Slitherine

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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump killed the Trans-Pacific Partnership just two days ago, but this morning, multiple experts and one four-star general agreed that America’s Pacific alliances — except perhaps the Philippines — would survive and even thrive. A few hours later, aptly enough, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary James Mattis, the new administration’s most outspoken proponent of strong alliances, will visit Seoul and Tokyo next week in his first foreign trip.

But it’s not just longstanding allies like Japan, South Korea, and Australia that want the US to reach out. Across the Pacific, more nations than ever before are asking to hold joint exercises with the US military. Why? Because as unsettled as Asian leaders are by Trump’s “America First” rhetoric and his demands that allies spend more on their own defense, they’re even more unsettled by a rising, militarizing China and a consistently erratic North Korea. In brief: Threats trump Trump.

-More at link-

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It’s good to be back and I’m grateful to serve alongside you as Secretary of Defense.

Together with the Intelligence Community we are the sentinels and guardians of our nation. We need only look to you, the uniformed and civilian members of the Department and your families, to see the fundamental unity of our country. You represent an America committed to the common good; an America that is never complacent about defending its freedoms; and an America that remains a steady beacon of hope for all mankind.

Every action we take will be designed to ensure our military is ready to fight today and in the future. Recognizing that no nation is secure without friends, we will work with the State Department to strengthen our alliances. Further, we are devoted to gaining full value from every taxpayer dollar spent on defense, thereby earning the trust of Congress and the American people.

I am confident you will do your part. I pledge to you I’ll do my best as your Secretary.

Kids think about Iran and Amateurs think about Russia, but professionals think about China

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ORIGINAL: Zaslon

No 10 covered up Trident missile fiasco
A serious malfunction in Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons deterrent was covered up by Downing Street just weeks before the crucial House of Commons vote on the future of the missile system.


Theresa May Is Grilled Over U.K. Missile Test Failure
“It’s a pretty catastrophic error when a missile goes in the wrong direction, and while it wasn’t armed, goodness knows what the consequences of that could have been,” Mr. Corbyn said on Sunday.

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A British military source said: “It was the Obama administration that asked the Cameron administration not to comment on this. The US administration may have been worried that there could be similar problems on other missiles. The British submarine successfully carried and launched the missile; the bit that went wrong was the US proprietary technology.”

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CHINA'S NEW MICROWAVE WEAPON CAN DISABLE MISSILES AND PARALYZE TANKS
AN ELECTRONICS-KILLING RAY HAS A VARIETY OF USES IN WAR.

For over 6 years, Huang Wenhua and his team at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology in Xi'an have been working on a potent microwave weapon. This one, which recently won China's National Science and Technology Progress Award, is small enough to fit on a lab work bench, making it theoretically portable enough for land vehicles and aircraft.

Said another way: it's small enough to be convenient, but powerful enough to totally down enemy electronics. A microwave weapon like this could even be fitted to a missile (like the U.S. CHAMP electronic warfare missile) or drone.
Generally, microwave weapons shut down electronic systems (even those with traditional shielding against EMP) by bombarding the target with energy pulses between 300 and 300,000 megahertz. This amount of directed energy interferes with and overloads electronic circuits, causing them to shut down. The higher the energy produced by the system, the greater the disruption (and even physical damage for some very high-powered microwave weapons) of the targeted electronic systems like engines and communications systems.

China can find a wide variety of uses for an electronics killing ray. Defensively, microwave weapons could be part of electronic warfare booby traps, ambushing and disabling enemy vehicles and robots. At close ranges, it can be mounted on vehicles, warships, and even aircraft, to disable and distract missiles, small UAVs and even the personal and vehicular electronics of hostile forces.
But the real combat potential of the microwave weapon comes in offense. Carried in by a stealthy drone or cruise missile, it would be able to disable sophisticated enemy defenses like SAM and anti-ship missile batteries; fry enemy radars, communications, and control systems; paralyze tank battalions; and even neutralize other EW platforms.

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China may be developing new long-range air-to-air missile

China may be testing a new, long-range air-to-air missile that could take out early warning aircraft and aerial refueling aircraft, a state-run newspaper said on Thursday, after pictures of the new missile surfaced online.

President Xi Jinping is overseeing an ambitious military modernization program that includes stealth jets and aircraft carriers. The country has also tested anti-satellite missiles.

The official China Daily said the People's Liberation Army had recently posted pictures online of a J-11B fighter carrying a large, unidentified missile during drills last year.

Air force researcher Fu Qianshao told the newspaper he believed the missile was designed to hit distant high-value targets, such as early warning aircraft, normally outside actual combat zones.

That represents an improved capability over existing Chinese missiles, which have ranges of less than 100 km (62 miles).

"The best solution to this problem I can figure out is to send a super-manoeuvrable fighter jet with very long-range missiles to destroy those high-value targets, which are the 'eyes' of enemy jets," Fu said.

