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1.: Australian DM, Military Chief To Attend NATO Meeting On Afghan War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 2:42 pm (PST)

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/faulkner-to-attend-nato-conference-20100203-nd58.html

Australian Associated Press
February 3, 2010

Faulkner to attend NATO conference

Defence Minister John Faulkner will discuss the war in Afghanistan when he attends the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) defence ministers's meeting in Istanbul this week.

Senator Faulkner, accompanied by defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, will also participate in a meeting of defence ministers from the countries with troops operating in Regional Command (South), which covers the dangerous provinces of Oruzgan, Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul.

He said this was the first opportunity for ISAF defence ministers to convene since United States President Barack Obama announced his revised strategy for the campaign in Afghanistan.

"The meeting also provides an opportunity to build on the recent London conference on Afghanistan," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Senator Faulkner said the NATO defence minister's meeting was held twice a year and provided an opportunity to discuss the international effort in Afghanistan including the development of the Afghan forces and the co-ordination of civil and military activities.

"Attending these meetings gives Australia the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Afghan Government, Coalition allies, and participate in strategic discussions about the conflict in Afghanistan," he said.

"Australia is one of a coalition of over 40 countries under United Nations mandate working under NATO command. Australia is by far the largest non-NATO contributor of forces in Afghanistan."

Australia now has some 1550 troops in Afghanistan, most in Oruzgan province engaged in training the Afghan National Army (ANA) so it can eventually take full security responsibility.
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2.: U.S. Extends Missile Buildup From Poland And Taiwan To Persian Gulf

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 2:43 pm (PST)

http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/u-s-extends-missile-buildup-from-poland-and-taiwan-to-persian-gulf

Stop NATO
February 3, 2010

U.S. Extends Missile Buildup From Poland And Taiwan To Persian Gulf
Rick Rozoff

On January 20 Poland's Defense Ministry revealed that a U.S. Patriot missile battery previously scheduled to be stationed near the nation's capital will instead be deployed to a Baltic Sea location 35 miles from Russian territory; on January 29 the White House approved the transfer of 114 Patriot missiles to Taiwan as part of a $6.5 billion arms package that also includes eight warships the receiving nation plans to upgrade for the Aegis Combat System with the capacity for carrying Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) ship-based anti-ballistic missiles.

On January 22 head of the Pentagon's Central Command General David Petraeus told an audience at the private Institute for the Study of War that two warships equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System "are in the Gulf at all times now." [1] A news report on the same day remarked "That statement - along with the stationing of other U.S. air defense assets in the region - sends a strong signal to Iran...." [2]

The New York Times reported on January 30 that the U.S. was expediting the deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missiles to four Persian Gulf nations - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates - thereby paralleling the combination of sea-based Aegis and land-based Patriot missiles intended for the Taiwan Strait aimed at China and in the Baltic Sea targeting Russia. The Gulf deployments are intended for use against Iran.

"One senior military officer said that General Petraeus had started talking
openly about the Patriot deployments about a month ago, when it became
increasingly clear that international efforts toward imposing sanctions against Iran faced hurdles...." [3]

On February 1 The Times of London commented on the coordinated interceptor missile plans: "Tensions in the Gulf between the US and Iran are set to rise further after it emerged that American-made anti-missile systems are to be deployed to Washington's Arab allies in the region.

"The Obama Administration said yesterday that it was speeding up arms sales to a number of states and that it had also deployed warships in the Gulf...."

As in the Baltic Sea and Taiwan, PAC-3 missiles - "dedicated almost entirely to the anti-ballistic missile mission" [4] and which soon will have their capability increased by 50% with an upgrade called Missile Segment Enhancement - will be used for short- to medium-range and Aegis class warships for medium to long-range missile interceptions. The basic ingredients of a multilayered theater missile shield.

Last May an American news source waxed enthusiastic over Aegis capabilities: "The AEGIS combat system, at its heart, is a computer controlled combat and data system. It can simultaneously launch strikes against missiles or other targets in the air, and on land and sea, either surface or underwater.

"AEGIS is the most capable missile launch system the Navy has ever put to sea. In any weather, including full cyclones, AEGIS can attack multiple targets underwater, and from wave top to directly overhead, at all speeds from subsonic to supersonic." [5]

Its Standard Missile-3, already in the Persian Gulf and soon to be permanently based in the Baltic, South China, Mediterranean and Black Seas, has an acknowledged range of 500 kilometers but can be enhanced for longer distances and was used by the U.S. to destroy a satellite 130 miles above the Pacific Ocean in February of 2008 in a test inspected by Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. "The satellite was unlike any target the system was designed to go after....The satellite was in orbit rather than on a ballistic trajectory. Also, the satellite was traveling at incredible speeds." [6]

As to the Patriot missile defense system, it is the only component of the U.S. (and allied) global interceptor project to be used in combat, both times in full-fledged wars.

