2 yr. ago
What Are the Benefits of Leased Line Internet for Businesses
https://welfulloutdoors.co...
A leased line broadband connection is a symmetric, fixed-bandwidth internet connection that was developed specifically for business use. The primary data center and the company’s current Wide Area Network (WAN) are connected by this dedicated line. With this connection type, there is no bandwidth-hogging traffic because the internet line is extremely private and uncontended.
#internet #leased
https://welfulloutdoors.co...
A leased line broadband connection is a symmetric, fixed-bandwidth internet connection that was developed specifically for business use. The primary data center and the company’s current Wide Area Network (WAN) are connected by this dedicated line. With this connection type, there is no bandwidth-hogging traffic because the internet line is extremely private and uncontended.
#internet #leased
2 yr. ago
Benefits Of Cheap Leased Line Internet
https://icninternet2.mediu...
For companies looking for high-performance internet access, leased lines are a well-known, effective option. For businesses of all sizes, the recent advent of inexpensive leased line internet has created a number of new opportunities. This article examines the many advantages of choosing a cheap leased line internet connection.
#internet #leased
https://icninternet2.mediu...
For companies looking for high-performance internet access, leased lines are a well-known, effective option. For businesses of all sizes, the recent advent of inexpensive leased line internet has created a number of new opportunities. This article examines the many advantages of choosing a cheap leased line internet connection.
#internet #leased
Benefits Of Cheap Leased Line Internet | by Icninternet | May, 2023 | Medium
For companies looking for high-performance internet access, leased lines are a well-known, effective option. For businesses of all sizes, the recent advent of inexpensive leased line internet has…
https://icninternet2.medium.com/benefits-of-cheap-leased-line-internet-c3901743196b?postPublishedType=initial
2 yr. ago
Benefits Of Cheap Leased Line Internet
https://www.buymeacoffee.c...
A cheap leased line internet is a dedicated point-to-point connection with consistent capacity that is only available to the paying company. Bypassing the open internet, it provides a direct connection between the user's location and the network of the internet service provider.
#internet #broadband #leased
https://www.buymeacoffee.c...
A cheap leased line internet is a dedicated point-to-point connection with consistent capacity that is only available to the paying company. Bypassing the open internet, it provides a direct connection between the user's location and the network of the internet service provider.
#internet #broadband #leased
2 yr. ago
Benefits Of Cheap Leased Line Internet
https://www.buymeacoffee.c...
A cheap leased line internet is a dedicated point-to-point connection with consistent capacity that is only available to the paying company. Bypassing the open internet, it provides a direct connection between the user's location and the network of the internet service provider.
#internet #broadband #leased
https://www.buymeacoffee.c...
A cheap leased line internet is a dedicated point-to-point connection with consistent capacity that is only available to the paying company. Bypassing the open internet, it provides a direct connection between the user's location and the network of the internet service provider.
#internet #broadband #leased
2 yr. ago
AAP
Mining ready to ride boom with $2 trillion up for grabs
Story by Marion Rae • 5:27 pm - 26-5-2023
Afaster path to net-zero emissions and more security in the Indo-Pacific are expected to flow from a new pact with the United States, but the mining industry wants details.
Some $2 trillion has been unleashed for a low-carbon economy under United States laws, with Australia set to get preferential treatment as a trusted source of critical minerals and new energy sources such as hydrogen.
Canada is the only other country to get the special access that is in the works for Australian metals and minerals, future hydrogen and ammonia producers and defence technology companies.
"What's clear to me is that if Canada and the United States have been able to establish a good partnership, that bodes well for Australia," Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable told AAP.
But it's up to governments to work out the details quickly, she said.
With the right number of mines to meet demand and manufacturing occurring with a like-minded country, there will be a faster path to net-zero and more security in the region, she said.
"Hopefully the critical minerals strategy will set out a framework and pathway for those additional incentives that will really turbocharge this new industry," Ms Constable added.
Australia's updated list of critical minerals and strategy will be released soon and MCA wants nickel and copper added to unlock investment.
"The more we can get on the list the better, but nickel and copper should certainly be on the list," she said.
Used in everyday life in computers and mobile phones, they are also essential for electric cars and electronics for the electricity grid.
US Consul General Siriana Nair said on Wednesday the world's energy transition cannot happen without Australia's resources sector.
The freshly inked climate and energy partnership will increase investment in both countries, Ms Nair told the AFR Mining Summit in Perth.
"Australia is uniquely positioned to be a supplier of choice for us and global manufacturers," she said.
Demand for critical minerals will skyrocket in coming decades and for minerals such as lithium and graphite that are used in electric vehicle batteries, demand will increase by as much as 4000 per cent, she said.
An unprecedented $2 trillion has been allocated under various US laws to support investment in research and development, adopting clean energy and new vehicles, new infrastructure and supply chain security, she said.
Seeking to break China's stranglehold on the global supply of factory-ready minerals, the US laws define a critical mineral as a mineral essential to economic or national security and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.
She said Australia, and particularly Western Australia, has the technological know-how and high environmental and labour standards needed to bring these minerals to market in a sustainable way.
"And America stands with you," Ms Nair said.
A new Australia-US task force will give local industry a seat at the table to secure vital supply chains for minerals and defence industries.
A global survey released by KPMG to coincide with the summit shows mining leaders are confident they can profit from the clean energy boom and hit net-zero goalposts.
Improving energy efficiency was the highest priority for tackling the environmental challenges from mining and metals processing.
Mining ready to ride boom with $2 trillion up for grabs
Story by Marion Rae • 5:27 pm - 26-5-2023
Afaster path to net-zero emissions and more security in the Indo-Pacific are expected to flow from a new pact with the United States, but the mining industry wants details.
Some $2 trillion has been unleashed for a low-carbon economy under United States laws, with Australia set to get preferential treatment as a trusted source of critical minerals and new energy sources such as hydrogen.
Canada is the only other country to get the special access that is in the works for Australian metals and minerals, future hydrogen and ammonia producers and defence technology companies.
"What's clear to me is that if Canada and the United States have been able to establish a good partnership, that bodes well for Australia," Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable told AAP.
But it's up to governments to work out the details quickly, she said.
With the right number of mines to meet demand and manufacturing occurring with a like-minded country, there will be a faster path to net-zero and more security in the region, she said.
"Hopefully the critical minerals strategy will set out a framework and pathway for those additional incentives that will really turbocharge this new industry," Ms Constable added.
Australia's updated list of critical minerals and strategy will be released soon and MCA wants nickel and copper added to unlock investment.
"The more we can get on the list the better, but nickel and copper should certainly be on the list," she said.
Used in everyday life in computers and mobile phones, they are also essential for electric cars and electronics for the electricity grid.
US Consul General Siriana Nair said on Wednesday the world's energy transition cannot happen without Australia's resources sector.
The freshly inked climate and energy partnership will increase investment in both countries, Ms Nair told the AFR Mining Summit in Perth.
"Australia is uniquely positioned to be a supplier of choice for us and global manufacturers," she said.
Demand for critical minerals will skyrocket in coming decades and for minerals such as lithium and graphite that are used in electric vehicle batteries, demand will increase by as much as 4000 per cent, she said.
An unprecedented $2 trillion has been allocated under various US laws to support investment in research and development, adopting clean energy and new vehicles, new infrastructure and supply chain security, she said.
Seeking to break China's stranglehold on the global supply of factory-ready minerals, the US laws define a critical mineral as a mineral essential to economic or national security and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.
She said Australia, and particularly Western Australia, has the technological know-how and high environmental and labour standards needed to bring these minerals to market in a sustainable way.
"And America stands with you," Ms Nair said.
A new Australia-US task force will give local industry a seat at the table to secure vital supply chains for minerals and defence industries.
A global survey released by KPMG to coincide with the summit shows mining leaders are confident they can profit from the clean energy boom and hit net-zero goalposts.
Improving energy efficiency was the highest priority for tackling the environmental challenges from mining and metals processing.
2 yr. ago
Popular Science
Australia wants a laser weapon powerful enough to stop a tank
Story by Kelsey D. Atherton • 6h ago - 3-5-2023
On April 4, Australia’s Department of Defence announced the award of $12.9 million to defense giant QinetiQ for a laser weapon. The move followed years of work and interest by Australia’s government in developing lasers for the battlefields of tomorrow. What is most ambitious about the Australian research into laser weapons is not the modest funding to QinetiQ, but a powerful goal set by the Department of Defence in 2020: Australia wants a laser weapon powerful enough to stop a tank.
Laser weapons, more broadly referred to as directed energy, are a science fiction concept with a profoundly mundane reality. Instead of the flashy beams or targeted phasers of Star Wars or Star Trek, lasers work most similarly to a magnifying lens held to fry a dry leaf, concentrating photons into an invisible beam that destroys with heat and time. Unlike the child’s tool for starting fires, modern directed energy weapons derive their power from electricity, either generated on site or stored in batteries.
Most of the work of laser weapons, in development and testing, has so far focused on relatively small and fragile targets, like drones, missiles, or mortar rounds. Lasers are energy intensive. When PopSci had a chance to try using a 10-kilowatt laser against commercial drones, it still took seconds to destroy each target, a process aided by all the sensors and accouterments of a targeting pod. Because lasers are concentrated heat energy over time, cameras to track targets, and gimbals to hold and stabilize the beam against the target, all ensure that as much of the beam as possible stays focused. Once part of a drone was burned through, the whole system would crash to the ground, gravity completing the task.
