Analysts discovered the hack while monitoring IP addresses associated with disruptions to websites of US banking institutions. They found computers trawling the internet for vulnerable industrial infrastructure, and a couple of IP addresses were linked to a “Bowman” dam. The trouble? There are 31 dams with the name Bowman in the United States, and they didn’t know which one it was.

The Bowman avenue dam is a tiny 20 foot concrete structure. It could’ve been way worse: Initially, officials thought the compromised infrastructure was a much larger 235 dam in Oregon.

Here is the location of the dam shown on Google Earth. As you can see, there are excellent nearby dining options.

At this time the hack is classified and unconfirmed.

The Japanese coast guard released a photo of the ship sailing in the East China Sea. It was one of four Chinese coast guard vessels spotted in the waters on Tuesday, but was the only one that was armed. The ships didn't come close enough to the islands to violate what Japan considers to be its territorial waters.

It has responded by stringing a line of anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile batteries along 200 islands in the East China Sea, stretching 870 miles from the country’s mainland toward Taiwan, Reuters reported.

Over the next five years, Japan will increase its forces on islands in the East China Sea by about a fifth, to almost 10,000 personnel.

The plan amounts to a Japanese version of the “anti-access/area denial” doctrine, known as “A2/AD” in military jargon, which China is currently using to try to push the United States and its allies out of the region.

What happened, according to Hersh:

* The Joint Chiefs of Staff, America's senior-most military leaders, in summer 2013 discovered that Turkey had "co-opted" the CIA's rebel-arming program, redirecting the US aid to extremists including Jabhat al-Nusra (an al-Qaeda branch) and ISIS.

* The Joint Chiefs also discovered that viable moderate Syrian rebels did not exist and that the opposition consisted nearly uniformly of extremists.

* The Joint Chiefs decided in the fall of 2013 to begin secretly "providing US intelligence to the militaries of other nations, on the understanding that it would be passed on to the Syrian army." They sent US intelligence to Germany, Russia, and Israel, which sent it to Assad.

* The goal of their secret alliance with Assad was to subvert Obama's Syria efforts, prop up Assad, and aid him in destroying ISIS and other extremists.

* In return, the Joint Chiefs asked that Assad 1) "restrain" Hezbollah from attacking Israel; 2) renew negotiations with Israel over the Golan Heights, a territory that Israel had seized from Syria decades earlier; 3) agree to accept any Russian assistance; and 4) hold elections after the war ended.

* In summer 2013 the Joint Chiefs tricked the CIA into shipping obsolete weapons to Syrian rebels. Hersh says this was intended as a show of good faith to Assad, to convince him to accept their offer.

* The secret Joint Chiefs alliance with Putin and Assad, we are told, ended this September when its chief architect, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey, retired.

Seymour Hersh, an investigative journalist famous for uncovering the 1968 My Lai massacre and the mid-2000s Abu Ghraib scandal, says there's another scandal afoot, and it's bigger than anything he's previously reported. Perhaps even bigger than his story from this May alleging that the US staged its mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

Like its Mi-8/17 “Hip” cousin, the Mi-24/35 “Hind” series of Russian helicopters has a slew of unique configurations. Yet one of the most puzzling is the Mi-35MS, a de-armed advanced Hind derivative that has been converted into an aerial taxi for military VIPs.

Although the Mi-24—primarily an attack helicopter—was designed with a small cabin able of carrying around eight combat troops, the type does not come to mind as a candidate for a VIP transport conversion. Russia has the Mi-8MTV configuration for that exact role, this is the same Mi-8 configuration that President Putin flies on regularly. Additionally, high-up Russian Ministry of Defense officials use similar configurations in the field, some of which have enhanced command and control capabilities.

Even with much more logical options available, this odd and shadowy Hind conversion somehow happened, and the most modern version of the Mi-24, the Mi-35, was used as the platform for this new sub-type. There are at least four of these helicopters in inventory, and they have been seen coming and going from the Kremlin’s helipad and at the newly remodeled Ministry of Defense. It’s possible they are operated by the Russian Border Guards or the Russian Ministry of Defense.


The type wears a green paint job, but it’s not anything like the glossy emerald tone found on America’s VH-3D’s (Marine One); instead it’s a flat, no-frills livery.

The Mi-35MS carries no armament. In the place where rocket pods and missiles are usually hung, there are long-range fuel tanks and missile approaching warning sensors. Where the Hind’s chin-mounted gun is traditionally mounted under the cockpit, a large radar fairing exists, and communications suite is installed along the helicopter’s spine. This antenna farm includes a large Raduga-MB satellite communications installation behind the helicopter’s main rotor. Other enhancements native to the Mi-35 are night vision flying compatibility, multi-function displays, and a GLONASS/GPS navigation suite. Uprated engines, improved rotor design and other elements also differentiate the baseline Mi-35 from the Mi-24.

