NATO commander assures of continuous presence in Kosovo
A senior NATO commander has assured Kosovo that the military alliance will maintain troops there “for as long as it’s necessary.”
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, met with local senior officials and also western ambassadors during a visit to Kosovo Feb. 21.
Some 4,500 troops from 31 countries have been deployed in Kosovo since June 1999, after NATO’s 78-day air campaign to stop a bloody Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have been building again in the last two months after a series of frictions and incidents.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia has not recognized it as a country. AP
Russia to rely increasingly on non-nuclear deterrent
Russia’s defense minister says the development of the nation’s nuclear forces will remain a top priority, but the military will rely increasingly on conventional weapons to deter any aggression.
Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that weapons, such as the long-range Kalibr cruise missiles carried by navy ships, long-range cruise missiles carried by Russian strategic bombers and the land-based short-range Iskander missiles will play an increasingly important role as a non-nuclear deterrent. They can carry nuclear or conventional warheads.
In remarks carried by Russian news agencies, Shoigu pointed to the new missiles’ debut in the Syrian conflict, saying they have proven themselves well.
The post-Soviet economic meltdown left the Russian armed forces in disarray, but the Kremlin has beefed up the military’s conventional forces in recent years amid tensions with the West. AP
Nation’s largest military shipbuilder plans to hire 3,000
The nation’s largest military shipbuilder says it plans to hire 3,000 workers in Virginia this year.
Huntington Ingalls Industries says that number includes 250 engineers and designers. Spokeswoman Christie Miller said its facility in Newport News, Va., is also recruiting IT professionals, welders and shipfitters.
The yard builds and overhauls nuclear aircraft carriers. Large portions of submarines are also built there.
The Daily Press in Newport News reports that profits are soaring at the company overall, driven in large part by its Gulf Coast shipyard. The facility in Mississippi builds destroyers and amphibious warships for the Navy as well as large Coast Guard cutters.
The yard in Virginia currently employs about 20,000 people. It is the state’s largest industrial employer. AP
Iran launches ‘advanced’ rockets during military exercises
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard has launched several sophisticated rockets during military exercises, Iranian media reported on Monday.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency , considered to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, said the launch of the “smart and advanced” rockets came during an annual three-day maneuver which began Feb. 20 in Iran’s central desert.
Later on Feb. 20, state TV showed footage of several rockets launching from the back of trucks in the desert.
Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces told the channel that rockets with ranges of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) as well as the Fajr-3, Fajr-4 and Fajr-5 rockets, all believed to have under 100-kilometer range, were all successfully tested in the exercise.
Pakpour said the tests send a message to any of Iran’s potential adversaries: “We are ready to give a crushing respond to any threat.”
Earlier in February, the United States said has put Iran “on notice” after the country test fired a medium-range ballistic missile. AP