Pentagon

Still assessing exactly what intel China got from spy balloon: Pentagon

The United States has said it is still doing an assessment of what exactly intelligence information China was able to gather from its spy balloon that flew over sensitive American military sites in February. The comments from the Pentagon came after a media report said the Chinese spy balloon gathered information about some of the US military sites through electronic signals. As of right now, we're still doing an assessment of what exactly the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value for what they've been able to collect from satellites before, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. The balloon had entered the United States from Alaska on January 28 and crossed through several States over various sensitive military sites, including Montana where the US stores some of its nuclear assets, before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina

Suspected Iranian drone strike kills US contractor in Syria: Pentagon

A US contractor was killed and five US service members and one other US contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said US Central Command forces retaliated with precision airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The Defence Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin. The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria" by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Austin said. Overnight, videos on social media purported to show explosions in Syria's Deir Ez-Zor, a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which also has

China defence budget raised by 7.2%, 3 times India's, one-third of America

Actual defence spending during the year will rise to $225 billion, a single-digit budget increase for the eighth consecutive year

No evidence of fraud so far in weapons to Ukraine, says Pentagon IG

The Pentagon's inspector general said on Tuesday that to date his office has found no evidence that some of the billions of dollars in weapons and aid to Ukraine has been lost to corruption or diverted into the wrong hands, but cautioned that those investigations are only in their early stages. Keeping military aid to Ukraine protected from waste or fraud has become a critical part of keeping continued support for Ukraine intact in Congress, where some lawmakers have already begun to question why the US is spending so much to help Kyiv. Robert P. Storch was pressed by Congress members several times about any fraud findings. He said that a number of tips and allegations have come in to a new hotline, but that there have been limited findings to date, with many reports pending. Storch, who was testifying with other Pentagon leaders before the House Armed Services Committee, repeatedly said he did not want to talk about investigations that have not yet been completed. Rep. Mike Rogers

Looking forward to continue to foster ties with Indian military: Pentagon

The United States is looking forward to continue to develop and foster its relationship with the Indian military, the Pentagon has said. The US and India enjoy a good partnership. We look forward to continuing to develop and foster our relationship with the Indian military, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig Gen Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here on Friday. In 1997, defence trade between India and the US was almost negligible, today it stands above USD 20 billion. Last month during a press conference, Ryder said that India is a "great example" of countries who are choosing security assistance from the US, underlining that it was ready for any response to wean them away from Russia. India has faced flak from US lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, for choosing to abstain from a UN vote to rebuke Russia's invasion of Ukraine. US officials have expressed concern over India's purchase of the S-400 missile systems by Russia. In October 2018, India signed a U

Investing in defence ties with India for balance in Indo-Pacific: Pentagon

The US is making investments in defence ties with India to uphold a favourable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Thursday indicating that strengthening ties with New Delhi is one of the key factors to address the pacing challenge from China. "Earlier this month, the US Government launched the inaugural technology initiative with India, including in-depth discussions about opportunities for co-production of major defence platforms," Ely Ratner, the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing on China. "We are making significant investments in our defence ties with India to uphold a favourable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region," he said. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the US has invested in the Quad partnership with India, Australia, and Japan. "We are aligning with like-minded partners around the world to strength

Want to be India's 'premier partner' in its extraordinary growth story: US

The US wants to be not only India's security partner of the first resort but also its premier partner in its extraordinary growth story, the Pentagon has said. These remarks were made by Pentagon Press Secretary Brig Gen Patrick Ryder on Wednesday while responding to a question on the recently launched India-US initiative on critical emerging technologies, which has a significant defence component in it. The high level of participation from across the US government, US industry, and our universities is unprecedented, and sends a strong signal that the United States wants not only to be India's security partner of first resort but to be the premier partner in India's extraordinary growth story, Ryder said. The Department of Defence is excited to work with other US agencies and partners as part of the White House-led United StatesIndia Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), he said. We look forward to sharing more information on our defence cooperation with India a

China conducted spy balloon programme for several years: Pentagon

The Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a large surveillance programme that China has been conducting for "several years", the Pentagon said Wednesday. When similar balloons passed over US territory on four occasions during the Trump and Biden administrations, the US did not immediately identify them as Chinese surveillance balloons, said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. But he said "subsequent intelligence analysis" allowed the US to confirm they were part of a Chinese spying effort and learn "a lot more" about the programme. He refused to provide any new details about those previous balloons. When pressed, Ryder would only say that the balloons flew over "sites that would be of interest to the Chinese". One of the possible incidents was last February. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, the adjutant general in Hawaii, tweeted about a balloon over Kauai a year ago. He said US Indo-Pacific Command "detected a high-altitude object floating in t

Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over Western US airspace: Pentagon

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over US airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has very high confidence it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The Pentagon announcement comes days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China. It's not clear if this will affect his travel plans, which the State Department has not formally announced.

