NewzIntel.com

Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Helps Re-introduce Landmark Equality Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress, helped re-introduce the Equality Act in the 119th Congress. Pappas is an original co-sponsor of this legislation, which passed the House in the 117th Congress.

    This legislation amends existing civil rights statutes to provide LGBTQ+ Americans with the same protections all other Americans enjoy in key areas of life, including employment, housing, public accommodations, federally funded programs, education, jury selection, and credit.  The Equality Act strengthens protections not just for LGBTQ+ people but also women, as it ensures nondiscrimination protections on the basis of sex in federally funded programs and public accommodations—two areas of law where sex discrimination is currently not prohibited. The Equality Act has overwhelming public support, with more than seven in ten Americans supporting it.

    “Full equality under the law. Nothing less, nothing more. That’s what the Equality Act means to LGBTQ+ Americans who for far too long have gone without these same legal protections guaranteed to others,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or whom they love. Passing the Equality Act will steer our nation closer to the promise of its founding principles by guaranteeing equality for all under the law. It’s past time to ensure the LGBTQ+ community is protected by our nation’s civil rights statutes and to move our country forward.”

    Pappas serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and is New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress. In his role as Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus, he has helped to introduce and pass the Equality Act through the House of Representatives and enact the Respect for Marriage Act into law. Pappas also leads the LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act, which would ban the use of panic defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in federal courts; the SERVE Act, which would guarantee and protect VA benefits for LGBTQ+ veterans; and led successful calls for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reassess policy that blocked members of the LGBTQ+ community from donating blood. 

    Watch his full remarks here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Leads NH Congressional Delegation in Pressing for Urgent Risk Assessment of Portsmouth Memorial Bridge

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Following the Francis Scott Bridge tragedy last year, Portsmouth’s Memorial Bridge was identified by NTSB to lack up-to-date vulnerability assessments

    Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Senator Maggie Hassan (NH), and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) inurging the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to work expeditiously with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) to evaluate Portsmouth’s Memorial Bridge, one of the 68 bridges across the country identified by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as lacking up-to-date risk assessments.

    The tragedy of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse is a reminder of the urgent need to assess bridge safety. The members wrote, “As part of the NTSB’s ongoing investigation into the March 26, 2024, containership Dali’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the bridge’s subsequent collapse, NTSB identified 68 bridges across 19 states and recommended that 30 bridge owners conduct a vulnerability assessment to determine the probability of bridge collapse. Memorial Bridge was one of these identified bridges.”

    With time and safety being of the essence, the members urged, “We urge FHWA to quickly begin working with New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) to review and respond to the NTSB Safety Recommendations memo. Additionally, we urge FHWA to follow the recommendations by working in coordination with the US Coast Guard and Army Corps to support NHDOT.”

    Shaheen, Hassan, and Pappas fought to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law which is the single largest dedicated investment ever to improve the safety and performance of bridges and included $225 million for New Hampshire. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Pappas works to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, from roads to bridges, creating jobs and improving quality of life for Granite Staters. Last month, Pappas recently joined a bicameral letter urging states to conduct critical bridge safety tests in communities across the country.

    The letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi’s upcoming visit to deepen China-Russia ties, bolster global peace

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The Guard of Honor of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) participate in a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

    At the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from Wednesday to Saturday and attend in Moscow the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    More than 80 years ago, the peoples of China, the Soviet Union and other countries fought side by side and secured victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, opening a new chapter in human history.

    As the world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, the international community demands greater global efforts to face common challenges, and to build a community with a shared future.

    Xi’s upcoming visit is expected to inject new momentum into the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Moreover, it will demonstrate the two major countries’ commitment to working with the rest of the world to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, uphold international fairness and justice, and maintain world peace and stability.

    LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIP

    History and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbors that cannot be moved away, and true friends who share weal and woe, support each other and achieve common development, Xi said in his phone conversation with Putin in February.

    The coming visit marks Xi’s 11th trip to Russia since he became Chinese president. The two heads of state have met more than 40 times on different occasions over the years. Their close communication provides strategic guidance, under which China-Russia relations have matured into a resilient and stable partnership characterized by deepening political trust, closer strategic alignment and sustained practical cooperation.

    In 2024, bilateral trade rose to 244.8 billion U.S. dollars, making China the largest trading partner of Russia for 15 consecutive years. In December 2024, the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline was fully completed. Cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, e-commerce, bio-medicine, scientific and technological innovation, as well as green energy continues to expand.

    The two countries’ long-lasting friendship has grown increasingly popular among the two peoples. The mutual visa exemption agreement for group tours has encouraged more robust two-way travel. Hundreds of cultural events have been held in succession with the framework of the China-Russia Year of Culture.

    Andrey Denisov, first deputy chair of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Russian ambassador to China, said the strategic guidance of the two heads of state is a key factor in ensuring the steady and long-term development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

    The two leaders are expected to hold extensive and in-depth discussions on both bilateral cooperation and multilateral issues, and the Russian side has high expectations for that, he added.

    INDELIBLE CONTRIBUTION

    Over 80 years ago, China and Russia, as the main battlefields in Asia and Europe during World War II, made tremendous sacrifices and indelible contribution to the final victory.

    In a signed article published by the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his visit to Russia in 2015, Xi quoted Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky as saying, “If we lost the memory of our past, our mind and soul would be lost in the darkness,” in a bid to express his remembrance of the history of the World Anti-Fascist War and earnest expectations for the two nations to join hands to maintain world peace and stability.

    The bitter lessons drawn from World War II have taught mankind that the strong preying on the weak, the law of the jungle, warlike or hegemonic policies, the winner-takes-all mindset and zero-sum game do not benefit coexistence, peace or development of mankind, Xi wrote in the article.

    Su-25 attack aircrafts fly over Red Square during the Victory Day military parade, which marks the 79th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

    Noha Bakir, a professor of political science at American University in Cairo, said China and Russia, drawing lessons from history, shoulder the important responsibility of safeguarding international stability and cooperation amid today’s complex global landscape.

    By studying, restoring and spreading the true history, people can better understand World War II and the post-war international order, thus they will resist the attempts to distort historical facts, he added.

    Andrey Fesyun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China and Russia will further jointly advocate the correct historical view of World War II, and work together to maintain global strategic stability, so as to make the due contributions of responsible major countries to the advancement of international fairness and justice.

    SPEARHEADING PROGRESS

    Eighty years ago, representatives from multiple countries, including China and the Soviet Union, gathered in the U.S. city of San Francisco, and signed the Charter of the United Nations, laying the cornerstone of the post-war international order.

    The preamble to the charter solemnly states the commitment “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”

    China and Russia have natural responsibilities to make joint efforts to steer and promote global governance in a direction that meets the expectations of the international community and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Xi when meeting with Putin in March 2023. And it was during Xi’s first visit to Russia in 2013 as Chinese president that he first proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

    As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Russia have been working closely on the world stage. Beijing and Moscow firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, as well as the fundamental norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They are also advocates of true multilateralism.

    Media staff work at the press center of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

    The two nations have also joined hands to promote political solutions to international and regional hot-spot issues. They have strengthened communication and coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS and the Group of 20, and are jointly committed to advancing a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations.

    Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan scholar on international relations, said that China and Russia collaborate through platforms like the SCO and BRICS, which has not only promoted a multipolar world, but also empowered the Global South with a greater voice in global governance and a bigger role in shaping the rules on major international issues.

    Ilgar Velizade, head of the South Caucasus Club of Political Scientists from Azerbaijan, said that the growing strength of multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the SCO and BRICS represents a powerful embodiment of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

    If countries engage in an active, constructive and sustainable dialogue focused on common interests, the world will be safer, the global economy more sustainable and humanity’s future far more promising, he said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Sudan cuts ties with UAE, citing support for paramilitary forces

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Smoke rises after a drone attack in Port Sudan, eastern Sudan, on May 6, 2025. [Sudanese Ministry of Culture and Information/Handout via Xinhua]

    Sudan’s government said on Tuesday it would sever diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and withdraw its ambassador, declaring the UAE an “aggressor state.”

    Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, speaking on state television, accused Abu Dhabi of violating Sudan’s sovereignty through its “proxy,” the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

    He said the decision was prompted by what Sudan claims is UAE military backing of the RSF, including the supply of advanced weapons used in recent drone and missile strikes on Port Sudan’s port, airport, and power stations.

    Sudan’s statement said the escalation in Port Sudan “threatens regional and international security, in particular security in the Red Sea,” and invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter to reserve Sudan’s right to self-defense.

    It said Sudan “reserves the right to respond to the aggression by every means to preserve the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

    The move comes amid a two-year-old civil war between the regular army (SAF) and the RSF that began in April 2023 over the transition to civilian rule. The fighting has shattered cities and displaced millions.

    The United Nations says more than half of Sudan’s 46 million people — about 25 million — need emergency aid, and famine has been confirmed in several areas, such as Darfur. Rights groups say tens of thousands have been killed and roughly 15 million people displaced by the conflict.

    The UAE has repeatedly denied the Sudanese allegations of arming the RSF. A UAE foreign ministry official told the International Court of Justice in April that claims of UAE complicity were “utterly baseless.”

    Sudan’s defense council statement nonetheless branded the UAE’s actions a “clear act of aggression” and made clear Khartoum would respond if attacked. No immediate response was reported from the RSF.

    Internationally, the recent bombardment of Port Sudan has drawn condemnation from Egypt and Saudi Arabia and concern from the United Nations. Humanitarian organizations warn that the attacks and ongoing fighting are worsening Sudan’s crisis, with the Red Cross highlighting that intensive drone strikes and power cuts are exacerbating a catastrophe in which millions of people have fled their homes.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: India confirms air strikes on Pakistan-controlled Kashmir

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    The Indian government on Wednesday confirmed carrying out air strikes on nine identified “terrorist-training camps” located in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally monitored the air strikes, according to Indian media reports.

    The air strikes were carried out under “Operation Sindoor”, which was dedicated to the women whose husbands were killed in the Pahalgam area of the Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, the reports said.

    A total of 26 people were killed in the attack, which was described as the worst attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled Kashmir in past several decades. The incident led to escalating tensions between the two South Asian nations.

    India’s Ministry of Defense said in a press release that the Indian armed forces launched “Operation Sindoor”, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir from where “terror attacks” against India had been planned and directed.

    “Altogether nine sites have been targeted. Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India had demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” said the statement.

    It added these steps came in the wake of the Pahalgam attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, in which 25 Indian and one Nepali citizen were killed.

    Meanwhile, one of the biggest private airlines in India, IndiGo posted on X that its flights to and from certain airports located near international border with Pakistan had been impacted.

    On Wednesday, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said that at least eight civilians, including a child, were killed, 35 others injured and two missing after India fired missiles at multiple locations in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 8 killed, 35 injured, 2 missing after Indian missile strikes hit 6 locations in Pakistan

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Photo taken with a mobile phone on May 7, 2025 shows a building destroyed in an Indian missile attack in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. [Photo/Xinhua]

    At least eight civilians, including a child, were killed, 35 others injured, and two reported missing early Wednesday after India fired missiles at six locations in Pakistan, including areas in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, said the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the ISPR, the media wing of the Pakistani military, said in a video statement that India created 24 impacts at six civilian locations.

