Swedish Defense Reforms: Fewer Gripens, More Helos, MRAPs / A Functional Defence - With A Substantially Strengthened Defence Capability

Swedish Defense Reforms: Fewer Gripens, More Helos, MRAPs / A Functional Defence - With A Substantially Strengthened Defence Capability

(NSI News Source Info) March 23, 2009: Sweden's defence must be well-prepared to be able to defend this country and to contribute to stability in the surrounding world. This requires a defence system that is adapted to today's threats and to the rapid sequences of events in which conflicts can arise and be determined. It requires a functional, available and flexible defence.

For this reason, the Government is now setting a new direction for the Swedish defence system with a substantially strengthened defence capability.

Alone and together with others, the military defence must defend Sweden and promote our security. The whole of Sweden must be defended. Our preparedness is continually being adapted to the current threat and risk level of our region. Air and naval forces, including submarines, monitor both the sea and the airspace and can rapidly be adapted to needs both in Sweden and in our region.

"When I took up my post, it was obvious that defence needed to be strengthened. The political requirement at that time was only that a third of the operational organisation was to be available, within a year. What the Government is now presenting means a significantly strengthened defence capability compared with today and ensures that our defence will be strong, both for Sweden and for operations within and outside our region. We will achieve a defence that is functional here and now," says Minister for Defence Sten Tolgfors.

The main items of the bill are:

-- The entire operational organisation of some 50 000 people will be able to be used within a week after a decision on heightened alert. Today only around one-third of the national operational organisation is equipped and prepared for an operation within one year.

-- All operational units will have the same capability for operations, in Sweden and within and outside our region. This means that the division now existing between the international force for operations abroad and other units will be removed.

--According to the Swedish Armed Forces' proposal, 28 000 people will be in permanent and contracted units.

--The Home Guard will be strengthened and will have a more important role in defending Sweden. The Home Guard will consist of a total of 22 000 people and will be part of the operational organisation. Of these, 17 000 will make up the qualified national protection forces, who will be given better training and military equipment and will be under a service obligation even in peacetime.

--An increase from three available manoeuvre battalions today, to eight tomorrow. This means more than twice as much availability. --Twice as much capability for peace-support operations. It will be possible to keep 1 700 people in continuous engagement in international operations.

--The number of Gripen aircraft will be 100, of the C/D model. The number of new helicopters will successively increase. Main battle tank 122 will be retained and access to splinter-proof vehicles will increase. Artillery and anti-aircraft capability will remain of the same size as today. There will be seven corvettes, five of Visby class; the number of submarines in the operational organisation will be retained.

--Outside the operational organisation, a reserve unit of four mechanised battalions will be available.

--Personnel supply will be modernised so that voluntary participation will be the basis of manning the operational organisation instead of compulsory military service. This will be required for greater functionality and availability, but also for the transition to permanent and contracted units. The officer profession will be changed, with more specialist officers who train and command troops and fewer people in staff and command functions.

Today's threats against Sweden cannot be dealt with by yesterday's defence. The war in Georgia, for example, shows that developments can occur rapidly. This war went on for five days and was determined in two. Not many Russian soldiers were deployed to the area, but they came very quickly.

In the future defence, Sweden will now have more soldiers who can be deployed more rapidly, in Sweden and within or outside our region. The division between a national operational organisation and an international force has now been removed. Everyone should be able to serve where, and when necessary.

The security policy map of our region has been fundamentally redrawn in the last 20 years. The Baltic Sea is entirely surrounded by NATO and EU countries, apart from Russia. The threat of invasion from a previous superpower has long disappeared, and a single armed attack targeted directly at Sweden is unlikely for the foreseeable future.

However, this does not mean that we can exclude the risk of military conflicts of interest and incidents in our region, either on or around the Baltic Sea or in the northern areas. It is not possible to envisage a military threat that would only affect Sweden or another country in our region. But the new threats require us to be able to act, individually and together with others, at short notice. Security is being built collectively, for the Nordic countries and the EU. The Government wants to see far-reaching Nordic cooperation and sees no limits in principle to such cooperation so long as national decision-making power concerning operational capabilities remains.

