Swans flock home

Friday, September 26, 2008

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Russia's Tu-160 bombers are back from Venezuela. The overseas visit by the most powerful strike aircraft of Russia has created a new surge of interest in these planes, which make up the core of Russian strategic aviation.

The supersonic missile-carrying bomber was developed in the early 1970s, when it became clear that subsonic 3M and Tu-95 bombers, which did not yet carry long-range cruise missiles, were unable to penetrate NATO's air defenses in a conflict. The maiden flight of the new plane took place at the end of 1981.

From the outset, the Tu-160 was designed as a missile-carrying bomber, that, combined with its high altitude performance, was to make it less vulnerable when breaking through NATO's air defenses. Its serial production began in 1984, and in 1987 the first units joined the air force. By 1991, the Soviet Union had 19 Tu-160 strategic bombers in service, which belonged to the 184th Heavy Bomber Regiment at Priluki, Ukraine.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's new leadership decided to discontinue the production of Tu-160s and Tu-95MSs, and also to stop regular flights by strategic aviation outside Russia's airspace. With completion of nearly-ready aircraft, Russia's air force was found to have only six "White Swans", as pilots dubbed the Tu-160. A few others were used as flying laboratories for all sorts of tests.

Ukraine, meanwhile, decided to disband its force of strategic bombers. It resolved to return eight Tu-160s and three Tu-95s to Russia in exchange for gas debt.

In the early 2000s, it was decided to upgrade existing Tu-160s and finish the few planes in assembly jigs at the Kazan aircraft plant. In 2003, one of the Tu-160s was lost in an air disaster - as yet the only recorded loss in the service history of this plane.

In 2007, Vladimir Putin decided to resume regular missions by strategic aviation to remote parts of the world. It was also decided to restart production of Tu-160s and increase the air force complement to 30. All new aircraft, as well as the upgrades, were to be equipped with improved NK-32 engines, which have long service intervals and thus increase the service life of a Tu-160.

The bomber's armaments include Kh-55 nuclear-tipped long-range cruise missiles. For tactical purposes, it can also carry missiles in non-nuclear configuration, smart bombs, bomb clusters, and other weapons.

The Tu-160 is the world's largest combat plane - its maximum takeoff weight is 275 tons. At the same time, it has a high speed - 2,250 km/hr, or 700 km more than the American B-1B supersonic bomber, and much lower visibility. Its range without refueling is 6,000 km, which, in case it uses long-range cruise missiles, enables it to engage targets 7,000 to 8,000 km away from base.

The Tu-160's characteristics and its upgrade potential make it the world's best strategic bomber, better than the B-2 Stealth bomber, which is second to the Tu-160 in speed, payload, range and combat flexibility.

Russia successfully launches Bulava

MOSCOW. (Nikita Petrov for RIA Novosti) - On September 18, the heavy Akula-class Project 941 nuclear submarine cruiser Dmitry Donskoi (NATO's reporting name Typhoon), side number TK-208, launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, RSM-56 Bulava-M (NATO code SS-NX-30).

The launch took place from a submerged position in the White Sea and, as a naval spokesman said, "the warhead arrived at the test site Kura in Kamchatka as scheduled." "Although telemetric data is still being processed, it can be said that the launch and flight proceeded without a hitch," and the missile successfully hit its intended target, he added.

The jury is still out on whether this is true or not. Tests of the Bulava, a missile designed to be installed on the new Borei-class Project 955 nuclear-powered undersea cruiser Yury Dolgoruky and her sister ships Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh currently under construction at Sevmash in Severodvinsk, the Arkhangelsk Region, are conducted amid tight secrecy. Information, whether good or bad, comes in drips and drabs, sometimes long after launches are made and from unnamed and classified sources.

Russia's navy pins great hopes on the Bulava, which has been plagued by problems for 15 years now. The missile is also the focus of intrigue, with some designers wishing it good luck and others good riddance.

The job of developing the new intercontinental missile system for a nuclear submarine of the Borei class, laid out at Sevmash in 1996, was given to the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering, known for its ground-launched solid-propellant missile systems RT-2PM Topol (NATO name SS-25 Sickle) and silo- and land-based RT-2PMU Topol-M (SS-27). These systems are expected to form the core of Russia's strategic deterrence now and in the future. The Bulava, in turn, is to be the centerpiece of Russia's naval strategic deterrence. The fact remains, however, that the missile systems now adopted by the navy and the nuclear submarines carrying them will retire in the next 10 to 15 years, and will have to be replaced with more effective and increased high-precision weapons. All Russia's hopes now lie with Borei-class submarines, Project 955 and its missile Bulava.

The main problem was that the Institute had never made missiles for the navy. They were designed and produced at the Makeyev Design Bureau in Miass, which was initially tasked with developing a new strategic missile system called Bark for Yury Dolgoruky and all Project 955 vessels. The missile, however, proved ineffective. A series of three tests ended in failure.

Military experts are at odds over the causes. Some blame defects in manufacturing technology, others the design's imperfections. Still others intimate that behind it all was the man who commanded the armed forces at the time. Being a missileman himself, he warmed to the Moscow Institute rather than to the naval design bureau. So when mishaps followed (they are inevitable in tests of such sophisticated weapons as strategic missiles), he decided in favor of his pet Institute, since it promised to make the Bulava as unified with the new Topol-M as possible, thus saving the sizeable amount of money required for the development of a sea-launched missile.

Such claims are hard to prove. Each has a hard-nosed lobby, who, like fans of Spartak or CSKA football, will tell you that their team is the best despite its low championship score.

The facts, however, remain. In 1998, Russia's Security Council and the country's president decided that the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering and its general designer Yury Solomonov should develop the missile system for a series of Borei-class submarines, with assistance from Makeyev bureau experts, a fact never mentioned by Institute critics.

But the development specification remained the same. The missile was to be launched from under the water, cover a distance of 8,000 kilometers and carry a total of 10 independently targetable warheads capable of outwitting any missile defense system. It also had to be lightweight for its class, approximately 30 to 40 tons. The answer to the quest was provided by the Bulava-30, or the Bulava-M, as it is now called.

True, it flunked half of its eight tests. On the one hand, that is easy to explain. No missile, either in Russia or outside it, is ever a first-time success. Tests are tests, they are conducted to check novel ideas and then learn from mistakes. Computer-aided design, widely used now in all technical development, is unable to predict the behavior of a product in a natural environment, especially one such as sea water. Sea water is 800 times more dense than air and has always been a challenge to a missile launched from a running submarine. The rare television footage of Bulava tests shows that the missile, to overcome the pressure of passing waves, emerges from under the water at an angle and only later assumes a ballistic path leading to a target.

On the other hand, with skilled workers at a premium, second-tier vendors sometimes supply flawed parts and components to the parent manufacturer - the Votkinsk Engineering Plant - which assembles Bulavas. Even the tightest incoming inspection lets through some defective components. And that is also a reality of our time.

Still, from test to test the Bulava is gaining in intelligence and increasingly flies where it is told to fly. Its latest launch, on September 18, proves it. It may well be that the experts will spot some defects. We will learn about them later, despite a cocoon of secrecy that surrounds the new weapon's development. While there are "resentful" people and while telemetric data is read off the monitoring devices not only by our technicians, but also by their overseas partners and rivals, so to say, some secrets will leak out.

Yet let us hope that the Bulava-M and the first Borei-class submarine Yury Dolgoruky, after a 12-year spell at Sevmash, will ultimately be commissioned, as promised, early in 2009. And will be followed by other legendary figures in Russian history - Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh. The total estimated number of these submarines is six to eight. The first, Dolgoruky, has 12 missile silos; the others, 16 each.

If these plans see the light of day, the Russian naval nuclear forces will become a reliable deterrent against any potential aggressor in the second decade of the 21st century.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

Pakistan Heightens Security at Airports After Bomb Threat

By VOA News
25 September 2008

Pakistani authorities say they have heightened security at all airports after a phone caller threatened to bomb the Islamabad airport.

Authorities at the international airport in Islamabad say security officials found no bombs at the boarding gates and lounges during a sweep of the building Thursday.

They say despite the ongoing search, all flights are on schedule.

Security officials began searching the airport after an unknown person called in a suicide bomb threat Thursday.

Rumors of bomb threats have circulated the capital since a suicide bomber detonated 600 kilograms of explosives at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last week, killing 53 people.

A little-known group calling itself Fedayeen Islam claimed responsibility for the Marriott attack, demanding Pakistan stop cooperating with the United States. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the claim.

Denmark today confirmed that a member of its security services was among those killed in Saturday's Marriott attack.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is prohibiting all U.S. government personnel in Pakistan from staying at, or visiting, major hotels in Islamabad, and in the cities of Karachi and Peshawar. They also are being warned to stay away from restaurants.

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad also temporarily suspended visa services Thursday.

Some analysts say the bombing was likely in response to Pakistan's ongoing military operation in the northwestern tribal regions, where militants sympathetic to al-Qaida operate.

In the latest fighting, the Pakistani military says security forces, backed by helicopter gunships, killed at least 12 militants today in the Bajaur tribal region.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Iran Six ministerial officials to meet in coming days

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 09:39 UNITED NATIONS, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - The six negotiators on the Iranian nuclear issue will meet in the coming days at the level of foreign ministries' political directors due to the postponement of ministerial talks, France's Foreign Ministry said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier said a meeting on Iran involving the foreign ministers of Russia, China, the United States, France, Britain and Germany was canceled as the parties had failed to fix a date due to their busy schedule at the current UN General Assembly session.

"We would like this meeting to take place in New York at the level of political directors," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman quoted minister Bernard Kouchner as saying.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, said on Monday it had not been able to make much progress on the issue of a possible military aspect to Iran's nuclear program.

At a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated that the Islamic Republic's nuclear program was entirely peaceful and dismissed U.S. accusations that Tehran was striving to develop nuclear weapons.

The Russian foreign minister said on Wednesday that Russia sees no crisis surrounding Iran's nuclear program and does not consider it necessary to take any urgent steps.

Iran is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions for defying international demands to halt uranium enrichment.

IRAQ: Parliament demands financial help for IDPs, refugees

BAGHDAD, 25 September 2008 (IRIN) - A parliamentary committee on displacement and migration demanded the Iraqi government allot US$4 billion in next year's budget to meet the needs of more than four million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees.

"We asked the government last year to allocate 3 to 5 percent of the oil revenues in the 2008 budget to cover the needs of IDPs and refugees as they represent a big segment of the Iraqi people and are going through harsh conditions," Abdul-Khaliq Zankana, a lawmaker and head of parliament's displacement and migration committee, told IRIN on 24 September.

"But unfortunately this call was ignored," Zankana said.

"A few months ago, we appealed for $2 billion to be allotted in the $21 billion complementary budget to the 2008 budget for the same purpose, but the government only allotted about $200 million," Zankana said. Iraq's 2008 budget was $70 billion.

"Those people [IDPs and refugees] are Iraqis like any others and both the parliament and the government have commitments according to the constitution and international accords to protect and help them," he added.

Zankana said such allocation was urgently needed as the situation faced by IDPs and refugees "is not likely to be solved in the coming one or two years".

In a statement issued on 17 September, the spokesman for Iraq's Finance Ministry, Adnan Abdul-Rahman, said the country's 2009 budget would reach a record $78.88 billion.

Abdul-Rahman added that the budget, which was based on an average oil price of $80 a barrel next year, would be divided between $60.26 billion in operational expenses and the balance allotted to investment and improvements in infrastructure.

The budget has been submitted to Cabinet.

Zankana said no more than 20,000 families, about 120,000 individuals, had returned to their homes so far and about half of them were in Baghdad.

Conditions far from normal

But conditions were still far from normal for many of the returnees.

"Some of these families did not return to their provinces or areas as they were forced back due to tightened visa and residency measures in neighbouring countries and they have ended up in places other than their insecure areas [of origin]," he said.

"And some of them found their houses and properties damaged as they were occupied either by militants or other displaced families while others faced the same threats from the same militants in their areas when they came back," he added.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled their homes since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Of these, about 2.2 million are living as refugees in neighbouring countries - mostly in Syria and Jordan - while the remainder are IDPs.

IAEA expected to take more logical step: Larijani

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Sept 25, IRNA
Iran-Larijani-Nuclear
Iran has responded to six outstanding questions of the International Atomic Energy Agency and is not obliged to answer the US-fabricated charge of alleged studies, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said on Thursday.

In reference to the Modality Agreement according to which the IAEA has undertaken to put an end to the accusations against Iran after it received response for the six outstanding issues, Larijani criticized IAEA Managing Director Mohamed ElBaradei for echoing the US baseless accusations in contravention with the Modality Agreement.

Asked about his evaluation of the latest report released by IAEA chief, he told IRNA that Iran has answered all the six questions posed by the international body and it is not responsible for extra questions.

"ElBaradei was expected to take a more logical and basic step, given the Iranian cooperation with the agency and based on the Modality Agreement," he said.

Asked whether Iran accepted to respond to alleged studies on August 27, 2007, Larijani said that only six subjects about the country's nuclear activities were on the agency's agenda, which were answered by Iran on a schedule, and there was not extra topic.

"The same approach which solved the six outstanding issues can also help resolve alleged studies," he said.

The former Iranian nuclear negotiator said that alleged studies is a new charge brought up by the US and the agency is pursuing it.

Larijani also reiterated that currently Iran and the agency have a good level of cooperation which can help solve the issues.

China Launches Manned Space Mission

By Stephanie Ho
Beijing

China has successfully launched its third manned mission to outer space. The highlight of this trip will be a spacewalk, in which a Chinese man takes the first steps in space for his country. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.

With a perfunctory countdown, the Shenzhou 7 blasted off.

In an encounter broadcast live on state television, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Shenzhou 7's three astronauts at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in western China's Gansu Province.

Hu said he represents the lofty aspirations of the central leadership of the country and the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the people of China, in wishing the astronauts success in their mission.

With its first manned space flight in 2003, China joined the United States and Russia in putting humans into outer space.

Liu Guoning, a researcher with China's manned space engineering office, says this third mission is the riskiest yet for China.

Liu says, in China 's previous two manned space missions, the hardest part was the launch and the re-entry. He says, this time the highest risk will come with the spacewalk, which is scheduled for Saturday.

At a regular foreign ministry briefing, spokesman Liu Jianchao was asked about whether China has military intentions for outer space.

Liu says the Shenzhou 7 mission is part of China's efforts to explore and make peaceful use of outer space for all humanity.

China raised international concern last year, after it destroyed one of its own satellites in space. Critics say the anti-satellite test, which was conducted without prior public notice, signified a major new Chinese military capability.

Russia puts 3 Glonass satellites into orbit

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 13:48 MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has put into orbit three Glonass navigation satellites after a successful launch from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, Russia's space agency said on Thursday.

"The Proton-M carrier rocket lifted off at 12:49 Moscow time [08:49 GMT], and the separation of the satellites from the rocket occurred on schedule at 12:59 Moscow time [08:59 GMT]," the agency's spokesman said.

Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellite System - is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions in terms of longitude, latitude and altitude to within a few meters.

According to the Central Research Institute for Machine Building, the Glonass system currently consists of 16 satellites, with 13 satellites operating in line with their designated function, two satellites undergoing maintenance, and one due to be withdrawn from the orbital grouping.

It was earlier reported that the Glonass system required 18 satellites for continuous navigation services covering the entire territory of the Russian Federation and 24 satellites to provide services worldwide.

A total of 9.9 billion rubles ($418.25 million) was allocated for Glonass from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($200 million) in 2006.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a directive on September 12 allocating an additional $2.6 billion to develop the Glonass satellite system.

Russian Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov said on September 5 that the number of satellites in the Glonass network would be increased from the current 16 to 30 by 2011.

Iran to conduct first satellite launch soon - Ahmadinejad

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 15:36 TEHRAN, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Iran's president says his country will soon send up a rocket that will put the country's first domestically launched satellite into orbit, his press service said Thursday.

"We will soon launch a rocket that has 16 engines, which will put into orbit a 700 kg satellite," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a meeting of the Iranian diaspora in the United States.

On February 4, 2008, Iran tested the Kaveshgyar-1 (Explorer) missile and unveiled its first domestically built satellite, Omid (Hope), which is to be launched later this year.

The satellite will aid natural disaster management programs and improve telecommunications.

In mid-August, Tehran said it put a dummy satellite into orbit.

Publish Post

Iran's first satellite was launched in 2005 by a Russian rocket, and earlier this year a Chinese rocket put a joint Chinese-Thai-Iranian satellite into orbit.

The Islamic Republic has said it plans to launch several domestic satellites by 2010 and send its first astronaut into space within the next decade.

NASA again postpones Atlantis trip to Hubble

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 11:13 WASHINGTON, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - The launch date for space shuttle Atlantis to service the Hubble Space Telescope has been postponed from October 10 to 14, NASA said in a statement.

The 11-day mission, originally scheduled for launch on August 28, was previously postponed until October 10-11 to complete work on an external fuel tank. This time NASA said the final preparations for the mission were hampered by hurricane Ike.

During the fourth and final servicing mission to Hubble, the shuttle's seven-member crew will conduct five spacewalks and install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones, and perform component replacements to keep the telescope functioning until at least 2014.

With the delay of Atlantis' launch, shuttle Endeavour's supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), also will be moved from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16.

Hubble, orbiting 569 km (353 miles) above the Earth, is the first telescope designed to be visited in space by astronauts to perform repairs, replace parts, and update its technology with new components.

It is a large, space-based observatory which in its 18 years of operations has provided astronomers with deep and clear views of outer space, from our own solar system to remote galaxies.

Launched in 1990 and substantially upgraded through new instrumentation installed during four previous servicing missions with space shuttles, Hubble completed its 100,000th orbit of Earth on August 11.

NASA earlier said a new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will replace Hubble on a larger orbit in 2013.

Bhutan's Road to Democracy

Council on Foreign Relations

Interviewee: Jigme Y. Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan
Interviewer: Jayshree Bajoria, Staff Writer, CFR.org

In March 2008, Bhutan held its first parliamentary elections (BBC), shifting away from a century-old absolute monarchy. The largely Buddhist country of around 700,000 people is nestled in the Himalayas between Asia's giants, India and China. The head of country's first democratically elected government, Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley, tells CFR.org in an interview that the Bhutanese people were apprehensive about democracy because of the poor state of democracy in South Asia. He says he is confident, however, that democracy will work in Bhutan. Thinley also discusses Bhutan's relations with its neighbors, China and India. He says relations with India have shown continued growth "because of historical and economic reasons," but that relations with China "have not developed in an equal way."

Bhutan's road to democracy has been a rather unusual one. Instead of people demanding it, it was the former king who pushed a move toward democracy. In fact, news reports suggested that the people of Bhutan were quite apprehensive and reluctant to embrace the change. Why do you think such a decision was made, and do you believe such a top-down approach to democracy can work?

It will definitely work, and it has already started working. What one does need to understand is that the process of democratization in Bhutan was not something that was undertaken and completed overnight. It was a process that was initiated as early as 1953 by the third king of Bhutan, and then the fourth king accelerated the process, beginning in 1981 until the final step culminating in the electoral process where two parties vied for the privilege to serve the people. So between 1981 and 2008, we're talking about twenty-seven years. That's a long time. And during those years, various institutional arrangements for the functioning of a democracy, to support the democratic process, were already established.

Backgrounder: Shining Path, Tupac Amaru (Peru, leftists)

Council on Foreign Relations

Author: Kathryn Gregory
Updated: September 25, 2008

The two main Peruvian rebel groups, both leftist, are the Maoist group Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the Cuban-inspired Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru). Both organizations operated most forcefully in the 1980s and early 1990s, when Peru's government fought a costly war against both insurgencies, but disproportionately the Shining Path. The U.S. State Department identifies Shining Path as a terrorist organization, but Tupac Amaru hasn't been listed as such since 1999. Shining Path had a period of dormancy in the 1990s, but Peruvian government reports say it has now revived somewhat in the mountainous regions of Peru.

Origins of Terrorism in Peru

The Shining Path began in the late 1960s as a small communist revolutionary group led by a philosophy professor named Abimael Guzmán. Guzmán opposed Peru's prevailing political elites. His followers drew on Marxism and the example of Cuba's Fidel Castro, and coalesced into a significant and violent guerrilla army which regularly used terrorist tactics in their effort to destabilize and overthrow the Peruvian government. At the height of its power, Shining Path's ranks numbered around ten thousand, according to a report from the Jamestown Foundation. A paper from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) says the main goal of Shining Path has always been to overthrow the existing Peruvian government and political institutions and replace them with a communist revolutionary command. Guzmán, adopting the nom de guerre Presidente Gonzalo, attempted to do all of this while resisting overt ties with foreign powers or other Latin American leftist groups, including the contemporary Peruvian group known as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.

Tupac Amaru, or MRTA, was named for an eighteenth-century rebel leader who fought Spanish colonial control.

US, Russia To Continue Cooperation on Iran, North Korea, Despite Georgia Dispute

By David Gollust
New York

Senior U.S. and Russian officials say the two powers will continue cooperation on ending the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs despite their bitter disagreement over Russian intervention in Georgia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in New York Wednesday for their first face-to-face meeting since the Georgia crisis last month. VOA's David Gollust reports from our U.N. bureau.

Neither side appears to be giving ground on Russia's invasion of Georgia and recognition of two breakaway Georgian regions, which the United States calls a grave mistake.

But U.S. officials describe the Rice-Lavrov meeting at New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel as polite and businesslike and say they agreed to continue working together in multilateral efforts to curb the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.

A decision earlier this week initiated by Moscow to cancel a New York meeting on Iran by the five permanent U.N. Security Council member countries and Germany, the P5+1, gave rise to speculation the Georgia dispute has had broad spillover effects on U.S.-Russian relations.

However, briefing reporters after the meeting between Rice and her Russian counterpart, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Daniel Fried said the discussion on Iran was constructive, and that they will continue a two-track strategy of offering Tehran incentives to stop enriching uranium, and imposing escalating sanctions if it refuses.

"They discussed the way ahead and the two-track approach, but also the need to send Iran a very clear signal that the P5+1 process is intact and that the P5+1 stand by all of their work to date. And I think under the circumstances that would be an important signal, and that's what they discussed,"
he said.

