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must of hired some of the russian scientists that worked on the bulava ballistic missile.
see what happens when we let our tech fall to the wayside.
i wonder if columbia has any M1s? im sure they would like to play target practice.
US may rearm Georgia, despite Moscow's opposition
Russia vows to stop re-arming of Georgia: report
Russia is taking "concrete measures" to stop the remilitarization of its US-allied neighbour Georgia, a top Russian diplomat said in an interview with the ITAR-TASS news agency on Thursday. The comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin came as US Vice President was visiting Georgia in a show of support for the former Soviet republic, which fought a brief war with Russia last year. "We are deeply concerned about the actions of the Georgian leadership aimed at the remilitarization of the country, which are amazingly being met with a calm and even a positive reaction by some governments," Karasin said. "We will continue to prevent the re-arming of Saakashvili's regime and are taking concrete measures against this," he added, referring to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, a bitter foe of Moscow. Moscow has repeatedly complained about Western support for Georgia, whose government has sought to join the NATO military alliance and pursued close ties with the United States. Russia and Georgia fought a brief war last August over Georgia's breakaway Moscow-backed region of South Ossetia.
Ukraine stops Russian military convoy en route to Sevastopol
Ukraine on Thursday stopped two Russian military convoys, including one transporting missiles to the disputed naval base of Sevastopol. Police stopped a convoy of three vehicles and found each was transporting a cruise missile to Russia's fleet in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian interior ministry said. The convoy did not have the necessary authorisation from Ukraine but was later allowed to continue its journey, the ministry added. Russia has had a fleet in the Ukrainian port Sevastopol for more than 200 years, but the base has recently become a source of tension as relations between the two nations frayed. Moscow has a lease on the base until 2017 and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for the fleet to leave when the lease expires. Earlier Thursday, Ukrainian security forces briefly stopped a Russian convoy of armoured vehicles which were due to take part in a rehearsal for a military parade Sunday, a military source told Russian news agency Interfax. "We consider that another unfriendly and provocative gesture from the Ukrainian authorities, which worsens the already tense situation in the city," the source said, adding Ukraine had been told about the transportation of the vehicles beforehand. Vasyl Kyrylych, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman, told Interfax Russia must take care to avoid "possible violations" of Ukrainian law and agreements on the Russian fleet. All movements of Russian military equipment outside the Sevastopol base must be agreed with Ukraine, he added. The Russian Black Sea fleet is just one of several disputes driving a wedge between Moscow and Kiev. Other issues stoking tensions include Ukraine's desire to join military alliance NATO, and disagreements over the price of gas sold to Ukraine by Moscow. Photo courtesy AFP.
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) July 23, 2009
The United States does not exclude possibly rearming Georgia following its humiliating defeat to Russia a year ago, even at the cost of angering Moscow, a State Department spokesman said Thursday.
"Georgia is on a path that the United States supports toward NATO membership," reminded Philip Crowley when asked about Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's calls for US military aid.
"Clearly, you know, a fundamental tenet of NATO membership is to have a military that meets NATO standards and would add to the capability of the alliance," the spokesman added, before citing the "defense requirements" of the former Soviet Union republic.
In interviews with The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post this week on the eve of US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Georgia, Saakashvili asked for anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons from the United States in order to defend Georgia against a possible Russian attack.
As Biden met Saakashvili in Tbilisi Thursday, a senior Russian diplomat warned that Moscow would not permit Georgia to re-arm following a fierce, five-day war last August in which much of its military was destroyed.
"We will continue to prevent the re-arming of Saakashvili's regime and are taking concrete measures against this," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said in an interview with the state news agency ITAR-TASS.
Biden acknowledged the United States was working on "maintaining" the Georgian military but said these efforts were limited to "planning, training, organization" -- not supply of weapons.
The vice president also defended Georgia's territorial integrity and its bid to join the North Atlantic alliance.
"The vice president outlined today not only the importance of our relationship with Georgia, our willingness to help Georgia with its defensive requirements and a commitment that we will continue to work closely with the government going forward," Crowley explained.
When asked if that commitment could affect relations with Russia, with which President Barack Obama has vowed to "reset" frozen ties, Crowley told reporters that Washington has refused to recognize any Russian sphere of influence.
"I think we have made clear to Russia that ultimately decisions like this rest with the people of Georgia," he said. "We will continue to have, I'm sure, conversations with Russia on these issues."
Georgian officials said US supply of arms to Georgia was not specifically discussed in the meetings with Biden but was also not beyond the realm of possibility.
"The US-Georgia strategic partnership charter envisages, among other issues, that the United States will help Georgia to further develop its defense capabilities," parliamentary speaker David Bakradze told AFP.
Tbilisi and Washington signed a strategic partnership agreement in January that includes a plan to train and equip Georgian forces to boost their capabilities to eventually operate with NATO troops.
The agreement, signed by former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and her Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze, amounted to a declaration of intent that did not formally commit the incoming Obama administration.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_may_rearm_Georgia_despite_Moscows_opposition_999.html
Venezuela to double number of tanks, boost defenses - Chavez
RIA Novosti
24/07/200914:47
MOSCOW, July 24 (RIA Novosti) - President Hugo Chavez says Venezuela will at least double the number of tanks in its military and continue strengthening its defense capability, the state-run ABN news agency reported.
"We are going to buy more tanks to have an armored force at least twice the size of what we have today," Chavez said on national television on Thursday.
"We need to strengthen our forces on land, at sea, and in the air and we are going to continue doing that," he added.
The leftist president's announcement comes shortly after neighboring Colombia offered to accommodate more U.S. troops at its air and naval bases, which Chavez said was a serious threat to Venezuela's national security.
The Venezuelan army currently has more than 80 outdated French-made AMX-30 main battle tanks and several dozen AMX-13C light tanks.
Chavez, who has spent billions of dollars on weapons from Russia in recent years, confirmed that Caracas and Moscow were in talks to purchase Russian T-90 main battle tanks among other military equipment.
Between 2005 and 2007 Russia signed 12 contracts worth more than $4.4 billion to supply arms to Venezuela, including fighter jets, helicopters and Kalashnikov assault rifles.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090724-rianovosti03.htm
Army Planning for Last War?
Army Planning for Last War?
By Colin Clark Friday, July 24th, 2009 5:56 pm
Posted in Land, Policy
The incoming commander of the famous 10th Mountain Division, Maj. Gen. James Terry, sat down with defense reporters today to talk about the future of Army modernization. Terry, a very personable commander with a refreshingly candid approach, wouldn’t offer specific answers about what the Army’s Brigade Combat Team Modernization would look like. After all, it’s one of the biggest acquisition decisions the service will make for years and it’s not unreasonable for him to go slow. But there is a larger issue that a major general dares not address in public — are the Pentagon and Army moving in the right direction when it comes to redesigning the force? The answer we got from a respected analyst is a resounding “No!”
Terry knows a great deal about the past and future of Army modernization from his job as director of TRADOC’s Future Force Integration Directorate, known fondly as FFID. But he is also an officer in the chain of command and the Army is in the midst of deciding just what the successor to FCS will be, so he couldn’t say much.
Terry did say that the Army is probably going to do more of taking Operational Needs Statements from commanders in the field and turning them into programs of record, those wonderful budgeting tools that allow the service to build a program into its regular annual funding plan. At the end of the session, I asked him if the Army was moving from a force bent on fundamental change — which the service declared was the case with the development of FCS — to a more incremental approach. Terry said he thought the service was probably headed to something much closer to a step by step approach.
Eager to get some perspective on whether the service is generally headed in the right direction since the demise of the Manned ground Vehicle program, I called one of the best outside analysts who follows the Army, Dan Goure of the Lexington Institute. Goure was adamant. The Army has, under enormous pressure from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, begun to turn into an institution planning for the last war — one of the greatest sins of which a military can be accused.
The Army’s current course “almost guarantees surprise, technical and operational surprise” in our next conflict because the service is rebuilding to cope with the wars it has most recently fought — Iraq and Afghanistan. Gates has declared repeatedly that he is acting to rebalance the US military in light of the lessons he has learned since coming to the Pentagon.
“Why would you think you are going to get yourself in the same situation in five years”" Goure asked. On top of that, Army officials have said repeatedly they are planning for uncertainty and for the long war. “The Army uses the term uncertainty — that’s not a plan for the future,” he said. Instead that leads the service, Goure opined, to operating without “a greater vision, a greater purpose than the immediate fight.” And that takes us back to his initial premise, that the current course of the Army will place the country in peril because it will be vulnerable to an enemy able to target our technology that has been developed with the current fight in mind. “You don’t have a core purpose for the Army,” whether it might be developing the capability to read and react to an enemy attack, mobilize quickly and stop the enemy in its tracks almost anywhere in the world, pacify the Indians or stop the Soviets at the Fulda Gap.
Defense Secretary Gates has said several times he thinks MRAPs may become a part of the son of FCS. But Goure, Army officials and others say MRAPs can’t be networked and lack the generating power to handle anything like the sort of sensor and communication capabilities the Army will need in the future. “Building a vehicle just designed to protect your own force” just won’t cut it Goure said. “Try using MRAPs in a jungle,” he said for effect, noting the likelihood of conflict somewhere in Asia.
