Monday, February 09, 2009

Afghanistan: The World's Most Dangerous Place

Afghanistan: The World's Most Dangerous Place
(NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: Afghanistan has a high threat of terrorism, with a strong risk of kidnap, violent crime and suicide attacks across the country.
The Foreign Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/) strongly advises against all but essential travel to Kabul, adding that “no part of Afghanistan should be considered immune from violence and the potential exists throughout the country for hostile acts”.

Middle East Arms Procurement - Procure and Protect The Region

Middle East Arms Procurement - Procure and Protect The Region (NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: The global financial crisis and sharp drop in oil prices aside, the Middle East remains a major defence market with no end in sight to efforts to acquire the highest level of defence technologies. While counter-insurgency and piracy deterrence are the primary drivers of most procurement strategies, the continued threat of a nuclear Iran and the re-integration of a fragile Iraq into the regional equation loom large over major acquisitions in line with a greater commitment towards co-operative security expressed by Arab nations, the Gulf states in particular.

A Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft in the full two-tone grey livery of the Royal Saudi Air Force. After unsuccessful campaigns in South Korea and Singapore, on 18 August 2006 it was announced that Saudi Arabia had agreed to purchase 72 Typhoons. In November and December it was reported that Saudi Arabia had threatened to buy French Rafales because of a UK Serious Fraud Office investigation into the Al Yamamah ("the dove") defence deals which commenced in the 1980s. However on 14 December 2006 Britain's attorney general, Lord Peter Goldsmith, ordered that the Serious Fraud Office discontinue its investigation in the BAE Systems' alleged bribery to senior Saudi officials in the al-Yamamah contracts, citing "the need to safeguard national and international security". The Times has raised the possibility that RAF production aircraft will be diverted as early Saudi Arabian aircraft, with the service forced to wait for its full complement of aircraft. This arrangement would mirror the diversion of RAF Tornados to the RSAF. However, The Times has also reported that such an arrangement will make the UK purchase of its tranche 3 commitments more likely. On 17 September 2007 Saudi Arabia confirmed it hFont sizead signed a GB£4.43 billion contract for 72 aircraft. 24 aircraft will be at the Tranche 2 build standard, previously destined for the UK RAF, the first being delivered in 2008. The remaining 48 aircraft will be assembled in Saudi Arabia and delivered from 2011. Saudi Arabia considers to order 24 additional jets in the future, more recent reports suggest that number may be as high as 60 or 72. *On 22 October 2008 an aircraft in the full two-tone grey livery of the Royal Saudi Air Force flew for the first time at BAE Systems’ Warton Aerodrome, marking the start of an initial test flight programme for RSAF aircraft. Declining global fortunes have made the relatively stable, relatively cash-rich Middle Eastern nations even more attractive to international defence companies. The race is on to provide them with the most attractively priced, technologically advanced and well-designed weapon systems, complete with lucrative after-sale service and maintenance contracts. Within the region, however, there is a wide spectrum of capability, capacity and cash flow that limits the effectiveness of sweeping generalisations about regional trends in procurement; poor countries such as Yemen and Lebanon cannot be equated with the immensely wealthy nations in the Gulf such as Saudi Arabia, which has long been ranked among the top 10 largest importers of weapons worldwide.

U.S. Awaits Green Light on Afghan Surge: Report

U.S. Awaits Green Light on Afghan Surge: Report
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 10, 2009: U.S. reinforcements to Afghanistan are awaiting a green light from the White House, which wants to get a better grip on its strategy before sending more troops, U.S. defense officials said Feb. 9. A deployment plan was submitted last week to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, but he has not yet signed off on it, said a senior military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We believed two weeks ago that we would get something pretty quick," the official said. "Now we are waiting." "We've got everything packaged and presented to the decision makers. We've made our recommendation," the official said. But the official said the new administration "has signaled it wants to look at the (strategy) reviews under way." The new U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, arrived Feb. 9 in Islamabad at the start of his first trip to the region. U.S. combat brigades must undergo at least two to three months of specialized training for Afghanistan before being deployed. The Pentagon plans to deploy an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next year to 18 months, nearly doubling the size of its force there. Currently there are 37,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, on top of another 70,000 international troops, serving in either a NATO-led force or a U.S.-led coalition. Gates said at the end of January that the United States would send three brigades, each numbering between 3,500 and 4,000 troops, by mid-summer. A Pentagon spokesman would not say deployment orders have been delayed, but acknowledged that the White House might decide to button down its strategy review before giving the go ahead, something the Pentagon appeared to rule out a week ago. "I don't subscribe to the characterization of delay or postponement," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, recalling that Gates had never set a deadline for announcing the troop deployments. "There is certainly a fairly unanimous understanding that some level of force increase is necessary in Afghanistan. How much, when, all those things are being looked at," he said. "Is it conceivable that you could have some announcements about deployment orders before the strategy review is totally completed? Sure. Is it possible we might have to wait until the strategy review is completed? Sure." Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters a week ago that the United States would begin deploying troop reinforcements to Afghanistan before the new strategy had been completed because of the worsening security situation. Asked why additional troops might be deployed before a final strategy is ready, Morrell said improving security was a vital first step to any new approach in Afghanistan. "But no matter what your overall strategy may be, we need to reverse the trend that we are seeing in some parts of the country, in terms of a deteriorating security situation. "That is accepted as the foundation on whatever we - whatever the president decides to develop in terms of a further strategy."

