(https://twitter.com/martinbroek)
December 9
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Retweet @bitsoffreedom: Belangrijke stap in deze zaak over anti-spieksoftware: het College vindt dat het vermoeden van discriminatie overtuigend is aangetoond, en geeft de universiteit nog een kans te bewijzen dat daar geen sprake van is geweest. To be continued dus! https://www.mensenrechten.nl/actueel/nieuws/2022/12/09/eerste-keer-vermoeden-van-algoritmische-discriminatie-succesvol-onderbouwd
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Retweet @ForumArmsTrade:Preventing US weapons from escaping Ukraine is a challenge @jbcohen92 https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3766309-preventing-us-weapons-from-escaping-ukraine-is-a-challenge/
December 7
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After months of drama, France, Germany resolve industrial fight over next-gen fighter
One analyst described the final agreement between #Dassault and #Airbus as clearly a “French victory, a German capitulation.” #FCAS
https://breakingdefense.com/2022/12/after-months-of-drama-france-germany-resolve-industrial-fight-over-next-gen-fighter/
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[Opinion] There has been little public scrutiny of those who are profiting from the misery in Ukraine — the arms industry. By @DondeNiamh of the @TNInstitute #arms #weapons #Nato #Ukraine https://euobserver.com/opinion/156518
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Israel’s #NSO bets its future on Netanyahu’s comeback. https://www.ft.com/content/88379bcd-2d99-427f-86e1-bcc841cb609f
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Other states pass Swiss companies. The Netherlands and Denmark wanted to order ammunition from Switzerland, but cecause of the War Material Act, the order went abroad. The act forbids to export weapons to countries involved in an armed conflict. https://www.bazonline.ch/zwei-weitere-natostaaten-trauen-schweizer-ruestungsfirmen-nicht-mehr-507242406461
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“The Pentagon routinely understates the costs of major systems, and I expect the B-21 to be no different,” — @WilliamHartung @wjhenn @TIME https://time.com/6238168/b-21-raider-bomber-us-military-exclusive/
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Taiwan thanks US over latest F-16, C-130 support package. https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202212070007
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Retweet @PAXforpeace:The new @conflictarm report investigates the origin of components of drones used in attacks in northeast Syria. They include electromagnetic brakes made by the Dutch company Kendrion. https://www.conflictarm.com/perspectives/missile-components-used-in-drone-attacks-in-northeast-syria/
Turkish missiles used in Syria include Europe-produced parts. https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-business-syria-turkey-2bef8427d80830305a2c614cd9163dae
Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism granted two loans to #Airbus for a total of € 2,137 million to finance the #Spanish participation between 2022 and 2028 in the Tigre MK III #helicopters (€707m) and Euromale RPAS #drones (€1,429m). https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20221205/8634955/gobierno-reparte-2-100-millones-airbus-helicopteros-drones.html
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#Indonesia's Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto has recently met his counterparts from various countries in a bid to finalise several military equipment acquisition deals with #France (Airbus, Dassault and Naval Group), #US (Boeing), and #Turkey (Roketsan). https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-ageing-military-equipment-turkey-missiles-us-f15-3122611
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After months of drama, France, Germany resolve industrial fight over next-gen fighter. One analyst described the final agreement between #Dassault and #Airbus as clearly a “French victory, a German capitulation.” #FCAS https://breakingdefense.com/2022/12/after-months-of-drama-france-germany-resolve-industrial-fight-over-next-gen-fighter/
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Retweet @PAXforpeace:The new @conflictarm report investigates the origin of components of drones used in attacks in northeast Syria. They include electromagnetic brakes made by the Dutch company Kendrion. https://www.conflictarm.com/perspectives/missile-components-used-in-drone-attacks-in-northeast-syria/
Turkish missiles used in Syria include Europe-produced parts. https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-business-syria-turkey-2bef8427d80830305a2c614cd9163dae
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Retweet @ElluinA: How EU-made shotgun cartridges ended up being used to repress protests in Iran https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20221125-iran-protests-eu-shotgun-cartridges-cheddite-sanctionsvia @Observers
