South China Morning Post: Vostok 2018, Russia’s biggest war games in nearly 40 years involving almost 300,000 troops, over 1,000 military aircraft and two Russian naval fleets, took place from September 11 to 15 in Russia’s central and eastern military districts. What made it more exceptional is that it was attended by 3,200 troops with… read more
Defense News: WASHINGTON — In 1994, Jüri Luik helped lead negotiations with Russia on the withdrawal of troops from Estonia. Since that time, he has served in a variety of positions for the government in Tallinn, including stints as foreign and defense minister and as ambassador to NATO, the U.S. and Russia. His third stint… read more
Reuters: SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Tuesday his “historic” summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore stabilized regional security, and that he expected further progress at an inter-Korean summit aimed at reviving stalled nuclear diplomacy. Kim thanked South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in for bringing about the Singapore meeting… read more
Breaking Defense: Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), both oft-criticized and widely admired builder of America’s military satellites and missiles, will become part of a defense-wide Space Development Agency boasting “extraordinary authorities to move quickly and efficiently,” according to the Air Force plan for a Space Force. The other vital nugget in the… read more
Haaretz: Israeli security officials strongly denied on Thursday a report saying Saudi Arabia purchased Iron Dome missile defense systems from Israel. London-based Al-Khaleej Online, a website reporting on news from the Gulf, cited diplomatic sources who said the sale reflects a warming of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. There was no confirmation of the… read more
CNN: Washington (CNN)The US announced new sanctions against North Korea Thursday, taking aim at a Chinese company, its North Korean CEO and its Russia-based sister company. The two information technology companies are actually North Korean-controlled entities, the Treasury Department said in a statement Tuesday that accused the Russia-based company Volasys Silver Star, China-based China Silver Star… read more
Defense News: WASHINGTON — Estonia’s military is prioritizing the purchase of a midrange air defense system as the country seeks to plug a capability gap its defense minister called the result of a “total oversight” by NATO. During a Washington trip to attend Sen. John McCain’s funeral, Estonian Defence Minister Jüri Luik told Defense News… read more
Defense News: STOCKHOLM — The Swedish military can expect to see a sizable increase in its annual budget regardless of the composition of the new government that will be formed in the wake of parliamentary elections. All of the mainstream parties, including the ruling Social Democrats (SDP), the Moderates, the Center, Liberals and the Sweden… read more
Business Insider: US Air Force F-22 stealth fighters intercepted two Russian strategic bombers escorted by two fighter jets near Alaska on Tuesday, marking the second time Russia has done so in a month. Two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers, which are traditionally armed with a variety of air-launched cruise missiles, accompanied by Su-35 Flanker fighter jets… read more
The Diplomat: The United States and India continue to discuss New Delhi’s intended procurement of five regiments of Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defense systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) and Washington’s threat to impose economic sanctions on India should it proceed with the purchase of cutting-edge Russian military hardware. So far, they have not reached an agreement,… read more