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24 Jan 19. South Korea Strongly Denounces Japanese Aircraft’s ‘Buzzing’ Destroyer. A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft carried out a low-altitude flight close to a South Korean warship Wednesday afternoon, in an apparent threatening and provocative action, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
“The P3 maritime patrol airplane flew at an altitude of 60 to 70 meters and about 540 meters away from the South Korean Navy’s destroyer in waters near Ieodo, [a rock southwest of the southern island of Jeju] at around 2:03 p.m., Wednesday,” the ministry said.
In response, the South Korean Navy lodged a strong complaint about the incident through a hot line, urging Japan to stop the recurrence of such acts. The Navy also said it will take steps for self-defense if Japan repeats such an “obvious provocation.”
The Navy said that the destroyer perceived the move as a security threat, adding that Japan should make it clear the exact reason for the low-level flight.
According to the ministry, Japan replied that it was “very inappropriate” for South Korea to threaten to take self-defense measures, as Japan is an ally and the Navy must have been able to discern that the aircraft belonged to the allied country.
“South Korea considers such a threatening low altitude flight as an apparent provocation,” Suh Wook, chief director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a media briefing. At around 5 p.m. the same day, the defense ministry summoned the Japanese defense attache here to lodge a strong protest. This is not the first time that Japan has conducted an intimidating low-level flight near South Korean Navy vessels, according to the ministry.
This year alone, patrol aircraft from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force flew “threateningly” close to South Korean warships twice on Jan. 18 and 22, it said.
The latest provocation came about a month after a Japanese P-1 patrol airplane conducted such a flight above the Navy’s Gwanggaeto the Great destroyer, which Tokyo claimed locked its fire-control radar on the plane. Following the dispute over this, diplomatic relations between Seoul and Tokyo reached their lowest ebb, with both sides giving contradictory statements and failing to narrow their differences over the dispute. The South Korean position is that the destroyer never directed the radar onto the Japanese aircraft, as it was on a humanitarian mission to rescue a North Korean fishing boat. However, Japan has repeatedly claimed that the radar “painted” (locked onto) the aircraft, which it said posed a serious military threat to the aircraft. To resolve the conflict, the military authorities from both sides recently held a meeting in Singapore, which ended in failure after they failed to reach a compromise over the issue. Against this backdrop, ties between Seoul and Tokyo will continue to fray in the wake of the most recent incident. The defense ministry said it questions the intention of such a series of militarily provocative acts from Japan. Suh said the Navy will take appropriate but tough countermeasures if there is a recurrence of such activities. In a press conference, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo shared his view on the provocative acts.
“It is certain that Japan is carrying out the acts apparently with political intent,” Jeong said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the country’s foreign and defense ministers are taking issue with the dispute in an apparent move to politicize the matter, according to Jeong. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Korea Times)
23 Jan 19. Worldwide Terror Attacks Shrink to Lowest Level Since 2011, Reveals New Report from Jane’s by IHS Markit. Worldwide terror attacks decreased by one-third in 2018 compared to 2017, while resulting non-militant fatalities fell by more than one-quarter, according to the annual Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) Global Attack Index, released today by business information provider IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).
“Over the course of 2018 JTIC recorded a worldwide total of 15,321 attacks by non-state armed groups, which resulted in a total of 13,483 non-militant fatalities,” said Matthew Henman, head of JTIC. “The attack figure represents a significant 33.2% decrease from the recorded number of attacks in 2017.”
The figures represented the lowest annual attack total since 2011 and the lowest annual fatality figures since JTIC began collecting comprehensive event data in 2009.
Key findings from the 2018 report
- Islamic State attacks decreased by almost three-quarters and resultant fatalities by over 50%, although the group remained the deadliest worldwide in terms of number of non-militant fatalities caused.
- Syria dropped to the second highest country in terms of recorded attacks, with attacks falling by almost two-thirds and resultant fatalities falling by almost half.
- In contrast to the overall downward trend, attacks in Ukraine increased by almost one-fifth as it rose to be the most violent country in terms of recorded attacks.
- Afghanistan became the deadliest country worldwide in terms of recorded non-militant fatalities, with attacks rising by almost one-third and a significant 80% increase in fatalities.
- JTIC recorded violent activity by non-state armed groups in 90 countries worldwide in 2018, down from 116 in 2017.
Attacks by Islamic State decrease by almost three-quarters, with resultant fatalities halving
The Islamic State dropped to the second most-active non-state armed group in 2018, with attacks decreasing 71.1% from 2017. Despite a significant 51.5% decrease in fatalities, the group remained the deadliest group in 2018 in terms of recorded non-militant fatalities.
