DTN News - MAURITANIA DEFENSE NEWS: Mauritania Receives Brazilian-Made Super Tucano Jet Fighter

DTN News - MAURITANIA DEFENSE NEWS: Mauritania Receives Brazilian-Made Super Tucano Jet Fighter

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The North Africa Post
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 25, 2012: Mauritanian Air Force has received its first Brazilian-made Super Tucano jet fighter under a military deal passed last march with the aircraft manufacturer Embraer, without saying how many planes will be delivered to the African nation.

However, some foreign diplomatic and intelligence sources say that Mauritania will be supplied at least three EMB-314 Super Tucano light military planes which can be used for pilot training, reconnaissance, internal security, border patrol and counter-terrorism and anti-narcotics trafficking missions.

Equipped with an advanced laser inertial navigation and attack system, a GPS and a traffic alerting and collision avoidance system (TCAS), the Super Tucano has an integrated advanced weapon system. This includes  a centerline hard-point for air-to-surface weapons beneath the fuselage, besides wing-embedded cannons.

The aircraft also includes the Safire thermal imaging system from FLIR, which allows the aircraft to carry out night surveillance and attack missions. Powered by a PT6A-68A turboprop engine developing 969kW, the aircraft can fly at a maximum speed of 560km/h. It is also capable of operating from remote bases and unpaved runways.

Designed to operate in high temperature and humidity conditions in extremely rugged terrain, the Super Tucano is highly maneuverable, has a low heat signature, and incorporates 4th generation avionics and weapons systems. It is currently used by the air forces of Brazil, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and has been ordered by the armies of Guatemala and Angola.

Mauritania, which has a population of 3.5 million, is facing growing terrorist threats in the Sahel region which has become a safe haven for organized crime and terrorist networks.

After the Islamist extremists took control of Northern Mali, thousands of refugees fled into Mauritania, placing additional strain on resources as the country is itself rocked by internal turmoil and struggling with a food crisis engulfing the whole Sahel region.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The North Africa Post
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DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: Royal Canadian Army During Multi-National Military Exercise RIMPAC In Hawaii / Pacific Nations Seeking 'Insurance' At War Games

DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: Royal Canadian Army During Multi-National Military Exercise RIMPAC In Hawaii / Pacific Nations Seeking 'Insurance' At War Games
*China isn't invited but remains unspoken presence

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Pictures of The Day + U~T  San Diego
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2012: Soldiers of the 1st Platoon A Company of the Royal Canadian Army advance on the objective with an observer from the United States Marine Corps (L) during live fire training for the multi-national military exercise RIMPAC at Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii July 22, 2012.

China’s bullying behavior, and growing military muscle, has led to an explosion of interest from other Pacific nations in American-run naval war games this month.

One expert said Pacific nations are looking for an “insurance policy” against the possibility of China becoming a great but ugly power.

Led by the U.S. Navy’s San Diego-based Third Fleet, the Rim of the Pacific international maritime exercises off Hawaii include 22 nations, a 50 percent increase from two years ago. For the first time, Russia is a player.

“A lot of these countries interested in doing these exercises have China in the back of their mind,” said Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum CSIS, a Honolulu think tank on Asia policy.

“If you have an 800-pound gorilla roaming your front yard, you’d like to have a 1,600-pound gorilla in the living room,” he said, referring to the United States. “And we’re housebroken.”

These every-other-year exercises, launched in 1971 with Canada and Australia, are not new. But experts say the United States, which some in Asia see as a declining power compared to China, has more to prove this year. The White House’s January announcement of a military “pivot” toward Asia comes at the same time as sweeping defense spending cuts.

“The assurance that the United States wants to send out is that the talk of our demise is greatly exaggerated. That not only do we have the strength to continue to play the role in the region that we have, but we have a commitment to do so,” said Denny Roy, a senior fellow at Honolulu’s East-West Center.

“The United States, though, is struggling to make that message believable because of its financial crisis.”

China was not invited to these war games, known widely as RIMPAC. The U.S. Third Fleet’s Gerald Beaman, the three-star Navy admiral in charge of the exercises, said the policy is not new and was set well over his head.

In 1998, the United States allowed a small Chinese contingent to observe RIMPAC. But that was before Congress in 2000 restricted American-Chinese military contact and required an annual report on the Chinese defense picture.