Tanks, by design and definition, are the opposite of lightly armored and fragile flying machines. That makes Australia’s plan to destroy tanks by laser all the more daring.
Tanks for the idea
In the summer of 2020, Australia’s Department of Defence released a strategy called the 2020 Force Structure Plan. This document, like similar versions in other militaries, offers a holistic vision of what kinds of conflicts the country is prepared to fight in the future. Because the strategy is also focused on procurement, it offers useful insight into the weapons and vehicles the military will want to buy to meet those challenges.
The tank-killing laser comes in the section on Land Combat Support. “A future program to develop a directed energy weapon system able to be integrated onto [Australian Defence Forces] protected and armoured vehicles, and capable of defeating armoured vehicles up to and including main battle tanks. The eventual deployment of directed energy weapons may also improve land force resilience by reducing the force’s dependence on ammunition stocks and supply lines,” reads the strategy.
An armored vehicle in Australia in 2016.
© Mandaline Hatch / US Marine Corps.
Australia wants a laser weapon powerful enough to stop a tank
Story by Kelsey D. Atherton • 6h ago - 3-5-2023
On April 4, Australia’s Department of Defence announced the award of $12.9 million to defense giant QinetiQ for a laser weapon. The move followed years of work and interest by Australia’s government in developing lasers for the battlefields of tomorrow. What is most ambitious about the Australian research into laser weapons is not the modest funding to QinetiQ, but a powerful goal set by the Department of Defence in 2020: Australia wants a laser weapon powerful enough to stop a tank.
Laser weapons, more broadly referred to as directed energy, are a science fiction concept with a profoundly mundane reality. Instead of the flashy beams or targeted phasers of Star Wars or Star Trek, lasers work most similarly to a magnifying lens held to fry a dry leaf, concentrating photons into an invisible beam that destroys with heat and time. Unlike the child’s tool for starting fires, modern directed energy weapons derive their power from electricity, either generated on site or stored in batteries.
Most of the work of laser weapons, in development and testing, has so far focused on relatively small and fragile targets, like drones, missiles, or mortar rounds. Lasers are energy intensive. When PopSci had a chance to try using a 10-kilowatt laser against commercial drones, it still took seconds to destroy each target, a process aided by all the sensors and accouterments of a targeting pod. Because lasers are concentrated heat energy over time, cameras to track targets, and gimbals to hold and stabilize the beam against the target, all ensure that as much of the beam as possible stays focused. Once part of a drone was burned through, the whole system would crash to the ground, gravity completing the task.
Tanks, by design and definition, are the opposite of lightly armored and fragile flying machines. That makes Australia’s plan to destroy tanks by laser all the more daring.
Tanks for the idea
In the summer of 2020, Australia’s Department of Defence released a strategy called the 2020 Force Structure Plan. This document, like similar versions in other militaries, offers a holistic vision of what kinds of conflicts the country is prepared to fight in the future. Because the strategy is also focused on procurement, it offers useful insight into the weapons and vehicles the military will want to buy to meet those challenges.
The tank-killing laser comes in the section on Land Combat Support. “A future program to develop a directed energy weapon system able to be integrated onto [Australian Defence Forces] protected and armoured vehicles, and capable of defeating armoured vehicles up to and including main battle tanks. The eventual deployment of directed energy weapons may also improve land force resilience by reducing the force’s dependence on ammunition stocks and supply lines,” reads the strategy.
An armored vehicle in Australia in 2016.
© Mandaline Hatch / US Marine Corps.
2 yr. ago
Reuters
Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says
Story by Reuters • 15h ago - 28-4-2023
UBAI (Reuters) - Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures and attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019.
Iran's state television IRIB News reported on its Telegram channel that the Iranian navy had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, but gave no further details.
The U.S. Navy identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait.
Its manager is listed as Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS, a Turkey-based company which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy," the U.S. Navy said, adding that Iran has in the past two years unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East.
Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Since 2019 there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.
Iran last November released two Greek-flagged tankers it had seized in the Gulf in May in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker off the Greek coast.
Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between Iran and Oman which the Advantage Sweet had passed through, according to ship tracking data.
Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers have stalled since September over a range of issues, including the Islamic Republic's violent crackdown on popular protests, Tehran's sale of drones to Russia and acceleration of its nuclear program.
The U.S. Navy, whose Fifth Fleet is based in the Gulf island state of Bahrain, called on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGCN) to immediately release the tanker.
The ship issued a distress call during the seizure, the U.S. Navy statement said.
Maritime security company Ambrey said the tanker was boarded via helicopter and seized by the IRGCN off the coast of Bandar-e Jask in Iran.
According to the International Maritime Organisation shipping database, the Advantage Sweet is owned by a China-registered company called SPDBFL No One Hundred & Eighty-Seven (Tianjin) Ship Leasing Co Ltd.
(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Nick Macfie)
Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says
Story by Reuters • 15h ago - 28-4-2023
UBAI (Reuters) - Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures and attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019.
Iran's state television IRIB News reported on its Telegram channel that the Iranian navy had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged ship, but gave no further details.
The U.S. Navy identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait.
Its manager is listed as Genel Denizcilik Nakliyati AS, a Turkey-based company which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights in regional waters are a threat to maritime security and the global economy," the U.S. Navy said, adding that Iran has in the past two years unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East.
Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Since 2019 there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.
Iran last November released two Greek-flagged tankers it had seized in the Gulf in May in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker off the Greek coast.
Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between Iran and Oman which the Advantage Sweet had passed through, according to ship tracking data.
Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers have stalled since September over a range of issues, including the Islamic Republic's violent crackdown on popular protests, Tehran's sale of drones to Russia and acceleration of its nuclear program.
The U.S. Navy, whose Fifth Fleet is based in the Gulf island state of Bahrain, called on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGCN) to immediately release the tanker.
The ship issued a distress call during the seizure, the U.S. Navy statement said.
Maritime security company Ambrey said the tanker was boarded via helicopter and seized by the IRGCN off the coast of Bandar-e Jask in Iran.
According to the International Maritime Organisation shipping database, the Advantage Sweet is owned by a China-registered company called SPDBFL No One Hundred & Eighty-Seven (Tianjin) Ship Leasing Co Ltd.
(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru, Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Nick Macfie)
2 yr. ago
Sky Nerws Australia
Urgent long-range missile orders postponed for 12 months amid defence review
Story by Sky News Australia • Yesterday 6:33 am - 26-4-2023
Urgent orders for long-range missiles and forming a domestic guided weapons industry will be delayed for another 12 months when another defence review is released.
Details in the declassified version of the strategic defence review reveal the government has installed a new assessment process that will put some of the top-priority missile programs on hold.
Urgent long-range missile orders postponed for 12 months amid defence review
© Provided by Sky News Australia
Urgent long-range missile orders postponed for 12 months amid defence review
Story by Sky News Australia • Yesterday 6:33 am - 26-4-2023
Urgent orders for long-range missiles and forming a domestic guided weapons industry will be delayed for another 12 months when another defence review is released.
Details in the declassified version of the strategic defence review reveal the government has installed a new assessment process that will put some of the top-priority missile programs on hold.
Urgent long-range missile orders postponed for 12 months amid defence review
© Provided by Sky News Australia
2 yr. ago
The Daily Digest
Report alleges Trump made millions from his foreign businesses while in office
Story by Zeleb.es • 5m ago - 25-4-2023
This is how much the former president made
Former President Donald Trump made roughly $160 million dollars from his business dealings outside the United States while in office according to a new corruption report.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit organization that investigates corruption in American politics and they just released a damning report on Trump’s international business dealings while president.
Studying the former president's tax returns and financial data
According to CREW, the former president’s tax returns and financial data from the years he was in the Oval Office showed that he pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars in business earnings from foreign countries, many of which he had major conflicts of interest in.
Where did the money come from?
About one-third of the cash came from Trump’s Aberdeen and Turnberry golf course in Scotland, which netted the former president $58 million, while a now-closed hotel in Vancouver brought in 36.5 million from Canada.
Trump shouldn't have been earning this cash
The former president made $24.4 million in Ireland as well as another $9.7 million in Indonesia and 9.6 million in India, money which CREW’s Rebbecca Jacobs and Robert Maguire say Trump should have never been allowed to earn.
Trump never paused his foreign business
“When it came to foreign conflicts of interest, Trump and his company pledged to pause foreign business. They did not,” the report added before listing some of the most glaring issues that occurred during the former president’s time in office.
A example of alleged corruption
A good example of the former president’s obvious conflicts of interest came in 2018 when he allegedly asked the then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom to change the location of the British Open to his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
Report alleges Trump made millions from his foreign businesses while in office
Story by Zeleb.es • 5m ago - 25-4-2023
This is how much the former president made
Former President Donald Trump made roughly $160 million dollars from his business dealings outside the United States while in office according to a new corruption report.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit organization that investigates corruption in American politics and they just released a damning report on Trump’s international business dealings while president.
Studying the former president's tax returns and financial data
According to CREW, the former president’s tax returns and financial data from the years he was in the Oval Office showed that he pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars in business earnings from foreign countries, many of which he had major conflicts of interest in.
Where did the money come from?
About one-third of the cash came from Trump’s Aberdeen and Turnberry golf course in Scotland, which netted the former president $58 million, while a now-closed hotel in Vancouver brought in 36.5 million from Canada.
