Tag: North America
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Event date: September 2026 exercise; reported 5 October 2026 At the Falcon Peak exercise in Arizona, U.S. Army personnel observed demonstrations of radars, interceptor drones and autonomous gun systems designed to detect, track and defeat small unmanned aircraft. Army officials said cartels use commercially available drones for surveillance connected to smuggling and human trafficking. A…
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Event date: 6 October 2026 Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said Vilnius is prepared to cover the costs of a permanent U.S. military base if Washington agrees to establish one. President Donald Trump said he would consider Lithuania’s request. No basing decision has been announced. The proposal signals Vilnius’s interest in deepening U.S. presence and…
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Event date: 4–5 October 2026 (visit and opening period; the exact ceremony date is not specified). Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is visiting Arizona for the opening of a de facto consulate in Phoenix. The office is intended to deepen economic and trade ties with the United States, which has no formal diplomatic relations with…
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Event date: 28 September 2026 (memorandum); published 2 October 2026 U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a 28 September memorandum, made public on 2 October, directing faster integration of counter-drone capabilities across military installations, critical infrastructure and other domestic assets. DefenseScoop reports that the five-page directive targets procedural bottlenecks, including spectrum and frequency approvals and…
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Event date: 2 October 2026 Reuters reports that three senior Iranian officials and another source familiar with the discussions say commanders are reviewing plans to widen any response if the United States resumes large-scale military attacks. Reported options could expand beyond U.S.-linked assets to states supporting U.S. operations and possibly locations outside the Middle East.…
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A China-linked cyber group tracked as TA419 has targeted AI-policy and technology experts in the United States and Japan in an apparent intelligence-collection campaign focused on policy, export controls and strategic decision-making.
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Current and former US officials told Reuters that Washington increasingly assesses a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 as unlikely, while continuing to treat 2027 as a PLA readiness benchmark rather than a fixed invasion deadline.
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The US Department of Defense has announced plans for a new four-star command focused on autonomous and robotic warfare. The initiative is intended to accelerate the fielding of unmanned systems and reflects lessons drawn from recent conflicts, particularly the need for faster adaptation, larger inventories and lower-cost massed capabilities.
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Event date: 30 September 2026 Qatar continues shuttle diplomacy between Iran and the United States, but Washington has rejected reports that sanctions relief is currently being offered in return for Iranian nuclear concessions. Tehran and Washington therefore remain without a negotiated off-ramp while uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz continues to sustain regional strategic risk.…
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British counterterrorism investigators are examining whether five men arrested near RAF Fairford may have acted knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state. The suspects remain under investigation. British authorities have made no attribution to Iran, and Tehran has denied involvement. RAF Fairford remains operationally significant because it hosts US heavy bombers and has…