Chad Inherited The African Turmoil Fever

Chad Inherited The African Turmoil Fever

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: In addition to Chad's many current problems, there are some old ones that are still getting some attention. For example, Chad's ruler during the 1980s, Hissène Habré, is being pursued on war crimes charges.

But Senegal, where Habre has been living in exile, refuses to assist the International Court of Justice or Belgium in extraditing Habre. African governments are much less enthusiastic about prosecuting Africans for "crimes against humanity" than Europeans are. This is probably because so many African leaders could, by European standards, be accused of "crimes against humanity". Senegal, for example, is being prosecuted for allowing torture. Nothing is happening on the Sudan border, despite fears that Sudan might launch attacks to protest the recent issuing of an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan on war crimes charges. President Bashir is not happy about the warrant, but is not taking it out on Chad, yet.

The EU peacekeepers have said they will fight if the Sudanese, or their irregular allies, cross the border. The current leader of Chad is a much smoother article, and has taken measures to hide evidence of his indictable (in Europe) actions. February 16, 2009: Another 6,000 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) have fled into southeastern Chad. There are already 50,000 such refugees there, sustained by foreign aid groups and donated food.

Sudan: As You Sow So Shall You Reap - ICC

Sudan: As You Sow So Shall You Reap - ICC

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009:The International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered the arrest of President al-Bashir for atrocities and war crimes in Darfur. The actual warrant does not accuse him of genocide and the prosecution request for a warrant had accused Bashir of leading a “genocidal” campaign against the Zaghawa, Fur, and Masalit ethnic groups. However, the warrant is does accuse him of involvement in murder, rape, torture, and forced displacement of civilians. When “forcibly displaced” civilians flee janjaweed militias en masse they die from exposure, hunger, and disease. This amounts to “slow” ethnic cleansing.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, center, flanked by his personal security guards, leaves after delivering a speech to thousands of supporters at the entrance of the presidential palace in Khartoum, Sudan Thursday, March 5, 2009. Sudan's president, wanted by an international court on war crimes charges, danced and waved a cane defiantly in front of thousands of supporters Thursday, denouncing the tribunal, the U.N. and aid agencies as part of a new "colonialism" that aims to destabilize his country.

Bashir responded like he has responded since the ICC prosecutor asked for the warrant – with defiance and accusations that the warrant is “colonialism.” In a speech in Khartoum he attacked the United Nations. The government, responding to the ICC warrant, began kicking various non-governmental aid and relief organizations out of the country. If carried out, this will result in more deaths among starving refugees.

Meanwhile, the Arab world is at a loss how to deal with the arrest warrant. Many Arabs simply see it an another example of European colonialism, and an attack on Islam. But this sort of rationalizing is getting old, even in the Arab world, where there are growing efforts to get Sudan to stop attacking its own people. February 27, 2009: Former members of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) fought with a militia force loyal to the national government in the south Sudan city of Malakal, leaving around 50 dead. This appears to be another “border dispute” along the north-south frontier that has led to bloodshed.

Fighters loyal to militia leader Gabriel Tang (called the “Tangoinyang”) fought on the government side in the southern civil war and still serve as an ally of the national government. The Government of South Sudan (GOSS) recently accused the national government (North Sudan) of trying to start a new civil war. February 24, 2009: Two Sudanese who work for an international relief agency were murdered in South Darfur state when their vehicle was attacked by a group of armed men riding camels. February 22, 2009: The Government of South Sudan (GOSS) continues to face a budget crisis. In January the GOSS said the drop in oil prices threatened numerous development projects and basic services. Civil service jobs are some of the best jobs in the region and salaries will have to be cut. The GOSS gets well over 90 percent of its revenue from its share of Sudanese oil sales royalties. February 20, 2009: The national government said that 11 soldiers and 17 rebels died in a series of firefights in Darfur. The statement comes three days after the signing of a new peace initiative by the government and the JEM.

