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The number of sexual assaults at America’s military academies rose by almost 50 percent over the past two years, despite extensive efforts to combat the problem, a Pentagon report said Thursday. About 12,900 cadets attend the Army, Navy and Air Force academies that train future officers to lead America’s vast military. Every other year, they are given the chance to fill in an anonymous survey about unwanted sexual contact or sexual assaults. According to the figures from 2018, 747 people reported some sort of sexual assault — up from 507 in 2016, an increase of more than 47 percent. “We find these results to be frustrating, disheartening and unacceptable,” said Elise Van Winkle, who heads a Pentagon personnel and readiness department. The biggest increase was noted at the Army’s West Point Academy in New York, where 16.5 percent of women reported some sort of sexual assault, up from 10.2 percent previously. In a statement, the Army’s senior leaders said the report was “troubling

First Tu-160M modernised strategic bomber is to enter the Russian Armed Forces in 2021. It was announced by Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu during his working visit to the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant, a branch of the Tupolev PJSC. “We are working on upgrading the Tu-160M and giving its a new outlook in accordance with the schedule. The first aircraft which will have no analogues in the world, will enter the troops in 2021”, the head of the defence department cannoned, as he opened a session focused on maintaining health of armaments, military and special hardware. The Minister of Defence noted that the production of the deeply modernized Tu-160M strategic bomber was resumed at the Kazan Aircraft Plant on behalf of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. “The aircraft will be equipped with the latest on-board defence system, a modern reliable communications system with enhanced anti-jamming system, and unique weapons, which

Supported by Sweden, Saab has today submitted its proposal for the Finnish HX fighter procurement to the Finnish defence procurement agency, the Logistics Command of the Finnish Defence Forces. The proposal comprises 64 Gripen aircraft, both single-seat Gripen E and dual-seat Gripen F, and is the formal response to the customer’s Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued in April 2018. Saab’s offered solution features the latest available technology for a continuously changing and very challenging operational environment. “The outstanding capabilities of Gripen are an excellent match for the Finnish needs and requirements. With Gripen, Finland can renew its fighter fleet without compromising on the number of fighters owing to a truly competitive life-cycle cost. Our offer constitutes a substantial contribution to the operational capability of the Finnish Defence Forces”, says Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of Saab business area Aeronautics. As part of the proposal, Saab offer

The US military killed 24 fighters from al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa in an airstrike that targeted an “encampment” in central Somalia on Jan. 30. The strike is the ninth against Shabaab in 2019. “U.S. forces conducted an airstrike near a terrorist encampment location in the vicinity of Shebeeley [Ceel Barde], Hiran Region, Somalia, on January 30, 2019,” US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced today. AFRICOM estimated that 24 Shabaab fighters and zero civilians were killed in the operation. AFRICOM said the operation “is part of a larger effort to support the Somali National Army (SNA) as it increases pressure on the terrorist network and its recruiting efforts in the region.” AFRICOM also acknowledged that Shabaab continues to operate “terrorist training camps” and “safe havens” in the country. “In particular, the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and sh

WASHINGTON - A US court has found the Syrian government culpable in the 2012 death of journalist Marie Colvin, ordering a $302.5 million judgment for what it called an "unconscionable" attack that targeted journalists. Colvin -- a renowned war correspondent whose harrowing career was celebrated in the recent Golden Globe-nominated film "A Private War" -- was killed in the Syrian army's deliberate shelling of the Baba Amr Media Center in Homs on February 22, 2012. According to the judgment delivered late Wednesday, Syrian military and intelligence tracked the broadcasts of Colvin and other journalists covering the siege of Homs to the media center. They then targeted it in an artillery barrage that killed Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik. The federal court in the US capital cited the testimony of a former Syrian intelligence officer who was given the name "Ulysses," who said that after the attack, Syrian officers celebrated the news that Co

Source:- India asks Russia for 18 more Sukhoi-30MKI fighters Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft flies past during a parade at an airbase in Tezpur, India, Friday, Nov. 21 2014. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee presented the presidential Standards, considered one of the greatest honors for an Air Force unit, to 115 Helicopter Unit and 26 Squadron of the IAF “for their selfless devotion, professionalism and courage in the face of adversity,” according to a press release. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) To alleviate the shortfall of fighter aircraft in the Indian Air Force (IAF), New Delhi has approached Moscow for one more squadron of Sukhoi-30MKIs fighters. Defence industry sources in Russia say India’s ministry of defence (MoD) wants Sukhoi to provide Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with the raw materials and sub-systems needed to build 18 more Sukhoi-30MKIs at its Nashik facility. Production of this additional tranche can begin in 2020, when HAL Nashik completes deliver

