Questions tagged [military]
Questions related to the military. This may include questions about the actions or inaction of the military, the armed forces themselves or government action related to the military.
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Does the fact that China owns nuclear weapon improve the status of Chinese expat? [closed]
According to Chinese government propaganda, it is because of the development and deployment of nuclear weapons that the status of Chinese ex-pats is no longer discriminated against by anyone else. Are ...
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Whom do a Western defense company first talk to?
Suppose a Western company wants to sell their products to another country, presumably non-Western.
Say, a company based in the UK wants to sell a missile system to the Saudis.
I can see two scenario ...
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How is a "mercenary soldier" defined in international law?
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister has claimed that the two British men, currently under sentence of death, were "mercenaries" attached to the Ukrainian army, and hence not subject ...
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Was NATO military aid part of Russia's calculation for the invasion of Ukraine?
Was NATO military aid part of Russia's calculation for the invasion of Ukraine?
If YES, did they put out any statement that proves that?
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Is NATO useful for military missions that are done by NATO-members, but not as NATO missions?
On the face of it, the question in the title seems banal: NATO members' armies practice in multinational maneuvers, have certain standards to allow their armies to integrate well with each other.
So ...
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Why didn't the army use its influence to save Gen. Parvez Musharraf from numerous cases?
It is generally believed that the Pakistan army has a great influence on Pakistan's politics and judiciary.
If that is the truth, then why couldn't Gen. Pervez Musharraf avoid a myriad of cases ...
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Are Ukrainian civilians forced to fight against their will?
Multiple European newspapers stated that the Ukrainian government was doing everything in its power to allow the Ukrainian civilians to flee the country safely. I was under the impression that ...
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How do the US President's and Secretary of Defense's power to deploy troops differ?
In the May 17, 2022 Late Night with Stephen Colbert clip Mark Esper's Loyalty To The Constitution Got Him Fired From The T**** Administration in a segment where he recounted several instances of ...
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Why does the Indian government seem reluctant to appoint a new CDS?
The post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) remains vacant after the death of India's first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, in December 2021.
The post was advertised to be extremely crucial when it was created....
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What are Taiwanese required to do and sign to travel to China? Can active, reserve or retired military do so?
The extent of my knowledge is that when Taiwanese individuals would like to travel to China for business and/or pleasure they can not use the same passport they use for travel elsewhere. Instead they ...
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What happens with Ålands demilitarised status when Finland joins NATO?
In May 2022, Finland announced its intention to apply for NATO membership. Assuming Finland becomes a NATO member, what does that mean for Åland? Åland is an autonomous and demilitarised region of ...
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Any adverse effects/repercussions due to Ukraine's "serious snub" of German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier lasting longer than a few news cycles?
Wikipedia's Frank-Walter Steinmeier; 2022 Kyiv visit says:
In April 2022, Steinmeier abandoned plans to visit Kyiv after admitting he would not be welcome in Ukraine in what was seen as a serious ...
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Is signing security pacts with other countries within the UK government powers?
On May 11th 2022, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed security pacts with Sweden and Finland. Is this something the Government could do without passing any legislation through Parliament and ...
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Is the concept of MAD becoming obsolete? [closed]
Is the concept of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction less applicable today compared to say 40 years ago as seen by the West? My contention is ...
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Was the recent spate of military coups in Africa done so with either the overt or covert support of the USA? [closed]
The Intercept has reported that since 2008, at least eight successful military coups have occurred in Africa led by US trained soldiers: Guinea, Mauritanea and the Gambia, and also three times each in ...
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Pentagon: "The intelligence that we provide to Ukraine is legal, is lawful." Is there even a recognized concept of legal and/or lawful intelligence?
CNN's May 6, 2022 White House walks a fine line with intelligence sharing in Ukraine
"I wouldn't describe any line as thin or imaginary," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN's ...
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In 73 years has there really been only one occasion where NATO's article 5 applies?
The September 11, 2001 attack on the US remains the only time NATOs article 5 has been invoked. But during the existence of article 5 has any NATO country suffered a significant qualifying attack (see ...
