13th August 2008, 12:42 am
Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:57pm EDT
By Sue Pleming -Analysis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington’s poor relations with Moscow have soured further over Russia’s military action against Georgia and experts say it will be impossible for President George W. Bush to mend them before his term ends.
“This is the most intense crisis in U.S.-Russia relations since the end of the Cold War,” said Russia expert Stephen Jones, a professor at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.
With just months before Bush leaves office in January, 2009, there had been efforts to focus on areas of cooperation and paper over disagreements on a missile defense shield in Europe proposed by Washington and a strong U.S. push for NATO membership for Georgia.
But experts say a rapprochement is unlikely and Russia’s actions in Georgia will make it tough for a new U.S. president — whether it is Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, who has taken a hard line against Russia.
“This is a setback for U.S.-Russia relations and it will make it very difficult for this administration to push forward any kind of positive initiative,” said James Collins, former U.S. ambassador to Russia.
Continue reading ‘U.S.-Russia ties soured further by Georgia crisis’ »
12th August 2008, 12:41 am
Press Release
Boeing
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 08, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $153 million U.S. Navy contract to design and develop the Countermine System (CMS) for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City, Fla. The CMS, part of the Navy’s effort to field a comprehensive Assault Breaching System, will help minimize mine-related combat losses during amphibious landings.
“The CMS will neutralize mines in the beach and surf zone in advance of an amphibious assault by the Marines,” said Keith Burns, Boeing CMS acting program manager. “This capability will greatly enhance the sea service’s ability to project power and successfully complete a Ship-to-Objective maneuver.”
Continue reading ‘Boeing Awarded $153 Million U.S. Navy Contract for Countermine System’ »
12th August 2008, 12:37 am
16:52 | 07/ 08/ 2008
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Sealed and decided: Russia will build aircraft carriers.
After years of debate the naval command and the national leadership seem to have agreed that the navy should have such ships. But this has not always been the case. To understand current thinking, it is necessary to take a look at the history of aircraft carrier building in Russia.
The Russian navy first used seaplanes in World War I, when its Black Sea Fleet used them to bombard enemy ports.
The possibility of building full-scale aircraft carriers was first mooted in Russia after the Civil War. Plans were drawn up to convert some ships - the training ship Komsomolets, the battleship Poltava and uncompleted battle cruisers of the Izmail class - into a new type of vessels.
However, the economy and industry were at such low ebb that the programs had to be postponed until better times.
The next step was taken in the late 1930s, when Soviet naval architects came up with two new projects: Project 71 (a light aircraft carrier with 45 planes) and Project 72 (a heavy aircraft carrier with 62 planes).
Continue reading ‘A tale of Russian aircraft carriers’ »
12th August 2008, 12:33 am
By ILYA KRAMNIK, UPI Outside View Commentator
Published: Aug. 11, 2008 at 2:00 PM
MOSCOW, Aug. 11 (UPI) — The very real possibility of full-scale war between the former Soviet republic of Georgia in the Caucasus and its secessionist breakaway region of South Ossetia raises questions about its possible outcome.
At present, the Georgian armed forces have more than 30,000 men, including 20,000 ground forces. They are equipped with more than 200 tanks, including 40 Soviet-built T-55 Main Battle Tanks and 165 more modern T-72 Main Battle Tanks, which currently are being upgraded.
Apart from tanks, the ground forces have 200 combat armored vehicles, including about 180 infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers. The ground troops can receive artillery support from 120 artillery pieces of 122mm-152mm caliber, 40 multiple-launch rocket systems and 180 mortars.
Continue reading ‘Georgia has serious weapons, but not well-trained troops’ »
12th August 2008, 12:28 am
Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:30pm EDT
Reuters
By Matt Robinson
TBILISI (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush urged Russia on Monday to end its armed conflict with Georgia after Moscow’s forces advanced deeper into the territory of its pro-Western neighbor, ignoring Western pleas to halt.
“Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century,” Bush said.
“The Russian government must reverse the course that it appears to be on…,” he added, urging Russia to agree to a ceasefire offer by Georgia.
Moscow has snubbed Western pleas for a ceasefire and accused Georgia of not keeping a promise to halt fighting, which erupted on Thursday when Georgia sent forces to retake South Ossetia, a region that threw off Georgian rule in the 1990s and declared itself independent, albeit without international recognition.
It said Tbilisi continued to shell the Russian-held region of South Ossetia where the conflict began last Thursday.
Georgia hosts a key pipeline supplying the West and the fighting has unsettled oil markets. It has alarmed investors in Russia and has raised fears of a wider conflagration in the volatile region bordering Iran, Turkey and Russia.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, taking a leading role in the crisis, attacked Washington for helping Georgia fly home troops from Iraq and said the West was mistaking the aggressors for victims in the conflict.
“The Cold War has long ended but the mentality of the Cold War has stayed firmly in the minds of several U.S. diplomats. It is a real shame,” Putin said.
Continue reading ‘U.S. urges Russia to halt conflict with Georgia’ »
10th August 2008, 12:24 pm
Story Number: NNS080808-05
Release Date: 8/8/2008 2:41:00 PM
US Navy
From the Department of Defense
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The first of the Navy’s littoral combat ships, LCS-1 Freedom, got underway for builder trials on Lake Michigan on July 28. Builder trials test the ship’s propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems.
Continue reading ‘Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship Offers Transformational Capability’ »
10th August 2008, 11:43 am
Posted on: Saturday, 9 August 2008, 03:00 CDT
Red Orbit
By Duplessis, Christopher A Gumpert, Barton
ABSTRACT Objective: An observational study was performed with a convenience sample of 38 submariners exposed to diesel exhaust for 9 hours, to assess the development of reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) after prophylactic corticosteroid treatment. Methods: Twenty-four subjects were available for baseline physical examinations, pulmonary function tests, and chest radiographs, and 16 more subjects were available for interviews; 30 subjects were available for 6-month follow-up surveys. Subjects were treated on the basis of presenting symptoms; 19 subjects were treated with a 10- day course of orally administered prednisone, accompanied by 30 days of inhaled fluticasone/ salmeterol therapy. Results: There were no cases of RADS diagnosed at 6-month follow-up evaluations. Conclusion: There were no cases of RADS diagnosed at 6-month follow- up evaluations in submariners with uncontrolled, isolated, heavy diesel exhaust exposure, despite many initial symptoms that portended the diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the largest reported case study of corticosteroid treatment initiated with an expressed intention to prevent the development of RADS after an isolated diesel exhaust exposure. Although we cannot prove that early intervention with corticosteroids prevented RADS, we think that the implementation of prompt prophylactic treatment expedited symptom resolution and might have prevented RADS development, on the basis of previous historical control data. RADS resulting from diesel exhaust may be an important public health issue, and our hope is to promote increased recognition of the diagnosis, which often is not suspected upon initial presentation but is delayed by up to several years. Increasing awareness may prompt pursuit of more- aggressive interventions with acute and protracted corticosteroid treatment and execution of the necessary controlled trials to establish treatment efficacy in mitigating the severity and/or circumventing the development of RADS. INTRODUCTION
Continue reading ‘Inhalational Diesel Exhaust Exposure in Submariners: Observational Study’ »
10th August 2008, 11:42 am
July 29th, 2008 - 1:08 am ICT by IANS
Tha Indian news
Xinhua
Islamabad, July 28 (Xinhua) Pakistan Monday received another batch of four F-16 fighter jets from the US, marking the completion of a package of US delivery since 2005. Lt Gen Martin E. Dempsey, acting commander of the US Central Command, handed over the four F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed at the Mushaf airbase in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Continue reading ‘Pakistan receives four F-16 fighter jets’ »
9th August 2008, 07:23 pm
Sat Aug 9, 2008 6:25pm EDT
Reuters
By Matt Robinson
TIRDZNISI, Georgia (Reuters) - Russia accused Georgia on Saturday of seeking bloody adventures by trying to retake its breakaway region of South Ossetia and defended its own military campaign to stop it.