Patriots were employed in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 against Iraqi Scud missiles and were based in Israel, not a formal belligerent in the war, and Saudi Arabia, which was and which served as a base for a large percentage of the 100,000 sorties by the U.S. and its allies in the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.

The U.S. stationed and used Patriot missiles in Kuwait 2003 during the invasion of Iraq and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization deployed three Patriot batteries (and AWACS) to Turkey before the attack.

Unlike other, longer-range, elements of the layered missile shield system, the Patriot has been proven an effective battlefield weapon. It is only defensive in the sense that a shield was a means of defense for a sword-wielding warrior or armor is for a battle tank. It is designed to protect an aggressor from counterattack.

In commenting on the Pentagon's plans to move Patriot and SM-3 - and even longer-range - missiles into the Persian Gulf, a newspaper in the region wrote that "US anti-missile systems may be installed in Bahrain to protect the country against possible retaliatory attacks from Iran...." [7] A degree of candor absent in the American press. One which reveals that the U.S. is installing interceptor missiles in the Gulf as it did earlier in 1991 and 2003 to neutralize short- and medium-range missiles fired in response to acts or threats of aggression.

One of the false rationales for the expanded missile deployments dutifully retailed by major American and British newspapers of late is that they are intended in part to prevent rather than encourage attacks on Iran by Israel. That argument is contrary to logic and fact alike. By assuring the second nation and Gulf states Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia which host U.S. infantry, air and naval forces that they are invulnerable to retaliation after attacks on Iran is to increase the risk of unprovoked Israeli and U.S. assaults.

Compared to 1991 and 2003, though, the groundwork for a much broader conflict is being laid, one which will include interceptor missiles several stages more advanced than the Patriot and SM-3.

Last August it was reported that "Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. [United Arab Emirates]...want a wide range of military platforms, with particular interest in missile defense systems such as the U.S. Theater High Altitude Air Defense system [THAAD]. Approval was recently given for the Pentagon to sell this to the U.A.E., THAAD's first foreign customer." [8]

THAAD picks up where the SM-3 (which is being transitioned for ground deployment in Europe and the Middle East as part of new - post-September 17, 2009 - U.S. and NATO interceptor missile plans) leaves off and after THAAD comes the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system to intercept missiles in space (the exoatmosphere).

On January 31 the U.S. Missile Defense Agency launched a ground-based interceptor missile from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in what proved to be an unsuccessful test.

Four days before a local newspaper wrote that "A missile-defense system test set for Sunday at Vandenberg Air Force Base will involve a different scenario, this time gauging how the system would react to an Iran-like attack, officials said."

The report further detailed "a target weapon set to take off from the Kwajalein Atoll, about 4,200 miles southwest of Vandenberg" and that "the launch will be followed about 20 minutes later by a ground-based interceptor launched from an underground silo on north Vandenberg." [9]

The last such test occurred in 2008 "when [a] target launched from Kodiak, Alaska, was successfully hit by a Vandenberg interceptor." [10] Staging long-range missile interception tests from Alaska, including from the Aleutian Islands near Russia's eastern coast, are not limited to plans for Iran.

In mid-January head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency Lieutenant General Patrick O'Reilly visited Fort Greely, Alaska, "the first line in America's missile defense" and home to ground-based midcourse missiles, and his comments included: "In a time of war we would launch." [11] Missiles launched from Fort Greely would have to pass over Russia, China or both to reach Iran, incidentally.

News that the U.S. is to deploy a Patriot missile battery in Poland close to its border led to Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin stating recently: "Do they really think that we will calmly watch the location of a rocket system, at a distance of 60 km from Kaliningrad?" [12] The deployment of Standard Missile-3s, with several times the reach of the Patriot, on land and sea in the same neighborhood will only makes matters more dangerous.

The official authorization of Patriot transfers to Taiwan - the missiles are produced by Raytheon Company, whose former vice president of Government Operations and Strategy William Lynn is now Deputy Secretary of Defense - resulted in China's vice foreign minister, He Yafei, saying "We believe this move endangers China's national security" [13] and to Luo Yuan, senior researcher with the Academy of Military Science, adding "The US action gives China a justified cause to increase its national defense expenditure, to enhance the development and purchase of weapons, and to accelerate its modernization process in national defense....China did nothing to threaten the US, why should the US challenge our core strategic interests?" [14]

China and Russia, by not capitulating to U.S. and Western European pressure to enforce further, even more onerous sanctions against Iran of the type that have in recent years been followed by all-our war against other nations, have frequently been chastised by U.S. leaders, with China lately being dressed down by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, about whom it cannot be said as President John Quincey Adams claimed of the early American republic that "she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy."

China has suspended military contacts with Washington and threatened sanctions against American arms firms involved in the completion of the $6.5 billion deal with Taiwan.