U.S. Tank Round Guides Self To Target

U.S. Tank Round Guides Self To Target
(NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: A U.S. Army Abrams 120mm cannon destroyed a T-72 tank more than 5,000 meters away using a next-generation guided tank round able to find its own way toward a target, service officials said. A Mid Range Munition destroys a T-72 tank in a test at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., after using its infrared seeker to guide itself to the target. The December test at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., was staged to prove that the guidance system of the Mid Range Munition (MRM) would work when fired. The MRM has two guidance modes. The first is laser designation, in which the round follows a laser spot generated by some other target seeker to the target, or in so-called offset mode, near the target. The second is with its 3-inch infrared camera. The guidance system compares the IR images to a target library stored in electronic form. "The algorithm running through the round is looking at the environment and differentiating the target from items that might be in range in a normal desert environment," said Jeff McNaboe, Army MRM program manager. In the December test, the round used only its infrared seeker, the first time it had destroyed a target without laser-guided help, said David Rigoglioso, deputy product manager for large caliber ammo, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. In the fall, another test will be used to evaluate the airframe, the guidance electronics unit and the control section, said John O'Brien, Raytheon MRM program director. The Raytheon-General Dynamics-built MRM is 13 months through a 63-month, $232 million development deal with the Army. Initial production is scheduled for 2012.

UAE Buys Patriot Parts Worth $246M

UAE Buys Patriot Parts Worth $246M
(NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: Raytheon announced another contract Feb. 9 for its Patriot program, this one a $246 million contract for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to provide spare parts for the new Patriot systems Raytheon is building there. The United Arab Emirates is now the biggest customer for Patriot, thanks to an agreement in December worth up to $3.3 billion for Raytheon to build Patriot Configuration 3 systems, the latest Patriot air and missile defense system, and provide whole life support and related training for those systems. The latest deal is a Foreign Military Sale through the U.S. government. Raytheon will provide spare parts to support the 10 Patriot fire units the Emirates ordered in December. The system will replace the medium-range Hawk Air Defense System the United Arab Emirates bought in the 1980s. Raytheon also is upgrading the U.S. Army's Configuration 2 systems to Configuration 3 systems. Company representatives said this is probably the last UAE Patriot contract this year, but Raytheon also is hoping to win a contract this year to provide the country with Surface Launched Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) systems. "We won Patriot [for the Emirates] and SLAMRAAM, we think, is next," said Sanjay Kapoor, Raytheon's vice president of Patriot programs. The company sells Patriot systems and services to 12 countries including the United States, but is looking to expand sales for additional countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The December deal to provide the United Arab Emirates with Patriot systems is the first deal in some time under which Raytheon will build those systems from the ground up, Kapoor said. "The UAE is brand-new, ground-up fire units. By default, it makes it easier for the next country or buyer because now the line becomes 'hot,' " Kapoor said. "We get geared up, we get facilitized. We're going through a massive amount of technology refresh[ing] and modernization. The supplier base is getting restarted; test equipment is all getting reset. All that up-front cost, all that up-front work is being done now. Obviously, subsequent countries will benefit from that."

Saab, Tata Team Up To Develop Fighter Jet

Saab, Tata Team Up To Develop Fighter Jet
(NSI News Source Info) BANGALORE - February 10, 2009: Swedish aeronautics maker Saab said Feb. 9 it had tied up with India's Tata group to develop a new variant of its Gripen fighter jet as it pitches for a 12-billion-dollar deal from New Delhi. Saab executive Kjell Moller said the tie-up with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was not only aimed at jointly developing the Gripen but also at getting a chance at the biggest fighter jet deal in the world in years. The Swedish company is competing with firms from Russia, Europe and the United States to sell 126 warplanes to the Indian air force. The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a 4.5 generation fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. Gripen International acts as a prime contracting organisation and is responsible for marketing, selling and supporting the Gripen fighter around the world. The aircraft is in service with the Swedish Air Force, the Czech Air Force, the Hungarian Air Force and the South African Air Force, and has been ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force. A total of 236 Gripens have been ordered as of 2008. India, which will begin trials in April of the shortlisted jets including the Gripen, has said it will buy about two dozen units in flyaway condition and manufacture the remaining 100 or so planes at a local state-run facility here. "We will transfer technology and competencies to TCS, which will play a key role in the development of the next-generation Gripen and other products," Moller said ahead of the air show this week in Bangalore. "The contract will continue irrespective of us getting the Indian order," the Saab vice president said. U.S.-based Lockheed Martin's F-16 and Boeing's F-18 Superhornet have emerged as the front-runners for the Indian contract, industry sources said. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) has offered its Typhoon Eurofighter. France's Dassault, which makes the Mirage, has put forward its Rafale. Russian manufacturers of the MiG-35 and MiG-29 are also in the race along with Saab. The Indian air force - the fourth largest in the world - has 51 Mirage-2000 war planes made by Dassault with electronics from Thales that need a major upgrade.

