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☆ Opinion: Biden made the right call on cluster munitions for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Opinion Adam Kinzinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Cluster munitions scatter “bomblets” across large areas, which can endanger noncombatants, and these unexploded bombs, called duds, can pose a risk to civilians for decades. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the Russians have been using cluster munitions with a dud rate as high as 40%. But one nation, and one nation only, gets to determine whether to use cluster munitions on its land — Ukraine. Ukrainians deserve everything we can give them — yes, especially cluster munitions — to save their families. President Joe Biden made the right call on cluster munitions for Ukraine and he should be commended for this difficult but necessary decision.

Persons: Adam Kinzinger, Kinzinger, Biden, Brig, Patrick Ryder, ’, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, Republican, Air National Guard, Adam Kinzinger CNN, NATO, Pentagon, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Illinois, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Russian

☆ Cluster munitions: US to send munitions banned by over 100 nations to Ukraine after months of debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Over 100 countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, have outlawed the munitions under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but the US and Ukraine are not signatories to the ban. Ryder said the Russians have been using cluster munitions with a dud rate of as high as 40%. Biden reluctant at firstBiden was reluctant at first, officials told CNN, given how many countries worldwide have banned the munitions. It is not clear whether the heavy amount of artillery ammunition the Ukrainians have been expending day-to-day would be sustainable without the cluster munitions if the counteroffensive drags on, officials and military analysts said. Russia’s Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said the US decision was “a move of desperation.”“As part of the continued assistance to the Kiev regime, Washington is considering the possibility of sending cluster munitions to Ukraine.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Biden, “ I’m, ” Sullivan, “, It’s, Joe Biden, Colin Kahl, Boris Pistorias, ” Biden, Patrick Ryder, Kahl, Ryder, Belarus Boris Gryzlov, ”, ” Gryzlov Organizations: CNN, National, Patriot Missile, Pentagon, Defense Department, Munitions, Ukraine, Cluster Munitions, Rights Watch, Foreign, Department of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany, Berlin, China, U.S, United States, Belarus, Kiev, Washington, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Belarus' dictator says he told Prigozhin he was ready to send special forces to defend Moscow against the Wagner rebellion and hoped he wouldn't be offended
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Belarus' Lukashenko said he was ready to help defend Moscow from the Wagner Group's mutiny. The dictator told Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin he hoped he wouldn't be offended by the decision. A special forces brigade from Belarus' military was ready to deploy to Moscow immediately after Prigozhin and Wagner launched their short-lived mutiny against Russia's military leadership, Lukashenko told foreign and domestic reporters in Minsk. The dictator just hoped Prigozhin wouldn't mind that he was preparing to have his forces act against him. We will defend Moscow together with Putin," Lukashenko recalled, according to a translation of his remarks by state-run news agency BelTA.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny, Putin, BelTA, Russia's, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Privacy, Belarusian, Army, Sputnik, Kremlin, Institute for, Putin, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Rostov, Russia, Russian, Sochi, Kremlin, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine

CNN —Russian fighter jets harassed an American drone operating over Syria for the second time in two days, according to the US Air Force, a sign of increasing friction between the two countries in Middle East airspace. On Thursday, a US MQ-9 Reaper drone was conducting a mission against ISIS targets in northwest Syria when Russian fighter jets approached, Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said in a statement about the incident. Video of the encounter released by Air Force Central Command shows two Russian fighters flying near the US drone. In the Wednesday encounter, the Russian jets dropped parachute flares in front of the US drones, forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers. In March, a Russian SU-27 fighter jet collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea.

Persons: Alex Grynkewich, Michael Andrews, ” Grynkewich, Bashar al, Assad, ”, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, ISIS, Air Force, Air Force Central Command, Coalition, Russian, French Rafale, French Armed Forces, Pentagon Locations: Russian, Syria, Middle East, Iraq, Russia

☆ No Russian ammo depots would be safe in Ukraine if the US provided longer-range HIMARS missiles and better drones, retired US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ATACMS and new drones would allow Kyiv hit all Russian positions in Ukraine, a retired US general said. The Biden administration has been reluctant to send longer-range missiles and drones to Ukraine. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Insider that Washington is likely concerned about Russian escalation. ATACMS in particular could make it easier for Ukraine to target the occupied Crimean peninsula and Russia's Black Sea Fleet. "Because we, the US, have continued to refuse to provide ATACMS, we have, in effect, created a safe haven for the Russians inside Ukraine.

