DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE: U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia

Asian Defense News: DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE:  U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 17, 2014:  In light of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, the United States is demonstrating its continued commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO Allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region. 

As a first response to demonstrate our commitment to the defense of our Allies, the U.S. augmented its participation in Baltic Air Policing by sending an additional six F-15s to the NATO mission.  Under operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE, U.S. Army Europe forces have deployed to Latvia, along with other Allies in the region, to conduct land forces training.  

U.S. and Latvian troops participate in a range of other joint and multilateral exercises, including SABER STRIKE, BALTOPS, and STEADFAST JAZZ.  Latvian soldiers and defense personnel also receive technical training and strategic education in the United States.

As NATO allies, the United States and Latvia are committed to each other’s defense and partner in critical areas around the world.  Latvia contributes important capabilities to the Alliance’s collective security, including the training of U.S.-certified joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC) who coordinate air support for ground units during operations.

 The government of Latvia has recognized the danger of increased cyber threats and is working together with NATO, the European Union, the Baltic states, Nordic states, and the United States to strengthen its cybersecurity.  The United States supports Latvia’s efforts through visits by U.S. experts and Latvian participation in EUCOM- and NATO-sponsored events and U.S.-based training.  The government of Latvia is also a partner in the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of governments collaborating to advance Internet freedom. 

Italian paratroopers listen during rehearsals for an air assault with U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks, a CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters during NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II on Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 7, 2014. 

The helicopter crews are assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the Italian paratroopers are assigned to the Italian Folgore Parachute Brigade. 

The exercise, which involves more than 2,000 troops from nine nations, takes place across Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

A U.S. soldier, second from left, briefs Italian paratroopers during rehearsals for an air assault during NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II on Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 7, 2014. The soldier is assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
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DTN News - IRAQ UNREST: Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga Are on Red Alert Against Islamic State (IS) Militants

Asian Defense News: DTN News - IRAQ UNREST: Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga Are on Red Alert Against Islamic State (IS) Militants

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 16, 2014:  Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter are silhoutted against the sky on the front line in Khazer near the Kurdish checkpoint of Aski kalak, 40 km West of Erbil, Iraq, 16 September 2014. 

Iraq's Kurdish Peshmerga forces retook Qarag town from the militant Islamic State organization, while the Kurdish forces have continued fighting against Islamic State (IS) militants, backed by US airstrikes and retaking a number of areas near the militant-held city of Mosul. 

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
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DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Egyptian Mediated Ceasefire Being Observed Between Israel and Hamas-Led Gaza Militants

Asian Defense News: DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT:  Egyptian Mediated Ceasefire Being Observed Between Israel and Hamas-Led Gaza Militants
*Israel, Palestinians Agree on Long-Term Gaza Ceasefire

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 14, 2014: Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday agreed on a long-term Egyptian-brokered ceasefire to end the devastating 50-day war in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that has killed over 2,200 people. 

"An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Zuhri said Egypt was expected to make an official announcement on the deal.

Cairo's initiative, Palestinians officials said, called for an indefinite halt to seven weeks of hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt and a widening of the enclave's fishing zone in the Mediterranean, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Under a second stage that would begin a month later, Israel and the Palestinians would discuss the construction of a Gaza sea port and an Israeli release of Hamas prisoners in the West Bank, the officials said.

A senior Palestinian official also confirmed that the Palestinians have reached an agreement with Israel on a "permanent" truce in Gaza.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the claimed deal to end the deadly conflict in and around the enclave.

The Palestinian official gave no time for when a ceasefire would take effect but said President Mahmud Abbas would give further details in a speech from his West Bank headquarters at 1600 GMT (2130 IST). "The contacts that have been going on have led to a permanent ceasefire, a (deal to) end the blockade and a guarantee that Gaza's demands and needs will be met," the official said speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Islamist Hamas movement, de facto ruler of Gaza and party to the Abbas-led efforts to agree a truce, also said a deal had been struck with Israel. "The negotiations ended with an agreement which embodies the resistance of our people and a victory for the resistance," its exiled deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuk wrote on his Facebook page.

The Palestinian official said the truce deal had been finalised after 48 hours of intensive shuttle diplomacy by Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Palestinian delegation to the protracted, on-off truce talks in Cairo. "Over the past 48 hours, he has been shuttling between the leadership of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, all the factions, and Egyptian leaders, travelling between Ramallah, Gaza, Doha and overseas," the official said.

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Is China Ready To Use Military Might in Southeast Asia

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Is China Ready To Use Military Might in Southeast Asia 

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 11, 2014: China's Harbin (112) guided missile destroyer takes part in a week-long China-Russia "Joint Sea-2014" navy exercise at the East China Sea off Shanghai, China. 

In an annual report to Congress, the Pentagon said China is developing and testing new types of missiles, expanding the reach of its navy and upgrading its air force. China is also investing in military capabilities in cyberspace, space and electronic warfare.

The report said China’s military modernization was driven primarily by potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, but also by its expanding interests and influence abroad, and increased tensions in the East China and South China seas. In November, China conducted its largest naval exercise to date in the Philippine Sea.

China has been engaged in territorial disputes with several of its neighbors, including U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines. China is currently locked in a tense, offshore standoff with the Vietnam.

In a long-standing U.S. criticism of China’s military expansion over the past two decades, the Pentagon criticized China’s lack of openness about its strategy, which it said has caused concerns in Asia.

“Absent greater transparency from China and a change in its behavior, these concerns will likely intensify as the PLA’s military modernization program progresses,” the report said, referring to China’s People’s Liberation Army.


China’s government in March announced a 12.2 percent increase in military spending to $132 billion. That followed last year’s 10.7 percent increase to $114 billion, giving China the second-highest defense budget for any nation behind the U.S., which spent $600.4 billion on its military last year.

Several Asian nations are arming up, their wary eyes fixed squarely on one country: a resurgent China that’s boldly asserting its territorial claims all along the East Asian coast. 

The scramble to spend more defense dollars comes amid spats with China over contested reefs and waters. 

Other Asian countries such as India and South Korea are quickly modernizing their forces, although their disputes with China have stayed largely at the diplomatic level. 

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