Security Assistance
Friday, August 12, 2016 - 06:35
The commander in charge of US forces in Afghanistan has asked India to step up military aid in the Asian country. Gen. John Nicholson's call to action comes as Western sanctions against Russia is leading to a paucity of spares for Russian-made weaponry used by Afghan forces.
Friday, August 12, 2016 - 06:30
Officials accuse India of role in Quetta bombing, but critics say Islamabad’s shielding of certain jihadists helps fuel terror.
Thursday, August 11, 2016 - 06:47
As the Taliban and ISIS continue to launch attacks across Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan forces face the daunting task of bringing stability to one of the world’s most volatile countries. The Cipher Brief spoke with Ryan Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, about the current security apparatus in Afghanistan. Despite these attacks, Crocker says that “not all the news is bad” as Afghan forces have repeatedly repelled Taliban advances and that Afghanistan continues to remain a “vital U.S. national security interest.”
Thursday, August 11, 2016 - 06:32
Pro-government Libyan militias backed by American air power said Wednesday that they had seized the Islamic State’s last stronghold in the country, in the seaside city of Surt. If confirmed, the capture would be a severe blow to the militant organization’s expansion into North Africa, and extend the string of territorial retreats it has suffered this year in Syria and Iraq.
Thursday, August 11, 2016 - 06:28
Raytheon has won a $129 million contract for procurement of tube launched optically tracked wireless guided (TOW)missiles for the US Marine Corps, U.S. Army, Bahrain and Morocco. Work will be completed with an estimated completion date of Aug. 4, 2018, The U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement Tuesday.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 06:52
A military "combing" operation is underway in the south-western province of Baluchistan in the wake of yesterday's suicide attack on a Quetta hospital which killed at least 70 and left more than 100 wounded. US state department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said Washington will "continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region to combat this threat." But only last week, the US told Pakistan it was withholding $US300 million in anti-terror funding.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 06:48
Russia’s 2014 interventions in Ukraine occurred because the international community did not punish it sufficiently for its military intervention in Georgia in 2008, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 06:46
The White House wanted the United States military to monitor the 2010 massacres in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, with a drone, and the military's failure to do so had negative ramifications for future U.S. military operations in Sudan, Libya, and Syria, a new book reports.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 06:44
The armistice is unraveling fast as fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists has escalated to levels not seen since more furious phases of the conflict in the Donbas -- where the separatists hold parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions -- in 2014 and 2015. Casualties, both civilian and military, are mounting.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 06:42
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of more than 130 Abrams battle tanks, 20 armored recovery vehicles and other equipment, worth about $1.15 billion, to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which implements foreign arms sales, said that General Dynamics will be the principal contractor for the sale.