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MILITARY5d agoSouth Korea pledges legal action over alleged fuel exports to RussiaUkrainian reports of South Korean fuel exports to Russia come amid strained tensions between Seoul and Kyiv.Al Jazeera [en]
MILITARY5d agoUS wraps up military mission in Iraq, giving Baghdad room to strengthen China tiesThe US has ended its military mission in Iraq, a move analysts said could give Baghdad more room for diversified partnerships and indirectly benefit China’s energy and commercial interests. But they cautioned that the shift was unlikely to create a power vacuum for Beijing to fill, with China lacking both the ambition and capacity to take on the US security role. The United States formally ended its Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq on September 30, completing a withdrawal agreed on in...South China Morning Post
MILITARY6d agoArmy activates sustainment brigade as part of Pacific restructuringThe change will bring some additional soldiers to Okinawa, Japan.Defense One
MILITARY6d agoJapan explores ‘ownership’ of nuclear submarines as regional rivalries worsenJapan is expected to float the idea of acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines in revised security documents to be released later this year, with analysts suggesting that Tokyo’s initial aim is to promote discussion of the issue and overcome the public’s concerns. Analysts acknowledge there will inevitably be pushback from some sectors of Japan – the only nation to have suffered a nuclear attack – but say there is a growing recognition that regional rivalries are worsening and Japan...South China Morning Post
MILITARY6d agoUPS error routed sensitive F-35 parts through Hong KongAn error by UPS resulted in sensitive F-35 aircraft parts being misrouted through Hong Kong. This incident raises concerns about the security and proper handling of military components.Seeking Alpha Tech
MILITARY6d agoUS troops on Okinawa face curfew, liquor banTOKYO — American forces on Okinawa were barred on Wednesday from drinking alcohol for 48 hours and faced a 30-day curfew after the murder of a woman allegedly committed by a United States Marine. The case has triggered outrage in Japan, where any crime involving US forces has long inflamed criticism of the troops’ presence. Genta Koja, the governor of Okinawa — where the bulk of the 54,000 US military personnel in Japan are based — told Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a meeting in the capital Tokyo on Wednesday that there was an “urgent need to reduce base-related burdens” on the southern island chain, without providing specifics. “The robbery-murder this time hugely shocked local residents,” he said, requesting a committee be convened swiftly to discuss the issue. Earlier, Benjamin T. Watson, Okinawa area coordinator and commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, announced a “complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base” starting on Wednesday. Watson said the 48-hour period — described as “an operational pause” — would give commanders the time to lead training with all service members on “standards, discipline, and our responsibilities as members of the Okinawan community.” Operations will cease during this period and “we will not allow off-base liberty,” said Watson in a statement on X on Tuesday night. The lieutenant general, the most senior US military figure on Okinawa, also announced a 30-day “period of reflection” beginning on Friday. “During this period, we will implement a curfew in which liberty will expire at 2400 for all hands, meaning you must be back on base in your assigned quarters or at your off-base domicile from midnight to 0500,” he said. Police said on Sunday that a US Marine stationed on Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in the city of Naha and stealing her wallet. Local media reported she was choked to death and that the Marine is denying the allegations. ‘Deep anxiety’ Crimes committed by US personnel have been a thorn in relations between the close security allies. Koja, who won Okinawa’s gubernatorial election last month, is the island’s first leader in 12 years who approved a contentious US military base relocation plan. The central government plan is to keep the US Marine Corps’ Futenma air base on Okinawa’s main island, but move it to a less populated location. Earlier on Wednesday, Koja met Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo, where he said the murder case had “caused deep anxiety” among Okinawa’s residents. “The prefectural government has repeatedly demanded that the US military take measures to prevent a recurrence every time an incident occurs, but the fact that such an incident has happened again forces us to conclude that discipline within the US forces and their human rights education are not functioning at all,” he told Koizumi. Koizumi said he would “advance discussions with the United States on how to implement effective measures” to prevent such incidents from happening. Last year, a Japanese court sentenced a US Marine accused of choking and attempting to rape a woman in her 20s to seven years in prison. In 2017, a former US Marine and civilian military base worker was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of a local woman in Okinawa. The same year, US Forces Japan banned all personnel from consuming alcohol after an intoxicated US Marine crashed his vehicle into a minitruck, killing its 61-year-old driver.manilatimes · philippines
MILITARY6d ago‘Unforgivable’: Arrest of US marine reopens old wounds Japan’s OkinawaThe suspected murder of an Okinawan woman by a US soldier has reignited anger about the heavy presence of US forces on the tiny islandIrish Times World
