Latest news with #USDepartmentofDefense
Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Iran Plans To Abandon GPS & Replace
Recent reports in Mideast regional media say that Iran is actively exploring abandoning GPS technology and instead adopting China's main navigation satellite system, BeiDou. Such a drastic change can't be accomplished overnight, however, as the world's dominant system (GPS) has long been embedded in Iranian industries and technology. US-based and Western technology firms dominate such telecoms and mapping tech infrastructure, and the June 12-day conflict saw Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf experience repeated disruptions of GPS signal – and it's believed the system was utilized by Israel and the US to track and target Iranian officials. Iranian officials were already worried about reliance on GPS even before the war, but the conflict has only heightened existing concerns – enough to race for alternatives. After all, the Global Positioning System (GPS) was literally an invention of the US Department of Defense in the 1970s and is currently run under the Space Force. 'At times, disruptions are created on this [GPS] system by internal systems, and this very issue has pushed us toward alternative options like BeiDou,' Ehsan Chitsaz, deputy communications minister, told state media earlier this month. He confirmed that the government is working on a plan switch transportation, agriculture and the internet from GPS to China's BeiDou, according to Al Jazeera . The same report emphasizes that 'Since 2013, whistleblowers and media investigations have revealed how various Western technologies and schemes have enabled illicit surveillance and data gathering on a global scale – something that has worried governments around the world.' It's also only a natural trajectory that Iran would become increasingly more trusting of tech based out of China, India, or Russia – as opposed to that of the United States and Israel's close Western allies. Russia, for its part, hopes its national or regional satellite navigation system GLONASS can spread, especially among allied populations. As for BeiDou, it's seen as going hand and hand as a major tech tool with President Xi's ambitious Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) which has been making inroads across Asia and Africa. Al Jazeera aptly concludes in its report that 'Iran's possible shift to BeiDou sends a clear message to other nations grappling with the delicate balance between technological convenience and strategic self-defence: The era of blind, naive dependence on US-controlled infrastructure is rapidly coming to an end.' 'Nations can no longer afford to have their military capabilities and vital digital sovereignty tied to the satellite grid of a superpower they cannot trust,' the report adds. Indeed the Edward Snowden NSA leaks of many years ago also confirmed that this trend has been a problem for decades, and more recently Israeli companies have also made huge leaps in developing hidden spyware embedded in what's presented as civilian products and software. Also read: UN Watchdog Chief Believes Inspectors Will Return To Iran This Year After Europe Meeting
Egypt Independent
25-07-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
US approves potential $4.67 billion advanced missile sale to Egypt
The US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, announced in a statement on Thursday, that the State Department has approved a potential sale of an advanced surface-to-air missile system along with related logistics and program support elements to Egypt, valued at an estimated $4.67 billion. Reuters reported the Pentagon's confirmation, stating the US State Department agreed to the potential sale of surface-to-air missiles and logistical support components to Egypt for approximately $4.67 billion, according to Al-Qahera News Channel. The statement identified RTX Corp. as the principal contractor for the sale. The system in question is NASAMS, which stands for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. The NASAMS air defense system provides a flexible and modern defensive capability, enabling defense forces to enhance their ability to detect, engage, and destroy various current and advanced aerial targets. These include fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and emerging cruise missile threats.
