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(machine translation, emphasis added) The Russian Defense Ministry said that the APU lost more than 1,200 people in an attempt to attack The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), while trying to conduct an offensive in Mykolaiv-Krivoy Rog and other directions, suffered heavy losses, more than 1,200 soldiers were destroyed. This was reported to journalists by the Ministry of Defense of Russia. According to the ministry, Russian troops destroyed 48 tanks, 46 infantry fighting vehicles, 37 other armored combat vehicles, 8 pickups with heavy machine guns. In addition, while repelling the enemy’s offensive, the Russian military defeated the units of the...

The French president is set on Thursday to finally inaugurate the new €4.2 billion Ministry of Defense building, nicknamed the "French Pentagon". [...] The building is located on the southern edge of the city near Metro Balard, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. It's due to this location that some refer to it as the "Balargone", a reference to the US Pentagon. [...] It doesn't, however, have five sides like its US counterpart. [...] It will be primarily used as a command center to oversee operations, built to replace a spread of sites that were previously dotted across Paris. Its...

In the most significant reforms the Army in half-a-century, The Daily Telegraph has learnt that as few as five infantry battalions totalling 2,500 soldiers will be cut but a further 17,500 jobs will go mainly from logistics troops, engineers and artillery. Military commanders have condemned the move as creating an “unbalanced Army” that will be reliant on a “Tesco’s just in time” supply tactic for campaigns. The reforms have been forced on the Army after it was forced to reduce from 102,000 to 82,000 under defence cuts. For the last three decades the Army has put an increasing emphasis on...

Named after the Celtic god of thunder, this £142.5million prototype was unveiled by the Ministry of Defence. It is the size of a light aircraft, has stealth technology that makes it virt­ually undetectable and has been hailed the pinnacle of British engineering. The craft, which will undergo flight trials next year, has an array of sensors to carry out int­elligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. However, it also has the ability to carry bombs and missiles, giving it a pot­ential long-range strike capability. And it can be controlled from anywhere in the world, via satellite communication. ‘Taranis is a truly trailblazing...

A letter from the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, has appeared in The Guardian newspaper in response to an article which appeared in the paper entitled 'Stealth fighter jets to be slashed'. The Minister's letter said: Dear Sir, Your correspondent's article in Wednesday's Guardian on defence procurement, 'Stealth fighter jets to be slashed', is nonsense personified. Our new carriers are not 'under real threat'. There will not 'certainly be a big reduction in Joint Strike Fighter numbers'. The article goes on to state 'among other options being considered are: downsizing the second carrier … building both carriers...

(Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.; issued May 6, 2004) [With thanks to www.defense-aerospace.com ] REDONDO BEACH, Calif. --- The U.S. Army's Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) test bed destroyed a rocket on May 4 that's larger, faster and that flies higher than previous threats destroyed by the laser weapon demonstrator. Northrop Grumman Corporation built the demonstrator for the Army and the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMoD). Tuesday's successful intercept and destruction of the large-caliber rocket carrying a live warhead took place at 12:45 p.m. MDT during a live-fire test of the MTHEL test-bed at the Army's White Sands Missile Range,...

Iraqis training for leadership positions within the new Iraqi Ministry of Defense told reporters here today they look forward to building a military that transcends ethnic and political differences to protect Iraq's people and its constitution. About 25 Iraqi civilian and military officials are in Washington attending a three-week workshop to help prepare them for yet-to-be-determined positions within the new defense ministry. The class, the second of three scheduled, just wrapped up two weeks of training at the National Defense University. The training focuses on skills critical to mid- and senior-level leaders, according to Gerald B. Thompson, who directs the...

About the Rendlesham Incident In late December 1980, in Rendlesham Forest, England, numerous U.S. military personnel witnessed what has come to be regarded as the most significant military-UFO incident in the history of Great Britain. The servicemen were posted to the RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge facilities — which together constitute one of the largest NATO bases in rural Suffolk, East Anglia — when, on December 27, they noticed unusual lights and activity near the base's back gate. A trio of security patrolmen led by Jim Penniston, thinking a military aircraft might be down or in distress, ventured into Rendlesham...

Editorial: Happy birthday, Shimon Shimon Peres "Opposition," said William Blake, "is true friendship." We think of that line in the afterglow of Shimon Peres's 80th birthday party, which brought together, among other celebrity mismatches, Moshe Katsav, Bill Clinton, Terje Roed-Larson, and Ariel Sharon for what turned out to be a moving event. If little else, these men share an admiration for Peres in which we join. Outside the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, where the day's formal festivities were held, protesters called for bringing the "Oslo criminals" to justice. No Israeli newspaper has been more steadfast in its opposition to...

“Decisive” meeting on defense cuts to continue Finance Ministry insists on NIS 5.5 billion in defense budget cuts. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz is opposed. Zeev Klein 10 Mar 03 16:57Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened a meeting to discuss the Ministry of Finance’s demand for a deep cut in the defense budget. The meeting, attended by Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz, ended without results. It was agreed that Minister without portfolio Meir Sheetrit would meet Ministry of Defense director general Amos Yaron and other defense establishment officials tonight to try to resolve matters. It was...