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03 May 19. U.S. State Department OKs nearly $6bn in weapons sales to Gulf allies. The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $6bn worth of weapons sales to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in three separate packages, the Pentagon said on Friday after notifying Congress of the certification.
The United States depends on allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, to counter Iranian influence. In April, the U.S. moved ahead with part of a THAAD missile defense system sale to the kingdom.
In one of the notifications sent to Congress on Friday, Bahrain could potentially buy various Patriot missile systems and related support and equipment for an estimated cost of $2.48bn. That potential Bahraini deal included 36 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles known as GEM-T, an upgrade that can shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles.
In a separate State Department notification sent to Congress, Bahrain was also given the nod for various weapons to support its F-16 Block 70/F-16V aircraft fleet for an estimated cost of $750m. That package included 32 AIM-9X missiles, 20 AGM-84 Block II Harpoon missiles and 100 GBU-39s which are 250-pound small diameter bombs and other munitions.
In a third State Department notification, the United Arab Emirates was given potential approval for $2.73bn worth of Patriot missiles and related equipment including 452 Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missiles Segment Enhanced (MSE) and related equipment.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale. The notification process alerts Congress that a sale to a foreign country has been approved, but it does not indicate that a contract has been signed or negotiations have concluded.
The principal contractors for the sales were Raytheon Co and Lockheed Martin Co. (Source: Reuters)
03 May 19. North Korea fires short-range projectiles, raising tensions amid stalled U.S. talks. North Korea fired several short-range projectiles from its east coast on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, as analysts said the country is stepping up pressure against the United States after February’s failed nuclear summit in Hanoi.
The South Korean military initially described it as a missile launch, but subsequently gave a more vague description.
If the unidentified projectiles were missiles, it would be the first missile launch since the North fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November 2017. Soon after that missile test, the North declared that its nuclear force was complete, after which Pyongyang extended an olive branch to the South and the United States.
In a statement, South Korea’s Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North fired several unidentified short-range projectiles from the east coast city of Wonsan around 9 a.m. (0000 GMT) which flew about 70kms to 200kms (44-124 miles) in a north-easterly direction.
The South Korean military said it was conducting joint analysis with the United States of the latest launches. Experts say the projectiles seem to be multiple rocket launchers, not ballistic missiles.
Analysts said that no matter what type of projectile was fired, the timing of North Korea’s latest action sent a message after the failed summit between North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in February, when the two disagreed over weapons dismantlement and sanctions relief.
“It is an expression of the North’s frustration over stalled talks with the United States. It is a message that it could return to the previous confrontational mode if there is no breakthrough in the stalemate,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, “We are aware of North Korea’s actions tonight. We will continue to monitor as necessary.”
In Seoul, South Korea’s presidential office said the country’s defence minister, intelligence chief and presidential security advisors had gathered to monitor the situation.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha agreed to “cautiously respond” to the latest firing and to continue communications during a phone call on Saturday, South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pompeo also held talks with Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Kono, and agreed, together with South Korea, to cooperate and share information, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
“At this point, we have not confirmed any situation where Japan’s national security would immediately be affected,” Japan’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
SECURITY GUARANTEE
North Korea’s vice foreign minister said on Tuesday the United States will face “undesired consequences” if it fails to present a new position in denuclearisation talks by the end of the year.
During a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in late April, North Korea’s Kim said that peace and security on the Korean peninsula depended on the United States, warning that a state of hostility could easily return, according to North Korean media.
“The North wanted to deliver a message on security guarantees to Washington through the mouth of Putin, but the summit fell short of driving change in the U.S. attitude, leading the North to take stronger action today,” said Hong Min, a senior researcher of Korea Institute for National Unification.
Trump raised the issue of North Korea during a telephone call with Putin on Friday. Sanders said Trump told Putin several times “the need and importance of Russia stepping up and continuing to put pressure on North Korea to denuclearize.”
Kim vowed in April to refrain from further tests of nuclear weapons or ICBMs, but the North has conducted other weapons tests since then. The latest firing, coming after the North’s test of what it called a tactical guided weapons system in April, added to the pressure Pyongyang has sought to exert on the United States to give ground in negotiations to end the North’s nuclear programme.
