, Lockheed, US, Marine Corps Lockheed, Royal International Air, Reuters, Getty, Capitol, Raider, Air, Edwards Air Force Base, DARPA, USAF, III, America, Minuteman, Sentinel missile, Pentagon, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Sentinel, Defense, Tech, Combat Command, US Air Force Research Laboratory, Sandboxx Locations: London, American, Fairford, Britain, Fort Worth, California, United States, Soviet Union, Marietta , Georgia, America, Europe

The Department of Veterans Affairs has clawed back billions of dollars that countless veterans were given as incentives to leave the military, including when it needed to downsize, according to new data obtained by NBC News. Disabled veterans have been told in the last 12 fiscal years to return nearly $3 billion in special separation pay — lump-sum incentives that were offered when the U.S. had to reduce its active-duty force or release slightly injured service members, the data shows. The justification of the recoupment rule carried over in the 1990s when other forms of special separation payments — unrelated to disabilities — were authorized. Those payments, including the Special Separation Benefit (SSB), were designed instead to help the Defense Department manage its force size. He was told to pay back the money in 2017 after he filed for VA disability for PTSD and other conditions.

Persons: ”, Damon Bird, “, ” Salahudin Majeed, Bird, Salahudin Majeed, ” Majeed, ‘, ’ ” Majeed, —, ” Marquis Barefield, Marquis Barefield, ” Barefield, John Colage, Terrence Hayes, Hayes, Colage, ” Colage, Domenick Fini, Denis McDonough’s, Majeed, recoupment, Ruben Gallego, Gallego Organizations: of Veterans Affairs, NBC News, Disabled, NBC, Army, ” Army, Congressional Research Service, Defense Department, DAV, American Veterans, ” Navy, U.S ., Appeals, Veterans, Veterans ’ Appeals, RAND Corporation Locations: U.S, —, Haslet , Texas, USS Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Iraq

☆ A little-known law has forced over 120,000 veterans to return the money they got to leave the military, new data shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Melissa Chan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

He said the VA is legally bound to recover special separation benefits from veterans before those eligible can begin receiving disability payments. The VA had to recoup separation pay from 8,130 veterans in fiscal year 2020 and 8,550 in 2021. In 2021, the Veterans Benefits Administration began scanning all veterans’ service and medical records into electronic files, which “reduces the likelihood of this situation reoccurring,” Hayes said. Unique exceptions to the lawVeterans have a chance to pursue a waiver of their recoupment responsibilities for only certain special separation benefits under the law. In 2023, the Navy authorized reducing the amount of disability pay that is withheld while voluntary separation pay is recouped, Navy spokesperson Charlie Spirtos said.

Persons: “, ”, Vernon Reffitt, recoupments, Terrence Hayes, Shawn Teller, Teller, ” Teller, “ It’s, Reffitt, ‘, Hayes, ” Hayes, Erika Yepsen, Yepsen, recoupment, ” Yepsen, Charlie Spirtos, Marquis Barefield, ” Barefield, Ruben Gallego Organizations: NBC News, Army, U.S . Department of Veterans Affairs, NBC, “, VA, Veterans, Administration, The Air Force, Air Force, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, DAV, American Veterans, ” Veterans, recoupment, RAND Corporation Locations: U.S, Storm, Walnut Creek , California, Twin City , Georgia, United States

☆ Will A.I. Save Us or Kill Us First? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Here’s a bargain of the most horrifying kind: For less than $100,000, it may now be possible to use artificial intelligence to develop a virus that could kill millions of people. That’s the conclusion of Jason Matheny, the president of the RAND Corporation, a think tank that studies security matters and other issues. “It wouldn’t cost more to create a pathogen that’s capable of killing hundreds of millions of people versus a pathogen that’s only capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people,” Matheny told me. In contrast, he noted, it could cost billions of dollars to produce a new vaccine or antiviral in response.

