Seventy years ago Britain rejoiced. War in Europe was over. The British Army and the RAF were still fighting against the Japanese in the jungles of Burma, but for other British forces, peace finally reigned across much of the world.

Except, not quite.

For few people knew then — or realise now — that 6,000 miles away deep in the Pacific Ocean, the biggest fleet ever assembled by the Royal Navy in World War Two was entrenched in a bitter battle against Japanese kamikaze suicide planes.

The British Pacific Fleet was largely political by design, with the British Chiefs of Staff and, after some initial reluctance, Winston Churchill, deciding in September 1944 that a British strike fleet fighting alongside the vast US Navy would be recognized after the conflict as a contribution to the defeat of Japan.

Despite US reluctance, a few months later the fleet was born, spearheaded by four aircraft carriers – with dozens of smaller ships as backup — from which the 'flyboys' formed the largest airborne strike force in British naval history. Over 250 aircraft were supported by more than 10,000 sailors and aircrew.

Many of these men were schoolboys when war broke out. They now found themselves in the war’s final act: the battle for Japan. 89 per cent of British airmen were volunteers and over half had trained in America. They developed transatlantic twangs in their accents and chewed gum.

Faced with a dearth of decent home-grown machines, the Royal Navy adopted American carrier aircraft such as the F4U Corsair, a reptilian looking 400mph fighter nick-named “whistling death” by the Japanese because of the eerie whining sound it made when diving.

The Supermarine Seafire — a nautical version of its more famous cousin the Spitfire — also featured, and although it struggled with the rough and tumble of carrier landings, it excelled in the air as a kamikaze hunter.

In early March 1945, the British Pacific Fleet sailed from its base in Sydney 4,000 miles north to join the American 5th fleet. It would be away from land for the longest period of time since Nelson’s day. A ‘fleet train’ of ships maintained supplies.

The crews began to realize the huge scale of the Pacific. Day upon day they saw nothing but other ships, ocean and sky. A canvas of blues and greys. There was an unsettling vastness to it all.

Finally, as the ship neared the front line, American Rear Admiral Marc Mitscher, a master of modern carrier fighting, sent a signal: ‘Fifth Fleet welcomes Task Force 57 (the code name for the British Pacific Fleet) and wishes you good hunting.’

The Americans were preparing to invade Okinawa, the strategically crucial island just 350 miles south of the Japanese home islands. From there, the Allies could plan the invasion of Japan itself, proposed for late 1945.

"What do you think of our bloody British flight decks now?"

HMS Formidable Captain, speaking to American liason officer

The British Pacific Fleet’s aircrews were expected to hunt down kamikazes in the air or on the ground.

Why did the Japanese resort to such extreme tactics? Because they knew their air force was no match for the Allies, in short. The Allies estimated that a Japanese pilot, using conventional tactics, might make just two sorties in his lifetime, with a three per cent chance of hitting a ship. In a suicide attack, however, the chance of hitting a ship rose to between 15 and 20 per cent.

On April 1st the Americans landed in force on Okinawa. At 0650, the radar of the British Fleet stationed 200 miles to the south-east picked up a formation of about twenty aircraft flying at 8,000 feet and closing fast at 210 knots. The Japanese First Air Fleet based in Formosa was about to launch its first kamikaze attack on the British Pacific Fleet.

Admiral Philip Vian, the British air commander, directed already airborne aircraft to intercept while others took off from the carriers to beef up defences. A well-practised drill clicked into place, with the fighter control officers in the plotting rooms of the carriers following the enemy contacts on the radar, directing fighters towards them.

"I didn’t want to admit how scared I was," said one crew member. "You have a large fleet of aeroplanes approaching, many of whom will probably be kamikazes. They don’t drop bombs that probably miss you, they hit you, and doing nothing, hanging around waiting, was petrifying.’

The fighter direction rooms in the carriers were tense, hushed and lit only by the bluish glow of the radar screens. The only sounds over the hum of the ventilation fans were the quiet voice of the fighter direction officer passing the airborne aircraft their courses to intercept the enemy and the loud intermittent fuzz over the radio as the pilots radioed back acknowledgements. In the thick of the action a few thousand feet above, the pilots’ voices were strained and tense.

The last line of defence was the fleet’s gunfire, which now opened up in a thunderous roar, peppering the surrounding skies with hundreds of explosions.

For the gunners on deck this was both terrifying and exhilarating. One, hunched in his seat and crouched like a jockey, sang at the top of his voice, ‘How we gonna keep ’em down on the farm?’ to the rhythm of his gun, watching the little yellow tennis balls of tracer bubble up from its muzzle.

Dogfights littered the sky, which was filled with thick smoke, making the panorama of the battlefield even more disorienting. The fleet’s fighters managed to shoot down some Japanese aircraft but others penetrated the fighter screen.

One Japanese fighter broke through the bursting flak, swooping low over British carrier Indomitable. Bullets crackled and popped along the entire length of the flight deck, ripping through a group of running sailors, killing one and wounding six.

Dickie Reynolds, a 22-year-old pilot nicknamed ‘Deadeye Dick’ because of his skill in shooting down enemy aircraft, engaged a Japanese Mitsubishi Zero, twisting and turning in his Seafire.

With some sharp shooting he managed to pepper a wing with cannon fire, but before he could get his aircraft into position to deliver the kill, the Zero rolled onto its back and smashed into the flight deck of British carrier Indefatigable, causing an enormous ball of flame which covered the ship from stem to stern.

Armed with a 550-pound bomb, the kamikaze hit the ship at the junction of the flight deck and the island, exploding on impact, killing three officers and five ratings instantly. The ship’s barber, who also acted as a messenger during action stations, said later "the smell of dead flesh stayed there and in that part of the island till the day I left the ship".

This was 360-degree warfare, directly affecting everyone, regardless of rank. "The kamikazes didn’t distinguish between the admiral or the boy sailor," one seaman said. "The skipper later joked with us it had been an Easter egg sent by Hirohito. But we felt we were all in it together."

For weeks afterwards some men reported seeing ghosts walking through flames on the flight deck.

In their squadron diary the pilots of 894 Seafire squadron in Indefatigable gave their own unique account. "APR 1 'ALL FOOLS DAY' and did we buy it! Early in the morning the Japs attacked with suicides – their first reaction . . . Diving from 2,000 ft, it hit the bottom of the island doing no mean rate of knots. SPLATTTTT!" Despite the carnage, aircraft were taking off and landing on the ship less than an hour later. Unlike the wooden flight decks of the American carriers, the British ships had four-inch armoured flight decks.

When the Royal Navy carrier Formidable survived a kamikaze attack on May 4th, filling in a hole caused by the attack with quick drying cement, its captain grasped the arm of an American liaison officer standing alongside and, shaking his fist, asked, "What do you think of our bloody British flight decks now?"

"Sir," came the reply, "they’re a honey."

