U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey - Update # 3

U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey - Update # 3

*U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey - Update # 2 *U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey For First Visit To Muslim Country *Obama backs Turkey EU accession

(NSI News Source Info) ANKARA, Turkey - April 6, 2009: US President Barack Obama addresses the Turkish Grand National Assembly at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on April 6, 2009. US President Barack Obama said that he wants to build ties with Turkey on the "strong foundation" between the two NATO allies.

The Italian Navy Takes Delivery Of The Frigate “Caio Duilio” / Final Horizon-Class Frigate Delivered To Italian Navy

The Italian Navy Takes Delivery Of The Frigate “Caio Duilio” / Final Horizon-Class Frigate Delivered To Italian Navy

(NSI News Source Info) April 6, 2009: Today there was the ceremony at Fincantieri’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard to mark the handover to the Italian Navy of the frigate “Caio Duilio” which had been launched in October 2007 at Riva Trigoso.

The Italian Navy has taken delivery of CAIO DUILIO, its second and final Horizon-class air-defense frigate, seen here during its sea trials.

The handover follows intensive sea trials and there will be further testing of the communication, command and control systems so that the “Caio Duilio” may become fully operational.

The key feature of the ceremony was the raising of the flag of the Italian Navy on the Duilio.

The “Caio Duilio”, together with her sister ship, the Andrea Doria, which is already in service and was also built at Riva and Muggiano shipyards and delivered to the Navy in December 2007, were ordered by the Italian Navy from Fincantieri within the “Orizzonte” (Horizon) programme, which involves cooperation between Italy and France for the construction of two vessels for the fleet of each national Navy.

At 153 metres long with a beam of 20 metres, the “Caio Duilio” has a displacement at full load of 7,050 tonnes. Her maximum speed is 29 knots and the ship can accommodate a crew of 230. This is the fourth vessel that the Italian Navy has named “Caio Duilio”, in memory of the Roman consul who distinguished himself in the first Punic war when his fleet won the battle of Milazzo in 260 B.C.

Analysis: Never Ending Episode Tanker Planes Battle Still Raging

Analysis: Never Ending Episode Tanker Planes Battle Still Raging

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 6, 2009: After more than 50 years as the military's gas station in the sky -- and a decade of attempts to replace it -- the KC-135 is showing its age. The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is a United States aerial refueling tanker aircraft. It has been in service with the United States Air Force since 1957.

The KC-135 is derived from the original Boeing jet transport "proof of concept" demonstrator, the Boeing 367-80 (commonly called the "Dash-80"). As such, it has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the Boeing 707 jetliner. Boeing gave the tanker the designation of Model 717. The 367-80 was the basic design for the commercial Boeing 707 passenger aircraft as well as the KC-135A Stratotanker. In 1954 the USAF's Strategic Air Command ordered the first 29 of its future fleet of 732. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, California, in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965. Developed in the late 1950s, the basic airframe is characterized by swept wings and tail, four underwing mounted engine pods, a horizontal stabilizer mounted on the fuselage near the bottom of the vertical stabilizer with positive dihedral on the two horizontal planes and a hi-frequency radio antenna which protrudes forward from the top of the vertical fin or stabilizer. These basic features make it strongly resemble the commercial Boeing 707 and 720 aircraft, although it is actually a different aircraft.

The KC-135R's operational range is 60% greater than the KC-135E for comparable fuel offloads, providing a wider range of basing options. No longer in consideration, upgrading the remaining KC-135E into KC-135R would have cost about three billion dollars, about 24 million dollars per aircraft. According to Air Force data, the KC-135 fleet had a total operation and support cost in fiscal year 2001 of about $2.2 billion. The older E model aircraft averaged total costs of about $4.6 million per aircraft, while the R models averaged about $3.7 million per aircraft. Those costs include personnel, fuel, maintenance, modifications, and spare parts. Multi-Point Refueling System paradrogue and hose, the hose is 74 feet long when fully trailed. This program adds refueling pods to the KC-135's wings. The pods allow refueling of U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and MOST NATO tactical jet aircraft while keeping the tail-mounted refueling boom. The pods themselves are Flight Refueling Limited(FRL)MK32B model pods. This allows the tanker to refuel two receivers at the same time which increases throughput compared to the boom drogue adapter. The tanker planes were built in the late 1950s and early '60s and were supposed to fly for 20 years. But bitter competition between defense contractors and heavy pressure by members of Congress eager to bring jobs to their districts have caused delay in replacing the fleet. Both Boeing and Northrop Grumman propose a bigger plane that can carry more fuel. The plan is to phase out the KC-135 gradually once a new tanker is chosen, but the contractors and their allies in Congress disagree over which plane is better. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates plans to try again this spring to award a new contract. Even if a winner is picked this year, it will be years before new planes roll off the assembly line.