Persons: Jason Matheny, ” Matheny Organizations: RAND Corporation

☆ Ukraine's US-provided Bradley armored fighting vehicles are turning heads in tough battles against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewIn a snowy landscape near Stepove in eastern Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian armored vehicles went head-to-head in what appeared to be a mismatched fight. The Russian tank's turret starts spinning, and then the tank veers off course and crashes into a tree. Advertisement"So armored vehicles dash in, fulfill their combat mission, and then withdraw as fast as they can," said Gressel. Only weeks later, a Bradley took out two BTR-82 Russian armored troop carriers in the same region. AdvertisementParakilas, the RAND analyst, said that the Pentagon is modifying the Bradley vehicles to better defend them against the drone and air attacks that proved devastating against the western-supplied armored vehicles in summer 2023.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Bradley, IFV, Gustav Gressel, Jacob Parakilas, Gressel, Scott Peterson, they've, Abrams Organizations: Service, 47th Mechanized Brigade Bradley, Business, Bradley, Ukraine, Russia, European Council, Foreign Relations, RAND Corporation, CNN, Washington Post, American, LB, Getty, RAND Locations: Stepove, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Baghdad, Adviikva

☆ China and Philippines already at odds over South China Sea deal to ease Second Thomas Shoal tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy is anchored near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea. Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea, and most of the islands and sandbars within it, including many features that are hundreds of miles from mainland China. Under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, the Philippines has taken increasingly assertive steps to protect its claim to shoals in the South China Sea, leading to several confrontations off the Philippine islands. The US is not a claimant to the South China Sea, but says the waters are crucial to its national interest of guaranteeing free passage through seas worldwide. A close up view taken on March 29, 2014 of the BRP Sierra Madre beached near the Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Shoal, Ren’ai Jiao, ”, Mao Ning, pushback, Ritchie, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Thomas Shoal, Erik de Castro, Gregory Poling, “, ” Derek Grossman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, BRP Sierra Madre, Foreign Ministry, The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, BRP, Philippine Navy, coastguard, US Navy, Aspen Security, US National, Reuters, Transparency Initiative, RAND Corporation Locations: Hong Kong, South, Manila, Beijing, Philippine, Spratly, Philippines, China, Palawan, Madre, South China, Second, The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, The Hague, Scarborough, BRP Sierra Madre, Washington, United States, Sierra Madre, BRP Sierra, Asia

☆ Russia has forced the West to ramp up production of older weapons — even gear it wasn't making any more
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewRussia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a surge in demand, orders, and manufacturing of Western weaponry, including decades-old equipment and even gear that had gone out of production. The result is more orders and manufacturing, even of Western equipment where production had stopped. Its maker, Lockheed Martin, is increasing production as well as its production of the antitank missile system. Russia has also ramped up its wartime production, which could aid it in the future and not just against Ukraine. One solution would have been countries ramping up their orders and production earlier in the war, Di Mizio said.

Persons: —, it's, Jan Kallberg, hasn't, Lockheed Martin, Diehl, Timothy Wright, Mark Cancian, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Mattias Eken, Cancian, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Giorgio Di Mizio, Kallberg, Di Mizio Organizations: Service, Business, Manufacturing, Center for, Army Cyber Institute, US Army, Air Missile System, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, Getty, IRIS, Patriot, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Financial Times, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Russia Western, Military, Sputnik, REUTERS, Ukraine, Russia, RAND Corporation, Anadolu Agency Locations: Ukraine, Russia, West, Norway, Europe, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, France, Kremlin, REUTERS Russia

It was a one-time, lump-sum special separation benefit offered to service members when the U.S. had to reduce its active-duty force. Courtesy Vernon ReffittThousands have found themselves in Reffitt’s position due to a little-known law that prohibits veterans from receiving both disability and special separation pay. Under the law, the VA has to recoup special separation benefits from veterans before those eligible can begin receiving disability payments. Army veteran Daphne Young said she would not have taken the separation pay had she known. Under the law, veterans have a chance to pursue a waiver of their recoupment responsibilities for voluntary separation pay, but the standards are high.

Persons: Vernon Reffitt, Reffitt, Stephanie Rennane, Rennane, it’s, Daphne Young, Daphne Young Young, Young, Marquis Barefield, Barefield, Shane Collins, Collins, Ruben Gallego, Gallego, I’ve Organizations: Department of Veterans Affairs, RAND Corporation, NBC News, Army, Young, DAV, American Veterans, Veterans, recoupment, RAND, Marine, Marines, Pentagon, Defense Locations: U.S, Twin City , Georgia, Panama, Honduras, Germany, Columbus , Georgia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Twin Falls , Idaho, United States

☆ The Houthis are getting smarter with their Red Sea attacks, and the ships sailing these waters are paying the price
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

'A useful disguise' for the HouthisBetween December and March, Houthi attacks damaged at least 19 commercial ships, according to a June 13 report published by the Defense Intelligence Agency. US Central Command via AP, FileThe following weeks saw a decrease in the pace of successful Houthi attacks. AdvertisementYemen's Houthi group released a video showing an explosive-laden drone boat target a commercial vessel earlier this month. AdvertisementDouble taps and drone boatsBeyond the recent double-tap strikes, the Houthis' ability to learn from past attacks is visible in their drone boat operations. In this photo released by the French military, the MV Tutor sinks in the Red Sea after it was struck by a Houthi drone boat.

