10 March 2011 — Stop NATO
1. U.S. Official: NATO “Natural Choice For Military Action” Against Libya
2. NATO Troops Kill Afghan President’s Cousin
3. Police Slay Afghan Civilians, German Troops Kill Afghan Woman
4. Italian FM Calls For Joint EU-NATO Naval Blockade Of Libya
5. Military Interference In African States Unacceptable: Russian Foreign Minister
6. NATO Planes To Patrol Mediterranean
7. Brussels: Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Joins NATO’s War Council
8. NATO Commanders Have Drawn Up Plans For Libya Military Operations
9. NATO Rebuffs Libyan Envoys
10. Disputed Spratly Islands: 6,000 U.S. Troops In Philippines War Games
11. U.S. Threatens Syria With Isolation
12. NATO Expands Mediterranean Surveillance Under 10-Year-Old Operation Active Endeavor
13. Libya: NATO Moves Toward Military Action Without UN Resolution
14. Australian Prime Minister In Washington: U.S. Must Be At Center Of New World Order
15. Thank Tank: Japan Is Now Aircraft Carrier Power For First Time Since World War Two
16. Pentagon Chief, NATO War Council Meet On Afghanistan, Libya
17. NATO Officials Say Bloc Can Deploy 200-300 Jets To Libya
18. Obama Directly Targets Ivory Coast
19. As The U.S. Senate Goes After Belarus
20. NATO Defense Chiefs Discuss Missile Shield, Libyan Operations
21. Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency Awards $1.1 Billion Contract
22. Canadian Military Spending At Highest Point Since WW II: Study
23. Alaska: U.S. Special Forces Trained For Arctic Warfare
24. Canada Conducts Arctic Military Exercise
25. Russia Opposes Militarization Of The Arctic
1. U.S. Official: NATO “Natural Choice For Military Action” Against Libya
Agence France-Presse March 9, 2011
US says NATO ‘natural choice’ for Libya intervention
BRUSSELS: The United States would see it as preferable that any military intervention in Libya were conducted under a NATO banner, a senior US official said Wednesday.
“The US believes that NATO is the natural choice for any military action,” the official said on the eve of talks between defence ministers from the 28-state alliance in Brussels on Thursday.
In Paris, though, a French diplomatic source insisted that “alongside Britain, we are working on what could be done without NATO. The sight of the NATO flag (in Libya) would be provocative.”
The American official refused to discuss earlier comments by French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe or NATO member Turkey that each cast doubt on the appropriateness of the military alliance acting as the vehicle for enforcing a no-fly zone.
He said planning had moved into an “advanced” stage including setting up a no-fly zone over parts or all of Libya, “finding out how complex, how large and how costly” that operation would be at a time of stretched resources in Afghanistan, and even tighter national budgets.
NATO has “unique capabilities,” he said, which would not be available to generals if an operation was mounted by a smaller coalition…
The official was speaking shortly before US Defence Secretary Robert Gates arrived in the Belgian capital after a whistle-stop visit to Germany.
Quizzed as to the chances of the United States, Britain and France mounting operations themselves with support from Italy and Germany, the official kept up his mantra.
He said Washington wants “the planning… the decision, if necessary… and the action to take place within NATO,” stressing that allies would need to prove a “demonstrable need” to intervene militarily and ensure “regional support” from Arab and African neighbours.
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The same three-step approach has also been cited by Britain, France and Germany.
When asked what would happen if regional support was not forthcoming, a British official said: “I didn’t say condition, I said guiding principle — it doesn’t mean necessarily that every single regional organisation in the Middle East would have to sign up to NATO action.”
As Libyan leader Colonel Moamer Kadhafi accused the West of plotting to steal his people’s oil, London and Paris have made the most vibrant calls among Western powers for a no-fly zone.
The British official said that “nobody is on the point of triggering a UN Security Council resolution for NATO action at the minute,” but underlined that the talk “is certainly not a bluff.”
According to the White House, US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed to press forward with planning a range of possible responses to the ongoing unrest.
These included surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo and a no-fly zone, said Washington.
2. NATO Troops Kill Afghan President’s Cousin
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/10/nato-troops-kill-afghan-presidents-cousin
The Guardian March 10, 2011
Nato troops ‘kill Afghan president’s cousin’
Shooting in botched nighttime operation set to increase Hamid Karzai’s anger at killing of civilians by Nato-led forces
Jon Boone in Kabul
-”There were many tanks that came and surrounded the house, but they did not attack any other building,” said Haji Padshah. “The Americans then went in, brought out Haji Mohammad and shot him.”
A furious row between Nato-led forces and the Afghan president over the killing of civilians looks set to turn into a full-blown crisis after an elderly cousin of Hamid Karzai was killed during a botched Nato operation.
Officials in the southern province of Kandahar confirmed that Haji Yar Mohammad Karzai, a second cousin of the president, was accidentally shot during an overnight operation in the family village of Karz.