With the release of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review which calls for a record $708 billion in Pentagon spending next year, Bloomberg News ran a feature titled "China, Iran Prompt U.S. Air-Sea Battle Plan in Strategy Review" which stated "The U.S. military is drawing up a new air-sea battle plan in response to threats such as China's persistent military build-up and Iran's possession of advanced weapons." Pentagon chief Robert Gates was quoted as alluding to - in an obvious reference to China - "the military modernization programs of other countries" and of the Quadrennial Defense Review in general that "This is truly a wartime QDR." [15]

"The budget underscored the administration's commitment to a 'robust defense against emerging missile threats,' saying it would pay for use of increasingly capable sea- and land-based missile interceptors and a range of sensors in Europe." [16]

The blatant provocations against Russia and China of late last month are being repeated against Iran.

The Times of London on February 1 reminded its readers that "The UAE and Saudi Arabia have bought more than $25 billion of US arms in the past two years. Abu Dhabi has bought $17 billion of US hardware since 2008, including Patriot anti-missile systems, while the UAE as a whole recently bought 80 F16 jets."

It also recalled, even more ominously, that "The chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen...said last month that the Pentagon must have military options ready to counter Iran should Mr Obama call for them." [17]

An integral part of plans to contain and confront Iran is the Pentagon buildup in and near the Persian Gulf. Last year United Press International published a report that "Middle Eastern countries are expected to spend more than $100 billion over the next five years....Most of the procurement will be carried out by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Israel....The core of this arms-buying spree will undoubtedly be the $20 billion U.S. package of weapons systems over 10 years for the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council - Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain." [18]

On January 27 in the United Arab Emirates "The UAE Armed Forces [began] military training with the US Central Command (Centcom) along with armed forces from other GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] and friendly countries." [19]

Last October and November the U.S. and Israel conducted their largest-ever joint military exercise, Juniper Cobra 2009, which tested five interceptor missile systems in tandem. [20]

On September 17, while announcing plans to abandon ground-based interceptor deployments in Poland in favor of a broader stratified system in Europe based initially on Patriot Advanced Capability-3 and Aegis missiles, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in reference to Iran and its neighbors that "the United States has already formed a Gulf missile defense network that consisted of PAC-3 and the Aegis sea-based systems....The reality is we are working both on a bilateral and a multilateral basis in the Gulf to establish the same kind of regional missile defense that would protect our facilities out there as well as our friends and allies."

He added: "We have very strong bilateral relationships in developing missile defense with several of the countries in the Gulf. And now what we're encouraging is to layer on top of that multilateral cooperation as well." [21]

What Gates was describing is a comprehensive missile shield in the region that integrates all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states into a single interceptor grid linked with facilities and deployments in Israel and Turkey (if the latter nation permits it) and a continent-wide NATO system in Europe.

The same source reported:

"Officials said the United Arab Emirates has been the most advanced in plans to form a missile defense umbrella. The UAE has ordered the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, designed to destroy nuclear missiles in the exoatmosphere. Over the last two years, the Pentagon has been meeting GCC military chiefs to discuss regional and national missile defense programs....At the same time, the U.S. military has been operating PAC-3 in Kuwait and Qatar. The U.S. Army has also been helping Saudi Arabia upgrade its PAC-2 fleet." [22]

The Associated Press stated days after last September's announced change in U.S. global missile shield plans - in which the "Obama administration shift[ed] its focus on missile defense away from Europe and toward the Middle East" - that "Between 2004 and last year, the Emirates bought more weapons than any other country besides China and India, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The majority of those arms came from the U.S. Lockheed and partner Raytheon Corp. of Waltham, Mass., are leading the push to strengthen the Emirates' missile defense systems....It is not the region's only U.S. ally to have placed such an order. Saudi Arabia, Israel and Kuwait have all bought Patriot and other missile shield systems....Abu Dhabi is...pushing to become the first country after the U.S. to deploy what Lockheed says is an even more advanced missile defense system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD...."
[23]

William Lynn, the Pentagon's second highest ranking official and former lobbyist for the manufacturer of Patriot missiles, Raytheon, delivered a speech in Washington, D.C. On January 21, the contents of which were reported as containing the demand to "put the Defense Department on a permanent footing to fight both low-intensity conflicts to maintaining air dominance and the ability to strike any target on Earth at any time....The next air warfare priority for the Pentagon is developing a next-generation, deep-penetrating strike capability that can overcome advanced air defenses...." [24] The new Prompt Global Strike system is designed to accomplish just those last three objectives. [25]

Were a leading defense official of any other nation to publicly promote that agenda the newspapers of the world would report it and the Pentagon, State Department and White House would not be silent on the matter. The American media and the government alike would condemn it for what it is: A threat to world peace and to the world itself.