Post in honour of Holocaust Memorial Day  Sky News interviewed Jeremy Dronfield, the author of a book called “T he Boy Who Followed His Father Into Auschwitz ”. Although there was nothing untoward about the interview itself, in the closing moments Mr Dronfield gave out an ominous warning about “the threat from the far right’. How obscure - what could he mean? Many people believe there is a vital lesson to be learned from the Holocaust, which is that civilised countries like ours must realise that they have a moral obligation to offer hospitality to refugees and asylum seekers, regardless of the circumstances that caused their predicament. The loaded expression “Never Again” has been reinterpreted and now embraces ‘ all genocides ’, a term which has itself been adapted to embrace other non-specific victims of violence, and not confined to the Nazis’ attempt to eradicate an entire race. Kindertransport is often cited to illustrate Britain’s generosity and open-heartedness as if

Source:- India to buy 2 more AWACS worth Rs 5.7k crore from Israel Highlights India is finally close to approving the over $800 million (around Rs 5,700 crore) deal for two more “Phalcon” airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Israel Armed forces are also looking to induct additional “Heron” surveillance and armed drones as well as “Harop” killer unmanned aerial vehicles India is finally close to approving the over $800 million (around Rs 5,700 crore) deal for two more “Phalcon” airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Israel, which comes soon after it inked a Rs 4,577 crore contract for air defence radars with the Jewish state. Reinforcing Israel’s status as one of the top arms suppliers to India, the armed forces are also looking to induct additional “Heron” surveillance and armed drones as well as “Harop” killer unmanned aerial vehicles, which act as cruise missiles by exploding into enemy radars and other targets, from the country. W

WASHINGTON --- Durability testing data indicates service-life of initial F-35B short-takeoff-vertical landing jets bought by Marine Corps “is well under” expected service life of 8,000 fleet hours; “may be as low as 2,100″ hours, the Pentagon test office says in 2018 annual report obtained by Bloomberg that’s scheduled for release this week. That means some jets are expected to start hitting service life limit in 2026. Furthermore, there’s no “improving trend in” aircraft availability to fly training or combat missions as it’s remained “flat” over the past 3 years. Details come a day after Defense Sec. Pat Shanahan told reporters the F-35 “has a lot of opportunity for more performance.” “Interim reliability and field maintenance metrics to meeting planned 80% goal not being met, test office director Robert Behler says in new assessment, as improvements “are still not translating into improved availability,” [with] Current fleet performance “well below” that benchmark. (end of excerpt

Supported by Sweden, Saab has today submitted its proposal for the Finnish HX fighter procurement to the Finnish defence procurement agency, the Logistics Command of the Finnish Defence Forces. The proposal comprises 64 Gripen aircraft, both single-seat Gripen E and dual-seat Gripen F, and is the formal response to the customer’s Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued in April 2018. Saab’s offered solution features the latest available technology for a continuously changing and very challenging operational environment. “The outstanding capabilities of Gripen are an excellent match for the Finnish needs and requirements. With Gripen, Finland can renew its fighter fleet without compromising on the number of fighters owing to a truly competitive life-cycle cost. Our offer constitutes a substantial contribution to the operational capability of the Finnish Defence Forces”, says Jonas Hjelm, Senior Vice President and head of Saab business area Aeronautics. RELEASE: Saab offers Gripen to Finla

Contract Signing with M/S Goa Shipyard Limited for Acquisition of two additional Project 1135.6 Follow-on Ships for Indian Navy India has commissioned six Krivak III-class frigates from Russia, and another two are under construction; Goa Shipyard was contracted Jan 30 to build two more, in an advanced variant fitted with Indian subsystems and weapons. (IN photo) An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between the Government of Republic of India and Government of Russian Federation was concluded on 15 Oct 2016, for construction of additional Project 1135.6 Follow-on ships in India, at M/s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). In line with the IGA, the Government [today] signed a contract for construction of two ships with Goa Shipyard Ltd, Goa, with scheduled delivery in June 2026 and December 2026 respectively. The Follow-on P 1135.6 series of frigates, customised to meet the Indian Navy’s specific requirements, are potent platforms, with a mission span covering the entire spectrum of Naval war

PARIS --- In its clearest admission to date that the system does not currently work as required, the Pentagon has decided to re-design the F-35 program’s Autononomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) “in accordance with current information technology and software development best practices.” The flaws in the ALIS, a computerized maintenance tool, are well-documented but persist, despite claims by Lockheed Martin that its reliability is improving. ALIS doesn’t “yet perform as intended,” as some data and functions deficiencies “have a significant effect on aircraft availability” and launching flights,” Bloomberg reported Jan 30 quoting the latest report by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test & Evaluation, due to be released this week. Maintenance personnel and pilots “must deal w pervasive problems w data integrity, completeness on a daily basis,” the report says. A Jan. 18 notice posted by the Naval Air Systems Command on the Federal Business Opportunity website said th

Cybersecurity Continuous multi-factor authentication put to the test By Lauren C. Williams Jan 30, 2019 FaceID is so 2018. The Defense Department is testing new devices that could eliminate the need for passcodes while continuously authenticating users via multiple biometrics. "Most mobile phones today you unlock them with your fingerprint or face," Stephen Wallace, systems innovation scientist for the Defense Information Systems Agency, told FCW. "That's a point in time; I can unlock it, hand it to you or leave it on a park bench and someone can pick it up and become me." The devices DISA is testing prevent that by automatically locking "if somebody picks it up and starts to move around with it," said Wallace, speaking after a Jan. 30 presentation at the International Association of Innovation Professionals Disruption conference. "The trust score falls because they don't walk the same way [as the registered user]. They're potent