Senior tribal leaders, including Karzai’s powerful brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, had gathered for the funeral in keeping with the Islamic tradition of burying the dead within 24 hours.
Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the president had ordered an immediate investigation by Afghan security forces.
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Details of what happened are still unclear, although one senior member of the Alokozai tribe, who attended the funeral, said the attack took place at some point after midnight and American soldiers were responsible.
“There were many tanks that came and surrounded the house, but they did not attack any other building,” said Haji Padshah. “The Americans then went in, brought out Haji Mohammad and shot him.”
Ahmadullah Nazak, district chief of the area, said two of his bodyguards and a neighbour were arrested.
“We don’t know why the operation was carried out in his village, whether he was aimed at or somebody else. He was an old man at the age of 60, he had no official job,” Nazak said.
Mahmoud Karzai, another of the president’s brothers, said the killing was a “shocking development” and he could not understand why Nato forces would be hunting for insurgents in Karz, which is in the relatively peaceful district of Dand, not far from Kandahar City.
“Karz is our stronghold, there are absolutely no Taliban there and there never will be,” Mahmoud Karzai told the Guardian.
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3. Police Slay Afghan Civilians, German Troops Kill Afghan Woman
Associated Press March 10, 2011
Afghan villagers say police killed 5 civilians
KANDAHAR: A few dozen villagers shouted and protested in Afghanistan’s main southern city Thursday, accusing the police of killing five civilians in a raid overnight.
Meanwhile, Afghan and NATO officials said they were investigating whether German troops accidentally killed an Afghan civilian woman during a battle in the north of the country.
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In the demonstration in the south, between 30 and 60 villagers protested outside the house of the provincial governor in Kandahar. The villagers had with them three bodies of men they said were slain by police in Pashmol village in nearby Zhari district late Wednesday. They said two women were also killed by the police.
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A relative of two men who were detained in the incident overnight said that neither his relatives nor those who were killed were militants.
“They were not involved in any kind of bad things,” said Abdul Qadir. He said police barged into compounds and shouted for everyone to get on their knees. He said he was kneeling in his compound when he heard shots and then came outside to find the bodies.
Another villager, Ghafoor Naeemi, also said that no one who was killed or arrested was involved in the insurgency.
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Meanwhile, NATO said Thursday one of its service members was killed in a blast in southern Afghanistan the day before.
The coalition did not provide the nationality or details of how the service member was killed. He died late Wednesday, NATO said. Another service member was also killed on Wednesday.
The two latest deaths bring to six the number of coalition troops who have died so far this month.
Associated Press writers Amir Shah and Heidi Vogt contributed to this report from Kabul, Afghanistan.
4. Italian Foreign Minister Calls For Joint EU-NATO Naval Blockade Of Libya
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia
March 9, 2011 ITALY WANTS NAVAL BLOCKADE OF GADDAFI’S LIBYA
Rome: Italy will propose to the next extraordinary European Council that the European Union and NATO coordinate naval forces to enforce a naval blockade of Libya.
The announcement was made by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini during a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs Commission in parliament. “We need to take action,” said Frattini, “to enforce respect for sanctions, but we must avoid, as is the case with piracy [i0n the Horn of Africa], two operations, one NATO and one EU.”
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5. Military Interference In African States Unacceptable: Russian Foreign Minister
www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=6&id=227544
Interfax March 10, 2011
Military interference in Libya affairs unacceptable – Lavrov
Moscow: Military interference in the internal affairs of African states, or countries of other continents, is unacceptable, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The UN Charter and other international agreements say in clear terms that each nation has the right to decide its future. Interference in internal affairs, especially military interference, is not allowed,” Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
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www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=16026650&PageNum=0
Itar-Tass March 10, 2011
Unbiased information on Libya is crucial – Lavrov
MOSCOW: Moscow believes it is necessary to obtain verified information from independent and unbiased sources before making further moves against the regime of Libyan leader Muamar Caddafi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference here on Thursday.
“The main thing is to obtain an independent and objective evaluation of what is happening in Libya. The efforts by the special representative of the UN secretary general and his personnel will be playing a decisive role in it,” Lavrov stated.
6. NATO Planes To Patrol Mediterranean
english.ruvr.ru/2011/03/10/47182244.html
Voice of Russia March 10, 2011
NATO planes to patrol Mediterranean
NATO is expanding its airborne and seaborne surveillance of the Mediterranean.
Addressing reporters in Brussels, the alliance’s chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said AWACS reconnaissance planes would be patrolling the region 24 hours a day.
NATO defense ministers will gather in Brussels on Thursday for two days of talks on Libya as protests continue in that North African Arab country against Colonel Gaddafi’s 40-year rule.
Meanwhile, Gaddafi says he will not step down.
Scores of people have reportedly been killed in protest violence in Libya over the past three weeks.
