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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
'It could happen in US tomorrow': Defence expert's warning after Ukraine's Russia drone attack
Veteran defence journalist Tyler Rogoway has warned that the United States is also vulnerable to attacks like yesterday when Ukraine took out nearly a third of Russia's nuclear-capable long-range bombers with drones. read more (Left) Head of the Ukraine's Security Service Vasyl Maliuk looks at a map of an airfield, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released June 1, 2025; (Right) Smoke rises above the area following what local authorities called a drone attack on a military unit in the Sredny settlement, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Usolsky district of the Irkutsk region, Russia, in this still image from a video published June 1, 2025. Ukraine press service & Telegram After Ukraine destroyed dozens of Russian long-range bomber aircraft, veteran defence journalist Tyler Rogoway has warned that the United States is also vulnerable to such attacks overseas as well as at home. In an unprecedented feat, Ukraine on Monday mounted drone attacks at five airbases in Russia, some of which were as far as 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from Ukraine in Russia's Siberia region. Ukrainian officials have said that as many as 41 long-range, nuclear-capable bombers of Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 types as well as an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEWAC) were destroyed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a series of posts on X, Rogoway said that the kind of attacks that Ukraine conducted 'could happen in the US tomorrow'. 'This was a pivotal event. U.S. military and political leadership cannot live in partial denial of this threat anymore. Our most prized aircraft are sitting ducks,' said Rogoway, the Editor-in-Chief of The War Zone, a military- and security-focussed news outlet. Ukrainian officials said that the drone attacks destroyed nearly a third of Russia's entire long-range bomber fleet. 'Our most prized aircraft are sitting ducks' Rogoway noted the lack of hardened shelter at US airbases at home and abroad, and the lack of seriousness to address the issue of unknown flying objects around critical installations and said that 'US military and political leadership cannot live in partial denial of this threat anymore'. Rogoway said, 'For over a decade I have outlined the exact scenario as we just saw in Russia. It could happen in the US tomorrow. This was a pivotal event. U.S. military and political leadership cannot live in partial denial of this threat anymore. Our most prized aircraft are sitting ducks.' Rogoway referred to a Congressional censure of the US defence establishment that noted that while China built 400 hardened shelters in recent years, the United States built just 22 such shelters in the same period. Such shelters are critical in avoiding the kind of carnage Ukraine carried out yesterday in Russia. For over a decade I have outlined the exact scenario as we just saw in Russia. It could happen in the U.S. tomorrow. This was a pivotal event. U.S. military and political leadership cannot live in partial denial of this threat anymore. Our most prized aircraft are sitting ducks. — Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 1, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It's not that the consequences of lack of such shelters are not known. In 2023, a wargame by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) projected that, in case of an armed conflict with China over Taiwan, the United States may lose most of its aircraft parked on the ground and not in aerial combat. Rogoway further said that the Ukrainian drone attacks are a wake-up call for the world. He noted that the attacks did not just destroy so many planes but struck at the 'heart of Russia's strategic aviation capabilities and one arm of its nuclear deterrent should serve as a global wake-up call'. Mysterious UFOs are actually spy drones, suggests Rogoway In his indictment of the US national security establishment's preparedness against the dangers of drones, Rogoway also suggested that the mysterious unidentified flying objects (UFOs), which have made sensational headlines in recent years, are likely drones used by foreign adversaries for spying purposes. Instead of some advanced alien technology, Rogoway suggested that those aircraft were spy drones. In an article in 2021, Rogoway noted that the evidence suggests that the so-called UFOs spotted around US critical installations in recent years are 'actually the manifestation of foreign adversaries harnessing advances in lower-end unmanned aerial vehicle technology, and even simpler platforms, to gather intelligence of extreme fidelity on some of America's most sensitive warfighting capabilities'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's unprecedented drone strike on Russia offers glimpse into the future of war
A massive Ukrainian drone strike on parked Russian jets offered a glimpse into the future of war. Sunday's 'audacious' operation took more than a year to plan, the Financial Times reported, hitting more than 40 aircraft at four airfields deep inside Russia — Ukraine smuggled the 'first-person view' drones in, and loaded them onto trucks, before remotely opening the roofs and launching the explosive-laden drones, Meduza reported. Dubbed 'Russia's Pearl Harbor' by military bloggers, the attack reflects the prevalence of low-end, artificial intelligence-enabled drone technology, The War Zone reported: Such devices can 'fly much farther without any radio control and hit targets they recognize autonomously.' The strike comes a day before Ukraine and Russia are set to hold peace talks in Istanbul.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Partially Sunk North Korean Frigate Recovery Effort Seen Underway In Satellite Image
