Indian Army Commander: China’s Presence in Pakistan-administered Kashmir “Increasing Steadily”, China’s First Aircraft Carrier May Be Nearly Ready, Photos Released Days Before Robert Gates Visit to Beijing, Taiwan Inaugurates Missile Ships amid Buildup Vow to Offset the Perceived Military Threat from China, Former Minister of Railways Executed for Act of Sabotage and Espionage Charges in North Korea, Pyongyang Strengthens Submarine Drills Near Border, Threatens Action for US-South Korea Military Exercises, Sri Lankan Army Commander in Indonesia Defence Relations to Be Enhanced, Iran’s Oil Exports to China Increased 62%, Tehran Moscow Underline Increasing Cooperation in Oil Gas Fields, Russia Begins Refuelling Iran Nuclear Plant, China and Russia Fingered in German Industrial Espionage, Washington Gears for High-Stakes Sea-Based Missile Defense Test, With Eye on South China Sea U.S. Might Place Troops in Australia, Russia to Continue Military Conscription for Next 10-15 Years
China’s Presence in PoK “Increasing Steadily”: Army Commander
China’s presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is “increasing steadily” and its troops are “actually present” along the Line-of-Control, a top Army commander said, adding the Chinese footprints are “too close for comfort” for India.
“Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily… There are many people who are concerned about the fact that if there was to be hostility between us and Pakistan, what would be the complicity of Chinese. Not only they are in the neighbourhood but the fact that they are actually present and stationed along the LoC,” Northern Army commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik said here last week while addressing a seminar.
He said China’s links with Pakistan through PoK “lends strength” to the “nexus” between the two countries which is a cause of “great security concern” for India.
“As part of (China’s) ‘strings of pearls’ policy, Chinese footprints are too close for comfort,” Parnaik added.
The Army commander said such a nexus between the Chinese and Pakistani military “jeopardises our regional strategic interests in the long run and and facilitates speedy and enhanced deployment of Pakistan armed forces to complement China’s military operations and thus outranks India.”
He said China has been found to be involved in the construction of numerous roads and and several hydro-power projects inside PoK.
Beijing is laying a web of roads that run across areas as distant from each other as Skardu in PoK and Kunming in China near Myanmar border.
China has already constructed roads connecting all its highways to logistic centres and major defence installations that dot the border with India and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-eastern Jammu and Kashmir.
The Times of India | April 5, 2011
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Chinese Warship May Be Nearly Ready
The Chinese state news agency has posted photographs of an aircraft carrier under reconstruction that appears to show the warship near completion. Captions with the photos said that the work would end soon and that the carrier was expected to sail later this year.
[...] Xinhua’s headline with the photos said: “Huge warship on the verge of setting out, fulfilling China’s 70-year aircraft carrier dreams.” One caption said: “A few days ago, domestic online military forums consecutively published photographs of the Varyag aircraft carrier being reconstructed at China’s Dalian shipyard. From the pictures, we can see that this project is entering its final stage.” The caption noted that construction on the ship’s bridge was almost done, with the exception of a radar system.
[...] The appearance of the photos came just days before Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited China. Military officials tested the fighter while Mr. Gates was in Beijing, which led to a puzzling and awkward diplomatic moment between Mr. Gates and President Hu Jintao.
Continue Reading >> The New York Times | April 7, 2011
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Taiwan Inaugurates Missile Ships amid Buildup Vow
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou inaugurated a squadron of missile boats Thursday as he pledged to continue the island’s military buildup to offset the perceived military threat from China.
The fleet of 10 locally manufactured missile boats joined the navy following a ceremony presided over by Ma at the northeastern naval base in Suao.
Ma, the initiator of detente with the island’s giant neighbour, said tensions with the mainland have eased significantly since he came to power in 2008 but insisted Taiwan needed a deterrent against Beijing which claims the island as part of its territory.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 7, 2011
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Two Former Ministers Executed in North Korea – Seoul Newspaper
[...] The newspaper reported that the North Korean former minister of railways, who occupied the post in 1998-2000, was executed over the blast case at a railway station in April 2004. This explosion was qualified as an act of sabotage targeted against a special train of a North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who was on the way back from China.
The minister was accused of classified information leakage. The routes and the schedule of Kim’s trips were accessible only for his bodyguards and secretaries, as well as the railway minister.
Continue Reading >> ITAR-TASS | April 4, 2011
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N. Korea Strengthens Submarine Drills Near Border
North Korea has intensified submarine drills near the tense Yellow Sea border with South Korea, putting Seoul defence officials on alert, a report said Thursday.
JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing a Seoul military source, said the North had been staging exercises involving five or six submarines at the Bipagot submarine base on its west coast since last month.
They feature the signature 325-tonne submarines as well as the new and bigger Shark-class submarines called K-300, it said.
“It’s highly unusual for them to beef up submarine drills in March so we’re intensely monitoring the situation,” said the source.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 7, 2011
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N. Korea Threatens Action for US-SKorea Drills
North Korea warned Friday that its military would not remain a “passive onlooker” if South Korea and the United States continued joint military drills, state media reported.
The threat came from Ri Yong-Ho, a vice marshal of the North’s armed forces, at a meeting attended by top government, military and party officials in Pyongyang.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 8, 2011
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SL, Indonesia Defence Relations to Be Enhanced
Sri Lankan Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya’s official visit to Indonesia has resulted in further strengthening the longstanding and excellent defence relations between the two nations and their armed forces.
Army sources say that it also provided opportunity to explore further defence cooperation between the two countries.
Continue Reading >> Daily News | April 6, 2011
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Iran’s Oil Exports to China Increased in 2011
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s crude oil exports to China increased 62 percent in the first two months of 2011, Xinhua reported.
In January-February 2011, Iran’s crude exports to China increased 62 percent compared to the same period last year.
During the mentioned time, China has totally imported 45.73 million tons half of which has been supplied by the countries in the Middle East.
Iran’s crude oil exports to China reached 4.11 million tons during the two months. Iran has been second biggest crude supplier to China.
Saudi Arabia exported 8.19 million tons of oil to China and it was ranked first supplying 20 percent of the Asian country’s oil demand during the same period.
Mojnews | April 6, 2011
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Tehran, Moscow Underline Increasing Cooperation in Oil, Gas Fields
Iranian Deputy Vice-President for Economic Affairs Ali Aqa Mohammadi and Chief Executive of Russia’s Gazprom Company Alexei Miller in a meeting in Moscow underscored the necessity for the further promotion of mutual cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sectors.
Continue Reading >> Fars New Agency | April 7, 2011
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Russia Begins Refuelling Iran Nuclear Plant
Russia on Friday resumed loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant after it had to be removed because of an apparent technical fault, news reports said.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 8, 2011
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China and Russia Fingered in German Industrial Espionage Alert
Industrial espionage by China and Russia is becoming easier thanks to computer hacking, officials warned German business leaders on Thursday, adding that police need data logs to track computer break-ins.
A conference heard that the annual cost to German companies of data theft was at least 20 billion euros (nearly 30 billion dollars).
[...] “Russia and China are the main sources of so-called industrial espionage in Germany,” Schroeder said.