7. Brussels: Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Joins NATO’s War Council
en.trend.az/news/politics/1843176.html
Trend News Agency March 10, 2011
Azerbaijani Defense Minister leaves for Brussels
K. Zarbaliyeva
Pentagon Chief In Azerbaijan: Afghan War Arc Stretches To Caspian And Caucasus
Baku: Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiyev has left for Brussels today to attend a meeting of defense ministers of the countries that have contributed to the coalition of the North Atlantic Council. It is held at the invitation of NATO Secretary General, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.
The foundation for cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was laid through the signing of a program-document within the framework of the Partnership for Peace on May 4, 1994. Azerbaijan was one of the 27 OSCE member countries to join the program.
In April 1996, an official document envisaging concrete directions in the cooperation was signed within the framework of the Partnership for Peace. Now, Azerbaijan is fulfilling about 50 tasks in conformity with the program.
On Aug. 3, 2005, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the “Approval of the Action Plan on Individual Partnership between the Azerbaijani Republic and NATO.”
Now cooperation is carried out within the second phase of the Individual Partnership Action Plan between Azerbaijan and NATO.
8. NATO Commanders Have Drawn Up Plans For Libya Military Operations
Deutsche Presse-Agentur March 9, 2011
NATO agrees on three principles for Libya action, diplomats say
Brussels: NATO nations have agreed on three principles which would have to be met for the alliance to consider any military action against Libya, diplomats in Brussels said Wednesday.
NATO has come under intense scrutiny since the outbreak of fighting in Libya, as opponents of Colonel Moamer Gaddafi have called for an international mission to ground Gaddafi’s air force.
NATO defence ministers are to debate their reaction to the situation on Thursday.
Ahead of that meeting, diplomats from several NATO countries said that the alliance had set three principles to govern its action: a ‘demonstrable need’ for NATO intervention, a ‘clear legal basis’ and ‘firm regional support.’
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NATO has already ordered its military commanders to draw up plans for possible operations. Defence ministers on Thursday are expected to debate those plans and, if necessary, call for more detailed studies of some of the options.
The meeting is not expected to call for the imposition of a no-fly zone, since the UN has not yet demanded such a measure.
9. NATO Rebuffs Libyan Envoys
www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=227451
Interfax March 9, 2011
NATO refuses to hold talks with Qaddafi’s envoys
BRUSSELS: NATO does not intend to receive representatives of the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi heading for Brussels.
NATO is not planning such contacts, Interfax was told at the press service of the North Atlantic alliance in Brussels on Wednesday.
Earlier Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini announced that two Qaddafi’s planes were on their way to Brussels.
Military sources on Malta reported that the planes were carrying two Libyan officials who are heading for Brussels for conferences of NATO defense ministers and EU foreign ministers due on Thursday.
The envoys have a message from the Libyan leader to the EU and NATO.
10. Disputed Spratly Islands: 6,000 U.S. Troops In Philippines War Games
www.gmanews.tv/story/214897/6000-us-troops-to-take-part-in-annual-balikatan#
GMA News March 9, 2011
6,000 US troops to take part in annual Balikatan
U.S. Consolidates Military Network In Asia-Pacific Region
At least 6,000 American troops will be coming to the country to participate in the annual Balikatan joint military exercises, which include a planning exercise in a military zone that includes the disputed Spratly Islands.
Maj. Enrico Gil Ileto, public affairs officer of the Balikatan exercises for the Philippine side, said the US forces will be joining some 2,000 Filipino troops for the 10-day series of exercises scheduled to start on April 15.
The exercises include a “unilateral planning exercise” at the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Western Command (WESCOM) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital city.
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The WESCOM is in charge of protecting the Philippines’ interest in the Spratly Islands, a group of islands believed to be rich in mineral and oil deposits, and which is being claimed as well by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.
The Philippines recently filed a diplomatic protest against China after Chinese Navy patrol boats reportedly harassed a Philippine-sanctioned oil exploration vessel at the Reed Bank area to the west of Palawan. (See: PHL asks China to clarify ‘presence’ near Palawan)
So far, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not announced any official response by China to the complaint.
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www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=664541&publicationSubCategoryId=200
Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2011
Philippines, US to hold Balikatan exercises in April
MANILA, Philippines: Around 8,000 Filipino and American soldiers will participate in this year’s Balikatan exercises, an annual large-scale training activity aimed at improving the interoperability of the two militaries.
Maj. Enrico Gil Ileto, spokesman for the Philippine military, said today at least 6,000 troops from the United States will arrive in the Philippines for the 10-day exercise which will start from April 15.
Armed Forces Chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Oban said Balikatan 2011 is a product of the long partnership between the US and Philippine governments.
Balikatan exercises will be held in several training sites, including Fort Magsaysay, home of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division and Special Operations Command in Nueva Ecija, Basa Air Base and Clark Air Base, Marine Base Ternate in Cavite and Mactan Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.
Ileto said participants will employ air and naval assets for the exercise…
Philippine troops will participate in unilateral staff exercises at the headquarters of the military’s Western Command in Puerto Princesa City where they will plan for an imagined threat.
