China Has A ‘Space Force.’

Elsa B. Kania, Adjunct Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS/Defense One: China Has a ‘Space Force.’ What Are Its Lessons for the Pentagon?

The U.S. military must find new ways to leverage commercial innovation in order to contend with China in space.

The Chinese military seems to agree that the current U.S. approach to space is hindered by some serious shortcomings.

If the United States is to maintain military advantage in space, as President Trump has promised – and as his new Space Force is meant to do – U.S. policy and strategic decisions should be informed by an understanding of China’s ambitions to become an “aerospace superpower” (航天强国) – and how the Chinese military has reorganized itself to seek dominance in space (制天权).

Start with the way space is characterized in China’s military strategy: the “new commanding heights in strategic competition.” Once a sanctuary for U.S. satellites that have fostered unparalleled military capability, space is now recognized by Chinese military strategists as a critical U.S. vulnerability. Without reliable space support, U.S. capabilities for global C4ISR and precision strike will fail, and the U.S. military could be reduced to a level of merely mechanized warfare, by the assessment of one Chinese defense academic.

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WNU Editor: A sobering read. If true, China is on course to be a dominant force in space within a decade.

A Look At The Current State Of 'Freedom' In The World?

Business Insider: The 27 countries in the world with the most freedom

Freedom means different things to different people.

But Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that releases an annual report on freedom around the world, measures it in terms of civil liberties and political rights.

Their annual report, Freedom in the World, "operates from the assumption that freedom for all people is best achieved in liberal democratic societies."

In 2018, more than 130 in-house and external analysts and advisers from academia, think tanks, and human rights institutions created the report by collecting data from media, research articles, government documents, and other sources.

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WNU editor: Freedom House's annual report is here .... Freedom in the World 2018.

China Is Developing A New Laser Satellite That Will Be Able To Locate U.S. Submarines 500 Meters Below The Surface

SCMP: Will China’s new laser satellite become the ‘Death Star’ for submarines?

Scientists are working on a device they hope will be able to reveal the location of a target as far as 500 metres below the ocean surface

China is developing a satellite with a powerful laser for anti-submarine warfare that researchers hope will be able to pinpoint a target as far as 500 metres below the surface.

It is the latest addition to the country’s expanding deep-sea surveillance programme, and aside from targeting submarines – most operate at a depth of less than 500 metres – it could also be used to collect data on the world’s oceans.

Project Guanlan, meaning “watching the big waves”, was officially launched in May at the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology in Qingdao, Shandong. It aims to strengthen China’s surveillance activities in the world’s oceans, according to the laboratory’s website.

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WNU Editor: If China succeeds in developing this tech, it will change everything when it comes to using submarines as a nuclear deterrent.

U.S. Ambassador Accuses China Of Interfering In The U.S. Midterm Elections

U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad speaks to the media in front of his residence in Beijing, China June 28, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Reuters: U.S. ambassador accuses China of 'bullying' with 'propaganda ads'

BEIJING (Reuters) - A week after an official Chinese newspaper ran a four-page ad in a U.S. daily touting the mutual benefits of U.S.-China trade, the U.S. ambassador to China accused Beijing of using the American press to spread propaganda.

U.S. President Donald Trump last Wednesday referred to the China Daily’s paid supplement in the Des Moines Register - the state of Iowa’s biggest selling newspaper - after accusing China of seeking to meddle in the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, a charge China denies.

Trump’s accusation that Beijing was trying to meddle in U.S. elections marked what U.S. officials told Reuters was a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China.

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WNU Editor: China's decision to pay and put an ad in a major U.S. daily touting their position on U.S.-China trade is a blatant attempt to influence the current debate in Washington on trade. If this is not interfering in the political process  .... five weeks before the midterm elections .... I do not know what is.

North Korea And South Korea Have Begun Removing Landmines Along The DMZ

South Korean soldiers stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Reuters: North Korea, South Korea begin removing landmines along fortified border

Troops from North and South Korea began removing some landmines along their heavily fortified border on Monday, the South’s defense ministry said, as part of a pact to reduce tension and build trust on the divided peninsula.

Project details were agreed during last month’s summit in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

In a statement, the ministry said the two sides agreed to remove all landmines in the so-called Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom within the next 20 days, with military engineers performing the hazardous task on the South Korean side.

There was no immediate confirmation from North Korea that its troops had begun the process.

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WNU Editor:  No confirmation yet that North Korea is doing the same thing. But if both sides do start removing landmines, it is a positive step.

Is This A Russian Anti-Satellite Weapon?

This is a graphic depicting the MiG-31 satellite launch concept. Public Domain

Warzone/The Drive: Exclusive: Russian MiG-31 Foxhound Carrying Huge Mystery Missile Emerges Near Moscow

The big rocket is likely to be either a space-launch system or an anti-satellite weapon, and maybe even both.

