Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
December 25, 2023
MISSILE DEFENSE
Japan to send Patriot missiles to US as stocks dwindle



Tokyo (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
Japan loosened arms export controls Friday to enable it to sell domestically made Patriot missiles to the United States, which is seeking to stock up after sending the weapon systems to Ukraine. Washington has supplied Kyiv with the highly-effective Patriot air defence systems as part of the massive Western military aid effort to help President Volodymyr Zelensky's country fight back against Russia's invasion. "We welcome the Government of Japan's announcement today that it will transfer Patriot ... read more

NUKEWARS
S. Korea says warship named for torpedoed vessel begins new mission
Seoul (AFP) Dec 23, 2023
A South Korean vessel named after a warship torpedoed by Pyongyang in 2010 resulting in the deaths of 46 sailors began a new mission with "unbeatable combat readiness", Seoul's military said Saturday. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Turkish parliament resumes debate Tuesday on Sweden NATO bid
Ankara (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
The Turkish parliament will on Tuesday resume debate on approving Sweden's request to join NATO, which has been on hold since May last year. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
Niger's partners fill void left after French exit
Niamey, Niger (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
The diplomatic isolation of Niger's junta is easing as the West African country's partners start filling the void left by its former ruler France, whose last soldiers left on Friday. ... more
AEROSPACE
Dutch prepare delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine
The Hague (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
The Netherlands announced Friday it was preparing delivery of 18 of the American-made F-16 combat jets pledged to Ukraine, at a moment when Kyiv is under pressure on all fronts. ... more
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WAR REPORT


Nowhere safe in Gaza, UN says after Israeli evacuation order

THE STANS
Turkey says six soldiers killed in PKK strike in Iraq
Ankara (AFP) Dec 23, 2023
Six Turkish soldiers were killed and one wounded when their base in northern Iraq was attacked by members of a Kurdish party outlawed by Ankara, the defence ministry said Saturday. ... more
WAR REPORT
IDF says it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after attack
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 22, 2023
Israel Defense Forces said it attacked Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after they fired nearly two dozen rockets into Israel on Friday, threatening to expand the current Israel-Gaza war. ... more
MILPLEX
Japan approves record $56 bn defence budget; Export controls eases for US sales
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
Japan approved Friday a record defence budget worth $56 billion for the next fiscal year, as tensions rise with China and North Korea. ... more
WAR REPORT
UN again delays Gaza resolution vote, but U.S. says council now has one it supports
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 22, 2023
The United Nations Security Council has again delayed a vote on a resolution calling for a halt in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but the United States said that following a week of negations they now have a motion it can support. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Top US, China military officers speak for first time in a year
Washington (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Top US military officer General Charles "CQ" Brown spoke with China's General Liu Zhenli on Thursday, a spokesman said, after a more than year-long halt to high-level defense talks between the two countries. ... more

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NUKEWARS


New North Korean nuclear reactor appears to be operational: IAEA

MISSILE NEWS
N. Korea's 'reckless' missile launches need 'robust' global response: G7
Berlin (AFP) Dec 19, 2023
World powers said Tuesday that the international community needed a firm and unified response to North Korea's "reckless" nuclear build-up and missile launches. ... more
WAR REPORT
Hamas says no hostage releases unless Israel stops attacks
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 21, 2023
Hamas appeared to dash any hopes of a second humanitarian cease-fire on Thursday after stating that there was no hostages-for-prisoners swap until Israel agrees to end its military operation in Gaza. ... more
ROBO SPACE
OpenAI releases guidelines to gauge 'catastrophic risks' of AI
New York (AFP) Dec 19, 2023
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI published Monday its newest guidelines for gauging "catastrophic risks" from artificial intelligence in models currently being developed. ... more
AEROSPACE
Rep. James Comer asks Pentagon for details on grounded Osprey aircraft
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 21, 2023
Rep. James Comer on Thursday asked the Defense Department to give the House Oversight Committee documents on the Osprey aircraft after a fatal crash late last month. ... more
TAIWAN NEWS
Taiwan accuses China of 'economic coercion' over tariffs move
Taipei (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Taiwan accused China on Thursday of election interference and deploying "classic economic coercion" after Beijing slapped fresh tariffs on certain products from the island in a retaliatory trade measure. ... more
FLOATING STEEL