In the Statement of Government Policy, the Government emphasises that the security of our country is founded on community and cooperation with other countries. Sweden will not take a passive stance if another EU Member State or other Nordic country suffers a disaster or an attack. We expect these countries to act in the same way if Sweden were affected. We must be able to give and receive military support.

Russia Could Focus On Tactical Nuclear Weapons For Submarines

Russia Could Focus On Tactical Nuclear Weapons For Submarines

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - March 23, 2009: Russia may prioritize the development of nuclear-powered attack submarines armed with nuclear-capable cruise missiles in the future, while maintaining its fleet of strategic subs, a senior Navy official said. The Russian Navy maintains a fleet of about 60 submarines, including 10 nuclear-powered strategic submarines, over 30 nuclear-powered attack submarines, diesel-electric submarines and special-purpose subs. "Probably, tactical nuclear weapons [on submarines] will play a key role in the future," Vice Admiral Oleg Burtsev, deputy head of the Navy General Staff, told RIA Novosti. "Their range and precision are gradually increasing." "There is no longer any need to equip missiles with powerful nuclear warheads. We can install low-yield warheads on existing cruise missiles," he said. The admiral mentioned Russia's new Severodvinsk nuclear-powered attack submarine, which will be commissioned with the Navy in 2010-2011, as an example. The fourth-generation Graney class submarine combines the ability to launch a variety of long-range cruise missiles (up to 3,100 miles) with nuclear warheads, and effectively engage hostile submarines and surface warships. However, Russia will maintain and upgrade its fleet of strategic submarines, carrying ballistic missiles, as a naval component of the nuclear triad. "In this regard, we will build at least six Borey-class strategic submarines to serve in the Northern and the Pacific fleets," Burtsev said. The first Borey-class submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, was built at the Sevmash plant in northern Russia, and is undergoing mooring trials. It will carry up to 16 Bulava-M sea-based ballistic missiles. Two other Borey class nuclear submarines, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh, are currently under construction at the Sevmash shipyard and are expected to be completed in 2009 and 2011.

Taliban Leader Killed In Afghan Raid

Taliban Leader Killed In Afghan Raid

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - March 23, 2009: A senior Taliban leader responsible for roadside bombings and suicide attacks against NATO forces died during an attack on his compound, NATO said Monday. Maulawi Hassan died with nine other militants during a weekend attack in Helmand province, The New York Times reported.

U.S. Marines to the concerns of local opium and wheat farmers during a traditional meeting or "shura" on March 22, 2009 in Qalanderabad, Afghanistan. The Marines asked local residents about Taliban activity in the area, noting a spike in Taliban attacks in nearby districts. The farmers wanted to know about a planned road improvement in their area, which would allow them access to markets to more easily sell their crops, primarily wheat and opium poppy. The Taliban often extorts a percentage of the profits from the farmers' harvest to fund attacks on American forces, according to the military. U.S. Marines, however, have no mandate to destroy poppy crops in Afghanistan. "He became known for his insurgent activities in the autumn of 2008 and was heavily involved in several illegal activities," a NATO statement said. No civilians were killed in the attack, the statement said. Assadullah Shirzad, police chief of Helmand province, said the deaths of Hassan and the other militants were "an important achievement for Afghan and NATO forces in Helmand, and a real blow to Taliban." Meanwhile, a U.S. Special Forces raid in which five people died Sunday has resulted in differing accounts about whether the dead were civilians or militants, the Times reported. The U.S. military said in a statement its troops killed five militants and captured four suspects in a raid in the northern province of Kunduz. Local officials said, however, the dead weren't militants and that the raided house belonged to the town's mayor. Also, a military statement said the operation was coordinated with local Afghan police, but provincial police chief Gen. Abdul Razaq Yaqoubi said no information was given to him, the Kunduz governor or the head of intelligence. A U.S. military spokesman in Washington could not be reached for comment about the conflicting accounts, the Times said.

