some say KK more shiok than geylang even got exotic choice like orang utan

20+ units only right? enough?

Israeli?
I remember this is some sort of German Army sniper photobook!

Those are Israelis. You can see the Mitznefet helmet covers & the bullpup Tavor rifle.



This post has been edited by azriel: Mar 19 2016, 09:15 AM

Vietnam’s Quest for a Greenwater Navy





http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/vietnams-qu...reenwater-navy/

IS claims five Russian troops killed near Syria's Palmyra





http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/claims-f...myra-1579659094

China Wants To Make ‘Minority Report’ A Reality





http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016...-a-reality.html

This Footage Of A Fast Attack Submarine Breaking Through Thick Arctic Ice Is 'Chilling'





http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/this-foot...roug-1765813296

Johor trainee cop is Malaysia's first known victim of heatwave



A 23-year-old man has died from the heatwave in Malaysia while 13 others have reported suffering from heat exhaustion or heatstroke, the country's health minister said on Friday (March 18).

"Yesterday, a male trainee policeman at the Segamat Police Training Centre (Pulapol) became the first victim to die of heatstroke," Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying at a press conference.

Dr Subramaniam said the victim, Mr Azizan Ayob, had collapsed during training held at an indoor field track. Malaysian media reports earlier said Mr Azizan was rushed to the Segamat Hospital, where he later died.

Dr Subramaniam said according to hospital's report, the victim succumbed as a result of dehydration which caused the blood to become over concentrated and tissues to be deprived of oxygen. He added that seven of the other 13 cases of heat exhaustion and heatstroke were being treated at hospitals across the country, Bernama reported.

Malaysian authorities are scrambling to come up with an "action plan" to try to beat the heat.

Malaysia heatwave set to last till April

Malaysia sets 40 deg C threshold for 'heatwave emergency'

The minister advised the public to drink an adequate amount of water, limit strenuous outdoor activities, wear light clothing and stay in places with sufficient ventilation.

He had also instructed government agencies such as the police, the military and the Sports and Youth Ministry to reduce activities including marathons and intense physical exercises during the extreme hot weather.

Malaysia has been wilting under soaring temperatures and a dry spell due to the El Nino phenomenon.

Temperatures have reached 38.5 deg C in the six worst-hit areas in the north - Chuping, Perlis; Alor Setar, Kedah; Ipoh and Lubuk Merbau, Perak; and Batu Embun and Temerloh, Pahang.

Schools may be closed if the extreme heat continues, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said this week as weather officials warned that temperatures are not expected to moderate until next month.

In the case of Mr Azizan, a pre-existing condition of epilepsy might have contributed to his death.

Assistant Superintendent Abu Bakar Ngah, the police training coordinator at Pulapol, said Mr Azizan's father told him that his son was epileptic, and had a fever for several days before reporting for duty at the centre.

It is not clear whether the training centre was told of Mr Azizan's health condition before or after he suffered heatstroke.

A Segamat Hospital spokesman told Malay Mail although heatstroke was the main cause of death, Mr Azizan's epilepsy might have been a contributing factor.

The training programme the young man was being put through had a total of 467 trainees and had begun on March 13.

Mr Azizan was buried in his hometown of Malacca on Thursday afternoon.

His mother, 54-year-old Norhayati Shamsudin, said her son was excited at the prospect of joining the police force.

"He could not sleep at all the night before joining the police basic training programme. He had applied twice before being confirmed last January, following in his father's footsteps," she said.

Following the incident, Segamat hospital has contacted Pulapol authorities to advise them on the precautions to be taken during the current hot weather.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/j...?xtor=EREC-16-2[ST_Newsletter_PM]-20160318-[Johor+trainee+cop+is+Malaysia%27s+first+known+victim+of+heatwave]&xts=538291

Had riverine training just now... it was 2c below code black... requested to postpone training... safety officer say if feel hot just take river water n splash on body

This post has been edited by Fat & Fluffy: Mar 19 2016, 03:11 PM

Ppffttt mai IR equipment will make them stick out like a sore thumb

How many army in the world gonna supply thier unit with IR Equipment?

Singapore to step up its strategy to counter terrorism as threat of attack rises


Mr K. Shanmugam speaks to Police Coast Guard (PCG) Special Task Squadron Commanding Officer ASP Desmond Ong (centre), as he showcases two members of the Special Task Squadron on board a PCG boat, at PCG Brani Base on March 18, 2016. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - A major upgrade of Singapore's strategy to counter terrorism is in the works, at a time when the threat of an attack is at the highest level it has ever been.

