EU-DIGEST: Military

Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts

1/13/23

Russia: Power struggle in the Russian military, and maybe even beyond the military?

Sergey Surovikin has been removed as head of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine and replaced by Valery Gerasimov. Is there a power struggle raging in Moscow?

General Sergey Surovikin was commander-in-chief of the "special military operation," as Russia still officially calls its war of aggression against Ukraine, for just three months. On Thursday, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu demoted him to Deputy Commander. He will now answer to Russia's Chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, who will take over the leadership of Russia's military in Ukraine — nominally, at least.

This is not the first restructuring of the Russian chain of command since the start of the invasion, but the timing is surprising, as Russia is making small military advances for the first time in months. Military experts are divided over the reasoning behind it. They say that Surovikin has not actually committed any blunders during his time as Commander-in-Chief in Ukraine. He is also said to be reasonably popular with the troops, and to be on good terms with political hardliners. So why has he been replaced?

1/6/22

USA - January 6 Memorial: The U.S. Military Isn't Ready for Another Insurrection

Th unimaginable has become reality in the United States. Buffoonish mobs desecrating the U.S. Capitol building, tanks parading down the streets of Washington, running battles between protesters and militias, armed rebels attempting to kidnap sitting governors, uncertainty about the peaceful transition of power—if you read about them in another country, you would think a civil war had already begun. The basic truth is the United States might be on the brink of such a war today. Americans must now take the proposition seriously, not just as a political warning but as a probable military scenario—and a potential catastrophe.

The United States, of course, is not just any country—it is the world’s most enduring democracy and largest economy. But ever fewer Americans believe its size and power are going to save it anymore. In the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s election, Thomas E. Ricks for Foreign Policy asked a group of national security experts to assess the chances of a civil war over the next 10 to 15 years. The consensus stood at 35 percent. A 2019 poll from Georgetown University asked registered voters how close to the “edge of a civil war” the country was, on a scale from 0 to 100. The mean of their answers was 67.23, so almost exactly two-thirds of the way.

Read more at The U.S. Military Isn't Ready for Another Insurrection

12/21/21

USA: Army Has Over 3,800 Refuse to Get COVID Vaccine, Could Be Removed From Military Next Month - by Zoe Strozewski

More than 3,800 members of the Army have refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine by this week's deadline, setting them up for a potential ouster from the military beginning in January.

Six soldiers resisting the mandate were fired from leadership roles and more than 2,700 others have already been issued written reprimands, according to Army data.

Read more at: Army Has Over 3,800 Refuse to Get COVID Vaccine, Could Be Removed From Military Next Month

8/31/21

Brazil: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future

Brazilian far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday said he sees three alternatives for his future: winning the 2022 presidential elections, death or prison.

"I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed or victory," he said, in remarks to a meeting of evangelical leaders. Bolsonaro later added that the first option is out of question. "No man on Earth will threaten me."

Bolsonaro's remarks come as he has been questioning Brazil's electronic voting system and threatened not to accept the results of next year's presidential election. He has been calling for the adoption of printed receipts, saying that electronic ballots are vulnerable to fraud.

Read more at: Arrested, killed or victory: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on his future

6/25/21

USA: In major shift, Pentagon chief backs changes to sexual assault prosecutions

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a major break from his predecessors, said on Tuesday that he backed removing the prosecution of sexual assault and other related crimes from the military's chain of command.

Read more at: In major shift, Pentagon chief backs changes to sexual assault prosecutions | Reuters

2/28/21

Myanmar coup: Deadliest day of protests as police open fire

Police have fired on protesters in Myanmar killing at least 18, the UN human rights office says, on the deadliest day of anti-coup rallies.

Deaths were reported in several cities including Yangon, Dawei and Mandalay as police used live rounds and tear gas.

Read more at: Myanmar coup: Deadliest day of protests as police open fire - BBC News

2/1/21

Russia: Navalny Is Unlikely to Topple an Entrenched Putin - but Russian history proves otherwise

tens of thousands of people across Russia turned out for demonstrations to support the release of the activist Alexey Navalny, who had returned to Russia on Jan. 17 five months after being poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade chemical weapon. On landing, Navalny was immediately arrested and is currently being held in a Moscow prison facing extended incarceration on highly dubious criminal charges.

Yet Navalny is not sitting idle. Shortly after his arrest, his Anti-Corruption Foundation released a video purporting to show Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sprawling Black Sea palace. Immediately before that, the Anti-Corruption Foundation released a list of the top eight Russian nationals whom the West should sanction if it wants to combat the avarice of Putin’s circle. The widespread and blatant corruption of Putin and other Russian elites, the constant perversion of justice, and stagnating living standards have left large swaths of the Russian public disaffected with the regime, hence the massive turnout for demonstrations.

EU-Digest Notes: However those who are acquainted with Russian history know that Russia throughout the centuries has a knack of organzing very successful revolutions and that this one could also eventually turn into a success. Don't be surprized if also happens.

