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International transfers of major arms during the five-year period 2015–19 increased by 5.5 percent compared with 2010–14. According to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest exporters of arms during the past five years were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China. The new data shows that the flow of arms to the Middle East has increased, with Saudi Arabia clearly being the world’s largest importer.

The mission of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is defending the U.S., deployed forces, friends and allies from missiles of all sorts. "It's a no-fail mission," said its director, Navy Vice Adm. Jon A. Hill, speaking at the 11th annual McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Washington, D.C. If there's ever a war with a near-peer adversary, "missiles will be coming in fast and maneuvering. It's a tough, tough world. It's hard on sensor architecture and hard on fire control and hard on interceptors," he said. David Vergun, DOD News, reports.

In Syria, Turkish-made armed drones like the Bayraktar TB2 and Anka in the Idlib area have made the army much more effective on the battlefield against the Syrian army. Hence a new doctrine is being formulated for this kind of war instrument.

The JLTV is an Army-led, multiservice initiative to develop a family of future light tactical vehicles to replace many of the High Mobility, Multi-Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) used by the armed services today. HMMWVs, which first entered service in 1985, were developed during the Cold War when improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other anti-vehicle explosive devices were not a major factor in military planning. The HMMWVs’ demonstrated vulnerability to IEDs and the difficulties and costs experienced in “up-armoring” HMMWVs already in the inventory have led to a renewed emphasis on vehicle survivability. DOD officials have emphasized that JLTVs are not intended to replace HMMWVs “one for one.”

The New Start is a bilateral strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty between Russia and the United States which came into force on February 5, 2011. Several years ago, the USA doubted the necessity to extend it for five years, but now foreign observers changed their minds, the Military-Industrial Courier writes.

Army Recognition looks back to a series of U.S. programs summarized in the FY2019 Annual Report for the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation. The Tactical Wheeled Vehicles concerned by this report are three manufacturers for the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) – General Motors, Oshkosh/Flyer and SAIIC/Polaris – and Oshkosh for an FMTV 4x4 cargo truck.

On February 10, 2020, President Donald J. Trump sent Congress a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget request of $740.5 billion for national security, $705.4 billion of which is for the Department of Defense (DoD). The FY 2021 budget supports the irreversible implementation of the National Defense Strategy (NDS), which drives the Department's decision-making in reprioritizing resources and shifting investments to prepare for a potential future, high-end fight.

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to sum up the results of the arms program for 2011-2020 this year and specify the parameters of the current program for 2018-2027, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko told the Radio Electronic Technologies magazine.

President Donald J. Trump's administration has expanded the ability of combatant commanders to use landmines in specific, exceptional incidents. Previously, the only place that U.S. forces could employ landmines was on the Korean peninsula. Jim Garamone reports on DOD News.

On Sunday, Feb.2, French Defense Minister Florence Parly has confirmed what Gen. François Lecointre, Chief of General Staff (CEMA), had already announced on Jan.22: on top of the 220 troops already sent recently, France will deploy 600 more soldiers in the fight against Islamists militants in Africa’s Sahel, south of the Sahara.

Azerbaijan has ranked 52nd out of 137 countries in the Global Firepower list for 2019, Abdul Kerimkhanov reports on Azernews. Compared to 2018, Azerbaijan has raised one step, according to the ranking’s website. Azerbaijan’s military budget amounted to $710.5 million in 2019.

New research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggests that China is the second-largest arms producer in the world, behind the United States but ahead of Russia. This research represents the most comprehensive picture of Chinese companies’ weapons production to date.

The Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) achieved initial operational capability on 17 September 2019. An important part of NATO’s increased deterrence and defense in response to a changing security environment, it will help to speed up, coordinate and safeguard the movement of Allied forces and equipment across European borders. Sergei Boeke elaborates in NATO Review.