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Forwarded from /CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global (FRANCISCVS)
✂️ 🇹🇼 🇨🇳 Taiwan’s opposition parties have advanced a bill that would slash a special military budget, potentially jeopardizing the purchases of billions of dollars of US weapons aimed at deterring the threat of invasion by China
The Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party voted on Friday to push forward their version of a special budget bill, which covers only part of the weapons systems recently approved by the US for sale to Taiwan, representing significant cuts from President Lai Ching-te’s rival proposal.
The opposition’s bill would cap spending at NT$400 billion ($12.7 billion), compared with the NT$1.25 trillion sought by the government.
The bill is expected to be sent to the Legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee for discussion when lawmakers reconvene in late February after the Lunar New Year break.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-02/taiwan-s-opposition-seeks-to-slash-arms-budget-demanded-by-trump
📎 Bloomberg
The Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party voted on Friday to push forward their version of a special budget bill, which covers only part of the weapons systems recently approved by the US for sale to Taiwan, representing significant cuts from President Lai Ching-te’s rival proposal.
The opposition’s bill would cap spending at NT$400 billion ($12.7 billion), compared with the NT$1.25 trillion sought by the government.
The bill is expected to be sent to the Legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee for discussion when lawmakers reconvene in late February after the Lunar New Year break.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-02/taiwan-s-opposition-seeks-to-slash-arms-budget-demanded-by-trump
📎 Bloomberg
Bloomberg.com
Taiwan’s Opposition Seeks to Slash Arms Budget Demanded by Trump
Taiwan’s opposition parties have advanced a bill that would slash a special military budget, potentially jeopardizing the purchases of billions of dollars of US weapons aimed at deterring the threat of invasion by China.
Forwarded from /CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global (FRANCISCVS)
/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global
✂️ 🇹🇼 🇨🇳 Taiwan’s opposition parties have advanced a bill that would slash a special military budget, potentially jeopardizing the purchases of billions of dollars of US weapons aimed at deterring the threat of invasion by China The Kuomintang and Taiwan…
📝 🇹🇼 🇨🇳 Woofers on X:
I am extremely pessimistic about Taiwan’s chances in a fight with China. Why?
-The KMT is increasingly aligned with the mainland and actively constrains desperately-needed defense spending.
-What spending is available is often spent on high-budget, high visibility programs of dubious utility/survivability in a war with the PRC.
-It is highly likely that the PRC has compromised important ROCA figures, which means that Taiwan’s defensive strategy as a whole is likely compromised.
-The United States might not come to the rescue.
The more I read about the Taiwanese military and political situation the more I feel that the situation is simply unsustainable. The CPC seeks political capture still but will feel more confident in their ability to kinetically take over Taiwan, even if it will be difficult and costly.
📝 Jimmy P: "Not only the KMT but also the TPP have largely become defeatist and are actively sabotaging progress. Even the DPP can be said to treat defense in a half-hearted manner.
However, the widespread opposition on purchasing major platforms is in fact dubious."
📎 Woofers
I am extremely pessimistic about Taiwan’s chances in a fight with China. Why?
-The KMT is increasingly aligned with the mainland and actively constrains desperately-needed defense spending.
-What spending is available is often spent on high-budget, high visibility programs of dubious utility/survivability in a war with the PRC.
-It is highly likely that the PRC has compromised important ROCA figures, which means that Taiwan’s defensive strategy as a whole is likely compromised.
-The United States might not come to the rescue.
The more I read about the Taiwanese military and political situation the more I feel that the situation is simply unsustainable. The CPC seeks political capture still but will feel more confident in their ability to kinetically take over Taiwan, even if it will be difficult and costly.
📝 Jimmy P: "Not only the KMT but also the TPP have largely become defeatist and are actively sabotaging progress. Even the DPP can be said to treat defense in a half-hearted manner.
However, the widespread opposition on purchasing major platforms is in fact dubious."
📎 Woofers
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Woofers (@NotWoofers)
I am extremely pessimistic about Taiwan’s chances in a fight with China. Why?
-The KMT is increasingly aligned with the mainland and actively constrains desperately-needed defense spending.
-What spending is available is often spent on high-budget, high visibility…
-The KMT is increasingly aligned with the mainland and actively constrains desperately-needed defense spending.
-What spending is available is often spent on high-budget, high visibility…
Forwarded from The War Reporter
🇺🇸🇮🇷 - The U.S. has once again issued a warning to its citizens, urging them to leave Iran immediately.
@thewarreporterr
@thewarreporterr
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Forwarded from /CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global (Jack Donovan)
With this map, I'll analyse with precision the current trends and next movements on the frontline as well as the location of the frontline
First, we can see 3 main areas of bombing : Pokrovsk-Dobrbropolye, Gulyaipole-Ternuvata and Stepnogorsk.