Wally Stradwick in Miami in late 1943, soon after receiving his wings after learning to fly in America during the war

Wally Stradwick, a 22-year old pilot from Clapham, was flying his Corsair at 6,000ft above Formidable when he saw a kamikaze pilot crash into its flight deck. In his diary he recalled: "One of our carriers appeared to explode. I could only see the bows protruding from a colossal pall of black smoke in the centre of which was an ugly sheet of flame."

Formidable was attacked again on May 9th, 1945. "As a terror weapon, these kamikazes have a quality of their own," one officer in Formidable later wrote. "There is [still] something unearthly about an approaching aeroplane whose pilot is hell bent on diving himself right into the ship. 'Wherever you are, he seems to be aiming straight for you personally."

Another sailor, from Portsmouth, said: "I remember thinking, I’ve been through the Blitz; we’ve had bombs, we’ve had incendiaries, we’ve had landmines thrown at us, but it’s the first time I’ve had the bloody plane thrown at me as well. You feel that it’s aimed at you, especially when he looks around and you think: can he see me?"

For the pilots too, the enemy was unknown. "It’s a dirty war; all war is dirty, this one particularly so," wrote 22-year old Chris Cartledge, a Corsair pilot with 1842 squadron in a letter home on 16 May 1945. "Judging by the fanatical methods of defence used by the Japs they do not intend to give in however hard pressed…one cannot anticipate the reactions of a race so radically different from us. We can’t apply our logic to them."

Hunting down these fanatical flyers before they attacked the fleet became a game of cat and mouse. The tactics books used in the previous six years of war were ripped up. Often pilots were deployed by their ships without success.

Between April 1st and May 9th 1945 every single British aircraft carrier on the front line was hit by kamikazes, killing 44 men and wounding almost 100. Its pilots shot down more than 40 enemy aircraft, the majority of them suicide bombers.

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This Department of Defense news article (reproduced in full below) on the status of the fight against the Islamic State couldn’t have been more poorly timed.

Published on May 15, the same day that the Islamic State overran the government center in Ramadi, the report provides a pollyannaish view from Brigadier General Thomas D. Weidley of the US military’s air campaign and the Iraqi military’s fight against the Islamic State.

Weidley is the chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led coalition that was put together to “defeat and dismantle” the Islamic State.

Weidley described Ramadi as “contested” and claimed that Iraqi forces repelled most attacks in the city when in reality the Islamic State took control of the government center and most neighborhoods in Ramadi by May 15.

By May 17, the Islamic State was in full control of Ramadi and overran the Anbar Operations Command and 8th Brigade Headquarters at Camp Ar Ramadi. Iraqi forces are said to be in complete disarray in the Fallujah-Ramadi corridor.

Weidley’s description of the situation in Baiji was just as overly optimistic. He claimed that while the Islamic State breached the perimeter and has had “episodic control of some refinery facilities to continue attacking Iraqi security forces,” Iraqi forces are regaining the initiative inside and outside of the refinery.

In reality, the Islamic State controls upwards of 80 percent of the refinery and has besieged an Iraqi force holed up there. The Islamic State is in full control of the city of Baiji and the surrounding areas, the the Iraqi military is unable or unwilling to send reinforcements.

Astonishingly, Weidley cites statistics of Coalition airstrikes in Ramadi and Baiji to bolster his case.

“Since the beginning of [Operation Inherent Resolve], the coalition has provided precision air support for the [Iraqi forces] with approximately 420 airstrikes in the Fallujah-Ramadi area,” Weidley noted.

“Since the campaign began its mission to defeat ISIL [the outdated acronym for the Islamic State] eight months ago, coalition forces have carried out 330 airstrikes in the Baiji area,” the report stated.

Ironically, Weidley is detailing just how anemic and ineffective the US air campaign has been in both Anbar province and Baiji. Despite the estimated 420 strikes in the Ramadi-Fallujah area and 330 more in Baiji, the Islamic State was able to organize its assault forces, advance, and overrun Iraqi security forces in both areas.

Full text of DoD article, titled Strategy to Defeat ISIL is Working, Military Official Says:

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2015 – The coalition and Iraqi security forces strategy to defeat and dismantle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant extremist group is clear and on track, the chief of staff of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said today.

Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Weidley briefed reporters via teleconference from Southwest Asia on Iraq’s battle against ISIL forces.

Beiji and its oil refinery remain contested in a dynamic and fluid battle between Iraqi security forces and ISIL, Weidley said. Since ISIL extremists recently breached the refinery’s perimeter, they have maintained “episodic control of some refinery facilities to continue attacking Iraqi security forces,” he said.

Though ISIL has placed continuous and sometimes significant amounts of pressure at the refinery, he added, Iraqi forces are working continually to improve their position at the refinery and on the route leading to it.

ISIL Gains Not Sustained

In spite of ISIL’s localized attacks, its gains have proved to be short-lived, the general emphasized.
“Since Tikrit’s liberation in early April,” Weidley noted, “the coalition has led 176 airstrikes in Beiji area, destroying numerous fighting positions, mobility platforms, improvised explosive devices, weapons caches, fighters and other military capabilities.”

Since the campaign began its mission to defeat ISIL eight months ago, coalition forces have carried out 330 airstrikes in the Beiji area, he added.

“The coalition support-to-ground forces … [have] been the catalyst for hundreds and hundreds of square kilometers, key cities and infrastructure and critical lines of communication in both Iraq and Syria that have been lost by [ISIL],” Weidley said. “And we believe this will continue.”

Ramadi Remains Contested

After a period of relative stability in the tactical situation in Ramadi, the general said, ISIL executed a complex attack on Iraqi security forces today. While Iraqi forces repel most attacks, he added, ISIL has made some gains, and Ramadi remains contested as the terrorists attempt to consolidate and defend some of their recent, temporary gains east and south of the city.

“Since the beginning of [Operation Inherent Resolve], the coalition has provided precision air support for the [Iraqi forces] with approximately 420 airstrikes in the Fallujah-Ramadi area,” the general said.

Over the last month, he added, the coalition has conducted 165 airstrikes in support of Iraqi security forces in Ramadi that have destroyed operational resources and facilities such as ISIL-controlled buildings, fighting positions, and armored and technical vehicles.

Advise-and-assist Planners

The coalition has conducted 17 engagements in the last three days, he said, and advise-and-assist planners are working closely with the Iraqi security forces to control critical infrastructure and lines of communication.

Weidley said Iraqi forces simultaneously are battling ISIL in four areas in addition to Beiji and Ramadi.

“We firmly believe [ISIL] is on the defensive throughout Iraq and Syria, attempting to hold previous gains, while conducting small-scale, localized harassing attacks [and] occasional complex or high-profile attacks to feed their information and propaganda apparatus,” he said.

The fight is a long-term effort, Weidley said, and the coalition is committed to defeating ISIL in both Iraq and Syria.

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Despite what the Pentagon may say, the "degrade and defeat" strategy against the Islamic State terror group isn't going well. Instead, the militants gained control of the provincial capital of Ramadi after months of contesting it with Iraqi Security Forces and Sunni tribes. 

