Wednesday, April 20, 2011

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: US Commander In Pakistan For Talks

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: US Commander In Pakistan For Talks
**Admiral Mike Mullen to meet with General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani as tensions run high between two countries.
(NSI News Source Info) - April 20, 2011:

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has arrived in Islamabad to conduct talks with Pakistan's army chief, as tensions continue to run high between the two countries regarding America's role in the region.

The admiral's trip on Wednesday comes after a visit to Afghanistan a day earlier, where he told reporters he would raise ongoing concerns regarding militancy in both Pakistan and Afghanistan with General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the Pakistani army chief.

US missile strikes on targets in Pakistan's tribal areas have stoked anti-American sentiment in the country [EPA]

In a statement, Mullen praised cooperation between US and Pakistani troops working in joint operations against fighters belonging to the Haqqani network, who target NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan.

He did acknowledge, however, that there were also a "strain" due to Taliban and other fighters' alleged ties with Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

"Haqqani is having a much more difficult time now," Mullen told reporters, according to an article on the Joint Chiefs of Staff website.

"All that said, we're still working through the [Pakistani] military support, the way through the relationships the [Pakistani intelligence agency] has with the Haqqani network, and the strain that creates."

"I'll see General Kayani here shortly and these are issues I address with him every single time we engage. And I certainly intend to [raise that] this week."

Tensions running high

The JSC chief's trip to Pakistan is the latest in a series of high-level meetings that have followed the fatal shooting in January of two Pakistanis by Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor, who said he was acting in self-defence.

Davis was later freed on the payment of compensation to the victims' families, but the case ignited a row over intelligence sharing, with the ISI demanding that the American CIA provide more complete data about its operatives and their activities in the country.

Tensions were also raised over the long-running issue of the US's drone strikes on targets in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Pakistan is a key ally of the US in the war in Afghanistan, and receives billions of dollars in military and civilian aid from the country.

The covert drone-launched missile strikes that target fighters in Pakistan's lawless border areas, however, stoke anti-American sentiment amongst the populace, even though it is widely believed that the strikes occur with the tacit consent of Islamabad.

Publically, Pakistan's leaders have insisted that the drone strikes stop and that the US share the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology with Pakistan so that it can take operational control of them, but US officials say operations will continue in order to achieve US security objectives.

Pakistan has also asked the US to slash the number of CIA agents operating in the country.

During Mullen's visit to Forward Operating Base Salerno in Afghanistan on Tuesday, he acknowledged that the Taliban have grown in strength in recent years, and that the upcoming fighting season could be difficult for the US-led coalition.

"We're going to have a very tough year this year," he told reporters. "I've been very straight with the American people on that. I think our losses, which were significant last year, will be significant this year as well."

He also said that the US relationship with Pakistan remains vital for both countries, and that while it was going through a "very turbulent time ... I think that all of us believe that we cannot afford to let this relationship come apart".

Zafar Jaspal, an Islamabad-based security analyst, told Al Jazeera that it was unlikely that Mullen's trip would do much to ease the tension, as most of Pakistan's objections are related to CIA activities in the country, and he does not have command of that agency.

"There is a lot of mistrust in this relationship, which the United States and Pakistan want to overcome, but at the same time ... though both sides have been working a lot, but still the rapprochement approach is not giving us an optimistic picture or outlook," he said.

"Their interdependency is too [high], especially in the context of political and security instability in Afghanistan, and at the same time Pakistan is getting some assistance from the United States. But if you recall, [on Monday] Pakistan's finance minister [Abdul Hafeez Shaikh] said that we are not getting as much as is expected, or generally people think."

Jaspal said that the US has been pushing Pakistan to take on Haqqani group fighters and suspected al-Qaeda sanctuaries in North Waziristan, but the Pakistani government has responded in the negative, citing a lack of resources.

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DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated April 20, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated April 20, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 20, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued April 20, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

ARMY

Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on April 18 a $71,837,142 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 417 different Medium Tactical Vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet with three bids received. The U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0159).

