Latest news with #antiMissile
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Labour ‘may refuse to use Israeli parts' in UK dome defence system in bid to appease pro-Palestinian backbench MPs
Labour was accused of planning to exclude hi-tech Israeli anti-missile systems from Britain's proposed 'Iron Dome' defences last night in a bid to appease its pro-Palestinian backbench MPs. Ministers faced claims that they were preparing to drop 'tried and tested' equipment from Tel Aviv-based firm Rafael in favour of a 'more politically correct' alternative. The accusations come as the Government seeks to upgrade and expand its array of Sky Sabre anti-missile units in imitation of Israel 's own 'Iron Dome' defences. Sources told the Mail on Sunday that even though Rafael's control and command system was currently used in all seven existing Sky Sabre units, Ministers were now looking to go instead for a Norwegian-produced rival. The Ministry of Defence responded last night by saying that no such decision had been made. But the fears come amid pressure from pro-Palestinian Labour MPs for the Prime Minister to toughen his policy towards Israeli amid mounting alarm over the scale of the Israeli military action in Gaza and the rising death toll of Palestinians living there. In particular, Sir Keir has faced calls to suspend all arms exports to Israel and to recognise Palestine as a state. Only yesterday, there were reports that French president Emmanuel Macron – who will make a state visit to the UK this week – is urging Sir Keir to hurry up and recognise Palestine. And last night, one security source told the Mail on Sunday: 'Keir Starmer doesn't want to be seen to be close to Israel on defence. 'He's terrified of the Palestinian lobby. 'And he's wary of [Attorney General] Richard Hermer saying they're complicit in helping Israel break international law.' The UK currently has no equivalent of Israel's famed Iron Dome missile defence system. But the Government's Strategic Defence Review promised last month to provide up to £1 billion in new 'homeland air and missile defence' as well as protection against cyber attack. The MoD is also set to upgrade and expand its current seven Sky Sabre medium-range, ground-based mobile air defence systems. However, sources claimed that instead of continuing with the existing Israeli-produced command and control units for Sky Sabre, Ministers were planning to appease their pro-Palestinian backbench MPs by switching to a Norwegian alternative called NASAMs. Last night, defence expert and cross-bench peer Lord Walney said: 'It would be inexcusable if tried-and-tested Israeli components were no longer used simply for politically convenient reasons.' Lord Walney, former chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, added: 'Britain needs the best high-tech defence as the world gets more unstable. 'It would be dismal if ministers ditched components from an Israeli company to avoid pressure from the pro-Palestine crowd.' Only last week, non-affiliated peer Lord Austin, the Government's trade envoy to Israel, told the House of Lords how 'the RAF would not be able to get its planes off the ground without Israeli technology' and that 'British soldiers would have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan without Israeli defence equipment.'
Fox News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump shares sympathetic exchange with Ukrainian journalist whose husband is fighting in war
President Donald Trump shared a tender exchange with a Ukrainian journalist who told him during a press conference at the conclusion of the NATO summit that her husband was fighting in the war in their home country. The reporter, who said she was working for the BBC, shared that her husband is a soldier in Ukraine and that she currently lives with their children in Warsaw, Poland, more than three years after the Russian invasion. Calling on reporters in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump granted a question to the woman after noticing she was "all excited." "Where are you from?" Trump asked. "I'm from Ukraine," she told an inquisitive Trump. She asked the president if the U.S. is ready to sell more anti-air missile systems, known as Patriots, to Ukraine. "We know that Russia has been pounding Ukraine really heavily right now," she added. Trump asked the reporter, "Are you living yourself now in Ukraine?" "My husband is there," she said. Noticing her emotion, Trump interjected, "Wow. I can see you're … you know, it's amazing." The woman added, "And me with the kids, I'm in Warsaw, actually." Trump continued to ask the woman about her personal connection to the news she was reporting on. She responded that her husband was indeed a solider currently in Ukraine, drawing an audible reaction from Trump. "Wow. That's rough stuff, right? That's tough," Trump said. "Let me just tell you, they do want to have the anti-missile missiles, as they call them, the Patriots. And we're going to see if we can make some available." "You know, they're very hard to get. We need them too," Trump said. "We were supplying them to Israel, and they're very effective. 