MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE
LOCATIONS
LAND
02 Aug 09. Russia is to open a second military base in Kyrgyzstan, extending Moscow’s reach in a strategic region where it is competing with the US for influence. Kyrgyzstan said as much as a battalion of Russian troops and a training centre for Russian and Kyrgyz personnel would be housed at the base near the border with Uzbekistan. But Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, said that might change in a more detailed agreement to be hammered out by November 1. Kyrgyzstan’s global strategic importance has grown amid concern that instability could spread north into central Asia from Afghanistan, where the US is deploying thousands of extra soldiers to combat the Taliban. Russia already has a military base in the former Soviet republic, close to a US military airfield at Manas that is used as refuelling point and transit hub for forces serving in Afghanistan. (Source: FT.com)
03 Aug 09. Navy Announces Decision On Undersea Warfare Training Range. The Department of the Navy announced today that it will locate an undersea warfare training range (USWTR) in the Jacksonville, Fla. operating area. BJ Penn, assistant secretary of the Navy for installations and environment, signed the record of decision (ROD), which follows consultation with federal regulators and the completion of an overseas environmental impact statement/environmental impact statement (OEIS/EIS) in June. While the Navy’s OEIS/EIS thoroughly analyzed both installation and use of the USWTR for training, the Navy has decided to implement only a portion of the proposed action, installation of the USWTR. Because use of the USWTR for training is not anticipated to occur until at least 2014, due to its construction, the department will update the analysis contained in the OEIS/EIS and its consultations with federal agencies during that period. Decisions regarding the use of the USWTR will be conducted closer in time to the date when training will begin.
03 Aug 09. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) was awarded a prime contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide force protection security services and support at Air Force and other Department of Defense sites worldwide. The five-year, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a ceiling value of $495m for all awardees. Under the Force Protection Security Systems contract, SAIC will provide services to support integrated base defense, which includes the integrated use of tactics, techniques, procedures, and technology, as well as area intrusion detection, access control, and other capabilities. Specific tasks may include design, installation, testing, training and maintenance of integrated base defense physical security systems. The Air Force’s 642nd Electronic Systems Squadron at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts manages the contract. (Source: ASD Network)
30 Jul 09. Brazil, Chile and Spain on Thursday challenged the United States’ decision to use and expand military bases in Colombia, saying they feared the move could heighten simmering tensions in Latin America. Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Michelle Bachelet of Chile said in Sao Paulo they would put the issue before an August 10 meeting of a nascent South American Defense Council in Ecuador. Spain’s foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, and his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim, simultaneously told reporters in Brasilia that they would demand explanations from Washington over the bases. The Colombian government’s announcement July 15 that three of its military air bases were to be used by the United States as part of joint anti-drug operations has ignited concerns and anger among Colombia’s neighbors. Venezuela and its ally Ecuador have warned the move could aggravate already deep tensions with Colombia. The two almost went to war last year against Colombia over a raid its army made into Ecuador to destroy a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colo