Buck Town Contractors & Co., Kenner, La., was awarded on April 18 a $26,736,831 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction of concrete canal flumes to provide an improved drainage system and flood protection to areas in southeast Louisiana. Work will be performed in Metairie, La., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 26, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet with three bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, New Orleans, La., is the contracting activity (W912P8-11-C-0039).

AIR FORCE

Information Innovators, Inc., Springfield, Va. is being awarded a $69,619,056 firm-fixed-price contract for personnel in support of one virtual enterprise IT services desk, with four physical locations operating 24 hours per day, seven days per week, including holidays and leap years. The 690th Network Support Squadron provides rapid, persistent incident management response for users and administrators of assigned air awareness of network availability and performance of Air Force Network (AFNet) command and control entities and prioritize response to incidents to ensure cyber combat support across the AFNet. At this point, $3,500,000 has been obligated. Work will be performed at Springfield, Va. The AF ISR Agency/A7KA, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA7037-11-F-0003).

University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio, is being awarded a maximum $48,600,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity plus-fixed-fee contract for the High Speed Air and Responsive Space Vehicle Technologies Program to conduct basic, applied and advanced research and development by advancing state-of-art and scientific knowledge in operationally responsive launch systems, and high speed air vehicle technologies. At this time, $167,417 has been obligated. Work will be performed at the University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio. The AFRL/PKV, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-11-D-3134).

Lockheed Martin Corp., King of Prussia, Pa., is being awarded a $22,753,782 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the conversion, production, test and delivery of subassemblies to retrofit five low frequency instrument consoles and upgrade number three. At this time, $22,753,782 has been obligated. Work will be performed at King of Prussia, Pa. AFNWC/PKMA, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8204-09-C-0005, P00004).

Chromalloy Component Services, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, is being awarded an estimated $11,316,625 modified firm-fixed-price contract to provide F108 Module 13/15 assemblies for KC135R aircraft. The assemblies are used at Tinker Air Force Base Depot to organically build the F108 engines. At this time, an estimated $11,316,625 has been obligated. Work will be performed at San Antonio, Texas. AFGLSC 848 SCMG/PKAB, Tinker Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8121-09-D-0012, P00007).

The Boeing Co., Wichita, Kan., is being awarded an $8,100,012 firm-fixed-price contract modification for thirty 640 gigabyte removable storage devices for test and development. At this point, $2,500,000 has been obligated. Work will be performed in Wichita, Kan. The ASC/WWV, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8107-05-C-001, P00075).

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc., Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $55,704,295 modification to a previously awarded contract (N63394-10-C-5006) for operation and maintenance services for the combined tactical training ranges. Services will be required at shore sites, land-based test facilities, and aboard ships in ports and at sea. Work will be performed in Oceana, Va. (30 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (25 percent); Fallon, Nev. (20 percent); Cherry Point, N.C. (12 percent); Key West, Fla. (8 percent); and San Diego, Calif. (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed by April 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $7,372,694 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Port Hueneme Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY

Wyle Information Systems, LLC, McLean, Va., is being awarded a $14,022,433 cost-plus-fixed- fee contract (HR0011-11-C-0057). This contract is for the relocation of information technology (IT) equipment and for the purchase of new IT equipment during the relocation of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency headquarters from 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Va., to a more secure operating locale at 675 North Randolph Street, Arlington, Va. Work will be performed in McLean, Va. (96 percent), and Reston, Va. (4 percent). The work is expected to be completed July 31, 2012. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems, Redondo Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $12,523,315 modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (HR0011-09-C-0062). This award is for the Terahertz (THz) Electronics Program. The contractor shall develop critical device and integration technologies necessary to realize compact, high-performance electronic circuits that operate at a center frequency of 1.03 THz. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, Calif. (82.58 percent); Charlottesville, Va. (1.84 percent); Pasadena, Calif. (9.38 percent); Charlottesville, Va. (3.51 percent); Tempe, Ariz. (1.73 percent); and University Park, Pa. (0.96 percent). The work is expected to be completed April 16, 2014. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the contracting activity.