Fried said the United States, Russia and the other members of the group will continue discussions on Iran at the political-director level, with the aim of holding a ministerial meeting on a new U.N. sanctions resolutions at some future date.

He said Moscow also committed to making a similar signal of its continuing commitment to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program in light of the Rice-Lavrov meeting.

Mr. Lavrov himself, in an appearance at New York's Council of Foreign Relations gave a similar assessment of the meeting, saying while the sides differ on Georgia they agree on the need to be pragmatic and work cooperatively on issues of common concern including Iran and North Korea.

"We want to resolve peacefully both situations. We want to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula, and we want to establish that the Iranian nuclear program is entirely peaceful, through the offices of the IAEA. These goals are unchanged, and it would be just irresponsible if because of some disagreements on the Caucasus, our countries should drop these over-riding goals," he said.

At the same time, Lavrov decried what he called the very emotional reaction by western countries and especially the United States to what he described as Russian action to stop Georgian aggression against South Ossetia.

The Russian foreign minister said the intervention was firmly rooted in the right of self-defense as enshrined in the U.N. Charter.

But Assistant Secretary Fried called the invasion and ensuing recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia an attempt to change Georgia's borders by force and a grave mistake on the part of Moscow.

Fried, who took part in the Rice-Lavrov meeting, said they discussed Georgia in a completely professional manner.

He said he came away from the meeting with a somewhat higher degree of confidence that Russia will adhere to its commitment under a French-brokered cease-fire deal and remove checkpoints in Georgia beyond the confines of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

But he said he fears Russia will not abide by its truce obligation to reduce troop levels in the two disputed regions to those that prevailed before the crisis began August 7. Fried said Russia has publicly declared it will keep much larger forces in the areas, and that this would institutionalize a cease-fire violation.

Russia-S.Ossetia border controls may cease to exist - Putin

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 18:59 VOLZHSKY UTYOS (Samara Region), September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Border controls between Russia and South Ossetia could cease to exist under provisions included in a recently- signed bilateral friendship and cooperation agreement, the Russian premier said on Thursday.

Vladimir Putin said it would be good if Russia, while "assisting in the economic restoration of South Ossetia," could provide an opportunity for people "to freely communicate without restrictions, without formalities at the state border."

Russia signed friendship and cooperation treaties with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway Georgian province, on September 17, promising the republics military and economic support.

Putin said it would be necessary to draft and sign another document - one which would ensure the security of Russia's state borders while also doing away with "administrative obstacles" on the Russian-South Ossetian border.

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states last month after a brief armed conflict with Georgia. The five-day war began when Georgia attacked South Ossetia on August 8.

Putin also said he believed that Russian and Georgian relations would improve in the future, despite the fact that the countries currently have no diplomatic ties.

"This is a country," Putin said of Georgia, "that is close to us...one with which we have centuries-long contacts and ties."

After Russia recognized the Georgian rebel republics, Tbilisi announced it was severing all diplomatic ties with Moscow. It also gave notice of its withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States, an alliance of former Soviet republics.

Bush Impressed by Lebanese Reconciliation Talks

By Scott Stearns
White House

U.S. President George Bush says he is impressed by efforts by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to reconcile the country's rival factions. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the two men met in the Oval Office Thursday.

President Bush welcomed the Lebanese president, saying he has watched carefully the new leader's efforts to resolve many of Lebanon's divisions.

"We are most impressed by the national dialogue that you are holding in an attempt to seek reconciliation," said President Bush. "The United States is proud to stand by your side. Our mission is your mission: a country that is strong and capable and a country where people can live in peace."

President Suleiman took office as part of a compromise after the militant group Hezbollah blocked the election of a politician with a tougher stance against Syrian influence in Lebanon.

President Suleiman is working to resolve the political divide between Lebanon's ruling coalition government and Hezbollah. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Washington backs the head of the ruling coalition, Saad Hariri.

Speaking to reporters before their talks, President Suleiman said the government in Beirut is proud of the million Lebanese Americans who work sincerely for both the United States and their original homeland.

President Suleiman thanked President Bush for America's support for the Lebanese government and military. He said Lebanon shares the values of democracy, liberty, and human rights and is working against bigotry and terrorism.

President Suleiman said Lebanese value the diversity of their country but believe the future of Palestinian refugees is in their own homeland, not in Lebanon. He said that is in the interest of both the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

President Suleiman and President Bush were expected to discuss peace talks between Syria and Israel as well as efforts to expand the Lebanese army.

India, Pakistan Pledge More Peace Talks

By Barry Newhouse/Anjana Pasricha
Islamabad/New Delhi

India's prime minister and Pakistan's president have agreed to a new round of peace talks before the end of the year. Barry Newhouse in Islamabad and Anjana Pasricha in New Delhi report the leaders also agreed to a joint commission that will investigate the bombing of India's embassy in Afghanistan.

Pakistan PM Hopeful of Resolving Dispute

The meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York was the first between Pakistan's new President Asif Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Relations between the longtime rival nations have been particularly strained after India accused Pakistan's intelligence services of participating in the July bombing of its embassy in Kabul.

Asif Zardari told reporters that his country now faces a difficult situation, but he is hopeful about resolving the long-standing issue of Kashmir with India.

"So I think there is an impetus of a new dialogue with the realization and the growth of this generation, I think people of India and people of Pakistan should themselves decide," he said.

New Delhi Feels Sense of Reassurance

The first meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari appears to have reassured New Delhi of Islamabad's commitment to a peace process begun with the former Pakistani government.

New Delhi has been worried that negotiating peace with a weak civilian government may be more difficult than dealing with former Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf, who had a firm grip on the army.

Analysts say that, for India, Islamabad's promise to act against terrorism remains a top priority. Tensions escalated between the two countries after New Delhi accused Pakistan's spy agency of involvement in a powerful suicide car bomb attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul in July.

After the meeting between the two leaders in New York, Indian Foreign Secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon, said that the Kabul bombing would be discussed with Islamabad, next month.

"They agreed that violence, hostility and terrorism had no place in the vision they share of the bilateral relationship and must be visibly and verifiably prevented," he said. "Severe action would be taken against any elements directing or involved in terrorist attacks."

A commitment to stabilize a truce along the volatile border in Kashmir is also expected to lower tensions between the South Asian rivals. Several incidents of cross border shooting have been reported in recent months, after four years of calm.

But for people in Indian Kashmir, the most significant outcome is the decision to start cross border trade next month in the region, which is divided between the rivals.

Kashmiris have been demanding closer cross border linkages since the peace process began four years ago. So far, the two countries only operate a passenger bus service in the region.

Ukraine, Russia to hold new round of talks on Black Sea Fleet

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 10:01 KIEV, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian and Russian delegations will hold a new round of discussions on Thursday in Kiev on the role of Russia's Crimean naval base in the Georgia conflict, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.

Russia-Ukraine tensions heightened after several Black Sea Fleet warships, based in Sevastopol in Ukraine's Crimea, dropped anchor off the Georgian coast during and after last month's armed conflict with Georgia over breakaway South Ossetia.

Ukraine "will draw the attention of the Russian side to the need to follow decrees issued by the Ukrainian president... Outside the zone of its temporary deployment, the Russian Black Sea Feet must comply with the existing laws of Ukraine," the ministry said.

Yushchenko has called for the Russian Navy's early withdrawal from the Sevastopol base, as well as tougher deployment requirements and higher fees, demands that have not been backed by his former coalition ally, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Russia said Yushchenko's comments were at odds with bilateral agreements on the Black Sea Fleet's presence in Ukraine.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in late August that international agreements on the Black Sea Fleet take precedence over Ukrainian presidential decrees.

Under a bilateral treaty, Russia's Black Sea Fleet is to be withdrawn from its base in Sevastopol after 2017. Russia has repeatedly said it would like to extend the lease.

In a bid to extend the lease, Russia may submit an array of attractive proposals to Ukraine, the Russian defense minister said on Tuesday.

"We are ready to submit an array of proposals that would be beneficial for both countries," Anatoly Serdyukov said.

Commenting on Serdyukov's statement, Vyacheslav Popov, a former commander of the Northern Fleet who now sits in the upper house of Russia's parliament, said on Wednesday that Moscow may offer Ukraine contracts to build aircraft carriers for the Russian Navy.

Russia's naval base in the Crimea currently has 50 warships and patrol boats, along with around 80 aircraft, and employs coastal defense troops.

Russian president seeks quicker military reform

Russian president seeks quicker military reform

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 12:47 VILYUCHINSK (KAMCHATKA), September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's president said on Thursday that the modernization of the Armed Forces needed to move faster, with priority being given to new, advanced weaponry and improving the conditions for service personnel.

"We have a general development plan, but even it needs amending," Dmitry Medvedev said, adding that due to external pressures, its implementation had to be accelerated.

He singled out two main priorities: providing the military with better weapons and equipment, and improving the social and financial status of its personnel.

"First, modernization of the Armed Forces, and second, improving the status of the military serviceman, including higher wages, good quality housing, and an appropriate social security package," he said.

Asked whether the world financial crisis could affect Russia's military development programs, he said the country had a stable, self-sufficient economy and ample resources for the military.

"Regardless of crises, we must keep building new submarines," he said.

Russia may have to pay Ukraine $2 bln for Sevastopol base lease

RIA Novosti

25/09/2008 20:27 (Adds Ukrainian defense minister's statements in paras 9-10)

MOSCOW, September 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia may have to pay $1.5-2 billion a year to Ukraine for the lease of the Sevastopol naval base, if the Black Sea Fleet stays there after 2017, a Russian expert close to talks said on Thursday.

Under the 1997 bilateral treaty, Russia currently pays $98 million annually and its Black Sea Fleet is to be withdrawn from the base in the Crimea after 2017. Moscow has repeatedly said it would like to extend the lease.

"We can assume with certainty that the sum will be not less and most likely even more because the Ukrainian negotiators mentioned these figures back in 1997. However, Moscow managed to convince Kiev at the time that Ukraine's energy debt must be taken as a starting point for the agreement on the price of the lease," the source said.

As a result, the debt was divided over a period of 20 years and the annual payment came to $98 million, which Russia writes off every year from the Ukrainian energy debt.

"There is no doubt that by the end of the lease, the appetites of Ukrainian politicians will only become bigger," the expert said.

At the same time, the source said that there is an additional sum of $800 million that did not become part of the amount considered in 1997 as a base for calculating the annual lease.

"It is a kind of a time bomb. If Ukraine refuses to continue talks on the lease extension, it will have to pay the $800 million, plus the interest accrued over 20 years," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who is seeking NATO and EU membership for the former Soviet republic, has called for the Russian navy's early withdrawal from the Sevastopol base, as well as tougher deployment requirements and higher fees, demands that have not been backed by his former coalition ally, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov ruled out on Thursday the possibility of extending the lease.

"The year 2017 is written in the constitution," Yuriy Yekhanurov said. "When this year comes, Ukraine will have no foreign bases on its territory."

Russia-Ukraine tensions heightened after several Black Sea Fleet warships dropped anchor off the Georgian coast during and after last month's armed conflict with Tbilisi over breakaway South Ossetia.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said late on Wednesday that Ukrainian and Russian delegations would meet in Kiev on Thursday for a new round of discussions on the operation of the base in the context of the Georgia conflict.

In a bid to extend the lease of the Sevastopol base, Russia may submit an array of attractive proposals to Ukraine.

"We are ready to submit an array of proposals that would be beneficial for both countries," the Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Tuesday.

Commenting on Serdyukov's statement, Vyacheslav Popov, a former commander of the Northern Fleet who now sits in the upper house of Russia's parliament, said on Wednesday that Moscow may offer Ukraine contracts to build aircraft carriers for the Russian Navy.

Russia's naval base in the Crimea currently has 50 warships and patrol boats, along with around 80 aircraft, and employs coastal defense troops.

Coalition Forces Capture Seven Suspected Terrorists

Thursday, September 25, 2008

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2008 – Coalition forces operating in central and northern Iraq arrested three wanted men and seven additional suspects while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq leadership and improvised explosive device networks yesterday and today, military officials reported.

An operation yesterday in Fallujah targeted a man suspected of conspiring with a longtime regional al-Qaida “emir.” The operation resulted in the arrest of three suspects, officials said.

In Mosul, a wanted man assessed to be an al-Qaida in Iraq security officer in the area was detained with three additional suspects by coalition forces yesterday. Intelligence reports suggest that the man has attempted to recruit Iraqi police officers into al-Qaida in Iraq, officials said.

Coalition forces also detained a suspected terrorist during an operation in Baghdad today, they said. The wanted man is believed to have multiple connections to al-Qaida operatives throughout the city and country, to include a man involved in bomb-making.

Another wanted man believed to have connections to bombing operations in Beiji was captured by forces during an operation in Tikrit today, officials reported. The suspect, who identified himself during the operation, also is assessed to be directly involved in the placement, facilitation and production of roadside bombs, which are used by al-Qaida to kill Iraqi civilians and coalition forces. An additional suspect was detained during the operation, they said.

Also yesterday, coalition forces apprehended a suspected criminal during an operation in Amarah, in the Maysan province.

Coalition forces targeted a suspected senior weapons smuggler responsible for militant operations against coalition and Iraqi security forces. Forces moved in on the wanted man’s location in Amarah, where they detained the suspect without incident. In addition, they found a Glock pistol and 1 million Iraqi dinar at the residence.

In operations Sept. 23:

-- Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured a suspected criminal leader in Sadr City. The man is allegedly responsible for multiple attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces and possibly involved in the bombing of a district advisory council, officials said. The individual is also believed to be a member of a kidnapping cell.

-- Iraqi soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 30th Brigade, delivered humanitarian aid supplies from the newly opened Najaf International Airport with the help of the Najaf Provincial Reconstruction Team and the 30th Military Transition Team. About 4,000 people received shoes, sports suits, buckets, walkers, crutches and wheelchairs. Even after the distribution, there were still enough supplies remaining to help other displaced families elsewhere.

In operations Sept. 22:

-- Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured a suspected criminal member in Basra. He is believed to be a member of a kidnapping cell that abducted at least two people: an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen for ransom, and an Iraqi citizen. The cell is also said to be linked to a drug and lethal aid smuggling organization.

-- Coalition forces working alongside the Iraqi army in Kirkuk captured a wanted man during an operation targeting al-Qaida’s foreign terrorist network. Intelligence reports suggest the man has connections to senior facilitators in neighboring countries.

-- Two suspects were apprehended in a town west of Mosul during an operation targeting a foreign terrorist facilitator.

-- In an operation near Shu Ayrat, about 46 kilometers south of Mosul, coalition forces detained two more suspects while targeting al-Qaida senior leadership nodes, including a wanted man believed to have multiple associations with the group’s leadership within the region. Coalition forces also found weapons and body armor at the location.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

NATO Helicopters, Pakistan Troops Exchange Fire at Afghan Border

By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad
25 September 2008

NATO officials in Afghanistan say Pakistani troops have fired on NATO helicopters flying inside Afghanistan. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad, where Pakistani military officials insisted the helicopters crossed into Pakistan and then border guards and the helicopters traded fire.

Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the incident occurred when two helicopters flying in Afghanistan crossed into Pakistani airspace, right at a Pakistani security post.

"They did cross and flew over the post, they passed by the post and then the post opened fire. This was an anticipatory warning fire by the border post," he said.

General Abbas said the helicopters returned fire and then returned to Afghanistan.

In Kabul, a NATO spokeswoman said the helicopters never crossed into Pakistani territory.

"ISAF helicopters received small arms fire from a Pakistan military checkpoint along the border near Tanai district, Khost, September 25 while conducting routing operations in Afghanistan," she said. "At no time did ISAF helicopters cross into Pakistani airspace."

The NATO spokeswoman said the helicopters were not damaged, and both sides said no casualties were reported.

The incident is the first time top officials on either side have confirmed a shooting incident involving NATO helicopters and Pakistani border forces. Pakistani intelligence officials in the border regions have reported at least two other similar shooting incidents in recent weeks, but both NATO and the Pakistani military later denied the claims.

The Pentagon said the Pakistani military must explain why the incident occurred.

Pakistani Troops Fire on U.S. Choppers Inside Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2008 – Pakistani soldiers manning a border checkpoint fired on U.S. helicopters flying in Afghan airspace today, Defense Department officials said.

The aircraft were on a mission as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The OH-58 Kiowas never intruded on Pakistani airspace, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

The Pakistani fire did not hit the choppers and the American aircraft did not return fire, Whitman said. “U.S. forces always maintain the right of self-defense,” he said. “In this particular case, my understanding is they just broke off and didn’t return fire.”

The incident occurred near the Pakistan border in the Afghan province of Khowst, NATO officials in Kabul said. NATO officials are speaking with Pakistani military officials to get to the bottom of the situation.

“Over the past several weeks and months, we’ve been doing things to enhance this coordination along the border,” Whitman said.

NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan are working together to establish coordination centers along the border. One already is operational in Nangarhar province at Camp Torkham. The centers will work to prevent misunderstanding among the three entities, officials said.

“I think it’s encouraging that at the time this incident occurred, we were immediately able to contact Pakistani authorities and determine the origin of the fire,” Whitman said. “We’ll have to work through how we prevent incidents like this in the future.”

Al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents seek to exploit the border area where the terrain is difficult and it is easy to make mistakes, NATO officials said. However, the Taliban do not have helicopters, so it is unclear what message Pakistani troops believed they were sending, officials said. This is the first time Pakistani soldiers have fired on coalition aircraft, they said.

The Pakistani embassy had no immediate comment, Whitman said. Pakistan remains an ally and a good partner in the global war on terrorism, he said.

Russia ‘Had Laser Cannons Before U.S.’

http://mnweekly.rian.ru/news/20080523/55330131.html

23/05/2008

MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - Russia started developing tactical laser weapons before the United States and has several prototypes of high-precision combat chemical lasers in its arsenal, a defense industry source said on Tuesday.

The Boeing Company said recently it had test-fired a high-energy chemical laser fitted aboard a C-130H aircraft for the first time. The successful ground tests, "a key milestone for the Advanced Tactical Laser Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program," took place on May 13 at the Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Commenting on the announcement, the Russian expert said: "We tested a similar system back in 1972. Even then our ‘laser cannon was capable of hitting targets with high precision."

"We have moved far ahead since then, and the U.S. has to keep pace with our research and development," he added.

Dogfight Over Jet Sales

http://mnweekly.rian.ru/business/20080327/55319264.html

27/03/2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is bracing for tough competition from Russia and China as cash-flush Asian economies look up to the trio for a new breed of fighter jets to beef up their air forces, experts say.

Japan, India, Australia and South Korea are keen to have the most modern, fifth generation, jet fighters while Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia are reportedly eyeing fourth generation fighters from China.

With Asia powering ahead with military modernization and capability growth, the United States wants to maintain leadership in defense sales in the region attracted by low cost offerings from Russia and China, experts said.

"The Americans and Russians are competing hard for the Asian fighter aircraft market, but everybody is also watching to see how aggressively the Chinese will be entering this market," Richard Fisher, an expert with the Washington-based International Assessment and Strategy Center, said.

The tight competition comes as Asian economies move ahead "much more aggressively" to upgrade their air defense capabilities, he said.

"It's not quite right to say an arms race, but there is an arms jog in Asia," Fisher said.

The United States is currently the sole producer of fifth generation fighters - the F-22s and F-35s. Export of F-22s is barred by law while the lower cost F-35s have just started flight testing ahead of deployment around 2012.

Russia and China's fifth generation fighter offerings could well be on the market between 2015 and 2020, a time frame experts say is not very far away in terms of defense planning.

"I don't want to get into the numbers because they were given to me in confidence but the price the Russians are estimating for their fifth generation fighter is substantially less than the Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) and substantially less than F-22," U.S. aviation expert Reuben Johnson told a Washington forum last week on "challenges to the Asian air power balance."

He said the Russian arms industry was grappling with high production costs.

Russian weapon exports to China have also plunged as Beijing became more wary over Moscow's sales of its most advanced weaponry to neighbor India, Johnson said.

"What is really the challenge is we have two very large countries, China and India, whose economies are booming and who are buying lots of hardware and we are looking at a situation down the road where they are going to have very, very sophisticated air forces," he said.

Russia had already teamed up with India to co-develop and co-produce a version of Moscow's fifth generation fighter, but Fisher said that given the Indian preference of diversifying its weapons sources, it was possible New Delhi could purchase a U.S. fifth generation fighter at some point.

The United States is also vying with Russia and others for a 12-billion-dollar contract to sell 126 fourth generation fighter jets to the Indian air force.

The competition from Russia could prod the Americans to lift an export ban on F-22s, eyed by Australia and Japan, top U.S. allies in the region, experts said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates hinted during a recent Australian visit that Congress may be asked to reconsider the ban.

"It is imperative that the United States consider selling some version of the F-22 to maintain a strong deterrent posture in Asia," Fisher said.

"I would say categorically that Japan requires a capability of the level of the F-22 in order to sustain a sufficient position to deter China," he said.

Flying High

http://mnweekly.rian.ru/world/20080424/55325432.html

24/04/2008

MOSCOW - Russia's rearmament program, approved in 2006 for a period until 2015, provides for supplying modern weapons to its armed forces. One of them is the Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber, which will replace the Su-24 Fencers.

The process has begun, but some say the replacement is taking too long.

The new fighter-bomber is said to be very good. An improvement on the Su-27 Flanker, it has cutting-edge equipment, including a modern crew and equipment protection system. The Su-34 is effective against personnel and military hardware on the battlefield and also against targets behind enemy lines. It can also be used for surveillance missions and against naval targets.

The Su-34 will replace the Su-24M aircraft (about 400 planes), the Su-24MR surveillance aircraft (over 100 planes), and the MiG-25RB aircraft (about 70). Russia will have to produce between 550 and 600 Su-34s to replace these obsolete aircraft within 10-15 years.

However, the Defense Ministry plans to buy only about 58 such planes by 2015, and a total of 300 by 2022.

Many experts say that if the Su-24 and MiG-25RB aircraft are scrapped by 2020, Russia will be left without fighter-bombers and surveillance aircraft. Others argue that this number will be enough for the Air Force's new concept.

