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The Living Force
A member of the Russian Consulate General in Manhattan was found dead on Tuesday.
Man Found Dead in Russian Consulate in New York Served as Duty Commander
https://sputniknews.com/us/201611081047204259-russian-consulate-member-dies/
A man that was found dead on in Russian Consulate General in Manhattan was a duty commander, Vice-Consul Anton Deviatkin told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"The duty commander was found dead around 7:00 a.m. this morning," Deviatkin said. An investigation is underway into the man's death, and the first results of the probe are expected as early as this week, New York Police Department spokesman John Davis told Sputnik. "First results of the ongoing investigation may be announced later this week," Davis said. Violent death was ruled out as a probable cause, the Consulate spokesperson announced in a Facebook statement on Tuesday. "An American physician that was admitted to the Consulate’s building clearly ruled out signs of a violent death," the statement said. "The cause of the incident is being determined now by medical examiners."
US Weapons Exports Hit $33.6 Billion in 2016
https://sputniknews.com/us/201611091047214808-us-export-weapons/
This is less than the FY 2015's dramatic increase to the record $46.6 billion, linked to the war against the Daesh terrorist group. US officials earlier said that they expected a drop in sales.
According to DSCA, they cleared $2.9 billion of Foreign Military Financing-funded cases; $5.0 billion in Building Partner Capacity-funded cases; and $25.7 billion, funded by partner nations. DSCA director Vice Adm. Joseph Rixey claimed that the $13 billion drop was not indicative of an agency failure.
We don't look at sales like a benchmark we're trying to capture. It's not a number we're trying to go for. Sales is really a fundamental result of foreign policy. We just have to understand what kind of workforce we're going to need to prosecute those sales," Rixey said.
"It's nothing more than a tool for us to anticipate what we're going to anticipate and work with," he stated.
Rixey noted that the total would have surpassed FY 2015 if the long-anticipated sale of F-35 fighter jets to Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain had been cleared this year, as many had hoped.
The world's number-one arms dealer in 2016 processed $785 million in export of bombs and missiles, including the GBU-10 to the UAE; $1.2 billion in AIM-120D air-to-air missiles sold to Australia; and $1.15 billion from Saudi Arabia, for M1A2S tanks and M88Al/A2 vehicles, among other deals.
Marine Corps F-35 Catches Fire During Training Mission
https://sputniknews.com/military/201611091047213334-f35-fire-training-mission/
The Marine Corps is conducting an investigation after the F-35B Joint Strike vertical take-off and landing aircraft caught fire during a training mission, according to a Military.com report. The jet caught fire in its weapons bay during a training flight over Beaufort, South Carolina, the website said.
"The aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries sustained," 1st Lt. John Roberts, a spokesman for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, told reporters. "An investigation is ongoing and we will provide updates as they are available."
The exact amount of damage has not been disclosed, but it is known that the incident has been classified as a Class A Mishap, which indicates either loss of life or damage above $2 million. This is the first Class A Mishap for the F-35B version of the beleaguered plane. Earlier in September, a Class A Mishap occurred with a conventional take-off and landing F-35A version of the plane, when it also caught fire, soon after the pilot started the plane's engine.
A 2014 incident caused all F-35s to be grounded until specialists could determine the cause. That time, some $50 million of damage was caused by a rotor arm that detached itself and came through the aircraft's upper fuselage, cutting fuel and hydraulic lines. According to Roberts, it is too early to determine what could have caused the latest accident.
The incidents have not stopped the Marine Corps from procuring 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs, to replace their F/A-18 Hornets and a number of other older jets by 2032.
Earlier this month, defense officials put in a request for $500 million to finish development of the jet, which has already gone 50 percent over its original budget, according to Business Insider.
Germany: EU Must Match NATO Build-Up to Combat Russian Threat
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201611081047202049-eu-nato-russian-threat/
Amid a recent push from Germany, France, Italy and Spain to develop a common defense policy, von der Leyen said the EU was in need of updating its existing military resources.
"We have seen an enormous modernization drive by NATO over the past three years because of the Kremlin's behavior," she told a security conference hosted by the German Christian Democrat party.
"That was correct and important, but I believe that we must invest at the least same energy into a modernization of the European security and defense union," she added.
Russia has rejected charges of aggression in Europe, arguing that the build-up of NATO resources in eastern Europe and Baltic states had led to an increase in tension across the continent.
Impact on NATO
The idea of a joint EU military policy or greater defense cooperation was long considered an unrealistic prospect, with the UK among those member states staunchly against such proposals.
However following Britain's decision to leave the EU, officials have jumped at the opportunity to re-shape the bloc's defense policy, despite concerns from Washington that it might undermine NATO's presence in the region.
Von der Leyen was keen to try and ease fears about the impacts such an approach would have on NATO, saying an EU modernization should take place "knowing that one cannot build up competition between the two bodies, but that they should work in a complementary fashion."
She pointed to the EU's role in trying to stem the flow of migrants and refugees across the Mediterranean as an example of how the bloc could benefit from greater military resources and cooperation.
"I see a big mission for the European Union, which must work for a solution together with the African countries," von der Leyen said. "But to do that, it must better organize and bundle the many instruments it has in the civilian and military realms, actually implement them, and offer a joint European response."
Push for Greater EU Cooperation
The comments come as some EU countries argue they should be able to respond more independently to certain crises and issues without relying on the US for support.
Proposals have included spending more on EU military missions, jointly developing defense resources and deepening cooperation.
