Page 2 - Pentagon

Pentagon on 2023: Modernising scope of military engagements with India

The US has modernised the scope of its military engagements with India and bolstered its defence modernisation plans, the Pentagon has said, as it highlighted the groundbreaking achievements and cooperation with allies in 2023 aimed towards peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Amidst China's aggressive moves in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said it is deploying cutting-edge military capabilities right now, developing the capabilities needed to maintain deterrence in the Indo-Pacific in the future. Throughout 2023, the United States has worked alongside allies and partners to deliver groundbreaking achievements for peace, stability, and deterrence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the Department of Defence said in a fact sheet on a Decisive Year in the Indo-Pacific region. Citing individual country examples, the department said it is also supporting allies and partners as they invest in their own capabilities by bolstering India's defence modernisation

LIVE: Israeli military says some 8,000 Palestinian fighters killed in Gaza

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Pentagon says Iranian drone struck chemical tanker in Indian Ocean: Report

The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel

US Congress bars Pentagon from utilising Chinese port logistics platform

The US Congress has approved a measure prohibiting the Pentagon from using any seaport worldwide reliant on the Chinese logistics platform LOGINK, the Voice of America (VOA) reported

Pentagon orders US aircraft carrier to remain in Mediterranean near Israel

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas grinds on, US officials said. It would be the third time the Ford's deployment has been extended, underscoring the continued concerns about volatility in the region during Israel's war in Gaza. The US has two aircraft carriers in the region, a rarity in recent years. Multiple US officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public. Other ships in the Ford's strike group had already had their deployments extended. The Pentagon ramped up its military presence in the region after Hamas' October 7 attacks to deter Iran from widening the war into a regional conflict. In the months since, Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria have seized o

US made great progress in bolstering defence ties with India: Pentagon

The US has made great progress in bolstering its defence relationship with India and the Pentagon is looking forward to making further progress in military-to-military ties in 2024, a senior official has said. In terms of the relationship between the US and India, you know, with obvious focus on the Department of Defence, I think it has been a very good year. I think we've made great progress in terms of further bolstering our relationship and cooperation, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here. You've heard us talk about things like INDUS-X and working on defence cooperation efforts to include in the industrial base as far as developing things like jet engines in India, working collaboratively to produce armoured vehicles in India, the ability of our ships to go to India -- our Navy ships to go to India to be repaired, he said in response to a question on Tuesday. So all of this working toward the common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific ..

Assessing nature of attacks, checking if Iran is involved: Pentagon

"In the wake of Hamas appalling terror assaults, brutal, inhuman...I want you to know you are not alone," Biden emphasized

Pentagon warns Congress, says it is running low on money to replace weapons

The Pentagon is warning Congress that it is running low on money to replace weapons the US has sent to Ukraine and has already been forced to slow down resupplying some troops, according to a letter sent to congressional leaders. The letter urges Congress to replenish funding for Ukraine. Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding bill over the weekend, but the measure dropped all assistance for Ukraine in the battle against Russia. Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord told House and Senate leaders there is USD 1.6 billion left of the USD 25.9 billion Congress provided to replenish US military stocks that have been flowing to Ukraine. The weapons include millions of rounds of artillery, rockets, and missiles critical to Ukraine's counteroffensive aimed at taking back territory gained by Russia in the war. In addition, the US has about USD 5.4 billion left to provide weapons and equipment from its stockpiles. The US would have already run out of that fund

Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine's attack raises questions

SpaceX founder Elon Musk's refusal to allow Ukraine to use Starlink internet services to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in Crimea last September has raised questions as to whether the US military needs to be more explicit in future contracts that services or products it purchases could be used in war, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Monday. Excerpts of a new biography of Musk published by The Washington Post last week revealed that the Ukrainians in September 2022 had asked for the Starlink support to attack Russian naval vessels based at the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Musk had refused due to concerns that Russia would launch a nuclear attack in response. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and claims it as its territory. Musk was not on a military contract when he refused the Crimea request; he'd been providing terminals to Ukraine for free in response to Russia's February 2022 invasion. However, in the months since, the US military has funded and ...

