ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

It’s clear that major world powers closely monitor the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces’ (VKO) activity in Syria. One of these major powers is China. Follwoing Chinese diplomatic actions and media coverage over the topic we could concluse that China noted that the US-led anti-ISIS ccoalition hadn’t achieved any substantial result, most of the anti-Assad forces had been already merged mainly by ISIS and al Nusra. Thus, China provides deliberate diplomatic support and deeply analyzes the Russian military actions in the region. There are crucial conclusions made by Chinese experts and media: First is the Russian air grouping in the Hmeymim airbase includes both old and new types of the aircrafts and helicopters. Their actual number and capabilities won’t allow successfully exercise operations against terrorists in Iraq. Second is upgrated Soviet weapons and military equipment could be very effective in the contemporary military conflicts. Moreover, the Russian space-based satellite naviga...

Josh Begley This is a labyrinth with 12 entrances and no exit. It is built on a cache of documents provided toThe Intercept by a source within the intelligence community. DRONES ARE A TOOL, not a policy. The policy is assassination. While every president since Gerald Ford has upheld an executive order banning assassinations by U.S. personnel, Congress has avoided legislating the issue or even defining the word “assassination.” This has allowed proponents of the drone wars to rebrand assassinations with more palatable characterizations, such as the term du jour, “targeted killings.” When the Obama administration has discussed drone strikes publicly, it has offered assurances that such operations are a more precise alternative to boots on the ground and are authorized only when an “imminent” threat is present and there is “near certainty” that the intended target will be eliminated. Those terms, however, appear to have been bluntly redefined to bear almost no resemblance to t...

So China is building these artificial islands in the Pacific and claim now full ownership of everything in the area. Well that doesn’t sit very well with the surrounding countries including the US. China has now vowed to repeal any intruders with force even if it’s an US Warship. We always talk about how a simple event will ignite world war 3 and I believe that this is one of these situations. Who cares about a small group of islands but the tension between China and the surrounding countries could lead to a fatal decision. If they attack a US warship this might be the trigger. With Russia fully back on the international table and confident in it’s ability, the middle eastern in full warfare, China reaching a level to battle US forces, this might be it. This is like history repeats itself. In WW2 the main theater was in Europe and it was not until end of 1941 when the Pacific theater was in full effect. Today we have the Middle Eastern Theater in full warfare and the island event c...

Original published by tvc.ru ; translated from Russian by J.Hawk Prince Mukhammad ibn Salman, Saudi Arabia’s minister of defense, has just finished his visit to Moscow. He met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Their discussions concerned the situation in Syria. The prince once again confirmed Riyadh will continue to support Syria’s opposition. Moscow, in turn, warned that arming the islamists wold be unacceptable, according to Igor Korotchenko, an expert on military issues. Igor Korotchenko, the chief director of the National Defense journal discussed the situation in Syria and in the Middle East with the TV Tsentr anchor Aleksey Frolov. –Saudi Arabia is mainly worried that Iran is becoming stronger. The two countries traditionally view one another as competitors over influence over the region. The Saudis are seriously concerned about the consequences of Russia’s intervention in the region–will it lead to the strengthening of Hezbollah, Iran, the Revolutionary Guard Corps both in Syr...

ISIL Toyotas Are No Mystery Amid US Support for ‘Moderate’ Rebels © REUTERS/ Stringer The ‘mysterious’ mass use of Toyota Hilux pickup trucks is no real mystery considering US support for Syrian rebel factions and the proportion of arms ending up in al-Qaeda’s hands, head of the Ron Paul Institute Daniel McAdams told Radio Sputnik. The finding of widespread Toyota truck use by ISIL is no real mystery considering revelations that 60 to 80 percent of US aid to moderate rebels ends up in the hands of the group, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity Daniel McAdams told Radio Sputnik. An April 2014 report run by NPR praising the Toyota Hilux’ use in warfare showed that the US State Department recently delivered 43 Toyota trucks to the free Syrian army. As much as 60 to 80 percent of US arms sent to Syria haven ended up in the arms of al-Qaeda and its affiliates, Joshua Landis, Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, told AP on Saturday. “I think the real ...

Second Time Lucky? France Says It Is Ready to Sell New Ships to Russia © AFP 2015/ POOL / STEPHANE MAHE French president Francois Hollande says Paris is looking to sell new ships to Russia; the announcement comes after France cancelled a long-standing deal for Mistral-class helicopter carriers originally built for Russia, eventually re-selling the warships to Egypt. France is looking to sell new ships to Russia in the future, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday during his visit to the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire in western France. “Things went well with Russia, which has agreed to cancel the contract. And I even think we’ll get partnerships for new ships,” Hollande said. He didn’t specify whether they would be military ships. Neither did he say if Russia is willing to buy anything from France in the future. The French president came aboard one of the warships, originally named the Vladivostok, in reference to the Russian port. The inscription on the hull has been erased an...

CH-4 GT at China Defense Forum This CH-4 drone is carrying two satellite guided bombs on its inner pylons, and two Blue Arrow 7/9 anti-tank missiles on the outer pylons. The CH-4's electro-optical sensor turret is retracted in flight, under the fuselage, to reduce drag. Iraq's Ministry of Defense released an October 2015 video showing an ALIT CH-4 drone taxiing on an Iraqi runway, with two AR-1/HJ-10 antitank missiles (similar to the U.S Hellfire in terms of performance), in preparations for launch airstrikes against ISIL terrorists. Iraq has apparently taken delivery of several CH-4 armed drones in early 2015, spurred on battlefield reversals in Mosul and Ramadi to ISIL. In addition to a high-ranking Iraqi general overseeing drone operations, there appear to be Chinese support crew visible in the video's background. Inspection Iraqi Ministry of Defense An Iraqi general inspects a HJ-10 anti-tank missile mounted on a CH-4 drone. The HJ-10, like the Hellfire missile, is a ...