Persons: —, Archer Macy, Behshad, Houthis, Brian Carter, Ambrey, Carter, they're, des, they'll, Macy, they've, Alex Stark, John Kirby, Kirby, Yemen —, Dwight D, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier, Stark Organizations: Service, Business, US Navy, Defense Intelligence Agency, US military's Central Command, US, Command, AP, Military Times, American Enterprise, Houthi Media, Getty, des Armées, AP Experts, Center for Strategic, Studies ' Missile Defense, RAND Corporation, National Security, Eisenhower, Eisenhower Carrier Strike, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group Locations: Gulf of Aden, Iran, Iranian, Yemen, Tehran, Israel, Gulf, Aden, Ukraine, Russian, Red, France, Sanaa

☆ US stockpiles of the rare earth minerals it would need to fight a war against an adversary like China are a mystery, and experts warn it's a problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Kelsey Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Part of the military's mission at home is to keep stockpiles of goods like critical minerals on hand for emergency wartime use. In the dark on the stockpileAlthough the name suggests otherwise, rare earth minerals are not exactly rare — in fact, they're relatively plentiful. The Biden administration began cutting American imports of Chinese rare earth minerals a few years ago in an effort to decrease US reliance on China for critical minerals. Submarines, fighter aircraft, magnets used in missiles, radar systems, and drones all require critical earth minerals for manufacturing. AdvertisementA past report for Congress on rare earth minerals for national defense, for instance, noted that a single Virginia-class submarine requires 9,200 pounds of rare earth minerals, while an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer requires 5,200 pounds.

Persons: —, Biden, Lockheed Martin, Gregory Wischer, Wischer, Arleigh Burke, Halsey, Sampson, Chris Williamson Fabian Villalobos, Locke Organizations: Service, Business, Pentagon, Lockheed, Getty, Gratia, Defense Logistics Agency, of, Department of Defense, Defense Industrial Strategy, . US, Pacific, DoD, Materials, Lynas, Joint Base, Hickam . US Navy, RAND Corporation, National Defense, NDS, Industrial Base Locations: China, Fort Worth, Virginia, Arabian, Japan, South Korea, United States, California, Lynas USA, Texas, Vermont, Hickam

☆ China employing 'gray zone tactics' at contested Second Thomas Shoal, Lowy Institute's Yaacob says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. China said the United States must refrain from "stirring up trouble" or taking sides on the South China Sea issue, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a security deal with the Manila extended to attacks on the Philippine coast guard. China is employing "gray zone tactics" against the Philippines at the contested Second Thomas Shoal reef, a move likely aimed at avoiding U.S. intervention in the region, according to Lowy Institute's Rahman Yaacob. Last week, Philippine officials said Chinese forces damaged the country's boats and injured several sailors near the Second Thomas Shoal — claimed by both Beijing and Manila — in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. Gray zone tactics refer to "coercive actions that are shy of armed conflict but beyond normal diplomatic, economic, and other activities," according to Rand Corporation.

Persons: Shoal, Antony Blinken, Lowy Institute's Rahman Yaacob, Thomas Shoal —, Yaacob Organizations: Guard, U.S, Manila —, Asia Program, Lowy Institute, Rand Corporation, Philippine Locations: Philippine, South China, China, United States, Manila, Philippines, Beijing, Spratly Islands, Yaacob, Asia, India

