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Summary and Key Points: On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Air Force conducted its largest "elephant walk" involving B-2 Spirit bombers at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

-A dozen B-2s, representing nearly two-thirds of the entire fleet, participated in this show of force as part of the Spirit Vigilance exercise.

-The event demonstrated the readiness and strategic importance of the B-2 in the nuclear triad, especially after the fleet was grounded for part of 2023.

The Big B-2 Bomber Elephant Walk 

Nearly two-thirds of the entire United States Air Force's fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers took part in a show of force like no other on Monday, April 15, 2024. A dozen of the stealth bombers assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing lined up on the runway at Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, and executed a mass fly-off to cap off the annual Spirit Vigilance exercise.

It was the largest "elephant walk" – the term for the close formation of aircraft that taxi en masse prior to takeoff – involving the long-range strategic B-2 Spirits to date.

"This is a reminder that the B-2 Spirit bomber is the visible leg of nuclear triad," Col. Geoffrey Steeves, 509th Operations Group commander, had previously said of Spirit Vigilance. "Simply put, the B-2 is the world's most strategic aircraft. It is the only aircraft on the planet that combines stealth, payload, and long-range strike. We are charged with delivering the nation’s most powerful weapons for our most important missions."

Smells Like Team B-2Spirit

While the B-2 regularly makes the rounds at high-profile events, including a flyover of the Rose Bowl college football matchup in California, it is rare to see more than a single of the flying wings. The previous record for mass fly-offs of B-2s occurred during the Spirit Vigilance 2022 exercise and involved eight bombers.

That display of power included about 40% of the total Spirit fleet. With eight bombers on the runway at roughly $2 Billion a piece, it drew approximately $16 billion in stealth bombers to a single location. On April 15 – somewhat fitting in that it was "Tax Day" – the price tag for the show of force had a $24 billion price tag. Yet, as a reminder to America's adversaries, these are truly "priceless moments."

It also was meant to serve as a reminder of the capabilities of the B-2 Spirit, which had been grounded for the first half of 2023, following an accident that closed Whiteman's runway. Though the Air Force maintained that the bombers could be employed if absolutely necessary in response to a major crisis the Spirit's wings were clipped for almost six months.

Putting 60% in the air in a single fly-off made it clear the Spirit is back in the sky.

Elephant Walk – A Display of U.S. Resolve

The first elephant walks occurred during the Second World War when large fleets of allied bombers massed for attacks – and observers on the ground noted that as the aircraft lined up, it resembled the nose-to-tail formations of elephants walking to a watering hole.

Today, the U.S. Air Force employs elephant walks to show the capability of a unit as well as the teamwork that is required to conduct such an operation. It also can help pilots prepare for the launching of fully armed aircraft in a mass event if needed

The elephant walk involving the dozen B-2 Spirits also came just days after the U.S. Air Force demonstrated its formidable air power at Kadena Air Base, Japan, by performing a strategic lineup of diverse military planes including F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-22 Raptors, and F-35 Lighting IIs fighters, as well as RC-135, P-8, E-3, and RC-135 aircraft.

"This gathering of air power comes as we welcome our new rotational units, bringing F-16Cs and F-22As to the Keystone of the Pacific, while also saying arigatou and farewell to our F-35As and Air National Guard F-15Cs," Kadena Air Base announced via a statement.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image Credit: U.S. Air Force. 

La bagarre rangée entre militants de l’UDPS a fait de nombreux blessés, ce mardi 6 aout, au hall du Palais du peuple, commune de Lingwala, à Kinshasa.

Cette rixe opposait les pro Augustin Kabuya aux pro Gecko Beya, cadre de l'UDPS.

Cet accrochage entre ces deux camps a paralysé les activités et mouvements au Palais du peuple.

Des témoins rapportent que cet affrontement a causé des dégâts matériels énormes : chaises et des vitres, antivols cassés.

The characterization, by Donald Trump and his surrogates, of Vice President Kamala Harris’s alleged failings concerning border security is an amalgam of willful ignorance and bad faith. The many lies and half-truths are often spewed by Brandon Judd, the president of the Border Patrol Union who sometimes “opens” for the former President at some of his many rallies. Judd, it seems, is much more interested in parroting the Trump orthodoxy on Border Security than serving as a leader with the integrity that the men and women of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deserve.