MILITARY6d agoThe Strategic Implications of China’s Military Facility in LaosBan Keun poses only a limited direct threat to the South China Sea or Taiwan, but it will enhance China’s ability to place pressure on U.S. naval forces.The Diplomat
MILITARY6d agoSouth Korea signals military exemption cuts for athletes after Asian GamesSouth Korea signals cuts to military exemptions for gold medallists after backlash over athletes' Asian Games comments.Al Jazeera [en]
MILITARY6d agoOkinawa governor urges Japan action after US Marine arrested over killingGrowing anger after US Marine Devin Jacob Ballard was arrested on suspicion of strangling Anna Yagi, 39.Al Jazeera [en]
MILITARY6d agoPoland’s President in the Philippines: Black Hawks, ASEAN, and US Defense InterestsCould Nawrocki’s visit to Manila serve to promote further Black Hawk sales across ASEAN, potentially benefiting U.S. industrial interests?The Diplomat
MILITARY6d agoUS and China must set rules before autonomous fighters cross pathsIn December 2022, a Chinese J-11 fighter came within metres of a US RC-135 surveillance plane over the South China Sea, according to the US military, which criticised it as an unsafe manoeuvre. China, however, held the American crew responsible and claimed the RC-135 had suddenly veered towards the Chinese jet despite repeated warnings. Both sides released video footage, yet neither accepted the other’s account of the incident. This and other such close encounters involved human pilots. The next...South China Morning Post
MILITARY6d agoCurfew and booze ban imposed on US soldiers in Okinawa after killing of Japanese womanCurfew will run from midnight until 5am local time and be in place for a monthThe Independent World
MILITARY6d agoSouth Korea’s military service exemption could be cut for athletesSouth Korea’s military service exemption could be cut for athletes after backlashAl Jazeera [en]
MILITARY6d agoHow will new longer-range aircraft boost Manila’s South China Sea surveillance?The Philippine Coast Guard will receive three longer-range aircraft from the US, two of them modified for improved surveillance, giving Manila greater reach and endurance to monitor Chinese coastguard, naval and research vessels across the South China Sea. Under a US$39.6 million contract awarded by the United States Navy on September 28, the three second-hand, extended-range King Air 350-series aircraft will be fitted with extended-range fuel systems, upgraded Garmin avionics and high-frequency...South China Morning Post
MILITARY6d agoUS bans alcohol and imposes curfew on soldiers in Japan after murderThe temporary ban on alcohol consumption and a one-month curfew for soldiers in Okinawa seek to calm local outrage following a crime. The case of a marine accused of murder reignites the debate about the presence of foreign military on the island, generating protests and demands for change.Clarín
MILITARY6d agoRubio In Iceland Signals Deeper NATO Push As Russia, China Challenge Arctic SecurityUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signaled a renewed American push to strengthen security in the Arctic, warning that US adversaries and competitors are already acting in a region of growing strategic importance.RFE/RL
MILITARY6d agoU.S. troops on Okinawa facing curfew, alcohol ban after murder charge vs. MarineU.S. forces on Okinawa were barred from drinking alcohol for 48 hours and put under a 30-day curfew in the wake of the murder of a local woman allegedly committed by an American Marine.CBS News
MILITARY6d agoOkinawa governor calls for preventive measures after alleged murder by U.S. MarineOkinawa Gov Genta Koja urged Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday to take "effective and fundamental" measures following the alleged robbery and murder of a local woman by…Japan Today
MILITARY6d agoUnited States bans alcohol and imposes curfew on its troops, following the murder of a woman in OkinawaEste domingo, la policía detuvo al cabo Devin Jacob Ballard, un marine destinado en la base aérea de Futenma.El militar está acusado de asesinar a una mujer y robado sus pertenencias.Clarín
MILITARY6d agoWhat Does China’s New Military Base in Laos Mean?Beijing’s third overseas base is also its second in Southeast Asia.Foreign Policy
MILITARYOct 7Alleged killing by Marine prompts US military to restrict off-base liberty in OkinawaThe U.S. military in Okinawa banned troops from leaving base after a Marine was arrested for allegedly killing a woman at a Naha hotel on Saturday.Fox News World
MILITARYOct 7US prohibits alcohol and imposes curfew on troops in Okinawa after woman's murderLas fuerzas estadounidenses en Okinawa imponen toque de queda tras la detención de un soldado por un crimen, desatando reacciones locales. El caso genera tensiones entre Japón y EE.UU., con llamados a revisar acuerdos militares y reforzar la disciplina en las bases.Clarín
MILITARYOct 7US military in Japan’s Okinawa imposes night curfew after marine’s arrest over murderThe US military in Okinawa will impose a curfew from midnight to 5am for a month starting Friday following the arrest of a marine on suspicion of robbing and murdering a local woman, its regional coordinator said on Tuesday. All US military personnel on Okinawa will also observe a 48-hour operational pause from noon on Wednesday, during which there will be “no off-base liberty, including a complete prohibition of alcohol consumption on or off base”, said Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson,...South China Morning Post