Aging U.S. nuclear arsenal slated for costly and long-delayed modernization

The U.S. nuclear arsenal, the most powerful but indiscriminate class of weapons ever created, is set to undergo the costliest overhaul in its history, even as the military faces spending cuts to its conventional arms programs at a time of fiscal crisis.

For two decades, U.S. administrations have confronted the decrepit, neglected state of the aging nuclear weapons complex. Yet officials have repeatedly put off sinking huge sums into projects that receive little public recognition, driving up the costs even further.

Turkish troops battle Kurdish rebels

Turkey has sent thousands of troops into battle against Kurdish rebels as violence in the country’s most intractable dispute reaches levels not seen for more than a decade and hopes of a settlement fade.

The general staff said late on Thursday it had deployed seven battalions – 5,000 troops – to Semdinli, a remote south-eastern area where Turkish authorities announced just a month ago they had successfully concluded a smaller military deployment.

Απώλεια επιρροής των ΗΠΑ στον κόσμο προβλέπει το ινστιτούτο IISS

Οι πολιτικές εναλλαγές που προκάλεσε η αραβική άνοιξη μετατοπίζουν τον άξονα της παγκόσμιας ισχύος κατά τέτοιο τρόπο, που οδηγεί σε συρρίκνωση της επιρροής των ΗΠΑ, σύμφωνα με έκθεση του έγκριτου ινστιτούτου ερευνών International Institute for Strategic Studies.