European Navies Leave the U.S. High and Dry
There are 178 U.S.-flagged cargo ships—or less than 1% of worldwide shipping—and few pass through the Red Sea. Several thousands more fly European Union flags, and many of them sail near Yemen. France, Britain, Italy and Spain all have aircraft carriers. France has a base in Djibouti, 400 miles from the Houthis. Why does it fall to the U.S. Navy to deal with these threats on our own? U.S. sailors are being stretched to the limit—witness the recent loss of two USS Truman fighters. Our European 'allies' need to step up. Play fair and do your share.
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NBC News
3 minutes ago
- NBC News
A Ukrainian startup develops long-range drones and missiles to take the battle to Russia
When a Ukrainian-made drone attacked an ammunition depot in Russia last September, it showcased Kyiv's determination to strike deep behind enemy lines and the prowess of its defense industry. The moment was especially gratifying for the woman in charge of manufacturing the drones that flew more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to carry out this mission. For months after, Russia no longer had the means to keep up devastating glide bomb attacks like the one that had just targeted her native city of Kharkiv. 'Fighting in the air is our only real asymmetric advantage on the battlefield at the moment. We don't have as much manpower or money as they have,' said Iryna Terekh, head of production at Fire Point. Terekh spoke as she surveyed dozens of 'deep-strike drones' that had recently come off the assembly line and would soon be used by Ukrainian forces to attack arms depots, oil refineries and other targets vital to the Kremlin's war machine and economy. Spurred by its existential fight against Russia — and limited military assistance from Western allies — Ukraine has fast become a global center for defense innovation. The goal is to match, if not outmuscle, Russia's capabilities, which were on brutal display Thursday — and Fire Point is one of the companies leading the way. The Associated Press was granted an exclusive look inside one of Fire Point's dozens of covert factories. In a sprawling warehouse where rock music blared, executives showed off their signature FP-1 exploding drones that can travel up to 1,600 kilometers (994 miles). They also touted publicly for the first time a cruise missile they are developing that is capable of traveling 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), and which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes will be mass-produced by the end of the year. Even as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for an end to the 3 1/2-year war — and dangles the prospect of U.S. support for NATO-like security guarantees — Ukrainian defense officials say their country is determined to become more self-sufficient in deterring Russia. 'We believe our best guarantee is not relying on somebody's will to protect us, but rather our ability to protect ourselves,' said Arsen Zhumadilov, the head of the country's arms procurement agency. Ukraine's government is now purchasing about $10 billion of weapons annually from domestic manufacturers. The industry has the capacity to sell triple that amount, officials say, and they believe sales to European allies could help it reach such potential in a matter of years. Drone innovation grew out of necessity Like most defense companies in Ukraine, Fire Point grew out of necessity after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Despite pleas from Ukrainian military officials, Western countries were unwilling to allow Kyiv to use their allies' longer-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory. That's when a group of close friends, experts from various fields, set out to mass-produce inexpensive drones that could match the potency of Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia was firing into Ukraine with devastating consequences. The company's founders spoke with AP on the condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety and the security of their factories. By pooling together knowledge from construction, game design and architecture, the company's founders — who had no background in defense — came up with novel designs for drones that could fly further and strike with greater precision than most products already on the market. Their long-range drones had another benefit: they did not need to take off from an air field. When Terekh — an architect — was hired in the summer of 2023, she was given a goal of producing 30 drones per month. Now the company makes roughly 100 per day, at a cost of $55,000 apiece. The FP-1 looks more like a hastily made science project than something that would roll off the production lines of the world's biggest defense contractors. 'We removed unneeded, flashy glittery stuff,' she said. But the FP-1 has been extremely effective on the battlefield. With a payload of explosives weighing 60 kilograms (132 pounds), it is responsible for 60% of strikes deep inside Russian territory, including hits on oil refineries and weapons depots, according to Terekh. These strikes have helped to slow Russia's advance along the 1,000 kilometer-long (620 mile-long) front line in eastern Ukraine, where army units have reported a sharp decline in artillery fire. 'I think the best drones, or among the best, are Ukrainian drones,' said Claude Chenuil, a former French military official who now works for a trade group that focuses on defense. 