China issues industry directories to enhance civil-military integration
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the government agency that oversees the development of the country's defence industry, issued directories to local companies on 10...
View ArticleUSAF chief calls for dialogue on Chinese ADIZ
Key Points The USAF's top uniformed official has called for dialogue with China over its newly established ADIZ Gen Mark Welsh said the ADIZ had to serve as a platform for dialogue so that mistakes and...
View ArticleUS House passes budget deal to ease sequestration's impact
Key Points The budget deal must now be passed by the Senate If enacted the legislation would raise caps for the discretionary 'national defence' budget authority to USD520.5 billion in FY 2014 and...
View ArticleSeoul warns of provocation threat after execution of Kim Jong-un's uncle
The execution of a key North Korean political figure could destabilise the Korean peninsula, officials in Seoul have said, and is a sign that the Kim family is closing ranks to strengthen the position...
View ArticleRussia accelerates Arctic militarisation
On 10 December Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced further Arctic militarisation, most importantly the bringing forward of the creation of an Arctic Group of...
View ArticlePoland seeks new modular vehicles to replace T-72 and BWP-1
The Polish Armament Inspectorate has launched two separate technical dialogues for next-generation combat vehicles, based on a universal modular tracked platform (UMPG). The UMPG-based vehicles are...
View ArticlePoland seeks Bergepanzer 2 upgrade
Poland has launched a programme to upgrade its 28 Bergepanzer 2 armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) to new variant called WZT-BPz(PL). The upgrade of the Bergepanzer 2s has become of increased importance...
View ArticleNATO looks towards military intelligence/OSINT fusion
NATO is looking to improve military intelligence fusion with open-source intelligence (OSINT) and define how future intelligence flows might be shared with NATO partner countries and civil...
View ArticleKarzai repeats materiel request on trip to Delhi
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has, yet again, asked India to provide materiel assistance to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) before the drawdown of US and NATO troops at the end of 2014. In...
View ArticleIranian military gets budget increase
The budget proposed by the government of newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rowhani shows a significant increase for the regular military (artesh), virtually no change for the Islamic Revolution...
View ArticleHagel visit looks to make progress in Pakistan
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Pakistan's civil and military leaders on 9 December, amid continuing tensions between the two countries over the closure of a crucial land-based supply route...
View ArticleFirst flight for Scorpion light strike jet
The Textron Airland Scorpion combat aircraft made its maiden flight from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, on 12 December. The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)/light...
View ArticleExelis to spin-off military and government services
Exelis Inc. announced plans on 12 December to spin-off most of its military and government services business - Exelis Mission Systems - by mid-2014 in order to focus on "higher-margin military and...
View ArticleEU nations urged to integrate security and military capabilities
The increasingly acute disjuncture between the European Union's (EU's) external and internal security policies and tools needs to be closed fast, says the Clingendael Institute, the Netherlands'...
View ArticleChina, Thailand embark on latest round of joint CT exercises
Thai and Chinese special forces have begun the latest in a continuing series of joint counter-terrorism (CT) training exercises that have become an important element in the gradually expanding...
View ArticleAustralian defence minister pledges no further defence cuts
Australia's Defence Minister David Johnston told the Australian Senate on 12 December that the Coalition government will make no further cuts to the defence budget. Johnston criticised the former Labor...
View ArticleUSAF says budget deal will mitigate readiness shortfall
Key Points The USAF will use relief funds made available through a new budget deal to increase readiness USAF officials said the money will ensure Red Flag and Weapons School classes continue over the...
View ArticleRussia bolsters western air defence capabilities
Russia has significantly bolstered its western air defence capability with the standing up of a new long-range radar system and the deployment of fighter aircraft to Belarus, state media disclosed on 9...
View ArticleLockheed Martin outlines industrial benefits of South Korea's F-35 selection
South Korea's expected purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters will be met with a wide-ranging defence offset programme that includes development assistance for the...
View ArticleDoD to regularly buy biofuel blends through Farm-to-Fleet programme
A joint venture between the US Navy (USN) and the Department of Agriculture, known as Farm-to-Fleet, will now make biofuel blends part of routine operational fuel purchases and use by the military,...
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