Terminal X

General Kayani to address an international conference on countering IEDs at the GHQ

2013-05-19T20:01:00.000+05:00

On Monday, the 20th of May, senior military officials from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Afghanistan and the European Union are expected to gather together for an important symposium in the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters (GHQ).

The said international symposium will focus on the crucial subject, 'Saving lives by jointly defeating IEDs'. It will focus on latest technological gadgets and preventative measures in order to defeat the menace of IEDs.

Pakistan's Army Chief General Kayani will welcome the guests and host them for a reception. At the end of the symposium, he too will give a talk on the subject, apart from foreign officials.

[This news has been reproduced in English, reported originally in Urdu by Pakistani journalist Hanif Khalid]

Bahrain slams Iran's interference in internal affairs

2013-05-19T17:18:00.000+05:00

MANAMA, May 18 (KUNA) -- Bahrain Saturday rejected an Iranian foreign ministry official's statement over the Kingdom and considered it an "unacceptable" intereference in Manama's internal affairs.

"The Iranian behavior is unprecedented in the relations between countries nor it is normal in regional and international relations," foreign ministry undersecretary for regional affairs and the GCC Hamad Al-Amer said in a statement quoted by official news agency (BNA).

He was reacting to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who was quoted by Iranian media as warning against reported storming by Bahrain security forces of houses of clerics.

The Iranian actions are blatant violations of principles of good neighborliness and mutual respect of national sovereignty, said Al-Amer, as well as principles of Islam.

Al-Amer expressed regret that senior Iranian officials continued to unleash "dangerous threats, political, religious and media provocations, which reflected Iranian expansionist greeds in an Arab country member in the UN, the Arab League, the GCC, OIC and Non-Aligned Movement."

India to use geo-stationary satellites for missile defence

2013-05-19T17:12:00.001+05:00

by Manoj K. Das
[Times of India]

KOCHI: India has launched an ambitious programme to use its array of geo-stationary satellites (G-sats) to monitor missile activities in an area of 6,000 km. With this, the country's constellation of G-sats will become the first line of defence in its anti-missile shield.

This programme is independent of the observation grid installed by defence and intelligence agencies. The advantage of using geo-stationary satellites is their fixed position at a height of 36,000 km and synchronised with the earth's movement.

Allaying fears that this deployment could compromise India's space policy, sources clarified that it is not meant as an offensive posture and data won't be shared with any other country. "We're using these satellites to warn us of an impending danger even as they continue with their primary tasks of transmission and meteorological observations," sources said.

A top source told TOI that special lens and processing electronics are being developed to significantly improve the power of G-sat cameras and telescope. "The Centre has given ISRO the go-ahead. The programme is into a crucial development phase,'' he said.

The project is aimed at installing sensitive surveillance equipment along with other payload on the G-sats. "They will capture the signature of any missile launch activities happening in a radius of 6,000 km.This signature will be transmitted to a central control unit which would initiate necessary counter-mechanism," sources said.

The Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing the interceptor missile which has entered trial phase. "Given their strategic position, we can even have exclusive facility to monitor a country or a particular region. Given the G-sat's capability to map anything to a resolution of one metre, we will be able to capture the slightest of movements or even heat signatures,'' sources said.

3rd CIA spy Chad Wagner expelled from Moscow

2013-05-19T17:04:00.001+05:00

جرمنی میں را کے ایجنٹ نے 'جناح پور' کے فوری قیام کے لیے بھارت پر زور دیا

2013-05-19T15:34:00.000+05:00

رپورٹ: ذکی خالد

ترجمہ: عظمیٰ مشتاق

(ٹرمینل ایکس)

سید جمال الدین، بدنام زمانہ بھارتی اثاثہ اور پاکستان کی سیاسی جماعت ایم کیو ایم کے سابق رکن نے، جناح پور یعنی سندھ میں اردو بولنے والے شہریوں کے لئے ایک آزاد ریاست کے قیام میں تیزی سے مدد فراہم کرنے کے لئے بھارت پر زور دیا ہے۔

جمال الدین ہیڈالبرگ، جرمنی میں ایک خود ساختہ جلاوطن ہے اور 'جناح پور کی ریاست' کا بہت بڑا حامی ہے. اس کا دعوی ہے کہ یہ اردو بولنے والے کمیونٹی کے تحفظ کے لئے ہے.ماضی میں انہوں نے پاکستان اور اس کے ریاستی اداروں بالخصوص فوج اور انٹیلی جنس سروسز کے خلاف قلم کے ذریعے پراپیگینڈا زور و شور سے جاری رکھا ہے. مزید برآں، وہ پاکستان میں افراتفری کی بنیادی وجہ 'پنجابی دہشت گردی' کو قرار دیتا ہے۔ ایم کیو ایم میں ساتھیوں کے ساتھ اندرونی تنازعات کے بعد 1990ء کی دہائ کے ابتداء میں، جمال الدین بھارتی انٹیلی جنس ایجنسی را میں بھرتی ہوا۔ .جناح پور کی سازش کا بنیادی معمار ہونے کی وجہ سے اسکے قبضے میں نقشے اور ڈیزائن تھے جس کی تلاش میں پاکستانی ملٹری انٹیلی جنس تھی،اسکے ساتھ اسے سرحد پار سے بڑے پیمانے پر فنڈز کی فراہمی اور حمایت حاصل تھی، مگر اس سے پہلے کہ ملٹری انٹیلی جنس اس پر ہاتھ ڈالتی وہ فرار ہو گیا۔

