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04 Aug 18. North Korea continuing nuclear programme – UN report. North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes, violating UN sanctions, a report commissioned by the UN Security Council says. It also says Pyongyang has resorted to a “massive increase” of illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil products and has been trying to sell weapons abroad. The confidential report by a panel of independent experts was submitted to the UN Security Council on Friday. North Korea has so far not commented on the document’s findings. Last week, US officials said Pyongyang appeared to be building new ballistic missiles despite recent warming ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration and pledges to denuclearise. Unnamed US officials told the Washington Post that spy satellites had spotted continuing activity at a site that has produced ballistic missiles. President Trump met North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June, and the two leaders then pledged to work towards denuclearisation, without specifying exactly what this would look like. Pyongyang is currently under a range of international and US sanctions over its nuclear programme and missile tests.
What did the UN report say?
The document was prepared by the experts monitoring the implementation of the UN sanctions against North Korea. It was seen by several media outlets early on Saturday.
The report said: “[North Korea] has not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes and continued to defy Security Council resolutions through a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products, as well as through transfers of coal at sea during 2018.”
Trump Towers and human rights – what might peace look like between the US and North Korea?
It said that Pyongyang also “attempted to supply small arms and lights weapons and other military equipment via foreign intermediaries” to Libya, Yemen and Sudan. The experts concluded that North Korea’s activities had made financial sanctions ineffective. The report came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was “optimistic” that North Korean denuclearisation could be achieved. Speaking ahead of a summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in Singapore, he said: “The work has begun. The process of achieving denuclearisation of the [Korean] peninsula is one that I think we have all known would take some time.”
He stressed that it was important to maintain “diplomatic and economic pressure” on North Korea to achieve “the final, fully verified denuclearisation”.
He also said he had seen reports that Russia was issuing permits allowing North Koreans to work on its territory, defying the sanctions. “I want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something that we will discuss with Moscow. We expect the Russians and all countries to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea,” Mr Pompeo said. Russia has denied a report by the Wall Street Journal that it was letting thousands new North Korean labourers into the country. (Source: BBC)
03 Aug 18. Indian Rafale Deal: This Secrecy May Be A Fig Leaf. Deviations from universal practices in bilateral deals, even regarding defence procurement, cannot be beyond the scrutiny of Parliament and the public. The government’s repeated stonewalling against letting out the details of the Rafale deal is intriguing. I wonder if the use of Article 10 of “the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between Government of India and Government of France on the purchase of Rafale aircraft” is being done sanguinely or as mere fig leaf to obfuscate the issue. In a democracy, Parliament is supreme, with the executive answerable to the legislature; so keeping information from Parliament is tantamount to negating the paradigm that anchors democracy’s triad: separation of power, checks and balances and rule of law. The Raksha Mantri (RM)’s stand manifestly can be construed as the government’s artful way to dodge accountability and democratic debate behind this smokescreen of secrecy. Secrecy clauses cannily crafted can make details off-bound for citizens, even Parliament, but it’s ethically wrong and morally repugnant. Letter and spirit are material; they aren’t handmaidens to serve ulterior designs or political motives. Look at the UK politicians’ moral standards when just a few months ago the international development minister Lord Michael Bates offered to quit for “failing to be in his place to respond to a question from a peer” in Parliament. In statecraft, practices are as vital as precepts. Nowhere is it warranted that secrecy clause(s) of non-disclosure need to be enshrined in an IGA. The agreement is between two sovereign democratic nations, each answerable to its respective citizens apropos its respective Constitution and governance architecture—and each is free to incorporate terms and conditions in sync with its respective constitutional obligations, untrammelled by any external force(s) or dictates of the other party. In a bilateral agreement as this, any deviation from universal, time-worn practices can only be strategic and diplomatic for the nation. Surely these aren’t issues beyond the ken and scrutiny of Parliament and citizens.
Defence contracts don’t really need to be treated with kid gloves unless the intent is to shroud something. There was indeed much confusion about the IGA when the then French president Francois Hollande visited India as the guest of honour on Republic Day 2016. It was clarified that it was the MoU that was signed, not the IGA (pending some financial issues). Para 104 of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 that deals with IGA too merely makes some exceptions, inasmuch as certain procurements may not follow the classical “Standard Procurement Procedure and the Standard Contract Document, but would be based on mutually agreed provisions between the Governments of both the countries”. These are when “procurement is done from friendly foreign countries…due to geo-strategic advantages that are likely to accrue to our country” and “based on an Inter Governmental Agreement after clearance from CFA” (Competent Financial Authority).
