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Over the weekend, Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo made a visit to Vietnam as part of his first overseas trip since assuming the post last year. Apart from advances on individual deliverables, both sides also signaled the gradual evolution of their defense ties to a more regionalized vision, a trend with implications not only for bilateral ties but the Indo-Pacific more generally. Japan-Vietnam defense relations have seen their fair share of advances in recent years. Apart from shared concerns in areas ranging from the cyber domain to aspects of China’s behavior, this is aligned with the broader objectives of both...

North Korea said on Sunday it is ready to sink the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to demonstrate its military might, as two Japanese navy ships joined a U.S. carrier group for exercises in the western Pacific. The United States has not specified where the carrier strike group is as it approaches the area. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday it would arrive “within days” but gave no other details. There is speculation the United States may launch a preemptive on North Korea. In other words, North Korea will not be allowed to touch the nuclear trigger. The...

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — About 600 U.S. and Georgian troops are conducting joint exercises aimed at training the armed forces of the former Soviet republic for participation in the NATO Response Force. Col. Michael Foster, commander of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, said the exercises are "an absolutely unique opportunity for us" and "the way we are going to be fighting in the future."

VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. - President Obama, deploring the military-led Egyptian government's deadly crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protesters there, said on Thursday that the United States would pull out of scheduled joint military exercises with the ...

The United States and South Korean militaries have postponed an aircraft carrier drill in the Yellow Sea ahead of next month's G20 summit in Seoul following strong criticism from China, local media reported on Monday. Beijing had said the Pentagon's plans to send the nuclear-powered carrier USS George Washington to the joint exercise -- set to take place between China and the Korean peninsula -- threatened long-term damage to Sino-U.S. relations. South Korean government and military sources told local media that the decision to cancel the drill, which was scheduled to take place late this month, was made to avoid...

The US Air Force and Japan Air Self Defence Force have concluded a week-long aviation training relocation exercise here recently. The exercise saw participation of about 90 airmen from both the countries. The USAF deployed five of its F-16 Falcon fighters at Japan's Tsuiki air base where the pilots conducted air combat training with the Japanese Air Force's F-12 and F-15 fighters. “The opportunity to fly with the JASDF during this ATR has increased operation readiness and bilateral interoperability for both US and Japanese forces,” Maj. Chris Eberth, the Tsuiki ATR detachment commander assigned to the 14th Fighter Squadron, said....

While we have President Obama gushing over the Islamist run Turkey and clueless Clinton telling Lebanon that will we not abandon them, both Islamic countries are abandoning us as NATO member, Turkey has formed a military alliance with Syria and Lebanon. I have been saying for years that we have no true Islamic "allies" and in the end they will band together against the free world.

MANAMA, Bahrain, March 9, 2009 – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell left Karachi, Pakistan, today after a four-day port visit to participate in the international naval exercise Aman 2009, marking the first time a U.S. ship has pulled into Pakistan since May. The 10-day exercise, which began March 5, focuses on air, surface and maritime security training. It includes representatives from 38 countries, as well as ships from 11 nations that include the United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan and Australia. The at-sea portion of the exercise is being conducted primarily in the North Arabian Sea, off the coast of Pakistan....

NEW DELHI, January 27 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian and Indian navies have started joint naval exercises in the Arabian Sea off the Indian coast, an Indian military source said on Tuesday. INDRA is a biennial Russian-Indian exercise aimed at practicing cooperation in enforcing maritime law and countering piracy, terrorism and drug smuggling. INDRA-2009 is the fourth such exercise since 2003 and will involve a number of live-fire drills. "The first stage of a PASSEX type exercise involves practicing combat interoperability and communications drills," the source said. Russia's Pyotr Veliky missile cruiser from the Northern Fleet and the Indian guided-missile...

MOSCOW (AFP) — Military exercises due to be held by Russian and Venezuelan navy are not aimed against the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published Tuesday. "Russia and Venezuela have no plans of attacking anybody, they cooperate on the basis of international law," Lavrov told the state Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily, slamming "hypothetical scenarios of unimaginable attacks on the United States". "Among the US leadership and that of several other countries that chose absolute loyalty to Washington's way of thinking, the geopolitical ideology of doing everything possible to rein in Russia prevails," the minister deplored....