Continue Reading >> Monsters and Critics | April 7, 2011
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U.S. Gears for High-Stakes Missile Defense Test
The United States is preparing for its first test of a sea-based defense against longer-range missiles of a type that officials say could soon threaten Europe from Iran.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | April 7, 2011
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With Eye on South China Sea, U.S. Might Place Troops in Australia
American troops might soon find themselves serving in Australia as the United States looks for better access to the South China Sea, the source of much friction between China and many other Pacific nations.
During testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Adm. Robert Willard, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said Australians would like to see an increase of U.S. military activities Down Under.
[...] U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he has a group studying the idea of U.S. troops rotating through existing Australian bases, but he doesn’t want to create any new permanent bases in the Pacific. And he remained diplomatic when asked whether such a plan would be about keeping China in check.
[...] The United States and Australia have been on the same side of every major war since World War I. Australia has the largest group of troops from a non-NATO country fighting in Afghanistan.
Continue Reading >> CNN | April 8, 2011
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Russia to Continue Military Conscription for Next 10-15 Years – Medvedev
The Russian Armed Forces will continue using a mixture of conscripts and contracted recruits for the next 10-15 years, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.
Russia is in the process of reforming its armed forces by shifting the focus away from a largely inefficient body of conscripted soldiers toward a smaller professional army.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | April 4, 2011
Israel Prepares for Multi-Front War against Hamas Hezbollah and Syria in War Games, Will Deploy Four More “Iron Dome” Anti-Rocket Defences “With the Financial Help of the Americans”, Israeli Minister: War on Gaza Coming Soon, Sudan Accuses Israel Over Port Sudan Air Strike, Israel Believes Weapons are Being Smuggled through the Region to Gaza, U.S. Embassy Convoy Stoned in Southern Lebanon, Syria-Iran-Backed Hezbollah Fortifying South Lebanon, Washington Urging U.S. Citizens to Avoid Traveling to Lebanon, “The Potential for a Spontaneous Upsurge in Violence is Real”, Emboldened Gulf Arabs Speak Out against Iran, Kuwait Arrests Two Iranian “Spies” Recalls its Ambassador to Tehran Two weeks after Bahrain’s Similar Move, U.S. Forces Germany to Stop Indian Oil Payments to Iran, Egypt Extends Olive Branch to Iran Seeks to Normalize Ties, Iran’s Foreign Minister Invites Egyptian Counterpart to Visit Tehran, Iran Lawmakers to Visit Egypt, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to Double Staff, NATO Chief Holds Talks in Turkey, Ankara Bolsters Security on Syria, Iraq Borders
IDF Prepares for Multi-Front War in War Games
Military holds drill aimed at preparing forces for all-out war against Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas; exercise did not include soldiers, live-fire.
In the face of a changing Middle East, the IDF held a set of war games this week aimed at preparing the military for all-out war against Hezbollah, Syria and Hamas.
The exercise did not include soldiers or live-fire exercises, but was held to drill commanders and their decisions in the event of a large-scale war on multiple fronts.
Continue Reading >> The Jerusalem Post | April 1, 2011
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Israel to Deploy Four More “Iron Dome” Anti-Rocket Defences
Israel is planning to deploy four more batteries of its “Iron Dome” short-range missile defence system, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday.
Speaking on military radio, Barak said: “With the financial help of the Americans, we hope to equip ourselves with four new ‘Iron Dome’ batteries.
[...] According to plans, the system will first be deployed along the border of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, from where militants fired a daily barrage of improvised rockets prompting Israel to launch a devastating 22-day offensive in December 2008.
It will then be deployed along the Lebanese border, from where Hezbollah militants fired some 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during a 2006 war. It was that experience which prompted the development of Iron Dome.
Continue Reading >> Space War | April 3, 2011
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Israeli Minister: War With Gaza Coming Soon
Israel’s Minister of Public Security Yitzhak Aharonovitch warned on Tuesday that Israel and Gaza are on the verge of another flare-up like Operation Cast Lead, Israel Radio reported.
[...] In response to a query by Xinhua, Aharonovitch’s media advisor was emphatic that “the minister meant exactly what he said, that he believes that there will soon be another war with Gaza.”
Continue Reading >> Xinhuanet | April 5, 2011
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Sudan Accuses Israel Over Port Sudan Air Strike
Sudan has accused Israel of carrying out an air strike that killed two people in a car near the city of Port Sudan on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti said one man was Sudanese, but the identity of the other passenger was unknown.
There has been no comment from Israel. But correspondents say Israel believes weapons are being smuggled through the region to Gaza.
Continue Reading >> BBC News | April 6, 2011
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U.S. Embassy Convoy Stoned in Southern Lebanon
A US embassy convoy in Lebanon was stoned on Saturday in the southern port city of Sidon by a group of unknown assailants, the embassy in the capital Beirut confirmed.
The group threw stones at the convoy while it was touring a touristic area of Sidon, the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
‘The Lebanese army immediately cordoned off the scene and arrested some of the men responsible for the attack,’ the NNA added.
Monsters and Critics | April 2, 2011
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Hizbullah Fortifying South Lebanon
According the the Israel Defense Forces, Hizbullah has built bunkers and underground weapons depots in most southern Lebanese villages as it continues building its army, the Associated Press reports.
A memo from the IDF brass to Israeli embassies on Thursday to Israel details the acceleration of Hizbullah’s fortification of the volatile border region since the end of the 2006 Lebanon war.
The memo says, “Hezbollah has built as many as 550 bunkers in the southern Lebanon region, holding various weapons. In addition, the organization has built 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons.”
Continue Reading >> Israel National News | April 1, 2011
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Lebanese Threat “Real” Washington Says
The potential for an uptick in violence in Lebanon that threatens U.S. citizens is very real, the U.S. State Department said in a travel warning.
The State Department said it was urging U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon and said all U.S. employees in the country should keep a low profile.
“The potential in Lebanon for a spontaneous upsurge in violence is real,” the warning read. “Lebanese government authorities are not able to guarantee protection for citizens or visitors to the country should violence erupt suddenly.”
The warning said that anti-Western groups like Hezbollah remain a persistent threat and sporadic violence in Hezbollah strongholds in the south of the country makes travel risky.
Last month, seven Estonian bicyclists were kidnapped from the area in what the State Department says was a planned attack. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
Continue Reading >> UPI | April 5, 2011
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Emboldened Gulf Arabs Speak Out Against Iran
Sectarian strife has emboldened Sunni Arabs to defy Tehran, experts say
Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Iran, making the second Gulf Arab country to do so in less than two weeks, amid signs that the region’s Sunni governments are growing concerned about alleged Iranian influence in their domestic affairs and acting promptly and publicly to squelch it.
The Kuwaiti action, taken on Wednesday, came less than 24 hours after the country’s criminal court condemned two Iranians and a Kuwaiti to death following their conviction of spying for Iran. Two weeks ago, Bahrain ordered back its ambassador to Tehran and not long afterwards entered into a war of words with the leader of Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shiite movement allied with Iran,, and cut off air links with Lebanon.
“There is much fear of Iranian expansionism,” Ali Al-Saffar, an Iraq expert at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told The Media Line. “Whether this fear is true or perceived is debatable.”
Continue Reading >> The Media Line | March 31, 2011
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U.S. Forces Germany to Stop Indian Oil Payments to Iran
India is exploring paying for crude oil it buys from Iran in rupee after the US forced Germany to stop routing payments through a Hamburg-based bank.