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What are the societal and economic benefits of Britain's military spending?
The United Kingdom spends considerably more on defense as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among countries with a similar need. According to Wikipedia, the United Kingdom spends 2.2% of ...
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Do wars on foreign soil often affect military celebrations?
Many countries hold annual military celebrations of various kinds. How have these been affected when they were in another war? On foreign soil of course.
I'm looking for examples of countries ...
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What are the terms of the agreement between Russia and Denmark on the militarization of Bornholm?
In a Danish newspaper article it is mentioned that the Russian ambassador implies that there is a treaty regarding troops on Bornholm. The Danish government denies this. What is the article referring ...
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Are military units marching in military parades considered military or civilian targets? [closed]
Russian Federation is widely expected to conduct its annual military parade on May 9th. The parade traditionally takes places on the Red Square with many "military units" marching over a ...
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How does satellite observation affect military strategy? [closed]
Given that we can watch fighting (in wars) from satellite video in real time, how do countries prevent their troops positions from being given away, and weapons shipments from being destroyed?
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Where are the weapons and ammunition used by Russia coming from?
Are the weapons and ammunition used by Russia in the Ukrainian war coming from their preexisting storage?
Or, have they increased their production since the start of the war?
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How did Russia officially react to Finland unilaterally denouncing part III of the 1947 peace treaty?
In connection to a recent question, various sources (e.g.) say that in the 1990s Finland has denounced part III of the 1947 peace treaty with Russia. That part contains limitations on the Finnish ...
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What are the flags being flown by this column of Russian tanks?
I just saw this video of Russian tanks on a video on Twitter.
I can see four different flags flown by the soldiers but I can't make out what they are apart from the last one which just looks like the ...
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What is "quantum" and why is it "incredibly important for Australia's defense", or for any advanced country's defense for that matter?
In this short Reuters April 6, 2022 video LIVE: Australia PM Morrison holds news conference on AUKUS and in the official transcript Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said:
Now, of course, ...
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Have retired top US military officials become substantially more outspoken and cited on political issues in the last decade?
Reading Politico's April 04, 2022 How two dozen retired generals are trying to stop an overhaul of the Marines and re-reading my own comment:
Retired yet notable military figures have recently ...
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Maintenance of nuclear vs conventional forces: what's the exchange rate?
Clearly, maintaining a nuclear arsenal can be a costly proposition. The area dedicated to nuclear weapons storage and the maintenance cost of keeping it operational and secure is probably non-trivial....
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What is Jake Sullivan's position on defending Taiwan?
I'd like to know what National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's position is regarding deploying troops to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack/invasion.
I've asked the related but different ...
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What is Jake Sullivan's policy on arming and supplying Taiwan?
I'd like to know what the current US National Security Advisor (Jake Sullivan)'s position on arming and supplying Taiwan is.
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), ...
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Why does the USA have such a large military?
In terms of protecting their borders the USA have one to the south with Mexico and one to the north (or east if you're Alaska) with Canada, neither of which seem like likely invaders. Contrast this to ...
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Size of Russian forces including the National Guard deployed (and lost) in Ukraine
Journalists and think tanks are tracking the war in Ukraine with varying degrees of expertise. In addition to open-source intelligence (watching the press and social media and trying to validate items)...
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Does the USA possess any capability to intercept supersonic cruise missiles? [closed]
Does the USA possess any capability to intercept supersonic cruise missiles (e.g. BrahMos)?
If YES, how?
If NOT, why?
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Has Iran built this missile defense system by copying Russian S-200 system?
Iran unveils its new local-made AD-200 air defense missile system during DIMDEX 2022 in Qatar
Has Iran built this missile defense system by copying or reverse-engineering the Russian S-200 system?
Or,...
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How much is Russia spending on the war each day? [closed]
A former Russian politician, Illya Ponomarev, stated that the war costs Putin 20 billion dollars a day. This seems to be an exaggeration to me. Of course it is impossible to talk about precise figures,...