And the Army’s rush to redo requirements for its main modernization effort will result in “bastard child,” Goure said, arguing the incremental approach will result in something that isn’t heavy enough to be useful in places like Fallujah or to throw enough kinetics to stop an enemy dead in its tracks.
Broadly speaking, Goure said the real problem lies with the defense secretary, who wants to rebalance the US military to fight the kinds of wars we are currently engaged in. And the Army will find it very difficult to say no to someone who has killed more programs — successfully — than any civilian leader in memory.
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2009/07/24/army-planning-for-last-war/
AP sources: Bin Laden son may have been killed
By PAMELA HESS and PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writers Pamela Hess And Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press Writers – 38 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Saad bin Laden, a son of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, may have been killed in a U.S. airstrike, U.S. officials said Thursday. The son was likely killed in Pakistan in the last several months, approximately in late spring, said a counterterrorism official, one of three Obama administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence.
Though many in the intelligence community believe he is dead, they can't be 100 percent certain because no body or DNA evidence was recovered to prove it, one official said.
The U.S. has carried out more than 45 missile attacks with drones in Pakistan's border region since last August, most targeting foreign al-Qaida militants and those accused of violence in neighboring Afghanistan. Saad was not considered a heavy hitter in his father's organization and was not the target of the strike, but rather was killed during a strike intended for someone else, National Public Radio said, quoting unidentified officials.
Saad was born in 1982 and is one of 19 children Osama bin Laden is thought to have, officials have said.
The younger bin Laden was believed to have fled Afghanistan shortly after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001 that routed his father from safe haven there and overthrew the Taliban regime.
Officials have said he went to Iran and was held under a form of house arrest from 2003 to 2008, before turning up in Pakistan, where his father has reportedly been in hiding somewhere in the ungoverned border region near Afghanistan.
In January, the Treasury slapped financial sanctions on the younger bin Laden and three other al-Qaida figures. In announcing a freeze on their assets held under U.S. jurisdiction, Treasury also said that people from the United States would be barred from engaging in financial transactions with them.
Michael McConnell, director of national intelligence at the time, told a news conference that the move to Pakistan made Saad more vulnerable to being captured or killed by the U.S. or its allies.
"It is better in my world if they are in places that we have access," McConnell said. Pakistan is a U.S. ally in the struggle against Islamic extremists, while the United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_bin_laden_s_son
never understood why people do dumb things like that, just like the mtv show jackass
if they did, you would be an over paid politician who gives a rats ass about his constituents.
Out Of Unity Comes Strength
July 22, 2009: The U.S. Air Force has a unity problem, and it's become more obvious to airmen as more of them serve as "augmentees", serving with the army to help provide support services for the soldiers that are doing most of the fighting. So far, about ten percent of airmen have been assigned to work with the army in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, they are exposed to the different "culture" of the army (and, to some extent, the navy, which also sends many augmentees). One big difference many airmen have noticed is that the army and the navy both have a unifying job that the air force lacks. In the army and marines, everyone is considered potential infantry. They are armed and trained for that, no matter what their regular job is. In the navy, everyone is trained to act as a fire fighter (damage control). In every ship, the entire crew is trained to turn out to fight fires and "save the ship" from combat, or natural disaster, damage.
While many soldiers and sailors like to complain about this extra duty, and the training that goes along with it, they all take a unifying pride in a shared responsibility. The current war has given all soldiers and marines (and many augmentees) an opportunity to experience this shared responsibility first hand. Over there, nearly everyone performs some security duties, and is armed and trained to do so. Anyone who operates outside the wire (camp) is heavily armed and often riding in an armored vehicle. And many of those road warriors have experienced roadside bombs or enemy fire. Thus an army truck driver or supply clerk has a shared experience with the infantry who, like fighter pilots in the air force, are the principal fighters, and the people everyone supports.
The air force is different. While someone in the army or navy will identify themselves as a soldier or sailor, airmen will more often identify more with their occupational specialty (AFSC). Augmentees notice this, and are wondering if the air force would benefit from a unifying theme. At present, the different communities (maintainers, medical, air crew, security, intelligence, ammo specialists, administration, etc.) all see themselves as a community unto themselves, and the other air force job communities as alien as soldiers, sailors and marines.
Many of these augmentees believe that the air force should establish this theme of base security and defense as a unifying theme. This is actually, well sort of, happening as a result of the augmentee program. For this is the first time in over thirty years that U.S. Air Force enlisted personnel are regularly engaged in ground combat. This is because everyone running convoys in Afghanistan or Iraq has to help out with security.
At first, this was a problem for the air force. Their regular security forces were busy providing increased base security, and their special operations people were working hard with SOCOM. Finding a lot of air force people who were handy with small arms proved a challenge. Air force basic training only involves a week of field training, including learning the basics of firing a rifle. Airmen fire those rifles once every two years. So the air force created a special four week combat course for airmen headed to Iraq. The course is taught by many airmen who already have combat experience in Iraq.
The air force does have ground combat troops. They have 23,000 men and women assigned to this security force duty. The security forces are trained and equipped as light infantry, although their primary job is base protection and police work. These security troops regularly train with infantry weapons (mainly assault rifle, pistol and light machine-gun.) Each major air base also has an Emergency Services Team (EST), which is basically a SWAT team formed from security forces volunteers. The EST personnel get more intensive training in weapons and tactics.
Starting last year, in addition to more training with assault rifles and pistols, all airmen began taking a course in hand-to-hand combat. The Air Force Combatives program is a 20 hour version of the 40 hour U.S. Army Combatives Program. It basically teaches you the best moves to make if you are ever in a hand-to-hand combat situation. Airmen are encouraged to take additional training, after they have completed the mandatory 20 hours of instruction. Those who have served in Iraq, and especially those who came back with a combat badge, don't need much encouragement.
For the first time since the Vietnam war, air force personnel are regularly assigned to ground combat duties. This is changing the air force culture, and those airmen who have seen the unifying theme of a shared secondary job skill in the army, marines and navy, would like to see something similar for their own service. Out of unity comes strength.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20090722.aspx
im surprised nobody has done that also. maybe they dont want to put it out there like that because it would stir up all the anti gun nuts even more
but the smart idiots out that group usually jump to our side of the fence real quick
unless you are in the south or southwest, you are probably getting locked up.you can get away with it in rural midwest i bet.
to many people who piss themselves at the sight of a weapon.
More U.S. troops in Colombia irks Chavez
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 21, 2009 16:21:46 EDT
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is objecting to Colombia’s decision to let the U.S. increase its military presence in the neighboring country.
Chavez said late Monday that Colombia’s plan to accommodate more U.S. troops at its air and naval bases “obliges us to review our relations” with the U.S.-allied neighbor.
“They’re opening the doors to those who constantly attack us,” Chavez said, according to the state-run Bolivarian News Agency.
A fifth round of U.S.-Colombia negotiations on an accord is set for next week.
Chavez has often accused the U.S. of plotting to overthrow or undermine him. His relations with Washington remain strained even though he and President Barack Obama’s administration recently restored their ambassadors, seeking more dialogue. Chavez expelled the U.S. envoy last year.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said on Monday that his government is aiming to reach an agreement for what defense officials say would be the use of three airfields and two navy bases.
“The accord is to strengthen Colombian military bases, not to open U.S. bases,” Uribe said in a speech to congress, saying the agreement is necessary to reinforce security within Colombia.
Chavez called such talk evasive. “Of course they use euphemisms and say they aren’t Yankee bases, but rather Colombian bases and that they could come. They’re going to be there permanently.”
Most details of the anticipated U.S.-Colombian agreement have not been divulged.
More than $4 billion in U.S. aid since 2000 has helped Colombia fight leftist rebels, who rely in part on drug proceeds.
Colombian officials say a bases agreement will not increase the number of U.S. service personnel and civilian military contractors beyond the 1,400 mandated by the U.S. Congress.
There was no immediate reaction to Chavez’s announcement from the Colombian government.
The leftist leader has had diplomatic disputes with Uribe’s government in the past, but the two have repeatedly smoothed over their conflicts.
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_chavez_us_troops_colombia_072109/
looks like my state will be the last in the nation with no ccw law.
the gov. says we dont need it because it is legal to open carry. yet how many are comfortable walking into walmart openly carrying, fastest way to get a disturbing the peace ticket if you ask me
U.S. Senator John Thune Thune (South Dakota) Offers Concealed Carry (CCW) Amendment to Federal Defense Authorization Bill
The following is a press release from the office of U.S. Senator John Thune, South Dakota:
July 20th, 2009 - Washington, D.C. - Senator John Thune has offered a bipartisan amendment to the Defense Authorization bill (S. 1390) that would help in reducing crime by providing reciprocity for the carrying of concealed firearms. The Thune amendment (#1618) would allow individuals to carry lawfully concealed firearms across state lines, while at the same time respecting the laws of the host state.
“South Dakota is one of many states with reasonable measures in place allowing citizens to protect themselves with concealed weapons,” said Thune. “Law-abiding South Dakotans should be able to exercise the right to bear arms in states with similar regulations on concealed firearms. My legislation enables citizens to protect themselves while respecting individual state firearms laws.”