India in February had begun clearing past dues to Iran by making euro payments through German-based Europisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG ( EIH Bank). But EIH, which is owned by Iran, is a banned entity in the US and Washington used its influence on Germany to stop payments.
Continue Reading >> The Economic Times | April 4, 2011
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Egypt Extends Olive Branch to Iran, Seeks to Normalize Ties
Egypt extends olive branch to Iran; seeks to normalize ties Egypt’s new foreign minister Nabil Al-Arabi has said that his country also would like to turn over a new leaf with respect to Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Iran is a state in the region, and we have had long-term historical ties with it over the different periods,” al-Arabi told a press conference. “We will turn over a new leaf with all states, including Iran.”
Al-Arabi cautioned that restoring diplomatic ties will depend on the Iranian side.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has welcomed Egypt’s statements and said that better relations would improve security in the Middle East. He added that he hopes there will be “an expansion of relations” between Cairo and Tehran.
[...] Iran and Egypt have not had formal diplomatic relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution when the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was given exile in Cairo by his friend Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.
A year before that, Iran ended diplomatic ties with Egypt when Sadat signed the Camp David peace treaty with Israel.
Continue Reading >> The International Business Times | March 30, 2011
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Iran’s FM Invites Egyptian Counterpart to Visit Tehran
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi officially invited Egypt’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran.
Continue Reading >> Fars News Agency | April 5, 2011
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“Iran Lawmakers to Visit Egypt”
Following encouraging signals between Iran and Egypt to restore diplomatic relations, a senior member of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) says a number of Iranian lawmakers are likely to pay a visit to Cairo.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | April 4, 2011
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US Embassy in Baghdad to Double Staff: This is NUTS! 16,000! Sixteen THOUSAND staff!
“We’ll be doubling our size if all of our plans go through and if we receive the money from Congress in 2011 and then again in 2012,” James Jeffrey, the US ambassador in Iraq, said.
He said the staff would increase “from 8,000 plus personnel that we have now to roughly double that by 2012,” adding that US forces would make up only a very small part of that number.
Continue Reading >> Global Research | April 4, 2011
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NATO Chief Holds Talks in Turkey
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen met with Turkish officials on Monday as an envoy of Moamer Kadhafi arrived in Ankara for talks on a possible ceasefire in conflict-torn Libya.
Continue Reading >> Cumhuriyet | April 4, 2011
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Turkey Bolsters Security on Syria, Iraq Borders
Turkish sources said the military has sent reinforcements along key points of the nation’s 600-kilometer border with Syria.
They said the reinforcements were sent after fighters and operatives of the Kurdish Workers Party were believed to have infiltrated Turkey from Syria.
Turkey has also reinforced troops along the border with Iraq, which harbors an estimated 3,000 PKK fighters in the Kandil mountains, Middle East Newsline reported.
Continue Reading >> World Tribune | April 4, 2011
Russia Hopes Turkey Will Eventually Give the Green Light to the South Stream Gas Pipeline Project, “Turkey to OK South Stream When Conditions Met”, “Project is Not in the Best Interest of Ukraine and the Country is Working against it”, Iran Plans to Invest $90 Billion in South Pars Gas Field, U.K. Royal Dutch Shell Drilling 17 Gas Wells in China, Beijing Urges Quick End to American-Led Airstrikes in Libya, Considers the Security Situation in the Asia-Pacific as “Volatile”, Points to the U.S. Reinforcement of Military Alliances and Rising Suspicions in the Region, Seeks to Reinforce Trust With Neighbours, Will Stick to a Defensive Military Doctrine, The World’s Largest Arms Importer is Now India Not China, South Korea U.S. Conduct Large Military Exercise in Yellow Sea, Singapore Thailand U.S. Conclude Military Drill, Naval Exercises Between the Philippines and Malaysia, Venezuela’s $15 Billion Weapons Purchase Concerns Latin America, Joint Ghana U.S. Jungle Warfare Exercise Ends
Russia hopes Turkey will approve South Stream
Russia hopes Turkey will eventually give the green light to the section of the South Stream gas pipeline project that crosses its territory, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
Turkey has not given its consent to the laying of part of the 15.5-billion-euro marine pipeline across its Black Sea territory. South Stream is designed to diversify Russian gas export routes, and will stretch to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast and then on to Italy and Austria.
[...] The land section of the pipeline will go across Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria, with whom Russia has already signed intergovernmental agreements.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | March 22, 2011
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“Turkey to OK South Stream When Conditions Met”
Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said Turkey would still abide by the terms of a 2009 agreement with Russia over a proposed underwater pipeline that will carry natural gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine.
South Stream, controlled by Russian Gazprom and Italian Eni, is planned to carry Russian natural gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and on to Europe via Italy and Austria. In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, Yıldız reaffirmed the Turkish position on the $21.5 billion pipeline project called South Stream, saying nothing had changed on the Turkish side. “We are still waiting for the environmental impact studies, as well as feasibility studies, on South Stream to see if the required criteria demanded by Turkey are met. If met, there is no question we would give our approval to the project,” he said.
Continue Reading >> Today’s Zaman | March 26, 2011
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Minister: Ukraine Works Against South Stream
The South Stream natural gas pipeline project is not in the best interest of Ukraine and the country is working against it, according to Ukrainian Minister of Energy Yuriy Boyko.
Boyko said his country is undergoing “tense discussions” with Russia, the main country supporting the project, set to deliver gas to southern and central Europe, bypassing Ukraine.
“South Stream is a political project of our Russian partners, who want to create an excess of transit capacities for gas, like what they did back in the day for oil,” said the Ukrainian minister, quoted by MIGnews.
Boyko said that in collaboration with Ukraine’s “EU partners,” the country will be putting efforts so that in the end the pipeline be not built.
Sofia News Agency | April 2, 2011
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Iran Plans to Invest $90B in South Pars
Iran’s Oil Ministry plans to invest about $90 billion in South Pars gas field in the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi said.
According to Mirkazemi, about $60 billion of the mentioned amount will be allocated to the upstream projects and about $30 billion to the downstream sector, SHANA News Network reported.
The official also noted that an extra $20 billion will be invested in the petrochemical projects of the giant field.
Mirkazemi further said that the Oil Ministry plans to complete the developing projects of all the remaining phases of the field within 35 months.
The Iranian oil minister also stressed the need for foreign investment in the site to speed up the projects, saying that once all the phases of the South Pars come on stream, the field can produce 25 million cubic meters of natural gas and about 40,000 barrels of liquefied natural gas per day, making the country’s annual revenue from the field hit $110 billion, Press TV reported.
The South Pars gas field is located in the Persian Gulf in the border zone between Iran and Qatar. The field’s reserves are estimated at 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of liquefied natural gas.
Payvand Iran News | April 1, 2011
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Shell Drilling 17 China Gas Wells
U.K. oil major Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN) is drilling 17 wells in China, including for tight gas and shale gas, Reuters reported Sunday, citing Chief Executive Peter Voser.
If drilling is successful, Shell plans to spend $1 billion a year during the next five year years on shale gas in China, Voser was quoted as saying.
