Global defense news, analysis and opinion

US gets third acting defense secretary as Trump nominates Esper for permanent job

US President Donald Trump's administration named its third acting defense secretary in seven months as he nominates Mark Esper for a permanent job

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US special forces member killed in combat mission in Afghanistan

A US service member was killed in Afghanistan, NATO's Resolute Support mission said without giving further details

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Somalia: At least 7 dead in al-Shabaab suicide bomb and gun attack at Kismayo hotel

At least seven people were killed in a complex Al-Shabaab suicide vehicle bomb and gun attack on a hotel in Kismayo in southern Somalia

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US approves $600 million sale to Greece of MH-60R Seahawk helicopters

The US State Department approved the sale to Greece of up to seven Sikorsky MH-60R multi-mission helicopters at an estimated cost of $600 million

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France launches new Suffren nuclear-powered attack submarine

French President Emmanuel Macron launched the first of a new fleet of Suffren nuclear-powered attack submarines

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UK sends Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan to Gulf

The UK Royal Navy dispatched HMS Duncan to join HMS Montrose in the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions in the region

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Iran strikes militants in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran's IRGC said it launched strikes against militants in Iraqi Kurdistan in response to attacks against Iranian forces this week

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Turkey takes delivery of Russian-made S-400 missile defense system parts

Turkey took delivery of components for the S-400 air defense missile system from Russia

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Islamic State Turkey province video claims new wilayah in old turf

ISIS released a propaganda video from ‘Wilayah Turkey,’ showing a small group of militants pledging bayah, or allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The eighth in the “And the best outcome is for the righteous” series, the video is the first from this new province, but ISIS already has a complex presence in Turkey. The five-minute long video released on July 10 is typical of earlier bayah videos. It features three militants sitting in front of what appears to be a handmade, large black standard commonly used by ISIS. They are joined by two more when making the pledge of allegiance while a sixth presumably operates the shaking camera. The speaker is identified as Abu Qatada at-Turki, and he reaffirms the militants’ allegiance to Baghdadi while also threatening Turkey and America. A weapons researcher known as Calibre Obscura noted that the militants appear well-armed in comparison to fighters seen in other videos in this series. A Draganov sniper rifle, a PKM machine gun, an RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, two AKMS assault rifles, a Glock pistol, and some grenades appear throughout. Islamic State in Turkey The “And the best outcome is for the righteous” video series has included ISIS militants …

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Syria: Bomb explodes outside church in Qamishli Christian neighborhood

A car bomb detonated near a church in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeast Syria, wounding almost a dozen people

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