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Head of the South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee didn't explain why arms exports were on hold while there are no sanctions against Turkey, Poland etc. He hinted at the risk of diversion of destructive weapons, presumably to Ukraine. https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/billions-of-rands-worth-of-sa-defence-exports-on-hold/
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Pressure on neutrality. German politicians are fed up. They came to the conclusion that #Switzerland cannot be relied on as an armaments partner in times of war. https://switzerlandtimes.ch/politics/commoners-want-to-facilitate-arms-exports/
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Russia is burning through its munitions stockpiles at an “extraordinary” rate as its invasion of Ukraine grinds on into its 10th month, the US’s top intelligence official said Saturday. It doesn't have enough ability to replace those weapons on its own. https://www.defensenews.com/smr/reagan-defense-forum/2022/12/04/russia-burning-through-ammunition-in-ukraine-at-extraordinary-rate/
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1/2 #Pentagon announced an effort to help smaller companies bridge “valley of death” between tech development & revenue-generating contracts with the creation of a new office connecting companies with private #capital, the Office of Strategic Capital #OSC. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/pentagon-creates-office-connect-contractors-private-capital
2/2 REAGAN NATIONAL DEFENSE FORUM — The Pentagon’s top civilian Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today. “We’re not setting aside a billion dollars of our own pot of money to fund this. That’s not the intent of this,” she told. https://breakingdefense.com/2022/12/pentagon-officials-tout-new-office-aimed-at-linking-defense-startups-with-private-funds/
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De politieke onenigheid over een geblokkeerde exportvergunning i.v.m. onderhoud van ‘Brits nucleair militair materiaal’ doet de vraag rijzen België medeplichtig wil zijn aan 'n nucleaire wapenwedloop, schrijft Stefan Nieuwinckel van Pax Christi Vlaanderen. https://www.mo.be/opinie/willen-we-medeplichtig-zijn-aan-een-nucleaire-wapenwedloop
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France and Italy recorded a 15% increase in arms sales among the 100 biggest arms companies, the biggest overall rise.
As for Russia, six companies were included with total sales of 17.8 billion dollars – a 0.4% increase from 2020.
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While communicate the Western arms industry is at the borders of its capabilities is cascading on the news consumer daily, very large military acquisition come in also regulary, like this one: US Army makes largest helicopter award in 40 years. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2022/12/05/us-army-makes-largest-helicopter-award-in-40-years/
#Estonia has signed a contract with the United States to purchase six M142 #HIMARS launchers, joining a rapidly expanding group of Eastern European allies who eye the weapons in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2022/12/05/estonia-buys-himars-as-eastern-allies-boost-artillery-arsenals/
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#Brunei is adding to its transport aircraft fleet, ordering an unspecified number of #Airbus #C295MW military transport aircraft. The contract was signed on Dec. 2 in Brunei between the Southeast Asian nation and Airbus. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/brunei-orders-multiple-airbus-c295-transports
December 5
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Since President Biden took over the office, Washington has identified Beijing as the most consequential challenge to the US. This rhetoric is working; many important Indo-Pacific countries have already doubled their arms buys & the biggest seller: the US.
https://pakobserver.net/arms-race-in-asia-pacific-by-prof-shazia-cheema-prague/
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Arms sales have grown for #China & South #Korea because of the war in #Ukraine & regional tensions. But there is a trend in Chinese military exports of "providing systematic solutions rather than individual weapons, which would be a comparative advantage". https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3201841/are-chinas-integrated-arms-systems-match-south-korean-rivals
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A train with military equipment for US troops went off the rails near a port in the city of Alexandroupolis in northern Greece, the Greek Communist Party's (KKE) news portal 902.gr reported. https://hellas.postsen.com/local/188259/Alexandroupoli-A-train-carrying-US-war-material-derailed.html
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In collaboration with South Korea, the Netherlands is organising a summit on Responsible Artificial Intelligence #AI in the #Military Domain: the REAIM Summit 2023.