بین الاقوامی صحافی برادری کے نام اپنے ایک پیغام میں جمال الدین نے خبردار کیا ہے پاکستان کی فوجی اسٹیبلشمنٹ مبیہ طور پر گوریلا جنگ کے ذریعے کراچی میں "ایم کیو ایم کو ہٹنانا اور ختم کرنا چاہتی ہے"۔ انہوں نے یہ الزام بھی لگایا ہے، کہ یہ کام پٹھان اور پنجابی سیاسی جماعتوں کے طالبانی گروہ کے ذریعہ سے کیا جا رہا ہے۔

آگے بڑھتے ھوئے، جمال الدین نےایم کیو ایم کے لیڈر الطاف حسین کو پاکستان کی فوجی اور انٹیلی جنس اداروں سے ہوشیار رہنے کی اپیل کی ہے. اس نے کہا کہ الطاف حسین کے ساتھ مبینہ طور پر "بنگلہ دیش کے ایک اور شیخ مجیب الرحمن کا سا سلوک کیا جا رہا ہے"۔

اپنے تازہ ترین پیغام میں سید جمال الدین نے دعوی کیا ہے کہ پاکستانی انٹیلی جنس کی مبینہ رپورٹس/ اطلاعات کے مطابق جان کیری کی قیادت میں 2015ء میں پاکستان کی ریاست کے خلاف علیحدگی پسند بلوچ تنظیموں کی طرف سے دہشت گرد حملوں میں تیزی سے اضافے کی پیش گوئی کی ہے۔ اس نے کہا کہ 'جمہوریہ جناح پور' کا قیام 2015ء میں سپین کی ممکنہ تقسیم کے نتیجے کے طور پر بہت جلد سامنے آ سکتا ہے۔ اس کا مزید یہ کھنا ہے کہ "کراچی پاکستان کا کاتالونیا اور کوسوو ہے"۔

اپنے اختتامی پیغام میں، بھارتی ایجنٹ جمال الدین نے الطاف حسین سے استدعا کی ہے کہ وہ ایم کیو ایم کے اندر ایمرجنسی نافذ کرنے کا اعلان کرے اور کارکنوں کو تمام ممکنہ حملوں سے نمٹنے کے لئے ایک "موثر ایکشن پلان" کی تیاری کے متعلق ہدایات جاری کرے۔

آخر میں، اس نے بھارتی حکومت اور را کے چیف کو کراچی میں مداخلت کرنے پر زور دیا تاکہ "جمہوریہ جناح پور" کا قیام ایک جغرافیایئ حقیقت بن جائے۔ اختتام میں انھوں نے کراچی کے نوجوانوں کو موسیقی اور سماجی تفریح میں وقت برباد کرنے کے بجائے "ایک بڑے پیمانے کی قربانی" کیلئے تیار رہنے کیلئے کہا۔

ان سب واقعات کے تناظر میں راقم نے رینجرز کے ایک سینئر اہلکار سے رابطہ کیا جنکی شناخت مختلف وجوہات کی بنا پر پوشیدہ رکھی گئ ہے۔ قانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں کی جانب سے کی گئی کامیاب کوششوں کو مدنظر رکھتے ہوئے انھوں نے اس امر پر زور دیا ک پاکستان کی سکیورٹی خدمات چاہے وہ سویلین ہوں یا ملٹری، تمام مذہبی و سیاسی جماعتوں کے مسلح ونگز کے خلاف تمام نسلی و لسانی تعصب سے بالاتر ہیں۔

اہلکار نے کہا کہ ہم کسی خاص طبقے کی مخصوص پارٹی کے خلاف کارروائی نہیں کرتے۔ ہم مسلح شرپسندوں کے حوالے سے مختلف علاقوں سے ٹھوس انسانی انٹیلی جنس حاصل کرتے ہیں جنکا تعلق مختلف معروف سیاسی اور مذہبی گروہوں سے ہے۔ لہٰذا یہ دعوی کرنا کہ قانون نافذ کرنے والے ادارے کسی مخصوص گروپ کے خلاف کارروائی کرنے پر تلی ہیں نہ صرف مضحکہ خیز بلکہ ایک افسوسناک الزام ہے۔ ان مختلف گروہوں کے درمیان سینئر رہنماؤں نے اپنی صفوں میں کالی بھیڑوں کی نشاندہی کرنے میں ہمارے ساتھ تعاون کیا ہے۔

اس خبر کی ترتیب کے لیے اس ویب سائٹ سے مواد لیا گیا ہے

http://jinnahpur.blogspot.com/2013/02/india-must-act-fast-to-help-us-in.html

India to launch first navigational satellite in June

2013-05-18T14:56:00.000+05:00

BANGALORE (PTI): India proposes to launch its first navigational satellite, which will provide terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation services and help in disaster and fleet management, on June 12.

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-1A is slated to be launched on board home-grown rocket, PSLV-C22 XL at 1.01 am from Sriharikota spaceport on June 12.

The launch window will be open from June 10 to June 15, sources in the Indian Space Research Organisation here told PTI.