1) Wired, January 22, 2010
2) Ibid
3) New York Times, January 30, 2010
4) Wikipedia
5) OnMilwaukee, May 12, 2009
6) American Forces Press Service, February 24, 2010
7) Gulf Daily News, February 1, 2010
8) United Press International, August 25, 2009
9) Lompoc Record, January 27, 2010
10) Ibid
11) Alaska Dispatch, January 13, 2010
12) Radio Poland, January 29, 2010
13) New York Times, January 29, 2010
14) China Daily, February 1, 2010
15) Bloomberg News, February 1, 2010
16) Reuters, February 1, 2010
17) The Times, February 1, 2010
18) United Press International, August 25, 2009
19) Gulf News, January 27, 2010
20) Israel: Forging NATO Missile Shield, Rehearsing War With Iran
Stop NATO, November 5, 2009
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/israel-forging-nato-missile-shield-rehearsing-war-with-iran
21) World Tribune, September 30, 2009
22) Ibid
23) Associated Press, September 23, 2009
24) Defense News, January 22, 2010
25) U.S. Accelerates First Strike Global Missile Shield System
Stop NATO, August 19, 2009
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/u-s-accelerates-first-strike-global-missile-shield-system/
Militarization Of Space: Threat Of Nuclear War On Earth
Stop NATO, June 18, 2009
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/militarization-of-space-threat-of-nuclear-war-on-earth
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3.: NATO Warplanes Violate Pakistan's Airspace

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 2:48 pm (PST)

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/04-Feb-2010/NATO-planes-violate-Pak-airspace

The Nation (Pakistan)
February 4, 2010

NATO planes violate Pak airspace
By Bari Baloch

QUETTA: NATO fighter planes reportedly violated Pakistan's airspace for almost thirty minutes in the Zhob district on Wednesday.

According to sources, NATO jet planes were seen flying over the bordering area of Zhob district, some 300 kilometres away from Quetta, on the Pak-Afghan border. The planes whose number could not be ascertained remained in Pakistan's airspace for almost 30 minuets and later returned to Afghanistan.

The movement of warplanes created panic among the residents of these localities who thought that the planes would carry out air strikes in the area.

The sources informed that after violation of Pakistan's airspace, the security in border areas has further been tightened and the authorities concerned have been informed about this violation. The official sources on the condition of anonymity have confirmed the report.

However, the DG ISPR Gen Athar Abbas, when contacted by The Nation, said that he had absolutely no information about this.
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4.: NATO Recruits More Slovak Troops For Afghan War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 2:50 pm (PST)

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1530773.php/Slovak-parliament-approves-more-troops-for-Afghanistan

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
February 3, 2010

Slovak parliament approves more troops for Afghanistan

Bratislava: The Slovak parliament agreed on Wednesday to boost the country's forces in Afghanistan in 2010 by up to 57 military guards.

The lawmakers have thus raised Slovakia's Afghanistan deployment limit for this year from 262 troops to 319.

A member since 2004 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Slovakia has vowed to double its forces in Afghanistan as part of a NATO pledge to expand forces in the war-torn country.

Some 240 Slovak soldiers currently serve under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, an army spokesman has said.

The additional troops, whose deployment was approved in a 120-3 vote, are set to guard the Kandahar airport.
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5.: U.S., NATO Versus Russia In The Baltic Sea

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 3:01 pm (PST)

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4484104&c=EUR&s=SEA

Defense News
February 3, 2010

Estonia Monitors Rise In Russian Naval Activity
By GERARD O'DWYER

-The "increasing presence" of NATO and the United States in the Baltic Sea also contributes to the increased Russian activity...Russia has warned the United States of possible conflicts should it deploy anti-missile ships in the Baltic.

HELSINKI: Estonia's Military Intelligence Unit (MIU) is reporting an increased level of Russian naval activity in the Baltic Sea, noting an escalation in patrols and large-scale naval exercises involving Russia's North Sea and Black Sea fleets.

The higher level of Russian naval activity, detailed in an updated MIU report to the Ministry of Defense (MoD), comes as Russia plans construction of gas pipelines across the Baltic Sea to feed mainland European gas networks.

The MIU report notes the strategic importance of the Zapad and Ladoga naval exercises by the Russian Navy last year, which were carried out in the large area between the Belarus-Lithuania border and the St. Petersburg region.

The report to the MoD describes both exercises as "the most ambitious, resourced and strategic" naval maneuvers since the end of the Cold War. The report observes that a greater Russian naval presence in the Baltic Sea can be expected as the country scales up military resources to protect its oil and gas interests in the region.

The Zapad and Ladoga exercises centered on the deployment of torpedo ships, anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-submarine weapons. The MIU reports that funds will be made available in 2010-14 to modernize Russia's Baltic fleet, which is significantly smaller than its Northern, Pacific and Black Sea fleets.

