Turkey says its Syria offensive doesn’t hinge on U.S. pullout
Turkey’s foreign minister says a planned Turkish military offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria doesn’t depend on whether the United States withdraws its troops from the region.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with NTV news channel on Jan. 10 that Turkey would take the necessary steps to thwart threats from the fighters “whether they (U.S.) withdraw or don’t withdraw.”
Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish fighters, who are allied with U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State group, as offshoot of outlawed Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.
Turkey this week rejected U.S. national security adviser John Bolton’s demands for assurances that Ankara would protect the Syrian Kurdish fighters before Americans withdraw.
Cavusoglu says American “security units” are trying to deter President Donald Trump from his decision to pull out. AP
French air force says 2 on missing fighter jet are dead
After a two-day search for a missing fighter jet, French military authorities said Jan. 10 the pilot and a navigator were killed when the plane disappeared during a training flight.
The Mirage 2000D vanished from radar Jan. 9 while flying in a snowstorm near the Swiss border. More than 100 rescuers, police officers and others searched icy mountains for the aircraft and the two-person crew.
The French air force said late Jan. 10 that the pair had died and identified them as Capt. Baptiste Chirie, a combat pilot with 24 war missions, and Lt. Audrey Michelon, an arms systems navigator who participated in 97 war missions.
The air force did not say what led to the declaration of their deaths. Regional television France 3 reported earlier that aircraft debris was discovered scattered around hard-to-reach, forested slopes at more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) altitude.
Defense Minister Florence Parly and the chief of the French air force, Gen. Philippe Lavigne, planned to head Jan. 11 to the air base in Nancy, in eastern France, to meet with aviators and families, a statement said. AP
Russian military satellite has fiery re-entry over Atlantic
The Russian military says one of its early warning satellites has been taken safely out of orbit.
The military’s aerospace forces said in a statement Jan. 10 that the Kosmos 2430 satellite burned in the atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean during a pre-planned re-entry on Jan. 5. The statement said aerospace forces controlled the satellite’s descent.
It said the satellite was launched in 2007 as part of the early warning system that monitors for launches of ballistic missiles and the end of its time in service originally was designated as 2012.
Many New Zealanders watched the satellite’s fiery re-entry and cameras at a cricket match captured images of its descent. AP
EU’s top soldier: much expectation of what EU can do
The European Union’s top military official says he’s working with other EU army chiefs to come up with proposals aimed at enhancing the bloc’s military capabilities.
EU Military Committee Chairman Claudio Graziano says there’s “a lot of expectation” about what the EU can do in defense matters. He says projects like military mobility can connect the far reaches of Europe, to counter common threats.
Graziano was speaking Jan. 10 after talks with Cyprus’ National Guard Chief Ilias Leontaris. Graziano hailed Cyprus as a “solid partner and pillar of stability” in Europe’s southeastern corner, while acknowledging the challenges the east Mediterranean island nation faces with migrant inflows.
Leontaris said strengthened cooperation is essential because remnants of the Islamic State group may take advantage of the migration crisis to infiltrate terrorists into Europe. AP
Ukraine FM: Russia will do everything to break up
The Ukrainian foreign minister says Russia “will be doing everything to break up Ukraine, somehow to divide Ukraine further.”
Pavlo Klimkin says Moscow doesn’t want “to have a free and democratic Ukraine as such” and his country needs “military, political and economic support to fight Russia’s attempt to `suffocate’ southern Ukraine by blocking access to the Azov Sea.”
Klimkin spoke Jan. 11 to the Baltic News Agency during a visit to Lithuania.
In November, a Russian coast guard vessel fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval ships as they were transiting from Odessa on the Black Sea to Mariupol.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 in a move that Ukraine and most of the world views as illegal. AP
SpaceX launches 10 more Iridium Communications satellites
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 10 Iridium Communications satellites has blasted off from California.
The rocket lifted off at 7:31 a.m., Jan., 11 from Vandenberg Air Force Base and arced over the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles.
SpaceX will try to land the Falcon’s first stage on an autonomous vessel floating in the ocean.
The payload is the eighth and final set of satellites to be launched as Iridium replaces its entire globe-circling fleet with next-generation orbiters. Deployment of the satellites is scheduled to be completed a little over an hour after liftoff.
If successful, Iridium will have a total of 75 new satellites in orbit, including nine spares.
Iridium is deorbiting its original fleet of satellites. AP
Romanian govt scraps warships’ acquisition amid dispute
Romania’s defense ministry has suspended the 1.6 billion euro ($1.83 billion) acquisition of four warships following a political dispute over which offer best serves the NATO member.
The ministry said it had informed military prosecutors there were “reasonable suspicions” about the legality of the procedure, saying it could harm national security. It didn’t provide further details.
The government, scheduled to announce the winner Jan. 12, made its announcement late Jan. 11.
The acquisition of four multirole corvettes has caused political friction with the ruling Social Democratic Party favoring an offer from Damen, a Dutch company.
Army Chief of Staff Nicolae Ciuca, however, reportedly considered the deal too expensive. According to reports, France’s Naval Group made a cheaper offer.
Romania has committed to upgrading its armed forces and equipment in the next decade. AP