Month: February 2018

TURKEY’S OFFENSIVE IN SYRIA RUNS INTO PROBLEMS, MOUNTAINS AND MUD

Sourced : The Washington Post By Louisa Loveluck and Zakaria Zakaria A Turkish offensive against Kurdish fighters has bogged down in the mountains and mud of northern Syria as troops encounter an adversary well accustomed to the terrain. The Turkish military lost its advantage in the skies over the border area for much of this… Continue reading TURKEY’S OFFENSIVE IN SYRIA RUNS INTO PROBLEMS, MOUNTAINS AND MUD

TURKISH GENERAL CHIEF OF STAFF SAYS ARMED FORCES ABLE TO FIGHT BOTH IN SYRIA AND THE AEGEAN SEA

Sourced : PROTOTHEMA Turkish Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar said the Turkish armed forces were capable of conducting military operations in both Syria and the Aegean Sea. In his statement, which is doing the rounds in Turkish media, the head of the Turkish Armed Forces said: “Along with the military operation in Afrin… Continue reading TURKISH GENERAL CHIEF OF STAFF SAYS ARMED FORCES ABLE TO FIGHT BOTH IN SYRIA AND THE AEGEAN SEA

WHITHER GREECE-ISRAEL RELATIONS ?

Sourced: Jerusalem Post By Georgeb N. Tzogopoulos Greece and Israel are slowly but steadily enhancing their strategic cooperation. Defense ties have been strengthened as a result of regularly organized bilateral military exercises. Greece and Israel – with the participation of Cyprus – have agreed to maintain and broaden “an arc of security and prosperity” in… Continue reading WHITHER GREECE-ISRAEL RELATIONS ?

RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER TO INK CONTRACT FOR 12 SU-57

Sourced : The Diplomat By Franz-Stefan Gady The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) is expected to sign a contract for a pre-production batch of 12 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jets, Russia’s first indigenously designed and built fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday. “We are buying Su-57 jets for test… Continue reading RUSSIA’S DEFENCE MINISTER TO INK CONTRACT FOR 12 SU-57

AFTER 22 YEARS, ROMANIA’S NAVY IS AIMING TO PROCURE A NEW SUBMARINE

Sourced : Euronews By Cristian Gherasim For the first time in decades, the Black Sea will once again be patrolled by a Romanian navy submarine. The announcement was one of the first acts of Mihai Fifor, the incoming Minister of Defence and was the most noteworthy of a series of measures designed at modernising the… Continue reading AFTER 22 YEARS, ROMANIA’S NAVY IS AIMING TO PROCURE A NEW SUBMARINE

FRANCE TO HIKE DEFENCE SPENDING BY OVER 40 PERCENT

Computer generated image of a concept Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAS) Defence cooperation between the UK and France has been strengthened following agreements signed at the Farnborough Air Show today. Philip Hammond and Jean-Yves Le Drian agreed to bolster cooperation relating to the acquisition and support of military equipment for both the UK and French Armed Forces. The agreement follows on from the communiqué that was signed by Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande at RAF Brize Norton in January, which set out plans for closer ties between the two countries. As part of the deal signed today, the UK and France agreed a £120m Feasibility Phase with six industry partners for the joint development of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle concepts and technologies. They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the SCALP/Stormshadow programme with MBDA that continues our cooperation on this important cruise missile capability.

Sourced: France24 France on Wednesday announced plans to boost defence spending by more than 40 percent, bringing it into line with NATO targets after complaints from US President Donald Trump that Europe is not pulling its weight. European NATO members have come under pressure from Trump to relieve the burden on the US, which currently… Continue reading FRANCE TO HIKE DEFENCE SPENDING BY OVER 40 PERCENT

WITH EYES ON THE INDIAN OCEAN, NEW PLAYERS RUSH INTO THE HORN OF AFRICA

Sourced : War on the Rocks By David Brewster A race is underway between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Turkey to build naval and military bases right across the Horn of Africa. This threatens to change the naval balance in the northwest Indian Ocean. But it may also presage the beginnings of… Continue reading WITH EYES ON THE INDIAN OCEAN, NEW PLAYERS RUSH INTO THE HORN OF AFRICA

SEA POWER CONFERENCE, ALLIED MARITIME COMMAND (MARCOM) AND DARTMOUTH CENTRE FOR SEA POWER AND STRATEGY

The Dartmouth Centre for Sea Power and Strategy (DCSS) in collaboration with MARCOM organised a high level workshop on the 5th February, 2018 at Warren House in Kingston –upon-Thames. In an informal setting, among a select group of experts and strategic thinkers such as Vice Admiral Clive Johnstone CB CBE, Commander Allied Maritime Command, Vice… Continue reading SEA POWER CONFERENCE, ALLIED MARITIME COMMAND (MARCOM) AND DARTMOUTH CENTRE FOR SEA POWER AND STRATEGY

AUSTRALIAN’S NAVY OPV PROJECT IS ON TRACK AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT WITH LURSSEN

Sourced: Australian Department of Defence; issued Jan 31, 2018 The multi-billion dollar Offshore Patrol Vessel project of the Australian Navy is on track after the signing of a contract with Lürssen. Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said the contract with Lürssen to lead the design and build is worth at… Continue reading AUSTRALIAN’S NAVY OPV PROJECT IS ON TRACK AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT WITH LURSSEN

AFRIN CANTON CO-CHAIR : “WE CALLED ON SYRIAN ARMY TO PROTECT US”

Sourced : Sputnik Despite Ankara assuring the Syrian government that its operation in Afrin aims to protect exclusively the Turkish security, Damascus has firmly condemned the military campaign as an assault on the country’s sovereignty. The co-chairman of Afrin Canton, which was unilaterally proclaimed by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria, Hevi… Continue reading AFRIN CANTON CO-CHAIR : “WE CALLED ON SYRIAN ARMY TO PROTECT US”