MarketWatch | March 20, 2011
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China Urges Quick End to Airstrikes in Libya
China escalated its opposition to American-led airstrikes on Libya on Tuesday, joining Russia and India in calls for an immediate cease-fire and suggesting that coalition forces were imperiling civilians by exceeding the United Nations-mandated no-fly zone.
[...] China’s response to the campaign has been the most forceful, warning that the assault could bring about a “humanitarian disaster.” In a news briefing Tuesday, Jiang Yu, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, called for an end to hostilities. “We’ve seen reports that the use of armed force is causing civilian casualties, and we oppose the wanton use of armed force leading to more civilian casualties,” she said.
China was one of five countries to abstain from the United Nations resolution that authorized the allied airstrikes against the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, which have been seeking to crush a rebellion against his four-decade rule. Russia, Brazil, India and Germany also abstained, while South Africa joined nine other Security Council members in supporting the resolution approved last week.
In its decision to abstain rather than block the resolution through its veto power, China said it was heeding the wishes of the Arab League and the African Union.
Continue Reading >> The New York Times | March 22, 2011
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China to Reinforce Trust With Neighbours
The Chinese government on Thursday said it viewed the security situation in the Asia-Pacific as “volatile”, pointing to the United States “reinforcing” regional military alliances and rising suspicions among China’s neighbours.
In a national defence white paper issued on Thursday, China said it would seek to expand confidence-building measures with its neighbours, as well as stick to a defence policy that was defensive in nature.
The white paper, the seventh that China has issued since 1998, portrayed a strained regional security environment, describing the Asia-Pacific region, in particular, as “volatile.”
“Relevant major powers are increasing their strategic investment,” said the paper. “The United States is reinforcing its regional military alliances, and increasing its involvement in regional security affairs.”
Continue Reading >> The Hindu | March 31, 2011
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The World’s Largest Arms Importer is Now India, Not China
India has spent US$80 billion to modernize its military to keep up with China and now, India has become the world’s number one arms importer according to Swedish think-tank keeping tabs on global arms transactions. India makes up 9 percent of global arms purchases while China has 6 percent of market share in comparison.
“India has ambitions to become first a continental and [then] a regional power,” Rahul Bedi, an analyst with London-based Jane’s Defence Weekly, told AP.
“Just from what they have already ordered, we know that in the coming few years India will be the top importer,” said Siemon Wezeman, a senior fellow at SIPRI told the International Business Times.
SIPRI’s report stated India’s defense budget for the coming fiscal year is in the region of $32.5 billion, 40 percent more than in 2009. In addition, India will spend over $50 billion in the next five years to modernize its military – including purchasing new fighter jets and aircraft carriers.
“The kind of purchases that India is buying, no country in the world buys,” added Bedi of Jane’s Defence Weekly. India has also been importing 82 percent of its weapons from Russia and plans to purchase 250 to 300 advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jets worth $30 billion in the next decade.
SIPRI also included in its report:
Average volume of global arms transfers in 2006-2010 increased 24 percent from 2001-2005.
Asia and Oceania accounts for 43 percent of arms imports, Europe for 12 percent, 17 percent in the Middle East, 12 percent in the Americas and 7 percent in Africa.
The largest arms importers are locate in Asia with India accounting for 9 percent of all imports, 6 percent in China, 6 percent in South Korea and 5 percent in Pakistan.
USA remains the world’s largest exporter of military equipment and totals 30 percent of global arms exports in 2006-2010; of which 44 percent were exported to Asia and Oceania, 28 percent in the Middle East and 19 percent to Europe.
EconomyWatch | March 30, 2011
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S. Korea, US Conduct Large Military Exercise in Yellow Sea
A large-scale South Korea-U.S. military exercise in the Yellow Sea seeks to prepare for North Korea`s use of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, submarines and special forces to destroy or blockade major infrastructure in the South.
Continue Reading >> Donga.com | March 24, 2011
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Singapore, Thailand, US Conclude Military Exercise
Singapore, Thailand and the United States concluded the trilateral “Exercise Cope Tiger 2011″ at Korat Air Base in Thailand on Friday.
[...] About 100 aircraft and 34 ground-based air defence systems were deployed.
[...] More than 2,300 personnel took part.
Continue Reading >> Channelnewsasia | March 26, 2011
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Military Exercises Strengthens RP-Malaysian Relations
The ten-day military exercises between the Philippine Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy, which concluded March 25, has been beneficial to both parties and was a success in its purpose, the Naval Forces West (NFW) claimed. The activity opened on March 16.
Continue Reading >> Zamboanga Today | April 1, 2011
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Hugo Chavez’s $15 Billion Weapons Purchase Concerns Latin America
With the acquisition of hundreds of tanks, helicopters and bulletproof vehicles as well as submarines and missile networks, Venezuela is arming itself at a speed unprecedented in the history of the South American country.
Continue Reading >> McClatchy | March 21, 2011
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Joint Ghana, US Military Exercise Ends
The Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2011 jungle exercise, conducted by personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the United States Marines, has ended at Achiase Jungle Warfare in the Eastern Region.
[...] The two-week training exercise comprised 100 troops from GAF and 42 US Marines.
Continue Reading >> Vibeghana | March 22, 2011
Danish Warship Extends Operations Off the Coast of Somalia, Italian Air Force Deployed in Afghanistan Trains in Israel for Desert Combat, U.S. Military’s Africa Command Gets New Leadership, U.S. Carrier Group to Join Exercise With South Korea, Chinese Navy Arrives in Pakistan for Naval Exercise, Chinese Naval Fleet Will Sail to the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Resident Arrested for Passing on Defense-Related Projects to China, Japan Regrets China Gas Drilling, Russia Hopes to Make $9.5 Bln in Arms Sales, French Nuclear Submarine Put Under British Command in the Far North “to Monitor the Russians”
Danish Warship Extends Operations Outside Somalia
Denmark’s largest warship, Esbern Snare, will continue its hunt for pirates off the coast of Somalia for another three months, reports public broadcaster DR.
Lene Espersen, the foreign minister, announced the news this morning after a meeting with the Parliamentary Foreign Policy Committee.
[...] Esbern Snare is part of the international Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy effort and was due to have ended its mission with the force on March 1.
The warship’s journey home to Denmark was, however, temporarily postponed when a yacht with seven Danish passengers was hijacked by Somali pirates on February 24.
This is not the first time that Esbern Snare has been told to prolong its mission. The vessel was to have returned to Denmark in December 2010, but was ordered to continue its mission until March 1.
Continue Reading >> The Copenhagen Post | March 9, 2011
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Italian Air Force Trains in Israel
The Italian air force will continue to use facilities in Israel to train its pilots for desert combat and to defend themselves against surface-launched threats, according to Israeli sources.
With the Italian air force’s continued deployment in Afghanistan, it believes Israel offers the best training for the environment it will encounter.
Continue Reading >> Flight Global | March 8, 2011
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U.S. Military’s Africa Command Gets New Leadership
The U.S. military command responsible for humanitarian aid and any prospective military responses to the violence in Libya is swearing in a new commander.
He is Army Gen. Carter Ham, a former commander in Iraq and most recently the top U.S. Army officer in Europe.
Ham is taking charge of Africa Command, succeeding Army Gen. William Ward, who is retiring. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is presiding at the change-of-command ceremony.