It is not just the Indo-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Deal that has gained momentum in recent days, nor is it just the ever growing economic and business ties but the Armed Forces of the two largest democracies in the world are coming together at an unprecedented rate even as the Government of India has gotten rid of its Communist backers in the Indian Parliament. Operation Vajraprahar Indian and American armed forces are holding joint maneuvers on counter-terrorism in the famous Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairangte, Mizoram - about 100 km from Mizoram capital Aizawl. The three week-long 'Operation...

Kuwait has activated its Emergency War Plan after an armada of US naval battle groups headed for the Persian Gulf, Middle East Times reports. The report comes after DEBKAfiles claimed on Monday that the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Ronald Reagan, and the USS Iwo Jima are sailing toward the Persian Gulf to reinforce the US strike forces in the region. The US naval force is accompanied by a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine. The deployment is believed to be the largest naval task force assembled by the United States and its allies...

080722-N-7571S-001 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 22, 2008) A French F-2 Rafale launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during the first integrated U.S. and French carrier qualifications aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is participating in Joint Task Force Exercise "Operation Brimstone" off the Atlantic coast. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder/Released) 080721-N-7241L-009 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 21, 2008) A French Rafale M prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during combined French and American carrier qualifications. This event marks the first...

We Swedes wish to honor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cole_bombing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_S._Cole True Swedes - like I - love America. Yes, we are Europeans and you are Americans. Often, we insult each other, by employing various methods. Yet, you are our sisters'N'brothers and nothing will ever change tHAT. I would give my life up for America. The US is a nation which believes in true freedom. This idea will conquer the world.

IAF seeks govt nod to take part in 'Red Flag' war games 5 Oct 2007, 1620 hrs IST,PTI NEW DELHI: In a move that could raise the hackles of the Left parties, the Indian Air Force has sought the government's nod to take part in the world's most advanced aerial combat training exercises, ironically labelled "Red Flag", hosted by the US. The IAF wants to take part in the exercises slated for January 2008 and has sought government's clearance, Air Force Chief Fali Homi Major said here on Friday. If the government gives the nod, this would be the second...

Joint anti-terrorism exercises by Indian, UK forces (DPA) 16 September 2007 NEW DELHI - Special forces from Britain and India are scheduled to begin a joint exercise on Monday during which they will train to combat a guerrilla-like enemy in a region with similar rugged terrain as Afghanistan, officials and news reports said. The 24-day exercise in the high-altitude Ladakh region in northern India, has been codenamed Himalayan Warrior, the Indian army said in a statement. The British army, which is part of the coalition forces battling the Taleban militia in Afghanistan, had requested that the manoeuvres be held in...

Front PageIAF Jaguars ‘sink’ USS Nimitz, F-18s return the favour to INS Viraat Manu Pubby Posted online: Saturday, September 08, 2007 at 0000 hrs Malabar Exercise: From tracking nuclear submarines to managing 200 aircraft and taking on deep-sea terror threat, five Navies cover sweeping range of maritime operations ON BOARD USS Kitty Hawk (150 miles west of Port Blair), September 7: As the small green dots approached closer on the radar screen, the Indian officer sitting deep inside USS Nimitz knew it was too late to save the ship. Jaguar maritime fighters of the Indian Air Force (IAF), operating from...

August 30, 2007 PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command along with U.S. Pacific Command, the Department of Homeland Security as well as local, state and other federal responders will exercise their response abilities against a variety of potential threats during Exercise Vigilant Shield ‘08, a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-designated, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)-sponsored, and U.S. Joint Forces Command-supported Department of Defense exercise for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions. VS-08 will be conducted concurrent with Top Officials 4...

WASHINGTON: The ongoing naval wargame in the Bay of Bengal involving five nations does not "target" China but is designed to shape strategic choices by regional actors like India, a senior Pentagon official has said. "This exercise does not target China. It is designed to shape strategic choices being made by all regional actors. Malabar is a sign of responsible stakeholders interested in promoting peace and security by a visible presence," said Brigadier General John Toolan, Principal Director for South and South East Asia at the US Department of Defence. The four-day 'Malabar Exercise' started on September 4 with the...

A multilateral naval drill involving India, the US and three other nations begins in the Bay of Bengal Tuesday, an event that India says is a pointer to the country's growing importance on the world stage. This is the first time a joint exercise on this scale involving 25 vessels is being conducted off India's eastern seaboard and New Delhi has repeatedly sought to allay apprehensions that the drill had military overtones. 'There is no military alignment. It's only an exercise,' Defence Minister A.K. Antony has said of Malabar-2007 that runs Sep 4-9 and involves the navies of India, the...