The biggest clash was a battle between government forces and the JEM in North Darfur state just 25 kilometers northwest of El Fasher (the capital of North Darfur). It also serves as the headquarters of UNAMID (UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur). JEM accused the government of launching air attacks on JEM positions using “NCP troops,” ie, National Congress Party.

Russian Munitions In Smuggling Case Listed As Metal - Source

Russian Munitions In Smuggling Case Listed As Metal - Source

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - March 6, 2009: Russian military officials tried to smuggle 30 anti-submarine missiles and 200 aviation bombs via Tajikistan to China under the guise of nonferrous metal deliveries, a law enforcement source said on Friday. Russia's chief military prosecutor said in late February that a criminal investigation had been launched against a group of Russian Navy officials and a number of businessmen suspected of attempting to smuggle naval munitions worth a total of $18 million to Tajikistan for sale to China. "According to investigators, all the munitions were transported by rail and listed in customs declarations as non-ferrous scrap metal," the source said. Some media reports earlier said high-ranking Navy officials, including vice admirals and rear admirals, may have been involved in the scheme. Under the scheme, the munitions were reportedly 'destroyed' and a commercial firm received over 1.6 million rubles ($45,000) from the federal budget for the work. In reality, the bombs and missiles were prepared for sale and smuggled abroad, the source said. Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said the smuggling operation was prevented by "the Navy, in conjunction with the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Security Service (FSB)." Police and military investigators have also launched a wave of probes at various ammunition storage facilities in Russia to uncover other possible cases of arms smuggling.

Kyrgyzstan To Discuss Foreign Troop Pullout From Manas Airbase

Kyrgyzstan To Discuss Foreign Troop Pullout From Manas Airbase

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - March 6, 2009: Kyrgyzstan's parliament is set to discuss on Friday the termination of an agreement with 11 countries on the deployment of their military contingents at the Manas airbase, a parliamentary spokesman said. "The issue has been included in Friday's agenda," he said. On Thursday three main parliamentary committees approved the termination of the agreement. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed on February 20 a decree to close the Manas airbase, operated mainly by the U.S. Air Force, in northern Kyrgyzstan. The base had been used since 2001 to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan.

US To Invite Iran To Conference On Afghanistan

US To Invite Iran To Conference On Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: In a sign of the new emphasis on diplomacy, the Obama administration said Thursday that Iran would be invited to a high-level conference on Afghanistan's future. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed the session, which could be held at the end of this month, at the same time the Obama administration is reformulating its strategy in a stalemated Afghanistan war. The new approach is expected to emphasize nonmilitary means of blunting the power of the Taliban and other insurgents and to sharpen the focus on the role of next-door Pakistan in lessening the threat of terrorism or extremism in both countries. "The whole question about Afghanistan and Pakistan is one that we've given a great deal of thought to," Clinton said. "It is clear that the border areas between the two countries are the real locus of a lot of the extremist activity. It's becoming obvious that Pakistan faces very serious internal threats, and that Afghanistan faces continuing external threats that emanate out of Pakistan." Pakistan would attend the conference of nations with a stake in Afghanistan, Clinton said, and U.S. officials said Iran would be invited as a neighbor. It could be an early opportunity to test President Barack Obama's campaign promise to extend a friendlier hand to the old U.S. adversary when it is in U.S. interests to do so. The United States and Iran have cooperated on Afghanistan before, with promising contacts following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and held inconclusive talks that the United States had hopes would improve security and stability in Iraq. Also Thursday, U.S. defense officials gave a glimpse of an in-house policy review Obama ordered last month, even though three other government studies were in hand or in the works. Those studies generally describe a military backslide in the 7-year-old war. "Ultimately the product that will steer the policy of the United States of America with regards to Afghanistan will be the White House review," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in Washington. The White House national security council is expected to finish the review before Obama sees NATO leaders at an April summit. The United States has about 38,000 troops in Afghanistan, and is the largest contributor to a joint NATO force. NATO also has about 30,000 non-U.S. troops there. The war effort in Afghanistan has deteriorated the past two years as the Taliban and extremist insurgency has gained strength and U.S. and allied casualties have increased. Obama has approved sending an additional 17,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan this spring and summer, but he also has emphasized the need to have a broader, unified international approach to the conflict. Defense Secretary Robert Gates discussed the review, and the military scramble to counter a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan's south, with his Canadian counterpart Thursday. Canada has one of the largest fighting forces in Afghanistan. "I told him that frankly we weren't at a point where I could offer even preliminary conclusions to him," Gates told reporters after his session with Canadian Defense Minster Peter MacKay. "I talked about some of the issues that were being addressed. For example, the size of the foreign military presence, how we get better civilian-military coordination and so on," Gates said. Gates has said pervasively that flooding Afghanistan with a large number of foreign troops would be self-defeating, and he has suggested that NATO nations reluctant to send more fighting forces could provide more civilian trainers, engineers and so forth instead. In Brussels for a NATO session leading up to the April summit, Clinton said the proposed conference on Afghanistan would be sponsored by the United Nations and attended by a wide range of countries. "We hope that this meeting could provide an opportunity to reach a common set of principles, perhaps embodied in a chairman's statement, on a common way forward," she said, according to a prepared text released by her staff.

