Latest Defense News
Terrorist Threat Remains, But Not Strong In Southeast Asia, Says Senior US Official
By Salmy Hashim
WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Bernama) — The regional counter-terrorism centre (SEARCCT) in Kuala Lumpur is effective in weakening the terrorist threat in Southeast Asia through excellent security cooperation in the region, a senior United States government official said here.
At a special briefing to mark the 7th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on American soil, US Department of State coordinator for counter-terrorism, ambassador at large Dell L. Dailey, said although Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation in the world faced many economic challenges, and Thailand confronting its ethnic challenge, “there is not a strong terrorist threat in the region”.
“Southeast Asian countries really look at terrorism far more aggressively. They look not just at building the capacity to go after the terrorists, but they also do excellent work in intelligence and information sharing.
“And this is not just bilaterally between them and maybe with the United States, but also within their own government agencies,” he told foreign journalists.
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CSTO are intended to form a new military structure in Central Asia
Bishkek. September 12. “Kazakhstan Today” CSTO are intended to form a new military structure in Central Asia, said CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Borduja during the first session of the Coordination council on emergency of the state-members of the CSTO, agency reports.
According to N. Borduja, “All CSTO members are concerned with fact of military objects appearance around them or such serious structures as anti-rocket shield founded. Such actions stipulate necessity of creation on the CSTO borders of a new military infrastructure, restoration of some its elements of the Soviet Union period.”
“Under ensuring collective security a role of Collective forces of the quick deployment is increased in Central Asia. Constant attention will be paid to its advancement of fighting preparedness and modernization,” N. Borduja stressed.
Rudd’s Asia: Truth and politics
Let’s play truth and politics with Kevin Rudd’s recent foreign policy/security forays.
In this game, one arm of the graph rates the factual strength of the Prime Minister’s words, with the parameters running from true to false. The other arm of the graph plots the political dimension, running from obvious/continuity at one end to surprising/change at the other end.
The highest surprise score goes to Rudd’s enthusiasm for US military attacks from Afghanistan into Pakistan. This is how the Prime Minister responded to a question from the ABC’s Chris Uhlmann last Friday.
UHLMANN: And one last thing Prime Minister, do you support the US incursions into Pakistan when you are fighting the Taliban, do you think that, that’s something that needs to be done?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s an interesting question from left field. Ok Chris in dealing with the challenges of the Taliban in Afghanistan this is not a simple, neat military operation where problems concerning the Taliban’s ability to operate across the border with Pakistan can simply push to one side. We need to adhere to the principals of international law, but I am confident that our American ally has acted appropriately in its dealings with the Government of Pakistan. It’s difficult, it’s hard, but my responsibility together with other heads of Government of those participating in the war against the Taliban is to be effective. And to be effective means dealing with the challenge that a number of Taliban continue to find safe haven across the border in Pakistan.
Loan for Georgia displays Asian dissatisfaction with Russia
HONG KONG: The executive board of the Asian Development Bank, representing countries from Japan and China to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, unanimously approved a $40 million loan to Georgia at the lowest possible interest rate on Friday, the latest sign of Asian dissatisfaction with Russian military action there.
Juan Miranda, director general of the bank’s Central and West Asia Department, said that the loan had been scheduled for board consideration on Friday before Russian troops moved into Georgia a month ago. But the Russian military action strengthened support at the bank for helping Georgia, he said.
The 32-year loan carries an interest rate of just 1 percent for the first eight years and 1.5 percent for the remainder of the loan, making it a soft loan on preferential terms.
The loan was so popular with the 12-member board that if the loan had not already been on the most generous terms available from the bank, “we would have softened it,” Miranda said.
Strain in ties as US launches ground raids inside Pakistan
12 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US ties with “war on terror” ally Pakistan are strained after US commandos unilaterally launched ground assaults on militants on Pakistani soil, drawing fire from the military chief in Islamabad.