11. U.S. Threatens Syria With Isolation
english.ruvr.ru/2011/03/09/47139467.html
Voice of Russia March 9, 2011
U.S. threatens Syria with isolation
The United States has threatened Syria with an international isolation similar to that of Iran and North Korea. Washington and the International nuclear watchdog IAEA have demanded that Damascus should allow IAEA inspectors visit sites which intelligence agencies suspect are being used for nuclear research.
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In an interview for VOR, Vladimir Ahmedov of the Center for the study of the problems of the modern-day Orient, says that Syria cannot ignore the demand because of events in Egypt, Tunisia and lately Libya. Damascus cannot afford a quarrel with Western countries.
“Syria is calmly disposed to an inspection on its territory, and has already agreed to such an inspection within the existing international norms and the appropriate agreement” said Ahmedov adding: “I believe that Syria has nothing to hide and that nobody has the right to deny Damascus the right to build an atomic power station for peaceful aims”.
Experts believe that the attention to the Syrian nuclear programme by the western press has a purpose. America is desperately trying to prevent a collaboration between Syria and Iran, a country successfully developing its nuclear programme despite international sanctions.
The U.S. also does not like the link between Damascus and the radical Hamas and Hezbollah groups which are at war with Israel…
Many pundits had predicted that Syria will be the next to feel the wrath of the population after Tunisia and Egypt…
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12. NATO Expands Mediterranean Surveillance Under 10-Year-Old Operation Active Endeavor
www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-34AA5B54-29F3F978/natolive/news_71316.htm
[A post-9/11/2001 Article 5 operation.]
North Atlantic Treaty Organization March 9, 2011
NATO increases airborne surveillance in the Mediterranean
NATO has decided to enhance its surveillance operation in the Central Mediterranean by increasing the operating capability of NATO AWACS aircraft to 24 hours a day. This is part of our long-standing counter-terrorist Operation Active Endeavour.
This decision to increase the air surveillance in the Mediterranean has been taken this week by the 28 Permanent Representatives of the North Atlantic Council, who remain concerned over the situation in Libya.
NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, or AWACS, routinely monitor the airspace in the Mediterranean, as part of Operation Active Endeavour, a long standing mission which has given the Alliance an enhanced awareness of activity across the Mediterranean since 2001.
“We have extended surveillance in the Mediterranean. Having our AWACs monitoring the situation 24/7, will provide us with a better picture of what is going on and of course this improved picture is a prerequisite for evaluating the situation accurately”, NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told a group of defence journalists in Brussels on March 9.
This enhanced mission is expected to achieve its 24/7 capability this week, as aircraft move to their forward operating base in Italy. The NATO AWACS aircraft will not be required to fly into Libyan airspace to monitor air activity given that the range of its radar is several hundred kilometres.
13. Libya: NATO Moves Toward Military Action Without UN Resolution
Daily Telegraph March 9, 2011
Libya: Nato considers no-fly zone without UN resolution
Nato will on Thursday discuss imposing a no-fly zone over Libya in the absence of a United Nations resolution as air strikes against rebels on Wednesday highlighted the need for urgent action
By Bruno Waterfield, Brussels and James Kirkup
The Libyan leader on Wednesday night dispatched envoys in a last ditch attempt to head off military action against him…and rallying Arab support to frustrate a US and British move to sign Nato up to a “full spectrum” of action including a no-fly zone.
Col. Gaddafi warned that the imposition of a no-fly zone in Libyan airspace will be met with armed resistance and seen as proof that Western powers are trying to steal his country’s oil.
“They want to take your petrol,” he said on Wednesday. “The Libyan people will take up arms against them.”
A senior American official refused to rule out enforcing a Nato no-fly zone in the absence of a UN Security Council resolution ahead of a meeting of the Alliance’s defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
Pressure to take action grew on Wednesday after Libyan rebels, hit by repeated government shelling and air strikes, retreated back to the oil town of Ras Lanuf amid a series of explosions that struck pipeline facilities. Tanks of forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi also closed in on the rebel-held main square of Zawiyah on Wednesday…
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14. Australian Prime Minister In Washington: U.S. Must Be At Center Of New World Order
www.smh.com.au/world/us-must-be-at-centre-of-new-world-order-pm-20110310-1bo6h.html?from=smh_sb
Sydney Morning Herald March 10, 2011
US must be at centre of new world order: PM
Phillip Coorey
-In response to the emerging powers, Ms Gillard signalled as “anchors of stability” the US, with Australia in the south and South Korea and Japan to the north.
-An alliance forged in the Cold War “lives in a new world today”, she said.
-With the US in the midst of a “force posture review” which will recommend a repositioning of its forces in the Asia-Pacific, including an expanded presence in Australia, Senator McCain suggested Australian ports would become a springboard for the US Navy to contain China.
-In her speech, Ms Gillard was effusive about the alliance and referred to Mr Howard invoking the ANZUS treaty after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Just as he stood by the US 10 years ago, Australia stands by the US today and will see through the war in Afghanistan, she pledged.