Pakistan Shifted Units From Afghan To Indian Border: US / Pakistan Continues To Milk The US And NATO!!!!

Pakistan Shifted Units From Afghan To Indian Border: US / Pakistan Continues To Milk The US And NATO!!!!

Basically Pakistan has no reason to shift army units to Indian border, as there is no escalation of tensions and military activities on both sides (India-Pak). The main factor is that U.S. and NATO military supplies route from Karachi to Afghanistan may be re-routed due to militants interruptions and the transit fees may dry up, which is a good income to the economy of Pakistan. Now Pakistan is playing hardball with Obama administration by shifting some army unit to Indian border and leaving some area of Afghan-Pak border unguarded, which is an instrument of bargain for DOLLARS!!!!

How Pakistan Milks The US And NATO!!!!

US Detects Double Billing By Pak Navy - Dawn By Arshad Sharif

How Pakistan Milks The US And NATO!!!! Part 2 / US Detects Double Billing By Pak Navy Honey, I shrunk Pakistan! The Taliban are coming, shouts By Muqtedar Khan*

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - March 6, 2009: Pakistani efforts to combat Islamist extremists in northwestern Pakistan have had mixed results, partly because some military units were shifted to the eastern border with India, the US Defense Department said on Thursday. "There is progress in some areas and there's deterioration in others, in terms of the effectiveness of operations," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters. Pakistani paramilitary soldiers patrol in the remote Bajaur Agency in February 2009. Pakistani efforts to combat Islamist extremists in northwestern Pakistan have had mixed results, partly because some military units were shifted to the eastern border with India, the US Defense Department said on Thursday. "And part of that is the result of the fact that some assets, Pakistani military assets, were redeployed east to deal with concerns they had on the Indian border." The United States, which says Al-Qaeda has regrouped in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, stood ready to provide assistance to Pakistan in its fight against militants but in a way that was acceptable to Islamabad, Morrell said. "They need help, and we are ready and willing to help them in a variety of ways," he said. "It's a question of their comfort level, but we continue to work with them on trying to figure out ways that will enhance their capabilities and at the same time leave them comfortable with the arrangement." He spoke after a high-level Pakistani delegation, including army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani, visited Washington last week as President Barack Obama's administration reviews US strategy in Afghanistan and the region. Morrell said Pakistani officials shared US concerns about the presence of militants on its territory, including the Al-Qaeda network. "What the (US defense) secretary heard from General Kayani is that they recognize that the militants, the terrorists in their midst are as much a threat to them as they are to us," he said. "And I think he was very pleased with the level of commitment of General Kayani, as the leader of the army, to deal with that threat." The Pakistani military and intelligence services have been accused of turning a blind eye to the Taliban -- which was allied with Islamabad when it ruled Afghanistan until its ouster in 2001. Pakistan, in turn, is angered by US unmanned drone attacks on its territory that have killed high-level militants but also civilians -- inflaming local outrage. Pakistan has urged, so far unsuccessfully, the new Obama administration to halt the attacks and hand the drones over to them. US officials have also sought to defuse tensions between Pakistan and India. The nuclear-armed South Asian rivals have fought two wars triggered by the territorial dispute over Kashmir.

