Category: military

(Xinhua)17:13, February 11, 2021

BEIJING, Feb. 10 — The Chinese and Indian frontline troops at the south and north bank of the Pangong Tso Lake began a synchronized and organized disengagement on Wednesday, said Wu Qian, spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of National Defense.

The move is based on the consensus reached in the ninth round of the China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting, Wu said.

The meeting was held in late January.

(Xinhua)17:04, February 11, 2021

BEIJING, Feb. 11 — A fleet of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy on Thursday set off for Pakistan to attend a multilateral joint naval exercise at the invitation of the Pakistani navy, Chinas Ministry of National Defense said.

The drill, code-named Peace-21, is set to be conducted in waters near the city of Karachi, the ministry said in a statement.

It is the eighth time for a Chinese naval fleet to participate in such exercises organized by the Pakistani navy, which are aimed at strengthening exchanges and friendly interactions with navies of relevant countries, said the statement.

(Xinhua)09:47, March 04, 2021

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) — The Central Military Commission (CMC) has issued a circular on launching a campaign of Party history learning and education in the military.

The campaign will be conducted through 2021, with all officers and soldiers taking part, and will inspire the military as it celebrates the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with great achievements, according to the circular.

Officers and soldiers will study the Party history from several aspects, including the 100-year endeavor of the CPC, the major theoretical achievements made by the CPC in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, and the strength stemming from the Partys absolute leadership over the army.

The circular urges efforts to arrange the campaign in a scientific manner and achieve solid and effective results.

(Xinhua)08:47, January 15, 2021

ATHENS, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) — Greeces parliament approved on Thursday the purchase of 18 French-made Rafale fighter jets (6 new ones and 12 used) to the tune of 2.5 billion euros (3.04 billion U.S. dollars), national news agency AMNA reported.

The draft bill on the defense procurement deal was supported by the ruling party, as well as several opposition parties.

The delivery of the first planes will be made this year and the program will be completed in 2023, according to the timetable.

The agreement is part of a wider 11.5-billion-euro plan to modernize Greek armed forces by 2025.

Addressing the plenary shortly before the vote, Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos said the program sends a strong signal that Greece will do everything possible to defend its sovereign rights with increased deterrent capabilities of its armed forces.

The minister added that this was an effort which became imperative due to the current situation with the many and complex challenges in the wider region.

The arms deal came as tensions between Greece and Turkey over energy sources in the Mediterranean heated up in the past several months.

Greece and Turkey have long disagreed on overlapping claims on hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, with both sides holding conflicting views of how far their continental shelves extend in waters. Tension in the region has increased in recent months over maritime boundaries and rights to energy resources.

Earlier this week Greece and Turkey announced that they will resume exploratory talks on Jan. 25 in Istanbul on the delimitation of their maritime zones, after a four-year break.

The previous round of exploratory talks between the two sides had taken place in 2016. (1 euro = 1.22 U.S. dollars)

(Xinhua)10:23, January 15, 2021

PYONGYANG, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — A military parade to commemorate the eighth party congress of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) was held at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang on Thursday evening, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) who was re-elected at the party congress, appeared at the tribune of the square together with members of the partys central leadership body and commanding officials of the military.

During the military parade, the worlds most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missile, entered the square one after another, powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces, said the report.

There was also formation flying to pay respect to the Party Central Committee and fireworks were set off to brighten the sky, it added.

Apart from the military parade, art troupes on Wednesday gave a performance titled We Sing of the Party at an indoor stadium in Pyongyang to celebrate the congress.

The eight-day congress of the ruling WPK of the DPRK opened on Jan. 5 and closed on Tuesday.

(Xinhua)10:05, January 14, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — Chinas WJ-700, a high-altitude, high-speed and long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of conducting reconnaissance and strike, has performed its maiden flight, its developer announced Wednesday.

Developed by an institute under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the WJ-700 has adopted a number of advanced technologies. Its key indicators such as endurance, range and carrying capacity reached the advanced level.

The UAV will target both the domestic and international markets in the next five to 10 years, according to the company.

The success of the maiden flight will provide important support for the innovation and development of Chinas unmanned equipment, sources with the company said.

(Xinhua)16:17, January 12, 2021

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) — An operation in Pakistans southwest Balochistan province has been launched against the terrorists involved in the recent surge of militancy, local media reported on Tuesday.

A meeting attended by senior officials from government, police and paramilitary troops was held in the provincial capital of Quetta to discuss the overall law and order situation and review a progress report about tracing out the terrorists involved in the deteriorating law and order situation in the province, the reports added.

Speaking at the meeting, Home Minister of Balochistan Mir Ziaullah Langove said that terrorists are carrying out operations under a plan to destabilize the province and divide its people on the basis of sectarianism.

He said that all conspiracies against the country and the province would be foiled with the cooperation of the people, and the state would fulfill its responsibilities regarding protection of life and property at all costs.

The move came following a series of attacks on security forces in the province, and an Islamic State-claimed incident in which 11 laborers of an ethnic minority were killed.

(Xinhua)09:17, January 12, 2021

MOSCOW, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) — Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Monday that Russia and the United States should extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and adjust their nuclear doctrines.

During the election campaign, he (Joe Biden) said that the treaty should be extended. However, this, I believe, is only the first step, Gorbachev said in an interview with RIA Novosti news agency.

It is necessary to agree on further reductions. It is important to negotiate and adjust their nuclear doctrines, he added.

Gorbachev said that Russia and the United States should shift to a no-first-use nuclear policy rather than the current one based on limitations.

In 2010, Washington and Moscow signed the New START, which stipulates limits to the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems by both.

The New START, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers, will expire on Feb. 5.

(Xinhua)17:01, January 05, 2021

TEHRAN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) — Large drone exercise of the Iranian Army began in the central province of Semnan in Iran on Tuesday, Tasnim news agency reported.

Hundreds of drones from the army units have participated in the drills, said the report.

Seyyed Mahmoud Mousavi, Deputy Chief of the Army Operations, said, In the drills, different drone systems from the ground, air and naval forces of the army will carry out defined missions in real combat conditions.

The drone combat operations include interception and destruction of air targets using air-to-air missiles, destruction of ground targets using bombs and point-to-point missiles, as well as the widespread use of suicide drones, he was quoted as saying.

Mousavi said an exhibition, on the sidelines of the drills, will display the new achievements of the army in the field of drones.