Strategic Toughness Toward Russia the Key to Keeping Baltic Allies Safe
Ulrich Kühn | Hill
We saw an impressive show of Baltic unity when the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania recently visited the White House. All three states share common history of decades of Soviet occupation, and they have all been NATO members since 2002. Today, each of them face the constant threat of Russian intimidation and meddling in their internal affairs. Since the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, things have gotten worse up to a point where NATO members decided to reassure the Baltic states by deploying roughly 5,000 military service personnel from different NATO allies, split across the three countries. Their goal was to deter Russian aggression. Even though most NATO officials consider the possibility of an outright Russian invasion or land grab in the Baltics to be remote, the three countries see it as a high-risk scenario, based on low probability but with high potential consequences.
Revealed: China's Nuclear-Capable Air-Launched Ballistic Missile
Ankit Panda | Diplomat
China is developing and has been flight-testing a nuclear-capable air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) along with a new long-range strategic bomber to deliver it, The Diplomat has learned. According to U.S. government sources with knowledge of the latest intelligence assessments on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, China has conducted five flight tests of the unnamed missile. The U.S. intelligence community is calling the new missile the CH-AS-X-13.
Chinese Navy Stages Double Show of Strength as U.S. Strike Group Drills in Disputed South China Sea
Minnie Chan and Liu Zhen | South China Morning Post
The Chinese navy began a three-day drill yesterday near its main submarine base as another exercise finished nearby in what analysts described as a message to the United States that it was capable of defending its core interests. The dual show of strength came as an American strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt conducted its own exercises in the contested waters of the South China Sea.
The Sneaky Ways China and Russia Could Threaten U.S. Satellites
Aaron Mehta and Mike Gruss | Defense News
Major global powers, such as China and Russia, are focusing more on space weapons that neutralize others’ satellites rather than those that destroy payloads on orbit, a new report has found. The study by the Secure World Foundation, released Wednesday morning and previewed exclusively with Defense News, is a comprehensive collection of public-source information about the counterspace capabilities of China, Russia, North Korea and other world powers that could threaten American dominance in space.
Mattis to Decide Future of Nuclear Command, Control and Communications
Sandra Erwin | Space News
The classified communications system that keeps the president connected to military forces during a nuclear event is being reviewed amid concerns that the technology is outdated and there is no clear plan to modernize it. “Discussions are taking place at the secretary of defense and chairman levels,” said Gen. Robin Rand, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command.
Orbital ATK Tests Partially 3D Printed Warhead for Hypersonic Weapons
Jen Judson | Defense News
While it’s been argued that the U.S. is behind Russia and China in its development of hypersonic missiles, that isn’t exactly true, according to James Acton, physicist and co-director of the Carnegie Institute’s Nuclear Policy Program. “Experts often argue the United States is behind in this technology because Russia and China appear to be testing more frequently,” he said in an explainer piece on hypersonics published this month on Carnegie’s website. “This is true, but in many ways, the United States is running a different race from Russia and China.” He argues that Russia and China are more focused on nuclear warheads for their hypersonic weapons which requires less accuracy on a target to be effective. However, the U.S. wants to be able to hit targets with near pinpoint accuracy, within a few meters of a target.