According to the latest China report in May, Beijing announced an 11 percent jump this year in its military budget to $106 billion, though actual spending is believed to be higher. By any count, China is continuing more than two decades of defense spending growth, which includes ambitions to make a second-hand aircraft carrier operational this year and deliver an advanced fighter jet as early as 2018, the report said.

In the past few years, China has upset its neighbors in the South China Sea by making claims to natural resources around the Spratly Islands that are still unresolved.

China severed military ties with the United States in early 2010 over American arms sales to Taiwan. High-level discussions between U.S. and Chinese defense leaders has slowly resumed since 2011.

While RIMPAC revved up in Hawaii, Adm. Samuel Locklear, the four-star admiral who leads U.S. Pacific Command, visited Chinese defense officials in June.

Private Dvon Bradley (L) and Private Josh Nelson of the 1st Platoon A Company of the Royal Canadian Army advance towards the objective during live fire training for the multi-national military exercise RIMPAC.

Response from China to RIMPAC 2012 has been cool. A June 29 editorial in the English-language Global Times, opined that China may be “lonely” but not isolated by the Hawaii war games.

“The exercise is nothing but a big party held by the U.S., which is in a melancholy state of mind due to difficult realities,” the newspaper wrote.

“We will think that the exercise enhances the U.S. central position and isolates China. However, whether or not the U.S. has such intentions, an Asian geopolitical landscape with an isolated China is unlikely to come about.”

For the 25,000 international troops attending, the war games are a chance for those who brought ships and planes to practice shooting at targets in the Pacific Missile Range Facility, the world’s largest.

Off Kauai, it boasts 1,100 square miles of underwater space where acoustic sensors give military commanders detailed feedback on how their shots went off.

For large Pacific nations, this is a chance to practice working together, such as refueling each other’s aircraft. The idea is, when the next crisis hits the Pacific — as some say is inevitable, with the 2011 Japanese earthquake an example — it won’t be difficult for responding nations to work together.

For nations that sent only troops, such as Tonga, Indonesia and Malaysia, it’s a chance to learn. Activities include amphibious landings, anti-piracy training, mine clearing and diving and salvage operations and disaster-assistance drills.

New Zealand has returned to RIMPAC, after strained relations with the United States since 1984 over New Zealand’s objections to nuclear weapons.

The frayed ties began to mend when Kiwi troops participated in Afghanistan and further improved after joint security agreements in 2010 and this year. New Zealand troops came to Camp Pendleton last month to train with U.S. Marines, who had gone there in May.

But the nuke dispute has meant U.S. warships can’t dock in New Zealand, and New Zealand’s two warships weren’t allowed to tie up in Pearl Harbor with the other RIMPAC vessels, which caused a flap in Kiwi media.

New Zealand and its neighbor Australia both see their futures in amphibious ships, which are different from most warships because they transport troops and put them ashore. New Zealand bought its first modern amphib, the Canterbury, in 2008. Australia is expecting its first, the Canberra, to enter service in 2014 and the Adelaide to follow.

But neither country has a Marine Corps. So they are training army soldiers to work from ships, a cultural sea change. Australian and New Zealand military spokesman touted the ability to use amphibs to respond to humanitarian crises.

Out of 46 vessels present, Russia supplied three, a destroyer, salvage tug and tanker.

The Russians declined an interview request, according to a U.S. Navy spokesman. But Third Fleet’s Beaman said the contingent was involved in gunnery exercises, diving and salvage, anti-piracy and maritime security training.

Russia has also participated in naval exercises with China in recent years.

Cossa of the Pacific Forum said Russia is taking another look at Asia, where it has run hot and cold in the past, with the return of Vladimir Putin to the presidency.

The U.S. Navy spent $2.3 million on RIMPAC in 2010 — not counting the fuel used and salaries of U.S. troops involved, which the Navy says would gone toward training anyway.

The increased interest in the exercises apparently cost the United States only a bit more. Third Fleet officials say the price tag will likely go up 15 percent when the bills are tallied this year.


