THE U.S ALLIANCE WITH TURKEY JUST LUNGED TOWARD THE BREAKING POINT

Sourced : The Washington Post By David Ignatius Talking with Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of American troops in the Middle East, is a paradoxical reminder of the limits of U.S. military power to determine political outcomes. American bombs helped destroy the Islamic State in Syria, but they can’t stitch the rag doll of the… Continue reading THE U.S ALLIANCE WITH TURKEY JUST LUNGED TOWARD THE BREAKING POINT

TURKEY’S ACTION IN SYRIA THREATENS FRAGILE ALLIANCE

Sourced : FT By David Gardner Turkey’s attack on the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in north-western Syria is at one level an assault by a NATO member on a prized US ally. The Syrian Kurdish militia the People’s Protection Forces (YPG) spearheaded the fight back against Isis and its cross-border caliphate from 2014. It is… Continue reading TURKEY’S ACTION IN SYRIA THREATENS FRAGILE ALLIANCE

MORE RUSSIAN S-400 ARRIVE IN SYRIA AHEAD OF EXPECTED EXPANSION OF BASES

Sourced : Almasdar News Russia has sent additional strategic air defense systems of the most modern designs in its arsenal to Syria ahead of the expected expansion of its permanent bases in the country. On Tuesday, Russian-linked media released footage of the arrival of additional S-400 strategic surface-to-air missile systems via sea-lifters to the Syrian… Continue reading MORE RUSSIAN S-400 ARRIVE IN SYRIA AHEAD OF EXPECTED EXPANSION OF BASES

FIRE AT RUSSIA’S VLADIVOSTOK SUBMARINE BASE (Video)

Sourced : The Drive By Tyler Rogoway Videos began emerging overnight of what appeared to be a sizable fire on the frigid water at Russia’s submarine base in Vladivostok. Three separate angles show thick black smoke rising from a blaze burning among docked Kilo class diesel-electric attack submarines. Shortly after the videos appeared, Russian media… Continue reading FIRE AT RUSSIA’S VLADIVOSTOK SUBMARINE BASE (Video)

AS U.S LOOKS TO REIN IN TURKISH OFFENSIVE, MANBIJ IS KEY

Sourced : Reuters By Arshad Mohammed, Idrees Ali The key U.S. question about Turkey’s offensive in northwestern Syria is whether Ankara pushes on from Afrin to Manbij, where U.S. forces and their allies against the Islamic State militant group are on the ground, U.S. officials said on Monday. Turkey shelled targets in northwest Syria on… Continue reading AS U.S LOOKS TO REIN IN TURKISH OFFENSIVE, MANBIJ IS KEY

CAN JAPAN’S EPSILON ROCKET BE USED AS AN ICBM ?

Sourced : Asia Times By Doug Tsuruoka On January 17, Japan fired an earth observation satellite into orbit aboard an Epsilon rocket, the workhorse of the country’s civilian space program. The Epsilon is a Japanese solid-fuel rocket designed to launch scientific satellites. It can place a 1.2 ton payload into low earth orbit. John Pike,… Continue reading CAN JAPAN’S EPSILON ROCKET BE USED AS AN ICBM ?

TURKEY LAUNCHES “OLIVE BRANCH OPERATION” AGAINST “PKK THREAT IN SYRIA”

Sourced : Hurriyet Daily News The Turkish military has launched a crossborder land operation into the Syrian province of Afrin to fight the Syrian Kurdish militia the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a group Ankara has deemed a “terror group” for its links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The operation, which has been dubbed… Continue reading TURKEY LAUNCHES “OLIVE BRANCH OPERATION” AGAINST “PKK THREAT IN SYRIA”

TKMS STARTED THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 2ND BATCH OF TYPE 218SG SUBMARINES FOR SINGAPORE

Sourced : Navyrecognition.com Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and the Republic of Singapore Navy started construction of the Type 218SG Batch 2 submarines during a steel cuting ceremony at the HDW shipyard in Kiel. Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced last year during the IMDEX Asia 2017 exhibition that it was procuring two more Type… Continue reading TKMS STARTED THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 2ND BATCH OF TYPE 218SG SUBMARINES FOR SINGAPORE

COUNTERING THE HYBRID WAR – THE FINNISH WAY

Sourced : Medium.com By Petri Mäkelä Unidentified troops have taken over several government buildings, an harbor and airports across Finland. Finnish army has alerted it’s available conscripts, mobilized the reserve local battalions and sent them to support police and border guard units engaging the hostile forces. The local authorities have began transitioning into a crisis… Continue reading COUNTERING THE HYBRID WAR – THE FINNISH WAY

ANKARA MIGHT BE AWAITING RUSSIAN APPROVAL FOR AFRIN OPERATION

Sourced : Al Monitor By Metin Gurcan In daily hard-line statements this week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been reiterating Turkey’s determination to launch a cross-border operation against Syria’s Afrin canton, which is controlled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). His Jan. 13 statement was particularly blunt: “Don’t ever doubt it. One night we… Continue reading ANKARA MIGHT BE AWAITING RUSSIAN APPROVAL FOR AFRIN OPERATION