Currently, some states with concealed carry laws grant reciprocity to permit-holders from other select states. Senator Thune’s bill strikes the appropriate balance between individual and states’ rights by allowing an individual to carry a concealed firearm across state lines if they either have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence, they are entitled to do so.
Reliable, empirical research shows that states with concealed carry laws enjoy significantly lower violent crimes rates than those states that do not. For example, for every year a state has a concealed carry law, the murder rate declines by three percent, rape by two percent, and robberies by over two percent. The benefits of conceal and carry extend to more than just the individuals that actually carry a firearm. Since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim, they are less likely to commit crimes when they fear that they may come in direct contact with an individual who is armed. This deterrent is so strong that a Department of Justice study found that 40 percent of felons had not committed crimes because they feared the prospective victims were armed.
Under the Thune Amendment, individuals who travel to other states would be required to follow the laws of the host state, including laws concerning specific types of locations in which firearms may or may not be carried.
The Thune Amendment is the pending amendment in the Senate and debate on the proposal is expected to resume on Monday afternoon. The amendment is cosponsored by Senators John Barasso (R-WY), Mark Begich (D-AK), Robert Bennett (R-UT), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Ensign (R-NV), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and David Vitter (R-LA).
http://www.defensereview.com/us-senator-john-thune-thune-south-dakota-offers-concealed-carry-ccw-amendment-to-federal-defense-authorization-bill/
Commentary: Raptor is no Reaper
The F-22 requires 30 hours of maintenance for every hour that it spends in the skies. This, in turn, drives the cost of one hour of flying to almost $50,000 (vs. $30,000 for its predecessor, the F-15).
by Arnaud De Borchgrave
Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2009
If the Pentagon can't figure out a way to defend the United States on half a trillion dollars a year, then our problems are much bigger than anything that can be cured by buying a few more ships and planes. So spoke Defense Secretary Robert Gates, angry with the profligate ways of both the Congress and the Pentagon. But he misspoke. With add-ons, including the Afghan war against Pakistan-based Taliban, Pakistan's civil war against homegrown Taliban and a post-war surge of terrorist bombings in Iraq where 130,000 U.S. troops are still based outside the cities, the Pentagon's spending for 2010 is close to $670 billion, or more than two-thirds of a trillion dollars.
When President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation in his valedictory address about the military-industrial complex, he omitted the key word -- "congressional." Time and again, Congress' armchair warriors have imposed costly weapons systems that the war fighters didn't want or need.
Sorely and urgently needed today are combat drones, such as the hunter-killer MQ-9 Reaper, a successor to the Predator. At $8 million a copy, the Reaper can fly 16 hours. With an operational ceiling of 50,000 feet, it flies at 220 mph, and with bursts of 300 mph, it can carry 1.5 tons of ordnance, including 14 air-to-ground missiles.
What Gates says the United States does not need is the F-22 Raptor, a fifth-generation stealth fighter-bomber. The total cost of the F-22 program so far is $62 billion, or about $350 million per aircraft. To build more, beyond the 187 in service, as Congress wants, would cost $143 million per aircraft, at a time the federal budget deficit is nearing $2 trillion -- in a single year.
The original plan, circa 1983, was to buy 648 F-22s, beginning in 1996 for $60 million each. The war plane was designed to best anything the Soviet Union could put in the air. But the Soviet Union imploded 20 years ago. And F-22 production didn't start until 2001; its first operational flight test was in 2004. Now this airborne white elephant requires 30 hours of maintenance for every hour that it spends in the skies. This, in turn, drives the cost of one hour of flying to almost $50,000 (vs. $30,000 for its predecessor, the F-15).
The Pentagon acknowledged earlier this month that only 55 percent of the F-22 fleet of 187 aircraft was available for stipulated missions in the period from October 2008 through May 2009. The Raptor (F-22) has never flown combat missions over Iraq or Afghanistan; the (Grim) Reaper is in action round the clock over Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Like most manufacturers of high-priced military hardware, subcontracts to vendors are spread around as many states as possible to garner congressional support. For the F-22, Lockheed Martin signed more than 1,000 subcontracts for 90,000 jobs in 44 states. This, in turn, has led Congress to force Gates to accept seven more F-22s at a cost of $1.75 billion. But President Obama said "we do not need these planes" and he's holding his veto pen at the ready.
Gates' preference is Lockheed's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, whose technology is a decade ahead of the F-22 and is the designated successor to the F-16, still the world's best fighter aircraft. Made in three versions, including short takeoff and vertical landing, eight other nations are involved as co-producers and advance buyers. The U.S. Air Force is scheduled to get 1,763 JSFs; the Navy and the Marine Corps 680. And Congress, in its bizarre wisdom, shaved $530 million from the administration's JSF request.
But the future of warfare is now in unmanned drones. Piloted by remote control from thousands of miles away via satellites, they hover over targets for hours and guide weapons down to individual insurgent chiefs in their supposedly safe havens in Pakistan's tribal areas. Even pilotless fighter aircraft are on the drawing board. Aerial dogfights between Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles will become possible in the next decade.
This year the USAF will train more drone "jocks" than fighter jocks. For the defense bagatelle of $476 million, the military acquired 195 Predator drones at $4.5 million apiece. The more recent Reapers cost $17 million, and more than 30 are in action in the AFPAK theater.
The British Royal Air Force has bought two spy-in-the-sky planes to snoop on terrorists worldwide -- from 3 miles up. They can warn of potential ambushes and bomb planting. With the right sensor array, they can see if a suspected terrorist is at home, listen in to and record his mobile calls and tell you if his car engine is hot, warm or cold.
On the coming neurotech hit parade, according to MIT's Technology Review, breakthroughs in understanding how the brain works and how to control it will soon make it possible to manipulate how we think, remember, and even remotely control objects in ways never before possible. George Mason University's Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study of the inner workings of the mind has come up with a ray that can temporarily neutralize the aggressive compulsion in a would-be terrorist's mind.
A UCAV-cum-ray gun in our future? The ideal weapon for a casualty-averse superpower.
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Commentary_Raptor_is_no_Reaper_999.html
Biden to urge Georgian leader 'to leave quietly' - Russian paper
RIA Novosti
16:2621/07/2009 MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. vice president tours Ukraine and Georgia this week to persuade the two former Soviet states' embattled presidents not to cling on to power, a leading Russian daily said on Tuesday.
"The central objective of Biden's trip is to prepare for the forthcoming changes of power in both republics, to look at the probable successors to the incumbent presidents of Ukraine and Georgia and, it would seem, to convince the latter to leave quietly," Kommersant said.
"He will probably not speak openly about his preferred political leaders, but will explain to both presidents that they should not cling on to power and should give it away to other people," the paper said.
Biden's national security aide, Tony Blinken, said ahead of the visits: "Our hope is that these leaders who really, many of whom were part of inspiring not only their own people, but the entire region, the entire world, not so very long ago, will live up to the promise of the revolution and make the hard choices and work together."
"In many ways, people in Ukraine, with this incredibly open and free and vibrant society, seem to be a little bit ahead of some of the political leadership right now, and we hope that the leadership will do just that - lead," Blinken said.
In Ukraine on Tuesday, Biden will meet with President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, as well as key opposition leaders, who all plan to run in January's presidential elections.
Kommersant suggested opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a potential leading candidate for president, was Washington's preferred next president of Ukraine. Biden's last meeting on Tuesday will be with Yatsenyuk, which means they could have extra time for talks.
In Georgia on Wednesday evening and on Thursday, the vice president will meet with President Mikheil Saakashvili, representatives from leading NGOs and opposition leaders, and will deliver a speech in parliament.
The paper said Saakashvili had preempted the tone of Biden's visit by moving to appease the opposition on Monday, proposing electoral and other reforms in a speech to parliament and calling for unity against the Russian occupier.
The opposition has held protests in Georgia demanding Saakashvili's resignation over a disastrous war with Russia last August and his totalitarian tendencies. But Saakashvili has said he will serve out his term, which ends in 2013.
Kommersant said Biden's tour is also seen as a counterbalance to U.S. President Barack Obama's recent visit to Moscow.
"In Kiev and in Tbilisi, Joe Biden is expected to stress on many occasions that the U.S. is against any spheres of influence [for the United States or Russia], and the 'reset' of relations with Moscow does not mean Washington will sacrifice its warm ties with Georgia and Ukraine," the paper said.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090721-rianovosti06.htm
Disassembly project to provide data to F-15 maintainers
by Wayne Crenshaw
78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
7/21/2009 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) -- In a small building in the nearby town of Byron, Ga., five people are working on a painstaking project that could significantly impact the future of the F-15 Eagle.
The crew from S&K Technologies is completely disassembling an F-15D fighter jet. The purpose of the project is to give Air Force officials a detailed look at how the aging aircraft is holding up and to provide data needed to update future maintenance requirements.
The plane was turned over Feb. 11 and the teardown is expected to be completed in November. The plane has 6,300 flying hours. It was tapped for this project after coming to Robins for programmed depot maintenance, or PDM, and some mechanical issues were found that were not economical to repair.