And that means the Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) now has a superhighway or sorts across Syria and Iraq.

Ramadi is the capital of Anbar, Iraq's largest region. The province is predominantly Sunni and abuts onto Baghdad, which is only a little more than fifty miles away. Now that Ramadi has fallen, ISIS will have much more of a clear shot running supplies and fighters straight to a front against the Iraqi capital.

ISIS is not strong enough to go after Baghdad. However, the main concern is that the militant group would use the city as a staging point to muster their forces and plan out deadly attacks that could inflict high levels of casualties.  

“This is a very big threat to Baghdad. If [ISIS] controls Ramadi and Anbar, it gives them a big morale boost," Iraqi General Najim Abed al-Jabouri told The Daily Beast. “The road between Syria and Ramadi is open, so they can always send more fighters to Ramadi.”

This open road simultaneously gives a moral boost to ISIS by lending credence to their statement of an ever expanding caliphate while also providing the inherent logistical bonus of controlling contiguous pieces of territory.

Now, fighters and supplies can travel through north western Syria by the border with Turkey all the way towards central Iraq relatively unhindered. 

The seizure of Ramadi also further tightens ISIS control throughout Anbar province as a whole. The symbolic loss of the capital and the Iraqi government's failure to resupply the tribes and Iraqi military units fighting against ISIS there so close to Baghdad could convince other potential Sunni tribes throughout Anbar to refrain from fighting the militants.  

Even before the fall of Ramadi, Anbar posed serious challenges to the Iraqi government. 

“Most of the support that comes to the terrorists comes through Anbar,” Naseer Nori, the head of the Iraqi defense ministry's media office, told The Wall Street Journal. 

In the north of Iraq, ISIS already has a major transit pipeline that spans from Aleppo to their Syrian capital of Raqqa to Mosul. That pipeline, in concert with the new southern pipeline to Ramadi, will ensure that ISIS is able to stage attacks across an even larger swath of Iraqi territory. 

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Russia's military spending is getting out of control.

The Kremlin has been in the middle of an intense military build up over the last few months against the backdrop of a deteriorating economy.

Even with the Kremlin's revised budget plan in April (which assumes an average exchange rate of 61.5 rubles to the dollar), Russia is spending more on its military than it can afford to, according to Russian economist and former rector of the New Economic School in Moscow Sergei Guriev. 

Guriev points out that recently published budget data for the first three months of 2015 shows that although non-defense spending was at 16.5% of the quarterly GDP as planned, military expenditure was more than double the budgeted amount at over 9% of the quarterly GDP.

"In other words, Russia has already spent more than half of its total military budget for 2015. At this rate, its reserve fund will be emptied before the end of the year,"Guriev writes.

Money for Russia's budget is coming out of the Kremlin's rainy day reserve fund, which is technically designed to soften the blow of economic setbacks.

The on-going Western sanctions prevent Russia from borrowing on the global markets, so Moscow has had to tap into this fund to finance its deficit, which has increased to 3.7% from 0.5% of GDP following lower oil prices and the economic contraction, according to Guriev.

In the best case scenario, according to Guriev, "Russia can maintain a 3.7% deficit for less than two years before it either has to withdraw from Ukraine to gain relief from Western sanctions, or undertake a major — and for Putin, politically dangerous — fiscal adjustment."

However, "even this scenario may be too optimistic" that Russia spend more than twice the budgeted amount on military in the first quarter, according to Guriev.

"Russia simply cannot sustain the allocation of such a large share of its budget to defense spending. Moreover, its defense industry lacks the capacity to produce modern equipment as quickly as the plan anticipated,” he adds.

Since 2011, there's been debate in the Kremlin whether or not Russia should increase military spending, which ended with then-finance minister Alexei Kudrin (who was against increased spending) getting sacked.

"Against this background, Russia's recent military spending binge is all the more notable for its suggests that the government, desperate to retain popular support amid declining economic performance, is less interested in investing in the most modern equipment than in showing its support for the rebels in eastern Ukraine, even at the price of further economic hardship," writes Guriev.

"If Russia could not afford a 4%-of-GDP defense budget in good times, it cannot possibly manage such a high rate of military spending now, when it confronts rock-bottom oil prices, Western sanctions, and economic recession."

Check out Guriev's full post on Project Syndicate >

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ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran is using its sea power in the Gulf to show it will not be cowed by Washington's newly assertive Arab allies, prompting critics to accuse Tehran of destabilizing the region.

Iranian ships fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker which it said damaged an Iranian oil platform, causing the vessel to flee, and seized a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route, over a debt row.

The incidents coincided with a push by Washington to reassure Gulf Arab monarchies that their interests would not be threatened by a nuclear accord that Tehran and world powers are trying to reach by the end of June.

In an escalating confrontation with Saudi Arabia over Yemen, Tehran criticized Arab states for recklessness and brutality in that country, where a Saudi-led coalition is attacking an Iranian-allied militia.

Iran has also sent an aid ship, the Iran Shahed, to the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodaida to test a naval blockade enforced by the coalition. Several Iranian military officials have warned of war if the Iran Shahed is attacked by Saudi-led forces. It expected to reach the port by Thursday.

"Iran's recent measures in the Strait of Hormuz have one clear message to Saudi Arabia. No one can ignore Iran's key role," said an Iranian official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"Whether reformist or hardliner, Iranian leaders have consensus on securing Iran's influence in the region," said the official.

"They (the United States and its Gulf allies) don't expect a key regional power like Iran to remain silent over its aid ship being prevented from entering Yemen."      

Tehran and Riyadh have long been locked in a proxy war, competing for regional supremacy from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon to Yemen, where Riyadh backs Yemen’s exiled government against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

In a bold operation by Gulf Arab states, the Saudi-led coalition backed by the West on March 26 began pounding Houthi rebels and allied army units that control much of Yemen as well as inspecting all ships in a bid to stop weapons smuggling.

Tehran denies training Houthi fighters and supplying arms, as claimed by Riyadh. The standoff has intensified since the coalition declared that it had to inspect all aid for Yemen including that sent by Tehran.

TESTING THE LIMITS

Iran has been cautious about direct military confrontation with Saudi Arabia. "Riyadh is trying to drag Iran into a military conflict," said a senior Iranian security official.

"The Saudis are pursuing a very dangerous path ... We are strong enough to confront them ... but we prefer political solutions, for now."  

Iran's maritime operations have brought a new dimension to the stand-off between Tehran and Riyadh, and officials and analysts say they clearly mark a renewed drive to wield regional influence.

Last week five Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boats fired shots at the Singapore-flagged Alpine Eternity oil products tanker in the Gulf, U.S. officials said. It fled to safety in the United Arab Emirates' waters.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on Monday called on Iranian authorities to investigate the incident and "prevent future recurrences".

"Such interference with navigational rights is a serious violation of international law," the authority said.

Earlier this month, Iran released the Marshall-Islands flagged container ship Maersk Tigris, seized in the Strait of Hormuz over a years-old debt, after security was put up by Denmark's Maersk Line, the ship's charterer.

