Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday, delivered three strong signals that he intends to invade Ukraine. Addressing military commanders and intelligence chiefs at the Defense Ministry, Putin offered a preemptive casus belli to justify invading Ukraine in order to address an existential threat to Russia. The Russian leader warned that the United States "will supply Ukraine with hypersonic weapons," which would reduce the nuclear strike launch-to-target time against Moscow to "five minutes." This, Putin insisted, would pose "the most serious threat" to Russia's security. One that means "we simply have nowhere to retreat further." Note the explicitly existential nature of...

The Atlas Cheetahs that Draken is buying from South Africa are heavily modified Dassault Mirage IIIs. (Photo: Draken International) Adversary Air (ADAIR) contractors are continuing to expand, in the expectation of new awards from air arms trying to make savings and/or improve their training against projected threats. In the past two months, American company Draken International has bought 34 used fighter aircraft to boost its chances in the major upcoming U.S. Air Force ADAIR competition. Israel’s Elbit Systems announced a partnership with Babcock to pursue the UK’s Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) requirement. Also recently, Discovery Air Defence,...

Defence and security company Saab presents a new variant of Gripen, Gripen Aggressor. Gripen Aggressor is based on the proven Gripen C-series and is the ultimate platform for the adversary air combat training market. Gripen Aggressor brings a unique mix of high performance, mission flexibility and availability combined with a low life cycle cost. There is a growing segment within the adversary air combat training market for highly advanced aggressor capabilities to be able to perform realistic combat training. Gripen Aggressor provides an exceptional, dissimilar opponent aircraft system against which pilots will sharpen and refine their combat skills so as...

Ukraine’s president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which comes under his jurisdiction, have reacted sharply to the Georgian-Russian conflict. President Viktor Yushchenko has close personal relations with President Mikhail Saakashvili with whom he is direct contact on a daily basis (www.president.gov.ua, August 9). The Yushchenko-Saakashvili relationship is a political alliance based on the shared aims of the 2003 Rose and 2004 Orange revolutions, a common desire to join NATO and support for an alternative to Russia energy sources through the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) regional group. Ukraine and Georgia have also supported pro-U.S. positions in the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2006 -- After decades of secrecy, the Air Force today acknowledged that it flew Communist-built fighters at the Tonopah Test Range northwest of Las Vegas. From 1977 through 1988, the program, known as Constant Peg, saw U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine aircrews flying against Soviet-designed MiG fighters as part of a training program where American pilots could better learn how to defeat or evade the communist bloc's fighters of the day. Brig. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, is a former member of the 4477th Test and...

1/5/2006 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The Air Force will reactivate the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 12. In a letter to Airmen, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, cited the history of the unit as “legendary” and said the aggressors will “directly contribute to the combat capability of our Airmen.” “The 65th and other aggressor units will provide realistic adversary training in air, space and information operations that make us even better,” General Moseley said. “Their training will keep us innovative as we fight this global war on terror and defend this...

Anchors Dan Rather and Peter Jennings, NPR Reporter Cokie Roberts, along with a U.S. Marine assigned to protect them were hiking through the Iraq desert one day when they were captured by Muslim Insurgents. They were tied up, led to a village, and brought before the leader. The leader said, "I am familiar with your western custom of granting the condemned a last wish; so, before we kill and dismember you, do you have any last requests?" Dan Rather said, "Well, I'm a Texan; so I'd like one last bowlful of hot spicy chili." The leader nodded to an underling...

U.S. Forces in S. Korea Termed Aggressor and Wrecker of Peace Pyongyang, November 7 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the UN Headquarters clarified once again some time ago that the U.S. forces present in south Korea are not "UN forces" but the U.S.-led "combined forces". The "UN Forces Command" in south Korea, however, let loose balderdash that those nations which signed the 1953 armistice agreement would restore the alliance to continue to perform their role as UN peace-keeping force if the armistice agreement is scrapped and hostile acts are resumed. This reminds one of a thief crying "Stop the thief!"...

A pattern of aggression Iraq was not the first illegal US-led attack on a sovereign state in recent times. The precedent was set in 1999 in Yugoslavia writes Kate Hudson Thursday August 14, 2003 The Guardian The legality of the war against Iraq remains the focus of intense debate - as is the challenge it poses to the post-second-world-war order, based on the inviolability of sovereign states. That challenge, however, is not a new one. The precursor is without doubt Nato's 1999 attack on Yugoslavia, also carried out without UN support. Look again at how the US and its allies...