Unlike Trump and his cronies, The Biden-Harris Administration has known all along that no matter how many physical or legal barriers are erected in the name of border security, migrants will continue to seek asylum in the United States as long as conditions in their home countries are intolerable. President Biden wisely charged Vice President Harris with leading the diplomatic efforts (not “Border Czar”) to help reduce crime, violence, poverty and corruption in those nations responsible for the greatest percentage of migrants… and she made significant progress.

While Republicans were admiring the “Wall”, mugging for the cameras in their boots and jeans, Kamala Harris was doing the hard, time-consuming, frustrating, behind-the-scenes diplomacy. Working with the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, she was able to enlist the aid of over 50 American companies who invested $5 billion in those countries. Following this, migration from the targeted nations dropped by 50-60%. Conditions in the Northern Triangle nations are not going to improve over night. What is required is a long-term, multi-national effort to eliminate those factors that cause desperate people to flee their homeland. Fortunately, a future Harris administration understands that.

Trump relishes blaming Vice President Harris for what he asserts is chaos at the border and I, for one, agree that there is much to be done to improve unacceptable conditions at our borders.  The facts are, however, that the Biden-Harris Administration has made significant strides in improving border security even without the vital resources that would have been deployed under the bipartisan border bill; resources that would have drastically improved both the force strength and the effectiveness of CBP.  

The Biden-Harris Administration instituted tough restrictions on asylum claims that have, arguably, been instrumental in reducing illegal crossings to their lowest level since 2020. The Administration also deserves considerable credit for the recent evisceration of the leadership of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel with the arrest of cartel leaders “El Mayo” Garcia and Joaquin Guzman Loera, son of the infamous “El Chapo” Guzman. Additionally, in June 2021, under the leadership of Vice President Harris, Task Force Alpha, a law enforcement task force was established with the cooperation of Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations to combat smuggling and human trafficking.

Border Security is one of the most difficult, divisive, politically fraught and complicated national security issues facing our nation. It is irresponsible, in the extreme, for members of either party to use the border and its many related issues as a political weapon. But that is where we are today; particularly as it pertains to the GOP, its platform and the rantings of its presidential candidate and his surrogates.

Instead of focusing on meaningful, long-term solutions to a complex problem, like Vice President Harris has been doing, Trump and his minions engage in “Border Security Theater.” Over the course of the past six years, Trump and his surrogates (including the recently selected ice presidential candidate J.D. Vance) have periodically flocked to the Southwest border to stage photo ops in front of Trump’s “Wall.” Continuation of the supremely ineffective wall and the mass deportation of migrants are what pass, these days, for the heart of Trump’s “Border Policy.” The approach is breathtaking in its cynicism and emptiness.

In a feat of ethical gymnastics truly worthy of a gold medal, it is riveting to watch Brandon Judd laud the former President for his inspired leadership on border security, all the while knowing  that Trump bullied the GOP leadership into torpedoing the first tough, bi-partisan and meaningful border bill in generations. It was a bill that he and his union enthusiastically endorsed. That’s some chutzpah.

The nation was finally on the cusp of being able to bring meaningful change to our badly broken border and immigration programs, including more CBP Agents, advanced technology for detecting concealed contraband, more immigration judges, and much else. Trump, of course, initially favorable to it, had the deal killed when he realized he needed to preserve it as a campaign issue. This was unconscionable.

In November, the electorate will have a clear choice as to who is likely to bring positive, meaningful change to our troubled borders. With Trump, it will be more of the same – walls, rhetoric, threats, and bluster. With Kamala Harris, we have a chance to address the root causes driving migration and, perhaps, for the first time, focus on a permanent solution. For me, that’s an easy call.

About the Author: Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Drug Enforcement and former Deputy Chairman of the government’s Border Interdiction Committee. 

Image Credit: Shutterstock. 

DÉCRYPTAGE - Si quelques points de convergence existent entre les projets présentés par Laurent Wauquiez puis par Gabriel Attal, il reste encore du chemin avant une éventuelle alliance entre la droite et le bloc central.

Summary and Key Points: The Russian military has reportedly deployed the T-14 Armata tank in Ukraine months back, but it remains unconfirmed if these tanks are engaging in combat.

-The T-14, despite being a highly advanced main battle tank, has faced production delays and is considered too costly to deploy widely.

-The Kremlin may be hesitant to risk the T-14 in combat due to the potential damage to its reputation if it were destroyed. This suggests that Russia lacks confidence in the tank’s performance under battlefield conditions.