Shipping underwriters said that the commercial pretext for such activity could lead to a spike in shipping costs. U.S. officials acknowledged concerns among Gulf partners about Iran's maritime conduct.

The diverting of the Maersk Tigris on April 28 prompted the United States to send vessels temporarily to escort U.S.-flagged ships through the strait.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said his country hoped "similar cases will not occur in the future".

Iranian ships shadowed the U.S.-flagged Maersk Kensington on April 24. The Pentagon said at the time the incidents showed "a pattern of harassment".

AN EMBOLDENED TEHRAN?

On two previous occasions, in 2008 and 2010, Iran threatened to disrupt oil flow in the Gulf by shutting the Strait of Hormuz if there were any military strike on its nuclear sites.

Millions of barrels of oil are transported daily through the Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz to Europe, the United States and Asia, waterways which pass the coasts of Yemen and Iran.

Iran, the United States, France, Germany, Russia and China are in talks aimed at clinching a long-term deal by June 30 to curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for an end to sanctions.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies fear that the nuclear deal might embolden Tehran to deepen its influence in the Middle East and step up its efforts to dominate Arab countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

They are concerned that lifting sanctions would also give Tehran a cash windfall to increase funding to Shi'ite militias in countries like Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Commenting on Iran's display of sea power, regional analysts said Washington's priority is to stop Iran developing an atomic bomb and halt expansion of the Sunni jihadis of Islamic State.

"Gulf shipping is not as much of a priority for the U.S. as is getting a deal over stopping nuclear weapon development," said Michael Frodl, of U.S. based consultancy C-Level Global Risks, referring to Iran's flexing its muscles in the Gulf.

"So Iran is testing the limits."

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul in London; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by William Maclean)

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In a break from decades of cautious nuclear policy, China has started a process of upgrading its ballistic missile capabilities into a more potentially dangerous form. 

Foregoing a longstanding policy of maintaining a small nuclear force, Beijing has begun to place multiple miniaturized nuclear warheads atop ballistic missiles, The New York Times reports citing a report from the Department of Defense. Missiles with multiple warheads are harder to intercept as each warhead could break off from its delivery system and aim for a separate target. 

China has had the capability of miniaturizing nuclear weapons since at least the 1990s, but has avoided the move so as to prevent a potential arms race. The new direction of Beijing's nuclear weapons stance comes under the direction of President Xi Jinping, who has made a series of bold moves to increase Chinese power both regionally and globally. 

According to the Pentagon's report, Beijing has re-engineered the DF-5, a variation of the CSS-4 intercontinental ballistic missile shown below, to be outfitted with multiple warheads. China has approximately 20 DF-5s currently in silos across the country, each of which could target almost the entirety of the US. 

Altogether, the modified DF-5s could launch upwards of 40 warheads at North America, according to the Times. This modification is intended to produce maximum destruction while increasing the chances that a Chinese warhead could get past US missile interceptors. 

“They’re doing it,” Hans M. Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists told the Times, “to make sure they could get through the ballistic missile defenses.”

The US has placed missile defenses in California and Alaska with the intention of defending against a possible North Korean strike. The US also operates joint Aegis and Patriot missile systems in South Korea, and is aiming at deploying the highly advanced THAAD missile interceptor to the peninsula as well.  

Although these missile shields are aimed against North Korea, they could also block a Chinese strike.

The sudden modifications come at a time of increased tension throughout Asia. Japan and the US have strengthened and reaffirmed military ties, and the US is increasingly playing a large role in the South China Sea in the support of the Philippines. Both countries are involved in disputes with China over the South China Sea.

The timing of the DF-5 upgrades is likely a signal to the US that China is a quickly rising power in the region with only a limited tolerance for meddling in its backyard. 

“This is obviously part of an effort to prepare for long-term competition with the United States,” Ashley J. Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Times. "The Chinese are always fearful of American nuclear advantage.”

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In terms of both absolute tonnage and technology, the US Navy is the world's preeminent maritime military force. 

But the US Navy operates more than just sea-faring ships and essentially has its own marine-based air force. The naval air arm participates in a number of mission types ranging from search-and-rescue to special operations to anti-submarine warfare.

The following graphic from CI Geography shows every part of the US naval air arm as of May 2015 (if you don't want to squint, you can view a much larger version of the graphic here): 

In terms of air power, the Navy leans heavily on the F/A-18E Super Hornet. Within the air arm are 35 Super Hornet strike fighter squadrons. In addition, there are two additional F/A-18 Hornet strike squadrons. 

The Super Hornets and Hornets often work in close coordination with the EA-18G Growlers. There are 15 carrier tactical electronic warfare squadrons of Growlers within the air arm. These planes have the primary mission of conducting electronic warfare and jamming enemy radars. 

Of course, the Naval Air Arm's capabilities go beyond just strike squadrons and electronic warfare. Also included within the air arm are P-8A Poseidons, the world's most advanced search aircraft, and several squadrons of MH-60 Seahawks, some of the most capable helicopters in the world. 

The US first began taking steps towards developing its naval aviation capabilities in 1910, and Lieutenant Theodore G. "Spuds" Ellyson became the first Naval Aviator on April 12, 1911. Subsequent advances in naval aviation were to play a decisive role in World War II, particularly against Imperial Japan in the Pacific. 

You can view the whole graphic in larger detail here»

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Last month the Navy Research Lab powered a radio-controlled P-51 model using a “gas to liquid” process that takes seawater and turns it into fuel.

According to a jargon-rich NRL press release, the process goes something like this: An innovative and proprietary NRL electrolytic cation exchange module (E-CEM), both dissolved and bound CO2 are removed from seawater at 92 percent efficiency by re-equilibrating carbonate and bicarbonate to CO2 and simultaneously producing H2.

The gases are then converted to liquid hydrocarbons by a metal catalyst in a reactor system.

In other words, seawater goes in the tank and the motor cranks up and the airplane flies.

“In close collaboration with the Office of Naval Research P38 Naval Reserve program, NRL has developed a game changing technology for extracting, simultaneously, CO2 and H2 from seawater,” said Dr. Heather Willauer, NRL research chemist. “This is the first time technology of this nature has been demonstrated with the potential for transition, from the laboratory, to full-scale commercial implementation.”

Equally amazing is how nobody seemed to notice, or if they noticed they didn’t seem to care. (This is when conspiracy theorists blame Big Oil.)

Here’s a video that shows the R/C P-51 flight:

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It has been apparent for some time that the United States lacks a strategy to fulfill President Obama's pledge to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State since it has no plan to root out the terrorists' base in Syria.

There was hope, though, that Mr. Obama's half-measures might be enough to blunt the Islamic State's advances in Iraq, leaving the Syria problem for the next U.S. president. With the stunning fall of Ramadi on Sunday, even that modest optimism is questionable.

"ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose," Mr. Obama declared on Feb. 11, using an acronym for the Islamic State. "We've seen reports of sinking morale among ISIL fighters as they realize the futility of their cause." The Iraqi army's capture of Tikrit the following month seemed to provide confirmation.