US Admiral Mike Mullen Cultivates Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani

US Admiral Mike Mullen Cultivates Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 6, 2009: For the United States, much may be riding on an unlikely relationship between America’s highest ranking military officer and Pakistan’s powerful army chief. Over cups of tea and the occasional cigar, the avuncular American admiral and the reserved general talk about terrorist threats and sensitive military operations in a region President Barack Obama deems the ‘central front’ in the fight against al Qaeda. Mullen praised Kayani for taking ‘bold steps’ against the insurgents. Kayani and the country’s political leadership face growing demands from Washington to take decisive action against the militants who are alleged to enjoy support from the country’s intelligence service. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he has gone out of his way to build a rapport with his Pakistani counterpart, General Ashfaq Kayani, speaking to him regularly and holding 10 face-to-face meetings since November 2007. ‘I’m a big believer that the worst time to try to get to know someone is during a crisis, so this constant dialogue I have with General Kayani is vital,’ said Mullen, responding to questions from AFP by email. Although the two come from different worlds – the US admiral is the son of a successful Hollywood publicist and Kayani comes from a working-class family headed by a father who was a non-commissioned officer – a bond of trust has begun to form, Mullen’s spokesman Captain John Kirby said. The meetings are conducted with few aides and far from public view. ‘Typically we meet alone with no note takers,’ Mullen said. As arguably the most powerful man in nuclear-armed Pakistan, Kayani is a pivotal figure for the Obama administration as it seeks to contain insurgents linked to al Qaeda who are challenging the Kabul government and Islamabad’s authority. Kayani and the country’s political leadership face growing demands from Washington to take decisive action against the militants who are alleged to enjoy support from the country’s intelligence service. Mullen praised Kayani for taking ‘bold steps’ against the insurgents, saying he has moved troops to the Afghan border, cracked down against militants in Bajaur and equipped the paramilitary Frontier Corps in the northwest. ‘I believe the relationship I have with General Kayani has been very productive,’ he said. ‘I’ve been encouraged by what he has done and, quite frankly, by what he has not done.’ The admiral said Kayani and the Pakistani government did not allow recent tensions with India over attacks in Mumbai to distract them from ‘the real struggle they face right now deep inside their borders.’ Kayani is not the first military chief in Pakistan with a reputation for competence to raise hopes in Washington. Musharraf’s promised crackdown against extremists failed to materialise. Musharraf ‘is a deceitful man who led us up the garden path,’ said Simon Henderson, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The American experience with Musharraf serves as a cautionary tale as US officials try to court Kayani. Once a military assistant to the late prime minister Benazir Bhutto as well as a trusted protégé of her rival Musharraf, Kayani has proven himself a ‘chameleon’ in surviving Pakistan’s treacherous political waters, Henderson said. Although Mullen credits him for his role in defusing last month’s political crisis between President Asif Ali Zardari and his rival Nawaz Sharif, it remains to be seen if Kayani is able or willing to carry out the kind of crackdown that Washington wants. As recently as 2007, Kayani served as director of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, the spy service at the heart of Western anxiety over Pakistan. Mullen said he was realistic about his talks with Kayani. ‘I’m not saying we take everything at face value – we remain concerned over the degree to which there are still linkages between ISI and the Taliban, for instance – but we have to better appreciate what they are up against in terms of their own troubled past,’ he said. Kayani insists the ISI has washed its hands of the militants and that its influence has been wildly overstated. ‘He claims the ISI has been purged of hardliners and the leadership is consciously looking out for people within the organisation who might be undermining the entire anti-terror effort,’ said Imtiaz Gul, chair of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad. Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (C), his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari,(R) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are pictured at the end of a news conference at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on April 1, 2009. Turkey host talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari focusing on security and intelligence sharing to reduce tensions over militant attacks along their border. Hamid Karzai Wednesday refused comment on Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's possible nomination for NATO's top job, saying the matter was up to alliance members. When talking about Kayani, Mullen refers to the best-selling book ‘Three Cups of Tea,’ by Greg Mortenson, the American rock climber who has dedicated his life to building schools in remote villages along Pakistan’s border. ‘It is said in that part of the world, after one cup of tea, you are strangers. After two cups you are friends. And after three cups of tea, you become family,’ Mullen said. ‘I’d like to believe I am working on at least my second cup of tea with him.’

