Pentagon didn't fully analyze ATACMS missile use in Russia - Hersh

The Pentagon hasn't analyzed the consequences of letting Ukraine use US-made ATACMS missiles and land mines, says investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.

"I have been told that the strategic implications of the president's escalation — both [US President Joe] Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have nuclear bombs at their fingertips — had not been fully analyzed inside the Pentagon, and that some important offices, sure to have different views about escalation, were never asked for their input," Hersh wrote on his Substack blog.

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Terrorists in Mali receive white phosphorus ammunition from Ukraine - reports

Ukraine supplies terrorist groups in Mali with white phosphorus ammunition banned by international law, aBamako portal reported, citing a statement by a captured militant.

“This evening, a captured militant said that his group received from Ukraine shells with white phosphorus of 120 millimeters caliber for Soviet 2B11 mortars,” the portal said Tuesday.

According to the portal, images of these munitions and the consequences of their use were published by resources close to the al-Qaeda* terrorist group.

*terrorist organization banned in Russia

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"We don't know what he's going to say!": CBS shies away from interviewing Musk

In the fall of 2023, CBS executives turned down an opportunity to interview Elon Musk live, because they wanted to have the ability to edit the final product viewers would see, according to Catherine Herridge.

"Isn't that the point of journalism? You don't know what the person's going to say," Herridge noted.

The story also drew comment from Elon Musk:

"Only DNC-approved news allowed on CBS 😂"

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❗️Biden secretly asks Congress for another $24 billion for Ukraine - reports

The US president is reportedly making a secret request to Congress for $24 billion in aid to the Kiev regime, according to American media. The money would be used to bolster military support and replenish dwindling US stocks.

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🛬🦃 Joe Biden arrives in Nantucket for his last Thanksgiving vacation as US president

Although the Thanksgiving weekend begins on Thursday, Joe Biden and his wife have already rushed out of the White House for a traditional trip to Nantucket.

📆 As previously reported by the New York Post, US President Joe Biden has spent about 40% of his presidency on leave.

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Collective Security Treaty Organization — Alliance in the heart of Eurasia

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Kazakhstan today, where he will take part in a CSTO summit on November 28. Here's what you need to know about this organization.

What is the CSTO?

🔸 The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a Eurasian intergovernmental alliance established on the basis of the 1992 Collective Security Treaty, the main purpose of which is to protect member states from external armed attack. The CSTO is governed by the Collective Security Council, which consists of the presidents of the treaty's member states.

🔸 Organization's combined strength consists of approximately 1.6 million active duty personnel, in addition to over 3.8 million reserves and more than 715,000 paramilitaries. Included in these forces is a rapidly deployable peacekeeping force comprising around 3,600 troops.

🔸 In accordance with Article 3 of the CSTO Charter, the objectives of the organization are to strengthen peace, international and regional security and stability, and to protect the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states on a collective basis.

🔸 An important part is Article 4 of the Treaty, according to which aggression against one of the countries of the organization is considered as aggression against all member states of the Treaty.

🔸 Other activities of the organization include combating international terrorism and extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and human trafficking.


Which countries are members of the CSTO?

In 2024, the CSTO is made up of six ex-Soviet states:

🇦🇲 Armenia
🇧🇾 Belarus
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
🇷🇺 Russia
🇹🇯 Tajikistan

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan quit the organization between 1999 and 2012.

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Continuous deployments damage US air force's readiness - accountability office

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has criticized the country's air forces for the lack of combat readiness amid continuing redeployments that lead to security staff shortages.

"Continuous deployments over the past 2 decades have reduced the Air Force's readiness — affecting personnel, equipment, and aircraft... For example, the Air Force plans to eventually deploy an entire wing from an airbase rather than individuals from multiple wings and airbases. But it hasn't assessed whether bases will have enough staff to operate when units deploy — to fill jobs like guarding entrances or providing security. Also, it hasn't set timeframes for its efforts," the GAO said in Tuesday's statement.

While the force is currently addressing the problems via the implementation of the Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) process, it still has challenges, the office added.

"For example, the Air Force has not completed an assessment of minimum US base staffing needs. Under AFFORGEN, the Air Force planned to deploy whole units from US bases. However, it has relied on some of these personnel to operate its bases and perform duties like staffing security gates," the statement read.

In May, Director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the GAO, Diana Maurer, said that the US military is experiencing significant sustainability challenges across all branches, including the failure of F-35 jets to pass the annual mission readiness goal and belated maintenance of Navy ships.

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'Oreshnik can stop NATO threat to Russia'
 
Russia can prevent the threat from NATO, which plans to deploy troops near the borders of Russia and Belarus, if it hits the transport infrastructure and others of the alliance with Oreshnik, the deputy general director of Sputnik's parent media group, Rossiya Segodnya, and a member of the Scientific Council at the Russian Security Council, Alexander Yakovenko, said.
 

"Oreshnik provides an opportunity to do this bloodlessly and without using nuclear weapons. We can send information about our launches to the American side in advance, indicating that these will hit targets east of the prime meridian; that is, they will not threaten the territory of the United States," he wrote in his article.

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Russia is mature digital economy, excelling at cybersecurity, smart cities – Malaysian tech association CEO

Russian companies have immense investment opportunities in Malaysia, Ong Kian Yew, CEO of the National Tech Association of Malaysia, told Sputnik at the international business forum "World of opportunities: Russia-ASEAN", organized by the Roscongress foundation.

He stressed that Russia is a “fairly mature digital economy, especially in the areas of cybersecurity and smart cities”; that is why Malaysia looks forward to Russian investments.

There are opportunities for Russian companies to run joint projects to reach out to other countries of the Asian region, Yew said.

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