Three categories of cases fall under this: (i) when equipment of proven technology and capabilities of a friendly country can be procured ex their stocks or by using Standard Contracting Procedure as existing in that country; (ii) cases where very large value weapon system/platform in service in a friendly country, is available for transfer or sale, which would normally be at a much lesser cost than the cost of the original platform/weapon system; (iii) to procure specific state-of-the art equipment/platform where the government of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s country has imposed restriction on its sale, necessitating signing of an IGA. There is no overwhelming reason to treat defence contracts with kid gloves unless the intent is to shroud something. Strategic aspects of weapons in technical microscopic details must be guarded, but other contractual aspects, especially the break-up of costs, could be shared. MPs are entitled to be briefed and are fully within their rights to debate the contract. The members of the standing and consultative committees too can seek for information, and these are invariably provided with exceptions made only with regard to few security concerns. The cost details are never held back. You can’t put the documents out of bounds for the constitutional auditor—you simply can’t! You don’t stop the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) from going public with its report—you can’t, because the Constitution entitles him to access all relevant files/documents to perform its mandate. Moreover, the audit report needs to be disseminated since it involves public money. Wasn’t this done in all past cases—Bofors and AgustaWestland not excluded? So, why this brouhaha now? Sadly, the RM’s non-disclosure to the specific question on the cost per aircraft has got the government tied in woolly knots, demanding unspooling from time to time. Subhash Bhamre, the junior defence minister, had on November 18, 2016 informed the Lok Sabha that “IGA with the Government of France has been signed on September 23, 2016, for purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft along with requisite equipment, services and weapons. The cost of each Rafale aircraft is approximately Rs 670 crore and all the aircraft will be delivered by April 2022.”
Even in areas that impinge on strategic security, the Opposition can be and should be taken into confidence. It’ll be good if the RM recalls her loud declamation of transparency in a November 2017 presser: “There is nothing that is going to stick on this government because everything is being done transparently and as per procedure…. There is just no comparison between the ways in which UPA took decisions and the way in which NDA takes decisions, because we have made both simpler, smoother, faster and above all transparent.” Whither transparency now? Why hark and cling to the 2008 UPA-secrecy pact when it could have been helped? Stranger still since pertinent information are shared with members of parliamentary committees without demur. What then prompted the government to change tack and become cagey? Is it that it’s hard put to explain that while cost of the aircraft per se is approximately Rs 670 crore, the unit cost billows to Rs 1,640 crore when the weapon system, spares, 75 per cent fleet availability time and performance-based logistics support (PBLS) for five years are added? Or is it the issue of sovereign bank guarantee that haunts? Did the RM shoot her mouth off without getting into the nitty gritty and its ramifications? Does harking back to the security agreement signed between Indian and France in 2008 not suggest that it’s set in stone and unalterable, and hence binding on all future defence IGAs?
In the absence of any such provisions as also absence of any express allusion to past IGAs in the DPP that obligates honouring, it’s natural to assume there was nothing that forced the government to toe past secrecy clause(s). Contrarily, if there indeed were such compulsions, it would enhance credibility to put the secrecy provision in the right context and perspective. It would seem the Rafale deal had a lot going for India, coming as it did against the backdrop of a near decade-old stalemate. The negotiations were long and hard, with customisation, the India-specific aspect and performance-based logistics being a few highlights to boot. Beyond the secrecy clause, there are indeed provisions in the DPP on non-disclosure of contract details to any third party. It’s but a contractual ubiquity, a business practice followed the world over, and a universally-accepted obligation. The reference, though, is to third parties in a competitive business scenario, while here it is to one of the contractual parties—not the contract signing executive per se, but the most important legislative body the former is answerable to in India’s democratic polity, and thereby an intrinsic part of the first party.