U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey - Update # 2

U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey - Update # 2

*U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey For First Visit To Muslim Country

*Obama backs Turkey EU accession

(NSI News Source Info) ISTANBUL, TURKEY - April 6, 2009: Turkish President Abdullah Gul (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama (C) attend a welcoming ceremony in the courtyard of the Cankaya Presidential Palace on April 6, 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. Obama is on a two-day visit to Turkey to revitalise links between Turkey and the United States and he has vocalised his support for the country's efforts to join the European Union.

US Seeks To Bring About Political Reform In Pakistan

US Seeks To Bring About Political Reform In Pakistan

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 6, 2009: In its new strategy for the Pak-Afghan region, the US administration seems to have undertaken an ambitious plan for Pakistan which entails political restructuring as well as changing perceptions. The restructuring involves bringing the ISI effectively under civilian control. To achieve the other goal, the Americans are seeking to change Pakistan’s perception of India as an enemy. The restructuring involves bringing the ISI effectively, and not just technically, under civilian control. To achieve the other goal, the Americans are seeking to change Pakistan’s perception of India as an enemy. As a replacement, they are offering a new enemy: the militants operating along the Pak-Afghan border. Since March 27, when President Barack Obama unveiled the new US strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, a number of US officials — including at least three senior generals — have publicly acknowledged seeking to change both the ISI and Pakistan’s perception of India. Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US and the UK, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, currently visiting North America on a lecture tour, pointed out that recent statements by US officials blaming the ISI for backing the militants were ‘unprecedented’. ‘Such complaints are dealt with in private meetings, not in the media,’ she said. But the first indication that the Americans, as well as some of their Pakistani allies, want to go public with their complaints against the ISI came in July when Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited Washington. During the visit, his adviser for interior affairs, Rahman Malik, surprised the media by saying that the Americans wanted them to take on the ISI. Just before the visit, the Gilani government made a move to bring the ISI under Mr Malik but had to withdraw after a hostile reaction both in the media and by the defence establishment. Other observers noted that the move was causing new political alignments in Pakistan. Two important political figures, Prime Minister Gilani and Nawaz Sharif, are openly defending the ISI while President Asif Ali Zardari and those close to him appear to be weighing their options. Diplomatic observers in Washington say that at least some elements in the current Pakistani government are quietly watching if the Americans are only interested in severing the agency’s alleged ties to the militants or would help them reduce ISI’s domestic influence as well. If they are assured that the Americans can also help reduce the agency’s influence in domestic politics, they will support the American move,” one such observer said. The observers pointed out that in the last week of March President Zardari had a secret meeting in Dubai with US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani and the US Ambassador in the UAE Richard G. Olson Jr also attended this meeting. While the contents of the meeting were never made public, the observers believe that sensitive issues like the ISI’s alleged links to the militants must have been discussed. The US complaints, however, are not confined to the ISI. Lisa Curtis, a senior scholar attached with a Washington think-tank, the Heritage Foundation, recently wrote that the Americans had complaints against other senior officials of the Pakistani military as well. ‘Last spring … US intelligence agencies apparently intercepted messages in which Pakistani army chief General Kayani referred to Afghan militant commander Jalaluddin Haqqani as a ‘strategic asset,’ she wrote. Observers believe that the current American ‘pressure tactics’ is meant only to convince Pakistan not to retain its links to the militants. So, there is no desire to reconfigure Washington’s relations with the Pakistani military.

Castro: Americans Summit To Keep 'Excluding' Cuba

Castro: Americans Summit To Keep 'Excluding' Cuba

*Fidel Castro has called on Latin American countries to support an end to Cuba's isolation when they meet the US president at a regional summit.