Pro-western Georgia earlier called for a ceasefire after Moscow’s bombers widened an offensive to force Tbilisi’s troops back out of the region in the Caucasus mountains.
“Russia’s actions in South Ossetia are totally legitimate,” Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said, visiting an adjacent region of Russia to which thousands of refugees have fled.
U.S. President George W. Bush urged Moscow to stop bombing immediately, saying it marked a dangerous escalation.
Continue reading ‘EU, U.S. back Georgian call for truce in S.Ossetia’ »
9th August 2008, 01:19 am
By Nathan Hodge
August 08, 2008 | 12:52:00 PM
Wired
Georgia and Russia are careening towards war. And the U.S. isn’t exactly a detached observer in the fight. The American military has been training and equipping Georgian troops for years.
The news thus far: Georgia, which has been locked in a drone war over the separatist enclave of Abkhazia, has launched an offensive to reclaim another breakaway territory, South Ossetia. Latest reports indicate that Georgian forces are laying siege to Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital. And Russia, which has backed the separatists, is sending in the tanks.
So why should we care?
Continue reading ‘Did the U.S. Prep Georgia for War with Russia?’ »
8th August 2008, 11:15 pm
(02:05) Report
Reuters
Aug. 8 - A Georgian official said the president will soon declare martial law.
The fighting between Georgia, Russia and separatists in South Ossetia could escalate: Georgia says it’ll pull out 1,000 troops from Iraq to fight Russian forces.
Fred Katayama reports from New York.
video follows …
Continue reading ‘Georgia set to declare martial law’ »
8th August 2008, 10:47 pm
08 August 2008
Air Force Technology
The Republic of China is planning to convert Taiwan’s military into an all-volunteer force by 2013.
The scheme, scheduled to commence in 2010 will annually reduce the number of conscripts until an all-volunteer force is established.
At present the proportion of conscripts serving in the military stand at 40%. The Ministry of National Defence (MND) plans to reduce this to zero by 2013.
Continue reading ‘Taiwan Military to Convert to All-Volunteer Force’ »
8th August 2008, 05:58 pm
Hundreds of deaths alleged in region’s capital as tanks, aircraft deploy
MSNBC News Services
updated 1 hour, 37 minutes ago
TSKHINVALI, Georgia - Russia sent tanks and reportedly bombed Georgian air bases Friday after Georgia launched a major military offensive Friday to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia, threatening to ignite a broader conflict.
Georgia’s pro-Western president said the two countries were at war, while the Bush administration urged both sides to reach a truce and said it was sending an envoy to the region.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russia to halt attacks and to withdraw combat forces from Georgian territory.
Continue reading ‘Russia, Georgia troops battle along border’ »
8th August 2008, 05:22 pm
Thu Aug 7, 2008 7:57am EDT
Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) - A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine which has steadily been leaking a small amount of radiation for over two years stopped at three Japanese ports, as well as Guam and Pearl Harbor, the United States and Japan said on Thursday.
Japan was notified by the United States last week that the nuclear-powered USS Houston had been leaking water containing a small amount of radiation, but was told at the time that it was unclear when the leak had started.
A statement from the U.S. government on Thursday said the Houston had been leaking radiation from June 2006 to July 2008.
Continue reading ‘U.S. says submarine leaked radiation in 3 Japan ports’ »
8th August 2008, 03:48 pm
By MUSA SADULAYEV, Associated Press Writer
24 minutes ago
Yahoo News
DZHAVA, Georgia - Russia sent columns of tanks and reportedly bombed Georgian air bases Friday after Georgia launched a major military offensive to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia, threatening to ignite a broader conflict.