“The firing is a warning to the U.S. that if the U.S. keeps pressure and sanctions, the North will launch more powerful missiles,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
“North Korea also wanted to show to its people that it will not succumb to the U.S. pressure during talks,” he said. (Source: Reuters)
05 May 19. White Paper to chart future of Malaysia’s defence plans. A White Paper that is being fine-tuned by the Defence Ministry will chart Malaysia’s defence plans and policies for the next 10 years and beyond.
Among others, the Defence White Paper would take into account the need to procure defence assets that could be utilised during emergencies such as natural disasters, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu.
“In general, Malaysia is similar to Japan in terms of defence expenditure and budget. They are not at war but their defence budget is high. This is because they are procuring assets in preparing for natural disasters. We need to be well prepared in that sense as well,” he told a special media interview to mark Pakatan Harapan’s first year anniversary in forming the government. We have held townhall meetings and dialogues with stakeholders, including defence experts and academicians.”
“Now it is at the last stage of fine-tuning,” he added.
Explaining the White Paper in layman’s terms, Mohamad likened it to having a checklist before going shopping at the minimarket.
“It is our preparation before we embark on the implementation of defence policies. The White Paper will shape the direction of our defence policies and system for the next 10 years, maybe more,” he said.
Mohamad also said that efforts to rectify the mistakes of the previous government have begun, including the RM500mil losses suffered by the ministry through land swap deals.
“We have completed the investigations after six months. The Cabinet has also decided to make the report available to the public soon,” he said.
He said that problems faced by the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) had also been addressed, including appointing Nik Amlizan Mohamed as the new chief executive officer.
“We are also in the midst of restructuring the board.”
“I am confident the new CEO will be able to improve the board and ensure it functions as it supposed to,” he said, adding that they would act on the Auditor-General’s Report, which listed significant losses suffered by the board.
Malaysia, according to Mohamad, had withdrawn its troops from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in their war against Yemen.
“We had to do it as we want good relations with all countries, except Israel. However, we do consider sending troops overseas under United Nations’ peacekeeping missions such as in Lebanon.”
“The situation in Yemen has worsened, thus we have also asked international bodies to play their part in ending the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Malaysia remains impartial,” he said.
On the home front, the ministry has stopped the practice of awarding honorary ranks and uniforms to politicians and celebrities.
“We feel that such a practice can be abused.
“However, the public can still earn the honorary ranks by undergoing training via the Rejimen Askar Wataniah (Territorial Army Regiment),” he said.
Mohamad also assured that the welfare of armed forces’ veterans would not be forsaken, citing that the annual allocation of RM78m had been increased to RM98m.
“We will also allocate RM500 Bantuan Harapan Negara special payment to veterans with and without pensions in conjunction with Hari Raya,” he said, adding that the National Veteran Council had also been recently re-established.
Other achievements over the past year included the hosting of the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima), said Mohamad.
“We managed to secure deals for assets amounting to RM4bil,” he said.
The ministry had also focussed on tackling the threat of terrorism, especially from Islamic State (IS), Mohamad said.
“Various actions have been taken against those involved in terrorism, including the returnees from Iraq and Syria.
“The situation is under control as the ministry, along with the Home Ministry and National Security Council, has taken proactive measures to quell the terror threat,” he said.
Despite various initiatives in the past year, Mohamad declared that he has yet to be satisfied.
“There are various aspects that must be improved upon. We should use funds allocated to the ministry prudently,” he said.(Source: Google/https://www.thestar.com.my/)
03 May 19. China is laying the groundwork for war with Taiwan. China is improving and increasing its options for a possible future invasion of Taiwan, with military reforms and investments in multi-domain military capabilities offering a range of options to defeat the self-governing island, according to a Pentagon report.
These options range from an air and sea blockade of Taiwan to a full-scale invasion, although the latter option would require a significant increase in the number of amphibious ships, according to the latest annual China Military Power Report released Thursday by the Department of Defense.