Why the likelihood of UFOs, aliens playing peekaboo with humans is remote

Among those who have reported sightings are highly trained pilots equipped with cutting-edge technology, but…

US will support allies as they resist China's 'bullying': Pentagon chief

Senior US officials have visited China recently, including Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in an effort to improve relations between the two nations and prevent a conflict

Surat bourse pips Pentagon as the world's largest office building

According to architects, it comprises over 7.1 million square feet of floor space. It took four years of construction work, which was twice hampered by Covid-related delays

US to send $500 million in weapons, military aid to Ukraine, say officials

The Pentagon will announce it is sending up to USD 500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more than 50 heavily armored vehicles and an infusion of missiles for air defense systems, U.S. officials said Monday, as Ukrainian and Western leaders try to sort out the impact of the brief weekend insurrection in Russia. The aid is aimed at bolstering Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has been moving slowly in its early stages. It wasn't clear Monday if Ukrainian forces will be able to take advantage of the disarray in the Russian ranks, in the aftermath of the short-lived rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group that he has controlled. An announcement on the aid package is expected Tuesday. This would be the 41st time since the Russian invasion into Ukraine in February 2022 that the U.S. has provided military weapons and equipment through presidential drawdown authority. The program allows the Pentagon to quickly take items from its own stocks and deliver them

US announces new $2.1 bn package of military aid to Ukraine, says Pentagon

The Pentagon announced Friday that it will provide an additional $2.1 billion in long-term weapons aid for Ukraine. The new assistance package will include funding for more Patriot missile battery munitions, Hawk air defence systems and missiles, and small Puma drones that can be launched by hand. The latest infusion of funding, one of the larger packages the U.S. has provided, comes as there are signs that Ukraine is beginning or about to begin the much anticipated counteroffensive to try to take back territory that has been seized by Russia. Unlike the U.S. equipment, weapons and ammunition that are more frequently sent from Pentagon stocks and delivered quickly to Ukraine, this money would be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and is meant to be spent over the coming months or even years to ensure Ukraine's future security needs. In a statement, the Pentagon said the package shows America's continued commitment to both Ukraine's critical near-term ...

Allies to train Ukrainians on F-16s; Jets no magic weapons, warns Pentagon

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that European allies are developing a coordinated program to train Ukrainian forces on the F-16 fighter jet, but Pentagon leaders warned that it will be a costly and complex task and won't be a magic solution to the war. Austin said the allies recognize that in addition to training, Ukraine will also need to be able to sustain and maintain the aircraft and have enough munitions. And he said air defense systems are still the weapons that Ukraine needs most in the broader effort to control the airspace. There are no magic weapons, said Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who spoke alongside Austin at a Pentagon press conference. He said providing 10 F-16s could cost USD 2 billion, including maintenance. "The Russians have a thousand fourth and fifth-generation fighters, so if you're going to contest Russia in the air, you're going to need a substantial amount of fourth and fifth-generation fighters." As a result,

Leak of classified documents a deliberate criminal act, says Pentagon

Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, 21, had been detained by authorities in connection with the document breach

Still assessing exactly what intel China got from spy balloon: Pentagon

The United States has said it is still doing an assessment of what exactly intelligence information China was able to gather from its spy balloon that flew over sensitive American military sites in February. The comments from the Pentagon came after a media report said the Chinese spy balloon gathered information about some of the US military sites through electronic signals. As of right now, we're still doing an assessment of what exactly the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value for what they've been able to collect from satellites before, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. The balloon had entered the United States from Alaska on January 28 and crossed through several States over various sensitive military sites, including Montana where the US stores some of its nuclear assets, before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina

Suspected Iranian drone strike kills US contractor in Syria: Pentagon

A US contractor was killed and five US service members and one other US contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said US Central Command forces retaliated with precision airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The Defence Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin. The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria" by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Austin said. Overnight, videos on social media purported to show explosions in Syria's Deir Ez-Zor, a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which also has

China defence budget raised by 7.2%, 3 times India's, one-third of America

Actual defence spending during the year will rise to $225 billion, a single-digit budget increase for the eighth consecutive year

No evidence of fraud so far in weapons to Ukraine, says Pentagon IG

The Pentagon's inspector general said on Tuesday that to date his office has found no evidence that some of the billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine has been lost to corruption or diverted into the wrong hands, but cautioned that those investigations are only in their early stages. Keeping military aid to Ukraine protected from waste or fraud has become a critical part of keeping continued support for Ukraine intact in Congress, where some lawmakers have already begun to question why the US is spending so much to help Kyiv. Robert P. Storch was pressed by Congress members several times about any fraud findings. He said that a number of tips and allegations have come in to a new hotline, but that there have been limited findings to date, with many reports pending. Storch, who was testifying with other Pentagon leaders before the House Armed Services Committee, repeatedly said he did not want to talk about investigations that have not yet been completed. Rep. Mike Rogers