Romania to spend $11.3 billion on defense in next decade
Romania’s top defense body has approved a 9.8 billion-euro ($11.3 billion) spending plan for the next decade and has pledged to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense as NATO requests of its members.
The Supreme Defense Council met Aug. 1 and agreed to spend the money to upgrade the country’s military from 2017-2026.
Last week Defense Minister Adrian Tutuianu said Romania would buy Patriot missiles worth $3.9 billion from the U.S.
Parliament needs to pass a law that would allow the acquisition. The U.S. State Department approved the sale in July, saying it would help to improve the security of a NATO ally.”
The U.S. has increased its presence in Eastern Europe with regular training exercises to reassure NATO’s European allies after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014. AP
U.S. military: Drone strike kills al-Shabab fighter in Somalia
The U.S. military says it has carried out a drone strike in Somalia that killed a member of the al-Shabab extremist group.
A statement July 31 from the U.S. Africa Command says the airstrike occurred July 29 near Tortoroow in southern Somalia. The statement says no civilians were killed.
President Donald Trump earlier this year approved expanded military operations against al-Shabab, including more aggressive airstrikes and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities.
The al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab is the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.
The U.S. statement says the airstrike was carried out in coordination with regional partners “as a direct response to al-Shabab actions, including recent attacks on Somali forces.”
There was no immediate comment from Somali officials. AP
After layoffs, Boeing offers buyouts at South Carolina plant
Boeing is offering voluntary buyouts to workers on the flight line at its 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina, following a spate of layoffs in June.
The Post and Courier of Charleston reports workers at the North Charleston plant, including flight readiness technicians and inspectors, have until Aug. 4 to take buyout offers. Boeing South Carolina spokeswoman Lori Gunter says it’s too early to tell if more layoffs are forthcoming.
June’s layoffs of fewer than 200 workers included managers and salaried workers. The buyoffs are the first since workers rejected union membership earlier this year.
Gunter says it’s possible that some employees could be reassigned to other jobs or locations.
The reductions come after President Donald Trump visited the Dreamliner assembly plant in February to tout a coming American manufacturing renaissance. AP