The T-14 Armata and Tank Drama

Is the Russian military finally deploying its latest T-14 Armata main battle tanks into Ukraine? 

Recent footage from months back indicates that the T-14 Armata is working and is in operational condition, but it won’t be seeing actual combat any time soon. 

The T-14 in Ukraine? Well...

The T-14 Amrata has been years in the making.

Weighing 55 tons and with a crew of three (commander, driver, and gunner), the T-14 Armata tank packs a 125mm main gun with an automatic loading system. 

Despite years of promotional fanfare, the tank has suffered production delays and manufacturing issues. 

In March, Sergey Chemezov, who leads the Russian defense giant Rostec, confirmed prior Western intelligence assessments and our coverage here at The National Interest that the Russian military hasn’t deployed the T-14 Armata tank in Ukraine. 

Chemezov said that the T-14 Armata is simply too expensive to deploy in the fighting in Ukraine, adding that the T-90 main battle tank is a more efficient option. 

Previously, the TASS state news agency had stated that the Russian military had used the T-14 Armata in Ukraine several times. The state-controlled media outlet has been known to push the Kremlin’s narrative, regardless of its accuracy. 

T-14 Armata: A Failed Project for Russia

For all terms and purposes, the T-14 Armata should be considered a failed project. 

Russia has been engaged in the largest conflict since the end of World War II. It has lost between 450,000 and 320,000 men killed, wounded, and captured. The Ukrainian forces have also destroyed tens of thousands of heavy weapon systems. In more than 25 months of combat, the Russian forces have little to actually show for these devastating casualties. 

If the Kremlin is hesitant to deploy its most technologically advanced main battle tank even in the face of so many challenges, then it clearly doesn’t have any faith in it and doesn’t believe that it can perform under operational conditions. 

Claims about exorbitant costs are for domestic consumption. Despite the heavy international sanctions on Russia in response to its illegal invasion of Ukraine, the high energy prices have made the Kremlin billions of dollars. Moscow has the money to spend on its defense. 

An additional explanation as to why the Kremlin isn’t deploying the T-14 Armata is marketing. Moscow knows that it is vey likely the Ukrainian forces with their Western anti-tank systems would have a field day against the T-14 Armata.

Footage of smoldering T-14 Armata tanks in the fields and ditches of Ukraine would make it very marketable to foreign customers. Despite the overall questionable quality of Russian military hardware, Moscow is still a big player in the international arms market. 

Before the fateful February 24, 2022, Russia was making between $15 and $12 billion a year from selling weapon systems abroad. Its customers ranged from emerging powers like China and India to European countries like Cyprus to African warlords.

Although the number of foreign sales has dropped since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin still makes between $8 and $5 billion a year. 

About the Author

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense and national security journalist specializing in special operations. A Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), he holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is pursuing a J.D. at Boston College Law School. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock. 

Le gouverneur du Maniema, Moïse Moussa a recommandé, lundi 5 aout, à ses ministres de travailler pour l’intérêt de la population.

Il a fait cette recommandation lors de sa première réunion du conseil des ministres, tenue à Kindu.

Speculation abounds regarding where Iran or its proxies will strike as retaliation for Israel’s recent assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah deputy Fuad Shukr. While numerous scenarios are being discussed, all remain conjectural. However, one particular possibility warrants extended consideration.

This time, Iran’s interest in hitting Israel is not just about showing force but about exercising power and inflicting significant pain and damage upon the Israelis. Yet, Iran faces a major problem: while they can inflict damage in a first strike, they lack the military means and capability to protect themselves from retaliatory strikes by either Israel, the United States, or a combination of both and their allies. Therefore, the best scenario for Iran would entail a strike that creates a chain reaction that preoccupies Israel so that it can’t mount an immediate or effective counterattack.

One specific target could be the narrow strip of land between the West Bank and Gaza. This Israeli territory, approximately fifty-eight miles long, separates about 2.7 million Arabs in the West Bank from about 1.8 million Arabs in Gaza. The Israelis have numerous military bases in this area to ensure their protection. In a strike, Iran could aim to damage these military bases, hoping that the built-up resentment and anger in the West Bank over the last eight months would lead to a revolt against the Israelis. An indicator that Iran might target this area is that in the list of targets published by Iranian media, four out of the seven targeted military bases are located in this strip.

