Pentagon says Trump ordered Washington military parade

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with law enforcement officials on the MS-13 street gang and border security, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to plan a grand parade of the U.S. armed forces in Washington this year to celebrate military strength, officials said Tuesday.

The Washington Post, which was first to report the plan, said Trump wants an elaborate parade this year with soldiers marching and tanks rolling, but no date has been selected.

China Building Missiles to Strike Guam

Ballistic and cruise missile threat to U.S. island is increasing, congressional commission says

China is building up intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles that pose a growing threat to Guam, the strategic Pacific island that is central to the U.S. military pivot to Asia, according to a congressional report made public Tuesday.

Six different missiles capable of reaching Guam from China are deployed or in late stages of development, says the report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Report: Russia and China ‘March Together’ Against U.S.

 

That is the assessment of an analysis by Artyom Lukin, a professor at Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University, which was published on September 8.

Mr. Lukin writes:

[T]he new edition of Sino-Russian alignment is unlikely to rupture anytime soon. Even though Russia and China have their share of disagreements and competing interests, they have no doubts about their main adversary—the United States. As long as Washington is seen by Moscow and Beijing as trying to contain them geopolitically and subvert their domestic political regimes, the entente between Russia and China will only grow stronger .…

DF-26 missile threatens Guam, US warships at sea: report

With an attack range of 3,000-4,000 kilometers, China’s DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, shown to the public at Beijing’s military parade on Sept. 3 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of World War II, can hit US military bases in Guam, not to mention warships, according to the state-run Reference News.

Hu Jintao appears in ill health at Beijing military parade

Jiang looked to be in good health, whereas Hu Jintao’s hands were shaking, which has raised suspicions that he may be in ill health, according to the website.

China shows off missile ‘able to destroy aircraft carriers’ at massive WW2 parade

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects the troops Photo: Xinhua/REX Shutterstock

 

Some 12,000 troops file past President Xi Jinping in Beijing, along with formations of tanks and armoured vehicles as warplanes screamed overhead.

China showed off a new missile reportedly capable of destroying an aircraft carrier on Thursday as it flexed its military muscle with a huge parade marking 70 years since the defeat of Japan in World War Two.

The parade, which was shunned by most Western leaders, witnessed 12,000 troops file past President Xi Jinping, along with formations of tanks and armoured vehicles as warplanes screamed overhead.

China aims at modern fighting force with drastic overhaul of People’s Liberation Army

President Xi Jinping meets navy personnel in Sanya. PLA reform will boost the navy’s role relative to the army’s. Photo: Xinhua

 

President may use boost from Beijing parade to unveil revamp which would cut personnel and put army, navy and air force on equal footings

China is close to unveiling a drastic plan to transform the world’s largest army into a nimble, modern force on par with the best of the West.

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“Many people in the PLA expect to see some major announcements after the parade,” Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said. “Parades like this boost morale and patriotism. It will provide Xi a good opportunity to announce his ambitious plans on how to transform the PLA into a real modern army capable of winning wars.”

Beijing’s V-J Day parade is a warning to US, says expert

Beijing’s Sept. 3 military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day is partly aimed at sending a message of warning to the United States, says Huang Dong, president of the Macau International Military Institute.

In an interview with the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, Huang said the purpose of the parade goes beyond just commemorating victory in World War II and includes demonstrating China’s military prowess to the US and warning Washington to not “interfere” in its regional activities, in particular its territorial disputes in the East China and South China seas.

New Russian tanks to get gun that can ‘burn through a metre of steel’

 

Deputy prime minister boasts of powerful new armament for T-14 Armata, Russia’s new main battle tank

Russia’s new-generation main battle tank, the T-14 Armata, is to be fitted with a gun whose shell can “burn through a metre of steel”, a senior official has said.

The Armata was introduced with much fanfare on Saturday when it took part in a huge military parade on Red Square in Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Iran marks Army Day with cries of ‘Death to Israel, US’

Iran on Saturday marked Army Day with a military parade featuring new weapons systems, as well as a truck carrying a massive banner reading “Death to Israel.”

A televised broadcast of the parade was punctuated by repeated cries of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

“If Israel makes a mistake,” the announcer on Iran television said during the broadcast, as heavy trucks carrying armored personnel carriers rolled past, “those in Tel Aviv and Haifa will not sleep at night, not one person.”

‘Emperor Xi’? Unprecedented military parade to salute ‘Mao Zedong of the 21st Century’

President Xi Jinping has determined to outdo Mao Zedong in terms of building up a cult of personality: he has ordered a gigantic military parade at Tiananmen Square this autumn to demonstrate his ironclad hold over the army – and most other levers of power in the country.

In Communist Chinese Party (CCP) history, military parades have only been held to mark major anniversaries of the founding of the People’s Republic on Oct. 1, 1949. The last two extravaganzas took place in October 1999 and October 2009.

China took only five years to complete DF-41 ICBM: report

China only spent five years developing its DF-41 solid-fueled road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, which has a long enough range to strike the continental United States, according to Military Parade, a Moscow-based Russian-language website covering defense issues, on Jan. 15.

Japan, China in war of words as Tokyo scrambles jets to monitor Beijing military planes

The rhetoric between Asia’s two superpowers is becoming more belligerent with China warning that if Japan carries out a threat to shoot down foreign drones, it would be an act of war.

Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe has issued his own warning, saying Tokyo is prepared to be more assertive towards Beijing, while also telling China not to use force to try to change the regional balance of power.

Over the weekend, Japan twice scrambled fighter jets to monitor Chinese military aircraft flying near Okinawa.

Under-the-Radar Launchers

Obama administration continues to ignore Beijing’s illegal transfer of ICBM launchers to N Korea

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Six Chinese transporter-erector launchers (TELs) were sold to North Korea in 2011 and were first revealed carrying new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) during a Pyongyang military parade in April 2012.

The launchers are now part of North Korea’s newest and most-lethal road-mobile nuclear KN-08 missiles, which are capable of hitting parts of the western United States.

Iran To Produce Its Own Missile Systems

On April 17, Iran celebrates the day of its army. This year, this day was celebrated by a military parade.

Iran’s Defense Minister General Ahmad Vahidi says that the military equipment, which was shown at the parade, is evidence that Iran is capable of repelling any aggression.

The minister also announced that Iran is going to produce its own analogues of the Russian missile system SS-300.

Full article: Iran To Produce Its Own Missile Systems (Eurasia Review)