Trump shouldn't have been earning this cash
The former president made $24.4 million in Ireland as well as another $9.7 million in Indonesia and 9.6 million in India, money which CREW’s Rebbecca Jacobs and Robert Maguire say Trump should have never been allowed to earn.
Trump never paused his foreign business
“When it came to foreign conflicts of interest, Trump and his company pledged to pause foreign business. They did not,” the report added before listing some of the most glaring issues that occurred during the former president’s time in office.
A example of alleged corruption
A good example of the former president’s obvious conflicts of interest came in 2018 when he allegedly asked the then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom to change the location of the British Open to his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
2 yr. ago
Sky News Australia
China attacking Taiwan ‘all-but-inevitable’
Story by Sky News Australia • Yesterday 6:17 pm - 25-4-2023
There were some “important messages” in the government’s Defence Strategic Review, which was released on the eve of ANZAC Day, says Sky News host Peta Credlin.
Ms Credlin said the most worrying one is Australia is “currently not ready” for armed conflict on any serious scale as about “every defence analyst” now says China is preparing to attack Taiwan.
“Democratic Taiwan is never going to submit to communist rule – that means that a Chinese assault on Taiwan is all-but-inevitable,” she said.
“There's not much in this review, at least in the unclassified version, about how Australia might help to maintain peace across the Taiwan Straits because believe me America will expect our help.”
Ms Credlin said the thing that needs to change is how Australians think about themselves because we can’t honour Australia and its people on ANZAC Day and then “spend the rest of the year denigrating our country and ourselves”.
China attacking Taiwan ‘all-but-inevitable’
Story by Sky News Australia • Yesterday 6:17 pm - 25-4-2023
There were some “important messages” in the government’s Defence Strategic Review, which was released on the eve of ANZAC Day, says Sky News host Peta Credlin.
Ms Credlin said the most worrying one is Australia is “currently not ready” for armed conflict on any serious scale as about “every defence analyst” now says China is preparing to attack Taiwan.
“Democratic Taiwan is never going to submit to communist rule – that means that a Chinese assault on Taiwan is all-but-inevitable,” she said.
“There's not much in this review, at least in the unclassified version, about how Australia might help to maintain peace across the Taiwan Straits because believe me America will expect our help.”
Ms Credlin said the thing that needs to change is how Australians think about themselves because we can’t honour Australia and its people on ANZAC Day and then “spend the rest of the year denigrating our country and ourselves”.
2 yr. ago
Reuter
Australia to prioritise long-range strike capability in defence shakeup
Story by By Kirsty Needham • Yesterday 1:19 pm - 24-4-2023
By Kirsty Needham
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's government will prioritise long-range precision strike, domestic production of guided weapons, and diplomacy - key points of a review released Monday recommending the country's biggest defence shakeup since World War Two.
The review said that the United States was no longer the "unipolar leader of the Indo Pacific", intense competition between the U.S. and China was defining the region, and that the major power competition had "potential for conflict".
The country's northern bases will become a focus to deter adversaries, and protect trade routes and communications, the review said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the review "the most significant work that's been done since the Second World War".
"It demonstrates a world where challenges to our national security are always evolving. We cannot fall back on old assumptions. We must build the strength in our security by seeking to shape the future rather than waiting for the future to shape us," he told reporters.
China is undertaking its largest buildup since World War Two, and is engaged in strategic competition in Australia's near neighbourhood, the review said.
A public version of the classified report released on Monday said Australia must "avoid the highest level of strategic risk we now face as a nation: the prospect of major conflict in the region".
The military threat to Australia does not require invasion in the "missile age", it said.
Australia would work more closely with the United States, including increased bilateral military planning and hosting more rotations of U.S. forces, including submarines, it said.
Australia must also strengthen defence cooperation with Pacific and South East Asian nations, the review said.
Defence funding will increase over the next decade, but will stay steady over the next four years at A$19 billion, with A$7.8 billion diverted from cancelled projects.
Australia must be able to defend its territories and the immediate region, deter any adversary's attempt to project power through its northern approaches, and protect trade routes and communications, Defence Minister Richard Marles said in the government's response to the review.
"We aim to change the calculus so no potential aggressor can ever conclude that the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks," he said.
Long-range strike and guided weapons were "fundamental to the Australian Defence Force's ability to hold an adversary at risk" the review said, adding that domestic production of these weapons would be established, and acquisition sped up.
Australia will upgrade its northern bases and ports immediately, and the review said the country must rectify fuel storage issues. It also called for the development of cyber and space defence capabilities.
Areas it said were critical included undersea warfare, including drones for surveillance and strike; enhanced targeting; long-range strike; maritime operations for sea denial and local sea control; air and missile defence; expeditionary theatre logistics; and northern bases for logistics support and deterrence.
The review recommends long-range anti-ship missiles for Australia's F-35A and F/A-18F fighter jets, and the development of the Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft with the United States.
Australia to prioritise long-range strike capability in defence shakeup
Story by By Kirsty Needham • Yesterday 1:19 pm - 24-4-2023
By Kirsty Needham
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's government will prioritise long-range precision strike, domestic production of guided weapons, and diplomacy - key points of a review released Monday recommending the country's biggest defence shakeup since World War Two.
The review said that the United States was no longer the "unipolar leader of the Indo Pacific", intense competition between the U.S. and China was defining the region, and that the major power competition had "potential for conflict".
The country's northern bases will become a focus to deter adversaries, and protect trade routes and communications, the review said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the review "the most significant work that's been done since the Second World War".
"It demonstrates a world where challenges to our national security are always evolving. We cannot fall back on old assumptions. We must build the strength in our security by seeking to shape the future rather than waiting for the future to shape us," he told reporters.
China is undertaking its largest buildup since World War Two, and is engaged in strategic competition in Australia's near neighbourhood, the review said.
A public version of the classified report released on Monday said Australia must "avoid the highest level of strategic risk we now face as a nation: the prospect of major conflict in the region".
The military threat to Australia does not require invasion in the "missile age", it said.
Australia would work more closely with the United States, including increased bilateral military planning and hosting more rotations of U.S. forces, including submarines, it said.
Australia must also strengthen defence cooperation with Pacific and South East Asian nations, the review said.
Defence funding will increase over the next decade, but will stay steady over the next four years at A$19 billion, with A$7.8 billion diverted from cancelled projects.
Australia must be able to defend its territories and the immediate region, deter any adversary's attempt to project power through its northern approaches, and protect trade routes and communications, Defence Minister Richard Marles said in the government's response to the review.
"We aim to change the calculus so no potential aggressor can ever conclude that the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks," he said.
Long-range strike and guided weapons were "fundamental to the Australian Defence Force's ability to hold an adversary at risk" the review said, adding that domestic production of these weapons would be established, and acquisition sped up.
Australia will upgrade its northern bases and ports immediately, and the review said the country must rectify fuel storage issues. It also called for the development of cyber and space defence capabilities.
Areas it said were critical included undersea warfare, including drones for surveillance and strike; enhanced targeting; long-range strike; maritime operations for sea denial and local sea control; air and missile defence; expeditionary theatre logistics; and northern bases for logistics support and deterrence.
The review recommends long-range anti-ship missiles for Australia's F-35A and F/A-18F fighter jets, and the development of the Ghost Bat uncrewed aircraft with the United States.
2 yr. ago
Reuters
Australia to prioritise long-range strike capability in defence shakeup
Story by Reuters • 1h ago - 24-4-2023
By Kirsty Needham
CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australia's government will prioritise long-range precision strike, domestic production of guided weapons, and diplomacy - key points of a review released Monday recommending the country's biggest defence shakeup since World War Two.
The review said that the United States was no longer the "unipolar leader of the Indo Pacific", intense competition between the U.S. and China was defining the region, and that the major power competition had "potential for conflict".
The country's northern bases will become a focus to deter adversaries, and protect trade routes and communications, the review said.
China is undertaking its largest buildup since World War Two, and is engaged in strategic competition in Australia's near neighbourhood, it said.
A public version of the classified report released on Monday said Australia must "avoid the highest level of strategic risk we now face as a nation: the prospect of major conflict in the region".
The military threat to Australia does not require invasion in the "missile age", it said.
Australia would work more closely with the United States, including increased bilateral military planning and hosting more rotations of U.S. forces, including submarines, it said.
Australia must also strengthen engagement with Pacific and South East Asian nations, the review said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the review's findings "will strengthen our national security and ensure our readiness for future challenges".
Defence funding will increase over the next decade, but will stay steady over the next four years at A$19 billion, with A$7.8 billion diverted from cancelled projects.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Praveen Menon and Gerry doyle)
FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in San Diego
© Thomson Reuters
Australia to prioritise long-range strike capability in defence shakeup
Story by Reuters • 1h ago - 24-4-2023
By Kirsty Needham
CANBERRA (Reuters) -Australia's government will prioritise long-range precision strike, domestic production of guided weapons, and diplomacy - key points of a review released Monday recommending the country's biggest defence shakeup since World War Two.
The review said that the United States was no longer the "unipolar leader of the Indo Pacific", intense competition between the U.S. and China was defining the region, and that the major power competition had "potential for conflict".
The country's northern bases will become a focus to deter adversaries, and protect trade routes and communications, the review said.
China is undertaking its largest buildup since World War Two, and is engaged in strategic competition in Australia's near neighbourhood, it said.
A public version of the classified report released on Monday said Australia must "avoid the highest level of strategic risk we now face as a nation: the prospect of major conflict in the region".
