Sweden formally joins NATO military alliance, ending centuries of neutrality

A JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft takes off from Lulea-Kallax Airport, Sweden on March 4, 2024 during the NATO Nordic Response 24 military exercise, a Norwegian national exercise carried out in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland with associated airspace and waters. Anders Wiklund | AFP | Getty Images Sweden officially joined NATO as its … Read more

ICC seeks arrest of Russian military leaders for alleged war crimes in Ukraine

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for two Russian military leaders in connection to alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The court said in a statement that it had issued warrants for Lt. Gen. Sergei Ivanovich Kobylash and Adm. Viktor Kinolayevich Sokolov. At the time of the alleged crimes, Kobylash was the commander … Read more

China ups military spending by 7.2%, vows to deter Taiwan ‘separatist activities’

Missiles on the background of the Chinese flag Anton Petrus | Moment | Getty Images China is set to increase its defense spending by 7.2% to 1.67 trillion yuan in 2024, according to a budget report released by the Ministry of Finance, as part of the country’s annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing. This year’s military … Read more

North Korea threatens to take military moves in response to US-South Korean drills

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea called the ongoing South Korean-U.S. military drills a plot to invade the country, as it threatened Tuesday to take unspecified “responsible” military steps in response. The North’s warning came a day after the South Korean and U.S. forces kicked off their annual computer-simulated command post training and a variety … Read more

The US and South Korea begin large military drills to boost readiness against North’s threats

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the United States began large annual military exercises Monday to bolster their readiness against North Korean nuclear threats after the North raised animosities with an extension of missile tests and belligerent rhetoric earlier this year. The South Korean and U.S. forces began a computer-simulated command post training called … Read more

U.S. military airdrops food aid over Gaza as hunger intensifies

The United States dropped pallets of food aid into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, expanding America’s direct role in addressing a growing humanitarian crisis and underscoring a widening gap between Washington and Israel over its handling of its war against Hamas. The operation by U.S. C-130 cargo planes parachuted in packages containing 38,000 meals above … Read more

Biden Approves Military Airdrops of Aid Into Gaza

WASHINGTON — The U.S. will begin airdropping humanitarian assistance into Gaza, President Joe Biden said Friday, a day after more than 100 Palestinians were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops. The president announced the move after at least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were injured, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run … Read more

Israel agrees to halt military activity over Ramadan, risks losing world support

By Jeff Mason NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed not to engage in military activities during Ramadan in the Gaza Strip, where it is at war with Hamas militants, and said the Jewish state risked losing support from the rest of the world as Palestinians die in high numbers. … Read more

Live updates | Israeli military presents a plan for a Rafah offensive to the War Cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the army had presented to the War Cabinet its operational plan for a ground offensive into Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town along the border with Egypt, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought safety. The situation in Rafah, where dense tent camps have sprouted to house the displaced, has … Read more

Ukraine’s defense minister: Delays in promised Western military aid are costing lives

KYIV, Ukraine — Half of promised Western military support to Ukraine fails to arrive on time, complicating the task of military planners and ultimately costing the lives of soldiers, the country’s defense minister said Sunday. Speaking at the “Ukraine. Year 2024” forum in Kyiv, Rustan Umerov said that each delayed aid shipment meant Ukrainian troop … Read more