Military

Japanese Air Force Confronts Fleet of Giant Chinese Drones

Mark Clouse September 10, 2021

Japanese jets intercept Chinese giant drones

From defence-blog.com
2021-08-30 08:21:03
Min Cheol Gu
Excerpt:

The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Joint Staff Office has released footage of what it says were interceptions over neutral waters of Chinese new long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles that were flying toward its border over the East China Sea. In a series of announcements in August, the Joint Staff of Japan’s Defense Ministry announced that its […]

The post Japanese jets intercept Chinese giant drones first appeared on Defence Blog.

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Taliban, US, to Join Force to Fight Terrorism, Milley Says

Freedomist Editor September 2, 2021

After 20 years of blood, sweat and tears, from American soldiers and the Afghan people, especially the ones that worked with us to fight the Taliban, our American General of Joint Chiefs of Staff, our top Military person, has recently stated that he expects to have to coordinate with the Taliban to fight terrorism in Afghanistan.

That’s essentially what he said, folks, nevermind the bureaucratic speak, that’s what he said. America.

US coordination with Taliban on strikes ‘possible’: Mark Milley

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2021-09-01 18:41:56

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON: Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday that it’s “possible” that the US will have to coordinate with the Taliban on any future counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against Islamic State militants or others.
The Taliban, said Milley, is a “ruthless” group, and “whether or not they change remains to be seen.” He added, “In war you do what you must in order to reduce risk to mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do.”
Speaking two days after the final US troops left Afghanistan at the close of a turbulent and deadly evacuation of more than 124,000 American citizens, Afghans and others, Milley and defence secretary Lloyd Austin told Pentagon reporters that it’s hard to predict the future of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“I would not make any leaps of logic to broader issues,” said Austin.
Both men commanded troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year war and their comments on Wednesday largely focused on tributes to…

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China’s Military Power versus America’s

Mark Clouse September 2, 2021

No, the US Has Nothing to Fear From China’s Military

From jacobinmag.com
2021-08-31 19:40:45

Excerpt:

In recent months, Washington has had a lot to say about China’s ever-expanding air, naval, and missile power. But when Pentagon officials address the topic, they generally speak less about that country’s current capabilities, which remain vastly inferior to those of the United States, than the world they foresee in the 2030s and 2040s, when Beijing is expected to have acquired far more sophisticated weaponry.

“China has invested heavily in new technologies, with a stated intent to complete the modernization of its forces by 2035 and to field a ‘world-class military’ by 2049,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testified in June. The United States, he assured the Senate Armed Services Committee, continues to possess “the best joint fighting force on Earth.” But only by spending countless additional billions of dollars annually, he added, can this country hope to “outpace” China’s projected advances in the decades to come.

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Greece and US Reaffirm Defensive Alliance

Mark Clouse September 2, 2021

Greece-US defense cooperation | eKathimerini.com

From www.ekathimerini.com
2021-08-31 18:17:05

Excerpt:

The prospect of a renewed Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement between Greece and the United States – possibly extended over five years – is an extremely important development, given the challenging geopolitical setting where events both in the immediate vicinity but also in more distant lands that may nevertheless affect us, are creating a growing sense of insecurity.

The US-Greece relationship has acquired its own momentum and, more importantly, is able to progress under different administrations in Washington (and majorities in Congress) and Athens.

Up until a few years ago, American decision makers regarded Greece with some skepticism (the approach was similar in Israel too) because of successive Greek governments’ efforts not to appear too pro-American in the eyes of a public known for decades for its knee-jerk, anti-American reaction and, at best, for marked suspicion of the US. This was due to specific American interventions in Greek domestic affairs in the past, but…

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Chinese Troops Training Up to do World “Peace Mission 2021”

Mark Clouse September 2, 2021

Chinese troops set out for SCO joint exercise “Peace Mission 2021”

From eng.chinamil.com.cn
2021-08-30 09:00:38

Excerpt:

BAICHENG, Aug. 30 — The first echelon of the Chinese troops to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) “Peace Mission 2021” joint anti-terrorism military exercise left Baicheng, northeast China’s Jilin Province, for the exercise venue in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, by railway on the evening of August 26.

The drill will be held at the Donguz training ground in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, from September 11 to 25. Eight SCO member states including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan and Uzbekistan will dispatch a total force of about 4000 to participate in the exercise, among which China will send over 550 troops and 130 vehicles (equipment).

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Our Afghani Friends Have Been Abandoned, Even the State Department Knows It

Mark Clouse September 2, 2021

By the US State Department’s own numbers, of the Afghanis that worked with us and were eligible to be evacuated out of Afghanistan, the majority of them were just left behind.