The concept is focused not so much on the combat characteristics of the Su-34, as on its long range, the ability to refuel in the air (including by other Su-34 aircraft with additional fuel tanks under their wings), and its comfortable cabin allowing the crew to make long-distance flights without becoming overtired.

Units armed with such aircraft can be used in the so-called pendulum operations, when an Air Force unit bombs a terrorist base in Central Asia today, delivers a strike at a missile base in Europe the next day, and three days later flies to the Indian Ocean to support a combined group of the Northern, Pacific and Black Sea fleets, with flights from a base in Russia.

The Su-34 aircraft has long-range precision weapons, can fly hugging the earth, and has a high level of protection, which should cut losses during lightning operations, while the use of a relatively small number of such aircraft allows training crews to perfection.

This is not a new concept. Elite units of top-class aircraft manned by superbly trained crews formed the core of the German air force during World War II, and Japan's Imperial Navy had a similar concept.

However, such elite units can be quickly weeded out by swarms of ordinary aircraft in a global war of attrition, such as World War II. From this viewpoint, Russia's new concept looks vulnerable, but then this country has the nuclear triad for a global war.

In a war of attrition, it will not matter how many such smart aircraft Russia will have - 200, 600 or 1,500. What will really matter is the yield of a nuclear bomb they will be able to drop on the enemy.

But in the event of a small war involving one or two adversaries, or a chain of local conflicts, the existence of such high-speed, highly protected and well-armed aircraft can be the decisive factor. Even 58 Su-34 fighter-bombers, used at the right time in the right place, would be a powerful force. A group of 200-300 such aircraft, divided into several units for use in key areas of the battlefield, will be able to fulfill the most complicated tasks.

Apart from the Su-34, the Russian Air Force will also receive other new planes, whose technical characteristics will maintain the force's combat potential at the requisite level. New units, set up for the fulfillment of specific tasks, will consist of fighters, bombers, early warning and command planes, flying tankers, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

These will be highly mobile units, which means that its aircraft can be quickly dispatched to the area in question. In fact, Russia's new concept is not unlike the United States' Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF), a flexible and powerful instrument of air warfare capable of quickly delivering strikes in any part of the world.

As for surveillance aircraft, industrialized countries intend to replace them with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The world is changing, and the new world will wage new kind of wars.

By Ilya Kramnik, RIA Novosti

Proton-M carrier rocket orbits Nimiq-4 telecoms satellite

RIA Novosti
20/09/2008 12:21 MOSCOW, September 20 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian carrier rocket Proton-M, launched early on Saturday, has successfully orbited Canada's Nimiq-4 telecommunications satellite, a spokesman for the rocket's producer said.
The rocket was successfully launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 01:48 Moscow time (21:48 GMT)
"The Nimiq-4 satellite was successfully orbited," a source in the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center said.
The contract to launch the satellite was signed last April by Canada's satellite communications company Telesat and International Launch Services (ILS), a U.S.-Russian joint venture with exclusive rights for worldwide commercial sales and mission management of satellite launches on Russia's Proton rockets. Since 1996, ILS has carried out 47 commercial launches of Proton rockets.
Nimiq-4 was build by Astrium, a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), to provide high definition television (HDTV) in North America. The satellite has a life span of 15 years.
The launch of the next Nimiq-series satellite to be built by U.S. company Space Systems/Loral is scheduled for 2009.

China says spacecraft launch has no military goals

RIA Novosti
23/09/2008 19:10 MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - China's launch later this week of a manned spacecraft will be geared toward economic and scientific goals with no military implications, the Xinhua news agency quoted the launch center's director as saying on Tuesday.
The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft with three astronauts on board is set to lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, in the northwest of China, on September 25.
"China's space program is not pursuing any military goals but serves the country's scientific and economic development," the agency quoted Cui Jijun, commander-in-chief of the ground operation team, as saying.
One of the astronauts will make a spacewalk during the mission.
China, which has recently unveiled comprehensive space exploration plans, is only one of three countries in the world capable of independently launching manned spaceflights, along with the United States and Russia.
The country plans to build its own orbital space station and create a space laboratory before 2020.
In 2003 and 2005 the Shenzhou-5 and Shenzhou-6 spacecraft carried three Chinese astronauts into space.

Russian experts to support China's first spacewalk

RIA Novosti
24/09/2008 14:50 JIUQUAN, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russian experts will have a role in overseeing the upcoming mission of Chinese astronauts, which will include China's first spacewalk, a spokesman for country's manned space program said Wednesday.
The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft with three astronauts on board is scheduled to launch Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, in the northwest of China.
The spokesman said the Russian experts would monitor the condition of the space suits, which were developed using Russian technology.
"We are also grateful to Russia for its active cooperation in the training of astronauts," the spokesman said, adding that good opportunities were opening up for further partnership.
The three-day mission peaking at 343 kilometers from Earth will include China's debut spacewalk by one of the astronauts. It was revealed on Wednesday that the spacewalk would last for around 20 minutes.
"The spacewalk will be made between the 29th and 30th orbits of Earth," a press release said.
If anything unexpected happens, the spacewalk will be delayed, and the mission will be extended to four days.
The spacecraft will be launched between 21:07 and 22:27 local time (13:07 to 14:27 GMT).
China, which has recently unveiled comprehensive space exploration plans, is one of only three countries in the world capable of independently launching manned spaceflights, the others being the United States and Russia.
The country plans to build its own orbital space station and establish a space laboratory by 2020.
In 2003 and 2005 the Shenzhou-5 and Shenzhou-6 spacecraft carried three Chinese astronauts into space.

Sea Launch successfully puts U.S. telecom satellite in orbit

RIA Novosti
24/09/2008 16:21 WASHINGTON, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Sea Launch consortium successfully put a new telecommunications satellite into orbit Wednesday from its ocean-based platform in the Pacific, a company spokesperson said.
Intelsat's Galaxy 19 communications satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, will provide coverage in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.
Galaxy 19 is the fifth satellite Sea Launch has sent into orbit this year, and the 29th overall.
The Sea Launch consortium, established in 1995, is owned by Boeing, Norway's Kvaerner ASA, Ukraine's Yuzhnoye design bureau and Yuzhmash production association, as well as Russia's RSC-Energia. It is the only company that launches from the Equator, which allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than from other latitudes.
RIA Novosti
24/09/2008 16:21 WASHINGTON, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Sea Launch consortium successfully put a new telecommunications satellite into orbit Wednesday from its ocean-based platform in the Pacific, a company spokesperson said.
Intelsat's Galaxy 19 communications satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, will provide coverage in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.
Galaxy 19 is the fifth satellite Sea Launch has sent into orbit this year, and the 29th overall.
The Sea Launch consortium, established in 1995, is owned by Boeing, Norway's Kvaerner ASA, Ukraine's Yuzhnoye design bureau and Yuzhmash production association, as well as Russia's RSC-Energia. It is the only company that launches from the Equator, which allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than from other latitudes.

Former EU Envoy Calls for Review of Goals and Strategy in Afghanistan

By Gary Thomas
Washington
24 September 2008

The European Union's former top diplomat to Afghanistan says the international community should review its aims and activities to stave off possible disaster there. Francesc Vendrell, who recently stepped down as the EU's Special Envoy to Afghanistan, talked with VOA correspondent Gary Thomas, who has this report.

In an exclusive VOA interview, Francesc Vendrell called for a comprehensive review of international strategy and objectives in Afghanistan.

"We need to sit down, look at the strategy which we followed, decide whether this strategy is going to achieve the objectives we set for ourselves - and the answer probably would be 'no' - and then either review the strategy or perhaps also we need to review some of the objectives we were trying to pursue there," he said.

Vendrell says the mood in Afghanistan is gloomy. He says a sharp rise in activity by Taliban insurgents, rampant corruption and extensive shortages of government services have contributed to what he says has been the worst year for the country since 2001.

"The perception of the Afghans in particular is that the situation is much worse," he said. "So there is a tremendous feeling of pessimism and skepticism about the future."

But he adds that the situation is salvageable.

"We are not destined to fail," said Vendrell. "The Taliban are not going to be able, as long as the international forces are there, to, let's say, take over Kabul or seriously threaten Kabul or take over a major regional capital. But still, we need to review the policy we've been following."

Vendrell says the international community made several missteps in crafting a post-Taliban Afghanistan in 2001. In particular, he says reshaping the political system may have been a mistake.

"It is questionable in my mind whether a highly centralized presidential system is suitable for a country that is multi-ethnic, has two main languages, bilingual, and has two main sects, the Sunni and the Shia, and which has a history of decentralization, at least de facto centralization," he said.

Vendrell adds that the allies placed far too much faith in President Hamid Karzai, but gave him too few powers to efficiently do his job, particularly in checking independent warlords and their private militias.

"I think the Afghan people are feeling disheartened and very critical of his rule, partly because they feel he has lost the ability to set strategic objectives for himself, but also, I think, because we put too much of a burden on him without giving him - I mean the president - without giving him the means," Vendrell said.

The Taliban insurgency was thought to have been mortally crippled in 2001. But the militants have regrouped in new safe havens in Pakistan's tribal areas, from where they frequently attack U.S. and NATO troops.

The violence has also led to a 40 percent rise in civilian casualties in Afghanistan during the past year. President Karzai raised the issue in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.

"The continuation of civilian casualties can severely undermine the legitimacy of fighting terrorism and the credibility of the Afghan people's partnership with the international community," Mr. Karzai said.

The U.S. plans to send more troops to Afghanistan, as does France. Francesc Vendrell says the increased forces could help the situation, but he adds that they should be handled delicately.

"This ought to happen, if it happens at all, as part of an overall review of the political strategy we are following. And maybe, as part and parcel of a new approach, we may need more forces," he said. "But I have to say that Afghans are not clamoring for more foreign forces. They do, of course, want more Afghan forces, and I think that that's where we should concentrate."

Vendrell says sending additional troops into Afghanistan will be a sensitive issue for Afghans.

"But we have to be careful in adding military forces, foreign military forces, because the mistakes that keep happening - whether it is in terms of civilian casualties or in terms of breaking into peoples' homes or detentions, taking people into detention to detention centers like the one at Bagram [air base] - are very unhelpful and create a lot of animosity amongst the population," said Vendrell.

Due to commitments in Iraq, the United States will not have additional troops available to send to Afghanistan until next year

Afghanistan Calls for Joint Border Patrol with Pakistan

By Kent Klein
Washington
24 September 2008

Afghanistan's defense minister is in Washington, promoting his plan to establish a joint Afghan-Pakistani military force to patrol the dangerous border between the two countries. VOA's Kent Klein reports.

Violence in Afghanistan this year is at its highest level since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. Some 3,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan during the past year. U.S. President George Bush has promised to send about 4,500 additional American troops to Afghanistan in January.

One of the most violent areas of Afghanistan is the mountainous region along the border with Pakistan, where the leaders of the Taliban and the al-Qaida terror network are believed to be operating.

Afghanistan's Defense Minister, General Abdul Rahim Wardak, says he wants to work with his counterparts in Pakistan to create a joint military force to fight terrorism in the region.

"We need to establish an enhanced mechanism for practical cross-border cooperation, including strengthening routine links between our military, border security and law enforcement institutions. We must move beyond diplomacy and confidence-builing exchanges, to the delivery of practical results," he said.

Wardak spoke Wednesday at a forum at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based research institute.

"We should help each other interfere with the terrorists' communication, planning, weapon procurement, training and capturing their senior leadership. I continue to believe that we need mechanisms for responding jointly to incidents, whichever side of the border they occur," he said.

General Wardak says he has not discussed the proposal with Pakistani officials.

Wardak acknowledges that the Taliban is gaining strength and becoming more organized. But he says Afghanistan's national security forces and police have been improving steadily, and that he is optimistic that stability and security can be achieved.

The defense minister says international support will be crucial in the near term.

"An increase of international forces is welcome, and can provide transitional relief, until the Afghan national security forces are fully developed. But the Afghan national security forces are the long-term solution," he said.

General Wardak says the second factor for success is whether Afghanistan's electoral institutions deliver a legitimate, elected government. The third, he says, is international pressure to deny safe haven, sanctuary and support for terrorists.

The Afghan defense minister says turning back the recent surge in violence will require increasing the size of Afghanistan's Army from 76,000 troops to 134,000.

US lawmakers warn against 'drift' in counter-IED fight

As the US Department of Defense looks to create a permanent establishment for combating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), US legislators are questioning the military's long-term strategy.

The Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) began in 2003 as a 12-man US Army task force in Iraq. Over five years, it has grown into an organisation that employs 3,600 people, while the US Congress has provided nearly USD14 billion in counter-IED funding, most of it through emergency budget supplements.

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has made 'institutionalising' JIEDDO a top priority. While JIEDDO has touted its success in reducing casualties from roadside bombs, some legislators are concerned that the organisation may be in danger of losing its focus as it becomes an entrenched bureaucracy.

Representative Vic Snyder, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's oversight and investigations panel, said in a 16 September hearing he was concerned that the organisation may shift focus to other asymmetric threats.

Image: An IED discovered by US forces in Baghdad (US Army)

© 2008 Jane's Information Group

All Systems Go for China's Manned Space Launch

By Stephanie Ho
Beijing
24 September 2008

China says all systems have passed through final preparations and are ready for the country's third manned trip to outer space, which is scheduled to launch Thursday night. One of the three astronauts on board will be the first Chinese to walk in space. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.

Three Chinese astronauts met with reporters Wednesday, one day before they are due to launch into outer space in the Shenzhou 7, which means "sacred vessel" in Chinese.

Astronaut Jing Haipeng says China is ready to impress the world.

Jing says he and his fellow astronauts have confidence, determination and capability to take the first step in outer space for the Chinese people.

Astronaut Zhai Zhigang says the mission marks a historic breakthrough in China's manned space program.

Zhai says it is a great honor for him to represent China as an astronaut.

This is China's third manned mission to outer space. China sent up its first Shenzhou mission in 2003.

Chinese authorities say the Shenzhou 7 space ship is due to launch Thursday night, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch center in the western province of Gansu. It will orbit the earth at an altitude of 343 kilometers.

The deputy director of China's manned space engineering office, Wang Zhaoyao, says the highlight of this mission will be what is called extravehicular activity, or EVA, which is better known as a spacewalk.

Wang says one of the Chinese astronauts will conduct the spacewalk and recover experimental sample devices. The mission's other tasks include the release of a small monitoring satellite and satellite data relay trials.

The astronauts will be wearing either a Chinese-made Feitian space suit or a Russian-made Orlan suit.

Wang called the Shenzhou mission "an important event" in the history of manned space flight cooperation between China and Russia.

Meanwhile, China is also well on its way to the moon. The country last October launched its first ever lunar probe, called the Chang-e-One, which is due to be in orbit for about one year.

At the time of the launch, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Chinese people have been dreaming of flying to the moon for more than 1,000 years. He said the success of the Chang-e-One mission will elevate China's international status and, in his words, "cement" national cohesion.

China plans to send a mission to the moon in 2012.

The launch of the Change-e-One came shortly after Japan launched its first ever lunar probe. India is expected to launch its own lunar probe later this year.

Joint unmanned aircraft system mission crosses Atlantic

by Master Sgt. Steven Goetsch
Air Combat Command Public Affairs

9/23/2008 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- An Air Combat Command RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., made a trans-Atlantic flight Sept. 20 with the assistance of Navy officials.

The 19-hour flight from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., to Southwest Asia had Air Force and Navy officials working together to save time and resources.

"The Navy has all of the supplies that we have, plus contracted support," said Airman 1st Class Matthew Milles, an avionics specialist. "It's a lot easier than just going to a remote location. Working hand in hand with the Navy moves the plane faster to the deployed location."

The ability of the Air Force to coordinate and streamline UAS assets transfers directly to the warfighter on the ground.

"We flew out of Patuxent River, where we used the Navy asset ground segment to launch it out of there, and that's the first time that's been done," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Jones, assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "The aircraft has been on the ground about six hours, and we're going to turn it for a war on terrorism mission tonight and fly a full-schedule 24-hour mission."

Going east over the Atlantic has its own significance and demonstrates how the Air Force is committed to providing global vigilance, reach and power in the future by exploring new options.

"Going this direction, specifically allows us to cut out a lot of different stops in a lot of different areas," said Col. George Zaniewski, the ACC Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division chief. "Overall, it gets the aircraft over into the area of responsibility much easier, and more importantly than that, it allows us to work with the Navy, who will be doing more and more in the Global Hawk environment."

The flight from Patuxent River NAS is just the beginning of an increased relationship between the Air Force and Navy.

"Specifically for the Global Hawk, we are getting more and more into maritime environments, so we are going to be able to work with the Navy much more than we ever have," Colonel Zaniewski said.

This trans-Atlantic mission is also a step toward the chief of staff's initiative to increase UAS capacity for the joint fight.

"What I hope for the future is that it becomes one common way ... that we work with all our sister services, to where we can streamline both the acquisition process, but also the operational process," Colonel Zaniewski said.

Those differences in operations and procedures can be countered with professional UAS operators and precise planning.

"We are dealing with so many unknowns, but we had sharp guys today and they made it happen," said Maj. Alan Rabb, the ACC current operations chief.

"It was a great experience here. I am so used to working with the Navy, where with the Air Force it was the first time," said Bobby Oshner, a Patuxent River Navy Global Hawk contractor. "They looked like professional people who really knew what they were doing."

There are certain hurdles that come by working with another service, but those were evaluated and turned into learning opportunities.

"There is a bit of a different language, different process, but overall we are still the same airframe," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Tracey, the Naval Global Hawk project officer. "We are kind of the smaller, kid brother of the Global Hawk community, so it's nice to work with everybody else."

The Patuxent River NAS mission was a win-win for the Air Force as well as the Navy, but with joint operations like these, the real winner is the warfighter.

"It helps to rotate these systems out so they have fresh aircraft. They are flying combat missions daily and you want the best product out there," Commander Tracey said.

Joint operations not only have an effect on logistics of the UAS mission, but it also has the UAS community excited about their future.

"The impact is going to be really huge I believe. What we are doing here is really ground-breaking," Major Rabb said. "We have opened the door to not only a different aspect of joint ops, but also joint ops relative to unmanned aircraft."

"With this ISR, we are going to see a lot of changes in the upcoming years," Airman Milles said.

SADC Says Mbeki Remains Mediator for Zimbabwe Talks

By VOA News
24 September 2008

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) says South African President Thabo Mbeki will remain the mediator for talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis.

Mr. Mbeki agreed to resign as South African president after the ruling African Congress party called on him to do so Saturday.

But a spokesman for the 15-nation SADC, Charles Mubita, says Mr. Mbeki was chosen as mediator for the Zimbabwe talks because of his knowledge of the situation and leadership skills, not because he was a sitting president.

Zimbabwe's power-sharing talks stalled last week after political leaders failed to reach agreement on the composition of the cabinet.

The top U.S. envoy to Africa, Jendayi Frazer, says Washington is watching the talks closely and is prepared to impose new sanctions if Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe reneges on his commitment to a power-sharing government.

There has been no progress reported in the Zimbabwe power-sharing talks since they bogged down last Thursday.

The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change Nelson Chamisa has said Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party is trying to claim "all the powerful ministries," including local government, finance and defense.

The power-sharing deal signed September 15 calls for ZANU-PF to hold 15 Cabinet positions in a national unity government. The MDC faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai would get 13 posts, while a smaller MDC faction would get the other three posts.

The agreement calls for Mr. Mugabe to remain president and head of state, with Tsvangirai becoming prime minister. Arthur Mutambara, the head of the smaller MDC faction, would become deputy prime minister.

Zimbabwe has been without an official government for months following disputed presidential elections.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

Iraqi Parliament Passes Provincial Elections Law

By VOA News
24 September 2008

Iraq's parliament has passed a provincial elections law, after weeks of deadlock.

Lawmakers Wednesday decided to approve the law without coming to a final resolution on Kirkuk. Sunni, Shi'ite, Kurdish and Turkmen officials dispute control of the city and its vast oil reserves. Parliament said the dispute will be resolved separately, and elections there will be held after the rest of the country votes.

Lawmakers pushed back the deadline for elections in other areas until the end of January next year. They had originally been scheduled for next week.

The United States has been pushing for local elections as a sign of democratic progress and national reconciliation. Washington wants the Iraqi government to take advantage of a four-year low in the level of violence.

Despite security gains in much of Iraq, Diyala province remains a focal point for insurgents. Gunmen there today ambushed a group of policemen and local anti-insurgent fighters. Twenty people, including 12 policemen, were reported killed.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

More Fighting Reported in Eastern DRC

By VOA News
24 September 2008


United Nations and rebel sources say fighting has flared up again between government and rebel troops in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A spokesman, Betrand Bisimwa, for fighters loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda says government troops attacked rebel positions early Wednesday in Rugari and several other villages in North Kivu province.

A U.N. spokesman also reported fighting in the North Kivu villages of Nyanzale and Bambo, north of the regional capital of Goma.

Heavy fighting erupted last month between DRC troops and the rebels, jeopardizing an eight-month-old peace process.

Deputy U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood has called the recent fighting an unfortunate step backwards after General Nkunda agreed to a cease-fire and pull-back earlier this month.

The spokesman said Tuesday that the fighting of the last several days has led to hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire.

Wood called on both sides to accept a disengagement plan offered by the U.N. Mission to Congo and recommit themselves to peace talks.

The clashes violate a cease-fire agreement signed in January between Nkunda's militia and the Congolese army.

Congo's North Kivu province remains the most volatile area of a country still recovering from a civil war between 1998 and 2002. The war killed an estimated four million people, most of whom died from hunger and disease.

General Nkunda formed his militia in 2004, saying he needed to defend Tutsi civilians against Hutu rebels who are originally from neighboring Rwanda.

Former Rwandan Attorney Jailed For Life For Genocide

A former Rwandan lawyer who once worked for the war crimes tribunal for the Rwanda genocide was sentenced by that court for his role in the massacre.

Simeon Nshamihigo was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison on charges of genocide, murder and crimes against humanity.

The International Criminal Court for Rwanda said he incited, ordered and helped encourage the murder of ethnic Tutsis in Cyangugu in southwest Rwanda while he was the deputy prosecutor for the region.

