Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 15, 2015


Military Times: China, Russia military spending surges

While U.S. military spending from 2007 to 2014 remained largely flat, military spending among the world's top 15 military spenders skyrocketed, according to data released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The U.S. spent about $610 billion on its military in 2014, making up nearly 43 percent of the funds spent by the top 15 spending nations. Trailing in a distant second was China, which spent an estimated $216 billion (15.1 percent), followed by Russia, which spent an estimated $84.5 billion (5.9 percent) and Saudi Arabia, which spent $80.8 billion (5.7 percent), according to the data.

Altogether, military spending by the top 15 countries in 2014 came to about $1.4 trillion, representing about 80 percent of worldwide military spending.

Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 15, 2015

U.S. troops stunned by inept Iraqi forces: ‘What training did they have after we left?’ -- Washington Times

Highlights: Military Weapons Delivered to Iraq, Planned Aid -- AP

Kurds who stopped Islamic State’s march desperately need delivery of American weapons -- Washington Times

Saudi Arabia boosts military spending to record level -- CNN

Iranian Minister to Discuss S-300 Missile Defense System Delivery in Moscow -- Sputnik

Russian submarine patrols up 50 percent over last year -- Barents Observer

How Russia Plans to Save Its Massive Military Buildup -- Nikolas K. Gvosdev, National Interest

Russian bombers were escorted by British fighter jets, not intercepted — Defense Ministry -- ITAR-TASS

Secretive Military Jets Pose Threat to Civil Planes -- Scientific American/Reuters

European Agency: Military Jets Putting Civilian Aircraft at Risk -- VOA

Embraer and Saab discuss exporting Brazilian fighters from 2023 -- Reuters

After 5 Years, Japan, South Korea Hold Security Dialogue -- The Diplomat

US and Japan sign bilateral defence agreement -- World Bulletin

US military strategies directed against China: Sina -- Want China Times

Beijing considers US’ missile policy a threat: US report -- Taipei Times

China's YJ-18 Missiles a ‘Major Threat’ to US Navy -- Sputnik

The US Carried Out 674 Military Operations in Africa Last Year. Did You Hear About Any of Them? -- Nick Turse, The Nation

Coast Guard Commandant Says U.S. Falling Far Behind Russia in Arctic -- DoD Buzz

US Navy: New Destroyers 'Looking Good' -- Defense News

Problems plaguing F-35's next-gen maintenance system -- Defense News

House panel unveils $77B bill to fund military bases, vets' benefits -- The Hill

GOP boosts U.S. nuclear weapons upgrades in 1st spending bill -- AP

$830M in Veteran Affairs cost overruns sparks outrage -- The Hill

The military’s quest for bombs that won’t accidentally explode -- Washington Post

Marine Corps tests new camo to cloak against thermal sensors -- Washington Times

Swarm robots poised to fly amid acquisitions and military investment -- ZDNet

X-47B Unmanned Demonstrator Could Begin Aerial Refueling Tests This Week -- Sea Power

U.S. Military’s Anti-Hacking Force Won’t Be Ready Until 2018 -- Bloomberg

Terror targets: U.S. troops urged to keep low profile, avoid ‘military slang’ in public -- Washington Times

U.S. vets return to Mideast to battle past and present demons -- Military Times/AP

Fallen soldier monument stirs controversy in Milford -- Military Times/Michigan.com

Military dogs save lives and serve our nation: They deserve better -- FOX News

Attrition: The Myths Of Suicide In The Military -- Strategy Page

How a Twitter Propaganda Army Can Be Yours for Less Than $20 -- Sputnik

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Purchasing power parity is a dirty word.

Unknown said...

Asymmetric warfare is another dirty Phrase.

Unknown said...

Infantilizing NATO memembers by covering their ass is a gsame of chicken.

If we slack (spend less) to force them to spend more (their 4% of GDP fair share), they might not.

After all who cares about the Fulda gap?

Bob Huntley said...

The money spent by China on its military most likely came from US interest on loans and taxes on profit made by the suppliers to the US mega corps, therefore also paid for by the US.