Iran is also counting on the possibility that outrage in the West Bank, combined with the ongoing conflict in Gaza and tensions with Hezbollah to the north, will cross-fertilize into an unmanageable situation for Jerusalem. In this context, Iran might consider this strip of land as Israel’s Achilles Heel. By applying military pressure to this region, Iran might hope to create an opening for Hamas militia in Gaza and factions in the West Bank to connect or at least cause more problems for an overstretched IDF. An attack like this could also jeopardize transportation and land communication between the north and south of Israel, creating major logistical obstacles.

It’s also crucial to note that Iran has been trying to arm the West Bank. They have attempted to smuggle weapons through Jordanian smugglers or via drones, often with the help of Hezbollah and their Syrian proxy, the Imam Hussein Brigade. There is a chance that Iran has already succeeded in smuggling some weapons into the West Bank. Following an attack, Iran would hope this situation triggers widespread violence.

In this scenario, Iran’s next step could be to leave the ensuing chaos to Hezbollah, keeping Israel occupied while Iran regroups or seeks to initiate negotiations.

However, the dilemma that Iranians still face is that there is no guarantee that, in such a scenario, there would be a division of labor between the United States and Israel. In this division, Israel would counter the unrest in the West Bank, Gaza, and its own territory, while the United States would directly confront Iran. This uncertainty is a significant challenge for Iran, especially given the upcoming U.S. elections. A lack of response or a weak response in protecting a major U.S. ally in the Middle East could be costly for President Biden’s party and his party’s nominee, Kamala Harris.

Iran’s solution to such a scenario could be to unleash Shia proxies to launch attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. Arguably, this part of the retaliation has already commenced. Still, when it comes to attacking U.S. troops, Iran’s proxies in Syria might emerge as key players, as U.S. troops in al-Tanf in Syria’s Homs province are much more vulnerable compared to those in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Houthis could continue their attacks against Israel, striking the Eilat port and escalating their harassment of international maritime traffic in the Red Sea, causing a surge in shipping costs and financial pressure on the West.

However, while all these actions can exert pressure on the United States and Israel, the use of proxies still does not resolve Iran’s main problem: the power asymmetry between itself and the Israeli-American partnership. In this context, Iran must be cautious. Any reckless employment of proxies could lead to a severe response that jeopardizes the proxy network it has spent four decades building. This would not only harm Iran but also its main international partners, China and Russia. Continued conflict in the Red Sea would increase the cost of trade for China, which has already been complaining to Iran. Additionally, the use of proxies in Syria could provoke a major strike against the Assad regime, endangering Russia’s efforts and gains in Syria. This may be one of the reasons behind Russian National Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu’s sudden visit to Tehran.

In this context, it is safe to say that whether or not the fifty-eight-mile strip between the West Bank and Gaza is Israel’s Achilles heel, a reckless strike could expose Iran’s soft underbelly.

Arman Mahmoudian is an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida’s Judy Genshaft Honors College, teaching courses on Russia, the Middle East, and International Security. He is also a research assistant at the USF Global and National Security Institute, focusing on Russia and the Middle East. Follow him on LinkedIn and X @MahmoudianArman.

Image: Saeediex / Shutterstock.com.

Répondre aux bombardements de l'armée de Tel-Aviv contre les populations civiles libanaises en ciblant des localités israéliennes jusque-là épargnées par les tirs de ses troupes. Cette menace récurrente de M. Hassan Nasrallah, le chef du parti-milice allié à l'Iran donne la mesure de la montée des (...) / Israël, Proche-Orient, Liban, Conflit israélo-arabe, Palestine - 2024/08

Cet article La force aérienne suédoise veut augmenter l’autonomie de ses hélicoptères UH60-M Black Hawk de 50 % est apparu en premier sur Zone Militaire.

Au moins 40 agents du Programme de désarmement, démobilisation, relèvement communautaire et stabilisation (PDDRCS), section de Lubero (Nord-Kivu) observent, depuis trois semaines, un sit-in pour réclamer leurs salaires de 23 mois.

Malgré leur situation, ces agents continuent à assurer un service minimum, a indiqué Mumbere Mugheni Amini, le chef de service sensibilisation, communication et médias.

SITARAIL, en collaboration avec les services techniques du ministère de l'Environnement, a organisé une journée de reboisement à Bérégadougou, ce samedi 3 août 2024. Avec la participation active des autorités administratives, coutumières, religieuses et de la population locale, au total 300 plants ont été mis sous terre et protégés, répondant ainsi à l'appel lancé par les Autorités burkinabè, à l'occasion de la Journée nationale de l'Arbre (JNA), à reverdir le pays par tous les moyens.

