SOFX The Crossroads of Special Operations

Ukraine’s defense minister said on Sunday that NATO countries were delivering weapons to his country to equip it to fight pro-Russian separatists and “stop” Russian President Vladimir Putin. Valery Heletey told a news conference he had discussed weapons deliveries in bilateral meetings with NATO defense ministers during a NATO summit in Wales on Sept. 4-5. NATO officials have said it ... Read More »

Fighting flared near an airport in eastern Ukraine on Saturday in breach of a fragile eight-day cease-fire as the Ukrainian prime minister accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of planning to destroy his country. Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the prime minister, said only membership in NATO would enable Ukraine to defend itself from external aggression. On Saturday afternoon, a Reuters reporter heard heavy ... Read More »

A U.S. guided missile destroyer and a French signals intelligence ship have left Black Sea, according to U.S. Navy officials and local press reports. USS Ross (DDG -71) departed the Black Sea on Friday at the conclusion of the multinational Sea Breeze. The exercise concluded on Sept. 10. The U.S. does not have a ship scheduled to cross the Bosporus ... Read More »

Their leaders back in Kiev may be offering peace. But here on the front lines, the battle-scarred patriots staring down pro-Russian rebels talk of giving Russian President Vladimir Putin just the opposite — a Ukrainian version of Chechnya’s guerrilla war. “Every man in this battalion is ready to change tactics to liberate our homes,” said Apis, the nom de guerre ... Read More »

Germany’s headline defence budget is set to shrink again in 2015, despite NATO leaders recently agreeing to aim towards spending 2% of gross domestic product on defence. The country is planning to spend EUR32.26 billion (USD41.72 billion) on defence in 2015, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told the Bundestag on 10 September during the first reading of the ... Read More »

Californian Matthew Miller, who was detained in April in North Korea, was sentenced Sunday to six years with labor on charges of entering the country illegally and trying to commit an act of espionage, according to KCNA, the official North Korean news agency. KCNA said Miller, 24, committed acts hostile to North Korea while entering the country “under the guise ... Read More »

An estimated 18,000 servicemembers are arriving in Guam for the Valiant Shield, which remained on track despite the crash of two fighter jets scheduled to participate. The biennial maneuvers, which begin Monday and continue through Sept. 23, will include personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, according to a statement from the U.S. Pacific Fleet. As of ... Read More »

Malaysia’s reported invitation to the United States to fly spy planes out of East Malaysia on the southern rim of the South China Sea seems likely to intensify China’s anger at American surveillance of the strategic waterway and its disputed islands, analysts say. The United States’ chief of naval operations, Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, told a forum in Washington last ... Read More »

The Uijeongbu mayor boycotted a friendship concert at Camp Red Cloud last week after a 2nd Infantry Division soldier allegedly assaulted a taxi driver. A second incident further exacerbated simmering resentment among local residents at what they see as a never-ending string of crimes by American soldiers, said a spokesman for Mayor Ahn Byung Yong. 2ID commander Maj. Gen. Thomas ... Read More »

President Barack Obama plans to dramatically boost the U.S. effort to mitigate the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, including greater involvement of the U.S. military, people familiar with the proposal said. Mr. Obama is expected to detail the plan during a visit Tuesday to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, these people said. Among the possible moves: ... Read More »

The U.S. Embassy told Americans in Uganda to seek safety on Saturday, warning that local authorities had uncovered a “terrorist cell” run by Somali militant group al-Shabab, which they believed was planning an imminent attack. The embassy posted a statement on its Web site that said it was not aware of specific targets but that the authorities had increased security ... Read More »

Ugandan police said on Sunday that 19 suspected Islamist al-Shabaab insurgents arrested in weekend raids had planned to carry out bomb attacks, as the US embassy said the immediate threat had been “countered”.Police raids on Saturday came two weeks after Ugandan troops, fighting in Somalia, reportedly provided intelligence that helped US special forces kill al-Shabaab’s chief in a devastating air ... Read More »

The Nigerian Ministry of Defense says an Air Force Alpha jet on a mission against Islamic extremist insurgents in the country’s northeast has gone missing with its two crew members. A statement Sunday from spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade says the German-manufactured jet has been missing since Friday morning when it left its base at Yola, capital of Adamawa state, ... Read More »

Algeria is looking to expand its defence industrial workforce and output as foreign investment in the country’s industry approaches USD1 billion, the head of Algeria’s military manufacturing body has told local media. In an interview with Algerian newspaper El Watan on 9 September, Major General Rashid Chouaki said the Algerian government was seeking to raise the country’s defence industrial output ... Read More »

By [email protected] (Staff Sgt. Jarrod R. Chavana) Air Force Space Command’s 16th Space Control Squadron in partnership with the Air Force Reserve Command’s 380th SPCS is responsible for ensuring the Defense Department has uninterrupted global satellite communications. Located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., two squadrons are responsible for operating space control capabilities to rapidly achieve flexible and versatile space ... Read More »