    Chaudhry said that the Indian strikes destroyed four mosques and severely damaged several houses and a hospital.

    The director general said that the missiles targeted locations in Bahawalpur, Sialkot, Shakargarh and Sheikhupura areas in the eastern Punjab province, as well as Muzaffarabad and Kotli districts in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

    The ISPR chief said that Pakistan Air Force jets were airborne and ensured that no Indian aircraft violated Pakistani airspace, adding that the missiles were launched from within Indian airspace.

    “Let me say it unequivocally: Pakistan will respond to this (attack) at a time and place of its choosing. This provocation will not go unanswered,” he said.

    A state of emergency was declared in hospitals across the affected areas, while Pakistan had suspended its airspace for 48 hours and closed education institutions in Punjab.

    The director general said that the Pakistan Air Force and Army are responding effectively to the Indian assault.

    Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that Pakistan has shot down five Indian fighter jets and three drones in its defense in accordance with international laws and the UN charter.

    Earlier, Pakistan’s foreign office strongly condemned the missile strikes by India early Wednesday at civilian locations in Pakistan, including areas in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, calling it an unprovoked and blatant act of aggression.

    The foreign office said that the Indian Air Force targeted civilian areas in Pakistan using standoff weapons while remaining within Indian airspace, resulting in the deaths of civilians, including women and children.

    It denounced the strikes as a “flagrant violation of the UN charter, international law, and established norms of inter-state relations,” and warned that the Indian action posed a serious threat to regional stability and commercial air traffic.

    “India’s reckless action has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” said the foreign office, emphasizing that Pakistan reserves the right to respond “at a time and place of its choosing.”

    Pakistani President Asif Zardari condemned the Indian strikes targeting civilian populations across the border and said that Pakistan would give a strong and befitting response to Indian aggression.

    “Indian provocations will be met with full force and with an unwavering commitment to protect Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said the president, adding that the entire Pakistani nation stands united behind its brave armed forces, who are fully prepared and capable of defending the motherland.

    The country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the strikes, saying, “Pakistan has every right to respond to this act of war imposed by India and a befitting reply is being given.”

    “The entire nation stands with our armed forces. The morale and spirit of the Pakistani people are high,” the prime minister added, vowing that the enemy would never succeed in its nefarious designs.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Indian Air Force to hold war games along border with Pakistan

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Amid escalating tensions, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will hold large-scale military drills on Wednesday in the western state of Rajasthan, along the international border with Pakistan, local media reports said Tuesday.

    “The drills will begin at 9:30 p.m. (local time) on Wednesday and end around five-and-a-half hours later. Flights departing or landing at the airport close to the border will be suspended,” a New Delhi-based television news channel NDTV said, quoting a NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen, issued Tuesday evening.

    Another media report said a two-day mega military exercise will involve all the frontline fighter jets, including Rafale, Su-30 and Jaguar aircraft.

    Separately, states are scheduled to conduct mock drills on Wednesday to evaluate civil defence preparedness. Officials said a civil defence exercise and rehearsal across the 244 categorized civil defence districts will be organised.

    According to state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR), the mock drill will assess the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, the operationalization of hotline or radio communication links with the IAF, besides testing the functionality of control rooms.

    “The exercise also includes training of civilians and students on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack. Besides the provision of crash blackout measures, provision for early camouflaging of vital installations and update of the evacuation plan and its rehearsal are also included in the mock drill,” the broadcaster said.

    The war games are being conducted amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over last month’s attack in which gunmen killed 26 people in Baisaran area of Pahalgam town, about 89 km east of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

    New Delhi blames Islamabad for supporting the gunmen behind the attack, a charge denied by it.

    The Indian government on Wednesday confirmed carrying out air strikes on nine identified “terrorist-training camps” located in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally monitored the air strikes, according to Indian media reports.

    The air strikes were carried out under “Operation Sindoor,” which was dedicated to the women whose husbands were killed in the Pahalgam area of the Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, the reports said.

    “Altogether nine sites have been targeted. Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India had demonstrated considerable restraint in the selection of targets and method of execution,” India’s Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

    The director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said that at least eight civilians, including a child, were killed, 35 others injured and two missing after India fired missiles at multiple locations in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

    Pakistan has shot down five Indian fighter jets in retaliation for overnight airstrikes conducted by India at multiple locations within Pakistan, the country’s defence minister said early Wednesday.

    Pakistan’s foreign office called it an unprovoked and blatant act of aggression, denouncing the strikes as a “flagrant violation of the UN charter, international law, and established norms of inter-state relations.”

    “India’s reckless action has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” said the foreign office, emphasizing that Pakistan reserves the right to respond “at a time and place of its choosing.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Full text of Xi’s signed article in Russian media

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday published a signed article titled “Learning from History to Build Together a Brighter Future” in the Russian Gazette newspaper ahead of his arrival in Russia for a state visit and attendance at the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    The following is the full text of the article:

    Learning from History to Build Together a Brighter Future

    H.E. Xi Jinping

    President of the People’s Republic of China

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, and the World Anti-Fascist War. It also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). In this season when “apple and pear trees are blossoming,” I will soon pay a state visit to Russia and attend the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, joining the heroic Russian people in honoring the history and the fallen heroes.

    Ten years ago around this time, I came to Russia to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory. During that visit, I made a special arrangement to meet with 18 representatives of Russian veterans who endured the blood and fire of battlefields during the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Their unyielding resolve and indomitable bearing left an indelible impression on me. In the past few years, General M. Gareyev, Major General T. Shchudlo and other veterans passed away. I pay my deepest tribute to them and to all veterans-from generals to the rank and file-for their extraordinary service and heroic feats in securing the victory over fascists around the world. We will never forget them. Heroes never perish; their noble spirit lives forever.

    During the World Anti-Fascist War, the Chinese and Russian peoples fought shoulder to shoulder and supported each other. In the darkest hours of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Soviet Volunteer Group, which was part of the Soviet Air Force, came to Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing to fight alongside the Chinese people, bravely engaging Japanese invaders in aerial combat-many sacrificing their precious lives. At the critical juncture of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, Yan Baohang, a legendary intelligence agent of the Communist Party of China (CPC) who was hailed as the “Richard Sorge of the East,” provided the Soviet Union with primary-source intelligence. In the crucible of the war-torn years, the Soviet Union provided China with large quantities of weapons and equipment. China, for its part, shipped much-needed strategic supplies to the Soviet Union. The two countries jointly established a supply line spanning the treacherous Gobi Desert. It was an international lifeline, vital for our mutual support in fighting fascists. The strong camaraderie between our two nations, forged in blood and sacrifice, surges onward unceasingly, mighty as the Yellow River and the Volga. It is an eternal wellspring nourishing our everlasting friendship.

    Eighty years ago, the forces of justice around the world, including China and the Soviet Union, united in courageous battles against their common foes and defeated the overbearing fascist powers. Eighty years later today, however, unilateralism, hegemonism, bullying, and coercive practices are severely undermining our world. Again humankind has come to a crossroads of unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation or zero-sum games. In War and Peace, the great writer Leo Tolstoy observed, “History is the life of nations and of humanity.” Indeed, historical memory and truth will not fade with the passage of time. They serve as inspirations that mirror the present and illuminate the future. We must learn from history, especially the hard lessons of the Second World War. We must draw wisdom and strength from the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, and resolutely resist all forms of hegemonism and power politics. We must work together to build a brighter future for humanity.

    — We must uphold a correct historical perspective on WWII. China and the Soviet Union were the principal theaters of that war in Asia and Europe respectively. The two countries served as the mainstay of resistance against Japanese militarism and German Nazism, making pivotal contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began the earliest and lasted the longest. United as one under the banner of the Chinese united front against Japanese aggression, which was advocated and established by the CPC, the Chinese people launched a relentless struggle against and defeated the brutal Japanese militarists. With immense sacrifice, they carved out an immortal epic of heroic resistance and ultimate victory against Japanese aggression. In the European theater, the Soviet Red Army advanced like an iron tide with unwavering fortitude and valor, crushed Nazi Germany’s ambitions and liberated millions from its brutal occupation, writing an epic of victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.

    History teaches us that light will always overcome darkness, and that justice will ultimately prevail over evil. The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East condemned the convicted war criminals to perpetual infamy. The justice and integrity of the two landmark trials, their historic significance, and their contemporary relevance stand beyond challenge. Any attempt to distort the historical truth of WWII, deny its victorious outcome, or defame the historic contribution of China and the Soviet Union is doomed to fail. Neither of our two nations will tolerate any act to reverse the course of history-nor will the people of the whole world.

    — We must resolutely uphold the postwar international order. The most significant decision by the international community around the end of WWII was to establish the UN. China and the Soviet Union were among the first to sign the UN Charter. Our permanent membership in the UN Security Council is a product of history, earned through blood and sacrifice. The more turbulent and complex the international situation becomes, the more we must uphold and defend the authority of the UN, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and steadily promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

    This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. Taiwan’s restoration to China is a victorious outcome of WWII and an integral part of the postwar international order. A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, have all affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. The historical and legal fact therein brooks no challenge. And the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 brooks no challenge. No matter how the situation on the Taiwan island evolves or what troubles external forces may make, the historical trend toward China’s ultimate and inevitable reunification is unstoppable.

    China and Russia have all along firmly supported each other on issues bearing on our respective core interests or major concerns. Russia has reiterated on many occasions that it strictly adheres to the one-China principle, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, it opposes any form of “Taiwan independence,” and it firmly supports all measures of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to achieve national reunification. China highly commends Russia’s consistent position.

    — We must firmly defend international fairness and justice. Now, the global deficits in peace, development, security and governance continue to widen unabated. To address these deficits, I have proposed to build a community with a shared future for mankind and put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative as a way forward to steer the reform of the global governance system toward greater fairness and justice.

    The world needs justice, not hegemonism. History and reality have proven that to meet global challenges, it is important to uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit. It is also important to choose dialogue over confrontation, build partnerships over alliances, and pursue win-win cooperation over zero-sum games. It is equally important to practice true multilateralism, accommodate the legitimate concerns of all parties, and safeguard international norms and order. We firmly believe that people around the world will choose to stand on the right side of history and the side of fairness and justice.

    China and Russia are both major countries with significant influence in the world. The two nations are constructive forces for maintaining global strategic stability and for improving global governance. Our bilateral relationship is founded upon a clear historical logic, sustained by strong internal drive, and rooted in profound cultural heritage. Our relationship is neither directed against nor swayed by any third party. Together we must foil all schemes to disrupt or undermine our bonds of amity and trust, and we must not be baffled by transient matters or unsettled by formidable challenges. We must leverage the certainty and resilience of our partnership of strategic coordination to jointly accelerate the shift toward a multipolar world and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

    China and Russia are both great nations with splendid civilizations. The Chinese and Russian peoples are both great peoples defined by heroic legacies. Eighty years ago, our peoples won the anti-fascist war through heroic struggles. Eight decades later today, we must take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard our sovereignty, security, and development interests. We should be guardians of historical memory, partners in national development and rejuvenation, and champions of global fairness and justice, and work together to forge a brighter future for humanity.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Springfield Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Less Than 12 and Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor in a Foreign Place

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was convicted on May 5th following a guilty plea to three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Less Than 12 Years and a single count of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor in a Foreign Place.   The defendant plead guilty to all four counts of a federal indictment on the first day of a jury trial after the conclusion of the first witness’s testimony. 

