In a new article for Defense News, he wonders aloud whether the next phase of the counterinsurgency in Iraq should be… bombing Iran’s oil refineries, in retaliation for Tehran’s support of Iraqi guerrillas.What does every war-fighting effort require? Fuel. In this instance, Iran has real vulnerabilities that the “overwhelming application of the air instrument” can [...]

read more....

It’s been one of the big mysteries of the ray gun world: How exactly did Raytheon manage to blow up a set of mortars — while using a laser that’s only a fraction of what’s considered battlefield strength? A company executive revealed the surprising answer in an interview with DANGER ROOM.
Read More…

read more....

WHEN Simón Bolívar, South America’s Venezuelan-born independence hero, wrote a constitution for the brand new country of Bolivia, it featured a lifetime president. So it should come as no surprise that Hugo Chávez, who claims to be a latter-day Bolívar, is proposing to let himself be re-elected indefinitely to his country’s presidency.
Read More…

read more....

August 16, 2007: Last month, the United States, fearing Japan was unable to keep American technology secrets, halted the shipment of parts needed to upgrade the Aegis radar in the Japanese destroyer Kongo. The upgrade would make the Kongo capable of firing U.S. anti-missile missiles. It all began last March, when it was discovered that [...]

read more....

The Navy goes to great lengths to conceal the design of its submarine propellers, but the aerial photo now on the Internet clearly shows the blades.
While he confirmed that the photo does show an Ohio-class hull, Lt. Cmdr. Chris Loundermon, submarine force public affairs officer, said it’s unclear what submarine is pictured.
Yes, that is an [...]

read more....

Iran backs a former enemy to combat American and pro-Western troops
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has accused Iran of not only supplying money, weapons and training to Shia militias in Iraq, but also accuses Tehran of supplying weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan. This would represent a reversal of Iran’s past relationship with [...]

read more....

The Bush administration’s plans to target the business dealings (IHT) of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the largest branch of the country’s armed services, set in motion what is expected to be a lively new round of diplomacy aimed at getting Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment program. The administration’s point man on Iran policy, Undersecretary R. [...]

read more....

JERUSALEM (AP) - The United States offered Israel an unprecedented $30 billion of military aid over 10 years on Thursday, bolstering its closest Mideast ally and ensuring the state’s military edge over its neighbors long into the future.
The package was meant in part to offset U.S. plans to offer Saudi Arabia advanced weapons and air [...]

read more....

Yet it is the prospect of Russia reactivating its cold war naval bases in Syria’s Tartus and Latakia ports which could have the most dramatic impact. By raising Syria’s stock in the region, analysts say such a move could further complicate western attempts to achieve settlements in Lebanon and Palestine. Defensive missile and surveillance systems [...]

read more....

Fueled by billions in oil wealth, it looks to reclaim the USSR’s status as a global military power.
Moscow - As a newly self-confident, oil-rich Russia teams up with China in joint military exercises Friday, it is moving to reclaim the former Soviet Union’s status as a global military power.
A seven-year, $200-billion rearmament plan signed by [...]

read more....

The Russian-Western relationship has hit rock-bottom. We’re not talking about a temporary spat any more. Following a succession of escalating tensions - Kosovo, disarmament, energy security, “frozen conflicts” in Eurasia, encroachments on American airspace - the partnership that the West and Russia have been trying to forge for 15 years is in a deep crisis.
Many [...]

read more....

The Pentagon believes China could be as little as three years away from the capability to disrupt U.S. military satellites during a conflict, one official said Tuesday.
A senior military commander said recent tests of anti-satellite weapons indicate China is racing to develop the ability to blind or destroy American satellites in orbit.
Read More…

read more....

Russian defense spending will increase by as much as 30% this year, following budget increases of 22% and 27% in 2005 and 2006. Cohen says that Russia is embarking on a five-year military modernization plan costing $189 billion. The program, announced by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Feb. 6, “includes new nuclear submarines; aircraft carriers; [...]

read more....

A new Cold war between Russia and the United States seems to be breaking out in all earnest. Who will be the ultimate victor in this war?
– (Karaganov) — It’s not a Cold war - just increasing competition between Russian and the USA, or between Russia and Europe. I think the competition between Russia and [...]

read more....

China’s historic first manned space mission narrowly averted disaster when ground control lost contact with the returning space capsule, China revealed for the first time Monday, four years later.
The communication blackout as the capsule re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere threatened a safe landing by astronaut Yang Liwei and forced ground control to use backup systems, Xinhua [...]

read more....

Intelligence data and ground activity add up to the presumption that Syria is planning a campaign of hit-and-run cross-border attacks against Israeli border patrols and positions in Golan and attempts to take hostages. OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Gad Eisenkott and senior officers briefed the prime minister on their preparations in anticipation of such attacks.
Read [...]

read more....

“The Chinese nationals were detained while photographing and recording video of a military complex in Arak city,” said the spokesman, Alireza Jamshidi, according to the news agency ISNA. Mr. Jamshidi said the two had entered the country at Kish Island, a resort island in southern Iran on the Persian Gulf.
Read More…
Iran Arrests 2 Chinese on [...]

read more....