ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

On February 14, the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) destroyed 11 hideouts of ISIS cells in Sinai Peninsula, according to an official statement of Egyptian Army spokesman, Colonel Tamer Rifai. Moreover, Col. Rifai said that the Egyptian Army had discovered and destroyed two depots with hundreds of tons of TNT and C4 explosive materials, a radio network and over 219 hideouts and tunnels of ISIS cells in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian Army soldiers also captured 15 ISIS fighters as well as destroyed 6 vehicles and 17 motorcycle of the terrorist group on the same day, according to Col. Rifai’s official statement. The Egyptian Ministry of Defense also revealed that the Egyptian Army and security forces had established 563 new joint checkpoints in the secured areas of the Sinai Peninsula. So far, 6 wanted ISIS fighters including a commander had been arrested on the new joint checkpoints. Since the beginning of  the Egyptian Army military operation against ISIS  on February 9, the ISIS-lin

The media hysteria over the alleged mass casualties among alleged Russian private military contractors in Syria ( MORE HERE ) is developing further. On February 14, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)  released a report claiming  that “23 of the Russian security companies and members of al-Baqir Brigade [a pro-government militia]” had been killed in an explosion of the booby-trapped weapons depot at Tabiya Jazira in the province of Deir Ezzor. The SOHR argued that pro-government forces were in the area “to advance” on “the oil and gas fields on the eastern banks of Euphrates River”, i.e. the area controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Then, the SOHR’s head Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France-Presse that 15 of the 23 allegedly killed persons were Russians. “Fifteen Russians working for a Russian private security company were killed in an explosion at a weapons depot of the company in Tabiya Jazira in Deir Ezzor province,”  he said . The S

Written by  Arkady Savitsky ; Originally appeared at  strategic-culture.org As part of its ballistic missile defense (BMD) system, Russia  tested  a new interceptor missile at the Sary Shagan testing range in Kazakhstan on Feb. 11. It was its third straight successful BMD test. The preceding two trials took place in 2017. Much of the information about the new missile, dubbed the PRS-1M, is classified. It is reported to have a speed of up to  4   km per second . The weapon is lighter than its predecessors, such as the 53T6 (part of the A-135 missile system), and boasts an upgraded guidance system. Special equipment has been installed to overcome countermeasures employed by intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The PRS-1M will soon complete its testing and become operational. The missile is a component of the Nudol A-235 BMD system, which is in the development stage. Unlike the A-135, which protects Moscow, the A-235s could be deployed in many places, thus shielding the en

There are many legitimate reasons to be wary about the upcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution. AI and automation technology threaten to ruin society in a number of different ways, one of which is by taking away jobs that are currently being done by human workers. But — and rather ironically — that’s just if you consider that AI could be used as a force for good. Yes, automating certain jobs will result in job losses to actual humans, but — at least from the perspective of businesses — it’s a totally logical and beneficial move. In short, there is a positive side, depending on how you look at it. But have you also considered the fact that certain groups with possibly nefarious interests could have access to AI as well? This is probably what was weighing on former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s mind when  he revealed that he was “very concerned”  about the possible outcome if countries like China or Russia manage to win the worldwide race among countries for AI prominence. Spea

FILE IMAGE Snipers of the Houthis killed 135 fighters of the Saudi-backed forces in Yemen in January, the pro-Houthi Al Masirah TV channel reported on February 12. The media outlet added that Houthi snipers have killed “thousands” of Saudi soldiers and fighters of the Saudi-backed forces since 2015. In August 2017, the Houthis released a detailed report providing a look at most sniper rfiles used by them in the conflict.  MORE DETAILS HERE

Boston Dynamics’ newly redesigned Spot Mini is not able to open doors with its arm. Some users in the video’s comments have already found that in the future it may looks like one of Black Mirror’s episodes.

A screenshot from the video The Syrian media has released a video showing a new batch of weapons and ammunition, some Israeli-made, captured by government forces in the liberated areas of the province of Deir Ezzor. According to reports, the weapons were discovered and seized at the villages of al-Saiyal and Hasarat in the countryisde of the city of al-Bukamal.

By ROBERT BURNS and RICHARD LARDNER WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the biggest budget the Pentagon has ever seen: $700 billion. That’s far more in defense spending than America’s two nearest competitors, China and Russia, and will mean the military can foot the bill for thousands more troops, more training, more ships and a lot else. And next year it would rise to $716 billion. Together, the two-year deal provides what Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says is needed to pull the military out of a slump in combat readiness at a time of renewed focus on the stalemated conflict in Afghanistan and the threat of war on the Korean peninsula. The budget bill that President Donald Trump signed Friday includes huge spending increases for the military: The Pentagon will get $94 billion more this budget year than last — a 15.5 percent jump. It’s the biggest year-over-year windfall since the budget soared by 26.6 percent, from $345 billion in 2002 to $437 billion the year after, when the nation was fight