The 1425 kg IRNSS-1, which will have a life span of about ten years, will provide satellite-based terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation services, and also help in disaster and fleet management and vehicle tracking, an ISRO official said.

Bangalore-headquartered ISRO has planned to have a constellation of seven satellites under IRNSS by 2014-15.

IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system, and once all the spacecraft become operational, it would provide position accuracy, similar to Global Positioning System (GPS), of better than 10 metres over India and the region extending about 1,500 km around the country.

"It is designed to provide an accurate real time Position, Navigation and Time (PNT) services to users on a variety of platforms with 24x7 service availability under all weather conditions", the official said.

IRNSS provides two basic services -- standard positioning service for common civilian users and restricted service for special authorised users, the official said.

France to buy American drones for Mali operation

2013-05-18T14:52:00.000+05:00

[RT]

Two of America’s medium-altitude Reaper drones will be sold to France as backup for the country’s operations against Islamist rebels in Mali.

The news comes from the ‘Air et Cosmos’ specialist magazine, which reported online that a deal had been reached between France and the United States for the sale of two non-armed MQ-9 units.

The French air force had already deployed a European-made Harfang drone to Mali, with the country now wishing to acquire more modern models quickly, although any purchase of the US Reapers directly from the manufacturer (as was done with Harfang) is expected to delay delivery by seven months.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is presently on a visit to the US, where he is expected to make the announcement, according to Air et Cosmos. The defense ministry has declined to comment.

In a bid to curb the spread of extremism and Al Qaeda-linked militants in the northern parts of its former colony, France started a military operation in January of this year. The anti-government Islamists had spread Sharia law everywhere they went, and it is widely feared that if they are successful in Mali, the country will become a hotspot for extremism and the launching of terrorist attacks against European and other African nations.

French efforts have since pushed the militants into mountain and desert hideouts. However, this changed the rules of the game in such a way that they now launch sporadic guerrilla attacks.

Operation ‘Serval’ started with a deployment of 2,500 troops and the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius declaring on January 30 that they would be out of there “quickly”.

Since that time, that number has risen to 4,000, while the departure date had been moved up. Currently, the idea is that half will leave by July, when Mali holds their presidential election.

Although Paris has begun withdrawal from the West African nation, ahead of the security handover to the International Mission for Support to Mali (MISMA), Le Drian’s recent visit to London paints a different picture, whereby 1,000 French troops will stay in Mali indefinitely, in case further problems arise.

"This is the reason why France will remain with roughly 1,000 troops on Malian territory for an undetermined period of time to carry out counter-terrorism operations if necessary," said Le Drian.

As the battle against extremism in Mali shows no signs of abating, international donors have pledged €3.25 bn to its rebuilding, as currently the country is in a state of complete destitution.

Kabul wants lethal weapons from India

2013-05-18T12:37:00.000+05:00

Saturday, May 18, 2013 - New Delhi (INP) — Ahead of President Hamid Karzai’s visit next week, Afghanistan has asked India to supply lethal defence hardware as part of the intensified bilateral cooperation and even seemed to indicate that it would welcome troop deployment on its soil.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will be arriving here on Monday for a three-day visit, his second in six months, but at a crucial juncture with only a year left for the foreign troops pullout from Afghanistan. Vigorously batting for a stepped-up Indian role, Afghan ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali said, “Investment in the security of Afghanistan is in India’s interest, to prevent spillover effects of terrorism on Afghanistan”.

He noted that while India had been training Afghan security personnel, it was not adequate to address the issues of a difficult security situation. “Given the time, we are required to sit down and discuss the contours of our defence cooperation to ensure predictability,” he said, adding that current level of cooperation was hardly enough to “take preventive and pre-emptive action” against common threats.

India has so far been training Afghan security personnel only in Indian institutions. It has also supplied limited number of non-lethal equipment like jeeps and trucks, and plans to hand over transport helicopters. “So, we would like to have both lethal and non-lethal assistance to our forces in Afghanistan,” he said.

A more engaged defence cooperation is likely to be a major topic of discussion during Karzai’s visit, which will also see him travelling to Jalandhar to receive a doctorate from a university.

“If we don’t bother with the sensitivity of Pakistan, why should India bother? This is what I don’t understand,” he added.

Abdali said Pakistan had to realise that India was building institutions in Afghanistan, which would ensure that terrorism wouldn’t come back and affect it. He said India’s cooperation in Afghanistan would ultimately serve Pakistan’s national interests too. Incidentally, European Union’s special representative Afghanistan Vygaudas Usackas, who is here on a short visit, said it will be upto the Indian and Afghan governments to decide on the intensity of defence cooperation. “India is viewed favourably (in Afghanistan),” he said. Both Usackas and Abdali stressed the need for regional stakeholders to work together.

Meanwhile, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport has announced that Russia will deliver 12 Mil Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters to Afghanistan national army by the end of 2013. The delivery of the helicopters to Afghan armed forces is part of the $367.5 million deal signed between Pentagon and Rosoboronexport in 2011, which included delivery of 21 Mi-17V5s.

US officials have also announced that the deal with the Rosoboronexport could be worth up to $900 million which will also include spares and servicing.