Persons: Biden, Ben Hodges, —, it's, Hodges, Serhii Mykhalchuk, Pat Ryder, Mark Milley, ATACMS, they've, Abrams, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Army Tactical Missile, US Army, Army, Getty, Street, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Artillery, Shadow, AP, NATO, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, US, Washington, Moscow, Russian, Army Europe, Kyiv, ATACMS, Crimean, Ukrainian, Odesa, Sevastopol, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhzhia region, Russia

☆ After Wagner's mutiny, Russia's military is now fighting with war bloggers because they won't celebrate its few wins the way they want
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's claims of a small battlefield victory have drawn criticism from military bloggers. The milbloggers won't celebrate with Moscow, causing the defense ministry to clash with the writers. Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, have disputed some of the defense ministry's claims, according to a Sunday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank. The milbloggers, said Ukrainian forces had managed to establish positions and that fighting was ongoing. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, continue to make use of their huge inventory of heavy Western armor — including advanced tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the US and its NATO allies — to liberate territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's, Putin, —, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia's Defence Ministry, Military District, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Wagner Group, Kremlin, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Dnipro, Kherson, Russian, Washington, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Ukrainian, —

☆ Ukrainian soldiers say US Bradley IFVs saved their lives. In old Soviet armored vehicles ‘we would all probably be dead after the first hit.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian soldiers said their lives were saved by the US-supplied Bradley IFVs they were riding in. One soldier said that if they were in a Soviet carrier "we would all probably be dead after the first hit." The soldiers are part of Ukraine's 47th brigade, according to ABC News, which is fighting near Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine. The US has sent 109 Bradleys to Ukraine, and this month pledged to send 30 more. While Ukraine is getting modern weapons and ammunition from Western partners, many Ukrainian soldiers still have to rely on Soviet-era weaponry.

Persons: Bradley IFVs, Bradley, —, Serhiy, Andriy, It's, Rob Lee, Hanna Maliar, Oryx, Bradleys, Pat Ryder, Insider's Chris Panella Organizations: Service, Bradley, Russian, ABC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Twitter, Russian Grad, US, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Ukraine's, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Soviet, Russian

☆ The Chinese spy balloon shot down by the US military was rife with off-the-shelf, American-made technology: reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States was reportedly loaded with American tech. That technology assisted in the gathering of photos and videos, The Wall Street Journal reported. The balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina by the US military earlier this year. The Pentagon said on Thursday, however, that the Chinese balloon did not collect information as it flew across the country. Chinese officials have admitted the downed balloon belonged to China but have repeatedly insisted it was a weather balloon that blew off course.

Persons: —, Biden, Patrick Ryder, majeure, Mao Ning Organizations: Street Journal, Service, FBI, NBC, US Air Force, US, Wall Street Journal, Pentagon, CNN, Foreign Ministry Locations: United States, South Carolina, Alaska, Canada, Beijing, China

☆ Angered by counteroffensive complaints, Ukraine's top general says the expected mission is 'not feasible at all' with just the weapons his army has now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Kyiv's top general, doesn't want to hear complaints that it's moving too slow. The pace is grinding in some sectors of the front, but Kyiv's top general says he doesn't want to hear complaints it's going too slow. Kyiv's military is currently undergoing several offensive maneuvers along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions and has made small — but, at times, costly — territorial gains in the process. Armed with the right missiles, these aircraft could help support Ukraine's air defenses and inflict damage on Russian positions at range. "So we just need to continue to support Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation in Europe."

Persons: Valerii, —, it's, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhnyi, Sasha Maslov, Ukraine doesn't, Neskucne, Ercin Erturk, Biden, Pat Ryder, Mark Milley, there's, GENYA SAVILOV, wishlist, Jens Stoltenberg, We'll, Stoltenberg Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Ukraine, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, Washington, Getty, NATO, Ukraine's, Pentagon, Russia, Ukrainian Army, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Army Tactical Missile, Artillery, Street, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Ukraine, Russian, British, Russia, Storojove, Donetsk, ATACMS, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, AFP, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lithuania

CNN —The Chinese surveillance balloon that traversed the United States earlier this year before it was shot down did not collect intelligence while flying over the country, the Pentagon said Thursday. “We believe that (the balloon) did not collect while it was transiting the United States or flying over the United States, and certainly the efforts that we made contributed,” Ryder told reporters at a briefing. At the time, Washington had signaled that the balloon did not present a significant intelligence gathering risk. Ryder on Thursday did not get into specifics regarding recent reports that the Chinese high-altitude balloon was using US surveillance technology, but said such a situation would not be surprising. China slammed the remarks, which came on the heels of Blinken’s visit, as an “open political provocation” and repeated their denial that the balloon was meant to spy over the United States.

