ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

ILLISTRATIVE: THOMAS MCDONALD/ MINISTRY OF DEFENCE 7 crew members from the British Navy’s Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine HMS Talent were removed from the submarine after cocaine was found in their system whilst on duty last week,  The Telegraph reported on April 14 . The incident happened when the British  submarine was preparing for a mission to track Russian submarine movements in the North Sea and the Arctic Circle. The British Defense Ministry officially confirmed the incident saying that the sailors’ actions were “incompatible” with military service because it “reduces operational effectiveness.” The cocaine incident delayed the submarine deployment.  H MS Talent had been due to sail from Devonport on April 12, but the 280ft-long boat was still at the Plymouth base on April 14 night. This is not the first incident with  H MS Talent. The submarine seems to be very unluky with its tasks of tracking the “evil Russians”. In 2015, HMS Talent struck an iceberg while trac

This article opens a series dedicated to changes of the political situation in Kazakhstan. On March 19, in a special address to the nation Kazakhstan’s long-time President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation. Despite the resignation from the presidential post, Nursultan Nazarbayev still has the official status of the “nation’s leader” [as the first president of independent Kazakhstan] and heads “Nur Otan”. He is also a member of the Constitutional Council and the head of the Security Council of Kazakhstan. He may occupy this particular post for life. Following Nazarbayev’s resignation, Senate Speaker Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assumed the presidential duties. In accordance with the Kazakh constitution, he is in fact the president of Kazakhstan until a new president is elected in the spring of 2020. The key factor limiting his power is that he cannot suggest changes to the country’s constitution. On March 20, Nazarbayev’s daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva, became yhe new Spea

The Ukrainian military has received another batch of Humvee vehicles from the United States, according to photos and reports appearing oline. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General for military purposes. At least 20 of such vehicles arrived in the Ukrainian port of Odessa on April 9,  according to Dumskaya newspaper . The report notes that this was the third batch of Humvee vehicles sent to Ukraine since the start of the conflict in the region of Donbass. The previous two were in 2015 and 2017. Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) lost at least one Maysalun heavy artillery rocket launcher as a result of  the recent Israeli airstrikes  on the town of Umm Haratayn in northern Hama, a photo released by pro-government activists on April 13 revealed. Despite the low quality of the photo, the base of the launch rail, the back stairs and the hydraulic outriggers stabilizers can be seen in the remains of the rocket launcher. Click to see full-size image. Photo onthe right side by Syrian reporter Ra’if al-Salama Maysalun is a Syrian-made variant of the Iranian Zelzal-2 unguided long-range artillery rocket. The rocket has a range of 210km and a heavy high-explosive (HE) warhead. Israeli sources had accused Iran and Syria of installing guidance systems in these types of rockets, effectively converting them into precision-guided rockets. While the rocket launcher was destroyed in Umm Haratayn, the new Israeli attack was focused on the town of Masyaf in western Hama. According to RT, Isr

    11   Donate Over April 12 th  and 13rd, both Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord’s forces claimed to be making significant progress in the fight for Tripoli. On the side of the LNA, the LNA spokesperson said that while the LNA Air Force tries to limit damage and accurately strike targets, the GNA Air Force doesn’t concern itself with that. Combat aircraft that flew out of Misrata airbase on April 12 th , hit houses of civilians and caused significant human and material damage without regard to international laws on human rights, “We condemn those criminal acts and affirm that we will pursue all those who have caused harm to civilians.” The LNA also announced that the Air Force was targeting enemy positions in the outskirts of Tripoli. LNA Spox. @LNASpox Our Air forces are now targeting Enemy locations in the outskirts of # Tripoli # Libya 51 6:47 PM - Apr 12, 2019 Twitter A

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Poseidon A first Russian submarine carrying Poseidon nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) will be launched on April 23, the country’s state-run news agency  TASS reported on April 12  citing a source in the military industrial complex. According to the report, Project 09852 submarine Belgorod will be launched in Severodvinsk. The submarine is reportedly capable of carrying six Poseidon UUVs. The same report saysthat the Belgorod will enter service with the Russian Navy in the end of 2020. Project 09852 is a class of special purpose research and rescue submarines. It’s based on Project 949 cruise missile submarines.

Click to see full-size image On the morning of April 11 th , Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir stepped down and consultations are under way to form a transitional council to control the country,  Reuters reported citing anonymous government sources  and a provincial minister. The minister of production and economic resources in North Darfur, Adel Mahjoub Hussein, told the Dubai-based al-Hadath TV that “there are consultations to form a military council to take over power after President Bashir stepped down.” In the early hours of the day, a state media said that the Sudanese army was to make “an important announcement.” “The Sudanese army will issue an important statement soon. Wait for it,” a television anchor said,  without giving further details. Protesters, who for the past 6 days have been taking part in a sit-in in front of the Army Headquarters in Khartoum began celebrating in the streets expecting the news that Bashir had stepped down. Al Jazeera Englis