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DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: RIMPAC’s Impact On Military Ties, Biofuel

DTN News - RIMPAC 2012: RIMPAC’s Impact On Military Ties, Biofuel

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer Navy Times
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 23, 2012: The largest-ever Rim of the Pacific exercise will conclude Aug. 7 after bringing together 21 countries, 25,000 troops, 40 ships, six submarines and 200 aircraft for a 42-day training evolution.

While a lot of publicity has surrounded the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet” of biofuel-filled ships, there are other reasons to keep close watch of what’s going on in the waters around Hawaii.

This year’s larger military turnout could be credited to China’s growing economic influence and expanding blue-water navy. China’s pushiness into regional issues is unsettling some governments.

“This leads to greater demand for U.S. involvement and leadership to offset possible Chinese domination,” said Denny Roy, senior fellow with the East-West Center in Honolulu. “Almost everyone in the region wants an insurance policy against the possibility of overbearing Chinese behavior.”

But China wasn’t invited. It cut military ties with the U.S. in 2010 because of America’s arms sales to Taiwan, and the relationship got even cooler because of China’s dealings with Iran. In the buildup to RIMPAC, China’s state-run media grumbled that India got invited and they didn’t.

Chinese and U.S. forces have plans to partner down the road, however. In late June, Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of U.S. Pacific Command, met his Chinese counterpart and addressed a top military academy in China with hopes of rebuilding military-to-military ties. China and the U.S. in May agreed to jointly perform humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and counterpiracy exercises, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Relationships don’t have to be golden for countries to participate in RIMPAC, a neutral ground for nations that don’t typically interact or train together.

Russia, for example, sent warships to RIMPAC this year for the first time. So did Mexico, whose navy focuses largely on coastal patrol. Mexico’s leaders want greater U.S. cooperation and military interactions. The country’s play in RIMPAC, which included training with Marines, could signal the start of more joint maritime exercises.

The 2012 exercise sees a return of four countries — Colombia, France, Malaysia and Thailand — that first participated in the biennial event in 2010. India, Norway and the Philippines each sent command staffs to observe and work with the overall combined task force, but India shelved original plans to send a ship for what the task force commander, Vice Adm. Gerald Beaman, told reporters was another commitment.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus’ biofuel initiative at RIMPAC has been impossible to ignore.

Despite congressional criticism over the high price of biofuel, Mabus still believes it’ll ultimately be cheaper and safer for the environment than petroleum-based fuels. The aircraft carrier Nimitz took on 180,000 gallons of a biofuel blend for aircraft; the algae-, fat- and plant-based biofuel also powered the cruiser Princeton and destroyer Chafee during RIMPAC.

It looks like the U.S. won’t go at it alone: Australia has agreed to work with the U.S. to develop biofuel for military use, and a larger demonstration is planned in 2016, The Australian newspaper reported.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer Navy Times
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DTN News: Colombian Air Force Inducted Air Refueling Tanker From Israel

DTN News: Colombian Air Force Inducted Air Refueling Tanker From Israel

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

(NSI News Source Info) TEL AVIV, Israel - November 10, 2010: Israel Aerospace Industries has delivered a converted B767-200ER Multi-Mission Tanker Transport to the Colombian air force. The aircraft, which has refueling capabilities, was converted by IAI's Bedek Aviation Group.

"We are proud and honored to deliver the Air Refueling B767 to the Colombian government and its air force," said Itzhak Nissan, Bedek Aviation Group's general manager. "The B767 MMTT configuration was jointly defined by IAI teams and Colombian air force pilots and officers to provide the best capabilities for both air refueling and transport missions.

The MMTT aircraft successfully completed flight tests, including in-flight refueling of Kfir/C10 fighter aircraft, also produced by IAI.

Israel Aerospace Industries' Bedek Aviation Group is a leading supplier of aviation maintenance, repair, overhaul and conversion services on a variety of commercial and military aircraft, engines and components.

IAI said Bedek's passenger-to-freighter conversion product line also includes: B737-300, B737-400, B767-200, and B747-400 aircraft.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: Colombia, Venezuela Reestablish Diplomatic Ties

DTN News: Colombia, Venezuela Reestablish Diplomatic Ties

Source: DTN News / Xinhua

(NSI News Source Info) SANTA MARTA, Colombia, - August 11, 2010: Colombian and Venezuelan governments agreed Tuesday to reestablish diplomatic relations.

