Russia and China this week are set to finish large-scale sea drills with China in the Sea of Japan off the Russian coast, that country’s state media reported. Twenty-two vessels, 20 aircraft, 40 armored vehicles, and 500 marines from both China and Russia are taking part in the “Joint Sea 2015 II” drills off the coast of Vladivostok, TASS reported. The maneuvers, which include work on anti-sabotage, anti-submarine, anti-vessel, and anti-aircraft defense, along with gunnery drills with surface, underwater, and aerial targets, are expected to finish on Aug. 27, a Russian military spokesman said. The drills are taking part in neutral waters and will conclude with an amphibious and airborne landing on Russian soil for the first time, according to RT.
Promotions to the Space Force’s second highest enlisted grade, senior master sergeant, have surged to the highest level in the young service’s history, bolstering the senior NCO corps as officials plan to aggressively expand the force and especially the enlisted corps.