Canada has completed delivery of 15 Leopard 2A4M tanks to Latvia as part of a proposed a combat-ready NATO brigade in Eastern Europe. DND said they are accompanied by some support equipment and personnel but the rest of the full complement of 130 are not expected until the spring. [node:read-more:link]
Ukrainian forces have been burning through 240,000 rounds of 155mm howitzer rounds a month but security of supply now is an issue as the U.S. has begun sending Israel stocks originally meant. The number of rounds being sent to Israel is reportedly close to U.S. monthly production capacity and EU states have emptied their bunkers. [node:read-more:link]
Amid uncertainty about the durability of support for Ukraine with Russia’s invasion now in its 21st month, the NATO Military Committee met last week with the NATO-Ukraine Council. “Supporting Ukraine is in our own security interest, because the world would be a more dangerous place if President Putin gets what he wants,” said Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer. “NATO must remain committed to providing support, so that Ukraine can prevail as a sovereign nation.” [node:read-more:link]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for rapid changes in how his military operates. “Priorities were set,” Mr. Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “There is little time left to wait for results,” he said November 19 after meeting with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. “There is little time left to wait for results; quick action is needed for forthcoming changes.” [node:read-more:link]
Lawyers representing Palestinian victims of israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip have complained to the International Criminal Court that Israel’s actions amount to genocide. The initiative could result in arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. “It is clear for me that there are all the criteria for the crime of genocide,” the French leader of the complainants said. “This is not my opinion, it’s the reality of law.” [node:read-more:link]
Russia acknowledged today that Ukrainian forces have gained a foothold on the Russian-controlled bank of the Dnipro River in the southern front. But Moscow’s leader in the region downplayed the significance of the development, saying that reinforcements had been deployed and Ukraine’s troops were under heavy shelling. [node:read-more:link]
James O’Brien, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European & Eurasian affairs, says failure to continue supporting Ukraine would not only help Russian president Vladimir Putin but also undermine U.S. credibility worldwide. “It’s clear President Putin is now playing a waiting game,” he told a Senate committee November 8. “We need Ukraine to continue fighting and thrive while this war goes on, and to soften Russia’s hold on parts of Ukraine so that, when the decisive battles come, they are able to fight effectively.” [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. said today that Israel has begun daily four-hour pauses in fighting in northern Gaza to allow residents to flee. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said each pause would be announced at least three hours in advance. “We’ve been told […] there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today,” he said. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Army’s commander in the Pacific, General Charles Flynn, is calling out China for its “irresponsible and insidious behavior” in the region. “That’s the bad news,” he said November 6 during a multinational exercise in Hawaii. “The good news is that I’m also seeing an increase in multilateral and multinational exercises” he said would enhance readiness and interoperability. [node:read-more:link]
A Chinese fighter pilot’s decision to dispense missile-deterring flares close to an RCAF CH-148 Cyclone helicopter recently was a risky move which could have disabled the aircraft. The incident in international airspace, which occurred October 29 over the South China Sea when the helicopter was deployed from HMCS Ottawa, was the second that day. [node:read-more:link]
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, says his country’s war with Russia is transitioning to static and attritional fighting. “This will benefit Russia, allowing it to rebuild its military power, eventually threatening Ukraine's armed forces and the state itself,” he warns, calling for new capabilities, notably air power, to breach a potential impasse. [node:read-more:link]
Six days after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the country’s Intelligence Ministry drafted a document that broaches the possibility of a forced relocation of Gaza’s 2.3 million people to the Sinai Peninsula in northern Egypt. Described by Israel as a “concept”, the idea was immediately denounced by Palestinian and Egyptian leaders. [node:read-more:link]
Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said today that 118 communities had come under intense Russian shelling in the past 24 hours, an unprecedented level of attack so far this year. [node:read-more:link]
Ukrainian forces have stepped up raids into Russian-controlled territory on the eastern side of the Dnipro river in recent months. It is prompting speculation that it could be a precursor to a new front in Ukraine’s counteroffensive against the 20-month-old invasion. [node:read-more:link]
A NATO committee will be asked within the next few weeks to adopt a doctrine which will, among other things, advise alliance members on common training and layered responses to drone attacks. The formal tasking to create this document was issued at the beginning of this year,” a NATO official said. “It will build on a handbook produced in 2019 that was more focused on outlining guiding principles.” [node:read-more:link]