Nevertheless, the report cautioned that the People’s Liberation Army or PLA’s efforts to convert the bulk of its maneuver units to combined arms brigades, “should eventually create more capable, modular brigades and battalions,” while the “expansion of army aviation and the creation of two new air assault brigades also provides more attack, air assault and close air support options for a Taiwan invasion.”
China’s PLA has also made efforts to improve its ability to insert forces by air, by restructuring its airborne corps and establishing air assault units, which would be charged with aerial insertion and seizing key terrain. This restructure saw it reorganizing its previous units into airborne infantry brigades, a special operations brigade, an aviation brigade, and a support brigade, with the corps conducting training exercises in 2018 that involved long-range raid and airborne operations based on actual war plans.
The service has also established a joint logistics support force in late 2016, with the primary goal of supporting a strategic campaign such as a Taiwan invasion. This would be accomplished through command and control of joint logistics, delivering of materiel, and managing various civil-military integration support mechanisms. It’s strategic support force would then be responsible for the use of electronic warfare and cyber operations during a Taiwan contingency, by “seizing and maintaining battlefield information control in contemporary informatized warfare.”
The report added that the PLA is likely still exploring how to reform its joint command processes to integrate information operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities more fully at the theater-level, but noted that the structural reforms have removed the biggest barriers to integrating these strategic capabilities.
Nonetheless, the report raises questions about China’s current ability to conduct a full-scale invasion. Despite advances in the quality and quantity of its surface combatants and submarines, the PLA Navy has in recent years only acquired a small number of landing platform docks “indicating a near term focus on smaller scale expeditionary missions rather than a large number of [Landing Ship Tanks] and medium landing craft that would be necessary for a large-scale direct beach assault.”
The preparedness of the recently expanded PLA Marine Corps was also in doubt, with exercises rarely going beyond battalion level events, and its newly raised brigades yet to receive “their full complement of required equipment and not fully mission capable.” As a consequence, the report noted that the scope of training for these units was “rudimentary and the new brigades remain unequipped to perform amphibious assault operations,” concluding that an invasion of Taiwan, besides being fraught with significant political risk, “would likely strain China’s armed forces.” (Source: Defense News)
02 May 19. China’s Stealth Jet May Be Ready This Year, U.S. Commander Says. China may declare its first stealth fighter operational this year as it also develops long-range bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, part of a regional buildup by Beijing that the U.S. is closely monitoring, according to the U.S. Air Force’s Pacific commander.
General Charles Brown, the head of Pacific Air Forces, said the stealthy J-20 fighter could “possibly” be operational this year, a move he said would signal “greater threat, greater capability” for China in the Pacific. He went on to emphasize that U.S. efforts to counter those developments include rising deployments of next-generation F-35 jets and continuing overflights of strategic areas such as the South China Sea.
“My sense of the way the Chinese operate is somewhat incremental,” Brown said in an interview this week at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York. “They’ll continue to push the envelope to figure out does anybody say or do anything — if you don’t push back it’ll keep coming.”
Fielding the J-20 would add to what’s already the region’s largest air force and world’s third largest, with more than 2,500 total aircraft including 1,700 combat fighters, strategic bombers, tactical bombers and multi-mission tactical and attack aircraft, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a report earlier this year. (end of excerpt)
(defense-aerospace.com/EDITOR’S NOTE: Chinese state-owned media reported in March 2018 that the J-20 fighter was officially commissioned into China’s air force in September 2017, “significantly improving the country’s air combat capability.”) (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Bloomberg News)
03 May 19. Opposition brings the fight to defence debate as election race tightens. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and opposition defence spokesman Richard Marles have announced a series of commitments to support Australia’s defence industry and broader force structure as the election race heats up. With polls tightening ahead of the 18 May poll, Shorten and Marles have responded to recent announcements made by the government.
A core component of the announcements made by Labor includes a $105m commitment to invest in the defence industry infrastructure at the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson and a $10m investment to support the creation of the Western Australian Defence Industry Support Centre.