Nshamihigo later worked for the international court as a defense investigator under a false name. He was arrested after he was recognized by a witness.

Radical Hutus killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The United Nations set up the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1997, to try the most high-profile genocide cases.

The court's mandate calls for it to finish all trials by the end of this year.

Rwanda's government has accused the tribunal, which operates out of Arusha, Tanzania, of employing a number of genocide suspects.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

Aid Agencies Say Peace Efforts by Middle East Quartet Failing

A coalition of 21 international aid agencies says in a new report the Middle East Quartet is failing in its efforts to improve the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The report was released on the eve of the Quartet's next meeting in New York and VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details.

The major aid agencies, including CARE, Oxfam International, Save the Children and World Vision are warning that the Quartet's efforts to improve the situation surrounding key aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are failing, which is harming hopes for a peace agreement by the end of this year.

That goal was set nearly a year ago at a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland and the aid groups say many conditions necessary to bring about successful negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have deteriorated since that time.

Juliette Seibold, a Jerusalem-based representative of CARE International and a spokeswoman for the aid groups, says one example is the continued growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

"We know that the Quartet has spoken out about settlement construction 18 times and yet settlement expansion continues," she said. "It is taking a drastic toll on Palestinian daily life. It takes away Palestinian land and uses precious water resources."

Seibold says the Quartet set other goals, such as improving the mobility of Palestinians in the West Bank.

She says, however, restrictions such as checkpoints have increased since the Annapolis conference.

The aid agencies say a near total blockade of the Gaza Strip has left 80 percent of the Palestinian population there wholly or partially dependent on foreign aid.

Seibold says the Quartet, which consists of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, needs to pressure all parties to comply with their obligations under the peace process and international humanitarian law.

"The Quartet knows how to apply the levers that ensure accountability," she said. "They do it in other areas of the world and they need to have a radical rethink on how to ensure accountability in relation to the West Bank, Gaza and Israel."

The report by the humanitarian and development agencies focuses mainly on the Quartet and not Israel's role in the peace process.

Juliette Seibold of CARE International points out that with the recent resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert the political situation in the Jewish state remains in flux.

"We need to be patient with Israel," said Seibold. "We need to reassure Israelis that we are concerned for their security, but at the same time actions need to be taken to improve the lives of ordinary citizens in the West Bank and Gaza."

Seibold says hopes for a peace agreement by the end of this year are rapidly diminishing.

"Well I think if we do not create the conditions that are right on the ground for peace it is going to fail," she said. "And I think everyone would agree that stability and security and economic prosperity are a prerequisite to holding good, productive, peaceful negotiations."

While Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have met numerous times since last year's Annapolis conference, little progress has been made.

Israel's President Offers Olive Branch to Arab Leaders at UN

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
24 September 2008

Israel's President has invited Arab leaders to come to Jerusalem to discuss the peace process. Shimon Peres said he would gladly accept an Arab invitation to go to a place where meaningful dialogue could occur. He made the offer during his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday. From United Nation's headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the second day of the annual meeting.

President Peres told the General Assembly that Israel is ready to negotiate full peace with the Palestinians to achieve two states living side-by-side in peace and security.

"We tried to conclude those negotiations this year. It will take apparently a longer period of time. I believe it can be accomplished within the next year," he said.

He said his country is ready to explore a comprehensive compromise that could lead to peace with Syria as well, saying that Israel has suggested face-to-face meetings with President Bashar al-Assad, but has not yet received an answer.

Mr. Peres also reached out to Lebanon, suggesting immediate peace with that neighbor is possible.

And he urged Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to follow up on the peace initiative he introduced during the Arab League Summit in Beirut in 2002, that offered normalization of relations between Arab States and Israel in exchange for a full withdrawal from Arab territories and a Palestinian state.

But on the subject of Iran, President Peres said Tehran is at the "center of violence and fanaticism" and is a danger to the world because of its hateful attitude toward Israel, its state support of terrorism and its efforts to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

"The Iranian people are not our enemies. Their fanatic leadership is their problem and the world's worry," Mr. Peres said. "Their leader is a danger to his own people, to the region, to the world. He is a disgrace to the ancient Iranian people and tradition. He is a disgrace to the values of Islam and all religions. He is a disgrace to this house - the United Nations - its basic principles and values. His appearance here is already a shame."

Mr. Peres was referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who addressed the Assembly on Tuesday. During his speech, Mr. Ahmadinejad lashed out at the Jewish state, blaming what he called a "Zionist network" for controlling American and European foreign policy and dominating world financial markets in a deceitful and secretive manner.

Also addressing the General Assembly on Wednesday was Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai. He said terrorism still plagues his country and has spread to neighbors Pakistan and India.

"To the extent that terrorism in our region continues to be a global threat, evolving in nature and tactics, the struggle against it must continue unabated," Mr. Karzai said.

While China's Premier Wen Jiabao thanked the international community for its support during his country's devastating earthquake in May and as it hosted the Summer Olympic Games. He said China is now on a path of sustained development that would be achieved through reform and openness.

The General Assembly also heard Wednesday from a number of presidents, including those from Mexico, Ukraine, Chile, Sri Lanka and Senegal. The annual meeting continues on Thursday, when the presidents of Iraq, Zimbabwe and Pakistan are among those scheduled to speak.

Ukrainian Leader Cautiously Condemns Russian Aggression

By VOA News
24 September 2008

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has denounced Russia's recent military incursion into Georgia, and Moscow's ongoing armed occupation of Georgian territory.

Mr. Yushchenko told the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday that Ukraine does not recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia - the pro-Russian breakaway territories in Georgia that Moscow has recognized as independent states.

The Ukrainian leader said his country sympathizes with all those hurt by last month's conflict in Georgia - Ossetians, Russians and Georgians alike. He called on the General Assembly to work towards peaceful settlement of the conflict, and he said Ukraine will support all such efforts.

He also voiced concern about the rise of what he called Cold War rhetoric. But he said tensions in the Caucasus can not be solved either by isolating Russia or by the continued use of military force.

Mr. Yushchenko also noted that his country is marking the 75th anniversary of the Great Famine, known as Holodomor. He called on all former Soviet-bloc countries to commemorate their national tragedies and never to forget the crimes committed under the totalitarian regimes of Stalin and other leaders.

Security Council to decide on UN troops for Chad, Central African Republic by December

24 September 2008 – The Security Council today put off until December a decision on the size of a military component to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad, for which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed 6,000 troops.

The military addition to the mission, known as MINURCAT, is to replace a European Union force (EUFOR). Both Chad and CAR have been hit by rebel activity and a spill-over from neighbouring Sudan’s Darfur conflict.

The 15-member Council unanimously extended MINURCAT’s mandate until 15 March 2009 and expressed its intention to authorize the deployment of a military component, “taking fully into account” Mr. Ban’s recommendations.

It asked him to submit a new report by 15 November on progress towards the full deployment of MINURCAT at its current target of 1,549 personnel – at present there are 768 people on the ground – with options on the size, structure and mandate of the proposed UN military presence in north-eastern CAR to take over from the 3,300-strong EUFOR, whose mandate expires on 15 March.

The Council said it intended to adopt a decision by 15 December.

In a report earlier this month, Mr. Ban said the situation in CAR remained volatile and there had been no notable progress towards implementing a year-old agreement between Chad’s Government and the main rebel groups confronting it.

The Council set up MINURCAT a year ago with a mandate to help bring stability to eastern Chad and north-eastern CAR, which have both been wracked by violence and civilian displacement in recent years involving hundreds of thousands of people.

Eastern Chad currently shelters 290,000 refugees, mainly Sudanese escaping from the Darfur fighting, and 180,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who depend on humanitarian aid to survive

Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program Fires First Round From a Fully Automated Cannon

Sep 24, 2008
BY Paul Boyce, OCPA - Media Relations

The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program successfully fired the first artillery projectile from the Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) Prototype Sept. 22 at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz.,. The NLOS-C, which has the ability to rapidly deliver precision munitions in both urban and conventional battle space and is the lead prototype in the Army's family of eight FCS Manned Ground Vehicles (MGVs)

The NLOS-C is much different than all the other combat vehicles produced by the Army thus far. Advanced FCS technology such as a fully automated ammunition loading system and improved accuracy through on-board projectile tracking coupled with the power of the FCS network and sensors; provide the two-man artillery crew with the capability to rapidly deliver highly accurate sustained fires for close and destructive fires. The networked capability is critical for counter insurgency and conventional warfare. "This marks the first 155mm round fired from a fully automated howitzer mounted on an FCS hybrid-electric chassis and remotely commanded through its on-board computers and controls." stated Lieutenant Colonel Robert McVay, Army Product Manager for NLOS-C.

A total of eight NLOS-C prototypes will be produced between 2008 and 2009. All to undergo rigorous testing, safety certification and evaluations at various Army test facilities. The NLOS-C prototypes will be used for testing and evaluation of not only the artillery system, but also the MGV common chassis and technologies.

The NLOS-C P1 will fire an additional 500 rounds through early 2009 to obtain a safety release that will allow Soldiers to move, shoot, and communicate from an NLOS-C in spring 2009. From there, Soldiers at the Army's Evaluation Task Force (AETF) will receive 18 NLOS-C platforms starting in 2010. The AETF will put the NLOS-C through combat scenarios to provide lessons learned that will be used to enhance and finalize the design for the final production NLOS-Cs and the rest of the MGV family.

USS Curts Departs Palau

Navy NewsStand

Release Date: 9/24/2008 2:30:00 PM

By Lt.j.g. Bryan Boggs, USS Curts Public Affairs

KOROR, Palau (NNS) -- USS Curts (FFG 38) departed Koror Sept. 20 after a scheduled six-day port visit during her return homeward after a Western Pacific and Persian Gulf deployment with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group.

While in port, crew members offered ship tours to local school children as part of a a community relations (COMREL) project. The children were enthusiastic and curious about life aboard a naval vessel.

"Usually our COMRELs involve painting or some physical labor. This was different; we just interacted with the kids and had a lot of fun getting to know them," Dumpit said, adding, "It was nice change of pace," said Storekeeper 3rd Class (SW) Clifford Dumpit.

Later, a U.S. Navy Seabee battalion stationed on Palau paired up with the Curts crew and aided in the distribution of more than 850 pounds of hygienic material and toys as part of Project Handclasp. The material was distributed to the local hospital and to local schools where it was graciously received, said Cmdr. Yvette Davids, Curts' commanding officer.

"Building a relationship with the community through COMREL tours and Project Handclasp made a lasting impression on Curts' Sailors," Davids said. "It is with great hopes that these small contributions share in expressing the crew's profound thanks in Palau's warm welcome to Curts' crew throughout the visit.

The crew spent the rest of their time exploring the Palau's famous Rock Islands, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming with stingless jelly fish, and hiking.

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. Operating in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, the U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets covering 52 million square miles, with approximately 60-70 ships, 200-300 aircraft and 40,000 Sailors and Marines assigned at any given time.

Airmen to deliver 10,000th MRAP to troops

by 1st Lt. Justin Brockhoff
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

9/24/2008 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) -- The 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle is scheduled to be delivered to troops supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom Sept. 25 by Air Mobility Command Airmen.

MRAPs were introduced in 2007, and AMC Airmen have been working around-the-clock planning, coordinating and executing air transport missions to rush the lifesaving vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Using a variety of aircraft, including C-5 Galaxies, C-17 Globemaster IIIs and contracted AN-124s, AMC officials have transported nearly 3,000 -- roughly one third -- of the total number of MRAPs delivered to the warfighters.

MRAPs are constructed with V-shaped hulls and a raised chassis design to deflect underbelly blasts, and have proven to be lifesavers against improvised explosive devices, small arms fire and mines.

"Our Airmen are directly helping to keep our troops on the ground safer," said Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, the commander of Air Mobility Command. "I'm extremely proud of them and their efforts to speed the delivery of this lifesaving equipment to our forces."

The efforts of AMC's Airmen are part of a multiservice effort to quickly get the vehicles in the hands of troops on the ground. The Air Force was the primary delivery option for MRAPs until December, when the Navy also began transporting the vehicles.

"It's a great feeling to deliver MRAP vehicles to the (area of responsibility) because of the impact on safety it provides other servicemembers," said Master Sgt. Bill Lesage, a C-17 loadmaster with the 14th Airlift Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. "At the end of a long duty day, you really feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that the MRAP is saving lives."

New Weather Agency facility sets gold standard

by Ryan Hansen
Air Force Weather Agency Public Affairs

9/24/2008 - OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) -- The Air Force Weather Agency headquarters facility here recently became the first facility in the Air Force to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Moorman facility earned its gold rating in the Version 2.1 LEED New Construction category, which recognizes buildings with advanced energy efficiencies.

Facililities can earn basic, silver, gold or platinum certifications under the LEED Green Building Rating System.

"We couldn't be prouder of our new facility," said Col. John Murphy, the AFWA commander. "Its construction and design is truly an example for the rest of the Department of Defense and earning the gold rating is a testament to everyone who helped make it become a reality."

The facility's green design and specifications help the agency use 50 to 60 percent less energy than a typical building of this type. This includes reducing water consumption by more than 20 percent, improving environmental efficiency of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, improving recycling capabilities and employing the latest energy efficiency practices to conserve electricity.

"The Air Force is a U.S. government environmental and energy conservation leader, reducing facility energy usage by 30 percent in recent years and is the No. 3 U.S. green power user on the Environmental Protection Agency's top 25 list," said Brig. Gen. Timothy A. Byers, Air Combat Command's director of Installations and Mission Support. "The LEED gold certification for this building is a perfect example of everyone -- from users, designers, contractors, builders and the Air Force -- working together as a team on an environmental friendly and energy efficient building. This showcases our commitment to fully support the mission while protecting human health, safety and the environment."

Russia's Space Agency confirms 18th ISS expedition

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 12:41 STAR CITY (Moscow Region), September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Space Agency confirmed Tuesday the composition of the main crew for the 18th International Space Station expedition.

The crew, scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on October 12 on board the Soyuz TMA-12 craft, will comprise U.S. astronaut Commander Mike Fincke, Russian astronaut Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov, and U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott.

The crew members have successfully passed their preflight tests and medical checkup.

The current ISS crew comprises Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko, and U.S. astronaut Greg Chamitoff.

American millionaire Richard Garriott, who made his fortune on the development of online computer games, including the popular Ultima Online, will become the sixth space tourist to travel to ISS. The trip cost him $30 million.

Some reports earlier said he may participate in onboard scientific experiments and even conduct a space walk.

Space tourists started flying to the ISS in 2001. Dennis Tito, an American businessman and former NASA scientist, became the first space tourist when he visited the ISS in 2001. He was followed by South African computer millionaire Mark Shuttleworth in 2002, and Gregory Olsen, a U.S. entrepreneur and scientist, in 2005.

In 2006, Anousheh Ansari, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent and communications head, became the first female space tourist, followed in 2007 by Charles Simonyi, a U.S. citizen born in Hungary and a key figure in developing Microsoft's Word and Excel applications.

U.S. military experts discuss missile radar in Prague

RIA Novosti

24/09/2008 15:39 WARSAW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. military experts have started consultations in Prague on the deployment of a missile-defense radar in the Czech Republic, the Czech Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The U.S. team will remain in the country until Friday, the ministry said.

On Monday, the ministry released the text of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), signed last Friday by Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in London. The pact governs the deployment of U.S. military personnel at the radar station.

The radar is part of a planned defense system to include interceptor missiles in Poland.

The plans are fiercely opposed by Russia, which sees the missile shield as a threat to its national security and the international nuclear deterrence system.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to "respond appropriately" to the deployment of the missile shield.

Joint unmanned aircraft system mission crosses Atlantic

by Master Sgt. Steven Goetsch
Air Combat Command Public Affairs

9/23/2008 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- An Air Combat Command RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., made a trans-Atlantic flight Sept. 20 with the assistance of Navy officials.

The 19-hour flight from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., to Southwest Asia had Air Force and Navy officials working together to save time and resources.

"The Navy has all of the supplies that we have, plus contracted support," said Airman 1st Class Matthew Milles, an avionics specialist. "It's a lot easier than just going to a remote location. Working hand in hand with the Navy moves the plane faster to the deployed location."

The ability of the Air Force to coordinate and streamline UAS assets transfers directly to the warfighter on the ground.

"We flew out of Patuxent River, where we used the Navy asset ground segment to launch it out of there, and that's the first time that's been done," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Jones, assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "The aircraft has been on the ground about six hours, and we're going to turn it for a war on terrorism mission tonight and fly a full-schedule 24-hour mission."

Going east over the Atlantic has its own significance and demonstrates how the Air Force is committed to providing global vigilance, reach and power in the future by exploring new options.

"Going this direction, specifically allows us to cut out a lot of different stops in a lot of different areas," said Col. George Zaniewski, the ACC Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division chief. "Overall, it gets the aircraft over into the area of responsibility much easier, and more importantly than that, it allows us to work with the Navy, who will be doing more and more in the Global Hawk environment."

The flight from Patuxent River NAS is just the beginning of an increased relationship between the Air Force and Navy.

"Specifically for the Global Hawk, we are getting more and more into maritime environments, so we are going to be able to work with the Navy much more than we ever have," Colonel Zaniewski said.

This trans-Atlantic mission is also a step toward the chief of staff's initiative to increase UAS capacity for the joint fight.

"What I hope for the future is that it becomes one common way ... that we work with all our sister services, to where we can streamline both the acquisition process, but also the operational process," Colonel Zaniewski said.

Those differences in operations and procedures can be countered with professional UAS operators and precise planning.

"We are dealing with so many unknowns, but we had sharp guys today and they made it happen," said Maj. Alan Rabb, the ACC current operations chief.

"It was a great experience here. I am so used to working with the Navy, where with the Air Force it was the first time," said Bobby Oshner, a Patuxent River Navy Global Hawk contractor. "They looked like professional people who really knew what they were doing."

There are certain hurdles that come by working with another service, but those were evaluated and turned into learning opportunities.

"There is a bit of a different language, different process, but overall we are still the same airframe," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Tracey, the Naval Global Hawk project officer. "We are kind of the smaller, kid brother of the Global Hawk community, so it's nice to work with everybody else."

The Patuxent River NAS mission was a win-win for the Air Force as well as the Navy, but with joint operations like these, the real winner is the warfighter.

"It helps to rotate these systems out so they have fresh aircraft. They are flying combat missions daily and you want the best product out there," Commander Tracey said.

Joint operations not only have an effect on logistics of the UAS mission, but it also has the UAS community excited about their future.

"The impact is going to be really huge I believe. What we are doing here is really ground-breaking," Major Rabb said. "We have opened the door to not only a different aspect of joint ops, but also joint ops relative to unmanned aircraft."

"With this ISR, we are going to see a lot of changes in the upcoming years," Airman Milles said.

Russia sends missile frigate on long-range patrol mission

RIA Novosti

24/09/2008 15:59 MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - The Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate from the Baltic Fleet left the main naval base in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad on Wednesday on an unspecified long-range patrol mission, a Navy spokesman said.

"The Neustrashimy will carry out a number of missions at sea," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said, without giving further details.

He also did not comment on whether the warship will join a Russian task force heading to the Caribbean to participate in joint naval exercises with Venezuela.

A naval task force from Russia's Northern Fleet, comprising the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great), the large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko, and support ships departed on September 8 on a tour of duty in the Atlantic Ocean, including joint naval drills with the Venezuelan navy in November.

The Neustrashimy is the only Project 1154 Yastreb class missile frigate in active service with the Russian Navy to have been built before the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is designed as a general purpose ASW ship to follow on from the Krivak class frigates and incorporates some 'stealth' technology.

The ship's armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges.

The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter.

Russia may sell more MiG-29K carrier fighters to India

RIA Novosti

24/09/2008 20:46 MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - Talks on additional deliveries of MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier fighters to India will start in the near future, the president of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation said Wednesday.

Russia and India signed a contract on January 20, 2004, stipulating the delivery of 12 single-seat MiG-29K and four two-seat MiG-29KUB by 2009, to be deployed on the Admiral Gorshkov, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian Navy.

There is an option in the contract to supply an additional 30 fighters by 2015.

"The negotiations on the Admiral Gorshkov delivery will end sooner or later, and we hope in the near future to start talks on additional delivery of MiG-29K fighters to India," Alexey Fyodorov said.

However, the head of Russia's state technology corporation, Sergei Chemezov, said that it was premature to talk about a deadline for the Admiral Gorshkov delivery.

"The evaluation of additional work on Admiral Gorshkov modernization has not been done yet and it is too early to hold talks on the completion," he said.

India, one of the biggest buyers of Russian weaponry, has been upset by a series of delays in Russia's reconfiguration of the Admiral Gorshkov from a vertical-takeoff platform into a classic aircraft carrier.

After long-running delays and disputes, Russia and India agreed in February to raise refit costs for the aircraft carrier, berthed at the Sevmash shipyard in north Russia for the past 12 years.

The carrier, renamed the Vikramaditya, is to replace India's INS Viraat carrier, which although still operational is 50 years old.

India agreed the $1.5 billion deal for the Admiral Gorshkov in 2004. Moscow has since demanded an additional $1.2 billion, which New Delhi replied was "exorbitant."

The contract to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov to India, signed by state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport with the Indian Navy, covers the modernization of the ship and equipping it with modern weaponry, including MiG-29K Fulcrum aircraft and Ka-27 Helix-A and Ka-31 Helix-B anti-submarine helicopters.

President Bush Says Situation In Iraq Has Changed Substantially

By Scott Stearns
White House
24 September 2008

U.S. President George Bush and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met in New York with leaders of countries contributing to the multi-national force in Iraq. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush thanked those who have contributed to improving security in Iraq, saying many members of the multi-national force have returned to their countries after successfully completing their mission.

He said many people have helped Iraq emerge as a hopeful example for nations around the world. Mr. Bush praised the leadership of President Talabani.

"Mr. President, we've still got work to do - but there is no doubt that the situation in Iraq has changed substantially," said President Bush. "There's no doubt that mothers are able to send their child to school without fear of carnage. Oh, there are still killers amongst your - in your midst, but your government has been steadfast in bringing people to justice who are trying to undermine your democracy."