These are the two main axes of attack: Russia is putting a big effort to attack Orekhov from both sides and to take Dobropolye in the first part of the year.
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Forwarded from QVINTA ÆTAS
"On Thursday the world woke up entering uncharted territory as the US-Russia New START Nuclear Treaty has expired without renewal. The pact's last active day was February 4.
While there's yet hope that a comparable replacement could soon be forged between the globe's largest nuclear-armed powers and rivals, there are no current intensive talks happening on this front which have a 'legal' status related to international arms control.
(...)
Meanwhile, a Wednesday statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives insight into why the White House has let New START expire: "Obviously, the president's been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it's impossible to do something that doesn't include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile."
#QVINTAÆTASArchive
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ZeroHedge
Uncharted Territory: US & Russia Now Have No Limits On Nuclear Weapons
Talks still underway for an informal extension period...
Forwarded from /CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global (Jack Donovan)
In the 12-day war of June 2025, Israel's daily operational cost was $725 million, covering mainly air sorties, fuel, and mobilization.
The total direct costs for the US and Israel ranged from $22–30 billion, with an average daily cost of about $2 billion when including all factors: military operations, air defense, physical damage, compensation, and interceptors.
In that conflict, Iran's missile capacity to inflict damage was limited. A new confrontation today would also involve naval forces and a vastly larger array of missiles, thousands of short-range ones that Iran certainly possesses.
Based on the numbers from the 12-day war, we can estimate that each day of operations now would cost $3-4 billion or more, especially considering that Iran has learned lessons from the previous war and is better prepared.
In 20 days of war, the figure could approach $100 billion.
But the costs don't stop there. If we take the minimum damage to a single base (like Al Udeid in Qatar), which ranged from $500 million to $1.5 billion, a massive, coordinated, and saturating Iranian attack on multiple US bases in the Gulf would cause astronomical damage.
We're talking about $80–100 billion in damage to US bases in the region alone. These figures are estimates drawn from think tank analyses (CSIS, JINSA, RAND) on Gulf base vulnerabilities and historical repair costs after attacks.
That alone would push a 20-day war toward $150–200 billion.
And remember: any prolonged escalation or impact on oil and gas, such as closure of the Strait of Hormuz, would multiply these figures exponentially.
Iran is in a comfortable position in the sense that it possesses the weapons to impose high costs in the event of a war, and, unlike June 2025, they are certain they will not be caught by surprise. It will be a hard war and it will not be brief.
🧵 Patricia Marins
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Patricia Marins (@pati_marins64)
Iran Won't Abandon Uranium: $150–200B War + Global Economic Fallout
In the 12-day war of June 2025, Israel's daily operational cost was $725 million, covering mainly air sorties, fuel, and mobilization.
The total direct costs for the US and Israel ranged…
In the 12-day war of June 2025, Israel's daily operational cost was $725 million, covering mainly air sorties, fuel, and mobilization.
The total direct costs for the US and Israel ranged…
Forwarded from /CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global (Jack Donovan)
The Trump administration is developing a package of four systems for Taiwan to purchase on the heels of the record $11.1bn arms package it unveiled in December, according to eight people familiar with the situation.
China has raised serious concerns about the package ahead of Trump’s planned meeting with President Xi Jinping in April. Three of the people said China had told the US that the arms sales could derail the visit.
Xi raised the Taiwan arms sales issue with Trump in a call on Wednesday. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, he emphasised that the US “must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence”.
Several people familiar with the situation said the package could be as big as $20bn. But others cautioned that the final number was in flux and might be closer to the December figure. Some US officials argue that China is bluffing and will not cancel the visit, according to two of the people.
The package will include four systems. In addition to Patriots, used to destroy incoming missiles, the US will allow Taiwan to buy more NASAMS, an advanced surface-to-air missile, and two other weapon systems.
Several people familiar with the matter said the administration had been planning to notify Congress about the package this month. But some experts believe Trump will postpone the move until he returns from China.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is obliged to sell weapons to Taiwan to provide for its own defence.
“As it has been for more than 40 years, the policy of the United States is to maintain Taiwan’s defensive capability relative to that of China,” a White House official said. “Credible deterrence has ensured peace and stability for many years — and will for many more. We do not comment on the specifics of pending sales.”
The arms sale package comes as frustrations are mounting in Washington about political wrangling in Taipei that is delaying the approval of a defence budget that would provide funds to buy weapons from the US.
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Ft
China warns US arms sales to Taiwan could threaten Trump visit in April
Washington is poised to authorise sale of Patriots and other weapons systems to Taipei
Forwarded from Middle East Spectator — MES
—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 BREAKING: President Trump signs an executive order that would allow the United States to impose 25% tariffs on any country doing business with Iran—after a violation is recorded and confirmed
@Middle_East_Spectator
@Middle_East_Spectator