Although what is left of the F-15 in the building now barely resembles an aircraft, the project is listed as only 36-percent complete. The crew, however, is down to the real meat of the project, which is to break down and examine its internal structure.
The focus is to get down to those areas that are not seen even during PDM, said 2nd Lt. Amanda Alpaugh, an F-15 structural engineer in the 830th Aircraft Sustainment Group. She is the technical point of contact for the project.
"The teardown provides insight into any damage occurring in places that we don't normally inspect," she said. "It is a much more detailed look because we actually remove every single fastener on the critical parts."
Although a local crew is doing the teardown, it is actually an expansive, worldwide project involving other contractors and allied nations whose aircrews also fly the F-15.
Once a part is extracted, it goes through several progressively detailed inspections. Any parts with cracks, corrosion or other damage will be scrutinized even further and may be sent to laboratories for even more detailed metallurgical analysis. Such analysis provides insight into when the damage occurred and what loads or conditions contributed to that.
"This is critical data because it allows us to adjust our PDM work package to ensure we inspect the right places at the right time and address the wear and tear before it becomes a problem," said Lieutenant Alpaugh.
The teardown is actually part of a larger overall project intended to ensure the future viability of F-15. A second teardown will be performed on an F-15C as soon as the current project is completed. Another effort, being conducted at Boeing, is a full-scale fatigue test on an F-15C. While the teardowns provide data into what damage has thus far occurred, the fatigue test simulates flight loads, providing data into what damage can be expected in the future.
So how many simulated hours are they pushing it to?
"Until it breaks," Lieutenant Alpaugh said. "Two previous fatigue tests, around 1975 and 1991, both proved the robustness of the F-15 structure; unfortunately, both tests were halted once the test objective was complete. There was no life-limiting damage found at the end of those tests, so we don't know how much further those test articles may have gone. This time, we want to go all the way."
Col. Stephen Niemants-verdriet, the F-15 system program manager, said the F-15C is planned to fly until 2025, and the F-15E until 2035 or beyond.
"The teardowns and (current) fatigue test will provide the data we need to ensure we know what to look for and when to expect it, so we can put the right preventative maintenance in place to assure the continued safety and viability of the aircraft," he said.
Steve Hartley, site manager on the project, said photos are taken of every part, and visual observations are noted and logged. The crew is guided by a list of parts that are to be extracted, disassembled and inspected.
It's tedious work, but something Mr. Hartley and his crew find fascinating.
"You've got to love it," he said. "I really do enjoy it."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090721-afns01.htm
U.S. supports Ukraine's NATO membership bid - Biden
RIA Novosti
18:1121/07/2009 KIEV, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - The United States supports Ukraine's plans to join NATO, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
Biden, who is currently in Ukraine, said that both he and U.S. President Barack Obama supported Ukraine's NATO bid.
At a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Biden told him that the United States did not recognize "anyone else's right to dictate to you or any other country what alliance you will seek to belong to or what bilateral relationships you have."
Ukraine has been pursuing NATO membership since pro-Western Yushchenko was inaugurated in January 2005. However, regular opinion polls show that the majority of Ukrainians continue to oppose joining the alliance.
NATO has enlarged since 1999, admitting three ex-Soviet Baltic republics and four Communist-bloc states in Eastern Europe. The expansion has strained relations between the West and Russia, which is concerned by the new military bases emerging along its borders.
U.S. President Obama paid an official visit to Moscow two weeks ago, causing anxiety in Ukraine and Georgia, another former Soviet republic seeking NATO membership, amid Washington's plans to 'reset' relations with Russia.
However, Biden told Yushchenko that the 'reset' in relations with Russia "will not come at Ukraine's expense, to the contrary, I believe it can actually benefit Ukraine."
Ukraine and Georgia's NATO bids were strongly backed by the George W. Bush administration, but were turned down due to pressure from Germany and France at a 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest.
However, NATO has stated that the two countries will join at an unspecified date in the future. Both countries have also been included in the alliance's Partnership for Peace program, aimed at allowing "partner countries to build up an individual relationship with NATO, choosing their own priorities for cooperation."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090721-rianovosti09.htm
Russia to draft 320,000 conscripts in fall 2009 - General Staff
RIA Novosti
16:1321/07/2009 MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) - About 320,000 young men are to be drafted into the Russian Armed Forces in the fall of 2009, a deputy chief of the General Staff said on Tuesday.
"According to our estimates, about 320,000 people will be conscripted into the Russian Armed Forces this fall," Col. Gen. Vasily Smirnov said.
Only 133,000 conscripts joined the armed forces during the spring draft, and about 219,000 people were drafted in last year's fall.
The general said the higher number of conscripts was due to the reduction of officer ranks, the scrapping the rank of warrant officers and cuts to contract personnel.
As of January 1, 2009, the Russian Armed Forces numbered 355,000 officers and 140,000 warrant officers.
"By the end of 2009, we will have 150,000 officers, all warrant officers will have been discharged or absorbed into other ranks, and we will have less contracted personnel," Smirnov said.
"Therefore, we will have to draft over 300,000 people," he said.
The current military reforms in Russia will see personnel cut to 1 million by 2012 from 1.34 million.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2009/russia-090721-rianovosti01.htm
Secret Program Works to Field SEAL Plane
imminent-furySMALL.jpg
In a move that harkens back to the days of recycled World War II torpedo bombers sheep-dipped as close air support planes, the Navy intends to field a limited number of turbo-prop attack planes outfitted with the most modern surveillance, tracking and weapons systems to help special ops forces keep track of bad guys and, in a pinch, put warheads on foreheads.
Call it an A-1 Skyraider on steroids – a “Back to the Future”-resurrection of a kind of plane last seen pounding enemy positions with rockets, guns and bombs over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the 1960s.
Code named “Imminent Fury,” the classified, year-long program has so far produced one fully-outfitted plane and is set to field four more to directly support SEALs and other operators on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
According to a source close to the program who declined to be named, the Navy has leased an EMB-314 Super Tucano for the job. Made by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer, it is now being tested on desert ranges in California and the service’s top test facility at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. The Navy loaded it up with sensors and weapons systems that “would make an F-16 pilot blush,” the source said.
With top end electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser and GPS-guided bombs, rockets, twin .50 cal. machine guns, encrypted radios – and even the capability to tie in UAV surveillance feeds – the Super Tucano outfitted for the SEALs is a ground-pounder’s angel from above.
Military.com contacted the Navy for comment on this story, but despite a detailed public briefing on the program in March by a high-ranking program official, the service declined to elaborate on the program other than to say in a written statement: “Imminent Fury is a classified Navy initiative to address urgent warfighter needs. Initial developmental testing has been promising and the Navy is currently conducting discussions with our Joint partners on various courses of action as this initiative moves forward.”
News of the Imminent Fury program comes as commanders in Afghanistan wrestle with the persistent problem of civilian casualties resulting from errant or mistaken bomb strikes – typically from aircraft high above the battlefield.
A recent investigation report on a high-profile friendly-fire incident in Farah province showed that high-altitude B-1 bombers had little ability to discriminate enemy from civilians during several bombings in support of Marine spec ops forces under Taliban assault.
Many argue that low-altitude aircraft that can fly for long periods over combat zones loaded with various weapons are needed to avoid such incidents. For advocates of the Imminent Fury program, the Super Tucano – with its five-hour endurance – fits the bill for a so-called “counter insurgency aircraft.”
“The SEALs said ‘we want a persistent capability at low cost, small footprint and turbo-prop aircraft to do armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,’ ” the source close to the program said. “Everyone who gets briefed on this program has been blown away.”
Over the past year, both Navy and Air Force pilots have flown the leased Super Tucano in tests. According to the source, the single-engine, two-pilot plane has successfully dropped both laser and GPS guided bombs, as well as a wide range of guided and unguided rockets.
According to statistics from an Embraer brochure, the EMB-314 has a maximum speed of nearly 370 mph and a maximum ceiling of 35,000 feet. The plane can take off and land in just under 3,000 feet and can carry a maximum load of nearly 3,500 pounds.
The initial cadre of four SEAL-supporting Super Tucanos will be flown by Navy pilots activated as individual augmentees, and multiple sources close to the program report that aviators are clamoring to get involved with the program.
But it is still unclear whether Imminent Fury will get off the ground since funding for the program is in doubt. Sources say there is no money earmarked for the program in the 2010 budget but that the service “is hoping for some reprogramming authority” to move funds from other accounts to buy the four planes requested by the SEALs.
-- Christian
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004941.html#comments
The B-52 Of Armored Vehicles
July 21, 2009: The U.S. Army is having a really hard time figuring out what it's next tank will be like, and that's turned into a major problem. Recently, the Department of Defense forced the army to cancel its $150 billion FCS (Future Combat System) because it was too expensive, too vague and not very convincing. FCS included a replacement for all current armored vehicles. Now the army is pleading for a chunk of the lost FCS billions so that it can get to work on replacements for M-1 tank and the M-2 (IFV) Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The big problem is that the army really doesn't have a design for either of these replacement vehicles. The even bigger problem is that armored vehicle design has hit something of a plateau. There's really no exciting new, game-changing, concepts to justify a new tank or IFV.
