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Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) says it "welcomes" moves by the US House of Representatives to add an amendment to the fiscal year 2016 US defence budget that includes a clause urging Taiwan's participation in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. The House passed

Technical faults were not behind the crash of a Hungarian Air Force Saab Gripen fighter aircraft on 19 May, Czech Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky said. "It was reported that there was no technical problem," Stropnicky said as he visited Caslav Air Base in the Czech Republic where the

Airbus has recommended that operators of the A400M Atlas transport aircraft perform checks on the aircraft's engines "to avoid potential risks in any future flights". The announcement comes in the wake of the fatal crash of MSN23 on 9 May. In a statement, Airbus said on 19 May it had

The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) reported in early May they had conquered the district of Nawa in the southeastern province of Ghazni, which had been under Taliban control for the last nine to ten years. However, Mohammad Aref Rahmani, a member of parliament from Ghazni, told

Key Points BAE Systems abandons plans to concentrate all shipbuilding activity in a new facility at Scotstoun Two site plan calls for over GBP100 million investment at Govan and Scotstoun sites BAE Systems Naval Ships has pulled back from plans to consolidate its Glasgow shipbuilding activities

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has outlined a target for local defence companies to enhance capability in order to reduce dependency on imports. In comments published on 21 May by the government-run National News Agency of Bangladesh (BSS), Hasina called on local defence enterprises -

Belgium's NHIndustries NH90 multirole helicopters have declared their initial operating capability, it was announced on 20 May. The chief of the Belgian Air Component, Major General Frederik Vansina, said the 18th Squadron in Beauvechain was now ready for operations in a non-hostile environment.

Bulgarian defence minister Nikolai Nenchev has revealed that the country is to launch a fighter procurement by the end of June. According to Bulgarian media reports on 21 May, Nenchev told a parliamentary defence committee that the procurement would replace a number of aircraft. However, it was

Juan Carlos Pinzón stepped down from his position as Colombia's defence minister on 19 May and will take on a new role as Colombia's ambassador to the United States. During Pinzón's tenure the armed forces grew by 18 mobile brigades, two marine brigades, and nine task forces. They also

Exelis and Harris have been given the support of their shareholders to merge, Exelis announced on 22 May. The US Department of Justice has also approved the merger, which had generated anti-trust concerns over a potential market concentration. The two companies now expect the merger, valued at

Key Points France is to spend an extra EUR1.5 billion on defence equipment by 2019 under an update to the country's military programming law Included is the addition of four C-130s, more helicopters, and the acceleration of several naval programmes French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian

Key Points CMN has unveiled a mine countermeasures variant of the Ocean Eagle 43 patrol boat The vessel is positioned to meet the demands of modern mine warfare operations, company says French shipyard Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) has introduced a mine countermeasures (MCM)

Singapore shipbuilder ST Marine is in talks with Texas-based engineering company Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) to jointly bid for Australia's Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Program, a source has confirmed to IHS Jane's during the IMDEX 2015 exhibition in Singapore. The potential collaboration

The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned four new vessels at Porbandar in the western state of Gujarat. The vessels - the Aadesh-class fast patrol ship ICGS Ankit (pennant number 247) and the interceptor boats C-419, C-420, and C-155 - were commissioned on 14 May. In recent months, the coastguard

Key Points The Kurdistan Region's constitution is unlikely to be amended before President Massoud Barzani's term expires, increasing the likelihood that elections will be postponed and his term extended by at least a year. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Gorran party - which

Key Points Environmental crimes are lucrative ventures for organised crime groups in Italy, particularly in Campania and Lombardy. The state response is hindered by corruption in local administrations, although a new law has been passed that elevates environmental crimes to the status of felony.

Key Points The Islamic State took control of the city of Ramadi, capital of Iraq's Anbar province, on 17 May, following heavy fighting with security forces. The city was the first major Iraqi urban centre to be seized since security forces and militias recaptured Tikrit in late March, representing

The top US Marine Corps (USMC) official in the Pacific believes embarked marine forces have become too heavy and should consider dropping main battle tanks from their load plans. "Our equipment is getting too heavy … we've got to get lighter," Lieutenant General John Toolan,

Key Points The French Navy's new Missile de Croisière Naval cruise missile was fired from multimission frigate Aquitaine on a DGA test range off the Île du Levant The qualification firing marks the first firing of a cruise missile from a European surface ship and the first shipborne

EVENT Following calls by the Lebanese army, the security committee of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon deployed joint security forces on 19 May. Following calls by the Lebanese army, the security committee of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon deployed joint