MILNEWS.ca Highlights – 231845EDT/232245UTC May 2017

A quick note:  can’t do much curating Wednesday morning, so offering you up a bit of the latest from tonight in lieu — sharing stuff again Thursday morning.

#ManchesterBombing

• SITE Intel Group on Twitter: “#ISIS releases English-language version of claim for #Manchester bombing https://t.co/j8n6lHt1eQ”  – “ISIS Claims Responsibility For Ariana Grande Concert Attack In Manchester”
• “Everything we know about the Manchester attack suspect so far”
• “The Manchester Attack Shows How Terrorists Learn” (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
• “UN chief, Security Council strongly condemn terrorist attack on Manchester concert”
• More on Manchester attack via Google News

#CANvsISIL

• From Kurdish Media:  “Canadian YPG fighter Ararat bid farewell” – Pix via Facebook
• DND’s latest on Operation IMPACT

Everyone Else Vs. ISIL

• “Attacks Increase As ISIS Loses Territory In Iraq And Syria”
• “Kurdish independence in Iraq likely “not if but when”-U.S. general”
• “Islamic State-loyal forces battle Filipino troops inside provincial capital”
• “Do traces of KGB, FSB and GRU lead to Islamic State?” (Marius Laurinavicius, Vilnius U, via Academia.edu)

#Syria

• “Russia in Syria Monitor, May 16-23, 2017” (Harvard Kennedy School)
• “Full map of Syrian Conflict after government’s large advance near Jordanian border”
• “Samples from alleged chemical attacks in Syria reveal evidence of sulfur mustard, sarin – UN official” (UN Info-machine)
• “Evidence of ‘Sulfur Mustard’, Exposure to Sarin, Found in Samples from Alleged Syria Chemical Attacks, Disarmament Affairs Chief Tells Security Council” (UN Security Council, via reliefweb.int)
• “Status update of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria regarding a reported incident in Khan Shaykhun, 4 April 2017 (S/2017/440)” (UN Security Council)
• “UN seeks security for Syria gas attacks investigators”

Cold War 2.0:  Russia/Baltics/Eastern Europe

• “Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Rybakov meets Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary for Development” (BLR MFA info-machine)
• “Concern Over Russian-Belarus Military Exercise Zapal 2017 Makes No Sense” (OpEd, Eurasia Review)
• “Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 Hornets to participate in Nato air policing mission over Iceland”
• “NATO’s Image Improves on Both Sides of Atlantic” (Pew Research Center)
• “L’armée française s’exerce en Estonie pour contrer la menace russe”
• Hmmm … “Russia refusing to send some rail freight to Latvia – sources — Russia’s state-owned railway monopoly is refusing most requests to take cargo from Russia to ports in Latvia, industry executives said, a serious blow to the Baltic state which depends on the transit trade …” –  “Russian Navy ships, submarine spotted near Latvian border”
• “Engineers of the Baltic Fleet left permanent locations for the Vladimir region to participate in the Open Water competitions” (RUS MoD)
• “The Baltic Fleet gathered commanding officers of warships and ship departments” (RUS MoD)
• “State trials of new missiles for S-350 Vityaz air defense systems to be over soon” – “Russia launches major upgrade of air defence system”
• “Russia To Adopt Brand New Kalashnikov Assault Rifle By End Of 2017”
• “Is Such a Ship Needed?” (Russian Defense Policy)
• “The GRU: Putin’s No-Longer-So-Secret Weapon”
• “Discord In Moscow’s Disinformation Machine” (To Inform is to Influence)

#Ukraine

• “I Get By with a Little Help from my Friends …”  “Trump’s 2018 Budget Requests $150 Million for Ukraine Security Assistance” – “End to military subsidies sure sign US interest towards Ukraine dwindles — (RUS) legislator” (TASS)
• Updates from All Sides  “Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 22 May 2017” – “Ukraine Conflict Monitor, May 16-23, 2017” (Harvard Kennedy School) – “Ukrainian forces launch over 1,100 shells onto DPR over past 24 hours” – “Lugansk Defense Video Report, 05/23/2017” – “Donetsk Defense TV News Report, 05/23/2017”
• He Says, She Says … “Donbas: 122 mm missiles hit Avdiivka” – “Ukrainian army engages fire on Avdeyevka, DPR rejects accusations”
• “Oh, Those Russians …” “Ukrainian tour of a Russian quartet from 74th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade” (InformNapalm.org) – “Russia’s FSB Spetsnaz Set to Hold Large-Scale Anti-Terrorism Drills in Crimea” – “A separate brigade of the Black Sea Fleet’s Marine is fully rearmed with the new BTR-82A” (RUS MoD) – “Missile units of the Baltic Fleet eliminated a ship detachment of the conditional enemy in course of exercise” – “Black Sea Fleet practiced rescuing a crew of conditionally distressed submarine”
• “Ukraine offers modern air defence systems and unmanned aerial vehicles to Philippines”
• “Trilateral Contact Group initiates creation of subgroup concerning border”
• From the Info-fight  “Ukrainian radio to be soon aired all over occupied Donbas” – “NATO considers ban on Russian social networks a question of security for Ukraine” – “Ukrainian politician warns imposing TV language quotas may deepen rift in society” – “Over 20,000 Ukrainians sign petition to lift ban on Russian social network VK” – “Ukrainian politician: Reduction in social network usage among Ukrainians will complicate the work of Russian special services”

Cold War 2.0:  The Koreas

• “South Korea fires at suspected North Korea drone at border amid missile crisis” – “South Korea fires at North ‘object’ “ – “South Korea fires 90 warning shots after object flies across border” – “South Korea’s military scrambles after unidentified object detected in airspace, renewing North Korean concerns” – “South Korea’s military ‘fires warning shots’ at unidentified object flying towards them from North Korea”
• “North Korea Missile Test Seen as Step to Put U.S. in Range”

Cold War 2.0:  China & Environs

• China on Monday confirmed that six Japanese citizens are being investigated for alleged illegal activities, which experts said shows China’s commitment to cracking down on activities that threaten national security …”
• “Su-30 fighter jet of Indian Air Force goes missing near border with China”
• “China reveals 1st air-cooled radar for fighter jets”

Mo’ Peacekeeping Coming?

• “Defence Minister to hold media availability at UN Headquarters in New York, N.Y. (Wednesday) — Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan, alongside the UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the UN Under-Secretary General for Field Support Atul Khare, will make an announcement regarding the 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial …”
  

Canada Into Africa?

• “Two UN ‘blue helmets’ killed in attack in northern Mali” (UN Info-machine)

#CAN-#USA Stuff

• “DIA Director Testifies on Top Five Global Military Threats — North Korea, Russia, China, Iran and extremist organizations are the top five military threats facing the nation, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency said … this morning …”

Way Up North

• From the RUS MoD Info-machine  “Commander of the Southern MD troops summed up results of winter training period activity of troops and forces” – “Ships of the Northern Fleet carried out a complex of training tasks in the Barents Sea”

What’s Canada Buying?

• “Lockheed Martin Canada Wins Chilean Navy Contract”
• “For Some Eyes Only — A peek inside CANSEC, Canada’s biggest military tradeshow”
• “Military UAV insights from US, Canada and German Armed Forces”

Sexual Assault/Harassment in the CF

• “Ex-Petty Officer James Wilks to be sentenced Wednesday for sex assault”

Other

• “Canadian military trains to win the social media war as part of Exercise Maple Resolve”
• “Abandon the 2 Percent Obsession: A New Rating for Pulling Your Weight in NATO”

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