Pakistan 'Scares' Obama

Pakistan 'Scares' Obama
(NSI News Source Info) London, England - February 10, 2009: Pakistan is the one country that really 'scares' Barack Obama, according to the US President's aides, a newspaper reported Monday. The Guardian said in a report from Islamabad that Pakistan - 'a nuclear-armed country hurtling towards chaos' - may turn out to be the biggest foreign policy challenge for the Obama administration. Local residents examine a damaged school, wrecked by Islamic militants in Mingora, main town of Pakistan's Swat Valley, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. In recent months, militants have blown up or burned down some 170 schools, most of them for girls, and demanded in December that all schools for girls be closed by Jan. 15. In a report coinciding with US special representative Richard Holbrooke's visit to Pakistan, the newspaper said the Obama administration believes Pakistan is key to its aim of 'pacifying Afghanistan' and hunting down Al Qaeda terrorists. Leaks of a US military review conducted under David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, say he has concluded that Pakistan - not Iraq, Afghanistan or Iran - is the most urgent foreign policy issue facing Obama. The report described Pakistan as 'Al Qaeda's headquarters'.

Russia: Current Affairs Up-date, Situation Bleak Due To Recession - But Horizon Looks Bright With Plentiful Natural Resources

Russia: Current Affairs Up-date, Situation Bleak Due To Recession - But Horizon Looks Bright With Plentiful Natural Resources
(NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: The global recession has hit Russia hard, so now the Russians are eager to have NATO and U.S. supplies (no explosives or weapons, though) shipped to Afghanistan via Russia. That means millions of dollars of much needed business for Russian railroads. Another mutually beneficial financial deal with the West includes retiring more nuclear weapons. Russia wants to proceed with deals made in the last five years, that call for Russia and the U.S. dismantling most of their remaining nukes (each nation has about 6,000).
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev walks near RS-12M Topol ballistic missile at the Plesetsk space lunch pad. Russia fired three long-range missiles and pronounced its nuclear deterrent strong in an extraordinary show of force experts said had not been seen anywhere since the days of the Cold War. Two of the missiles were fired from nuclear submarines in the Asian and European extremes of the sprawling country while a third was watched by Medvedev on land in northwest Russia. It was the second Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in as many days and the latest in a series of high-profile military exercises of conventional land, sea and air forces as well as strategic nuclear units. Russia apparently wants the number reduced to a thousand, rather than the current 2,000. This would save hundreds of millions of dollars a year in maintenance and security costs. The government has again warned neighboring countries (like Estonia and Ukraine) to stop being ungrateful for what Russia did for them during World War II. This is a long standing sore point. The Baltic Countries and Ukraine consider themselves forcibly made a part of the Soviet Union. All four nations contributed troops to the Nazi war effort against the Soviet Union. Although reviled in Russia and the West, these troops are local heroes, for having fought against the hated Russians (not for supporting the Nazis.) The Russians don't get it, ignoring the fact that Russian secret police and death camps killed millions of people from the Baltic States and Ukraine. Russia considers these dead to be criminals, while the countrymen of the victims consider Russians homicidal maniacs, with delusions of grandeur and selective memories. Speaking of delusions, hundreds of Russian MiG-29 fighters remain grounded after one of these aircraft crashed last December 5th. The cause was structural failure (the tail separated, in flight, from the rest of the aircraft). The Russian Air Force has been investigating, but has not announced anything yet. It's believed that poor maintenance and a shortage of spare parts is the main cause. It's gets worse. Russian arms exporters see sales to China falling up to 40 percent this year. The reason is partly the poor quality of Russian weapons, and partly Chinese theft of Russian technology to build their own versions of Russian weapons (complete with flaws, but the Chinese don't seem to mind as long as they save lots of money). Russia is proposing a new treaty between itself and the West. The main idea is that the West would promise not to invade Russia, or mess with Russian internal affairs (which tend to get messy). Russia, in turn, would stop acting like a paranoid bully. NATO has told Russia that it is not happy with the way Russia has absorbed two portions (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) of neighboring Georgia, and is building a military base in Abkhazia. Russia ignored the criticism. Meanwhile, Russia continues to have problems governing some of its border areas, that would rather be independent. Mainly, it's the Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan. Long unstable because of clan and ethnic differences, the situation has been made worse by Russian economic mismanagement, and the appointment of corrupt provincial officials. The national government has sent in special police units, but that has done nothing for the unemployment and corrupt officials that anger the locals the most. The violence (weekly assassinations and raids on police stations) is spreading to Moscow, where in one recent week, there were four Caucasus related murders. The northern Caucasus has been a headache like this, for centuries. No one has ever come up with a lasting solution. Russia has restored aid to Cuba, but at only a tenth of the Soviet era largess (which amounted to over a billion dollars a year), which ended in the early 1990s (and had been declining through the 1980s). Russia is doing this mainly to annoy the United States. January 28, 2009: A DDOS attack coming from Russia, temporarily shut down Internet access in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. This was apparently the Russian government using its unofficial Cyber War militia to help shut down critics of a new cooperation deal between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Russia is paying Kyrgyzstan a bunch of money ($180 million in forgiven debts, a $150 million loan that doesn’t have to be paid back, and $2 billion that does) to follow the party (Russian) line, and shut down the American air base there. January 27, 2009: A Coast Guard patrol boat seized a Japanese fishing boat off the Pacific coast, in disputed waters. The ten man crew was arrested. It's been three years since Russia has done this, although the last time they also shot a Japanese fisherman. This time, the boat and crew were held for 11 days and then freed. January 23, 2009: The sharp drop in raw materials prices (especially oil) has hit the Russian economy hard. The global recession has further depressed demand for Russian raw materials. Thus unemployment shot up by a million, to six million, in December. This has caused dozens of public demonstrations, which the police declared illegal, and the state controlled mass media ignored. Many people were arrested. But the Internet is not state controlled (despite attempts) and the word got around that the economy is not well all over. People blame the government, because the government has been taking over everything in sight, and there doesn't appear to be anyone else to blame. It is the governments fault, if only because government policy has made it difficult to make needed reforms (like rebuilding Soviet era infrastructure and obsolete factories). Instead, the government spent billions of dollars trying to prop up the stock market (which lost over 70 percent of its value last year.)