Ukraine Welcomes NATO's Plans To Restart Cooperation With Russia

Ukraine Welcomes NATO's Plans To Restart Cooperation With Russia

(NSI News Source Info) KIEV - March 23, 2009: Ukraine's minister for European and international integration welcomed on Sunday NATO's willingness to resume cooperation with Russia. Hryhoriy Nemyrya said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Brussels that NATO's intention to resume cooperation with Russia was an important step towards strengthening security in Europe. Scheffer announced NATO's decision to restart cooperation with Russia on March 5, after meeting with foreign ministers from the alliance's member states. The work of the Russia-NATO Council was suspended by the alliance unilaterally in September 2008, after Russia's retaliation to Georgia's attack on South Ossetia in August. Scheffer had also said NATO was ready to discuss a proposal by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the establishment of a new European security system. Russia's envoy to the military alliance, Dmitry Rogozin, earlier said the work of the Russia-NATO Council could resume later this month. He also said the "period of estrangement" in Russia-NATO relations is "largely behind us."

Ukraine To Finance Two Antonov AN-70s / Ukraine Ready To Provide Full Support To Aviation Branch

Ukraine To Finance Two Antonov AN-70s / Ukraine Ready To Provide Full Support To Aviation Branch

*The Ukrainian and Russian governments would all be very foolish not to capitalize on the problems facing the Airbus A-400M and quickly introduce the An-70 on the market. The timing could not be better for them. If they do not do it, it means that there is a yet-unreleased technical reason that blocks the An-70 production....said by A Taxpayer (DTN Defense-Technology News)

(NSI News Source Info) March 23, 2009: On March 16, 2009 Yuliya Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine, visited Aviant Kiev aviation plant – one of the enterprises of Antonov State Aircraft Building Concern. Y. V. Tymoshenko, speaking at the meeting with workers of the plant, noted that development of the aviation branch is one of the priority direction of activity of Ukrainian government. “AN-148 today is one of the main projects of our aviation industry.The AN-70 aircraft belongs to a new generation of the short takeoff and landing tactical military medium transport. AN-70 is capable to carry practically any item of the military armament and equipment nomenclature with a total weight up to 35-47 t of cargo over the 3,000-5100 km range at cruising speed of 700-750 km/h, air drop of personnel and vehicles, including the single piece of cargoes up to 21 t with both high and low altitudes, delivery of 300 soldiers and evacuation of 206 wounded and sick persons. Maximum service range is 8,000 km. Depending on the type of operation and takeoff weight, AN-70 can be operated both from the concrete runways of the 1550-1800 m length and unpaved strips of the 600-800 m length with a low covering strength. With the short takeoff and landing regime, when operating from the 600-800 m length unpaved runways, AN-70 is capable to carry 20 t of cargo to the 3,000 km range. Four D-27 engines with the SV-27 counter-rotating propfans ensure a high cruising speed and 20-30% fuel economy in comparison with modern turbojet airplanes. The integrated digital system of the airborne equipment provides operation of the aircraft at all latitudes, around-the-clock, in the VFR and IFR weather conditions, the flights over the military dispositions, the takeoff and landing from the unequipped unpaved airfields. Application of the equipment with the multiplex channels of data exchange makes it possible to modify and adapt easily the onboard avionics to any version. The build-in aerial delivery system ensures the autonomous loading/unloading of the wide range of cargoes and their air dropping. The onboard loading equipment consists of four overhead rail electric motor hoists with a total cargo lifting capacity of 12 t, two onboard electric winches with the 1.5-ton tractive effort each. At customer request the aircraft can be equipped with the easily removable upper deck or roller conveyer to automate the container handling operations.

I am ready to conduct personally diplomatic negotiations with the governments of the countries interested in purchase of AN-148”, said Y. V. Tymoshenko.

As Prime-minister said, the government is ready to give funds for production of two AN-70 military-transport STOL aircraft in accordance with the order of MoD of Ukraine.