"So the successful development of this potential new missile would be a major breakthrough."

The missile may even have an actual range of 400 km (249 miles), exceeding those used by Western air forces, and dive down on targets from the stratosphere, he added.

The air force has yet to formally comment on the new missile.

Chinese state media periodically report on new weapons before there is official confirmation of their existence.

The military modernization comes as China has rattled nerves around the region with increasingly assertive moves to bolster its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea and over Taiwan, which it regards as a breakaway province.

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, recently sailed around the self-ruled island in what China called a routine drill, but which prompted Taiwan to scramble fighter jets and navy ships.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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The advanced Mikoyan MiG-35 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-F) multirole fighter has started its flight trials, according to United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) President Yuri Slyusar. "The flight tests of the MiG-35 advanced fighter have begun," he told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a session of the Military Industrial Commission (MIC).

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ORIGINAL: Dysta

Chinese scientists successfully composed a stable Pentazole (HN5) with hydrated ammonium chloride salt. It's a very potent combustion chemical agent able to develop into propellant or even a bomb with 10-100x yield of TNT. Many Chinese military articles and forums are mentioning its potential use as a new MOAB or "Clean Nuke" without the 'consequence' of nuclear holocaust. The report has been submitted to Sciencemag.org:

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6323/374
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentazole (About)
http://3g.china.com/act/military/11132797/20170128/30216721.html (Simplified Chinese)
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/galway-discovery-ahead-of-the-world-1.718468 (Previous attempt by Irish scientist at 2009, still no fruition so far)

Hypothetical example:
https://youtu.be/QTXQ7BovAr8 (At 3:00, the detonation of 'secret bomb' without radiation aftermatch)

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ORIGINAL: kevinkin

Initial Reports from Yemen:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/world/middleeast/american-commando-killed-in-yemen-in-trumps-first-counterterror-operation.html?_r=0

Apparently the goal was "a headquarters for Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen that counterterrorism officials had deemed valuable enough to warrant a ground operation rather than an airstrike, a senior American official said."

I would imagine more details will emerge given the loss of life and the destroyed Osprey.

Kevin

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ORIGINAL: Hongjian

Heh, the mythical "N2" (Non Nuclear) bomb could become reality.

http://www.guancha.cn/military-affairs/2017_01_28_391688.shtml

I think as propellant it would have the biggest impact. Would extend the range and velocities of missiles and rockets considerably.
And also as shaped charge warheads. But you gotta need some really darn good liners for that. Maybe even uranium-liner. But if you have those, it wouldnt be impossible to have an RPG-sized warhead penetrating the frontal armor of a modern tank.

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A Royal Saudi Navy Al Madinah-class Frigate has come under attack by Houthi militia yesterday while patrolling off the Western coast of Yemen in the Red Sea. The Houthis released an edited and low quality video of the attack as well as a statement mentionning a missile attack, but the Saudi-led coalition forces confirmed in a statement that the Frigate was attacked by three suicide boats.

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China Tests Missile With 10 Warheads

Multi-warhead weapon tested amid growing tensions with the United States

China flight tested a new variant of a long-range missile with 10 warheads in what defense officials say represents a dramatic shift in Beijing's strategic nuclear posture.

The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out earlier this month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs. The test of the inert warheads was monitored closely by U.S. intelligence agencies, said two officials familiar with reports of the missile test.

The missile was fired from the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in central China and flew to an impact range in the western Chinese desert.

No other details about the test could be learned. Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Gary Ross suggested in a statement the test was monitored.

"The [Defense Department] routinely monitors Chinese military developments and accounts for PLA capabilities in our defense plans," Ross told the Washington Free Beacon.

The test of a missile with 10 warheads is significant because it indicates the secretive Chinese military is increasing the number of warheads in its arsenal.

Estimates of China's nuclear arsenal for decades put the number of strategic warheads at the relatively low level of around 250 warheads.

U.S. intelligence agencies in February reported that China had begun adding warheads to older DF-5 missiles, in a move that has raised concerns for strategic war planners.

Uploading Chinese missiles from single or triple warhead configurations to up to 10 warheads means the number of warheads stockpiled is orders of magnitude larger than the 250 estimate.

Currently, U.S. nuclear forces—land-based and sea-based nuclear missiles and bombers—have been configured to deter Russia's growing nuclear forces and the smaller Chinese nuclear force.

Under the 2010 U.S.-Russian arms treaty, the United States is slated to reduce its nuclear arsenal to 1,550 deployed warheads.

A boost in the Chinese nuclear arsenal to 800 or 1,000 warheads likely would prompt the Pentagon to increase the U.S. nuclear warhead arsenal by taking weapons out of storage.

The new commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Gen. John Hyten, stated during a Senate confirmation hearing in September that he is concerned about China's growing nuclear arsenal.