Pakistan: Chaos and Desperation

Pakistan: Chaos and Desperation
(NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: In Pakistan, the army has intensified its operations against tribesmen who are attacking the truck traffic to Afghanistan (via the Khyber Pass). Over a hundred tribesmen have been killed in the past week, and many of their trucks, weapons and compounds destroyed. Last week, tribesmen damaged a bridge (repairs took three days) on that route. In Peshawar, the largest city in the Pakistani tribal territories, the new police commander has adopted a more aggressive attitude towards Islamic terrorist groups than his counterpart in the Swat Valley. As a result, the Islamic militants are on the defensive in Peshawar. The pro-Taliban tribesmen have been trying to terrorize the city into submission, one neighborhood at a time. Recent police raids and aggressive patrols have put the Taliban on the defensive.
In this image made from a video handed to an AP reporter in northwest Pakistan on Sunday Feb. 9, 2009, Polish hostage Piotr Stanczak sits between two masked men, before apparently being beheaded with a knife. Armed men pulled Stanczak from his car on Sept. 28 after killing three Pakistanis traveling with him near the city of Attock in northwestern Pakistan. Stanczak was surveying oil and gas fields for Geofizyka Krakow, a Polish geophysics institute A spokesman for the Taliban in northwestern Pakistan said Saturday that they killed the Polish captive because the government missed a deadline to release 26 prisoners. Success against the Taliban is largely dependent on the quality of the senior police and army commanders in the area. Most of these officers are not up to the job, and get shown up by the few that are. This doesn't say much about the overall quality of the Pakistani armed forces. For the first time since the 2002 murder of reporter Dan Pearl, Islamic terrorists have murdered another Western captive (Polish engineer Piotr Stanczak) in Pakistan. Held captive for five months, terrorists beheaded Stanczak when the government refused to released jailed terrorists in return for the Pole's freedom. Compared to Pakistan, India has its religious (Islamic and Hindu) and political (communists) fanatics under control. But radical Moslem politicians in India are pressing for affirmative action for Moslems, while radical Hindu politicians was conversion to another religion made illegal. Most Indian Moslems and Christians are from families that were once lower caste Hindu. One way out of that sort of mandated poverty, was to stop being a Hindu. This sort of thing still is a problem, even though the caste system has been outlawed for decades. February 6, 2009: Pakistani courts have freed A.Q. Khan from five years of house arrest. Khan is the nuclear scientist who stole nuclear weapons technology from Western firms, and bought the rest from China, in order to build Pakistan's nuclear bomb in the 1990s. Khan then got rich when he organized a black market organization that sold nuclear weapons technology to countries like Iran, Libya and North Korea. Khan confessed when he was caught, but now says he is innocent. He is a national hero in Pakistan, because he was largely responsible for making Pakistan a nuclear nation. February 5, 2009: In southeast Pakistan, a bomb went off in a Shia mosque, killing at least 25 people. Sunni radical groups have been attacking Shia around here for decades. Radical Shia groups strike back and there's no end in sight. In this case, a Shia mob responded by burning down a local police station. The police tend to be Sunni, and not very aggressive at going after the Sunni radicals. February 3, 2009: Nearly 50,000 people have fled growing Taliban violence in the Swat valley. Once a popular tourist attraction, just to the northwest of the capital, the mountain valley has been overrun by the armed followers of a charismatic Taliban cleric, Maulana Fazlullah, who is out to turn Swat, then the rest of Pakistan, into a religious dictatorship. The government has been unwilling to use the army aggressively enough to shut down the Taliban in Swat, and as a result, the police have been terrorized (and outnumbered) into ineffectiveness. The army has four brigades in the Swat Valley, but the officers in charge appear uncertain about what to do, or unable to do it.

