Western governments’ rapidly growing defense spending sounds like a straightforward equation: More spending equals more weapons.
But skilled weapons workers are in short supply, especially explosives experts, and without a sufficiently big bang behind them, even the most sophisticated weaponry is pointless. But blowing things up is not learned in a quick crash course. We need more explosives professors.
Read more…
Source: Foreign policy
Related:
- Afghanistan: Explosion kills three children and injures two in Helmand
March 23, 2024
Provincial officials in Helmand Province report that three children have lost their lives, and two others have been wounded as a result of the explosion of an unexploded bullet in the Gereshk district of this province. The office of the governor in Helmand Province stated on Saturday, March 23, stating that the incident occurred in the ...
- Nigeria: Terrorist’s arms storage facility destroyed in Niger state
March 20, 2024
The Nigeria Air Force NAF has destroyed the arms storage facility of one of the most wanted terrorists operating in Niger State. The military operatives acting under Operation WHIRL PUNCH continue to comb the Northwest and North Central regions of Nigeria to smoke out the terrorists. Spokesman for the Airforce, Edward Gabkwet, an Air Vice Marshall, ...
- UK: MoD says it is ‘not liable’ for Plymouth bomb removal damage
March 20, 2024
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will not provide financial support to residents whose properties were damaged during the removal of a World War Two bomb, an MP has said. In February, several Plymouth properties were damaged when the device was moved and detonated at sea. MP Luke Pollard called for the MoD to fund subsequent repairs. ...
- Ukraine: Unexploded warhead of Kh-101 missile destroyed in Vinnytsia Oblast
March 16, 2024
A Russian Kh-101 missile’s unexploded warhead was destroyed by a pyrotechnical, underwater and humanitarian demining unit in Vinnytsia Oblast, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service (SES) reported on March 16. The missile fragments were discovered by local residents in the forest of the Zhmerynka district on March 15. After examination by the Police Explosives Disposal Unit, the ...
- Greece joins coalition to help Ukraine with mine clearance
March 16, 2024
Greece has joined a coalition led by Lithuania and Iceland to help Ukraine with mine clearance. This was announced by Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas following a meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Vilnius. The ministers also discussed bilateral defense cooperation, the security situation, and the NATO agenda. The ministers focused on air defense. Read more… Source: ...
- Cambodia records 32 landmine, ERW casualties in 2023, down 22 percent
March 15, 2024
Cambodia reported 32 landmine and explosive remnant of war (ERW) casualties in 2023, a 22 percent decline from 41 in 2022, according to an official report on Thursday. “Four people were killed, 18 others were injured, and the 10 others were amputated in 2023,” the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA)’s report said, adding ...
- South Korea: Second AN-M65 general-purpose bomb discovered at construction site in Cheongju
March 15, 2024
A laborer wielding a spade found an intact, 1,000-pound bomb from the Korean War at a construction site in Cheongju, south of Seoul, on Wednesday, less than a week after an identical bomb was unearthed there. Air force explosive ordnance disposal specialists identified the object as an American AN-M65 general-purpose bomb from the 1950-53 Korean War, ...
- Greece to Supply Ammunition to Ukraine
March 15, 2024
Greece is negotiating a deal with Czechia to transfer ammunition to Ukraine. According to Greek media, Greece will supply Ukraine with 2,000 Zuni rockets, 180 anti-tank rockets, 90,000 projectiles, 4 million bullets, and 70 howitzers without depleting its own stocks. The aim is to provide military aid to Ukraine to assist in its defense against the ...
- Croatia and UNDP help revitalize gas production in Ukraine by clearing land for explosive ordnance
March 14, 2024
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), along with the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and UkrGasVydobuvannya, Ukraine’s largest gas producer, recently completed an Explosive Ordnance risk assessment over 17 sq. kilometres in Kharkiv Oblast, formerly under Russian occupation. This initiative, financially backed by the Croatian Government, is pivotal for resuming gas exploration in the region. Before Russia’s ...
- EU Gives Initial Backing to €5 Billion Weapons Fund for Ukraine
March 13, 2024
Ambassadors of the European Union agreed in principle to provide €5 billion ($5.5 billion) in military support for Ukraine, after member states reached a compromise to allow purchases from outside the bloc. The envoys backed the plan at a meeting Wednesday, the Belgian presidency of the EU said in a post on X. The agreement boosts ...
