Archive: News & Articles

US Army General Stephen Townsend, US Africa Command’s commander, has directed the formation of Joint Task Force- Quartz to oversee Operation Octave Quartz, a mission designated to reposition forces from Somalia. “I directed the activation of a Joint Task Force [JTF] Quartz, built around the headquarters of Special Operations Command-Africa, to oversee Operation Octave Quartz, […]

Stefano Sannino has been appointed as the next Secretary General of European External Action Service (EEAS). Sannino has worked as EEAS Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues since February 2020 having previously been Italy’s Ambassador to Spain and the Italian Permanent Representative to the EU. Mr. Sannino also served as Director General for […]

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate retired General Lloyd J. Austin III to be Secretary of Defence, according to reports from the US. Austin, 67, rose to become a four-star general in the Army and retired in 2016 as the chief of US Central Command, a role from which he oversaw US military operations across […]

On 12 November 2020, the fifth and final NATO RQ-4D PHOENIX UAV landed at the Main Operating Base (MOB) of the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance system (AGS) in Sigonella, Sicily, meaning the main part of the AGS has been delivered. The NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) is currently preparing for Initial Operating Capability (IOC), […]

The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in the Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D) of the Israel Ministry of Defense has delivered the first Multi-Mission Radars (MMR) manufactured by ELTA Systems to the US Army. This comes after the US and Israel signed an agreement for the procurement of two IRON DOME Defence System batteries (IDDS-A), which […]

Taiwan is to buy four MQ-9B UAVs and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$600m. The principal contractor for the armed aircraft will be U.S-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI). The deal also includes: two Fixed Ground Control Stations, two Mobile Ground Control Stations and 14 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigations Systems (EGI) with Selective […]

Yesterday’s terror attack in Vienna was performed by what is called a connected local network of terrorists inspired by ISIS, according to Prof. Boaz Ganor, Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Israel. Austrian officials said that the attack was Islamist terrorism with two men and two women being killed and a further […]

Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) has completed a Historical Ordnance Disposal Operation (HODOPS) in Estonian territorial waters between 20 and 29 October 2020. The NATO Group, together with Estonian Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMV), covered an area of 34 square nautical miles and identified 20 historical ordnance objects, including two torpedoes. 19 of these, and […]

Part of the BV 206 D6 and VIKING fleets used by the Dutch Marines will be replaced from 2024, State Secretary Barbara Visser of the Dutch Ministry of Defence reported to Parliament on 24 September 2020. This comes after Germany and the United Kingdom had agreed to jointly procure a successor for the BV 206 […]

The Netherlands will buy 34 PATRIOT Advanced Capability‑3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles and related equipment from the U.S. at an estimated cost of US$241m. This comes after the Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale yesterday. In addition to the request for 34 PAC-3 MSEs, eight kitted […]

Israel is to purchase five advanced training helicopters from Italy, increasing the Air Force’s training fleet to 12 aircraft and in return, Italy will purchase Rafael SPIKE missiles and Elbit Systems simulators. Last week’s signing ceremony took place simultaneously in the defence headquarters of each country and screened via secure video conference, a process which completes […]

Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) flagship, ESPS ALVARO DE BAZAN carried out a training programme with the Algerian ship EL MOUDAMIR in the Mediterranean on 14th September 2020. The exercise took place after a three-day visit to the capital Algiers, aimed at increasing cooperation between NATO Maritime Command and Algeria, a member of NATO’s […]

China is using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for a policy of expansion not only along the Indo-Chinese border, but also in the South China Sea, the Baltic Sea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. While the world has been grappling with the deadliest pandemic in over a century, with up to 197 countries […]

The current pandemic challenges the very global order. Rather than a history-defining moment, COVID-19 is a strong trigger in a global metamorphosis that began even before the virus locked us at home. One of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, Zigmunt Bauman, left us a warning that seems to perfectly reflect today’s crisis: […]

The U.S Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a US$13.3bn contract to design and build a Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). This is part of a programme to replace its ageing MINUTEMAN III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Centre announced that the effort will span eight-and-a-half years to include weapon […]

Gerhard Heiming The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (Valstybės sienos apsaugos tarnyba) has selected several variants of the SBS-900 X-band SharpEye long-range radar for remote coastal surveillance. Hensoldt UK’s coastal-based radars are specifically designed to meet the stringent operational requirements of port and river traffic operators in addition to government agencies responsible for the protection […]

Yury Laskin The Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow for a three day on Monday and today, he will be among guests invited to watch the 75th anniversary of the Victory parade at the Red Square, where 80 Indian troops are to join the Russian columns. After arriving, Mr Singh tweeted that […]

J C Menon India has asked Russia to expedite the delivery schedule of the five S-400 TRIUMP Surface-to-Air missile systems, amid heightened tensions along its borders. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is currently visiting Moscow to hold discussions at the highest level to ensure that the deliveries will not be delayed due to coronavirus and other geo-political […]

Jack Richardson  The NATO Communications and Information Agency has released an Invitation for Bids to provide system engineering, integration and testing support to NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Programme until 2029. The €60m contract will have a duration of four years (with an option for a further four) and also include a preliminary transition period […]

J C Menon The US Senate Armed Services Committee, in its FY 2021 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), has proposed purchasing 95 F35s, an additional 14 aircraft above the administration’s request, enabling the forces to modernise and equip themselves with the fifth-generation aircraft. This breaks down as US$5.5bn for 60 F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, US$1.2 bn for […]

Jack Richardson Kazakhstan is using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to patrol and monitor illegal border movement and slow the spread of coronavirus. The country’s leading drone service provider KazUAV, a member of Japan-based Terra Drone Corporation, has been working to keep communities safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. KazUAV has been helping the Nur-Sultan Police Department […]