Afghan Leader Calls For Reconciliation With Taliban

Afghan Leader Calls For Reconciliation With Taliban
(NSI News Source Info) Munich, Germany - February 10, 2009: Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Sunday for a process of reconciliation with the Taliban, and urged foreign forces in his country to do more to halt civilian casualties. (Photo/Image: Afghan President Hamid Karzai) With elections approaching in August, Karzai also denied that Afghanistan was a narco-state or a failed state and insisted that vast progress had been made over the last seven years. "This is the right time for me to call for a process of reconciliation," he said at a major security conference in Germany, addressing an audience that included top US and European officials. "We will invite all those Taliban who are not part of Al-Qaeda, who are not part of terrorist networks, who want to return to their country, who want to live by the constitution of Afghanistan and who want to have peace in their country and live a normal life, to participate, to come back to their country." Karzai is set to stand again in presidential elections on August 20, but his popularity has waned amid allegations of government corruption, growing opium production and an ever-more tenacious Taliban-led insurgency. NATO nations and their partners fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan have had mixed reactions to Karzai's proposals to talk to the insurgents, with many saying they reject talks with militants who have blood on their hands. "I would request the international community to back us in this, fully, and be of one view on this, not of divided views on this," Karzai said. Karzai raised eyebrows in November when he said he would protect the fugitive leader of the insurgent Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, in return for peace whether his international partners liked it or not. He insisted though that the extremist Islamic leader, who is wanted by the United States, would have to accept the Afghan constitution, a pro-democracy document drawn up after the US-led forces ousted the Taliban regime in 2001. The second-in-command of the Al-Qaeda terror network, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, has said that Afghanistan's attempt to negotiate with the Taliban showed weakness. Karzai also renewed calls for international troops fighting the Taliban to do more to avoid civilian casualties, which have also served to damage his popularity among Afghans. "The Afghan people consider themselves partners, and partners must not find themselves under attack," he told the conference participants, including US National Security Advisor General James Jones. There are regular allegations of civilian casualties in operations, most often air strikes by US forces, but there are conflicting statements about how many people have been killed or wounded. International commanders have confirmed a little more than 200 ordinary Afghans died in military operations last year but the figure given by the United Nations is about four times as high. Jones acknowledged the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) faced a major challenge in confronting the Taliban, but he insisted the alliance could not afford to fail. "Given the nexus of terrorism and extremism, drugs and proliferation, we cannot afford failure in Afghanistan," he said. Jones underlined that the administration of US President Barack Obama "will work closely with NATO and with the Afghan and Pakistani governments to forge a new comprehensive strategy to meet achievable goals." Despite the challenges, and in the face of widespread criticism both inside Afghanistan and abroad, Karzai insisted that he could turn the strife-torn country around. "We are not a narco-state," he said. "Afghanistan was a destroyed state, not a failed state." "With the right approach, and the adoption of a new strategy as I envision, Afghanistan is a true and sure success, and we already have it," he concluded.

Pakistan Wants No-Strings Aid From US: Diplomat

Pakistan Wants No-Strings Aid From US: Diplomat
(NSI News Source Info) London - February 10, 2009: Aid from the Obama administration to Pakistan should come without strings attached, Pakistan's ambassador to the US said in a newspaper interview published Saturday Feb. 7, 2009. Husain Haqqani told the Financial Times (FT) that "assistance that is conditional is never good". His comments came after US Vice President Joe Biden said Friday the Obama administration would revive a plan to send 1.5 billion dollars (1.2 billion euros) of military aid to Pakistan, its key ally in (Photo/Image: Pakistan's ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani) the fight against Taliban forces in Afghanistan. The US reportedly wants to triple civilian aid but impose conditions to ensure military assistance to Pakistan goes towards fighting insurgents in Afghanistan, not building up defences against India. Biden is expected to give the first fully-fledged picture of Obama-era US foreign policy at a security conference in Munich, Germany on Saturday. "Assistance that is conditional is never good," Haqqani told the FT. "Our advice has been that while we can always discuss what the Americans would prefer... (conditional aid) is not going to serve US or Pakistani interests." Haqqani pledged Pakistan would focus on fighting its "primary threat", which he said currently comes from "terrorism and not from our eastern neighbour". But he warned: "There is no bullet that has been invented that Pakistan can be given to shoot at the terrorists that cannot be used in case there is a war with India." Following the release of nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan Friday, Haqqani said his freedom "may cause a short-term perception problem" though added: "Pakistan now has a genuinely independent judiciary and we have dismantled the A.Q. Khan network."

