Philippines Could Receive $2.5 Billion in Security Aid from U.S. Defense Bill
Read More »Tag: Tomahawk missiles
A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy +
Reuters reprint: A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy
Until recently, locals say, this smallest and least populous province of the Philippines was a peaceful backwater. But geography dictates that it is now on the frontline of the great power competition between the United States and China for dominance in the Asia-Pacific region. The islands sit on the southern edge of the Bashi Channel, a major shipping lane between the Philippines and Taiwan that connects the South China Sea with the Western Pacific.
This year’s exercises revealed how the U.S. and its Philippine ally intend to use ground-based anti-ship missiles as part of efforts to deny the Chinese navy access to the Western Pacific by making this waterway impassable in a conflict, Reuters reporting shows. These missiles could also be used to attack a Chinese fleet attempting to invade Taiwan or mount a blockade against the democratically governed island.
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Recent Chinese maneuvers show how access to the Bashi Channel is critical for Beijing’s plans in the Pacific. In June, a powerful Chinese navy aircraft carrier battle group used this passage to enter the Western Pacific before launching an extended series of exercises south of Japan, according to Japanese military tracking data.
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Read More »Future Global Order Pivots on Ukraine Proxy War
Russia’s gradual advance in the Donbass region appears to be forming an operational encirclement of Ukraine’s last major defensive line—its “fortress belt”—a development that could decide not only the fate of the war but also the shape of the emerging global order.
Related:
Russia’s Swift March Forward in Donbass [Pokrovsk is the prize]
🕊️💣 Artillery Diplomacy: Trump Sells “Peace” One Missile at a Time
Trump announces novel plan to send weapons to Ukraine and gives Russia new deadline to make peace
Whitaker, the US NATO envoy, said the immediate focus on shipping weapons to Ukraine was on defensive systems, like the Patriot batteries that can intercept Russian ballistic missiles. But he didn’t rule out providing offensive weapons.
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By selling weapons to European nations, rather than transferring them to Ukraine itself, Trump hopes to insulate himself from political criticism that he is reversing a campaign pledge to reduce the US role in the years-long war.
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US officials say they are still reviewing Ukraine’s weaponry wish list
U.S. officials say they are still sorting through Ukraine’s wish list of weaponry that it would like to receive from NATO members to determine what can be most quickly replaced after President Donald Trump announced an agreement for Europe to supply Ukraine with defensive munitions from existing stocks.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss arms transfers that have not yet been approved or completed, said Ukraine’s requests for materiel are roughly the same as they have been since the start of Russia’s invasion more than three years ago. Those include air defenses like Patriot missiles and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems, long range missile known as ATACMS and short- to medium-range ground-to-air missiles known as NASAMs, and assorted artillery, according to the officials.
Under the terms of the very rough agreement sketched out by Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte on Monday, NATO members would ship billions of dollars of these weapons to Ukraine and then purchase replacements for them from the United States.
One official said some of the larger items — such as Patriots— could take up to five years to produce to deliver to the European donors, while smaller munitions like 155mm artillery shells can be produced on a much shorter timeline
If U.S. Gives Ukraine Long-Range Missiles, What Besides JASSM-ER Could Hit moscow
According to numerous insider reports published by Western media, this package is likely to include some form of long-range weaponry. The new military aid package that Ukraine hopes to receive from the United States may include air-launched missiles, aerial bombs, and high-precision ground-launched missiles. The primary criterion for these weapons could be their ability to strike deep into the territory of the Russian Federation.
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The specifics remain unknown. Some sources mention “offensive missiles,” others claim these weapons will have the range to strike targets as far as Moscow. Still others explicitly state that they will be JASSM cruise missiles. All of these reports point to one clear requirement: the missiles must have a range of at least 500 km to reach Moscow from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine Is Getting a New Way to Receive U.S. Weapons. Here’s What We Know.
How much money will this earn the United States?
Generally, a single Patriot battery costs about $1 billion to build, depending on the model, and interceptor missiles cost about $3.7 million each. JASSMs sell for about $1.5 million each. And ATACMS cost at least $1 million or more per missile.
“This is billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment that’s going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO,” Mr. Trump said. “And that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
Aussies, US agree to joint intel center, co-production of GMLRS
Adding a new layer to their already extensive intelligence cooperation, Australia and the United States will create a new Combined Intelligence Center–Australia within Australia’s Defense Intelligence Organization by 2024.
Aussies, US agree to joint intel center, co-production of GMLRS
Indo-Pacific Command Seeks $3.5 Billion More Than Biden’s 2024 Budget
The command will likely get what it wants as Congress wants to expand the military buildup against China
Indo-Pacific Command Seeks $3.5 Billion More Than Biden’s 2024 Budget
[2019] America’s Dark History of Killing Its Own Troops With Cluster Munitions
The weapons are notorious for their effects on civilians. But five years of reporting and hundreds of interviews have revealed they’ve also killed and wounded scores of Americans.
America’s Dark History of Killing Its Own Troops With Cluster Munitions
Ukraine’s Appetite for Weapons Is Straining Western Stockpiles
“I think everyone now is sufficiently worried,” a NATO official said.
Ukraine’s Appetite for Weapons Is Straining Western Stockpiles (Archived)
Waiting on someone to run out, first. Doubt that it will be Russia.
To Protect Itself From U.S. Hostility Australia Decides To Buy U.S. Submarines
To Protect Itself From U.S. Hostility Australia Decides To Buy U.S. Submarines
Related:
Andrei Martyanov’s Thoughts on Future Australian Nuclear Subs
ANDREI MARTYANOV is an expert on Russian military and naval issues. He was born in Baku, USSR in 1963. He graduated from the Kirov Naval Red Banner Academy and served as an officer on the ships and staff position of Soviet Coast Guard through 1990. He took part in the events in the Caucasus which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In mid-1990s he moved to the United States where he currently works as Laboratory Director in a commercial aerospace group. He is a frequent blogger on the US Naval Institute Blog. He is author of Losing Military Supremacy, The (Real) Revolution in Military Affairs, and Disintegration: Indicators of the Coming American Collapse.
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Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 