    John Michael Bradley, 65, was charged by indictment in December 2023 that involved Bradley’s criminal conduct occurring between 2005 and 2006 while he was an active-duty member of the United States Army in Honduras, and between 2007 and 2008 when he returned to Honduras multiple times as a civilian.

    In his plea of guilty the defendant admitted that while he was stationed in Honduras in 2005, he met the minor victim.  Over the course of the next three years, beginning when the minor victim was four years old, the defendant sexually abused the child on numerous occasions. The defendant admitted that after his active-duty tour in Honduras ended in 2006 he returned to Honduras from the United States with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the minor victim and did engage in sexual acts with the minor victim.  The minor victim, now an adult, reported the crimes to U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division in 2021.  The defendant has a previous federal conviction in 2019 for possession of child pornography also in the Western District of Missouri.

    Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of not less than 30 years and up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Luna and Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and U.S Army Criminal Investigations Division.

    Project Safe Childhood

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Conflict, Hunger and International Humanitarian Law Handbook Launch: Lord Collins’ speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Conflict, Hunger and International Humanitarian Law Handbook Launch: Lord Collins’ speech

    The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Lord Collins of Highbury, launched the Conflict, Hunger and International Humanitarian Law Handbook

    Good morning.

    It’s great to see you all.

    Welcome to the Foreign Office.

    For those of us lucky enough to have all the comforts we need in life it is hard to imagine how it feels to have no choice but to go without food or be forced to eat what hardly nourishes the soul and the body.

    Sadly, the heart breaking reality is that millions of people today suffer from an extreme lack of food and are acutely malnourished due to conflicts.

    This cannot go on and the UK is determined to act.

    Part of the answer is providing clarity on what the law is and how we can comply with it. 

    That is why I’m privileged to be launching a new handbook to promote compliance with International Humanitarian Law and its critical role in addressing hunger in armed conflict.

    Improving food security and nutrition are not just part of my job, I’m personally invested in this mission. 

    Before joining the government last July, I served as a shadow minister for a decade, where I was focused on driving up the global agenda on nutrition.

    Earlier this year, the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization warned that conflict has increased acute food insecurity in 17 countries, affecting as many as 175 million people across the world.

    Many of these people have been suffering for years, trapped in never-ending conflicts.

    Sadly Gaza is the example we think of most.

    Almost the whole of Gaza is facing emergency levels of food insecurity, including Gaza’s one million children. The World Food Programme’s stocks have run out.

    That is why together with our partners, we are denouncing the two-month long block on humanitarian aid and calling on Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of lifesaving help.

    It is hard to believe now that merely two decades ago the international community had confined famines to history.

    Yet over the last decade we have seen a sizeable increase in the number and severity of conflicts.

    Climate change and economic shocks have only compounded the problem.

    In eastern DRC, hunger and malnutrition are at record levels and growing.

    Trade routes and food production have been severely disrupted, and humanitarian access is limited.

    Through our humanitarian programme, we have helped three and a half million people last year and are working flat out to reach as many people as we can.

    And the United Kingdom has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of all Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory. I am hoping that there is positive news from discussions last weekend but the situation is dire.

    If we turn to Sudan, we see farms, food markets, and water treatment facilities being destroyed by the conflict and the siege of El Fasher is causing immense suffering.

    Last month the Foreign Secretary co-hosted the Sudan Conference in London urging the warring parties to allow unrestricted humanitarian access, protect civilians and end the conflict.

    The United Kingdom is providing a further £120 million to deliver lifesaving food and nutrition supplies, including for vulnerable children at risk of wasting – a lifelong condition that will affect the ability for economic development and growth.

    It is a failure of the international system that babies and young children in conflict settings frequently suffer and die due to acute malnutrition.

    Last year at the G20, the Prime Minster launched the Joint UN Initiative for the Prevention of Wasting to help find the best ways to prevent malnutrition and save lives.

    All of these initiatives show that despite cuts to the UK’s development budget, the UK remains fully committed to playing a key humanitarian role globally.

    And this handbook is a key part of our global mission to improve compliance with international humanitarian law.

    The landmark United Nations Security Council resolution 2417, adopted in 2018, made hunger in conflict a political issue, and rightly so.

    Because famines are significantly less like to occur if all warring parties comply with international humanitarian law.

    Now, while not all causes of hunger are violations of this law, many rules are of course crucial in avoiding hunger and malnutrition.

    Our Handbook provides clear information on the law and how to follow it, with suggestions for good practices.

    Indeed, the Handbook firmly backs the agenda set out in that Security Council Resolution.

    By helping parties comply with the law.

    By making policy discussions more informed.

    And by equipping partners with the necessary information to promote compliance with the law.

    So I’m pleased to share that from today, the Handbook is free and publicly available.

    We will soon be rolling it out throughout the government and our diplomatic missions.

    I hope that you and partners across the world will use it in your mission to tackle food insecurity in armed conflicts.

    This week, as we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and reflect on the peace and freedoms we cherish, the international community must redouble its commitment to end the scourge of conflict and hunger.

    Because change is only possible when all of us, all of us, work together as one team.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barbara Tesio-Ryan, ECDS Postdoctoral Fellow in European Languages, University of Edinburgh

    This year marks the 80th anniversary of The Moomins, the Finnish/Swedish trolls that have delighted generations of children, becoming a cultural phenomenon in their own right. While posterity will likely remember her as the inventor of Moomins, Tove Jansson was in fact a strikingly multi-talented creative force.

    Born in Helsinki in 1914, the daughter of artists, Jansson grew up surrounded by creativity, allowing her to develop her own in many different ways. During a career that spanned over 70 years, her work included illustrations, cartoons, paintings, murals, theatre productions, children’s books and beautifully crafted novels.

    The main thing in life is to know your own mind.

    Snufkin, Moominsummer Madness

    In 1929, aged 15, Jansson began her career as a cartoonist. Her illustrations were first published in Garm, the Finnish satirical magazine for which she later became the in-house illustrator.

    Her work as a cartoonist, before and during the war, gave her an outlet to be outspoken and express her militant anti-fascism and opposition to the war. For a woman at that time to assert her views so boldly and publicly was an act of defiance in itself, and she later recalled how liberating it had been to be able to be “so beastly to Hitler and Stalin” through her daring cartoons.

    This is part of a series of articles celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. Want to celebrate their birthday with us? Join The Conversation and a group of experts on May 23 in Bradford for a screening of Moomins on the Riviera and a discussion of the refugee experience in Tove Jansson’s work. Click here for more information and tickets.

    No one was spared, and her cartoons captured the megalomania of the main political figures of the time, as well as the impact of the war on everyday life. During the strenuous war years, Jansson refined her craft as an illustrator, and also, crucially, learned the importance of laughter in ushering light into the darkness. This is a skill that would characterise her entire output, both as an artist and as a writer.

    Everything looks worse in the dark, you know.

    Moominmama, The Moomins and the Great Flood

    She used humour as a tool to both critique and understand life and the world around her. Through the act of making art, Jansson brought light and lightness when life got darker.

    While Jansson had been sketching some variation of Moomintrolls her whole life, it was during the war that she began creating their Moominvalley world and imagining stories for them.

    In 1991, she wrote that the Moomins had come to her as an escape from the horrors of the war: “Perhaps it was understandable that I suddenly felt an urge to write something that was to begin with ‘once upon a time’.”

    When her first Moomin book, Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen (The Moomins and the Great Flood), was published in 1945, Finland had been through the second world war, as well as the “winter war” and the “continuation war” with Russia. So, while it was published during a time of peace, darkness surrounded the origin of the Moomins.

    This dichotomy of light and darkness pervades all the Moomin books. Often a catastrophe is waiting to happen, or has just happened, and how the Moomins react to those events is central to the story itself. This is what makes those books so universal and so timeless.

    The Moomins are so special because they are normal. Not everyone is a hero and not every day is great. There is space for both sadness and joy in Jansson’s tales, and this is why we keep reading them, because they are just like life itself.

    It would be awful if the world exploded. It is so wonderfully splendid.

    Snufkin, Comet in Moominland

    In the first two Moomin books, Moomins and the Great Flood, and Comet in Moominland, natural catastrophes mirror the horrors of the war and postwar era (such as the atomic bomb). Environmental disasters are also ongoing threats to the the creatures of Moominvalley.

    These are often, and mainly, brought by the sea, and can be fully appreciated only by someone like Jansson who lived between coastal and island landscapes most of her life. The natural landscape of Finland and Sweden, Jansson’s two homelands, are an essential part of her art.

    Moominvalley in particular is a decidedly Nordic landscape, and was in fact inspired by her grandparents’ house on the island of Blidö, and by the Pellinki archipelago. It was here that Jansson spent many happy summers with her family, and later, with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä.

    There is a humbleness to be learned in living by the sea, and a respect for the power of nature that Jansson captured beautifully in so many of her creations, such as The Summer Book.

    In Moominpappa at Sea, where Moominpappa goes on an existential journey to find his purpose in life again, the relationship to the sea also becomes pivotal to his personal development: “There was the sea – his sea – going past, wave after wave, foaming recklessly, raging furiously, but, somehow, tranquil at the same time. All Moominpappa’s thoughts and speculations vanished. He felt completely alive from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail. This was a moment to live to the full.”

    The Moomins’ unconditional love and respect for nature also translates beautifully into an acceptance of all of life’s diversity. The Moomin’s universe is one where everyone is welcomed and loved for whoever they are and however they feel.

    One of the biggest teachings of Jansson’s work for any reader at any age, is that all feelings are valid, and learning to accept this simple and profound truth makes life so much easier. As Moominpappa says: “For if you’re not afraid, how can you really be brave?”

    You seem to be yourself again. Actually, you’re nicer that way.

    Mymble, Moominvalley in November

    Jansson’s motto, labora et amare (work and love), did indeed mark her existence. She worked incessantly and loved fiercely. Well ahead of her time, Jansson lived her sexuality with a freedom that was truly revolutionary for her time (Finland, like many other countries, decriminalised homosexuality only in 1971).

    What characterised this artist’s life and career was the ambition and the courage to live differently. To create and to love without boundaries and without fear. And this is perhaps Jansson and her Moomins’ most important legacy.

    Barbara Tesio-Ryan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Tove Jansson: lessons in life from her beloved Moomin characters – https://theconversation.com/tove-jansson-lessons-in-life-from-her-beloved-moomin-characters-255280

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow/Kyiv, May 6 /Xinhua/ — The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed a new large-scale exchange of prisoners of war with Ukraine. The procedure was carried out according to the 205 to 205 formula. This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday.

    As stated in the official Telegram channel of the Russian Defense Ministry, on May 6, as a result of the negotiation process, 205 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled by Ukraine. In exchange, 205 prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were transferred.