To use such excuses to dissimulate and refuse to part with cost details is hardly tenable. It will smack of ulterior motive with such excuses appearing flimsy. What further doesn’t easily meet the eye is the likely fallout: of the armed forces in general and the air force in particular taking the brunt of the speed of modernisation programme. It pays to go transparent. Even in areas that impinge on strategic security, where information-sharing may not be in national interest, nothing stops the government from taking the Opposition into confidence for a closed-door presentation and discussion with senior leaders, who despite their political differences will appreciate the nation’s concerns and desist from making any unwanted demands. That would be gracious, even statesman-like. But will the government do it? Going by government’s logic of non-disclosure, one is tempted to surmise if such secrecy clause(s) couldn’t be built into all contracts—to obfuscate core issues from Parliament and the public—and thereby shroud defence deals as political fig leaf to avoid scrutiny, debate and criticism! If such was the intent of this shebang, that’s low-brow sophistry—and far from edifying. One hopes it isn’t. (Source: News Now/www.outlookindia.com)
02 Aug 18. Russian airborne troops to be reinforced by three tank battalions. Key Points:
- The VDV is forming three tank battalions equipped with T-72Ms
- EW and UAV units are also being formed and an air assault battalion has been activated in Crimea
The Russian airborne troops (VDV) are forming three tank battalions, as well as units equipped with electronic warfare (EW) systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), this year, VDV commander-in-chief Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov has said. He told media on 1 August that the VDV now comprises four divisions and five separate brigades, plus logistics. “Tank, EW, and UAV companies have been established within units. Reconnaissance companies have been transformed into battalions. We have also activated an air assault battalion in Crimea and a separate repair and recovery battalion. These measures have increased the VDV`s capabilities by 20%,” he said. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
02 Aug 18. A new Australian national voice for defence SMEs. The Defence Teaming Centre (DTC), AIDN-Victoria and the Henderson Alliance have announced the Australian Defence Alliance (ADA), a nationally focused membership organisation representing close to 1,000 small to medium enterprises in defence and dual-use industries. The ADA has been formed through collaboration between AIDN-Vic, DTC, and WA’s Henderson Alliance to offer professionally managed advocacy, strategic governance and policy support. Each of the founding bodies will still operate independently.
“Australian SMEs have much to offer the defence industry in acquisition, sustainment and exporters,” AIDN-Vic chief executive Claire Willette said.
“The ADA’s collaborative approach is designed to connect supply chain opportunities to local capability and capacity, the ADA encourages participation from relevant industry bodies that would like to contribute.”
DTC CEO Margot Forster said the need for strategic and professional representation for SME’s drove the formation of the ADA.
“Unprecedented investments in Australian defence programs are leading to incredible growth in the sector. The ADA is here to help bring the required dedicated representation to members,” she said.
Additionally, the ADA will facilitate positive collaboration between its members across Australia to support the Commonwealth’s defence agenda.
“ADA will be a collective voice to government on behalf of SMEs,” Foster said.
Henderson Alliance chair Rohan Green said, “ADA recognises that all defence programs are there to serve the national interest and we will reinforce this at every turn. “In each of the regions our members are in, there will be differences of opinion, but defence policy will always be made with national considerations in mind.” To reinforce its approach, the ADA will apply the principles and best practices of ISO 44001-2016, the Management of Collaborative Business Relationships, in its interactions with members, stakeholders and between the interstate bodies. (Source: Defence Connect)
01 Aug 18. New Explosive Drone Threat from Gaza. For several months, the IDF hid from the public the fact Hamas drones dropped explosives inside an Israeli community on the Gaza border; this could’ve been an experiment indicating on a worrying new capability, which could be used to target Iron Dome batteries and IDF positions. On May 13, 2018, around 9pm, an explosion was heard in one of the communities on the Gaza border. Residents who came out of their homes found on their front lawn two explosive devices attached to something that appeared to be a small parachute, white and square. One of the devices exploded, but didn’t cause any damage. Security forces that arrived at the town gathered the findings, but couldn’t explain at the time how and where did they come from. Several days later a similar device was once again discovered on the outskirts of that town, which is located across the border from Gaza City. This time, security forces could point to a connection between the explosive devices and a drone coming from the strip. After the third time that month that a drone infiltrated this town, it likely did not make its way back, and went down on the way. The IDF didn’t report to the public about this incident, and to this day it only has vague comments to offer on it, despite the fact the findings collected from the front lawn that first time were presented to some of the town’s residents. The IDF doesn’t know how many explosive-carrying drones were sent over the last year from the Gaza Strip, how many of them made it back in one piece, and whether this is the harbinger of what’s to come in the next round of fighting—waves of explosive drones. But the working assumption in the Southern Command is that Hamas does have the capability to operate dangerous drones. Two months ago, walls were fortified at barracks housing soldiers who operate the Iron Dome batteries scattered across the south. The only possible explanation for these fortifications in the form of concrete walls, which separate the batteries and the barracks, is the concern that someone is planning to target the launching systems, which are armed with missiles. Such an explosion can cause many casualties among the soldiers who reside nearby. An accurate hit on an Iron Dome battery is one of Hamas’s clear objectives, as this isn’t merely another prestigious target, but a symbol—much like infiltration into an Israeli community, kidnapping a soldier or sabotaging the obstacle Israel is building on the border. And the simplest way to get to the Iron Dome batteries is by launching a drone that could drop an explosive on them, or blow up itself. The drones launched toward that community in May were likely the “pilot” for an operational plan. To Hamas, the explosive-carrying drones and the “suicide” drones’ main job is to cause mass casualties or to accurately hit military targets. If Israel causes mass casualties in the strip, Hamas in response will launch the explosive drones towards Israeli communities on the Gaza border. It could hit a basketball court in the middle of a game, or a beach on a hot summer day. In the Zikim area, for example, several drones from Gaza were found this year. Another possible scenario is for such a drone to fly over an Israeli sniper position and drop a small explosive, like a grenade, in response to sniper fire on Palestinian rioters.