EU defense ministers are expected to present a more detailed strategy at the upcoming December summit in Brussels.
Man Found Dead in Russian Consulate in New York Served as Duty Commander
https://sputniknews.com/us/201611081047204259-russian-consulate-member-dies/
A man that was found dead on in Russian Consulate General in Manhattan was a duty commander, Vice-Consul Anton Deviatkin told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"The duty commander was found dead around 7:00 a.m. this morning," Deviatkin said. An investigation is underway into the man's death, and the first results of the probe are expected as early as this week, New York Police Department spokesman John Davis told Sputnik. "First results of the ongoing investigation may be announced later this week," Davis said. Violent death was ruled out as a probable cause, the Consulate spokesperson announced in a Facebook statement on Tuesday. "An American physician that was admitted to the Consulate’s building clearly ruled out signs of a violent death," the statement said. "The cause of the incident is being determined now by medical examiners."
US Weapons Exports Hit $33.6 Billion in 2016
https://sputniknews.com/us/201611091047214808-us-export-weapons/
This is less than the FY 2015's dramatic increase to the record $46.6 billion, linked to the war against the Daesh terrorist group. US officials earlier said that they expected a drop in sales.
According to DSCA, they cleared $2.9 billion of Foreign Military Financing-funded cases; $5.0 billion in Building Partner Capacity-funded cases; and $25.7 billion, funded by partner nations. DSCA director Vice Adm. Joseph Rixey claimed that the $13 billion drop was not indicative of an agency failure.
We don't look at sales like a benchmark we're trying to capture. It's not a number we're trying to go for. Sales is really a fundamental result of foreign policy. We just have to understand what kind of workforce we're going to need to prosecute those sales," Rixey said.
"It's nothing more than a tool for us to anticipate what we're going to anticipate and work with," he stated.
Rixey noted that the total would have surpassed FY 2015 if the long-anticipated sale of F-35 fighter jets to Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain had been cleared this year, as many had hoped.
The world's number-one arms dealer in 2016 processed $785 million in export of bombs and missiles, including the GBU-10 to the UAE; $1.2 billion in AIM-120D air-to-air missiles sold to Australia; and $1.15 billion from Saudi Arabia, for M1A2S tanks and M88Al/A2 vehicles, among other deals.
Marine Corps F-35 Catches Fire During Training Mission
https://sputniknews.com/military/201611091047213334-f35-fire-training-mission/
The Marine Corps is conducting an investigation after the F-35B Joint Strike vertical take-off and landing aircraft caught fire during a training mission, according to a Military.com report. The jet caught fire in its weapons bay during a training flight over Beaufort, South Carolina, the website said.
"The aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries sustained," 1st Lt. John Roberts, a spokesman for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, told reporters. "An investigation is ongoing and we will provide updates as they are available."
The exact amount of damage has not been disclosed, but it is known that the incident has been classified as a Class A Mishap, which indicates either loss of life or damage above $2 million. This is the first Class A Mishap for the F-35B version of the beleaguered plane. Earlier in September, a Class A Mishap occurred with a conventional take-off and landing F-35A version of the plane, when it also caught fire, soon after the pilot started the plane's engine.
A 2014 incident caused all F-35s to be grounded until specialists could determine the cause. That time, some $50 million of damage was caused by a rotor arm that detached itself and came through the aircraft's upper fuselage, cutting fuel and hydraulic lines. According to Roberts, it is too early to determine what could have caused the latest accident.
The incidents have not stopped the Marine Corps from procuring 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs, to replace their F/A-18 Hornets and a number of other older jets by 2032.
Earlier this month, defense officials put in a request for $500 million to finish development of the jet, which has already gone 50 percent over its original budget, according to Business Insider.
Germany: EU Must Match NATO Build-Up to Combat Russian Threat
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201611081047202049-eu-nato-russian-threat/
Amid a recent push from Germany, France, Italy and Spain to develop a common defense policy, von der Leyen said the EU was in need of updating its existing military resources.
"We have seen an enormous modernization drive by NATO over the past three years because of the Kremlin's behavior," she told a security conference hosted by the German Christian Democrat party.
"That was correct and important, but I believe that we must invest at the least same energy into a modernization of the European security and defense union," she added.
Russia has rejected charges of aggression in Europe, arguing that the build-up of NATO resources in eastern Europe and Baltic states had led to an increase in tension across the continent.
Impact on NATO
The idea of a joint EU military policy or greater defense cooperation was long considered an unrealistic prospect, with the UK among those member states staunchly against such proposals.
However following Britain's decision to leave the EU, officials have jumped at the opportunity to re-shape the bloc's defense policy, despite concerns from Washington that it might undermine NATO's presence in the region.
Von der Leyen was keen to try and ease fears about the impacts such an approach would have on NATO, saying an EU modernization should take place "knowing that one cannot build up competition between the two bodies, but that they should work in a complementary fashion."
She pointed to the EU's role in trying to stem the flow of migrants and refugees across the Mediterranean as an example of how the bloc could benefit from greater military resources and cooperation.
"I see a big mission for the European Union, which must work for a solution together with the African countries," von der Leyen said. "But to do that, it must better organize and bundle the many instruments it has in the civilian and military realms, actually implement them, and offer a joint European response."
Push for Greater EU Cooperation
The comments come as some EU countries argue they should be able to respond more independently to certain crises and issues without relying on the US for support.
Proposals have included spending more on EU military missions, jointly developing defense resources and deepening cooperation.
EU defense ministers are expected to present a more detailed strategy at the upcoming December summit in Brussels.
