WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US efforts to provide Ukraine with some $17.6 billion worth of military equipment so far is stressing the American defense industry's ability to replenish stockpiles, former Pentagon official Wesley Hallman told Sputnik.
"I was talking to somebody that works at a company that produces some of those munitions that we're depleting because we're giving a lot of it to Ukraine right now, and I said, 'How long is it going to take you to get your line up and running,' they said it's gonna be about two years," Hallman said. "When I interacted with that executive a couple of weeks ago, that guy was telling me it was gonna take two years, two years until they could get to the rate of production where they could start truly replenishing at the rates needed. That's a long time."
Hallman, a 27-year Air Force veteran, served in the Pentagon for the Joint Chief of Staff's strategic plans and policy directorate and as the Chief Air Force Liaison to the House of Representatives where he worked with lawmakers on national security matters.
The Biden administration's decision to provide Ukraine with some $17.6 billion worth of US military assistance is most definitely straining the US stockpile, Hallman said.....More Below:
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