But U.S. airstrikes late last week proved powerless to block a sophisticated Islamic State offensive to capture Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province 80 miles west of Baghdad.

Once again, the Islamist terrorists are slaughtering captives and sending civilians fleeing in fear. Once again, they have seized U.S. military equipment, including about 30 vehicles the government sent into Ramadi the day before its fall.

Once again, in the absence of more intensive help from the United States, the Iraqi government is turning to Shiite militia and the Iranian armed forces that support them.

Iran's defense minister, Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan, flew into Baghdad on Monday.

The Shiite militia cannot save Iraq, as its Shiite prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, well understands. Anbar is Iraq's Sunni heartland, and many of its residents will regard the militia with as much or more fear than they feel for the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State. But Mr. Obama will not permit U.S. trainers to work with Iraqi forces on the ground or send U.S. spotters to make airstrikes more useful.

Referring to U.S. aid, an Iraqi defense spokesman, Naseer Nori, told the Wall Street Journal, "Is it the role we wish for, is it to the strategic level we wish? Absolutely not."

Beginning almost a year ago, the Islamic State carved out, across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, a terrorist state of sorts that Mr. Obama deemed intolerable. He said in September that it is a threat to "the broader Middle East," including U.S. citizens and facilities, and "if left unchecked . . . could pose a growing threat beyond that region, including to the United States."

Yet he refuses to commit the Special Forces and military assistance that could meet that threat, portraying any alternative to his minimalist policy as being "dragged back into another prolonged ground war." In fact, Sunni allies in the region will be reluctant to work with the United States until it has a Syria policy, and Sunni tribes in Iraq will not confront the Islamic State unless they believe the United States will stand by them.

Every conflict will have ups and downs, as administration spokesmen said Monday. But it is Mr. Obama's unwillingness to match means to strategy that threatens to prolong this war.

This article was written by Editorial Board from The Washington Post and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.

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NOW WATCH: This air base in Qatar carries out American airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus Defense & Space on Tuesday ordered engine software checks on the A400M aircraft following a recent crash of Europe's new military transporter.

The request comes after the discovery of a potential anomaly in the system running the plane's turboprop engines.

However, one person familiar with the findings said evidence gathered so far appeared to suggest a "quality" problem rather than a fundamental design flaw.

Four crew members were killed when an A400M crashed in Spain on May during a pre-delivery flight test.

Airbus said it had issued an alert asking air forces to examine the plane's 'Electronic Control Unit' before the next flight.

The unit controls the engines and is part of a suite of software systems that were partly blamed for earlier delays and cost overruns in building the troop and cargo carrier.

Additionally, nations operating the plane must carry out other checks whenever this unit or an engine is replaced.

"To avoid potential risks in any future flights, Airbus Defense and Space has informed the operators about necessary actions to take," a statement said.

The call for engine-related checks confirms an earlier Reuters report.

So far, few if any clues have emerged from the 'black box' flight recorders, at least one of which has been sent to the United States for examination.

The potential area of concern was discovered by Airbus in its own review.

"It is a precautionary measure which is part of our continued airworthiness activities," the spokeswoman said.

The Airbus A400M was developed at a cost of 20 billion euros in Europe's largest defence project.

It is powered by the West's largest turboprop engines, designed by Britain's Rolls-Royce, France's Safran and MTU Aero Engines of Germany.

Problems in developing the engines, and particularly in certifying the engine control software, contributed to three years of delays and a new cash injection by governments in 2010.

The Electronic Control Unit is one of two pieces of complex software that make up the engine control system, or FADEC, whose development was led by Munich-based MTU Aero Engines.

The crash came amid new delays in fitting the aircraft with military systems and raised further questions over the timing of deliveries after Spain suspended pre-delivery test flights.

Airbus has said the deliveries are "under review".

The A400M has been delivered so far to Britain, France, Germany, Turkey and Malaysia, which is so far the only export customer. Other buyers include Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain.

SEE ALSO: People are having serious doubts about the security researcher who allegedly hacked a plane

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NOW WATCH: Watch a pilot squeeze his plane through this skinny canal in Greece

Navy whistleblower William McNeilly is now in the custody of military police in Scotland following the publication of a report alleging serious security and safety failings in Britain's nuclear deterrent.

The Ministry of Defence has  confirmed that McNeilly was "apprehended" on Monday night by Royal Navy Police and is being held at a military facility in Scotland.

In the 18-page report, published on the WikiLeaks site, McNeilly warned of the "shockingly extreme conditions that our nuclear weapons system is in" claiming that Britain's "nuclear weapons are a target that's wide open to attack."

The Navy has rejected his allegations saying that they represent "subjective and unsubstantiated personal views, made by a very junior sailor." However, they also confirmed that there would be an investigation into "both the issue of the unauthorised release of this document and its contents."

Here are all of the most serious allegations made in the report:

• He was able to record the full instructions for the safety and security of the Trident II D5 strategic weapon system, which are kept secured in a safe in the Missile Control Centre and should not be able to be shared, on his Samsung Galaxy SII phone.
• He could access secure areas, including the ships themselves, without proper security checks — sometimes showing a "[hotel] room-card or nothing" to security personnel.
• Luggage brought onto the submarines was not checked.
• One of the nuclear submarines, HMS Vanguard, was in such poor condition that it tried to set sail "countless times" but was forced back to dock, meaning that the other ships had to do extended tours.
• The submarine he was assigned to set sail with 31 extra unqualified submariners on it than should have been allowed and could be accommodated.
• Sea water leaking into the Main Hydraulic Plant prevented the submarine from being able to operate its missile tube muzzle hatches, preventing the ship from conducting a Battle Readiness Test (BRT) to demonstrate that it could fire missiles if necessary.
• The crew routinely muted alarms on the system designed to monitor the condition of the missiles.
• A crew member accidentally flooded the torpedo compartment, and failed to follow protocol to prevent a possible electrical fire as a result.
• He reports a conversation with a more senior officer who claimed that HMS Vanguard had been involved in a collision with a French submarine causing serious damage, but alleges that the event was covered up.
• A serious fire in a missile compartment caused by stacking toilet roll along the decks of the submarine set alight by the head of electrical cables running alongside them.
• McNeilly says there were "some people that I served with on that patrol, who showed clear psychopathic tendencies."

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The United States signed Monday its second $1 billion loan guarantee deal for Ukraine aimed at helping the crisis-wracked country surmount a Russia-backed insurgency and rebuild its tattered economy.

The US loan guarantee agreement is part of a $7.5 billion package of support for Ukraine over the coming year from its bilateral and multilateral partners, the Ukrainian finance ministry said.

"On behalf of my government and the people of Ukraine, I want to offer our sincere thanks to the United States for their continued and unwavering support. This loan guarantee is a cornerstone of that support and comes at a critical time for our country," said Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko in a statement.

With the US guarantee, market participants will view the risk of Ukrainian Eurobonds at the high credit rating of US sovereign debt.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said that the $1 billion loan guarantee underscores Washington's continued support for the economic reform agenda of the Ukrainian government of President Petro Poroshenko.