Shorten’s statement said, “Labor’s investment in the Henderson shipyard precinct will give Western Australia the modern facilities it needs to be part of Australia’s defence industry future and help defence industry businesses grow.”
This investment will increase the facility’s capacity to support larger vessels and its wharf and services infrastructure, including the addition of a sling lift.
“Labor will also provide $10m to establish the Western Australian Defence Industry Support Centre. This commitment will leverage investment from the private sector and the state government to support small and medium-sized Western Australian businesses to be part of Australia’s defence industry supply chain. Western Australia has excellent skills to offer our defence industry but faces the challenge of distance when competing for defence contracts, and in international markets,” the statement added.
WA Defence Issues Minister Paul Papalia welcomed the commitments announced by federal Labor, saying, “Funding to upgrade infrastructure at the AMC and Henderson will greatly improve the WA defence industry’s ability to be a major competitor in both the national and international defence markets and ensure we are able to support our national defence requirements for years to come.”
This first commitment also saw federal Labor commit to the construction of three major naval ships in WA – echoing the commitment made by the Coalition – with Labor adding a commitment for each Australian-owned defence industry company that:
- Employs more than a thousand people globally in defence industries;
- Is high tech in nature and is producing intellectual property of significant value in Australia; and
- Earns the majority of its revenue from defence industry exports,
Will be designated as an Australian defence industry prime.
Labor also outlined that a Labor government will actively work with each Australian defence industry prime to ensure its industrial capability is:
- At a level that enables it to produce products that are competitive in the ADF’s procurement process;
- Developed to enhance its export opportunities, actively backed by government and Defence; and
- Maintained in Australia.
“This commitment will mean an extra 1,000 jobs in the local defence industry. Labor will make sure an Australian company takes the lead in this project so the industrial and export capability is developed here,” Labor’s announcement added.
“The creation of a Defence Industry Support Centre in Western Australia (DISC-WA) will help bridge this gap and assist Western Australian companies to grow and develop their defence capabilities and ensure WA can continue to meet the emerging needs of defence both domestically and internationally,” Minister Papalia added.
Finally, Shorten and Marles announced the first review of Australia’s force posture since 2012. Labor has recognised that “the world looks different from when Australia’s last force posture review was undertaken by the former Labor government in 2011-12. We now face the most challenging set of strategic circumstances since the Second World War”.
Labor said the review would consider whether the ADF personnel, infrastructure and assets are correctly geographically positioned to meet our future strategic challenges.
Since the last Force Posture Review, there have been two Defence White Papers, and a bi-partisan commitment to spending 2 per cent of GDP on Defence, including the acquisition of 72 joint striker fighters, 12 submarines, 12 offshore patrol vessels, nine frigates, 21 pacific patrol boats and 211 combat reconnaissance vehicles. (Source: Defence Connect)
02 May 19. Taiwan official pledges boost in defense capabilities won’t be deterred by Chinese ‘coercion.’ Taiwan will step up efforts to become more “self-reliant” in its defense capabilities in the face of “increasing threats” from China, according to a senior Taiwanese official. Taiwan recently accused China of “reckless and provocative” action after two Chinese air force jets crossed a maritime border separating the island from the mainland on March 31.
Chinese bombers and warships have also recently conducted drills close to Taiwan, the latest military maneuvers near the self-ruled island that the Taiwanese official denounced as “coercion” and a threat to stability in the region.
The official is based at Taiwan’s representative office to the European Union and Belgium, and spoke to Defense News on condition of anonymity.
The official said the recent incidents highlight the need for Taiwan to become more “self-sufficient” by developing a more independent defense industry. The diplomat noted the country is already building supersonic training jets to boost air capabilities, and that the government allocated more than 21 percent of its defense budget this year for the development of indigenous weapons.
Under pressure from China, Taiwan has had difficulty since the 1980s in buying weapons and other defense equipment from anyone but the United States, and in upgrading its existing arsenal.
The official said the aim is to locally produce “advanced” defense and military equipment.
“This is necessary in order to be able to defend ourselves. This does not mean that we will stop relying on support of others in the international community, notably the U.S., for major defense equipment, but that we will more and more develop our own defense systems.”