The major decrease in attacks reflected the fact that the territorial losses suffered by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria across 2017 noticeably reduced the group’s capacity to operate territorially, switching instead to lower intensity insurgent operations, interspersed by sporadic high-profile assaults – particularly in Syria. The smaller reduction in fatalities also reflected the Islamic State’s continuing capacity to conduct periodic incidences of mass-casualty violence, most notably in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and West Africa.
Attacks in Syria down by almost two-thirds as it is supplanted as most violent country in the world
Between 2017 and 2018, JTIC recorded a 63.6% decrease in the number of attacks by non-state armed groups in Syria, in addition to a significant 44.7% decrease in resultant fatalities.
“As highlighted earlier, Islamic State territorial losses were a central reason for decreasing attacks in Syria. Another key element in the downturn in violence in Syria was the increase in government control of territory,” said Henman. “Pro-government forces re-established state control over key areas of territory in and around Damascus, and in southern and central Syria.”
Ukraine attacks jumped nearly 20%, but subsequent fatalities fell sharply
Going against the grain, there was a notable 18.4% increase in attacks in Ukraine, rising to 4,422 in 2018 from 3,735 in 2017, and representing the most violent country in terms of the number of recorded attacks. Despite this, only 92 non-militant fatalities were recorded, representing a 48.0% decrease from the 177 non-militant fatalities in 2017.
This was almost entirely attributable to increasing operational activity by the two pro-Russia separatist militant groups operating in the eastern Donbass region of the country. Attacks by the Donetsk People’s Republic increased by more than one-eighth in 2018 to 3,196, resulting in the group supplanting the Islamic State as the most violent group in terms of recorded attacks.
Afghanistan becomes deadliest country in the world
Although attacks increased by 31.5%, resultant non-militant casualties in Afghanistan rose by 81.8% to 4,180 in 2018, making the country the deadliest country in the world in terms of recorded fatalities from non-state armed group attacks.
“In addition to periodic mass-casualty attacks by local Islamic State forces, the increases in both attacks and fatalities were representative of the growing strength of the Taliban, which intensified its territorial threat to the Kabul government in both rural areas and increasingly in urban centres,” said Henman. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
22 Jan 19. U.S. Tells Korea to Pay $1bn or its Troops Will be Pulled Out. Washington is pushing Seoul to pay at least $1bn annually to host American troops in South Korea ― and threatening to withdraw U.S. forces if it refuses. According to a local source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations, who exclusively spoke with the JoongAng Ilbo, a U.S. government official relayed the offer to South Korea last week and said Washington will never allow Seoul’s payment to fall below a 10-digit figure. Seoul paid around 960.2bn won ($852m) last year, which is known to be about half the total expenses for stationing U.S. forces here. (In other words, both countries roughly paid the same amount). Washington’s proposal was part of negotiations to renew the bilateral Special Measures Agreement (SMA), a multiyear cost-sharing deal under the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, to maintain the 28,500 American troops that make up the U.S. Forces Korea. The two countries have been discussing the renewal since March 2018 as the current deal expired at the end of last year. Even after 10 rounds of talks, the two sides have failed to narrow their differences and have agreed to continue negotiations. Seoul officials have refused to pay the United States more than 1trn won. Washington’s demand of $1bn is about 1.1trn won. According to the local source, the U.S. government official said it was U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance that “Either they [South Korea] pay or we pull out.” The American official continued that there would be no room for negotiation on the $1bn-or-above offer, the source said.
It is not known how Seoul replied to this ultimatum. Trump has pressed U.S. allies around the world to pay more for defense costs and repeatedly said that Washington will renegotiate terms so that his country will be treated “fairly.”
After his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last June in Singapore, Trump cited the “tremendously expensive” cost of joint military exercises with South Korea when he said he would end the two countries’ “war games” during a press conference with international reporters. South Korea, he added, wasn’t contributing 100 percent of the “incredible” amount of money spent on them.
Concerning American troops in the South, Trump said, “I want to get our soldiers out. I want to bring our soldiers back home,” but added in the same breath, “That’s not part of the equation. At some point, I hope it would be.”
Another source in South Korea feared that Trump may try to bring up that issue with Kim in late February when they meet for their second summit, in light of the fact that Pyongyang has been pressing Washington to provide reciprocal measures for its “goodwill gestures” related to denuclearization.
If South Korean President Moon Jae-in gave any hint of a possible withdrawal during his New Year’s press conference on Jan. 10, it was that the U.S. troops would remain ― for the time being.
“The issue of American troops in South Korea is not related to the process of denuclearization,” said Moon, adding that they were here on the basis on the Seoul-Washington alliance.
