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Friday, November 14, 2025
TopicPentagon

Topic: Pentagon

US shoots down Chinese ‘spy’ balloon off East Coast, Beijing condemns decision

The balloon had set off a diplomatic crisis with US State Secretary Antony Blinken canceling trip to China. President Biden had ordered the US military to shoot down the device.

Spy balloons were designed to gather weather data, but they’re a hot military favourite

The so-called spy balloon is technically an observation balloon, and does what the name suggests — it observes earth and gathers imagery/data for intelligence. 

Blinken calls off Beijing visit after Chinese spy balloon spotted. PRC may have used it on India

US scrambled F-22s to shoot down device but stopped short of downing it after considering security risks. During US Civil War & Cold War, spy balloons were used for recce missions.

US says it is monitoring Chinese spy balloon flying over northern states

Fighter jets were mobilised but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat, US officials said.

Pentagon awards $9 billion cloud computing contracts to Google, Amazon, Microsoft & Oracle

The contracts will run until 2028 and provide the Department of Defense with enterprise-wide, globally available cloud services across all security domains and classification levels.

US unveils $1.1-bn arms package for Ukraine war, includes 18 HIMARS launcher systems

The Biden administration will use funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to procure weapons, including 150 vehicles, 2 radars to track unmanned aerial systems among others.

China continues to bully its neighbours, not conducive to free & open Indo-Pacific: Pentagon

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said China bullies its neighbours in an attempt to coerce them into behaviour more in keeping with its security & economic interests.

Biden to nominate Indian-American management consultant Ashish Vazirani to US defence dept

Vazirani is currently the Principal of A2O Strategies, LLC. He also served on active duty in the United States Navy as a Submarine Officer from 1986 to 1993, the White House said.

Complete evacuation from Afghanistan by 31 August depends on Taliban cooperation, Biden says

In a news conference in Kabul Tuesday, Taliban also said the US must stick to its self-imposed deadline after which it won't let Afghans to be taken out on evacuation flights.

Will focus on completing evacuation from Afghanistan by 31 August, says Biden administration

US currently has 5,800 troops at Kabul airport who are engaged in evacuating its citizens and Afghans who helped the United States during its stay in Afghanistan for past 20 years.

On Camera

Virat, Anushka, Bumrah selling sarias & cement, dentists, vets, Bihar walls painted in ‘rurbanisation’

Over generations, Bihar’s bane has been its utter lack of urbanisation. But now, even Bihar is urbanising. Or let’s say, rurbanising. Two decades under Nitish Kumar have created a new elite in its cities.

Wealth nears $99 trillion, still Asia’s rich don’t have succession plans

Much of this wealth is tied to founder-led businesses that employ millions and help anchor regional economies.

Turkey blocks transport of Apache choppers to India through its airspace, new route being worked out

Indian govt officials last month skipped Turkish National Day celebrations in Delhi, in a message to Ankara following its support for Islamabad, particularly during Operation Sindoor.

Bihar is where politics moves, and everything else stands still

Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.