‘Majority’ of Afghans who worked for the US and applied for visas were likely left behind, State Department official says

From www.cnn.com
2021-09-01 17:49:00

Excerpt:

The official said they did not have a specific count of the Afghan Special Immigrant (SIV) applicants and family members who did not make it onto evacuation flights, “but I would say it’s the majority of them, just based on anecdotal information about the populations we were able to support.”

There were at least 20,000 SIV applicants in the pipeline prior to the US withdrawal, and the State Department has not provided a specific count of how many of the 123,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan fall into that category.

The State Department official told reporters that in early stages of the evacuation, the US tried to prioritize access for late-stage SIV applicants and other categories, but said the effort was unsuccessful because “every credential we tried to provide electronically was immediately disseminated to the widest possible pool.”

“Every day was a constant improvisational effort to figure out what was going to work that day,” they said. “As we got deeper into the process, we…

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Is the US Military Already Using Its Secret Knife Missile, the R9X?

Mark Clouse September 1, 2021

The Telltale Traces of the US Military’s New ‘Bladed’ Missile – bellingcat

From www.reddit.com
2021-08-30 18:15:04
/u/Donpabloescobar
Excerpt:

The R9X, or to give it its full name the AGM-114R9X, is an air-to-ground missile (AGM) with reportedly six blades. There does not appear to be any public images of this missile before it has been fired. However, given that the R9X is a modified version of the well-known Hellfire family of missiles (code 114), and based on fragments recovered from the scene of attacks, it’s possible to make an educated guess about what it looks like.

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VR to Teach Air Force Soldiers Sexual Assault Prevent and Response Skills

Mark Clouse August 31, 2021

The US Air Force is using VR Gaming Software to help train soldiers on how to defend themselves against potential assault. The program is called SAPT (Sexual Assault Prevent and Response Training) and is designed to help people avoic becoming victims and, if they do become victims, what to do afterwars, as well as how others can be prepared to help potential victims of sexual assault.

How the Air Force is using VR for sexual assault prevention training

From feedproxy.google.com
2021-08-30 18:30:01
Dean Takahashi
Excerpt:

The virtual reality company Moth + Flame has partnered with the U.S. Air Force to create a VR training program to show people how to prevent sexual assault and how to properly respond to it if it happens.

The program, dubbed sexual assault prevent and response training (SAPR), focuses on training Air Force personnel how to use intervention skills, advocate for victims, and how to report incidents, said Carmen Shott, SAPR program manager at Air Mobility Command (AMC), in an interview with VentureBeat.

The training is considered important because a report in March said there were a total of 1,661 reports of sexual assault in the Air Force in 2020, according to a report by the Department of Defense. Previously, New York-based Moth + Flame created a VR training module related to suicide prevention, and this week happens to be National Suicide Prevention Week.

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Bomb-Drone Attack on Saudi Airport Claims 8 Casualties

Mark Clouse August 31, 2021

Saudi Arabia Says Drone Attack On Airport Wounded At Least 8

From iranintl.com
2021-08-31 13:01:31

Excerpt:

A bomb-laden drone on Tuesday targeted an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, wounding eight people and damaging a civilian plane, Saudi state television reported.

It was the latest assault on the kingdom amid its grinding war in neighboring Yemen. The earlier attack, blamed on Yemen’s Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, scattered shrapnel across the tarmac but caused no casualties. There have been dozens of such attacks in recent months since the US delisted Yemen’s Houthis from its terririst list.

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen did not elaborate on the assault or provide details about those hurt, beyond saying that its forces had “intercepted” the explosive drone.

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China Building 400 Super Secure Nuclear Silos

Mark Clouse August 31, 2021

China Building Over 400 New Ultra-hardened Nuclear Silos

From www.nextbigfuture.com
2021-08-31 03:17:55
Brian Wang
Excerpt:

Satellite images taken by Planet and analyzed by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (CNS/MIIS) show that China is significantly expanding the number of silos for its arsenal of intercontinental range-ballistic missiles. 120 silos under construction near Yumen were identified by Decker Eveleth, a former nonproliferation fellow at CNS/MIIS and incoming student. Yuman silos started construction in early 2020.

A second Hami missile silo field was found. It is in a much earlier stage of development than the Yumen site. Construction began at the start of March 2021 in the southeastern corner of the complex and continues at a rapid pace. Since then, dome shelters have been erected over at least 14 silos and soil cleared in preparation for the construction of another 19 silos. The grid-like outline of the entire complex indicates that it may eventually include approximately 110 silos. The Hami site was…