The military threat to Australia does not require invasion in the "missile age", it said.
Australia would work more closely with the United States, including increased bilateral military planning and hosting more rotations of U.S. forces, including submarines, it said.
Australia must also strengthen engagement with Pacific and South East Asian nations, the review said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the review's findings "will strengthen our national security and ensure our readiness for future challenges".
Defence funding will increase over the next decade, but will stay steady over the next four years at A$19 billion, with A$7.8 billion diverted from cancelled projects.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by Praveen Menon and Gerry doyle)
FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in San Diego
© Thomson Reuters
2 yr. ago
ABC News (AU)
Australia to accelerate missile build-up as defence industry anxiously awaits review recommendations
Story by By defence correspondent Andrew Greene • 8h ago - 24-4-2023
ne of the most significant defence documents since World War II will outline how Australia should rapidly acquire new long-range strike capability to deter rising threats from China, while also addressing challenges such as climate change and American isolationism.
The public version of the Albanese government's long-awaited Defence Strategic Review will confirm cuts to several projects such as new Army vehicles, while funding more immediate priorities that deliver "impactful projection" well beyond Australia.
An unclassified 110-page version of the "National Defence" document, prepared by former Defence chief Angus Houston and former minister Stephen Smith, will be released on Monday, two months after being handed to the Prime Minister.
Their review warns of the rapidly diminishing warning time for strategic thinking, and the need to dramatically increase Australia's acquisition process for new military platforms.
Labor will also release a National Defence Statement, and a separate document detailing its response to the more than 100 recommendations made by the DSR authors, including boosting a planned guided weapons enterprise and acquiring long-range missiles.
The ABC understands regional concerns such as the increasing use of grey-zone warfare, the challenges presented by climate change and risks to the US alliance are also canvassed, while certain assessments on China will remain only in the classified version.
Already the government has confirmed it will move to expand and fast track its acquisition of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket (HIMARS) system, technology used with devastating effect by Ukraine's army.
Emerging cyber and space capabilities will also be prominent in Monday's DSR document with the authors acknowledging the importance of the two domains during the ongoing conflict against Russia's invasion.
With the government already committed to around $58 billion in spending on the AUKUS nuclear submarine program over the next decade, local industry is nervous about which other projects could be cut or cancelled.
Brent Clark from the Australian Industry and Defence Network warns the country must bolster local content and cannot just rely on American supply chains during times of conflict.
"We're hoping to see a huge emphasis placed on Australian industry, the development of Australian industry, an increase in Australian industry capability and an increase in spend for Australian companies into these programs," Mr Clark said.
Inside Defence, concerns are growing that Labor's DSR response will contain very little additional funding meaning large cuts to existing programs.
Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie says the Coalition will be closely scrutinising what actions the government is proposing to take.
"We'll be looking from the government for tough decisions that makes the Australian Defence Force ready for any future conflict and allows it to prevail in a high intensity war — so we want to see the numbers add up," Mr Hastie said.
The review will warn of the need to increase Australia's acquisition process for new military platforms. (Department of Defence: Corporal Craig Barrett)
© Provided by ABC News (AU)
Australia to accelerate missile build-up as defence industry anxiously awaits review recommendations
Story by By defence correspondent Andrew Greene • 8h ago - 24-4-2023
ne of the most significant defence documents since World War II will outline how Australia should rapidly acquire new long-range strike capability to deter rising threats from China, while also addressing challenges such as climate change and American isolationism.
The public version of the Albanese government's long-awaited Defence Strategic Review will confirm cuts to several projects such as new Army vehicles, while funding more immediate priorities that deliver "impactful projection" well beyond Australia.
An unclassified 110-page version of the "National Defence" document, prepared by former Defence chief Angus Houston and former minister Stephen Smith, will be released on Monday, two months after being handed to the Prime Minister.
Their review warns of the rapidly diminishing warning time for strategic thinking, and the need to dramatically increase Australia's acquisition process for new military platforms.
Labor will also release a National Defence Statement, and a separate document detailing its response to the more than 100 recommendations made by the DSR authors, including boosting a planned guided weapons enterprise and acquiring long-range missiles.
The ABC understands regional concerns such as the increasing use of grey-zone warfare, the challenges presented by climate change and risks to the US alliance are also canvassed, while certain assessments on China will remain only in the classified version.
Already the government has confirmed it will move to expand and fast track its acquisition of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket (HIMARS) system, technology used with devastating effect by Ukraine's army.
Emerging cyber and space capabilities will also be prominent in Monday's DSR document with the authors acknowledging the importance of the two domains during the ongoing conflict against Russia's invasion.
With the government already committed to around $58 billion in spending on the AUKUS nuclear submarine program over the next decade, local industry is nervous about which other projects could be cut or cancelled.
Brent Clark from the Australian Industry and Defence Network warns the country must bolster local content and cannot just rely on American supply chains during times of conflict.
"We're hoping to see a huge emphasis placed on Australian industry, the development of Australian industry, an increase in Australian industry capability and an increase in spend for Australian companies into these programs," Mr Clark said.
Inside Defence, concerns are growing that Labor's DSR response will contain very little additional funding meaning large cuts to existing programs.
Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie says the Coalition will be closely scrutinising what actions the government is proposing to take.
"We'll be looking from the government for tough decisions that makes the Australian Defence Force ready for any future conflict and allows it to prevail in a high intensity war — so we want to see the numbers add up," Mr Hastie said.
The review will warn of the need to increase Australia's acquisition process for new military platforms. (Department of Defence: Corporal Craig Barrett)
© Provided by ABC News (AU)
2 yr. ago
Reuters
Biden to pledge steps to deter nuclear attack on South Korea -officials
Story by By Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom • 2h ago - 22-4-2023
By Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At a summit next week between President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol the United States will pledge "substantial" steps to underscore its commitment to deter a North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
"We are working extraordinarily and intensively with the South Koreans to take the necessary steps to buttress both public perception and the reality of our commitments," the official told Reuters ahead of Yoon's summit with Biden next Wednesday.
The official said it ranked as one of the greatest U.S. achievements that a number of Indo-Pacific countries that could have built nuclear weapons had chosen not to because of the U.S. ability to extend protection of its nuclear umbrella over troubled parts of the region.
"We have been very clear that our commitment to that nuclear deterrent stands is ironclad for South Korea," said the official, who did not want to be identified by name.
"President Biden ... will be taking substantial steps to underscore that, to update it, to make clear that everyone has little doubt of our commitment in standing with South Korea, even in the face of provocations from North Korea," the official said, without elaborating.
Yoon's week-long state visit next week to the United States comes at a time when more South Koreans say their country should develop its own nuclear arsenal to guard against attack by nuclear-armed North Korea and its expanding arsenal of missiles and bombs.
In a poll released on April 6 by the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, 64.3% of South Koreans supported developing nuclear weapons with 33.3% opposed.
The survey showed 52.9% of South Koreans were confident the United States would use nuclear weapons to defend South Korea in the event of a nuclear attack by North Korea. But the number dropped to 43.1% when respondents were asked if they thought the U.S. would risk its safety to defend South Korea, with 54.2% saying the U.S. would not take such risks.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Steve Holland and Costas Pitas; Additional reporting by Choi Soo-hyang in Seoul Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)
U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive order on 'environmental justice' during Rose Garden event at the White House in Washington
© Thomson Reuters
Biden to pledge steps to deter nuclear attack on South Korea -officials
Story by By Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom • 2h ago - 22-4-2023
By Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At a summit next week between President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol the United States will pledge "substantial" steps to underscore its commitment to deter a North Korean nuclear attack on South Korea, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
"We are working extraordinarily and intensively with the South Koreans to take the necessary steps to buttress both public perception and the reality of our commitments," the official told Reuters ahead of Yoon's summit with Biden next Wednesday.
The official said it ranked as one of the greatest U.S. achievements that a number of Indo-Pacific countries that could have built nuclear weapons had chosen not to because of the U.S. ability to extend protection of its nuclear umbrella over troubled parts of the region.
"We have been very clear that our commitment to that nuclear deterrent stands is ironclad for South Korea," said the official, who did not want to be identified by name.
"President Biden ... will be taking substantial steps to underscore that, to update it, to make clear that everyone has little doubt of our commitment in standing with South Korea, even in the face of provocations from North Korea," the official said, without elaborating.
Yoon's week-long state visit next week to the United States comes at a time when more South Koreans say their country should develop its own nuclear arsenal to guard against attack by nuclear-armed North Korea and its expanding arsenal of missiles and bombs.
In a poll released on April 6 by the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, 64.3% of South Koreans supported developing nuclear weapons with 33.3% opposed.
The survey showed 52.9% of South Koreans were confident the United States would use nuclear weapons to defend South Korea in the event of a nuclear attack by North Korea. But the number dropped to 43.1% when respondents were asked if they thought the U.S. would risk its safety to defend South Korea, with 54.2% saying the U.S. would not take such risks.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Steve Holland and Costas Pitas; Additional reporting by Choi Soo-hyang in Seoul Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)
U.S. President Joe Biden signs executive order on 'environmental justice' during Rose Garden event at the White House in Washington
© Thomson Reuters
2 yr. ago
Reuters
Russia's war on Ukraine latest: China to work with Russia on strategic ties
Story by Reuters • Yesterday 4:59 pm - 17-4-2023
(Reuters) - China is willing to work with Russia to forge close strategic communications between their militaries, Chinese state media reported Minister of Defence Li Shangfu as saying. Li met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday.