Participating: UN, EU, NATO, Airbus, Thales, IBM, BAE Systems, PAX, TNO, SIPRI and more. https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2022/12/01/registration-open-for-reaim-summit-2023
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Activists staged a sit-in at the offices of #Thales in Sydney on Thursday, claiming the company's Bushmaster armoured vehicles were linked to war crimes in West #Papua. https://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/8003979/thales-in-protester-crosshairs-over-weapons-use/
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Accord sur l’avion de chasse européen du futur. https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2022/12/02/armement-dassault-et-airbus-confirment-leur-accord-sur-le-scaf-la-cooperation-franco-allemande-relancee_6152634_3234.html
Dassault und Airbus einigen sich über Bau eines neuen Kampfjets https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/airbus-und-dassault-einigen-sich-ueber-kampfjet-18506461.html
Dassault and Airbus reach agreement on FCAS
https://euro-sd.com/2022/12/news/28621/dassault-and-airbus-reach-agreement-on-fcas/
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The Indian Air Force is considering replacing its Antonov-32 planes with the #Airbus C-295s to modernise its transport fleet when the Soviet-origin workhorse comes up for retirement sometime after 2030, senior officials said on Friday. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/iaf-considers-replacing-an-32-with-c-295-to-modernise-fleet-101670008161968.html
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Japan plans to put off for now a tax hike intended to finance a plan to double the country’s military spending from 1% now to 2% of GDP in 2027, a government source said Sunday. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3202031/japan-postpones-tax-hike-meant-cover-higher-defence-spending
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De 100 grootste wapenbedrijven leverden in 2021 wapens en andere militaire diensten voor in totaal €561 miljard. Dat bedrag is 1,9% hoger dan in het jaar ervoor. Dat blijkt uit een nieuw rapport van het SIPRI. https://www.nu.nl/buitenland/6240224/internationale-wapenhandel-minder-hard-gegroeid-vanwege-coronapandemie.html
The arms sales of the SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies totalled $592 billion in 2021—an increase of 1.9 per cent in real terms compared with 2020. #ArmsIndustry
New SIPRI data on the Top 100 arms companies out now
December 4
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Pentagon unveils first strategic bomber in over 30 years. The #nuclear-capable B-21 Raider by #Northrop Grumman is a component in US’s effort to counter #China.
The previous one is notorious for its costs and failures.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/03/pentagon-new-strategic-bomber-counter-china
Arms race instead of arms control.
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Protest at ‘direct links’ between #Wales Anglesey airbase and #Yemen bombing campaign. https://nation.cymru/news/protest-at-direct-links-between-anglesey-airbase-and-yemen-bombing-campaign/
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Agathe Demarais, wrote last week in Foreign Policy: “Sanctions are almost never watertight — but any leakage will probably not be enough for Russia to replenish its missile stocks, especially if the war continues unabated in the coming months.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/dec/3/sanctions-war-demands-leave-battered-russian-defen/
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Gen. Onno #Eichelsheim, the Commander of Dutch military forces on the sidelines of the Halifax Security Forum last month about the challenge of reconciling his military’s plans to ramp up its own capabilities and readiness against the drive to arm Ukraine. https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/12/03/dutch-defense-chief-talks-ukraine-help-and-stocking-ammo-for-nato/
December 3
For the text in English just put 'https' in front of this url anfenglish.com/news/sweden-extradites-kurdish-asylum-seeker-to-turkey-64080 (twitter has problems with this website.)
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The Missile Technology Control Regime #MTCR is a cornerstone of the non-proliferation architecture. However, geopolitical & technical developments and operational challenges threaten the regime’s effectiveness and create a need for reform in several areas. https://www.sipri.org/publications/2022/other-publications/missile-technology-control-regime-crossroads-adapting-regime-current-and-future-challenges
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Krauss-Maffei Wegmann #KMW kondigt strategische intensivering met het in #Ulm gevestigde #Elbit Deutschland en Elbit Systems Land aan. Achtergrond is de modernisering en capaciteitsuitbreiding van het European Multiple Launch Rocket System #MLRS/#MARS II. https://www.dutchdefencepress.com/kmw-en-elbit
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For those who still hold the opinion #Qatar2022 is about football (soccer). It is just a little bit besies business, politics, sportwash and a gigantic military opportunity.
