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Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has submitted for a round of approvals bills of amendments to the Weapons Act and three other laws aimed at reducing red tape and unnecessary restrictions in #Estonia's defense industry, which in turn should contribute to the development of the sector. "The defense industry is an important part of the state's defense capability, in times of peace, crisis as well as war," #Pevkur said according to a ministry press release. "Together with the sector we have reviewed possible bottlenecks in the current legislation and drawn up the necessary amendments to allow for the faster and less bureaucratic production of ammunition in Estonia." The latest bill would amend four different laws – the Weapons Act, the Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure as well as the Explosives Act. "The aim of the bill is to strengthen Estonia's defense industry and ensure a competitive environment for the defense industry in #Estonia, taking the needs of Estonian businesses into account," the minister explained. "For example, we want to reduce the burden on businesses when applying for permits, and involve foreign investors in the Estonian defense industry to a greater extent." The amendment of the Weapons Act will create the legal basis for involving businesses from third countries friendly with Estonia and the EU, such as Switzerland, Singapore. To prevent security threats, it is presumed that only foreign businesses that have not been subject to arms-related sanctions or other restrictions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) or the Council of the European Union would be able to operate in Estonia, with the same condition also applying to company executives. Thus Russian or Belarusian businesses, for example, would be excluded. Likewise simplified would be the transport of military weapons and ammunition for non-registered businesses providing this service on a one-off basis. The amendments would also allow for the manufacture of vehicles, watercraft, aircraft and other products without an activity license issued under the Weapons Act, provided they are not fitted with military weapons during production. Another amendment to the Weapons Act would drop background check requirements for company employees, subcontractors and service providers who are not involved in the handling of or information related to military weapons, ammunition or munitions. Further administrative burden would moreover be relieved by likewise dropping the requirement for additional health checks for company employees who hold valid weapons permits, as the latter already requires a valid health certificate.

Page 2: They didn’t live long. Neutralizing them and the machine gun had a concrete, telic purpose; if the weapon had been brought to bear, it would’ve chewed Special Forces to pieces. After defeating that threat, Special Forces silently dispatched seven guards patrolling the hardened aircraft shelters. “Their being there, alive, would’ve made it impossible to complete the mission. We couldn’t risk them radioing for help,” our source said. Explosives placed in the exhaust nozzles and cockpits detonated and ignited the jet fuel, and the conflagration rendered the F-16s utterly unserviceable. An after-action report reviewed by Real Raw News states that Special Forces also entered an ammunition depot, where they destroyed dozens of air-to-air missiles and tens of thousands of pounds of air-to-ground ordnance. “This was done remotely to avoid anyone being wounded or killed when all those bombs went off,” our source said. “We left a calling card, you can say, because we didn’t want Zelenskyy to pin this on Putin. We want him to know that we know what he was doing with those planes.” According to the source, the F-16s had made numerous incursions into Russia, releasing bombs on men, women, and children in nearby border communities. It’s unclear why Russia’s integrated air defense network hadn’t detected and fired on the flights. “The op was a success, but was only a fraction of the planes Biden gave them. We’ll find the rest and have no choice but to destroy what we can’t bring home. That goes for armor, too,” our source said.

Page 2: They didn’t live long. Neutralizing them and the machine gun had a concrete, telic purpose; if the weapon had been brought to bear, it would’ve chewed Special Forces to pieces. After defeating that threat, Special Forces silently dispatched seven guards patrolling the hardened aircraft shelters. “Their being there, alive, would’ve made it impossible to complete the mission. We couldn’t risk them radioing for help,” our source said. Explosives placed in the exhaust nozzles and cockpits detonated and ignited the jet fuel, and the conflagration rendered the F-16s utterly unserviceable. An after-action report reviewed by Real Raw News states that Special Forces also entered an ammunition depot, where they destroyed dozens of air-to-air missiles and tens of thousands of pounds of air-to-ground ordnance. “This was done remotely to avoid anyone being wounded or killed when all those bombs went off,” our source said. “We left a calling card, you can say, because we didn’t want Zelenskyy to pin this on Putin. We want him to know that we know what he was doing with those planes.” According to the source, the F-16s had made numerous incursions into Russia, releasing bombs on men, women, and children in nearby border communities. It’s unclear why Russia’s integrated air defense network hadn’t detected and fired on the flights. “The op was a success, but was only a fraction of the planes Biden gave them. We’ll find the rest and have no choice but to destroy what we can’t bring home. That goes for armor, too,” our source said.

