Obama Administration Building New Drone Bases in Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia

The Obama administration is expanding its drone program far beyond Pakistan, building secret bases in the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula in a move to target dangerous al Qaeda affiliates.

A senior U.S. military official with knowledge of the program told Fox News that the expansion has been underway for over a year. It started with a base in Seychelles, an archipelago northeast of Madagascar. Officials have been eyeing Ethiopia, described as the "basing location of choice," but so far have only been able to fly surveillance drones from Ethiopian bases. Armed drones, though, are being flown out of the small African country of Djibouti.

Chinese World Domination: Increasing Their Military Capability

This is the second article that expands on my original Big Peace article, “The Growing Potential of Chinese World Domination.” The first article, on defeating the U.S. economically, can be found here.

However, as a country becomes more and more successful, invasion by other nations becomes more and more likely. The leaders of China are not so foolish as to believe that this could not happen in this modern age. They know full well that total world domination is dependent on having a superior military force.

The reason that a strong military is critical to the success of any country was best explained in a commencement speech Defense Secretary Robert Gates made to the 2011 graduating class of the University of Notre Dame.

The ultimate guarantee against success of aggressors, dictators and terrorists in the 21st century is the size, strength and global reach of the United States military. …

Beyond the current wars, our military credibility, commitment and presence are required to sustain alliances, to protect trade routes and energy supplies, and to deter would-be adversaries from making the kind of miscalculations that so often lead to war.

Getting back to China and its drive to enhance its military capability on all fronts, NTI’s Global Security Newswire reported that,

China’s nuclear arsenal is being augmented through development of a missile that is capable of carrying a number of warheads and can be moved between different locations. The yearly Pentagon assessment of Chinese military capabilities estimates that Beijing holds as many as 75 long-range missiles tipped with nuclear warheads, along with 120 intermediate- and medium-range systems.

In August The New York Times, (U.S. Official Warns About China’s Military Buildup) reporting on the Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military, stated:

With China On Its Mind, US Forces Expanding Their Presence In Australia

An emerging defense agreement would let the U.S. expand its military presence in Australia as the Obama administration and its allies maneuver to counter an increasingly assertive China.


It would include positioning U.S. equipment in Australia, increasing access to bases and conducting more joint exercises and training.

The arrangement, somewhat controversial in Australia, is expected to be a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's visit to the country in November.

Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith said the broader cooperation will mean "more ships in, ships out; more planes in, planes out; more troops in, troops out."

Video: ISAF Fighting Off The Taliban Embassy Attackers in Afghanistan

Check out these YouTube videos uploaded by ISAF showing U.S. Army soldiers, Marines, and unidentified troops in Desert Combat Uniforms armed with Kalashnikovs (Salamander says they’re Macedonian) fighting off Taliban insurgents during Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. embassy compound in Kabul.

While the insurgents failed to do serious harm to the embassy and its staff (though there were numerous Afghan casualties) they did seem to gain a PR victory due to the amount of media attention the incident received.

ISAF went on a PR offensive of its own, though, including a great twitter fight between ISAF and the Taliban during the kinetic assault. These videos are another part of that offensive. Just like insurgents love to broadcast their battlefield exploits, NATO is now showing off it’s fighting prowess in a timely manner. Enjoy.

h/t defenseTech