« Au cours de la campagne de reforestation 2024, j'invite tout citoyen vivant au Burkina Faso et les Burkinabè de l'extérieur à un engagement patriotique. Cet engagement consistera à reverdir notre territoire par tous les moyens pour avoir un taux de réussite d'au moins 70% de plants vivants après les deux premières années de plantation », a invité le Président du Faso, le Capitaine Ibrahim TRAORÉ, dans son discours lu par le ministre de l'Environnement, de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement, lors de la célébration de la 6e édition de la Journée nationale de l'Arbre (JNA) 2024 qui s'est tenue le samedi 22 juin 2024 à Bobo-Dioulasso.

Répondant à cet appel du Président du Faso, SITARAIL a organisé, le samedi 3 août 2024, un reboisement à Bérégadougou, dans la région des Hauts Bassins. Sur le site de la Journée nationale de l'Arbre la localité, à quelque encablure de la ligne ferroviaire, 300 plantes ont été mises sous terre, grâce à une action coordonnée entre SITARAIL, les Autorités administratives, coutumières forestières et sécuritaires, et la population riveraine.

Le service de l'Environnement de Bérégadougou, qui a été d'un apport technique et pratique pour la tenue de cette journée de plantation d'arbres, a tenu à remercier l'entreprise de transport ferroviaire pour son geste fort-appréciable au profit de l'environnement. « Dans l'ensemble, la journée de reboisement s'est bien passée, à travers la mobilisation des autorités et des populations riveraines. Je dis un grand merci à SITARAIL d'avoir honoré son engagement et d'avoir fait du reboisement d'aujourd'hui une réalité », a indiqué le Lieutenant Mariam Sia, cheffe de service de l'Environnement de Bérégadougou.

« Je dis un grand merci à SITARAIL d'avoir honoré son engagement » Lieutenant Mariam Sia, cheffe de service de l'Environnement de Bérégadougou.

Cette activité qui contribue à reverdir la localité de Bérégadougou et partant, du Burkina Faso, a été soutenue par les Autorités administratives avec la présence effective du 2e vice-président de la Délégation spéciale de la commune Bérégadougou, Boubacar Sourabié, qui n'a pas manqué de féliciter SITARAIL pour sa citoyenneté. « C'est une activité à saluer. Il s'agit véritablement d'un acte citoyen. Nous disons merci à SITARAIL parce que c'est une société qui, par ses actions, ne cesse d'appuyer la commune de Bérégadougou et nous prenons en témoin un de ses récents travaux dans la zone qui a permis d'éviter une grande inondation. Ce sont des actions à encourager et toutes les sociétés devraient emboiter les pas de SITARAIL. Reboisement ainsi fait, j'invite les jeunes à s'engager pour le suivi de ces plantes qui ont été mises sous terre ».

« Il s'agit véritablement d'un acte citoyen » Boubacar Sourabié, 2e vice-président de la Délégation spéciale de la commune Bérégadougou.

L'appel du 2ème vice-président de la Délégation spéciale de Bérégadougou a d'ores et déjà eu écho favorable chez les jeunes qui, par la voix de Abdoulaye Kabré, se sont engagés à assurer la protection et le suivi de arbres plantées pour qu'ils profitent aux générations à venir. « Nous sommes vraiment contents du geste de SITARAIL. Nous sommes ensemble et nous resterons ensemble. Nous souhaitons une deuxième édition l'année prochaine. Nous prenons l'engagement de veiller sur les arbres qui sont mis sous terre aujourd'hui. Si le site pouvait être clôturé, cela, nous faciliterait aussi la tâche » a-t-il indiqué.

« Nous sommes vraiment contents du geste de SITARAIL. Nous sommes ensemble et nous resterons ensemble »

Pour Adama Ouattara, Coordonnateur des Services de Bobo Dioulasso, « SITARAIL, en tant qu'entreprise citoyenne résolument engagée dans la préservation de l'environnement, travaille et continuera de travailler avec les services techniques, et avec les populations riveraines le long du chemin de fer pour un cadre de vie agréable et vert, à l'image de transport ferroviaire ».

