MUNICH — The world’s security elite are gathering in Munich this week, linking their mobile phones to Chinese telecom equipment dotting the venue. Heads of state, security chiefs, spooks and intelligence officials head to Germany on Friday for their blue-ribbon annual gathering, the Munich Security Conference. The event’s VIP list includes US Vice President Kamala … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voice by artificial intelligence. Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger President of the Munich Security Conference Foundation. At the height of the Cold War in 1977, then-German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt gave a now-famous speech at the London Institute for Strategic Studies, in which he stated that new Soviet medium-range missile deployments, … Read more
The Pentagon’s stockpile assessment is informed in part by how many weapons and ammunition planners think they might need to confront the enemy. These plans have not been significantly revised since the war in Ukraine began, and the accounts for what US reserves might need to face a weakened Russia, or the fact that Ukraine … Read more
The US shot down at least three unidentified flying objects over the weekend. We’re still waiting to find out what the deal is, but this focus on slow-moving objects in US skies was kicked off by a Chinese spy balloon that the US shot down earlier this month. Tensions between the United States and China … Read more
BRUSSELS – The governor of China’s Xinjiang region has canceled his controversial trip to Paris and Brussels, three people with knowledge of his plans told POLITICO. The cancellation of Erkin Tuniyaz’s visit sparked widespread concern among lawmakers and activists that Europe would roll out the red carpet for the man in charge of Chinese territory … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voice by artificial intelligence. BRUSSELS – As Ukraine’s partners race to send more weapons to Kiev amid a looming Russian offensive, meeting Ukraine’s requests is becoming more complicated. Ukraine is still waiting for the promised delivery of modern tanks. Combat jets, though much talked about, are plagued by … Read more
The US military shot down an unidentified flying object over Lake Huron on Sunday, the fourth target by American forces in about a week. Defense officials on Sunday night declined to identify what the three objects shot down over the weekend might be, raising questions about the objects’ potential threat and why there is a … Read more
Italy’s right-wing coalition won big in key regional elections in Lombardy and Lazio — while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s position strengthened compared to her ruling partners. Italy’s Meloni Brothers topped Lombardy with nearly 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, surpassing its right-wing partner League, which won 16 percent in its northern stronghold, … Read more
A “major incident” last fall, and “another one or two” caught commanders’ attention in previous years, Grinkwich said. He declined to provide many details of the incident, citing classification concerns. During one incident, the balloon was initially above the water and officials did not get close enough to identify whether it was a surveillance asset … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voice by artificial intelligence. The New York Times is taking the European Commission to court over its failure to release text messages between executive agency President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Borla. The newspaper will face off against EU lawyers in the bloc’s highest court, … Read more