“There is strain in the bilateral relationship but on the plus side, both sides are speaking honestly to each other about what it is we need,” a US administration official told AFP Thursday.
The official virtually confirmed that US-led coalition ground troops in Afghanistan had been given the green light to undertake unilateral cross border operations against militants in Pakistan.
The first such foray on September 4 left two dozen suspected Al-Qaeda fighters dead, US reports said.
But Pakistan insists civilians were killed in the raid and Pakistan’s army chief General Ashfaq Kayani described it as a reckless move which would “only help the militants and further fuel the militancy in the area.”
Islamabad, Sept.12 (ANI): At least ten people were killed Friday, allegedly by a missile strike from a U.S. pilotless drone inside Pakistan’s lawless northwest border region.
Islamabad, Sept.12 (ANI): At least ten people were killed Friday, allegedly by a missile strike from a U.S. pilotless drone inside Pakistan’s lawless northwest border region.
CBS quoted a senior Pakistani intelligence official as saying that Friday morning’s attack took place near Miran Shah, a town in North Waziristan, which is the capital of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The strike came as senior European and Arab diplomats warned that the widening rift between Pakistan’s leadership and Washington over the sharp increase in American military activity on Pakistani soil could undermine counter-terrorism efforts.
Speaking to CBS News on condition of anonymity, the official said, the casualties could rise but at least ten people are believed to have been killed.
Aerospace industry looks to Asia Pacific
Shanthi Kannan
Satyam focuses on aerospace defence
Industry needs skilled workforce
CHENNAI: Shedding its U.S.-centric approach, the aerospace industry is slowly turning its focus on the Asia-Pacific region, which is emerging as fulcrum for hardware, software and component development in this space.
Indicating this shift in approach, Jonh W. Douglass, President and Chief Executive Officer, Douglass Aerospace Group, told this correspondent in an exclusive interview that the aviation workforce in the U.S. and Europe were getting old. Aviation was no longer attractive for young in these countries and in military services, sources of fully qualified personnel were being downsized and maintenance privatised.
Mr. Douglass was of the view that Indian and Chinese aviation industry was growing and aircraft manufacturing giants were keen on setting up shops in these countries.
Pentagon Team To Assess Georgia’s Military Needs
Pentagon Team To Assess Georgia’s Military Needs As US Eyes Aid After War With Russia
TBILISI, Georgia, Sep. 12, 2008
(AP) In a delicate mission, a U.S. Defense Department team is coming to assess Georgia’s military needs after its war with Russia, a show of support that is certain to stoke Moscow’s anger.
American help in rebuilding Georgia’s armed forces, regardless of the scale, could harden lines in the standoff between Moscow and Washington over the future of this pro-Western nation that straddles a key pipeline route from the oil fields of Central Asia.
Russia has withdrawn most of the troops who drove deep into Georgia after repelling a Georgian offensive against separatist South Ossetia. But the Kremlin says it plans a long-term military presence in South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia.
The U.S. has focused publicly on economic aid for recovery and reconstruction of Georgia.
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NATO in Afghanistan
By Bassam Javed
9/13/2008 NATO forces are contemplating an increase in the strength of the Afghan army to more than 120,000, with a budgetary estimate of approximately $17 billion over five years. This decision appears to be the outcome of two factors: the increase in allied casualties and the hope to find a way of putting an end to the fighting and then exit.
As in the case of the United States Iraq, NATO has no clear exit strategy in Afghanistan. But history tells us that wars are ended through negotiated settlements whereby all the sides involved agree to abide by a set of terms and conditions that bring peace and stability to the area of conflict.
Now, there appears to be a growing realisation amongst NATO allies to work out the exit strategy. In this relation, a rather secret strategy paper on the ongoing mission in Afghanistan was discussed amongst the NATO leaders at their Bucharest meeting where for the first time a step-by-step outline has been documented for when the NATO troops can be pulled out.
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