Defence`s Feeds

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's deputy prime minister, has acknowledged that the construction of surface ships for the Russian Navy has "idled" due to the non-delivery of gas turbine engines from Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported 3 June. The situation has affected, among others, the Project

Key Points Russian Su-24 fighters have made more than a dozen low-level passes by USS Ross since 30 May USN officials characterised the encounters as routine and non-aggressive Several Russian Su-24 attack fighters have flown past a US Navy (USN) Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer

It came as little surprise that China's top envoy to the 14 th Shangri-La Dialogue, Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the People Liberation Army's (PLA's) General Staff Department, asserted that his country's ongoing island building in the South China Sea was well within its sovereign rights and

Sikorsky - the rotary-wing division of United Aircraft Corporation (UTC) - is considering consolidating its sites and reducing its 15,000-strong workforce by around 1,400, it emerged on 2 June. Employees were informed that reductions could be made at facilities in Poland (where Sikorsky has owned

Key Points The European Union has launched a new naval operation in a renewed initiative to counter the precipitous rise in irregular migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean. Islamist militias in Libya are likely to take illicit taxes from organised crime groups involved in the

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced plans on 2 June to invest in the development of Batch III Incheon-class frigates and guided air-to-surface missiles. DAPA said in a statement that the two military programmes would undergo indigenous development: the frigate

Key Points The state department has approved sale to Japan of four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft The E-2D would enter service by 2019, augmenting Japan's 13-aircraft E-2C fleet The US Department of State has approved sale to Japan of four Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne

The US Army has awarded about USD57 million between BAE Systems Land and Armaments and General Dynamics Land Systems for conceptual design work on a future fighting vehicle (FFV) that could potentially replace the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Work on this effort is to run through November

Key Points Protecting the USN's shipbuilding plans against budget cuts remains a top priority for the service's civilian chief The US navy secretary asserted that savings can be found within the Pentagon's administrative offices The US Navy's (USN's) top civilian leader has pledged to continue

The US Air Force (USAF) on 2 June released a request for proposal (RfP) for development of a domestically produced heavy rocket for military satellite launches. "Proposals must be submitted … no later than 23 June," said the RfP. Lieutenant General Samuel Greaves, the USAF's Space

TOP 10 Transport Helicopters

The US and South Korea have commenced a major anti-submarine drill, to tackle provocations by North Korean submarines.

Babcock has started maintenance work on the UK Royal Navy's Albion-class amphibious transport dock, HMS Albion, at its Devonport Royal Dockyard

The UK Royal Navy's Type 23 Duke-class frigate, HMS Portland, has become the first Royal Navy warship to visit the Faroe Islands in 25 years.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has invested £80m for new equipment to support future training of the Royal Navy and Air Force helicopter pilots and rear crews.

With apologies for the long delay, today I’m posting the final installment of my notes from the 2015 Moscow Conference on International Security, covering the panel on combating terrorism and extremism. Speakers included Mohamed Atmar, the National Security Advisor to the President of Afghanistan, Amb. Zamir Kabulov, the Russian special representative for Afghanistan; Maj. Gen. Walid Salman, the Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Army; General Ngoga, the head of the military police of Cameroon; and Richard Weitz, the Director of the Center for Political-Military Analyses at the Hudson Institute.

The keynote speech was delivered by Igor Sergun, the Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the Russian Armed Forces. Unfortunately, the text of his speech is not available, so I all I have is my incomplete notes and photos of the slides Sergun presented. He argued that terrorism is increasing a global force that is advancing around the world. The characteristics of modern terrorism includes fanaticism and intolerance, global goals, secure financing sources, access to modern weapons and advanced technology, and close ties to criminal networks.

Efforts by groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS to restore the Great Caliphate pose a critical threat to a wide swath of the world, from Libya to Afghanistan, and especially including Iraq and Syria.

The expansion of terrorist and radical activity has claimed many lives.

ISIS is a particularly grave threat to the region.

