ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Written by  Brian Kalman  exclusively for  SouthFront ; Brian Kalman is a management professional in the marine transportation industry. He was an officer in the US Navy for eleven years. He currently resides and works in the Caribbean. The first of two new Landing Ship Tank (LST) landing ships entered service with the Turkish Navy on April 22 nd  of this year. The  TCG Bayraktar  L-402 successfully completed Sea Acceptance Tests (SAT) and was delivered on April 14 th , with the official acceptance ceremony taking place a week later. The procurement of the new class of LST is just one element of the Turkish Navy’s ongoing amphibious fleet modernization program. In addition, the first Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD),  TCG Anadolu  L-400, is under construction, with a planned commissioning date in 2020. A New Breed of LST The  Bayraktar  class LST was designed, built and commissioned in a period of just 46 months. The second vessel in class,  TCG Sancaktar  L-403 is on schedule

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Weston A. Mohr The US Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has started carrying out airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq from the Persian Gulf, the US Navy said in a press release on Monday. “ The first aircraft launched from USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147. Accompanying Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 squadrons, part of that first flight include the “Black Knights” of VFA-154, the “Blue Diamonds” of VFA-146, the “Death Rattlers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, and the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121. “For the Nimitz Strike Group, today is game day,” said Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of CSG-11. “When you hear the roar of the jets today it is for real. It’s game on. Our pilots and aircrew are demonstrating our continued commitment to this region and all of our partner nations.” Byrne credited t

Recently, the media’s attention focused on the crisis in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. administration provoked a conflict between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and their allies with Qatar, by receiving large-scale defense orders from both sides and then becoming a neutral arbitrator. The media also focused on the situation in Syria and Iraq, on the imminent change of power in Algeria, and on the confrontation between the countries of the Horn of Africa. As a result, the media has been fully distracted from the events in Libya. Meanwhile, the situation in Libya is unfolding, affecting not only its regional players but also the U.S. and the E.U. This article considers current events in the country, basing its analysis on materials of the Institute of Middle East expert, A. Bystrov. Money for a barrel The House of Representatives of Libya – the parliament sitting in the east of the country – made a recent announcement regarding its decision to withdraw from the agreement on the form