D.S.Kiva, President of Antonov State Aircraft Building Concern, noted that “recovery of work at the serial plants is the most important factor of revival of aviation industry of Ukraine today. Giving funds for production of Antonov airplanes at Kiev and Kharkov aviation plants is the necessary and timely measure to overcome the crisis”.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Calls President Barack Obama "Ignoramus"

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Calls President Barack Obama "Ignoramus"

(NSI News Source Info) CARACAS - March 23, 2009: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama was at best an "ignoramus" for saying the socialist leader exported terrorism and obstructed progress in Latin America. "He goes and accuses me of exporting terrorism: the least I can say is that he's a poor ignoramus; he should read and study a little to understand reality," said Chavez, who heads a group of left-wing Latin American leaders opposed to the U.S. influence in the region. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks at Miraflores palace in Caracas March 21, 2009. Chavez said Obama's comments had made him change his mind about sending a new ambassador to Washington, after he withdrew the previous envoy in a dispute last year with the Bush administration in which he also expelled the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. "When I saw Obama saying what he said, I put the decision back in the drawer; let's wait and see," Chavez said on his weekly television show, adding he had wanted to send a new ambassador to improve relations with the United States after the departure of George W. Bush as president. In a January interview with Spanish-language U.S. network Univision, Obama said Chavez had hindered progress in Latin America, accusing him of exporting terrorist activities and supporting Colombian guerrillas. "My, what ignorance; the real obstacle to development in Latin America has been the empire that you today preside over," said Chavez, who is a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy. In the 20th century the United States supported several armed movements and coups in Latin America. Chavez says Washington had a hand in a short-lived putsch against him in 2002, which was initially welcomed by U.S. officials. Chavez and Obama will both attend the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago next month. It is not known whether they will meet. Most of OPEC nation Venezuela's export income comes from oil it sells to the United States, but Chavez has built stronger ties with countries like China in an attempt to reduce dependence on his northern neighbor. Chavez expelled its U.S. ambassador in September in a dispute over U.S. activities in his ally Bolivia, which also expelled its U.S. ambassador. Ecuador's left-wing President Rafael Correa this year kicked out a mid-ranking U.S. diplomat.

Japan Must Build Defence Capability: PM

Japan Must Build Defence Capability: PM

(NSI News Source Info) YOKOSUKA, Japan - March 23, 2009: Japan must build its defence capabilities and strengthen its alliance with the United States, Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Sunday, ahead of a planned rocket launch by North Korea. Japan has one of the world's best-funded armed forces. The Japan Self-Defense Forces, or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post-World War II US occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the forces were confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed abroad. In recent years, they have been engaged in international peacekeeping operations. Recent tensions, particularly with North Korea and China, have reignited the debate over the status of the SDF and its relation to society. Aso cited the threat from North Korea, which has announced plans to launch a communications satellite next month in a move seen by the United States, Japan and South Korea as a cover for a long-range missile test. "You must be well aware that we face many issues in the Asia-Pacific region, including North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development," Aso told students at a graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy. "For us to assure peace and stability in Japan, it is extremely important to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance as well as to make its own efforts for self defence." Under its US-imposed 1947 pacifist constitution, Japan renounced using or threatening force in international disputes. It nonetheless has one of the world's best-funded militaries, the Self-Defence Forces (SDF). Japan is developing a missile defence system with the United States. The government has said it is considering re-positioning land and sea-based interceptor missiles so they can shoot down a North Korean rocket if it threatens to hit its territory. Pyongyang has said it would regard interception as an act of war. Earlier this month the conservative Aso sent two Japanese warships for an anti-piracy mission off Somalia in which the nation's armed forces could face combat abroad for the first time since World War II.