A day after an embarrassing mishap during a launch ceremony attended by dictator Kim Jong Un, North Korean authorities are trying to right the 5,000-ton frigate. The warship rolled over and partially submerged after a premature slide into the water at the Chongjin Shipyard. You can read more about the incident that Kim called 'a criminal act' in our initial coverage here. New satellite imagery obtained by The War Zone shows the unnamed vessel, the second in the Choi Hyun class of frigates, still covered with blue tarps, but now there are two steel cables connecting it to a shipyard dock. 'The cables are likely for temporary mooring, tensioning, and stabilizing in order to prevent further movement or rotation and ensure structural safety.' Jennifer Jun, Associate Fellow for Imagery Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told us. 'North Korea mentioned that they need to pump up seawater from the flooded chamber, which will change the balance of the vessel as well and requires some sort of stabilizing support. You can read all about the heavily armed class of frigates in our previous detailed analysis and follow-up report. 'Experts estimated that it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping up the seawater from the flooded chamber and making the bow leave the slipway and 10-odd days to restore the warship's side,' the official North Korean KCNA News Agency reported on Friday. North Korean officials also expressed optimism about the ship's condition. 'Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom, the hull starboard was scratched and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel,' the officials claimed. 'The extent of damage to the warship is not serious and the result of the flooding process immediately after the accident is only information necessary to take practical rehabilitation measures. The above-said data have no connection with the cause of the accident and the identification of its responsibility.' Kim Jong Un's fury inducing crippled in botched sideways launch destroyer spotted TODAY under blue tarps 2nd Choe Hyon-class North Korea destroyer is sunk, leaning on her starboard side, bow over slipway. Wonder why tarps also over slipway. Hiding pieces or what? — Tom Bike (@tom_bike) May 22, 2025 The War Zone cannot independently verify North Korea's claims about the ship's condition, though it is not surprising that they would try to downplay the damage. A Washington-based think tank that closely follows North Korean shipbuilding questioned Pyongyang's stated timeline for recovery. While 'too early to say definitively without being on the ground…I do have some skepticism about the 10-day period estimate, given that the vessel is heavily tilted and partially submerged,' Jennifer Jun, an Associate Fellow for Imagery Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told us. 'We also know that the vessel has been partially flooded, and the slipway infrastructure was likely damaged. Even if North Korea manages to right the vessel within the '10-odd days,' restoring its original capabilities will almost certainly take longer. I'd also be remiss not to mention that given the political stakes, those responsible for reporting this to Kim have strong incentives to downplay the extent of the damage.' As we noted in our previous coverage, the accident unfolded as the frigate was side-launched from its quay, in a new development for North Korea, which has previously used slipways to put large naval vessels into the water stern-first. Beyond Parallel, a project within CSIS, offered a detailed analysis of what could have happened, based on satellite imagery collected May 22. You can read more about that here. Jun on Friday told us that the new imagery does not change CSIS's assessment of what caused the ship to capsize. 'The new images from Maxar and Planet from today do not change our analysis at this point,' she explained. 'We see the recovery operation still underway, with more (small) support vessels employed to support it. The stern is still in the water and the vessel does not seem to have moved since yesterday's image.' In addition to downplaying the extent of the damage, North Korean officials also said an investigation was underway into what happened. 'The Party Central Military Commission instructed the investigation group to investigate and expose the cause of the accident which should never occur and could not be tolerated and those responsible for it,' KCNA News Agency reported on Friday. 'No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged, and those responsible for it can never evade their responsibility for the crime. Regarding this accident as a serious matter is not because of the damage to the warship or economic loss. The aim of doing so is to deal a telling blow to incautiousness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricist attitude prevailing in any field and to sound an alarm bell.' As part of the investigation, Hong Kil Ho, manager of the Chongjin Shipyard, 'was summoned to the law-enforcement organ on May 22.' "Hong Kil Ho, manager of the Chongjin Shipyard, was summoned to the law-enforcement organ on May 22."I would very much not want to be Hong Kil Ho right now. — Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) May 22, 2025 After the incident, North Korea made the highly unusual move of announcing what happened, including comments from Kim, in an apparent effort to control the narrative. 'Kim Jong Un made [a] stern assessment, saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility … and could not be tolerated,' KCNA reported yesterday. Kim said that the officials found responsible would be 'dealt with at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee' in June. This is a high-level meeting of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. At the same time, Kim called for the frigate to be restored before next month's meeting. As with the North Korean assessment about the timeline for the ship's recovery, that claim is extremely dubious given that repairs are likely to be extensive. With the ready availability of satellite imagery, it will be hard for North Korea to hide the material state of the vessel, as well as the progress of the recovery and restoration efforts, even with the bizarre attempt to use blue tarps to cover it up. We will continue to keep a close eye on the developments. Contact the author: howard@
