Security

Israeli military says its “Iron Dome” defense system intercepted 13 rockets fired from Gaza on Wednesday in what appears to be retaliation for Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed 10, including the commander of the Hamas military wing. The Israeli military said the some 20 airstrikes were part of a major offensive dubbed “Operation Pillar of Defense,” Reuters reports. “All options …

Israel has chosen to attack Gaza in order to avoid reaching a longer-term peace settlement than was being negotiated with the help of Hamas’ military leader Ahmen Jabari, who was assassinated in an Israeli attack Wednesday, says Israeli activist. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin spoke to RT confirming that Ahmen Jabari was involved in peace settlement negotiations with Israel and …

US Senator Roy Blunt  weighs in on Fox News.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus stoked the controversy over the Obama administration’s handling of the Libya terror attack, testifying Friday that references to “Al Qaeda involvement” were stripped from his agency’s original talking points — while other intelligence officials were unable to say who changed the memo, according to a top lawmaker who was briefed. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., told …

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman is departing for Perth today to hold talks with the Australian Defence Minister, Stephen Smith on the outskirts of the Ausmin conference. It will be their first formal talks since they signed the Australia-New Zealand Defence Relationship Review at Melbourne in January this year. “We have an excellent defence relationship with Australia and this meeting …

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Perth for a summit to deepen defence links between Australia and the United States. The annual summit is the first since President Barack Obama visited Australia a year ago and upset  China by announcing that up to 2500 US Marines would rotate through a joint military training hub in the northern …

China’s vice president, Xi Jinping, is widely expected to take over from President Hu Jintao at the Communist Party congress under way in Beijing. The gathering ushers in a once-in-a-decade leadership change in the country. However, whether Hu will stay on as China’s military leader is still unclear. Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna reports from Beijing.

A scandalous affair has brought down a man referred to by many as one of the greatest generals in US history. But how successful have David Petraeus’ strategies really been in Iraq and Afghanistan? Until a few years ago, few people had heard of Petraeus. But in Washington DC, he has been long revered. His counter-inserguency strategies in Iraq and …

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones and US Pacific Commander, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III have signed an open-dated logistics agreement which will provide significant benefits for both countries. The Treaty-level Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) will continue the interoperability, readiness, and effectiveness of NZ and US military forces through increased logistic cooperation. The agreement is designed …

Australia has a seat on the UN Security Council after an emphatic win in New York this week, and the key to Australia’s success in part was support from the African nations.  Now New Zealand is also campaigning for its own seat in 2015 so what does Australia’s success mean for our bid? Former New Zealand Ambassador to the UN …