Clinton To Urge Russia Not To Sell Iran Missiles

Clinton To Urge Russia Not To Sell Iran Missiles

(NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS - March 6, 2009: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said March 5 that she would urge Russia to stop missile sales talks with Iran, during meetings in Geneva with her Russian counterpart. She said she would "raise with Russia their continuing discussions with Iran about selling longer-range missiles, which we think are a threat to Russia as well as to Europe and neighbors in the region." Clinton meets March 6 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in a test of whether President Barack Obama's new diplomacy can improve U.S.-Russian ties, which were badly strained during the presidency of George W. Bush. Russia has denied that it was preparing to deliver sophisticated S-300 surface-to-air missiles to the Islamic republic, following reports it was about to supply the weapons to the U.S. arch-foe. There have been contradictory reports about whether Russia was to supply S-300s which Iran could use to defend against an airstrike on its nuclear facilities. Russia's state-owned arms export firm, Rosoboronexport, said in a statement that it was delivering "defensive" anti-aircraft systems to Iran while not commenting on reports it was sending S-300s. The United States and its ally Israel have never ruled out an aerial attack against Iran to thwart its nuclear ambitions. Obama has ordered a review of planned extensions of the U.S. anti-missile shield into Europe, a project which has angered Russia, but he wants Moscow to help deal with the missile threat that Iran poses. Washington maintains that if Russia were to help deal with that threat, it would minimise the need for such a system, which would have interceptors and a radar based in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Boeing Ships Next-Generation Weather Satellite GOES-O To Launch Site

Boeing Ships Next-Generation Weather Satellite GOES-O To Launch Site

(NSI News Source Info) EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - March 6, 2009: Boeing and NASA announced March 04, 2009 that the second of three next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) has shipped from Boeing's satellite manufacturing facility in El Segundo, Calif., to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where it will undergo final preparations for launch this spring. Boeing has shipped GOES-O, the second of three next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites being built for NASA, to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where it will launch this spring. The satellite, designated GOES-O, will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle procured through Boeing's commercial launch business, Boeing Launch Services. GOES-O, a modified three-axis Boeing 601 spacecraft, will join the GOES-13 satellite (formerly called GOES-N) already in orbit.

When operational, these satellites will help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide more accurate locations of severe storms and other weather phenomena impacting the United States, resulting in more precise weather warnings to the public. "This shipment represents another key milestone toward providing enhanced information and data services to NASA, NOAA, and weather scientists and forecasters worldwide," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "Throughout the years, Boeing has committed to providing best-of-industry systems, and we will rely on four decades of weather and Earth-observation satellite technology leadership to bring GOES-O through launch, rigorous on-orbit testing and, ultimately, reliable and beneficial service to NOAA for years to come." GOES spacecraft operate as a two-satellite constellation in geosynchronous orbit above the equator and observe 60 percent of the Earth. Launched on May 24, 2006, GOES-13 is currently in a storage orbit position and later this year may replace one of two weather satellites that are nearing the end of their on-orbit lives.

GOES-O will be launched as an additional back-up satellite. Designed for 10 years of service, each satellite will measure the Earth's atmosphere, its surface, cloud cover, and solar and geosynchronous space environment while providing a more stable platform for supporting improved imager, sounder and solar X-ray imager instruments.

Upon completion and launch of the third satellite, GOES-P, Boeing will have built a total of eight spacecraft in the nation's GOES satellite series.