Africa Command, created in 2008, is responsible for U.S. military operations in most of Africa, including Libya – which has no formal military-to-military relations with the United States.
The Washington Post | March 9, 2011
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U.S. Carrier Group to Join Exercise With South Korea
The United States says a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan has entered the western Pacific Ocean and will join an ongoing military exercise with South Korea.
The U.S. military said Wednesday that the giant carrier is accompanied by a guided missile cruiser and a destroyer squadron. The ships will join in the annual Foal Eagle exercise which began early last week involving about 200,000 South Korean and 13,000 U.S. troops.
South Korea has described the drill as a routine defense exercise, but North Korea says it will respond to any provocation by turning South Korea’s capital, Seoul, into a “sea of fire.”
China strongly objected last year when the United States announced plans to send another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, into the Yellow Sea for an earlier joint exercise with South Korea.
Continue Reading >> Voice of America | March 9, 2011
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Chinese Navy Arrives in Pakistan for Naval Exercise
The Chinese naval fleet, comprising the Wenzhou missile frigate and Maanshan missile frigate, arrived in the southern Pakistani port of Karachi on Monday to participate in the “Aman 2011″ multi-national naval exercise.
Chinese Navy fleet commander Colonel Han Xiaohu said China has participated in the naval exercises to promote exchanges and cooperation with other navies and jointly safeguard security and stability at sea.
Upon completion of this exercise, Wenzhou and Ma’anshan will sail directly to the Gulf of Aden as the 8th Chinese naval escort taskforce to undertake the escort mission there.
Organized by Pakistan, the “Aman” multi-national maritime military exercise is held once every two years since 2007.
This year’s exercise will be held from March 8 to March 12 at the open sea near Karachi.
Chinese Military Attaché Senior Colonel Wang Jiliang said the “Aman 2011″ exercise on the Indian Ocean is mainly directed against piracy, terrorism and other non-traditional security threats. It aims to strengthen coordination and cooperation in search and rescue and helicopter operations in the sea.
People’s Daily | March 8, 2011
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U.S. Resident Arrested for Passing on Sensitive Military Data to China
Federal agents arrested on Tuesday a Chinese-born permanent resident of the U.S. for allegedly passing on sensitive defense-related data to China.
Sixing Liu, a 47-year-old former employee of a New Jersey-based technology company, allegedly exported hundreds of documents related to his firm’s defense-related projects, according to reports.
Continue Reading >> International Business Times | March 9, 2011
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Japan Regrets China Gas Drilling
Japan has expressed regret in connection with China’s efforts to develop gas fields in the East China Sea.
As reported by the Japanese Asahi newspaper citing a spokesperson for the Chinese oil and gas company, China has begun drilling off the Shirakaba gas field.
According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, the drilling runs counter to an agreement on the joint production of gas in the East China Sea signed in 2008.
The Voice of Russia | March 9, 2011
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Russia Hopes to Make $9.5 Bln in 2011 Arms Sales
Rosoboronexport, said on Wednesday it expects to make up to $9.5 billion in arms sales this year.
“Rosoboronexport’s portfolio [of orders] is about $38.5 billion; this is the target we hope to meet in three years,” company head Anatoly Isaikin said.
Last year Russian arms exports totaled $8.6 billion.
RIA Novosti | March 9, 2011
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Interview With Admiral Pierre-François Forissier Chief of Staff of the French Navy
[...] “Récemment, le Charles-de-Gaulle était dans l’océan Indien, et une frégate britannique s’est jointe au groupe aéronaval français. Un sous-marin français est passé sous commandement britannique dans le grand Nord, pour surveiller de plus près les Russes.
[...] “Recently, the Charles de Gaulle (Aircraft Carrier) was in the Indian Ocean, and a British frigate joined the French carrier battle group. A French submarine has come under British command in the Far North, to monitor the Russians.”
Continue Reading >> Le Télégramme | March 5, 2011
Mercenaries are Unreliable, Useless and Dangerous, Unconfirmed Report : Military Coup Attempt Led by Deputy Chief of Staff Under Way in Libya, the Tribal Support System is Undermined, Libyan Fighter Jets and Helicopters Land at Malta Airport Carrying Political Elite and Business Figures Out of Tripoli, Senior Colonels Defected After Receiving Order to Fire on Protesters
“He who holds his State by means of mercenary troops can never be solidly or securely seated. For such troops are disunited, ambitious, insubordinate, treacherous, insolent among friends, cowardly before foes, and without fear of God or faith with man. Whenever they are attacked defeat follows; so that in peace you are plundered by them, in war by your enemies. And this because they have no tie or motive to keep them in the field beyond their paltry pay.”
Machiavelli, (N.), The Prince, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 1985.
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Witnesses Say African Mercenaries Have Been Captured in Libya
Many of our Observers in Libya reported to FRANCE24 that mercenaries from sub-Saharan African countries have been tapped by Muammar Gaddafi’s government to crack down on protesters. Videos currently circulating on the Web show that in some cases these alleged mercenaries have been captured and lynched by Libyan demonstrators.
[...] Sending in mercenaries [to intimidate demonstrators] is a strategic mistake for Gaddafi. The only thing it does is convince police officers and soldiers to turn against the regime.
Continue Reading >> France 24 | February 21, 2011
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Unrest and the Libyan Military
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ordered the Libyan air force to fire on military installations in Libya, according to what the BBC has characterized as a reliable source. Al Jazeera has suggested that air force fighters have opened fire on crowds of protesters.
Though the latter would be particularly draconian, the more important question is whether these signs reflect a split within the regime and Gadhafi using military force to crush opposition to his regime emerging from the military or other security forces. Similar reports of the Libyan navy firing on targets onshore also are emerging, as well as reports that Gadhafi has given execution orders to soldiers who have refused to fire on Libyan protesters.
Continue Reading >> Stratfor | February 21, 2011
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Libya: Unconfirmed Reports on Gaddafi Escape, Military Coup
[...] Libyan sources said that a senior figure in the Libyan army is trying to lead a coup against Gaddafi.
The officer was identified as Deputy Chief of Staff, Al Mahdi Al Arabi. The source said that fierce battles were reported between the remnants of the revolutionary guard committees close to Gaddafi and supporters of al Arabi.
Continue Reading >> Allvoices | February 21, 2011
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Libya Air Force Jets in Malta, Pilots Seek Asylum
Two Libyan air force jets landed in Malta on Monday and their pilots asked for political asylum amid a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Libya, a military source said.
The two Mirage jets landed at Malta International Airport shortly after two civilian helicopters landed carrying seven people who said they were French. A military source familiar with the situation said the passengers had left in such a hurry that only one had a passport.
The source, who insisted he not be identified further, said the jet pilots — both Libyan air force colonels — had communicated from the air that they wanted political asylum. They had left from a base near Tripoli and had flown low over Libyan airspace to avoid detection, the source said.
The aircraft remained at Malta’s airport, away from the commercial area, while the pilots and helicopter passengers were being questioned by airport immigration officials, the source said.
After a week of protests, anti-government unrest spread Monday to the capital Tripoli with clashes in Tripoli’s main square for the first time. European governments and oil and gas companies were evacuating their citizens.