    It is reported that at present all Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, and also given the opportunity to contact their relatives. All released servicemen will be delivered to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, reported on Telegram that 205 servicemen returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity on Tuesday. According to him, the number of released persons included representatives of almost all types and branches of the Ukrainian military. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 90 days in — Joint Task Force Southern Guard

    Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

    There are 2,160 hours in 90 days — that’s exactly how long Joint Task Force Southern Guard has been active. In that time, more than 2,500 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, interagency civilians and contractors answered a short-notice tasking to deploy to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in support of the Department of Homeland Security’s Illegal Alien Holding Operations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: VATICAN – Conclave: More and more Cardinals from the countries entrusted to the Dicastery for Evangelization gather in the Sistine Chapel

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Tuesday, 6 May 2025

    Foto d’archivio

    by Fabio BerettaVatican City (Agenzia Fides) – With the image of Christ and the Last Judgment painted by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, the Cardinals are gathering in Conclave to elect the successor of Peter. An election in which an increasing number of cardinals from the countries under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches – are participating.To date, a total of 1,123 ecclesiastical districts (i.e., Archdioceses, Dioceses, Territorial Abbeys, Apostolic Vicariates, Apostolic Prefectures, Missions sui iuris, Apostolic Administrations, and Military Ordinariates) are subject to the Dicastery for Evangelization. Most of them are in Africa (525) and Asia (481), followed by the Americas (71) and Oceania (46).The Conclave of June 1963When John XXIII died on June 3, 1963, 82 Cardinals were still alive, all of whom had the right to participate in the election of the Successor of Peter. The rule that today prohibits Cardinals over the age of 80 from participating in the Conclave was introduced by Paul VI in 1970. Thus, the College of Cardinals that elected Pope Paul VI included Cardinals over the age of 80.Nevertheless, only 80 of them entered the Sistine Chapel. Two Cardinals did not come to Rome: the Hungarian József Mindszenty (the communist regime forbade him from leaving the country) and Carlos María Javier de la Torre, Archbishop of Quito, Ecuador (absent due to health reasons). A total of 29 nations were represented.A total of seven cardinals from the territories then under the jurisdiction of the Congregation Propaganda Fide participated in the Conclave that year: Peter Tatsuo Doi (Japan, Archbishop of Tokyo, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan), Valerian Gracias (India, Archbishop of Bombay, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India), Laurean Rugambwa (Tanzania, Bishop of Bukoba), Thomas Tien Ken-sin (China, Archbishop of Beijing, Apostolic Administrator of Taipei), and Norman Thomas Gilroy (Australia, Archbishop of Sydney, Primate of Australia, Grand Prior for Australia-New South Wales of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem).The Conclaves of 1978Paul VI was the first Pope to expand the boundaries of the College of Cardinals by appointing numerous non-European cardinals. After the death of the Pope (on August 6, 1978), who decided to exclude Cardinals over eighty from voting with the Motu Proprio “Ingravescentem Aetatem” of 21 November 1970 and modified some norms of the Conclave with the Apostolic Constitution “Romano Pontifici Eligendo” of 1 October 1975, a total of 111 cardinals were eligible to vote.At the conclave in August 1978, however, only 108 people entered the Sistine Chapel: Valerian Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, John Joseph Wright, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, and Bolesław Filipiak, Dean Emeritus of the Roman Rota, were all absent from the Conclave for health reasons.A total of 18 cardinals from the so-called mission territories took part in the election of John Paul I, including one cardinal who works in the Roman Curia and one French cardinal who heads an archdiocese in North Africa: Bernardin Gantin (Benin, President of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”), Lawrence Trevor Picachy (India, Archbishop of Calcutta, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India), Justinus Darmojuwono (Indonesia, Archbishop of Semarang), Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro (Pakistan, Archbishop of Karachi), Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (South Korea, Archbishop of Seoul, Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang), Thomas Benjamin Cooray (Sri Lanka, Archbishop of Colombo, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka), Joseph Marie Trinh-nhu-Khuê (Vietnam, Archbishop of Ha Noi), Maurice Michael Otunga (Kenya, Archbishop of Nairobi, President of the Episcopal Conference of Kenya, Military Vicar for Kenya), Victor Razafimahatratra (Madagascar, Archbishop of Antananarivo, President of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar), Dominic Ekandem (Nigeria, Bishop of Ikot Ekpene, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria), Hyacinthe Thiandoum (Senegal, Archbishop of Dakar, President of the Episcopal Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau), Owen McCann (South Africa, Archbishop of Cape Town), Laurean Rugambwa (Tanzania, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam) Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga (Uganda, Archbishop of Kampala), Paul Zoungrana (Burkina Faso, Archbishop of Ouagadougou), Joseph-Albert Malula (Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop of Kinshasa), Pio Taofinu’u (Samoa, Bishop of Samoa and Tokelau), Reginald John Delargey (New Zealand, Archbishop of Wellington, President of the New Zealand Bishops’ Conference).In 1978, a second Conclave took place just over a month after the first, as John Paul I died after only 33 days of pontificate. During this brief period, there were no Consistories, and when the cardinals met again in the Sistine Chapel in October of that year, the cardinals were the same ones who had met a few weeks earlier. They all held the same offices. Forty-six nations were represented in both Conclaves.The 2005 ConclaveThe first Conclave of the third millennium began with the reform of the conclave, which John Paul II initiated in 1996 with the Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis.” That year, the cardinals were accommodated for the first time in the new guesthouse Casa Santa Marta (instead of in the halls of the Apostolic Palace), which had been built specifically for this purpose. In the conclave that led to the election of Benedict XVI, 117 Cardinals were eligible to vote. A total of 115 entered the Sistine Chapel: Adolfo Antonio Suárez Rivera (Archbishop Emeritus of Monterrey, Mexico) and Jaime Lachica Sin (Archbishop Emeritus of Manila, Philippines) were unable to travel to Rome for health reasons.At the time of John Paul II’s death, the eligible Cardinals came from 52 nations on all continents. In total, there were seventeen cardinals from countries entrusted to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, some of whom headed dicasteries and bodies of the Holy See: Wilfrid Fox Napier (South Africa, Archbishop of Durban), Gabriel Zubeir Wako (Sudan, Archbishop of Khartoum), Telesphore Placidus Toppo (India, Archbishop of Ranchi), Armand Gaétan Razafindratandra (Madagascar, Archbishop of Antananarivo), Bernard Agré (Ivory Coast, Archbishop of Abidjan), Emmanuel Wamala (Uganda, Archbishop of Kampala), Christian Wiyghan Tumi (Cameroon, Archbishop of Douala), Frédéric Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi (Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop of Kinshasa), Francis Arinze (Nigeria, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments), Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi (Japan, Archbishop Emeritus of Tokyo), Michael Michai Kitbunchu (Thailand, Archbishop of Bangkok, President of the Thai Bishops’ Conference), Stephen Fumio Hamao (Japan, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People), Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (Nigeria, Archbishop of Lagos), Ivan Dias (India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja (Indonesia, Archbishop of Jakarta, Military Bishop of Indonesia), Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân (Vietnam, Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh), Peter Turkson (Ghana, Archbishop of Cape Coast).The 2013 ConclaveWhen Benedict XVI announced to the world his resignation from the Petrine Ministry during a Consistory in February 2013, 117 eligible cardinals were present, but only 115 entered the Sistine Chapel. Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja (Archbishop Emeritus of Jakarta, Indonesia) and Keith Michael Patrick O’Brien (Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland) were absent for health reasons.During the conclave that led to the election of Pope Francis, 17 Cardinals from the territories entrusted to the Missionary Dicastery arrived in Rome. As in previous Conclaves, several of these cardinals served in the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia: Peter Turkson (Ghana, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace), Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don (Sri Lanka, Archbishop of Colombo), Robert Sarah (Guinea, President of the Pontifical Council ‘Cor Unum’), George Alencherry (India, Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly), Oswald Gracias (India, Archbishop of Bombay), Polycarp Pengo (Tanzania, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam), John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan (Nigeria, Archbishop of Abuja), John Njue (Kenya, Archbishop of Nairobi), Wilfrid Fox Napier (South Africa, Archbishop of Durban), Gabriel Zubeir Wako (Sudan, Archbishop of Khartoum), Telesphore Placidus Toppo (India, Archbishop of Ranchi), Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya (Democratic Republic of Congo, Archbishop of Kinshasa), John Tong Hon (China, Bishop of Hong Kong), Théodore-Adrien Sarr (Senegal, Archbishop of Dakar), Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (Nigeria, Archbishop of Lagos), Ivan Dias (India, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples), Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Mân (Vietnam, Archbishop of Hô Chí Minh).The 2025 ConclaveAt the time of Pope Francis’s death, there are 252 cardinals alive, of whom 135 arepotential electors for the Conclave that begins on May 7. Of these, 133 will enter the Sistine Chapel, as two of them, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Archbishop Emeritus of Valencia, and Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop Emeritus of Nairobi, are absent for health reasons.It will be a Conclave with Cardinals from 66 nations. Among them are 34 from the territories under the jurisdiction of the Dicastery for Evangelization. Some of them come from other countries but exercise their ministry in these mission countries, just as some are active in the Roman Curia: Giorgio Marengo (Italy, Apostolic Prefect of Ulan Bator, Mongolia), Virgílio do Carmo da Silva (East Timor, Metropolitan Archbishop of Dili), Dieudonné Nzapalainga (Central African Republic, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangui), Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla (South Sudan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Juba), Jean-Paul Vesco (France, Metropolitan Archbishop of Algiers), Soane Patita Paini Mafi (Tonga, Bishop of Tonga), Anthony Poola (India, Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad), Ignace Bessi Dogbo (Ivory Coast, Metropolitan Archbishop of Abidjan), Protase Rugambwa (Tanzania, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tabora), Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kinshasa), Stephen Chow Sau-yan (China, Bishop of Hong Kong), Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kigali), Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi (Japan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tokyo), William Goh Seng Chye (Singapore, Archbishop of Singapore), John Ribat (Papua New Guinea, Metropolitan Archbishop of Port Moresby), Stephen Brislin (South Africa, Metropolitan Archbishop of Johannesburg), Désiré Tsarahazana (Madagascar, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toamasina), Filipe Neri Ferrão (India, Metropolitan Archbishop of Goa and Damão), Cristóbal López Romero (Spain, Archbishop of Rabat, Morocco), Lazarus You Heung-sik (South Korea, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy), Sebastian Francis (Malaysia, Bishop of Penang), Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo (Indonesia, Metropolitan Archbishop of Jakarta), Arlindo Gomes Furtado (Cape Verde, Bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde), Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij (Thailand, Archbishop Emeritus of Bangkok), Thomas Aquino Manyo Maeda (Japan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Osaka-Takamatsu), Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar, Metropolitan Archbishop of Yangon), Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson (Ghana, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences), John Atcherley Dew (New Zealand, Archbishop Emeritus of Wellington), Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don (Sri Lanka, Metropolitan Archbishop of Colombo), Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo (Burkina Faso, Archbishop Emeritus of Ouagadougou), Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan), Joseph Coutts (Pakistan, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi), Robert Sarah (Guinea, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments), Peter Ebere Okpaleke (Nigeria, Bishop of Ekwulobia). (Agenzia Fides, 6/5/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Sullivan’s Island Plays Key Role in Navy’s ‘Southern Lightning’ Event

    Source: United States Navy

    NIWC Atlantic and NSWC Crane’s “Southern Lightning,” supported by Sullivan’s Island (Mayor O’Neil), tested unmanned systems communications for a hybrid fleet. Part of Silent Swarm, it integrates manned/unmanned systems. Testing used vehicles supported by the USS Cole and SC National Guard. The island’s environment advances communication capabilities.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: 374 MDG hosts Navy Corpsman for TCCC training

    Source: United States Navy

    YOKOTA AIR BASE, TOKYO, Japan — The 374th Medical Group hosted Sailors from the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet for two iterations of tactical combat casualty care training at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 30 – April 4 and April 13 – 18.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller-Meeks: It’s Time to End Dependence on China and Bring Jobs Back to Iowa

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ (IA-02)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump in the fight to rebuild American industry, end our reliance on Communist China, and restore good-paying jobs to Iowa and across the country.