CCTV coverage will be expanded considerably across the island, stringent measures are being studied for buildings and major events, and dedicated police emergency response teams will be formed to react swiftly to attacks.

Significantly, a new national programme called SG Secure will be rolled out to organise and train people to protect society from a terror attack and ensure that multiracial, multireligious harmony is upheld.


These measures to strengthen the nation's defences and - importantly - its social fabric will be put in place over the next few years, and were outlined by Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam in a speech to senior Home Team officers on Friday morning (March 18).

"The threat of a terror attack is at its highest level in recent times, much more so than after 9/11, and the arrest of Jemaah Islamiah members," he said.

"It is no longer a question of whether an attack will take place, but really, when is an attack going to take place in Singapore and we have to be prepared for that," he added.

His speech comes two days after the Home Affairs Ministry announced it had arrested four individuals - three of whom had taken up arms in Yemen and a fourth who planned to join a Kurdish militia fighting ISIS and engage in violence.

Last month, Singapore also detected and deported four Indonesians who travelled through its borders to establish a travel pattern, and who were later planning to join ISIS.



On Friday, Mr Shanmugam outlined how the threat from terrorism has morphed, with terror group ISIS posing "a far graver threat that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates ever were".

Authorities in Malaysia and Indonesia have arrested scores of people and foiled plots, and ISIS directed or inspired at least 56 attacks outside Iraq and Syria, many targeting civilians, last year. This year, supporters carried out attacks in Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey and the Ivory Coast.

The terror group also seeks to establish a caliphate in South-east Asia that includes Singapore.

"There are multiple layers of threats in this region - complex, interwoven, fusing religion with domestic political grievances," he said.

"And we are in the middle, an oasis of calm and a prime target for all."

Singapore, he added, could see four possible types of attacks.

They could be planned just outside its borders like last November's Paris attacks; or involve weapons smuggled across borders by locals or foreign militants.

There could also be lone wolf attacks by radicalised persons, several of whom were detected in recent years; or foreign workers who get radicalised like the 27 Bangladeshis who were arrested and deported last December.

ISIS has also called on supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks, using items like knives, posing a nightmare for security agencies.





Future attacks could copy the pattern seen in Paris and Jakarta - multiple shooters staging simultaneous attacks in different locations, targeting soft targets with crowds, and taking hostages to inflict maximum casualties, Mr Shanmugam said.

These developments in the region and beyond have prompted the Home Team to review its strategies and strengthen them.

But this effort will need greater cooperation and coordination with the private sector and with people.

Police cameras, which will cover 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks by year-end, will be expanded to common areas such as town and hawker centres, and walkways to MRT and bus stations.

Work will start later this year and be completed progressively over the next four years.

At the same time, police can make better use of other existing CCTVs, and will set up infrastructure to allow CCTV data in more areas to be accessible to police when needed.

New laws and regulations are also being studied to require building owners and organisers of major events to put in place security measures when needed.

Mr Shanmugam said these stepped up security measures will increase building and operating costs, but this cannot be avoided.

"We will all need to get used to more security and bag checks prior to entry. But I believe our people will understand and accept the need for these measures," he added.

On the policing front, new emergency response teams will be trained in counter-assault skills and equipped with the necessary weapons, while specialist teams from the Special Operations Command and Gurkha Contingent will be equipped to respond faster.



Critically, a key component of Singapore's counter-terrorism strategy is the community response.

On this front, the Home Team will develop and launch SG Secure to represent a national strategy to safeguard Singapore and its way of life in the face of the terror threat.



"Just as we have Total Defence, which involves every Singaporean playing a part for the defence of Singapore, SG Secure must become a rallying call for Singaporeans from all walks of life to unite, to play a part in making Singapore a safe place," Mr Shanmugam said.

This movement will train and mobilise residents, schools, workers, NSmen and community groups to be vigilant to prevent an attack, stay united and safeguard the social fabric when an attack happens, and stay strong to help one another recover from an attack.

The day after an attack is even more important, Mr Shanmugam said, citing how people in Paris and Jakarta sent a signal to terrorists that they were not cowed after recent attacks in those cities.

Social media users in Paris vowed to open their doors to strangers, while those in Jakarta said they were not afraid.

"We have to emerge stronger, more united and more determined as Singaporeans," he said.

