Americas
The United States will no longer pursue a plan to deploy the US Army’s Strategic Mid-Range Fires (SMRF) System in Japan. The US Indo-Pacific Command had proposed under its Pacific Deterrence Initiative to deploy these intermediate-range missiles to the first island chain as a conventional deterrent to China. Japan’s recent decision to acquire long-range attack missiles as part of its counterattack capability was one of the reasons given to halt the deployment. The Yomiuri also added that Washington was influenced by the view that “it would be difficult to gain public understanding in Japan, such as around bases” for having such missiles in Japan. Japan’s counterattack capability will instead be complemented by the missile capabilities of the US Navy.
The US Navy has christened its latest fleet replenishment oiler vessel, the USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207), in San Diego, California. The Earl Warren is the third ship of its class and will be deployed as part of the US Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC). The vessel is named after the politician, civil rights leader, and 14th US Chief Justice from 1953 to 1969.
Middle East & Africa
Turkey plans to purchase a large package of weapons and military equipment from the UK amid a stalled F-16 deal with the US, according to a Middle East Eye report citing defense sources. The potential sale was reportedly discussed during a recent meeting between Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar and his British counterpart, Ben Wallace.
Europe
EU foreign ministers agreed Monday to spend an extra 500 million euros $540 million from their common coffers on arms for Ukraine, diplomats said, as Kyiv pleads for heavier weapons. The accord will take the total committed to supplying Ukraine’s military from common EU spending to 3.6 billion euros, which is separate from national spending by individual member states.
Poland said it would ask Berlin for permission to send German-built Leopard tanks to Ukraine as the government in Warsaw pushes its Western allies to move faster on supplying Kyiv with more military hardware to thwart Russias’s invasion. Germany has hesitated over sending tanks to Ukraine. But Polish officials took heart from remarks Sunday by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that Berlin wouldn’t seek to stop Poland from providing Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
Asia-Pacific
Kyrgyzstan has bought a new batch of Turkish military unmanned aerial systems, a government representative revealed. The systems are the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ Aksungur and Anka, presidential press service head Daiyrbek Orunbekov wrote on his Facebook account. Orunbekov added that the systems are already in the country.
Today’s Video
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