Julia Gillard has stressed the importance of the United States remaining a military and economic power in the Asia-Pacific, saying just as it was indispensable during the Cold War, so, too, would it be indispensable in the new world.
In an historic address to the US Congress made early this morning to mark the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS treaty, Ms Gillard said the rise of India and China would concentrate global strategic and economic weight in the region.
The shift would far outstrip the consequences of the current upheaval in the Middle East and would “define our times”.
It would also pose challenges in defence, intelligence, diplomacy and trade.
In response to the emerging powers, Ms Gillard signalled as “anchors of stability” the US, with Australia in the south and South Korea and Japan to the north.
She promised the US that it had no closer friend than Australia and that Australia would work with her to strengthen relationships to underpin stability and manage the frictions that will inevitably develop.
An alliance forged in the Cold War “lives in a new world today”, she said.
The address came a day after Ms Gillard met on Capitol Hill the US senator and 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
With the US in the midst of a “force posture review” which will recommend a repositioning of its forces in the Asia-Pacific, including an expanded presence in Australia, Senator McCain suggested Australian ports would become a springboard for the US Navy to contain China.
Senator McCain, the ranking member on the US Senate’s armed services committee, said China was clearly a “rising military power” and “they have been acting very assertively in the region”.
“That doesn’t mean to me that there’s going to be a conflict … but it does mean to me that Australia and the United States must ensure that basics like freedom of the seas are observed by the Chinese.”
After the meeting, Ms Gillard was sympathetic to an expanded US presence in Australia.
“Australia and the US need to co-operate on strategic challenges and what is happening in our region is largely being defined by the rise of China,” she said.
“We currently have joint facilities, joint exercises. We welcome American ships to our ports and those things can be a very big part of our future.”
Ms Gillard’s address to the joint meeting of Congress made her the fourth Australian prime minister, following Sir Robert Menzies, Bob Hawke and John Howard, to be afforded the honour.
In her speech, Ms Gillard was effusive about the alliance and referred to Mr Howard invoking the ANZUS treaty after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Just as he stood by the US 10 years ago, Australia stands by the US today and will see through the war in Afghanistan, she pledged.
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15. Think Tank: Japan Now Aircraft Carrier Power For First Time Since WWII
www.china.org.cn/world/2011-03/09/content_22090606.htm
China Daily March 9, 2001
Think Tank: Japan is an aircraft-carrier power
-”Once Japan acquires F-35s or another suitable short take-off aircraft for the Hyuga class, it will have a greatly increased expeditionary capability, and can operate in conjunction with the US more and more in regional security operations.”
Li said the JMSDF is “very powerful” in terms of capabilities. “Its assets are arguably the second best after the US. The ships are modern, powerful, and with a wide range of services. However they suffer from the same problems as the Chinese navy in that it lacks expeditionary capabilities and also the crew lack real battle experience.”
Japan has been formally classified for the first time since World War II as an aircraft-carrier power by a leading Western international affairs think tank.
Japan has one Hyuga-class aircraft carrier, according to Military Balance 2011, an annual report published on Tuesday by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) assessing the military capabilities and defense economics of 170 countries worldwide.
The annual report is an essential resource for those involved in security policymaking, analysis and research.
Classifying Japan as an aircraft carrier power means China now has four Asian neighbors with the giant vessel. Russia, India and Thailand are reported to have one aircraft carrier in service.
Former Japanese foreign minister Seiji Maehara, shortly before he resigned for accepting an illegal donation, expressed Japan’s “grave concern” over China’s military development and alleged plan to build an aircraft carrier.
Gary Li, an expert on Asia military affairs at the IISS and the chief researcher of the East Asia section of Military Balance 2011, said Japan currently had one Hyuga and another is under construction.
“The Hyuga is not yet as powerful as the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) would like it to be, mainly because there are no F-35s (fighter jets) as yet,” Li said.
“Once Japan acquires F-35s or another suitable short take-off aircraft for the Hyuga class, it will have a greatly increased expeditionary capability, and can operate in conjunction with the US more and more in regional security operations.”
Li said the JMSDF is “very powerful” in terms of capabilities. “Its assets are arguably the second best after the US. The ships are modern, powerful, and with a wide range of services. However they suffer from the same problems as the Chinese navy in that it lacks expeditionary capabilities and also the crew lack real battle experience.”
Despite Japan’s concern over China’s military development, Christian Le Miere, research fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security at the IISS, said Japanese naval power is superior to China’s.
He said Beijing’s “main strategy” is still to “deter or prevent US intervention into Taiwan contingency for as long as possible”.
In fact, long before the IISS classified only one Hyuga-class vessel as an aircraft carrier, earlier reports said Japan launched the second of the vessels, the Ise, as early as 2009.
The 197-meter long, 13,950-ton vessel can carry up to 11 helicopters.
The vessel is scheduled to be commissioned into the JMSDF this month, Xinhua News Agency reported in 2009.
