Saudi blockade of Yemen taking a toll, Turkey buys Russian military kit
Treaty violations? Moscow and Washington continue to accuse one another of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which was reached between the two countries 30 years ago. The latest flare-up is Moscow’s objection to the recently announced sale of two Aegis Ashore missile defense systems to Japan, which Russia says violates the pact.
A deal, finally? After months of back and forth, Turkish media is reporting that Turkish and Russian officials have signed a financing agreement for the purchase of the Russian-made S-400 anti-missile system worth $2.5 billion. The agreement has unsettled Turkey’s NATO allies, who are uneasy over Russian military equipment being placed in a NATO country.
SecNav packing heat in Helmand. Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer was spotted carrying a sidearm while visiting troops in Afghanistan recently, the first for a civilian service secretary. His spokespeople say it was no big deal — he was offered the gun and accepted. But it says something that 16 years into the U. S. war there, government officials feel the need to arrive in secret (Vice President Mike Pence earlier this month), and arm themselves while on the ground.
Yemen. Reuters pays a visit to a hospital in Yemen, where diseases thought to have been eliminated — like diphtheria — are back, and are killing children. Thursday marked the 1,000th day of the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians. Saudi Arabia maintains a blockade of all sea, land, and air ports in the country, keeping desperately needed food and medicine out.
