09 July 2020
by Ben Pierce
On 25 June, the Islamic State claimed to have killed and wounded 10 Filipino soldiers in an attack in the southern Philippines, which the group alleged had taken place on 23 June. The claim was released via Islamic State-affiliated channels on messaging platforms Hoop and RocketChat in the name of the group’s regional affiliate Wilayat Sharq Asiyya, or its East Asia Province. According to the claim, the attack took place in the village of Bangayaha, located in the Patikul area of Jolo Island in the country’s Sulu province, and that the militants involved were armed with machine-guns. There were no reports in local media of an attack on 23 June. However, a report in news site BenarNews said the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), an Islamist militant group of which some factions have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, had killed at least one soldier and wounded nine others in an ambush on the army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion in an unnamed rural area of Patikul on 22 June.
A screenshot of the 25 June claim issued by the Islamic State on messaging platforms Hoop and RocketChat. (Source withheld. )
24 April 2024
by Michael Fabey
US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said the country needs more blue-collar workers to meet navy shipbuilding needs at yards like Newport News Shipbuilding, shown here. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
To address the shortage of workers needed to build the number of ships needed to meet US Navy (USN) fleet plans, the country should seek to bring in more legal immigrants from foreign shores, according to US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
While acknowledging the impact of Covid-related issues on USN shipbuilding schedules on 23 April during an event at the Stimson Center, Del Toro said, “The bigger problem is the lack of blue-collar workers.”
Del Toro called on US lawmakers to “increase the amount of legal immigration” and work visas for potential shipbuilding work to come into country, despite the political divisions preventing such bipartisanship.
“We need to open up the spigot on legal immigration and allow blue-collar works to come here,” he said.
He underscored the need for retraining the new workforce for shipyard trades needed to build USN ships.
24 April 2024
by Kapil Kajal
The K9 SPH has a combat weight of 46.3 tonnes, a top road speed of 67 km/h, and an operational range of 360 km. (Hanwha Defense)
Vietnam's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has indicated that it is planning to procure the K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) – developed and produced by South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace – for the People's Army of Vietnam.
Vietnamese Vice-Minister of National Defence Hoang Xuan Chien expressed an intention to procure the K9 at the ‘11th Korea-Vietnam Defense Strategy Dialogue' held in Hanoi on 23 April, according to a press release issued by the South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) one day later.
“Chien evaluated Korea's weapons systems and expressed his intention to expand defence industry co-operation, including the introduction of Korean weapon systems such as the K9 SPH [into the People's Army of Vietnam] and requested co-operation from the Korean government for this purpose,” the MND said.
In addition, the two sides agreed to strengthen co-operation in areas such as maritime security, cyber security, and logistics, the MND added.
23 April 2024
by Ridzwan Rahmat
Pilots from the French Navy surveillance frigate Vendémiaire (F734) practice landing aboard the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) during an interoperability exercise. Blue Ridge is the flagship for Commander, US 7th Fleet. (US Navy)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US military have begun the most complex iteration of Exercise ‘Balikatan', which is seeing the first-time participation of a French Navy warship and vessels from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
A ceremony to mark the start of the exercise was held on 22 April at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Philippines. Drills under the annual bilateral exercise will be held at various locations across the Philippines till 10 May.
“With over 16,000 service members participating across Luzon from today until 10 May, ‘Balikatan' 2024 is designed to address the ever-evolving security landscape in the region and is poised to be the most complex and comprehensive iteration to date,” reads a statement issued by the AFP on 22 April.
On 25 June, the Islamic State claimed to have killed and wounded 10 Filipino soldiers in an attack i...
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