South Korea Diverts Jets Over Threats

South Korea Diverts Jets Over Threats

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: Two airlines in South Korea are to re-route flights after North Korea said it could no longer guarantee their safety. Pyongyang's threat follows its warnings that a US-South Korean military exercise, due to take place next week, could trigger a military clash. North Korea has long described such exercises as provocative but tensions between the two Koreas are now high. About 30 international flights a day usually pass through North Korean airspace to and from the South. South Korea has called on the communist state to immediately withdraw its threat. "Threatening civilian airliners' normal operations under international aviation regulations is not only against the international rules but is an act against humanity," Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said. The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says passenger planes normally leave Seoul for the eastern United States by swinging north over the Sea of Japan to follow the Korean coastline towards Russia and North Alaska. The two major airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, have both re-routed their flights. 'War exercises' The annual US-South Korean drill, which involves tens of thousands of troops, starts on Monday and continues for 12 days. North Korea objects to the exercise every year, but this event comes amid high tensions on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang has scrapped a series of peace agreements with the South over Seoul's decision to link bilateral aid to progress on denuclearisation. Six-nation talks on the aid-for-disarmament deal have stalled and North Korea's neighbours believe it could be preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch. Earlier this week, North Korea raised objections to the annual exercise at a rare meeting between its generals and the US-led United Nations Command (UNC) in the South. Then on Thursday a North Korean committee warned that "security cannot be guaranteed for South Korean civil airplanes" during the forthcoming drill. No-one knew what "military conflicts will be touched off by the reckless war exercises", it said. A second short meeting between generals and the UNC was held on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of progress. In Washington, US State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said the North's statement was "distinctly unhelpful". He said Pyongyang should be working on ways to fulfil its disarmament commitments "rather than making statements that are threatening to peaceful aviation". America's top envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, is currently visiting China, Japan and South Korea in an effort to breathe life into the stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

North Korea Providing Missile Technology To Iran and Syria

North Korea Providing Missile Technology To Iran and Syria

By Bona Kim, Intern

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: According to a new report, North Korea has managed to export more than 1,000 Scud missiles to Middle Eastern countries in spite of international nonproliferation efforts, and is a key player in a system of mutual military cooperation among developing nations.

The 2009 report by the Independent Working Group on Post-ABM Treaty Missile Defense and the Space Relationship (IWG), titled “Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century,” which was released in January of this year, reviews the threats posed by North Korea and other nations, and the reality of nuclear proliferation today.

According to the IWG report, North Korea has been deemed to be on the “second-tier proliferator” level, which refers to states in the developing world with varying technical capabilities that trade among themselves in order to bolster their communal nuclear and strategic weapons efforts.

The relationships between such developing countries may pose substantive threats. The 2009 report states that North Korea is believed to have greatly aided in the construction of the Al-Kibar reactor in Syria, a development that Israel felt was sufficiently threatening that an airstrike was used to destroy it in 2007, is estimated to have exported an estimated 1,000 “Scud” missiles to the Middle East region, and is believed to be currently offering technologies associated with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) to states including Syria and Iran. North Korea is also alleged to have sold missiles to Pakistan in exchange for nuclear technology. The report states firmly, “In addition to missiles, North Korea is now able to export fissile materials, or even assembled nuclear devices, posing an additional and unacceptable threat to the United States.”

States such as North Korea and Iran are working hard to acquire, or in some cases already possess, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and the means to deliver them, the reported notes. North Korea already possesses several nuclear weapons and has made major advances in the development of its ballistic missile capabilities. The Kim regime is reportedly moving towards deployment of new land and sea based ballistic missiles able to carry nuclear warheads, whilst acting as a key proliferator of WMD/ballistic missile know-how as well as technologies and components.

It is said that North Korea’s missile exports, which net around $1.5 billion a year, constitute one of its largest single sources of revenue. Pyongyang has received extensive assistance from China in developing its missile program, including the “Taepo-Dong 2,” and from Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, who has provided technical assistance and components for manufacturing high-speed centrifuges, according to the report. The report also states that North Korea is known not only to have purchased high-speed centrifuges from the Kahn network, but is believed to have also purchased nuclear weapons blueprints in 2008 which would enable swift advances in Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) warhead programs. This could give the North the ability to build a miniature nuclear warhead with which it could arm a type of missile capable of reaching the continental United States.