Associated Press | February 21, 2011
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Libyan Fighter Jets, Helicopters Land in Malta. Qaddafi’s Rule May Be Breaking Up
Muammar Qaddafi’s 42-year rule of Libya began falling apart Monday, Feb. 21. Libyan Air force fighter jets and helicopters carrying political elite and business figures out of Tripoli started landing on the Mediterranean island of Malta opposite Libya – so far, two Mirage fighter-bombers and a number of civilian helicopters. Government officials in Valetta said more flights are on their way, but declined to say whether the airmen were defectors or the civilians had asked for political asylum.
[...] DEBKAfile’s military sources report protesters stormed army bases and seized large quantities of missiles, mortars, heavy machine guns and armored vehicles – and used them. The important Fadil Ben Omar Brigade command base in Benghazi was burnt to the ground.
Continue Reading >> DEBKAfile | February 21, 2011
Hugo Chavez and the U.S. Intelligence Community
An array of covert operations devised during G. Bush’s presidency are being actively implemented in Latin America.The plans include a color revolution in Cuba, the toppling of the populist regime in Venezuela, a smear campaign against Evo Morales in Bolivia, a flare up of divisions within the populist ALBA bloc, the geopolitical weakening of Brazil, an expansion of the regional network of US military bases, etc. “Neutralizing” the region’s defiant leaders is a predictable part of the program. Recently, Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa narrowly escaped an attempt on his life, and at the moment Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega who stands in the way of forming a pro-US alliance in Central America seems to be the next figure on the hit list. In any case, Hugo Chavez, the leader who, from Washington’s perspective, represents the most serious geopolitical problem in Latin America, remains the prime target for the US intelligence community.
Continue Reading >> Strategic Culture | February 15, 2011
Iraq’s Largest Gas Field Discovered in Kurdistan, Syria and Turkey Agree on Cooperation Against Kurdish Separatist PKK, Turkish Intelligence Warns Against Attacks Ahead of Elections, Turkish Intelligence Chief in Azerbaijan, Turkish Interior Minister in Moscow, Iran to Tighten Security Along Eastern and Northwestern Borders
Iraq’s Largest Gas Field Discovered in Kurdistan
[...] The UK-based Heritage Oil Company announced that it has made a huge discovery of natural gas in the Miran area west of Suleimaniya. The statement reads that the field has between 6.8- and 9.1-trillion cubic feet (approximately between 192- and 257-billion cubic meters) of natural gas.
[...] Those could see the company bringing gas into Turkey and Europe through the planned U.S. and EU-backed Nabucco pipeline, which aims to bring gas from the Middle East and Caspian Sea region to Europe via Turkey and Bulgaria.
“The discovery of a major gas field of up to 12.3-trillion cubic feet (348-billion cubic meters) in place with exceptional flow rates makes this one of the largest gas fields to be discovered in Iraq,” the statement said.
[...] However, the ‘never-ending’ dispute between the KRG and the central government of Iraq regarding the region’s oil and gas production sharing contracts signed with international oil and gas companies since mid 2007 is still an obstacle to future prospects from which the region would benefit and the destiny of the oil companies working in the region.
Iraqi government’s ex-Oil Minister was firmly against any oil activities done in Kurdistan without his control, and labeled all its oil deals illegal. Moreover, refusing the KRGs request from Baghdad to pay the international oil companies’ fees led to a stoppage of Kurdistan’s oil exports in 2009.
Nevertheless, hopes are back on again with the new government’s promises to solve these disagreements, especially the new Iraqi Oil Minister’s statement that his new government will recognize the KRG’s PSCs and that the region’s 150- to 200-barrel-per-day exports would resume shortly.
Continue Reading >> Kurdish Globe | January 30, 2011
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Syrian-Turkish Agreement to Collaborate Against PKK
The Turkish daily Milliyet reports that a comprehensive Turkish-Syrian agreement for counterterrorism cooperation, aimed especially at coordinating efforts against the Kurdish organization PKK, is being considered by the Turkish parliament. According to the agreement, both countries will undertake to prevent all military, cultural, economic and propaganda activity by the PKK in their territory; a direct communications system (hot line) will be installed between the Syrian and Turkish chiefs of staff; joint military operations will be conducted, as needed, and procedures will be established for the rapid extradition of PKK members between the two countries.
The MEMRI Blog | February 12, 2011
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Turkish Intelligence Warns Against Attacks Ahead of Elections
[...] Intelligence units from the National Police Department and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) have this past week issued warnings against a possible increase in attacks intending to create unrest ahead of the June 12 national elections.
The National Police Department says that potential provocative attacks seeking to influence voter opinion ahead of the national election will target Turkey’s metropolitan areas. They say that even the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
[...] Attacks on security forces are also expected, particularly in the spring months.
[...] There is also intelligence signaling the possibility of mass anti-government rallies, not unlike the ones led by the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) and the Support for Contemporary Life Association (ÇYDD), where hundreds of thousands marched on the streets of İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara.
[...] The police department also emphasizes a threat based on intelligence indicating that there are groups planning to assassinate Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and MHP parliamentary group chairman Oktay Vural.
Continue Reading >> World Bulletin | February 12, 2011
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Turkish Intelligence Chief in Azerbaijan for Talks
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today met head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Hakan Fidan.
[...] President Ilham Aliyev stressed the necessity of strengthening security issues in the region, adding development of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations in this field has positive impact on the whole region.
Continue Reading >> News.az | February 7, 2011
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Turkish Interior Minister in Moscow
[...] Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay arrived in Moscow on Thursday upon an invitation by Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev.
During meetings between Turkish and Russian delegations, cooperation in security and fight against illicit drug trafficking as well as deepening the cooperation between Turkish and Russian interior ministries were discussed.
The officials also took up fight against terrorism, prevention of extremism, exchange of intelligence, training of police officers and student exchange in police academies.
Continue Reading >> Turkish Daily Mail | February 11, 2011
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Iran to Tighten Border Security
Iran’s interior minister says the government has devised a new comprehensive plan for enhancing control and security along the country’s borders.
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar told IRNA late on Sunday that the new plan has been implemented along the eastern and northwestern borders of the country, and will be put in practice along the entire borders of the Islamic Republic in the near future.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | February 14, 2011
New Iranian Foreign Minister Endorsed By Parliament, Senegal Ambassador Returns to Iran After Dispute Over Weapons Shipment Seized in Nigeria, Mossad Station Chief Flees Gambia
Iran Arms Shipment May Deal Setback to Expansion of Africa Ties
A political wrangle over an Iranian arms shipment seized in Nigeria has set back the Persian Gulf nation’s efforts to cultivate links in Africa as it seeks to forestall diplomatic isolation over its nuclear program.
A United Nations team arrived in Nigeria Jan. 16 to probe the consignment of rockets, grenades and mortar shells that may have been destined for Gambia or Senegal in West Africa. Gambia cut ties with Iran in November and ordered its diplomats out of the country over the shipment. A month later, Senegal recalled its ambassador, citing “grave concern” about the weapons.
[...] Iran is pursuing closer relations in Africa as the U.S., the European Union and the United Nations enforce economic sanctions against the country. The Iranian effort worries the U.S., and at least one senior Republican Party lawmaker has warned Africans to shun Iran if they want additional U.S. aid.