The "increasing presence" of NATO and the United States in the Baltic Sea also contributes to the increased Russian activity, according to the MIU report. Russia has warned the United States of possible conflicts should it deploy anti-missile ships in the Baltic.
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6.: NATO Commitment: More Czech Troops Headed To Afghanistan

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 3:50 pm (PST)

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/govt-approves-reinforcement-of-czech-contingent-in-afghanistan/428909

Czech News Agency
February 1, 2010

Govt approves reinforcement of Czech contingent in Afghanistan

-[T]he reinforcement of the Afghan mission might be compensated by a decrease in the number of troops in Kosovo where even a smaller contingent would be able to fulfill the tasks.
Apart from the Czech participation in the ISAF mission, members of the Czech 601st special forces group served in the U.S.-commanded Enduring Freedom anti-terrorism operation in Afghanistan. They mainly focused on direct combat actions against the Taliban gunmen.

Prague: The government today approved the reinforcement of the Czech contingent serving in Afghanistan by up to 55 troops, Defence Minister Martin Bartak confirmed to CTK.

Fifteen new people are to help train the Afghan police and some 40 soldiers with two Arthur artillery hunting radars are to protect the Polish base in the Ghazni province.

The government would send no combat units, but only training, protective and logistic teams to Afghanistan, Bartak told reporters before his departure for Israel today.

The new troops can be deployed only after the Chamber of Deputies debates and approves the reinforcement, Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said, adding it would not be easy.

The soldiers could leave for Afghanistan in the other half of 2010, he added.
....
The Chamber of Deputies passed the deployment of up to 535 soldiers in Afghanistan this year. Most of them are operating in the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the province of Logar. Three Czech military transport helicopters have been operating in Afghanistan since January.

The reinforcement of units in Afghanistan is part of the U.S. and NATO strategy with the aim to solve the difficult security situation in the country.

Bartak recalled that the neighbouring Slovakia, for instance, had increased its contingent in Afghanistan by 250 troops.

The Social Democrats (CSSD) are opposed to any increase in the number of troops in foreign missions, CSSD chairman Jiri Paroubek reiterated it today.

Bartak refused to comment on Paroubek´s objections, but he said he had informed Civic Democrat (ODS) chairman Mirek Topolanek about the plan and that the ODS fully supported the reinforcement.

The Czech parliament would have to approve the proposed reinforcement of the Afghan mission above the approved number of soldiers.

The military was originally considering reinforcing the contingent by up to 100 soldiers as well as sending the L-159 subsonic combat aircraft in Afghanistan.

The media were also speculating about the deployment of a tank platoon.

The government-approved reinforcement of the Afghan mission is in compliance with the results of the international conference held in London last week, Kohout stressed.

"The government decided so with regard to NATO commitments, requirements of the allies and on the basis of our own analyses being aware of responsibility for these commitments," Fischer said.

Bartak said previously that the reinforcement of the Afghan mission might be compensated by a decrease in the number of troops in Kosovo where even a smaller contingent would be able to fulfill the tasks.

Apart from the Czech participation in the ISAF mission, members of the Czech 601st special forces group served in the U.S.-commanded Enduring Freedom anti-terrorism operation in Afghanistan. They mainly focused on direct combat actions against the Taliban gunmen.

($1=18.782 crowns)
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7.: NATO Troops Plan Largest Combat Operation In Eight-Year Afghan War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 3:55 pm (PST)

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\04\story_4-2-2010_pg7_13

Associated Press
February 3, 2010

Coalition troops brace for biggest offensive since start of Afghan war

CAMP LEATHERNECK: US-led coalition troops are planning their biggest joint offensive since the beginning of the Afghan war, officers said on Wednesday.

They are aiming to target a town in the south of Afghanistan....

Due to security reasons, no exact date for the launch of the offensive has been released as yet but US commanders have said they plan to capture the town of Marjah, 380 miles southwest of Kabul during this winter.

Up to 125,000 people are believed to live in the district around Marjah, an agricultural centre in Helmand province. And about 80,000 people live in or around the town itself.

US officers claim that between 600 and 1,000 Taliban and foreign fighters are operating in the area.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) officials did not tell as to how many NATO and Afghan troops had been earmarked for the offensive, but they are expected to vastly outnumber the Taliban and their allies.

In Kabul, NATO spokesman Brigadier General Eric Tremblay told reporters that the operation would include at least 1,000 Afghan police personnel and thousands of Afghan soldiers as well as thousands of NATO troops.
....
Fighting in Helmand escalated in 2006 and the sprawling southern province was transformed into one of the deadliest parts of the country.
....
Afghan National Army's Major Jundish Jang Baz said the Taliban are believed to include about 100 to 150 foreign fighters, including Arabs, Pakistanis, Uzbeks, Chechens and a few Yemenis.

He added that the problem was that NATO was not completely sure whether it could rely on all the forces supposed to be on its side. Jang Baz said the locally hired Afghan police were less than reliable.

Azimi said an investigation was under way into a NATO airstrike that killed four Afghan soldiers last week in the Wardak province.

