The Dispatch

Reports of Israeli military action targeting Syria’s Tartus

July 2 (Reuters) - Syria on Saturday accused Israel of launching an "air aggression" from over the Mediterranean, west of Tripoli, with several missiles targeting south of Tartus. This led…

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PM Orban says Hungary must radically increase its defence capabilities

BUDAPEST, July 1 (Reuters) - Hungary will speed up its defence development programme, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday. "We must radically increase our defence capabilities," Orban…

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Greece to submit request for purchase of 20 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets soon

ATHENS, June 30 (Reuters) - Greece is expected to send an official request in the coming days to the United States for the purchase of 20 Lockheed Martin made F-35 fighter jets,…

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Spain will gradually raise spending on defence to 2% of GDP by 2029

MADRID, June 30 (Reuters) - Spain will gradually raise spending the equivalent to 2% of the country's gross domestic product by 2029, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday. "The government is…

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U.S. accuses five firms in China of supporting Russia’s military

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration added five companies in China to a trade blacklist for allegedly supporting Russia's military and defense industrial base, flexing its muscle to enforce sanctions against…

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UK must have military capable of fighting in Europe, says army head

Britain must have a military capable of fighting in Europe and defeating Russia, the new head of the British army was quoted as telling troops by local media. British Prime…

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Taiwan shows off latest home-made armoured vehicle

JIJI, Taiwan, June 16 (Reuters) - Taiwan's military showed off its latest domestically produced armoured vehicle on Thursday, the CM-34 Clouded Leopard, at a remote manufacturing site in the mountains of the…

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North Korea spent as much as $642 million on nukes in 2021, report estimates

SEOUL, June 15 (Reuters) - North Korea may have spent as much as $642 million on its nuclear programme last year, according to anti-nuclear activists, as the impoverished country appears ready to…

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Ukraine says Russia has stepped up conscript recruits

Russia is focusing on an impending offensive operation in eastern Ukraine with the aim to take control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukraine’s ministry of defence has said, corroborating…

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Russia drafts 134,500 conscripts but says they won’t go to Ukraine

(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree ordering 134,500 new conscripts into the army as part of Russia's annual spring draft, but the defence ministry said the call-up had…

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Biden’s budget boosts military, raises taxes on billionaires, companies

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday submitted a $5.79 trillion budget plan to Congress that calls for record peacetime military spending and further aid for Ukraine, while raising taxes for billionaires and…

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EU to establish rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 troops

EU foreign and defence ministers agreed a security strategy meant to boost the bloc's military clout when war has returned to Europe, establishing a rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 of troops to be swiftly…

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Taiwan air force stages drill to intercept Chinese planes amid tensions

CHIAYI, Taiwan, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Taiwan air force jets screamed into the sky on Wednesday in a drill simulating a war scenario, showing its combat readiness amid heightened military…

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Russia fires cruise missile from Sea of Japan in test exercise -media

A submerged Russian submarine has successfully launched a Kalibr cruise missile from the Sea of Japan at a target more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) away, located at a Russian training ground…

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Japan to supplement military spending in rush to bolster air and sea defences

Japan plans to add $6.75 billion to its already record annual military spending in a rush to bolster air and maritime defences as it becomes more concerned about threats posed…

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British Army to leave Canada after 50 years for new base in Middle East

The British Army is to leave Canada after 50 years, with its biggest training base set to move to the Middle East. The British Army Training Unit Suffield (Batus) in…

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EU to aim for rapid deployment force without U.S. help by 2025, document says

The European Union is considering a joint military force of up to 5,000 troops by 2025 to intervene in a range of crises and without relying on the United States,…

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FT reports China surprised U.S. with hypersonic missile test

China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, showing a capability that caught U.S. intelligence by surprise, the Financial Times reported, citing five unnamed sources. The report late on Saturday…

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Myanmar shadow government calls for revolt against military rule

Myanmar's shadow government, formed by opponents of military rule, called for a revolt against the junta on Tuesday, setting out a strategy that included action by armed militias and ethnic forces and…