This includes the Indigenous Defense Submarine program and new advanced training jets, he said. Proposals to build a fleet of eight diesel-electric submarines were introduced as early as 2001. In August 2016, Taiwan opened a submarine development center for production of the island’s first locally made subs.
Local shipbuilding company CSBC Corp. was contracted to produce eight submarines, the specifications of which are not yet finalized. Sources estimate a displacement between 1,200-2,400 tons, a top speed of 17 knots underwater and an operating range of 6,000 nautical miles. CSBC reportedly hopes to deliver the first submarine by 2024.
Additionally, Taiwan plans to produce 66 training jets at a cost of NT$68.6bn (U.S. $2.2bn), to replace the aging, locally made AT-3 trainers and American-made F-5 fighters that rookie fighter jet pilots in Taiwan’s Air Force have used for more than 30 years.
The design of the new supersonic trainer aircraft is based on F-CK-1, including the same Honeywell engine, but it will reportedly carry additional fuel. The Ministry of National Defense adopted the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp.’s XT-5 Blue Magpie design for the trainers.
Taiwan is heavily dependent on the U.S. for defense capabilities, a reliance recently reinforced when the U.S. State Department approved sale to Taiwan of a pilot training program as well as maintenance and logistics support for F-16 aircraft based on Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The $500m package covers program costs such as flight training, participation in approved training exercises, training munitions, supply and maintenance support, and spare and repair parts. The sale must be cleared by Congress before entering final negotiations, during which quantities, services and prices can change.
China’s recent efforts at modernizing its military is slowly but surely eroding Taiwanese local superiority, and its economic and diplomatic clout is making countries wary of selling arms to Taiwan for fear of angering China, essentially placing the self-governing island under an arms embargo.
Speaking recently at a video conference, Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, accused China of “breaking a tacit agreement that has served the interests of peace and stability over the past two decades.”
In an attempt to counter such fears, a Chinese diplomat in Brussels pointed to a speech at the start of the year by Chinese President Xi Jinping which, the official said, “contained nothing” that suggested China sees conflict with Taiwan as imminent. However, Xi’s comments about support for peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan included a warning that “we do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to use all necessary measures” to prevent Taiwan’s independence.
For its part, the United States’ national security adviser, John Bolton, tweeted April 1: “Chinese military provocations won’t win any hearts or minds in Taiwan, but they will strengthen the resolve of people everywhere who value democracy. The Taiwan Relations Act and our commitment are clear.”
Replied Tsai: “We could not agree more.”
Fraser Cameron, the director of the Brussels-based EU/Asia Centre, noted that “while there were sound reasons for Taiwan to build up its indigenous defense capacity, it would have to be careful in maneuvering between its main protector (U.S.) and claimant (China).”
The U.S. is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to “make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.”
“Any attempt to influence Taiwan through threats or coercion, we believe, destabilizes the region and threatens stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the senior Taiwanese official said. “It hurts stability. It damages the cross-strait relationship. It damages any attempt by China to win the hearts and minds of Taiwan people. We urge Beijing to choose the path of peace, respect and civility by resuming dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected administration.” (Source: Defense News)
02 May 19. China’s furtive underwater nukes test the Pentagon. China is making significant advances toward achieving a more reliable second-strike nuclear capability, bolstering its deterrence against an attack on its land-based nuclear weapons, Reuters reveals today in a special report.
Until recently, China lacked a powerful second-strike option. But now its ballistic missile submarines, which can deliver nuclear weapons capable of striking the United States, are changing that.
Evidence of China’s progress can be found in satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters. These images show the presence of nuclear-powered, ballistic missile submarines at a strategic base in southern China. They also reveal facilities at the base that appear to have been built for the storing and loading of ballistic missiles. Off China’s shores, warships and aircraft designed to protect submarines can now be spotted conducting regular patrols. And the man now commanding Chinese forces in the south is a veteran submariner.