(NSI News Source Info) HAVANA - April 6, 2009: A summit of leaders from across the Americas won't start for almost two weeks. But Fidel Castro is already complaining about its closing statement. In an article published Sunday by official news media, the former Cuban leader said that visiting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega had showed him a draft of the agreement the summit leaders are supposed to approve at the end of the April 17-19 summit in Trinidad and Tobago. It "contains a great number of inadmissible concepts," Castro wrote. Cuba's President Raul Castro (L) and his Nicaraguan counterpart Daniel Ortega walk together during a meeting in Havana April 2, 2009. Picture taken April 2, 2009. Cuba is the only country in the region not invited — an exclusion based on decades of U.S. attempts to isolate the communist government. Castro expressed irritation that the proposed statement does not mention the calls by many Latin American leaders for an end to such boycotts and for better ties between the United States and Cuba. "Who is now demanding our exclusion? Perhaps they don't understand that times of exclusionary agreements against our people have been left far behind?" Castro wrote, suggesting that Latin American leaders should push harder against the U.S. boycott of Cuba. "One cannot keep silent in the face of unnecessary and inadmissible concessions," Castro said. Diplomats usually conclude summit declarations well before heads of state meet to announce them, though leaders can always make last-minute changes. U.S. attempts to isolate Cuba diplomatically have collapsed in recent decades and Cuba now has warm relations with most major Latin American and Caribbean nations. Ortega and nine other Latin American heads of state have traveled to Cuba since January and most have met with Fidel Castro as well as his younger brother Raul, 77, who took over as president last year when the elder Castro formally stepped aside for health reasons. President Barack Obama, who will attend the summit, does not support lifting the U.S. embargo altogether, but his administration intends to allow Americans to visit relatives in Cuba and send money to their families in this country. Some restrictions on family travel and remittances were eased temporarily in legislation Obama signed last month, but lifting the bans entirely would meet a pledge Obama made during the presidential campaign and could be a step toward a new openness with Cuba.

US Navy Retires The Huey

US Navy Retires The Huey

(NSI News Source Info) April 6, 2009: The US Navy has closed a chapter in its rotary-wing history with the retirement of the last H-1 Hueys in naval service. At a special ceremony at NAS Fallon, Nevada on April 3, the base's Search and Rescue team, known as the Longhorns, flew one final flight in one of their last two HH-1 Hueys. The unit will continue its search and rescue commitment with the H-60 Seahawk. The Bell Helicopter UH-1 Iroquois, commonly (or officially in the U.S. Marine Corps) known as the "Huey", is a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam War. The UH-1 was developed from 1955 US Army trials with the Bell Model 204. The initial designation of HU-1 (helicopter utility) led to its nickname, Huey. The aircraft was first used by the military in 1959 and went into tri-service production in 1962 as the UH-1. The last were produced in 1976 with more than 16,000 made in total, of which about 7,000 saw use during the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, 2,202 Huey pilots were killed and approximately 2,500 aircraft were lost, roughly half to combat and the rest to operational accidents. Fallon was the last bastion of the HH-1 in US Navy service. The type operated from the base for 36 years primarily providing SAR for military operations in Northwest Nevada, specifically, NAS Fallon and the enormous ranges employed by the base for training aircrews.The unit also had a secondary responsibility of providing helicopter SAR services to civilian agencies, but only when the service does not interfere with the unit's primary mission. In 2000, the Longhorns had one of their busiest years taking part in 26 civilian rescues ranging from a lost 60-year-old hiker with a broken femur to a 22-year-old snowboarder who fell 800 feet down a crevasse. One of the last two Hueys will be put on display at NAS Fallon, the other used as a training tool in Florida. The H-1 served the Navy for 43 years, and HH-1s have served on numerous Search and Rescue units at Naval bases across the United States and on Antarctic operations, adopting a bright dayglo orange scheme and flying wiht United States Navy Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6).

Indo-Russia's Tactical Transpot Aircraft In Progress - Update

Indo-Russia's Tactical Transpot Aircraft In Progress - Update

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - April 6, 2009: The Indo-Russian Transport Aircraft is a medium-lift military transport which will be constructed by a joint-venture formed by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia and the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) of India. Both companies will invest US$300 million each in joint venture. First flight expected in 2011. Irkut has pulled out of the project after an industry realignment and has been replaced by Ilyushin. Total cost of development is 600 million US$. The envisaged requirement is for 100 aircraft for the Russian Air Force, 45+ for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and a projected demand of 60 from third countries. The IAF sees the aircraft as a replacement for its ageing fleet of 60-70 An-32/ and Avro HS 748 aircraft. Planned Specs: Maximum takeoff weight: 55,000 kg, Capacity: 88 to 100 paratroopers/­passengers, Payload: 18.5 tons. The deal was signed in November 2007 during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Moscow. Rosoboronexport has now identified Ilyushin Aviation Complex as the new prime nodal agency after Irkut pulled out of the project in March 2008. The development and certification of the new aircraft is expected to be completed within six years. The aircraft will replace Indian Air Force's aging fleet of Antonov An-12, An-26 and An-32 transport aircraft. The aircraft will be able to perform regular transport duties and also deploy paratroopers. According to some speculative reports, the aircraft is to be powered by Russian-made turbofan engines attached to top mounted wings, and has a T-shaped tail. The payload will be 18.5 tons of military or civilian cargo, with a range of 2500 km and a speed of 870 km/h.

