Issues related to so-called non-traditional security have been inadequately explored in the context of rapid Chinese maritime development. If Chinese perceptions toward coastal management, port security, narco-trafficking, coastal environmental protection, response to hazardous spills at sea,  typhoon preparation, as well as search and rescue are... MORE

On November 9, General He Weirong, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), confirmed long-standing speculations that the PLAAF is developing fifth-generation fighters (fourth-generation in Chinese standard), which may be in service within 8 to 10 years, and certainly by 2020. During... MORE

Before departing for the APEC Summit in Singapore President Dmitry Medvedev signed into law new legislation concerning the use of Russia’s armed forces abroad. While retaining the stipulation that the armed forces would only be used under extreme circumstances, the new law stated that force... MORE

On November 13, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili convened yet another session of his country’s National Security Council (NSC) with the participation of major parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition parties. Boycotted by radical politicians, but highly appreciated by moderates, as a mechanism to conduct dialogue with the... MORE

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, during his address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow on November 12, again highlighted the need to equip the armed forces with modern weapons and equipment. In the context of a lengthy, wide ranging speech which developed the theme of modernizing... MORE

Unidentified gunmen shot up the home of a policeman in Ingushetia yesterday (November 15) evening. The incident took place in the city of Nazran when the attackers opened fire on the home of Magomed Yevloev, a State Automobile Inspectorate (GAI) officer, with automatic rifles and... MORE

For nearly a year now, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia has been waging a life or death struggle for survival against the repeated assaults of a radical Islamist opposition; an opposition that remains unsatisfied with the appointment of a fellow Islamist as president... MORE

In February, the Turkish Parliament approved a government motion allowing Ankara to deploy Turkish naval forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri) as part of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), an international anti-piracy naval force operating off the coast of Somalia. The motion called for a one-year limit... MORE

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry was quoted today (November 12) as saying that a blast from an “unidentified explosive device” last night had ruptured a section of the natural gas pipeline stretching between Mozdok, North Ossetia and Kazimagomed, Azerbaijan. The affected section of pipeline is... MORE

This week the Moscow daily Gazeta published extracts of a leaked defense ministry document describing the results of military training this year –providing a rare opportunity to know firsthand the actual battle readiness of the entire Russian armed forces. According to Russian military tradition, the... MORE