Wednesday, June 08, 2011

DTN News - BATTLE FOR LIBYA: Touring The Rubble After A NATO Bombardment - DiManno

DTN News - BATTLE FOR LIBYA: Touring The Rubble After A NATO Bombardment - DiManno
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / TRIPOLI, Libya - June 8, 2011:
The golf buggy is a twisted skeleton of metal.
A once ornate silk rug is shredded to rags.
And all that’s left of the Bedouin tent is its scorched earth footprint.
When Moammar Gadhafi goes desert Arab — his preferred home-away-from-home accommodation — it is to venues such as this man-made oasis in the Libyan countryside where he escapes, putting down stakes, reclining on pillows, sheik-y.
“Our leader likes nature in the wide open spaces,’’ explains a man who gives his name as Mohammed Ali, waving an arm across the smouldering expanse of the encampment.
NATO bombardiers found it, nailed it, obliterated it.
Gadhafi, on the hideaway lam and in the weeds, was elsewhere, Ali hastily assures.
Precision-guided missile strikes rather than heavy munitions clearly did the damage Wednesday night, and quite surgically.
That golf cart — the Libyan strongman is fond of riding around in Popemobile-style wheels — has landed right-side up but charred almost beyond recognition. The tent has been reduced to scraps. A long tractor-trailer is among at least three blackened vehicles utterly destroyed.
A can of olives, a pair of boxer shorts, a still steaming soldier’s duffel bag: The detritus of a pastoral encampment blasted to smithereens, with a camel herd now foraging through the wreckage.
This site in Hadba Region, on the outskirts of the capital, was described to foreign journalists as a game reserve. Apart from the aforementioned camels, only some scrawny sheep were evident.
More intriguing were the high-tech security cameras still affixed to a perimeter fence, the smashed computer innards strewn about, and a windsock stiffening in the breeze just over the verge — suggestive of an airfield for small fixed wing planes or helicopters beyond, an area reporters were not permitted to explore.
“Yes, planes land here,’’ Ali, who described himself as the reserve supervisor, concedes. “Col. Gadhafi uses this place to greet his foreign visitors.’’
Then Ali promptly takes that tiny factoid back, claiming he’s never seen a plane or helicopter hereabouts. Nor can he remember the last time Gadhafi used these rural facilities. In the propaganda trompe l’oeil that is Libya, it gets hard keeping one’s stories straight.
“That sock, it is just to see the wind.’’
Yes, that’s why it’s called a windsock.
Given the detail evidence on the ground, the military bivouacs nearby and the aerial attack aimed at it, this location likely served another purpose than game reserve ecology for Gadhafi’s regime. With loyalist troop movement largely stagnant, NATO forces have been focusing intensified air assaults on reconnaissance-identified intelligence centres and command-and-control nodes.
On the day after the most furious assault yet in the 11-week NATO campaign against Libya — 66 sorties on Tuesday that took out a half-dozen command-and-control centres, a radar system and a vehicle storage facility — Tripoli was relatively quiet but for some early morning bombs dropped in the distance. Heavy bombardments resumed after nightfall.
With more than 10,000 sorties launched since the NATO offensive began in March, commanders at Naples HQ are confident they’ve extensively degraded Gadhafi’s war-making capacity, though clearly not running out of targets yet, British Apaches and French Tigre helicopters recently added to the coalition arsenal. But Gadhafi — who they’re purportedly not trying to kill — remains as defiantly entrenched as ever, if steadily more isolated and relentlessly stalked by overwhelming NATO firepower.
Journalists escorted to the Hadba location were told the Libyan leader is unharmed, safely secreted and, apparently, plotting maniacally to hold the centre of his collapsing regime together.
Developments on the ground, however, indicate multiple front lines more aggressively challenging Gadhafi’s hold over his besieged country.
On the other side, rebel fighters seem to have gained an increasing technical competence with their inferior weapons and some hard-earned strategic wisdom. Reports from the eastern end of the country have anti-Gadhafi forces preparing for another assault on the crucial oil-town of Brega while rebels in the Western Mountains have seized several Gadhafite villages in what seems a pincer movement towards Tripoli. That front is now less than 100 kilometres from the capital.
More forceful NATO bombing is what the opposition had been demanding and that’s what they’ve been getting in the past week, after alliance officials gave notice they would expand the scope and intensity of the air campaign. While some generals have hinted that only foreign boots on the ground can break the prolonged stalemate, UN Security Council Resolution 1973 specifically forbids deploying troops alongside the rebels because that would mean taking sides in a civil war — even though, essentially, that’s what NATO, at the UN’s behest, has done.
And it will continue doing so for at least the next 90 days. NATO defence ministers meeting Wednesday in Brussels formally committed to extending military operations for that period. Yet the clock is ticking on both sides, with Norway intending to scale down its air strike role by June 24 and Sweden reducing the number of fighter jets contributed to the campaign, switching soon from patrolling the no-fly zone to reconnaissance sorties.
Only eight of the NATO countries — including Canada — plus the United Arab Emirates have provided jets and pilots for the bombing assignments. Fatigue must surely be setting in for the aviators.
A week ago, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he hoped the Libyan mission would be completed by the end of September — meaning Gadhafi would cede, exit, and then reconstruction of a severely damaged nation could begin.
But NATO has a history of missing deadlines.
*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
By Rosie DiManno - The Star Toronto
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: Pressure Builds For Sale Of F-16 Jets To Taiwan

DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: Pressure Builds For Sale Of F-16 Jets To Taiwan
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 8, 2011: Congress is stepping up pressure on the Obama administration to sell more F-16 jet fighters to Taiwan as the island’s air defenses deteriorate and China’s air power grows.
Sen. John Cornyn, a leading advocate for efforts to bolster Taiwan’s defenses as well as to keep a U.S. production line open for new F-16s, said Tuesday that the shifting military balance across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait is increasing the danger of a conflict that could involve the United States.
“While the administration dithers on Taiwan’s request for F-16s, evidence continues to mount that what Taiwan desperately needs to restore the cross-strait balance and regain the ability to defend its own airspace is new fighter aircraft to bolster an air force that is borderline obsolete,” the Texas Republican and Armed Services Committee member said in the Senate.
“The repercussions of a rising and potentially aggressive China, able to dominate the airspace over Taiwan, demands the attention of our military planners, government officials and members of Congress because it opens the door for China to use force against Taiwan.”
In the House, Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, California Republican, also supports the sale of 66 new F-16C/D model jets to Taiwan because the island’s air forces are declining.
“We have an obligation under the Taiwan Relations Act, and we should honor it. But let’s be realistic: The sale of these aircraft is good for the U.S. industrial base as well,” Mr. McKeon said.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates sidestepped a reporter’s question last week on whether he supports selling new F-16s to Taiwan. Mr. Gates, on his way to an Asian defense conference, said the George W. Bush and Obama administrations tried to abide by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. But he also said U.S. law was balanced by efforts to address “Chinese sensitivities.” Beijing opposes arms sales to the independent island nation that China regards as its territory.
Asked specifically about sales of new F-16s, Mr. Gates, who leaves the Pentagon on June 30, said, “I don’t have a view on that at this point.”
His spokesman said later that “when the time is needed for him to have a view of any proposed weapons sale, Secretary Gates will have one, but no such decision has been teed up for review yet.”
Defense officials said the Obama administration is delaying any new U.S. arms sales to Taiwan to avoid upsetting military relations with Beijing, which has cut off military ties with the U.S. twice in the past three years. Last year, Beijing halted military relations to protest a $6.4 billion arms package of missiles and helicopters to Taiwan. Ties were restarted last month with the visit to the U.S. by Gen. Chen Bingde, the Chinese army’s chief of staff.
The Senate has two opportunities to press the administration on arms sales.
Mr. Cornyn is expected to ask Defense Secretary-designate Leon E. Panetta, whose nomination hearing is Thursday, about worrisome China security issues, but he is not threatening to hold up his nomination. A future Pentagon Asia policy nominee, however, could be delayed by the issues, a Senate aide said.
The State Department, which has the lead on arms sales, also is vulnerable to Senate pressure. William Burns, undersecretary of state for policy, is awaiting a Senate vote on his nomination to deputy secretary of state. Senators are waiting for answers to questions about China security issues before a final vote.
According to the officials, the administration has told Taiwan’s government not to formally request new jets and, instead, is offering the interim step of a $4 billion arms-and-equipment package to upgrade Taiwan’s 145 F-16s that were purchased in the 1980s.
That package has been held up for months by the State Department, despite being viewed as less likely to upset China. The Pentagon also is delaying the release of two reports to Congress on air power across the strait and China’s overall military power.
State Department and White House spokesmen declined to discuss the sales and said all agencies continue “to be involved in the ongoing process to evaluate Taiwan’s defense needs.”
“No decisions on foreign military sales, including the possible retrofit of F-16s, have been made,” White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
Some in the administration oppose the Taiwan arms sales based on a policy that calls for closer military relations with China as a way to build trust with Asia’s growing communist power.
A senior Senate aide close to the issue said there is a sense in Congress that the administration wants lawmakers to force the Pentagon to sell new F-16s as a way to limit the expected political reaction from Beijing.
Several aides said legislation is being considered for the current defense authorization bill, although mandating a specific sale of new F-16s would be difficult.
There is bipartisan support in Congress for the sale to Taiwan, for security and domestic economic reasons.
A bipartisan group of 45 senators wrote to President Obama on May 26 expressing “serious concerns about the military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait” and urged the sale of 66 new F-16s.
A report by a Texas-based financial group says the sale of new F-16s, produced by a division of Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp., would generate $8.7 billion for contractors and subcontractors in 44 states. It also would create more than 87,664 jobs, the report says.
Lockheed has told government officials that without new F-16 orders, it may have to close down all or part of its production line.
*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
By Bill Gertz-The Washington Times
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated June 8, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated June 8, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - June 8, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued June 8, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