Step back a moment and consider the brief history of armored fighting vehicles. These beasts are only about a century old (if you count armored cars, the tank didn't show up until 94 years ago.) The first tanks were crude, but in the 1920s and 30s, much progress was made. By the time World War II broke out in 1939, you would recognize the tanks. They had the same shape and function as today's tanks. All that's happened in the last 70 years is that tanks have gotten twice as heavy, and main gun caliber has gone from 50mm or 75mm, to 120mm or 125mm. Tanks got faster, and acquired computerized fire control, laser rangefinders and thermal imagers (to see through dust, smoke or darkness). As was the case during World War II, some armies had better tanks, while their opponents often simply had more. During World War II, and since, it's been learned that crew quality is crucial. The side with the better crews usually wins, even if they don't have the most powerful tanks.
Right now, the United States has one of the best tanks (the M-1) and the most combat experienced and well trained crews. How do you improve on that? As the army discovered with FCS, it's not easy. In fact, so far, it's been impossible. But he army is asking for five months to come up with an acceptable plan (and vehicle designs). The Secretary of Defense is inclined to let them try, but the army is facing long odds here. If you believe in miracles, the army has a shot. If you can perform miracles, the army needs you right away.
Otherwise, the army will continue refurbishing, and using, its 16,000 M-1s, M-2s and other armored combat vehicles. The 12,000 recently acquired MRAPs are armored vehicles, but not combat vehicles. The Department of Defense spent over $20 billion on MRAPs, to deal with a weapon (roadside bombs) that doesn't win wars, but does make it dangerous for American troops to drive around hostile neighborhoods. The MRAPs are only three percent of the army's vehicle fleet, and are likely to be given away or scrapped before they die of old age. The army doesn't want to use its M-1s and M-2s until they expire of old age, but unless there's a breakthrough in armored vehicle design, the M-1 is destined to become the B-52 of armored vehicles. It's hard to improve on, if not perfection, then very adequate.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20090721.aspx
Prison guards: Jobs denied due to Afghan duty
By Wilson Ring - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 20, 2009 18:10:14 EDT
MONTPELIER, Vt. — At least three temporary correctional officers at the state prison in Springfield say they were denied promotions to permanent jobs because of their pending deployment to Afghanistan with the Vermont National Guard.
One of the officers plans to sue the Vermont Department of Corrections for allegedly violating a federal law that protects the civilian jobs of service members called to active duty.
“As soon as I gave my employer, the Vermont Department of Corrections, my letter from [Guard commander] Col. [Will] Roy, that said we would be doing extra training, that’s when everything really went downhill,” said Dan Brown, 32, of Stockbridge, who said he was later fired with no explanation.
Brown is planning to file a federal lawsuit against the department later this week, said his lawyer, Jim Levins of Rutland.
“I think the Department of Corrections violated the law,” Levins said Monday. “He was told by a supervisor ‘Why should we keep you when we know you are going to be deployed in eight months?’ From the information we have, they failed to promote him and retain him based upon an improper consideration.”
Vermont Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito said Monday that he has ordered staff at the Southern State Correctional Facility to investigate the complaints. He said that three weeks ago a deploying guardsman was offered a permanent job.
He couldn’t give a percentage, but Pallito said it was common that temporary correctional officers didn’t advance to full-time jobs.
“In the case of some of these officers that we’ve let go there have been substantial performance issues. I know that as a fact,” Pallito said. Of the guardsmen, he said: “I suspect there are performance issues connected to each one.”
If the allegations are substantiated, the employees responsible could be disciplined, Pallito said. The investigation will take several weeks.
Uner the federal Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, workers’ jobs are protected in most cases when they are called to active military duty.
Curtis Bell, a Defense Department employee who helps mediate conflicts between service members and civilian employers, said the federal agency is involved in between 2,000 and 3,000 cases a year.
“On the whole it’s not a major issue, but it’s a major issue for the individuals who are going through things.”
Brown and at least two other guard members were hired as correctional officers in Springfield within the last year on the understanding that if they performed well they could advance to become permanent employees with benefits as permanent positions became available.
Pallito said not all correctional officers are first hired as temporary workers, but the practice is common.
All the men are members of the Vermont National Guard and were formally notified last month that they would be called to active duty and sent to Afghanistan early next year.
Vermont National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow, who also is involved in service members’ civilian employment issues, said he couldn’t discuss the Springfield cases.
The law “doesn’t offer protection to temps unless there is a documented expectation that that the temporary employment will lead to full-time employment,” Goodrow said.
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_job_denied_072009/
you might appreciate this
Lone Sailor award goes to Yankee great Berra
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 20, 2009 14:24:41 EDT
It’s déjà vu all over again: More than 60 years after baseball legend Yogi Berra served as a sailor in World War II, he’s being recognized by the Navy Memorial with this year’s Lone Sailor Award.
Berra, famed for his exploits as a New York Yankees catcher and a distinctive manipulator of the English language, exemplifies the Navy’s core values, according to an announcement Monday from the Navy Memorial.
“Our honorees are living examples of how service to country changes lives and helps develop leaders — whether it be in the world of sports, politics, government, the private sector or the arts,” said retired Rear Adm. Edward Walker Jr., president and CEO of the Navy Memorial, in the announcement. “The common theme they all express is that their public service has given them a solid foundation for their careers and instilled in them the enduring values that propels them to continue to ‘serve’ their communities.”
Berra interrupted his baseball career during World War II to enlist in the Navy, and he served aboard a missile boat during the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. When the war was over he began playing in the Major Leagues, where he went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Yankees.
Also to be honored at the Navy Memorial’s Lone Sailor ceremony in September are Leonard Lauder, chairman of the cosmetics giant Estée Lauder., who is a former Navy supply officer; and Frederick Smith, CEO of FedEx, who is a former Marine officer.
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/07/navy_sailor_award_072009w/
Iraq Col.: Rules for U.S. are like house arrest
By Deb Riechmann and Qassim Abdul-Zahra - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 20, 2009 16:42:48 EDT
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi military has turned down requests from American forces to move unescorted through Baghdad and conduct a raid since the transition of responsibility for urban security at the end of last month, an Iraqi military commander said Monday.
U.S. combat troops withdrew from urban areas on June 30 under a security agreement with Iraq that requires all U.S. troops to be out of the country by the end of 2011.
Col. Ali Fadhil, a brigade commander in Baghdad, said the transfer had occurred with minor friction in the capital where violence has dropped dramatically since the sectarian bloodletting and insurgent attacks that swept much of the country in past years.
Fadhil told The Associated Press about two occasions in which Iraqi troops turned down U.S. requests to move around the capital until they had Iraqi escorts, and one instance to conduct a raid, which the Iraqis carried out themselves.
“They are now more passive than before,” he said of U.S. troops. “I also feel that the Americans soldiers are frustrated because they used to have many patrols, but now they cannot. Now, the American soldiers are in prison-like bases as if they are under house-arrest.”
Outside urban areas, where U.S. troops are still free to move without Iraqi approval, Americans are assisting with the search and arrest of insurgents, manning checkpoints and continuing ongoing efforts to train Iraqi forces — from medics to helicopter pilots. U.S. soldiers recently advised Iraqi soldiers during a seven-hour humanitarian aid drop in Diyala province.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the highest-ranking U.S. military officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, downplayed reports of tension. Both said cooperation is going well, and Gates said he has heard nothing to suggest that U.S. forces are in greater danger.
“There clearly are challenges, but I think the leadership is working its way through each one of those challenges,” Mullen said. “So I’m encouraged.”
Gates said he received a report on the issue Monday from the U.S. ground commander, Gen. Ray Odierno.
“He said that the level of cooperation and collaboration with the Iraqi security forces is going much better than is being portrayed publicly and in the media,” Gates told reporters at a Pentagon press conference.
As to whether U.S. forces are under “house arrest,” Gates offered a sly smile.
“It is perhaps a measure of our success in Iraq that politics have come to the country,” Gates said.
Dangerous situations still face U.S. troops on and off their bases.
Iraqi forces face near-daily attacks in urban areas, though most of the violence is not on the scale of the past. On Monday, Iraqi police said a car bomb killed two police officers and injured eight civilians in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, and four police officers and one civilian died in attacks in and near the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi police said.
On July 16, three U.S. soldiers were killed in a rare assault on troops at a U.S. base near an airport in Basra, a comparatively quiet city in southern Iraq.
Hadi al-Amiri, a lawmaker and member of the parliament’s security and defense committee, said the Americans’ withdrawal from the cities went very smoothly — “like removing a hair from dough.”
Outside of cities, Americans are free to move without Iraqi approval, he said. “They have the right to respond to any attack. In Basra, the Americans have the right to return fire.”
On July 11, an American soldier shot and killed a truck driver, an Iraqi citizen, who did not respond to warnings to stop on a highway north of Baghdad. On July 9, a civilian Iraqi motorist died in a head-on collision with a U.S. Army Stryker vehicle, the lead vehicle of a joint U.S.-Iraqi convoy in western Diyala province.
But things are different under the restrictions in Baghdad.
Fadhil said an American patrol wanted to pass through an area in west Baghdad during daytime hours.