'When the war in Ukraine ends, they will flood the market.' Ukraine is becoming the 'Silicon Valley' of defense Fire Point's story is not entirely unique. Soon after Russia's 2022 invasion, hundreds of defense companies sprouted almost overnight. The Ukrainian government incentivized innovation by relaxing regulations and making it easier for startups to work directly with military brigades. Patriotic entrepreneurs in metallurgy, construction and information technology built facilities for researching and making weapons and munitions, with an emphasis on drones. The ongoing war allowed them to test out ideas almost immediately on the battlefield, and to quickly adapt to Russia's changing tactics. 'Ukraine is in this very unique moment now where it is becoming, de facto, the Silicon Valley of defense,' said Ukrainian defense entrepreneur Yaroslav Azhnyuk. 'The biggest strategic asset that we have is that we have been at war with Russia for 11 years.' A case in point: Fire Point had initially sourced navigational equipment for its drones from a major Western firm, but before long Russia was able to disrupt their effectiveness using electronic warfare; so Fire Point developed its own software to outwit the enemy. Because defense companies are high-value targets for Russia, many operate underground or hidden within civilian centers to evade detection. Although they are guarded by air defenses, the strategy has the disadvantage of putting civilians at risk. Many Ukrainians have died in imprecise Russian attacks that were likely targeting weapons facilities. Entrepreneurs said the alternative is to operate openly and face attacks that would set back the war effort. Supplies of drones don't last long On the day AP reporters visited the Fire Point factory, there were dozens of drones awaiting delivery. They would all be gone within 72 hours, shipped to the battlefield in inconspicuous cargo trucks. The Fire Point team receives regular feedback from army units, and the company has reinvested most profits toward innovating quickly to keep pace with other drone makers. Increasingly, those profits are being directed to develop a new, more potent weapon. The company completed testing this year for its first cruise missile, the FP-5. Capable of traveling 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) and landing within 14 meters (45 feet) of its target, the FP-5 is one of the largest such missile in the world, delivering a payload of 1,150 kilograms (2,535 pounds), independent experts said. Because initial versions of the missile came out pink after a factory error, they called it the Flamingo — and the name has stuck. Fire Point is producing roughly one Flamingo per day, and by October they hope to build capacity to make seven per day, Terekh said. Even as Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials pursue ways to end the war, Terekh said she is skeptical that Russia will accept terms for a real peace. 'We are preparing for a bigger, much scarier war.'
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It's been a confusing week - and Trump's been made to look weak
It's been a confusing week. The Monday gathering of European leaders and Ukraine's president with Donald Trump at the White House was highly significant. Ukraine latest: Trump changes tack The leaders went home buoyed in the knowledge that they'd finally convinced the American president not to abandon Europe. He had committed to provide American "security guarantees" to Ukraine. The details were sketchy, and sketched out only a little more through the week (we got some noise about American air cover), but regardless, the presidential commitment represented a clear shift from months of isolationist rhetoric on Ukraine - "it's Europe's problem" and all the rest of it. Yet it was always the case that, beyond that clear achievement for the Europeans, would have a problem with it. Trump's envoy's language last weekend - claiming that had agreed to Europe providing "Article 5-like" guarantees for Ukraine, essentially providing it with a NATO-like collective security blanket - was baffling. Russia gives two fingers to the president And throughout this week, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly and predictably undermined the whole thing, pointing out that Russia would never accept any peace plan that involved any European or NATO troops in Ukraine. "The presence of foreign troops in Ukraine is completely unacceptable for Russia," he said yesterday, echoing similar statements stretching back years. Remember that NATO's "eastern encroachment" was the justification for Russia's "special military operation" - the invasion of Ukraine - in the first place. All this makes Trump look rather weak. It's two fingers to the president, though interestingly, the Russian language has been carefully calibrated not to poke Trump but to mock European leaders instead. That's telling. Read more on Ukraine: The bilateral meeting hailed by Trump on Monday as agreed and close - "within two weeks" - looks decidedly doubtful. Maybe that's why he went along with Putin's suggestion that there be a bilateral, not including Trump, first. It's easier for the American president to blame someone else if it's not his meeting, and it doesn't happen. NATO defence chiefs met on Wednesday to discuss the details of how the security guarantees - the ones Russia won't accept - will work. European sources at the meeting have told me it was all a great success. And to the comments by Lavrov, a source said: "It's not up to Lavrov to