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Why would Russian troops in Ukraine fly the flag of the USSR? And why would the Russian MoD advertise this?
From this video which appears genuine:
I'm miffed at why the Russian soldiers are flying the flag of the USSR. And why would the Russian Ministry of Defense advertise this?
A little more search ...
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Why was the USS Kittyhawk sold for one cent for scrapping when the donation fund to turn it into a museum ship raised $5 million? [closed]
All I can find is that the Navy chose not to turn it into a museum ship, but I don't understand, and cannot find an official explanation why.
I thought maybe they were worried about classified tech ...
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What is the contribution of weapons industry lobbying in current enmities and wars?
The Yemeni war has been very profitable for the weapons industry, costing Saudi Arabia 120 billion dollars. Currently the global military GDP is 1.5 trillion dollars, 1.75% of the world economy. It ...
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If Russia plans to demilitarize Ukraine, does that mean (e.g.) they plan to take over or dismantle the Kharkiv tank factory (and design bureau)?
Ukraine has inherited (from Soviet times) the Morozov design bureau and the Malyshev (tank) factory, both located in Kharkiv. These have been responsible for a non-trivial amount of armored vehicles, ...
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Why is Poland offering its MIGs to the US instead of waiting for their replacements?
The US offered Poland to replace its MIGs if they are being offered to the Ukraine military. However, Poland now wants to send the MIGs to the US.
Is this done so that the US can offer them to Ukraine ...
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Why does the United States make it public knowledge as to which generals are in charge of various operations?
Inspired by the question, Who is the Russian military commander in charge of the war on Ukraine?; this made me wonder why the United States makes it known who its generals are and what operations they ...
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Back Channels of Communication Between US and Russian Military
Allow me to open my question by citing an example from recent history:
If you recall in Sept 2021 it was revealed by Axios that during the chaos of the 2020 election/post-election General Mark Milley ...
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Can the US send in troops to Ukraine by removing all markings [closed]
It seems like Russia sent troops to fight in Crimea without any markings. Why cannot the US send in a small force (for example just to take down Russian aircraft) without any markings? Also taking ...
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Who is the Russian military commander in charge of the war on Ukraine?
It seems like we are only hearing from Putin about the military operations. When we hear about Russian generals it's about them getting killed, like Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of 41st Army.
Which ...
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Why doesn't U.S. use "strategic ambiguity" on whether or not to send troops to Ukraine just like they do for the Taiwan situation?
United States has been using strategic ambiguity on Taiwan Strait issue by not clearly saying whether they would aid Taiwan with U.S. troops should Mainland China attack Taiwan, which intimidates ...
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How much bite does the Mutual Defense Clause of the Treaty of the European Union (TEU) have?
As mentioned in other answers regarding the 2022 Ukraine conflict, there is a defense clause for the existing EU countries. I looked and found §42.7 TEU,
If a Member State is the victim of armed ...
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Instead of attacking the Russian convoy to Kyiv itself, would it be political advantageous to bombard the access road(s) to the Ukrainian capital? [closed]
AFAFP PHOTO / SATELLITE IMAGE Copyright 2022 MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES
An enormous Russian convoy, over 60 km long, has approached to 20 km distance north of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Military experts are ...
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At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which U.S. forces were immediately ordered to pull back, and from where?
Politico's 02/27/2022 article Pentagon wants Moscow back channels to prevent nuclear escalation includes the following:
When the Russian invasion began in earnest last week, U.S. forces in the region ...
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Why are countries sending financial and military aid to a Ukraine when it may be occupied? Isn't that just the same as giving aid to Russia? [closed]
Despite the propaganda that says that Ukranian heroes are bravely resisting and pushing back the Russian invaders, the truth is that the war has been on-going for a mere 4 days, and the Russians are ...
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If Russia drops a nuclear bomb, is it realistically possible to prevent neutralize it without getting serious damage? [closed]
By "serious damage" I mean any kind of severe environmental damage and/or damage to the people health/life. I understand that there's a tiny probability for that to happen, but just in case, ...
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