☆ ‘Only pirates do this’: Philippines accuses China of using bladed weapons in major South China Sea escalation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nectar Gan | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —The Philippines has accused China’s Coast Guard of launching a “brutal assault” with bladed weapons during a South China Sea clash earlier this week, a major escalation in a festering dispute that threatens to drag the United States into another global conflict. A Philippine Navy serviceman on the rubber boat lost his right thumb when the Chinese Coast Guard rammed it, Torres said. China’s Coast Guard also deployed tear gas, “blinding” strobe lights and continuously blared sirens, the AFP said. “The Chinese Coast Guard personnel had bladed weapons and our personnel fought with bare hands. This is the closest China’s Coast Guard has come to the BRP Sierra Madre, Koh noted.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, –, ” Collin Koh, ” Koh, “, ”, Alfonso Torres Jr, Torres, Romeo Brawner Jr, ” Brawner, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Marcos, Matthew Miller, Enrique A, Antony Blinken, ” Derek Grossman, Koh, they’re, Thomas, Washington “, ” “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Coast Guard, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Philippine, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Philippine Navy, Armed Forces, Getty, Western Command, Chinese Coast Guard, China’s Coast Guard, Staff, Getty Images Mutual, South China, US State Department, Mutual Defense, RAND Corporation, China Coast Guard, Philippine personnel, Navy Special Operations Group, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre Locations: Hong Kong, Philippines, China, United States, Manila, Spratly, Philippine, Singapore, AFP, ’, China’s, South, States, US, Washington, South China, The Hague, Beijing, India, BRP Sierra, BRP Sierra Madre

☆ US announces major bust as efforts to crack down on Chinese money launderers working with drug cartels ratchet up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

A US-based lawyer who has represented accused Chinese money launderers said the tempo of law enforcement operations against the alleged launderers has increased in recent weeks as federal agents close in on “bigger fish” among Chinese money launderers in the US. None of the federal law enforcement agencies involved in tracking Chinese money launderers agreed to be interviewed on the record. Grassley and Whitehouse have each introduced legislation they say is key to closing loopholes in US law that are actively exploited by the cartels’ money launderers. Elaborate networksRecent court documents illuminate how far-flung and elaborate US-based networks of alleged Chinese money launderers are. Mirror TransactionsExperts say the Chinese money launderers have mastered the art of so-called mirror transactions, which involve a series of deposits at multiple bank accounts to conceal the drug money.

Persons: ”, Anne Milgram, surveil, “, Don Im, Biden, HSI, Ricardo Mayoral, William Kimbell, ” Kimbell, launderers, —, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, ” Whitehouse, Treasury Department —, Whitehouse, Christopher Wray, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Republican Sen, Charles Grassley, Enhua Fang, Li Pei Tan, Tan, Joe Habachy, Matthew Rothbeind, Fang, Chaojie Chen, Chen, Greg Hunter, ” David Luckey, JPMorgan Chase Organizations: CNN, Drug, Administration, Sinaloa Cartel, US Court, Central, Central District of, DEA, IRS, “, Centers for Disease Control, Federal, Homeland Security, Treasury, Treasury Department, Treasury’s, Network, Homeland Security Investigations, DHS, Financial Crimes, Rhode Island Democrat, intel, Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Senate, ” CNN, White, Office of National Drug Control, Service, Biden, Republican, Grassley, Rand Corporation, of, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Organization Locations: California, Mexican, China, Mexico, Los Angeles, Sinaloa, Central District, Central District of California, Colombia, America, Oregon, Virginia, South Carolina, Washington, DC, North, Central America, —, Iowa, North Carolina, Belize, Chinese, Georgia, Chicago, Tulsa, East Coast, Detroit , Chicago, Ohio, Western, of North Carolina, Wells Fargo

☆ Hunter Biden trial puts America’s addiction crisis back into focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Josh Campbell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally purchasing and possessing a gun while abusing or being addicted to drugs, a violation of federal law. Another question probed whether potential jurors or their close associates had ever sought treatment for drug use. During their, at times, emotional answers, prospective juror after juror described how drug use had afflicted people they knew. About 42% of adults in the United States say they personally know at least one person who died from a drug overdose, according to survey findings published earlier this year by the nonprofit research institute RAND Corporation. In addition to illuminating the sheer number of Americans impacted by addiction, Hunter Biden’s trial is also creating critical awareness around the very language used to describe drug use.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Wilmington’s J, Caleb Boggs, “, ”, Scott Hadland, Hunter Biden’s, Andy Mendenhall, Bob Day, McPhillips, Marshall Cohen, Jacqueline Howard Organizations: Mental Health Services Administration, CNN, RAND Corporation, Children, Concern, Portland Police Locations: Delaware, United States, Oregon

☆ US vs. Chinese aircraft carriers: How the world's top flattops stack up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Liaoning and ShandongAircraft carrier Liaoning set out for sea trials at Dalian shipyard with the help of tugboats. A J-15 fighter takes off from aircraft carrier Shandong during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around Taiwan. Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford sails in the Adriatic Sea. China has no experience operating carrier catapults on its warships (though it did study carrier catapults when it purchased the decommissioned Australian carrier HMAS Melbourn from Canberra in 1985 under the guise of scrapping). AdvertisementChina's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, docks in Shanghai with a Chinese flag seen in the foreground.