Mountain Movers Ainesworth-Benning, LLC, Rapid City, S.D. (FA4690-11-D-1005); Pro-Mark Services, Inc., West Fargo, N.D. (FA4690-11-D-1006); Rangel, JV, Rapid City, S.D. (FA4690-11-D-1007); GBK, JV, Rapid City, S.D. (FA4690-11-D-1008); and Complete Concrete/MAC, Rapid City, S.D. (FA4690-11-D-1009), are being awarded maximum $75,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts. This action is for multiple award construction contracts, competitive design-build indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity construction acquisition base on a general statement of work (further defined within each individual general information and project requirement). Work to be performed under multiple award construction contract will be the general construction category, to include maintenance, repair, alteration, mechanical, electrical, heating/air conditioning, demolition, painting, paving and earthwork in family housing as well as industrial/office buildings on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. Bids were solicited electronically and six were received. The 26th Contracting Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., is the contracting activity.

Aegis Technologies Group, Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $55,259,368 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Air Force Modeling and Simulation Training Toolkit. Task orders will be placed to respond command and control and training environment modification; third party enhancements and integration; and information systems security engineering to incorporate information assurance requirements; system test and evaluation support of the software deliverable; software maintenance; planning and repair of software defects such as deficiency reports; maintenance of the minimum hardware specification(s); development of cost-benefit analysis; and on-site technical support for rapidly fielded baselines at exercises and events. The contract was solicited as a small-business set-aside and received three proposals in response to the solicitation. ESC/HSGK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8707-11-D-0003).

Northrop Grumman Space and Missions Systems Corp., San Jose, Calif., is being awarded a $8,797,290 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to continue problem technical support fixed, and continue any additional tie line testing identified using two ASIP 1C sensors; buy replacement ASIP 1C assets; design and build one set of flight line MQ-9 emulator support equipment assets; and support the government program office that is designating and building shipping containers for the ASIP 2C pod, cradle and test stand. One firm was solicited and one firm submitted a proposal. ASC/WINK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-3004, P00025).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $7,152,000 fixed-price incentive firm contract modification. This contract will provide for advance procurement long lead items associated with two Block 30 and two Block 40 Global Hawk air vehicles; two in-line airborne signals intelligence payload; two Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program sensors; two in-line EISS sensors; and other items and activities required to protect the production schedule for Lot 10. One firm was solicited and one firm submitted a proposal. ASC/WIGK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-10-C-4000, P00006).

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration, Inc., Burlington, Mass., is being awarded a $12,946,976 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (HR0011-11-C-0048). This award is for the Insight program Technical Area 2, Adaptive Multisource Exploitation System. The Insight program addresses a key shortfall in current intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems: the lack of a capability for automatic exploitation and cross-cueing of multi-intelligence sources. Work will be performed in Burlington, Mass. (87 percent); Austin, Texas (1 percent); Orlando, Fla. (5 percent); and Arlington, Va. (7 percent). Work is expected to be completed by May 20, 2013. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the contracting activity.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
U.S. DoD issued No. 489-11 June 8, 2011
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: PLA chief 'Confirms First China Aircraft Carrier'

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: PLA chief 'Confirms First China Aircraft Carrier'
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / HONG KONG - June 8, 2011: A top Chinese military official has confirmed that Beijing is building an aircraft carrier, marking the first acknowledgement of the ship’s existence from China’s secretive armed forces.
In an exclusive interview published Tuesday, the Hong Kong Commercial Daily quoted Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army, as saying the 300 metre refurbished Soviet carrier “is being built, but it has not been completed.”
He declined to elaborate although there has been wide speculation that the vessel was nearly finished after the ship, then called the Varyag, was reportedly purchased in 1998.
It is currently based in the northeast port city of Dalian.
The ship, which an expert on China’s military has said would be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously-built ship, was originally built for the Soviet navy. Construction was interrupted by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Hong Kong paper quoted anonymous sources as saying the carrier will be launched by the end of June at the earliest.
Qi Jianguo, assistant to the chief of the PLA’s general staff, told the newspaper that the carrier would not enter other nations’ territories, in accordance with Beijing’s defensive military strategy.
“All of the great nations in the world own aircraft carriers – they are symbols of a great nation,” he was quoted as saying.
But China is involved in a number of simmering marine territorial disputes.
China has claimed mineral rights around the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and argued that foreign navies cannot sail through the area without Beijing’s permission.
In September, Japan and China clashed over the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China, located in the East China Sea.
In April, Admiral Robert Willard, head of US Pacific Command, said China’s navy had adopted a less aggressive stance in the Pacific after protests from Washington and other nations in the region.
The PLA – the largest army in the world – is hugely secretive about its defence programmes, which benefit from a big military budget boosted by the nation’s runaway economic growth.
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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