Pentagon chief outlines reforms reflecting new global threats
Washington (AFP) April 5, 2016 -
Defense Secretary Ash Carter outlined Tuesday several broad changes he envisions to make the Pentagon more efficient in combating global threats such as the Islamic State group.
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, Carter suggested updates to parts of the Goldwater-Nichols Act, a sweeping 1986 Pentagon reform law that restructured America's ...
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Qaeda in Syria confirms death of spokesman
Beirut (AFP) April 6, 2016 -
Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate confirmed on Wednesday the death of its spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri in a US air strike earlier this week.
In a statement circulated on Twitter, Al-Nusra Front said Suri and other members "were killed during a Crusader (Western) air strike... on April 3, 2016."
It said the raid had hit a training camp, but did not specify where in Syria.
On Monday, the Pent ...
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Navy funds Boeing procurement of P-8A Poseidon components
Washington (UPI) Apr 6, 2016 -
The U.S. Navy is awarding Boeing a contract modification for acquisition of long-lead items for the manufacture and delivery of P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
The Department of Defense said the modification to a previously awarded P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft advance acquisition contract - N00019-14-C-0067 – is worth $235,273,721 million.
The long-lead items to be procured by ...
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Obama: Destroying IS group my 'top priority'
Washington (AFP) April 6, 2016 -
US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that destroying the Islamic State (IS) group remains his "top priority" at a time when the jihadist group continues to lose ground in Iraq and Syria.
"We continue to take on their leadership, their financial networks, their infrastructure," Obama said at a meeting with senior military officials in the White House.
"We are going to squeeze them and w ...
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Netanyahu looks to changing Africa for new Israeli allies
Jerusalem (AFP) April 6, 2016 -
Four decades after his brother was killed during a rescue operation in Uganda, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embarking on an African mission of his own - but with very different aims.
Galvanised by a growing demand for Israeli security assistance and his government's search for new allies, Netanyahu has put a fresh focus on improving ties with African nations.
Part of his ...
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Qatari royal freed by Iraq kidnappers
Doha (AFP) April 6, 2016 -
A member of the Qatari royal family has been released by kidnappers in Iraq nearly four months after being taken captive while on a hunting trip, Qatar said Wednesday.
A Pakistani national was also released, the Qatari foreign ministry said.
The pair, who have not been named, were among more than 20 people abducted from a desert hunting party close to the Saudi border last December.
...
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Sagem supplying Patroller drones to French Army
Montlocon, France (UPI) Apr 6, 2016 -
Sagem's Patroller unmanned aerial vehicle has been chosen for the French Army's tactical drone system program.
A total of 14 Patroller UAVs will be supplied to the French Army, which is to begin replacing its Sperwer tactical drones in 2018.
The Tactical Drone System program is under the contracting authority of DGA, the French military procurement agency.
"The French Mini ...
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Japan PM defends US military alliance in rebuff to Trump
Tokyo (AFP) April 6, 2016 -
US military bases remain essential to Japan's security, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in an interview Wednesday, as he brushed off comments by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that Tokyo should be left to defend itself.
Japan's alliance with Washington has been the bedrock of its defence since the end of World War II, and the country still hosts 47,000 US troops.
"I canno ...
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South Korea launches guided-missile submarine
Seoul (UPI) Apr 6, 2016 -
South Korea's Navy has launched a new Type 214-class attack submarine built by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The Hong Beom-do, a 1,800-ton diesel-electric vessel, is the seventh Type 214 submarine in the Korean Navy, which designates Type 214s as Son Won-il-class ships.
"With its capacity to launch precision attacks on warships, submarines or any other land-based targets, the Hong Be ...
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Record-breaking steel could be used for body armor, shields for satellites
San Diego CA (SPX) Apr 06, 2016 -
A team of engineers has developed and tested a type of steel with a record-breaking ability to withstand an impact without deforming permanently. The new steel alloy could be used in a wide range of applications, from drill bits, to body armor for soldiers, to meteor-resistant casings for satellites.
The material is an amorphous steel alloy, a promising subclass of steel alloys made of arr ...
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Atlas V OA-6 Anomaly Status
Centennial CO (SPX) Apr 05, 2016 -
ULA successfully launched and deployed the OA-6 Cygnus spacecraft to its desired orbit on Tuesday, March 22. During the launch, the system experienced a premature first stage shutdown. The first stage cut-off occurred approximately 6 seconds early; however the Centaur automatically compensated by burning longer.
The robustness of the system achieved mission success, delivering Cygnus to a ...
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Thales, Airbus DS tapped for French military maps
Paris (UPI) Apr 5, 2016 -
A consortium of Thales and Airbus Defense and Space is to supply digital geographic data on a range of scales to the French Ministry of Defense.
The data for the ministry's database will mainly be based on images taken by Pleiades satellites and will enhance the accuracy of maps.
"Thales is a trusted partner to the military and security industry," said Jean-Michel Lagarde, Thales ...
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China demonstrates strong commitment to nuclear security
New York NY (XNA) Apr 07, 2016 -
China has demonstrated its strong commitment to enhancing nuclear security culture for the whole world, said Kim Won-soo, UN under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs, on Tuesday.
Coming back from the fourth and the last Nuclear Security Summit, which concluded over the weekend in Washington, Kim said that throughout the process, China has made important contr ...
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Pyongyang likely to deploy multiple launch rocket systems in late 2016
Moscow (Sputnik) Apr 07, 2016 -
North Korea is likely to deploy a large-caliber multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) late this year, having completed the development of the weapon, South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Wednesday.
Last month, Pyongyang announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had inspected the final test fire of the 300-millimeter caliber rockets, which are equipped with an accurate guidanc ...
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China opens new lighthouse on contested South China Sea reef
Beijing (AFP) April 6, 2016 -
China has expanded its presence in the contested South China Sea by switching on a lighthouse atop a reconstructed reef also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines, state media said.
The 55-meter-high (180-foot) facility on Subi Reef in the Spratly chain contains technology to monitor passing ships, the official Xinhua news agency reported late Tuesday.
China claims virtually all the Sou ...
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Boeing wins $275M Air Force contract for space superiority capabilities
Washington (UPI) Apr 6, 2016 -
Boeing's Directed Energy and Strategic Systems business has won a $275 million U.S. Air Force award to advance ground-based space superiority capabilities.
The contract is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract issued by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, the Department of Defense said in reporting the award.
Under terms of th ...
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