ERDOGAN ANNOUNCES DATE FOR SNAP ELECTIONS

Sourced: Daily Sabah President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday announced that Turkey will have snap parliamentary and presidential elections on June 24, 2018, after a meeting with opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairman Devlet Bahçeli at the presidential complex, a day after the latter called for snap elections to be held in August. The meeting,… Continue reading ERDOGAN ANNOUNCES DATE FOR SNAP ELECTIONS

SAUDI ARABIA HOSTS MULTI-NATION MILITARY DRILLS

Sourced: Shephard Media Saudi Arabia concluded a month-long military exercise involving more than 24 nations on 16 April, a day after hosting an Arab summit that slammed what it called Iran’s growing interference in the region. The exercise on Saudi Arabia’s east coast, dubbed Gulf Shield-1, involved combat search and rescue drills as well as… Continue reading SAUDI ARABIA HOSTS MULTI-NATION MILITARY DRILLS

U.S ASKS KOREA TO SHARE COST OF STRATEGIC WEAPONS

Sourced: Korea Joongang Daily Washington asked Seoul to share the cost of rotationally deploying U.S. strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula, an official with South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, stoking local fears about a higher financial burden as the Donald Trump administration is pushing allies to pay more for their defense. The official,… Continue reading U.S ASKS KOREA TO SHARE COST OF STRATEGIC WEAPONS

TURKISH QATARI FIRMS INK $5.2B NATURAL GAS PETROCHEMICAL INVESTMENT DEAL

Sourced: Daily Sabah Turkey-based Metcap Energy Investments and Qatar-based Fusion Dynamics yesterday signed a $5.2 billion protocol for a natural gas and petrochemical investment in Turkey. The signing ceremony at the JW Marriot Hotel in the capital Ankara was attended by Metcap Energy Investment President Celal Metin and Fusion Dynamics President Mohammed al-Hajri. Speaking at… Continue reading TURKISH QATARI FIRMS INK $5.2B NATURAL GAS PETROCHEMICAL INVESTMENT DEAL

HOW TO DEAL WITH RUSSIAN INFORMATION WARFARE? ASK SWEDEN’S SUBHUNTERS

Sourced: Defence One By Elisabeth Braw A mysterious incident occurs. It can’t be conclusively attributed, but the targeted country pins the attack with near-certainty on another country — which unleashes a disinformation campaign, ridiculing the target and proposing a range of other explanations. The UK in 2018? Yes – and Sweden, for far longer. Over… Continue reading HOW TO DEAL WITH RUSSIAN INFORMATION WARFARE? ASK SWEDEN’S SUBHUNTERS

“STAR WARS” MISSILE DEFENCE IS BACK BUT NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE

Sourced: Asia Times By Doug Tsuruoka Space-based missile tracking sensors, high-energy particle beams that zap nuclear warheads and President Donald Trump’s call for a new “Space Force” branch of the US military. For those who remember President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) of almost four decades ago, it sounds like déjà vu all over… Continue reading “STAR WARS” MISSILE DEFENCE IS BACK BUT NOT HOW IT SHOULD BE

U.S ARMY SHIFTING TO LARGER-SCALE EXRCISES ON SHORT NOTICE TO BE LESSS PREDICTABLE

Sourced: Defence News By Jen Judson The Army is shifting to larger-scale exercises that happen on short-notice in order to be less predictable to possible adversaries, according to Gen. Robert Abrams, the Army’s Forces Command commander. “I think there is probably a very, very good chance that we, as part of this new paradigm outlined… Continue reading U.S ARMY SHIFTING TO LARGER-SCALE EXRCISES ON SHORT NOTICE TO BE LESSS PREDICTABLE

DOES ASEAN WANT THE US NAVY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

090730-N-XXXXX-001 The destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) launches a Standard Missile-3 as it operates in the Pacific Ocean on July 30, 2009. ÊThe missile successfully intercepted a sub-scale, short-range ballistic missile launched from the Kauai Test Facility, Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. ÊThe launch was the latest Missile Defense Agency test in conjunction with the U.S. Navy. DoD photo by U.S. Navy. Ê(Released)

Sourced: Asia Times In recent months it has become clear that the lull in Washington’s confrontation with China in the South China Sea is over. After the election of President Donald Trump, concern over Beijing’s expanding naval presence took a back seat to preoccupation with cooperation on North Korea. But the current US administration has… Continue reading DOES ASEAN WANT THE US NAVY IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

US AMBASSADOR IN ATHENS PYATT: GREECE AT NEXUS OF VOLATILE REGION

Sourced: EKathimerini Greece’s ability to build alliances from a particularly challenging strategic geographical position and its commitment to NATO were the focus of comments by United States Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt at the Hellenic National Defense College in Athens on Monday. Addressing officers and students, and speaking of the strong US commitment to Europe,… Continue reading US AMBASSADOR IN ATHENS PYATT: GREECE AT NEXUS OF VOLATILE REGION

TURKEY, IRAN, RUSSIA TO MEET IN ANKARA FOR TRIPARTITE SUMMIT

Sourced: Hurriyet Daily News President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will meet on April 4 in Ankara for their second three-way summit to discuss achievements and goals to reach a ceasefire across Syria and support a political resolution of the crisis in the war-torn country. Russia, Turkey and… Continue reading TURKEY, IRAN, RUSSIA TO MEET IN ANKARA FOR TRIPARTITE SUMMIT