Latest news with #MilitaryExercises
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Putin stages major war games on NATO's doorstep as submarine fires torpedoes at mock Western ship and Russia vows to conduct 'dozens' more naval drills this summer
Vladimir Putin has been staging major war games on NATO 's doorstep, sending a chilling threat to the West. Footage shows the dictator's warships practising military drills in the Baltic Sea - a major area of contention between NATO and Russia. The ships trained to counter marine drones and unmanned planes during the first of 'dozens' of drills promised by the dictator's navy this summer. In one exercise, a diesel submarine fired torpedoes at a mock Western ship and, in another, 30-mm AK-630 automatic rifles were used against 'floating mines'. The current display of power involves 20 warships and support vessels, 25 aircraft and helicopters, and 3,000 service personnel. The war games involve Russia's Baltic and North fleets with support from Aerospace Forces from Moscow and Leningrad military districts and 70 units of 'military and special equipment'. A key aim of the Putin drills is to train for 'defence of naval bases' in a sea where Russia and NATO compete for sway, according to the Baltic Fleet. Russia has access to the Baltic via Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions - but no less than eight NATO states front the sea. The ships trained to counter marine drones and unmanned planes during the first of 'dozens' of drills promised by the dictator's navy this summer In a direct warning to the West, the fleet's military council said its forces 'will participate in more that several dozen exercises on various tracks in the summer period'. A statement said: 'The efforts of the Baltic Fleet will be focused on securing the naval interests of the Russian Federation in the Baltic sea zone.' The sea is the focus of increasing tension between the West and Putin's burgeoning military machine. Estonia this month attempted to seize a Russian-bound oil tanker suspected of circumventing Western sanctions. In retaliation, Russia detained a Greek-owned oil tanker that had recently left an Estonian port, escalating maritime tensions in the region. Finland and Estonia have reported recent airspace violations by Putin's warplanes and Polish fighters intercepted a Russian Su-24 bomber performing 'dangerous' manoeuvres in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. Last month RAF Typhoons were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland to intercept Russian military aircraft, including an Ilyushin Il-20M surveillance plane and two Su-30MKI fighters, approaching NATO airspace. There is also acute concern among NATO members over the security of undersea internet and communications cables, with the alliance launching Operation Baltic Sentry in January to enhance surveillance and protection. But Russia suffered a setback in Ukraine - with its newest powerful Dan-N jet drone destroyed by a missile system developed Ukrainian military intelligence. Footage shows the moment of destruction in the Odesa direction by a mobile anti-aircraft missile system equipped with R-73 missiles. Separately, Ukraine also conducted a sabotage operation more than 6,200 miles from its territory in Desantnaya Bay, Vladivostok, triggering explosions at the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy. Ukraine accused the bridge of mass war crimes, notably executions, including beheadings, torture in locations which as Bucha and Irpin. Two explosions of military equipment near Vladivostok led to a massive military and 'anti-terrorist' operation on Friday. Helicopters were scrambled over Desantnaya Bay near Vladivostok, with a major operation by the FSB secret service, military officers, anti-terrorism specialists, ambulances and police. In the wake of the explosions two trucks removed 'large objects covered with tarpaulin' under military guard. Russia has not informed its residents about the Ukrainian operation on its Pacific coast, instead telling people gas cylinders exploded in a car, an explanation widely mocked on social media. In Russia's latest strikes on civilians, a girl, nine, was killed in Zaporizhzhia region, while a 16 year old was wounded. 'These are the consequences of the enemy attack on the frontline village of the Pologovsky district,' said Ukrainian official Ivan Fedorov. 'The Russians hit residential buildings with [aerial bombs]. 'One house was destroyed.' A 66-year-old mangas killed in Russian shelling of Kherson overnight. In Rylsk, Kursk region, Ukraine reportedly hit a hotel where Russian military personnel were billeted.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Hegseth says US will stand by Indo-Pacific allies against 'imminent' threat of China
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific on Saturday that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressures from China. He said Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade would look like of the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own and the U.S. has pledged to defend. China's army 'is rehearsing for the real deal,' Hegseth said in a keynote speech at a security conference in Singapore. 'We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.' China has a stated goal of having its military be able to take Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027, a deadline that is seen by experts as more of an aspirational goal than a hard war deadline. But China also has developed sophisticated man-made islands in the South China Sea to support new military outposts and built up highly advanced hypersonic and space capabilities, which are driving the U.S. to create its own space-based 'Golden Dome' missile defenses. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, Hegseth said China is no longer just building up its military forces to take Taiwan, it's 'actively training for it, every day.' Hegseth also called out China for its ambitions in Latin America, particularly its efforts to increase its influence over the Panama Canal. He repeated a pledge made by previous administrations to bolster U.S. military capabilities in the region to provide a more robust deterrent. While both the Obama and Biden administrations had also committed to pivoting to the Pacific — and even established new military agreements throughout the region — a full shift has never been realized. Instead, U.S. military resources from the Indo-Pacific have been regularly pulled to support military needs in the Middle East and Europe, especially since the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. In the first few months of President Donald Trump's second term, that's also been the case. The Indo-Pacific nations caught in between have tried to balance relations with both the U.S. and China over the years. Beijing is the primary trading partner for many, but is also feared as a regional bully, in part due to its increasingly aggressive claims on natural resources such as critical fisheries. Hegseth cautioned that playing both sides, seeking U.S. military support and Chinese economic support, carries risk. "Beware the leverage the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) seeks with that entanglement,' Hegseth said. China usually sends its own defense minister to this conference — but in a snub this year to the U.S. and the erratic tariff war Trump has ignited with Beijing, its minister Dong Jun did not attend, something the U.S. delegation said it intended to capitalize on. 'We are here this morning. And somebody else isn't,' Hegseth said. He urged countries in the region to increase defense spending to levels similar to the 5% of their gross domestic product European nations are now pressed to contribute. 'We must all do our part,' Hegseth said. It's not clear if the U.S. can or wants to supplant China as the region's primary economic driver. But Hegseth's push follows Trump's visit to the Middle East, which resulted in billions of dollars in new defense agreements. Hegseth said committing U.S. support for Indo-Pacific nations would not be based on any conditions on local governments aligning their cultural or climate issues with the West.
Arab News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia hold first committee meeting on defense cooperation
DHAKA: Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh held the first meeting of their Joint Committee on Defense Cooperation, as Dhaka seeks to strengthen its security ties with the Kingdom. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Khalidi, assistant chief of training and development of the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia, was in Dhaka to lead a Saudi delegation for the three-day talks, which concluded on Thursday. The Bangladeshi side was led by Lt. Gen. S.M. Kamrul Hassan, principal staff officer of Bangladesh's Armed Forces Division during the discussion. 'This is ... the first time that Bangladesh held a Joint Committee Defense Cooperation meeting with Saudi Arabia,' Lt. Colonel Sami-Ud-Dowla Chowdhury, director of Bangladeshi military's media wing ISPR, told Arab News. 'Both countries have signed a protocol on Thursday aimed at proceeding further with the discussions held on Tuesday in Dhaka.' The Saudi-Bangladesh defense cooperation covers several areas, including joint exercises, arms procurement, indigenous production capability and expertise sharing, Chowdhury said. 'With this, Bangladesh developed a defense-to-defense relation with one of our very trusted friends, Saudi Arabia. And definitely, it will open up a new horizon for increased defence cooperation.' Bangladesh is ready to contribute its operational knowledge with Saudi Arabia, he added, pointing to the military's experience in various locations around the world, including as one of the highest contributors of UN peacekeepers. The country ranks third in the top troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, with more than 5,600 personnel as of February this year. '(This) operational knowledge could be helpful for Saudi Arabia for a better doctrine of military understanding. (The meeting) can be described as an elevation in terms of defense cooperation between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia,' Chowdhury said. The joint meeting comes after Bangladesh's Air Force chief, Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, visited the Kingdom in February. Dhaka and Riyadh signed in 2019 an agreement to further their military cooperation, which has served as a basis for their collaborations in the field. Stronger defense ties with Saudi Arabia would be beneficial for Bangladesh, especially if it entails more joint exercises between the two countries, said Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, a defense expert and retired air officer of Bangladesh's Air Force. 'This is a very good idea,' he told Arab News. 'We don't have deserts in our country. If our officers and soldiers take part in joint exercises with Saudi Arabia's forces, our forces members will get acquainted with desert warfare. On the other hand, Saudi defense personnel can have experiences from Bangladesh over the riverine warfare tactics, jungle warfare, etc.' Both nations have opportunities to scale up collaborations across different areas, he added. With the assistance of Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh can develop its ordnance factories, and further its defense equipment and logistics production capabilities. 'It's a field of endless opportunities,' Choudhury said.