Rigory Kozlov, director of Rosobornexport’s helicopter exports department quoted by Russia’s state news agency, Ria Novosti said, “The option agreement has been signed and the delivery will be completed by the end of this year.” Kozlov said Pentagon has already started paying for the option deal as well as delivering US equipment to be installed on Russian helicopters specifically for Afghan missions.

According to Grigory Kozlov, additional Mi17 helicopters will be purchased for the Afghan national security forces despite opposition from a number of US lawmakers.

Russia may deploy troops to Afghan border after NATO withdrawal, says Ambassador

2013-05-18T10:45:00.000+05:00

by Amie Ferris-Rotman
[Reuters]

KABUL, May 17 (Reuters) - Russia, predicting instability once NATO-led troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of next year, is considering deploying border guards on the Tajik-Afghan border, Moscow's envoy to Kabul told Reuters in an interview.

Moscow, still sore from its disastrous, decade-long war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, is increasingly concerned by what it describes as the combined threat of narcotics and terrorism reaching Russia through former Soviet Central Asian countries.

"We prefer to tackle this problem on the Afghan border to stop these threats," Andrey Avetisyan said late on Thursday in the Russian embassy in Kabul.

Its sprawling grounds host a Soviet-built teal Volga car recovered in Afghanistan by embassy staff and a memorial to the 15,000 Soviet lives lost in the war against mujahideen fighters.
"We used to have a serious presence on the Afghan-Tajik border and, at that time, the situation there was much better, so it would be in the interest of both Russia and Tajikistan and even Afghanistan if Russia is present there," he said.

Avetisyan said such a presence would involve Russian border troops, but declined to give a number.

Russian border guards used to patrol the Tajik frontier with Afghanistan but left in 2005, ending a Soviet-era legacy and handing all power over to local authorities. Ex-Soviet Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan also border Afghanistan to its north.

Avetisyan said any agreement on border troop deployment would "of course" have to be agreed upon with Tajikistan.

Intensifying violence across Afghanistan, less than two years before foreign combat troops withdraw, has sent tremors of worry across Russia, which is battling an Islamist insurgency in its North Caucasus as well as widespread use of heroin and a huge increase in the incidence of HIV and AIDS.

Russia is involved in a series of ambitious construction projects in Afghanistan, including rebuilding its Soviet-era cultural centre, aimed at fostering stability in the country which produces 90 perent of the world's opium.

Avetisyan, who also worked for the Soviet government in Kabul during Moscow's war, said fighting in northern Afghanistan -- traditional bastions of anti-Taliban power groups -- offers proof of a "general destabilisation of the situation".

COMPARISONS WITH SOVIET CAMPAIGN

Comparisons are being increasingly drawn between the Soviet and NATO-led wars, and the Taliban have repeatedly warned Washington that it will encounter the same fate met by Moscow.

After the dispirited Soviet exit in 1989, the Afghan communist government collapsed, leading to infighting between warlords and a civil war that reduced much of Kabul to rubble and paved the way for the Taliban's rise to power in 1996.

"What have they been doing for the past 12 years?" Avetisyan asked of the current campaign, America's longest war.

"Fighting against terrorism with 150,000 troops without any success," he said, adding that a continued troop presence after 2014 "doesn't make any sense".

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to soon announce how many combat troops Washington will leave after the withdrawal. Many Afghans are eager to know the size of the post-2014 force, fearing chaos and civil war could erupt with no foreign presence.

The United States is widely expected to retain nine bases across Afghanistan after 2014, NATO officials said after Afghan President Hamid Karzai revealed the plan this month.
But Avetisyan said any future U.S. military role in the country must be an international legal arrangement approved by the United Nations Security Council, in which Russia has veto power.

"A long-term or permanent military presence of a foreign force will be a reason of concern for us, especially if they are military bases. We would like to know what the purpose is and we still don't have answers to these questions," he said.

Oman and Qatar want to buy Northrop Aircraft Defence Systems

2013-05-18T10:31:00.001+05:00

by Rich Smith
[The Motley Fool]

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) filed two separate notifications with Congress Wednesday, informing American legislators of plans to make foreign military sales to the Mideast nations of Oman and Qatar [links open in PDF].

Both notifications involve the planned sale of AN/AAQ-24(V) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Systems -- a Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC ) -developed system for protecting aircraft from heat-seeking missiles by "blinding" the missiles with onboard laser systems. Oman and Qatar want to purchase two LAIRCM systems apiece, with contract values estimated at $100 million and $110 million, respectively.

In each case, the nations plan to install the LAIRCM systems aboard Boeing aircraft tasked with carrying their heads of state. DSCA says that allowing these nations to equip their aircraft with the LAIRCM system will "enhance the safety" of their "political leadership, promoting stability and global engagement of a friendly country."

According to DSCA's notifications, both sales are expected to "contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a partner country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East." Meanwhile, "no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness" is expected to result from the sales.

If allowed to proceed, Northrop Grumman will be the prime contractor on both sales.

Vietnam plans to buy drones from Belarus

2013-05-18T10:21:00.001+05:00

[Fars News Agency]

TEHRAN (FNA)- Vietnam plans to buy Belarusian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich said at a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Minsk.

"We have great hopes for scientific and technical cooperation. I mean unmanned aerial systems, contracts for which we are signing within the framework of your visit, and promising joint projects in the area of biological and information technologies as well as healthcare," Myasnikovich said.