New Post: Biden administration plans $1bn arms shipment to Israel - https://lnkd.in/eaiS55aC The White House has informed Congress it wants to send more than $1bn (£800m) in weapons to Israel, officials say. The package would include tank rounds, mortars and armoured tactical vehicles, according to Reuters news agency. The plan - confirmed by a congressional aide to CBS, the BBC's US partner - must still be approved by lawmakers. Last week President Joe Biden said he would halt weapons shipments to Israel if it launched a major invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks advanced deeper into residential areas of south-eastern Rafah, Palestinians told Reuters.Mr Biden said last week that he had delayed the shipment of 2,000lb (900kg) bombs to Israel because of how they might be used in such a ground operation.Asked by CNN about the delay, Mr Biden said: "Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs." The package being sent to Congress is the first since Mr Biden's administration paused arms transfers to Israel last week. It would include $700m in tank ammunition, $500m in tactical vehicles and $60m in mortar rounds, according to the Associated Press news agency. On Friday, a US state department report found that some American-made weapons provided to Israel may have been used in breach of international law. While the report was a clear rebuke of some Israeli operations in Gaza, it stopped short of definitively saying that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) campaign had breached international law.It added that assurances it had received from Israel about adhering to the legal use of US weapons were "credible and reliable".Last month, Congress passed a bill providing $95bn in aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Weapons transfers to Israel have become a political liability for Mr Biden ahead of this November's 2024 White House election. News of the latest arms package emerged soon after voting ended in a presidential primary election in Maryland, where activists had urged voters to register a protest ballot against what they see as Mr Biden's favouritism towards Israel over the Gaza war.Republican lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation intended to prevent any further pauses in weapons shipments to the US ally. The House of Representatives this week will vote on a measure that requires the state department and defence department to ensure the "prompt delivery" of military equipment.The White House has vowed to veto the bill, if it manages to pass the Senate, which is unlikely. Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.More than 35,170 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 82 in the past 24 hours, according to the territory's Hamas-run hea

The debate on gun control in the U.S. often revolves around limiting civilian access to reduce violence. 🇺🇦 In Ukraine, however, the conversation is almost reversed. 📌 According to our latest report on arms trafficking there, the country has seen a surge in weapon availability since the Russian invasion in February 2022. With millions of “trophy weapons” in civilian hands, including those from rapid Russian retreats, the challenge is how to manage this reality. As Ukrainian authorities adapt to these circumstances, there’s a shift in public opinion towards supporting legal civilian gun ownership. While new legislation is in the works, allowing weapons for self-defense under strict criteria, the practical approach might involve legalizing many of these weapons to ensure transparency and control, preventing a potential arms trafficking crisis in the region. Learn more: https://buff.ly/4bhXPPO

Armenpress, "Azerbaijan can buy weapons from Italy and Armenia can’t buy weapons from France? Pashinyan rebukes accusations,” 8/31/2024, https://lnkd.in/eZxerkMz "Azerbaijan is attempting to accuse Armenia of rearmaments to cover up its own rearmaments, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said. "“We are being accused, for example, for having military-technical cooperation with France, and India. There is the following trend in Azerbaijan, they say that extra-regional countries are arming Armenia, referring to France. But it is obvious, and public, that Azerbaijan, for example, is buying weapons from Italy. It’s a country next to France, why can Azerbaijan acquire weapons from Italy, and Armenia can’t acquire weapons from France? Azerbaijan is acquiring weapons, for example, from Pakistan. Why can Azerbaijan acquire weapons from Pakistan and Armenia can’t acquire weapons from India? They say the EU, the West is arming Armenia. But Azerbaijan is acquiring weapons from Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria. At least three EU member countries have military-technical cooperation with Azerbaijan. And Azerbaijan is acquiring huge volumes of weapons from Israel,” Pashinyan said. "Pashinyan said Armenia is well aware of these processes through intelligence gathering and doesn’t always publicly announce it. "PM Pashinyan said that some independent experts claim that the Azeri accusations, particularly in terms of the constitution and the weapons supplies, are actually meant to serve as a smokescreen for the Azeri actions itself: to accuse Armenia of having territorial claims in its constitution to cover up their own territorial claims in their constitution, and to accuse Armenia of rearmaments to cover up their own rearmament issue. "He said it’s not fair to accuse Armenia in conditions of constant threats it is getting. Furthermore, Pashinyan said he offered to develop mutual arms control mechanisms. “We are saying, you have concerns? So do we, let’s form a mutual arms control and reduction mechanisms. This proposal was made publicly and is still in force,” Pashinyan said. "“I have numerously said that every country has the right to have a strong and combat ready army. International law and the UN Charter find the right to have a military and the right to self-defense an inalienable right. Any country has the right to defense itself, and this right cannot be disputed because international law also contains a well-known obligation for states, the obligation to protect its citizens,” Pashinyan said, adding that the ongoing reforms in the Armenian military have exclusively this goal."