Earlier this month, President Bush announced that some 8,000 U.S. troops will leave Iraq by next February including a Marine battalion from Anbar province, an Army combat brigade and more than 3,000 aviation personnel, construction engineers, and military police.

President Talabani spoke on behalf of the Iraqi people in expressing his deepest condolences for soldiers and civilians who have lost their lives while standing up for what he said are shared values of freedom and democracy.

"Thank you, Mr. President, for your brave leadership and your decision to liberate Iraq from worst kind of dictatorship," said President Talabani. "And thanks for all friends and their countries and governments who participated from the beginning to liberate our country and to bring a new Iraq, a democratic, federated, united, independent Iraq, which will help to promote democracy in the Middle East and help peace and security in the Middle East."

President Bush says security improvements in Iraq are a result of his decision last year to send reinforcements. All five of the Army combat brigades, the Marine Expeditionary Unit and the two Marine battalions that made up that surge have returned home. With the withdrawal of the additional 8,000 troops by February 2009, there will be slightly more American forces in Iraq than before the surge began.

Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program Fires First Round From a Fully Automated Cannon

Sep 24, 2008
BY Paul Boyce, OCPA - Media Relations

The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) Program successfully fired the first artillery projectile from the Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) Prototype Sept. 22 at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz.,. The NLOS-C, which has the ability to rapidly deliver precision munitions in both urban and conventional battle space and is the lead prototype in the Army's family of eight FCS Manned Ground Vehicles (MGVs)

The NLOS-C is much different than all the other combat vehicles produced by the Army thus far. Advanced FCS technology such as a fully automated ammunition loading system and improved accuracy through on-board projectile tracking coupled with the power of the FCS network and sensors; provide the two-man artillery crew with the capability to rapidly deliver highly accurate sustained fires for close and destructive fires. The networked capability is critical for counter insurgency and conventional warfare. "This marks the first 155mm round fired from a fully automated howitzer mounted on an FCS hybrid-electric chassis and remotely commanded through its on-board computers and controls." stated Lieutenant Colonel Robert McVay, Army Product Manager for NLOS-C.

A total of eight NLOS-C prototypes will be produced between 2008 and 2009. All to undergo rigorous testing, safety certification and evaluations at various Army test facilities. The NLOS-C prototypes will be used for testing and evaluation of not only the artillery system, but also the MGV common chassis and technologies.

The NLOS-C P1 will fire an additional 500 rounds through early 2009 to obtain a safety release that will allow Soldiers to move, shoot, and communicate from an NLOS-C in spring 2009. From there, Soldiers at the Army's Evaluation Task Force (AETF) will receive 18 NLOS-C platforms starting in 2010. The AETF will put the NLOS-C through combat scenarios to provide lessons learned that will be used to enhance and finalize the design for the final production NLOS-Cs and the rest of the MGV family.

Report: UAV Maker Falls Behind War Needs

By TOM VANDEN BROOK, USA TODAY
Published: 23 Sep 08:50 EDT (12:50 GMT)

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon's plan to put more unmanned aerial vehicles in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan as a critical weapon against insurgents relies on a company that government investigators and military analysts say has not met the skyrocketing demand for the aircraft.

General Atomics disputed the GAO findings, saying it is running one month ahead on some contracts and has produced 50 Reapers, above, and 300 Predators so far. (CENTAF News Team)

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, maker of the unmanned Predator and Reaper planes, has shown it can't keep up with the workload for its contracts, according to a Government Accountability Office report released last month.

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The company's Predator and Reaper drones are at the heart of the Pentagon's efforts in Afghanistan, as the drones are used to attack Taliban targets hiding in mountainous areas hard to reach on the ground.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made deploying more drones his top priority. The Taliban, the fundamentalist Muslim group that controlled Afghanistan until it was ousted by U.S. forces in October 2001, has regained strength in the past two years.

"It's a concern because the Army and Air Force are trying to surge their production," said Loren Thompson, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va. "If General Atomics can't keep up with the demand, war fighters can't get the intelligence they need."

General Atomics disputed GAO's findings, saying it is running one month ahead on some contracts and has produced 300 Predators and 50 Reapers so far.

"These major efforts and activities have been accomplished by an extremely efficient and innovative company staffed by exceptional employees," said General Atomics President Tom Cassidy in an e-mail. "Such monumental accomplishments could not have been made possible if all the criticisms detailed in the GAO's report were true."

The GAO report was prepared in response to a protest filed by General Atomics and an affiliated company after they lost the bidding for a Navy drone contract.

Air Force budget documents detail General Atomics' problems in supplying the aircraft. It took the company 10 months to deliver 24 Predators ordered in July 2006, records show. But it will take 17 months for the company to deliver the same number of aircraft ordered in April 2008. They won't start arriving until September 2009.

A Predator costs $4 million, while the more advanced Reaper costs almost $12 million.

"General Atomics is a good engineering company that has had problems transitioning to high volume," said former Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne.

Thompson said General Atomics has lacked the resources of larger contractors, making it difficult to meet the skyrocketing demand for unmanned aircraft.

Gates has made fielding drones a top priority, akin to the production of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that have been rushed to war zones to protect troops from roadside bombs.

The Pentagon wants Predators and Reapers to fly 50 combat air patrols per month in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, it has 28 combat air patrols a month and wants to reach 31 by year's end.

The need for more battlefield video provided by drones has been insatiable. There has been a 300 percent annual increase for full-motion video, according to the Pentagon. They have been used to track insurgents planting roadside bombs, the top killer of U.S. troops in Iraq. www.defencenews.com

USS De Wert Intercepts 3.6 Metric Tons of Cocaine

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080923-12
Release Date: 9/23/2008 12:36:00 PM

From USS De Wert Public Affairs

USS DE WERT, At Sea (NNS) -- While on patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, units assigned to the U.S. Navy's 4th Fleet and the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a fishing vessel carrying over three metric tons of cocaine Sept. 20.

The combined team of USS De Wert (FFG 45), with embarked helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 46 Detachment 1, and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 101 intercepted the fishing vessel in a nighttime interdiction, capturing seven suspected narcotics smugglers and the large cargo of cocaine with an estimated import value of $96 million.

While De Wert was coming alongside the fishing vessel experienced a mechanical problem and LEDET 101 and De Wert's Rescue and Assistance Team were deployed to render assistance and to ensure the safety of the vessel's crew. Subsequent to the rendering of assistance, a search of the vessel revealed 145 bales of cocaine. The narcotics were seized under the authority of the Coast Guard LEDET.

This seizure comes just a week after Sailors from USS McInerney (FFG 8) and LEDET 404, in conjunction with Patrol Squadron 26, intercepted a self-propelled semi submersible in the Eastern Pacific Ocean carrying over seven metric tons of cocaine.

The coordinated actions of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) were instrumental to the successful interdiction of narcotics.

De Wert, homeported in Mayport, Fla., is deployed in Latin America under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. 4th Fleet, conducting counter illicit trafficking operations in support of JIATF-South, U.S. law enforcement and participating nations drug control policy.

De Wert is also supporting the U.S. Maritime Strategy by conducting theater security cooperation events, such as community relation projects Project Handclasp distributions, in the Caribbean and Latin America.

For more news from USS De Wert, visit www.dewert.navy.mil.

For more information on U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement, visit http://uscg.mil/top/missions/M_Security.asp.

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusns/.

French Lawmakers Vote to Extend Afghan Mission

By Lisa Bryant
Paris
23 September 2008

French lawmakers voted Monday to extend their country's mission in Afghanistan with additional troops and materiel, despite popular opposition and French military casualties in the region. Lisa Bryant has more for VOA from Paris.

French deputies voted 343 to 210 in favor of maintaining the country's 2,600 soldiers in Afghanistan, overcoming opposition by the opposition Socialist party. The senate, which also is dominated by the ruling UMP party, approved the measure later in the day.

The vote came as at least 2,000 demonstrators rallied against French troop presence in Afghanistan in Paris over the weekend.

Opposition to French forces in Afghanistan has grown since an August attack that killed 10 French soldiers by the Taliban insurgency last month. The French government has denied reports they were inadequately prepared.

And Monday, Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced plans to reinforce France's presence in the volatile country.

Fillon said the government would deploy not only 100 more troops, but helicopters, drones and other equipment. France currently has 3,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the 70,000-strong international force there.

The debate over keeping troops in Afghanistan is being sounded elsewhere in Europe, including neighboring Germany.

More than 5,000 people demonstrated in Berlin and in Stuttgart Saturday against plans to prolong the deployment of German troops there. Germany's lower house of parliament is expected to vote in October on whether to increase its military presence in Afghanistan from 3,500 to 4,500 troops.

Pakistan: 60 Suspected Militants Killed in Recent Fighting

By VOA News
23 September 2008

Pakistan's military says its soldiers have killed some 60 suspected militants in two days of fighting in the northwest part of the country.

Officials say more than 50 insurgents and one soldier were killed in the fighting outside Peshawar in the Dara Adam Khel region Monday.

In a separate incident, security officials said Pakistani soldiers killed at least 10 suspected militants Tuesday in the Bajaur area near the Afghan border.

Officials said the battle was part of the continuing military offensive against suspected al-Qaida-linked militants in the region.

Since the operation began last month, the Pakistani military says its soldiers have killed more than 700 insurgents.

Also Tuesday, witnesses say police shot and killed at least five people during protests in Mingora, the main town in Swat Valley. Police say thousands of people set fire to banks during demonstrations against civilian deaths in the military offensive against militants.

The United Nations refugee agency is appealing for $17 million in aid to help more than 200,000 people displaced by the fighting and floods.

The U.N. has already distributed relief items to affected families, but says more donations are needed.

Pakistan's government estimates nearly 90,000 people have fled the fighting in Swat and other areas of North West Frontier Province, along the Afghan border.

Some analysts say the recent bombing of Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, which killed scores of people, was the militants' response to the military's ongoing operation in the tribal regions.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

US Military: Iraqi Government Will Pay Sunni Fighters

By Meredith Buel
Washington
22 September 2008

A top American commander in Iraq says the country's Shi'ite dominated government will accept responsibility for supporting more than 50,000 mostly Sunni fighters currently armed and paid by the U.S. military. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.

The commander of the Multinational Corps-Iraq, Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, says the U.S. military will transfer responsibility for Sunni fighters known as the Sons of Iraq to the government in Baghdad.

General Austin says 54,000 fighters in Baghdad province will be absorbed into security and civilian jobs next month.

"The Sons of Iraq have paid a heavy price fighting al-Qaida and other insurgent groups and it is important that the government of Iraq responsibly transition them into meaningful employment," he said. "Prime Minister Nouri [al-Maliki] has assured me that the government will help those who help the people of Iraq."

The Sons of Iraq include former insurgents and fighters once loyal to Saddam Hussein. The U.S. military estimates there are about 100,000 members of the group across the country.

Their decision to join the fight against terrorists is credited as a key cause for the decline in violence in Iraq, especially in areas where al-Qaida and other Sunni militants once ruled.

General Austin told reporters via teleconference from Baghdad the volunteer movement that started in Anbar province and swept across Iraq has significantly contributed to the security successes of Iraqi and coalition forces.

"And you should know that we will not abandon the Sons of Iraq," he said. "We will continue to follow up in the future to ensure that they get paid and that they do in fact transition to meaningful employment."

General Austin says about 20 percent of the fighters in Sons of Iraq will go into the Iraqi security forces, mostly as policemen.

He says the others will be transferred to different types of jobs and will receive training for civilian employment.

"This is a significant opportunity for the government to demonstrate to the Iraqi people and to the rest of the world that it is serious about reconciliation and about honoring its promises to the Sons of Iraq," he said.

Austin says Iraqi security forces are growing in confidence and capability, but are not yet ready to take over full security in the country.

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STRATCOM leader charts nuclear path for American military

by Master Sgt. Ben Gonzales
Air Force News Agency

9/23/2008 - OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AFPN) -- The U.S. Strategic Command commander here recently laid out his vision for the future of America's strategic deterrence mission and the importance of nuclear stewardship.

Gen. Kevin P. Chilton also outlined the necessary measures to correct the accountability and day-to-day management issues with nuclear weapons following the Defense secretary's scrutiny of the Air Force's mismanagement of nuclear assets.

"We have three main lines of operations here," the general said. "The first being strategic deterrence, the second being space operations and the third being cyberspace operations. In each one of these areas, we have forces assigned from the management level at the headquarters, and forces at the operational level of war executing every day, whether it is the mission of being ready and deterring, or actually conducting operations in space and cyberspace. On top of that, we have some key enablers that perform in the areas of missile defense, information operations, synchronized planning for combating weapons of mass destruction, and we make recommendations to the secretary of Defense on how to use our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. We also provide the warfighter input into the process in getting new equipment and capabilities."

The Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines of STRATCOM are ready to perform the strategic mission today and every day as they protect America from a full range of threats while supporting the war on terrorism.

"STRATCOM is in the fight today," said the command astronaut pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours. "We are in the business of saving American lives and we do that every day. Consider how much the joint force around the world depends on space capabilities delivered by this combatant command, or how much the joint force requires our cyber connectivity capabilities by moving intelligence data between (MQ-1) Predators (flying in Iraq or Afghanistan) to analysts (in the United States) to be able to hunt down our adversaries anywhere on the planet. STRATCOM is the backbone of those capabilities. And when it comes to strategic deterrence, we keep peace through our readiness."

The general is responsible for the global command and control of U.S. strategic forces to meet decisive national security objectives. He has led the joint command since October 2007 and sets the tone for its members on how to focus America's strategic capabilities.

"What I have tried to do is focus us in the way we look at our missions," General Chilton said. "I ask myself the question, 'On a bad day, when is the phone on my desk going to ring, and the president or secretary of Defense is on the other end of the line and would say, You need to fix this problem.' In those three main lines of operations that we operate in every day, I want to make sure we increase the operational focus day in and day out. The other missions we have are vitally important as well, and we don't want to lose sight of their importance. Bringing that headquarters and command-level focus down has refocused the entire command on the importance of our missions."

Having to refocus on the nuclear stewardship is something Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates takes very seriously. He made that clear when he asked for the resignations of both the secretary of the Air Force and chief of staff of the Air Force on the basis of leadership failures associated with control of nuclear weapons and equipment.

The secretary said the Air Force had lost focus on the sensitive mission of the protection and safety of its nuclear arsenal. He noted a "serious decline over at least a decade in the Air Force's nuclear mission focus and performance, resulting in a degradation of the authority, standards of excellence and technical competency of the Air Force's nuclear mission."

To counter this trend, the STRACOM commander recently established a Nuclear Enterprise Council and Board with general officer-level oversight to improve integration and coordination of U.S. nuclear operations. The 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and former astronaut who flew on three space shuttle missions said the American nuclear enterprise remains safe and secure.

"The services are currently taking all necessary measures to correct the accountability and day-to-day management issues with our strategic weapons," General Chilton said. "The nation demands the highest standards from all who are charged with the deterrent mission. I am confident in the services' ability to carry out the mission, and we will only get better as we continue to hone our processes and make organizational improvements. The nation can be assured our men and women continue to possess the professionalism and commitment to protect our country."

To oversee the command's nuclear operations and strategic deterrence, the general established a new one-star billet at STRATCOM, the deputy director for nuclear operations. The responsibilities of this position include managing and overseeing the nuclear enterprise to assure safety, security, reliability and positive control of nuclear weapons.

In addition to maintaining a safe and secure nuclear arsenal, the general noted that what should not be overlooked are warheads for the nuclear weapon systems.

"What we're not talking about enough is warheads," General Chilton said. "We have a Cold War inventory of nuclear warheads that we need to modernize if we're going to sustain our nuclear deterrent in the 21st century, and that is a major focus area for this command.

"The Air Force has done a great job of taking care of the (intercontinental ballistic missile) force," he said. "They are making the investments required to ensure we can sustain that force for another 15 to 20 years. The real question is will we have the warheads to put on top of them to make them effective as part of our deterrent? We need to move out on modernizing our warheads. Our current inventory is a Cold War design. We need a design for the 21st century that ensures reliability and increases safety and security of the weapon system. Now is the time to start looking hard at this weapons inventory that was designed to last 15 to 20 years and every single one of the weapons is older than 20 years old. It is time to move forward in this particular area.

"As long as the U.S. maintains a nuclear capability, we owe it to future generations to achieve the safest, most secure and reliable stockpile technology will allow," he said.

Of all STRATCOM's responsibilities, the No. 1 priority is nuclear deterrence and the general said perfection is the standard for America's nuclear forces.

"We have to be perfect in (the nuclear) mission," he said. "To have a credible deterrent to our adversaries and to ensure our allies know we have the capability to deliver this weapon if required, that takes precision and excellence. I think, perhaps, in the past 15 years we have lost track of the fact that readiness is a mission. Deterrence is a mission. And the highest calling anyone wearing a military uniform has is not to fight our country's wars, but to prevent those wars from starting. That nuclear mission, that strategic deterrence mission we have at STRATCOM, I believe is every bit as important today as it ever was, and the men and women who execute it are every bit as important today as they ever were. U.S. Strategic Command is ready."

The general, who is a Guggenheim Fellow and holds a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University, understands the value of the Air Force on the joint team.

"Two-thirds of our nuclear deterrence force is provided by the Air Force," General Chilton said. "A large percentage of our space force is provided by our Air Force, and I've been very proud of the Air Force and how they have raised awareness of cyberspace. In our three key lines of operation, the Air Force is absolutely critical to the joint team here in providing the talent and tools we need to conduct our operations."

Russia's Space Agency confirms 18th ISS expedition

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 12:41 STAR CITY (Moscow Region), September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Space Agency confirmed Tuesday the composition of the main crew for the 18th International Space Station expedition.

The crew, scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on October 12 on board the Soyuz TMA-12 craft, will comprise U.S. astronaut Commander Mike Fincke, Russian astronaut Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov, and U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott.

The crew members have successfully passed their preflight tests and medical checkup.

The current ISS crew comprises Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko, and U.S. astronaut Greg Chamitoff.

American millionaire Richard Garriott, who made his fortune on the development of online computer games, including the popular Ultima Online, will become the sixth space tourist to travel to ISS. The trip cost him $30 million.

Some reports earlier said he may participate in onboard scientific experiments and even conduct a space walk.

Space tourists started flying to the ISS in 2001. Dennis Tito, an American businessman and former NASA scientist, became the first space tourist when he visited the ISS in 2001. He was followed by South African computer millionaire Mark Shuttleworth in 2002, and Gregory Olsen, a U.S. entrepreneur and scientist, in 2005.

In 2006, Anousheh Ansari, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent and communications head, became the first female space tourist, followed in 2007 by Charles Simonyi, a U.S. citizen born in Hungary and a key figure in developing Microsoft's Word and Excel applications.

Guard unit makes final preparations for Predator flights

9/16/2008 - MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- Members of the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing here are now ready to begin training the Airmen on the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft system.

March Air Reserve Base officials expect to fly its first "live" training sortie in January from the former George Air Force Base, now known as Southern California Logistics Airport after having successfully surpassed two years of combat operations flying the Predator.

"We are really excited about taking this critical next step in our employment of the Predator," said Col. Randall Ball, the 163rd Operations Group commander. "We've been working toward this since getting the Predator mission in 2006 and it has taken a total team effort to go from concept to reality as quickly as we have."

Unit officials transitioned from its support mission flying the KC-135 Stratotanker to conducting active combat flying the Predator. After beginning Predator flight operations, the wing was charged to provide three continuous combat air patrols over Southwest Asia. As a result of the "surge," the wing has amassed more than 21,000 flying hours supporting combat operations overseas by providing combatant commanders with 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week aerial surveillance and precision strike capability.

Once the facilities and infrastructure needed to support the flying program at SCLA are in place, the wing will begin flying the Predator locally in preparation for its first class of Predator aviators, which is scheduled to begin in April 2009.

"We need to make sure we take a steady approach to starting the flight training program here so we can ensure we are training the best Predator pilots possible able to step out of the classroom and into the combat theater providing the kind of support commanders need and have come to expect," said Lt. Col. Kirby Colas, the 196th Reconnaissance Squadron commander.

Initially the wing will begin training Air National Guard members as Predator aircrews, but the program is expected to expand to include training active duty aviators as well to relieve some of the load for Creech Air Force Base, Nev., currently the only base training Predator aircrews.

Currently, the wing conducts Predator maintenance training in its recently-established, state-of-the-art field training detachment operating under Creech AFB Det. 13 as part of Air Education and Training Command. The fully-accredited maintenance training facility currently trains active duty and Guard Predator maintenance personnel.

Bush accuses Russia of violating UN Charter in Georgia conflict

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 21:17 WASHINGTON, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. President George W. Bush accused Russia on Tuesday of violating the UN Charter in its recent conflict with Georgia, and said the U.S. would continue to support Georgia.

"The UN Charter sets forth the 'equal rights of nations large and small.' Russia's invasion of Georgia was a violation of those words. Young democracies around the world are watching to see how we handle this test," Bush said in his farewell speech to the UN General Assembly.

He said Washington would work with its NATO allies and with the European Union to defend Georgia's territorial integrity.

Russia came under strong criticism for Western powers in its five-day conflict with Georgia last month, which followed Georgia's August 8 attack on breakaway South Ossetia. Russia subsequently recognized South Ossetia, along with Abkhazia, as independent states.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also singled out Russia for criticism in his speech to the assembly, saying Moscow "cannot compromise on the principle of states' sovereignty and independence, their territorial integrity."

The main focus of the UN General Assembly session was the ongoing global financial crisis.

In his speech, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that financial troubles in rich nations could harm aid to poor countries, and called on states to abandon their "uncritical faith" in market forces.

Palestinians ready for talks with Livni if she becomes Israeli PM

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 18:44 MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA) - The Palestinian National Authority is prepared for negotiations with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni if she becomes prime minister, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia said on Tuesday.

On Monday Israeli President Shimon Peres asked Livni, who heads the ruling Kadima party, to form a new government, which she has 42 days to do in order to avoid early parliamentary elections.

"We are ready to continue contacts and interaction with any leadership that will be elected by the Israeli people," Afif Safieh said at a RIA Novosti news conference.

The diplomat said the internal political process in Israel has always been the main obstacle to the peace process in the region.

