DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. To Deploy Newest Weapons To Asia-Pacific

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. To Deploy Newest Weapons To Asia-Pacific

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 20, 2012: The United States plans to deploy some of its newest warships and other high-tech weapons to the Asia-Pacific as part of a strategic shift to the region, a U.S. defense official said Dec. 19.

The Pentagon will send P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft, cruise missiles, Virginia-class submarines, coastal combat ships and F-35 fighter jets to Asian ports and bases in coming years, the senior official told reporters.

“What you’re seeing is part of a bigger effort; the Pacific theater will get the newest weapons systems first,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Pentagon has promoted a tilt to Asia after a decade of ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reflecting concern over China’s growing military power and its assertive stance in territorial disputes with its neighbors.

The United States already plans to deploy more than half of its fleet to the Asia-Pacific and to station four littoral combat ships — speedy new vessels designed to operate near coastlines — for rotational deployments in Singapore.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Dec. 18 that the stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is still in development, could be deployed at the Iwakuni air station in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture by 2017.

Washington also is providing Japan with another powerful X-band radar to bolster its missile defenses, a move announced in September.

Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia are locked in escalating territorial disputes with China and have sought to bolster military ties to Washington to counter Beijing’s influence.

The senior U.S. defense official, recounting recent talks in Southeast Asian capitals, said governments were watching closely to see how China’s new political and military leadership will handle the territorial arguments.

“There was palpable concern and deep concern” over Beijing’s recent actions on the South China Sea, the official said.

He was referring to tough new maritime rules from China’s Hainan province, a controversial map in new Chinese passports and allegations that Chinese fishing boats cut the seismic cables of a Vietnamese geological survey vessel.

Hainan province adopted new regulations last month allowing local police to board and expel foreign ships entering waters it considers under Chinese jurisdiction.

And Beijing infuriated its neighbors by issuing new passports containing a map showing its claim to nearly the whole of the South China Sea.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AFP
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Karen Parrish - American Forces Press Service
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 27, 2012: U.S. and Japanese officials announced yesterday the two nations have agreed on a plan to relocate U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

The joint statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee spells out unit moves, land and facilities on Okinawa the United States will return to the Japanese government, and the costs each government will pay for the relocation.

The joint statement is the latest result of negotiations between the two countries dating to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and the 2009 Guam International Agreement.

The two nations issued a joint defense posture statement in February that “delinked” the two agreements so parts of the relocation plan could move forward more quickly.

“I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a statement yesterday. He praised Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka for “spearheading discussions” leading to the joint statement.

“We will work closely with our partners in the Japanese Self Defense Force to implement these decisions and to further improve this vital alliance of ours,” the secretary added.
Panetta said he looks forward to strengthening the two nations’ partnership “as, together, we address security challenges in the region.”

During a Pentagon background briefing to reporters yesterday, senior State and Defense Department officials outlined the agreement.

About 9,000 Marines will relocate from Okinawa, with about 5,000 moving to Guam and the rest transferring to other locations in the Pacific such as Hawaii and Australia, the defense official said.

The Marines will be organized in air-ground task forces, which combine command, ground, air and logistics elements that can deploy and operate as a unit.

“This new posture that we've created results in a more operationally effective presence across the region,” the defense official said.

“In the end, we are sustaining the same presence in the Western Pacific that we've intended for some time,” the official added.

About 10,000 Marines will remain on Okinawa when the relocation is complete, the official said.

The agreement also sets Japan’s funding for the move to Guam at $3.1 billion of the overall $8.6 billion estimated cost, the defense official added.

“We're particularly appreciative of this commitment in the context of Japan's fiscal challenges, which we fully recognize,” the official added.

One element of the agreement involves possible development of joint training ranges in Guam and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as shared-use facilities for U.S. and Japanese forces, the official said.

The State Department official said the plan will result in a stronger, more sustainable and more flexible alliance.

“This is really a key component of our strategic rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific region,” the official said. “As you know, one of the key aspects of that is strengthening partnerships with regional allies, and of course Japan is a very important alliance partner.”

The official said the agreement reaffirms both nations’ commitment to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, now in the center of Okinawa’s Ginowan City, to a more remote area of the island. Until the Futenma relocation happens, both governments will share the cost of maintaining the existing facility, the official added.