"Since we signed our first loan guarantee agreement one year ago, Ukraine has worked closely with the IMF, the World Bank, the United States, and other members of the international community to implement a robust reform program that will help stabilize Ukraine's economy and lay the groundwork for future growth and prosperity," Lew said in a statement.

"Ukraine has taken critical reforms already, and its commitment to making a decisive break with the corruption and stagnation of the past is clear. This progress must continue so that the people of Ukraine can realize the prosperity and stability they deserve."

The loan announcement came as Ukraine is in difficult negotiations with private creditors to restructure $15 billion in debt, a key step of its $40 billion international bailout orchestrated by the International Monetary Fund.

The debt restructuring is needed to pass the first review of the IMF's $17.5 billion portion of the bailout that would unblock the next tranche of the institution's aid.

Ukrainian forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists since April 2014 in eastern Ukraine in a bid to prevent the secession of the Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The West and Kiev have accused the Kremlin of instigating the insurgency and supporting militants with weapons, funds and troops. Moscow has denied the claims. A tenuous February truce was broken by more violence Monday that claimed the lives of at least four Ukrainian servicemen.

Torn apart by the insurgency in its industrial east and economic crisis, Ukraine's debt has exploded to almost 100 percent of its gross domestic product. The economy shrank 17.6 percent in the first quarter from a year ago.

SEE ALSO: The top export and import in every US state

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NOW WATCH: You'll want to travel to Turkey after watching this incredible video

Iraqi forces and allied Sunni tribesmen repelled an Islamic State attack overnight on a town west of Baghdad, a tribal leader said Tuesday, as the government renewed its commitment to arm anti-militant Sunni tribes following the loss of the key city of Ramadi.

IS militants routed Iraqi troops and seized Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, over the weekend in their most significant advance since a U.S.-led coalition began airstrikes against the extremists last summer.

The Cabinet said Tuesday that the Sunni tribesmen in Anbar province would be armed in coordination with the local government. The move is apparently aimed at winning the Sunnis in embattled Anbar ahead of decisive offensive to retake Ramadi.

Islamic State militants launched an attack shortly before midnight Monday to try and capture the town of Khaldiya, which lies between Fallujah and Ramadi, Sheikh Rafie al-Fahdawi said. The extremists first captured a small village outside Khaldiya, he said, adding that no troops or tribal fighters were killed in the clashes.

The loss of Ramadi prompted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to order Shiite militias to prepare to go into the restive Sunni province following a request from the local government and some tribes.

The paramilitary forces, known as Popular Mobilization Units, played a major role in dislodging IS militants from the northern city of Tikrit last month and rolling back the extremists elsewhere in the country.

But rights groups have accused the militiamen of carrying out revenge attacks against Sunnis and of looting and destroying property. Militia leaders have denied the allegations.

On Monday, the Islamic State militants searched door-to-door for policemen and pro-government fighters in Ramadi and threw bodies in the Euphrates River in a bloody purge. Officials put the number of people killed since Friday at least 500, including civilians and security forces.

Enlisting the help of Anbar's tribes was critical to the success of U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq in the latter stages of the Iraq war in 2007-2008. After the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the tribal leaders have grown disillusioned with the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad and claimed that Sunnis are receiving second-class treatment.

Till now, the Baghdad government has been reluctant to provide weapons to Sunni tribes due to the lack of mutual trust. But, it seems that the fall of Ramadi and the stunning collapse of the security forces have put pressure on the Iraqi prime minister to seek the help of the natives who once played a key role in defeating the insurgents in Anbar.

Also, the government is planning to recruit more forces in order to make up for the soldiers who deserted their positions during the recent fighting in Anbar, according to a statement posted on al-Abadi's official website.

"Severe punishment will be done on those who failed to carry out their duties during the Ramadi battle," the statement said.

Also Tuesday, Iraq's Defense Ministry said in a statement it rescued a number of soldiers stranded inside Ramadi, releasing a video for two helicopters landing in an open area as several soldiers were rushing to them.

Later, the soldiers are seen disembarking from a helicopter and hugging and kissing one another at the base. The statement didn't give details on when the rescue operation happened and the number of the soldiers.

A military official said the operation took place Monday and put the number of the rescued soldiers at 28. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to release information to make statement

SEE ALSO: This is what it's like to have the Assad regime's 'barrel bombs' dropped on your city

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NOW WATCH: 70 people were injured while filming this movie with 100 untamed lions

"Dustoff 7-3" by Chief Warrant Officer Erik Sabiston details one crew's heroic medical evacuation missions during the US's military operation in Afghanistan.

In this excerpt, Sabiston describes the scene just after the rescue helicopter crew Dustoff 7-3 successfully extracted the body of a soldier killed in action.

David Capps, who is in charge of maneuvering the body inside the aircraft, quickly realizes they are in a compromised position that could lead to a crash. 

Capps was desperately struggling with the hoist cable as it raced towards our tail rotor propelled by our forward airspeed and the wind effect on the limp bodybag.

He was sitting on the cabin floor with his legs dangling outside, hanging onto the hoist boom with one hand and struggling to control the cable with the other. He had no hands unoccupied that would allow him to key the ICS and let us know about the jeopardy.

Julia Bringloe, another soldier on board, quickly understood Capps had a problem and jumped across the cabin to give him a hand.

"Talk to me, guys …" But they were too busy in the back while Kenny and I just kept accelerating and clawing for altitude.

As Bringloe got to the cabin door, she could see Capps was in trouble. He was halfway out of the aircraft being buffeted hard by the wind and struggling desperately to get a firm grip on the hoist cable which was now sailing up toward our tail rotor with the empty bodybag inflated like a big, black parachute.

If that bag or the steel cable contacted the tail rotor, we would promptly spin out of control and crash.

While she tried to get a grip on Capps with one hand she keyed her ICS with the other. "Stop, stop … HOLD HOVER!"

There was no questioning that. Something was seriously wrong back behind the cockpit.

I pulled the cyclic into my gut and dumped the collective to the floor to stop the Blackhawk's forward progress and set up a hover.

We were at 300 feet off the trees, and this was no time or place to be hanging around with enemy shooters on the ground.

Bringloe was not the kind of soldier to get rattled unless it was something serious, so I made the adjustments to hold hover and waited for her to tell me what kind of trouble we had.

"The bag is heading for the tail rotor!" she said finally. "We're trying to recover it!" 

There was nothing Kenny or I could do from the cockpit except hope and pray they got control of the hoist cable in a hurry. I pulled the nose up another ten degrees hoping that might help. It was the wrong move.

The tail boom lowered and nearly met the offending cable halfway as Capps mashed the hoist control pendant’s reel in button with one hand and wrestled the steel cable with the other. 

He was fighting what looked like a losing battle. As the aircraft decelerated to hover, the cable swung closer to the tail boom.

