Jane's Defense News

A new British Army regiment has taken over responsibility for providing trainers to prepare Iraqi Kurdish forces to take on Islamic State militants. Just more than 100 troops from the 1st Battalion, The Rifles (1 Rifles) base have replaced soldiers from the 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment,

French president François Hollande announced on 7 September he had instructed the French forces already engaged in Operation 'Chammal' to launch reconnaissance flights above the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) installations in Syria, a first move before striking targets. The first

The Pakistan Army on 7 September claimed to have successfully used an indigenously built armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to target a Taliban location for the first time. Major General Asim Bajwa, chief spokesman of Pakistan's armed forces, said in a Twitter post that "a terrorist compound

Winning a five-year contract for the operation and support of the NATO Submarine Rescue System has reaffirmed JFD as the global market leader in submarine rescue. Richard Scott reports UK-based JFD - known previously as James Fisher Defence - took over the running of the NATO Submarine Rescue

The French Army continues to carry out parachute drops as part of its 'Barkhane' counter-insurgency operation against Islamist militants operating in the Sahara. The French Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 3 September that the latest in a series of such drops had been carried out by its

The Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) unveiled several new developments and variants of the Rosomak 8x8 family at the MSPO defence exhibition held in Kielce from 1-4 September. These included the modernised Rosomak-M, the uprated Rosomak-XP, a Rosomak direct support vehicle armed with a 120 mm cannon,

Key Points Northrop Grumman's JSTARS offering could be delivered to the USAF and enter service by 2021 The acceleration would avoid the 2022-28 time frame when the air force is scheduled to be procuring its three most costly recapitalisation efforts Northrop Grumman's Joint Surveillance Target

Rheinmetall has confirmed it is offering the ARTEC Boxer 8x8 multirole armoured vehicle to meet an Australian requirement under Project Land 400 Phase 2 for 225 combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRVs). In a 3 September statement - issued the same day that tenders closed - Rheinmetall disclosed it

Key Points If the two sides overcome the key hurdles on property, territory, and security in the next phase of negotiations, Cyprus will come closer than ever to reunification. A solution would open the door to significant opportunities in construction, shipping, and tourism, while paving the way

Argentina's defence minister Agustin Rossi and Bolivian president Evo Morales announced on 5 September that the two countries had signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) that would see Bolivia acquire a variety of defence systems from its South American neighbour. Under the LoI, the two countries are

Key Points Progressive announcements since June have indicated more cuts, and there are now signs that sectors previously exempt from cuts, such as healthcare, may also be affected. Cuts in social spending are likely to erode support for the government and undermine the relative social peace

Key Points Companies face low strike risks in Mexico compared with elsewhere in Latin America, but day-to-day labour relations are still difficult. There were 8,110 labour disputes taken to court in January-July 2015. Unions have amassed considerable political and economic power in exchange for

EVENT On 4 and 5 September 2015 fighting was reported between Tajik security forces and armed militants in the vicinity of Dushanbe and Dushanbe International Airport, with at least 22 fatalities. According to Tajikistan's interior ministry, on 4 September nine policemen died in gun attacks in the

EVENT On 6 September 2015, an anti-government rally in central Chisinau involved between 40,000 and 100,000 people, according to the respective estimates of the Interior Ministry and the event's organisers. The protest was organised by Dignity and Truth (Demnitate si Adevar: DA), a non-party

Iraq's newly arrived F-16 fighter aircraft have carried out attacks on the Islamic State, Minister of Defence Khalid al-Ubaydi announced on 6 September. To accompany the announcement, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence released footage shot by airborne targeting or surveillance systems showing

Key Points US government contracts Willard Marine to supply patrol boats to the Philippines Donation will bolster the Philippine National Police's maritime law enforcement capabilities The Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group will take delivery of four new patrol vessels from US boat

The Polish government is considering procuring its submarine replacement in collaboration with another NATO country, such as the Netherlands or Norway, Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek told Polish media. Speaking to the PAP press agency on 6 September, Mroczek said that such a teaming would

EVENT Over 10,000 people gathered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, yesterday (6 September) to protest against the security bills currently being discussed in the Diet. On the previous Sunday (30 August) over 30,000 people gathered outside the Diet, Chiyoda ward, and in approximately 200 other locations around

EVENT On 6 September 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the previous week was the first since the signing of Minsk II ceasefire agreement on 12 February 2015 in which a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine had been implemented. Ceasefire violations along the line of contact (LoC) in Donetsk

THREE police officers were killed in a small-arms attack at a junction near the airport in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe early on 4 September, Asia-Plus reported. No group or individual immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although unnamed police and security forces - cited in media