IDF officials claim there’s a difference in principle between explosive kites and balloons—seemingly simple measures that go under the definition of “popular protest and terrorism”—and the use of explosive drones—which is defined as “armed terrorism.” Therefore, the IDF believes, Hamas won’t dare sending explosive drones and risk a military conflict. Those who think so are disconnected from reality. After all, the previous generation of uniform-wearers didn’t believe the smuggling tunnels would turn into attack tunnels, and the generation before that failed to truly understand the threat of Qassam rockets, which were mockingly referred to as “flying iron pipes.” On December 15, 2016, engineer Mohamed Zouari was shot to death in Tunisia. He was reportedly working on developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for Hamas—including by converting civilian drones into intelligence and offensive drones. At the time, there was a spike in reports on attempts to smuggle drone parts into the strip through the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings. According to data from the Overland Crossings Authority at the Defense Ministry, in 2016, 110 complete drones and 51 drone parts were seized at both crossings. In 2017, 70 complete drones and 301 drone parts were seized. And in 2018 so far, 60 complete drones and 400 drone parts have been seized. Most of the equipment was purchased online from companies like AliExpress.
The question is how many drones weren’t captured and were able to get into the strip. The search for the drones is complicated due to their relatively small size. Normally they are concealed—in parts or whole—inside the mass amounts of toys going into Gaza, and at times inside the luggage of a person coming into the strip. In addition, the route to transport goods from Egypt into Gaza—through the Salah al-Din crossing near the Rafah crossing—is not under Israeli monitoring, and it has no information on what comes through it. The data show that Hamas, unlike the IDF, considers the smuggling of drones a main effort, just like the effort to bring in drone parts to the strip. The drone parts get to the organization’s workshops, where professionals put them together and adjust them for military activity. Inside those workshops, even bigger drones can be built, which could carry four kilograms and more. By the way, Hamas engineer Fadi Albatsh, who was assassinated in April 2018 in Malaysia, was also working on developing unmanned aircraft. One of his fields of expertise was encrypted communications between the operator and the drone.
From the factory in China to Gaza
Hamas started operating drones several years ago, but until recently they were mostly used to collect intelligence. Israelis living on the Gaza border say they saw drones flying over wheat fields and groves, likely in an attempt to spot IDF ambushes by the border fence. Hamas didn’t invent anything. What’s happening in the Gaza Strip on a small scale is happening on a much larger scale in Iran, Iraq, Syria and inside Hezbollah. Hamas received that knoweldge and adjusted it to fit its needs. But what terror organizations like ISIS and Hezbollah have already understood, the IDF is having a hard time getting: a standard drone can easily become a guided missile. Videos from Iraq show ISIS fighters destroying a tank using a drone. They installed 60 or 80 mm mortar shells on it, added a fuse, and there you have it: an accurate weapons system that can identify its target and navigate toward it, all for small change. It’s true, the explosive drones are not the weapon to deliver a decisive blow, but if they’re not classified as one of the main threats, and if the IDF doesn’t prepare for them, it would be hard to estimate the level of damage a massive use of them could cause in the future. Furthermore, Gaza is not Israel’s main problem when it comes to drones. It’s just the Iran-Hezbollah axis’s testing grounds against Israeli weapons systems, such as Iron Dome. The data from these tests is sent to Tehran, where it’s analyzed and goes to Hezbollah as well.
