Senior US officials say they are in talks with a “variety” of countries about possibly adding them to the second phase of the Indo-Pacific AUKUS security pact, amid escalating tensions between world powers.
White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said the new allies and partners can take part in different areas, according to a report by ABC Australia on Tuesday.
Campbell did not name the countries but said there were a “variety” of nations interested.
“That might be in hypersonics, that could be in cybersecurity, it could be in anti-submarine warfare,” he told an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.
AUKUS is a trilateral security pact announced in September 2021 between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States aimed at countering Russia and China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Under pillar one of the deal, the US and the UK will assist Australia to obtain nuclear-powered submarines.......more below
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/27/706013/AUKUS-opens-door-to-allies-to-expand-second-phase
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
