The mystery surrounding Khweis’ journey into the heartland of ISIS was heightened with the revelation that he’d been traveling with an unidentified Iraqi woman, who accompanied him as he traveled through Turkey and into Syria in December 2015, according to Kurdish authorities

the group has a network of women responsible for recruiting and retaining new members, U.S. officials have said.

There was no obvious reason why Kurdish authorities would want to imprison a U.S. citizen, or that the Obama administration wouldn’t want to see an American who joined ISIS face justice in a U.S. court, Chesney noted.

While Khweis may not have been a senior ISIS member, he could still provide details on how Americans and other foreigners are recruited and make their way overseas to fight.

The supplies, Breaking Defense reports, would be placed in such Pacific and Southeast Asian countries as Vietnam, Cambodia, and other unnamed nations — although the Philippines is a likely option.

The basing of such permanent supplies would form a basis for potential temporary rotational troop deployments throughout the region.

Such deployments would send a sharp signal to China that its continued militarization of the South China Sea will be met with increasing pushback by both the US and neighboring nations.

However, the current US plans are for the basing of light equipment that are not immediately scalable for war time. Instead, the equipment will instead be tailored for use in humanitarian mission sets.

The Army's top general says military forces on the ground face a high level of risk if the United States gets into a large-scale conflict against a power such as Russia or China.

Testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley says years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, constrained budgets and troop cuts have had a cumulative effect on the service.

Milley says the Army is ready to fight the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations.

But what Milley describes as a 'great power war' against one or two of four countries - China, Russia, Iran and North Korea - would pose greater challenges.

Next week, the Obama Administration plans to identify Iran as the cause of a 2013 attack on New York’s Bowman Avenue Dam, CNN has learned from officials familiar with the investigation.

Hackers are believed to have gained access to the dam through a cellular modem, according to an unclassified Homeland Security summary of the case that doesn’t specify the type of infrastructure by name. Two people familiar with the incident said the summary refers to the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small structure used for flood control near Rye, N.Y. Investigators said hackers didn’t take control of the dam but probed the system, according to people familiar with the matter.

New “bullets” for military railguns, which could strike enemy targets traveling at a whopping six times the speed of sound, are being tested.

Electromagnetic railguns and lasers are two technologies the military is harnessing as an alternative to gunpowder. The U.S. Navy is pioneering the futuristic weapons that could play a vital role in future combat.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems announced Wednesday that its Blitzer railgun hypersonic projectiles successfully passed tests at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah between 7 and 9 March 2016.

Both General Atomics and BAE Systems have created cutting-edge Electromagnetic Railguns. In 2012, the Office of Naval Research began testing them.

Despite weighing 140 tons, the ACTUV is one of the quietest ships around and will be able to withstand months at sea without any crew on board.

As well as hunting down rogue submarines, the ACTUV may also carry out the more mundane task of carrying supplies out to other ships at sea.

DARPA has not explicitly referred to the ACTUV as a weapon but it has been compared to the much more robust naval destroyers, which often seek and eliminate enemy submarines.

The ODS allows to detect and track incoming rockets, as well as repel them by directing coded laser rays at their multispectral optical seekers or creating radio jamming.

Cairo and Moscow agreed to increase military, trade, security and economic cooperation following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Egypt in February 2015.

The U.S. State Department has recently approved a potential sale of AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) to Indonesia, according to a news release by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

In detail, the sale includes 36 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAMs and one missile guidance section. “Also included in this possible sale are; control section support equipment, spare parts, services, logistics, technical contractor engineering and technical support, loading adaptors, technical publications, familiarization training, test equipment, and other related elements,” DSCA explains.

The total estimated value of the sale is around $95 million. In May 2015, the State Department approved the sale of AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles to Indonesia for an estimated price of $47 million. In December 2015, the Indonesian parliament signed off on a $38 million budget for the initial purchase of a number of air-launched missiles for the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara, or TNI-AU).

They have been locked out of Syrian peace talks, and by extension a future Syrian government, despite controlling much of northern Syria

Syria's government, opposition and regional powers have rejected the new system, saying the Kurds have no right to carve up Syria for their own purposes

“There is no autonomous Kurdish region, so there is no question of recognising it or not," he said. “It is part of a democratic Syria, and it might expand all over Syria. We want to decentralise Syria, in which everyone has their rights

The federalism we talk about is not a geographical line. Maybe tomorrow it’s going to be expanded to [IS-controlled] Raqqa, and other places," he added. "Maybe even the people of De

"The Syrian Kurds recognise that if you use the word Kurdistan, it’s radioactive - it sets of all kinds of alarms, triggers reactions make life much more difficult for them, particularly the Turks obviously, but also the Arabs too,” said Zaman.