Iran is focusing attention on states with substantial Muslim populations such as Senegal and Niger to try to leverage off their shared faith. Iranian leaders are also tailoring their campaign to resonate among Africans who see the continent’s poverty and lack of development as a legacy of Western colonialism.
[...] In Africa, “their goal is to win votes in the UN and to increase the number of countries that support them there, to win economic points, to increase Iran’s economic clout in the region and in the world,” Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born Middle East analyst at Meepas, said in an interview on Nov. 11. “The Iranian leadership sees Iran as a superpower, and superpowers build alliances.” Meepas is a risk-analysis group based in Tel Aviv.
[...] The Iranian arms shipment may have been heading for Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh might have intended to give the weapons to a loyalist militia or sell them for a profit, Africa Confidential, the London-based publication, reported last month.
[...] Alternatively, the arms may have been destined for separatists in Senegal’s Casamance region, Strategic Forecasting Inc., an Austin, Texas-based intelligence group, said in November.
[...] “For the U.S., other emerging powers in Africa wouldn’t be such a concern, but Iran is kind of hard-wired to give American diplomats concerns,” he said. “That makes Iran different from a Turkey or even China.”
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg Business Week | February 1, 2011
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New Iranian FM Endorsed By Parliament, Outlines Priorities
Iranian Majlis (Parliament) on Sunday approved the nuclear chief as the country’s new foreign minister.
The Majlis gave the vote of confidence to Ali-Akbar Salehi after former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was dismissed in December by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
[...] Salehi also noted that he “will try to further expand ties with Africa.”
“The misunderstanding between Iran and Senegal has been completely removed during my recent visit to the African country,” he was quoted as saying.
Continue Reading >> XinhuaNet | January 30, 2011
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Senegal Ambassador Returns to Iran After Dispute Over Weapons
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade told his government to return the country’s ambassador to Tehran, five weeks after the official was recalled following a diplomatic dispute over a seized Iranian arms shipment.
Wade’s decision, detailed in minutes published on the government’s official website today, follows a 24-hour visit to Senegal by Iran’s interim foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi. The partial normalization of relations between the two Muslim nations was mediated by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, according to the minutes.
Iran plans to provide as much as $200 million dollars for joint economic projects between his country and Senegal, Salehi said yesterday in an interview with the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg Business Week | January 21, 2011
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Israeli “Spy” Absconds From Gambia After Cover Blown
Mossad’s Station Chief for Gambia, Danny Shinn, fled the country on Thursday. This follows the story on Freedom Newspaper that blew his cover. His departure from The Gambia was a big blow to the Mossad according to Western Embassy sources. Danny was not only Station Chief for Gambia, but was responsible for managing Mossad espionage activities in the whole Anglophone West Africa. According to these sources, the Freedom exposure made it impossible for Danny to meet his agents in The Gambia anymore.
[...] Because of his good network, Danny was able to get bugs implanted in the State House in Banjul and record sensitive conversations. Practically all of Ben’s briefings with the president were also recorded. This is how the Iranian arms were discovered and passed to the xxx. This is also how the drugs cache in Bonto was discovered and passed on to the MI-6.
Continue Reading >> Freedom Newspaper | February 7, 2011
Iranian Battleships Arrive in Saudi Arabia’s Port City of Jeddah on Route to Gulf of Aden, U.S. Warships Heading to Egypt
Addressing the Navy personnel on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Sayyari said the flotilla, which has been sent to the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian cargo ships against Somali raiders, docked in the Saudi port in order to renew Iran’s message of peace and friendship to the regional states.
[...] He further underlined Iran’s resolve to maintain its powerful and permanent presence in the high seas in a bid to protect the interests of the Islamic Republic and convey the message of peace and security in the sensitive and strategic waters North of the Indian Ocean.
[...] The Iranian Navy dispatched a fleet of warships to the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aden on a training and operational mission in late January.
In addition to its training program, the fleet is also due to gain good intelligence and information on the regions it is due to visit during the mission.
Continue Reading >> Fars News Agency | February 6, 2011
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Egypt: Will U.S. And NATO Launch Second Suez Intervention?
On February 1 General James Mattis, commander of United States Central Command whose area of responsibility includes Egypt on its western end, stated that Washington currently has no plans to reinforce naval presence off the coast of that country, but added that in the event of the closure of the Suez Canal: “Were it to happen obviously we would have to deal with it diplomatically, economically, militarily.”
[...] The day before Mattis’ statement the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and its carrier strike group [...] crossed through the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea on its way to the Suez Canal. The warships are scheduled for operations in the Gulf of Aden off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen and in the Arabian Sea to support the war in Afghanistan.
[...] With the expansion of protests in Egypt calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the prospect of the Suez Canal being closed would severely hamper Western military operations across the Arabian Sea from Somalia to Pakistan.
[...] Several European oil companies, among them Norway’s Statoil, Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum, halted drilling in Egypt, closed down local offices and began evacuating the families of foreign workers as well as non-essential staff.
Continue Reading >> Scoop | February 3, 2011
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Groton Guard Detachment is Heading to Egypt
Connecticut National Guard Detachment 2, Company I, 185th Aviation Regiment of Groton has mobilized and will deploy to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, to support the Multinational Force and Observers.
[...] The unit will provide an on-demand aviation asset to the Multinational Force and Observers commander to support its mission of supervising the security provisions of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
Continue Reading >> The Day Connecticut | January 24, 2011
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EGYPT: Pentagon Moving Warships, Preparing for Possible Evacuations
The Pentagon is moving U.S. warships and other military assets to make sure it is prepared in case evacuation of U.S. citizens from Egypt becomes necessary.
[...] Pentagon officials emphasized that military intervention in Egypt was not being contemplated and that the warships were being moved only for contingency purposes in case evacuations became necessary.
Continue Reading >> Los Angeles Times | February 4, 2011
U.S. Warships in Mediterranean Sea Disrupting Lebanon’s Internet Services Since Pro-US Government’s Collapse, Affecting Big Companies and Banks
The movement of U.S. warships in the Mediterranean sea has been disrupting Lebanon’s internet services in the past three weeks, An Nahar daily reported Saturday.
The newspaper said that the problems which began when former Premier Saad Hariri’s government collapsed are not the result of operations conducted by UNIFIL’s naval force.
The problems have affected big companies and banks from the southern city of Sidon all the way to the Lebanese-Syrian border in the north, An Nahar said.
However, it said it received information that U.S. warships that are currently in Mediterranean waters are affecting the internet services in Lebanon.
Engineer Antoine Bustani, a telecom expert, confirmed to Voice of Lebanon radio station that radars of warships disrupt internet and other telecommunications services.
The telecommunications ministry has launched efforts to solve the issue, he said. The plan will be implemented in several stages, Bustani added.
NaharNet | February 5, 2011
Russia Plans to Recruit 70 Thousand Military Officers
The Kremlin says it will nearly double the military wages and increase the number of military officers.
Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday police and other law enforcement agencies will also get wage hikes starting next January.
Russia’s Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that an army lieutenant will get an average monthly wage of 50,000 rubles (about $1,700), about twice as much as the current salary.
He also said that the military will also increase the number of officers. Over the past two years the number of officers was reduced from 355,000 to 150,000.
Serdyukov was quoted by news agencies as saying Wednesday that the armed forces will now need 70,000 more officers because of the plans to form additional units.