    “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting America—and American manufacturing—first again. Whether it’s medical supplies, semiconductors, or steel, we must never depend on Communist China for what we can make right here at home,” said Miller-Meeks. “That’s why I’m fighting to bring good-paying jobs back to Iowa, strengthen our supply chains, and ensure our rural communities lead the next chapter of American manufacturing. This isn’t just about economics—it’s about national security, self-reliance, and securing America’s future.”

    With over $5 trillion in U.S. investments and trade agreements secured under President Trump, companies are coming back to the United States. American manufacturing is surging—from semiconductors to steel—and the America First agenda is delivering results.

    In Congress, Miller-Meeks is helping lead that charge with legislation to strengthen domestic manufacturing, medical readiness, and workforce development:

    • Her ONSHORE Act, now signed into law, streamlines federal review processes to bring critical manufacturing projects back to American soil, including rural communities across Iowa.
    • Her bipartisan Diagnostics Testing Preparedness Plan Act (H.R. 1108) ensures the U.S. can develop and manufacture diagnostic medical tests here at home during public health emergencies—never again depending on adversarial nations like China for essential medical supplies.
    • Her Improve Employer-Directed Skills Act (H.R. 2690) empowers Iowa employers to partner with workforce boards to train and upskill workers for the exact jobs local businesses need. A version of this legislation passed the House as part of the Stronger Workforce for America Act with bipartisan support.
    • Her Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act (H.R. 1721), which recently passed the House, directs federal agencies to identify rural communities—like those in Southeast Iowa—best suited for expanded domestic manufacturing. The bill lays the groundwork for long-term job growth, American-made supply chains, and less reliance on foreign adversaries like China.

    A 24-year Army veteran, physician, and former small business owner, Miller-Meeks remains a leading voice in Congress for rebuilding American strength, empowering employers, and restoring opportunity in every corner of Iowa and across the country.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kim, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect U.S. Economy from CCP Military Aggression

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)

    Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) joined Reps. Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Ritchie Torres (NY-15) to introduce bipartisan legislation to shield American markets from the catastrophic economic fallout of a potential Chinese Communist Party (CCP) invasion of Taiwan.  

    The Fortifying U.S. Markets from Chinese Military Aggression Act would create an advisory committee under the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to develop an actionable plan to safeguard the U.S. economy in the event of CCP military escalation. 

    “Taiwan is not just a steadfast partner to the United States – it is home to 90% of the world’s advanced semiconductors that power our lives. The impact of a CCP attack on Taiwan on the lives of all Americans cannot be overstated,” said Rep. Young Kim. “The United States must be proactive in protecting our economy in case of an attack or blockade against Taiwan, and I’m glad to partner with Reps. Nunn and Torres on a bipartisan bill that would do exactly that.”  

    “While the United States has long-standing military plans in place to respond to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, there’s no economic game plan,” said Rep. Nunn. “90% of the world’s advanced semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan. The economic impact of that capacity falling into the hands of the CCP would be devastating, not just for global markets, but for Main Street Iowa businesses. This bipartisan bill ensures we have a clear, coordinated plan to respond.” 

    “American investors should never be in the business of bankrolling the CCP’s military. Our bipartisan bill is a clear-eyed effort to ensure American financial markets are not exploited to strengthen an authoritarian regime that threatens our values and our allies,” said Rep. Torres. “Transparency and accountability are not just economic principles: they are national security imperatives. I’m proud to work with Congressman Nunn to push for a bipartisan solution to safeguard the integrity of our markets and defend American interests.” 

    “Representatives Zach Nunn, Ritchie Torres and Young Kim are demonstrating the kind of forward-thinking leadership our markets urgently need. In today’s globally interconnected financial system, the economic consequences of a geopolitical crisis — particularly one involving China and Taiwan — could be swift and severe,” said Ari Rubenstein, Global Trading Systems CEO. “This bipartisan bill takes a critical step toward strengthening market resilience, enhancing coordination among regulators, and ensuring we’re not caught flat-footed. Capital markets thrive on stability and preparedness, and I applaud Congressmen Nunn, Torres and Kim for proactively addressing a risk that is too significant to ignore.” 

    The bill responds to growing concerns from financial analysts and national security leaders who warn that the U.S. has no economic contingency plan to address the ripple effects of CCP aggression in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan produces nearly 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, components critical to the global supply chain and U.S. national security. 

    If the CCP were to invade, economists estimate a short-term market drop of up to 34%. Bloomberg estimates a global GDP loss of $10 trillion, more than double the contraction caused by the 2008 financial crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    While military contingency plans exist, the U.S. currently lacks an economic response strategy to such an invasion. This bipartisan effort would build a framework for interagency and private sector coordination, ensuring Main Street and U.S. markets are better protected if geopolitical tensions escalate by: 

    • Establishing a 12-member FSOC Advisory Committee that would include market makers, asset managers, exchanges, and experts on China-related geopolitical risk. 
    • Tasking the committee with developing detailed reports and recommendations to identify market vulnerabilities and safeguard U.S. financial stability. 
    • Requiring FSOC to issue annual public reports on economic risks from a Taiwan conflict, including threats to U.S. banking and retaliatory actions from China. 
    • Providing recommendations to regulators to ensure U.S. capital markets are prepared for potential market volatility or trade disruptions. 

    Text of the bill can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Applauds Trump’s Ban of Wuhan-Style Gain-of-Function Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    Published: May 6, 2025
    Order comes after Ernst fought for years to end batty experiments of pandemic potential.
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban all federal funding of risky gain-of-function research in China, Iran, and other countries and blocking all federal funding for foreign research that could cause another pandemic.
    “I have been fighting for years to end the insane practice of sending tax dollars to China for sketchy pseudoscience,” said Ernst. “Thankfully, President Trump is ending the batty experiments, like those conducted in Wuhan, that are dangerous and wasteful. This is a great win for the American people and common sense. I will continue working to expose and halt all taxpayer-funded risky research of pandemic potential in malign foreign countries!”
    Background:
    Ernst has led the charge in Washington to stop tax dollars from being sent for risky research overseas.
    An Ernst-requested investigation exposed how EcoHealth sent over $1 million U.S. tax dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for risky experiments on bat coronaviruses. She also secured an audit by the Department of Defense’s Inspector General of risky research in China paid for by the Pentagon and hidden from the public by Biden’s Pentagon.
    She fought to permanently debar the Wuhan Institute of Virology and defund EcoHealth Alliance from receiving U.S. tax dollars.
    Ernst efforts also led to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defunding EcoHealth and promising to cut off any taxpayer dollars used for research of pandemic potential.
    In her $2 trillion blueprint to slash waste in Washington, Ernst pointed to the millions being sent to China for secretive risky research.
    Last month, she introduced the AFAR Act to end the insane practice of funding sketchy animal experiments in China with American tax dollars. Ernst also introduced the TRACKS Act to require every penny sent to foreign adversaries or entities of particular concern, such as terrorist groups including the Taliban, to be accounted for and disclosed to the public for scrutiny.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Falmouth, Cumberland Students to Attend US Service Academies, Pingree Announces

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced that the two Maine students she nominated to attend U.S. Service Academies have both been accepted. Falmouth High School senior Samuel Yoon will attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado and Greely High School senior Riley Record will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York.

    “Being accepted to a U.S. Service Academy is an extraordinary achievement that speaks volumes about a student’s academic excellence, leadership, and character,” said Pingree. “Like all the Maine students I’ve had the honor of nominating, Samuel and Riley have shown an outstanding commitment to serving our country. I’m incredibly proud of their acceptance to the Air Force Academy and West Point, and I wish them all the best.”

    “My experience as captain [of my high school soccer team] has taught me the values of serving others and has reinforced my belief in the Air Force’s core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do,” Samuel wrote in his letter requesting a nomination.“I have been fortunate to grow up in a caring family and community. I feel drawn to service, and the environment that the military provides is how I want to serve. The military’s emphasis on duty, honor, and selfless service resonates with me.”

    “It is truly the camaraderie, atmosphere, and service to country that drew me to the Academies. That camaraderie is something I have not felt elsewhere, and the universal ambition and drive of the students create an environment I wish to be a part of,” Riley wrote in her letter requesting a nomination. “I see the Academies as [a means] to dedicate my life to something bigger than myself, and to become a leader who will help people and my country. What I want most in my life is to have a purpose and be a part of an organization greater than a single entity, and the military would allow me this privilege.”

    To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, applicants must be nominated by an authorized nominating source, which includes Members of Congress.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK-India Free Trade Deal: A Deal For Growth

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    UK-India Free Trade Deal: A Deal For Growth

    The UK has secured the best deal India has ever agreed, providing businesses with security and confidence to trade with the fastest-growing economy in the G20.

    Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds with Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal

    Delivering Economic Growth 

    The core mission of this Government is to deliver economic growth that raises living standards and puts money in people’s pockets, and that is exactly what this deal will do. We estimate that it will increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, add £4.8billion a year to our economy and boost wages by £2.2 billion every year in the long run. footnote 1 This is the best deal India has ever agreed to. It delivers on our manifesto commitment to create trade relationships that unlock new opportunities for businesses across all our nations and regions. 

    Case study – Standard Chartered 

    Standard Chartered is a leading UK-based international banking group with a presence in 53 of the world’s most dynamic markets. It is the largest and oldest foreign bank in India, acting as a ‘super connector’ of cross-border trade and investment by driving commerce and prosperity through its unique diversity for more than 165 years.   

    Saif Malik, CEO, UK and Head of Coverage, UK, Standard Chartered, said:

    The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a significant achievement. It will create new opportunities for UK and Indian businesses, enable greater access to one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets, and drive growth and innovation across the UK-India corridor.

    We welcome this strong commitment to partnership and prosperity.

    Case study – UPS

    UPS is one of the world’s largest companies, with 2024 revenue of $91.1 billion, and provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 200 countries and territories, including connecting the United Kingdom and India. 

    Markus Kessler, Managing Director, UPS UK, Ireland and Nordics, said:

    We welcome the announcement of this important agreement between two countries that are both vital markets in our global network.

    We look forward to continuing to help businesses of all sizes across the UK reach new customers in one of the world’s most populous and dynamic countries.