Finally, the interior of these unique helicopters show a modern and luxurious cabin, although it can only accommodate a handful of people due to its small size. (You can see photos at this Russian aviation site) The sheets shown in the pictures covering the seats are likely there to protect the leather. Like other military VIP helicopters, it has flat-screens displays,and a phone system. The couch seating may also be used as a bed. In total it looks like the cabin can comfortably carry only about five passengers.

Throughout the early years of this decade, China rapidly and inexorably altered the maritime status quo in East Asia, wresting control of Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal and deploying a giant oil rig into Vietnamese-claimed waters in the South China Sea.

In an influential article for the journal International Security, Segal underscored China’s strategic opportunism. He argued that “China’s [foreign] policy will remain softer only if pressure is maintained,” so a constrainment strategy is “intended to tell [China] that the outside world has interests that will be defended by means of incentives for good behavior, deterrence of bad behavior, and punishment when deterrence fails.”

Today, we are beginning to see the emergence of a “constrainment” strategy against China. Smaller powers like the Philippines have resorted to lawfare in order to leverage relevant provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) against China’s blatant disregard for the very convention it has signed up to (see my analysis of the arbitration case here).

Non-claimant states such as Singapore, which has welcomed permanent American naval presence on its soil as a hedge against China, have repeatedly called for the resolution of the South China Sea disputes in accordance with international law.

The core of a constrainment strategy against China, however, lies in the determination of America and its key allies to push back against growing Chinese military presence on the ground, which threatens freedom of (especially military) navigation and overflight in the area.

China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea — embodied by its notorious “cabbage strategy” and various forms of “salami-slicing tactics” against smaller claimant states — entered an intensified phase throughout the early years of the Obama administration. But for long, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama held back, relying instead on diplomacy and bilateral engagement with China.

Almost half a decade into the “Pivot to Asia,” the Obama administration has gradually — but with delays and seeming reluctance — stepped up its efforts to directly challenge Chinese expansionism in East Asia. After much hesitation, the United States finally cleared the deployment of destroyers well into the 12-nautical-mile radius of Chinese-claimed features in the Spratly chain of islands.

But one can’t deny that a storm is gathering against China’s revanchist maneuvers in the South China Sea. The Royal Australian Air Force has joined maritime patrols in the area, and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces could soon join the fray.

The JF-17 has one thing going for it that none of its competitors can match: price. However, there is one crucial element which will undoubtedly be an important factor in Malaysia’s choice of aircraft: its relationship with China. Considering that China and Malaysia are currently parties to the territorial disputes in the South China Seas, it is probable that Beijing will have some kind of say in the potential sale.

On December 12 and 13, violence broke out in Zaria, in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state, between the military and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

An analysis from Lagos-based SBM Intelligence suggests that members of the Islamic Movement had blockaded a highway, impeding a local military chief’s motorcade. The situation rapidly escalated after IMN members refused to move and began throwing rocks at the military chief when he exited his vehicle.

Smyth explains that the IMN, with its host of social and religious organizations and distrust of secular authority, shares many characteristics with other Iranian-supported Shiite groups around the world.

As an analysis from SBM Intelligence explains, the Islamic Movement has a “perpetual siege mentality” because of its status as the only Shiite movement in a region that has lately become a crossroads for hardline or reformist Islamic groups. “The Zaria/Kaduna/Kano axis is the melting pot of various Islamic movements in West Africa, many of whom are often violently opposed to, and despise one another,”

The government might also be nervous about the possibility of yet another hardline sectarian Islamist groups emerging in northern Nigeria. As the SBM Intelligence analysis notes, Boko Haram is “a sect much smaller than Zakzaky’s group,” meaning the IMN has an existing base of support and organization to sustain it if it ever transitioned into violent insurgency.

Shia in Nigeria, contrary to the reputation they have, largely want to be left alone, and are not really interested in imposing their own views on others by force,” Nwanze told Business Insider by email. He also pointed out that “all the violent Islamist movements” in Nigeria’s recent history have been Salafist in nature. A native strain of violent Khomeinism hasn’t arrived in

Back then, because of lack of equipment, there was a soldier in a sensitive operation carrying a purple backpack from a fast food chain. I just don't think a purple backpack is suited for an operation in the jungle," he told soldiers.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the country's armed forces, Aquino said his administration had already spent 56.79 billion pesos of the full 2017 disbursement on "big-ticket" modernization programs, the Defense News reported.

Before the conflict in Syria erupted in 2011, the neighborhood was home to some 300,000 residents, most of whom were Sunni Muslims. The suburb contained a number of ancient landmarks, most notably the Green Synagogue, the oldest Jewish synagogue in the world. It also contained the Grand Jobar Mosque in addition to the tomb of the Prophet Elijah. Jobar also housed ancient baths that were built during Ottoman times.

As the military conflict in Syria progressed and the number of casualties rose women received more and more positions in the ranks of the Syrian Armed Forces. The first brigade of women, named "Lionesses for National Defense,” was formed in 2013.

An Australian citizen is the commander of an elite UAE military force deployed in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition, which human rights groups accuse of war crimes.