Persons: —, Kuznetsov, Pu, Gerald R, Ford, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Smith, Jackson Adkins, John F, Kennedy, Doris Miller, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Jacob Mattingly, Li Gang, Timothy Heath, Heath, China's, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, US Navy, Business, Shandong Aircraft, Getty, People's Liberation Army Navy, Getty Images Fujian, EA, Jiangnan Shipyard, Getty Images, PLAN, Xinhua News Agency, Nimitz, Ford, Aircraft, Greyhound, Navy, Carrier, USS Enterprise, Pacific Fleet, Shandong, RAND Corporation, US, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: Shanghai, Fujian, China, China's, Liaoning, Dalian, Shandong, Soviet, Ukraine, Taiwan, Xinhua, Getty Images China, George H.W ., Adriatic, Melbourn, Canberra, Sanya, Hainan Province, West

☆ Russia's fearsome S-400 air-defense system isn't quite living up to the hype in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Russian S-400 surface-to-missile systems in the Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square on i in May 2023. Ukraine in September said it destroyed two Russian S-400 batteries in Crimea, a region annexed by Russia in 2014. Rajan Menon, the director of the Grand Strategy program at the US think tank Defense Priorities, described the S-400 as Russia's "top-of-the-line air defense system." A rocket launches from a S-400 missile system at the Ashuluk military base in Southern Russia in September 2020. A Patriot air defense system test-fired during a training in Chania, Greece, on November 8, 2017.

Persons: —, Fredrik Mertens, John Hoehn, it's, Hoehn, AP Mertens, Mertens, Ian Williams, Mattias Eken, Rajan Menon, Vitaly Nevar, Mick Ryan, you've, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Ryan, haven't, hasn't, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, might've, Eken, Anthony Sweeney, Army Menon Organizations: Service, Business, Hague, Strategic Studies, NATO, SA, International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Patriot, Reuters, RAND Corporation, Ukrainian Air Force, Forbes, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defence, South Korea Defense Ministry, AP, Patriots, Storm, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Defense, REUTERS, Australian Army, Getty, Victory Day, Patriot, Army Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow, Crimea, Screengrab, Soviet, US, Russia's, Ukraine's Luhansk, South Korea, Kaliningrad, Southern Russia, AFP, Chania, Greece, United States, West, NATO

☆ Inside Oracle's Deadly Gamble on Cerner and Electronic Health Records
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

That was the promise of Cerner, the medical-records company Oracle bought in 2021 for $28.3 billion — Oracle's biggest acquisition. At the time, Cerner managed the electronic health records for a quarter of all American hospitals, including those run by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Larry EllisonCerner's electronic records, in short, were a deadly disaster for the VA. Never mind the futuristic, AI-driven healthcare system Ellison envisioned. In 2015, it beat out Epic, its main competitor, for a $4.3 billion contract to handle electronic health records for the Defense Department. It had agreed to process tens of millions of crucial medical records, but it couldn't handle the subsequent deluge of data.

Persons: Larry Ellison's, Ellison, Cerner, I'm, Larry Ellison, Neal Patterson, Cerner's, Patterson, Ellison's, they're, David Shulkin, Margaret Albaugh, Cerner couldn't, Charlie Bourg, —, Larry, Marc Benioff, Ellison protégé, Mike Wilson, David Agus, oncologist, Agus, he'd, Steve Jobs, Sensei, We've, Georges De Keerle, Cerner —, hadn't, Mike Sicilia, Sicilia, Oracle, Anthony Jones Jr, Jones, Donald Remy, didn't, Seema Verma, Neil Evans, Sara Vaezy, Ed Meagher, haven't, Charlie Monroe —, it's, Charlie Bourg —, Bourg, Charlie Monroe, Monroe, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, grandkids, We're, there's Organizations: Oracle's, Oracle, Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, Cerner, RAND Corporation, RAND, Big Tech, GE, Siemens, Cerner Corporation, Defense Department, Department of Defense, Business, Spokane, Ellison Institute of Technology, Microsoft, Agency, Health, Amazon, Veterans ' Affairs, Oracle Health, Navy, Columbus VA, BI, Life Sciences, Intermountain Health, UPMC, DOD, Seabees Locations: Las Vegas, antiaging, Silicon Valley, Spokane , Washington, Cerner, VistA, Bourg, Washington, Sicilia, Ohio, Columbus, Providence, Spokane, Monroe, CloudWorld