The fighting broke out when a joint US-Afghan force came under fire near a remote highway outpost and called in the airstrike. Both sides have said it appeared to be a case of mistaken identity.
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8.: "Variety Of Threats": U.S., Japan Hold Joint Military Exercise

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 6:25 pm (PST)

http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=44823

III Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs
February 2, 2010

U.S., Japan Forces Join for Exercise Keen Edge 2010
Cpl. Rebekka S. Heite
OKINAWA MARINE STAFF

CAMP FOSTER: More than 100 U.S. Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Japanese Self Defense Force soldiers on Okinawa worked with their counterparts on mainland Japan on several real-world scenarios taking place in Japan during Exercise Keen Edge 2010 Jan. 22 through Wednesday.

"[Keen Edge] is a joint, bilateral exercise where U.S. forces in Japan team up with [JSDF soldiers] and execute a command post exercise through different operations centers dispersed within mainland Japan and Okinawa," said Maj. Brian Sanchez, lead planner of the exercise from Marine Corps Base Camp Butler G-3.

The biennial exercise was a 24-hour day, weeklong exercise in which U.S. and Japanese forces worked together to complete the mission.

The focus of Keen Edge was "working as one team to defeat a variety of threats that Pacific forces would face in a realistic scenario," added Lt. Col. Daniel Ircink, senior watch officer from Marine Corps Base Camp Butler G-3.
....
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9.: U.S. Seeks Joint Military Drill With Japan, South Korea

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 6:32 pm (PST)

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2916202

JoongAng Daily
February 4, 2010

U.S. wants joint military drill with Korea, Japan
By Lee Min-yong

The United States military is seeking to organize a trilateral military drill with Korea and Japan.

In a teleconference from Bangkok, Thailand, Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific, yesterday told reporters that Korean military forces will get more chances to join future joint exercises following Korea's first participation in a multilateral military drill called Cobra Gold 2010 which is taking place in Thailand.

"We have had discussions with the Korean ground and Japanese Self-Defense Force in organizing multilateral or trilateral military exercises in order to better deal with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," Mixon said.

"There has been interest shown concerning the trilateral exercise and we are also awaiting some ideas and information from both of the armies. We intend to move forward on that as soon as we can."

Cobra Gold, an annual multilateral military drill co-sponsored by the United States Pacific Command and the Royal Thai Armed Forces, began in 1981. It aims to ensure regional peace and reinforce the ability of Thai forces to defend Thailand or other regional contingencies. The drill, which started on Monday, lasts for 11 days.

"Obviously, Korea is an influential power in the region and we are thrilled to have Korea taking part in this joint exercise for the first time this year," Mixon said. "It is a good sign that the Korean military is realizing it is an important power that can contribute to building peace and stability within the region."

Korea, which had been an observer of the Cobra Gold since 2002, has deployed 187 combat marines and 146 seamen as well as a 2,600-ton Korean-made landing ship and eight Korean assault amphibious vehicles for this year's exercise.

Japan, Singapore and Indonesia also sent forces to take part. An additional 14 countries were observers.
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10.: Pentagon Wants South Korea In Missile Shield System

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 6:33 pm (PST)

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/02/04/2010020400311.html

Chosun Ilbo
February 4, 2010

Seoul Denies Plan to Join U.S. Missile Defense Scheme

The U.S. Defense Department claims South Korea is interested in participating in a U.S.-led ballistic missile defense system, but Seoul officials deny that any concrete commitment has been made. In a report released Monday, the department said Seoul "is also an important U.S. BMD partner" and "has indicated interest in acquiring a missile defense capability that includes land- and sea-based systems, early warning radars, and a command and control system."

"The United States and [South Korea] are working to define possible future BMD requirements," the report says. It expresses the hope that South Korea will actively participate, saying, "The United States looks forward to taking further steps to enhance operational coordination and build upon ongoing missile defense cooperation" between Seoul and Washington.

But South Korean military authorities on Wednesday dismissed the claims, saying the report does not represent an official expression of the U.S. government views. They say there has been no formal request through diplomatic channels, nor has Seoul expressed such an interest.

Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said, "Whether to participate in the missile defense system is a matter that needs comprehensive consideration of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and worldwide."

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific Command, on Tuesday said the U.S. is seeking a tripartite military exercise of the South Korean and U.S. armies and Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, a claim Seoul also denies.

In a telephone talk with Defense Department bloggers, Mixon said South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have discussed ways to stage a multilateral or trilateral exercise for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The Defense Ministry denied this report as well, saying it had no such discussions and made no such plans.
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11.: Ex-U.S. Official Pressures Ukraine On NATO Membership

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 7:10 pm (PST)

http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/31081/

Interfax-Ukraine
February 2, 2010

Cooperation with NATO best way to guarantee Ukraine's security, says U.S. expert

Neutral status is not an option for Ukraine, said Damon Wilson vice-president of the Atlantic Council, who served as Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council during President George W. Bush's second term.

He expressed his opinion during a video conference entitled "U.S. expectations from the Ukrainian election," which was held with the participation of Ukrainian and American experts in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Ukraine is unlikely to have a neutral status, Wilson said.

