Category: Security and Strategy

Source: CNN By Ben Westcott A series of Chinese missile systems have reappeared on a disputed island in the South China Sea, days after satellite imagery appeared to show they had been removed. The initial discovery of their disappearance was made by ImageSat International (ISI) in early June, who provided images showing bare sand where… Continue reading CHINESE MISSILE LAUNCHERS REAPPER ON DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLAND

Source: RT.com Austria’s move to close mosques and expel “foreign-funded” imams has infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warning of a war “between cross and crescent” and threatening that Ankara will not sit idle. “These measures taken by the Austrian prime minister are, I fear, leading the world towards a war between the cross and… Continue reading ERDOGAN: CLOSURE OF MOSQUES IN AUSTRIA MAY LEAD TO “WAR BETWEEN CROSS & CRESCENT”

Source: Defense News By: Mike Yeo France will be deploying a detachment of combat aircraft to the Indo-Pacific region for a major air exercise in Australia and for additional interactions with Asian air forces, as France seeks to increase its presence in the region. According to an announcement by the French Air Force, three Dassault… Continue reading FRANCE IS DEPLOYING FORCES TO THE INDO-PACIFIC FOR MORE THAN JUST A DRILL

Source: Defence News By: Joe Gould The U.S. Senate began debate on the Armed Services Committee’s $716 billion annual defense policy bill Wednesday, which highlights the threats from Russia and China. The panel’s 2019 National Defense Authorization Act expresses a “sense of the Senate” for a broad, long-term strategy that includes helping European allies, “backed… Continue reading US SENATE PANEL SETS SIGHTS ON RUSSIA CHINA MAJOR DEFENCE BILL

Source: CNN By James Griffiths, Beijing may have removed missile systems from a disputed island in the South China Sea even as it accused the US of sending “attacking weapons” to the region. The deployment of a number of missile systems to the Spratly and Paracel Islands in May sparked an angry rebuke from Washington… Continue reading BEIJING MAY HAVE REMOVED MISSILES FROM DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLAND

Source: Rand By Derek Grossman Just hours after staging the largest display of naval forces in its history in the South China Sea on April 12, China announced that it would abruptly pivot to conducting live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait six days later. The bombastic exercises went ahead—and Beijing followed up with several… Continue reading BEIJING’S THREATS AGAINST TAIWAN ARE DEADLY SERIOUS

Source: SCMP By Liu Zhen The two countries, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, made the remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, echoing the latest US plan to ramp up its freedom of navigation operations to counter Beijing’s militarisation in the region and its stance that territorial disputes should be a… Continue reading FRANCE BRITAIN TO SAIL WARSHIPS IN CONTESTED SOUTH CHINA SEA TO CHALLENGE BEIJING

Source: Jerusalem Post By Anna Ahronheim In face of rising tensions with Iran, Israel will participate – for the first time – in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercise led by the US 3rd fleet off of the coast of Hawaii and Southern California later this month. RIMPAC, the world’s largest… Continue reading ISRAEL TO JOIN LARGEST INTERNATIONAL NAVY EXERCISE

Source: NY Times By Thomas Erdbrink Iran announced on Tuesday that it had completed a new centrifuge assembly center at the Natanz nuclear site, in a first step to increasing its enrichment capacity. While Iran said it would keep enrichment within limits set by the 2015 nuclear accord, the center’s opening seemed to signal that… Continue reading IRAN MOVES TO LIFT ITS NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT CAPACITY

Source: Intelnews.Org By Joseph Fitsanakis France has confirmed the arrest of two French intelligence officers who are accused of spying for the Chinese government. It appears that the two officers were captured and charged in December. However, their arrests were not publicized at the time, because French counterintelligence officials wanted to avoid alerting more members… Continue reading FRANCE ARRESTS TWO INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS ON CHARGES OF SPYING FOR CHINA