“The retirement of aging equipment” is needed as the U.K. looks to “transition to new capabilities and make our armed forces fit for the future,” Healey said. Under the plan, two assault ships, the HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, will be taken out of service a decade early, while logistics vessels RFA Wave Knight and … Read more
Beijing claims the democratically governed Taiwan as its own and says the strait is within Chinese jurisdiction. Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius defended the transit on Friday. “International waters are international waters,” Pistorius said during a press conference with Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas. “It’s the shortest route and, given the weather conditions, the safest, … Read more
The Tonelero is the third of four conventionally-propelled submarines agreed in a $10 billion deal signed by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Lula in 2008. That pact also included building a nuclear-powered submarine, the Álvaro Alberto, which has seen delays and disagreements over the transfer of nuclear technology. Macron said he wanted to open … Read more
While the crew of 24 has been safely evacuated, the cargo of fertilizer “could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster,” it said. The attack has heightened concerns for the Red Sea’s unique coral reefs, which scientists have found to be so far resilient to climate change but at risk from other threats. … Read more
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency said an explosion “in close proximity of the vessel” damaged it. The crew abandoned ship and is safe, the agency added. The Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated cargo ship was traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on its way to Bulgaria after leaving the United Arab Emirates, according to private security firm … Read more
BRUSSELS — The European Union mission to protect commercial vessels from Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea will be “purely defensive,” and will not conduct “any kind of attack,” the EU’s foreign policy chief said today. Seeking to differentiate the EU plan from the ongoing American-British Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which air strikes … Read more
Taiwan’s military “monitored the situation and tasked appropriate forces to respond,” the country’s ministry of national defense said. Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have remained high ever since Lai Ching-te won Taiwan’s presidential election early this month with a political campaign focused on pushing back against China’s threats against the island. This weekend, U.S. National … Read more