Belarusian Prime Minister also welcomed registration of a joint project in computer design, micro- and nano-electronic systems.

According to Belarusian official, during the visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister to Belarus the parties signed 10 commercial contracts worth over $100mln, Xinhua reported.

Nguyen Tan Dung said Vietnam attaches great importance to cooperation with Belarus and will do its utmost to step up cooperation in military, technical, political and economic areas.

The cooperation between Belarus and Vietnam is developing.

The trade turnover between Belarus and Vietnam exceeded $184mln in 2012.

Belarus exports potash fertilizers, truck assembly kits, tractors, mine dump trucks, spare parts for automobiles and tractors, tires, bearings, food industry products.

Saudi Interior Ministry's website exposed to cyber attacks

2013-05-18T10:13:00.003+05:00

Riyadh, May 17. (BNA) -- A series of Saudi governmental websites, including that of the Interior Ministry, have been exposed to several coordinated and simultaneous cyber attacks over the past few days, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

A Saudi Interior Ministry’s source told SPA that the ministry’s website crashed on Wednesday after it received a huge amount of service requests, but was back online in less than one hour later after the necessary technical drills were performed to counter the attack.

The same source added that investigations into the sabotage attacks have been launched, pledging that the website will continue providing its services for the citizens and residents.

Russia developing 'terrorist-killer' robots

2013-05-18T09:26:00.001+05:00

MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian experts are developing robots designed to minimize casualties in terrorist attacks and neutralize terrorists, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Friday.

Robots could also help evacuate injured servicemen and civilians from the scene of a terrorist attack, said Rogozin, who oversees the defense industry.

Other antiterror equipment Russia is developing includes systems that can see terrorists through obstacles and effectively engage them in a standoff mode at a long distance without injuring their hostages, he said.

Rogozin did not say when the equipment might be deployed by Russia’s security and intelligence services.

US to modernize tactical nuclear arsenal in Europe

2013-05-18T09:21:00.000+05:00

by Nikita Sorokin
[The Voice of Russia]

The U.S. has decided to modernize its tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, as well as in America. Experts are divided concerning how the move will affect the balance of strength in Europe. However, this is not the worst news for Russia.

In his message to Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama called on Russia to draft a bilateral agreement to exchange information about the missile defense systems of the two countries, as well as to further reduce nuclear weapons.

The American President calls on his Russian counterpart to leave the nuclear concept of the Cold War in the past. However, a little bit earlier, it was reported that the Pentagon had launched a programme to upgrade its tactical nuclear weapons in American bases in Europe and the U.S.

According to The Guardian, when the programme is completed in 2019-2020, the American nuclear arsenal in Europe will get new high-precision nuclear warheads together with advanced delivery systems, especially stealth planes.

According to Western analysts, Barack Obama made a U-turn. However, the question is why.

"The U.S. needs tactical nuclear weapons in Europe for several reasons", says director of the Centre for Public and Political Research Vladimir Evseev.

According to him, the Americans are insuring their future. In case of worsening relations with Russia, it will be advantageous for the U.S. to have its nuclear weapons in Europe.

“The U.S. is putting huge pressure on Russia to reduce the Russian tactical nuclear weapons in which we surpass the U.S. But they compensate our weakness in general purpose forces, smart weapons and the absence of an anti-missile defence system. Proceeding from this, the Americans suggest to Russia the following approach,” Vladimir Evseev said.

"Since Russia’s position in strategic nuclear forces has weakened, the U.S. suggests us not to divide nuclear forces into strategic and tactical forces and work out a common treaty in the framework of which the two countries could reduce nuclear weapons as a whole.But such an approach is disadvantageous for Russia,” he added.

Generally, tactical nuclear weapons are a complicated sphere for negotiations. These weapons can be delivered to the target using various delivery means, including those used for delivering conventional weapons. Consequently, if Russia reduces such delivery systems, this will restrict its own capabilities in conventional weapons.

The Russian tactical nuclear weapons pose no threat to the U.S. territory, but they could be used against American bases in Europe, as well as the anti-missile defence system. These weapons pose a threat to American allies in Europe, of course.

In short, about 200 tactical nuclear warheads in Europe is a symbol of America’s readiness to defend Europe in case of necessity. "At the same time, Russia has never refused to hold talks on the reduction of tactical nuclear weapons," says political scientist Alexander Golts.

“Russia sets the return of tactical nuclear weapons to the national territory a precondition for starting such negotiations. We believe that tactical nuclear weapons are the card that will be played by Russia in the future.The reduction of tactical nuclear weapons is an extremely complicated task. The two sides have held talks for decades, but have failed to choose an algorithm. It’s easy to reduce strategic offensive weapons. In this case, it is possible to reduce strategic weapons by reducing their delivery means,” Alexander Golts said.

Parity in nuclear weapon area has significantly changed since the Cold War times. It’s hard to imagine that the U.S. and Russia will exchange nuclear strikes. Such a weapon race and military competition between the two countries can exist only virtually. However, the decision to upgrade American nuclear arsenal in Europe will inevitably transfer this competition from the virtual sphere to quite a practical plane.

National Training Centre, Fort Irwin: US Army's largest Simulated Battlefield

2013-05-18T09:06:00.000+05:00

These are not tourist photos from Afghanistan, Pakistan or any other Muslim country; these are model structures at the National Training Centre Fort Irwin located in the Mojave Desert, California. At 1,000 square miles, it is the US Army's largest Simulated Battlefield.