Israel itself is using drones to drop tear gas on protesters on the Gaza border. Hamas might adopt the Syrian model and examine the possibility of dropping chlorine from drones. For Israel, this would be a threat requiring serious solutions on the highest technological levels. One of the advantages of a drone, apart of its accuracy, is the fact it’s hard to detect. It’s hard to identify it from afar using optical measures, it has no heat signature, its radar signature is the same as that of a stealth aircraft, it flies low, and it makes hardly any noise. Its limits are that it can only be used on a short-range—several kilometers only—and it’s hard to operate in stormy weather.
There are several measures being used in the world against drones, with the main one being blocking drones’ satellite-based navigational system. But drone manufacturers and consumers are improving their satellite-based navigational capabilities all the time, and the camera on the drone allows navigating to the target even without the help of satellites. Advanced defense systems locate the drone using its communications, and then send unmanned aircraft to intercept it. Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, has already sold the US systems that know how to take over the drone’s communications and disrupt it. There are also Israeli startup companies that are developing UAVs that can intercept drones, as well as measures to block drones’ communications. Seventy percent of the drones on the international market are manufactured by one Chinese company, DJI. The IDF also buys drones from it. This may be Chinese technology, and there is fear Chinese intelligence agencies will one day know how to take over its frequencies, track and disrupt them—but they’re cheap, can be bought in bulk, and are worth the investment. This Chinese company is constantly improving the durability of the drones’ communications systems, so when a drone identifies that its communications have been compromised, it returns to its point of takeoff immediately. (Source: UAS VISION/YT News)
31 Jul 18. Japan asks Russia to reduce military activity on disputed islands. Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Tuesday that Tokyo had asked Russia to reduce its military activity on a disputed island chain in the Pacific after Moscow beefed up its forces there in response to what it sees as a potential threat. The territorial dispute over the islands, known as the Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, is so acrimonious that Moscow and Tokyo have not yet signed a peace treaty to mark the end of World War Two. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved the deployment of Russian warplanes on one of the disputed islands in February, accelerating the area’s militarisation at a time when Moscow’s ties with Tokyo are strained over the roll-out of the Aegis U.S. missile system. Moscow has also deployed its newest missile defence systems to the islands and plan to build a naval base there even as it continues talks about the territorial dispute.
“We have asked the Russian side to take particular measures because Russia is building up its military potential on the four northern islands,” Onodera said after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in Moscow.
The Soviet Union seized the islands from Japan at the end of World War Two. Onodera said that the ground-based Aegis ballistic missile defence stations were solely intended to defend Japan and did not pose any threat to Russia. Russia is concerned that Japan is allowing Washington to use its territory as a base for a U.S. military build-up in north Asia under the pretext of countering North Korea. President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East. (Source: Reuters)
31 Jul 18. South Korea announces defence reform programme. Key Points:
- Seoul outlines reforms to strengthen RoK military in light of continuing regional uncertainties
- The new initiative calls for efficiencies, the development of advanced technologies, and strong spending growth
South Korea has announced a military reform programme that aims to strengthen the country’s security against a backdrop of regional uncertainties, growing requirements for advanced technologies, and a need for more efficiency in the Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced the new Defense Reform 2.0 initiative on 27 July. Outlining the rationale for the initiative – which also introduces new defence spending targets – the MND said that despite recent progress in efforts towards peace with North Korea, Northeast Asia continues to face strategic challenges such as unstable security and rising threats, strategic competition, and military build-up. The MND said that other drivers of change include the South Korea’s evolving demographic, which is resulting in a population decline, and the rapid evolution of the “battlefield environment” caused by developments in military science and technologies: specifically Industry 4.0 capabilities such as artificial intelligence. In response to these challenges, the MND said the Defense Reform 2.0 would result in the development of a “strong military that can support a peaceful and strong Republic of Korea in a transitioning regional security situation”. In terms of military effectiveness, the MND said the reform would focus on the “efficient management of military personnel”, including gradually shortening the length of mandatory service for military personnel, structural changes for senior military leadership positions, the creation of a new ground forces command unit, a reduction in the number of generals from the existing 436 to 360 by 2022, and a reduction in the number of active troops from the current 618,000 to 500,000 by 2022. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
31 Jul 18. Security Forces Continue Pursuit of ISIS Remnants, OIR Deputy Commander Says. Iraqi security forces continue to pursue Islamic State of Iraq and Syria remnants in their country, destroying tunnels, weapons caches and explosives stockpiles, and arresting a number of suspected ISIS fighters, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve’s deputy commander for strategy and support told Pentagon reporters this morning. In addition to clearing villages in the mountainous region of Kirkuk, the Iraqi federal police and the Kirkuk special forces continue to secure the Kirkuk-Hawija highway, destroying several safe houses and improvised explosive devices, while also detaining suspected terrorists, said British army Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, speaking via teleconference from Baghdad.
