Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Get Ready, China and Russia: America's Armed Forces Want 'Swarm' Weapons

The National Interest 13 hours ago 
America’s greatest potential military competitors—namely Russia and China—are developing game changing capabilities to deny U.S. forces the ability to enter into contested military theaters. Moscow and Beijing are also spending billions of dollars to modernize and upgrade their armed forces, while at the same time Washington underfunds, undertrains and underappreciates the threats of the future. While there are many possible solutions to this growing great power challenge, one seems almost too incredible to imagine, seemingly pulled from the pages of your favorite comic book to be real. This potential solution: drone swarms. OK, stick with me here for a moment—and no, I haven’t been watching ...
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Politics

A Chinese defector revealed some of the innermost secrets of the Chinese military

Business Insider 16 hours ago 
A defector from China has revealed some of the innermost secrets of the Chinese government and military, including details of its nuclear command and control system, according to American intelligence officials. Businessman Ling Wancheng disappeared from public view in California last year shortly after his brother, Ling Jihua, a former high-ranking official in the Communist Party, was arrested in China on corruption charges. Ling Wancheng, the defector, has been undergoing a debrief by FBI, CIA, and other intelligence officials since last fall at a secret location in the United States, said officials familiar with details of the defection who spoke on condition of anonymity. The defector is ...
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US 'open to joint patrols in South China Sea with Philippines'

AFP 21 hours ago 
Manila (AFP) - The United States will consider joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea as part of efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in waters claimed by China, the US ambassador said Wednesday.
Washington angered Beijing in recent months by sending US warships and warplanes on patrols near artificial islands built by Beijing to bolster its claim to most of the Sea.
The Philippines, one of five claimants to parts of the waterway, has backed Washington's military actions and last month suggested joining US patrols.
"The United States... will continue to enjoy our rights under international law to sail through international waters or fly through international airspace," ambassador Philip Goldberg told reporters.
"So I'm not going to prejudge what we're going to do or when we're going to do it. Whether we're going to do it with the Philippines... I'm not discarding that possibility."
Asked later if he thought the United States would say "yes" if the Philippines formally asked to take part in joint patrols in the South China Sea, Goldberg said: "I think so."
He added: "I don't think there are any limitations on what the US can do."
Tensions flared between the two military superpowers late last year when the US flew two B-52 bombers close to flashpoint islands that have been artificially constructed by China.
In October a US guided missile destroyer sailed within miles of the area.
And last weekend, another US warship passed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, prompting Beijing's condemnation.
Beijing has asserted its ownership claims by rapidly building the artificial islands in the Spratly islands.
Port facilities, airstrips and military buildings have gone up on the man-made islands, prompting US warnings it would assert its rights to "fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows".
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Monday, February 1, 2016

Goodbye, OPEC oil cartel: Here's why we won't miss you

The Street 16 hours ago 
For many years, the price of oil has been propped up by the OPEC cartel. A revolution occurred, however, where fracking technology began to generate huge oil sources from new markets, mainly in the U.S. -- that is, from a player outside of the cartel and not one that was ever going to cooperate with the cartel. This is a generational, cartel-breaking event for an asset that has global significance and not just for the energy industry, but for all of us. Much of what "game theory" tells us about cartels and oligopolies has been shown to be true as the fracking revolution broke the OPEC cartel. OPEC had a choice -- either lose market share and preserve price by cutting supply as other producers ...
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Politics

Watch Sarah Palin freak out when asked to defend comments she made about Obama and PTSD

Salon.com 9 hours ago 
Former half-term Alaska governor and failed GOP vice presidential nominee brought her wisdom in all matters political to bear on tonight’s Iowa caucuses on “Today” Monday morning, telling hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie that she believe Iowans “are ready for restoration to constitutional government again, and Donald Trump is the one that can do this.” Lauer asked her if it was difficult to choose between Trump and his closest competitor for the GOP nomination, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and after taking credit for Cruz’s election to the Senate — he wasn’t “a blip on the radar” before she endorsed him, she claimed — she said the decision wasn’t difficult at all. “I support [Cruz] being there ...
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Politics

No-Fly Zone: Russia's Next-Gen S-500 to Start Tests This Year

The National Interest 23 hours ago 
Russia is gearing up to test the first prototypes of its next-generation Almaz Antey S-500 air and missile defense system. Deliveries of the prototypes of the new weapon are scheduled for later this year, according to Russian state-run media outlet Sputnik International, which did not cite a source. Following the delivery of the prototypes, the S-500 will begin a series of “pre-tests” before the end of 2016. The S-500 Prometey—also known as the 55R6M Triumfator-M—is expected to be much more capable than the current S-400 Triumf, which is currently deployed in Syria and across many Russian military districts—including Kaliningrad on the Polish border. When the S-500 Prometey becomes operational ...
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is snapping pictures of something unlike anything it has encountered before

Business Insider Sun, Jan 31 9:00 PM PST 
Right now, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is doing something very exciting: shoveling sand.  Last December, the rover reached a brand new territory called Bagnold Dunes, which is rich with one of Mars' most iconic landscapes: dunes.  The Bagnold Dunes are located on the Northwestern flank of Mount Sharp, which is a mountain at the center of Gale Crater. Now, the rover is scooping up samples of the grains and offering an unprecedented view and examination of what they're made of. ...
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