ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The United States have deployed an aircraft that specializes in detecting nuclear fallout to the Korean peninsula, leading many to predict that they are expecting a possible nuclear attack from North Korea. The WC-135 Constant Phoenix, known colloquially as a 'nuke sniffer' was dispatched to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan over the weekend amidst rising tension between the U.S and North Korea. Missile and nuclear testing from North Korea and the deployment of troops and recourses from the United States close to the North Korean border have increased tension in the are over recent months. The most recent development being Kim Jong Un's threat to turn the sky between the North and Sout into a 'sea of fire'. In other words a thinly veiled threat to fire North Korea's extensive artillery batteries at the South and the American bases situated there.  At this stage, the actions of either side are seemingly aimed towards eliciting a reaction from th

According to the US Navy, a F/A-18E jet based on the US Carl Vinson aircraft carrier crashed near the Philippines. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A pilot flying an F/A-18E combat aircraft ejected safely from his cockpit on landing approach to the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and was recovered unharmed by a helicopter rescue crew, the US Navy said in a press release on Friday. "A pilot safely ejected and was quickly recovered by a helicopter assigned to [helicopter squadron] HSC-4 aboard USS Carl Vinson while conducting routine flight operations during a transit in the Celebes Sea," the release explained. © REUTERS/ YONHAP Heading Where? USS Carl Vinson Spotted Near Indonesia, Not Korean Peninsula The incident took place in the Celebes Sea in the western Pacific. The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia border the body of water. The distance from the Celebes Sea to the South Korean port of Busan is about 2300 miles. The incident occurred as the F/A-18E assigned to

By Finian Cunningham The "extraordinary" mobilization of bomber aircraft was reportedly acknowledged by China's foreign ministry, giving no further details. The general assumption is that China is taking a defensive position in case the US administration of President Donald Trump follows through on its repeated threats of carrying out pre-emptive strikes on North Korea's nuclear facilities. Traditionally an ally of the communist government in Pyongyang, Beijing is widely assumed to be protecting its junior partner by flexing a deterrence force against the US. China has openly urged the US to not take unilateral military action against North Korea over the latter's controversial nuclear program. Beijing has been calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, a crisis which seems to be intensifying following a dire warning this week from US Vice President Mike Pence that the "sword is ready," which was met with reciproc

A Taliban fighter mans a checkpoint in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, in 2010. AP file On Friday, fighters and suicide bombers of the Taliban movement stromed an Afghan army base in northern Afghanistan. Taliban members attacked the headquarters of the 209th Corps in the province of Balkh and army troops reportedly suffered high casualties. View image on Twitter  Follow Reuters World   ✔ @ReutersWorld BREAKING: Ongoing militant attack on Afghan military base kills dozens, probably more than 50 people: U.S. military spokesman 6:19 PM - 21 Apr 2017     79 79 Retweets     10 10 likes Clashes are still ongoing in the area.

FIILE IMAGE The Israeli Air Force has launched a missile strike on Syrian army positions in the province of Quneitra, the Russian state-run news agency Sputnik  reported , citing a Syrian military source. “Enemy warplanes of Israel launched two missiles from the occupied territory [Israeli-controlled Golan Heights] at 18:45 [local time] on one of the positions of our army. It caused material damage,” Sputnik quoted the source as saying, According to Sputnik, the missile strike took place when government forces were repelling a militant advance in the area. Earlier the Israeli Defense Forces announced that some “projectile” hit the Israeli-occupied territory from the area controlled by Syria. View image on Twitter  Follow IDF   ✔ @IDFSpokesperson Moments ago, a projectile was launched from Syria & hit an open area in the northern Golan Heights. No injuries have been reported. 4:17 PM - 21 Apr 2017     146 146 Retweets     131 131

Houthi forces and the Yemeni Republican Guard [loyal to former president Abdullah Saleh] have conducted a series of attacks on positions of pro-Saudi forces [supporting figutive president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi] in the Midi desert in the Jizan area of Yemen. Houthi snipers reportedly killed two members of pro-Hadi forces. Houthi artillery units shelled Saudi forces positions in the desert of Midi wounding a number of Saudi soldiers. Separately, the Houthi targeted Saudi positions in Al-Aysh and Al-Alyb in Jizan. Houthis also used rockets to shell a gathering of Saudi soldiers in Al-Sudais in Jizan. The Houthis’ media wing has published a video [ link ] of an ambush carried out by Houthi fighters against a group of pro-Hadi and Saudi soldiers in the Habs mountain in Jizan. Over 7 Saudi soldiers were wounded or killed after being hit by IEDs planted by the Houthis. The Saudi Air Force continues its bombing campaign targeting military targets and civilian areas across Yemen. S