“I prevented them and told them they were not allowed unless they had approval, and even if they had approval, Iraqi forces had to accompany them,” Fadhil said. They were allowed to continue with Iraqi vehicle escorts.
Another time, Fadhil said a U.S. patrol wanted to leave the walled-off Green Zone, which houses the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government headquarters, to travel less than a mile to nearby Muthana Air Base. Again, they were allowed through, but only after Iraqi troops accompanied them.
When an American patrol wanted to arrest an enemy target in a Sunni area of west Baghdad, Fadhil said he told them: “No, you cannot.” He said he told the U.S. troops they had to hand over the tip about the target to Iraqi troops, who later made the arrest.
Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi cited three other incidents in early July when he said U.S. patrols violated the security pact in parts of Baghdad. He said these incidents were addressed at a committee of top U.S. and Iraqi officials, who meet regularly to resolve disagreements that surface about U.S. and Iraqi troop movements.
At the meeting on July 2 — two days after the new rules took effect — the Iraqis were annoyed, said al-Moussawi, who was told details of the tense discussion. The Iraqis complained that U.S. troop patrols in Taji and Shaab in northern Baghdad and Ur in northeast Baghdad were violations of the security pact, Moussawi said. The Iraqis told the Americans that they could conduct patrols only at night and only with permission from the Iraqis.
Minutes of the meeting read by an AP reporter, stated: “The Americans cannot move except from midnight until 5 a.m.”
“There were violations by Americans troops to the security pact on July 1 and 2. Their troops were roaming in Ur, Shaab and Taji,” al-Moussawi said. “The Baghdad operations command informed the American troops of these violations and they pulled out their vehicles immediately.”
http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/07/ap_iraq_house_arrest_072009/
Russia stunned by missile failure setback
File image: Bulava ICBM launch.
by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) July 17, 2009
The Russian military's drive to revamp its Soviet-era missile arsenal has suffered a major setback after a nuclear-capable missile touted as the new pride of its rocket forces failed again in testing.
The submarine-launched Bulava intercontinental missile has now reportedly failed on more than half of its 11 test-firings and the latest launch was particularly disastrous as it blew up before completing the first stage.
The defence ministry late Thursday confirmed that the Bulava had exploded after launch from the nuclear-powered submarine Dmitry Donskoy off northern Russia "due to a failure in the first stage".
It was the sixth failure in 11 test launches, according to the specialist military newswire of the Interfax news agency. ITAR-TASS said the flight lasted a mere 28 seconds.
"It is a big setback that puts into doubt the validity of the nuclear deterrent," independent Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer told AFP. "This time it was in the first stage. That's not good."
"Of course, nuclear weapons serve as deterrents. If they don't work, but you can pretend they do, then they can still do the job. But here (with the Bulava) we don't even have a pretence," he added.
A source in the goverment's defence industry commission admitted to Interfax that it was "bad" that the problem occurred in the first stage as "we thought this had been fully worked out."
The source indicated there was no prospect of scrapping the project. "I think the situation with the missile is not hopeless. No test of a new missile goes ahead without such problems."
The Bulava, which can be equipped with up to 10 individually targeted nuclear warheads, has a maximum range of 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles).
It is the sea-based version of the Topol-M, Russia's new surface-to-surface intercontinental missile, and designed to be launched from Moscow's newest Borei class of submarines.
The last test on December 23 also ended in failure when the missile exploded in mid-air after launch.
The Bulava is the standard-bearing project for the Russian military which is seeking to replace old Soviet-era warhorse missiles with more modern models as part of a major military reform.
In a sign of the importance of the project, the Kommersant newspaper said a colossal 40 percent of the defence ministry's purchasing budget is currently being spent on development of the Bulava.
"The failure exposes the serious problem Russia has in replacing Soviet-made strategic delivery systems. It puts Russia into a position where its nuclear superpower status is in question," said Felgenhauer.
The overall commander of Russia's missile forces, General Nikolai Solovtsov, has called for the nuclear arsenal to be completely revamped by 2020.
Defence expert Joseph Henrotin said there was a "fundamental problem in conception" to the idea of adapting a surface-to-surface missile like the Topol-M to a sea-to-surface version like the Bulava.
The technical problems were being compounded by the retirement of many Russian engineers and the drying-up of funding since the end of the Cold War, said Henrotin.
The problems with Bulava also come amid delicate negotiations between Russia and the United States aiming to renew by the end of the year the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) on reducing nuclear arms.
"The Russians' credibility is threatened by these difficulties. The United States will see a country that has problems putting itself into order," said Henrotin, editor of the French monthly Defence and International Security.
Meanwhile, the RIA Novosti news agency cited a Russian intelligence source as saying that "sabotage" in the production chain had not been ruled out.
The source said the problems could have arisen through poor quality control but "the defect could have come into the production chain as a result of criminal negligence, which also could be seen as sabotage."
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_stunned_by_missile_failure_setback_999.html
US, India Expand Partnership with Defense, Nuclear Deals
By David Gollust
New Delhi
20 July 2009
The United States and India have expanded their emerging partnership with agreements that could clear the way for large-scale Indian purchases of U.S. nuclear and military technology. The accords were announced as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton capped a five-day visit to India.
The agreements announced by Clinton and Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna aim to accelerate a growing partnership ignited by the two countries' landmark nuclear cooperation accord reached in 2005.
In a step to advance the nuclear accord, India has approved two sites in that country where U.S. firms will have exclusive rights to build nuclear power plants, action that could mean $10-billion worth of business for American companies.
The sides also reached a so-called "end use" monitoring agreement that would ensure U.S. military technology provided to India is not sold or otherwise transferred to third parties.
That accord mandated by the U.S. Congress is a necessary prerequisite for American aerospace firms to bid on a pending Indian purchase of 126 multi-role fighter jets, potentially the largest-ever arms sale.
At a news conference, Clinton and her Indian counterpart said they had agreed to launch and be co-chairs of a "strategic dialogue" that will involve a wide range of government agencies on both sides.
Clinton said the two countries, which had frosty relations during the Cold War era and beyond, still differ on some key issues but that their new partnership has the potential to be a "signature accomplishment" of the two governments.
"At a time when the headlines are filled with challenges, the relationship between the United States and India is a good news story. And I believe, minister, that it is going to get even better," she said.
Clinton said Indian Prime Minister Monmohan Singh, with whom she met earlier Monday, had accepted an invitation from President Obama to visit the White House November 24 for the first official state visit for the Obama administration.
Foreign Minister Krishna said the understandings reached with Clinton add a "qualitative substance" to the bilateral relationship.
"India and the United States of America regard each other as global partners. Our two democracies can play a leading and constructive role on the global level in addressing the urgent global challenges of our times," he said.
The Clinton visit was not without discord, with India saying flatly Sunday it intends to stand firm against western demands that it accept binding limitations on the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions.
Clinton, who insisted India can make emission cuts without harming its economy, said she is optimistic the two governments can reach a common approach before the world conference on climate change in Copenhagen in December.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090720-voa08.htm
Will Kill For Chocolate And A Chew
July 20, 2009: The continuing U.S. Marine offensive into Afghanistan's Helmand Province is causing some major logistics problems for the coalition. While the new offensive is making life even more difficult for the Taliban, the marines, in some cases, are using up supplies of food, water and gasoline faster than new provisions are being brought in.
The primary reason for this is the poor road network in area, and the increase in Taliban roadside bombs (IEDs). Helmand has few roads suitable for military vehicles, particularly heavy MRAPs (mine-resistant trucks). The increase in IED attacks has caused a number of senior marine officers to declare some of the few roads available, as off-limits. At least until a better strategy for keeping the supply trucks safe can be devised.
Logistics are always of paramount importance during major offensives, but fighting in mountains and desert environments increases this importance tenfold, since almost every conceivable type of war material has to be brought in from outside. During World War II campaign in North Africa, lack of supplies essentially caused the German Afrika Korps to collapse, in many cases relying on supplies of captured gasoline and spare parts. Deserts and environments like Afghanistan make the need for clean water and food sometimes more important than bullets and grenades.
Currently, the marines have adequate supplies of ammunition, gas, and other essentials necessary to wage war. But other things are becoming scarce and beginning to affect morale. Chief among these are mail, junk food, and tobacco products. Some marines in the province have reported that mail has come only three or four times in the last six weeks. Perhaps the most important things affecting morale is the lack of a PX for the 4,000 marines fighting in the area, the nearest one being at Camp Leatherneck near the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah.
In a combat theatre where alcohol is virtually unattainable and chances for relationships with the opposite sex are forbidden, tobacco products become one of the chief luxuries for combat troops and an easy, if unhealthy, means of relieving stress. Without cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and other small luxuries, some marine officers and NCOs are taking it upon themselves to fly by helicopter to the nearest in-theatre PX to pick up these things for their marines. Some of the PXs have reported one or two officers or gunnery sergeants literally wiping the stores clean of tobacco products (smokable and chewable) and candy bars. to take back to their units.
