Iranian Chief of Staff threatens to take ‘offensive’ tactics

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Iranian armed forces members march during the annual military parade in Tehran (Reuters)

 

Chief of Staff of Iranian Army says Iran may switch from defensive policy to “offensive” tactics if national interests come under threat.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said on Sunday that Iran may switch from its defensive policy to “offensive” tactics if its national interests come under threat, the Mehr news agency reported. Continue reading

Pentagon Puts Cyberwarriors on the Offensive, Increasing the Risk of Conflict

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has quietly empowered the United States Cyber Command to take a far more aggressive approach to defending the nation against cyberattacks, a shift in strategy that could increase the risk of conflict with the foreign states that sponsor malicious hacking groups.

Until now, the Cyber Command has assumed a largely defensive posture, trying to counter attackers as they enter American networks. In the relatively few instances when it has gone on the offensive, particularly in trying to disrupt the online activities of the Islamic State and its recruiters in the past several years, the results have been mixed at best. Continue reading

Thousands of Iranian troops ‘arrive in Syria’ for Aleppo offensive

Troops have joined the Syrian regime’s military forces and Hizbollah allies in preparation for a ground attack in the Syrian city, say officials

Thousands of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria to join the regime’s military forces and Hizbollah allies to launch a ground attack against insurgents in Aleppo, two senior regional officials have said.

Control of Aleppo city and the surrounding province in the area near the Turkish border is divided among the Syrian government, insurgent groups fighting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) that controls some rural areas near the city.

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Web Wars: German Army to Enter Global Cyberwar – German Media

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The Bundeswehr is planning to unfold its “offensive capabilities” in cyber warfare. A new strategy paper of the Ministry of Defense considers the Internet as a potential war zone.

The Bundeswehr is facing a major change of its strategy in cyber warfare. In addition to defense against cyberattacks, the German army is due to perform attacks on foreign states, DWN wrote, referring to a strategy paper of the German Ministry of Defense.

Germany faces increasing cyberattacks on its infrastructure. Therefore, according to German officials, the Bundeswehr should be responsible for “the defense against cyberattacks, which represent an armed attack on Germany” in the future. Continue reading

An extremely dangerous conflict is brewing between the US and China in a tiny archipelago in the South China Sea

Where lies the greatest potential for disaster in this ever more disordered world? In Russia’s efforts to rebuild its former empire? In the chaos of the Middle East, or the chronic instability of a nuclear-armed Pakistan? Conceivably, none of the above. A case can be made that the biggest danger is represented by a semi-submerged archipelago in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, object of a confrontation between China and the US and America’s regional allies that without wisdom and restraint could escalate beyond control. Continue reading

US spooks stockpile arms for Syrian rebels in Jordan for August onslaught – report

The CIA is stockpiling arms in Jordan for US-trained Syrian rebels, which they will use in an offensive against Damascus starting August, according to The Wall Street Journal. Up to hundreds of fighters are to be armed and sent to the battlefield monthly.

The intelligence agency had stored Soviet-made arms at a network of secret warehouses in advance of the Obama administration’s decision to provide military assistance to the militants fighting against the government of Bashar Assad, the newspaper reports. The weapons include anti-tank missiles, which may be handed over to the Syrian rebels. Continue reading