As the Kadima party has only 29 seats in the 120-seat parliament, Livni will have to unite with several rival parties to form a governing coalition.

The greatest challenge will be in bringing in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas, which holds 12 seats. The party has demanded extra budget funds to help low-income Israelis, and has pledged to quit any governing coalition if the issue of Jerusalem's status is raised at Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Ehud Olmert, 62, resigned on Sunday amid corruption allegations, and was replaced by Livni, 50, as the ruling party's leader on Wednesday. His governing coalition had included Shas, Defense Minister Ehud Barak's Labor Party, and the Pensioners Party.

A drawn-out leadership struggle in Israel would put under threat the goal of reaching a peace-deal with the Palestinians by January 2009. The target was agreed on at last November's U.S.-sponsored peace conference.

Two of the main issues blocking progress in Israeli-Palestinian talks are Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the future status of Jerusalem, with Palestinians seeking to reclaim east Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War

SOMALIA: Mogadishu rocked by “worst shelling yet”

NAIROBI, 23 September 2008 (IRIN) - At least 100 people were killed and thousands fled their homes in the “worst fighting” to hit Mogadishu in recent months, locals told IRIN.

The fighting on 22 September pitted Ethiopian troops, African Union peacekeeping troops (AMISOM) and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces against insurgents. More than 200 people were reportedly wounded, hospital sources said.

"We are still today [23 September] collecting bodies and body parts from the market and the area around it," Ali Mohamed Siad, chairman of the Bakara market traders, told IRIN. "Blood and body parts are everywhere."

The fighting was concentrated around the large market - which has in the past been the scene of fierce fighting between Ethiopian-backed government forces and insurgents.

"The market and the surrounding neighbourhoods experienced the worst shelling yet," Siad added.

He said the shelling by Ethiopian, AMISOM and TFG forces began when the market was full of shoppers getting ready for the Eid festivities, to mark the end of Ramadan next week.

Up to 82 people have so far been confirmed dead and 157 injured in the market area alone, Siad added. The market was now closed.

Ali Sheikh Yassin, acting chairman of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organisation, told IRIN the market had been shelled from three different directions. "It was obvious the market was deliberately targeted," he said.

The shelling began after Islamic insurgents launched simultaneous attacks on the two main AMISOM bases at K4 and the airport, said a local journalist.

But AMISOM spokesman Barigye Bahoko told IRIN the AU peacekeepers were not involved in the shelling. "We are absolutely not responsible for the shelling," he said. "Responsibility should be on those who attack our defensive positions."

Local sources said the fighting and shelling were mostly concentrated in the districts of Hodan and Hawl Wadag in south Mogadishu.

Many families are still trying to get out, while others have begun burying the dead and taking the injured to hospital.

A medical source told IRIN the two main hospitals, Madina in the south and Keysaney in the north, were seeing more injured than at any time in the recent past.

"As of last night 195 injured were brought to Madina and about 30 to Keysaney," the source said. Roughly 46 people died in the hospitals, "but that is only those who made it to hospitals".

Meanwhile, talks to end the conflict, which have going on in Djibouti between representatives of the government and a faction of an Eritrea-based opposition alliance, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, again failed to agree a ceasefire.

"The main stumbling block is the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces,” said a civil society activist at the talks.

He said the TFG seemed to be trying to find a way for a less hurried withdrawal, while the Alliance was insisting on a 30-day withdrawal.

The parties agreed to resume talks in 15 days to hammer out a ceasefire agreement.

France to help Brazil build first Latin American nuclear sub

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 12:17 RIO DE JANEIRO, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - France will assist Brazil in the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine to protect vast oil reserves off its coast, the Brazilian defense minister said Tuesday.

Speaking during large-scale military exercises along the Brazilian coast, Nelson Jobim said a massive technology transfer from France was essential to Brazil's hopes of building a nuclear submarine.

"We will build the nuclear submarine together. Brazil will be responsible for the conventional part of the project," he said.

According to the minister, Brazil and France discussed the technology transfer in January at talks in France, and a relevant agreement could be signed before the end of this year during the official visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Brazil.

If the deal is successful, Brazil hopes to have the vessel built by 2020 and become the first Latin American nation to possess a nuclear-powered submarine. The deal would also include the joint construction of four diesel-powered submarines.

Brazil, with its nuclear power plants, vast reserves of uranium, advanced refinement capabilities, trained nuclear scientists and various research facilities, and Argentina are the only Latin American countries with significant nuclear capabilities.

The Brazilian military, which has five conventionally powered submarines in service with the Navy, has been seeking to build a nuclear submarine for decades amid worries about the security of its offshore oil reserves.

The current Operation Atlantic exercises to thwart a simulated attack on Brazilian oil drilling facilities involve 20 ships, several submarines, 9,000 troops and as many as 50 aircraft.

Abkhazia to host two Russian military bases - Bagapsh

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 19:35 SUKHUMI, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh confirmed Tuesday that two Russian military bases are to be stationed in the republic, recognized as an independent state by Moscow on August 26.

He said the bases would be located in the towns of Gudauta and Ochamchira, in the west and east of the republic, respectively.

Bagapsh said a military airport would be reopened in Gudauta. "New housing and an appropriate infrastructure will also be built for the families of Russian servicemen," he told a press conference.

The Abkhaz leader also said a seaport would also be restored in Ochamchira. "Taking into account that, after everything, Georgia will still in the near future join NATO, Abkhazia should do everything necessary to strengthen state security," Bagapsh said.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another breakaway Georgian region, as independent states last month after a brief armed conflict with Georgia. The five-day war began when Georgia attacked South Ossetia on August 8.

Russia signed friendship and cooperation treaties with South Ossetia and Abkhazia on September 17, promising them military and economic support.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia have so far only been recognized by Russia and Nicaragua. Belarus has pledged to follow suit in the near future, and Venezuela has voiced support for Russia's recognition of the two republics.

The two republics broke away from Georgia following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s amid wars that claimed thousands of lives.

Russia, Kazakhstan to hold joint naval drills in 2009

Russia, Kazakhstan to hold joint naval drills in 2009

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 15:37 MOSCOW/MAKHACHKALA, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Kazakhstan will conduct joint naval exercises in the Caspian Sea in 2009, the commander of the Caspian flotilla said on Tuesday.

"These exercises will be aimed at practicing anti-terrorism operations and will be conducted both on land and at sea," Vice Admiral Viktor Kravchuk said.

Russia, which is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has been strengthening military ties with Eurasian allies amid growing tensions over NATO expansion and U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe.

The CSTO is a security grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Pentagon Official Says Next US President Faces Challenges in Pakistan, Afghanistan

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
23 September 2008

America's top military officer, Admiral Michael Mullen, says the transition to a new U.S. administration could be a time of heightened threat for the United States. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who spoke in Los Angeles Monday, said the next president must address a growing insurgency along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. From Los Angeles, Mike O'Sullivan files.

The 44th U.S. president will take the oath of office on January 20. And Admiral Mullen says the months around the inauguration are always a time of transition and risk as a new administration gets up and running.

He says the most serious threat comes from the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where, he says, the level of violence has been rising.

Earlier this month, Mullen told a congressional committee that he is not convinced that coalition forces are winning in Afghanistan. But, he says, he believes they can. He repeated the comment on Monday before an audience in Los Angeles, and later told reporters, that the United States needs to focus on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

"Al-Qaida is there. Its leadership is there. We know that. And it continues to plan against the West, including against our homeland," he said.

Pakistan has criticized a series of suspected U.S. missile strikes and a ground attack against militant targets in Pakistan.

Pentagon officials deny news reports that Pakistani soldiers fired at two U.S. helicopters late Sunday for allegedly violating Pakistan's airspace in a suspected attack on a militant base. Admiral Mullen said he has received no information that such an incident happened.

Speaking in Washington Monday, Afghanistan's defense minister said his country has proposed a joint force made up of Afghan, Pakistani and coalition troops that would operate on both sides of the border. Admiral Mullen said he has not seen details of the proposal, but is encouraged that an Afghan leader offered the idea as a way to increase border security.

Mullen says the coalition strategy in the region needs to be economic as well as military. He says it should focus in part on eradicating poppy production, which fuels the heroin trade and feeds a growing insurgency.

"The profits from that crop are feeding the fight. And the extension of that is, they're killing Americans and killing our coalition partners and killing Afghan soldiers and citizens," added Mullen.

In addition, Admiral Mullen says Iran must also be a top priority for the new administration. He says Tehran hopes to extend its influence beyond the Middle East, and that it is working with the Taliban, once its archenemy, against coalition forces in Afghanistan.

President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 23, 2008

United Nations Headquarters
New York, New York

10:12 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary General, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen: I'm pleased to be here to address the General Assembly.

Sixty-three years ago, representatives from around the world gathered in San Francisco to complete the founding of the Charter of the United Nations. They met in the shadow of a devastating war, with grave new dangers on the horizon. They agreed on a historic pledge: "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, and unite their strength to maintain international peace and security."

This noble pledge has endured trying hours in the United Nations' history, and it still guides our work today. Yet the ideals of the Charter are now facing a challenge as serious as any since the U.N.'s founding -- a global movement of violent extremists. By deliberately murdering the innocent to advance their aims, these extremists defy the fundamental principles of international order. They show contempt for all who respect life and value human dignity. They reject the words of the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, or any standard of conscience or morality. They imperil the values of justice and human rights that gave birth to the United Nations -- values that have fueled an unprecedented expansion of freedom across the world.

To uphold the words of the Charter in the face of this challenge, every nation in this chamber has responsibilities. As sovereign states, we have an obligation to govern responsibly, and solve problems before they spill across borders. We have an obligation to prevent our territory from being used as a sanctuary for terrorism and proliferation and human trafficking and organized crime. We have an obligation to respect the rights and respond to the needs of our people.

Multilateral organizations have responsibilities. For eight years, the nations in this assembly have worked together to confront the extremist threat. We witnessed successes and setbacks, and through it all a clear lesson has emerged: The United Nations and other multilateral organizations are needed more urgently than ever. To be successful, we must be focused and resolute and effective. Instead of only passing resolutions decrying terrorist attacks after they occur, we must cooperate more closely to keep terrorist attacks from happening in the first place. Instead of treating all forms of government as equally tolerable, we must actively challenge the conditions of tyranny and despair that allow terror and extremism to thrive. By acting together to meet the fundamental challenge of our time, we can lead toward a world that is more secure, and more prosperous, and more hopeful.

In the decades ahead, the United Nations and other multilateral organizations must continually confront terror. This mission requires clarity of vision. We must see the terrorists for what they are: ruthless extremists who exploit the desperate, subvert the tenets of a great religion, and seek to impose their will on as many people as possible. Some suggest that these men would pose less of a threat if we'd only leave them alone. Yet their leaders make clear that no concession could ever satisfy their ambitions. Bringing the terrorists to justice does not create terrorism -- it's the best way to protect our people.

Multilateral organizations must respond by taking an unequivocal moral stand against terrorism. No cause can justify the deliberate taking of innocent human life -- and the international community is nearing universal agreement on this truth. The vast majority of nations in this assembly now agree that tactics like suicide bombing, hostage-taking and hijacking are never legitimate. The Security Council has passed resolutions declaring terror unlawful and requiring all nations to crack down on terrorist financing. And earlier this month, the Secretary General held a conference to highlight victims of terror, where he stated that terrorism can never be justified.

Other multilateral organizations have spoken clearly, as well. The G8 has declared that all terrorist acts are criminal and must be universally condemned. And the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference recently spoke out against a suicide bombing, which he said runs counter to the teachings of Islam. The message behind these statements is resolutely clear: Like slavery and piracy, terrorism has no place in the modern world.

Around the globe, nations are turning these words into action. Members of the United Nations are sharing intelligence with one another, conducting joint operations, and freezing terrorist finances. While terrorists continue to carry out attacks like the terrible bombing in Islamabad last week, our joint actions have spared our citizens from many devastating blows.

With the brutal nature of the extremists increasingly clear, the coalition of nations confronting terror is growing stronger. Over the past seven years, Afghanistan and Iraq have been transformed from regimes that actively sponsor terror to democracies that fight terror. Libya has renounced its support for terror and its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Nations like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are actively pursuing the terrorists. A few nations -- regimes like Syria and Iran -- continue to sponsor terror. Yet their numbers are growing fewer, and they're growing more isolated from the world.

As the 21st century unfolds, some may be tempted to assume that the threat has receded. This would be comforting; it would be wrong. The terrorists believe time is on their side, so they made waiting out civilized nations part of their strategy. We must not allow them to succeed. The nations of this body must stand united in the fight against terror. We must continue working to deny the terrorists refuge anywhere in the world, including ungoverned spaces. We must remain vigilant against proliferation -- by fully implementing the terms of Security Council Resolution 1540, and enforcing sanctions against North Korea and Iran. We must not relent until our people are safe from this threat to civilization.

To uphold the Charter's promise of peace and security in the 21st century, we must also confront the ideology of the terrorists. At its core, the struggle against extremists is a battle of ideas. The terrorists envision a world in which religious freedom is denied, women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed. The nations of this chamber must present a more hopeful alternative -- a vision where people can speak freely, and worship as they choose, and pursue their dreams in liberty.

Advancing the vision of freedom serves our highest ideals, as expressed in the U.N.'s Charter's commitment to "the dignity and worth of the human person." Advancing this vision also serves our security interests. History shows that when citizens have a voice in choosing their own leaders, they are less likely to search for meaning in radical ideologies. And when governments respect the rights of their people, they're more likely to respect the rights of their neighbors.

For all these reasons, the nations of this body must challenge tyranny as vigorously as we challenge terror. Some question whether people in certain parts of the world actually desire freedom. This self-serving condescension has been disproved before our eyes. From the voting booths of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Liberia, to the Orange Revolution in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia, to the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon and the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, we have seen people consistently make the courageous decision to demand their liberty. For all the suggestions to the contrary, the truth is that whenever or wherever people are given the choice, they choose freedom.

Nations in these chambers have supported the efforts of dissidents and reformers and civil society advocates in newly free societies throughout the new United Nations Democracy Fund. And we appreciate those efforts. And as young democracies around the world continue to make brave stands for liberty, multilateral organizations like the United Nations must continue to stand with them.

In Afghanistan, a determined people are working to overcome decades of tyranny, and protect their newly-free society. They have strong support from all 26 nations of the NATO Alliance. I appreciate the United Nations' decision this week to renew the mandate for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The United Nations is also an active civilian presence in Afghanistan, where experts are doing important work helping to improve education, facilitate humanitarian aid, and protect human rights. We must continue to help the Afghan people defend their young democracy -- so the Taliban does not return to power, and Afghanistan is never again a safe haven for terror.

In Iraq, the fight has been difficult, yet daily life has improved dramatically over the past 20 months -- thanks to the courage of the Iraqi people, a determined coalition of nations, and a surge of American troops. The United Nations has provided the mandate for multinational forces in Iraq through this December. And the United Nations is carrying out an ambitious strategy to strengthen Iraq's democracy, including helping Iraqis prepare for their next round of free elections. Whatever disagreements our nations have had on Iraq, we should all welcome this progress toward stability and peace -- and we should stand united in helping Iraq's democracy succeed.

We must stand united in our support of other young democracies, from the people of Lebanon struggling to maintain their hard-won independence, to the people of the Palestinian Territories, who deserve a free and peaceful state of their own. We must stand united in our support of the people of Georgia. The United Nations Charter sets forth the "equal rights of nations large and small." Russia's invasion of Georgia was a violation of those words. Young democracies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this test. The United States has worked with allies in multilateral institutions like the European Union and NATO to uphold Georgia's territorial integrity and provide humanitarian relief. And our nations will continue to support Georgia's democracy.

In this chamber are representatives of Georgia and Ukraine and Lebanon and Afghanistan and Liberia and Iraq, and other brave young democracies. We admire your courage. We honor your sacrifices. We thank you for your inspiring example. We will continue to stand with all who stand for freedom. This noble goal is worthy of the United Nations, and it should have the support of every member in this assembly.

Extending the reach of political freedom is essential to prevailing in the great struggle of our time -- but it is not enough. Many in this chamber have answered the call to help their brothers and sisters in need by working to alleviate hopelessness. These efforts to improve the human condition honor the highest ideals of this institution. They also advance our security interests. The extremists find their most fertile recruiting grounds in societies trapped in chaos and despair -- places where people see no prospect of a better life. In the shadows of hopelessness, radicalism thrives. And eventually, that radicalism can boil over into violence and cross borders and take innocent lives across the world.

Overcoming hopelessness requires addressing its causes -- poverty, disease, and ignorance. Challenging these conditions is in the interest of every nation in this chamber. And democracies are particularly well-positioned to carry out this work. Because we have experience responding to the needs of our own people, we're natural partners in helping other nations respond to the needs of theirs. Together, we must commit our resources and efforts to advancing education and health and prosperity.

Over the years, many nations have made well-intentioned efforts to promote these goals. Yet the success of these efforts must be measured by more than intentions -- they must be measured by results. My nation has placed an insistence on results at the heart of our foreign assistance programs. We launched a new initiative called the Millennium Challenge Account, which directs our help to countries that demonstrate their ability to produce results by governing justly, and fighting corruption, and pursuing market-based economic policies, as well as investing in their people. Every country and institution that provides foreign assistance, including the United Nations, will be more effective by showing faith in the people of the developing world -- and insisting on performance in return for aid.

Experience also shows that to be effective, we must adopt a model of partnership, not paternalism. This approach is based on our conviction that people in the developing world have the capacity to improve their own lives -- and will rise to meet high expectations if we set them. America has sought to apply this model in our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Every nation that receives American support through this initiative develops its own plan for fighting HIV/AIDS -- and measures the results. And so far, these results are inspiring: Five years ago, 50,000 people in sub-Sahara Africa were receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS. Today that number is nearly 1.7 million. We're taking a similar approach to fighting malaria, and so far, we've supported local efforts to protect more than 25 million Africans.

Multilateral organizations have made bold commitments of their own to fight disease. The G8 has pledged to match America's efforts on malaria and HIV/AIDS. Through the Global Fund, many countries are working to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB. Lives in the developing world depend on these programs, and all who have made pledges to fight disease have an obligation to follow through on their commitments.

One of the most powerful engines of development and prosperity is trade and investment, which create new opportunities for entrepreneurs, and help people rise out of poverty, and reinforce fundamental values like transparency and rule of law. For all these reasons, many in these chambers have conducted free trade agreements at bilateral and regional levels. The most effective step of all would be an agreement that tears down trade barriers at the global level. The recent impasse in the Doha Round is disappointing, but that does not have to be the final word. I urge every nation to seize this opportunity to lift up economies around the world -- and reach a successful Doha agreement as soon as possible.

Beyond Doha, our nations must renew our commitment to open economies, and stand firm against economic isolationism. These objectives are being tested by turbulence in the global financial markets. Our economies are more closely connected than ever before, and I know that many of you here are watching how the United States government will address the problems in our financial system.

In recent weeks, we have taken bold steps to prevent a severe disruption of the American economy, which would have a devastating effect on other economies around the world. We've promoted stability in the markets by preventing the disorderly failure of major companies. The Federal Reserve has injected urgently-needed liquidity into the system. And last week, I announced a decisive action by the federal government to address the root cause of much of the instability in our financial markets -- by purchasing illiquid assets that are weighing down balance sheets and restricting the flow of credit. I can assure you that my administration and our Congress are working together to quickly pass legislation approving this strategy. And I'm confident we will act in the urgent time frame required.

The objectives I've laid out for multilateral institutions -- confronting terror, opposing tyranny, and promoting effective development -- are difficult, but they are necessary tasks. To have maximum impact, multilateral institutions must take on challenging missions. And like all of us in this chamber, they must work toward measurable goals, be accountable for their actions, and hold true to their word.

In the 21st century, the world needs a confident and effective United Nations. This unique institution should build on its successes and improve its performance. Where there is inefficiency and corruption, it must be corrected. Where there are bloated bureaucracies, they must be streamlined. Where members fail to uphold their obligations, there must be strong action. For example, there should be an immediate review of the Human Rights Council, which has routinely protected violators of human rights. There should be a stronger effort to help the people of Burma live free of the repression they have suffered for too long. And all nations, especially members of the Security Council, must act decisively to ensure that the government of Sudan upholds its commitment to address the violence in Darfur.

The United Nations is an organization of extraordinary potential. As the United Nations rebuilds its headquarters, it must also open the door to a new age of transparency, accountability, and seriousness of purpose.

With determination and clear purpose, the United Nations can be a powerful force for good as we head into the 21st century. It can affirm the great promise of its founding.

In the final days of the San Francisco Conference, the delegates negotiating the U.N. Charter received a visit from President Harry Truman. He acknowledged the enormous challenges they faced, and said success was only possible because of what he called an "unshakable unity of determination." Today the world is engaged in another period of great challenge. And by continuing to work together, that unshakable unity of determination will be ours. Together, we confront and defeat the evil of terrorism. Together, we can secure the Almighty's gift of liberty and justice to millions who have not known it. And together, we can build a world that is freer, safer, and better for the generations who follow.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Bush, in UN Farewell, Gives Reassurance on US Economy

By David Gollust
United Nations
23 September 2008

President Bush, in what in all likelihood was his final U.N. address, assured the General Assembly his administration and Congress will act to deal with the U.S. financial crisis. Mr. Bush also urged the world community to stand united against terrorism and nuclear weapons proliferation. VOA's David Gollust reports from our U.N. Bureau.

Mr. Bush's policy speech to the General Assembly was dominated by the same anti-terrorism theme that has marked his U.N. messages since the 2001 attacks against the United States.

But with the financial crisis looming over New York's Wall Street just a few kilometers away, the President assured the world community his administration is determined to tackle the economic instability that has already had major spillover effects around the world.

"Last week, I announced decisive action by the federal government to address the root cause of much of the instability in our financial markets by purchasing illiquid assets that are weighing down balance sheets and restricting the flow of credit," President Bush. "I can assure you that my administration and our Congress are working together to quickly pass legislation approving this strategy. And I am confident we will act in the urgent time frame required."