As the offensive against the Taliban continues, marine leaders are eager to prevent morale from dropping as combat continues. Some are finding that they are willing to go the extra mile to pick up cigarettes and Hershey bars for their marines, if it means good combat performance.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlog/articles/20090720.aspx
Give Like An American
July 20, 2009: As American troops continue to withdraw from direct combat operations in Iraq, they're trying to emphasize participation by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in the non-combat aspects of counter-insurgency. Iraqi Security Forces are already planning, leading, and winning major combat actions on their own, with only coalition advisory assistance. But US advisors are reminding them that this is only half the battle. As a result, the Iraqis are ramping up efforts to stabilize and support their own communities through school repairs and humanitarian projects.
The idea of eliminating support for terrorists through community support and building an infrastructure is nothing new, but in the American experience, its effectiveness has sometimes been limited because once the Americans leave, the foreign governments frequently either don't care or are so corrupt that aid supplies and skilled workers are often usurped for the ruling elite. Vietnam was an excellent example of this. U.S. Special Forces used medical sergeants and engineering experts on a major scale to help win indigenous allies during the Vietnam War, often conducting medical check-ups, providing clean water to remote villages, and building schools.
All of this was effective, but once the Americans left, the South Vietnamese government made little effort to continue the programs that encouraged pacification so much. The same thing happened in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope. Once the Americans left, the country continued to collapse. The US is eager to prevent a repeat of this mistake. While US forces were participating in major combat operations in force in Iraq, the Corps of Engineers and Civil Affairs units, and Army Medical units undertook massive building projects, constructing schools, repairing buildings and homes damaged by combat actions, and providing medical care to win over the local populace.
Now, US troops are all but gone from Iraq' cities except in advisory positions. In their wake, the Iraqis have taken up the slack significantly and are continuing to provide the aid so necessary to eliminating frustration and anger that aids terrorist recruitment. Much of these efforts are being concentrated in the Al Anbar region, and with good reason, since this was the most terrorist-infested province for much of the war. It's largely pacified now, and the Iraqis (and the Americans) want it to stay that way and are sparing no expense in keeping potential reasons for violence (like poor health care and perceived government neglect) at a minimum.
Iraqi Security Forces have been intensively repairing schools and medical clinics in the province recently. Coordination between the Iraqi Police, local businesses, the Iraqi Army, and advisory elements of the US Regimental Combat Team advisors was reported as excellent, with all elements working together to get the schools and clinics back up and running, marking major improvements in Iraqi competence and cooperation. U.S. and Iraqi forces left the locals with supplies of food, blankets, school supplies, and soccer balls.
The idea is that, once U.S. troops are gone for good, the Iraqi government will continue doing stuff like this until the country is completely rebuilt. That's the primary reason the Americans are supervising the aid operations, instead of just doing it for the Iraqis. Whether that happens or not is anyone's guess, but so far the Iraqis are off to a good start.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20090720.aspx
Company Says No 'Flesh-Eating' Ground Drones
EATER.jpg
The Pentagon has shown it has a great appetite for drones and robots -- everything from missile-firing UAVs to prototype patrol-bots guarding air base perimeters.
But a Maryland company working on a program for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, has the idea of giving the robots their own appetites, letting them feed on biomass as a means of fueling themselves.
But as the image of flesh-eating drones refueling off the battlefield dead has spread in recent days, Cyclone Power Technologies of Florida, the company developing the robot's engine, has issued a statement about the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot's -- aka EATR -- diet.
It is vegetarian, the company said in a press statement released Thursday, in response to stories with headlines such as "Dawn of the corpse-eating robots?" and "Pentagon contracts company for flesh-eating robots."
"We completely understand the public's concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission," Harry Schoell, chief executive officer of Cyclone, said in the statement. "We are focused on demonstrating that our engines can create usable, green power from plentiful, renewable plant matter. The commercial applications alone for this earth-friendly energy solution are enormous."
EATR is being developed by Robotic Technology Inc. of Maryland under a program sponsored by DARPA. EATR is envisioned as a robotic platform able to conduct long-range, long-endurance missions without the need for manual or conventional refueling, Cyclone explained in its statement.
Cyclone said RTI's EATER will be able to find, ingest and extract energy from biomass -- that is, "twigs, grass clippings and wood chips -- small, plant-based items for which RTI's robotic technology is designed to forage.
"Desecration of the dead is a war crime under Article 15 of the Geneva Conventions, and is certainly not something sanctioned by DARPA, Cyclone or RTI," the company said.
-- Bryant Jordan
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004936.html#comments
The Lost Nukes Of Siberia
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
July 19, 2009: Russia has hundreds of nuclear power generators sitting in remote places, posing a risk to the environment, and a potential source of radioactive material for a "dirty bomb" (explosives surrounded by the radioactive material, which is scattered by the explosion, contaminating a large area). These miniature power plants are actually radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG). They use a hot (in terms of heat) radioactive isotope (like Plutonium 238) to generate heat, which flows through a thermocouple to a heat sink, producing a few hundred watts of electricity. These power generators are usually designed to last ten years without any maintenance. The Soviet Union used over a thousand of these for space satellites and probes, navigation beacons in remote areas, as well as light houses on its arctic coast. These devices also put out lethal, but short range, radioactivity. Animals who cuddle up to them in the Winter, will die after a few hours exposure. Some illiterate hunters have suffered the same fate.
The United States used several dozen RTGs for space satellites and some navigation beacons in Alaska. Unlike Russia, the United States collected all of its terrestrial RTG units by the mid 1990s, and safely stored them. Not so with the Soviet ones, and Russia is reminded of this from time to time, but many of these reactors are still out there, no longer generating much electricity, but still very radioactive.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htchem/articles/20090719.aspx
thats a cool pic! wouldnt mind standing on one of those balconies while that flew by
Advice For Terrorist Spy Hunters
July 16, 2009: Since late last year, a book (“Guidance on the Ruling of the Moslem Spy”) on how to deal with spies has been circulating on Islamic radical websites. In short, the author (Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan who has written several terrorist "how to" manuals) points out that infidel (non-Moslem) spying efforts have been very effective. The infidel spy networks keep growing and good Moslems (al Qaeda fans) must be on the alert. Al Libi goes on to explain why it's permissible for a good Moslem to accuse and execute someone (even another Moslem) of spying, even if the evidence is thin.
The Moslem spies are the most worrisome, according to al Libi. Although he does not dwell on Israeli efforts, these have produced the most effective Moslem spies. Israel has honed its techniques for recruiting and using Moslems as spies for over 60 years. Israel has since taught many of these techniques to American intelligence officers, who adapted these techniques for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Al Qaeda is also concerned with Pakistani intelligence which, since the late 1970s, was something of an ally. But since September 11, 2001, American pressure has turned the Pakistanis into an espionage threat to the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Al Libi's book appears to leave al Qaeda members feeling more uneasy, rather than better prepared to deal with the espionage problem.
Next Article PEACEKEEPING: Add A Sprinkling Of Commandos?
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Bob Cortez 7/16/2009 7:34:21 AM
You know, elementary tradecraft covers how to exploit and increase the paranoia. Once they start killing people on suspicion they have opened themselves to a lot of trouble. Let's be of assistance.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20090716.aspx
Add A Sprinkling Of Commandos…
July 16, 2009: The U.S. Congress is trying to persuade the military to send some troops, especially Special Forces, to Africa, to go after the elusive Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). Kony and his henchmen have torn apart northern Uganda, by turning teenagers into deadly gunmen, and enslaving children and adults as a support force. Kony has been at it for over twenty years. His tactics have killed over 100,000 people, and turned several hundred thousand into refugees. The Ugandans eventually drove him out of Uganda. But now Kony and a few hundred followers are ravaging eastern Congo. No one can seem to catch him, and his having been declared an international war criminal has made peace talks with him impossible.
Congress wants U.S.AFRICOM (Africa Command), which is similar in organization to other American regional commands (Central, for the Middle East, and South, for Latin America, etc), to take charge of this. AFRICOM, established two years ago, coordinates all American military operations in Africa. Before that, those operations were coordinated between two commands (the one covering Europe and the one covering the Middle East, with some help from the one handling Latin America ). The establishment of AFRICOM means more money for counter-terror operations in Africa, and more long range projects.
AFRICIM sees its mission as aiding African armed forces with training, advice and small grants of weapons and equipment. But Congress is aware that, in the past, small numbers of professional troops have gone in and quickly eliminated outfits like LRA. For example, in 2005, Britain sent in a few hundred commandos to shut down some holdout rebel groups. That worked. But the U.S. Army is reluctant to divert any of its counter-terrorism forces for an African pacification mission. Such an operation would require a lot of aircraft support, and other troops to establish bases.
One thing African nations most want from AFRICOM are military and counter-terrorism trainers. AFRICOM does what it can, and that means moving small groups of people, and their equipment, around a large continent with few major, and lots of minor, airports. This is accomplished via a contractor (the Phoenix Air Group) fleet of light transports. These aircraft could be employed to deal with some of the anti-LRA operation. But the United States would also have to get permission from the Congo government. The LRA could also flee to Sudan, where getting permission to allow U.S. troops in would be much more difficult.