Russia's recent adaptation of their Iskander tactical ballistic missile into an air-launched weapon made major headlines and was among the least technologically reaching of Putin's new cadre of superweapons that are supposedly in development. The carrier aircraft for that weapon, named 'Kinzhal,' is MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor. The MiG-31, which evolved out of the MiG-25 Foxbat, has the ability to carry heavy loads to high altitudes and at very speeds approaching mach three. This makes it an ideal launch platform not just for ballistic missiles meant to strike targets on the surface of the earth, but also for small suborbital or even orbital payloads, and especially direct-ascent anti-satellite weapons. On September 14th, 2018 what appears to be just such a launch system was photographed at Zhukovsky Airport outside of Moscow by aviation photographer ShipSash.

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WNU Editor: Having an anti-satellite arsenal has always been a priority for the Russian military. I would not be surprised if this new missile serves this purpose.

Tweets For Today

Trump has approved deal with Canada to update NAFTA: source https://t.co/3sncEr3EfL

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) October 1, 2018

#UPDATE Canadian and US negotiators have reached a deal on reforming the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), after more than a year of talks, reports say https://t.co/bJzAszOJKV pic.twitter.com/jX4KoPgI3I

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 1, 2018

Mass graves are being readied for hundreds of victims of Indonesia's quake and tsunami as authorities battle to stave off disease and reach people still trapped https://t.co/qE7NtX0Lo1
📹 People camp outside after Indonesian tsunami pic.twitter.com/uqX6iQHwmX

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 1, 2018

Seoul says South Korea has begun clearing mines from 2 sites inside the heavily fortified border with North Korea, a move Pyongyang is expected to reciprocate. https://t.co/9UCE2w2Aiu

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 1, 2018

His tweeting has cost him and his firm $20m, his role as chair... and he's being sued for defamation - Who is Elon Musk?
(Tap to expand)https://t.co/60jMJGVIsN pic.twitter.com/kWfQPhZNKk

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 30, 2018

Golden Gate Flyover!

The @USAirForce’s precision flying team, the @AFThunderbirds, fly over the #GoldenGateBridge in #SanFrancisco. #KnowYourMil pic.twitter.com/l29WdrFm71

— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) October 1, 2018

Russian Lawmaker Claims That Russia Has Lost 112 Servicemen Over Three Years In Syria

Сhairman of the defense and security committee of Russia’s Federation Council upper parliament house and former commander of Russia’s aerospace forces Viktor Bondarev. © Mikhail Metzel/TASS

TASS: Russia lost 112 servicemen over three years of counter-terror operation in Syria - MP

About 85,000 terrorists were killed in airstrikes delivered by Russia’s aerospace forces over the three years of the counter-terrorist operation in Syria

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Russia’s losses over the three years of its operation in Syria have amounted to 112 people, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Sunday.

"As of today, the losses of our armed forces in Syria stand at 112 people, with the crashes of An-26 and Il-20 accounting for about a half of them," Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the defense and security committee of Russia’s Federation Council upper parliament house and former commander of Russia’s aerospace forces, told journalists.

"Material losses include eight planes, seven helicopters and, probably, one or two armored personnel carriers and armored motorcars," he added.

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WNU Editor: This lawmaker is claiming that 85,000 "terrorists" were killed in airstrikes delivered by Russia’s aerospace forces over three years. Other groups have a different take .... Three years of Russia strikes on Syria kill 18,000: monitor (AFP). As to 112 Russian servicemen being killed over three years. My gut tells me that this is a ridiculously low number. This Russian lawmaker is also not mentioning the number of Russian contractors that have been killed during this time.

Update: And then there is this Russian lawmaker .... Naval blockade would mean ‘war’: Moscow slams US idea of hampering Russian trade (RT).

Picture Of The Day

Two F-35B Lightning II fighter jets successfully landed onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time this week, laying the foundations for the next 50 years of fixed wing aviation in support of the UK’s Carrier Strike Capability. Royal Navy Cmdr. Nathan Gray made history by being the first to land on, followed by Royal Air Force Sq. Ldr. Andy Edgell, both test pilots at the Integrated Test Force (ITF) based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin

WNU Editor: The above picture came from this photo-gallery .... Here Are Some Photographs of the F-35B Lightning Jets Landing on (and Launching From) Britain’s Newest Carrier for the First Time (The Aviationist)

Russian Foreign Minister: U.S. President Trump Has Been Invited To Visit Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. © Alexander Schebak/TASS

TASS: Trump invited to visit Russia - Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that President Putin also has received an invitation from President Trump to visit the United States

UNITED NATIONS, September 29. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has been invited to visit Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin has received an invitation from President Trump [to visit the United States]. President Trump has received an invitation to visit Russia as well," he told a news conference after his participation in the high-level debates at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"When everyone is ready and when possible dates are suggested, we will be able to decide," he said.

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WNU Editor: The White House has also invited Russian President Putin to visit The U.S.. As to when will this meeting/summit take place? Everything is on hold until after the U.S. midterm Congressional elections.