The agreement was reached between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez after a long meeting in Santa Marta, a Colombian city on the Caribbean coast.

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos (Front L) talks to his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez (Front R), in their first meeting since Santos took office, in Santa Marta, Columbia, Aug. 10, 2010. Santos and Chavez reached an agreement on Tuesday to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries during their talks. (Xinhua Photo)

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos (R) meets with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez in Santa Marta, Columbia, Aug. 10, 2010. (Xinhua Photo)

Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos (R) shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, in their first meeting since Santos took office, in Santa Marta, Columbia, Aug. 10, 2010. (Xinhua Photo) Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos (R) talks to his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, in their first meeting since Santos took office, in Santa Marta, Columbia, Aug. 10, 2010. (Xinhua Photo)

"We are here seeking the re-establishment of relations between two sister countries," Santos told reporters before the summit.

"We shall begin patiently to rebuild what was torn apart," said Chavez.

Both presidents told a post-summit conference that they also agreed to create five working commissions to solve the bilateral debt issue, boost commercial ties, reach an economic complementation agreement, develop a working plan for social investment and establish a security mechanism.

Venezuela severed ties with Colombia on July 22, after Bogota accused Caracas of hosting guerilla chiefs in its territory.

However, tensions began to ease as a new government led by Santos took over in Bogota. In a sign of good will, Chavez sent his foreign minister to attend Santos' inauguration ceremony on Saturday. Foreign ministers of the two countries met on Sunday and agreed on the date and location of the summit between the two presidents.

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DTN News: Venezuela Deploys Military Units In Colombia Row

DTN News: Venezuela Deploys Military Units In Colombia Row

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) CARACAS, Venezuela- July 31, 2010: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday said he deployed military units to repel a possible attack after Colombia claimed last week his country harbored leftist rebels, but said he hoped to mend ties soon. Chavez severed relations with U.S. ally Colombia last week over Bogota's charges his oil exporting country allowed Colombian guerrillas to stay in camps. He has since said Colombia was preparing a military attack. Colombia denies the charge, and most analysts say a war between the countries is very unlikely. "I should tell you we have deployed units to defend our sovereignty in case of an aggression, air defense units, air units, infantry, special operations," Chavez said in a phone call to a state TV station, adding that a Colombian aircraft had violated Venezuela airspace for five minutes this week. "We don't want to hurt anybody. We don't want to cause alarm in the population," said Chavez, who has seized on the dispute with Colombia to rally supporters ahead of parliamentary elections on September 26. This week Venezuelan soldiers visited sites Colombia says are established military bases, but they found only derelict buildings, Chavez said. In one case, the coordinate given by Colombia led soldiers to a rock in a river, he said. "Last night I said to the guys, "lift the rock," sure it's not a big stone, but you never know, there might be a tunnel," he said. "Maybe under the stone there is a tunnel and a camp, Vietnam-style." On Sunday he threatened to cut oil supplies to the United States, who he says is behind the alleged plan to invade, in case of military aggression from Colombia. The threat is a common one for Chavez, but he has never followed through and oil and debt markets shrugged off the news. The socialist leader said he believed the outgoing conservative government of President Alvaro Uribe, who he described as "obsessed," might still attack Venezuela, but said his Foreign Minister will meet with Colombia's new government, which takes office on August 7. Close Uribe ally Juan Manuel Santos, a former defense minister who will become president next week, wants to improve relations with Venezuela because the festering dispute has cost Colombia billions of dollars in lost trade. Chavez did not say where he had sent the forces, or how many were deployed. Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez on Thursday promised no attack was planned. Two years ago, Chavez ordered tanks to the border in protest at a Colombian bombing raid on a guerrilla base in Ecuador. It was never clear if the tanks were mobilized. A former soldier, Chavez says he would not launch an offensive against another country, but has spent billions retooling his armed forces because he says the OPEC nation is vulnerable to a U.S.-backed invasion. Venezuela has proposed a wide-reaching peace plan to end Colombia's four-decade civil war, saying it is a victim of violent groups that spill over the border. Uribe has wanted Chavez to take action against guerrillas he say launch dozens of attacks from Venezuela. Chavez denies his government supports the rebels, but says he cannot take sides in the Colombia's war. He also recognizes that much of Venezuela's 1,375-mile (2,200-km) border with Colombia is porous and vulnerable.

