Russia’s hypersonic nuclear missile just entered into service

Russia’s hypersonic nuclear missile just entered into service

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin made headlines with his claim that the Russian military is the only force on the planet with fully operational hypersonic weapons. Russia’s growing hypersonic arsenal already includes the Kinzhal (Dagger), which has a range of around 1,250 miles and can travel 10 times faster than the speed of sound […]

China in Angola: A quest for oil and legitimacy

China in Angola: A quest for oil and legitimacy

“Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world,” Napoleon Bonaparte had allegedly said. It has been quite a while since Austerlitz and Waterloo, but the former French emperor and military genius seems to have hit the nail right on the head. Long forgotten are Mao’s economic and social experiments, namely, the […]

Iran set for joint naval exercise with Russia and China

Iran set for joint naval exercise with Russia and China

Iranian military spokesman Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi has announced that his country will carry out a four-day joint naval exercise with Russia and China. The exercise is set to commence on December 27th and take place in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. This all follows recent U.S. buildup in the region. In particular, the […]

Russia just lost a 5th-gen fighter jet in a crash

Russia just lost a 5th-gen fighter jet in a crash

In the first reported total loss of one of Russia’s exceedingly rare fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 “stealth” fighters, one of the jets crashed approximately 68 miles from the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft plant in Russia, where it was likely built. The pilot ejected from the aircraft safely and was recovered soon after the incident by Russian military MI-8 […]

Chinese spies enter Navy base where SEALs practice shooting

Chinese spies enter Navy base where SEALs practice shooting

Last September, two Chinese diplomats were expelled from the U.S. after they barged into a U.S. Navy base in Virginia. The base in which they illegally entered houses the shooting ranges for all the East Coast SEAL Teams. The Chinese diplomats, one of who is reported to be an intelligence officer operating under a diplomatic […]

Food, drug, and bullets: How America is fighting Chinese influence in Africa

Food, drug, and bullets: How America is fighting Chinese influence in Africa

The United States is looking to further strengthen its ties with the country of Djibouti. At the request of the Djiboutian government, the U.S. is helping the small Horn of Africa nation build an elite Special Forces infantry unit, the Rapid Intervention Battalion (RIB). The unit will be trained and equipped by the U.S. The […]

America launches its newest aircraft carrier days after China’s new carrier hits their fleet

America launches its newest aircraft carrier days after China’s new carrier hits their fleet

Earlier this week, China’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy received its second aircraft carrier — and the first that China built on its own. The announcement that China now has two operational aircraft carriers was seen by some as a dramatic uptick in China’s maritime capabilities. But as we’ve discussed on SOFREP before, the nation’s quickly growing […]

China’s second aircraft carrier enters service — Where do they stand compared to the US?

China’s second aircraft carrier enters service — Where do they stand compared to the US?

China’s People’s Liberation Army–Navy just reached a significant milestone in its efforts to develop a globally-capable “blue water” navy, as the nation’s second aircraft carrier entered service on Tuesday. China’s new carrier, dubbed the Shandong, is not only China’s first home-built vessel of its type, it also earns the nation a place in the elite […]

Navy Chief: ‘Our ships are too few and too big’

Navy Chief: ‘Our ships are too few and too big’

As the first of its class (and perpetually troubled) super carrier USS Gerald R. Ford continues to steam toward completion and a second carrier’s (the USS John F. Kennedy) production continues, the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Michael Gilday, laid out his vision of how the Navy needs to shift its approach to […]

With an eye toward China’s expansion, US invests whopping $22 billion in new submarines

With an eye toward China’s expansion, US invests whopping $22 billion in new submarines

The United States Navy awarded the most expensive shipbuilding contract in all of American history on Monday. It agreed to pay $22.2 billion for a fleet of nine new nuclear powered Virginia class attack submarines. This historic deal was made with an eye affixed directly on America’s most potent military, diplomatic and economic rival on […]