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Global Fighter Jets ~ Asia, The New Centre Of Gravity?

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Global Fighter Jets ~ Asia, The New Centre Of Gravity?
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 20, 2011:

Some of Asia’s aerospace industries are starting work on fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Despite huge technological hurdles, these countries could displace Western Europe as a leading centre of fighter jet development, and possibly one day give the United States some real competition in global markets.

FOR CENTURIES, North America and Europe have dominated the state-of-the-art when it comes to military technology. Nearly all the great breakthroughs in weaponry – from muskets to missiles – have originated there. And perhaps no field of military technology has been more consistently and overwhelmingly the purview of the occidental West than fighter jets.

Since the end of World War II, a handful of countries in the West – basically, the United States, the USSR/Russia, Britain, France, and Sweden – have controlled the global fighter jet industry. Many countries have tried to break into this business: Argentina in the 1950s, Egypt and India in the 1960s, Israel and South Africa in the 1980s; none were particularly successful, and some – such as the Indian HF-24 Marut – were spectacular failures. Even today, perhaps 90 percent of all fighter jets flown by all the world’s air forces are produced by these five countries, or are based on copies of their planes (such as the Chinese J-7 fighter, a virtual clone of the venerable Soviet MiG-21).

This Western dominance could begin to crumble, however, as Asia ramps up several new fighter jet programmes, all of which are intended to come into service over the next 10 to 20 years. Consequently, the centre of gravity in the fighter jet industry could gradually begin to shift from the North Atlantic closer to the Asia – a development that could have particularly grave consequences for Western Europe’s military aerospace sector and could eventually even challenge the US’s predominance in this sector.

Asia’s Fighter Jet Programmes: Who’s Up, Who’s Down?

Combat aircraft development in Asia is a decidedly uneven affair. Southeast Asia, for example, has hardly a player in this sector, despite the vainglorious efforts of B.J. Habibie to turn Indonesia into an aerospace powerhouse, or Singapore Technologies’ success as an aircraft maintenance and upgrade shop. In addition, Taiwan’s indigenous aerospace industry – which developed both an advanced trainer jet (the AT-3) and a frontline fighter (the Ching-kuo) – is for all practical purposes dead in the water, having not produced a new aircraft in over a decade.

Even Japan, Asia’s aerospace leader for decades (and the only country in the region to possess a military aircraft industry before World War II), is in a state of uncertain decline. Its current indigenous fighter jet, the F-2, has been a technological and programmatic dead-end: its all-composite wing is prone to cracks, and it is so outrageously expensive (three times the cost of the F-16 upon which it is based) that procurement was cut from 130 to only 98 planes. When the last F-2 is delivered this year, Japan will have no fighter aircraft in production – and no new programme to replace it.

Rising Centres: China, India, and South Korea

On the other hand, some Asian fighter aircraft producers are obviously on the rise, despite all odds. China startled the world in January with the first flight of its J-20 fighter. Not much is known about this aircraft, which in some ways resembles the US “fifth-generation” F-22, and one should be careful not to read too much into this programme. Nevertheless, the J-20 certainly demonstrates China’s ambitions – and the aggressive steps it is prepared to take – to claw its way up into the vanguard of fighter-jet producers.

China's J20

China's J20?

India is also attempting to develop a fifth-generation fighter, in collaboration with Russia, based on the Sukhoi PAK FA (T-50) prototype. If this programme is successful, it would constitute a generational leap in India’s fighter jet technology, as well as atoning for its long-delayed and over-budget Tejas fighter.

Finally, South Korea is pressing ahead with not one but two designs for an indigenous fifth-generation “KF-X” fighter – a twin-engine, canard-type fighter, and a single-engine aircraft resembling the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Interestingly, both Indonesia and Turkey are keen to partner with Korea in developing and manufacturing one of these fighters.

What About Europe?