Hundreds of civilians were reported dead in the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won defacto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992. Witnesses said the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali was devastated.
“I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars,” said Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, who had fled with her family to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia. “It’s impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged.”
The fighting broke out as much of the world’s attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games and many leaders, including Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Bush, were in Beijing.
Continue reading ‘Georgia says Russian aircraft bombed its air bases’ »
7th August 2008, 07:51 pm
By NIKITA PETROV, UPI Outside View Commentator
Published: Aug. 1, 2008 at 11:19 AM
MOSCOW, Aug. 1 (UPI) — Russian armored vehicle producers recently bought thermal imaging systems, also known as infrared night-vision devices, worth $1 billion, from French company Thales Group.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighter being supplied to India features French, Israeli and British avionics. The Sukhoi SSJ-100 program involved 30 foreign companies, including Boeing, Snecma, Alenia Aeronautica, Thales and Honeywell International. (NYSE:HON)
Russia’s United Aircraft-Building Corp., which consolidates private and state assets manufacturing, designing and selling military, civilian, freight and unmanned aircraft, and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. signed a contract to convert 30 A-320 and A-321 passenger airliners into cargo planes for AerCap, a global aviation and leasing company based in the Netherlands.
Continue reading ‘Why Russia seeks aircraft co-production deals’ »
7th August 2008, 07:48 pm
Published: Aug. 6, 2008 at 7:22 PM
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., Aug. 6 (UPI) — The U.S. Marine Corps has contracted General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) Land Systems for the company’s light armored vehicles.
Michigan-based General Dynamics Land Systems was awarded a $24.2 million deal for the production of 10 of the company’s eight-wheeled LAV-25 vehicles used in support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Continue reading ‘GD to supply Marines with LAV-25s’ »
7th August 2008, 12:52 am
19:39 | 06/ 08/ 2008
NEW DELHI, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - India has completed the development of an anti-tank missile that has been in the works for 18 years, and will put it into service after field test trials in September, the Defense Ministry said.
The Nag is a third-generation anti-tank missile system with “fire and forget” and “top attack” capabilities. The missile uses Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) guidance and has both day and night capability.
“Flight trials of the Nag [missile] with a strike range of 4 km (2.5 miles) at stationary and mobile targets have been conducted at Pokhran testing site in the presence of top military commanders,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Nag destroyed all targets, which confirms its parameters,” the statement said.
Continue reading ‘India successfully tests domestically built anti-tank missile’ »
7th August 2008, 12:49 am
Globe and Mail
18 July, 2008 03:50:00
Military World
The intersection between our political parties and the Canadian Forces is littered with wreckage. There are large pieces of equipment that never made it off the ground, like helicopters. There are disagreements over funding, with the NDP always wanting less for the military, pushed off the pavement. And there are those who believe in UN blue-beret peacekeeping as an article of secular faith scattered across the tarmac under the juggernaut labelled Afghanistan.
This is no way to run a modern military. What Canada needs is a bipartisan defence policy, one that can win acceptance from the government and the Opposition. Nothing militarily credible will ever satisfy ideologically committed NDPers or Bloquistes, but it ought to be possible to work out a modus vivendi between the Grits and Tories. In Australia, there is such an arrangement, so much so that the recent change in government did not derail defence policy, procurement, or planning.
Continue reading ‘Canada: This is no way to run a modern military’ »
7th August 2008, 12:20 am
by Jim Mannion
Wed Aug 6, 12:34 PM ET
Yahoo News
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon is presenting Northrop Grumman and Boeing with revised terms Wednesday for a 35-billion dollar contract to produce a new generation of aerial refueling tankers, a Pentagon spokesman said.
The new draft “request for proposal” (FRP) was produced in response to criticism by congressional auditors that forced the Pentagon to rebid a contract that had been awarded in February to Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS.
Continue reading ‘Pentagon presents companies with terms for tanker rebid’ »