Spanish Defense Ministry: Kosovo Pullout To Be Done In Stages

Spanish Defense Ministry: Kosovo Pullout To Be Done In Stages

(NSI News Source Info) MADRID - March 23, 2009: The withdrawal of Spanish troops from Kosovo, which has drawn U.S. criticism, will be done in a "staged" and "flexible" manner, the Spanish Defense Ministry said Sunday. Defense Minister Carme Chacon will meet North Atlantic Treaty Organization chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Brussels this week, the ministry said, to discuss Spain's pullout from the NATO-led force in Kosovo, a decision Chacon announced Thursday. Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon (C) reviews Spanish troops at "Base Espana" in Istok The U.S. said Friday it was "deeply disappointed and surprised" by the planned withdrawal. Spanish newspapers El Pais and El Mundo said Sunday that Spain has made concessions to the U.S. on the timing of the pullout, as well as on its involvement in Afghanistan. Bernardino Leon, the top aide to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, promised U.S. National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones that the Kosovo pullout would be done gradually and that Spain would boost its contingent in Afghanistan, the papers reported. Spain has thus far appeared reluctant to increase its military presence in Afghanistan, saying that sending more troops, as sought by Washington, "is not a solution" to resolving the country's problems. "The decision to withdraw Spanish troops from Kosovo, a territory whose independence Spain does not recognize, is firm and has been adopted by the government taking into account the operational necessities and the planning of our armed forces," the Defense Ministry statement said. "This process will take place in a staged and co-ordinated manner with our allies" and in a "flexible" way so that "the bulk of our troops are back within the time limit indicated by the ministry," it said. Unlike a number of European Union counterparts, Spain has declined to recognize Kosovo out of concern that it might set a precedent for separatists at home.

Poland To U.S.: Live Up To Missile Commitments

Poland To U.S.: Live Up To Missile Commitments

(NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS - March 23, 2009: Poland urged the United States on March 22 to live up to past commitments on missile defense as Washington reviews plans to expand its system into Europe, including basing interceptors in Poland. But U.S. Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, touted for a top arms control post in the Obama administration, said it was more important to counter the real threat from short- and medium-range missiles, while the review takes place. "We hope we don't regret our trust in the United States," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said at the Brussels Forum conference to an audience of senior world politicians and experts. Russia was enraged by the U.S. missile plans - which the Bush administration said was needed to counter a threat from Iran - but has welcomed the review ordered by President Barack Obama. "When we started discussing this business with the United States, the U.S. assured us that they would persuade Russia," Sikorski said. "I am afraid Russian generals and even the Russian president continue to threaten us with the deployment of medium-range missiles," he said. The United States has been negotiating with Poland and the Czech Republic to install 10 missile interceptors, which would not carry explosive warheads, and a radar system on their territories to expand its shield into Europe. Russia sees the system, initially meant to be in operation by 2013, as a threat to its security, but Washington denies this and has even struggled to bring Moscow on-board with the system. Russia had threatened to deploy Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave wedged between NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, if Washington did not halt the planned extensions. But it was assuaged by Obama's decision to order a review of the multi-billion dollar project to see whether it is still technically feasible and cost effective. The time needed to conduct it is unclear. Obama has also offered Tehran a "new beginning" to turn back the tide on decades of mutual distrust. "Poland has taken a political risk in signing up with the previous administration," Sikorski underlined. Last month, Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said talks with Washington on the plan, and in particular the stationing of U.S. Patriot missiles in Poland and other benefits Warsaw stood to gain, were ongoing. But Czech officials have said they would be prepared to wait three years for work on the radar base to begin. Polls show the Czech public is largely opposed to the system. Tauscher, currently being vetted for the job of undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said it was more important to move ahead with short- and medium-range missile defenses. She said that Russia should be brought on board with NATO on such a system and that if the U.S. shield proved feasible and cost-effective, it could be attached if this were acceptable. "We need to reassess," she said, noting that Congress believes the shield should not be deployed further until it has undergone "three or four more tests". "The threat is short- and medium-range missiles targeted towards our forward deployed troops, and our allies in southern Europe," she said. "We need to move in a NATOized way. Eventually we will develop a short- and medium-range system, one that will clearly share optics with Russia. We can certainly bolt on a long-range system once it has been tested."