US forces monitor Mideast skies at Qatar base amid World Cup.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/12/02/us-forces-monitor-mideast-skies-at-qatar-base-amid-world-cup/
How one NATO member frustrates the operations of an other; Turkey versus the US, in favour of ISIS and against the Kurds. US military halts patrols against Islamic State in Syria. https://www.armytimes.com/flashpoints/2022/12/02/us-military-halts-patrols-against-islamic-state-in-syria/
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Royal Navy Awards Contract for Europe’s Largest Drone Submarine
The 12-meter (39-foot), 17-ton vessel will enhance the service’s capacity to protect critical infrastructure and monitor sub-sea activity, the navy stated. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/12/02/royal-navy-drone-submarine/
Does this somewhat erode the argumentation in the advertisement disguised as article by Naval Forces.
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/11/swedens-a-26-submarine-creates-new-possibilities-for-seabed-warfare/
Eagerly underlined by #Saab_Damen Lees hier welke en waarom seabed warfare juist nu zo belangrijk is. https://twitter.com/SAAB_DAMEN/status/1598210288888778753#wereldtijdschrift
December 2
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Navantia and Saudi Arabia sign an agreement for another 5 warships @CentreDelas reminded the Spanish Government that the sale of weapons to countries in armed conflict is illegal. Saudi Arabia leads the coalition in the war against Yemen (377,000 dead 2014-2021) https://www.navantia.es/es/actualidad/notas-prensa/arabia-saudi-firma-con-navantia-un-acuerdo-para-otros-cinco-buques-para-su-armada/
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And the winner is:
Raytheon wins $1.2 billion surface-to-air missile order for Ukraine. It takes 24 months lead time to produce and deliver NASAMS, though the Army and industry are looking for ways to shorten that timeline.
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2022/12/01/raytheon-wins-12-billion-surface-to-air-missile-order-for-ukraine/
And the other winner:
#Lockheed Martin has won a $431 million contract from the US Army to produce M142 #HIMARS launchers at full rate with the aim of rapidly replenishing the stocks of the U.S. and its allies and partners who sent arms to #Ukraine. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2022/12/02/lockheed-gets-himars-contract-to-replenish-stock-sent-to-ukraine/
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For drones to operate in contested airspace, autonomy is key. UAVs capable of operating independently from human control will still, however, require the ability to talk to each other within a swarm while being jammed. https://breakingdefense.com/2022/12/for-uas-to-operate-autonomously-in-contested-airspace-remove-the-human-in-the-loop/
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Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, will partner with the European Space Agency to develop new artificial intelligence-powered space-based systems for Earth Observation. A a joint team will be established to oversee research. https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/THALES-4715/news/Thales-Leonardo-JV-To-Co-develop-AI-based-Space-Technologies-For-Earth-Observation-42447617/
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Missile defenc: Every next-gen US Navy ship will defend against ballistic missiles and other threats with the same radar — the SPY-6. https://breakingdefense.com/2022/11/every-next-gen-navy-ship-will-defend-against-ballistic-missiles-and-other-threats-with-the-same-radar-the-spy-6/
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Raanan Horowitz, the president and CEO of Elbit Systems of America gives advise how to speed up military production in and for the United States. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/opinion-how-expand-capacity-us-defense-industrial-base
December 1
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Biden should stop providing weapons to new Israeli gov't -ex-US ambassador
Ex-diplomat Daniel Kurtzer and negotiator Aaron David Miller call on the US to limit interaction with Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-723701
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The armies of the NATO countries are supposed to keep ammunition for 30 days of fighting. Germany probably has a maximum of two days. Exact numbers on the ammunition stocks of the Bundeswehr are secret. https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/bundeswehr-munitionsmangel-103.html
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Huh?
A substantial number of arms from Libya still finds its way to the Lake Chad Region & other parts of the #Sahel. "Weapons being used for the war in #Ukraine and Russia are equally beginning to filter to the region," said #Nigerian president #Buhari. https://saharareporters.com/2022/11/30/weapons-russia-ukraine-war-now-slipping-africa-used-terrorists-buhari
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#Colombian Navy buys #Damen frigate, ocean patrol ship and a logistics support ship. Cost $ 440 million. Vice Admiral Francisco Hernando Cubides Granados said the new ships will protect Colombia's interests on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. https://www.onalert.gr/eksoplismoi/sigma-10514-proso-olotachos-gia-tin-kataskeyi-tis-protis-neas-fegatas-gia-tin-kolomvia/491656/