All injuries, etc. are simulated through the use of prosthetics and fake blood, etc. to give a real-life feel to the experience. Geoff Manaugh, Editor-in-Chief at Gizmodo, says:

"The point of these architectural reproductions is no longer, as in the World War II test villages of Dugway, to find better or more efficient methods of architectural destruction; instead, these ersatz buildings and villages are used to equip troops to better navigate the complexity of urban structures—both physical, and, perhaps most importantly, socio-cultural".

All photos are courtesy of Venue.

Indian Army launches official Facebook page

2013-05-18T08:35:00.000+05:00

by Vikas SN
[MediaNama.com]

It looks like the Indian Army has launched a Facebook page that goes by the name ‘ADGPI – Indian Army‘, thereby expanding its social media presence after launching its Twitter account few months back.

The page seems to have been launched earlier this week, on May 15, 2013 and seems to be currently updated on a daily basis. It currently provides information like the welfare schemes available for soldiers, photos from the ongoing training programs like Yudh Abhyas 2013 and Army-related news like the Border Personnel Meeting with the Chinese Army among others.

On Its Approach To Social Media

While the page is still relatively new, what’s particularly interesting is the way the Indian Army is approaching social media in general. Remember that unlike other departments, the Indian Army is typically more reserved in providing public information, more so in real-time, due to the high security risks these information might pose, and the user’s knowledge on Indian Army initiatives is majorly limited to what they read and see on various media platforms. Hence, social media platforms can be used by the army to spread more awareness and possibly motivate more youngsters to join them. However, maintaining a balance between engaging the audience with more information while avoiding any leaks of classified information is crucial.

Its also essential to adapt to each social media platform and use them effectively. For instance, Twitter allows only 140 characters in each tweet and it works more like a river of real-time information, while Facebook allows one to elaborate more on each topics and offers a conversation-based approach. Its quite interesting to see that Indian Army adapting to both the platforms. It uses its Twitter account to post short news bits like any specific terrorist arrests and select photos from its training programs, while at the same time, it directs users to Facebook in case the information is more elaborate. We believe the organization will therefore probably use Facebook as a medium to elaborate on a few Army related initiatives and probably feature photos from various training camps from across the country.

Nigeria wants more cooperation from Pakistan Air Force in training of pilots

2013-05-18T08:10:00.000+05:00

Saturday, May 18, 2013 - Islamabad — Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, is on a five-day official visit to Nigerian Air Force. On his arrival at the NAF HQs, he was presented with the guard of honour. The Air Chief also attended a briefing on the organization, role and functioning of Nigerian Air Force. During the visit, he met with Air Marshal Alex Badeh, Nigerian Chief of the Air Staff. The Air Chief said that his visit to Nigeria was a follow-up of the visit of Nigerian Chief of the Air Staff.

The Nigerian Chief of the Air Staff thanked the Air Chief for sending two PAF pilots and technical staff for training and maintenance of F-7 Aircraft. He also requested for further assistance for the C-130 fleet of NAF and sending an instructor pilot on the C-130 aircraft as well. The Nigerian Air Chief sought the cooperation of Pakistan Air Force in revamping the training of pilots at Nigerian Air Academy. Air Marshal Alex Badeh thanked the PAF for its assistance to the Nigerian Air Force and requested for more assistance and cooperation between the two countries.

Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, visited Defence Headquarters, where he met with Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, Chief of Defence Staff.

The Air Chief assured Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff of strengthening military cooperation between the two countries. He also visited the Tactical Air Command, Training Command and the Logistics Command. During these visits the Air Chief held meetings with high-ranking officials of these commands. He assured the Nigerian Air Force of further cooperation and strengthening of relations between the two countries in general and the two Air Forces in particular.

From Boston to Pakistan, Pentagon officials claim entire world is a battlefield

2013-05-18T00:19:00.001+05:00

[DemocracyNow.org]

Pentagon officials today claimed President Obama and future presidents have the power to send troops anywhere in the world to fight groups linked to al-Qaeda, based in part on the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by Congress days after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Speaking at the first Senate hearing on rewriting the AUMF, Pentagon officials specifically said troops could be sent to Syria, Yemen and the Congo without new congressional authorization. Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, predicted the war against al-Qaeda would last at least 10 to 20 more years. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) challenged the Pentagon’s interpretation of the Constitution and that the entire world is a battlefield. "This is the most astounding and most astoundingly disturbing hearing I’ve been to since I’ve been here. You guys have essentially rewritten the Constitution here today," King said. "You guys have invented this term 'associated forces' that’s nowhere in this document. ... It’s the justification for everything, and it renders the war powers of Congress null and void."

This excerpt of the hearing includes Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Robert Taylor, acting general counsel, Department of Defense; Michael Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations/low-intensity conflict, Department of Defense; and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

TRANSCRIPT

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: Do you agree with me, the war against radical Islam, or terror, whatever description you like to provide, will go on after the second term of President Obama?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Senator, in my judgment, this is going to go on for quite a while, and, yes, beyond the second term of the president.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: And beyond this term of Congress?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Yes, sir. I think it’s at least 10 to 20 years.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: So, from your point of view, you have all of the authorization and legal authorities necessary to conduct a drone strike against terrorist organizations in Yemen without changing the AUMF.