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Myanmar junta defends response to crisis amid Southeast Asian criticism

The Myanmar junta's foreign minister had defended its plan for restoring democracy, state media reported on Tuesday, after a meeting at which Southeast Asian counterparts pressed the army to implement a regional…

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Kazakh military plane crash in Almaty kills four

ALMATY (Reuters) - An An-26 military aircraft flying from the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, crashed while landing in Almaty on Saturday, killing four of six people on board, the Central Asian…

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Iran tests drones in military exercise

Iran launched exercises featuring a wide array of domestically produced drones on Tuesday, Iranian media reported, days after the anniversary of the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general by a drone strike…

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Japan, France, U.S. plan their first joint military drills in May

Japan, France, and the United States will hold joint military drills on land and sea for the first time in May next year as the Chinese military steps up activity…

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Greece plans to strengthen military as tension with Turkey rise

Greece plans to acquire arms, boost its armed forces and revamp its defence industry, the government's spokesman said on Monday, as tensions with NATO ally Turkey over energy resources in…

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U.S. to withdraw about 12,000 troops from Germany but nearly half to stay in Europe

The U.S. military unveiled plans to withdraw about 12,000 troops from Germany, in fallout from President Donald Trump’s long-simmering feud with Berlin but said it will keep nearly half of…

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US Navy plans to ban Confederate battle flag on ships

US naval operations admiral Mike Gilday said he had directed his staff to draft an order that would prohibit the Confederate battle flag "from all public spaces and work areas…

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Military Drones Market To Recover With A Growth Rate Of 19.5% in 2021

The global military drones market is expected decline from $13.6 billion in 2019 and to $11.8 billion in 2020 at a rate of -12.7%. The decline is mainly due to…

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Malta: Military contractors left Malta for secret mission to Libya

Military contractors posing as private security guards left Malta for Libya for a covert operation that never ended up taking place, a senior government source has said. Source: Times of…

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Mysterious US military aircraft launches into space

The US Air Force has successfully launched its Atlas V rocket, carrying a X-37B space plane for a secretive mission. The rocket launched on Sunday from Cape Canaveral, a day…

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British jets intercept Russian aircraft

The head of the Royal Air Force dismissed two Russian patrol aircraft as "relics of the Cold War" in a rare public rebuke after British jets were forced to scramble…

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Germany to replace Tornados with Eurofighter and F-18

A Eurofighter parked under a German flag in the hangar at the Tactical Air Force Squadron 31 'Boelcke' at Noervenich near Cologne, Germany. The German defence ministry on 21 April…

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Photo Story: Cobra Gold 2020 military exercise in Thailand

US Marines take position during amphibious assault training as part of the Cobra Gold 2020 joint military exercise at a military base in Sattahip, Chonburi province, Thailand. Cobra Gold is…

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Coronavirus infects US soldier for first time

A U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea has tested positive for the coronavirus and is in self-quarantine at his residence off base, the military said Tuesday. The 23-year-old is based…

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Photo Story: Ceremony of the contract with Lockheed Martin by Poland for the purchase of 32 Lockheed Martin F35

Polish soldiers before a ceremony of signing of a contract with Lockheed Martin for the purchase of 32 Lockheed Martin F-35 combat aircraft worth USD 4.6 billion, in Deblin, eastern…

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Call for expansion of German military operations

Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble told the Funke media group of regional newspapers on Friday that Germany needed to take more responsibility in military affairs with its allies. "We can't hide. If…

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Photo Story: US Space Force unveils new service utility uniforms

An undated handout photo made available by the United States Space Force (USSF) shows a nametape and camouflage utility uniform pattern for the new US Space Force (issued 18 January…

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The Iranian missile system suspected of bringing down the Ukrainian airliner

The main suspicions are that the Ukrainian passenger aircraft was downed by a Russian-made Tor-M1 missile. The Tor is among the most modern air defence systems Iran has. After initially…

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British Defence Secretary fears US may no longer be UK’s key ally in conflicts

Britain may have to fight future conflicts without the help of the US as its key ally, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned. Mr Wallace worries that the increasing isolationist…