“Additionally, following the successful joint operations between the federal police and Peshmerga forces last week, units participated in ongoing discussions to determine future opportunities for coordination,” Gedney said.
Enabling Iraq’s Security Operations
Across Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition continues to help build Iraqi security forces’ capability to enable their increasingly independent security operations, he said. The coalition also supports the civilian-led stabilization efforts that are critical for the lasting defeat of the enemy, the deputy commander noted.
“In Syria, the second phase of Operation Roundup is now complete,” Gedney said. “The Syrian Democratic Forces have declared the northern Jazira region cleared, although back-clearance operations to ensure Dashisha is cleared of remnant IEDs are ongoing.”
An internal security force also was established in Dashisha to ensure its long-term security, he added. Also, planning is ongoing for operations to clear the last remaining pocket of ISIS-held territory east of the Euphrates River in Hajin in the vicinity of Abu Kamal, Gedney said.
“This final stage of Operation Roundup is likely to be a challenging fight, as it is a densely populated area,” he added. The SDF have enabled some civilian convoys to leave the area, but there are indications that ISIS is stopping civilians from departing and holding them as human shields, he said.
ISF, SDF Partnership
Leaders from the ISF and the SDF are discussing opportunities to enhance partnerships ahead of the final clearance of the middle Euphrates River valley, particularly for border security operations and cross-border fire support, which comprised key SDF successes in Dashisha, Gedney said. While military operations to defeat ISIS and clearing terrorist remnants are ongoing, so are stabilization efforts in liberated areas, he said. In Iraq, work is underway to improve delivery of basic services to all Iraqis through the restoration of the country’s infrastructure. In Mosul and Ramadi, for example, 13 electric substations have been rehabilitated, in addition to the nearly 28 miles of power transmission line that were improved in Snuny near Sinjar, Gedney said.
Life Improving in Syrian Cities
In Syria, life is improving in cities such as Tabqa, Manbij and Raqqa, and basic services are also being restored to the recently liberated Dashisha, the general said. The Shadadi Civil Council, he said, distributed more than 1,000 food baskets and hygiene kits to the local population.
“While we highlight our partners’ ongoing efforts to improve the lives of their fellow countrymen, we still emphasize that more needs to be done by the international community to aid these efforts,” Gedney said.
“Military operations will only get us so far,” he said. “Our partners in Iraq and Syria are doing the best they can, but the scope of the problem goes far beyond the limited resources and capabilities that are available to them, particularly in northeast Syria.” It is imperative for the international community to get involved in improving the lives of all Iraqis and Syrians, “and to make sure that the conditions that gave rise to ISIS are eliminated,” Gedney said. (Follow Terri Moon Cronk on Twitter: @MoonCronkDoD)
31 Jul 18. In Soviet echo, Putin gives Russian army a political wing. Vladimir Putin has created a new directorate inside the Russian army to promote patriotism, evoking memories of a Soviet practise that once saw soldiers taught the precepts of Marxism and Leninism by political commissars. The move, approved by Putin in a presidential decree published on Monday, will affect Russia’s around 1 million active military service people and appears designed to ensure soldiers’ loyalty at a time when Moscow is locked in a geopolitical standoff with the West.
“In conditions of a global information and psychological confrontation (with the West) the role of political and moral unity within the army and society drastically grows,” Alexander Kanshin, who sits on a civilian body that shapes military policy, told Interfax news agency in February.