First Australian Boeing 777 Goes To V Australia

First Australian Boeing 777 Goes To V Australia
(NSI News Source Info) SEATTLE - February 10, 2009: On Feb. 06, Boeing and the Virgin Group's new V Australia long-haul airline today celebrated the first 777-300ER to go to an Australian carrier. The airplane, delivered by Boeing to International Lease Finance Corp. and leased to V Australia, is one of seven leased and purchased 777-300ERs V Australia will deploy on trans-Pacific and other routes. The Boeing Field ceremony included Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group Chief Executive Brett Godfrey, ILFC Chairman and CEO Steven F. Udvar-Hazy and senior Boeing officials. V Australia will launch three-class Sydney-Los Angeles non-stop service on Feb. 27, building to daily flights by March 20. Brisbane-Los Angeles flights begin April 8. "This 777 completes the circle for guests wanting to fly around the world on the unique service provided by Virgin Group airlines," Godfrey said. "The combination of Virgin service and the 777's passenger appeal will be a winner on the South Pacific. "We're doubly pleased to be flying the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its class." V Australia's 777-300ER carries 361 passengers in business, premium economy and economy classes, with advanced in-flight entertainment options. Boeing has been eager to see an Australian airline using the 777's capabilities in the South Pacific region, according to Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president, Asia Pacific Sales. "It is a great day to see this 777-300ER take on the job it was designed for," he said. "V Australia will be first with 777 service on the Sydney-Los Angeles route - exactly why we built this airplane. We congratulate V Australia for its visionary role." John Wojick, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president, Leasing Sales, added, "ILFC is the world's largest 777 customer and, through its leadership and vision, has partnered with Boeing to expand the worldwide market for the 777, including this first 777 in Australia." The 777 family is the market leader in the 300-to-400-seat segment. Since the 777 entered service in 1995, Boeing has grown the 777 family to include five passenger models and a freighter. V Australia's 777-300ER is powered by the GE90-115B. Certified at 115,000 pounds (512 kilonewtons) of thrust, it is recognized as the world's most powerful commercial jet engine, while demonstrating superior efficiency and environmental responsibility. To date, 56 customers around the world have ordered nearly 1,100 777s, making it the market's most successful twin-engine twin-aisle airplane. Boeing has 350 unfilled orders for the 777.

European Aviation Safety Agency Validates FAA Certification Of Boeing 777 Freighter

European Aviation Safety Agency Validates FAA Certification Of Boeing 777 Freighter
(NSI News Source Info) EVERETT, Wash., - February 10, 2009: The newest member of the Boeing 777 family, the 777 Freighter, on Feb. 06, 2009., received its formal stamp of approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
EASA validated the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Feb. 3 type certification of the 777 Freighter.
The certification formally recognizes that the 777 Freighter has passed the stringent design and testing requirements mandated by FAA and EASA, clearing the airplane for cargo service.
The first 777 Freighter will deliver to launch customer Air France later in the quarter.

India: Army Falls For Arjun, Induction By Month-End

India: Army Falls For Arjun, Induction By Month-End
(NSI News Source Info) February 10, 2009: In what may be considered as a fillip for the country’s indigenous production of defence equipment, the first-ever fleet of Indian-made Arjun battle tanks would be inducted into the Army by February end. A total 45 tanks would form this armoured regiment and the first order of tanks is expected to arrive within next three weeks. In the first phase, 18-20 tanks would be handed over to the Indian Army by the heavy vehicle factory, Avadi, Tamil Nadu. Already, about 85 tanks are in various stages of production. The Indian Army ordered 124 Arjuns in 2000. The first five were delivered to the army in August 2004. The first 15 tanks have been activated. Of the remaining tanks, which are being manufactured in batches, 14 of these have been handed over to the Indian Army for winter trials. All 124 units will be delivered to the Army by the end of 2009. The planned production rate is currently pegged at thirty tanks per year, with the Army requesting fifty per year as the ideal. Notably, the induction is coming almost 36 years after India announced its programme to build own tanks, and the process was laced with glitches and delays. The tanks would be available at the Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACCS), Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, where training of personnel would be carried out. It would take a few months more before the Arjun is actually deployed in one of the armoured corps on field duties. It is likely that the deployment could be the Indo-Pak border where a majority of the 59 tank regiments of the Army are deployed. The induction is coming despite stiff opposition from within the armed forces, which tested the tank to the hilt and agreed only after various parameters were met. Defence Minister AK Antony stood his ground and made it clear that the 58-tonne Arjun would be inducted, as it was working fine. Well-placed sources in the government said the tanks earlier had to be handed over by January end, but the deadline was extended by a month. Sources in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) confirmed that the tanks were ready for shipment and handing-over to the Army. Rather, the move implies that the induction would be carried out without waiting for the much-awaited comparative trials of the indigenous Arjun tanks with Russian-made T-90s, as had been desired by the DRDO.

Taiwan: Developed Its Own Technology For Smart Bombs, Due To Sanctions By U.S. And Necessity Is Mother Of Invention