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Trump officially launches US military ‘Space Force’

President Donald Trump has officially funded a Pentagon force focused on warfare in space - the US Space Force. It is not intended to put troops into orbit, but will…

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Photo Story: Hungarian JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets return home

A JAS-39 Gripen fighter jet of the Hungarian air force taxies on the tarmac after returning to its original home air base of Kecskemet, Hungary, 17 December 2019. Partly in…

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US wants to buy ‘retired’ Swiss fighter jets for training purposes

The American navy is in talks with the Swiss army to purchase 22 decommissioned F5 Tiger fighter jets to help train its pilots in air warfare. According to the SonntagsZeitung…

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Erdogan threatens to close Incirlik air base

Turkey could shut down its Incirlik air base, which hosts U.S. nuclear warheads, in response to threats of U.S. sanctions and a separate U.S. Senate resolution that recognized mass killings…

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Photo Story: Ecuador Air Force graduates its first two female combat pilots

Lieutenants Maria Cueva (L) and Jazmin Perez (R) pose during the graduation ceremony as combat pilots in Ecuador. Lieutenants Maria Cueva and Jazmin Perez have made history in Ecuador by…

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Photo Story: Australian Defence Force personnel return home after deployment to Iraq

Warrant Officer Adam Lehane (C) of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Task Group Taji 9 (TGT-9) is greeted by his daughters Paige (L) and Grace upon returning home from deployment…

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Reports of fire on Russia’s only aircraft carrier

Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, caught fire on Thursday during maintenance work in Russia’s Arctic port in Murmansk, with three people wounded. One source told the TASS news…

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Turkey hints it could bar US from using key air bases

Turkey’s foreign minister suggested Wednesday that the United States could be barred from using two strategic air bases in retaliation to possible U.S. sanctions against his country, the state-run Anadolu…

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American soldiers banned from main street of Vicenza after vicious brawl

Around 2,000 US Army soldiers have been banned from one of the main streets in the Italian city of Vicenza after a brawl between soldiers and locals. The temporary ban, which…

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German CDU mulls return of military service

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, still the current favorite to succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor, has cautiously come out in favor of opening the debate on reintroducing national military service. "Something…

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Japan and South Korea scramble planes to shadow Russian bombers

Japan and South Korea scrambled jets to shadow two Russian strategic bombers over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, Russian news agencies…

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Warning UK would be ‘outgunned’ in Russia conflict

British ground forces would be "comprehensively outgunned" in a conflict with Russia in Eastern Europe, according to a defence think-tank. Research by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) found that…

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U.S. military drone lost over Tripoli, Libya

The U.S. military revealed that an unmanned drone was lost over the Libyan capital this week. The "remotely piloted aircraft" was lost over Tripoli on Thursday, U.S. Africa Command said…

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U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea, angering China

U.S. Navy warships twice sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea in the past few days, the U.S. military told Reuters on Thursday, at a time…

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U.S. considering pulling up to 4,000 troops from South Korea

The United States is considering a significant cut to its troop numbers in South Korea if Seoul does not contribute more to the cost of the deployment, South Korean newspaper…

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Military exercise ‘Toro 2019’ in central Spain

Two Eurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopters of the Spanish Army take part in the military exercise 'Toro 2019' at the National Training Center (CENAD) in Chinchilla, central Spain. The Spanish…

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Photo Story: Israeli ‘Blue Flag’ joint Air Forces drill

Photos taken during the joint Air Forces drill 'Blue Flag' at the Uvda Air Force Base in the Negev Desert, southern Israel. Military personnel from the United States, Germany, Italy…

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Photo Story: Marine Air Ground Task Force Warfighting Exercise

A series of photos of US marines during an air-ground task force war fighting exercise at the Range 220 combat centre in Twentynine Palms, California, USA. The exercise divides soldiers…

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Iran has ‘military advantage over US and allies in Middle East’

Iran now has an effective military advantage over the US and its allies in the Middle East because of its ability to wage war using third parties such as Shia…

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