Groups such as Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, IMU, and Hizb-ut Tahrir are active on the periphery of this core region. The Taliban continues to have access to training camps in remote areas of Pakistan. Even farther away, Jamaa Islamiya poses a threat in Southeast Asia. Experienced fighters are returning to Europe and even starting to act in South America.

Western countries don’t realize that the controlled chaos strategy they have implemented around the world has led to the growth of terrorism. US assistance to Afghan mujahedeen fighting against the Soviet Union in the 1980s led to the emergence of al-Qaeda. More recently, Western efforts to remove the Qaddafi regime in Libya have resulted in the spread of radical ideologies and Libyan weapons to groups throughout northern Africa. Similarly, US support for rebels opposing the Syrian government have directly led to the formation of ISIS and other radical groups in Syria and Iraq. US actions lead to the growth of extremism around the world. Then the US tries to mobilize the international community to stop terrorism, not recognizing that it played a key role in the origin of the threat in the first place.

I thought it was interesting that the entire speech did not mention the threat posed by terrorists and radical Islamists to Russia itself, and specifically to the North Caucasus. In past speeches on this topic, Russian leaders always made sure to note that danger and how it tied Russia and other countries together against a common threat. Now, it almost seems like the discussion of radical Islam and terrorism is being used as a pretext to condemn Western countries (and especially the US).

This sense was highlighted for me by an intervention during the discussion after the speakers. The chair, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, recognized Russian Middle East expert Yevgeny Satanovsky. He called on Satanovsky in such a way as to make it appear that the intervention was pre-arranged. Satanovsky, in turn, started by arguing that it was time to stop thinking that the US is part of the solution to the problem of terrorism, and to start thinking that it is part of the problem. He noted that the US supports Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which both have supported terrorist organizations in the Middle East. He then went on to talk about the risk posed by a Central Asian Spring and the need for Russia, China and Iran to work together to guarantee Central Asian security. Support for Iran’s role was also expressed by Kabulov, who argued that Iran does not export terrorism and should be included in the SCO once sanctions are lifted.

Low flying Thunderbolts over Latvia.

According to the information released by the Latvian Ministry of Defense, NATO air assets, namely the A-10 Thunderbolts deployed as a part of the Theater Security Package, are going to use the country’s airspace to conduct low-level flying.

The release issued by the Latvian authorities asks the public not to be worried about the low-flying Hogs. The missions are going to take place only on specific, agreed dates and times, starting from Jun. 8, 2015.

The low-level flying is to be carried out outside the firing ranges – this is the reason why the event is so unusual. It was said that the training’s purpose is to maintain and refine the pilots’ skills and combat readiness.

All the information pertaining the operations are going to be available on the Internet. It was already said that the sorties would take place in seven districts, namely: Rūjiena, Smiltene, Aluksne – Gulbene, Balvi – Vilani, Madona – Plavinas, Jēkabpils and Preiļi – Līvāni.

According to the Ministry, the Warthog training operations within the Latvian airspace are a part of the Operation Atlantic Resolve, undertaken by NATO in the light of the Ukrainian crisis. The low-level training operations are going to be organized in a way that will not pose a threat to the public.

 

Related articles

• Four U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt jets have deployed to Slovakia
• A-10s of the U.S. Air Force theater security package have deployed to Europe
• [Video] A-10 Warthog’s take off filmed with a GoPro camera
• U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt attack planes have arrived in Poland
• Video shows A-10 Thunderbolts support Peshmerga forces attacking ISIS militants near Mosul
• Watch A-10 Thunderbolt attack planes drop bombs, fire gun on shooting range in Central Europe
• In photos, evacuation of a simulated incapacitated A-10 Thunderbolt pilot

More than 60 years of experience in temperature measurement and control technique as well as in cable production have made a one man business a company with nearly 500 staff members.

DSIT Solutions has announced it will be attending the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) 2015 conference.

Ahead of the Naval Combat Systems conference (28-29 July 2015, London, UK), which will  explore the value and advantages of specific system programmes and of a variety of surface vessels’ contingent combat capability, Defence IQ interviewed Captain R. Trevor King to