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16. Pentagon Chief, NATO War Council Meet On Afghanistan, Libya
www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63085
U.S. Department of Defense March 9, 2011
NATO Ministers to Discuss Afghanistan, Libya
By Karen Parrish
-”We have invited [Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak] and all ISAF partners…” [In all, 48 nations]
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here today to meet with his fellow NATO defense ministers about the security transition in Afghanistan and the situation in the Middle East.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a March 7 news conference that the situation in Libya will be at the top of the agenda for this week’s meetings.
“The whole world is watching events in Libya and the wider Middle East,” Rasmussen said. “This is a humanitarian crisis on our doorstep that concerns us all. The civilian population in Libya is the target of systematic attacks by the regime, so we must remain vigilant.”
NATO strongly condemns the use of force against the Libyan people, Rasmussen said, calling human rights violations under ruler Moammar Gadhafi “outrageous … crimes against humanity.”
Gates left Afghanistan this morning after a two-day visit, stopping en route in Stuttgart, Germany, for a ceremony transferring leadership of U.S. Africa Command from Army Gen. William E. “Kip” Ward to Army Gen. Carter F. Ham.
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Rasmussen said Afghanistan will be a key focus when the alliance’s defense ministers meet here this week.
“We have invited [Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak] and all ISAF partners to discuss the recommendation of the Joint NATO Afghan Transition Board regarding the first tranche of provinces and districts to be transferred to Afghan security lead,” Rasmussen said. “President Karzai will make the announcement on March 21, marking Afghan New Year.”
17. NATO Officials Say Bloc Can Deploy 200-300 Jets To Libya
Associated Press
March 9, 2011
NATO could easily impose no-fly zone in Libya
CAIRO: Western leaders know NATO jets could easily force Moammar Gadhafi’s few dozen Cold War-era warplanes from the skies…
Imposing a no-fly zone from a string of Mediterranean bases and aircraft carriers could become a complex, long-term commitment for the U.S. and its allies. It would require airstrikes on Gadhafi’s anti-aircraft weapons and risk drawing the West into another grueling military conflict in the Muslim world.
The Libyan rebels, who lack planes, have pleaded for such a zone — a plan endorsed by Britain, France and some key U.S. lawmakers…
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Although many nations want to tip the balance of military power away from Gadhafi, protecting civilians would be the key public rationale for any no-fly arrangement.
A senior U.S. official in Brussels said a no-fly zone would be “a difficult, costly and large operation,” and noted that there was no evidence of any large-scale bombardment of civilians. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates observed last week that attacking Libyan air defenses would be necessary before imposing a no-fly zone, and would be tantamount to war. Gadhafi has warned of retaliation against no-fly patrols.
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The U.S., France and UK declared no-fly zones for fixed-wing aircraft after the 1991 Gulf War in order to protect Kurds in Iraq’s north and Shiites in the south from Saddam Hussein’s air force.
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After ethnic fighting erupted in Bosnia, the U.N. Security Council ordered a no-fly zone in 1992 to protect areas under government control from strikes by rebel Serbian jets.
Allied interceptors shot down four Serbian attack jets, but the zone failed to stop fighting on the ground…
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Gadhafi’s pilots would almost certainly be routed if they tried to flout a Western flight ban.
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The government has only a handful of planes designed to intercept other aircraft, the Mig-21 and Mig-25…dating from the 1960s.
NATO officials say they could quickly deploy 200-300 jets to Libya from bases stretching from Gibraltar to Greece, and from U.S. carriers in the Mediterranean.
These would include top-of-the-line Eurofighter Typhoons used by the British, Italian and Spanish air forces. Also available are the formidable French Dassault Rafale fighter and the U.S. Boeing Co.’s F-18 Super Hornet, the backbone of U.S. Navy air power.
The alliance also would have a huge advantage in its AWACS planes — whose rotating radars can look 200 miles (320 kilometers) deep into enemy airspace, monitor all aerial movements over Libyan territory and direct planes to any violators of the no-fly zone.
They also are equipped with the latest air-to-air missiles, which are far more sophisticated than the Soviet-built models of the 1980s in the Libyan arsenal.
Rebecca Santana in Baghdad and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
18. Obama Directly Targets Ivory Coast
Agence France-Presse March 9, 2011
Obama condemns ‘abhorrent’ violence in Ivory Coast
[Based on reports emanating from the standard Western disinformation mills, the United Nations recently accused Belarus of supplying the Gbagbo government with attack helicopters, then accused Zimbabwe of supplying it with light arms. Both accusations were lies, but left Belarus and Zimbabwe – two of Condoleezza Rice’s six “outposts of tyranny” – appearing to be guilty of violating an international arms embargo.
Former U.S. resident and IMF official Alassane Ouattara has been calling for foreign military intervention which, if the West can’t prevail upon ECOWAS and its West African Standby Force to provide, will be supplied by the U.S. and Europe.]
