Indonesia Starts Construction of Second Philippines Navy Ship

INDONESIA’S state-owned shipbuilder has started to build the second of two strategic sealift vessels for the Philippine Navy.

A report from Indonesia’s Antara News last June 5 said the keel-laying of the second ship by shipbuilder PT PAL was held recently at the Surabaya shipyard.

Alleged Russian Soldiers Captured in Ukraine May Have Been Fooled by Social Media

London, UK -- False information posted online may have been the reason behind the apparent capture of Russian special forces in Ukraine, according to one of Kiev’s top advisors on pro-Russian propaganda tactics.

The soldiers were seized in May in the town of Shchastya, near the line of separation. A video was then posted online showing one of the detainees stating his rank and brigade, prompting Moscow to again deny claims that Russia is sending forces into the country.

Nine Foreign Aircraft Caught Intruding Indonesian Airspace, Says Air Force

June 8, 2015 -- The Indonesian Air Force has so far intercepted nine foreign aircraft illegally flying over Ambalat-Karang Unarang airspace in East Kalimantan by June, Tarakan Air Force base commander Lt Col Tiopan Hutapea said on Sunday.

The Jakarta Post quoted Tiopan as saying that the aircraft which included military jets, helicopters and drones were from Malaysia and entered Indonesian territory without proper documentation.

Thai Navy Deploy ‘Floating Base’ for Boat People

The Thai navy will deploy a landing-platform dock ship in the Andaman Sea to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants found adrift as a complement to air patrols by the United States.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters the 4.9-billion-baht (US$163 million) HTMS Ang Thong will serve as a “floating base with medics and police” on board. The vessel, commissioned in 2012, has a displacement of 7,500 tonnes, can carry a crew of 390 and is equipped with a sick bay, a minor-operation room and dentistry suite.

Vietnam eyes Western warplanes, patrol aircraft to counter China

Vietnam is in talks with European and U.S. contractors to buy fighter jets, maritime patrol planes and unarmed drones, sources said, as it looks to beef up its aerial defences in the face of China's growing assertiveness in disputed waters.

The battle-hardened country has already taken possession of three Russian-built Kilo-attack submarines and has three more on order as part of a $2.6 billion (1.69 billion pounds) deal agreed in 2009. Upgrading its air force would give Vietnam one of the most potent militaries in Southeast Asia.

RMAF to Retain MiG-29N Fighter Aircraft

KUANTAN: The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fleet of MiG-29N fighter aircraft will remain an important asset to the country's air defence. RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Roslan Saad said there has been no decision to replace the MIG-29N which had been in service since 1990 and the aircraft will still remain in service. 

He said RMAF will scrutinise the capabilities of the existing MIG-29N fleet to ensure it remains competitive and relevant in safeguarding the country's air space. "Initially, there were plans to phase out the aircraft and replace them with another multi-role combat aircraft. "However, we have decided to upgrade the aircraft to ensure it has similar capabilities with fighter jets owned by other countries," he told reporters after opening RMAF's 57th anniversary here today. (New Straits Times)

Defence Ministry Gives Green Light to Army Patrols at Malaysia-Thai Border

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today he has “no objection” to the proposal that the military takes over patrols along the Malaysia-Thailand border.

The defence minister said the Cabinet decided today that both the Inspector-General of Police and the Armed Forces chief will discuss the military’s role in the plan.

Carl Vinson Strike Group Conducts Exercises With Malaysian Military

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets and two Royal Malaysian Air Force Su-30MKMs fly in formation above the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Source: US Navy

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, and Destroyer Squadron 1 participated in various bi-lateral training events May 10 in the South China Sea with Malaysian air and surface units in support of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet theater security cooperation objectives.

L-3 SAM Electronics to Supply Turnkey Equipment for New Royal Malaysian Navy Ships

HAMBURG, Germany – L-3 SAM Electronics announced recently that it has been awarded a contract to provide the electrical distribution system for six Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). The ships will be built at the Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut, Malaysia, with Design Authority provided by DCNS of France. Deliveries are scheduled between 2017 and 2021.

Soldiers Learn Survival Skills at Jungle Training Center

US soldier training at the JTC. Source: Hawaii News

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — On a hilltop nestled deep in the Wahiawa jungle, Staff Sgt. Jeff Bermudez, US Army reminded his students, laden with gear and rifles, that despite their imminent task to rappel down a 60-foot drop to flatter ground, they’re lucky.

“A little while ago, it was raining, and this ground would’ve been slicker than goose grease,” he told his trainees, who eyed the rope and small tree they’d soon rely on to buffer gravity.

Bermudez, a cadre instructor, teaches hasty rappel in addition to several other courses, including communications and how to counter improvised explosive devices, at the 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning Academy Jungle Operations Training Center, which is almost two years old.