Latest news with #militarypersonnel
Reuters
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Cambodia and Thailand conflict: how do their militaries compare?
BANGKOK, July 24 (Reuters) - Months of simmering tensions between Cambodia and Thailand exploded into armed conflict on Thursday, including the deployment of a Thai F-16 fighter jet, in the heaviest fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade. Here is a look at the defence forces and arsenals of two countries, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies: Cambodia had a defence budget of $1.3 billion in 2024 and 124,300 active military personnel. The armed forces were established in 1993 from the merger of the country's former Communist military and two other resistance armies. Of this, the Cambodian army is the largest force, with some 75,000 soldiers, backed by more than 200 battle tanks and around 480 pieces of artillery. Thailand, which the U.S. classifies as a major non-NATO ally, has a large, well-funded military, with a defence budget of $5.73 billion in 2024 and over 360,000 active armed forces personnel. The Thai army has a total of 245,000 personnel, including an estimated 115,000 conscripts, around 400 battle tanks, over 1,200 armoured personnel carriers and some 2,600 artillery weapons. The army has its own fleet of aircraft, comprising passenger planes, helicopters such as dozens of U.S.-made Black Hawks, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Cambodia's air force has 1,500 personnel, with a relatively small fleet of aircraft, including 10 transport planes and 10 transport helicopters. It doesn't possess any fighter aircraft but has 16 multi- role helicopters, including six Soviet-era Mi-17s and 10 Chinese Z-9s. Thailand has one of the best equipped and trained air forces in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 46,000 personnel, 112 combat capable aircraft, including 28 F-16s and 11 Swedish Gripen fighter jets, and dozens of helicopters. The Cambodian navy has an estimated 2,800 personnel, including 1,500 naval infantry, with 13 patrol and coastal combat vessels and one amphibious landing craft. Thailand's navy is much larger, with nearly 70,000 personnel, comprising naval aviation, marines, coastal defence and conscripts. It has one aircraft carrier, seven frigates, and 68 patrol and coastal combat vessels. The Thai fleet also contains a handful of amphibious and landing ships capable of holding hundreds of troops each and 14 smaller landing craft. Thailand's naval aviation division has its own fleet of aircraft, including helicopters and UAVs, besides a marine corps that has 23,000 personnel, backed by dozens of armed fighting vehicles.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
US Osprey makes emegency landing in Japan
A US Osprey military aircraft made an emergency landing on Thursday in northern Japan, the latest in a string of mishaps and accidents involving the controversial tilt-rotor plane. The pilot contacted Hanamaki Airport in Iwate prefecture, saying that they wanted to land due to a technical glitch, an official at the airport told AFP. The aircraft landed without incident and the crew did not request emergency medical assistance, he said. Officials from US Forces Japan could not be reached for immediate comment. Television footage from Hanamaki Airport showed a few uniformed US military personnel standing outside the parked aircraft. National broadcaster NHK also showed a video of the Osprey making a vertical landing at Hanamaki. The Hanamaki airport official said the incident did not impact the operation of the airport. Ospreys can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and rotate their propellers forward to fly like a plane. The aircraft has been involved in accidents and several deadly crashes, including one off southern Japan in 2023 when all eight people on board were killed. The fatal crash prompted the US military to ground the aircraft worldwide. Regional Japanese military personnel were heading to Hanamaki to study the latest incident, a defence official told AFP. hih/rsc
France 24
24-07-2025
- General
- France 24
US Osprey makes emegency landing in Japan
The pilot contacted Hanamaki Airport in Iwate prefecture, saying that they wanted to land due to a technical glitch, an official at the airport told AFP. The aircraft landed without incident and the crew did not request emergency medical assistance, he said. Officials from US Forces Japan could not be reached for immediate comment. Television footage from Hanamaki Airport showed a few uniformed US military personnel standing outside the parked aircraft. National broadcaster NHK also showed a video of the Osprey making a vertical landing at Hanamaki. The Hanamaki airport official said the incident did not impact the operation of the airport. Ospreys can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and rotate their propellers forward to fly like a plane. The aircraft has been involved in accidents and several deadly crashes, including one off southern Japan in 2023 when all eight people on board were killed. The fatal crash prompted the US military to ground the aircraft worldwide.