“When both Koreas, and North Korea and the United States, declare a formal end to the Korean War and, furthermore, go on to sign a peace treaty, the issue would entirely lie with South Korea and the United States to decide whether to keep the American forces” in South Korea, said the Blue House chief.
“North Korea’s Kim Jong-un understands this well,” he said.
(Source: defense-aerospace.com/Korea Joongang Daily)
23 Jan 19. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the cabinet office tasked with developing foreign relationships, has officially lent their support to DSEI Japan. The Ministry will provide invaluable insight into shaping the DSEI Japan programme, ensuring the event offers as many opportunities as possible for the industry to understand and fulfil Japanese Defence requirements. It will also see DSEI Japan and the Ministry working closely together to bring government and VIP delegations to the event, facilitating further opportunities for exhibitors to meet with those tasked with Japanese defence spending.
22 Jan 19. Laotian military parades Russian- and Chinese-made equipment. The Laotian military unveiled several upgraded BRDM-2M 4×4 reconnaissance vehicles and displayed a large number of Russian- and Chinese-made platforms during a parade held in the capital Vientiane on 20 January to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Lao People’s Army (LPA). The BRDM-2M, at least 10 units of which are believed to be in service with the LPA, were modernised prior to their delivery to the LPA in late 2018, an official Laotian source told Jane’s on 21 January, adding that Russia handed over the platforms as part of large military-technical co-operation programme between Vientiane and Moscow that was agreed upon in January 2018.
Unlike the baseline version, the modernised BRDM-2M is powered by a diesel engine, features an electro-optical station mounted to the rear of the turret, and is equipped with appliqué armour plates over various vulnerable areas.
The Lao People’s Armed Forces (LPAF) also paraded armoured vehicles, missile systems, towed guns, and aircraft acquired from either Russia or China.
Among the Russian-made equipment were T-72B1, T-54 (T-54-3), and T-55 main battle tanks, BTR-60PB armoured personnel carriers, open-top UAZ-469B 4×4 utility vehicles, 9K51 Grad 122 mm multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), D-74 122 mm towed guns, D-20 152 mm towed howitzers, a D-30 122 mm towed howitzer and another one mounted on the chassis of an Ural-4320-series truck, 9K35 Strela-10 surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, 9K38 Igla man-portable air defence systems (MANPADSs), and Yakovlev Yak-130 ‘Mitten’ advanced jet trainer/light-attack aircraft. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
21 Jan 19. Lockheed sees potential exports of 200 F-16 jets from proposed Indian plant. Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) sees a potential export market of more than $20bn for its F-16 fighter aircraft from an assembly line in India it has offered to set up in order to win a large Indian military order, a top executive said.
The U.S. defense firm is competing with Boeing’s (BA.N) F/A-18, Saab’s (SAABb.ST) Gripen, Dassault Aviation’s (AVMD.PA) Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and a Russian aircraft to supply the Indian air force with 114 combat planes in a deal estimated to be worth more than $15bn.
Lockheed Martin has offered to shift its F-16 production line from the United States to India, potentially the biggest boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make-in-India project to create a defense industrial base and generate jobs for the thousands of youth entering the workforce each month.
Vivek Lall, the vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed, told Reuters that the firm would make India the sole global production center for the F-16 that would meet the requirements for the Indian military but also overseas markets.
“We see current demand outside of India of more than 200 aircraft. The value of those initial acquisition programs would likely exceed $20bn,” Lall said.
Bahrain and Slovakia had picked the F-16 Block 70 that had been offered to India, he said. “We are in discussions with Bulgaria, several other countries, 10 countries. There is a kind of a renaissance of the F-16.”
India’s defense ministry is expected to issue an expression of interest over the next several months, followed by a request for proposals in a long, drawn out process for the air force contract.
India’s military has said it wants 42 squadrons of jets, around 750 aircraft, to defend against a two pronged attack from China and Pakistan. But with old Russian jets like the MiG-21, first used in the 1960s, retiring soon, it could end up with only 22 squadrons by 2032, officials have warned.
Lall said the plan to relocate the F-16 plant which was originally in Fort Worth, Texas, will not undermine U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature goal of moving manufacturing back to America.
The plant in Texas is being used to produce the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that the United States Air Force is transitioning to.
Lall said there would still be work done out of the United States even if production of the F-16 moves to India and that Make in India and Trump’s Make America Great Again were not at cross purposes.
“I think they complementary. The U.S. has a certain amount engineering and strength that will continue as long as the product is there, that will continue even when production moves.”
Lockheed has picked Tata Advanced Systems as its Indian partner for the proposed F-16 plant and last year it announced that their joint venture will produce wings for the aircraft in India, regardless of whether it wins the Indian military order. (Source: Reuters)
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