Persons: Pat Ryder, “, ” Ryder, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Ryder, ”, ” Biden, Xi Jinping “, Xi, Blinken’s Organizations: CNN, Pentagon Locations: United States, Washington, American, South Carolina, Beijing, China, stoke

☆ Belarus' second-rate dictator Lukashenko is 'humiliating' Putin by bragging about how he saved Moscow from an armed Wagner revolt, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Belarusian President Lukashenko says he helped negotiate an end to the Wagner Group's armed mutiny. Hail-mary negotiations, mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, stopped the potential bloodshed in the capital. After Wagner fighters captured the southern city of Rostov-on-Don early Saturday, they continued north toward Moscow as the city prepared its defenses for battle. By that point, Wagner fighters had already shot down several Russian military aircraft. Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) arrive to the Palace of Independence prior to their talks in Minsk, Belarus, on December 19, 2022.

Persons: Lukashenko, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, —, mary, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Lukashenko's, BelTA, It's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, doesn't, Pat Ryder Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, Russian, Kremlin, Reuters, Institute for, NATO, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Moscow, Rostov, Belarus, Minsk, Russian, Voronezh, Belarusian, Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania

☆ Russia pulls back from brink of crisis after deal reached to end Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Alexey Nikolsky/AFP via Getty Images Putin judges an arm wrestling match while visiting the Seliger youth educational forum in Russia's Tver region in August 2011. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, ” Wagner, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Prigozhin, ” Peskov, Putin, Putin Putin, Joseph Stalin, –, “ Putin, Evelyn Farkas, ’, Vladimir Putin, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Pavel Bednyakov, Peter Zwack, Beth Sanner, ” Sanner, “ He’s, … Putin, Moscow’s, Priogozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Communist, McCain, Putin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, Russia’s Southern Military District, US Army, National Intelligence for Mission, State Department, European Union Locations: Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kremlin, Russia’s Belgorod, Putin Russian, Russian, Rostov, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, –, Canada, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Soviet, Kazakhstan

☆ F-16s are no 'wonder weapon,' but they could deal serious damage to Russian forces in Ukraine with the right missiles, former US Navy pilot says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

After months of asking, Ukraine finally got the West to shift its stance on outfitting its air force with F-16s. But the fourth-gen fighter jets won't necessarily be a game-changer or give Ukraine air superiority. But the right weapon systems may allow F-16s "to strike targets that Ukraine might not otherwise be able to hit." "The decision to give Ukraine F-16s is not about helping it survive the next phase of the war, but helping it ensure its sovereignty in the long term." Two US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons US Air Force photo by Tech.

Persons: —, Biden, David Kujawa, Pat Ryder, Ryder, Tannehill, Charles Vaughn, Kevin Gruenwald, Matthew Lotz, JASSMs Organizations: US Navy, Service, RAND Corporation, US Air Force, Alpena Combat Readiness, Center, Pentagon Press, Air Force, RAND, AIM, Alabama Air National Guard, Air, Controller, Mirgorod Air Base, Tech, Incirlik Air Base, Staff of, Armed Forces, Fighting Falcons US Air Force, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Michigan, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Ukrainian, California, Kyiv, Turkey, Russian, Crimea

☆ US officials saw signs Prigozhin was planning challenge to Russian military but surprised by rapid escalation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Natasha Bertrand Alex Marquardt Jim Sciutto | Natasha Bertrand | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

US and Western intelligence officials saw signs that Prigozhin was making preparations for such a move, including by massing weapons and ammunition, one Western intelligence official and another person familiar with the intelligence said. Prigozhin had vowed Friday to retaliate against Russian military leadership over an alleged strike on a Wagner military camp and claimed control of military facilities in two Russian cities. A European intelligence official told CNN that the “temperature had obviously been building,” but few could have predicted what Prigozhin was planning. It is not clear to US or European officials how far in advance Prigozhin was planning the rebellion. One source familiar with Western intelligence said it appeared that it must have taken at least several days to organize.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, ”, Putin, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken’s, Blinken, Matthew Miller, “, Stringer Stringer, Kamala Harris, Adam Hodge, Lloyd Austin, Brig, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Intelligence, Ukraine, House, European Union, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, ”, Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters Biden, National Security, US, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Japan, United States, Ukraine, Britain, Rostov, Don, Poland

☆ A retired US general says Ukraine could recapture Crimea before the summer's out, but only if the US gives it the ammunition it needs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Newsweek that Ukraine could retake Crimea before the summer ends. Hodges believes recapturing Crimea would be essential for Ukraine to rebuild its economy. "My principal caveat still remains that if the United States were to provide what Ukraine needs, then Ukraine could actually still liberate Crimea by the end of this summer," retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Newsweek on Wednesday. The Biden administration has held back from sending long-range weapons to Ukraine that have the capacity to strike targets in Russia. US officials told Ukraine in February that they weren't able to send over the ATACMS due to insufficient supply, per Politico.