Ivory Coast: Testing Ground For U.S.-Backed African Standby Force
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Wednesday condemned “abhorrent” violence in the Ivory Coast, saying the United States was deeply concerned about escalating clashes that have left scores dead.
“I strongly condemn the abhorrent violence against unarmed civilians in Cote d’Ivoire,” Obama said in a written statement.
“I am particularly appalled by the indiscriminate killing of unarmed civilians during peaceful rallies, many of them women, including those who were gunned down as they marched in support of the legitimately elected president Alassane Ouattara.
“Reports indicate that the women were shot to death by security forces loyal to former president Laurent Gbagbo.”
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“The United States remains deeply concerned about escalating violence, including the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis and its impact in Cote d’Ivoire and neighboring countries,” Obama said.
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“The United States reiterates its commitment to work with the international community to ensure that perpetrators of such atrocities be identified and held individually accountable for their actions.”
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“It is time for former President Gbagbo to heed the will of his people, and to complete a peaceful transition of power to President Ouattara,” Obama said.
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Ouattara is holed up in Abidjan’s Golf Hotel under a blockade by forces loyal to Gbagbo.
He is protected by troops of a United Nations mission and the New Forces armed group, which controls the northern half of the country.
Fighting has intensified in recent days in Abidjan and the west of the country, where New Forces fighters allied with Ouattara wrested a town from Gbagbo’s control at the weekend.
19. As The U.S. Senate Goes After Belarus
Agence France-Presse March 9, 2011
US senators condemn Belarus crackdown
-The measure drafted by Durbin and Lieberman urges President Barack Obama’s administration to resume direct support to the Belarus opposition and civil society, as well as independent media outlets, and expand the list of officials and entities targeted with sanctions.
Clinton Renews U.S. Claims On Former Soviet Space
WASHINGTON: US senators unveiled a symbolic resolution on Wednesday denouncing the re-election of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko as “fraudulent” and urging him to free imprisoned opponents.
Independent Senator Joe Lieberman and Senator Dick Durbin, the chamber’s number-two Democrat and a long-time Lukashenko critic, crafted the measure, which calls for tough new US and European sanctions on senior regime officials.
The non-binding resolution condemns Lukashenko’s December 19 re-election as “illegitimate, fraudulent and not representative of the will or the aspirations of the voters in Belarus,” and calls for a new vote that would be free and fair.
The measure “condemns the beating, arrest, fining and imprisonment of presidential candidates, opposition leaders and activists by Alexander Lukashenko’s KGB,” as well as his efforts to stifle freedom of expression.
It also presses Lukashenko “to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners in Belarus who were arrested in association with the December 19, 2010 election.”
In January, the European Union and United States slapped a new raft of sanctions — including a travel ban and asset freeze — on Lukashenko and 157 associates after his brutal December 19 crackdown.
The ballot result gave Lukashenko — dubbed Europe’s last dictator by Washington — a fourth term in office, extending his rule that stretches back to 1994.
The measure drafted by Durbin and Lieberman urges President Barack Obama’s administration to resume direct support to the Belarus opposition and civil society, as well as independent media outlets, and expand the list of officials and entities targeted with sanctions.
It also urges the European Union to do the same while severing business ties with a Belarus state-owned oil and petrochemical firm, along with its subsidiaries, and to shut regime officials from high-level diplomatic talks.
And it calls on Russia to take similar steps against Lukashenko.
The measure also urges the International Ice Hockey Federation to suspend plans to hold a championship in Minsk until all political prisoners are released.
20. NATO Defense Chiefs Discuss Missile Shield, Libyan Operations
en.rian.ru/world/20110310/162932646.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti March 10, 2011
NATO ministers to discuss missile shield, Libya
on missile defense
NATO Provides Pentagon Nuclear, Missile And Cyber Shields Over Europe
Nuclear Weapons And Interceptor Missiles: Twin Pillars Of U.S.-NATO Military Strategy In Europe
Brussels: Defense ministers from 28 NATO member states will gather on March 10-11 in Brussels to discuss the “architecture” of the future missile defense network in Europe and the situation in Libya.
Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so called European missile defense system at the Lisbon summit in November 2010. NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.
The ministers will draw “a road map” of political, military, organizational and financial aspects of the European missile shield to prepare the basis for the discussions of the issue at the next ministerial meeting in June.
The agenda of the current meeting will also focus on the situation in Libya, where fierce fighting between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and insurgents continues.
“NATO is not looking to intervene in Libya, but we have asked our military to conduct prudent planning for all eventualities,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday.
“If requested and if needed we can respond at very short notice,” he said, reiterating that all possible alliance’s actions would be held in compliance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
Thousands of people have been killed since the first protesters began demanding the end of Gaddafi’s 41-year rule in mid-February.
The rebels are stepping up calls for the UN to impose a no-fly zone over Libyan airspace.
The United States said on Wednesday it was preparing a “full range” of military options for Libya, including a no-fly zone.