“Which is ironic given that it is the war between regime and rebels which is actually responsible for de facto dividing Syria,” added Spyer.

Both the Mi-28 and the KA-52 attack helicopters have been spotted around the base within the last 24 hours. Here’s why the Kremlin is upping its combat helicopter capability just as it is pulling its fixed wing fighter and attack aircraft.

First off, there is still a clear mission for Russian combat helicopters in Syria. The Kremlin has said that it will be leaving a residual force to keep its new base secure. This could likely even mean going on combat missions nearby in order to keep a safe buffer zone in the region. Attack and utility helicopters are the perfect tool for such a mission.

What have arrived at least partially in their place are aircraft that are known to have more modern missile launch detection and infrared countermeasures suites that can be optionally installed. In other words, these high-end attack helicopters, when properly equipped, are far more suited for a battlefield with a MANPADS threat present than their predecessors.

In their official report on the Creech crash, Marine investigators declared that it was clear Ospreys could suffer an “unsafe” drop in engine power if the aircraft spent too long dust clouds  After reviewing the findings, Lt. Col. Jason Holden — then head of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 — and his superiors talked candidly about the V-22’s potentially dangerous habits in sandy and dusty environments.

“The rate of engine degradation that occurred in this event has not been seen or identified in the past,” Holden wrote. “The distinguishing characteristic of this event is the extended amount of time the crew spent hovering in [restricted-visibility landing] conditions. It should be noted that this crew did not violate any regulations or procedures.”

Col. Anthony Bianca, the commander of Marine Aircraft Group 16, recommended that crews should rely more on the Osprey’s computer in reduced-visibility situations. In a dust clouds, pilots would “wave off” if the plane didn’t “catch” the hover, then straighten out and land within 30 seconds.

Holden concurred but said the V-22 community needed a long-term solution to the problem. Boeing, which builds the V-22 alongside Bell, should upgrade the tiltrotor so this would stop happening.

“We cannot deny assault support to Marines that depend on us because of our unwillingness to train to, and execute landings in brownout [landing zones],” Holden wrote. “Unfortunately, there is a lack of guidance in hover-time limitations and engine vulnerabilities of the MV-22.”

A new secure waveform developed by the US Army can change continually, masking its identity to allow military and police officials to become entirely anonymous to radar detectors.

The encrypted system allows radar transmissions to look like noise, making it difficult to intercept and exploit.
Researchers say this design aims to meet the challenges of the evolving battlefield, and is programmable in real-time to optimize performance.

The operation of Russia’s air group in Syria has proved the effectiveness of Russian radio-electronic warfare means, the first deputy CEO of the Radioelectronic Technologies concern (an affiliate of Rostec), Igor Nasenkov, told the media.

"The equipment was tested. I won’t say what was tested and how. It proved combat-ready and demonstrated the expected tactical and technical parameters. We were able to see for ourselves that all terms of reference we had received from the Defense Ministry have been met. First and foremost this concerns radio-electronic warfare means," he said.

Made by Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg and security contractor HDT Global, the Containerized Weapon System (CWS) is made from a 20-foot-long Tricon shipping container. The roof is replaced with a hinged door system, and an electro-mechanical lift is installed inside. The lift can go from hidden to a height of 15 feet in just 30 seconds. It can support and power weapon systems including the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, Mk.19 grenade launcher, M134 Dillon 7.62-millimeter minigun, and the M249 squad automatic weapon. The lift can even support the Javelin anti-tank missile.

The system is designed for quick deployment and setup on the battlefield. The use of a shipping container for a hull makes it easier to transport, and the weapons station can be set up in less than an hour by two soldiers. CWS can be internally or externally powered, and can use solar panels to provide power. Its makers envision the deadly shipping container being deployed to distant combat outposts, patrol bases, and forward operating bases, providing a defensive firepower boost that needs little or no infrastructure support. CWS could even be used on ships at sea as a defense against pirates and other threats.

The system is not autonomous—everything is controlled by a remote operator who can be stationed as far as 1,093 feet away to avoid enemy fire. So a human being still makes the decision to use lethal force. That's good, but having the operator located a thousand feet from the weapon can make it hard to figure out where enemy fire is coming from. To remedy that, the Army is pairing the CWS with the Firefly 360 threat detection system. Firefly 360 uses acoustics and shortwave infrared sensors to detect enemy fire— differentiating between small arms fire, machine guns, rockets and mortars—and locate the source.