DTN News: Latin American Countries Invest In Military Might

DTN News: Latin American Countries Invest In Military Might

Source: DTN News By Roger Smith in association with Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) QUITO, Ecuador - June 19, 2010: The last time this Andean nation went to war was in 1995, when it fought Peru over a rugged stretch of mountains called the Altos de Cenepa. But that hasn't stopped Ecuador from engaging in one of the fastest military buildups in the hemisphere. From 2000 to 2009, military spending in Ecuador spiked more than 240 percent to $1.8 billion in constant dollar terms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. This nation - better known for the Galapagos Islands and its banana exports - is not alone. Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Uruguay have also been bolstering their militaries over the past several years -albeit at much slower rates - but with budgets that dwarf Ecuador's. Experts say it's too soon to talk about a regional arms race. But the trend is worrisome enough that it was the central issue of the 40th General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Peru last week. During his inaugural speech to the OAS, Peruvian President Alan Garcia chastised member nations for buying into the "war hypothesis" that only made arms manufacturers rich as it robbed social programs. "The cost of maintaining military bases in South America over the last five years has been $125 billion," he said. "With just 35 billion, we could give 10 million Latin American families drinking water, education and health care for the next 20 years." While military expenditures worldwide are up 49 percent since 2000, military spending in the Americas was up 79 percent, according to the Stockholm institute. Driving Ecuador's shopping spree is its contentious relationship with neighboring Colombia and that country's five-decade war against leftist guerrillas and drug gangs. With an annual military budget of $10 billion and U.S. military aid and support, Colombia's troubles have spilled over the border for years, sparking sporadic violence and flooding Ecuador with more than 40,000 refugees. Since 2003, Ecuador has boosted troops along the Colombian border from 7,000 to 11,000, said Fredy Rivera, a foreign relations expert and military analyst with the Latin American Faculty for Social Sciences. "After we signed the peace deal with Peru in 1998, the country was hoping to scale back military spending and invest more in education and social programs," he said. Indeed, Peru has cut its military expenditures slightly since 2000. "Instead, Colombia made us vulnerable," Rivera added. Tensions only escalated when Colombian troops crossed the border in 2008 to attack a clandestine camp of the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas. That raid killed the group's No. 2, but it was a diplomatic disaster. Angry that Colombia had not sought permission, Ecuador recalled its ambassador and President Rafael Correa green-lighted more than $300 million in military purchases, according to local reports. Among the items were 24 aircraft from Brazil, seven helicopters and six Israeli unmanned drones. Venezuela, too, has been on an eyebrow-raising spending spree. The same day that the OAS discussed the issue, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced he was shelling out $82 million for Chinese-made jets. The Lima Declaration, which the OAS approved at the Peru meeting, encourages members to limit arms purchases to "dedicate more resources to economic development." But the document didn't address what some in Latin America see as the most pressing issue: the U.S. military presence in Colombia. In 2009, Colombia signed a 10-year agreement that provides U.S. military access to seven bases. The United States has maintained that the installations are Colombian controlled and designed to keep a lid on the drug trade inside the country. Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and others tried to force the issue into the Declaration of Lima, OAS officials said, but they were ultimately shot down. OAS Assistant General Secretary Albert Ramdin acknowledged the military base issue was a thorny one. "This wasn't easy," he told The Miami Herald after the approval of the Declaration of Lima. "This was a very sensitive issue both from a perspective of defense and security, as from the political side."

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Colombia To Buy 9 Sikorsky Helicopters

DTN News: Colombia To Buy 9 Sikorsky Helicopters Source: DTN News / Reuters (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 15, 2010: The Colombian government plans to expand its military aircraft fleet with the purchase of nine Black Hawk helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, Reuters reports. Officials said Colombia aimed to hand over an acceptance letter to Sikorsky in the coming months confirming its intentions. The helicopters would be paid for through a new wealth tax recently approved by the Colombian Congress, they said. Four of the helicopters would go to the Colombian police, four to the Army and the remaining helicopter would go to the Air Force, they said. The helicopters would be added to Colombia's existing fleet of Black Hawks, which have proven valuable in the country's long-running battles against drugs and FARC rebels.

