from Russia Insider:
On Oct. 12 CNBC reported that Russia had hit a snag in its development of its hypersonic weapon, because it was at the time unable to find a source for the critical carbon fiber components. The news agency stated that the Pentagon had doubts that the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) existed. Skepticism seems widespread. Some believe that Russia’s new super weapons are “virtual reality,” while others think they are “mostly hype.” In March, the National Interest cited Michael Kofman, a research scientist for the Center for Naval Analyses and a highly respected analyst, who offered his assurances that there was no chance Russia could field its hypervelocity boost-glide weapon by 2019. But history has shown that those who believed it to be just a bluff have been proven wrong.
from Russia Insider:
USAF is undergoing its biggest expansion since the end of the Cold War, and the reasons are clear
In September, at the Air Force Association’s annual Space & Cyber Conference, Heather Wilson — Donald Trump’s Secretary of the U.S. Air Force — presented the Trump administration’s new roadmap for the U.S. Air Force: the historic expansion of the already, by far, largest air force in the world.
by Stephen Lendman, via The International Forecaster:
Endless US launched war in Syria rages. Is aggression on the Islamic Republic coming? Will Trump regime hardliners dare embroil the region in something far more dangerous than already?
Was the Trump regime’s JCPOA pullout and harsh sanctions prelude for something far more aggressive – aiming to weaken and try toppling Iran’s government forcefully? Most world community nations oppose Trump’s unacceptable and illegal toughness on Iran.
from Russia Insider:
There is never a dull weapon in Vladimir Putin’s arsenal.
On top of previous boasts of a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered robot submarine with a 100-megaton warhead , Putin recently announced that Russia would soon deploy Avangard hypersonic weapons. Avangard is a boost-glide vehicle that is lofted high into the atmosphere atop an ICBM such as Russia’s heavy Sarmat missile, and then glides down at hypersonic speed (faster than Mach 5). Avangard reportedly can glide down at Mach 20, and unlike the fixed trajectory of ballistic missile warheads, can maneuver to avoid anti-missile defenses. It may be armed with a single warhead of as much as 2 megatons.
by Mac Slavo, SHTF Plan:
The United States may have to learn the hard way that bullying and using sanctions is not always going to work. In fact, in response to increased sanctions on Iran, the nation has launched military war drills likely with the U.S. in mind.
“I declare the codename for the beginning of this joint air defense drills – Velayat 97, of Islamic Republic of Iran’s military and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Habibollah Sayyari, Deputy Coordinator of Iranian Army.
As President’s Donald Trump’s “toughest ever” sanctions on oil exports, shipping, and banks hit Iran, the country retaliated by launching military drills. Iran’s military took part in defensive drills across the country on the same day the US imposed tough sanctions on the country, seemingly to send a message to the U.S. government. According to the Express UK, Trump says that Iran is struggling already due to his administration’s “very tough” policies.
from The Saker:
Andrei Belousov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, has recently made an important statement which I shall quote in full and then provide a translation.
Translation: “Recently at a meeting the United States stated that Russia is preparing for war. Yes, Russia is preparing for war, I can confirm it. Yes, we are preparing to defend our homeland, our territorial integrity, our principles, our values, our people. We are preparing for such a war. But there is a major difference between us and the United States. Linguistically, this difference is just in one word, in both Russian and English: Russia is preparing for war while the United States is preparing a war” (emphasis added).
from Russia Insider:
This is a tripolar world, with none of the stability of the old bipolar Cold War
When it comes to relations between Donald Trump’s America, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and Xi Jinping’s China, observers everywhere are starting to talk about a return to an all-too-familiar past. “Now we have a new Cold War,” commented Russia expert Peter Felgenhauer in Moscow after President Trump recently announced plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The Trump administration is “launching a new Cold War,” said historian Walter Russell Mead in the Wall Street Journal, following a series of anti-Chinese measures approved by the president in October. And many others are already chiming in.
by Mac Slavo, SHTF Plan:
Genetically engineered viruses could very well become the next generation of warfare. Deadly viruses modified in labs could be released eliminating entire communities of people as they infect making them a valuable asset to militaries worldwide.
As dystopian as that sounds, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is already working on a project called Insect Allies which will use insects to infect crops with genetically modified viruses that edit the crops’ genetic profile to make them more resilient against disease, as well as natural and manufactured threats to the food supply.
from South Front:
Russia is prepared to shoot down any US plane coordinating UAV attacks on its Hmeimim Air Base near Latakia, Syria, according Vladimir Shamanov, head of the lower parliamentary house’s defense committee, former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Troops.
“In case of another U.S. drone attack on Russian Military Base in Syria, Russia is ready to shoot-down that plane,” Shamanov said.
Shamanov’s remarks followed an announcement by the Russian Defense Ministry that a US Posiedon-8 reconnaissance plan coordinated a drone strike attack on the airbase.
by Mac Slavo, SHTF Plan:
Russia has vowed that they “will act” should Ukraine or Georgia join NATO. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu voiced his concern over what he described as the “militarization of the European continent,” by promising action instead of empty rhetoric.
This statement by Shoigu appears to be a sign of the country’s unease in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out the United States out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). Speaking during a meeting with Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, Shoigu said: “We are following with alarm NATO’s policy aimed at the active militarization of the European continent. We see efforts being made to involve more and more NATO member countries, I mean the Balkans first of all.”
by Michael Snyder, End Of The American Dream:
Could it be possible that the U.S. is heading for a major war? If you ask most Americans that question, they will look at you like you are crazy. For most people in this country, war with either Russia or China is not something to even be remotely concerned about. But the Russians and the Chinese both see things very differently. As you will see below, Russia and China both seem to be under the impression that war with the United States is coming, and they are both rapidly preparing for such a conflict.
from The Anti Media:
China’s President Xi Jinping ordered the military region responsible for monitoring the South China Sea and Taiwan to “assess the situation it is facing and boost its capabilities so it can handle any emergency” as tensions continue to mount over the future of the South China Sea and Taiwan, while diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing hit rock bottom.
The Southern Theatre Command has had to bear a “heavy military responsibility” in recent years, state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying during an inspection tour made on Thursday as part of his visit to Guangdong province.
by Mish Shedlock, The Maven:
On Monday, Trump announced he would send US troops to the Mexican border to stop a caravan of migrants walking to the US from Honduras.
On Friday, Defense Secretary James Mattis authorized the deployment of more troops to the US-Mexico border.