Mike Hindmarsh, 59, is a former senior Australian army officer who is publicly listed as commander of the UAE’s Presidential Guard.

The Presidential Guard is a unit of marines, reconnaissance, aviation, special forces and mechanised brigades, according to the US State Department website.

NATO’s combat mission was replaced by a “train, advise, and assist” mission:

Only NATO Special Operations Forces are still training their Afghan counterparts at the tactical level.

Two U.S. soldiers—“guardian angels” or bodyguards—are discreetly shadowing the young American officer with their weapons ready.

While the NATO mission in Afghanistan officially consists of training, assisting and advising, most of the time spent here in Kandahar is focused on advising—a mission “easy to define but difficult to execute” according to one U.S. officer

“A soldier used to need 46 signatures to reenlist, we helped them reduce it to 14,”

Due to insecure Afghan networks, U.S. advisors have to physically obtain copies of Afghan reports and bring them back to their base where they are then translated.

Consequently, one Colonel emphasized “it is not about winning or losing but about bringing the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces to the threshold of success.”

"The ships will be codenamed Uragan and Taifun and will enter service in the Navy in 2017 and 2018 after their construction and trials are over," he said.

According to the admiral, the ships have a displacement of about 800 tons and are capable of developing a speed of over 30 knots and accomplishing missions at a distance of around 3,000 nautical miles from their bases.

According to Chirkov, the armament of the new Project ships will match the weapons suite of Buyan-M-class missile ships armed with Kalibr missile systems. At the same time, the new corvettes will differ "by ocean-and sea-going characteristics," he said.

Bizarrely for a country that is 70% desert, I have never seen the SAA or NDF wear any sort of Desert camouflage uniform.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The French military chief is currently on a visit to Moscow to discuss joint fight against Islamic State (Daesh in Arabic).

"I think it is time to join our efforts in fight against Daesh, Nusra Front, against terrorism…We have a common goal," de Villiers said during talks with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

Red: Current Libyan government – Council of Deputies

Recognized by most countries as the legitimate government of Libya; this faction controls the remnants of the Libyan National Army along with militias loyal to the Council of Deputies bloc.

Unfortunately, they only control the eastern part of Libya and find themselves in a bitter struggle with Islamists from Ansar al-Shariah and the New General National Congress respectively.

If they are to regain control of Libya, they must first rout Ansar al-Shariah from Benghazi, Ajdabiyah and Derna.

Once these cities are secured, they must push west towards the capital of Tripoli; nevertheless, they currently maintain control of more than 50 % of the country.

Green: New General National Congress – Libya Dawn

The New General National Congress (NGNC) is quite possibly the most popular party in Libya; however, they lack international support for their newly-formed government in Tripoli after the latter was seized in a Coup D’état in 2014.

Their militia fighters are commonly known as ‘Libya Dawn’.

The strongest voice in the NGNC bloc is the Muslim Brotherhood, which for decades was deemed illegal and heavily repressed by the former Libyan regime.

For the New General National Congress to win the war, they must choose their allies and battles wisely whilst also achieving backing from at least some friendly foreign countries.

Yellow: Ansar al-Shariah – Shura Council of Libya


The Libyan al-Qaeda affiliate, Ansar al-Shariah, made itself internationally known with the 2012 Benghazi attack which killed U.S. Ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer, Sean Smith; this Salafist group has been active since the Libyan rebellion against Gaddafi in early 2011.

Despite a strong underground presence, Ansar al-Shariah controls merely 3 seperate enclaves in eastern Libya, most notably in Benghazi itself.

Purple: Toureg militia tribesmen

Much of the newly reopened border with Algeria is controlled by the ethnically diverse Tuareg tribal militias.

These indigenous Berber people are genetically unrelated to the Arab Libyans in the north.

For years, Tuareg tribesmen clashed with the Libyan Army under Gaddafi which effectively caused them to form an army of their own in retaliation.

The forces unified under the Toureg banner are largely autonomous but maintain close ties to the Tripoli-based New General National Congress while hostility continues between Toureg tribesmen and the Tobruk-Benghazi based Council of Deputies.

These tribesmen do not intend to capture all of Libya but merely to protect the Tuareg lands.

Black: Islamic State

The new phenomenon in northeast Africa and southwest Asia is the rise of the so-called “Islamic State.”

The fighters loyal to the IS caliphate first emerged in Libya in November, 2014.

Despite reports to the contrary, these ISIS fighters are believed to have emerged from Islamist NGNC deserters who aligned themselves with a more hardcore interpretation of Islam.

This explains how ISIS was able to seize control of both the port city of Sirte and the ancient Roman city of Sabratah – both were formerly controlled by the Islamist New General National Congress.

Strategically, long-term ISIS plans look to incorporate the whole of Libya under one Pan-Islamic caliphate which would be in line with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s 5-year plan of conquering both the Middle East and Africa.

"The reason that I want it on an AC-130 is, right now, when an AC-130 starts firing kinetic weaponry, everybody knows you’re there," Heithold said. "What I want on the air