ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) attending a live-fire drill by a North Korean artillery unit near the eastern border with South Korea Written by Daniel Lang; Originally appeared at SHTFplan.com By now most people are completely desensitized to stories involving North Korea. One can only hear about so many blustering threats, missile launches, and state sanctioned executions, before those incidents are no longer surprising. Over the years we’ve seen it all, and most folks don’t really pay much attention to what’s going on in the Hermit Kingdom. That’s unfortunate, because they’re not paying attention as the Trump administration inches towards war with North Korea. The first definite sign that the current administration was going to take a different approach to North Korea, was when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated emphatically last month that “all options are on the table.” “Let me be very clear. The policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range

The French Armed Forces are highly dependent on the An-124 heavy military transport aircraft. Unloading of French military equipment in N’Djamena (Chad) from the An-124 of the Antonov Airlines in the framework of Serval operation against militants in Mali, 2013 (Photo: French Defense Ministry) The article is based on this post by BMPD blog On March 28, French deputy Francois Cornut-Gentille presented a report, anxiously describing the situation with air transport means of the French Armed Forces, the Air&Cosmos magazine reported. According to the magazine, Cornut-Gentille claimed that there is a high dependence on Russia and Ukraine in this field. The report, which was presented at a hearing in the Finance Commission of the French National Assembly, noted that the French Armed Forces are heavily dependent on Russia and Ukraine , as well as on the An-124 heavy military transport aircraft, designed for strategic transportation. “It is a fact that Russians and Ukrainians control the

According to the Turkish President, the next stage of Operation Euphrates Shield will be conducted not only on the Syrian territory, but also in Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AFP) The next stages of the Euphrates Shield operation, which had been recently concluded , would be broader and in addition to Syria would include terrorist-held territories in Iraq, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, speaking to the Turkish NTV and Star networks. The Turkey’s leader described the military operation as the first stage of the country’s counterterrorism road map and added that expanded stages would follow. The future operation will have “not [only] a Syrian dimension, [but] also an Iraqi dimension. There are the Tal Afar and Sinjar situations [in Iraq]. We also have kin in Mosul [Turkmens],” the Anadolu news agency quoted Erdogan’s words. The Euphrates Shield operation was launched last August and carried out with support of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Th

By Pepe Escobar CENTCOM commander Army Gen. Joseph Votel channeled his full Dr. Strangelove in front of the US House Armed Services Committee this past Wednesday. "We need to look at opportunities where we can disrupt [Iran] through military means or other means." As Orwellian as our times may be, this still ranks as a declaration of war. With the inbuilt consequence of smashing to bits the UN nuclear deal struck with Iran in the summer of 2015. Joseph Strangelove did not bother to chainsaw his words. Iran is one of the greatest threats to the US today (Pentagon official doctrine; number four after Russia, China and North Korea). Iran has increased its "destabilizing role" and poses "the greatest long-term threat to stability" in the entire Middle East. Iran is sneaky; "I believe that Iran is operating in what I call a gray zone." And that’s "an area between normal competition between states — and it's just short of open conflict.&qu

Source: anadoluajansi.com Turkish President Recep Erdogan has announced that Ankara is now preparing new military operations in Syria. “We have completed the first phase of the Euphrates Shield Operation with the cleaning of Syria’s al-Bab from terrorists. It is now over and there will be [operations] from now on. Right now, we are preparing for new operations to walk all over terror organizations in other regions. We will give new names to new operations. We have very good surprises for all terror groups, including the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party], YPG [the People’s Protection Units], DEASH [ISIS], FETÖ [Fethullahist Terror Organization], waiting for the spring. With God’s will, the upcoming months will be the dead winter of terrorists while it will be the spring of Turkey and the Turkish nation,” Hurriyetdailynews quoted Erdogan’s statement on a rally in the province of Trabzon on Monday. Erdogan’s statement clearly shows that Turkey is not going to limit its military involve

T his map provides a general look at the military situation in Yemen on April 4, 2017. Click to see the full-size map

Syrian government forces have been developing an advance against ISIS terrorists along the Salamiyah-Palmyra highway in the province of Homs. Earlier this week, government troops captured the Abu Duhur Mountain west of the ash-Shair field. The advance was confirmed by the Syrian Defense Ministry. According to pro-government sources, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies are now aiming to capture the al-Mahr and ash-Shair areas. However, it is not clear how much government troops are really deployed for this task. So, all will depend on the ISIS ability to use their reinforcements in the area. Click to see the full-size map

Washington Post Makes Unfounded Claims Of Iranian Supplies To Insurgencies By Moon Of Alabama The Washington Post falls back into its 2005 mode of blaming Iran for the capabilities of a local insurgency. This time it is not Iraq where Iran is allegedly providing to insurgents, but Bahrain. Old and debunked claims are hauled up and propaganda from the U.S. proxy Sunni dictatorship is cited as "evidence". It is a top-right front-page story in the Sunday edition and thereby "important". It is also fake news. The headline: U.S. increasingly sees Iran’s hand in the arming of Bahraini militants .The core: The report, a copy of which was shown to The Washington Post, partly explains the growing unease among some Western intelligence officials over tiny Bahrain, a stalwart U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf and home to the Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Six years after the start of a peaceful Shiite protest movement against the country’s Sunni-led government, U.S. and European analysts now