- Bulgaria: Naval Forces Destroy Sea Mine Near Kabakum Beach In Varna
March 12, 2024
A potentially hazardous situation unfolded today near Varna’s “Kabakum” beach as a floating mine was discovered in the sea. The Navy swiftly mobilized a mine countermeasures vessel to the scene to address the threat. Authorities took immediate action to ensure public safety, cordoning off the area and issuing warnings for residents to remain indoors. The fishing ...
- Massachusetts: Bomb squad searches Charles River in Needham for unexploded ordnances
March 11, 2024
The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and other agencies searched the Charles River in Needham Monday following the recent discoveries of two unexploded ordnances in the water. Needham police said the “precautionary sweep” by the Kendrick Street Bridge turned up “a few miscellaneous items,” but no ordnances. Divers and a remotely operated vehicle searched the riverbed. ...
- South Korea: Workers discover 1,000-pound bomb at construction site in Cheongju city
March 11, 2024
An unexploded 1,000-pound bomb leftover from the Korean War was partially dismantled and removed from a construction site last week south of Seoul, a South Korean air force spokesman said. The AN-M65 general-purpose bomb from the 1950-53 conflict was discovered Thursday by workers at a construction site in Cheongju city, roughly 60 miles south of the ...
- The Houthis Are Schooling Us in Asymmetric Warfare
March 11, 2024
The Houthis of Yemen think they’re at war with the West. With the news that three undersea fiber-optic cables were severed off the Yemeni coast and that one of their ballistic missiles took lives for the first time upon striking a container ship, it’s time to acknowledge that we are at war with them. The much ...
- Unexploded bombs, a long-term threat to life in Gaza
March 11, 2024
For more than five months, the Israeli army has been pounding the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel. In addition to the daily intensive shelling and the famine that threatens to spread throughout the coastal strip already experiencing a major humanitarian crisis, unexploded ordnance is an equally lethal danger hanging ...
- Iraq: Landmine blast kills three border guards in Erbil
March 10, 2024
A landmine explosion on Sunday at an Iraqi border guard command in Erbil killed three, an army spokesperson said. The explosion occurred during a training session at the engineering unit of the border guard command. The victims were landmine experts who were overseeing the training, Ismail said. Read more… Source: RUDAW News
- UK: Anger and despair amid fallout over Devon bomb
March 10, 2024
Devon locals directly affected by the fallout of a bomb discovery say they have been left angry, exhausted and in despair at the way they feel they have been left to fend for themselves. The discovery of a 500kg Second World War Nazi bomb in a rear garden in St Michael Avenue, Plymouth and a phone ...
- Iraq’s lingering landmine menace: ongoing struggle for safety and stability
March 9, 2024
Landmines in Iraq has been a longstanding issue, originating from conflicts such as the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, where both conventional and improvised landmines were extensively deployed. The aftermath of these conflicts, coupled with ongoing internal strife and insurgencies, has led to widespread contamination of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) throughout the ...
- Russia Now Looks To Be Using Wire-Guided Kamikaze Drones In Ukraine
March 8, 2024
Russian forces in Ukraine appear to now be using so-called first-person view kamikaze drones controlled via a physical fiber optic line rather than a wireless data link. This configuration offers a control method that is immune to radiofrequency electronic warfare, but that also imposes certain limitations on how the system can be employed. Read more… Source: The Drive
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal techs pioneer innovative method to clear stuck artillery round
March 7, 2024
FORT SILL, Okla. – U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians demonstrated flexibility, ingenuity and resourcefulness during a recent response to a lodged round in a M109A6 Paladin howitzer on Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Army EOD Soldiers, from the 761st Ordnance Company (EOD) safely cleared the projectile that jammed during howitzer training. Staff Sgt. Cody A. Dodd, an ...
- UNMAS Welcomes the Contribution from Denmark for Mine Action in Ethiopia
March 7, 2024
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) welcomes a donation of 7 million Danish krone (DKK) (more than 1 million USD) from the Government of Denmark for life-saving humanitarian mine action activities in Ethiopia. The support will go towards the UNMAS “Humanitarian mine action to promote peace and safety in Northern Ethiopia” project. This project seeks ...
- Czechs raise funds to buy 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine
March 7, 2024
With Thursday’s contribution of €140 million from Norway, the Czech Republic has secured enough funds to buy 800,000 artillery shells for munitions-starved Ukraine, Czech President Petr Pavel told journalists on Thursday. Overall, 18 countries have agreed to finance the purchases within a Czech-led initiative. The ammunition should be in Ukraine in the coming weeks, Pavel added. Read ...