« SITARAIL, en tant qu'entreprise citoyenne résolument engagée dans la préservation de l'environnement » Adama Ouattara, Coordonnateur des Services SITARAIL de Bobo Dioulasso

Cette opération de plantation d'arbres a pris fin par des mots d'appréciations positives et de bénédictions du Chef du village de Bérégadougou, qui était aussi présent à la cérémonie. « En tant que chef du village de Bérégadougou, j'ai été très content de vous accueillir pour cette noble activité. J'ai été très comblé par votre approche et votre initiative. Que Dieu vous raccompagne en bonne santé et veille sur notre pays le Burkina Faso »

« J'ai été très content de vous accueillir pour cette noble activité. » Chef du village de Bérégadougou

Pour rappel, SITARAIL (Société internationale de transport africain par rail) est la filiale ferroviaire d'AGL (Africa Global Logistics) qui opère, depuis août 1995, le chemin de fer reliant Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) et Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Elle transporte en moyenne 1 000 000 de tonnes de fret chaque année. Depuis le 20 mai 2024, SITARAIL est certifiée ISO 9001 version 2015 pour son activité « Transport ferroviaire de marchandises », par le cabinet d'audit Apave. Avant l'apparition de la COVID-19, l'entreprise transportait annuellement 200 000 voyageurs. SITARAIL emploie environ 1 500 collaborateurs directs et génère 3 000 emplois indirects via des sociétés sous-traitantes. Elle constitue, grâce à son activité et à ses actions en faveur de la santé, de l'éducation et de l'environnement, un vecteur essentiel de développement socio-économique et d'intégration régionale en Afrique de l'Ouest.

Josué Bonkoungou

Cet article Des spécialistes des sous-marins britanniques ont utilisé un logiciel conçu en Biélorussie et en Russie est apparu en premier sur Zone Militaire.

Summary and Key Points: Ukraine claimed to have sunk the Russian Kilo-class submarine Rostov-on-Don in the Black Sea, marking the second time this submarine has been targeted. The first attack in September heavily damaged the sub, which was reportedly under repair or in sea trials when hit again.

-This loss would be significant for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, especially since additional submarines can't enter the Black Sea due to Turkey's control over the straits.

-The incident remains unverified by Western sources and unacknowledged by Russia.

Did a Russian Kilo-Class Submarine Get Hit by Ukraine? 

Cue the social media memes, Ukraine – a nation that has no navy to speak of – claimed to have sunk yet another Russian submarine, the previously damaged Kilo-class Rostov-on-Don, which was targeted on Friday in a missile strike. If confirmed, it would be the second successful targeting of the Russian Navy submarine in the past year.

It was last September that Ukrainian forces attacked Rostov-on-Don with a cruise missile when the boat was in drydock, and believed it to be sunk. Though heavily damaged, the submarine was repaired and may have been engaged in sea trials when she was hit again. The diesel-electric improved Kilo-class attack submarine was launched in June 2014 and commissioned in December of that same year.

"A Russian submarine went to the bottom of the Black Sea," the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced, adding, "As a result of the attack, the submarine sank. Great work, warriors." During the strike, four S-400 Triumf air-defense systems were also reported to have been targeted.

The sinking of the submarine hasn't been independently verified by Western media outlets, while the Kremlin hasn't acknowledged the recent missile attack on the occupied Crimea.

Employing Western Aid

Though Ukraine has employed domestically-built aerial drones to target distant Russian air bases as well as the Kremlin's tanks on the frontlines, and it has used sea-skimming naval drones against the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet, much of the success in striking the occupied Crimea has been the result of long-range Western missiles.

That ordnance, along with the naval drones, has forced the Russian Navy to relocate its warships away from Sevastopol.

"The Rostov-on-Don was probably also about to retreat to Novorossiysk," Yörük Ik, a geopolitical analyst from the Bosphorus Observer maritime consultancy based in Istanbul, told Newsweek.

Losing a Black Hole

Though the Russian Navy is reported to operate more than sixty diesel-electric Kilo-class submarines, which are reportedly armed with Kalibr missiles that can be used to strike targets on land or at sea, the loss of the Rostov-on-Don would still be a blow to the Kremlin as it can't send additional submarines to the Black Sea.

The Black Sea Fleet had six of the submarines in service when Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but three were not in the waters of the Black Sea at the time and access to the waters has been closed to military warships by Turkey, which controls access via the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits.

The boats had been seen as powerful platforms for striking positions on land and at sea as the Kalibr missiles can be launched from torpedo tubes while the boat is in a submerged position.

