Defense & Security - International Studies of Strategic and Geopolitics

U.S. Cites Russian Noncompliance with New START Inspections

9Feb

By ISSGNo Comments

Missile Defense, Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation

U.S. Cites Russian Noncompliance with New START Inspections

Authored by Shannon Bugos on February 9, 2023 Russia has failed to fully comply with the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) because of its refusal to allow on-site inspections and to reschedule a meeting to discuss treaty concerns, according to a U.S. assessment released in January. Senior Russian officials have accused the United States of “politicizing nuclear arms control,” saying that Washington “would have to adjust its policy towards Russia to move to a constructive arms control agenda.” In August, Moscow prohibited U.S. on-site inspections of its nuclear weapons-related facilities subject to the treaty over complaints about reciprocal access. Russia called off a planned meeting of the treaty’s Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) in Egypt in Novembe...

Russia will unveil the export Sukhoi Su-57E fighter in India

9Feb

By ISSGNo Comments

Military Technology, Defense Industry, Acquisition, and Innovation

Russia will unveil the export Sukhoi Su-57E fighter in India

MOSCOW, INDIA — Russia intends to show an export version of its Su-57E Felon fighter jet. Russia’s largest arms trading company, Rosoboronexport, announced the news to reporters. The Su-57E will be displayed in India at the Aero India 2023 International Air Show in Bangalore. The exhibition starts on February 13 and ends on February 17. This is the 14th Aero India Expo. Besides the Su-57E, Rosoboronexport reported that the Su-75 Checkmate will also be displayed in India. It is not clear from the statement of the Russian company whether a working prototype of the Su-75 will be displayed at the exhibition or mockup. Rosoboronexport plans to present 200 samples in India. In the short press release of the Russian commercial company, the Su-57 was called “a promising fifth-generation multi-...

US, UK and Australia carry out China-focused air drills

9Feb

By ISSGNo Comments

Defense Strategy and Capabilities, Defense & Security

US, UK and Australia carry out China-focused air drills

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada — The US, UK and Australia carried out joint air drills on Wednesday (Feb 8) over the Nevada desert and beyond as part of an effort to simulate high-end combat operations against Chinese fighter aircraft and air defences. Reuters accompanied British forces for several hours during the US-hosted, three-week-long Red Flag exercises aboard Britain's KC-2 Voyager refuelling tanker aircraft, which on Wednesday supplied fuel for US and British fighter jets. US Air Force Colonel Jared J. Hutchinson, commander of the 414th Combat Training Squadron that runs Red Flag, said the annual drills were not tied to any recent events. On Saturday, a US fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, hiking tensions. "(China is) just t...

North Korea shows off largest number of nuclear missiles

9Feb

By ISSGNo Comments

Asia, Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation

North Korea shows off largest number of nuclear missiles

SEOUL — Nuclear-armed North Korea showcased its missile production muscle during a nighttime parade, state media reported on Thursday (Feb 9), displaying more intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) than ever before and hinting at a new solid-fuel weapon. North Korea held the widely anticipated nighttime military parade in Pyongyang on Wednesday to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its army, state news agency KCNA said. Leader Kim Jong Un attended with his daughter, who is seen as playing a possible future leadership role in the hereditary dictatorship. Imagery released by state media showed as many as 11 Hwasong-17s, North Korea's largest ICBMs, which are suspected to have the range to strike nearly anywhere in the world with a nuclear warhead. "This is cumulatively m...

Military spending boost to give Poland largest army in EU

30Jan

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Defense Budget, Defense & Security

Military spending boost to give Poland largest army in EU

WARSAW Poland plans to raise the country's defense spending to 4% of its GDP, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday. "The war in Ukraine has made us arm ourselves even faster, which is why we will make an unprecedented effort: 4% of GDP for the Polish army, this year," Morawiecki told reporters. He said raising defense spending to their new target "could mean this will be the highest percentage ... of all NATO countries." Poland spent 2.4% of its GDP on the military in 2022 -- the third-highest percentage among NATO countries. The US spends 3.47% -- $822 billion -- on defense. Members of NATO are expected to reach spending at least 2% of GDP on defense by 2024. Between now and 2035, Warsaw plans to spend $100 billion on the military. It has already spent $10 billion on a...