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Iran Ramps Up Defenses as Risks of U.S. Attack Grow
The Iranian's army chief of staff said the country's air defense capabilities have significantly increased, in preparedness for any violation of its airspace. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for comment. Military posturing has continued in parallel with diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening military action if talks fail. The United States and Iran remain at odds over uranium enrichment, making the discussions increasingly fraught and increasing the risk of failure. Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major-General Mohammad Baqeri, told an air defense meeting that the country has seen a fivefold increase over the last year in the number of radars, monitoring systems, and detection equipment it has, according to semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The U.S. Air Force, which has been bolstering military equipment in the remote Diego Garcia airbase with strategic bombers, has meanwhile deployed additional F-15 fighter jets to the Indian Ocean island, bringing the total to six, The War Zone reported, citing a U.S. defense official. Diego Garcia would be within bombing range of Iran. As the U.S. is pressing Iran to abandon enrichment, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior officials have strongly opposed the demand. "For the Americans to say, 'We won't allow Iran to enrich uranium,' is utter nonsense," Khamenei posted to his X account, casting doubt on the outcome of ongoing talks. Baqeri said Iran's interception and destruction capabilities for aerial threats had increased by as much as three times, adding that Iran's airspace is under constant surveillance. Tehran has also recently unveiled a new ballistic missile capable of striking U.S. targets. Iran says that its enrichment of uranium is for a civilian nuclear program, with monitoring from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but the watchdog, the United States and Israel are concerned that enrichment levels and activities could enable it to make nuclear weapons. Commander Matthew Comer, Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson, told The War Zone this week: "The F-15s are deployed providing force protection." Chief of Staff of the Iranian army Major-General Mohammad Baqeri, as quoted by IRNA News Agency last week: "In case the enemies make a mistake or intend to take action against the establishment and the sacred waters and soil of the Islamic Republic of Iran, our armed forces have the ability and readiness to confront them." Nuclear talks are expected to continue, but the risk of an impasse increases the chances of military action. Related Articles Iran's Supreme Leader Speaks Out on Nuclear Deal With TrumpIran's Collapsing Economy Caught in Trump's CrosshairsUS and Iran Clash Over Nuclear Red LinesChina Expanding Haifa Port, Endangering Israeli and American Security | Opinion 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Iran Ramps Up Defenses as Risks of U.S. Attack Grow
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Iranian's army chief of staff said the country's air defense capabilities have significantly increased, in preparedness for any violation of its airspace. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for comment. Why It Matters Military posturing has continued in parallel with diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening military action if talks fail. The United States and Iran remain at odds over uranium enrichment, making the discussions increasingly fraught and increasing the risk of failure. A missile system is carried on a truck during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025.... A missile system is carried on a truck during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025. More Vahid Salemi/AP Photo What To Know Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major-General Mohammad Baqeri, told an air defense meeting that the country has seen a fivefold increase over the last year in the number of radars, monitoring systems, and detection equipment it has, according to semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The U.S. Air Force, which has been bolstering military equipment in the remote Diego Garcia airbase with strategic bombers, has meanwhile deployed additional F-15 fighter jets to the Indian Ocean island, bringing the total to six, The War Zone reported, citing a U.S. defense official. Diego Garcia would be within bombing range of Iran. As the U.S. is pressing Iran to abandon enrichment, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior officials have strongly opposed the demand. "For the Americans to say, 'We won't allow Iran to enrich uranium,' is utter nonsense," Khamenei posted to his X account, casting doubt on the outcome of ongoing talks. Baqeri said Iran's interception and destruction capabilities for aerial threats had increased by as much as three times, adding that Iran's airspace is under constant surveillance. Tehran has also recently unveiled a new ballistic missile capable of striking U.S. targets. Iran says that its enrichment of uranium is for a civilian nuclear program, with monitoring from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but the watchdog, the United States and Israel are concerned that enrichment levels and activities could enable it to make nuclear weapons. What People Are Saying Commander Matthew Comer, Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson, told The War Zone this week: "The F-15s are deployed providing force protection." Chief of Staff of the Iranian army Major-General Mohammad Baqeri, as quoted by IRNA News Agency last week: "In case the enemies make a mistake or intend to take action against the establishment and the sacred waters and soil of the Islamic Republic of Iran, our armed forces have the ability and readiness to confront them." What Happens Next Nuclear talks are expected to continue, but the risk of an impasse increases the chances of military action.