Defense IT Kessel Run grows its ranks By Lauren C. Williams Jan 29, 2019 The Air Force software factory known as Kessel Run is growing. The service plans to hire more than two dozen personnel, mainly from industry, after a hiring event in Boston Jan. 23 and Jan. 24. The event aimed to add talent across 18 roles, including software developers, product managers and designers, acquisition officers, financial management contracting, and network engineers familiar with cloud computing to join Kessel Run in Boston and work on problems related to the Air Operations Center Weapon System and the Autonomous Logistics Information System for the F-35. Lt. Col. Enrique Oti, who heads the Kessel Run program, told FCW the event drew people "new to government" from the commercial sector, those from traditional DOD contracting companies, and a few from inside the Air Force. Kessel Run currently has a team of about 200, both civilian contractors and military personnel, many on tempo

Emerging Tech DARPA underground mapping challenge moves to next stage By Mark Rockwell Jan 28, 2019 Nine teams, armed with robots, tracking software and systems will descend on an old Colorado mine for the next leg of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's competition to develop technology to find and map subterranean passages and infrastructure. The teams, made up of commercial technology companies and research universities, will participate in DARPA's SubT Integration Exercise, known as STIX, using robotics, sensors and communications solutions, in the Edgar Experimental Mine in Idaho Springs, Col., in April. The event, the research agency said in a Jan. 22 statement , is part of the preparation for SubT's Circuits Stage Challenge set for later this year and next. The agency kicked off the challenge in late 2017 along parallel research tracks: the hardware-focused systems track and the software-focused virtual track. The circuits divvy up testing in oper

The Taliban has continued to make incremental gains in Afghanistan’s provinces despite an uptick in US airstrikes during the past year. The US military downplayed the Taliban’s gains, stating that this is “not indicative of effectiveness of the South Asia strategy or progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan.” However, the last commander of US forces said less than two years ago that regaining control of 80 percent of Afghanistan’s territory was crucial to defeating the Taliban. The Taliban has increased its control or influence by seven districts, or 1.7 percent, since the summer, according to a report by the Special Investigator General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR). Taliban control of population has also increased by 1.7 percent between July and Oct. 2018. SIGAR receives its data directly from Resolute Support, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan, and the US Department of Defense. According to Resolute Support, the Afghan government controls or influences 219 of Afghanis

Source:- EXCLUSIVE: IAF Arming Su-30s With ASRAAMs, May Standardise Missile Across Fleet In an ambitious, unprecedented move, the Indian Air Force is currently in the final stages of a move that could ruffle feathers in Russia — mating a British missile system with its Russian-origin Su-30 MKI fighters, something it has never done before. Top IAF sources tell Livefist that a pair of HAL-built Su-30 MKI jets have undergone requisite software modifications to deploy the MBDA ASRAAM heat-seeking close combat air-to-air missile. What the IAF intends to do is fully replace the Su-30 MKI’s current close combat missile — the Russian-built Vympel R-73 — with the ASRAAM in phases. For a service that has rarely standardised equipment across its diverse fleet of Russian and European aircraft, the IAF’s intentions with the ASRAAM stem from its experience with the successful recent integration of the missile system with its Jaguar deep penetration strike jets. Part of a £250 million IAF contract

Source:- Chinese challenge to India’s quest for NSG : Pakistani Media Unfortunately, there is a well-settled narrative in the West and even within India that New Delhi’s nuclear program as well as other warfare modernization is necessary to counter China’s rising power. Over the past decades, the US has sought to use India to contain China. In return, India has received US’ largesse, particularly the 123-agreement, defence equipment, support for Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership and bilateral trade. The US policy called ‘Rebalancing of Military Strategy with Focus on Asia-Pacific’ is confirmation to Chinese counter policy. However, the pertinent point here is that the volume of trade between China and India has reached $100 billion, hence making high-intensity conflict less likely to happen. Therefore, just because India serves a purpose for the US, its nuclear program is not a threat to the South Asian region is highly unjustified. It is also pertinent to see as to why the U

  🇬🇧 Better illustrations of the Royal Mail Royal Collection of Da Vinci drawings exhibition stamps to be issued on 13 February 2019 than previously shown in this Blog are now depicted below. As well as the basic set of 12 stamps, cost £8.04p, there will also be a 4 pane miniature sheet (one being made up of Machin Head definitives) which will cost £13.10p.    🇰🇳 There are some additional philatelic items to mention which were released by the US-based philatelic agency IGPC in the name of Nevis towards the end of 2018 -   5 December 2018 - 'Beautiful butterflies ' - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 3 different stamps and the other containing 2 different stamps. Rating:- 0.   20 December 2018 - 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi - 4 stamps in a miniature sheet (previously mentioned but date of issue now given and better illustration provided).   20 December 2018 - Red-footed tortoise - 2 miniature sheets, one conta