On terrorism, Mr. Bush said the United Nations and other world organizations need to focus on preventive action rather than decrying acts of terror in resolutions after they occur. He challenged the notion of treating all forms of government as equally tolerable, and said the global community must actively challenge conditions of tyranny and despair that allow terror and extremism to thrive.

"Multi-lateral organizations must respond by taking an unequivocal moral stand against terrorism," said Mr. Bush. "No cause can justify the deliberate taking of innocent life. And the international community is nearing universal agreement on this truth. The vast majority of nations in this assembly now agree that tactics like suicide bombing, hostage taking and hijacking are never legitimate."

Mr. Bush said whatever disagreements countries may have had over the U.S.-led intervention in Iraq in 2003, they should all welcome recent progress there toward stability and peace and stand united in helping Iraqi democracy succeed.

He similarly urged support for efforts for democratic development in Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine and Liberia, among others, and called for solidarity with the people of Georgia, where he said the Russian invasion in August had violated U.N. founding principles.

"The United Nations Charter sets forth the equal rights of nations large and small," said President Bush. "Russia's invasion of Georgia was a violation of those words. Young democracies around the world are watching to see how we respond to this test. The United States has worked with allies in multi-lateral institutions like the European Union and NATO to uphold Georgia's territorial integrity and provide humanitarian relief, and our nations will continue to support Georgia's democracy."

Mr. Bush stressed the multi-billion dollar U.S. efforts during his tenure to fight HIV/AIDS and Malaria in Africa and elsewhere, and urged other countries to fulfill pledges to the United Nations and the Global Fund to combat the diseases.

He also urged renewed efforts to break down global trade barriers, saying the recent impasse at the Doha round of world tariff-cutting negotiations is disappointing, but said it does not have to be the final word.

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts

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FOR RELEASE AT		No. 801-08
5 p.m. ET		September 23, 2008

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CONTRACTS

NAVY

United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney, Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $332,102,095 modification to a previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract (N00019-07-C-0098) to establish the final price and provide full funding for the procurement of seven U.S. Air Force conventional take off and landing propulsion systems, one initial spare module, initial spare parts, and six U.S. Navy Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) propulsion systems, and associated special tooling and special test equipment, program management, and financial and technical data. Additionally, this modification establishes an option for one spare Navy STOVL propulsion system; one STOVL initial spare module; STOVL initial spare parts and associated sustainment effort; future LRIP proposal and planning effort; and United Kingdom site activation effort. Work will be performed East Hartford, Conn., (73 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom, (17 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

Harper Construction Co., Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $114,580,321 firm fixed price contract for the design and construction of five Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. This contract also contains eleven unexercised options, which if exercised will increase the cumulative contract value to $125,777,265. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-C-8654).

Harris Corp., Melborne, Fla., is being awarded a $37,000,000 contract modification to a previously awarded firm fixed pricecontract (N00039-00-D-3210) to increase the ceiling value and to increase the ordering period for an additional 17 months from Oct. 1, 2008, through Mar. 6, 2010. This effort is for additional AN/WSC-6 Super High Frequency (SHF) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) terminals and additional data in accordance with CDRL, DD Form 1423. This contract modification would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $172,498,000. Work will be performed in Melborne, Fla., and work is expected to be completed Mar. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract wascompetitively procured in FY 2000 and this modification announcement was synopsized via the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website on May 23, 2007. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Science Application International Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $30,000,000 firm fixed price, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity architect/engineering contract for preparation of Navy and Marine Corps environmental planning documentation in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest area of responsibility. The work to be performed provides for National Environmental Policy Act documents such as Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, and Environmental Impact Statements. Environmental studies and documents include, but are not limited to, historical, cultural, archaeological, traffic, acoustic (e.g., sound in water and on land), geotechnical, air quality and biological assessments for threatened and endangered species, and protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, wetlands surveys and Section 404 permitting, and agency consultation and permitting documentation for the California Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regional Water Quality Control Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service and other miscellaneous environmental studies, and cost estimates and sketches for the preparation of Architect-Engineer (A-E) Documents and reports for the NAVFAC Southwest, and its customer commands. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent), Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo., (1 percent), N.M., (1 percent) and Utah, (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Aug. 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $5,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website,with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8807).

REDCOM Laboratories, Victor, N.Y., is being awarded a ceiling $28,000,000 firm fixed priced, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract resulting from Request for Proposal No. M67854-07-R-7038 for software upgrades to existing tactical switching equipment. Work will be performed in Victor, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed in Sept. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source procurement utilizing the procedures contained in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15. No other suppliers were identified that could satisfy the Agency requirements. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-D-7062).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Simulation, Training and Support Division, Orlando, Fla., is being awarded an $11,075,000 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed priced contract (N00019-00-C-0480) to exercise an option for the F/A-18 Operational Test Program Set Production effort. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., and is expected to be completed in Jan. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

The Krempp Lumber Co.*, Jasper, Ind., is being awarded firm fixed price task order #0007 at $10,816,600 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40083-06-D-4018) for design and construction of the Secured Electronic Warfare Systems Engineering Facility at Naval Support Activity, Crane. The work to be performed provides for a two-story permanent addition to the electronics/communications engineering complex, B3330. Functional areas include high security engineering laboratory areas capable of supporting multiple projects requiring secure communications media, and supporting secure office areas. The addition will have conference rooms, break rooms, communications, electrical, and mechanical rooms. Paving and site improvements include vehicle parking areas and roadways, sidewalks, landscaping, and grading. The project will also include the demolition of an existing laboratory building. Work will be performed in Crane, Ind., and is expected to be completed by Feb. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Midwest, Great Lakes, Ill., is the contracting activity.

Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., is being awarded $10,765,906 for delivery order #0060 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery indefinite quantity contract (M67854-04-D-5016) for the purchase of an additional 48 ready-to-accept Armor Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement cargo trucks. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., and work is expected to be completed by Mar. 15, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Bell Boeing Tiltrotor, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $9,971,572 ceiling priced delivery order #0296 under previously awarded contract (N00383-03-G-001B) for spare components for the CV-22 aircraft. Work will be performed at Hurst, Texas, and work is expected to be completed by Dec. 2011. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.

Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a potential $9,263,686 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, award term contract with a cost plus fixed fee pricing arrangement for engineering and technical support services for Tactical Data Link Systems, such as LINK 11 and 16, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, Command and Control Processor Subsystem, Tactical Digital Data Information Link and Common Data Link Management System, in support of a range of Navy projects. This contract will provide systems engineering, systems integration, test support, fleet support, software engineering, training, integrated logistics support, configuration management, and project management support. This one-year contract includes two, one-year options and four, six-month award terms, which if exercised, would bring the potential, cumulative value of this contract to $46,100,339. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completion Sept. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the SPAWAR e-Commerce web site and the Federal Business Opportunities web site. Three offers were received and two awards were made. Both awardees will compete for task orders during the ordering period. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-08-D-0074).

Solpac Construction Inc., dba Soltek Pacific Construction Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $9,235,123 modification under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8615) firm fixed price task order to exercise option 0001 which provides for the design and construction of a Weapons and Survivability Complex at the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake. The work to be performed under this option provides for design and construction of: (1) an elevated test pad with depressed gun trench below the test pad for shooting test articles from below; (2) a protected room underneath the test pad accessible from the gun pad for instrumentation; (3) three fragment protected (barricaded) utility buildings; 4) a wastewater collection system for wastewater/fuel generated from tests; and (5) electrical power, instrumentation and compressed air utilities. The total task order amount after exercise of this option will be $17,308,647. Work will be performed in China Lake, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity

Science Applications International Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $9,097,260 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity award term contract with a cost plus fixed fee pricing arrangement for engineering and technical support services for Tactical Data Link Systems, such as LINK 11 and 16, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, Command and Control Processor Subsystem, Tactical Digital Data Information Link and Common Data Link Management System, in support of various Navy projects. This contract will provide systems engineering, systems integration, test support, fleet support, software engineering, training, integrated logistics support, configuration management, and project management support. This one-year contract includes two, one-year options and four, six-month award terms, which if exercised, would bring the potential, cumulative value of this contract to $46,563,786. Work will be performed San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Sept.2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the SPAWAR e-Commerce web site and the Federal Business Opportunities web site. Three offers were received and two awards were made. Both awardees will compete for task orders during the ordering period. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-08-D-0152).

Stronghold Engineering, Inc., Riverside, Calif., is being awarded $8,129,100 for firm fixed price task order #0001 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-06-D-1057) for the repair and renovation of Bachelor Enlisted Quarters, Building 41404 at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. This task order also contains one option, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $9,335,100. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Epsilon Systems Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $7,200,000 modification (P0021) under previously awarded cost plus fixed fee, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract (N00244-05-D-0045) for acquisition, engineering, technical, training, installation, repair, and program support for Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif. Work will be performed at San Diego, Calif., (85 percent), Japan, (10 percent), and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed by May 2009. The contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded competitively through Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities website. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, San Diego, Calif. is the contracting activity.

Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $6,900,000 firm fixed priced order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-08-G-0016) for services in support of the FY 2008 ARC-210 Radio software changes to evolve the Ultra High Frequency Satellite Communication waveform capability in the next generation Tactical Networking Radio, RT-1939(C) radio system. Tasking includes program management, system engineering, and data deliverables. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,196,459 modification to a previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for support equipment for three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot Production Aircraft, 1 Lot. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., (69.1 percent); Menlo Park, Calif., (Menlo Park, Calif., (5.7 percent); New Port Richey, Fla., (5.3 percent) Islip, N.Y., (3.2 percent); Dover, N.J., (3.1 percent); Holbrook, N.Y., (2.2 percent); and other various locations within the United States, (11.4 percent), and is expected to be completed in Jun. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Correction: Contract awarded to Solpac Construction Inc. dba Soltek Pacific Construction Co., San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 19, 2008 -- sentence should have read: for design and construction of Joint Improvised Explosive Device Organization Battle Courses at….

AIR FORCE

Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Defense Enterprise Solutions, of McLean, Va., is being awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract for $19.6 million. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Bioeffects Division is unique in the Department of Defense because it brings together in one organization the physical, biological, behavioral, science and engineering disciplines with specialized facilities to address all aspects of the human interface with optical sources in Air Force combat operations. Due to the laboratory’s focus on man as an intrinsic part of the weapon systems, the laboratory is often tasked from other customers to evaluate the human aspects of their systems. AFRLL must respond with technical solutions and programs that address the customer’s technical requirements. Optical radiation technologies, with potentially seriously hazards to aircrews, are being incorporated in many operational systems. Beyond today’s target designator, rangefinders, and beam rider systems are dedicated laser systems capable of jamming and damaging both eyes and sensors. These systems have potentially serious consequences for air missions, special forces operations, and security of high-value targets in both U.S. and allied countries. In turn, similar systems can be utilized to enhance the warfighter’s/peacekeeper flexibility by allowing them to respond with non-lethal methods. At this time $43,550 has been obligated. AFRL/PKHA, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-D-6930; Task Order 0002).

The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract by exercising an option with Doss Aviation, Incorporated, of Colorado Springs, Colo., for an estimated $19,101,691. This action is for flight screening for USAF pilot candidates. At this time all funds have been obligated. AETC CONS/LGCU, Randolph AFB, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA3002-06-D-0010, Modification P00014).

Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for an estimated $14,168,363. The objective of this contract is to research and develop point of care and high-through put influenza diagnostic and surveillance test. At this time $2,415,459 has been obligated. 55th Contracting Squadron, 55 CONS.LGCD, Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-3180, Delivery Order: 0556).

The Air Force is modifying a fixed price with prospective price redetermination contract with Colorado Springs utilities of Colorado Springs, Colo., for $9 million. This action will provide safe, dependable and reliable natural gas and electronic services. At this time all funds have been obligated. 10 MSG/LGCA, USAF Academy, Colo., is the contracting activity (GS-00P-06-BSD-0399, Task Order FA7000-08-F-0001, Modification P00001).

Alion Science and Technology Corp., of Chicago, Ill., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for an estimated $8,695,652. This action will provide the Air Force Material Command (AFMC) with technical analysis and research for electronic warfare capability planning and development analysis. This research will enable AFMC to make key decisions regarding new system starts and modifications of electronic warfare operations and capabilities. At this time $144,928 has been obligated. 55th Contracting Squadron, 55 CONS.LGCD, Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-99-D-0301, Delivery Order: 0164).

The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) of Tullahoma, Tenn., for $8,282,316. This action is a modification for the operation, maintenance, information managements, and support of the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) for additional workload in FY08. This increase results from changes to the workload in the test facilities and increased maintenance, investment, and mission support requirements. At this time no funds have been obligated. AEDC/PK, Arnold AFB, Tenn., is the contracting activity (F40600-03-C-0001, Modification P00149).

ARMY

Advanced Technology Institute, North Charleston, S.C., was awarded on Sept. 22, 2008, a $40,000,000 cost/plus/fixed/price contract for individuals task orders will be issued on a cost plus fixed fee basis. Work will be performed in North Charleston, S.C., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 16, 2013. Bid was solicited and a bid was received. U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Acquisition Center, Adelphi, Md., is the contracting activity (W911QX-08-D-0008).

Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on Sept. 21, 2008, a $31,648,787 firm fixed fee price contract. This requirement is for parts necessary to perform maintenance on non-mission capable armored personnel carriers within the Iraqi Security Forces. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., Wokingham, Berkshire and United Kingdom, with an estimated completion date of May 16, 2008. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. Joint Contracting Command Iraqi, Afghanistan, Baghdad, Iraq, is the contracting activity (W91GY0-08-C-0056).

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded on Sept. 22, 2008, a $31,214,840 firm fixed fee price contract for spare parts for the Blackhawk UH60M. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2008. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Acquisition Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0271).

Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Baltimore, Md., was awarded on Sept. 22, 2008, a $25,993,504 firm fixed fee price contract design and construct barracks facilities (250) approximately 97,000 square feet. Work will be performed in Fort Benning, Ga., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 31, 2010. Proposals solicited were four and two proposals were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0049).

Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Chantilly, Va., 801-08was awarded on Sept. 20, 2008, a $21,500,000 firm fixed fee price contract for design and construction of the US Army Reserve Center Command Headquarters at Fort Bragg. Work will be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Jun. 30, 2011. Proposals solicited were six and four proposals were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-C-0061).

General Dynamics Land System, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Oct. 31, 2008, a $13,046,844 firm fixed price contract for award program Year One INCR 3 of multi-year contract for a quantity of 5 Abrams M1A2 SEPv2 upgrade vehicles. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, Tallahassee, Fla., Anniston, Ala., Scranton, Pa., and Sterling Heights, Mich., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).

Argon ST Radix Inc, Mountain View, Calif., was awarded on Sept. 22, 2008, a $5,837,957 T&M firm fixed price contract for undefinitized contractual action for Integrated TOS (the Other Signal) airborne development system quick reaction capability. Work will be performed in the Iraq and Mountain View, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 3, 2010. Bids solicited were one Sole Source and one bid was received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-08-C-T209).

American Mechanical Inc, Fairbanks, Ala., was awarded on Sept. 19, 2008, a $5,857,965 firm fixed price contract for design and construct upgrades to Kodiak Street Arctic Utilidors, Eielson Air force Base, Ala. Work will be performed in Eielson Air Force Base, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2009. Two bids were solicited and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineers District, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ala., is the contracting activity (W911KB-05-D-0012).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

General Electric Transportation Aircraft Engines, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a maximum $15,149,847 firm fixed price, sole source, requirements type contract for aircraft engine parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. This contract is for ten years with a two-year base and four two-year options. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Mar. 31, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va., (SPM400-00-D-9403).

Pyongyang unseals Yongbyon reactor - South Korean media

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

RIA Novosti

22/09/2008 14:59 MOSCOW, September 22 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea has removed seals from its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, closed down last year under denuclearization agreements, South Korean media reported Monday.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammad El Baradei, was quoted as saying earlier in the day that Pyongyang had asked the UN nuclear watchdog to remove the seals and surveillance cameras from the nuclear facility 100 km north of the country's capital.

North Korean Foreign Ministry official Hyon Hak-bong told reporters Friday that preparations were underway to restart the country's nuclear reactor, due to the failure of the United States to fulfill its side of a denuclearization deal.

Hyon's statement came just before the start of talks with South Korea on the provision of energy aid to the impoverished North. South Korea says its neighbor has so far received around half of the 1 million metric tons of fuel aid it was promised in exchange for denuclearization under a 2007 six-nation deal.

Under the agreement reached between the two Koreas, Russia, the United States, China and Japan, North Korea agreed to disable the Yongbyon complex, which had produced weapons-grade plutonium. Deconstruction work began last November.

The United States had pledged in turn to remove North Korea from its blacklist of states sponsoring terrorism, which keeps the country in financial isolation. However, Washington has since said that this cannot be done until North Korea allows international inspectors to check North Korean facilities, a demand that met with an angry response from Pyongyang.

"The United States is gravely mistaken if it thinks it can make a house search [in North Korea] whenever it pleases just as it did in Iraq," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in the August 26 statement announcing the end of its work to disable the Yongbyon complex.

Hyon said the deconstruction process had been 90% complete, but that the country could restore the reactor.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap has cited diplomatic sources as saying the country began reassembling parts of the facility on September 3.

North Korea's Kim Jong-il makes 'slight recovery'

RIA Novosti

23/09/2008 17:57 MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, whose reported illness has sparked fears of instability in the communist state, has made a partial recovery, South Korea's intelligence chief said on Tuesday.

Seoul's Yonhap news agency said National Intelligence Service Director Kim Sung-ho briefed parliament on the North Korean leader's state of health.

"He has slightly recovered," the spy chief was quoted as saying by Lee Chul-woo, a lawmaker for the ruling party. Lee did not give further details.

North Korean officials have denied foreign reports that the country's secretive leader has suffered a stroke, calling them attempts to harm relations between the two Koreas.

Concern over Kim's health arose when he failed to appear on September 9 at a military parade in Pyongyang marking the 60th anniversary of the communist state.

U.S. and South Korean intelligence services earlier said Kim Jong-il was in a serious condition. Both countries fear that a regime change could jeopardize the complex process of ending North Korea's nuclear program, as agreed in a six-party deal.

Under the landmark 2007 agreement between the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, the North pledged to dismantle its plutonium-producing Yongbyon reactor in exchange for fuel aid and other incentives. Deconstruction work began last November.

However, last week North Korea announced that preparations were underway to re-start the reactor, due to a failure by the U.S. to fulfill its side of the denuclearization deal.

The U.S. had pledged to remove North Korea from its blacklist of states sponsoring terrorism, which keeps the country in financial isolation. Washington has since said that this cannot be done until North Korea allows international inspectors to check North Korean facilities.

Kim Jong-il has ruled North Korea since 1994, when he succeeded his late father Kim Il-sung, the communist state's founder. According to Soviet records, he was born in the Russian village of Vyatskoye near Khabarovsk, where his father commanded a military brigade in which Chinese and Korean exiles served.

Lockheed Martin Team Successfully Demonstrates High Performance Radiator Technology For TSAT Program

SUNNYVALE, Calif., September 17th, 2008 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]/Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) team has successfully tested a high performance deployable radiator system to meet the stringent mission requirements of the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) constellation.

TSAT will provide thousands of military users with wideband, highly mobile, beyond line-of-sight protected communications to support network-centric operations for the future battlefield.

Developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif. and Thermacore, Inc. of Lancaster, Pa., the High Performance Loop Heat Pipe (HP-LHP) Deployable Radiator System has been demonstrated to significantly improve the heat dissipation capability over existing systems.

The HP-LHP, designed and matured for TSAT, will provide substantially more radiator area, resulting in a cooler, more stable thermal environment for Lockheed Martin's A2100 spacecraft bus and the communications payload provided by Northrop Grumman.

“This represents another major risk reduction milestone for TSAT," said Mark Pasquale, Lockheed Martin's TSAT vice president. "Our unique approach will afford greater reliability and longevity for TSAT's critical components and serves as another example of our thorough preparation and readiness to proceed with the next phase of this critical communications program."

The modular HP-LHP is designed to be compactly stowed during launch and has the ability to accommodate additional units in support of increasing thermal requirements in a scalable fashion. Subsequent to launch the modular system is deployed on orbit to achieve maximum thermal efficiency. LHP technology uses a passive, capillary pump to transport heat from the high power communications payload to the radiator surface and ultimately to the cold space environment.

This highly capable system more than doubles the heat dissipation capability over satellites similar in size. The robust hardware solution has been successfully tested through stringent government environments and specifications during the TSAT risk reduction phase, significantly reducing risk for the next phase of the program.

TSAT represents the next step toward transitioning the Department of Defense wideband and protected communications satellite architecture into a single network comprising multiple satellite, ground, and user segment components. The system ultimately will replace the Milstar and Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) programs and provide the Global Information Grid network extension to mobile warfighters, sensors, weapons, and command, control, and communications nodes located on unmanned aerial vehicles, piloted aircraft, on the ground, in the air, at sea or in space.

The Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman TSAT space segment team is currently working under a $664 million contract for the Risk Reduction and System Definition phase. This effort will culminate with a multi-billion dollar development contract scheduled to be awarded to a single contractor in late 2008.

The Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, located at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the TSAT contract manager and lead agency for ensuring the capabilities of this system are made available to the warfighter.

About Thermacore, Inc.
Founded in 1970, Thermacore specializes in the custom design, development, and manufacturing of highly engineered thermal management systems and components for a variety of OEM applications across diversified global markets that includes Military/Aerospace, Computer, Communication, Energy Conversion, Medical, and Transportation.

About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

Air Force develops plan for filling unmanned aircraft system positions

by Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

9/16/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force leaders are taking a two-pronged approach to address the increasing need for pilots of unmanned aircraft systems in Afghanistan and Iraq, an Air Force official said recently.

The first approach will use a small percentage of undergraduate pilot training graduates for the short term. The second will examine the potential for a distinct career path for Airmen to fly unmanned aircraft.

"The UPT approach will happen quickly," said Col. Pete Lee, chief of the operational training division in Air Staff Operations.

In the next couple of weeks, Air Force officials will select approximately 10 percent of UPT graduates to begin UAS training when they graduate in October. Their UAS training will be at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

After completing a standard UAS tour, UPT Airmen will receive a follow-on assignment to a manned aircraft, Colonel Lee added.