He cautioned Ukraine against seeking alternative model of strengthening Ukraine's security.

Such alternatives could prevent Ukraine from further integration into Europe, Wilson believes. In his words, the best way to guarantee Ukraine's security lies through cooperation with NATO and internal reforms.
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12.: Germany: U.S. Trains Macedonian Military For NATO, Afghan War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Wed Feb 3, 2010 7:19 pm (PST)

http://www.usafe.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123188326

United States Air Forces In Europe
February 1, 2010

Macedonian visit to Ramstein advances partnerships, integration
by Tech. Sgt. Michael Voss
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany: As the Air Force places more emphasis on the importance of building partnerships, Team Ramstein continues to be at the forefront of making this happen in Europe. The base hosted three officers from the Republic of Macedonia Army Jan. 26 to 28 with the intent of enhancing future operations and mission success.

Focused on the world of logistics, the three-day visit was designed to allow the Macedonian officers the opportunity to see transportation, packing and handling operations, as well as movements into the theater in support of a deployment, to develop a more standardized system, thus better integrating their operations with the United States and NATO.

"This visit is part of EUCOM's Theater Security Cooperation program to showcase our military capabilities to our partner nations, and it reinforces COMUSAFE's top priority of building partnerships," said Capt. Al Ocampo, U.S. Air Forces in Europe TSC logistics manager.

As a member of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, members of the Macedonian Army have become a key player in supporting not only the NATO mission but the U.S. Air Force's as well.

"Currently Macedonia has a small contingent of soldiers supporting ISAF in Afghanistan and is hoping to increase their support to that mission. As they become more involved in joint operations, they'll have an increased volume of people and equipment that will need to move downrange, and the United States and NATO will be helping them accomplish that," said Capt. Christopher Martagon, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron materiel management flight commander.

The visit also allowed the group to observe Ramstein servicemembers conducting the week-long operational readiness exercise.

"We have wide cooperation with the U. S. Air Force, and nowadays, since we enforce our forces and presence in Afghanistan, we are looking forward to deeper cooperation," said Macedonian Army Capt. Nikola Angelov....
....
"In observing our operations they're able to take some lessoned learned home with them and create processes that allow them to seamlessly integrate with our operations, making it a transparent process," said Captain Martagon.
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13.: Romania: U.S. To Expand Missile Shield Into Black Sea

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Feb 4, 2010 5:43 am (PST)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6131K4.htm

Reuters
February 4, 2010

Romania okays U.S plan to host anti-missile shield

BUCHAREST: Romania's Supreme Defence Council on Thursday approved a plan by Washington to deploy "terrestrial interceptors" in the Black Sea state as part of a missile shield to protect Europe, President Traian Basescu said.

"The council approved a U.S. proposal that Romania takes part in the anti-rocket shield system," Basescu said. "Terrestrial interceptors will be located inside the national territory."

The plan still requires parliamentary approval. (Reporting by Radu Marinas; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
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14.: State Department Visits To Shore Up U.S. Support For Georgia

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Feb 4, 2010 5:55 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/news/politics/foreign/1632713.html

Trend News Agency
February 4, 2010

Support expected from U.S. officials during Georgia visit
N. Kirtskhalia

Georgia, Tbilisi: Bilateral cooperation within the strategy executed by Georgia and the U.S. will be discussed during U.S. First Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon's visit to Georgia.

Georgian Foreign Ministry representative David Berdzenishvili said after the meeting statements will be made in support of bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Georgia.

Steinberg and Gordon will arrive in Georgia from Armenia Feb. 5 on their Caucasus tour. They will meet with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and opposition representatives.

Parliamentary Committee for International Relations Chairman Akaki Minashvili said during the U.S. diplomats' visit existing conflicts in Georgian territory will be discussed.

He said opportunities to intensify international efforts toward resolving existing conflicts in Georgia will be mulled during the visit.
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15.: Yemen: Saudi Air Assaults Kill 14, Wound Dozens

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Feb 4, 2010 6:00 am (PST)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117864&sectionid=351020206

Press TV
February 4, 2010

Saudi jets pound Yemen, kill 14 civilians

At least fourteen civilians have been killed and dozens more have suffered injuries as Saudi fighter jets pounded the alleged strongholds of Houthi fighters in northern parts of Yemen despite a truce offer put forth by the Shia fighters.

According to a statement released by the fighters on Thursday, Saudi warplanes carried out 13 aerial attacks on al-Sha'af district in the northern Yemeni governorate of al-Jawf.

The aircraft dropped several bombs on homes in the conflict area, as a result of which 14 people, among them 10 women and children, lost lives.

The statement added that Saudi forces also fired 620 rockets — 360 during the day and 260 others during the evening — against the beleaguered areas of Shada, al-Malaheet, al-Hurra and Qafarah.

Meanwhile, Houthi fighters managed to repulse Yemeni forces trying to infiltrate overnight into Hasana district, after killing an unspecified number of government soldiers and wounding several others.