decide on security guarantees. Not up to the one doing the threatening to decide how to deter that threat!" The argument goes that it's not realistic for Russia to say from which countries Ukraine can and cannot host troops. Would Trump threaten force? The problem is that if Europe and the White House want Russia to sign up to some sort of peace deal, then it would require agreement from all sides on the security arrangements. The other way to get Russia to heel would be with an overwhelming threat of force. Something from Trump, like: "Vladimir - look what I did to Iran...". But, of course, isn't a nuclear power. Something else bothers me about all this. The core concept of a "security guarantee" is an ironclad obligation to defend Ukraine into the future. Future guarantees would require treaties, not just a loose promise. I don't see Trump's America truly signing up to anything that obliges them to do anything. A layered security guarantee which builds over time is an option, but from a Kremlin perspective, would probably only end up being a repeat of history and allow them another "justification" to push back. Read more from Sky News: Image and reality don't seem to match Among Trump's stream of social media posts this week was an image of him waving his finger at Putin in Alaska. It was one of the few non-effusive images from the summit. He posted it next to an image of former president Richard Nixon confronting Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev - an image that came to reflect American dominance over the Soviet Union. That may be the image Trump wants to portray. But the events of the past week suggest image and reality just don't match. The past 24 hours in Ukraine have been among the most violent to date.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Eastern Libya Poised to Greenlight Turkish Offshore Exploration
Libya's eastern-based parliament is preparing to approve a 2019 maritime pact that would allow Turkey to explore for oil and gas in Libyan waters, according to people familiar with the talks in Benghazi and Ankara. Most obstacles to the accord have been cleared, they said, a striking reversal for the east—long aligned with commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army and historically opposed to Turkish involvement. Tripoli, which already maintains close ties with Ankara, backs the deal. If ratified, Turkish survey and drilling vessels could begin work in a corridor between Turkey and Crete, bolstering Ankara's claims in the eastern Mediterranean and likely aggravating disputes with Greece and Cyprus. The pending vote follows a cautious détente between Turkey and Haftar: a Turkish navy corvette, TCG K?nal?ada, is visiting Benghazi; Ankara is weighing military training support; and Haftar's son, Saddam, met Turkey's defense leadership in April. Turkey is also keen to revive billions of dollars in stalled construction contracts and has restarted direct flights to Benghazi, while major Turkish contractors scope reconstruction and materials production in the east. Eastern authorities increasingly see the accord as a way to attract investment. The maritime move comes as Libya's energy sector regains momentum. On August 19, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported over 1.38 million barrels of crude produced in the prior 24 hours, plus ~50,000 b/d of condensate and 2.48 bcf of natural gas, reaffirming its focus on production stability, domestic supply, and export obligations. Output reached a 12-year high of ~1.23 million b/d in May despite periodic clashes around Tripoli, and NOC targets 2 million b/d by 2028 through capacity expansions and stronger infrastructure. Libya launched its first field tenders in 17 years in March, drawing 400+ bids across 22 blocks, and ExxonMobil signed an MoU this month to assess offshore blocks off the northwest coast and the Sirte Basin—signals of returning foreign interest. Libya's light, low-sulfur barrels remain highly prized, with reserves leading Africa and ranking ninth globally. Regionally, the potential Turkish exploration underscores shifting geopolitics. With Russia preoccupied in Ukraine, Simon Watkins writes that Washington and London are pushing to cement influence across the Middle East and North Africa, backing economic stabilization tied to energy development in states like Syria and Libya. In Libya, BP and Shell recently signed frameworks with NOC to evaluate redevelopment of large onshore fields and other assets, while a Mellitah Oil & Gas–Hill International agreement aims to lift gas output from 2026. These moves—alongside U.S. and European engagement—make it harder for rivals to reassert dominance. Still, the maritime file is fraught. Greece in May tendered exploration blocks south of Crete that overlap waters Libya claims; the European Union has argued the mooted Libya–Turkey arrangement infringes third-state rights and conflicts with the UN Law of the Sea. For Libya, the near-term challenge is operational continuity: safeguarding fields and export terminals, ensuring power and water for upstream operations, and keeping cross-faction revenue disputes in check. If stability holds and planned investments proceed, Libya could add meaningful barrels just as global supply is expected to loosen into late 2025–2026—while Ankara's prospective offshore campaigns would add a new layer of complexity to the eastern Mediterranean energy map. By Charles Kennedy for More Top Reads From this article on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