GMA Network
23-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Defense chief Teodoro: Eyed ammunition production to increase PH trade flows
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Tuesday that the planned production of ammunition in the Philippines would elevate the country's trade flows. Earlier, it was reported that US lawmakers were exploring the possibility of establishing a joint ammunition manufacturing facility in Subic Bay. At a Kapihan with the Media in Washington D.C., Teodoro said the matter would be a ''foreign direct investment concept." He said this would bring jobs to the country, especially for highly technical individuals. ''We can envision a private entity going about it on a commercial basis, so that they can hire people on a commercial basis. Depending on the scale, initially about 200 to 300 people, highly technical people,'' Teodoro said. ''But then, there are downstream industries. Of course, they will have to build access to port facilities. It will regenerate revenue on a commercial basis for Subic,'' he added. He stressed that this would ''increase our trade flows.'' ''So, that is an example of US government-sponsored foreign direct investment to help our people and our self-reliance, too,'' Teodoro said. Further, the Philippine defense chief also stressed that this would cater to commonality of production of munitions, ''which is at a worldwide shortage at this time, of all calibers, whether direct fire or indirect fire.'' Still, the Philippines will review the proposal, Teodoro guaranteed. In its report dated June 16, the US House Committee on Appropriations directed the US Department of Defense to assess the feasibility of establishing a joint ammunition manufacturing and storage facility in the said area. The facility will enable the forward staging of ammunition stockpiles and related materials such as nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and acid. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Filipino Times
PH eyes local ammunition production as part of stronger defense strategy with US
The Philippines is considering the establishment of an ammunition production facility in partnership with the United States. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel 'Babe' Romualdez said the government is open to hosting such a facility, describing it as a strategic move that aligns both with national security goals and economic development. 'Obviously, we're open to that one, because it's a good way of being able to help a combination of both defense and economic cooperation between the Philippines and the United States,' Romualdez told members of the Philippine media delegation. 'So, setting up a production facility in the Philippines, would obviously be beneficial for us economically also because it will create a job, and it will obviously be a good hub for them to be able to produce what it requires for our defense,' he added. He added that several Filipino companies are already showing interest in joining a potential consortium should the plan move forward. The idea gained traction after the US House Committee on Appropriations, in a June 16 report, tasked the US Department of Defense to assess the viability of setting up a joint ammunition manufacturing and storage facility in Subic Bay. The facility would allow for forward deployment of munitions and critical materials like nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin.
Mint
21-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Germany Closes In on Deal With US to Deliver Air Defense to Kyiv
Germany and the US are close to an agreement that would dispatch Patriot air-defense systems to Ukraine as the nation comes under mounting missile and drone attacks from Russia. The deal would entail Berlin sending two Patriot batteries to Kyiv from its own inventories, while President Donald Trump's administration will agree to replace the weaponry from industry stocks, according to people familiar with the deliberations. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government has made air defense a top priority after weeks of intensifying attacks take a toll on Ukrainian cities. Moscow unleashed a new assault overnight, targeting central and western regions of the war-battered nation. 'Together we have to stop this war machine by joining forces to support Ukraine with all our might,' German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Monday during a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — a gathering of defense chiefs among Kyiv's allies. Berlin will do its part to help furnish a total of five Patriot systems to Ukraine 'as quickly as possible,' he said, without elaborating on the negotiations with the US. German and American officials aim to finalize remaining issues of the Patriot deal, including the timing for replacing depleted stocks, the people said on condition of anonymity as talks take place behind closed doors. An announcement could come later this week, they said. Germany has already provided three of its 12 Patriot systems to Ukraine. Since Berlin has also lent two systems to Poland, its own stock is now down to seven. Berlin is therefore willing to pass on more Patriot systems to Ukraine as long as it is guaranteed rapid replacements from the US, said the people. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A US notification to the Swiss government that a Patriot order will be delayed raised the chances of a breakthrough in talks with Germany, the people said. The US Department of Defense informed Switzerland last week that the delivery of five Patriot systems ordered in 2022 won't meet an initial 2028 deadline. The Swiss-ordered Patriots have a different configuration, which could take as long as eight months to be adjusted for battlefield use, the people said. German and US negotiators are expected to discuss the reconfiguration this week, they said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has lobbied for a deal with Trump in several phone calls in the last few weeks. The agreement would involve Germany — the biggest European donor of military aid to Kyiv — financing the Patriots. The US president last week announced the supply of additional military aid, including Patriots and other defense systems — provided that they're funded by NATO allies. Depending on the configuration, each of the Patriot systems, which are manufactured by Arlington, Virginia-based RTX Corp., cost about $1 billion — and the system's missiles about $4 million each. Trump has also threatened to impose 100% 'secondary tariffs' on Russia if Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to a ceasefire within 50 days. Separately, the UK and Germany were set to pledge new air defense systems for Ukraine as London pushes for a '50-day drive' to arm Kyiv and bring Putin to the negotiating table. Defense Secretary John Healey hosted the contact group meeting along with Pistorius via video conference. The UK Defense Ministry confirmed it had sent £150 million of air defense and artillery to Ukraine in the past two months. Additional agreements include a deal between Britain and Germany to procure more air defense ammunition, using €170 million of funding from Berlin. With assistance from Ellen Milligan and Skylar Woodhouse. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
