U.S. Army's Hypersonic Space Weapon Destroyed Seconds After Liftoff

The U.S. Army had to destroy its futuristic space weapon during a test launch at its remote Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska on Monday.

The Department of Defense says it was conducting a test of its Advanced Hypersonic Weapon when a flight anomaly forced flight engineers to terminate the launch shortly after liftoff.

Defense Department spokesperson Maureen Schumann said the termination was done "to ensure public safety," and that officials were conducting an extensive investigation to determine what caused the launch to go awry.

US Army Sees 'Megacities' As the Future Battlefield

City Wars: US soldiers conduct urban training at Camp Blanding, Florida. Army planners believe future battles will be fought in 'megacities' of 20 million or more people. (Sgt. 1st Class Mark Bell/ / US Army)


WASHINGTON — When the US Army looks to the future, it sees cities. Dense, sprawling, congested cities where criminal and extremist groups flourish almost undetected by authorities, but who can influence the lives of the population while undermining the authority of the state.

And the service is convinced that these “megacities” of 20 million or more people will be the battleground of the future.

NATO's Rasmussen: Observing an alarming buildup of Russian ground and air forces near Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday the alliance has observed an alarming buildup of Russian ground and air forces in the vicinity of Ukraine.

"We have also seen transfers of large quantities of advanced weapons, including tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery to separatist groups in eastern Ukraine," Rasmussen said in a statement.

Russia Plans to Send Second Aid Convoy to Eastern Ukraine

Russia plans to send a second convoy loaded with humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, after the first delivery sparked international condemnation by crossing the border without authorization.

Russia has informed Ukraine of plans to dispatch another column of trucks this week, with the convoy taking the same route through rebel-held territory as the tractor-trailers that returned to Russia two days ago, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow today. The U.S. and the European Union condemned the decision to send the first convoy of about 280 trucks, which the government in Kiev called an “invasion.”

U.S., China clash over ‘dangerous’ jet interception of Navy plane

This handout photo provided by the Office of the Defense Secretary (OSD), taken Aug. 19, 2014, shows a Chinese fighter jet that the Obama administration said Friday conducted a "dangerous intercept" of a U.S. Navy surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft off the coast of China in international airspace. (AP Photo/OSD)

BEIJING, China (AP) — China's Defense Ministry rejected U.S. accusations that a Chinese fighter jet conducted a "dangerous intercept" of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft off the southern Chinese coast.

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Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun called the U.S. accusations "groundless" in a statement issued Saturday night. He said the Chinese pilot conducted operations that were "professional and the Chinese jet kept a safe distance from the U.S. planes."

INS Kamorta a step towards indigenisation of the Indian Navy

The INS Kamorta.

Visakhapatnam: Union defence minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday commissioned the first indigenously built stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette INS Kamorta at the Naval Dockyard here in Vizag.

Mr  Jaitley congratulated the Indian Navy, the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, (GRSE), and other industries, which have contributed towards building the ship and hoped that that India transforms from being the biggest buyer to the biggest manufacturer of defence products in the world.

TOP 10 COUNTRIES BY DEFENSE SPENDING

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute recession hit western nations are cutting their their defense expenditures, but the rest of the world especially Asian countries reported a 1.8% increase in their defense spending.The conflicts like Militant takeover of Iraq and Russia-Ukraine conflict may drive another arms race in the region which will force countries to increase their defense spending.Military spending in Africa increased by 8.3 per cent in 2013, reaching an estimated $44.9 billion. Over two-thirds of the African countries for which data is available increased military spending in 2013. Algeria became the first country in Africa with military spending over $10 billion, an increase of 8.8 per cent since 2012, and of 176 per cent since 2004. Meanwhile, Angola increased its spending by 36 per cent in 2013, to overtake South Africa as the largest military spender in sub-Saharan Africa, and the second highest on the continent. High oil revenues appear to be a factor driving both Algeria’s and Angola’s military spending increases.Chinese defense spending recorded a growth of 7.4% in 2013 and stood at 126 Billion. This will force neighbouring countries to increase their spending as almost all of them having border disputes withChina.Japan’s concerns over China’s growing military power, combined with the Japanese Government’s own nationalist policies, have led to Japan ending its long, gradual decline in military spending. Nevertheless, the largest increase in the region in 2013 was by Afghanistan, by 77 per cent, as it builds up its security forces in preparation from the withdrawal of most foreign troops at the end of 2014.

Heavy shelling by Pakistani Rangers kills two civilians, injure four

Army troops discover cross-border tunnel dug nearly 50 meters into the Indian territory from Pakistan side. (Source: IE archive)



The Indian army on Friday night discovered a cross-border tunnel dug close to 50 meters into the Indian territory from Pakistan side in Pallanwala sector near Akhnoor in Jammu & Kashmir. Pointing out that the tunnel was big enough for terrorists to sneak into the Indian territory from Pakistan side, sources said that the area was immediately sealed by the troops.

While a similar cross-border tunnel was found by BSF near the international border in Hiranagar area a few years ago, it was the first time that such a tunnel was found in the state.