Latest news with #militaryconstruction
South China Morning Post
07-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Vietnam ramping up expansion of South China Sea outposts: Chinese think tank
Vietnam has continued to expand land reclamation on its occupied features in the South China Sea , with military-related construction of new ports and airstrips, according to a Chinese think tank. Advertisement Citing satellite images, the Beijing-based South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said on Friday that Vietnam had reclaimed nearly 0.78 sq km (0.3 square miles) of land in the past six months on 11 features in the contested Spratly Islands, which are known as the Nansha Islands in China. In total, Vietnam had reclaimed over 8.5 sq km of new land on these features since October 2021, the think tank added in an English-language social media post. China and Vietnam have rival territorial claims in the South China Sea, particularly over the Spratly and Paracel islands. The reclamation focused not only on expanding the land area but also the construction of military-related facilities, such as harbour basins, wharves and runways , the think tank said in a separate post on Chinese social media. Advertisement These include an airstrip on the Spratlys' Barque Canada Reef that is expected to be about 3,000 metres (9,843 feet) long when completed. Sandbars that could accommodate runways had also been built on four other Spratly features: Pearson Reef, Tennent Reef, Ladd Reef and South Reef, the SCSPI said. South Reef is located just 50km (31 miles) north of the China-controlled Subi Reef.
South China Morning Post
07-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Vietnam ramps up expansion of South China Sea outposts: think tank
Vietnam has continued to expand land reclamation on its occupied features in the South China Sea, with military-related construction of new ports and airstrips, according to a Chinese think tank. Citing satellite images, the Beijing-based South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said on Friday that the Southeast Asian nation had reclaimed nearly 0.78 sq km (0.3 square miles) of land on 11 features in the contested Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China, over the past six months. China and Vietnam have rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. In total, Vietnam has reclaimed over 8.5 sq km of new land on these features since October 2021, according to a social media post by the think tank. Vietnam has also stepped up construction of military-related facilities, such as harbour basins, wharves and runways , the think tank said in a separate post on Chinese social media. It said Vietnam was building an airstrip on Barque Canada Reef that is expected to be about 3,000 metres (9,843 feet) long when completed. It added that sandbars that could accommodate runways had also been built on four features, including Pearson Reef, Tennent Reef, Ladd Reef and South Reef.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House lawmakers to unveil draft budget for vets programs this week
Congressional appropriators will unveil their first draft of the fiscal 2026 federal budget this week, with a House committee mark-up of planned funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects. The VA-Milcon measure is typically less contentious than other sections of the budget, but will likely still feature several points of conflict between Republican and Democratic lawmakers. VA leaders have proposed steep cuts in department staffing next fiscal year, but have not detailed the scope and costs of those plans. The House Appropriations Committee's initial work on next year's budget will come before White House officials have unveiled their full federal spending request for fiscal 2026. Last month, officials presented lawmakers with a 'skinny' budget roughly outlining funding request parameters for each department, but a more detailed budget plan is expected out in the coming weeks. But appropriators in recent weeks have expressed concerns about the long wait for those details and the approaching end of the current fiscal year. Lawmakers have until Oct. 1 to pass a budget plan for the new year, or pass a short-term extension to avoid a partial government shutdown. House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — 2200 Rayburn NATO Outside experts will testify on challenges facing NATO. House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn Army Posture Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen Transnational Criminal Organizations Outside experts will testify on transnational criminal organizations operating in the Americas. Senate Appropriations — 2:30 p.m. — 124 Dirksen National Nuclear Security Budget Teresa Robbins, acting administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Foreign Relations — 2:30 p.m. — 419 Dirksen China's Influence in Africa Outside experts will testify on challenges posed by Chinese involvement in African affairs. Senate Veterans' Affairs — 4 p.m. — 418 Russell Pending Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — Dirksen G-50 Army Posture Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — Location TBA FY2026 VA Appropriations The committee will mark up its draft of the fiscal 2026 appropriations bill for Veterans Affairs programs and military construction projects. House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn Air Force Posture Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Transportation — 10 a.m. — 2167 Rayburn Coast Guard Programs Service officials will testify on the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — 2200 Rayburn Syria Outside experts will testify on the security situation in Syria.