Indian Air Force plans to acquire 45 Tactical Transport Aircraft. Russian market will demand nearly 100 transport aircraft within next 12 years. The jet is expected to fly by 2013 and inducted by 2015.

U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey For First Visit To Muslim Country

U.S. President Barack Obama In Turkey For First Visit To Muslim Country

*Obama backs Turkey EU accession

(NSI News Source Info) ANKARA - April 6, 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in NATO member Turkey on Sunday in his first visit as president to a Muslim country. Obama's visit, on the last leg of an eight-day trip that marks his debut as president on the world stage, is a recognition of the secular but predominantly Muslim country's growing clout and Washington's desire for its help to solve confrontations and conflicts from Iran to Afghanistan. President Barack Obama disembarks Air Force One as he arrives in Ankara, Turkey, Sunday, April 5, 2009. U.S.-Turkish relationship suffered badly in 2003 when Ankara opposed the invasion of Iraq. But Obama will seek help from Turkey as he pushes a new regional strategy in Afghanistan and as it prepares to reduce the number of troops in Iraq. Obama's motorcade got plenty of friendly waves from small groups along a route from the international airport to the city center lined with security personnel. A few people waved tiny Turkish flags. Bush got a mostly indifferent response from the public in visits to the Muslim world. Turkey will not be the venue for Obama's promised major speech in a Muslim capital, but his April 5-7 trip will be a way to emphasize his message of reaching out to Muslims. Obama will stress Washington's support for Turkey's bid to join the European Union despite opposition from some member states. Obama urged EU leaders in Prague earlier on Sunday to accept Turkey as a full member of the 27-nation bloc, in remarks rejected outright by France and met coolly by Germany. Turkish entry talks with the EU have been held up by European concerns over human rights, a perceived lack of progress on reforms, and by a long territorial dispute with EU member Cyprus. Turkey has pledged several times to press on with EU reforms, and membership is seen many years off at best. Obama will meet Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, and will deliver an address to parliament in Ankara on Monday. In Istanbul, Obama will attend a reception of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, co-hosted by Turkey and Spain to bridge the gap between Western and Islamic countries.

British Troops In Afghanistan Will Receive 'Husky or MXT-MV' From Navistar

British Troops In Afghanistan Will Receive 'Husky or MXT-MV' From Navistar

(NSI News Source Info) April 6, 2009: Work has started on a fleet of over 200 new 'go anywhere' vehicles which will greatly improve the protection of British troops in Afghanistan. Under a contract worth almost £120m, the US company Navistar Defense is building and supporting the new Husky vehicle which has been designed for a range of missions including transporting food, water and ammunition, and acting as a command vehicle at headquarters.