Together, this points to China having a fleet of nuclear-armed submarines that appear to be heading out on regular patrols, serving and retired naval officers, diplomats and security analysts told Reuters. That signals a significant boost to Beijing’s nuclear deterrence and marks a breakthrough in China’s drive to rival the United States and Russia as a nuclear arms power.
The special report is part of “The China Challenge,” a Reuters series on how Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s ambitious revamping of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China’s military, is challenging U.S. dominance in Asia.
Previously in “The China Challenge”: Xi’s vast fleet is tipping the balance in the Pacific: reut.rs/2GLrwNe
For six decades it has been a Chinese ambition to build a fleet of nuclear-armed submarines. In its report on the PLA last August, the Pentagon said that Beijing now possesses a “credible” and “viable” sea-based nuclear deterrent.
It is still unclear if China’s nuclear-armed submarines are able to conduct permanent patrols, which would require at least one of these subs to always be at sea to ensure round-the-clock deterrence. Nevertheless, Western military officials have told Reuters that the United States and its allies are behaving as if China does have this capability and are now trying to track these submarines in a cat-and-mouse contest beneath the waves that is reminiscent of the Cold War.
As one Western military attaché told Reuters: “We’re looking at them looking for us.”
China’s Ministry of National Defense, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the Pentagon did not respond to questions from Reuters. (Source: Reuters)
30 Apr 19. Boeing in talks on military technical cooperation with Ukraine. Boeing is in talks with the Government of Ukraine on military technical cooperation, according to Ukraine National Security and Defense Council Deputy Secretary Serhiy Kryvonos.
During the ‘Informational Evening’ programme on Channel 5, Kryvonos stated that the government had already held the first stage of negotiations with Boeing to determine the general line of action.
The second round of negotiations on detailed cooperation is expected to take place between May and June, Kryvonos noted.
He added that the potential partnership with the US aerospace and defence company will prove beneficial for the country and can pave the way for similar cooperation pacts with other firms.
Kryvonos hopes the partnership can serve as a successful example of cooperation ‘in order to attract other investors and draw in more projects to Ukraine to deepen military-technical cooperation with Nato member states’.
He added: “For us, this means thousands of jobs, an opportunity to make our army stronger, and to strengthen positions in international markets.”
The negotiations pertain to the large-scale assembly and repair of aircraft on the basis of domestic aircraft repair plants in Ukraine.
Furthermore, the cooperation is expected to cover the development of the infrastructure of these plants for servicing of Boeing aircraft.
Kryvonos said that the proposed cooperation will also benefit Boeing in relation to its competition with Airbus in the European market and Lockheed in the US.
He noted: “Therefore, for them it is a rather successful project, which will allow to become stronger in their market as well.”
In a separate development, Ukraine is reportedly planning to liquidate state defence firm Ukroboronprom amid corruption scandals.
The government will replace the company with a state agency with broader powers, news agency TASS reported citing Kryvonos. (Source: army-technology.com)
30 Apr 19. Crashed F-35A fighter jet located, US general says. Wreckage risked exposing military secrets if retrieved by China or Russia. A U.S. Air Force commander told reporters here Monday that the F-35A stealth fighter that crashed off the coast of Japan had been located, and that recovery efforts were underway.
“The aircraft’s been located. … It’s now in the recovery aspect,” said Charles Brown, four-star general and commander of the Pacific Air Forces, in a briefing for reporters in New York.
But later in the day, Colonel John Hutcheson, the director of public affairs at U.S. Forces Japan, contacted the Nikkei Asian Review and said “the aircraft has not been located at the bottom of the sea. The U.S. military is still working with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to locate the wreckage.”
Since the Japanese-built jet disappeared April 9, Japan time, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the U.S. military have poured resources into searching for its wreckage, which could expose sensitive American military technology secrets if retrieved by China or Russia.
The F-35, a fifth-generation fighter developed by American defense contractor Lockheed Martin, evades radar and is expected to play a crucial role in the defense strategies of the U.S. and its allies for decades to come. It “can track and destroy adversary cruise missiles today, and, in the future, can be equipped with a new or modified interceptor capable of shooting down adversary ballistic missiles in their boost phase,” the U.S. Department of Defense said in its 2019 Missile Defense Review.
