Large Scale Exercise 2023 Was Custom Built to Push Fleet to the Limit - USNI

Exercise planners have cranked up the realism by having the 25,000 sailors and Marines join the fight as they are – just like the crew of Ike – with very little preparation outside of normal training.

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BREAKING – Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says that he hopes that 60% of Ukrainian grain will transit through Romania - Samuel Ramani

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SYRIA – The US-led International Coalition members with participation of the Kurdish SDF forces held a joint military training in Qamishli, eastern part of the country amid tensions with Iran in the region.

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BREAKING – The West African bloc, ECOWAS, decided on a "D-Day" for
military intervention in Niger.

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BREAKING – The US State Department approves a possible arms deal to Australia worth nearly a billion dollars

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NEW – The United States, Japan and South Korea declared their readiness to restore dialogue with North Korea without preconditions following the summit.

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BREAKING – Global Times — China: The PLA Eastern Theater Command organized joint maritime and aerial combat readiness patrols around Taiwan on Saturday. They conducted joint military exercises involving naval and air forces, with a focus on ship-aircraft coordination, seizing control and other subjects, to test the joint combat capabilities of the theater's troops. This serves as a stern warning against the collusion and provocation of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and external powers.

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UPDATE – Unusual deployment of USAF B-2A to English, UK

On Thursday 17th August 2023, two B-2 Spirits landed at RAF Fairford for a hot pit refuel, they were on the ground for less than 3 hours and departed at 22.45L. The aircraft were Spirit of Ohio and Spirit of Alaska using C/S CRAG21 & 22. Pretty UFO looking in the dark!

🔗 Source on YouTube

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Swedish Combat Vehicle 90 in Brazil.

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IRAN – Minister of Defense: Iranian specialists achieved the technology of ram jet engines. This type of engine will be used in the construction of supersonic cruise missiles.

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SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSIONS – 16 Aug: 75-80 Chinese militia/fishing ships + 1 PLA Navy or Coast Guard + 2 missile boats visible at Mischief Reef. Of these only 8 Yue Tai Yu militia detectable on AIS.

Also 11 Qiong Sansha Yu militia ships on AIS patrolling Mischief/2nd Thomas (Philippines Ayungin) Shoal area.

🔗 Ray Powell

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NIGER'S national TV broadcast images of Super Tucano aircraft sent by Mali and Burkina Faso to support Niger in the event of a potential ecowas intervention.

"A promise translated into action" according to national television.

🔗 Casus Belli

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USA – The US Navy's Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) was retired from service this week after 60 years of service. FLIP was one of the Navy's most unusual ships, designed to move from a horizontal to vertical position to serve as a stable experimental laboratory in rough seas.

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CHINA – A previously unknown aircraft has been spotted in China. Presumably, this is the concept of a promising jet drone.

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IRAQ – Baghdad: Military helicopters belonging to the U.S. Army has been reported, minutes ago in the sky of the capital.

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BREAKING – Lithuania will receive 300 additional light tactical vehicles from 2024 - Samuel Ramani

Lithuania is currently receiving the last batch of the 200 armoured vehicles it bought in 2019.

This agreement was struck with the US in 2022 and will help Lithuania bolster its defences as it is among the leading military aid suppliers to Ukraine in % of defence budget.

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“Tokyo would let U.S. troops on the Kuril Islands if Russia returns them to Japan — two armies would face off across the borders. That is why Putin is reluctant to renounce the occupied territories,” the lawmaker Taro Yamamoto said.

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Russian National Security Council: The war will not stop before dismantling the current state of Ukraine, even if it takes years or decades.

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CHINA – The PLA Eastern Theater Command carried out military drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan island Saturday. It was a close-in deterrence mission.

🔗 Hu Xijin

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A local source in Mali reported the arrival of an Il-76 with representatives of the Wagner troops company in Bamako.

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USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) Blue Ridge-class amphibious command
ship in Istanbul, Turkey - August 19, 2023

🔗 WarshipCam

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