Former Under Secretary of State John Bolton is quoted in the report as saying, “It is clear that Iran and North Korea are interested in ballistic missiles not as an interest but as part of an offensive capability… It is unlikely that either will willingly give up their nuclear programs. It is in both of their interests to hold on to their capabilities as long as possible. For North Korea, the program helps ensure that Kim Jong Il’s corrupt regime stays in power… Just as both nations will continue working on their nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the U.S. must diligently work on its own efforts to defend against them, including the development of a robust Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability.”

As a response to other state’s offensive nuclear and conventional programs, the IWG report recommends that U.S. BMD programs be bolstered by funding directed at sea- and space-based defensive capacity, that a space-based missile defense test be carried out within three years and that the rapid development and deployment of all aspects of missile defense be made an “urgent national priority.”

C-130 Hercules Has Been Workhorse Of U.S. Armed Forces And Mature 55 Years Old

C-130 Hercules Has Been Workhorse Of U.S. Armed Forces And Mature 55 Years Old

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: A C-130 Hercules military cargo plane prepares to fly out of Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma City, in this Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 file photo.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It is the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. Over 40 models and variants of the Hercules serve with more than 50 nations. In December 2006 the C-130 became the fifth aircraft—after the English Electric Canberra, B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95, and KC-135 Stratotanker—to mark 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case the United States Air Force. The C-130 remains in production as the updated C-130J Super Hercules.

The Korean War, which began in June 1950, showed that World War II-era transports—C-119 Flying Boxcars, C-47 Skytrains and C-46 Commandos—were inadequate for modern warfare. Thus on 2 February 1951, the United States Air Force issued a General Operating Requirement (GOR) for a new transport to Boeing, Douglas, Fairchild, Lockheed, Martin, Chase Aircraft, North American Northrop, and Airlifts Inc. The new transport would have a capacity for 92 passengers, 72 combat troops or 64 paratroopers, a range of 1,100 nautical miles (2,000 km), takeoff capability from short and unprepared strips, and the ability to fly with one engine shut down.

The first flight of the YC-130 prototype was made on 23 August 1954 from the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California. The aircraft, serial number 53-3397, was the second prototype but the first of the two to fly. The YC-130 was piloted by Stanley Beltz and Roy Wimmer on its 61-minute flight to Edwards Air Force Base; Jack Real and Dick Stanton served as flight engineers. Kelly Johnson flew chase in a P2V Neptune.

Hundreds of C-130 Hercules transport planes, the cargo workhorse of the U.S. Air Force and other military forces around the world, were being inspected Thursday March 5, 2009 for potential problems with nuts that attach the wings to the fuselage, officials said.

The planes weren't technically grounded, but the wing joint barrel nuts would be scrutinized on 528 four-engine turboprops, said Roger Drinnon, a spokesman for the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

China: Procceding Full Steam Ahead For Fighter Jets Engine Designs

China: Procceding Full Steam Ahead For Fighter Jets Engine Designs (NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: The design growth chart for engines produced by three of China's main propulsion system centres – Liyang Aero-Engine Corporation (LYAC) in Guizhou, Liming Aero-Engine Manufacturing Corporation (LMAC) in Shenyang and Xi'an Aero-Engine Corporation (XAC) – has been obtained by Jane's. The chart shows a clear plan for increasing the thrust and performance of China's major military engine designs, as well as confirming the existence of aircraft programmes currently in development. If the developmental timeline laid out is accurate, Chinese industry is well on its way to weaning itself from its current dependence on Russian industry as a source of engines for its most advanced fighter aircraft. Currently, China depends totally upon Russia for two of its most advanced fighter aircraft that are offered for export. The indigenously developed Chengdu J-10 fighter is powered by the Salyut AL-31FN: a derivative of the Sukhoi Su-27's Saturn/Lyulka AL-31F. The FC-1/JF-17 fighter is fitted with one Chernyshev RD-93 engine: a variant of the Mikoyan MiG-29's Klimov/Isotov RD-33. Both aircraft are on track for use by China's major defence export customer, Pakistan. JF-17s are already being assembled at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the J-10 is also planned for acquisition, being designated FC-20 in service. The long-term Chinese plan is for the LMAC WS-10A Taihang engine to become the basis for several successively more powerful designs

