Latest Articles about Military/Security
Tensions Increase in the Gulf over Iranian Nuclear Projects
This week Sergei Kiriyenko, the chief of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), went to the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr to announce that Russia had completed construction of Iran's first light-water, industrial, 1,000-megawatt nuclear power reactor. Kiriyenko told journalists that "The construction stage of... MORE
Uzbekistan Playing Renewed Strategic Role in NATO’s Afghanistan Mission
General David Petraeus, Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), held meetings in Tashkent on February 16 and 17 with Uzbek President Islom Karimov and Defense Minister Qobul Berdiyev. Non-military transit routes for the NATO mission in Afghanistan were reportedly on his agenda. The discussions... MORE
NATO Deliberates on Strategic Concept and Relations with Russia
NATO will hold its 60th anniversary summit from April 2 to 4 on both sides of the Franco-German border. The summit is expected to adopt a basic document on NATO's Strategic Concept, to be finalized after the anniversary event and replace the existing, decade-old Strategic... MORE
NATO’s Response Force, Other Planned Capabilities Stillborn
NATO's crisis symptoms are multiplying in the run-up to the Alliance's 60th anniversary summit, scheduled to be held from April 2 to 4 on both sides of the Franco-German border. The crisis is unacknowledged, much less addressed in any systematic way, by allied leaders in... MORE
Georgia Prepares to Repel Russian Aggression
The Georgian army, defeated in the five-day war with Russia, is recovering and preparing to ward off potential Russian aggression. "Our defenses should be ready to repel potential Russian aggression. All the military programs and priorities for 2009 will be developed based on the experience... MORE
Will the Closure of Manas Airbase Strengthen U.S.-Turkish Relations?
The Kyrgyz parliament's vote to close down Manas Airbase puts at risk supply routes for international forces operating in Afghanistan shortly after the U.S. decision to bolster the American military presence in Afghanistan (EDM, February 20). The attempts to find alternative routes in the wake... MORE
Kyrgyz Parliament, President Confirm Eviction of U.S. from Manas Airbase
On February 20 the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed a bill into law to close the U.S. military base at the Manas airport. The United States will have to leave Kyrgyzstan within 180 days after the Kyrgyz government officially passes the decision on to the... MORE
The Chinese Armed Forces and Non-Traditional Missions: A Growing Tool of Statecraft
Over the past decade, western militaries and governments have struggled with growing pressures to engage in and balance their responsibilities in “nation-building,” “peacekeeping operations” and other various non-combat tasks. At the same time, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been taking on an increasing... MORE
China and Indonesia: Military-security Ties Fail to Gain Momentum
From February 18 to 19, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Indonesia as part of an 8-day voyage through Asia. Prior to her trip, Clinton stated that Washington was committed to a stronger relationship with Indonesia, a country she described as “one of... MORE
China-Taiwan: An Intelligence Detente?
The ruling party in Taiwan, the Kuomintang (KMT), is engulfed in another intelligence-related gaffe. A string of domino-like events that began with a report in the United Daily News, one of Taiwan's major newspapers with close ties to the ruling party, which reported that a... MORE