Read more at: Navalny Is Unlikely to Topple an Entrenched Putin

12/24/20

USA - Martial Law? Donald Trump's Martial-Law Talk Has Military on Red Alert

entagon and Washington-area military leaders are on red alert, wary of what President Donald Trump might do in his remaining days in office. Though far-fetched, ranking officers have discussed what they would do if the president declared martial law. And military commands responsible for Washington DC are engaged in secret contingency planning in case the armed forces are called upon to maintain or restore civil order during the inauguration and transition period. According to one officer who spoke to Newsweek on condition of anonymity, the planning is being kept out of sight of the White House and Trump loyalists in the Pentagon for fear that it would be shut down.

"I've been associated with the military for over 40 years and I've never seen the discussions that are being had right now, the need for such discussions," says a retired flag officer, currently a defense contractor who has mentored and advised his service's senior leaders. He was granted anonymity in order to speak without fear of reprisal.

Read more at Exclusive: Donald Trump's Martial-Law Talk Has Military on Red Alert

5/29/20

Taiwan: China Says It Will Use Military Force to Take Control of Taiwan If Diplomacy Fails

Chinese general has warned that Beijing will not rule out the use of force to take control of Taiwan, as the Chinese Communist Party closed its annual National People's Congress in Beijing.

Read more at: China Says It Will Use Military Force to Take Control of Taiwan If Diplomacy Fails

5/11/20

Russia: Russian Arctic military exercise draws awe and concern

2/13/20

US Middle East Policy: Deadly clash in Syria a vivid reminder of US troops' ill-defined mission

US Middle East Polcy: Since Trump abruptly ended his pact with the Kurds, the US presence in the country’s north-east has been stuck in a quagmire

Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/13/syria-us-troops-mission-qamishli-quagmire?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Add_to_Firefox

12/20/19

German military: Germany to reintroduce rabbis into army

Rabbis haven't had a place in the German military since Hitler expelled Jewish soldiers. Decades after the Holocaust, Germany has restored the tradition.

Read more at:
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-reintroduce-rabbis-into-army/a-51753983

12/1/19

USA: In case the 2020 election does not go his way is Trump preparing a coup ? - After Gallagher: The Pentagon Faces a Big Purge - by Alexei Baye

There are two misconceptions about President Donald Trump. First, that he runs a totally chaotic administration and there’s no method to his madness. Second, that he is a great supporter of the military.

He himself frequently brags that the U.S. military has been rebuilt and is the strongest it has ever been.

The reality is different — and far darker. Trump is degrading and dishonoring the U.S. military. What’s more, he is doing so in a deliberate and systematic way.

That is why the news about Trump intervening in the case of convicted Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, overriding his commanding officers and ordering the Pentagon to let him keep his SEAL Trident, the Special Warfare insignia, is so important. What Trump is really signaling with this move goes far beyond pardoning a war criminal.

Read moreAfter Gallagher: The Pentagon Faces a Big Purge - The Globalist

11/10/19

Bolivia: Bolivian President Evo Morales resigns after fierce election backlash

Bolivian president Evo Morales has announced his resignation amid unrest over a disputed election he had claimed to win.

The leader faced mounting pressure to resign after the Organisation of American States (OAS) found “serious irregularities” in the 20 October presidential election vote.

Mr Morales said he was stepping down “for the good of the country”, according to reports.

His resignation came hours after the head of the country’s military called on Mr Morales to step down, while appealing to Bolivians to desist from violence.

Read more at: Bolivian President Evo Morales resigns after fierce election backlash | The Independent

10/7/19

China: A global economic and military powerhouse to reckon with

5/23/19

USA: US military bases making people sick

A trail of toxicity: the US military bases making people sick

4/30/19

Venezuela: Opposition leader calls for military uprising to oust Maduro - his days could be numbered

Venezuela's opposition leader calls for military uprising to oust president

2/3/19

EU: A European Army ? Not without a real European Federation

1/28/19

VENEZUELA: Will the US target oil exports? by Daniel Galas

Will the US Target Venezuela Oil Exports or in vade Venezuela?

For more go to:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47023002

1/19/19

EU - Military - Foreign Policy: German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for greater military cooperation in EU countries ahead of EU parliamentary elections in May - by Alex Daniel

Up Yours Donald !

Angela Merkel has said the European Union should cooperate more in developing weapons systems in a bid to push back against a growing wave of euroscepticism before the European parliamentary elections in May.

In a speech to her Christian Democrats party (CDU) she said: “It is good that after several decades we want to develop a common defence policy ... We must develop weapons systems together.”

“We have very strict export rules, others have less strict rules ... But anyone who develops an airplane with us would also like to know whether they can sell the plane with us,” she said.

Merkel has repeatedly stressed the importance of Germany’s partnership with France, saying on her weekly podcast this week the friendship was “far from a given after centuries of military conflict between our countries”.

“We want to give an impulse to European unity,” Merkel said.

In November the German Chancellor went as far as to call for the creation of a European Army, stressing that such an effort would not mean an end to the US-led Nato.

Note EU Digest: Given the present political climate in the US, the EU can not forever rely on the NATO being there, and must get off Grandpa's knee to take some more independent decisions of their own, as it relates to their defence and foreign policies.

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