Persons: Ben Hodges, Hodges, —, Pat Ryder, Biden, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Newsweek, Service, US Army, State Department, Pentagon, Tactical Missiles Systems, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, United States, Russia, Sevastopol, Saki, Russian, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Poland, Russians, Mykolaiv, Europe

☆ At least 41 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

At least six people were abducted by the rebels, who fled across the porous border into Congo after the raid on Friday night, according to the Ugandan military. The school, co-ed and privately owned, is located in the Ugandan district of Kasese, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Congo border. The ADF has been accused of launching many attacks in recent years targeting civilians in remote parts of eastern Congo. In March , at least 19 people were killed in Congo by suspected ADF extremists. Ugandan authorities for years have vowed to track down ADF militants even outside Ugandan territory.

Persons: Selevest Mapoze, Mapoze, Felix Kulayigye, Joe Walusimbi, Winnie Kiiza, Yoweri Museveni Organizations: Uganda People's Defence Force, Secondary School, Islamic, AFP, Getty Images, Authorities, Lhubiriha Secondary School, Allied Democratic Forces, Associated Press, AP, Twitter, ADF Locations: Uganda, Mpondwe, Congo, Islamic State, Ugandan, Kasese, U.S

☆ Uganda School Attack Leaves at Least 37 Dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At least 37 people were killed and eight others wounded when militants with an extremist group attacked a secondary school in western Uganda, the authorities said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks to hit the East African nation in years. The armed outfit, known as the Allied Democratic Forces, attacked a school in Mpondwe, a town close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Friday night, a police spokesman, Fred Enanga, said on Twitter. During the attack, a dormitory was burned and food in a store was looted, he said. At least eight people were in critical condition and had been hospitalized, Mr. Enanga added. Three people were rescued from the scene of the attack, but six others were abducted, a military spokesman, Brig.

Persons: Fred Enanga, Enanga, Felix Kulayigye Organizations: Allied Democratic Forces, Democratic, Twitter Locations: Uganda, Mpondwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo

☆ US set to launch formal investigation into disputed Syria drone strike after reports it killed a civilian, defense officials sa
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The US military is set to launch a formal investigation into a drone strike in Syria in early May, six weeks after the operation and following reports it killed a civilian rather than a senior al-Qaeda leader as first claimed, three defense officials familiar with the matter told CNN. A spokesman for CENTCOM, Michael Lawhorn, said the investigation process is continuing but that there were no updates at this time. It took US Central Command two weeks to begin a review of the incident, known as a civilian casualty credibility assessment report. The policy was developed in 2022 after a botched US drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 civilians in the final days of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In that case, CENTCOM opened a formal 15-6 investigation into the strike within a week of the operation.

Persons: Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM, Kurilla, Hassan, Michael Lawhorn, Matthew McFarlane, ”, Annie Shiel, Shiel, Lloyd Austin, “, Brig, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, Command, Central Command, Pentagon, US Central Command, Washington Post, Force, ISIS, Center for Civilians, Defense Department, Defense Locations: Syria, Hassan Mesto, Kabul, Afghanistan

☆ Reports say China plans to set up a spy base in Cuba. The Pentagon says no, but it's closely watching what Beijing is up to.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China is reportedly in talks with Cuba about setting up a spy base on the island roughly 100 miles from Florida. It's a move that would follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union, which operated a spy base on the island for decades. The Soviet spy facility in Lourdes was operational until 2001, when it closed down. The Pentagon responded to the reports of China's plan for a spy facility in Cuba Thursday afternoon, with spokesman Brig. Update: 6/9/2023 — This article has been updated with new statements from the Pentagon, the White House National Security Council, Cuba, and China.

Persons: —, Laura Richardson, Mike Waltz, Brig, Pat Ryder, he'd, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Privacy, Department of Defense, White, Politico, Central Command, Cape Canaveral, Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, Senior, US Southern Command, Florida Republican, House Intelligence, Armed Services, Chinese Communist Party, Soviet Union, National Security, Cuban, White House National Security Council Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Soviet Union, Beijing, Havana, Cape, America, Soviet, Lourdes

“We call this one Vidsyich (Ukrainian word for ‘repel’).”The Vidsyich is what Borovyk calls a combat drone, designed to attack Russian positions. Valeriy Borovyk as his Vidsyich drone -- one of several he's developed -- is catapulted into the sky. Fedorov and Shchyhol observe a drone competition with the view of procuring more equipment for the Ukrainian military. Valeriy Borovyk's Vidsyich (Ukrainian for 'repel') drone can fly 40 km and carry a warhead with up to three kilograms. Vasco Cotovio/CNNOne longer-range Ukrainian drone is the UJ-22, made by Ukrjet and with a reported range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles).