DTN News: Colombia Rejects Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Charge Over Spy Drones

DTN News: Colombia Rejects Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Charge Over Spy Drones *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BOGOTA, Colombia- December 22, 2009: Colombia on Monday dismissed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's charges that drones flying from Colombia are spying on him, with a senior official saying Venezuelan troops instead may have seen "Father Christmas' sleigh."Venezuela's security forces look for smugglers near the Tachira river that connects Venezuela with Colombia, in San Antonio, Venezuela. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged his military leaders to prepare 'for war' and to ready citizens to 'defend the homeland' as tensions mount over fractious ties with neighboring Colombia. The comments come at a tense time for the region as Colombia signs a controversial military agreement with the United States to let US forces use seven military bases in Colombia for anti-drug operations. Chavez has repeatedly voiced deep fears of US encroachment in the region. Chavez, a staunch critic of the United States, said on Sunday the United States was spying on his government with unmanned drones that fly from Colombia as well as the islands off Venezuelan's Caribbean coast. The Venezuelan president called the incursions by the unmanned planes "acts of war" and ordered his air force to shoot them down if they are seen again. "Colombia does not have those capabilities he describes," Defense Minister Gabriel Silva told reporters on Monday. "Perhaps the Venezuelan troops confused Father Christmas' sleigh with a spy plane." Colombia, a close U.S. ally, and OPEC-member Venezuela are locked in a dispute that is hurting bilateral trade ties and raising concerns about possible violence between the Andean neighbors.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez drives Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her Defense Minister Nilda Garre in a military vehicle, as they visit a shipyard, in Buenos Aires, December 9, 2009. The dispute intensified over a Colombian agreement to allow U.S. troops more access to its military bases to bolster cooperation against drug traffickers and guerrillas fighting Latin America's longest-running insurgency. Chavez says the base plan is a step toward U.S. aggression against his oil-producing country. The leftist leader has told troops to prepare for possible war and restricted Colombian imports to protest the accord. Tensions further escalated over the weekend when Silva said Colombia is preparing to defend against a possible foreign military attack and Chavez warned Colombia that his country was ready to defend itself against any aggression. The two countries often have sparred when Colombia's long civil conflict spilled across their 1,375-mile (2,200-km) frontier, but the current crisis seems to have heightened risks over a possible flare-up in border violence.

DTN News: Colombia Says No US Base Planned Near Venezuela

DTN News: Colombia Says No US Base Planned Near Venezuela

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BOGOTA, Colombia - October 5, 2009: Amid reports of a deal reached for the establishment of US military bases in Colombia, the country's foreign minister says there is no need for more American personnel.

In an effort to reassure other South American countries, Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez told the BBC that Colombia seeks only "information, technology, intelligence" in the form of military cooperation with the US.

"We don't need personnel, we need more information, technology, intelligence - that's the key issue… Those who fight best in Colombia are our own soldiers. We don't need American soldiers to do this." "We are not going to have American bases in Colombia.

Today we have 71 military personnel from the US," Bermudez said. His remarks come as South American nations feel threatened by what is considered as 'suspicious intentions' of their northern neighbor.

He, however, said while it is important for his country to stay in good relation with its neighbors, especially Venezuela, Colombia appreciates US help. The minister said the US has been helping Colombia in fighting "narco-traffickers and terrorists."