Why Is Russia Recruiting Former Afghan Soldiers For Its War Against Ukraine? – Analysis

16Jan

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Defense Strategy and Capabilities, Defense & Security

Why Is Russia Recruiting Former Afghan Soldiers For Its War Against Ukraine? – Analysis

By The Jamestown Foundation According to multiple reports, Russia is recruiting Afghan security personnel, who were previously trained by the United States, for its war effort against Ukraine. The former Afghan elite commandos and soldiers are reportedly joining the Russian private military company known as the Wagner Group, a private mercenary force playing a prominent role in Moscow’s war against Ukraine—especially in the recent intense fighting around Bakhmut (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, December 27, 2022). Before its military withdrawal, which was completed in 2021, the US built and trained the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, spending almost $90 billion over the past 20 years. US Navy SEALs and the British Special Air Service handled most of the training for these...

Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Take Its Eye off Jihadi Terrorism in 2023

14Jan

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Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Take Its Eye off Jihadi Terrorism in 2023

By Katherine Zimmerman Neither al Qaeda nor the Islamic State threaten the U.S. homeland directly. Nor can their various affiliates strike the United States. A near-decade-long trend of localizing jihad has continued, ensuring that the Salafi-jihadi terrorism threat remains regional if present at all. Most al Qaeda and Islamic State groups are embroiled in local conflicts, many have not even attempted to target Americans, and those that have set their sights closer on U.S. diplomats or soldiers posted abroad. Yet even with rising threats to U.S. interests from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, to name a few, the United States can’t simply walk away from the fight against al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Counterterrorism operations have decimated al Qaeda’s and the Islamic State’s ...

Key Official Says US Must Not Overlook Al-Qaida, Islamic State

14Jan

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Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Key Official Says US Must Not Overlook Al-Qaida, Islamic State

WASHINGTON — For months the gaze of U.S. counterterrorism officials has been shifting, moving from scrutiny of foreign terrorist organizations to individuals in the United States seeking out ideologies to justify their use of violence. The most likely attackers, according to the government's most recent terrorism advisory, are lone actors or small groups motivated by a wide array of beliefs and personal grievances who pose a "persistent and lethal threat to the homeland." But while attacks like the May 2022 mass shooting that killed 10 Black shoppers in Buffalo, New York, continue to grab headlines and the attention of officials, the top U.S. counterterrorism official cautions that jihadi groups, such as al-Qaida and Islamic State, cannot be forgotten. "We have still got to be really ...

Questions answered about tracking classified documents

14Jan

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Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Questions answered about tracking classified documents

It depends on the level of classification. The revelations about the handling of classified documents involving President Joe Biden -- and previously former President Donald Trump -- have raised concerns about the procedures for keeping and tracking such records. ABC News spoke about the legal and other requirements with contributor John Cohen, a former Department of Homeland Security acting undersecretary for intelligence. Here are answers to some key questions: Is it unusual for a president or vice president to take documents home with them? No. According to experts, the White House security office makes arrangements to safely store classified documents securely at other locations such as residences. What is the process for turning over documents when a president or vice pres...

Connecticut Man Admits to Attempting to Travel to Fight for ISIS

14Jan

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Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Connecticut Man Admits to Attempting to Travel to Fight for ISIS

Kevin Iman McCormick, 29, of Hamden, pleaded guilty on January 12 in federal court to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to court documents and statements made in court, between August and October 2019, McCormick made several statements to others expressing a desire to travel to Syria and to fight for ISIS. In one conversation in October 2019, McCormick stated, “I gotta fight bro, because those people, Abu Masa and ISIL, they fought for me bro, I know it, I can feel it, in my heart. So it’s my time to fight . . . It just is what it is bro, it’s just my – it’s just my time to go bro.” When McCormick was asked to elaborate on where he would like to travel, McCormick responded, “I do...