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Yes, sir, I do believe that.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: You agree with that, General?

BRIG. GEN. RICHARD GROSS: I do, sir.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: General, do you agree with that?

GEN. MICHAEL NAGATA: I do, sir.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: OK. Could we send military members into Yemen to strike against one of these organizations? Does the president have that authority to put boots on the ground in Yemen?

ROBERT TAYLOR: As I mentioned before, there’s domestic authority and international law authority. At the moment, the basis for putting boots on the ground in Yemen, we respect the sovereignty of Yemen, and it would—

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about: Does he have the legal authority under our law to do that?

ROBERT TAYLOR: Under domestic authority, he would have that authority.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I hope that Congress is OK with that. I’m OK with that. Does he have authority to put boots on the ground in the Congo?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Yes, sir, he does.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: OK. Do you agree with me that when it comes to international terrorism, we’re talking about a worldwide struggle?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Absolutely, sir. [inaudible]

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: Would you agree with me the battlefield is wherever the enemy chooses to make it?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Yes, sir, from Boston to the FATA [the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan].

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I couldn’t agree with you more. We’re in a—do you agree with that, General?

BRIG. GEN. RICHARD GROSS: Yes, sir. I agree that the enemy decides where the battlefield is.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: And it could be anyplace on the planet, and we have to be aware and able to act. And do you have the ability to act, and are you aware of the threats?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Yes, sir. We do have the ability to react, and we are tracking threats globally.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: From my point of view, I think your analysis is correct, and I appreciate all of your service to our country.

SEN. CARL LEVIN: Senator King.

SEN. ANGUS KING: Gentlemen, I’ve only been here five months, but this is the most astounding and most astoundingly disturbing hearing that I’ve been to since I’ve been here. You guys have essentially rewritten the Constitution here today. The Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, clearly says that the Congress has the power to declare war. This—this authorization, the AUMF, is very limited. And you keep using the term "associated forces."

You use it 13 times in your statement. That is not in the AUMF. And you said at one point, "It suits us very well." I assume it does suit you very well, because you’re reading it to cover everything and anything. And then you said, at another point, "So, even if the AUMF doesn’t apply, the general law of war applies, and we can take these actions." So, my question is: How do you possibly square this with the requirement of the Constitution that the Congress has the power to declare war?

This is one of the most fundamental divisions in our constitutional scheme, that the Congress has the power to declare war; the president is the commander-in-chief and prosecutes the war. But you’re reading this AUMF in such a way as to apply clearly outside of what it says.

Senator McCain was absolutely right: It refers to the people who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks on September 11. That’s a date. That’s a date. It doesn’t go into the future. And then it says, "or harbored such organizations"—past tense— "or persons in order to prevent any future acts by such nations, organizations or persons." It established a date.

I don’t disagree that we need to fight terrorism. But we need to do it in a constitutionally sound way. Now, I’m just a little, old lawyer from Brunswick, Maine, but I don’t see how you can possibly read this to be in comport with the Constitution and authorize any acts by the president. You had testified to Senator Graham that you believe that you could put boots on the ground in Yemen now under this—under this document. That makes the war powers a nullity. I’m sorry to ask such a long question, but my question is: What’s your response to this? Anybody?

MICHAEL SHEEHAN: Senator, let me take the first response. I’m not a constitutional lawyer or a lawyer of any kind. But let me talk to you a little—take a brief statement about al-Qaeda and the organization that attacked us on September 11, 2001. In the two years prior to that, Senator King, that organization attacked us in East Africa and killed 17 Americans in our embassy in Nairobi, with loosely affiliated groups of people in East Africa. A year prior to 9/11, that same organization, with its affiliates in Yemen, almost sunk a U.S. ship, the U.S.S. Cole, a billion-dollar warship, killed 17 sailors in the port of Aden. The organization that attacked us on 9/11 already had its tentacles in—around the world with associated groups. That was the nature of the organization then; it is the nature of the organization now. In order to attack that organization, we have to attack it with those affiliates that are its operational arm that have previously attacked and killed Americans, and at high-level interests, and continue to try to do that.

SEN. ANGUS KING: That’s fine, but that’s not what the AUMF says. You can—you can—what I’m saying is, we may need new authority, but don’t—if you expand this to the extent that you have, it’s meaningless, and the limitation in the war power is meaningless. I’m not disagreeing that we need to attack terrorism wherever it comes from and whoever is doing it. But what I’m saying is, let’s do it in a constitutional way, not by putting a gloss on a document that clearly won’t support it. It just—it just doesn’t—it just doesn’t work. I’m just reading the words. It’s all focused on September 11 and who was involved, and you guys have invented this term "associated forces" that’s nowhere in this document. As I mentioned, in your written statement, you use that—that’s the key term. You use it 13 times. It’s the justification for everything. And it renders the war powers of the Congress null and void. I don’t understand. I mean, I do understand you’re saying we don’t need any change, because the way you read it, you can—you could do anything. But why not say—come back to us and say, "Yes, you’re correct that this is an overbroad reading that renders the war powers of the Congress a nullity; therefore, we need new authorization to respond to the new situation"? I don’t understand why—I mean, I do understand it, because the way you read it, there’s no limit. But that’s not what the Constitution contemplates.