DTN News: Brazil Slams U.S. Bases In Colombia

DTN News: Brazil Slams U.S. Bases In Colombia *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BRASILIA, Brazil - September 1, 2009: The imminent use of seven bases in Colombia by the U.S. military is "a serious problem" that has to be discussed further by South America's leaders, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Aug 31. The President of Colombia Alvaro Uribe (L) listens to his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Ignacio Lula Da Silva during the family picture of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) presidential summit in San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina on August 28, 2009. South American presidents attacked Friday plans for US bases in Colombia at a summit in Argentina, voicing their fears of renewed interference by Washington in their region.'It's about mobility to make war,' said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the fiercest opponent of the plan, as he brandished a document he said was a US air force strategy document setting out that aim. "The treaty between Colombia and the United States needs to have a legal guarantee allowing any other country that feels threatened to go before international forums," Lula said in his weekly radio broadcast. The controversial bases deal, details of which first came to light in Colombia's press mid-July, was the subject of a stormy summit between South American presidents on Aug. 28. That meeting heard fears by Venezuela and other countries that the expanded U.S. military presence in Colombia - ostensibly to fight drug traffickers - could be used against neighboring nations, several of which have leftist anti-U.S. governments. It issued a statement warning "foreign military forces" against threatening the national sovereignty of other countries, without mentioning the U.S. or Venezuela by name. It also agreed South America would examine the issue further in future meetings. Lula said he wanted the region's fledgling defense council to study the "real border situation of all the countries" and another council on fighting drug trafficking to examine ways the region can tackle the issue itself with U.S. involvement. "We need to take on the responsibility of looking after our noses, looking after our territory, looking after our borders," he said.

DTN News: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ~ US Putting South America Under Siege

DTN News: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ~ US Putting South America Under Siege *Source: DTN News / Tripoli Post (NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS, Belgium - August 24, 2009: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday said the United States is seeking to put South America under a military siege, and warned Venezuela will strengthen defense. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez shows a copy of the new education law in Caracas August 15, 2009. Washington's aim is to be in control of Venezuela's oil and other strategic targets like the Amazonia forest, the giant South American mining system in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, Chavez stressed. In his Sunday column "Las lineas de Chavez," the statesman particularly slammed the Colombian government for allowing the United States to use its military bases. According to Chavez, Colombia has become a replica of Israel in South America. In the Americas Summit held in Trinidad and Tobago in April, President Barack Obama talked forgetting the past, and the Colombian representant to a recent UNASUR meeting added the missing part when she spoke of stripping dialogue of any ideological meaning, Chavez noted. The head of State recalled Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's words when he referred to an international double standard: rebel governments should be blamed for everything, while obedient government must be supported at all costs. "Military bases, according to the Empire's vision, are a problem of the Colombian sovereignty, but the development of a nuclear program by a country Washington considers a member of the Axis of Evil is not a problem of sovereignty, but a global threat," the Venezuelan president said. To face that situation, Chavez ratified his proposal of creating "peace bases," stating that if Venezuela is attacked, the country will defend with all resources available.

DTN News: Colombia TODAY August 17, 2009 ~ Colombia-US Base Accord Reached

DTN News: Colombia TODAY August 17, 2009 ~ Colombia-US Base Accord Reached *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BOGOTA, Colombia - August 17, 2009: Colombia says it has completed talks with Washington on allowing US troops to use seven of its military bases. Under the deal, the US military will be able to operate on Colombian soil to tackle drug-trafficking and terrorism. The United States maintains a complex web of military facilities and functions in Latin America and the Caribbean, what the U.S. Southern Command (known as SouthCom) calls its "theater architecture." U.S. military facilities represent tangible commitments to an ineffective supply-side drug war and to underlying policy priorities, including ensuring access to strategic resources, especially oil. Much of this web is being woven through Plan Colombia, a massive, primarily military program to eradicate coca plants and to combat armed groups (mostly leftist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). In the last five years, new U.S. bases and military access agreements have proliferated in Latin America, constituting a decentralization of the U.S. military presence in the region. This decentralization is Washington's way of maintaining a broad military foothold while accommodating regional leaders' reluctance to host large U.S. military bases or complexes. A number of South American countries have condemned the plan and Argentina has said the bases are "not helpful". Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has expressed fears the move would amount to preparation for an invasion of his country by US forces. Colombia's foreign ministry said that Bogota had agreed the text of the deal with the US. "This agreement reaffirms the commitment of both parties in the fight against drug-trafficking and terrorism," the ministry said in a statement. The deal will now be reviewed in both countries before being signed. 'Climate of unease' Last week, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe visited several of his South American neighbours to try to calm fears over the proposed deal with Washington. On Monday, South American leaders at a regional summit had reiterated concerns over the deal. Mr Chavez warned that "the winds of war were beginning to blow" across the region. The Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called for a meeting between US President Barack Obama and the region's leaders, saying the "climate of unease disturbs me". Washington wants to use Colombia as a regional hub for operations to counter drug-trafficking and terrorism. The US has been forced to look for a new base for such operations after Ecuador refused to renew the lease on its Manta base, which the US military was using.

