By Mohanad Hage Ali Al Arabiya English A few months ago, in a remote town in Idlib province, northern Syria, an unusual foreign militant presence alarmed Syrian locals. The fighters were reportedly of the Muslim Uighur minority from Xinjiang province in Western China. For a population which has grown used to the multinational nature of… Continue reading CHINA’S PROXY WAR IN SYRIA : REVEALING THE ROLE OF UIGHUR FIGHTERS
NEW DEPTH TO INDIAN OCEAN NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
By Dr Frank O’Donnell India’s first nuclear-armed submarine (SSBN), INS Arihant, was reported on February 23 to have completed diving and weapons trials. Indian officials stated that with tests complete, the vessel could be formally commissioned and enter into operational service as early as March. This is a landmark in the history of Asian nuclear… Continue reading NEW DEPTH TO INDIAN OCEAN NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
ROYAL MARINES PREPARE FOR COLD WEATHER TRAINING IN NORWAY
The crack of rifle fire and the roar of motor engines rebounded off the snow-covered fjords of northern Norway as Royal Marines prepared for NATO’s biggest winter war games. Fast raiding craft and hovercraft have been tearing up and down the inlets around the port Harstad – more than 150 miles inside the Arctic Circle… Continue reading ROYAL MARINES PREPARE FOR COLD WEATHER TRAINING IN NORWAY
HMS ARTFUL TEST FIRES FIRST TORPEDO USING NEW UK-MADE ADVANCED COMBAT SYSTEM
The firing tested the BAE Systems designed Common Combat System (CCS) on board, which functions as the digital ‘brain’ of the boat controlling its ‘eyes’, ‘ears’ and ‘nervous system’. Using the torpedo test, the cutting-edge system was able to interpret sonar readings, and then attack a moving target with a practice weapon. The CCS, completed… Continue reading HMS ARTFUL TEST FIRES FIRST TORPEDO USING NEW UK-MADE ADVANCED COMBAT SYSTEM
RUSSIA: SYRIA COULD TURN INTO A FEDERAL REPUBLIC AFTER THE END OF THE WAR
Russia is considering the establishment of a federal republic in Syria, after the end of the civil war. According to the Russian Federation’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson this proposal represents a drastic political change for Syria since the rise of the Ba’ath Party in 1963. The Russian proposal includes the establishment of different provinces for the… Continue reading RUSSIA: SYRIA COULD TURN INTO A FEDERAL REPUBLIC AFTER THE END OF THE WAR
U.S. SCRAMBLES TO CONTAIN GROWING ISIS THREAT IN LIBYA
By Eric Scmitt The New York Times The Islamic State’s branch in Libya is deepening its reach across a wide area of Africa, attracting new recruits from countries like Senegal that had been largely immune to the jihadist propaganda — and forcing the African authorities and their Western allies to increase efforts to combat the… Continue reading U.S. SCRAMBLES TO CONTAIN GROWING ISIS THREAT IN LIBYA
RUSSIA’S KIROV CLASS BATTLE CRUISERS ARE GETTING 3M22 ZIRCON HYPERSONIC ANTI-SHIP MISSILES
The Russian Navy will upgrade its two nuclear-powered Project 11442 Kirov-class battle cruisers, Pyotr Velikyi and its sister ship Admiral Nakhimov, with a new under development hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile. The new Mach 5-capable ramjet engine equipped 3M22 missile of the 3K22 Zircon missile system would replace the ship’s existing 390-mile range P-700 Granit supersonic… Continue reading RUSSIA’S KIROV CLASS BATTLE CRUISERS ARE GETTING 3M22 ZIRCON HYPERSONIC ANTI-SHIP MISSILES
LIBYA OFFICIALS : FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES ON GROUND FIGHTING ISIS
By RAMI MUSA Associated Press French special forces have been helping Libyan troops fight Islamic State militants in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi for two months, two Libyan military officials said Wednesday. The French combat squad, consisting of 15 special forces, carried out four military operations against IS and other militant groups in Benghazi,… Continue reading LIBYA OFFICIALS : FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES ON GROUND FIGHTING ISIS
CHINA’S PUTTING ANT-STEALTH RADAR IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
By Kyle Mizokami Source : Popular Mechanics China appears to be building an anti-stealth radar system on an artificial island in the middle of the South China Sea, where a military-grade system would be useful in detecting stealth aircraft in the contentious and contested area. Satellite imagery obtained by the Center for Strategic and International… Continue reading CHINA’S PUTTING ANT-STEALTH RADAR IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
FIRST SEA LORD FELLOWSHIP/DARTMOUTH CENTRE FOR SEAPOWER AND STRATEGY ‘HYBRID WARFARE CONFERENCE’
CTCRM and Dartmouth Centre for Seapower and Strategy (DCSS) will host on the 15th of March 2016 a First Sea Lord Fellowship (1SLF)/DCSS conference on hybrid warfare. Whilst the primary aim of this event is to examine the challenges and opportunities that hybrid warfare presents to the Naval Service, it will also contribute to the… Continue reading FIRST SEA LORD FELLOWSHIP/DARTMOUTH CENTRE FOR SEAPOWER AND STRATEGY ‘HYBRID WARFARE CONFERENCE’