Bloomberg
Washington intends to develop its ability to disable other states’ satellites via ground-based jammers
Washington is close to boosting its offensive counterspace capability with new ground-based jammers designed to temporarily disable satellites deployed by Moscow and Beijing, Bloomberg wrote on Friday, citing sources in the US Space Force (USSF).
Having already tested the new systems earlier this year, the US will deploy 11 of 24 Remote Modular Terminal jammers in the coming months, the USSF told the newspaper. All are expected to be in place by the end of the year. The jammers aren’t meant to protect US satellites from jamming; rather, they aim to “counter adversary satellite communications capabilities,” the USSF has said.
The Space Force had previously described the terminals as “small, transportable, and low-cost satellite communications jammers,” designed “using commercial off-the-shelf components.”
The jammers will augment other electronic warfare systems such as the already deployed and much larger Counter Communications System and the medium-sized Meadowlands system by offering a more “proliferated, remotely controlled, and relatively relocatable capability,” according to the USSF. They noted the Meadowlands system has encountered development issues, delaying its rollout until at least October, two years later than planned.
READ MORE: US Congress concerned Russia could be sharing insights on arms with China
These systems will not be “defensive weapons” but are intended to “attack rival capabilities,” said Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation. She classified it as an “offensive counterspace capability,” claiming that the system will be “reversible, temporary, non-escalatory, and allow for plausible deniability in terms of who the instigator is.”.....more below
https://www.rt.com/news/601374-us-jamming-chinese-russian-satellites/
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 ...