The Husky will provide a robust and highly mobile protected support vehicle for operations. The Navistar Defense International MXT-MV is a tactical vehicle family featuring rugged design, light frame rail system and 4x4 performance. These vehicles are designed to transport personnel and cargo safely and securely. The MXT-MV is ideal for border patrols, recon missions and security details. Its strong frame design also provides the ability for it to be up-armored. And even with the extra weight of the armor, the MXT-MV has superior maneuvering, hauling and braking capability. The MXT-MVA is the five-passengers armored cab version of the MXT-MV platform. It is powered by a MaxxForce D engine developing 300-hp of power. The Husky is a customized version of the MXT-MVA selected by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MoD) in November 2008. It is intended to carry out the support roles in areas where heavy vehicles, like Mastiff, cannot be used. Husky along with the Coyote and Wolfhound vehicles are the preferred bidders for a £350 million program for around 400 brand new armored support trucks to support military operations in Afghanistan. It will serve as utility, ambulance and command post vehicles. Some vehicles will be fitted out as protected ambulances. The contract also sees British firm Dytecna, who are based in Malvern, carrying out specified vehicle modifications and installation of various electronic and communication systems to ensure that Husky meets the British Army's requirements. Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies said: "Getting the right vehicles and equipment to our Armed Forces has always been an absolute priority. I am sure that Navistar will bring energy and commitment into delivering these much needed vehicles to our troops in good time. "I am also pleased that British industry is playing a full part in this exciting project and that a British company, Dytecna, is able to deliver high quality equipment for our Armed Forces." Equipped with a machine gun, the new protected support vehicle is designed to provide commanders with a highly mobile and flexible load-carrying vehicle for the troops on operations. Lieutenant Colonel Nick Wills, Tactical Support Vehicle Programme Manager in Defence Equipment and Support's Protected Mobility Team, said: "The Husky vehicle provides a robust and very mobile protected support vehicle for operations. The design has picked up on many of the lessons from current operations. "Throughout the process to date, Navistar Defense and their UK integrator Dytecna Ltd have been extremely proactive. With the first prototype having arrived in the UK already, we look forward to getting to grips with trials and integration work." Husky will join its sister vehicles Wolfhound and Coyote as part of the £350m Tactical Support Vehicle programme announced last year which will buy over 400 new armoured support trucks to accompany our existing patrols carrying the essential supplies such as water and ammunition.

U.S. Spies On China From Kyrgyz Base: Russian TV

U.S. Spies On China From Kyrgyz Base: Russian TV

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - April 6, 2009: Russian state television accused the United States on Sunday of spying on China and Russia after secretly turning its only remaining air base in Central Asia into a state-of-the-art surveillance center. A U.S. defense official dismissed the allegations as ridiculous on Friday, when Rossiya television, widely seen as an official mouthpiece in Russia, released a clip of the documentary it aired on Sunday about the Manas base. Kyrgyz and U.S. officials could not be reached for comment late on Sunday. Kyrgyzstan told Washington in February to close the base near the capital Bishkek, used to send supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, after it secured a $2 billion economic aid package from Russia. The Americans are due to leave in August. Airing the documentary, called "Base," Rossiya showed a compound of two-storey windowless buildings, and said: "In one of the buildings ... there is a multi-channel, multi-functional system of radio-electronic surveillance. "This station can eavesdrop the whole world -- every fax, every e-mailed letter. Every call from a mobile or landline phone is being recorded and processed. Billions of messages are being intercepted." It said: "At Manas, the U.S. built a station which controls entire Central Asia, parts of China and Siberia. For Americans, the existence of the intelligence complex at the base is more important than the runway. It was done in a treacherous way, without being endorsed by the Kyrgyz authorities." Airing the film just days after President Dmitry Medvedev's first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to raise speculation of tensions within Russia's elite. The U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity of Friday, noted the TV report surfaced just as U.S. and Kyrgyz officials had resumed dialogue over the base's future. The film was made by Russian journalist Arkady Mamontov, who in 2006 provoked a spat between London and Moscow with a documentary showed that pictures of what Mamontov said were British spies using a fake rock to gather secrets electronically.

EADS Defence & Security Modernizes Aircraft Identification Systems Of The Bulgarian Armed Forces

EADS Defence & Security Modernizes Aircraft Identification Systems Of The Bulgarian Armed Forces

*Reliable identification avoids accidental attacks on own forces *Upgrade to NATO standards enable participation in multinational crisis management missions

(NSI News Source Info) April 6, 2009: EADS Defence & Security (DS) will modernize the identification systems of the Bulgarian armed forces in order to avoid friendly fire and increase air traffic security. As reported today, Defence Electronics (DE), an integrated activity of DS, has been awarded a contract worth approx. € 14m by the Bulgarian company Promax99 covering the delivery of new technology identification (Identification Friend or Foe = IFF) systems. The MSSR 2000 I systems (MSSR = Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar) are capable of the latest air traffic control and NATO Mode S and Mode 5 standards. They will be integrated in Ground and Naval platforms.

IFF systems from EADS Defence & Security onboard the German Navy ships (seen here: Fast Attack Craft of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon) help to avoid friendly fire.

Identification systems automatically exchange data such as origin, course, speed etc., thus enabling precise identification. This data exchange in the military field is based upon encrypted signals which cannot be analyzed or jammed by hostile forces. This complements the information supplied by other sources and in this way improves monitoring of crisis regions. Since one’s own forces can be identified quickly and reliably, accidental attacks on own or allied forces can be avoided, above all during multinational operations.