☆ China military forces getting closer to Taiwan could lead to 'miscalculation,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina military forces getting closer to Taiwan could lead to 'miscalculation,' analyst saysRaymond Kuo, Taiwan Policy Initiative director at Rand Corporation, says "at some point, Taiwan has to respond, whether it's 24 nautical miles, whether it's 12 nautical miles."

Persons: Raymond Kuo Organizations: China, Taiwan Policy Initiative, Rand Corporation Locations: Taiwan

☆ The US did a complete 180 on same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The vast majority of Americans opposed same-sex marriage on May 17, 2004, when the first same-sex couples took their vows after a court decision in Massachusetts. Barack Obama notably opposed same-sex marriage when he ran for president as a Democrat in the 2008 election and, as public opinion was rapidly shifting, changed his tune in 2012 to support same-sex unions. Warnings were unfoundedThere is also evidence that warnings about same-sex marriage somehow endangering “traditional marriage” simply never materialized. A new study by researchers for the RAND Corporation to assess two decades of same-sex marriage in the US argues marriage rates actually increased among opposite-sex couples as same-sex couples were granted the ability to marry in certain states. A key difference between support for same-sex marriage and support for abortion rights, according to Lundry, is that support for abortion rights has remained positive for decades, in contrast to same-sex marriage, which saw a complete turnaround.

Persons: CNN —, Mitt Romney, George W, Bush, Hillary, Julie Goodridge, Charles Krupa, Sen, John Kerry, Hodges, Barack Obama, Obama, Romney, Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, weren’t, ” Romney, Obergefell, —, PRRI, Alex Lundry, Republican pollster, “, ” Lundry, Gen, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Republican, House, Boston City Hall, Massachusetts Democrat, Democrat, Supreme, Gallup, RAND Corporation Locations: Massachusetts, Utah, Oregon, Ohio, Without Ohio, America

☆ This year's biggest air battles are showing the US what it could need most in a missile war with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, FileThe war has shown how effective air defenses can be at denying air superiority, protecting key areas, and threatening high-value aircraft, as well as the costs when capabilities are degraded. Ukraine's air defenses, like its Soviet-era S-300s and US-supplied Patriots, have defeated enemy missile and drone strikes, hindered Russian air operations, and shot down numerous fighter-bombers and other Russian planes. "Ukraine and NATO might reduce risks with a two-prong strategy of strengthening air defenses and boosting infrastructure resilience." Needing more interceptors for the PacificFrom the fights this year, the US can see how it'll need to employ air defenses in a potential showdown with China. Running out of air defenses before the enemy runs out of air threats spells trouble.

Persons: —, Bradley Martin, Evgeniy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Firefighters, Archer Macy, Martin, Shaan Shaikh, We've, Amir Cohen TPX, Shaikh, it's, Andy Wong, Thomas Shugart, Shugart, Joshua Smoot, Heath Collins, Navy Carlos Del Toro, Macy, Mark Wright Organizations: Service, Business, US Navy, Ukraine, AP, Patriots, Institute for, Emergency, Ministry, RAND Corporation, NATO, Western, Central Command, Combat, Navy, RAND, Patriot, US, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, REUTERS, China, Pentagon, Defense, Center, New, Air Force, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, US Air Force, Aegis, Missile Defense Agency, Former Navy, CSIS, Pacific Missile, AP Air Locations: China, Ukraine, Israel, Navy, Russia, Congress, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, Russian, Kyiv, NATO, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Iran, Red, Screengrab, French, Ashdod, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Beijing, New American, Gen, Kauai, Hawaii