    Future-Proofing Our Economy 

    This deal gives UK businesses first-mover advantage with a new economic superpower. Currently the biggest country in the world by population, India is projected to move from its fifth-largest global economy to third in the next three years, thanks to the highest growth rate in the G20. footnote 2 By the end of the decade, it will be home to an estimated 60 million middle-class consumers, whose numbers are projected to grow to a quarter of a billion by 2050. footnote 3 And by 2035, their demand for imports is on course to top £1.4 trillion. footnote 4 The enormous scope of this market, where British goods and services are already sought after, represents an equally huge opportunity for UK businesses in the decades to come. 

    Case study – John Smedley Ltd

    Established in 1784 in Lea Mills, Derbyshire, John Smedley Ltd is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury knitwear. 

    Bill Leach, Global Sales Director, John Smedley Ltd, said:

    India is one of the fastest growing luxury markets in the world, and we are very excited about the UK- India Free Trade Agreement coming to fruition.

    John Smedley knitwear is already sold in over 50 countries around the world, and now that the FTA has been finalised, we shall very much look forward to ensuring that an ever-increasing number of discerning luxury consumers in India will enjoy greater access to The World’s Finest Knitwear.

    We are thankful to DBT for their significant efforts in bringing this FTA to successful conclusion.

    Cutting costs for UK-India trade 

    From day one, this deal will support businesses across the United Kingdom by making it cheaper, easier, and quicker to trade with India. The deal will slash costs on UK exports, including whiskies and gin, cosmetics, medical devices, advanced machinery and lamb. Based on current trade alone, India’s tariff cuts amount to £400m in the first year, going up around £900m after 10 years. footnote 5 And that’s before factoring in the savings from speedier and easier trade from improved customs and digital commitments. This immediate relief represents a major advantage our businesses will enjoy over their international competitors, helping them to invest, expand, and support more high-quality jobs. 

    Case study – Smith+Nephew

    Smith+Nephew designs and manufactures technology that takes the limits off living. Smith+Nephew’s products include: Advanced Wound Management; orthopaedics and a robot assisted surgery system; and joint preservation and soft tissue orthopaedics.

    Deepak Nath, Chief Executive Officer, Smith+Nephew, said:

    Given the size of the Indian economy and its healthcare system, India is an important location for Smith+Nephew. The Free Trade Agreement offers the potential to build trading links in the healthcare sector.

    We hope that the Free Trade Agreement will enable Smith+Nephew’s innovative medical technologies to support more healthcare professionals to return their patients to health and mobility.

    Delivering opportunities for High-Growth Sectors 

    This deal supports the UK’s world-leading high-growth sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy, including:  

    • Slashing tariffs for UK’s large and varied advanced manufacturing sectors, including for automotives, electrical machinery and high-end optical products.  

    • Giving the clean energy industry brand new and unprecedented access to India’s vast procurement market, as India makes the switch to renewable energy, alongside their growing energy demand. 

    • Unlocking new opportunities for medical devices firms within the life sciences sector, with reduced tariffs and rules of origin that factor in the UK’s complex supply chains and ensure that businesses can reap the benefits.  

    • Enshrining copyright protections for the creative sector, enabling our exporters to feel confident exporting to India with a commitment that works will continue to be protected for at least 60 years. India will also commit to engaging on aspects of Copyright and Related Rights. This deal addresses the interests of UK creators, rights holders, and consumers, including around Public Performance Rights and Artist Resale Rights, which acknowledge the importance of payment rights. India will also conduct an internal review of their copyright protection terms.   

    • Guaranteeing access for the UK’s world-class financial and professional business services sectors to India’s growing market. This is on top of securing India’s foreign investment cap for the insurance sector, ensuring UK financial services companies are treated equally to domestic suppliers, and encouraging the recognition of professional qualifications. 

    • Securing India’s best ever commitments on digital trade for our Digital and technology sectors, such as promoting digital systems and paperless trade, helping UK businesses of all sizes take the opportunities on offer in this huge and rapidly expanding market.  

    Case study – Premier League

    The Premier League is the world’s most-watched football competition, reaching 1.6 billion viewers in 189 countries around the world. The global success of the Premier League makes it one of the UK’s most significant soft power assets, amplifying British cultural values and generating economic growth and inward investment. 

    Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said:

    India continues to be incredibly important to the Premier League and its clubs. It is a vibrant country that presents exciting opportunities and significant potential. The Premier League’s recent announcement of an office opening in Mumbai demonstrates our commitment to build on longstanding work to engage local fans, develop grassroots and elite football and further promote the game in India.  

    The continued growth of the Premier League and UK businesses in India will have a positive impact on our domestic economy and we welcome the news of this new trade deal secured by Government, which will support UK businesses operating in India.

    Case study – EY

    EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fuelled by sector insights, a globally connected, multidisciplinary network and a diverse ecosystem of partners, EY teams provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. 

    Rohan Malik, EMEIA and UKI Government & Public Sector Managing Partner, EY, said:  

    This agreement is poised to accelerate an economic partnership that is already thriving, with the value of total trade between the UK and India having more than doubled from £16.6bn to £40bn over the last decade.

    British businesses stand to benefit substantially from enhanced access to one of the world’s largest export markets and a skills pool that can fuel strategically important UK sectors, including professional services and emerging industries based around data and AI.

    Case study – Concrete Canvas Ltd

    Concrete Canvas Ltd is a Wales-based low-carbon concrete manufacturer. 

    William Crawford, Director of Concrete Canvas Ltd, said: 

    India is a dynamic and vibrant economy and an increasingly important market for Concrete Canvas products. A UK-India FTA will help to accelerate our plans for growth by reducing trade barriers and making us more competitive.

    This is welcome news for both UK and Indian businesses!

    Case study – Biopanda

    Biopanda is a Belfast-based medtech manufacturer which exports in vitro test kits for clinical laboratories, veterinary practice, and food safety laboratories.

    Philip McKee, Sales Manager at Biopanda, said:  

    Biopanda have been supplying a range of diagnostic products to the Indian market throughout the past ten years.

    We value the business we have done already throughout India and with the introduction of the UK-India FTA this should benefit in increased trade with the removal of export barriers.

    This will hopefully increase the market access, allowing our distributors throughout India to provide a larger range of our highly accurate clinical diagnostic products at a lower price to the consumer.

    Unlocking Opportunities Nationwide 

    Through our Plan for Change, this government will raise living standards in every part of the United Kingdom. This deal supports that goal, unlocking new opportunities in every region and nation.  

    This deal also opens a huge new market for iconic UK brands, securing India’s best ever tariff offer and providing access to India’s growing middle-class consumer base, which will give iconic UK brands the opportunity to expand their reach and influence. This access includes cutting tariffs on whiskies from 150% to 75% at entry into force, following to 40% after 10 years, as well as on other agri-food products such as soft drinks dropping from 33% to 0% after seven years, and lamb dropping from 33% to 0% at entry into force. Separately high-end cars will benefit from a drop from over 100% to 10% under a quota. We have also secured India’s best ever agreement on Rules of Origin, which enables UK businesses to take advantage of these new lower tariffs.

    This deal will also support consumers as they benefit from the best of India and greater variety as our trading relationship grows, including clothing, footwear, and iconic food and drink. New commitments will also help protect consumers from spam texts from India, which could include requiring opt-out or prior consent.

    Case study – Chivas Brothers Ltd

    Chivas Brothers Ltd is part of the Pernod Ricard group of companies and exports over £2bn of Scotch whisky and gin every year, including brands like Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet and Beefeater. India is amongst Chivas Brothers’ largest export markets and the biggest consumer of whisky worldwide by volume. The UK-India trade agreement will help solidify and potentially expand on Pernod Ricard’s existing investments, which includes a €200m distillery construction in the Indian state of Maharashtra and £100m in bottling facilities in Dumbarton, Scotland. 

    Jean-Etienne Gourgues, Chivas Brothers Chairman and CEO, said:

    The announcement of a free trade agreement in principle between the UK and India is a welcome boost for Chivas Brothers during an uncertain global economic environment.

    India is the world’s biggest whisky market by volume and greater access will be a game changer for the export of our Scotch whisky brands, such as Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s. The deal will support long term investment and jobs in our distilleries and bottling plants in Scotland, as well as help deliver growth in both Scotland and India over the next decade. Slàinte to the UK Ministers and officials who steered the deal though long negotiations.

    Case study – Diageo

    Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with a collection of brands across spirits and beer categories sold in more than 180 countries around the world. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.  

    Diageo is a leading player in India’s beverage alcohol sector and is among the top 10 fast-moving consumer goods companies in India by market capitalisation. Diageo has 50 manufacturing facilities across India, employs over 3,300 people directly in market with a further 100,000 jobs supported throughout its value chain. India is one of Diageo’s largest markets globally and accounts for almost half of its total global spirits volume.

    Diageo Chief Executive Debra Crew said:

    The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a huge achievement by Prime Ministers Modi and Starmer and Ministers Goyal and Reynolds, and all of us at Diageo toast their success. It will be transformational for Scotch and Scotland, while powering jobs and investment in both India and the UK.

    The deal will also increase quality and choice for discerning consumers across India, the world’s largest and most exciting whisky market.

    Enhancing Security through our partnership

    The UK and India already enjoy a deep and broad partnership built on our shared principles as two democracies, our commitment to the rules-based international order, strong ties in areas including culture, education, food, and sport, and of course through our living bridge – with some 1.9 million people with Indian heritage calling the UK their home. footnote 6

    This agreement encourages collaboration between our two complementary economies. It creates a framework to promote closer ties on innovation – including on new technologies in areas like agriculture, health, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy. And our agreement on business mobility will help experts on both sides deliver their services, enabling us to capitalise on the economic transformation that technology will bring over the course of this century. 

    Through this deal, we are showing the world that we stand for free, fair, and open trade. In an increasingly unstable and volatile world, this provides businesses with the confidence that they need to grow and expand. And as India’s approach to global trade changes, so can this deal. We have agreed in numerous areas that, if India offer a better deal to a different country, we can come back to the table to renegotiate for the UK. 

    Case study – Coltraco Ultrasonics

    Coltraco Ultrasonics are high-exporting advanced manufacturers of ultrasonic instrumentation and systems, exporting 90% manufactured output to 120 countries. Coltraco have twice won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and have exported to India for 30 years. Since 2019, Coltraco have won the contract for nearly 200 ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard and support in-service use and maintenance of their ultrasonic watertight integrity instrumentation on board. 

    Professor Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE, Chairman Coltraco Ultrasonics Limited & Director-General The Durham Institute of Research, Development & Invention, said:

    Coltraco Ultrasonics is strongly supportive of the India FTA Trade Agreement and proud to have modestly contributed to and advising the British negotiating team on various chapters.

    The UK private sector can now, because of the India FTA, the Windsor Framework CPTPP, and a variety of other UK FTAs, look out to the world, balancing our exporting and investment opportunities between the USA, the EU and Asia Pacific.

    It is a tremendous success and we thank British and Indian Civil Servants for their public service in the UK-India FTA.

