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Feb- 2018 -2 FebruaryEurope
UK Royal Navy assault ship Albion to lead NATO task group
The U.K. Royal Navy amphibious assault ship HMS Albion will lead Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 beginning next week. Albion is set to leave Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth next week and will serve as the SNMG2 flagship, operating in the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy said in a Friday press release. A Royal Marines group will also embark aboard the ship. “It is a huge privilege for us to fly the flag of the NATO task group commander in such a high profile deployment,” HMS Albion commanding officer said. “This symbolises the importance that the UK and the Royal Navy places on our role in NATO and in assuring the collective defence and security of NATO allies and partners.’’ HMS Albion is one of the Royal Navy’s two amphibious assault ships. It recently completed a two-year modernization period followed by training and sea trials. The NATO task group will undertake security operations and conduct multi-national exercises while in the Mediterranean.
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2 FebruaryEurope
Army helicopters crash in southern France, killing 5 officers
Five French Army officers were killed on Friday when a pair of army helicopters crashed in southern France.
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1 FebruaryTechnology
Turkey successfully tests HISAR-A short-range air defense missile, ministry says
Turkey conducted a successful test flight of its HISAR-A short-range, low-altitude air defense missile system
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1 FebruaryTechnology
Boeing awarded $6.6 billion contract for GMD ballistic missile defense system
Boeing has been awarded a $6.6 billion modification to a 2012 contract for development and sustainment of the United States' Ground-based Midcourse Defense anti-ballistic missile system
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1 FebruaryBusiness
BAE Systems awarded $149 million more for Paladin vehicle production
BAE Systems was awarded an almost $149 million modification to an earlier contract for M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer vehicle sets, a U.S. Department of Defense release said.
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1 FebruaryBusiness
Raytheon awarded $105 million contract for Griffin mini-missile production
Raytheon has been awarded a $105 million contract for the production of AGM-176 Griffin short-range air-to-surface and surface-to-surface mini-missiles
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1 FebruaryAsia Pacific
Afghanistan claims ‘undeniable’ evidence Kabul attacks planned in Pakistan
Afghanistan has handed "undeniable" evidence to Pakistan that it claims shows a recent spate of deadly attacks were planned on Pakistani soil, Afghan officials said, amid growing public anger over their impotence to protect civilians
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1 FebruaryAsia Pacific
The ‘weak link’: Afghan Police bear the brunt of insecurity in Afghanistan
Undertrained and improperly equipped, the Afghan National Police act more as a security force than civilian police, and they bear the brunt of terrorist attacks
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1 FebruaryAsia Pacific
India’s defense spending to increase over 7.8% in 2018
India’s military spending is set to increase under the 2018-19 budget unveiled on Thursday. The defense sector has been allocated 2,95,511.41 crore rupees (29 billion rupees, $454 million) – 12.10 percent of the total central government expenditure – in the budget Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented to parliament. The budget is a 7.81 percent increase over the amount allocated for 2017-18. Capital expenditures including defense purchases were set at 99,947 crore rupees. A recent report from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence found that the capital budget for the Indian Air Force was 46 percent lower than required, while the Army’s budget was 41 percent lower and the Navy’s was 32 percent. NDTV reported on Wednesday that India’s $250-billion military modernization is also in trouble as Prime Minister Narenda Modi has failed to fix the country’s disfunctional defense procurement system. Jaitley noted that the government is continuing to emphasize the military’s operational capacity, and said a number of initiatives have been undertaken to advance Modi’s “Make in India” program. India is the world’s largest defense importer, and Modi has sought to make it more self-reliant and an eventual arms exporter. The ‘Make II’ strategy includes significant transfer of technology in defense acquisition, encouraging …
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1 FebruaryAsia Pacific
South Korea pursues defense cooperation with Thailand as first T-50 deliveries underway
South Korea is seeking to bolster its defense industry cooperation with Thailand as the first deliveries of T-50TH Golden Eagle fighter jets are underway
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