Pakistan ‘Bigger Problem’ Than Afghanistan: US diplomat

Pakistan ‘Bigger Problem’ Than Afghanistan: US diplomat

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - March 6, 2009: The top US diplomat in Kabul warned that Pakistan posed a bigger security problem for the rest of the world than Afghanistan, in a newspaper interview published Thursday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) shakes hands with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (R) as Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta (L) looks on. Christopher Dell spoke after Tuesday’s attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team as they travelled to a Test match in Lahore which left eight people dead, and has raised doubts about the government’s ability to tackle militancy. ‘From where I sit, Pakistan sure looks like it’s going to be a bigger problem,’ Dell told the Guardian newspaper. ‘It is certainly one of those nuclear armed countries the instability of which is a bigger problem for the globe.' ‘Pakistan is a bigger place, has a larger population, it’s nuclear-armed. It has certainly made radical Islam a part of its political life, and it now seems to be a deeply ingrained element of its political culture. It makes things there very hard,’ he told the British daily. Pakistan, a key US power in the ‘war on terror’, is battling Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants along its rugged and lawless border with Afghanistan in the northwest. More than 1,600 people have died in attacks in Pakistan in the last 22 months and analysts say its security agencies are failing to provide adequate security against militants, who could challenge the rule of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Afghanistan: Government Are Developing Education For Youth, Taliban Are Closing Music Shops, Closing & Destroying Schools And Going Back In Time

Afghanistan: Government Are Developing Education For Youth, Taliban Are Closing Music Shops, Closing & Destroying Schools And Going Back In Time

(NSI News Source Info) Kabul March 6, 2009: Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a ceremony marking the opening of the educational year around the country, at Amani high school in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, March 5, 2009.

Launching the new school year at a high school close to the presidential palace, President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban to allow boys and girls to go to school.

Little Hope For Afghanistan Democracy: Report

Little Hope For Afghanistan Democracy: Report (NSI News Source Info) PARIS - March 6, 2009: Afghanistan has become a "narco-state" that is unlikely to experience democracy or peace any time soon, according to a pessimistic new report on the conflict released Thursday. The study by two major think-tanks, one American and the other German, calls on the U.S. and its allies to re-fashion the counter-insurgency while seeking to reach a political settlement with Taliban insurgents. The report echoes some of the views recently expressed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has come under criticism from opposition MPs for declaring that he doesn't expect military victory in a conflict that has claimed more than 111 Canadian lives. U.S soldiers inspects the site of an explosion outside the main U.S. military base in Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 4, 2009. A car bomb exploded outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan and wounded three U.S. contractors Wednesday. The Taliban claimed responsibility. "Recent events suggest that a clear military victory is unlikely, even if the coalition augments its troop strength," said the report by the Rand Corporation and the Bertelsmann Stiftung think-tank. "Rather, all indications point to a long, protracted struggle in which neither side wins a decisive military victory." The report was released as foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, met Thursday at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels to discuss Afghanistan, Russia and other strategic hot-spots. The report called on the coalition to "face reality" and seek to find a new definition of success that focuses on basic development and political reconciliation in a country plagued by corruption and a drug economy. "In effect, Afghanistan has become a narco-state under the noses of the coalition," declares the report, based on the views of two dozen experts on transatlantic relations. "The establishment of a truly functioning, democratic state is not feasible, at least not yet." The report doesn't mention Canada, but notes that without success by 2011 many allies are likely to pull back on their "stabilization and reconstruction efforts." That is the year the Canadian Parliament has endorsed the withdrawal of Canada's 2,500-strong military force from the country. Canada and other western countries have continued to promote the coalition's efforts to make Afghanistan a pluralistic, democratic society that respects women's rights. But the report, which also offered guidance on issues such as the Middle East conflict, unstable Pakistan, Russia's new assertiveness, and Iran's nuclear ambitions, said goals must be more practical. "The main emphasis in Afghanistan now has to be improving the quality of life of the Afghan people," the authors urged. A new definition of success could include a "reasonable" level of stability, the "reintegration" of relatively moderate Taliban elements into society, and "basic rule-of-law structures and institutions." The report also said Pakistan's ability and willingness to help allies fight insurgents near the border is compromised by its suspicion of the motives of bitter regional rival India, which has numerous development projects underway in Afghanistan. "India should be encouraged to scale back its development presence in southern Afghanistan until a more stable environment is established." Europe should also lead the way in expanding development assistance in the impoverished Pakistan border areas where radicalism flourishes. "The coalition could win the hearts and minds of every Pashtun in Afghanistan and still lose the war, since three-fifths of the Pashtun population lives in Pakistan." On the broader issue of terrorism, the report said a new transatlantic alliance led by President Barack Obama should formally renounce George W. Bush's "war on terror." "Where possible, Americans and Europeans must craft a new counterterrorism narrative that avoids demonizing Islam and giving any impression that an existential life-and-death struggle with Islam is underway." .