In the Soviet Union, a similar directorate worked to ensure that the army stayed loyal to the then ruling Communist party. Putin, commander-in-chief of Russia’s armed forces, ran as an independent candidate when re-elected to a new term in March, but is supported by the ruling United Russia Party. His decree said the new directorate would be responsible for “military-patriotic” work and, in a separate decree, Putin made Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, a veteran of Russia’s conflict in Syria, its new head and a deputy defence minister. The defence ministry did not release details of the new directorate, but an unnamed military source told the Kommersant daily that Kartapolov would also be responsible for the activities of the Yunarmiya, a patriotic military youth organisation sponsored by the ministry. After Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, seen by the Kremlin as a big success, the military has grown increasingly influential in domestic and foreign policy, especially in Syria. The Bolsheviks, wary of the army’s loyalty, introduced political commissars in 1918. In the late Soviet period, political officers, known as zampolity, tried to ensure soldiers knew their communist doctrine and where their loyalties lay.
Vladimir Scherbakov, a military specialist at the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily, said Putin’s decision to resurrect a version of the Soviet-era directorate raised questions. “The main question is this. In the Soviet era, the directorate in practise worked in the interests of the Communist Party’s central committee. It’s not completely clear what military-political work the resurrected directorate will do and more importantly in the interests of which political party.”
Others wondered whether the creation of the new directorate was the start of a wider renaissance in ideological education that would draw in schools and colleges, and whether the new instrument would be used to root out young soldiers deemed as too pro-Western. “All of this is reminiscent of a gradual return to the USSR,” wrote Dmitry Drize, Kommersant’s deputy editor. (Source: Reuters)
30 Jul 18. US confirms drones in Niger have striking capabilities. The United States started arming drones in the West African nation of Nigerearlier this year, according to the U.S. Africa Command.
“In coordination with the Government of Niger, U.S. Africa Command has armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft already in Niger to improve our combined ability to respond to threats and other security issues in the region. Armed ISR aircraft began flying in early 2018,” Samantha Reho, spokeswoman for U.S. Africa Command, told The Associated Press. The armed drones are currently deployed to Niger’s Air Base 101 in Niamey. The effort was supported by Niger, and is part of the long-term strategic partnership between the U.S. and Niger to help counter violent extremists in the region, she said.
As a matter of operational security, Reho said she could not discuss whether strikes have already been carried out by the armed drones. MQ-9 drones currently flying out of Niger’s capital will eventually be moved to Nigerien Air Base 201, which is being built in Agadez, on the scorching edge of the Sahara Desert. The new base is part of efforts by the U.S. to battle the growing extremist threat in Africa’s vast Sahel. The $110m project is the largest troop labor construction project in U.S. history, according to Air Force officials. Adding striking capabilities to the drones is a major step forward in the fight against extremist threats that include al-Qaida-linked fighters in Mali and Burkina Faso, Islamic State group-affiliated fighters in Niger, Mali and Nigeria and the Nigeria-based Boko Haram. The drones have a range enabling them to reach a number of West and North African countries. The U.S. military received approval from Niger to arm drones months after an October ambush by Islamic State group-linked extremists killed four U.S. soldiers and four Nigerien soldiers just outside the village of Tongo Tongo. Two American soldiers and eight Nigerien forces were also wounded in the attack by more than 100 militants. The U.S. Air Force has said that intelligence gathering by the drones can also be used by Niger and other U.S. partners for prosecuting extremists. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
31 Jul 18. US Navy Chief Seeks to Strengthen U.S. Alliances in Latin America. The bedrock of America’s military advantage is the system of alliances the United States maintains around the world. Navy Adm. John M. Richardson, the chief of naval operations, reached out to allies in South and Central America at the 28th Inter-American Naval Conference last week in Cartagena, Colombia. In line with the National Defense Strategy, Richardson is looking to strengthen partnerships with like-minded nations.
Commitment to Regional, Global Institutions
“We are all Americans here; however, we are bound by more than simply our shared geography,” Richardson said during an address to conference attendees. “We share inter-American values and a commitment to regional and global institutions that are designed to confront common security challenges.” He added, “That we are here together is no coincidence. While military-to-military-relationships are important, I believe Navy-to-Navy partnerships are the ‘first among equals.’ These Navy relationships are so natural because we share backgrounds, cultures, knowledge, and a love and respect for the sea and what it can provide.”
That the conference was held in Cartagena was itself significant. The city was once the seat of a notorious drug cartel. Colombia was the scene of the longest-running civil war in the Western Hemisphere. But democratic institutions won out and last year, peace talks between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia bore fruit and FARC laid down its arms. Colombia is now an exporter of security, and a valued ally.