GRAIN IMPORTS
* Ukraine's agriculture minister said Kyiv would aim to secure the re-opening of food and grain transit via Poland as a "first step" at talks in Warsaw on Monday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their agricultural sectors.
DIPLOMACY
* Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has again proposed establishing a group of countries not involved with the Russia-Ukraine war to broker peace, saying he had recently discussed the matter with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
PRISONERS RELEASED
* Russia's most powerful mercenary group, Wagner, sent at least 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war back to Ukraine to mark Orthodox Easter, according to a video posted by the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
FIGHTING
* Russia's defence ministry said that Wagner mercenary units captured two more city blocks in the northwest and southeastern parts of Bakhmut.
* Russia's regular spring military draft is proceeding as scheduled and there are no plans to send out mass electronic notices under a system just signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, a top official said.
* Slovakia has handed over all 13 MiG-29 fighter jets it had pledged to Ukraine, the Slovak defence ministry said.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield reports.
ECONOMY
* India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement to guarantee investment between their countries, Russia's deputy prime minister said.
* A new international economic support package of $115 billion gives Ukraine more confidence that it can prevail in battling Russia's invasion, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told Reuters.
IN-DEPTH STORIES
* ANALYSIS-Russia's military production, state splurge ease sanctions pain
* INSIGHT-Ukraine's tech entrepreneurs fight war on different front
* Ukraine says it is finding more Chinese components in Russian weapons
(Compiled by Reuters editors)
Russia's war on Ukraine latest: China to work with Russia on strategic ties
Story by Reuters • Yesterday 4:59 pm - 17-4-2023
(Reuters) - China is willing to work with Russia to forge close strategic communications between their militaries, Chinese state media reported Minister of Defence Li Shangfu as saying. Li met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday.
GRAIN IMPORTS
* Ukraine's agriculture minister said Kyiv would aim to secure the re-opening of food and grain transit via Poland as a "first step" at talks in Warsaw on Monday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their agricultural sectors.
DIPLOMACY
* Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has again proposed establishing a group of countries not involved with the Russia-Ukraine war to broker peace, saying he had recently discussed the matter with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
PRISONERS RELEASED
* Russia's most powerful mercenary group, Wagner, sent at least 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war back to Ukraine to mark Orthodox Easter, according to a video posted by the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
FIGHTING
* Russia's defence ministry said that Wagner mercenary units captured two more city blocks in the northwest and southeastern parts of Bakhmut.
* Russia's regular spring military draft is proceeding as scheduled and there are no plans to send out mass electronic notices under a system just signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, a top official said.
* Slovakia has handed over all 13 MiG-29 fighter jets it had pledged to Ukraine, the Slovak defence ministry said.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield reports.
ECONOMY
* India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement to guarantee investment between their countries, Russia's deputy prime minister said.
* A new international economic support package of $115 billion gives Ukraine more confidence that it can prevail in battling Russia's invasion, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told Reuters.
IN-DEPTH STORIES
* ANALYSIS-Russia's military production, state splurge ease sanctions pain
* INSIGHT-Ukraine's tech entrepreneurs fight war on different front
* Ukraine says it is finding more Chinese components in Russian weapons
(Compiled by Reuters editors)
2 yr. ago
Reuters
Carriers and precision attacks: The takeaways from China's latest Taiwan drills
Story by By Yew Lun Tian and Yimou Lee • Yesterday 11:10 pm - 11-4-2023
By Yew Lun Tian and Yimou Lee
BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - China's latest military drills near Taiwan show it is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, as Beijing said its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defences from the east.
Although the three-day exercises, which ended Monday, were not as intense as those that unfolded in August 2022 in protest of then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei, China used them to show off its capabilities in the air and sea - both of which it would need to control if it attempted a blockade.
Here are the key takeaways from the drills.
1) Carrier Operations
Many analysts noted the jets flying off the Shandong aircraft carrier, which took up position east of Taiwan, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Japan's Miyajima island.
The carrier's presence there meant China "can shatter Taiwan's so-called eastern shield", Zhao Xiaozhuo, a senior colonel and researcher with People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, told state news agency Xinhua.
2) Deterring foreign help
Videos of the exercise released by the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command showed its vessels and planes came within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan on all sides of the island, which Beijing claims as its own.
The aim of the drills was to show that they could encircle Taiwan in a blockade and deter foreign powers from intervening, Zhao said.
That would be crucial if a conflict erupted.
3) Precision Targeting
The PLA also said it carried out virtual simulations showing how its forces could execute targeted missile attacks on Taiwan.
Zhang Chi, a senior colonel and assistant professor with National Defence University, told Xinhua that the simulated precision attacks meant that China could eliminate Taiwanese leaders in a "Zhanshou" operation, which translates as "beheaded". In Western military parlance, such attacks are referred to as "decapitation strikes".
The drills were a response to a recent meeting in California between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, whom China views as a separatist.
4) Japan on alert
China's focus on the seas east of Taiwan are particularly worrisome for Japan, said Bonji Ohara, senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and a former military attache at Japan's embassy in China.
"Japan's southwestern islands could be included in the blockade area," Ohara said. "The question of how to break through there has once again been posed to Japan. It also reminded Japan that the blockade could cut off the sea lanes that carry crude oil and food to the country, which would be a major blow to the Japanese economy."
Japan's military said in a briefing on Tuesday that it was assessing China's manoeuvres around Taiwan, but described them as "without question, serious training".
(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Laurie Chen in Beijing; Yimou Lee in Taipei; Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
FILE PHOTO: Customers dine near a giant screen broadcasting news footage of the Eastern Theatre Command of PLA taking part in an exercises around Taiwan, at a restaurant in Beijing
© Thomson Reuters
Carriers and precision attacks: The takeaways from China's latest Taiwan drills
Story by By Yew Lun Tian and Yimou Lee • Yesterday 11:10 pm - 11-4-2023
By Yew Lun Tian and Yimou Lee
BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - China's latest military drills near Taiwan show it is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, as Beijing said its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defences from the east.
Although the three-day exercises, which ended Monday, were not as intense as those that unfolded in August 2022 in protest of then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei, China used them to show off its capabilities in the air and sea - both of which it would need to control if it attempted a blockade.
Here are the key takeaways from the drills.
1) Carrier Operations
Many analysts noted the jets flying off the Shandong aircraft carrier, which took up position east of Taiwan, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Japan's Miyajima island.
The carrier's presence there meant China "can shatter Taiwan's so-called eastern shield", Zhao Xiaozhuo, a senior colonel and researcher with People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, told state news agency Xinhua.
2) Deterring foreign help
Videos of the exercise released by the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command showed its vessels and planes came within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan on all sides of the island, which Beijing claims as its own.
The aim of the drills was to show that they could encircle Taiwan in a blockade and deter foreign powers from intervening, Zhao said.
That would be crucial if a conflict erupted.
3) Precision Targeting
The PLA also said it carried out virtual simulations showing how its forces could execute targeted missile attacks on Taiwan.
Zhang Chi, a senior colonel and assistant professor with National Defence University, told Xinhua that the simulated precision attacks meant that China could eliminate Taiwanese leaders in a "Zhanshou" operation, which translates as "beheaded". In Western military parlance, such attacks are referred to as "decapitation strikes".
The drills were a response to a recent meeting in California between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, whom China views as a separatist.
4) Japan on alert
China's focus on the seas east of Taiwan are particularly worrisome for Japan, said Bonji Ohara, senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and a former military attache at Japan's embassy in China.
"Japan's southwestern islands could be included in the blockade area," Ohara said. "The question of how to break through there has once again been posed to Japan. It also reminded Japan that the blockade could cut off the sea lanes that carry crude oil and food to the country, which would be a major blow to the Japanese economy."
Japan's military said in a briefing on Tuesday that it was assessing China's manoeuvres around Taiwan, but described them as "without question, serious training".
(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Laurie Chen in Beijing; Yimou Lee in Taipei; Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
FILE PHOTO: Customers dine near a giant screen broadcasting news footage of the Eastern Theatre Command of PLA taking part in an exercises around Taiwan, at a restaurant in Beijing
© Thomson Reuters
2 yr. ago
Reuters
Russian drones swarm Kyiv in display of force as Xi leaves Moscow
Story by Reuters • Yesterday 9:33 pm - 22-3-2023
KYIV (Reuters) -Russia launched a swarm of drones into Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people near Kyiv in a display of force as China's President Xi Jinping left Moscow with promises of friendship but little public mention of the war.
Sirens blared across the capital and swathes of northern Ukraine and the military said it had shot down 16 of 21 Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones. Two accommodation blocks and an educational facility in the riverside town of Rzhyshchiv south of the capital had been partially destroyed, the State Emergency Service said on the Telegram messaging app.
Four people were killed there and others buried under the rubble. More than 100 workers and 28 vehicles were deployed to the scene, and that the search for survivors was continuing.
"Over 20 Iranian murderous drones, plus missiles, numerous shelling incidents, and that's just in one last night of Russian terror against Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Twitter.
In an apparent reference to the Chinese leader's visit, he added: "Every time someone tries to hear the word 'peace' in Moscow, another order is given there for such criminal strikes."
Hosting Xi this week was Putin's grandest diplomatic gesture since he launched the war a year ago and became a pariah in the West. Xi and Putin referred to each other as dear friends, promised economic cooperation and described their countries' relations as the best they have ever been.
