The United States Navy will be sending two warships into the Black Sea to remain there until May 4, according to a notice sent to Turkish authorities, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Friday, citing diplomatic sources. The notice was sent 15 days in advance, the sources said, as per the Montreux Convention regarding the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
Author: Sokratis Kostaropoulos (Sokratis Kostaropoulos)
The Blue Arctic and the World-Island
On January 5, 2021, the Navy Department released “A Blue Arctic,” which it described as the Navy’s “strategic blueprint for the Arctic [Ocean].” The 28-page paper recognizes that the Arctic Ocean is gradually turning from “white” to “blue,” meaning that “reduced ice coverage is making Arctic waters more accessible and navigable.” The melting polar ice...
South Korea’s Moon hails prototype fighter jet as ‘new era’ of defence independence
South Korea unveiled a prototype of its first domestically developed fighter jet on Friday and President Moon Jae-in hailed the KF-X as the future backbone of the air force and a step toward the U.S. ally’s greater military independence. The next-generation aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (KAI) is designed to be a cheaper,...
Details of sweeping effort to counter China emerge in U.S. Senate
Leaders of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced legislation on Thursday to boost the country’s ability to push back against China’s expanding global influence by promoting human rights, providing security aid and investing to combat disinformation. The draft measure, titled the “Strategic Competition Act of 2021,” mandates diplomatic and strategic initiatives to counteract Beijing,...
China has a large and growing navy: What is the rest of the story?
There is a good deal of interest these days in the growth of the Chinese navy, known officially as the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Most of the discussion tends to focus on the steady and significant increase in the inventory of PLAN ships and submarines, as well as the gradual expansion of the operational...
New 3D radar developed to support counter-UAS efforts
Numerica Corp., a Colorado-based company, recently debuted a new 3D-radar solution for counter-drone efforts and other short-range air defense missions. Numerica’s Spyglass, a small form factor radar, was designed to detect and track small, autonomous unmanned aircraft, said Nate Knight, vice president of air-and-missile defense at the company. The platform is optimized for what the...
Impose costs on Russia in the information environment
John Arquilla presciently argued in 1993 that warfare is no longer about who has the more superior capital, labor, and technology; rather, victory is determined by who has the best information about the battlefield. Over the past decade, Russian information warfare has become more openly aggressive, and the United States must go on the offensive in...
Awesome MK22 sniper rifle entered service in the US military
U.S. troops will have a new sniper rifle, according to a press release issued by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. In a $ 49.9 million deal, the Pentagon will receive 2,800 MK22 sniper rifles. The Pentagon released the agreement under the American program for precision sniper rifles. MRAD MK22 will be equipped with precision optics Leupold...
US says commitment to Taiwan ‘rock solid’ amid Chinese military moves
The U.S. State Department emphasized that Washington’s commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid” and that it retains the ability to counter any attempts by China to use force or coercion against the island nation. On Monday (April 5), the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) announced that a carrier battle group led by the Liaoning was conducting exercises...
Israel hit Iranian command ship in Red Sea – U.S. Official Confirms
Israel notified the U.S. of ‘retaliatory’ attack on Iranian spy ship, the New York Times reports. A U.S. official said that Israel notified the United States that its forces had struck an Iranian vessel, calling it “a retaliatory” attack for earlier Iranian strikes on Israeli vessels, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The official, who...