🚨 BREAKING – Taiwan: 15 PLA aircraft and 16 Chinese warships were found around the island over the past 24 hours.

📝 This is the largest number of ships around the island in one day in recent years.

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BREAKING – Russian citizen Vadim Konoshchenko, accused of smuggling equipment for the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, has been extradited from Estonia to the United States, according to the US prosecutor's office.

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URGENT – Syria: The US-led International Coalition have pushed unprecedented military reinforcements to the contact lines in Deir ez-Zor in the eastern part of the country.

📝 US forces have brought reinforcements from Raqqa and Hasakah to Deir ez-Zor.

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INTEL - Ukraine Russia War: The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has reached a dead end, despite the ongoing counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said John Kirschhofer, a spokesman for the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

"Of course, we are in a stalemate," Kirschhofer said.

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UPDATE – Here's the article from Bloomberg which refers to the publication above.

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China's 'monster' Coast Guard ship joins 'swarm' in West Philippines Sea

China Coast Guard 5901, nicknamed "the monster" because of its size and 12,000 tons, has joined other Chinese ships that are swarming near Ayungin Shoal, inside the Philippines' EEZ.

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USNI – Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) fighters conducted 238 scrambles in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023, according to data released Friday by the Joint Staff Office of Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

Of the 238 scrambles, 66 percent were against Chinese aircraft and 31 percent against Russian aircraft with the remaining 3 percent due to other aircraft, according to the data.

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NORTH PRESS AGENCY – Syria: A militant of the Iranian-backed Liwa Group was killed and two others were wounded by unknown assailants at the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the city of Al-Bukamal, east of Deir ez-Zor.

📔 Read more...

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OSINT – US Navy destroyer USS Roosevelt DDG80 arrived today in the port of Helsinki, Finland.

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If Russia were to maintain its nuclear forces at current levels, it would take more than its entire land-based intercontinental ballistic missile force to destroy America’s land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles - Source

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BREAKING – A counter-terrorist operation regime has been announced in Turkey on the border with Syria.

The entry to 14 districts of Turkey on the border with Syria is prohibited for 2 weeks - from July 15 to July 29, according to Türkiye Gazetesi

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MALI – Recorded presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Mali (1 January to 7 July 2023).

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📊 GRAPHIC – The World's Biggest Arms Importers: Share of global arms imports in 2022 based on SIPRI Trend Indicator Value

📌 Qatar 10.4%
📌 India 8.9%
📌 Ukraine 8.3%
📌 Saudi Arabia 7.1%
📌 Kuwait 7.0%
📌 Pakistan 4.9%
📌 Japan 4.0%
📌 Norway 2.7%

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

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JAPAN – JMSDF: Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces, along with the U.S. and South Korean forces, conducted a joint exercises on Sunday, the Joint Staff reported

"However, the security environment surrounding Japan has become more severe, with North Korea launching an ICBM-class ballistic missile."

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US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan with two escort cruisers: USS Antietam CG54 and USS Robert Smalls CG62 arrives today for a visit to the port of Bali, Indonesia.

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BREAKING – Occupied Crimea: War At the entrance to Sevastopol Bay

Video of shooting at a Ukrainian remote-controlled exploding boat in Sevastopol at dawn on July 16. It is stated that two such boats were destroyed.

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Guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) arrives in the Middle East operating area upon transiting the Suez Canal, July 14. Thomas Hudner is supporting U.S. 5th Fleet to help ensure regional maritime security and stability.

🔗 U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet

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Comparative dimensions of the Ohio-class SSBN, the Taigei-class non-nuclear submarine of the Japanese Navy and the B-52N strategic bomber.

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