"The terrorists wanted to spread fear and alarm and the population responds - we open our doors to strangers because they have nowhere to go; we tell the attackers that we are not afraid, we will fight back. That is what we need. We must have that same spirit in Singapore."

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sing...?xtor=EREC-16-2[ST_Newsletter_PM]-20160318-[Singapore+to+step+up+its+strategy+to+counter+terrorism+as+threat+of+attack+rises%3A+Shanmugam]&xts=538291

Singapore a 'prime target' amid growing threat in region



Malaysia carried out more than 100 arrests of people suspected of having links to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group and foiled seven terrorist plots last year.

Indonesia made at least 74 terror-related arrests and prevented nine plots last year - yet an attack occurred in Jakarta on Jan 14 this year.

By the year end, 150 people now imprisoned in Indonesian jails for terror-related offences will be released. And at least 100 Indonesians have returned from Syria, while 200 others have been deported by Turkey while trying to get there.



These worrying developments in Singapore's immediate neighbours were cited by Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam in a speech to some 300 senior Home Team officers yesterday, where he outlined strategies Singapore was taking to counter the growing terror threat.

The rise of ISIS means that the threat of a terror attack here is at its highest level in recent times. So countermeasures have to be stepped up, he told the Home Team Leaders' Forum, an annual platform for the minister to update top officers of Home Team agencies on key issues and strategic directions for the year ahead.

"In 2015, we saw the terror threat morph into a very different, newer, much more powerful large monster," he said. "It is now a qualitatively different and much more dangerous threat. ISIS presents a far graver threat than Al-Qaeda and its affiliates ever were."

Last year, ISIS directed or inspired at least 56 attacks outside Iraq and Syria. Many targeted civilians, and Mr Shanmugam cited seven major attacks this year alone.

ISIS' control of large territories and oil resources has also earned it hundreds of millions of dollars.

It also uses social media skilfully, makes people believe they need to kill in the name of God, and has recruited over 30,000 foreign fighters - some 1,000 of them from South-east Asia.

"In scale, network, finances, propaganda, ISIS is at a different level and sophistication compared with other terrorist groups," he said.

ISIS also seeks to set up a regional caliphate that includes Singapore.

Mr Shanmugam had, in a speech two months ago, set out at length how the political backdrop in the region made it fertile ground for a climate of rising extremism.

Yesterday, he said: "We have to keep that political backdrop (in mind) because when politics fails, then everything else fails, and that is unfortunately happening."

He noted how in Malaysia, some of those arrested for ISIS links were commandos, police officers and civil servants. There was also a substantial threat posed by "clean skins" - people with no criminal records and who are not under the scrutiny of security agencies.

They come together through social media, and last April, Malaysia arrested 12 such militants who could get past immigration checks undetected if they travelled.

"Every day, we have more than 400,000 persons crossing our land checkpoints in Woodlands and Tuas both ways. In Woodlands alone, we have about 90,000 travellers via motorcycles and 80,000 travellers via cars, every single day," he said.



"You can work out for yourself the nature of the threat to us, from a would-be terrorist in Malaysia."

"When we complain about jams, one has got to take it in perspective, but it is very difficult to bring this point across to the broader public. The checks are necessary," he said.

As for Indonesia, he said some pro-ISIS groups are coming together under the banner of Jamaah Ansharul Khilafah. Other groups are also competing for attention, raising the risk of one-upmanship attacks.

The situation is exacerbated by shortcomings in Indonesian law, which currently does not allow for the detention of those who want to join ISIS. As a result, home-grown terrorists, individuals who are released, and those who have returned from Syria and Iraq are coalescing.

The last group poses a significant risk as they are battle-hardened with combat skills and violent tendencies, Mr Shanmugam noted.

Crisis exercise for community leaders

"They want to destroy what there is and replace (it) with what there is in Iraq and Syria, and in territories in control by them," he said.

South-east Asian militants in Syria and Iraq are also actively encouraging militants in the region to strike.

They include ISIS' Malay Archipelago Unit leader Bahrun Naim, who has encouraged attacks in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Last year, Thailand was hit by bombings in Bangkok's Siam Paragon mall in February, in Koh Samui in April, and at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok in August.

Some Philippine and Malaysian militants have reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, which could lead to the setting up of a wilayat or province in southern Philippines.

Mr Shanmugam noted that extremist Uighur militants have also linked up with militant networks in this region, and as many as 3,500 Uighurs are fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Groups sympathetic to the perceived mistreatment of Uighurs in China could also target Chinese interests in South-east Asia and elsewhere. In Turkey, the Thai consulate was attacked after Thailand deported 109 Uighurs in July last year.

