Pentagon puts troops on notice to prepare to deploy to support Israel: reports
DefenseNews : Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a select number of U.S. troops to prepare to deploy in support of Israel, multiple outlets have reported. About 2,000 such troops were chosen this weekend to be ready to assist with advising and medical support, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The forces will be pulled from across the U.S. armed services, with the troops currently stationed inside the Middle East and in nearby Europe. But officials have not said which units were chosen or the location they would deploy to, acco…
DefenseNews: Look at the military firepower the US is providing to Israel
DefenseNews : Within hours of the horrific attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needs to respond. A second U.S. carrier strike group departs from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. Scores of aircraft are heading to U.S. military bases around the Middle East. Special operations forces are now assisting Israel’s military in planning and intelligence. The first shipment of additional munitions has already arrived. For now, the buildup reflects U.S. concern that the de…
More Israel aid to come ahead of Austin visit, Pentagon says
WASHINGTON — A day after the United States’ first package of security aid arrived in Israel, a senior Pentagon official said more will be on the way. “It’s both munitions and air defense,” said the official, speaking on background with reporters. “We intend to continuously be delivering both to the Israel Defense Forces.” The terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, launched a startling, deadly attack on Israel Oct. 7. Between the initial assault and the Israeli military’s response, some 2,500 people have now been killed, includin…
Biden vows US resolve to back Israel as USS Ford enters region
DefenseNews: President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the militant group Hamas for “sheer evil” for its shocking multipronged attack on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip that has killed hundreds of civilians, including at least 14 American citizens. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground. Biden spoke out of the actions he and other allies have taken to support Israel in the aftermath of the attack and expressed his horror a…
US Navy: Bonhomme Richard fire deals a blow to the Navy’s designs in the Indo-Pacific
WASHINGTON – The amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard , which burned through the night while in port in San Diego, was at the tail end of two years of upgrades supporting the integration of the F-35B , according to Navy documents. That means the Navy will now have fewer options to deploy the next-generation fighter in the Pacific. The Navy awarded the $219 million modernization contract to General Dynamics, National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in 2018, which had options for up to $250 million. Bonhomme Richard is one of four large-deck amph…
The US Navy’s $13 Billion Answer to China and Russia
China ’s lone aircraft carrier, the retrofitted Liaoning, has spent the past several weeks cruising around the South China Sea. It recently passed through the Taiwan Strait, which seen by some observers as a threatening message to Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen. The Taiwanese president, of course, set off diplomatic red alerts when she phoned Donald Trump to congratulate him on being elected president – and he took the call in what Beijing considers a violation of the “One China” policy in place since 1979. But if China ’s i…
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