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A sabot tank penetrator round separating in flight Photo: U.S. Department Of Defense (Courtesy Image) After U.S. President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on September 21 that a new shipment of arms would arrive in Ukraine "next week," Zelenskiy replied that the package has "exactly what our soldiers need now." Headlining the new delivery is the first shipment of U.S.-made Abrams tanks, which will presumably arrive with their controversial ammunition of 120 mm depleted uranium rounds. width =65%> An M1A1 Abrams tank fires its 120 mm cannon at a training ground in California. Depleted uranium (DU) is...

The EU announced the depletion of European military stocks.According to Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the military actions have served as a “wake-up call” for the European Union. The European Union, according to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell, has depleted its military reserves by supplying weapons to Ukraine.“This war has also served as a wake-up call to all of us in terms of our military capabilities. We provided weapons to Ukraine, but as we did so, we realized that our military reserves had been depleted

The Social Security trust fund for retirement and survivors benefits is estimated to have its reserves depleted in 2033, one year earlier than previously projected, according to the trustees’ report released Tuesday. At the time of depletion, income flowing to the trust fund would be enough to pay 76 percent of scheduled benefits, the report said. Senior administration officials said on a call with reporters that the earlier projected depletion date was due to the coronavirus-related economic downturn, particularly a near-term decline in revenue.

The national shortage of N95 respirator masks can be traced back to 2009 after the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, when the Obama administration was advised to replenish a national stockpile but did not, according to reports from Bloomberg News and the Los Angeles Times. The Trump administration is scrambling to replenish a stockpile of protective medical gear for healthcare workers and patients as the coronavirus sweeps across the nation. N95 respirator masks are one of the most needed medical supplies amid the outbreak. The George W. Bush administration published the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza plan in 2005, which called...

he Navy's aircraft arsenal is so depleted it would take several years to rebuild the fleet even if the Trump administration allotted the funding needed to repair inoperable aircraft, according to a policy expert and former Air Force pilot. John Venable, a senior research fellow for defense policy at the Heritage Foundation, cited a report released Monday that found two-thirds of the Navy's strike fighter jets are unable to fly due to maintenance problems exacerbated by several years of military budget cuts. Thirty-five percent of grounded fighter planes are waiting for parts, while 27 percent are undergoing major depot work,...

SACRAMENTO — Democratic Senate leader Don Perata of Oakland has paid legal defense costs averaging about $115,000 monthly as the FBI probes whether he received outside income for legislative work. State campaign finance records available Tuesday also showed Perata was $260,000 in debt as of June 30, despite receiving contributions of more than $320,000 since establishing a legal defense fund in February. Reports filed with the secretary of state's office also showed that: -Candidates and promoters of the November special election initiatives have raised more than $115 million they can use in campaigns this year and beyond. -Though Republican Gov....

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's aggressive campaign against unions - including a threatened ballot fight - comes as labor leaders in the state are scrambling to replenish their political coffers. Miguel Contreras, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said unions in California are broke after last year's presidential race. "We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left," Contreras said, noting that millions of dollars were diverted from California to battleground states in an effort to elect Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as president. Art Pulaski, executive secretary of the California Labor Federation, plans to appeal for financial...

Tarek Hassan witnesses the last days of the Iraqi capital under Saddam Hussein Each morning, without a warning phone call, Abu-Mohamed knocks on my door at Al-Mansour Hotel in downtown Baghdad. He always asks the same question: "Are you still asleep?" And every time I respond: "Yes", after which he promptly enters the room. I have become accustomed to this intrusion in which he throws open the curtains to the terrace, and pulls up a chair near the balcony, ordering two cups of "Mokhadar" (sedating) Iraqi tea. While I struggle to force my eyelids open, Abu- Mohamed gulps down his...

04/05/02 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Air Force officials announced April 5 that the service will resume limited use of depleted uranium munitions on the Nevada Test and Training Range. Software upgrades and ballistic testing of the ammunition for the 30 mm cannon on the A/OA-10 aircraft are scheduled to begin this year. “Depleted uranium munitions are absolutely critical to our future success in combat,” said Gen. Hal Hornburg, commander of Air Combat Command. "Resuming ballistics testing will ensure our pilots have the confidence and skill to use these munitions effectively in combat." International media reports have...