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Defence and National Security

Lucrative defence contracts snapped up to plug aircraft shortage

Companies like Boeing, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin will purchase new military helicopters to bolster service-ready aircraft stocks in the wake of the Taipan fleet grounding.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 12 minutes 33 seconds

Ex-Wagner commander who escaped to Norway denied asylum

Andrei Medvedev, who fought in Ukraine as part of the Wagner mercenary group, fled to Norway across its Arctic border with Russia in January 2023.
A young man with light hair and a dark grey jacket speaks.

Yemen's Houthis damage two ships in Red Sea and threaten to 'further escalate'

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis say they have fired missiles at two more vessels in the Red Sea, causing damage to the ships.
A group of men with their arms raised with guns.

Last-ditch offer to divert Taipan helicopters from being scrapped to help Ukraine

Army veterans and engineers who once worked on Australia's now grounded fleet of Taipan helicopters are volunteering to rebuild the aircraft so they can be sent to Ukraine rather than be buried in an expensive disposal process.
A person in an orange jumper stands beside a person in a yellow jumper while pointing at a helicopter.

US strikes Houthi weapons sites in Yemen with Australian support

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says his country and its allies will not hesitate to defend the flow of free commerce through the Red Sea, where the Houthis have been targeting vessels. 
APN Houthi Yemen weapons car

US begins retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria

The Pentagon have confirmed US retaliatory strikes have begun in Syria and Iraq, with more than 85 targets struck.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 33 seconds

'If you harm an American, we will respond': US conducts strikes in Iraq and Syria, killing 39

The US military says the US carried out retaliatory air strikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the militias they back.
Updated
A group of US soldiers in camouflage uniform carry a flag-draped metal case out of an airplane.

How the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance is changing the stakes of the Israel-Gaza war

Fears of regional escalation are growing as the Israel-Gaza war drags on, with data showing political violence has increased across the Middle East. These are the four main hotspots.
Updated
Two men, one armed with a gun, stand among a crowd of people at a funeral.

Chinese embassy confronts Australian official who accused Beijing of cyber attacks

A Chinese embassy official confronts Australia's new cyber ambassador after he told a gathering of diplomats in Canberra that Beijing was responsible for a series of devastating online attacks against this country.
The embassy of the People's Republic of China was opened in 1990. Yarralumla, Canberra, 2017.

A Ukrainian couple, held as POWs by Russia, are finally reunited

The young couple were captured separately by Russians early in war when they were both defending Mariupol.
A man in a black hood and a woman in a camo print hood holding a dog.

Australia 'stalls' military export requests from Israel over Gaza war concerns, growing number of civilian casualties

Approvals to export Australian made military equipment to Israel are being "stalled" by the Albanese government as concerns grow over the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza.
Israeli drone in Gaza

Opposition needles government after revelations PNG and China discussing police cooperation

The Coalition is trying to ramp up pressure on the federal government over new police cooperation negotiations between China and Papua New Guinea, saying it's "essential" that Australia's strategic position in the Pacific nation isn't undermined.
papua new guinea and chinese flags flown in front of a ship

Israeli forces dressed as women and medics storm West Bank hospital, killing three militants

Israel's army identified the main target of the hospital raid as a member of the Islamist militant movement, with the other two being from a local group of gunmen.
Updated
A man sitting at a desk in a hospital watches a video on a computer, as two men walk past him in the background

US considers next move after promising response to drone attack that killed sleeping troops

The world is waiting to see what the US will do next after vowing to respond to an Iran-backed drone attack that killed three American troops and injured dozens more in Jordan.
Updated
A man wears a brown jumper, and two young women wear military uniforms, in three separate photographs.

analysis:Ukraine's new mobilisation bill holds lessons in defence strategy for Australia

Ukraine relied on a huge influx of volunteers from Ukraine and abroad in the first year of the war but now it's facing an array of challenges, writes Mick Ryan. 
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A man standing among soldiers.

Abbott considered sending 'large military deployment' to Ukraine in wake of MH17 disaster

Former defence force chief Angus Houston reveals how Tony Abbott considered sending a "large military deployment" to Ukraine after Russia-backed separatists shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, killing 298 people including 38 Australian citizens and residents.
A sunflower rises in a field in front of debris from a plane crash.

ABC journalist Dan Oakes motivated by speaking up for those without a voice as he is awarded OAM

Dan Oakes, ABC weather presenter Jenny Woodward and former ABC cinematographer David Parer are being celebrated in Australia Day honours 2024.
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A man wearing glasses sitting at a computer with a dog sitting next to him

Ukraine says Russia 'playing with lives' of Ukraine POWs after plane crash. Here's what we know so far

Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied Russia's accusation that it deliberately shot down a plane carrying 65 prisoners of war. Here's what we know.
Russian plane

Türkiye's parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid

Turkish legislators endorse Sweden's membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously non-aligned country's entry into the military alliance.
Erdogan and Kristersson shake hands, Stoltenberg stands between them and looks at the camera

Russian missiles kill at least five people in two Ukrainian cities

Russian missiles target Ukraine's two biggest cities, damaging apartment buildings and killing at least five people.
Emergency service personnel stand atop rubble.

Netanyahu rejects Hamas proposal to end Israel-Gaza war

Israel's prime minister criticises a Hamas proposal to end the war in Gaza that would have involved the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and left the militant group in power. 
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Israeli soldiers move on armored personnel carriers (APC) near the Israeli-Gaza border.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpasses 25,000 as Israelis grow increasingly divided over best way to free hostages

The grim milestone came as the UN secretary-general condemned Israeli forces for the extent of civilian deaths, and Israel's cabinet approved a plan for tax funds earmarked for the Gaza Strip to be held by Norway.
Updated
A group of soldiers walk through a wrecked, dusty street.

At least 25 dead in strike on marketplace in Russia-annexed city of Donetsk

It came as Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer said work at a terminal had been suspended following a fire caused by "external influence".
Updated
Man crying on the ground

Beijing points finger at Japan over sonar attack on Australian warship HMAS Toowoomba

China denies one of its warships fired sonar blasts that injured Australian navy divers last year, while claiming a Japanese warship may have been responsible.
Updated
Dozens of servicemen and women line the sides of a large white naval vessel docked in a harbour

North Korea will no longer pursue reconciliation with South because of hostility, Kim Jong Un says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will no longer pursue reconciliation with South Korea, calling for rewriting the North’s constitution to eliminate the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided countries, according to state media.
Close up of Kim Jong Un speaking at a podium