The excess cable and the body bag snagged briefly on the stabilator wing, just under the tail rotor.He tried for more tension on the cable and watched the bag slip from under the stabilator towards the spinning blades.

A couple more feet and it would get caught in the tail rotor, destroying it instantly. Capps dropped the pendant and kicked out with his legs trying to get one hooked over the cable. 

His monkey-strap was all that was holding him to the bucking aircraft. He kicked and missed and then kicked again, inching ever farther outside the helicopter.

He saw the bodybag whipping in the wind, nearly free of the stabilator wing and made one last desperate effort to hook the cablewith his legs.

That one worked. He jerked back with his legs and got some slack in the cable that allowed him to get his hands on it.

He had a modicum of control now and managed to pull the bodybag away from the tail rotor.

Holding on to his purchase with all his strength, he fought to get his body back inside 9-4-4, where he’d have better leverage to pull.

Bringloe wrapped her arms around him and fell backward pulling him inside.

While she helped him wrestle the cable, Capps activated the reel-in button on the hoist for highest speed recovery. 

The crisis was past as they sat panting near the door and watched the cable spool back into the reel.

When the flapping black bodybag that had nearly wrecked their ride was snagged on the cabin door handle, Capps just shook his head and leaned back outside to get it.

Specialist David Capps had saved our lives.

"We're clear. Go!" Bringloe ordered in a nearly breathless croak. It was a while before we got a full report from her and Capps on what had happened and what they did to save us all.

As they related the details, vastly understating David’s heroic efforts, Kenny and I just listened, steering Dustoff 7-3 toward the next pick-up site and wondering how we got lucky enough to have soldiers like David Capps and Julia Bringloe on our crew.

Read more stories from Chief Warrant Officer Erik Sabiston > 

Republished with permission from "Dustoff 7-3" by Erik Sabiston. 

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When the US Navy tested a weaponized laser late last year, blasting holes in both aerial and seaborne targets from as far as a mile away, the development was greeted with acclaim.

The new weapon, called the Laser Weapons System, or LaWS, could replace costly conventional projectiles with blasts of focused heat that only cost as much as their energy input — perhaps as little as $1 per shot.

But the reality may have been very different. According to a startling new analysis from laser scientist Subrata Ghoshroy in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the test and the weapon may have been little more than an elaborate public relations stunt.

As Ghoshroy argues, the tests aboard the USS Ponce were at a short distance and low-energy, and were aimed at particularly vulnerable targets. The test was publicly documented by the Navy and included a weapon curiously ahead of its development schedule — and even then it didn't represent a leap in existing technology, much less a revolutionary new super-weapon.

In the USS Ponce tests, the distance of engagement appeared to be short — less than a mile," Ghoshroy writes. "The sides of their speedboat target were thin, and the target drone aircraft appeared to be small.  So, it was possible to accomplish a so-called 'successful' test with a relatively low power, in the 10 to 20 kilowatt range." 

As Ghoshroy writes later in the article, the developers' "ultimate goal ... for a tactical weapons-grade laser" is a burst of around 100 kilowatts.

Ghoshroy also writes that the beam from the USS Ponce test was of "low-quality," explaining that "high-quality has long been the Achilles heel of high-power lasers."

In Ghoshroy's view, the LaWS is part of a long string of developments that have been sold as breakthroughs in US laser weapon technology — but that have only exposed how far "directed energy" weapons have still to go in order to be portable, reliable, and practical.

"[W]hile lasers ... offer the tantalizing possibility of being game-changers, they will not likely be ready for prime time anytime soon," Ghoshroy writes. "Like a mirage, battlefield lasers are always just over the horizon."

There are numerous potential benefits to laser weapons. A powerful enough laser could shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. In 2007, the US military successfully tested a laser system housed inside of a custom-made Boeing 747 that shot down a mock-up of a tactical ballistic missile. Infantry lasers could render bullets or even certain anti-aircraft weapons obsolete.

In the closing decade of the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan mobilized the US government to develop a shield of space-based lasers that could take down high-flying strategic ballistic missiles — an objective that became a chief obstacle in arms control talks with the Soviet Union throughout his presidency. The shield was never practical, and never came particularly close to actually getting built.

But as Ghoshroy puts it, "the path to laser weapons is littered with dead lasers." Existing solid-state lasers can't build up enough energy or strike at sufficient range to take down a major target. Gas or chemical-based lasers are currently too cumbersome for battlefield use. Even the YAL-1, which had one of the largest laser turrets ever built, was deemed so impractical that the airframe itself was eventually scrapped (even though the laser worked, getting a 747 within laser range of an incoming ballistic missile is incredibly difficult to pull off).

The test aboard the USS Ponce involved a fiber-based laser. That types of laser is showing promise, but Ghoshroy warns that "some issues related to the structure of the fiber itself and the efficiency with which the photons are pumped up could be show-stoppers."

The LaWS isn't a new drone-killing super-weapon. At most, it points towards a possible future breakthrough. It's a necessary proof of concept, rather than something that could replace conventional ballistic weapons in the near future.

But the Navy's promotion of the test, and the media attention that surrounded it, demonstrates something that's already been clear for decades. Lasers are incredibly useful to defense policy makers as a red herring: they demonstrate technological progress, and motion towards eventual lower costs — along with the resolution of vexing strategic and tactical concerns.

As weapons, they don't really work. At least not yet.

Read Ghoshroy's entire piece here.

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SEAL Team 6, officially known as United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), and Delta Force, officially known as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D), are the most highly trained elite forces in the US military.

Both are Special Missions Units (SMU) under the control of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), they perform various clandestine and highly classified missions around the world. Each unit can equally perform various types of operations but their primary mission is counter-terrorism.

So what’s the difference between the two?  Delta Force recently took out ISIS bad guy Abu Sayyaf in Syria; DevGru took out al Qaeda bad guy Osama Bin Laden a few years ago. Same-same, right?

Wrong.

WATM spoke with former DEVGRU operator Craig Sawyer as well as a former Delta operator who asked to remain anonymous to uncover 5 key differences between the two elite forces.

1. Selection

Delta Force is an Army outfit that primarily selects candidates from within their own special forces and infantry units. However, they will also select candidates from all branches of service, including the National Guard and Coast Guard.

SEAL Team 6 selects candidates exclusively from the Navy’s SEAL team community. If a candidate does not pass the grueling selection process they will still remain part of the elite SEAL teams.

“It’s a matter of can candidates quickly process what they are taught and keep up,” Sawyer says.

2. Training

Both units have the most sophisticated equipment and are highly trained in Close-Quarters Combat (CQB), hostage rescue, high-value target extraction, and other specialized operations. The difference is the extensive training DEVGRU operators have in specialized maritime operations given their naval heritage.

“Each unit has strengths and weaknesses, neither is better or worse,” according to our Delta operator source.

3. Culture

Delta Force operators can be vastly diversified in their training background since they can come from various units across different military branches (including DEVGRU). Delta operators will even be awarded medals of their respective branch of service while serving with the Army unit.