Persons: Borovyk, Vasco Cotovio, CNN Borovyk, “, ” Borovyk, Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, ” Fedorov, Fedorov, ”, ” Denis Sega, Yuriy Shchyhol, ” Shchyhol, Serhiy Prytula, Borovyk's Vidsyich, Anton Gerashchenko, Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow, Ministry of Digital, Digital Transformation, “ Army, Drones, Sega, country’s, Service of Special Communications, Kremlin, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Brig, Moscow, Ilysk, Kuban

CNN —CIA Director Bill Burns secretly traveled to China last month, a US official told CNN Friday, amid efforts by the United States to reset relations with Beijing after a year of extremely heightened tensions. The specific intelligence matter that Burns discussed in Beijing is unclear. “Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn’t underestimate President Xi’s ambitions with regard to Taiwan,” Burns said earlier this year. National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with top Chinese official Wang Yi in Vienna for “candid” and “constructive” talks in mid-May. A US senior administration official said the meeting was an attempt to put communications back on track after the spy balloon incident.

Persons: Bill Burns, Burns “, Burns, Antony Blinken, Biden, Burns –, Xi’s, ” Burns, Defense Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu “, Austin, of National Defense Li Shangfu, Pat Ryder, “, ”, Tan Kefei, John Aquilino, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, We’re, we’ve, Gina Raimondo, Katherine Tai, Wang Wentao, Wang, ” Raimondo Organizations: CNN, CIA, Financial Times, Taiwan, Defense, Pentagon, “, of National Defense, PRC, China’s Defense Ministry, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, US Trade, Chinese Commerce, D.C Locations: China, United States, Beijing, Ukraine, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Vienna, Sweden

CNN —China has rejected a United States proposal for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Forum in Singapore this week, according to a Pentagon statement. In the statement, the Pentagon said China had declined an invitation extended in early May for a meeting, but said the refusal would not deter the US from seeking better lines of communication. In response, the Chinese Embassy in the US questioned the sincerity and significance of the invitation, pointing to US sanctions imposed on Chinese officials, institutions and companies. The Wall Street Journal first reported China’s refusal to participate in a meeting between the defense chiefs. Austin told CNN earlier this year that he had not spoken to his Chinese counterpart in “months,” and China has continued to rebuff requests for meetings and phone calls, defense officials said.

☆ Wagner boss Prigozhin says Putin's plan to 'demilitarize' Ukraine has been a bust as Ukraine now has one of the 'strongest' armies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"The Ukrainians are one of the strongest armies today," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an interview. It turns out that on the contrary, we have militarized Ukraine," Prigozhin said in a video interview now circulating around social media. The nod to demilitarization refers to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key ambitions in the unprovoked assault on Ukraine in February 2022. Praising his adversary while calling attention to Russia's failures, Prigozhin said that "the Ukrainians are one of the strongest armies today." Kyiv's troops have used these systems to inflict devastating casualties on both Wagner and Russia's regular military.

☆ Russia's Kinzhal was never an unstoppable hypersonic missile, but the Patriot shot that killed one is still 'impressive,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile described as a hypersonic weapon with a US-made Patriot interceptor. Still, a missile defense expert told Insider the missile is tough target, making it an "impressive" kill. A missile defense expert called the intercept by a Patriot missile "impressive," for both the advanced American-made missile defense system and its Ukrainian operators. A general view of a mobile defence surface-to-air missile system, Patriot, before it is transported to Poland from Gnoien, Germany January 23, 2023. Gen. Pat Ryder said that he could "confirm that they did down a Russian missile by employing the Patriot missile defense system."

Other NATO allies have donated 10 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, according to the State Department. Depending on the location and strength of the jamming, a rocket can still launch and result in a successful strike with significant damage. Widespread Russian jamming can have drawbacks for their own forces as well, impacting their ability to communicate and operate. For nearly a year, the HIMARS system has been the longest-range rocket system Ukraine has, allowing troops to fire up to six rockets in quick succession at Russian positions as far as 50 miles away. “Jamming is like the weather or the terrain, it’s something that happens that you have to deal with,” the official said.

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