☆ How the Israeli Air Force once destroyed over 60 enemy jets and dozens of Soviet missile systems in battle without losing a single fighter
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Israeli Air Force achieved an unmatched air combat victory in the 1982 Lebanon War. The battle, known as Operation Mole Cricket 19, saw over 60 enemy aircraft eliminated without a single Israeli loss. The fourth-generation Israeli jets were also made much more lethal by the AIM-9L Sidewinder missile that could be fired from any angle. This allowed Israeli jets, with targeting assistance from UAVs, to destroy the SAMs using anti-radiation missiles. A picture taken on June 28, 2016 shows an Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet preparing to take off at the Ramat David Air Force Base located in the Jezreel Valley, southeast of the Israeli port city of Haifa JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty ImagesAdditionally, Israel had superior Command, Control, and Communications (C3) capabilities.

Persons: —, SAMs, Haifa JACK GUEZ, hadn't, Israel, Organizations: Israeli Air Force, Mole, Service, Palestinian Liberation Organization, Soviet Union, Soviet, Syrian Air Force, IAF, AIM, 9L, Ramat David Air Force Base, Getty, Syrian SAM, Kippur, Command, Communications, Grumman, RAND Corporation Locations: Lebanon, Beqaa, Israel, Syria, Soviet, Vietnam, Jezreel, Haifa, AFP, Syrian

☆ Ukraine says it flew a drone 930 miles into Russian territory to strike an oil refinery
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewUkraine's latest aerial attack on Russian soil is its farthest one yet, Ukrainska Pravda reported, with officials saying a drone traveled 930 miles to strike an oil refinery far inside Russia's borders. AdvertisementThe strike, which has not been independently confirmed, would represent a distance record in Ukraine's ever-more ambitious series of drone strikes on Russian energy facilities. In early April, Ukraine demonstrated its drones' increasing reach after Russian officials reported strikes 620 miles inside their country. Related storiesReports claim that the White House has reached out to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to signal its concern that hitting Russia's oil production will destabilize global energy prices. The strikes have also led to a surge in the price of refined oil products within Russia itself, they argued.

Persons: —, Ukrainska, Radiy Khabirov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Michael Liebreich, Lauri Myllyvirta, Sam Winter, Levy, Carnegie, Sergey Vakulenko, Ann Marie Dailey Organizations: Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Ukraine's Security Service, Gazprom, Business, RIA Novosti, Russian, White, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Foreign Affairs, RAND Corporation Locations: Russian, Bashkortostan, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Withholding US weapons from Israel could force changes in how it fights but may not stop its devastating assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week amid rising concerns over a Rafah assault. Israeli soldiers work on armored military vehicles at a staging ground near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel on May 8, 2024. That would be a more difficult fight for the Israeli military, Byman said. A view shows Israeli F-16 fighter jets on a runway in an airbase in southern Israel on March 4, 2024. It is not necessarily an unprecedented move, as past US administrations have also threatened to withhold military support from Israel.

Persons: Joe Biden, —, Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Daniel Byman, Byman, Israel's, CNN's Erin Burnett, We're, Raphael Cohen, Cohen, Hatem Khaled, John Kirby, Mohammed Salem, Netanyahu Organizations: US, Service, AP, State Department, Attack Munitions, Transnational, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Hezbollah, REUTERS, RAND Corporation, AIR FORCE, US Army Reserve, White House National Security Council Locations: Israel, Washington, Gaza, Rafah, I'm, Egypt

☆ Russia may not start an all-out war with NATO, but already has plans to destroy it from within
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Late last year, Poland's national security agency estimated that Russia could attack NATO within three years. AdvertisementBut whether Putin really does intend to attack NATO and what an attack might look like remains unclear. In March, Putin denied having any plans to attack NATO members, describing such claims as "complete nonsense." "So, his ambition in growing is not going to be that he will attack NATO and NATO countries next year. A covert war is already underwayRussia, some point out, is already engaged in a war with NATO, albeit covertly.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, NATO Putin, Philip Ingram, Ingram, Ruth Deyermond, Bryden Spurling, Robert Dover, Spurling, that's, SERGEY BOBOK, Russia's Organizations: Service, Poland's, Business, Bild, NATO, Germany isn't, Ukraine, King's College London, RAND Corporation, University of Hull, European NATO, RAND, Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces Locations: Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Baltic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Washington, Russian, NATO, European, Kharkiv, Soviet Union

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