In May of 2010, the Obama administration lifted the veil of secrecy over America's stockpile of nuclear weapons dating back to the Manhattan project, replacing the educated guesses and conjecture of experts with a real number of warheads: 5,113. The revelation confirmed the suspicions of many experts, and showed the U.S. was maintaining far fewer nuclear weapons than it had … [Read more…]
Ukraine claims to capture Russian assassins attempting to kill spy
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the country's chief counterintelligence and counterterrorism agency, announced Wednesday that it captured a Russian intelligence "hit squad" attempting an assassination on Ukrainian soil. According to reports, the intended target was a Ukrainian military spy. The alleged Russian-led team attempted to plant a bomb beneath the car of its … [Read more…]
Air Force secretary says US may demonstrate space weapons to deter opponents
As the United States invests in new technologies aimed at defending its orbital assets against attack from foreign nations, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson now claims in no uncertain terms the United States intends to field weapons in Earth orbit. While doing so would be a direct violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, of which the United States is a signatory … [Read more…]
US formally requests extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after British police take him into custody
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was taken into custody by British police Thursday morning after spending seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Shortly after his arrest, footage appeared on social media sites showing the bearded Assange being forcefully removed from the embassy. BREAK: Full @Ruptly video of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s arrest by … [Read more…]
Russia may scrap its only aircraft carrier to avoid the embarrassment of towing it around the globe
Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the long-troubled Admiral Kuznetsov, has long been seen as a bit of an embarrassment for the Kremlin, which fancies itself the world's alternative to America's brand of Western geopolitical leadership. Now, however, the Russian government is faced with a far more embarrassing possibility than a simple breakdown: having to tow the damaged carrier … [Read more…]
White House labels Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terror group: What exactly does that mean?
The Trump administration made headlines all over the world Monday with the announcement the U.S. government has designated Iran's elite military unit known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "foreign terrorist organization." While this specific designation has been discussed a number of times in the past, many media outlets have pointed out this could be seen … [Read more…]
Psychic Special Forces: Russia claims to be training special operators with psychic powers — we’re not kidding
A report published last month in the Russian Defense Ministry's official newsletter, Armeisky Sbornik (Army Collection), makes some unusual claims about the special capabilities the Kremlin's elite soldiers take with them into the fight. While America may tout the extensive training and advanced technology employed by its own elite special operations units, Russia (which … [Read more…]
The Russians flew a spy plane over Area 51 last week
Although tensions between the United States and Russia have increased in recent years due in large part to Russian disinformation and espionage operations the world over, these two nations still maintain a number of security-centric treaties meant to diffuse the possibility of open war. Some of these treaties have been very publicly tossed aside in recent months, but others, … [Read more…]
Is Trump diplomacy working? NATO allies to pay for huge US base
In a most unanticipated decision, NATO member states have decided to finance the construction of a huge military storage site for U.S. military hardware in Poland. The project, which is the largest of its kind in recent history, will include storage for tanks, armored personnel carriers, general utility vehicles, artillery pieces, and other materiel. Its purpose is to serve as … [Read more…]
One’s weapons embargo is another’s gain: How a German arms embargo benefits the US
The German parliament has passed a motion that extends an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia until September. German lawmakers cited the ongoing civil war in Yemen and the murder of U.S-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi for the decision. The previous embargo, which was activated last October after the vicious murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, was set to expire … [Read more…]
Aid workers to train and work alongside SEAL Team 6?
Since the Vietnam War, the United States government has experimented with embedding development workers within military and intelligence teams to advance its work in counterinsurgency (COIN) missions with programs such as Civil Operations and Rural Development Support (CORDS) and Phoenix. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has always led the charge … [Read more…]
China says US media is lying about why Pacific nations want the F-35
China's aggressive claims of sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea have put the nation at odds with many of its Pacific neighbors, many of whom have conflicting claims over portions of the waterway. International law permits the navigation of waterways outside of about 12 nautical miles from a nation's shore and awards exclusive economic rights to the sea … [Read more…]