The Chinese and the Russians have been eager to acquire information on the tech behind the F-35. Wreckage from the crashed plane could give them access to study the radar-absorbing materials key to the aircraft’s stealth features. The U.S. is working very closely with the Japanese side in support of the recovery of the aircraft, Brown said. (Source: News Now/https://asia.nikkei.com
28 Apr 19. New technologies drive military spending: SIPRI. Military spending has surged across the globe, according to a new report published by SIPRI. With new advances in defense technologies, countries are spending more to gain an edge. Global military spending reached $1.822trn (€1.632trn) in 2018, according to an annual report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday, marking a 2.6% increase.
The US is at the top of the list of biggest defense spenders, recording an increase of 4.6% compared to 2017. SIPRI researcher Nan Tian told DW that it represented the first increase of its kind “in the last seven years,” and it’s expected to grow substantially in the coming decades.
“They have started to implement a new modernization program of the military that will start in 2019 or 2020,” said Nan Tian, who heads SIPRI’s military expenditure project. “This is in the region of $1.8trn over the next 20 years. It is a massive amount of money being spent by the US — and it ranges from conventional weapons to nuclear capabilities.”
Germany under pressure
Germany ranked eighth overall, spending 1.2% of GDP last year. Berlin, among other allies, has come under significant pressure from Washington to boost defense spending in line with a NATO target of 2% of GDP. The German government has signaled its intention to meet the NATO target by 2024, the year that alliance members agreed they would reach that goal. But many in Germany are against such a significant rise in military spending. Earlier this month, 53% of German respondents said they did not support raising defense spending to 2% of GDP, according to a DeutschlandTrend survey published by German public broadcaster ARD. Only 43% were in favor of it. France and the UK, both NATO allies, were also among the top defense spenders. However, only the UK met the alliance target.
Russia falls behind
Russia, consistently one of the world’s largest spenders on military equipment, fell from fourth to sixth place in 2018. But part of the reason for the decrease wasn’t a shortfall in spending but currency depreciation.
“The Russian expenditure fell in 2018 by 3.5% purely based on inflation,” SIPRI’s Nan Tian said. “The actual spending in local currency, nominal term, has been constant between 2017 and 2018.”
Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, have also triggered greater military spending in eastern European countries. Ukraine alone spent $4.8bn on military equipment last year, representing a 21% increase.
Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Bulgaria have also significantly boosted military spending, with many of them citing regional security concerns stemming from Russian actions.
Weapons: New, improved, better capable
China, which ranks second in global military expenditures, has spent more than $250 bn on modernizing its military over the past decade, with defense spending rising by 83% during that period. While part of the spending is aimed at deterring US encroachment in the region, it is also in response to new weapons technologies.
“China does not want the US being so close to its neighbors or in the region — there are significant tensions between these major players,” said Nan Tian. “I will not go as far as to say it is an arms race, rather that these countries are increasingly arming themselves with new, improved and better capable weapons, and these weapons are often very expensive.”
Last month, SIPRI partnered with the German Foreign Ministry to highlight concerning advances in defense technologies, such as lethal autonomous systems, cyberwarfare instruments and biological weapons.
“Today, we are facing a new frontier. In the digital age, technological progress is moving at lightning speed — with unprecedented and far-reaching impacts on the present, but also on future conflicts and warfare,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at the time. “We need to think ahead and we must start thinking now.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/https://www.dw.com)
28 Apr 19. Here’s how much global military spending rose in 2018. Overall military expenditures rose 2.6 percent between 2017 and 2018, to hit a total of $1.82trn dollars, according to new research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.The total from 2018 is 5.4 percent higher than 2009, and represents a 76 percent increase over 1998, a 20-year period. Sixty percent of global military spending came from five countries: The United States ($649bn), China ($250bn), Saudi Arabia ($67.6bn), India ($66.5bn) and France ($63.8bn). Russia ($61.4 bn) and the United Kingdom ($50bn) were the other two countries to spend $50bn or more on defense.