The Japanese government will determine the timeline for the Futenma move, the State Department official said, noting the U.S. focus for Okinawa is sustaining an operationally effective Marine Corps presence there.

The defense official said U.S. representatives are “delighted” at the agreement.

“We think it's a significant achievement that demonstrates that the U.S.-Japan alliance is still capable of big things,” the official said.

Biographies:
Leon E. Panetta

Related Sites:
Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee

Related Articles:
U.S., Japan Release Joint Defense Posture Statement
U.S., Japanese Officials Discuss Military Realignment

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Karen Parrish - American Forces Press Service
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News: Russian Bombers Conduct Another Pacific Patrol Mission

DTN News: Russian Bombers Conduct Another Pacific Patrol Mission Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info)MOSCOW, Russia - April 12, 2010: Two Russian Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol flight over the Pacific Ocean, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers took off from Ukrainka Airbase on April 8 and carried out patrols over neutral waters in the Pacific Ocean and near the Aleutian Islands," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said. During the 15-hour mission, the crews practiced instrumental guidance flights and in-flight refueling. All flights by Russian aircraft are performed in strict compliance with international law on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without intruding in the airspace of other states. However, the Russian bombers were shadowed by Canadian F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets during the patrols. Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans in August 2007, following an order from then-President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainka Airbase is one of the largest strategic air force bases in Russia's Far East.

DTN News: Boeing Projects Asia Pacific Will Be Largest Aviation Market in World

DTN News: Boeing Projects Asia Pacific Will Be Largest Aviation Market in World

*Region will invest $1.1 trillion in new airplanes, 35 percent of world value

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) HONG KONG - September 9, 2009: Boeing (NYSE: BA) forecasts that the Asia Pacific region will rank as the world's largest aviation market over the next 20 years, requiring 8,960 new commercial jets valued at approximately $1.1 trillion. Asia Pacific is the largest market in the forecast for new airplanes in terms of both units required and market value. "Twenty years from now more than 40 percent of the world's airline traffic will begin, end or take place within the Asia Pacific region," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President - Marketing, Randy Tinseth. "That's a big leap for a region that was not even mentioned in our earliest Boeing market forecasts back in the 1950s." Tinseth said between now and 2028, Asia Pacific air travel will grow from 32 percent of the world market to 41 percent. (Image: Boeing rivals Airbus A380) The Asia Pacific region covers a broad area including Japan, Korea, China, Australia and India and currently accounts for more than 8,300 flights and 1.2 million travelers daily. In less than 10 years, it will be the largest air travel market in the world, according to the Boeing outlook released today in Hong Kong. Travel in the region is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.5 percent over the next 20 years. "This is clearly a difficult time in the aviation market, and today's challenges are reflected in the Boeing forecast, but we do expect the growing Asia markets to lead the industry into recovery," said Tinseth. Strong domestic growth in China, India and other emerging Asian nations will contribute to high demand for single-aisle airplanes. Over the 20-year forecast period, more than half of the deliveries, some 5,600, will be single-aisles. With just 330 deliveries, the percentage of the fleet's large category will decrease from 10 to 4 percent as airlines switch to more efficient mid-size twins and even larger single-aisle jets. Airlines in the Asia Pacific region will take delivery of 2,590 twin-aisle airplanes. Regional jet deliveries will total 440. The Asia Pacific fleet will nearly triple from 3,910 to a total of 11,170 airplanes. More than 80 percent of this demand will be for growth. Delivery of new, more fuel-efficient airplanes ensures the region's fleets will remain among the youngest in the world. Boeing's projection also shows the Asia Pacific region as a growth leader in the long-term global air cargo market, with routes within China, within Asia and those connecting Asia to other regions outpacing the global average growth annual rate of 5.4 percent over the next 20 years. "Despite an unprecedented contraction during 2008 and 2009, we remain confident in the strength of the global air cargo market over the long haul," said Jim Edgar, regional director, Cargo Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The air cargo industry is supported by sound fundamentals -- the imperative for speed, consumer product innovation and global industrial interdependence are key drivers -- as well as global GDP projections of about 3 percent annual growth." Asian carriers will add about 750 freighters to the region's fleet to accommodate growth and airplane retirements, about 27 percent of the world requirement - second only to the more mature, but slower growing, North America market. More information on the Asia Pacific market forecast can be found at: www.boeing.com/cmo