The boats were nicknamed "Black Holes" by the U.S. Navy as they were designed to operate in shallower, coastal waters where they can be employed in anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. The upgraded Kilo-II boats are seventy-four meters long and displace more than 3,900 tons, and due to their strong hull, the submarines have an operational depth of 240 meters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 meters, overall with an operational range of up to 7,500 miles.

The Russian submarines have been considered among the world's quietest underwater cruisers, and the boats can travel at speeds of up to twenty knots, while they have sea endurance of forty-five days. Each of the Russian boats is operated by a crew of fifty-two submariners.

It might seem that there is now an actual hole in one of those Black Holes, and this time it might not be so easy to patch it up.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

All images are Creative Commons. 

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Rejoignez l'Institut 2iE à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) et bénéficiez de formations de niveaux Licence – Master – Doctorat dans les domaines du :

– Bachelor Technologique en Energies Renouvelables et Efficacité énergétique
¬¬- Bachelor Technologique en Exploitation et Maintenance des Installations Hydrauliques
- Ingénieur 2iE/ GRADE DE MASTER en Informatique, intelligence artificielle et applications
- Génie de l'Eau de l'Assainissement et des Aménagements Hydroagricoles
- Génie Civil, Bâtiments et Travaux Publics
- Génie Électrique et Énergétique

Les niveaux d'entrée sont le Bac Scientifique et Technique, Bac + 2 à Bac + 5.
Ainsi, 2iE vous offre le choix d'intégrer en classes intermédiaires L3 ou M1.

INSCRIPTIONS ET DEBUT DES COURS

 Sur étude de dossier
 Début des cours en septembre 2024
 Les candidatures se font exclusivement en ligne sur la plateforme https://academie.2ie-edu.org/kairos_2ie/candidat/accueil

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DÉCRYPTAGE- Le président LR des Hauts-de-France est cité pour prendre la tête du « gouvernement d’urgence nationale » qu’il a appelé de ses vœux au lendemain des législatives.

Trente ans après la fin de l'apartheid, la petite communauté juive d'Afrique du Sud est plus que jamais divisée. Une partie a profité du système raciste, l'autre a résisté. Deux leçons contradictoires de la Shoah s'opposent : celle d'un « plus jamais ça » universaliste, qui pousse les uns à soutenir (...) / Apartheid, Afrique du Sud, Judaïsme, Palestine (Gaza), Palestine - 2024/08

Since the start of its war on Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has experienced a massive population exodus. Ideological objectors, political opponents, and those simply seeking to avoid conscription have sought the shelter of other nations. Accurate data about this cohort, however, is in short supply, complicated both by Kremlin propaganda and by the fact that some of these exiles have since made their way back to Russia. 

A new study by The Bell, a leading Russian opposition news outlet, suggests the ranks of those who fled Russia and still remain abroad is significantly larger than commonly understood. 

“The wave of people leaving Russia since February 2022 is the most significant exodus from the country in three decades,” the study notes. That’s something of an understatement. According to recent estimates, more than 800,000 left Russia since the start of the war, marking the largest out-migration since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. And while a small percentage has since returned to Russia, the overwhelming majority remain abroad. “At least 650,000 people who left Russia after it invaded Ukraine are still abroad,” according to The Bell. 

In absolute terms, that figure represents less than 1% of Russia’s total population of over 146 million. But its impact is outsized on a number of levels. 

One is economic. Specifically, the study notes, “those who left Russia can be characterized as highly politicized, well-educated and in a better financial situation than the average Russian. They are typically young (aged 20-40) and 80% have university-level education.” Because of this comparatively high level of achievement, “[t]hey are more likely to run their own businesses or work in white-collar roles such as IT, data analysis, sciences or the creative sector.” 

Their departure has exacerbated an already serious problem. Even before Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine, political scientists were warning that the deepening authoritarianism of President Vladimir Putin’s government was driving out the country’s creative class. Indeed, in the years preceding Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine, Russia was seeing an average annual outflow of roughly 100,000 people. Since the start of the current war, the situation has become much, much worse. 

That’s because “the hundreds of thousands of those who left are among Russia’s most active and enterprising,” The Bell study notes. As such, their departure “will make it harder for innovation to trickle through the economy and for productivity to increase, potentially hampering Russia’s economic potential for years to come.” The results will be measured in Russia’s declining global competitiveness and economic vibrancy.