The Rohingya issue also has potential security implications, with ISIS targeting some 220,000 Rohingya refugees vulnerable to radicalisation in camps in Malaysia and Thailand. Mr Shanmugam noted that the Rohingya have attempted retaliatory attacks on Myanmar interests.

"There are multiple layers of threats in this region - complex, interwoven, fusing religion with domestic political grievances," he said. "And we are in the middle, an oasis of calm, and a prime target for all."

POSSIBLE TYPES OF ATTACK SINGAPORE FACES

1 Attacks that can be planned just outside Singapore, before the radicals come in and carry out the attacks here. Last November's Paris attacks were planned in Molenbeek, Belgium, a three-hour drive from the French capital. "We have several possible Molenbeeks around us," Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said, noting that 200 million people pass through our checkpoints every year, with 145 million crossing Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints.

2 Attacks involving weapons which could be smuggled across the border for use by Singaporeans. This is why checks at checkpoints have to be very, very stringent, he said. "You can't trade security for convenience."

3 A lone-wolf attack by self-radicalised individuals. There has been a noticeable rise in such attacks worldwide, after ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani told followers to carry out attacks in any way. Six such attacks abroad took place in 2014 after his statement, and 11 more took place last year - excluding foiled attacks.

Adnani also told followers: If you cannot find an IED (improvised explosive device) or guns, then smash people's heads with a rock, slaughter them with a knife, run them down with a car, throw them down from a high place, choke them. Mr Shanmugam said: "Security checks at Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are not going to prevent these."

4 Foreign workers in Singapore can get radicalised, as the recent arrests and deportation of 27 Bangladeshis showed. The men had met every week to discuss taking up arms, circulated hardline material secretly among themselves, and carefully targeted fellow Bangladeshis to grow their numbers.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sing...?xtor=EREC-16-1[ST_Newsletter_AM]-20160319-[Singapore+a+%27prime+target%27+amid+growing+threat+in+region%3A+Shanmugam]&xts=538291

First pics of the Indonesian Navy new DSME 209 submarine with pennant number 403.

http://defense-studies.blogspot.co.id/2016...esanan.html?m=1



This post has been edited by azriel: Mar 19 2016, 06:35 PM

Arctic Version of Mi-8AMTSh Helicopter Joins Russian Air Force



According to Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, 13 Mi-8AMTSh assault/transport helicopters, including one adapted for flights in the Arctic, have already been supplied by the Ulan-Ude plant.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA is fitted with powerful engines, an ice-protection system, and ski landing gear designed to tackle sub-zero conditions up to minus 40 degrees Celsius as well as extreme weather hazards.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA is a “northern” version of the famous Mi-8AMTSh Terminator, which, in turn, is a dedicated armored assault variant of the Mi-8AMT helicopter. Its armament is derived from Mi-24 gunship.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA is powered by a pair of gas-turbine engines with a reinforced transmission and boasts multiple navigation systems.

The helicopter employs an advanced cabin-heating system used on spaceships.

The maximum range with main and auxiliary fuel tanks is 1,300 kilometers.

http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160319/103...ter-arctic.html

Another ridiculous but effective method of detecting camouflaged soldiers: Use a colorblind observer. They aren't influenced by color and patterns and they can see a human silhouette and movements clearer in a chaotic camouflaged environment.

In the Vietnam war, the US Army and Air Force recruited colorblind aerial observers to detect camouflaged vehicles along the Ho Chi Minh trail from the air. Reportedly they were very successful in this regard.

I read somewhere that on one incident, while en route to one of their patrol area over the trail, one OV-10 recce airplane passed what apparently was an open field. The pilot naturally saw an open field and didn't give a second look, but the colorblind observer screamed over the radio they were literally hundreds of camouflaged soldiers on that open field!! Turned out they were gathering for a raid on a US FOB in the area.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 19 2016, 09:15 PM

Naval drone goes down off Kerala





[sos]

THIS 3D PRINTED DRONE CAN WAIT UNDERWATER AND LAUNCH FROM THE SEA





http://www.popsci.com/this-3d-printed-dron...launch-from-sea

Work in progress of the Indonesian Navy second submarine can be seen in the background.

Armored Buildup: Russia to Turn T-72 Tank Into Advanced War Machine





http://sputniknews.com/military/20160319/1...72-upgrade.html