“No matter what your background is, everyone starts from zero so that everyone is on the same page,” says our former Delta operator

DEVGRU operators come from the SEAL community, and while the training is intensified and more competitive, they all retain their roots in familiar SEAL training and culture.

“Candidates have proven themselves within the SEAL teams,” Sawyer says.  “It’s a matter of learning new equipment, tactics, and rules of engagement.”

4. Missions

Generally speaking, both units are equally capable of executing all specialized missions that JSOC is tasked with. Again, because of DEVGRU’S extensive training for specialized maritime operations they are more likely to receive missions like the rescue of Captain Phillips at sea.

Delta’s known and successful missions include finding Saddam Hussein and tracking down Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

“These are 2 groups of the most elite operators the military can provide,” says Craig Sawyer.

5. Media exposure

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In a chilling memo released on Wednesday, the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, informed the world that, at least on the internet, China is at war.

The memo is called "Cybersovereignty Symbolizes National Sovereignty."

"The internet has become the main battlefront for struggle in the ideological area," it said.

"With the existence of the network, the ideological front has been completely thrown open ... National security has become an important component part of our country’s overall security 'chessboard.' It may be said that without cybersecurity, there is no national security."

So what, exactly, does that mean?

It means there are enemies everywhere, and they come from Westerners creeping across borders through the net, polluting China with threatening ideas (emphasis added):

Western hostile forces and a small number of "ideological traitors" in our country use the network, and relying on computers, mobile phones and other such information terminals, maliciously attack our Party, blacken the leaders who founded the New China, vilify our heroes, and arouse mistaken thinking trends of historical nihilism, with the ultimate goal of using "universal values" to mislead us, using "constitutional democracy" to throw us into turmoil, use "colour revolutions" to overthrow us, use negative public opinion and rumours to oppose us, and use "de-partification and depoliticization of the military" to upset us.

And who likes being upset?

This comes at a time when the Chinese government pledged to make a "massive investment to improve internet services," according state media arm Xinhua News. The numbers are impressive: $70 billion committed to the internet for 2015, over $112 billion in 2016 and 2017. The money will improve broadband speeds and expand 4G access.

So process this for a second: If China expands the internet, it will be a HUGE internet, and naturally an internet of things, as we say.

The things it will not have, though, are any "ideological traitors," or anyone opposed to the Communist Party, or anyone applauding "universal values" and "constitutional democracy"— anything having to do with Western ideas.

To the PLA, this is open war. To the Communist Party, it follows the ideological framework of its new face — Xi Jinping.

Since he took office in 2012, Xi has been trying to build a new sense of Chinese identity, one that sees all of modern life through the lens of nationalistic "Chinese characteristics." That goes from things like capitalism to, of course, the internet.

Collectively, these two contradictory headlines — the PLA's war and the expansion of the internet — fall into this framework, and serve as a blueprint for the way the Chinese will understand and use the internet for as long as President Xi is in power (that's looking as if it could be a while).

Of course, this "war" isn't new. It's just a regular old idea war being fought on the internet, a new front. The PLA admits it, and points out that it was the West who taught China how to fight this way during the Cold War. Not just in the USSR either, in South America and in Northern Africa.

This is an online public opinion battle with glints and flashes of cold steel and numerous opportunities to make a kill. Back in the day, to tackle the Soviet Union, one method Western hostile forces adopted was online infiltration in the ideological area. Afterwards, in the Southern Alliance, and a number of countries in Southwest Asia, and North Africa, they played the same tricks ...

If hearts are won, there is gladness, if hearts are lost, there is failure. A regime's disintegration often begins in the ideological area, political upheaval and regime change can happen in the space of a night, but ideological evolution is a long-term process. If the ideological front is broken, other fronts will become difficult to hold.

We're assuming the PLA believes this goes both ways. That Western ideas could break them, and perhaps vice versa.

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NOW WATCH: Incredible video shows 51 workers crammed into a 6-seater minibus in China

The photographs in this post were taken during a combined live fire demonstration in Wadi Shadiya, Jordan, May 18.

They show a B-52H from 2nd Bomb Wing, from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, drop some 500-lb GBU-38 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bombs during the “monumental military demonstration” that was the final event of Exercise “Eager Lion” a recurring multinational exercise designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships, increase interoperability between partner nations, and enhance regional security and stability.

Noteworthy, the two B-52 Stratofortress bombers that marked the first participation of strategic bombers to Eager Lion, performed a 30-plus hour, 14,000 mile nonstop mission to the U.S. Central Command area of operations.

They coordinated the attack with Jordanian JTACs (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers) and, after the attack run, overflew the range escorted by two Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16s.

In addition to 5,000 U.S. servicemen, the two-week yearly exercise saw the participation of Jordanian forces as well as contingents from 16 other countries for a total force of about 10,000 troops.

The exercise was held among five sites across Jordan and based on the scenario of a friendly contingent committed to the aid of an allied nation under threat by an aggressive neighbor.

 Along with the U.S. Air Force strategic bombers, Jordanian tactical planes and U.S. Army helicopters of the 185th Theater Aviation Brigade’s aviation task force, EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) teams, Seabees and patrol craft were used to perform port security in Aqaba, Jordan’s only coastal city, while a Marine crisis-response force out of Kuwait took part in the drills, practicing non-combatant evacuation operation (NCO) by means of MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft in the north.

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All 275 women, girls and children rescued from Boko Haram and taken to the safety of a northeast Nigerian refugee camp have been taken into military custody amid suspicions that some are aiding the Islamic extremists, a camp official and a Nigerian military intelligence officer said Wednesday.

They said soldiers on Tuesday took the group from Malkohi Camp to the airport at Yola city, where a military plane flew them to an unknown destination.

Spokesman Sani Datti of the National Emergency Management Agency, which manages the camp, said he was aware that soldiers removed the group but said he had no other information about an "entirely military affair."

The army spokesman for 23rd Armoured Brigade in Yola could not be immediately reached for comment.

An intelligence officer told The Associated Press the move followed fears that some women were communicating at night with Boko Haram. The camp official said the suspicions were voiced during trauma counseling sessions. Both requested anonymity because the affair is sensitive.

The group — which includes 67 women and girls and the rest young children — was brought to Malkohi on May 2.

They told The Associated Press heartrending stories of their captivity and the trauma of their rescue from a Sambisa Forest camp, where Boko Haram fighters stoned several of them to death. Others were crushed accidentally by a military armored car and three women died when a land mine exploded. All the rescued children were badly malnourished.

One young woman, Binta Ibrahim, told how at 16 she rescued three children aged between 2 and 4, cared for them during a year of captivity under Boko Haram and brought them to the safety of the refugee camp.

Ibrahim's humanity so moved U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power that she called her an inspiration at the commencement address for the University of Pennsylvania this week.

"Binta is a Muslim. The three kids she saved are Christian. Tell me a more powerful rejection of Boko Haram's perversion of Islam than Binta's love for those kids," she said.

SEE ALSO: Nigeria hired South African mercenaries to wage a secret war on Africa's deadliest jihadist group

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