All of these fighter jets are intended to fly or even be fielded within a decade. Of course, these countries face tremendous challenges translating these programmes – some which are literally paper aircraft – into actual frontline fighters. India is heavily dependent upon Russian know-how and systems, while it is highly uncertain that South Korea possesses the technological base to indigenously develop a state-of-the-art fighter. If these countries should succeed, however, this would constitute a tectonic shift in the centre of gravity in the global fighter jet industry.

Europe is the most at risk for losing its place to Asia in the global fighter jet hierarchy. Western Europe has basically not developed a new fighter in nearly 30 years. At present there is no money in the European aerospace sector to fund a fifth-generation follow-on to the Eurofighter Typhoon, the French Rafale, or the Swedish Gripen. Moreover, talk about a European UCAV (an unmanned combat aerial vehicle), which could constitute the region’s next-generation fighter programme, remains just that – talk.

Consequently, the future global fighter aircraft business could in time become a US-Asian duopoly. And while the US, with the F-35 JSF, is likely to dominate this sector for the next two decades – especially when it comes to international arms sales – some upstart Asian aircraft producers could eventually give it a real run for its money.

Richard A. Bitzinger is a Senior Fellow with the Military Transformations Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. Formerly with the RAND Corp. and the Defence Budget Project, he has been writing on aerospace and defence issues for more than 20 years.

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DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: President Ma Ying-jeou Renews Call For US Fighter Jet Sale

DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS:

President Ma Ying-jeou Renews Call For US Fighter Jet Sale

DTN Canada Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Ko Shu-ling / Staff Reporters, with AFP - Taipei Times
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 20, 2011:

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday renewed his call on Washington to sell Taiwan F-16C/D aircraft, while a Coast Guard Administration official announced “rigorous combat training” for coast guard personnel in the South China Sea.

During a meeting with US Representative Dan Burton, a Republican, at the Presidential Office, Ma said he hoped the US government would support Taiwan’s request “so that we can replace the old fleet and maintain the national defense capability of our country.”

Burton arrived in Taipei on a six-day visit on Sunday. He is the chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia and a former co-chair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus.

In a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添), Burton voiced support for US arms sales to Taiwan.

“One of the things the foreign minister and I discussed briefly was making sure that we move towards completing the sale of the military equipment that would be beneficial to Taipei for long-term security,” Burton said.

“I am going to do everything I can as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee to see that this is accomplished,” he said.

Addressing media following the meeting, Yang said they discussed the changing situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the US’ role in region. They both agreed that the US presence in the region was a “cornerstone” to maintaining freedom, stability and security, which is also “a vital national interest” of the US, Yang said.

Amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over the South China Sea, over which China claims sovereignty while the US says it has a national interest in freedom of navigation, Yang said Taiwan shared the US perspective on the matter.

“We welcome the return of the US to the Western Pacific,” Yang said, adding that Taiwan supported the US State Department’s oft-stated position calling for continued peace and stability in the region as well as respect for international law.

All parties involved in disputes over the sovereignty of the contested areas should set aside differences and jointly develop maritime resources, Yang said.

The comments coincided with an announcement by Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director-General Wang Chung-yi (王崇儀) that coast guard personnel stationed in the South China Sea would undergo “rigorous combat training.”

Personnel posted to the area will receive training akin to that of the Marine Corps, Wang said.

“We need strength to defend our sovereignty,” he said, but did not provide details about the training.

Media reports said this could include skills in areas such as coastal defense against amphibious attack.

There is a coast guard base on Taiping Island (太平島), the largest island in the disputed Spratly (南沙群島) archipelago.

The island, which has a runway to help with logistical support, is reported to have a garrison of about 130 personnel.

Taiwan on Monday reiterated its claims to the Spratlys, along with three other island groups in the South China Sea, amid a flare-up in tensions between the Philippines and China over rival claims.

“We urge the Philippines not to take any unilateral move that will spark controversy in the South China Sea,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia and the Philippines claim all or part of the Spratlys.

The Philippine military last week said it planned to use a new US-made vessel to boost patrols in the disputed waters.

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