IDF soldiers from the elite Egoz reconnaissance unit — guerrilla warfare specialists — blend into the landscape of northern Israel.

Pictured above are two camouflaged soldiers from Israel’s elite reconnaissance team, but can you find them?

The unit specializes in countering guerrilla warfare along Israel’s Northern border with Lebanon, which often means blending in with the surroundings.

Le Quy Don (hull number 286), as this peculiar-looking vessel is christened, after a 18th-century Vietnamese philosopher, is the latest member of what is without a doubt one of Southeast Asia’s most rapidly expanding navies.

Built by Poland, measuring a length of 67 meters long, weighing 857 metric tons and crewed by thirty, the Le Quy Don can accommodate up to 80 naval cadets or midshipmen.

In the first place, capacity-building funds are divided between the VPN and its civilian counterparts – the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) and Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance (VFRS)

As much as the VPN would have liked to obtain more “big ticket” naval assets, for example Gepard-3.9 light frigates, Kilo submarines, and Molniya-class fast attack craft, fiscal realities make it difficult to embark on bigger purchases.

Vietnam barely musters sufficient assets to fully police waters under its jurisdiction and to which it lays claim in the South China Sea (SCS).

final area that has proven critical for Vietnam’s naval needs is aerial maritime patrol. The Spanish-built CASA-212 and Canadian-built DHC-6 Twin Otter amphibious planes, equipped with Western and Israeli mission equipment, are handicapped in range, endurance, and sensor capabilities to enable sustained, broad-area surveillance over wide swaths of waters in the South China Sea

since Hanoi once evinced interest in acquiring used P-3C Orion from the United States, no further news have been forthcoming. The existing C-295 transport planes may be suitable for conversion into a LRMPA, but these were acquired in the first place to replace the aging Soviet-era Antonov airlifters

The Islamic State militant group has claimed the killing of five Russian troops in fighting near the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

"The soldiers of the caliphate, by the grace of God, have killed five Russian soldiers and six members" of the Syrian army, IS said in a statement.

The group also claimed the killing of several members of the Lebanese Shia Hezbollah group in fighting near Palmyra.

A website linked to IS, Aamaq, carried a similar claim, adding that one of the Russians killed was a military advisor.

Aamaq said that four soldiers were killed in Qasr al-Halabat, west of Palmyra, while attempting to storm an area.

A Russian advisor, the website reported, was killed in the nearby Dawa area. Aamaq published a video, showing the bloodied corpse of a man in military gear that it claimed was the advisor.

The footage also shows equipment presumably captured, including a customised AK-74M rifle, a helmet and a compass. A packet of bandages was filmed with instructions written in Russian.

It’s called pre-crime. It goes further than sting operations, counterterrorism, or any other government action to preempt criminal activity ever before.

China wants to fight crimes before they happen. They want to know they’ll happen before they’re planned—before the criminal even knows he’s going to be part of them

the Communist Party “has directed one of the country’s largest state-run defense contractors, China Electronics Technology Group, to develop software to collate data on jobs, hobbies, consumption habits, and other behavior of ordinary citizens to predict terrorist acts before they occur.”

The Chinese government wants to know about everything: every text a person sends, every extra stop they make on the way home. It’s designed for dissidents, but it means that they’ll know every time a smoker buys a pack of cigarettes, how much gas a car owner uses, what time the new mom goes to bed, and what’s in the bachelor’s refrigerator.

Science fiction aside, pre-crime is already somewhat of a reality; data gathering is part of intelligence communities’ and police surveillance efforts and has been for years. A lot of that surveillance has helped nab those responsible for things like child pornography

But pre-crime and data aren’t designed to build better deterrents, but to search out people who might become criminals one day.

China already knows: that with enough data, seemingly random and covertly planned attacks have patterns.

The Hartford surfaced near a the Navy’s newly constructed ice camp dubbed “Camp Sargo.” The camp is named after the first US Navy submarine to conduct a Bearing Strait transit during the winter years some 56 years ago. The camp consists of a command center, cold-weather shelters and other basic infrastructure to support more than 70 personnel at a time.

All this is part of Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016, a set of international drills that the Navy intends to use for scientific research, test and evaluation of operational capabilities tailored to the arctic region. A similar submarine, the USS Hampton, also surfaced nearby as part of the exercise.