The Shia fighters in addition said that they resisted a government operation into Jabal Dhar Hamar and set some army vehicles ablaze.

Yemen's Houthi fighters say provided that they do not come under fire, the Shia forces will not attack the Saudi and Yemeni armies.

"As long as no one attacks us, we would not target any party," AFP quoted a Tuesday statement posted online by the office of Shia leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

On Saturday, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi offered to accept the government's five-point truce terms in a bid "to avoid...the annihilation of civilians."

The fighters withdrew from at least 46 positions along the Saudi-Yemen border as a goodwill gesture to end months of clashes in the beleaguered north.

Riyadh announced victory last week after the fighters' truce offer and their consequent departure from the border towns, claiming the fighters had been forced out of the positions.

The Yemeni government launched an all-out war against Houthi fighters in August and was soon joined by the Saudi army.

The joint military action has taken a heavy toll on civilians in northern Yemen, drawing repeated warnings from human rights organizations of a humanitarian crisis there.
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16.: Caucasus: Armenian, Azeri DMs Attend NATO War Council In Turkey

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Feb 4, 2010 6:02 am (PST)

http://www.news.az/articles/8334

News.AZ
February 4, 2010

Azerbaijani, Armenian ministers attend NATO meeting in Turkey
Safar Abiyev

The Armenian and Azerbaijani defence ministers, Seyran Ohanyan and Safar Abiyev, are attending a two-day NATO meeting in Turkey on 4-5 February.

The meeting will be attended by the defence ministers of non-NATO member countries that are contributing to NATO's operation in Afghanistan, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said.

The Armenian Defence Ministry has confirmed that Seyran Ohanyan, will also attend the meeting.

The session in Istanbul will be presided over by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the Afghan defence minister are also expected to attend, Turkish media report.

The main topics of the session will be Afghanistan, NATO's new objectives and the financing of operations.
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17.: Turkey: Pentagon, NATO Chiefs Preside Over International War Council

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Feb 4, 2010 6:21 am (PST)

http://www.today.az/news/turkey/60888.html

World Bulletin
February 4, 2010

NATO meeting in Turkey

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates arrived in Istanbul on Thursday to attend an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers.

Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul will host the meeting that will gather defense ministers of 28 NATO-member countries.

The meeting will focus on Afghanistan. The Afghan interior and defense ministers will also take part at the meeting to discuss the recent situation in the country and steps to be taken in 2010.

NATO's new targets as well as financing of NATO attacks will also be high on the agenda of the meeting.

More than 250 journalists from around the world came to Istanbul to cover the two-day meeting.
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18.: Armenia: Last South Caucasus Nation Headed Toward NATO

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Thu Feb 4, 2010 6:27 am (PST)

http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=42491

PanArmenian.net
February 4, 2010

NATO new strategic concept discussed in Yerevan

The South Caucasus Youth Forum: What's Our Role? international conference, which opened in Yerevan on the initiative of Armenian Atlantic Association and with the assistance of the Norwegian Atlantic Committee, brought together experts from Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

"This conference will help young people to determine their role in the formation of a common future," Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association Tevan Poghosyan said in his opening remarks.

At the NATO Summit in Strasbourg/Kehl on April 3 and 4, 2009, Heads of State and Government (HoSG) tasked the Secretary General to develop a new NATO Strategic Concept. This exercise should be completed by the time of NATO's next Summit which is expected to take place in Lisbon in late 2010. The Summit also tasked the Secretary General to convene and lead a broad based group of qualified experts who will lay the ground for the new Strategic Concept. This will be done with the active involvement of the North Atlantic Council (NAC).
....
The Treaty of Brussels, signed on March 17, 1948 by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. The treaty and the Soviet Berlin Blockade led to the creation of the Western European Union's Defense Organization in September 1948. However, participation of the United States was thought necessary in order to counter the military power of the USSR, and therefore talks for a new military alliance began almost immediately.

These talks resulted in the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed in Washington, D.C. on April 4, 1949. It included the five Treaty of Brussels states, as well as the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Popular support for the Treaty was not unanimous; some Icelanders commenced a pro-neutrality, anti-membership riot in March 1949.

Greece and Turkey joined the alliance in 1952, forcing a series of controversial negotiations, in which the United States and Britain were the primary disputants, over how to bring the two countries into the military command structure.

In July 1997, three former communist countries, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland, were invited to join NATO, which finally happened in 1999. Membership went on expanding with the accession of seven more Northern European and Eastern European countries to NATO: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and also Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania. They were first invited to start talks of membership during the 2002 Prague Summit, and joined NATO on 29 March 2004, shortly before the 2004 Istanbul summit. At the April 2008 summit in Bucharest, Romania, NATO agreed to the accession of Croatia and Albania and invited them to join. Both countries joined NATO in April 2009.

In August 2003, NATO commenced its first mission ever outside Europe when it assumed control over International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
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