DTN News: Colombia Wants Military Pacts With Brazil, Others South American Countries

DTN News: Colombia Wants Military Pacts With Brazil, Others South American Countries

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MEDELLIN, Colombia - August 16, 2009: Colombia would like to increase its military ties with Brazil and other South American countries, President Alvaro Uribe said on Friday in the face of criticism over an pending security pact with Washington.

Colombia's new Defense Minister Gabriel Silva shakes hands with a soldier during a visit to a military base in La Macarena province in Meta August 9, 2009.

Uribe's government is expected to sign a deal this month giving U.S. forces increased access to military bases in order to better fight the cocaine trade and Marxist insurgents.

The left-wing government of Venezuela has blasted the plan as a threat to regional stability. The moderate government of Brazil has also voiced concern over the pact.

"We would like the accord with the United States to be projected throughout the continent," Uribe told a business conference in the city of Medellin."

We would like to have it with Brazil," he said. "I do not see this pact with the United States as incompatible with having pacts with other countries as well."

Brazil, South America's biggest country and largest economy, is building up its armed forces as part of a push to increase its role on the world stage.

Washington has given billions of dollars in military assistance to Colombia, helping Uribe put the insurgents on the defensive. But the country remains the world's biggest producer of cocaine.

DTN News: FACTBOX ~ Details On U.S. military In Latin America

DTN News: FACTBOX ~ Details On U.S. military In Latin America *Source: DTN News / Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) BOGOTA, Colombia - August 16, 2009: Colombia is poised to sign a deal to allow the U.S. military more access to its bases to enhance counter-drug operations after Washington lost access to a base at Manta, Ecuador it used for surveillance flights. The United States has a long and unfortunate history of creating and feeding military violence in Latin America. From the Cold War era to the War on Drugs and Terror today, U.S. military aid and training in the hemisphere have contributed to human rights violations, supported corrupt and cruel governments, and protected the economic interests of multinational corporations and national elites at the expense of the poor majority. Witness for Peace monitors the on-the-ground impacts of U.S. tax dollars in Latin America and works to change our foreign policy so that we can support human rights and sustainable development. The proposal in Colombia has triggered ire among its Andean neighbors, especially Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce U.S. critic, who says the plan could trigger war in South America. Other leaders called it worrisome. U.S. officials say the plan is just an extension of existing cooperation with Colombia. Here are details of current U.S. military operations at local installations in Latin America and the Caribbean: COLOMBIA U.S. military personnel: Approximately 268. A key operation in the region, the U.S. military in Colombia is involved mainly in training, logistical support and some intelligence backup for the Colombian armed forces to enhance their fight against cocaine traffickers and leftist FARC guerrillas. The United States has provided more than $5 billion in aid to Colombia since 2000. The current accord caps staff at 800 military and 600 civilian contractors. GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA U.S. military personnel: Approximately 1,900. The largest operation in Latin America is the joint task force at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel are involved in detention operations on the island. HONDURAS U.S. military personnel: Approximately 650. Joint task force Bravo at the Soto Cano Air Base, involving Army and Air Force, mainly to support disaster relief operations, humanitarian assistance and counter-drug operations. EL SALVADOR U.S. military personnel: Approximately 150. A Forward Operating Location, or FOL, at local Comalapa Air Base installation. Navy officials and air crews are involved in drug surveillance missions in the eastern Pacific from the Central American country. ARUBA-CURACAO U.S. military personnel: Approximately 250. Another FOL in the Netherlands Antilles islands. Air Force crew and ground and support staff involved in counter-narcotics surveillance operations in an area that includes Colombia's Guajira Peninsula and the Venezuelan frontier region. MANTA, ECUADOR U.S. military personnel at time of full operation: Approximately 250, but currently less than 100 as the mission wraps up. U.S. FOL operation on Ecuador's Pacific coast was once a key piece in its counter-narcotics surveillance operations. Before leftist President Rafael Correa decided not to renew the deal, the base carried out more than 5,000 drug surveillance flights.

* Information from U.S. military's Southern Command, U.S. State Department, Reuters. (Reporting by Patrick Markey in Bogota; Editing by Will Dunham)