Tokyo officials vowed to shoot down any threatening object ahead of a planned North Korean spy satellite launch. Tokyo expects North Korea to fire the rocket carrying its satellite over Japan’s southwest island chain as it did in 2016, a defense ministry spokesperson said. Analysts say the new satellite is part of a surveillance technology program that includes drones aimed …

Probably not. Violent crimes have dropped in the troubled island nation, mostly because a vigilante group has intimidated street gangs, according to a recent report. However, the situation in the Caribbean country remains extremely volatile as heavily armed gangs continue to drive a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands amid frequent kidnappings for ransom, gang rapes, tortures, and …

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that, by June 1, Russian regular military forces will completely replace Wagner Group mercenaries in the key eastern Ukraine city. Ukraine’s deputy defense minister partially confirmed this report. He said Wagner units have been replaced with regular troops in the suburbs, but Wagner fighters remain inside the city. Ukrainian forces still have a foothold …

A bipartisan group of senators led by Bernie Sanders (I-VT) asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to look into allegations of defense contractor fraud that 60 Minutes investigators claimed they discovered. “Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and TransDigm are among the offenders, dramatically overcharging the Department and U.S. taxpayers while reaping enormous profits, seeing their stock prices soar, and handing out massive …

For many generations, misconceptions about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder effectively prevented victims from getting treatment. For example, in the American Civil War, doctors concluded that soldiers with depression and other PTSD symptoms had nostalgia, which was essentially advanced homesickness. The cure, according to doctors, was a vigorous offensive campaign that would take their minds off their homesickness. Ironically, of course, …

Syria’s foreign minister condemned an Israeli rocket attack that targeted Damascus, damaged some military facilities, and seriously injured two people. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said it was the fifth Israeli strike on Syria this month. Israeli authorities declined to comment. An opposition source with contacts on the ground said the strikes hit a car …

The UK plans to hand over the Chagos Islands, which includes Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. But officials worry that Chinese investment in Mauritius could affect the vital U.S. military base on Diego Garcia. China has invested more than a billion dollars in Mauritius. The fact that Diego Garcia is home to such a vital military installation is probably not a …

Black Skills, a shadowy organization with no known affiliation with any government, is a military contractor that focuses exclusively on cyber warfare. The name “Private Military Hacking Company” is a clear riff on the growing presence and cult of private military companies in Russia (primarily the Wagner Group). It is also likely a not-so-subtle invitation to the Russian government to …

Convoy, a private military company in Crimea with connections to the Cossacks, serves the interests of its Russian-appointed governor, Sergey Aksyonov.  A former Convoy fighter said that while he was with the group, he earned almost 200,000 rubles (around $2,588) a month, and commanders earned 300,000 rubles ($3,882). In March 2023, the Russian state-owned television network Crimea 24 aired reporting …

In the run-up to International Day of Action Against U.S. and NATO Military Bases, several Cubans spoke out against what they called “a place of arbitrariness, torture, and abuse where laws have been suspended and justice rejected.” “As long as this territory remains occupied, the possibility of justifying an aggression or military intervention against Cuba is latent. The U.S.-Cuban relations …

Four days after Taliban officials abruptly closed a key border crossing with Pakistan, the two countries worked out an agreement to reopen it. Torkham, one of several crossings on the nearly 2,600-kilometer frontier separating the two countries, was closed by the Taliban on Sunday, accusing Pakistani immigration authorities of “misbehaving” with Afghan travelers, including those seeking medical care in Pakistan. …

Base Aerienne near Agadez is a $120 million security hub with some of the most advanced weapons on earth. Despite all this, four guys in a pickup truck essentially walked off the base with over $40,000 in cash. Officials have provided few details about the robbery or its aftermath. Some people with ties to the base suggested that poor operational …