In January 2009, the Air Force will begin the second approach, a small-group testing of a program to train approximately 10 active-duty officers to specifically fly unmanned aircraft. Colonel Lee said the lessons learned from the first group will be used to train a second group of 10. Initial training will begin in Pueblo, Colo., where the Air Force conducts introductory flight screening. UAS-specific training will follow with full major weapons system qualification completed at Creech.

"The plan is to develop and validate training programs that prepare non-UPT pilots for wartime UAS duty," Colonel Lee said. "We will continue to uphold the highest levels of Air Force flight safety standards."

The colonel said this is a historic time for the Air Force.

"Pilots flying unmanned aircraft today and Airmen selected for the new UAS training program are charting ground-breaking paths for the Air Force," Colonel Lee said. "They are truly trailblazers."

The Air Force general in charge of oversight of air, nuclear, space, cyber and weather operations for the Air Staff said the demand for UAS in theater is critical.

"The combat contributions of unmanned aircraft systems in today's fight have surpassed all expectations and have taken a crucial role in our ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Lt. Gen. Daniel Darnell, Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.

"The surveillance-only role of UAS has rapidly expanded to include strike, force protection, and additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions," the general added.

Colonel Lee said unmanned aircraft are the tip of the spear for Air Force combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq because of "their ability to identify, track and engage our enemies."

From January to August of this year, MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers flew more than 4,400 sorties, logging over 81,800 combat flight hours. They also engaged more than 9,900 ISR targets and were an integral asset during more than 300 incidents of troops in contact with the enemy and more than 1,000 raids.

Top Investigative Reporter: US Spies on Iraqi PM

By VOA News
05 September 2008

A top U.S. investigative reporter says the Bush administration has extensively spied on Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The Washington Post Friday previewed a book by its associate editor, Bob Woodward, in which one source is quoted as saying about Mr. Maliki, "we know everything he says."

Woodward's book, called "The War Within: A Secret White House History," is based on interviews with intelligence, diplomatic and military sources, as well as two on-the-record interviews with U.S. President George Bush. It is set for release Monday.

The White House declined to comment specifically on the charge of spying. An Iraqi government spokesman said if true, "it reflects that there is no trust," adding Baghdad will be asking Washington for an explanation.

According to the Post, Woodward also says that last year's troop surge in Iraq was not the primary factor behind the steep drop in violence there. Instead, Woodward points to what he calls "groundbreaking" covert programs to track and kill insurgent leaders.

The book also gives credit for the drop in violence to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's moves to rein in his powerful Mahdi army, and to the Sunni groups that turned against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Woodward writes of an administration sharply divided about the course of the war, and he portrays Mr. Bush as sometimes disconnected from it. When asked how the White House decided on sending five brigades to Iraq for the surge, rather than the military's suggestion of two, Mr. Bush is quoted as saying "Okay, I don't know this. I'm not in these meetings, you'll be happy to hear, because I got other things to do."

The Post says that during the interviews with Woodward, the president spoke of the war as part of a re-centering of American power in the Middle East, which he justified by saying that was the place from which "a deadly attack emanated."

"The War Within" is Woodward's fourth book on the Bush administration and Iraq. Woodward is best known for his work, along with Carl Bernstein, uncovering the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of former President Richard Nixon.

Iraq Wants Explanation of US Spying Report

By VOA News
06 September 2008

The government of Iraq says it will ask for an explanation from U.S. officials about an allegation that the Bush administration spied on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials.

The assertion is made in an upcoming book by U.S. investigative reporter Bob Woodward, who is associate editor of "The Washington Post."

In a preview report Friday, the newspaper said the book quotes a U.S. source as saying about Mr. Maliki, "we know everything he says."

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that if Woodward's account is true, it reflects a lack of trust between the two governments.

U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley issued a statement Friday that made no reference to the allegation of spying on Iraqi officials.

Hadley took issue with claims that U.S. President George Bush did not publicly acknowledge problems in Iraq and was detached from a review of Iraq policy.

Hadley also disagreed with Woodward's assertion that the 2007 surge of U.S. troops was not the primary factor in reducing violence in Iraq.

According to the Post, Woodward says there were three additional factors, including what he calls "groundbreaking" covert techniques to track and kill insurgent leaders. He also credits the decision by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to rein in his Mahdi army militia, and the action of Sunni groups that turned against al-Qaida in Iraq. Hadley argues that the surge of U.S. troops "enabled" the other factors.

Woodward's book, called "The War Within: A Secret White House History," is based on interviews with intelligence, diplomatic and military sources, as well as two interviews with President Bush. It is set for release Monday.

"The War Within" is Woodward's fourth book on the Bush administration and Iraq. Woodward is best known for his work, along with Carl Bernstein, uncovering the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the 1974 resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

N.Korea Accuses US, S.Korea of Spy Flights

By VOA News
31 August 2008

North Korea is accusing the United States and South Korea of conducting about 180 spy flights over its territory this month.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency Sunday said the flights showed, in its words, "aggressive ambition to stifle" North Korea by force of arms.

The news agency says the planes conducted aerial observations and took photographs over several days starting August 19th.

Pyongyang regularly accuses South Korea and the United States of conducting aerial spy missions, and has warned that the actions could warrant a pre-emptive attack by North Korean forces.

Seoul and Washington generally do not respond to North Korea's accusations.

North and South Korea remain technically at war because their three-year-long armed conflict ended in 1953 with an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Earlier this week, South Korean prosecutors said a North Korean woman had been arrested on charges of spying for her communist homeland.

Prosecutors said the suspect, Won Jeong-hwa, used sexual favors to gain information from military officers and posed as a North Korean defector.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

N.Korea Accuses US, S.Korea of Spy Flights

N.Korea Accuses US, S.Korea of Spy Flights

By VOA News
31 August 2008

North Korea is accusing the United States and South Korea of conducting about 180 spy flights over its territory this month.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency Sunday said the flights showed, in its words, "aggressive ambition to stifle" North Korea by force of arms.

The news agency says the planes conducted aerial observations and took photographs over several days starting August 19th.

Pyongyang regularly accuses South Korea and the United States of conducting aerial spy missions, and has warned that the actions could warrant a pre-emptive attack by North Korean forces.

Seoul and Washington generally do not respond to North Korea's accusations.

North and South Korea remain technically at war because their three-year-long armed conflict ended in 1953 with an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Earlier this week, South Korean prosecutors said a North Korean woman had been arrested on charges of spying for her communist homeland.

Prosecutors said the suspect, Won Jeong-hwa, used sexual favors to gain information from military officers and posed as a North Korean defector.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

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North Korea announces preparations to re-launch nuclear reactor

RIA Novosti

19/09/2008 13:05 MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti) - A senior North Korean diplomat told reporters on Friday that preparations are underway to re-start the country's nuclear reactor, due to failure by the U.S. to fulfill its side of a denuclearization deal.

"We're thoroughly preparing to restart the Yongbyon reactor," South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted Foreign Ministry official Hyon Hak-bong as saying at the border truce village of Panmunjom.

When asked by a reporter whether Pyongyang would actually restart the facility, he said: "You'll come to know soon."

Hyon's statement came just before the start of talks with South Korea on the provision of energy aid to the impoverished North. South Korea says its neighbor has so far received around half of the 1 million metric tons of fuel aid it was promised in exchange for denuclearization under a 2007 six-nation deal.

Under the agreement reached between the two Koreas, Russia, the U.S., China and Japan, North Korea agreed to disable the Yongbyon complex, which had produced weapons-grade plutonium. Deconstruction work began last November.

The U.S. had pledged in turn to remove North Korea from its blacklist of states sponsoring terrorism, which keeps the country in financial isolation. However, Washington has since said that this cannot be done until North Korea allows international inspectors to check North Korean facilities, a demand that has met with an angry response from Pyongyang.

"The U.S. is gravely mistaken if it thinks it can make a house search [in North Korea] whenever it pleases just as it did in Iraq," the North Korean Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea had announced a halt to dismantlement work at Yongbyon in August. Yonhap has cited diplomatic sources as saying the country began reassembling parts of the facility on September 3.

The North Korean official said the deconstruction process had been 90% complete, but that the country can restore the reactor.

He also rejected recent reports that the reclusive leader Kim Jong-il, 66, had suffered a stroke.

"This is sophism by evil people who want to break up unity between the two Koreas," he said.

Concern over Kim's health arose when he failed to appear on September 9 at a military parade in Pyongyang marking the 60th anniversary of the secretive communist country. Kim's illness sparked widespread rumors of a possible leadership change.

Kim Jong-il has ruled North Korea since 1994, when he succeeded his late father Kim Il-sung, the communist state's founder.

India postpones first lunar mission until mid-October

RIA Novosti

07/08/2008 17:13 NEW DELHI, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - The launch of India's first unmanned mission to the Moon has been postponed until the middle of October, the head of the Indian space program has said.

The launch of the Chandrayaan I lunar orbiter by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was originally planned for September 19 but scientists have yet to conduct the thermo-vacuum testing of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) with the orbiter on board.

"We will announce the exact launch date 45-50 days after the completion of thermo-vacuum testing," ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair said.

The Chandrayaan remote sensing satellite weighs about 1.3 tons and carries high resolution remote sensing equipment for visible, near infrared, soft and hard X-ray frequencies.

Over a two-year period, it is intended to survey the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and three-dimensional topography. The polar regions are of special interest, as they might contain water ice.

The satellite will release its Moon Impact Probe once it enters lunar orbit to give scientists a closer look at a specific region of the surface.

The ISRO plans to launch a second lunar mission - Chandrayaan-2 - in 2011. Russia's space agency, Roskosmos, is teaming up with ISRO in the development of Chandrayaan-2's lander and associated rover.

Chandrayaan-2 will comprise an orbiting spacecraft and a landing platform with the moon rover.

Nair also said India continued to work on designs for a manned flight to the Moon by 2020.

General Dynamics Successfully Completes On-Orbit Checkout of NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

General Dynamics Successfully Completes On-Orbit Checkout of NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

FAIRFAX, Va. – General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has successfully completed the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) of NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Fermi, previously known as the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope or GLAST, is a next-generation high-energy gamma-ray satellite designed to make observations of celestial gamma-ray sources. NASA recently renamed the satellite in honor of Prof. Enrico Fermi (1901 - 1954), a pioneer in high-energy physics.

The LEOP is a functional checkout of the observatory which demonstrates that all the instruments and subsystems perform to meet Fermi’s mission. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is now managing daily operations of the observatory. Fermi was launched on June 11, 2008.

As system integrator for the GLAST observatory, General Dynamics was responsible for the design and manufacture of the spacecraft bus, integration of the government-furnished instruments, full system testing, supported launch processing, and on-orbit checkout. General Dynamics assembled the spacecraft and integrated the payload at its space-systems factory in Gilbert, Ariz.

“Our close collaboration with NASA has resulted in meeting their challenging science objectives in an affordable manner,” said Dave Shingledecker, vice president and general manager of integrated space systems for General Dynamics. “General Dynamics is now 12 for 12 in on-orbit success for the satellites we’ve built.” A 13th satellite, GeoEye-1, was successfully launched on Sept. 6, 2008, and is now undergoing its 45-day on-orbit checkout.

NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is an astrophysics and particle-physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the U.S. More information is available at http://www.nasa.gov/fermi.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, operates and maintains mission systems for defense, space, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, homeland security and homeland defense customers. Headquartered in Fairfax, Va., the company specializes in ground systems; imagery processing; mission payloads; space vehicles; maritime subsurface, surface and airborne mission systems; and tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination programs for national intelligence. More information is available on the Internet at www.gd-ais.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 84,600 people worldwide and anticipates 2008 revenues of approximately $29.5 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.

Coalition Forces Detain Suspected al-Qaida Couriers

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2008 – Coalition forces targeting al-Qaida in Iraq courier networks captured one wanted man and three additional suspects today, further degrading the terrorist organization's ability to communicate, military officials reported.

Forces operating near Tarmiyah, about 20 miles north of Baghdad, captured a suspected terrorist who admitted to being a letter courier for a long-time al-Qaida operator. He also is believed to have connections with multiple al-Qaida operatives throughout the area. During the operation, coalition forces seized multiple weapons, including a Russian-made submachine gun.

In Sharqat, about 55 miles south of Mosul, coalition forces detained three suspects during an operation targeting a suspected terrorist courier with links to regional al-Qaida leadership.

In operations yesterday:

-- Coalition forces killed two enemy fighters during an operation about 11 miles south of Mosul. As coalition forces approached a vehicle occupied by the two men, one of them got out of the vehicle and began firing. Coalition forces engaged the men, killing them both. Several weapons, including a machine gun, a pistol and a grenade, were recovered from the vehicle. One of the men was associated with several al-Qaida personalities and involved with an al-Qaida courier network, officials said.

-- National police officers and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team detained four suspected Iranian-backed illegal militia members in eastern Baghdad yesterday. Police officers and their U.S. partners from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, detained the suspects during an operation in the Beladiyat area of New Baghdad.

--- Acting on a tip from a “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group leader, Iraqi police detained a suspected member of a car bomb cell in Sharqat. The Iraqi police handed over custody of the detainee at a joint security station. In a separate operation southeast of Balad city, coalition forces detained five suspected members of al-Qaida in Iraq.

-- Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, discovered a weapons cache while investigating a tip from a concerned Iraqi. The soldiers notified an explosives ordnance disposal unit after they discovered four 57 mm rockets, nine 60 mm mortar rounds, two rocket-propelled grenades, two RPG boosters, an illumination round, a grenade fuse, 300 12.7 mm rounds, 200 7.62 mm rounds, and bomb-making materials.

In operations Sept. 20:

-- Sons of Iraq members flagged down Iraqi National Police officers to inform them of two individuals planting a bomb on the roof of a house in the Doura community. With the help of security volunteers, the police discovered the bomb and, upon searching the area, detained two known Iranian-backed illegal militia members suspected of placing it. The bomb was made from a 57 mm rocket rigged with a timer and initiator device. The detainees also are suspected of carrying out a similar attack against Iraqi security forces in August.

-- Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, acting on intelligence information, conducted a target raid in Rashid’s Hadar community, capturing a reputed car bomb maker.

-- Iraqi soldiers discovered a cache in Mansour. The cache consisted of a roadside bomb, three RPGs, a hand grenade and a battery. A routine search of houses in the area also turned up eleven AK-47 assault rifles. The items were turned over to the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Russia, France sign contract to launch 10 rockets from Kourou

RIA Novosti

20/09/2008 16:48 SOCHI, September 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's space agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace signed a contract on Saturday to launch 10 Russian Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Kourou space center in French Guiana.

The contract was signed by Russian Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov and Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall after a session of a bilateral inter-governmental commission, which took place on the sidelines of the investment forum under way in Russia's Black Sea resort Sochi.

"The contract envisions the purchase of ten Soyuz carrier rockets to be launched from the space center in Guiana... The contract is estimated at a total of $300-$400 million," Le Gall said adding that the first launch is scheduled for late 2009.

The Kourou launch site is intended mainly for the launch of geostationary satellites. Its proximity to the equator will enable the Soyuz-ST to put into orbit heavier satellites than from Baikonur in Kazakhstan and Plesetsk in northern Russia.

Under a contract signed in June with Arianespace, the Soyuz will have a separate launch pad near Sinnamari, a village 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the site used for the Ariane-5, the main European-made booster.

Launches of Soyuz spacecraft are the key part of the Russian-French program of cooperation in space exploration.

Le Gall said three or four Soyuz boosters are planned to be launched annually as of 2010.

Russian warships head to the Atlantic, Caribbean

RIA Novosti

22/09/2008 12:09 MOSCOW, September 22 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian naval task force departed Monday on a tour of duty in the Atlantic Ocean, including joint naval drills with the Venezuelan navy in November, a Navy spokesman said.

"A naval task force from the Northern Fleet, comprising the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko, and support ships, left the Severomorsk base early Monday to conduct training exercises in the Atlantic," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

Pyotr Velikiy is a Kirov (Orlan) class nuclear-powered guided missile heavy cruiser, which has practically unlimited operational range and carries 20 SS-N-19 Shipwreck surface-to-surface missiles with either nuclear or high-explosive warheads and about 500 surface-to-air missiles of different types, supplemented by a large number of other weaponry.

Dygalo said that during the tour of duty the Russian warships would participate in joint naval exercises with the Venezuelan navy on November 10-14, in line with the 2008 training program and in order to expand military cooperation with foreign navies.

"During the exercise, ships and naval aircraft will practice coordinated maneuvering, search-and-rescue, and communications," Dygalo said.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez earlier confirmed that Venezuela would hold joint naval exercises with Russian warships in the Caribbean and said the Russian navy would receive a warm welcome in the Latin American country.

Russia announced last year that its Navy had resumed and would build up a constant presence in different regions of the world's oceans.

A task force from the Northern Fleet, consisting of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Udaloy-Class large AWS ships Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko, as well as auxiliary vessels, conducted from December 2007 to February 2008 a two-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic.

Troop reduction number undecided: defense minister

ROC Central News Agency

08/09/22 17:29:43

By Deborah Kuo

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min said Monday that the military is planning to cut the number of troops by roughly 70,000, although the exact number will be determined only after further calculations have been carried out.

Fielding questions at the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Chen said the troop reduction plan is still in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, on the legislators' concern whether the Ministry of National Defense is planning to cut 70,000 soldiers in the next four years in line with President Ma Ying-jeou's campaign promise to establish an all-volunteer military, Chen said the MND will promote the development of the all-volunteer service system.

However, he added, "I have not made a report to the president yet, since the plan is not yet mature."

Pointing out that shifting to an all-volunteer service system will have a major impact on whether or not the country's military reforms will succeed, Chen said any change in the structure of the armed forces must be based on the needs of actual warfare so that a new "lean and mean" armed forces can be prepared in terms of combat and self-defense.

"None of the new plans will make any sense if they leave the troops unable to defend the nation," he said.

Tinker officials adapt sniper pod for B-1Bs

by Danielle Gregory
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

9/22/2008 - TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) -- The B-1B Lancer maintainers here adapted a video targeting pod normally employed on F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons to B-1Bs in response to an urgent request from U.S. Air Forces Central officials.

The sniper pod enables aircrews to positively identify and engage enemy targets, significantly shortening the time it would take to kill a target.

The B-1B community at Tinker Air Force Base used the B-1B Laptop Controlled Targeting Pod program, adapting the sniper pod to the B-1B by installing an external pylon and using an existing on-board laptop computer to control the pod and provide video image to the crew on board.

The new system allows aircrews to look ahead with long-range video and see what is happening on the ground. It is a stabilized image and allows them to use a laser beam to target and engage in real time. It also allows aircrews to give their own bomb damage assessment and report back immediately on whether they hit their target or not.

The pod shortens the kill chain from several minutes to almost instantly, said 2nd Lt. Douglas Richardson, a B-1B avionics engineer with the 427th Aircraft Sustainment Group.

"That's a great capability, especially in Afghanistan where we're having troops in close contact," Lieutenant Richardson said. "They can call the B-1B and the B-1B can see exactly what's going on and target the enemy forces in seconds."

Before the integration of the sniper pod, crews had used high resolution radar which is perfect for buildings but doesn't see a lot of "soft" images. With the new pod, aircrews can now see exactly what's going on and can see things more clearly.

Since it was a new developmental program for the B-1B, the Laptop Controlled Targeting Pod program was managed by Ed England of the 812th Aeronautical System Group at the Aeronautical System Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Officials of the 812th AESG are responsible for managing all new B-1B development programs. The 427th ACSG members helped when requested to get the pod fielded on time to support the recent deployment of aircraft from one of the B-1B main operating bases to a forward operating location.

"In 24 months this machine was fielded and developed for the B-1B and we just had the first combat use recently," Lieutenant Richardson said. "The use of the pod was deemed very successful."

Although a targeting pod was mounted on the aircraft and it worked well during testing, the B-1B maintenance personnel and aircrews were training with the pod at their main operating base since the system was new. The field service engineers were provided from Tinker AFB for the support of the deployment effort.

DSU Tests New Submarine Rescue System with Chilean Submarine

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080920-09

Release Date: 9/20/2008 8:40:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Alexia M. Riveracorrea, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Pacific

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The Navy's Deep Submergence Unit tested a new system known as the submarine rescue diving and recompression system (SRDRS) with the Chilean submarine CS Simpson (SS-21) Sept. 17-18.

The SRDS is designed to be rapidly deployed to any location in the world via air or ground and can be installed on military or commercial vessels when a call for assistance is received. It will replace the de-activated deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) system as the Navy's premier submarine rescue capability.

"The SRDRS is the U.S. Navy's 21st century submarine rescue system and represents state-of-the-art technology for submarine rescue systems," said Lt. Rich Ray, the former engineering officer of the rescue submarine Mystic (DSRV 1).

According to Ray, the SRDRS is designed to be mobilized, installed on a transport vehicle, transported to a site and mated to a distressed submarine to begin rescues within a maximum of 72 hours.

During the exercise, and with operators inside, the pressurized rescue module (PRM) was remotely controlled via a topside control console on board USNS Navajo (T-ATF 169). Next, the PRM descended more than 400 feet to the Chilean submarine CS Simpson (SS-21) and mated with the escape hatch. Once the simulated transfer of personnel was completed, the PRM detached from the submarine and ascended to the surface. The PRM was then recovered from the sea and craned onto a deck cradle installed aboard Navajo.

Upon recovery, the PRM docked with the submarine decompression system (SDS). Personnel were then transferred to the SDS from the PRM via a pressurized flexible man-way to undergo decompression.

"It was an awesome experience to work with the Chilean Navy," said DSU Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (SS) Chris Huffstetler. "I believe it is beneficial to work with foreign navies in case something really happens…we can provide immediate support."

The SRDRS concept of operations has been developed to support rescue of up to 155 personnel from a pressurized disabled submarine. The PRM accommodates 16 rescued personnel per trip and requires two operators and a diving medical technician.

"The operation was a phenomenal success thanks to the cooperation of the entire crew," said Cmdr. Larry R. Lintz, deputy commander for submarine escape at Commander, Submarine Development Squadron 5. "Now we can officially say, the SRDRS is the Navy's official submarine rescue system."