China urges Philippines to make 'rational choice' over maritime tensions

IRAQ WARS
Dollar restrictions weigh on Iraq daily life
Basra, Iraq (AFP) Dec 17, 2023
In Iraq's southern city of Basra, Al-Harith Hassan has been struggling to withdraw his salary in dollars for months as the government tries to curb the country's addiction to US currency. ... more
MISSILE DEFENSE
Japan to ease arms export controls allowing PAC3 sale to US: official
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 22, 2023
Japan is set to loosen arms export controls Friday, for the first time in nearly a decade, a move that would enable the US ally to sell domestically made Patriot missile defence systems to Washington, an official said. ... more
TERROR WARS
On anniversary of Lockerbie bombing, Joe Biden says 'pursuit of justice' continues
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 21, 2023
Thirty-five years after a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103 killed more than 270 people in Scotland, President Joe Biden said the United States will never waiver in its efforts to bring to justice the terrorists responsible for the attack. ... more
AFRICA NEWS
Separatist Tuaregs announce blockade in northern Mali
Bamako (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
Separatist Tuareg forces on Wednesday announced they had set up a blockade of the major roads in northern Mali, where the army has made gains in recent weeks. ... more
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong unionist jailed for taking sister's phone, laptop before search
Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
A veteran unionist in Hong Kong was jailed Thursday for six months for "perverting the course of justice" by removing a phone and laptop from her sister's residence before a police search to investigate a national security offence. ... more
SUPERPOWERS
Ex-US Marine says he feels abandoned in Russian prison
London (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Former US Marine Paul Whelan says he feels "abandoned" and betrayed by his country after being imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, the BBC said in an interview published Wednesday. ... more
WAR REPORT
More clashes in Myanmar's Rakhine state
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Myanmar's military has called in air strikes and naval bombardments against an ethnic minority armed group on an island hosting a planned billion-dollar China-backed deep sea port, the group and local media said. ... more
TERROR WARS
U.S. announces charges against alleged Hezbollah member in 1994 bombing
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 20, 2023
An alleged member of Hezbollah is facing terrorism charges for allegedly helping plan a bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994. ... more
WAR REPORT
Amnesty demands probe into Gaza 'enforced disappearances'
Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Amnesty International on Wednesday called for an urgent probe into Israel's "enforced disappearance" of Palestinian detainees from Gaza, following reports of deaths in military detention centres. ... more
TECH SPACE
Shining a light on NASA's deep space laser communication test
Paris (ESA) Dec 22, 2023
NASA's Psyche mission launched on 13 October 2023 on a journey to explore what could be the exposed metallic core of an ancient planet. Riding along on board the Psyche spacecraft is an additi ... more
SPACEWAR
What's next for the UK National Space Strategy?
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 22, 2023
On 12 December, the MoD held its Defence Space Conference in London, organised by the Air and Space Power Association. Several armed forces leaders, industry executives and academics gathered at the ... more
NUKEWARS
N. Korea's Kim warns of 'nuclear attack' if 'provoked' with nukes
Seoul (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned Pyongyang will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if "provoked with nukes", state media said Thursday, while Seoul and its allies called for "dialogue without preconditions". ... more
UAV NEWS
Canada to buy armed drones for Can$2.5 bln
Ottawa (AFP) Dec 19, 2023
Canada's government said Tuesday it will buy 11 armed drones from US manufacturer General Atomics for foreign military deployments as well as coastal monitoring and disaster relief. ... more
FLOATING STEEL
China urges Philippines to make 'rational choice' over maritime tensions
Beijing (AFP) Dec 21, 2023
China on Thursday warned the Philippines to "make the rational choice" following Manila's recent efforts to challenge Beijing's South China Sea claims. ... more
CHIP TECH
Utility-Scale Quantum Program Advances Toward Prototyping
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2023
DARPA's Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program seeks to determine whether an underexplored approach to quantum computing can achieve utility-scale operation - mean ... more
WAR REPORT
U.N. Security Council again delays vote on Gaza cease-fire
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 21, 2021
The United Nations Security Council has again delayed a vote on a much-anticipated resolution concerning the war between Israel and Hamas to allow more time for diplomats to come to an agreement on language calling for a stop in the fighting. ... more
IRAQ WARS
US seeks Iraq's help to counter attacks on its troops
Baghdad (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
The United States wants to actively engage with Iraq to address a surge in attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria, a top US official said Wednesday in Baghdad. ... more
WAR REPORT
Ukraine neighbour Moldova receives airspace radar
Chisinau (AFP) Dec 20, 2023
Moldova has received a radar system to monitor its airspace, the defence ministry said Wednesday, as the country has seen repeated violations of its airspace by Russian missiles targeting Ukraine. ... more
WAR REPORT
Hamas leader visits Egypt amid talks for new cease-fire with Israel
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 20, 2023
The leader of Hamas arrived in Egypt Wednesday amid talks that seek another pause in the conflict with Israel as pressure built to free more hostages in Gaza, prevent further civilian casualties, and potentially deliver a broader cease-fire agreement that could ultimately end the war. ... more
WAR REPORT
On ground in Gaza, Israel says new military phase beginning
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 20, 2023
As Israeli forces hit more than 300 Gaza Strip targets over the past 24 hours, the head of IDF's Southern Command said Wednesday that the military is at "another significant phase of the offensive in new areas." ... more
DEMOCRACY
Senate approves remaining military promotions blocked by Sen. Tuberville
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 20, 2023
The U.S. Senate Tuesday evening unanimously confirmed the promotions of nearly a dozen military service members who remained blocked for months by Sen. Tommy Tuberville's protest against the military's abortion policies. ... more
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