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective. And they do want that more than any other thing, as you probably know. That's a very good question. And I wish you a lot of luck. I mean, I can see that it's very upsetting to you." "Say hello to your husband. Okay?" Trump added. Trump met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit earlier Wednesday and suggested that increased spending by the trans-Atlantic alliance could help prevent future Russian aggression against its neighbors. At the press conference, Trump laced into CNN and the New York Times over their coverage of the U.S. strikes on Iran, but he displayed warmth to the Ukrainian journalist and her question about Patriot missiles. Over the course of the war, the U.S. has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine, but many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia. NATO members agreed to raise their spending targets by 2035 to 5% of gross domestic product annually on core defense requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending. That target had been 2% of GDP. Trump said that the Ukraine crisis "has also highlighted the urgency of rebuilding our defense industrial base, both in the United States and among the allied nations." He said the U.S. cannot be dependent on foreign adversaries for critical minerals. Shortly after seeing Zelenskyy, Trump said he would soon meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He cited having difficulties dealing with both leaders. Trump was asked by a different reporter if the United States would contribute any more money to Ukraine's defense this year in addition to the $5 billion that allies are giving. "As far as the money going, we'll see what happens," Trump said. "Look, Vladimir Putin, really end that war. People are dying at levels that people haven't seen before for a long time."
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Furious Democrats call for investigation into Musk's bid to help build Trump's ‘$500 billion' Golden Dome project
A group of 42 Democrats has written to the Pentagon's Inspector General demanding an investigation after it was reported that Elon Musk 's company, SpaceX, could win a lucrative contract to help build President Donald Trump 's new 'Golden Dome' anti-missile defense system. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Tammy Duckworth have responded by expressing their concerns in a letter to acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven A Stebbins, demanding transparency about the bidding process. 'Mr Musk's formal or informal participation in any process to award a government contract raises serious conflict of interest concerns, including the possibility that SpaceX is a top contender for the Golden Dome contract because of Mr Musk's position in the government,' they wrote. The project, inspired by Israel's 'Iron Dome,' was announced by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Tuesday. The former promised it would be 'fully operational' before he leaves office in January 2029 and capable of intercepting rockets, 'even if they are launched from space.' The independent Congressional Budget Office has warned that the project could cost as much as $524 billion and take 20 years to build. Trump dismissed that estimate, putting the price tag closer to $175bn and insisting it could be completed in just three years, beginning with a $25bn grant to kickstart the development. That effort will be steered by Space Force General Michael Guetlein and 'the brightest minds' in Silicon Valley, he said without naming the former DOGE leader. According to CNN, the billionaire, who donated $288m to the Republican election campaign last year, has lobbied Hegseth for a role in the project. SpaceX is reportedly pitching to win the contract to shape the Dome's 'custody layer,' a constellation of satellites that would detect missiles, track their trajectory, and determine if they are heading towards the U.S.. Sources told Reuters that Musk's company has estimated that the preliminary engineering and design work for the custody layer would cost between $6bn and $10bn. The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary. Golden Dome's added satellites and interceptors – where the bulk of the program's cost lies – would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their flight. The space-based weapons envisioned for Golden Dome 'represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations,' General Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday. China and Russia have put offensive weapons in space, such as satellites with the ability to disable critical American satellites, which can leave the U.S. vulnerable to attack. Last year, the U.S. said Russia was developing a space-based nuclear weapon that could loiter in space for long durations, then release a burst that would take out satellites around it. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the new program but would do so 'at the right time.' In a joint statement earlier this month, China and Russia called the Golden Dome 'deeply destabilizing in nature,' warning that it would turn 'outer space into an environment for placing weapons and an arena for armed confrontation.' No money has been set aside for the project yet, and overall, it is 'still in the conceptual stage,' newly confirmed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told senators on Tuesday. The U.S. already has many missile defense capabilities, such as the Patriot missile batteries it provided to Ukraine to defend against incoming missiles and an array of satellites in orbit to detect missile launches. Some of those existing systems will be incorporated into Golden Dome. In an executive order signed on January 27, during the first week of his presidency, Trump directed the Pentagon to pursue space-based interceptors.