    Unlocking Access to India’s Untapped Procurement Market 

    For the first time, UK businesses will have guaranteed and unprecedented access to India’s vast procurement market, covering goods, services and construction. UK businesses will be granted brand new access to approximately 40,000 tenders with a value of at least £38 billion a year. footnote 8 This will unlock significant opportunities spanning a range of sectors, including transport, healthcare and life sciences and green energy. Alongside this UK firms will, for the first time, have access to India’s procurement portal, connecting them to the information they need to make the best out of these opportunities – which will grow as India builds the infrastructure necessary for an economic superpower with the world’s largest population. 

    UK companies will also get exclusive treatment under the ‘Make in India’ policy, which currently provides preferential treatment for federal government procurement to businesses who manufacture or produce in India. However, this unprecedented treatment will mean that if at least 20% of a company’s product or service is from the UK, they will be treated as a ‘Class Two local supplier’– granting them the same status that is currently only ever given to Indian businesses.  

    Protecting Our Values 

    Throughout the negotiations, we have championed our values – securing India’s first ever chapters on anti-corruption, consumer protections, labour rights, the environment, gender equality, and development. We have protected the NHS, defended the UK’s interests, ensured the points-based immigration system is not affected, upheld our high food standards, and maintained our animal welfare commitments throughout. This deal demonstrates our commitment to both workers and businesses, staying true to our values while driving economic growth.

    1. DBT CGE modelling. See Technical Annex

    2. World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024

    3. Projections are calculated using the methodology described in DBT’s Global Trade Outlook, February 2023

    4. Ibid.

    5. The methodology for estimating the value of duties can be found in Annex 5 of the technical annexes accompanying the UK-India FTA Scoping assessment

    6. 2021 England and Wales Census; 2021 NI Census; 2011 Scottish Census

    7. DBT inward investment results 2023 to 2024 (HTML version) – GOV.UK; ; Grant Thornton, Britain meets India 2024; Grant Thornton, India meets Britain tracker: 2023.

    8. This analysis utilises Top 200 Entity data from India’s e-procurement dashboard, for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, which is not exhaustively used by all federal government agencies for all procurements. Therefore, several entities included within India’s market access schedule cannot be included within the analysis. This analysis does not take into account restrictions on access as a result of Make in India, the chapter thresholds and tenders for goods or services not covered by the government procurement chapter.

    Updates to this page

    Published 6 May 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pfluger’s ACES Act Passes Through the House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11)

    WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman August Pfluger’s (TX-11) bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeking to lower military aviation cancer rates passed through the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 376-5. The Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act directs the Secretary of the VA to study cancer incidences and mortality rates among aviators and aircrews who served in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

    The ACES Act was co-led in the House by Congressman and U.S. Navy veteran Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and in the Senate by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK), both veterans and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

    To celebrate its passage on the House floor today, Rep. Pfluger, Rep. Panetta, Senator Kelly, and Senator Cotton released the following statements:

    “As a former fighter pilot, I know firsthand the risks that airmen and women take every day when they step into the cockpit, and I’ve fought alongside the best this nation has to offer. But I have also stood in hospital rooms watching far too many of my brothers and sisters fight their toughest battles not in the air, but in the hospital room against cancer,” said Rep. Pfluger. “The ACES Act is not just a bill—it’s a lifeline for those who have already given so much for our freedom, and it’s a message to every pilot who’s ever put on a uniform to protect our skies that we will fight to protect them in return. The ACES Act has been my top priority in Congress since I was elected, and I am thrilled that after years of advocacy, this legislation has finally passed through the House, and I urge its swift passage in the Senate.”

    “Many veterans face serious health risks, including increased rates of cancer potentially linked to aviation service,” said Rep. Panetta.  “The House’s passage of the ACES Act is an important step forward in our efforts to uncover the full scope of these diagnoses and ensure our military and VA providers have the data they need to respond. The Senate must act, and do so quickly, to provide our aviators and, ultimately, all of our veterans, with the care and answers they deserve.”

    “As a former Navy pilot, there are certain risks that we know and accept come with our service, but we know far less about the health risks that are affecting many aviators years later,” said Senator Kelly. “Veteran aviators deserve answers about the correlation between their job and cancer risks so we can reduce those risks for future pilots. I’m proud to lead this effort in the Senate and won’t rest until we get it across the finish line.”  

    “We owe it to past, present, and future aviators in the armed forces to study the prevalence of cancer among this group of veterans. I applaud the House for passing this important piece of legislation and look forward to leading the effort, along with Senator Kelly, to pass it through the Senate,” said Senator Cotton.
      

    Before its passage, Rep. Pfluger spoke on the House floor in support of this legislation, and his remarks can be viewed HERE. Read the full text of the legislation HERE.

    The passage of Rep. Pfluger’s legislation was also celebrated by several veteran organizations and advocacy groups, including Red River Valley Association (RRVA), With Honor Action, HunterSeven Foundation, the MACH Coalition, Fleet Reserve Association, the Wounded Warrior Project, and Veteran Prostate Cancer Awareness Inc. 

    Vince Alcazar, COL, USAF, ret., MACH Coalition Founder & Director said, “The Military Aviator Coalition for Health (MACH) celebrates the passage of H.R. 530, the Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act. With three major Department of Defense studies in the last four confirming and quantifying significantly elevated cancer rates among U.S. military flyers, the ACES Act goes the next step. This bill would ask the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to apply their extensive Veteran health study capacity to determine what in the operating environments of military aviation is likely causing cancer. This study is essential. Without the ACES Act, military medicine will have no practical way of mitigating risk, and Veteran flyers will have no basis to correlate their service to potential cancer. This day was five years in the making. We recognize and praise the leadership of Congressman August Pfluger in leading this bill through three Congresses to today. Congressman Pfluger is an amazing champion of this work.”

    Theo Lawson, Assistant Director, Legislative Programs, Fleet Reserve Association, said, “The Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) wholeheartedly celebrates the passage of the ACES Act in the House and extends our sincere congratulations to Congressman August Pfluger, his staff, and the bill’s cosponsors for their incredible dedication in advancing this vital legislation. Understanding cancer is the first step to defeating it, and this bill brings us closer to uncovering the critical links between aircrew service and cancer risks. Their leadership ensures our sea service aviators and all aircrew members are better equipped to identify and combat this silent enemy. We look forward to continuing the fight alongside them until the ACES Act becomes law–honoring the sacrifices of our servicemembers and safeguarding future generations.”  

    Mario Marquez, Executive Director of Government Affairs, said, “On behalf of the 1.5 million veterans nationwide, The American Legion proudly supports the ACES Act. Research is critical to our understanding of the impacts of toxic exposures, from Agent Orange to harmful chemicals on aircraft. We applaud Representative Pfluger for prioritizing this critical issue and thank the House of Representatives for passing the ACES Act with resounding support. The American Legion urges the Senate to vote on this bill and continue to invest in research surrounding the impacts of toxic exposures.” 

    Background

    Pilots and aircrews have been found to have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer and melanoma, with possible links to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and testicular cancer.

    This legislation is critical as it would improve our understanding of the link between military service and cancer risks among Veteran aviators. By better understanding the correlation between aviator service and cancer, we can better assist our military and provide more adequate care for our veterans.

    In March, Rep. Pfluger participated in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs legislative hearing on several bills, including Rep. Pfluger’s Aviators Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act. Additionally, Rep. Pfluger’s good friend and fellow fighter pilot, who is actively battling cancer as a result of his service, Colonel Andy “Pablo” Shurtleff, appeared as a witness to the committee to share his story and explain the need and urgency for the ACES Act. 

    The ACES Act will help advance research on any correlation between aviator service and cancer rates to better assist veterans and active service members. The ACES Act was introduced in the 117th and 118th Congresses. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Haivision Redefines ISR Video Processing and Transcoding with the New Kraken X1 Rugged

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MONTREAL, May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions, today introduced the Kraken X1 Rugged, a game-changing addition to its battle-hardened ISR video processing arsenal. Built for maximum operational impact at the tactical edge, Kraken X1 Rugged processes full-motion video (FMV), delivering low latency encoding, transcoding, and AI-enhanced video and metadata to support the toughest mission demands in the most extreme environments.

    Precision-engineered to meet any video processing challenge in forward-deployed ISR missions, the Kraken X1 Rugged packs cutting-edge AI capabilities and low-latency video performance into a rugged, compact, and fanless appliance. Engineered to meet MIL-STD ruggedization requirements in a small form factor device, Kraken X1 Rugged provides superior video processing for ISR missions in the most demanding environments – including UAVs, manned aircraft, vehicles, towers, ships, and more.

    Kraken X1 Rugged derives its high-density power from the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform with next-gen GPU acceleration. Along with the ability to encode/transcode up to four 1080p HD streams, Kraken X1 Rugged can enhance situational awareness with real-time AI processing at the edge, capable of running third-party AI models directly on sensor-equipped platforms that are deployed in the field, instead of transporting the sensor feeds for processing to cloud data centers far from the action. By processing at the tactical edge, Kraken X1 Rugged can provide higher-quality intelligence delivered more reliably, more quickly, and more securely.

    “The Kraken X1 Rugged represents a significant evolution of our ISR platform, bringing ruggedized, real-time video processing to the most demanding environments,” said John Leipper, Defense Product Manager, Haivision. “It delivers the trusted Kraken capabilities our users rely on, in a compact, durable form factor optimized for high-performance AI-ready processing at the edge – right next to sensors.”

    Haivision’s Kraken solutions are trusted by ISR and mission-critical operations to turn constrained, unreliable networks into actionable intelligence pipelines for full motion video. Key capabilities of Kraken X1 Rugged include:

    • Real-time video for ISR: Process real-time FMV with surgical precision to supercharge critical decisions. Handle up to four 1080p60 streams or one 4Kp60 stream with HEVC/H.265 or H.264 compression.
    • Bandwidth optimization with KLV metadata: High-quality transcoding for downstream compatibility and transport even when network bandwidth is limited, along with synchronous/asynchronous KLV metadata, filtered as needed, to enhance geospatial context and unlock actionable intelligence.
    • Enrich intelligence with AI at the edge: Run third-party AI algorithms on NVIDIA accelerated GPUs to reliably extract high-quality intelligence at the tactical edge and deliver as full motion video and KLV metadata for downstream dissemination.
    • Ruggedized performance in a small form factor: MIL-STD environmental and power compliance for tough conditions, form factor suitable for deployment in environments with size and weight constraints, and support for 28V DC in a fanless appliance, deliver reliable results wherever ISR operations demand.
    • Seamlessly connect ISR networks: Route encoded or transcoded video streams to multiple destinations and convert between transport protocols like MPEG-TS, SRT, RTMP, RTSP, and RTP.
    • Battle-tested compatibility: Runs the same industry-leading Kraken software trusted by defense, public safety, and intelligence organizations worldwide.

    The Kraken family of real-time ISR video encoding and transcoding solutions are central to Haivision’s cutting-edge product portfolio, driving mission-critical operations with precision and power. Haivision’s video wall systems for command centers, video distribution solutions, and ISR video technology help aerospace, enterprise, government, military, and public safety organizations make informed decisions faster.

    The Kraken X1 Rugged will be showcased at SOF Week 2025 from May 6-8 in Tampa, Florida, and will be available in fall 2025. Learn more about the Kraken X1 Rugged here.