The two leaders "shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity," said a statement released by China.
As Xi departed he told Putin: "Now there are changes that haven't happened in 100 years. When we are together, we drive these changes."
"I agree," Putin said, to which Xi responded: "Take care of yourself dear friend, please."
Xi did not specify the changes and had little to say in public about the Ukraine war beyond saying that China's position was "impartial".
The White House urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two. Washington also criticised the timing of the trip, just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges for deporting Ukrainian children. Moscow says it has taken in children for protection.
PEACE PLAN
China proposed a peace plan for Ukraine last month, which the West has largely dismissed as vague at best, and at worst a ploy to buy time for Putin to regroup his forces.
"A ceasefire right now, freezing the lines where they are, basically gives him the time and space he needs to try to re-equip, to re-man, to make up for that resource expenditure," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
Putin praised Xi for the plan, and blamed Kyiv and the West for rejecting it. Kyiv, for its part, has cautiously welcomed the Chinese proposal while urging Beijing to consider Ukraine's own peace plan. Zelenskiy has called on Xi to speak to him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a reception in Moscow
© Thomson Reuters
Russian drones swarm Kyiv in display of force as Xi leaves Moscow
Story by Reuters • Yesterday 9:33 pm - 22-3-2023
KYIV (Reuters) -Russia launched a swarm of drones into Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people near Kyiv in a display of force as China's President Xi Jinping left Moscow with promises of friendship but little public mention of the war.
Sirens blared across the capital and swathes of northern Ukraine and the military said it had shot down 16 of 21 Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones. Two accommodation blocks and an educational facility in the riverside town of Rzhyshchiv south of the capital had been partially destroyed, the State Emergency Service said on the Telegram messaging app.
Four people were killed there and others buried under the rubble. More than 100 workers and 28 vehicles were deployed to the scene, and that the search for survivors was continuing.
"Over 20 Iranian murderous drones, plus missiles, numerous shelling incidents, and that's just in one last night of Russian terror against Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Twitter.
In an apparent reference to the Chinese leader's visit, he added: "Every time someone tries to hear the word 'peace' in Moscow, another order is given there for such criminal strikes."
Hosting Xi this week was Putin's grandest diplomatic gesture since he launched the war a year ago and became a pariah in the West. Xi and Putin referred to each other as dear friends, promised economic cooperation and described their countries' relations as the best they have ever been.
The two leaders "shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity," said a statement released by China.
As Xi departed he told Putin: "Now there are changes that haven't happened in 100 years. When we are together, we drive these changes."
"I agree," Putin said, to which Xi responded: "Take care of yourself dear friend, please."
Xi did not specify the changes and had little to say in public about the Ukraine war beyond saying that China's position was "impartial".
The White House urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two. Washington also criticised the timing of the trip, just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges for deporting Ukrainian children. Moscow says it has taken in children for protection.
PEACE PLAN
China proposed a peace plan for Ukraine last month, which the West has largely dismissed as vague at best, and at worst a ploy to buy time for Putin to regroup his forces.
"A ceasefire right now, freezing the lines where they are, basically gives him the time and space he needs to try to re-equip, to re-man, to make up for that resource expenditure," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.
Putin praised Xi for the plan, and blamed Kyiv and the West for rejecting it. Kyiv, for its part, has cautiously welcomed the Chinese proposal while urging Beijing to consider Ukraine's own peace plan. Zelenskiy has called on Xi to speak to him.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a reception in Moscow
© Thomson Reuters
2 yr. ago
Sky News Australia
'Cuts to other parts of the defence budget' will need to be made for AUKUS subs
Story by Sky News Australia • 8h ago - 18-3-2023
“We will know more about this when the Defence Strategic Review is released next month,” Mr Clennell said.
“But I understand what we will see is an emphasis away from land war and more towards the sea – in short, less tanks.”
'Cuts to other parts of the defence budget' will need to be made for AUKUS subs
© Provided by Sky News Australia
'Cuts to other parts of the defence budget' will need to be made for AUKUS subs
Story by Sky News Australia • 8h ago - 18-3-2023
“We will know more about this when the Defence Strategic Review is released next month,” Mr Clennell said.
“But I understand what we will see is an emphasis away from land war and more towards the sea – in short, less tanks.”
'Cuts to other parts of the defence budget' will need to be made for AUKUS subs
© Provided by Sky News Australia
2 yr. ago
U.S. resumes drone flights over Black Sea after Russia intercept
Story by Reuters • 6h ago - 18-3-2023
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has resumed surveillance drone flights over the Black Sea region following a Russian fighter jet intercept on Tuesday that led to the downing of a U.S surveillance drone, two U.S. officials said on Friday.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk flew a mission to the region on Friday, the officials said, with one adding that it was the first such drone flight since the Tuesday incident. Pentagon officials have repeatedly stressed this week the incident would not stop Washington from flying such missions.
Still, the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 drone on Tuesday was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow as both countries publicly traded blame.
Russia has denied U.S. accusations that its two Su-24 fighter jets acted recklessly around the unmanned U.S. aircraft, and instead has blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the crash.
However, the Pentagon released a video on Thursday showing a Russian Su-27 fighter jet coming very close to the drone and dumping fuel near it, in what U.S. officials said was an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew.
It also showed the loss of the video feed after another close Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon said resulted from a Russian jet colliding with the drone.
The video ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon said was caused by the collision, making the aircraft inoperable and leading it to crash into deep waters.
The incident over international waters was a reminder of the risk of direct confrontation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, which Moscow invaded more than a year ago and which Western allies have supported with intelligence and weapons.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Story by Reuters • 6h ago - 18-3-2023
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has resumed surveillance drone flights over the Black Sea region following a Russian fighter jet intercept on Tuesday that led to the downing of a U.S surveillance drone, two U.S. officials said on Friday.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk flew a mission to the region on Friday, the officials said, with one adding that it was the first such drone flight since the Tuesday incident. Pentagon officials have repeatedly stressed this week the incident would not stop Washington from flying such missions.
Still, the downing of a U.S. MQ-9 drone on Tuesday was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow as both countries publicly traded blame.
Russia has denied U.S. accusations that its two Su-24 fighter jets acted recklessly around the unmanned U.S. aircraft, and instead has blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the crash.
However, the Pentagon released a video on Thursday showing a Russian Su-27 fighter jet coming very close to the drone and dumping fuel near it, in what U.S. officials said was an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew.
It also showed the loss of the video feed after another close Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon said resulted from a Russian jet colliding with the drone.
The video ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon said was caused by the collision, making the aircraft inoperable and leading it to crash into deep waters.
The incident over international waters was a reminder of the risk of direct confrontation between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, which Moscow invaded more than a year ago and which Western allies have supported with intelligence and weapons.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
2 yr. ago
Russian defence minister decorates pilots for downing U.S. drone
Story by Reuters • Yesterday 8:48 pm - 17-3-2023
LONDON (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has presented awards to the pilots of two Su-27 fighter planes that intercepted a U.S. drone near the airspace around Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, his ministry said on Friday.
The drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian jets, in the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the United States since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago.
Announcing the awards, the ministry repeated Russia's version of events - disputed by Washington - that the Russian planes did not make physical contact with the drone.
"As a result of sharp manoeuvring around 9:30 a.m. (Moscow time), the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface," it said.
It said the drone had been flying with its transponders turned off and violating airspace restrictions that Russia had made public in connection with what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
The U.S. military had said the Russian fighter planes approached its MQ-9 Reaper drone during a reconnaissance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace. It said the fighters harassed the drone and sprayed fuel on it in an encounter lasting 30-40 minutes before one clipped the drone's propeller, causing it to crash into the sea.
The Pentagon on Thursday released a 40-second edited video showing a Russian fighter jet coming close to a U.S. military drone in the air, dumping fuel near it, and a damaged propeller in the aftermath. The top U.S. general said the incident demonstrated Moscow’s increasingly aggressive behaviour.
View from USAF MQ-9 drone during incident over Black Sea
© Thomson Reuters
Story by Reuters • Yesterday 8:48 pm - 17-3-2023
LONDON (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has presented awards to the pilots of two Su-27 fighter planes that intercepted a U.S. drone near the airspace around Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, his ministry said on Friday.
The drone crashed into the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian jets, in the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the United States since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago.
Announcing the awards, the ministry repeated Russia's version of events - disputed by Washington - that the Russian planes did not make physical contact with the drone.
"As a result of sharp manoeuvring around 9:30 a.m. (Moscow time), the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface," it said.
It said the drone had been flying with its transponders turned off and violating airspace restrictions that Russia had made public in connection with what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
The U.S. military had said the Russian fighter planes approached its MQ-9 Reaper drone during a reconnaissance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace. It said the fighters harassed the drone and sprayed fuel on it in an encounter lasting 30-40 minutes before one clipped the drone's propeller, causing it to crash into the sea.
The Pentagon on Thursday released a 40-second edited video showing a Russian fighter jet coming close to a U.S. military drone in the air, dumping fuel near it, and a damaged propeller in the aftermath. The top U.S. general said the incident demonstrated Moscow’s increasingly aggressive behaviour.
View from USAF MQ-9 drone during incident over Black Sea
© Thomson Reuters
2 yr. ago
South Korea and Japan to drop trade dispute as security concerns trump history
Story by By Sakura Murakami • Yesterday 7:28 pm - 16-3-2023
TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Japan's biggest business lobby, Keidanren, said it and its South Korean counterpart, the Federation of Korean Industries, agreed to launch foundations aimed at "future-oriented" bilateral relations.
