UK MoD calls on Europe to increase security efforts

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) asked Europe to increase its efforts against terrorism and migration.

UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon confirmed the UK will play a proactive role in tackling security threats across the country.

Fallon said that the UK would work to address challenges ranging from mass migration to cyber-attacks.

Japan seeks $51bn in 2017 defence budget

Japan’s Defense Ministry was reportedly seeking nearly JPY5.17tn ($51bn) in budget for fiscal year 2017, in the wake of increasing tensions from North Korea and China.

If approved by the country’s parliament, the proposed budget will be the country’s fifth annual increase in military spending, according to media sources.

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The latest budget request amounts to a 2.3% increase over the past year.

US DoD to invest and rebuild its nuclear deterrence enterprise capabilities

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter announced that close to $19bn will be spent on the Department of Defense’s (DoD) nuclear deterrence enterprise in 2017.

The DoD will invest $108bn in the nuclear enterprise over the next five years.

The proposed investment will support and recapitalise the nuclear force and associated strategic command, control, communications, and intelligence systems.

North Korea test-fires three Rodong medium-range missiles

North Korea reportedly test-fired three medium-range Rodong ballistic missiles from Hwangju, a town in the Western part of the country, towards Japan.

The latest missile test fire follows the recent launch of a KN-11 ballistic missile from a submarine.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs Of Staff (JCS) said that the missiles flew more 1,000km after being launched from North Hwanghae province.

Poland to seek US approval to acquire Raytheon’s Patriot missile defence system

Poland was to seek approval from the US Government to purchase the Patriot air and missile defence system from Raytheon through the foreign military sales (FMS) programme.

Patriot is a long-range, high-altitude, all-weather missile defence system that counters threats from tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones and advanced aircraft.

Poland National Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said: “When it comes to the realm of weaponry, which is linked to anti-missile defence systems, anti-aircraft defence systems, today I have signed the decision about the preparation of a ‘letter of request’ to the US Government and Raytheon concerning the ordering of the Patriot system for the ‘Wisla’ programme.”

Raytheon joins UK’s largest corporate membership organisation BQF

US defence contractor Raytheon joined BQF, the UK’s largest corporate membership organisation, to focus on improving the underlying performance of its internal operations and processes.

The move followed the announcement of a new £800m UK government funding programme, which will support the development of new and disruptive defence technologies.

The funding programme was launched through the UK Ministry of Defence’s innovation and research insights unit fund.

US Senate votes in favour of $1.15bn arms sale to Saudi Arabia

The US Senate voted in favour of a $1.15bn military arms sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, amid criticism raised over the Middle Eastern country’s role in the Yemen crisis.

The Senate voted 71 to 27 against the bipartisan resolution introduced by Senators Rand Paul, Chris Murphy, Al Franken and Mike Lee in US Congress to block the sale of Abrams tanks and associated major defence articles to Saudi Arabia.

The four senators sought to block the the military equipment sale, as the Saudi-led military operation against the Houthis and their allies had killed and wounded more than 10,000 civilians in Yemen.

US Army conducts flight test of PAC-3 hit-to-kill interceptor

Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles have successfully intercepted incoming targets during a US Army flight test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

During the test, two Patriot systems tracked and destroyed two tactical ballistic missile (TBM) targets.

The hit-to-kill interceptor destroys threats through kinetic energy in body-to-body contact.

Saab conducts live-fire demonstration of Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system

Saab has successfully completed a live-firing demonstration of its new Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system, during the British Army’s Close Combat Symposium at West Lavington, England.

An upgraded version of Saab’s Carl-Gustaf M3, the M4 is a man-portable shoulder-launched multirole weapon system, designed to allow military forces to engage multiple tactical targets.

The demonstration featured a series of successful firings in a tactical scenario. A team from Saab acted as an infantry patrol carrying the Carl-Gustaf M4 and a selection of rounds for the weapon.

Joint Investigation Team confirms Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was downed by Russian missile

An investigation into Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 has concluded that the aircraft was downed by a BUK missile fired from Russian-backed, separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) conducted an operation to identify the suspects involved in the crash that occurred on 17 July 2014.

The investigation confirmed that the 9M38 series BUK missile was used to shoot down the Malaysian plane.