“Due to the increasing complexity of combat situations and scenarios, identification is today an existential matter during all military operations,” explained Bernd Wenzler, CEO of DE. “And thanks to those equipment, Bulgaria will be able to actively participate in future NATO operations.”

DE has delivered many IFF systems to several NATO nations for ground and naval applications. For example, the MSSR 2000 I interrogator is deployed on German naval vessels and by the naval forces of France, Norway and Finland for the military friend-or-foe identification (IFF). Furthermore EADS Defence & Security is also active in the field of civil Air Traffic Control. DE’s identification systems are used for air traffic control in such countries as Portugal and the Philippines.

Defence Electronics is an integrated activity of EADS Defence & Security (DS). DS is a systems solutions provider for armed forces and civil security worldwide. Its portfolio ranges from sensors and secure networks through missiles to aircraft and UAVs as well as global security, service and support solutions. In 2008, DS – with around 23,000 employees – achieved revenues of € 5.7 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2008, EADS generated revenues of € 43.3 billion and employed a workforce of about 118,000.

US Plans Three Billion Dollar Military Boost For Pakistan: Report

US Plans Three Billion Dollar Military Boost For Pakistan: Report

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 6, 2009: The US Defense Department has a three billion dollar plan to train and equip Pakistan's military over the next five years, US media reported Friday. The funds would pay for helicopters, night-vision goggles and other equipment and counterinsurgency training for Pakistan's special operations forces and Frontier Corps paramilitary troops, the New York Times said. Paramilitary troops guard outside the mausoleum of the founder of ruling Pakistan People's Party, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, on his 30th death anniversary in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh near Larkana April 4, 2009. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, father of slained former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was executed by the country's late military dictator General Zia ul Haq on April 4, 1979 in Rawalpindi. It quoted Pentagon officials as saying up to 500 million dollars could come from a yearly emergency war budget that President Barack Obama's administration is to present to Congress next week. But with some legislators expressing concern over the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, the top US military officer acknowledged that the United States had not mandated enough accountability for the funds. "There hasn't been an audit trail, and there haven't been accountability measures put in place, and there needs to be for all the funds," Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Times's editorial board. "So we're going to do that. For this counterinsurgency money, which is important, it is critical that it goes for exactly that and nowhere else." Mullen said the Pakistani military must change its focus from fighting arch-foe India to combating militants and insurgents within its borders. "That's not going to change overnight," he said. Mullen said insurgents operating in safe havens in Pakistan were preparing attacks against Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The Taliban, in particular, are going both ways now," he said. "They are coming toward Islamabad and they are actually going toward Kabul. I'm completely convinced that the vast majority of the leaders in Pakistan understand the seriousness of the threat." With insurgents in Afghanistan led and backed by hardline militants in tribal areas over the border in Pakistan, the United States has warned Islamabad that in return for economic and military aid it must crack down on Islamist groups. Mullen said last month that aid to Pakistan needed to be linked to concrete action but expressed confidence that the country's military grasped the nature of the threat within its borders. He said the Pakistani military leadership, including chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani, understood that the militants posed a threat to Pakistan itself. "I have great confidence in General Kayani and in the Pakistani military," said Mullen, who holds frequent talks with his Pakistani counterpart. Despite the deployment of more than 100,000 troops, Pakistan has been unable to stop a wave of attacks by Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants that have killed 1,700 since July 2007.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad To Visit Kazakhstan On April 6

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad To Visit Kazakhstan On April 6

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN - April 6, 2009: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will arrive in Kazakhstan on Monday for talks with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, his press service said on Saturday. The two-day visit, Ahmadinejad's first visit to Astana since his 2005 election, will focus on bilateral relations, with special attention paid to the possible introduction of a moratorium on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea. Russia banned commercial sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea in 2002 in an effort to combat the species' declining population, which has been cut more than 95% in the last 15 years due to rampant poaching.

Caspian Sea sturgeon accounts for almost 90% of the world's black caviar. According to Russian experts, who said illegal sales of the delicacy were cut in half in 2008, it will take at least 10 years to restore the sturgeon population in Russian waters. The Caspian Sea's five littoral states - Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran - have not reached agreement on its status since the breakup of the Soviet Union, complicating joint efforts in the region.