“Despite the challenges we face — internal to our nations or common to all — our regional security relationship forms the keel of our shared American ship,” the admiral said. “For me, this conference reaffirms that keel is as steady and as strong as it has ever been.”
Building, Strengthening Relationships
The United States, he said, is committed to building new relationships and strengthening old ones.
“The best thing to do is to be the best possible partner to our friends and allies, and that’s why the majority of our efforts here in this region are focused on strengthening the partnerships that are backbone of the regional security network,” Richardson said.
The nations work together in many different areas. Chile, Colombia and Peru are all participating in the Rim of the Pacific exercise near Hawaii. Colombia is participating for the 12th time. It is a sign of the confidence the United States holds in its South American allies that Chilean Commodore Pablo Niemann serves as the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander; in effect, commanding all maneuvering afloat forces in a series of high-end warfare missions.
“This RIMPAC is a landmark — partners achieving their maximum potential naval power, improving together,” Richardson said.
Exercise Unitas
Later this year, Colombia will host Exercise Unitas. Planning for the exercise — held yearly since 1959 — has begun with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, United States, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the United Kingdom and the Dominican Republic meeting to discuss scenarios. The purpose of the exercise is to improve coordination among naval forces.
“Our mutual participation in these exercises reflect the security interests and the prosperity interests of our respective countries,” Richardson said. “This is part of a broader, enduring effort to steam together with your navies so that through training, we can learn to communicate, navigate and operate together.”
But the deployments also serve a higher purpose, the admiral said.
“They enhance security. They maintain order. They preserve a system that is legal, transparent, and fair for all nations,” he said. “And they promote prosperity for all.”
Richardson will continue on and meet with officials in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. (Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneDoDNews)
31 Jul 18. U.S. detects new activity at North Korea factory that built ICBMs – source. U.S. spy satellites have detected renewed activity at the North Korean factory that produced the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, a senior U.S. official said on Monday, in the midst of talks to compel Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arms. Photos and infrared imaging indicate vehicles moving in and out of the facility at Sanumdong, but do not show how advanced any missile construction might be, the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity because the intelligence is classified. The Washington Post reported on Monday that North Korea appeared to be building one or two new liquid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missiles at the large research facility on the outskirts of Pyongyang, citing unidentified officials familiar with intelligence reporting. According to the U.S. official who spoke to Reuters, one photo showed a truck and covered trailer similar to those the North has used to move its ICBMs. Since the trailer was covered, it was not possible to know what, if anything, it was carrying. The White House said it did not comment on intelligence. A senior official at South Korea’s presidential office said U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies are closely looking into various North Korean movements, declining specific comment. The evidence obtained this month is the latest to suggest ongoing activity in North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities despite talks with the United States and a June summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump declared soon afterward that North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat. Kim committed in a broad summit statement to work toward denuclearisation, but Pyongyang has offered no details as to how it might go about that and subsequent talks have not gone smoothly. It was not the first time U.S. intelligence clashed with the president’s optimism. In late June, U.S. officials told U.S. media outlets that intelligence agencies believed North Korea had increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons and that it did not intend to fully give up its nuclear arsenal. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week that North Korea was continuing to produce fuel for nuclear bombs despite its pledge to denuclearize. But he insisted the Trump administration was still making progress in its talks with Pyongyang. Joel Wit, a former State Department negotiator and founder of 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project, said it was unrealistic to expect North Korea to stop its programs “until the ink is dry on an agreement.” (Source: Reuters)
30 Jul 18. Taiwan proposes 5.6% defence budget increase. The government of Taiwan has proposed a 2019 defence budget of TWD346bn (USD11.3bn), the Premier William Lai stated on 27 July. In comments reported by the state-run Central News Agency, Lai confirmed that 2019 military expenditure would increase by TWD18.3bn – or 5.6% – against the TWD327.7bn allocated in 2018. Lai was reported by other local media agencies as saying that the increase in defence spending is necessary in light of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region. He added that the increase would be directed at force development and procurement, personnel costs, and administrative expenditures. Lai provided no breakdown of figures but in 2018 about 16% of the defence budget was reportedly directed to the development and production of indigenous military equipment, while 10% was allocated for logistics and maintenance. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
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