LBCI
23-07-2025
- Business
- LBCI
PM Salam signs decree granting july financial aid to active and retired military personnel
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has signed a decree approving a financial aid grant for both active-duty and retired military personnel for the month of July.
Forbes
11-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Veterans Affairs Confirms 29,000 Jobs Will Be Eliminated By September 30
Veterans Affairs Confirms 29,000 Jobs Will Be Eliminated By September 30 The good news: the projected 76,000 Veterans Affairs layoffs won't happen. The bad news: the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirms it's cutting nearly 30,000 jobs. There are about 263 million adults in the United States (age 18 and up). A little more than 6% are veterans—not 10%, not 8%: six percent. This percentage is small. It's not small because the work veterans do lacks value or purpose. It's not small because there is a lack of need. The percentage is small, in part, because military service demands an unusually high level of commitment and sacrifice. In order to become a U.S. veteran, you first have to serve in the military and subject yourself to possible long stretches of time away from friends and family and also the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Then—to hold veteran status for the purposes of receiving VA benefits, you can't receive a dishonorable discharge at the conclusion of your service. This is what Veterans Affairs says about status of discharge and benefits: Military service is a unique career choice. Active-duty military personnel aren't typically considered employees because they aren't civilians. And, once you enter, you don't have the option to simply walk away whenever you feel like it. Those who sign up for military service become legally obligated to complete preset time commitments (with few exceptions for early discharge). Veterans Affairs will eliminate 29,000 jobs by September 30. As of September 2024, the federal government (as a whole) employed 3,009,000 federal workers (civilians). This three (3) million number excludes active-duty military because (again) they aren't deemed civilians. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported Monday that it employed an estimated 484,000 employees as of January 1, 2025. By September 30, 2025, the agency says it will have reduced this number to approximately 455,000 employees. The 29,000 difference between the two numbers represents the nearly 30,000 federal jobs that the VA is on track to eliminate. However, instead of using the term layoffs, the Veterans Affairs describes this effort as 'the reduction." Within the government, a mass layoff is known as a RIF (a reduction-in-force). Given that the VA intends to eliminate 29,000 jobs (instead of the earlier projected 76,000), the agency says there will not be a disruption with veterans' care and benefits. The press release states, Veterans Affairs already eliminated 17,000 positions. 12,000 more to cut. Veterans Affairs says that between January 20 and June 1, 2025, it has already eliminated 17,000 of the 29,000 positions that it intends to cut. And, 'between now and Sept. 30, the department expects nearly 12,000 additional VA employees to exit through normal attrition, voluntary early retirement authority" or by accepting the large-scale buyout (deferred resignation program) the administration put forward. 25.3% of Veterans Affairs employees are veterans with no protections. Veterans Affairs - 25.3% of its workforce are veterans. As you can see from the chart, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employed 122,015 veterans as of September 2024. While it's not the highest percentage of veteran employees, it's still a good amount. The Trump administration has taken steps—notably the buyout offer and a hiring freeze—to reduce the federal workforce. Most government agencies, including Veterans Affairs, have been directed to conduct mass layoffs, push retirements and offer buyout plans where possible. The Pew Research Center shows that 25.3% of federal workers employed with the VA are veterans. When more than a quarter of the workforce are veterans (and have no carve-out protections) it stands to reason that many—who served their country honorably—will either lose their jobs or access to future employment as a result of the thousands of job cuts. What is Veterans Affairs, and what is its FY 2026 budget request? The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (first designed in 1930 as the Veterans Administration) was established as a way for the government to demonstrate an ongoing appreciation for the service and sacrifice of veterans. In 1989, after several different iterations, Veterans Affairs became an executive branch cabinet-level agency with a goal to support and advance veterans and their families in the following areas: For FY 2025, Veterans Affairs requested a budget of 369.3 billion (up 9.8% from FY 2024). For FY 2026, the VA requests a budget of 441.3 billion. Congress has not yet passed the bill. The House passed its version in June 2025 and has sent it to the Senate. Recommended reading: New Federal Hiring Freeze End Date And Hiring Restrictions How Long Will The Federal Hiring Freeze Last? Implications For Government Employees Can Trump Dissolve USAID? 10,000 Jobs Hang In The Balance