Young Signs F-22 ADM To Keep Options Open / US Must Have An Edge On Fifth Generation Jet Fighters Over Other Countries By Maintaining F-22

Young Signs F-22 ADM To Keep Options Open / US Must Have An Edge On Fifth Generation Jet Fighters Over Other Countries By Maintaining F-22

(NSI News Source Info) March 6, 2009: Following the Obama Administration’s decision this week not to certify further F-22 production until April at the earliest, departing Pentagon acquisition chief John Young signed an acquisition decision memorandum March 3 for Lockheed martin’s stealth fighter program. It continues what is described by Pentagon specialists with insight into the program as Young’s stance of “keeping all the President’s options open.” Those options include: stopping F-22 production at 183 and using congressionally approved long-lead money to shut down the production line; releasing long-lead money to start building the next 20 aircraft (184-203); or approving production of another 60 (for a total of 243) fighters as desired by the U.S. Air Force. Air Force officials tell Aviation Week that they are finding diminished support for all the additional 60 fighters they have hoped for and expect the Obama White House to approve production of another 20 while deferring additional production decisions for another year. That would mean the long-lead money would not be used to shut down the line. The Air Force’s program office forwarded the memo to Lockheed Martin March 4. Acquisition specialists are now studying its implications. There seems to be a standoff between the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin with the company raising the specter of shutdown costs that are higher than buying additional aircraft while the Office of the Secretary of Defense demanding lower units costs if there is to be any chance of additional purchases.

Japan Firm Suspected Of Illicit China Exports: Police

Japan Firm Suspected Of Illicit China Exports: Police

(NSI News Source Info) Tokyo - March 6, 2009: Japanese police said Wednesday Mar. 4., they had arrested employees of a machinery maker on suspicion of illegally exporting to China and South Korea tools that could be used to produce nuclear weapons. One former and three current employees of Horkos Corp., based in the western province of Hiroshima, were arrested for alleged violation of the foreign trade law, a Hiroshima police spokesman said. "They allegedly exported illegally to South Korea and China machine tools that can be converted for use to produce weapons of mass destruction," the official said. Jiji Press news agency said police allege the four had exported precision machine tools to Chinese and South Korean companies in the automotive sector without getting permission from the trade minister. Japan's foreign trade law bans exporting machine tools of extreme precision without government permission. The exported tools could be used to make components for a uranium-enriching device, but the company made a false statement that they were of lower precision, Jiji Press said.