Russia has said it is against any military intervention.
21. Missile Defense Agency Awards $1.1 Billion Contract
www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/03/09/orbital-wins-11b-missile-contract.html
Washington Business Journal March 9, 2011
Orbital Sciences wins $1.1B missile contract
by Jeff Clabaugh
Dulles-based Orbital Sciences, recovering from its second failed NASA satellite launch in as many years, could earn as much as $1.1 billion over the next seven years under a missile target contract with the Department of Defense.
Orbital was awarded the contract for the Missile Defense Agency’s Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Target, and includes manufacturing target rockets, as well as logistics, maintenance and launch execution.
The contract has a base value of $217.1 million, but a total value, if all options are exercised through 2018, of $1.1 billion.
Honeywell and ATK Aerospace Systems Group are major subcontractors.
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22. Canadian Military Spending At Highest Point Since WW II: Study
Canadian Press March 9, 2011
Military spending at highest point since WWII: study
OTTAWA: A new study says Canada is spending more on its military than at any time since the end of the Second World War.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released the report today, which says defence spending is expected to hit at least $22.3 billion in the current budget year.
Researchers estimate that’s a 54 per cent increase over the last decade.
The study was produced for the centre by Bill Robinson, a senior adviser with the Rideau Institute.
The report notes that a significant part of the budget increase has gone toward fighting the war in Afghanistan, which Robinson argues has robbed Canada of the ability to carry out traditional peacekeeping missions.
Canada, which had been among the top contributors to United Nations peace-support missions, now ranks 60th on the list of 102 contributing countries.
Robinson says the billions of dollars earmarked for military spending in the next two decades would be better directed into international aid and fighting climate change.
“Canada could make a much greater contribution to global security and humanitarian action by shifting resources to non-military security efforts and to peacekeeping operations,” Robinson said in a release by the centre.
“Such a shift would make Canada truly a great power in the world of development assistance and humanitarian aid. This is an arena in which Canada could ‘punch above its weight’ on an issue crucial to human welfare and global security.”
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23. Alaska: U.S. Special Forces Trained For Arctic Warfare
www.jber.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123245329
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson March 4, 2011
NCO teaches arctic warfare, mountain skills
by Sgt. Trish McMurphy
USARAK PAO
Loose Cannon And Nuclear Submarines: West Prepares For Arctic Warfare
December 1, 2009
Loose Cannon And Nuclear Submarines: West Prepares For Arctic Warfare
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska: Battling cold, climbing peaks at the Army’s Northern Warfare Training Center
Army Rangers, Navy Seals, and Special Forces are all considered elite troops in the U.S. military, and they are highly-trained in their fields and prepared for just about any worst-case scenario.
But what if a helicopter was redirected to a frozen mountain range in Afghanistan?
Would they know how to adapt and overcome the cold and rugged terrain?
If they trained at the Army’s Northern Warfare Training Center, the answer would be “yes.”
Who’s tough enough to train such an elite force?
Army Staff Sgt. Paul Willey, and instructors like him at the NWTC train hundreds of troops each year for arctic survival.
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24. Canada Conducts Arctic Military Exercise
nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/mar9_11hng.html
Northern News Services March 9, 2011
Hanging with the military
Darrell Greer
Canada Opens Arctic To NATO, Plans Massive Weapons Buildup
ARVIAT: The Community of Arviat was alive with military activity this past month.
Hundreds of personnel from the 38 Canadian Brigade Group Arctic Response Company and the Canadian Rangers took part in Exercise Northern Bison ’11, focusing on Arctic response, adaptability and survival.
Units taking part included the 38 Canadian Brigade Group, Fort Garry Horse, 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Winnipeg Infantry Tactical Group, Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, Saskatchewan Infantry Tactical Group, Royal Regina Rifles, North Saskatchewan Regiment, Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, 38 Service Battalion, Arviat and Churchill Ranger patrols, 440 Vampire Transport Squadron and 1 Health Services Group.
It was the third year in a row the Canadian Forces conducted Arctic training.
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25. Russia Opposes Militarization Of The Arctic
www.nation.co.ke/News/world/Russia+opposes+militarisation+of+the+Arctic+/-/1068/1117770/-/men7ku/-/
Daily Nation/Agencies March 2, 2011
Russia opposes militarisation of the Arctic
NATO’s, Pentagon’s New Strategic Battleground: The Arctic
MOSCOW: Russia’s Defence Minister Anatoly Serdiukov has said that Russia opposes the militarisation of the Arctic.
The statement by the government representative was made at a meeting with Minister of Defence of Denmark Gitte Lillelung Beck.
Russia, the USA, Canada, Denmark and Norway pretend to a right to consider the Arctic territory to be theirs.
According to scientists, more than 25 per cent of the Earth’s oil and gas resources are concentrated in the Arctic.
Several years ago, the dispute became aggravated after a Russian research expedition set off from Murmansk to the North Pole to study the Arctic Ocean shelf.
The New Dark Age 
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