Another reason the current exodus is so damaging has to do with demographics. For more than half a century, Russia has been locked in a cycle of deepening population decline, with death and emigration significantly outpacing live births. The situation became a full-blown crisis in the decade after the collapse of the USSR, before rebounding modestly to match European levels of fertility (roughly 1.5 live births per woman). This situation still prevails today.

Even that figure remains well below the fertility rate of 2.1 children per family required for a sustainable replenishment of the Russian population. It has also proven to be stubborn, staying largely static despite numerous Kremlin initiatives designed to boost birth rates. Now, Russia’s war on Ukraine – and the open-ended nature of that conflict – has spurred even steeper decline, as potential conscripts and other objectors eye the national exits.

All of which this augurs potentially momentous changes for the nature of the Russian state. Earlier this year, ROSSTAT, Russia’s official statistics agency, estimated that in a worst case scenario, the national population could drop to 130 million people by the middle of the century. Such a decline would fundamentally upend Russia’s ability to control its vast national territory, which spans eleven time zones. It would be hard to defend territory from the predations of China, with whom Moscow supposedly now boasts a “no limits partnership.”

This brings us back to the true costs of the Ukraine war. Russian officials have made clear that they see the subjugation of their country’s western neighbor as an overriding strategic priority, as well as a prerequisite for renewed national greatness. But, in practical terms, Putin’s war of choice has sped up internal processes that could lead to Russia’s profound decline – or even its outright ruin. 

Ilan Berman is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC. 

Summary and Key Points: The Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales is currently preparing for a deployment, having traveled to Scotland to load up on ammunition. While the deployment is officially described as a "routine logistics visit," speculation has arisen that the carrier could be combat-ready for a potential earlier mission.

-This could involve supporting an evacuation of UK nationals from Lebanon if conflict escalates between Hezbollah and Israel, or assisting U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East.

-The situation remains fluid, and the carrier's exact mission has not been officially disclosed.

Is the Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales Readying for Deployment to the Middle East?

Earlier this year, there was speculation that the Royal Navy would dispatch one of its two aircraft carriers to aid the United States Navy in the Middle East to help deter an escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Those plans were scuttled after the flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth was forced to head to Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland after a mechanical fault was discovered during a pre-sailing check in February.

It was just last week the HMS Queen Elizabeth returned to the Portsmouth Naval Base in the south of England and will prepare for her next deployment, while her sister carrier HMS Prince of Wales is now heading to Scotland. Though the latter vessel also underwent even more significant repairs two years ago; this trip to Glenmallan to load up on ammunition for another yet-to-be announced-deployment.

It was in June that the 65,000-tonne HMS Prince of Wales returned to the naval base after serving as the NATO command ship in the largest exercise held by the international military alliance since the Cold War. Prince of Wales was forced to replace HMS Queen Elizabeth at the last moment due to the aforementioned mechanical fault. Following a brief maintenance period, the second of the Royal Navy's two carriers is now on the move, but it hasn't been announced where she will head next.

Gearing Up For War?

The deployment to Scotland has been described as a "routine logistics visit," and the carrier is indeed set to take part in a deployment to the Indo-Pacific next year, but Iain Ballantyne, editor of the Warships International Fleet Review told the UK's Daily Express newspaper that "perhaps the UK Government is taking the sensible contingency of having the Prince of Wales combat ready to deploy on an earlier mission? This might be to support an evacuation of UK nationals from Lebanon if a full-scale war erupts between Hezbollah and Israel."

Ballantyne added that the carrier could operate alongside the U.S. Navy's Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which is now in the Red Sea and will be replaced by USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in the coming weeks.

It was last week that Iranian officials met with those of Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Yemeni-base Houthi rebels in Tehran. There are now further fears that a wider regional war could break out between Iran and its proxies with Israel.

Since last fall, the Houthis have been conducting strikes on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, supposedly in support of Hamas, while the militant group has also launched missile strikes on Israel. The United States Navy has operated a carrier or other warships in the region since Hamas carried out its terrorist attack into southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Though the U.S. Navy twice extended the deployments of both USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and is now playing a game of "musical chairs" with its carriers, it would seem unlikely the Royal Navy could go it alone in the region. The Royal Navy would still likely need to be supported by U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers to screen HMS Prince of Wales.

Yet, it is possible that the Royal Navy carrier could help aid the U.S. Navy in its operations in the region, proving the naysayers wrong.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.