Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 3, 2018

Bhavan Jaipragas, SCMP: Snubbed in world’s biggest war game, will Beijing make waves in South China Sea?

Twenty-six nations are engaging in the massive US-led naval exercise known as RIMPAC. And China isn’t one of them

The resource-rich Spratly and Paracel archipelagos may be the main sticking points in the South China Sea territorial dispute, and this week the world’s two major powers were shadowboxing over the issue thousands of kilometres away in Beijing and the Western Pacific.

On the Chinese side, the fresh missive came from President Xi Jinping as he warned the visiting US Secretary of Defence James Mattis that while Beijing – a claimant to the contested waters – was committed to peace, it would not yield “an inch” of ancestral territory.

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- July 3, 2018

China Downplays Exclusion from US-Led Naval Exercises -- VOA

China's Aircraft Carrier Fleet Poised to Expand Rapidly -- Sputnik

China’s Military Has ‘Peace Disease’ After Decades Without War, Military Newspaper Says -- Newsweek

Thousands flock to Hong Kong’s military bases for behind-the-scenes look at China’s armed forces -- SCMP

Sri Lanka to base navy’s Southern Command at Chinese-run Hambantota port -- SCMP/AFP

India to Adopt New Nuclear-Capable ICBM as 'Strategic Deterrent' - Reports -- Sputnik

South Korea monitoring North Korea after missile launcher report -- UPI

South Korean President Moon Jae-in calls for compensation of Yeonpyeong naval clash victims -- UPI

Movin' on Out? US Forces Korea Shifts Headquarters Further From DMZ -- Sputnik

Lockheed to reportedly beat out Raytheon for Japan missile defense radar -- Defense News

Israel says Hamas tried to infiltrate its military using smartphone dating, sports apps -- Washington Post/AP

Russia completes testing extended-range interceptor missile for S-400 system – reports -- RT

Russia wraps up state trials of long-range missile for S-400 air defense system -- TASS

Russia to hold flight trials of super-heavy carrier rocket in 2028-2035 -- TASS

Putin renames military units after Ukrainian cities -- UPI

Ukraine’s path to Nato complicated by close ties to China -- SCMP

Germany Plans to Spend Billions More on Army While Trump Slams 'Underspending' -- Sputnik

With their F-35 program in limbo, Turkish pilots begin training in US -- Air Force Times

Will the F-35 beat out ‘the usual suspects’ in Singapore’s search for F-16 replacement? -- Defense News

Despite criticism at home, French arms sales double in the Middle East -- Reuters

Why the U.S. Worries About U.K. Military Commitment -- Bloomberg

Trump demands NATO allies increase their financial contributions -- The Hill

Pentagon denies audit of troops stationed in Germany is in anticipation of Trump demands -- The Hill

HII awarded contract for additional repairs to USS Fitzgerald -- UPI

One year later, a Fitzgerald widow wonders why her husband did not escape -- Navy Times

Air Force cancels flight tests for light-attack aircraft after crash -- The Hill

US Air Force cancels remaining light-attack experiment flights, but effort will continue -- Defense News

US spy planes are breaking down ― and lawmakers want answers -- Defense News

US Recon Planes Break Down at Sky-High Rates, Alarming Lawmakers -- Sputnik

GE contracted for F414 engine support on Super Hornet, Growler aircraft -- UPI

Does DoD know how to supply intel for cyber ops? -- Fifth Domain

Foreign spying comes under new scrutiny from US lawmakers -- The Hill

West Point welcomes more than 1,200 for Class of 2022 -- Army Times/AP

X-ray bombs: When conventional explosives just won’t do -- Ken Chamberlain, Defense News