Sudan says has evidence South Sudan sending weapons to rebel group

2013-05-18T00:09:00.000+05:00

[Anadolu Agency]

JUBA - Sudan's foreign minister said Friday there was evidence weapons are smuggled from South Sudan bound for Sudan's People's Liberation Movement.

Mohammed Ali Ahmed Karti's remarks came after a meeting with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

"We have some evidence that weapons are smuggled from South Sudan," said Karti, adding that they were transferred to Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the state of Kordofan.

"In addition to weapons, rebel groups are also coming in from South Sudan. Relations between two countries can be affected negatively unless our suspicions are allayed," Karti said.

After more than five decades of civil war between Sudan and South Sudan, the latter broke away from Sudan in July 2011 following a referendum.
South Sudan denies it supports Sudanese rebels.

Pakistani ambassador ends his diplomatic mission in Uzbekistan

2013-05-18T00:04:00.000+05:00

by D. Azizov
[Trend News Agency]

Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Pakistan, Mohammad Waheed-ul-Hasan on May 17 in connection with the completion of his diplomatic mission to the country, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

According to the report, during the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of Uzbek-Pakistani relations and certain issues of international and regional importance.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry stressed the fruitful nature of the work of the ambassador and his personal contribution to the development of cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

In turn, Mohammad Waheed-ul-Hasan expressed his gratitude for the support of his doings as ambassador to Uzbekistan.

Pakistan Navy holds 2nd Command and Staff Conference 2013

2013-05-17T17:03:00.002+05:00

[Pakistan Navy Press Release]

ISLAMABAD: Command and Staff Conference 2/2013 of Pakistan Navy was held at Naval Headquarters. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila chaired the conference, which was attended by all Principal Staff Officers at Naval Headquarters and Field Commanders.

The Command and Staff conference is the highest decision-making forum of Pakistan Navy in which all issues pertaining to operational readiness, human resource management, material preparedness and infrastructure development are deliberated besides PN participation in nation-building and other projects. The current Command and Staff Conference took stock of the prevailing maritime challenges and preparations of PN to address those. Chief of the Naval Staff expressed satisfaction over operational readiness of PN and exhorted upon all to pursue the same with no let-up. Briefings were also given on Training System of Pakistan Navy and operationalization of Cadet College Ormara.

With 2013 declared as the year of training in Pakistan Navy, renewed focus is being accorded to training at all levels in year-long activities planed across PN. Chief of the Naval Staff appreciated the efforts of all and stated that Cadet College Ormara is a positive step in uplifting the socio-economic conditions of people of Makran Coast. The Admiral also commended the efforts of Karachi Shipyard in timely completion of F-22P Frigate PNS ASLAT which was commissioned into PN last month.

Russia delivers 12 Mi-17 helicopters to Afghan armed forces

2013-05-17T14:15:00.000+05:00

by Meena Haseeb
[Khaama Press]

Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport announced that Russia will deliver 12 Mil Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters to Afghanistan national army by the end of 2013.

The deliver of the helicopters to Afghan armed forces is part of the $367.5 million deal signed between Pentagon and Rosoboronexport in 2011, which included delivery of 21 Mi-17V5s.

US officials have also announced that the deal with the Rosoboronexport could worth up to $900 million which will also include spares and servicing.

Grigory Kozlov, director of Rosobornexport’s helicopter exports department quoted by Russia’s state news agency, Ria Novosti said, “The option agreement has been signed and the delivery will be completed by the end of this year.”

Kozlov said Pentagon has already started paying for the option deal as well as delivering US equipment to be installed on Russian helicopters specifically for Afghan missions.

According to Grigory Kozlov, additional Mi17 helicopters will be purchased for the Afghan national security forces despite opposition from a number of US lawmakers.

He said, “I think this issue (the additional purchase) will be decided by the end of May and we will enter a new round of talks on the delivery of helicopters on top of the current 21 plus 12 units.”

Russian-made helicopters have a long history in Afghanistan and is preferred better than the helicopters due to their low prices, durability and simplicity.

Lebanon, Italy discuss military ties

2013-05-17T10:35:00.001+05:00

Beirut, May 16 2013 (SPA) - Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn met here today with Italian Defense Minister Mario Mauro and the accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest in addition to means of enhancing military relations between the two countries.

Commander US CENTCOM visits Egypt, military cooperation discussed

2013-05-17T10:33:00.000+05:00

Cairo, May 16 2013 (SPA) - Egyptian Defense Minister Abdulfattah Al-Sisi met here today with the Commander of United States Central Command Lloyd Austin.

During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest in addition to means of enhancing military cooperation between the two countries.

US officials charge Idaho man with providing support to Uzbek militants

2013-05-17T10:22:00.000+05:00

[The Voice of Russia/Reuters]

US Federal officials charged a man in Idaho on Thursday with providing support including bomb-making knowledge to an Uzbek militant group knowing that it would be used to carry out an attack, authorities said.

Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, an Uzbek national living legally in Idaho, was arrested on Thursday morning in Boise, and faces a three count grand jury indictment in Idaho and a single-count indictment in Utah, prosecutors said.

Kurbanov possessed materials that could be used to create a destructive device and demonstrated in January how to make explosive devices, prosecutors said.