Free Republic

Taiwan warned Tuesday that Chinese military drills aren’t just a rehearsal for an invasion of the self-governing island but also reflect ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific, as Taipei conducted its own exercises to underscore it’s ready to defend itself. Angered by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, China has sent military ships and planes across the midline that separates the two sides in the Taiwan Strait and launched missiles into waters surrounding the island. The drills, which began Thursday, have disrupted flights and shipping in one of the busiest zones for global trade....

After an uproarious attack on the U.S. Capitol last week, Vice President Mike Pence split from his commander-in-chief and quickly condemned the mob-like behavior from pro-Trump supporters—leadership that was tested as President Donald Trump initially hesitated to act. Pence has exercised “unflinching loyalty” towards Trump up until this point, as the president blasted Pence’s constitutional duty in certifying the electoral college results. Trump and his close allies attempted to push his political partner to reject the vote based on baseless claims of voter fraud, but Pence firmly denied the request and proceeded with his authority over the Senate—a job that...

A war against Iraq would be unlike anything that has come before it the Commander of the Uunited States Naval Forces in the Persian Gulf said on Wednesday.'The campaign will be unlike any we have ever seen in the history of warfare, with breathtaking precision, almost eye watering speed, persistence, agility and lethality, Vice Admiral Timothy Keating told reporters aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.Keating said naval aviation 'will play a huge role' in the military campaign, which has been a year in the making.He did not say how long the war would last.Commander of the both the United States Navy's...

A United States review indicates a lion's share of Iraq air defence batteries have been destroyed. United States officials and Western diplomatic souces say United States Central Command has assessed that allied war planes have destroyed all stationary Iraq anti-aircraft batteries in Southern and Northern Iraq.They said that many of the mobile systems have also been destroyed, particularly in southern Kuwait.The United States attacks on Iraqi anit-aircraft batteries have also been accompanied by accelerated psychological operations.On Monday United States and British aircraft operating from Turkey's Incerlik air base dropped 240,000 leaflets on two locations-South of Tall Afar and Southwest of...