The Canadian Press | February 2, 2011
Hezbollah Operatives Escape From Egyptian Prison
The 22 Hezbollah detainees that were convicted of plotting attacks against ships in the Suez Canal and Egyptian tourist sites, among other charges were able to escape from their jail in Egypt according to a report by Al Rai newspaper. The newspaper quoted Hezbollah sources as saying that the Hezbollah cell leader whose code name is Sami Shihab and whose real name is Mohammad Youssef Ahmad Mansour, was amongst those that escaped and that “he is now in a safe location and will soon be back to Lebanon.”
The sources denied the report by Israeli newspapers which revealed that a Hezbollah and Hamas Commando unit freed the Hezbollah prisoners.
YaLibnan | February 2, 2011
Unconfirmed Report : Israel Sent Crowd Dispersal Weapons to the Egyptian Regime
[...] The International Network for Rights and Development said that three Israeli planes landed at Cairo’s Mina International Airport on Saturday, carrying equipment for use in dispersing and suppressing large crowds.
According to the report, Egyptian security forces received the cargo on three Israeli planes, which were allegedly carrying a large supply of internationally proscribed gas to disperse crowds.
Press TV | February 1, 2011
U.S. Special Envoy to Egypt Held Secret Meeting with Senior Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood
[...] The Egyptian intelligence official told WND his government has information of a meeting that took place yesterday between Issam El-Erian, a senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Frank Wisner, a former U.S. ambassador to Egypt.
The Obama administration dispatched Wisner to Egypt this past weekend to report to the State Department and White House a general sense of the situation in the embattled country.
The Egyptian intelligence official speaking to WND said the meeting took place inside the American embassy in Cairo.
The U.S. State Department would neither confirm nor deny the report.
[...] The latest information is not the first charge by the Egyptian government that the Obama administration has been working with or encouraging the opposition to Mubarak.
WorldNetDaily | February 1, 2011
Emirati Spy Ring Dismantled in Oman, Iran “Pursues Mossad Moves in Muslim and Neighboring Countries”
Oman Says Busts UAE Spy Network, UAE Denies Role
[...] “Security forces (of Oman) were able to discover a spy ring belonging to the state security forces of the United Arab Emirates targeting the regime in Oman and the mechanism of governmental and military work there,” said the official, quoted by the official ONA news agency.
[...] The cell “gathered information on the Sultanate’s military, security and economy, in return for large sums of money from Emirati security services,” the same official added requesting anonymity.
The cell “was interested in the issue of the succession of Sultan Qaboos, in the absence of an heir to the throne,” a security official said.
[...] Oman has very good relations with Iran, while the UAE is a staunch ally of the United States. The UAE also has a long-lasting dispute with Tehran over three Iran-controlled islands in the Gulf.
Qaboos, known for rarely travelling out of Oman, was the first foreign leader to travel to Iran since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected in a disputed 2009 vote.
Oman has always had close relations with Iran and remained neutral during the war between the Islamic Republic and Iraq that lasted from 1980 to 1988, unlike most of its Arab neighbours who had supported the regime of the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | January 30, 2011
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Iran Closely Monitors Mossad Moves
[...] “Iran’s Intelligence Ministry not only closely monitors various Mossad measures inside the country but it also pursues moves by this intelligence service in Muslim and neighboring countries,” IRNA quoted Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi as speaking to reporters.
[...] Iranian forces penetrated into the depth of the Mossad information system and recognized and dismantled its different networks.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | January 31, 2011
Pentagon Building Military Bases in Central America and Colombia
U.S. military agencies in September 2010 signed contracts for construction at Tolemaida, Larandia and Malaga bases in Colombia worth nearly US$5 million.
[...] Colombia’s Constitutional Court struck down the agreement that would give the United States military use of seven bases in Colombia for ten years, because the agreement was never submitted for Congressional approval or judicial review. Yet, even after the agreement was declared “non-existent” by Colombia’s highest court, the Pentagon initiated unprecedented amounts of new construction on bases in Colombia. The contracts place in serious doubt the Pentagon’s respect for Colombian sovereignty.
[...] The Army Corps on Engineers Mobile District’s plans indicate that US military construction in Central and South America has more than doubled this year compared to 2009. This includes a SouthCom Counter-Narco-terrorism account that is funding construction in summer 2011 of facilities in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador and Belize, as well as a $10 million upgrade in Soto Cano, Honduras.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation | January 27, 2011
Israeli Embassy Staff Pulled Out Of Cairo By Helicopters
The entire staff of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo has been evacuated by helicopters, BBC reported.
BBC News | January 28, 2011
Israel’s Drug Enforcement “Efforts” in West Africa
[...] Danny as he is popularly known is widely rumored in the intelligence community to be the Israeli spy agency Mossad’s representative in The Gambia. Danny has penetrated The Gambia’s security establishment by providing allowances to security officials who have been fired.
[...] Danny was actually detained at the NDEA last December as he was suspected to be the source of the leak to the CIA that resulted in the Iranian arms being intercepted in Lagos.
Freedom Newspaper | January 23, 2011
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Iran deals itself into African game
Nigeria intercepts Iranian missile containers possibly destined for Gaza
Drug Money Funding Chavez, Islamic Terror Groups
U.S. targets Lebanon-based drug smuggling network
Mock Urban Warfare Training City in Southern California
A mock city roughly the size of downtown San Diego has risen in a remote Southern California desert to train military forces to fight in urban environments.
The $170 million urban training center was unveiled Tuesday at the Twentynine Palms military base, 170 miles northeast of San Diego. The 1,560-building facility will allow troops to practice and refine skills that can be used around the world, the Marine Corps said.
The military has been opening a slew of mock Afghan villages at bases across the country to prepare troops for battle before they are deployed. The new training center is one of the largest and most elaborate.
The Washington Post | January 25, 2011
Syria-Hezbollah-Backed Candidate Named Prime Minister in Lebanon, Destabilization Reports Unfold
Syria’s Assad rocked by four bombings in Aleppo
The Syrian opposition reported that the regime of President Bashar Assad has been shaken by four suicide attacks in one day. The opposition said the bombings took place in the northern city of Aleppo on Jan. 17, and at least seven people were killed.
World Tribune | January 19, 2011
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Intelligence Services in Syria try to avert Ben Ali effect
The intelligence services in Syria are doing everything possible to prevent a copycat uprising in the country, following the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia.President Bashar Al Assad held a meeting with the principal as well as regional heads of Syria’s security services on January 16. On the agenda was how to ensure that the current wave of opposition in Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt does not spread to Syria’s streets. In a bid to preempt unrest, Assad ordered a crack-down on corrupt officials. He also told the security services to position their officers in meeting places throughout the country, in the souks and in town centres, ready to deal swiftly with any demonstrations of opposition. Military security was also told to increase the pace with which it takes down satellite TV dishes. The various units in charge of phone tapping are going to increase their presence in call centres, and they are going to set up an emergency plan that, in case of trouble, will isolate a village, a town or even a region from the rest of the fixed and mobile telephony network. On January 17, Assad took a highly rare meeting with Interior Minister Saed Samour, police officials from the different regions and the heads of Criminal Security branches: usually, the president only takes meetings with the interior minister and the head of Political Security.
Intelligence Online | January 20, 2011
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