Following the 2013 arrival of French troops in Mali, In August 2014, the French deployment to the Sahel region became Operation Barkhane. The deployment eventually grew to include over 5,000… Continue reading "France Ending Operation Barkhane in Sahel & Cuts Military Aid to CAR"
In the fallout following the collapse of the Open Skies treaty, Russo-American relations continue on a downwards trend. On 9 June, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree officially… Continue reading "Russia Cancels “Open Lands” Memorandum"
This year, China had intensified its activities in the South China Sea leading to rising tensions with both Malaysia and the Philippines. Beginning in March, the Whitsun Reef incident saw… Continue reading "China and ASEAN Agree to Avoid Escalatory Actions in the South China Sea"
As part of a wider transformation of the armed forces, India is moving to introduce integrated battle groups (IBGs) by early 2022. It was expected that the battle groups would… Continue reading "India’s Integrated Battle Groups to Become Operational in Early 2022"
In a 4 June ceremony held in Hawaii, General Charles Flynn assumed command over US Army Pacific. General Flynn is the younger brother of President Trump’s controversial National Security advisor… Continue reading "General Charles Flynn, brother of Michael Flynn, Assumes Command over Army Pacific"
Around two weeks after the 24 May 24tcoup, its leader colonel Assimi Goïta was sworn in as interim president on June 7th. Not only had Goïta served as vice president… Continue reading "France Freezes Combined Operations as Mali Crisis Continues"
This week at Overt Defense we have looked at everything from the 173rd Airborne accidentally assaulting a factory in Bulgaria, Iran losing its second largest oiler, and a second coup… Continue reading "Weekend Briefing (31 May – 5 June)"
In November of last year, Sudan signed an agreement with Russia concerning the construction of a Russian naval base on the Red Sea at Port Sudan. While no airstrip was… Continue reading "Sudan Reviewing Russian Naval Base Agreement"
China has long stood as the textbook example of unhealthy demographics. Implemented in 1979, the one-child policy has resulted in an increasingly top-heavy population pyramid, a declining birth rate well… Continue reading "Demographic Issues Effecting Chinese Military"
While rabbis had long served in the German military, after the rise of the Nazi, they were expelled from the armed forces. For nearly a century the German armed forces… Continue reading "Rabbis Return to German Military"