Park Hong-keun, floor leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, said Yoon's visit should not stop at "his trip down memory lane" and asked Yoon to earn a true apology and resolution from Japan on forced labour issues during his trip.
The two leaders also met in November on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia.
South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats.
Japan said the "strategic challenge posed by China is the biggest Japan has ever faced" in a defence strategy paper released in December. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.
China's coast guard entered waters around disputed East China Sea islets on Wednesday to counter what it called the incursion of Japanese vessels into Chinese territorial waters.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo, Josh Smith and Ju-min Park in Seoul; Additional reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing Editing by David Dolan, Gerry Doyle and Sharon Singleton)
South Korea's President Yoon visits Japan
© Thomson Reuters
Story by By Sakura Murakami • Yesterday 7:28 pm - 16-3-2023
TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Japan's biggest business lobby, Keidanren, said it and its South Korean counterpart, the Federation of Korean Industries, agreed to launch foundations aimed at "future-oriented" bilateral relations.
Park Hong-keun, floor leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, said Yoon's visit should not stop at "his trip down memory lane" and asked Yoon to earn a true apology and resolution from Japan on forced labour issues during his trip.
The two leaders also met in November on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia.
South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats.
Japan said the "strategic challenge posed by China is the biggest Japan has ever faced" in a defence strategy paper released in December. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.
China's coast guard entered waters around disputed East China Sea islets on Wednesday to counter what it called the incursion of Japanese vessels into Chinese territorial waters.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami and Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo, Josh Smith and Ju-min Park in Seoul; Additional reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing Editing by David Dolan, Gerry Doyle and Sharon Singleton)
South Korea's President Yoon visits Japan
© Thomson Reuters
2 yr. ago
North Korean ICBM could hit US in 33 minutes due to gaps in America's missile defence, study claims
Story by Christian Oliver • 7h ago - 16-3-2023
North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at the United States that would hit the country in just 33 minutes, China has claimed.
Scientists in Beijing have simulated the ICBM launch and believe Pyongyang would be able to hit the country should the U.S.'s nuclear defence fail to intercept the missile.
The team of scientists from the Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering said North Korea's nuclear-capable Hwasong-15 missile with a range of over 8,000 miles (around 13,000 kilometres) would be 'sufficient to hit the entire US homeland'.
The simulation also suggested that there were gaps in the U.S. nuclear defence armoury.
The scientists said their tests showed the existing US missile defence network had gaps in its 'kill chain' and would struggle to identify and defend against an attack.
The new research and simulation published by China's top institute for aerospace defence was led by scientist Tang Yuyan and released in the Modern Defence Technology Journal for February.
The simulation started with a launch from Sunchon, a North Korean city south of capital Pyongan, and targeted Columbia in Missouri. The specific location was selected for its centrality in the middle of America.
Running the tests, the team said a theoretical launch would cause the U.S. to receive an alert 20 seconds later.
Within 11 minutes, the U.S.'s nuclear defence would fall into action as intercepting missiles would blast out of Fort Greely in Alaska's Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.]
A second phase of missiles would then launch Vandenberg Space Force Base in California should the first defence fail.
Tang's team said the U.S. defence was impressive but they said the simulation identified some gaps in the 'kill chain' that a nation such as North Korea could exploit.
The study claimed that the reason for the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. nuclear defence capabilities.
The most recent simulation follows another Chinese study released earlier this year which marked potential targets for China's hypersonic weapons.
The first wave of a hypothetical attack would aim at some of the largest ground-based radars in the U.S., the study said.
It would target Beale Air Force Base in California’s Yuba county and the Cape Cod peninsula.
Those bases were identified as they would be vulnerable to hypersonic weapons that are able to move unpredictably and strike at five-times the speed of sound, the study said.
The study also follows continued launching and testing of several ballistic missiles by North Korea.
Story by Christian Oliver • 7h ago - 16-3-2023
North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at the United States that would hit the country in just 33 minutes, China has claimed.
Scientists in Beijing have simulated the ICBM launch and believe Pyongyang would be able to hit the country should the U.S.'s nuclear defence fail to intercept the missile.
The team of scientists from the Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering said North Korea's nuclear-capable Hwasong-15 missile with a range of over 8,000 miles (around 13,000 kilometres) would be 'sufficient to hit the entire US homeland'.
The simulation also suggested that there were gaps in the U.S. nuclear defence armoury.
The scientists said their tests showed the existing US missile defence network had gaps in its 'kill chain' and would struggle to identify and defend against an attack.
The new research and simulation published by China's top institute for aerospace defence was led by scientist Tang Yuyan and released in the Modern Defence Technology Journal for February.
The simulation started with a launch from Sunchon, a North Korean city south of capital Pyongan, and targeted Columbia in Missouri. The specific location was selected for its centrality in the middle of America.
Running the tests, the team said a theoretical launch would cause the U.S. to receive an alert 20 seconds later.
Within 11 minutes, the U.S.'s nuclear defence would fall into action as intercepting missiles would blast out of Fort Greely in Alaska's Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.]
A second phase of missiles would then launch Vandenberg Space Force Base in California should the first defence fail.
Tang's team said the U.S. defence was impressive but they said the simulation identified some gaps in the 'kill chain' that a nation such as North Korea could exploit.
The study claimed that the reason for the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. nuclear defence capabilities.
The most recent simulation follows another Chinese study released earlier this year which marked potential targets for China's hypersonic weapons.
The first wave of a hypothetical attack would aim at some of the largest ground-based radars in the U.S., the study said.
It would target Beale Air Force Base in California’s Yuba county and the Cape Cod peninsula.
Those bases were identified as they would be vulnerable to hypersonic weapons that are able to move unpredictably and strike at five-times the speed of sound, the study said.
The study also follows continued launching and testing of several ballistic missiles by North Korea.
2 yr. ago
Useless Old Fashion Keating labels AUKUS 'irrational in every dimension'
Story by Maeve Bannister • 1h ago - 14-3-2023
Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating says Australia's new security deal with the United States and United Kingdom is the worst international decision since conscription.
In a scathing statement released before his appearance at the National Press Club, Mr Keating called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese "accommodating" and said he was relying on "seriously unwise" Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Mr Keating said the Albanese government had adopted the foreign policy of the former Liberal government without thinking about its implications for Australia's sovereignty.
"In an arrangement concocted on the English coast at Cornwall by Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson ... and Joe Biden, Australia is locking in its next half century in Asia as subordinate to the United States," he said.
The stupid former prime minister criticised Mr Morrison's decision to walk away from a French submarine deal.
Paul Keating may get some shite from Emanual Macron
Story by Maeve Bannister • 1h ago - 14-3-2023
Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating says Australia's new security deal with the United States and United Kingdom is the worst international decision since conscription.
In a scathing statement released before his appearance at the National Press Club, Mr Keating called Prime Minister Anthony Albanese "accommodating" and said he was relying on "seriously unwise" Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Mr Keating said the Albanese government had adopted the foreign policy of the former Liberal government without thinking about its implications for Australia's sovereignty.
"In an arrangement concocted on the English coast at Cornwall by Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson ... and Joe Biden, Australia is locking in its next half century in Asia as subordinate to the United States," he said.
The stupid former prime minister criticised Mr Morrison's decision to walk away from a French submarine deal.
Paul Keating may get some shite from Emanual Macron
2 yr. ago
"History will hold Donald Trump accountable" for Jan. 6, Pence says
Story by By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery • Yesterday 2:31 pm
By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol Building is stormed by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021
© Thomson Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday that "history will hold Donald Trump accountable" for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, one of the most forceful rebukes he has so far offered of his former boss.
Pence was in the Capitol when thousands of Trump supporters breached the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 president election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden.
As the vice president has the constitutional role of Senate president, Pence was presiding over what has always been the ceremonial task of approving the votes of the Electoral College to select the president and vice president.
Throughout the siege, Trump sent several tweets, one calling on Republicans to "fight" and others making false claims of voter fraud. He also criticized Pence for certifying the results.
"President Trump was wrong," Pence told assembled journalists and their guests at the Gridiron dinner, an annual white-tie event in Washington, D.C.
"I had no right to overturn the election and his reckless words endangered with my family and everyone at the capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable."
Pence, who is considering a run for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, was whisked to safety by law enforcement during the attack.
He rarely addressed Jan. 6 in the months following the incident but has since upped his criticism of the rioters and the behavior of his former boss that day.
He has sharply criticized Trump's conduct in recent media interviews, and in a memoir released in November he accused Trump of endangering his family.
Still, Pence's comments on Saturday were among his most pointed to date.
"What happened that way was a disgrace," he said. "And it mocks decency to portray it any other way. For as long as I live, I will never, ever diminish the injuries sustained, the lives lost, or the heroism of law enforcement on that tragic day."
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by William Mallard)
Story by By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery • Yesterday 2:31 pm
By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery
FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol Building is stormed by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021
© Thomson Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday that "history will hold Donald Trump accountable" for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, one of the most forceful rebukes he has so far offered of his former boss.
Pence was in the Capitol when thousands of Trump supporters breached the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 president election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden.
As the vice president has the constitutional role of Senate president, Pence was presiding over what has always been the ceremonial task of approving the votes of the Electoral College to select the president and vice president.