    About Haivision
    Haivision is a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions. Our connected cloud and intelligent edge technologies enable organizations globally to engage audiences, enhance collaboration, and support decision-making. We provide high-quality, low-latency, secure, and reliable live video at a global scale. Haivision open-sourced its award-winning SRT low-latency video streaming protocol and founded the SRT Alliance to support its adoption. Awarded four Emmys® for Technology and Engineering from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Haivision continues to fuel the future of IP video transformation. Founded in 2004, Haivision is headquartered in Montreal and Chicago with offices, sales, and support located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. To learn more, visit www.haivision.com.

    Jennifer Gazin
    514.334.5445 ext 8309
    jgazin@haivision.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Education Association files lawsuit challenging executive order banning federal workers’ right to collective bargaining

    Source: US National Education Union

    By: Staci Maiers and Adesuwa Wilson-Iguade

    Published: May 5, 2025

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Education Association, representing thousands of educators who work in schools on military bases operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), filed a lawsuit today challenging Donald Trump’s executive order stripping federal workers of their statutory and contractual collective bargaining rights. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenges the executive order as a violation of the First and Fifth Amendment rights of educators and their union under the U.S. Constitution, as well as an abuse of authority by both President Trump and his Defense Secretary, Peter Hegseth. 

    “DoDEA educators provide military-connected families with a world-class education, and they deserve to be respected and honored for their high levels of achievement — not have their rights taken away and their academic freedom trampled upon,” said FEA Executive Director Richard Tarr. “Trump’s executive order doesn’t just break the law; it violates the U.S. Constitution. The Trump administration is attacking the very people who serve this country by educating the children of our service members on military bases at home and around the world.”

    FEA members and other educators have used collective bargaining to advocate for student learning conditions, including smaller class sizes, more learning time, and increased staffing of school nurses, counselors, and mental health professionals. FEA filed the lawsuit with the Federal Education Association-Stateside Region and the Antilles Consolidated Education Association, joining other federal employee unions that have sued the Trump administration for the sweeping executive order. FEA is an affiliate of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union with 3 million members.

    “By attacking the rights of educators working on military bases, the Trump administration is silencing the voices of teachers and staff who demand the tools, resources, and learning conditions that students need to thrive,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “Trump’s executive orders are not just illegal; they undermine the education and opportunities of children and families who have already sacrificed so much for our nation. We are not going to sit by silently.”

    Follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social

    # # #

    About the Federal Education Association
    The Federal Education Association is a member-driven organization representing faculty and staff in the Department of Defense school system. With its headquarters in Washington, D.C., FEA is a global organization, representing thousands of Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) employees in Europe, Asia, the United States, and its territories. Our members include teachers and certified staff, Education Support Professionals (ESPs), and retirees. Find out more at www.feaonline.org.

    About the National Education Association
    The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi, EU leaders exchange congratulations on 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties 2025-05-06 20:09:51 Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday exchanged congratulations with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union (EU).

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

    BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday exchanged congratulations with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the European Union (EU).

    In his message, Xi said China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners, two major forces promoting multi-polarization, two major markets supporting globalization and two major civilizations advocating diversity.

    Xi noted that since the establishment of their diplomatic ties 50 years ago, China and the EU have maintained close exchanges across various levels and sectors, saying that the accomplishments of their dialogue and cooperation are fruitful, cultural and people-to-people exchanges vibrant, and multilateral coordination productive.

    He added that China-EU relations have become one of the most influential bilateral relations in the world, contributing greatly to enhancing the well-being of their people, and promoting world peace and development.

    Noting that the world is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century and human society is once again at a critical crossroads, Xi said a healthy and stable China-EU relationship not only promotes mutual achievements, but also illuminates the world.

    Xi said he highly regards the development of China-EU relations, and is ready to work with Costa and von der Leyen to take the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to review the experience drawn from the development of ties, deepen strategic communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust, strengthen partnership, expand mutual openness, properly handle frictions and differences, and work toward an even brighter future for China-EU relations.

    He also called on both sides to remain committed to multilateralism, uphold fairness and justice, oppose unilateralism and bullying, join forces in addressing global challenges, and jointly build an equitable and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization, so as to make greater contributions to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

    For their part, EU leaders said over the past 50 years, China has achieved the most rapid and sustained economic growth in history, noting that the EU and China have forged extensive ties, become each other’s most important trading partners and contributed to the well-being of their people and the prosperity of their economies.

    Against the backdrop of global uncertainty and geopolitical shifts, the EU, they said, stands ready to deepen its partnership with China, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, work hand in hand to address common challenges, and promote global peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. LaMalfa and Sen. Schiff Announce New High-Tech Air Force Mission at Beale AFB

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California

    Washington, D.C.—Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) announced that Beale Air Force Base has been selected as the preferred location for the Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Aircraft Readiness Unit, a major step forward in securing the base’s future role in next-generation defense technology.

    “This is a major win for Beale AFB and a vote of confidence in the capabilities of our region,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “These aircraft represent the future of the Air Force—autonomous, highly capable, and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. I worked closely with my colleagues in Congress, state and local leaders, and the Department of Defense to make the case for Beale. I want to thank President Trump, DOD leadership, and the Air Force for recognizing Beale’s strategic importance and moving quickly to make it happen. This new mission not only solidifies Beale’s role in our national defense, but also brings new technology and investment to our region.”

    “When we visited Beale Air Force Base just a couple weeks ago, I met committed California servicemembers working to protect our nation and apply new technologies to the adapting threats we face,” said Senator Schiff. “The Air Force’s selection of Beale for testing of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft puts those same servicemembers at the center of the Air Force’s modernization efforts for our nation’s 21st century defense. As the West Coast remains on the front line for deterring adversaries in the Pacific and the home of the nation’s technological innovation, I’m proud to see Yuba County at the tip of the spear for promoting America’s national security.”

    Congressman LaMalfa led the effort alongside Senator Schiff (D-CA) to bring this new mission with newly developed technology to Beale AFB, winning out over competing sites in Nevada and North Dakota. Collaborative Combat Aircraft are part of the next generation of autonomous and fully integrated aircraft that will have broad multi-use capability from intelligence gathering to weapons deployment and much more. This new technology and airframes are part of a fast-evolving modernization of the USAF, and we thank President Trump, DOD, and the Air Force for expediting their placement at Beale.

    The Air Force is currently conducting ground tests of the aircraft, with flight testing expected later this year.

    Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: LIVE: SecDef Pete Hegseth delivers keynote address at Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa, Fla.

    Source: United States Department of Defense (video statements)

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers keynote address at Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa, Fla., May 6, 2025.
    —————
    Your military is an all-volunteer force that serves to protect our security and way of life, but Service members are more than a fighting force. They are leaders, humanitarians and your fellow Americans. Get to know more about the men and women who serve, who they are, what they do, and why they do it.

    For more on the Department of Defense, visit: http://www.defense.gov
    —————
    Keep up with the Department of Defense on social media!

    Like the DoD on Facebook: http://facebook.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on Instagram: http://instagram.com/DeptofDefense
    Follow the DoD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/DeptofDefense

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4wX9baxSIA

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI: RTI at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2025: Accelerating the Future of Autonomy from Concept to Deployment

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Real-Time Innovations (RTI), the software framework company for physical AI systems, will exhibit at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2025, held May 19-22 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. At Booth #1628, RTI will demonstrate how RTI Connext® accelerates the development and deployment of next-generation autonomous systems across defense and commercial domains.

    As the demand for smarter, more capable autonomy grows across both defense and commercial sectors, Connext delivers the secure, real-time connectivity required to power AI-driven autonomy, multi-vehicle coordination, and unmanned operations in complex, high-stakes environments. Built on the Data Distribution Service (DDS™) standard, Connext helps teams move efficiently from concept to deployment—accelerating prototyping, simplifying integration, and evolving systems to meet dynamic mission or market needs.

    RTI experts will be available to discuss how a data-centric approach enables scalable, flexible architectures for the future of mission-ready autonomous systems.

    To learn more or schedule a meeting with the RTI team, click here.

    Event Details
    What: RTI at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2025, Booth #1628
    When: May 19-22, 2025
    Where: George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX

    About RTI

    RTI is the software framework company for physical AI systems, with a mission to run a smarter world. RTI Connext® provides the data architecture for over 2,000 designs in Aerospace and Defense, Medtech, Automotive, and Robotics – running in more than $1T of total deployed systems worldwide. Only RTI combines decades of technical expertise with industry-leading software and tools to develop smarter systems, faster. Learn more at www.rti.com.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Rise8 Names Mike Gehard as Director of Research and Development, Advancing AI-Driven Agile Software Delivery

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TAMPA, Fla., May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rise8 announces the addition of Mike Gehard as its new Director of Research and Development, reinforcing the company’s commitment to innovation at the intersection of agile software development and artificial intelligence (AI). Gehard will lead Rise8’s efforts to responsibly and effectively integrate AI across all services, products, and processes to enhance delivery speed, ensure quality, and drive mission impact for Veterans, Defense organizations, and the broader public sector.

    Gehard brings over 20 years of deep technical and leadership experience from startup and enterprise environments, including roles at Pivotal Labs, VMware, and Artium AI. Throughout his career, he has championed modern development practices and helped organizations implement agile principles at scale — expertise that will be crucial as Rise8 helps government agencies navigate the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of AI adoption.

    In his new role, Gehard will focus on:

    • Building AI-assisted balanced teams where each team member — engineers, designers, and product owners — is empowered with AI tools to increase efficacy and improve efficiency without compromising human creativity and judgment.
    • Establishing intentional AI use practices, ensuring that new tools are applied thoughtfully, critically, and in service of real results rather than hype.
    • Implementing guardrails to protect quality and security, particularly critical in the Federal environment.
    • Helping clients shape their own AI governance and processes, including forming Communities of Practice to navigate the cultural and operational shifts AI adoption requires.
    • Promoting a culture of optimism and critical thinking, ensuring teams remain grounded while embracing new possibilities.

    “Mike’s arrival at Rise8 marks a pivotal moment, not just for our company, but for the broader government software development community,” said Bryon Kroger, Founder and CEO of Rise8. “His leadership will enable us to partner even more effectively with agencies to build the next generation of software factories that are AI-augmented, mission-driven, and relentlessly focused on delivering value to the warfighter, Veterans, and the American public.”

    “By thoughtfully integrating AI across balanced teams, we can shrink the time between understanding a user’s needs and delivering working software,” said Gehard. “It’s not just about building faster; it’s about building smarter and never losing sight of why we build in the first place: mission impact.”

    To learn more about Rise8’s offerings and services, please visit www.rise8.us.

    About Rise8
    Rise8 develops custom software for critical missions to create a future where fewer bad things happen because of bad software. Rise8 is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) with headquarters in Tampa, FL, and a fully remote workforce. Learn more at https://www.rise8.us/ and on LinkedIn, and X.

    Media Contact:
    Casey Dell’Isola
    REQ for Rise8
    rise8@req.co

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: What’s YOUR purpose?

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    About the U.S. Army:

    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Shorts #Army

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22ow4AJC7-s

    MIL OSI Video –