Tag: Defense

US warships conduct exercises in South China Sea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US aircraft carrier group sailed into the South China Sea on a so-called “freedom of navigation” exercise, the first routine operation in the region under new President Joe Biden. Led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the carrier strike group entered the area Saturday, the US Indo-Pacific Command said, the same day Taiwan reported multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown into its air defense zone. “It’s great to be […]

Pres. Duterte says he wants to buy more new choppers, decommission old ones after fatal crash

  (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte said he wanted to completely decommission all Huey helicopters in the Philippine Air Force’s inventory because of their frequent involvement in fatal crashes. He also said that he wanted to procure six or seven new helicopters for the Air Force in light of the recent chopper crashes that had killed soldiers, and injured several more including top police officers among them former Philippine National Police chief Archie Gamboa […]

N Korea’s Kim pledges to strengthen defence capabilities: KCNA

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Nuclear-armed North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un vowed to strengthen its military capabilities at a key ruling party meeting, state media reported Thursday, just weeks before Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president. In his work report to the Workers’ Party congress Kim pledged to place “the state defense capabilities on a much higher level, and put forth goals for realizing it”, the official Korean Central News Agency said. After an […]

US gov’t turns over P1.4-B worth of defense equipment, including anti-IED devices, to PHL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrYZK1NLxEE&feature=youtu.be (Eagle News) — Some P1.4 billion worth of weapons, including snipers and equipment against improvised explosive devices (IED), were turned over by the United States government to the Philippines as part of the U.S. military commitment to the country. Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller met with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. on December 8. Miller announced the recent transfer of Php1.4 billion […]

US stresses alliance with PHL in turn-over of $18M worth of precision-guided weapons

Trump’s Nat’l Security Advisor says US welcomes Duterte’s extension of VFA   (Eagle News) — US President Donald Trump’s national security advisor Robert O’Brien visited the country Monday, Nov. 23, to assure the continuing commitment of the United States to its alliance with the Philippines as he turned over some $18 million worth of precision guided munitions (PGMs) and other defense articles as a symbol of that commitment. The PGMs, also known as smart bombs, […]

Japan, Vietnam boost defense ties as South China Sea tensions mount

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Japan and Vietnam agreed to step up security and defence cooperation Monday, reaching an agreement in principle for Tokyo to export defense equipment and technology to the Southeast Asian nation. The deal comes as concerns mount over China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea, with Beijing expanding its military presence in the region. The pact would allow Japan to export equipment, likely including patrol planes and radar, to Vietnam, […]

After White House, Covid-19 breaches Pentagon

  by Sylvie LANTEAUME Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US commander-in-chief has Covid-19 and the top military brass are isolating as the coronavirus pandemic takes a toll on the national security establishment of the most powerful nation in the world. As Covid-19 breached the walls of the Pentagon, the Defense Department was quick to stress on Tuesday that there had been “no change to the operational readiness or mission capability of […]

US warship sails near disputed islands in tense South China Sea

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — An American warship sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the US Navy has said, challenging Beijing’s claims on the resource-rich waterway and prompting a warning from the Chinese military. The Thursday operation came a day after China fired ballistic missiles into the sea as part of ongoing live-fire exercises, inflaming already high tensions between Washington and Beijing. The US regularly conduct “freedom of navigation operations” […]

Pentagon slams Chinese missile launches in South China Sea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Defense Department said Thursday that Chinese test launches of ballistic missiles in the South China Sea were threatening peace and security in the region. Confirming reports that Beijing’s forces launched as many as four ballistic missiles during military exercises around the Paracel islands, the Pentagon said the move called into question China’s 2002 commitment to avoiding provocative activities. China’s “actions, including missile tests, further destabilize the situation in […]

PHL defense chief says China fabricating sea claims over PHL maritime territory

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — China’s “nine-dash line” used to claim most of the South China Sea is a fabrication, the Philippine defence minister said, as he accused Beijing of illegally occupying Filipino maritime territory. The remarks late Sunday come amid a fresh row between Manila and Beijing over the disputed Scarborough shoal, which has long been a flashpoint between the two countries. The Philippine foreign ministry last week lodged a diplomatic protest over what it […]

India uses arrival of new fighter jets to warn China

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — The first five Rafale fighter jets bought from France in a multi-billion-dollar deal landed in India on Wednesday and the defense minister used their arrival to launch a veiled warning to neighboring China over territorial tensions. A water-cannon guard of honor greeted the five jets when they landed at the Ambala air base in Haryana state. An intense nationwide spotlight on the combat jets has been sharpened by a deadly […]

South Korea’s first military satellite launched

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s first-ever military communications satellite has been successfully launched by private operator SpaceX, Seoul said Tuesday, as it looks to build up its defense capabilities. The ANASIS-II is intended to enhance the South’s ability to defend itself against the nuclear-armed North, which invaded in 1950. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said […]