Africa is the poorest continent on the planet. African troops are also poorly trained, equipped and led. AFRICOM has a lot of work to do, and a lot of criticism if the troops it trains are later used to stage a coup, or support another dictatorship. Sending in American troops to deal with an elusive brigand is also fraught with complications. It's a thankless task.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20090716.aspx
glad to hear it.
the siggy is badass!
i had to go back an look at it. HELL YES! lol
nice!!!!
how is life in your corner of the world?
just full of themselves arent they? the chicoms will whip their asses also
Al Qaeda Still Has A Plan
July 15, 2009: Al Qaeda has a plan, and it was first published, four years ago, in a book (Al-Zarqawi: al Qaeda's Second Generation) by Jordanian journalist, Fouad Hussein. Several al Qaeda leaders were interviewed for the book, including al Qaeda’s man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The current version of the plan has been showing up on Islamic radical websites since late last year. The basic al Qaeda plan lays out a very straightforward strategy for world conquest. Actually, it sounds a lot like what the Nazis and communists had in mind last century. The only difference is that, while the Nazis killed you for who you were, and the communists killed you for what you believed, al Qaeda kills you for not being Moslem. No matter which zealot gets you, you're still dead.
Despite several setbacks, al Qaeda is still proclaiming the plan as in play. The al Qaeda plan has seven phases, all leading to world conquest. It goes like this.
Phase 1, the “wakeup call.” Spectacular terrorist attacks on the West (like September 11, 2001) get the infidels (non-Moslems) to make war on Islamic nations. This arouses Moslems, and causes them to flock to al Qaedas banner. This phase is considered complete. What the plan did not consider was the backlash in Moslem countries. This is ignored by al Qaeda purists, who believe that any Moslem who does not agree with them is not a Moslem.
Phase 2, the “eye opening.” This is the phase began when American troops took Baghdad in 2003. In this phase, al Qaeda does battle with the infidels, and shows over a billion Moslems how it’s done. This phase was supposed to be completed by 2006. Note that about that time, al Qaeda, true to their plan, declared western Iraq as a "Caliphate" (an Islamic state), the first of many. But by 2008, al Qaeda was crushed in Iraq, and the survivors were fleeing.
Phase 3, “the rising.” Millions of aroused (in a terrorist sense) Moslems go to war against Islam’s enemies for several years. Especially heavy attacks are made against Israel. It is believed that major damage in Israel will force the world to acknowledge al Qaeda as a major power, and negotiate with it. Al Qaeda true believers believe this is going on, pointing to Taliban success (fueled by heroin profits) in Afghanistan, and the continued terrorist activity in the rest of the world (especially Gaza).
Phase 4, “the downfall.” Between 2010-13, al Qaeda will take control of the Persian Gulf, and all its oil, as well as most of the Middle East. This will enable al Qaeda to cripple the American economy, and American military power. Al Qaeda is ignoring Iranian ambitions, and the possibility of Iran having nuclear weapons by 2013. Al Qaeda considers the Shia Iranians heretics, and just as deserving of conquest as any other heretical state.
Phase 5, “the Caliphate.” Between 2013-16, the Caliphate (one government for all Moslem nations) will be established. At this point, nearly all Western cultural influences will be eliminated from Islamic nations. The Caliphate will organize a mighty army for the next phase.
Phase 6, “world conquest.” Starting in 2016, the battle will begin. The rest of the world will be conquered by the righteous and unstoppable armies of Islam. This is the phase that Osama bin Laden has been talking about for years.
Phase 7, “final victory.” All the world’s inhabitants will be forced to either convert to Islam, or submit (as second class citizens) to Islamic rule. This will be completed by 2020 or thereabouts.
Nothing really new in all this. Al Qaeda has been talking openly about the global Islamic state for years. These Islamic terrorists are true believers. God is on their side, and they believe all obstacles will be swept aside by the power of the Lord. Will al Qaeda’s plan work? Ask the Nazis and communists.
On a more practical level, al Qaeda's efforts to implement this plan has done them great damage. Although many Moslems (although not their rulers) cheered the September 11, 2001 attacks, the war in Iraq turned most Moslems against Islamic terrorism in general, and al Qaeda in particular. But terrorism doesn't require a lot of people. So as long as al Qaeda can keep the dream alive, and motivate a few hundred hard core terrorists, they will stay in the headlines.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htwin/articles/20090715.aspx
Is A Russia-Georgia War Off The Table?
July 14, 2009
By Brian Whitmore
A U.S. guided-missile destroyer docks at the port of Batumi ahead of joint U.S.-Georgian naval exercises near the separatist Abkhazia region.
The day before, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was given a hero's welcome when he paid his first visit as Kremlin leader to a second breakaway Georgian region, South Ossetia.
Medvedev pledged more financial and military aid to the tiny territory, which declared independence from Tbilisi following Moscow's invasion of Georgia last year. From there, Medvedev traveled on to Sochi where he announced the successful test-launch of a ballistic missile from a Russian naval submarine.
The Russian president also told assembled naval personnel that Tbilisi bears "full responsibility" for last summer's war in South Ossetia and predicted the Georgian people would one day "hand down a heavy sentence" on Mikheil Saakashvili's regime.
At first glance, the events of the past two days might indicate that Russia and Georgia might be on the brink of another conflict over the two Moscow-backed rebel regions. A number of Russia-watchers had already laid bets on a repeat summer invasion.
But as often is the case in the Caucasus, appearances can be deceiving. Georgian President Saakashvili, who has warned for months that a Russian invasion was imminent, suddenly pulled an about-face, confidently declaring that the threat of war with Moscow has been reduced.
"All of [Russia's] aggressive plans for the near term have failed," Saakashvili said on June 9 at a televised meeting with his National Security Council
"The war that they had imagined, that they had in their plans and dreams, will not happen. The planned military invasion against Georgia will not be possible to implement due to the new geopolitical reality."
That new geopolitical reality, Georgian officials are suggesting, comes in the wake of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit last week to Moscow -- and ahead of a scheduled visit to Georgia by Vice President Joseph Biden next week.
A Warning From Washington
Publicly, Obama used his Moscow trip to voice mild support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. But senior Georgian officials have told RFE/RL that behind the scenes, Obama warned Medvedev in no uncertain terms against starting a new war.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tbilisi was informed by U.S. officials that Obama told Medvedev that any attack against Georgia would have "grave consequences" and that Washington "would not stand aside" in such a conflict as it did during last year's war.
A White House spokesperson declined comment, saying "we don't discuss private conversations."
Analysts say there has been a noticeable change in tone among top Georgian officials since Obama's July 6-8 visit to Moscow.
"The central message was probably delivered in Moscow, no question about that and evidently it was a fairly robust one, because suddenly Georgian officials are absolutely sure that there is not going to be a war this summer," says Lawrence Sheets, head of the International Crisis Group's Tbilisi office.
Pavel Felgenhauer, a military analyst for the Russian newspaper "Novaya gazeta," correctly predicted that Russia would invade Georgia last August and has been warning for months that Moscow was preparing another military incursion this summer.
Felgenhauer is not convinced that warnings from Washington would be sufficient to deter the Kremlin, which he says is determined to remove Saakashvili from power. Russia, he says, is also seeking to prevent the Nabucco pipeline project, which Moscow views as a threat to its energy dominance, from being completed.
"Russia was warned that this was unacceptable but what unacceptable means is another question," Felgenhauer says.
"I'm not sure how strong the American warning was and how seriously it was taken in Moscow. But that was the only possibility left. This summit was the last chance to prevent a war this summer."
After Russia's recent Caucasus-2009 military exercises near Georgia's border, military commanders concluded that their troops were ready for battle, according to Felgenhauer. He adds, however, that "if there is no war by mid-September, then we are out of danger," due to the rugged Caucasus terrain and difficult climate.
"Right now we are in a dangerous time," Felgenhauer says. "We'll see rather soon. Now we just have to sit and wait and see. Militarily, everything is ready. The reason to go is there and the capability to go is there."
'An Unwashed Murderer'
War or no war, any message from Obama was clearly not enough to deter Medvedev from openly visiting South Ossetia on July 13 in the face of strenuous objections from Tbilisi.
Speaking to reporters in Tskhinvali with South Ossetia's de facto leader, Eduard Kokoity, Medvedev promised Moscow's aid and support to rebuild the economy of the "new state," which has thus far only been recognized by Russia and Nicaragua.
"Of course, I want to thank you for inviting me to this new country, the new state of South Ossetia, which came into being as a result of difficult, traumatic events, a country which the Russian people supported in its hour of need," Medvedev said.
"I think this first working visit by the Russian president today will lay the groundwork for future contacts."
Saakashvili, who was in Ankara for a summit on the Nabucco gas pipeline at the time, called Medvedev's visit an "immoral and shameful precedent" and referred to Kokoity as an "unwashed murderer and corrupt criminal."
Meanwhile in Batumi, the "USS Stout" was greeted with wine and music after dropping anchor on July 14. The "Stout's" commander, Mark Oberly, said the joint naval exercises, scheduled to begin on July 15, "demonstrate the U.S. and Georgian commitment to work together, to cooperate, and maintain maritime security."
The exercises will be held in Georgia's territorial waters between the ports of Batumi and Poti, near breakaway Abkhazia's Black Sea coast.
RFE/RL's Georgian Service contributed to this article
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Is_War_Off_The_Table_In_Georgia/1776909.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090714-rferl03.htm