'India a great example of countries choosing security assistance from US'

In 1997, defence trade between India and the US was almost negligible, today it stands above $20 billion

Pentagon reiterates importance of India-US defence, security relationship

India has been designated as a major defence partner of the United States

US faces pivotal years in countering China, says Pentagon chief Austin

The US is at a pivotal point with China and will need military strength to ensure that American values, not Beijing's, set global norms in the 21st century, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday. Austin's speech at the Reagan National Defence Forum capped a week in which the Pentagon was squarely focused on China's rise and what that might mean for America's position in the world. On Monday it released an annual China security report that warned Beijing would likely have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, with no clarity on how China would seek to use them. On Friday in a dramatic nighttime rollout, Austin was on hand as the public got its first glimpse of the military's newest, highly classified nuclear stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, which is being designed to best the quickly growing cyber, space and nuclear capabilities of Beijing. China is the only country with both the will and, increasingly, the power to reshape its region and the international order to suit its ...

SpaceX withdrew request for Pentagon to fund Starlink in Ukraine: Musk

Tech billionaire Elon Musk announced that SpaceX has withdrawn its funding request to the Pentagon to begin footing the cost for satellite internet services Starlink for Ukraine

US Defence Secretary to host Pakistan Army chief for talks at Pentagon

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday will host Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Pentagon for talks amidst signs of enhanced military engagement between the two countries. Last week, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was in the town meeting top officials of the Biden Administration, including Secretary of State Tony Blinken. Bajwa will be accorded an "enhanced honour cordon" at the riverside entrance of the Pentagon by Austin following which the two will be holding a meeting on bilateral and regional issues. America's engagement with Pakistan, in particular with its military, has increased in recent months. Last month, the US announced a USD450 million F-16 fighter jet sustenance package for Pakistan.

US has flown 10 missions into flood-hit Pakistan with aid, says Pentagon

The US has so far flown 10 missions into Pakistan, with C-17 and C-130 aircrafts to deliver over one million pounds of critical humanitarian supplies and equipment to Pakistani people affected by flooding from deadly monsoon rains, the Pentagon has said. The Department of Defence (DOD) is in support of the US Agency for International Development's efforts to provide assistance to Pakistan in the wake of massive flooding and the humanitarian assistance crisis there. The current floods triggered by monsoon rains in Pakistan have so far killed nearly 1,400 people and injured another 12,728, while damaging 6,674 km of road and destroying over 1.7 million houses. "Our condolences certainly go out to those who've been impacted by this terrible natural disaster, Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday. To date, the DOD has supported the US government's USAID-led response by providing critical airlift and staging support. US Air Force C-17 and C-1

Indian defence attache now has unescorted access to Pentagon: US Air Force

Indian defence attache now has unescorted access to the Pentagon, a top US Defense Department official has said

Osprey aircraft crashes in California, says Pentagon; 4 feared dead: Report

A V-22 Osprey aircraft, with no nuclear material on board, crashed in southern California on Wednesday, a Marine Corps spokesperson told Sputnik.The spokesperson added that he could not confirm any casualties as a result of the crash, however, as per local media, at least four people on board the Marine Corps aircraft are dead."I can confirm there was a V-22 (Osprey) crash in Glamis, California. There was no nuclear material on board. We don't have any additional information," the spokesperson said on Wednesday.An aircraft belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based out of San Diego, California crashed about 30 miles north of the Mexican border, near Highway 78 and the town of Glamis, Naval Air Facility El Centro confirmed on its Facebook page, Sputnik reported, citing sources.The responder's radio calls from the scene indicated there may have been nuclear materials on board the helicopter, Sputnik added to which the Marine Corps later responded and debunked the speculations, ...

Pentagon's Kirby to lead Biden's national security communications team

President Joe Biden on Friday named Pentagon press secretary John Kirby to be the new National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications. Kirby "will coordinate interagency efforts to explain United States policy and will serve as a senior administration voice on related matters," the White House said in a statement. Biden said, "John understands the complexities of US foreign and defense policy, and he will ably represent the Administration on important national security issues. While accepting the White House job, Kirby thanked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "for his tremendous support and leadership these last 18 months." Kirby said Austin "has been more than just my boss; he's been a mentor and a confidante, and he has helped make me a better communicator." Austin said Kirby "will be a terrific addition to a strong team over there, and his long experience in defense and foreign policy perfectly suits him for work with the National Security Council staff." Kirby

India plans to use S-400 missile system to defend against Pak, China: US

By June 2022, India intends to deploy the S-400 missile defence system that it has received from Russia to defend itself against threat from Pakistan and China, a Pentagon spy master said

Pentagon, US companies involved in Ukraine military biolabs: Russia

The head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin has said that his team is making progress in a criminal probe into Ukraine's alleged Pentagon-funded bioweapons programme.