https://lnkd.in/eUUk4umi The article "Foreign Weapons at the Nazi’s “Atlantic Wall”" by Tom Laemlein discusses the various foreign weapons used by German forces during World War II, specifically at the Atlantic Wall defenses. By 1944, Germany faced severe shortages in manpower and industrial capacity, primarily due to the immense demands of the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union. This situation led the Germans to economize their defenses in Western Europe using captured foreign firearms from across Europe, including French, Czech, British, Polish, and even some Soviet small arms. To resolve the manpower shortage for coastal defenses like those in Normandy, Germany utilized conscripts from captured Red Army soldiers, termed “Osttruppen.” These soldiers, often from the Caucasus and Central Asia, were pressed into service on the Western Front. These troops were poorly motivated to fight against Western Allies, reserving their hatred for Stalin's forces, which compromised their combat effectiveness. Meanwhile, the diverse range of captured firearms, such as the French MAS-36 rifle, Czech ZB vz. 26 machine gun, and British Bren LMG, posed significant logistical challenges due to the need for various types of ammunition. The article highlights the complexities of the armed struggle at the Atlantic Wall, illustrating Germany's desperate measures in using a wide array of captured foreign weapons. While some weapons were strategically sound choices, the logistical burden of supplying diverse munitions added complications. The use of these foreign arms serves as a fascinating historical point, shedding light on the extent of Germany's resourcefulness and desperation during World War II as they tried to defend against the Allied invasion that eventually breached the Atlantic Wall and led to their downfall.

Those who provide military or moral support to Ukraine should be alert to the rising risk of retaliatory action by Russian agents and their locally engaged henchmen. Others should take note of the Russian psychological warfare to weaken public support in our nations. While Russia is likely focussing its main efforts on killing key business leaders and vocal opponents, the effectiveness of its campaign lies in its vertical and horizontal axes to create a general sense of intimidation and uncertainty. The Russians likely assess that such emotions can lever public sentiment against expanding or maintaining our support for Ukraine in this war of values. Be on guard! .:. US intelligence services have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate the chief executive of Germany’s leading arms manufacturer, which was an apparent attempt at retaliation over the company’s role in providing a large amount of armaments for Ukraine, according to reports on Thursday. The plot to murder Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall, was one of several Russian government plans to kill defence industry executives in several countries in Europe who have been supporting Ukraine’s war effort, unidentified US and western officials told CNN. The plans to kill Papperger were in the most advanced stages of any of the plots, the investigators reportedly said. US authorities had immediately informed their German counterparts, according to the report, and security around Papperger and Rheinmetall had been stepped up accordingly. Rheinmetall is one of the world’s biggest armaments’ producers, making artillery and tank shells as well as armoured vehicles. It considerably ramped up its production after Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In February, Rheinmetall announced plans to open an ammunition factory in Ukraine to produce and repair armoured vehicles. Rheinmetall has been described since the Russian full-blown invasion and Germany’s subsequent involvement as one of the biggest suppliers of weapons to Kyiv and a thorn in Moscow’s side. The assassination plot revelations come amid a flurry of incidents believed to be part of a systematic Russian sabotage campaign in revenge for support for Ukraine. It has reportedly recruited amateurs locally to carry out everything from arson attacks on warehouses and shopping centres to smaller actions, including acts of vandalism and graffiti, as well as espionage operations, all intended to undermine Ukraine’s war effort and to help dent public support for Ukraine. The actions have been described as a “shadow war” that Moscow is waging in western Europe. .:.

The sale of #Vista #Outdoor's #ammunition #business, which includes #Remington, to a #foreign entity poses significant #national #security #risks. Control of ammunition production by a foreign power can threaten the #US #supplychain during #conflicts or #crises. Additionally, foreign #ownership might #compromise #sensitive #manufacturing #technologies and #data. The #potential for #espionage increases as foreign entities could gain insights into #American #military #capabilities and #strategies. Such #transactions will #weaken #domestic #defense #readiness and #autonomy, making the #nation #vulnerable to #external #pressures and #supply #disruptions . References 1. #Bloomberg. (2023). "Vista Outdoor to Sell Ammunition Business." 2. The #WashingtonPost. (2023). "National Security Concerns Raised Over Foreign Acquisition of U.S. Ammunition Maker." https://lnkd.in/g-pV6Au5