Throughout the siege, Trump sent several tweets, one calling on Republicans to "fight" and others making false claims of voter fraud. He also criticized Pence for certifying the results.
"President Trump was wrong," Pence told assembled journalists and their guests at the Gridiron dinner, an annual white-tie event in Washington, D.C.
"I had no right to overturn the election and his reckless words endangered with my family and everyone at the capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable."
Pence, who is considering a run for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, was whisked to safety by law enforcement during the attack.
He rarely addressed Jan. 6 in the months following the incident but has since upped his criticism of the rioters and the behavior of his former boss that day.
He has sharply criticized Trump's conduct in recent media interviews, and in a memoir released in November he accused Trump of endangering his family.
Still, Pence's comments on Saturday were among his most pointed to date.
"What happened that way was a disgrace," he said. "And it mocks decency to portray it any other way. For as long as I live, I will never, ever diminish the injuries sustained, the lives lost, or the heroism of law enforcement on that tragic day."
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by William Mallard)
2 yr. ago
Ukraine ambassador urges Adelaide to 'adopt' city of Kherson for humanitarian partnership
Yesterday 4:41 pm - ABC News (AU)
Ukraine's ambassador to Australia has called on Adelaide's city council to consider a humanitarian partnership with a city in his home country, saying funds raised as part of any such plan could help rebuild schools and hospitals.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko said he had raised the idea with Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith on Friday, and he believed the Black Sea city of Kherson, which has faced heavy shelling, would be a suitable candidate.
"Adelaide could adopt a city or town in Ukraine and help us rebuild a school or hospital and actually raise money in a community," he said.
"I'm sure it could be done and I'm sure many Australians would want to contribute to that.
"I would pick a city in the southern part of Ukraine, and I would go for Kherson actually.
"It's occupied by the Russians, it's been destroyed heavily, being continuously shelled as we speak, but I think Kherson would be a great partner for Adelaide."
Mr Myroshnychenko made the remarks at the Womadelaide music festival, which has made a strong show of support for Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the City of Adelaide said the Lord Mayor was "open to further discussion with the ambassador to see if it the idea is something council could explore further".
This year's festival features Ukrainian folk-electro fusion band Balaklava Blues and a cafe serving Ukrainian food to raise funds to support refugees.
"For Ukrainian musicians and artists and everybody who is in the cultural and creative industries, it's extremely difficult now because Russian troops are destroying our cultural heritage buildings, they are destroying theatres," Mr Myroshnychenko said.
"This war is extremely traumatising for the entire Ukrainian society, no matter where they are.
"We have only 7,000 Ukrainians who have come here [as refugees]. If we look, we have 5 million Ukrainians who became refugees in Europe primarily."
Balaklava Blues singer Marichka Marczyk said her younger brother, who worked as a beekeeper before the invasion, was currently fighting on the front line.
"We're able to be in touch with him every single day," she said.
"I'm far away, he's in a war zone … [but] every single show, I'm thinking about him."
Festival director Ian Scobie said he was pleased the festival could play a small part in supporting the Ukrainian community.
"We are really pleased to support the community … in, for us, a small way and we look forward to the very rapid end to this terrible war and the restoration of international norms, both in terms of borders and the nation's sovereignty," he said.
Yesterday 4:41 pm - ABC News (AU)
Ukraine's ambassador to Australia has called on Adelaide's city council to consider a humanitarian partnership with a city in his home country, saying funds raised as part of any such plan could help rebuild schools and hospitals.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko said he had raised the idea with Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith on Friday, and he believed the Black Sea city of Kherson, which has faced heavy shelling, would be a suitable candidate.
"Adelaide could adopt a city or town in Ukraine and help us rebuild a school or hospital and actually raise money in a community," he said.
"I'm sure it could be done and I'm sure many Australians would want to contribute to that.
"I would pick a city in the southern part of Ukraine, and I would go for Kherson actually.
"It's occupied by the Russians, it's been destroyed heavily, being continuously shelled as we speak, but I think Kherson would be a great partner for Adelaide."
Mr Myroshnychenko made the remarks at the Womadelaide music festival, which has made a strong show of support for Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the City of Adelaide said the Lord Mayor was "open to further discussion with the ambassador to see if it the idea is something council could explore further".
This year's festival features Ukrainian folk-electro fusion band Balaklava Blues and a cafe serving Ukrainian food to raise funds to support refugees.
"For Ukrainian musicians and artists and everybody who is in the cultural and creative industries, it's extremely difficult now because Russian troops are destroying our cultural heritage buildings, they are destroying theatres," Mr Myroshnychenko said.
"This war is extremely traumatising for the entire Ukrainian society, no matter where they are.
"We have only 7,000 Ukrainians who have come here [as refugees]. If we look, we have 5 million Ukrainians who became refugees in Europe primarily."
Balaklava Blues singer Marichka Marczyk said her younger brother, who worked as a beekeeper before the invasion, was currently fighting on the front line.
"We're able to be in touch with him every single day," she said.
"I'm far away, he's in a war zone … [but] every single show, I'm thinking about him."
Festival director Ian Scobie said he was pleased the festival could play a small part in supporting the Ukrainian community.
"We are really pleased to support the community … in, for us, a small way and we look forward to the very rapid end to this terrible war and the restoration of international norms, both in terms of borders and the nation's sovereignty," he said.
2 yr. ago
People sold up after Trump won the election
After Trump took a surprise victory in the 2016 US presidential election, residents began abandoning the tower in their droves and sales as well as rentals slumped big-time. In December of 2017, Vanity Fair reported that at least 14 condos had been put up for sale and asking prices had dropped by as much as 15%. Plus, out of the 14 rentals offered post-election, only five had been leased out.
After Trump took a surprise victory in the 2016 US presidential election, residents began abandoning the tower in their droves and sales as well as rentals slumped big-time. In December of 2017, Vanity Fair reported that at least 14 condos had been put up for sale and asking prices had dropped by as much as 15%. Plus, out of the 14 rentals offered post-election, only five had been leased out.
2 yr. ago
Russian gangsters lived in Trump Tower
Several Russian gangsters have owned or leased condos in the building. They include murderous 'boss of bosses' Vyacheslav Ivankov (pictured), who was gunned down in Moscow in 2009, New York Russian Mafia bigwig David Bogatin—he bought five condos in 1984 for $6 million (£5.4m)—and trio Anatoly Golubchik, Vadim Trincher and Michael Sall, who ran a betting and money-laundering syndicate out of the high-rise.
Several Russian gangsters have owned or leased condos in the building. They include murderous 'boss of bosses' Vyacheslav Ivankov (pictured), who was gunned down in Moscow in 2009, New York Russian Mafia bigwig David Bogatin—he bought five condos in 1984 for $6 million (£5.4m)—and trio Anatoly Golubchik, Vadim Trincher and Michael Sall, who ran a betting and money-laundering syndicate out of the high-rise.
2 yr. ago
Trump Organization requests eviction
Trump Tower has requested that the court instruct a "sheriff or New York City marshal" to evict Legacy Business School, after their lease was terminated in July 2022. This image shows a Trump Tower commerical space offered for rent, which may be similar to the unit leased by Legacy. Back in 2020, investors who claimed to be the company's majority owners sued the school’s founder, Alessandro Nomellini, for allegedly defrauding them by obtaining additional shares in the business.
Trump Tower has requested that the court instruct a "sheriff or New York City marshal" to evict Legacy Business School, after their lease was terminated in July 2022. This image shows a Trump Tower commerical space offered for rent, which may be similar to the unit leased by Legacy. Back in 2020, investors who claimed to be the company's majority owners sued the school’s founder, Alessandro Nomellini, for allegedly defrauding them by obtaining additional shares in the business.
2 yr. ago
Dubious charges at Trump Tower
On 17 October 2022, an investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform was publicly released, detailing how much Donald Trump charged security agents to stay in his hotels while they protected him during his time as president. During Trump’s presidency, Trump Hotels charged the Secret Service as much as $1,185 (£1k) per night, more than five times the recommended government rate, at least 40 times between January 2017 and September 2021, and continued to do so even after Trump left office.
On 17 October 2022, an investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform was publicly released, detailing how much Donald Trump charged security agents to stay in his hotels while they protected him during his time as president. During Trump’s presidency, Trump Hotels charged the Secret Service as much as $1,185 (£1k) per night, more than five times the recommended government rate, at least 40 times between January 2017 and September 2021, and continued to do so even after Trump left office.
4 yr. ago
Heartworn Highways (1976) - IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title...
Heartworn Highways: Directed by James Szalapski. With Peggy Brooks, Guy Clark, David Allan Coe, Rodney Crowell. The best music and the best whiskey come from the same part of the country.
Heartworn Highways - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/w...
Heartworn Highways is a documentary film by James Szalapski whose vision captured some of the founders of the Outlaw Country movement in Texas and Tennessee in the last weeks of 1975 and the first weeks of 1976. The film was not released theatrically...
https://www.imdb.com/title...
Heartworn Highways: Directed by James Szalapski. With Peggy Brooks, Guy Clark, David Allan Coe, Rodney Crowell. The best music and the best whiskey come from the same part of the country.
Heartworn Highways - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/w...
Heartworn Highways is a documentary film by James Szalapski whose vision captured some of the founders of the Outlaw Country movement in Texas and Tennessee in the last weeks of 1975 and the first weeks of 1976. The film was not released theatrically...
