Russia shuts E. Mediterranean to air and sea traffic for “military exercise”

The Russian Defense Ministry suddenly announced Thursday morning, Sept. 20, the closure of the eastern Mediterranean to air traffic and shipping – from the Syrian and Lebanese coasts to Cyprus -due to a snap “military exercise.”

Nato countries begin largest war game in eastern Europe since cold war

Ten-day military exercise, Anaconda-2016, will involve 31,000 troops and thousands of vehicles from 24 countries

The largest war game in eastern Europe since the end of the cold war has started in Poland, as Nato and partner countries seek to mount a display of strength as a response to concerns about Russia’s assertiveness and actions.

The 10-day military exercise, involving 31,000 troops and thousands of vehicles from 24 countries, has been welcomed among Nato’s allies in the region, though defence experts warn that any mishap could prompt an offensive reaction from Moscow.

Iran starts large-scale military exercise on Pakistani border

Ground forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps began a large-scale exercise on the country’s southeastern border with Pakistan on Tuesday. The “Great Prophet” exercise started in Sistan-and-Baluchestan province that is a center of operations for Jundallah, a Sunni terrorist organiation. Iranian news agencies reported that the exercise including drones will be held for three days. 

China seeks stronger military ties with Iran

Beijing extends invitation after two countries partake in unprecedented military exercise in Persian Gulf

China’s defense minister said Thursday the world’s most populous country is “ready to enhance” military ties with Iran.

…

Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan was meeting in Beijing with Iranian Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, commander of Iran’s navy. Wanquan told his Iranian counterpart the two countries have had “good cooperation on mutual visits, personnel training and other fields in recent years,” China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, according to Reuters.

Sayyari said Iran was “ready to enhance bilateral exchanges to push forward cooperation between the two armed forces, especially in naval cooperation.”

Russia Launches Two ICBMs, Rebuffs “Simulated Massive Nuclear Strike” As Part Of Military Drill

Remember when Putin “de-escalated” and promised the Russian forces were being pulled back from the Ukraine border? That didn’t last long. Fast forward 24 hours, when we learn that the very same Putin oversaw a military exercise involving Russia’s nuclear forces.

• AEROSPACE DEFENSE FORCES SUCCESSFULLY REBUFFED SIMULATED MASSIVE NUCLEAR MISSILE STRIKE DURING DRILLS – RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY
• NORTHERN, PACIFIC OCEAN FLEET’S STRATEGIC SUBMARINES LAUNCH TWO BALLISTIC MISSILES AS PART OF ROUTINE TRAINING – DEFENSE MINISTRY
• RUSSIA LAUNCHES TOPOL ICBM, HITS KAMCHATKA TARGET
• RUSSIAN STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE FORCES IN HIGH READINESS – PUTIN
• RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER STATES PERMANENT READINESS OF NUCLEAR TRIAD – IFX
• RUSSIAN FORCES PRACTICE ROCKET FIRE – IFX
• TU-95MS BOMBER HITS GROUND TARGETS DURING EXERCISE IN WMD – IFX

Japan’s Involvement in U.S. Military Drill ‘Unprecedented’

Japan will participate at an “unprecedented” level in a large-scale U.S.-led military exercise in California later this month, as it seeks to further strengthen coordination with its main ally and its ability to mount an amphibious assault aimed at capturing isolated island territory.

…

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces will take part for the first time in the periodic multi-nation exercise to be held in California from mid-June. In the exercise, troops will engage in amphibious assault training with U.S. marines intended to enhance their island-capturing and other capabilities.

Missile Mania

China last week carried out a second flight test of a new long-range mobile missile that is capable of hitting United States cities with a nuclear warhead. The test took place days before North Korea is set to fire its long-range missile, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

U.S. intelligence airborne and space sensors detected the flight test Friday of the road-mobile DF-31A missile as it lifted off from the Wuzhai Space and Missile Test Center. The missile flew west to an impact range in western China.

Swiss army prepares for euro unrest

It’s been said this took years to organize… which means they’ve known for quite some time the situation in the Europe is coming to this. Switzerland is one of the most peaceful nations on the planet and hasn’t been invaded in over 500 years. For this country to activate their military and standby for riots or war on the European continent goes to show you how bad things are, and how much worse they just might become.

BRUSSELS – The Swiss army is preparing for possible internal civil unrest as well as waves of refugees from euro-countries as the economic crisis drags on.

Switzerland, a non-EU, non-euro country landlocked between eurozone states, last month launched a military exercise to test its preparedness to deal with refugees and civil unrest.

Georgia to EU: Putin is more ‘dangerous’ than you think

BRUSSELS – Four years after a war which shocked Europe, Georgia’s EU ambassador has said that Russia is becoming “more dangerous.”

The Georgian envoy, Salome Samadashvili, spoke to EUobserver on Thursday (9 August), after Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed an inflammatory film about the conflict.

…

Putin on Wednesday confirmed the phone call and told Russian media he drew up plans for the invasion two years in advance.

“It’s within the framework of this plan that the Russian side acted. It was prepared by the general staff at the end of 2006 or the beginning of 2007. It was approved by me, agreed with me,” he said.

…

For Georgia’s EU envoy, they show the Union should heed Georgia’s warnings that Russia is still a threat.

“The current Russian government is … becoming more and more disdainful of the EU’s opinion and openly shedding any pretence of respect for international law. They are [becoming] even more dangerous to neighbours like us,” Samadashvili told this website.

She noted that Russia is to hold a military exercise – Kavkaz 2012, to take place in North Ossetia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway Georgian region – during Georgian elections in October.

“The statement made by Putin taken in the current context – its ongoing occupation [of Abkhazia and South Ossetia], the military exercise, its continuous attempts to destabilise our country – is a thinly veiled threat, an encouragement for those who committed ethnic cleansing against Georgian citizens,” she said.

…

“Clearly, after everything else failed to remove a pro-Western government from power, they [Russia] moved to a measure of last resort – full scale invasion,” Samadashvili said.

Full article: Georgia to EU: Putin is more ‘dangerous’ than you think (EUobserver)

Is Israel preparing to attack Iran?

Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June — before Iran enters what Israelis described as a “zone of immunity” to commence building a nuclear bomb. Very soon, the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have stored enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon — and only the United States could then stop them militarily.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want to leave the fate of Israel dependent on American action, which would be triggered by intelligence that Iran is building a bomb, which it hasn’t done yet.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak may have signaled the prospect of an Israeli attack soon when he asked last month to postpone a planned U.S.-Israel military exercise that would culminate in a live-fire phase in May. Barak apologized that Israel couldn’t devote the resources to the annual exercise this spring.

Full article: Is Israel preparing to attack Iran? (Washington Post)