Taiwan: Developed Its Own Technology For Smart Bombs, Due To Sanctions By U.S. And Necessity Is Mother Of Invention
(NSI News Source Info) February 9, 2009: For the last three years, the U.S. has refused to sell Taiwan aircraft weapons that could be used to attack China. In particular, this means no radar homing (AGM-88C HARM) missiles and JDAM smart bombs. To get around this refusal, Taiwan has been building their own version of the American JSOW (Joint Stand Off Weapon) Also called the AGM-154A, the Taiwanese version is called the Wan Chien.
Taiwan has recently announced it is building its own version of JDAM. JSOW is basically a smart bomb with wings. That enables it to glide up to 70 kilometers from the aircraft dropping it, to a target on the ground. Range is about 25 kilometers if dropped from low altitude.
JSOW also contains more elaborate fins and software that enables it to follow a specific route. Like the wingless JDAM smart bomb, JSOW uses GPS and inertial guidance (as a backup) to find its target. Like JDAM, JSOW hits within 30 feet of its aiming point. The U.S. pays about $250,000 for each JSOW. The Taiwanese could use their Wan Chien. JSOW as a form of HARM to take out the latest Chinese air defense radars, by adding additional sensors to the guidance system. Taiwan is also building its own version of HARM, called Tien Chien 2A. JDAM technology is a lot simpler than these two other projects, and Taiwan could easily design and build its own. Refusing to sell them just costs the U.S. export sales. On the other hand, it allows the United States to tell China that it didn't sell JDAM to Taiwan, thus defusing tensions over Taiwan. In reality, of course, Taiwan just built their own JDAM. JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or GPS satellite guided bombs) were developed in the U.S. in the 1990s, shortly after the GPS network went live. In 1991, the GPS system was just coming into service.
There were already plans for something like JDAM, but no one was sure that it would work. Once the engineers got onto it, it was discovered that JDAM not only worked, but cost less than half as much to build ($18,000 per bomb) as the air force expected ($40,000 a bomb). The current price is still under $30,000 each. JDAM was a "kit" that attached little movable wings, along with batteries and a GPS guidance unit, to a normal "dumb" bomb. This enabled the JDAM to hit a target with great precision. The technology was off-the-shelf, so the Taiwanese had no problems developing and building their own. In 1996, production of U.S. JDAM began. The bombs got their first workout in the 1999 Kosovo campaign. To everyone's surprise, 98 percent of the 652 JDAMs used, hit their targets. In 2001, JDAM proved the ideal weapon for supporting the few hundred Special Forces and CIA personnel the U.S. had on the ground in Afghanistan.
The JDAM was more accurate, and effective, than anticipated. By January, 2002, the U.S. had dropped about half their inventory, of 10,000 JDAMs, in Afghanistan.

Indonesia To Purchase Russian Submarine

Indonesia To Purchase Russian Submarine
(NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA - February 9, 2009: The Indonesian government is set to purchase a Russian-made submarine, a legislator said Monday. "There's always been a plan to purchase submarine and I've surveyed a few submarine workshops in Moscow, Russia. This submarine is to display our naval strength and also anticipate any armed conflicts," official Antara news agency quoted deputy speaker of the House of Representatives' Commission I on political, security and foreign affairs, Yusron Ihza as saying. Ihza did not give the exact time for purchasing the submarine, but he said that due to the global economic downturn, the purchase would be made in stages. However, he said, it's not necessary to own many submarines since they are expensive, He added that the country's economic power needed enhancement as it correlated to the country's defense and security. "My colleagues and I at the House have fought for an increase in defense spending, yet unfortunately this isn't possible now," he said, adding that only a third of the proposed budget was approved.

Russia's Sukhoi Aircraft Maker Opens Office In India

Russia's Sukhoi Aircraft Maker Opens Office In India
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - February 9, 2009: Russia's Sukhoi aircraft maker opened on Monday a representative office in the capital of India, New Delhi, the company's press service said in a statement. Sukhoi, which is part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), is the manufacturer of the famed Su family of combat aircraft, as well as the new Superjet-100 passenger airliners. The Sukhoi office will support sales and maintenance of the aircraft delivered to India, and facilitate contacts with local authorities and companies, the statement said. The Indian Air Force, after years of negotiations, purchased 50 Su-30 aircraft in 1996 and acquired the license from Sukhoi and Russia to manufacture an additional 140 Su-30MKI aircraft. Currently 116 Sukhoi-30MKI are in service. Russia earlier said it had started talks with Indian firms on the delivery of SuperJet-100 passenger airliners and other civil aircraft to the country. "The Indian civil aviation market is very attractive. It is very dynamic and has great potential," said Alexei Fyodorov, UAC's general director at a recent meeting of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation.

Kazakhstan Approves US Afghanistan Transit

Kazakhstan Approves US Afghanistan Transit
(NSI News Source Info) February 9, 2009: Kazakhstan on Monday became the latest nation to offer its territory for the transit of non-lethal cargo to US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, following Kyrgyzstan's shock decision to shut a key US airbase. "Kazakhstan has given its consent to the transit of cargo by land for the logistics of the US contingent in Afghanistan," ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashikbayev told journalists. "We will work out the technical and commercial parameters with the US side separately," Ashikbayev said. The announcement from Kazakhstan comes days after Kyrgyzstan's government ordered the closure of a US airbase that serves as a vital supply route for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
US soldiers carry supplies from a transport helicopter in Khost Province, Afghanistan. Kazakhstan has become the latest nation to offer its territory for the transit of non-lethal cargo to US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, following Kyrgyzstan's shock decision to shut a key US airbase.
The administration of US President Barack Obama has made Afghanistan a top priority and has pressed hard to secure overland transit agreements from Russia and Central Asian nations amid security problems on the Pakistan route. And since Bishkek's announcement of the base's closure shocked the United States and NATO, other states have lined up to offer their support to the Western military alliance. Tajikistan also said last week it was ready to allow US and NATO supplies for Afghanistan, including construction materials, medicines, fuel and water, to transit its soil by road. Even Russia has said it will agree to a US request to allow the transit of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan once Washington details what goods require transit. A Kyrgyz parliamentary committee on Monday moved a step closer to endorsing the government plan to close the US air base, officials said.
Map locating the US airbase at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan has become the latest nation to offer its territory for the transit of non-lethal cargo to US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, following Kyrgyzstan's shock decision to shut a key US airbase.
The parliamentary committee for security and defence voted unanimously to shut down the base and will now pass the matter on to a full parliamentary vote to take place on Thursday. The US military base at Manas -- used by coalition forces to support tens of thousands of troops in neighbouring Afghanistan -- is considered vital to the ongoing fight there.
A car drives past a watchtower at the US airbase on the outskirts of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Kazakhstan has become the latest nation to offer its territory for the transit of non-lethal cargo to US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, following Kyrgyzstan's shock decision to shut a key US airbase.
Operated by about 1,000 troops, the Manas base was established to support coalition forces fighting to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Failing In Afghanistan

