Big army reshuffle: Head of the General Staff replaced

 

(From right) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Colonel-General Valery Gerasimov nominated for the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces meet in the Kremlin, November 9, 2012 (RIA Novosti / Alexsey Druginyn)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/politics/chief-staff-makarov-army-306/

President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Valery Gerasimov to be the new Chief of the General Staff, replacing the resigned Nikolay Makarov.

Makarov handed in his resignation after the Defense Minister Anatoly Seryukov was sackedearlier this week over a property scandal involving the ministry.

Russia's newly-appointed Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu nominated 57-year old Colonel General Gerasimov who has been commander of the Central Military District to take over the top post.

“He is a military man from head to toe, a man who has served for a long time in the Armed Forces and is respected there. He has enormous experience of work both in the General Staff and on the battlefield," Shoigu said at a meeting with President and Commander-in-Chief Putin.

Under the decree signed by the President, from now on Gerasimov is also Russia’s First deputy Defense Minister.

Straight to business, Putin outlined tasks for the new head of the General Staff: to build stable partnership with leading defense industry plants, to continue rearmament of the Army and Fleet and to improve the structure and command of troops.

Gerasimov is known to be a critic of the reforms pushed through by Serdyukov which were unpopular among the Russian military.

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North Korea says its missiles can strike US mainland

 

Failed missile launch - North Korea 2012

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/09/265667/n-koreas-missiles-can-hit-us-mainland/

North Korea says it has "strategic” missiles that can hit targets inside the US mainland, responding to a new US-South Korean deal to extend the range of Seoul’s ballistic missiles.

"We are not concealing the fact that (North Korea's) revolutionary military, including strategic rocket forces, has placed not only South Korean enemy forces and US forces in the Korean peninsula but also Japan, Guam and even the US mainland within its target range," the North’s National Defense Commission said in a Tuesday statement.

It added that Pyongyang was ready to react to any attack with "nuclear for nuclear and missile for missile" strategy.

The statement came two days after Seoul said that it reached an agreement with Washington to extend the range of its missiles from the current limit of 300 km to 800 km.

The extension will not only bring the whole of North Korea but also parts of China and Japan within reach of Seoul's rockets.

Tensions have been high between the two Koreas since four South Koreans were killed on November 23, 2010, after North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells onto the populated small island of Yeonpyeong.

Seoul demanded an apology from North Korea over the deadly shelling of the island, while Pyongyang said it shelled the area as a result of provocations by Seoul.

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Egypt’s president selects new defense minister, retires top commander

Former Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi (file photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/12/255890/morsi-appoints-new-defense-minister/

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has appointed a new defense minister and vice president, cancelling a constitutional declaration issued by the military restricting presidential powers.

On Sunday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi was replaced as defense minister with Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Morsi also ordered the retirement of military chief of staff Sami Anan, replacing him with Sedqi Sobhi Sayyid Ahmed.

Mahmoud Makki, a former judge, was also appointed vice president.

Last week, Morsi sacked the country’s intelligence chief, the Republican Guard commander and the head of the military police days after gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Israel.

The Egyptian president also fired Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, the governor of North Sinai, where the deadly attack took place.

The moves seem to be in response to the deadly violence at Egypt's border with Israel.

Under a constitutional declaration issued on June 17, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), which assumed power following the ouster of the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, took control of the state budget and gave itself veto power over a new constitution, diminishing president’s powers.

Morsi was elected president on June 24 in a runoff against Ahmed Shafiq, who had served as Mubarak's last prime minister.

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