Failing In Afghanistan
By Steve Chapman
(NSI News Source Info) February 9, 2009: Some countries exist for no apparent reason, but not Afghanistan. Its function in the world has long been clear: to show great powers the limits of their power. First it was the British, who in 1842, at the height of empire, were defeated and expelled. The Soviets invaded in 1979, only to encounter a fierce insurgency that forced their withdrawal. Now it's America's turn to marvel at Afghanistan's immunity to outside control. Afghanistan was once among our sterling military successes -- a war, predicted by skeptics to be a certain quagmire, that produced a swift and stunning victory. The triumph came in 2001, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks mounted by al-Qaida, which had enjoyed a safe haven in this corner of South Asia.
AFGHANISTAN: Artillerymen fire a 155mm Howlitzer at a Taliban position from Camp Blessing in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. Their unit, Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion of the 321 Field Artillery, has fired more than 5,900 shells since they deployed to Afghanistan less than a year ago, making it the busiest artillery unit in the U.S. Army, according to to military officers. They most often fire in support of Army infantry units fighting Taliban insurgents in the nearby Korengal Valley, the site of some of the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan.
But that was a long time ago, and the longer we stay, the worse things get. 2007, the deadliest year of the war for the American military, gave way to an even bloodier year 2008. Extremist attacks are on the rise, and the Taliban now has "a permanent presence in 72 percent of Afghanistan, up from 54 percent a year ago," says a report by the International Council on Security and Development.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has predicted things will get worse this year. President Hamid Karzai's government is widely seen as weak and corrupt. And, not least important, Osama bin Laden is still at large and issuing taped calls for jihad.
President Obama has pledged to give new priority to Afghanistan, with plans to send up to 30,000 more troops, which would double our numbers there. But his administration "does not anticipate that the Iraq-like 'surge' of forces will significantly change the direction" of the war, according to The Washington Post. The point is to buy time to formulate a new strategy, which currently qualifies as a failure.The change of heart appears to be based on the reality that we can't remake the country without a much bigger and more costly commitment that would mire us in Afghanistan for years to come -- and still might not succeed. Lately, the Pentagon has been defining success down, without the world-saving rhetoric of the Bush administration.
A classified report from the Joint Chiefs of Staff has recommended that the president shift the focus from nation-building to destroying Taliban and al-Qaida targets in Pakistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently said that "our primary goal is to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorists and extremists to attack the United States" -- not "creating some sort of Central Asian Valhalla."
Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan was a war we had to fight, and one that served vital national interests: punishing enemies who attacked us on American soil and making sure they couldn't do it again. The original invasion accomplished the first mission and went a long way toward the second. But once Bush turned his attention to Saddam Hussein, he let the Afghan war become an afterthought, lacking sufficient resources and a clear policy.
So what should the policy be? The one identified by Gates and the Joint Chiefs. It makes no difference to our security if Afghanistan is a republic, a monarchy or a theocracy -- as long as it is not a haven for Islamic radicals bent on our annihilation. That's lucky, since there is no reason to think we have the wisdom or the patience to mold the country into anything resembling a prosperous democracy.
Our main power is military, but it has been unable to realize our outsized ambitions. The obvious next step is to try to peel various Taliban factions away from Bin Laden and Co. by offering them a share of power if they give up the fight. Under that approach, we could concentrate our energies on wiping out terrorist camps along the Pakistan border. It also holds the promise of letting us leave in the not-too-distant future without undue risk.
Does it sound like appeasement? Only to those who forget a big key to our recent progress in Iraq -- essentially paying Sunni militias, our onetime enemies, to abandon al-Qaida in Iraq and join with us.
It may be a disappointment to settle for what is merely vital in Afghanistan after the heady days of the early war. But expanding our mission invites disaster, which is worse than disappointment.

China Military Might....Tanks Parade

China Military Might....Tanks Parade
(NSI News Source Info) February 9, 2009: People gather on a sidewalk in Xining on February 7, 2009 in northwest China's Qinghai province, watching from a big screen televised footage of the military parade along Beijing's Chang'An Avenue in 1999 celebrating the 50th anniversary of China's ruling communist party.
China will mark the 60th anniversary of communist rule this year with a frugal military parade as the global financial crisis takes its toll on the country's economy, state media reported on January 30.China has promised this year's event will showcase new weapons and equipment that have not been shown to the public since 1999, when the last military march was held for the 50th anniversary, but concerns have arisen over the cost of hosting such a huge event as the country suffers the effects of a serious economic downturn.