However, there are ups and downs among the biggest spenders. While the U.S. (4.6 percent, the first overall growth since 2010), China (5 percent) and India (3.1 percent) increased their respective military spending year over year, Saudi Arabia cut its spending by 6.5 percent, France by 1.4 percent and Russia by 3.5 percent.
And overall defense spending per gross domestic product fell to 2.1 percent in 2018, representing $239 per global citizen, a 0.1 percent decrease over one year and a 0.5 percent decrease over 10 years.
Notably, Russia ranked outside the top five for the first time since 2006. China, meanwhile, increased its military spending for the 24th consecutive year, and its spending is almost 10 times higher than it was in 1994; however, researchers warn that Chinese growth may slow in the coming year.
“The annual rate of growth of China’s military spending has slowed steadily since it reached a post-2009 high of 9.3 percent in 2013. The growth of 5.0 percent in 2018 was the lowest annual increase since 1995,” the authors note. “China has followed a policy of linking growth in military spending with economic growth. With its economic growth slowing in 2018 to the lowest level in 28 years, slower rates of growth in the coming years can be expected if China continues to follow this policy.”
SIPRI, which is widely considered to be the authority on military expenditures and exports, having gathered such data for decades. Other key developments, as noted by the researchers:
- Military spending in South America rose by 3.1 percent in 2018. This was mainly due to the increase in Brazilian spending (by 5.1 percent), the second increase in as many years.
- Military expenditure in Africa fell by 8.4 percent in 2018, the fourth consecutive annual decrease since the peak in spending in 2014. There were major decreases in spending by Algeria (–6.1 percent), Angola (–18 percent) and Sudan (–49 percent).
- Military spending by states in the Middle East, for which data is available, fell by 1.9 percent in 2018.
- Total military expenditure by all 29 NATO members was $963 bn in 2018, which accounted for 53 percent of world spending.
- Military spending in Turkey increased by 24 percent in 2018 to $19bn, the highest annual percentage increase among the world’s top 15 military spenders.
- Six of the 10 countries with the highest military burden (military spending as a proportion of GDP) in the world in 2018 are in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia (8.8 percent of GDP), Oman (8.2 percent), Kuwait (5.1 percent), Lebanon (5 percent), Jordan (4.7 percent) and Israel (4.3 percent). (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
26 Apr 19. Malaysia turns to Australia to build defence capabilities. The Malaysian Government and industry are actively seeking partnerships with Australian defence companies to build their maritime and aerospace capabilities. This was one of the takeaway messages for the 14 Australian defence companies that showcased their products, technologies and services as part of the Team Defence Australia (TDA)-led delegation to the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA ‘19) in Malaysia in March. Sitting within the Australian Defence Export Office, TDA is the premier national platform for export-capable Australian defence and dual-use companies to showcase their products, services and technologies at international trade events.
‘Malaysia is increasingly looking to foreign suppliers to assist in building its know-how and capability in the maritime and aerospace sectors. The Australian defence industry also offers a range of world-class capabilities in priority areas for Malaysia, such as C4ISR, cyber security and autonomous systems,’ said Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur, Daniel Havas.
‘There was strong interest in the TDA stand throughout the trade show with a number of serious leads generated. The Malaysian Minister of Defence, Mohamad Sabu, made a special visit to the stand to speak to our companies and receive demonstrations of specific technology and capability,’ said Havas.
At LIMA ‘19, Austrade facilitated extensive business-to-business meetings for delegates with major Malaysian defence companies. Delegates showcased diverse solutions, from large-scale hardware and ships, to high-precision surveillance technologies and drone detection and jamming solutions.
‘Malaysia is continually looking to modernise and grow its defence capability,’ Havas said. ‘This presents an opportunity for more Australian defence companies to enter the Malaysian market.’
On the first day of LIMA ‘19, TDA delegates received information on the longstanding Australia–Malaysia bilateral defence relationship, Malaysian defence spending, and insights into doing business in Malaysia. On day two, TDA hosted a networking reception for Australian companies, foreign military delegations, and Malaysian and international customers.
Many of the TDA delegates have been active in Malaysia for many years, while other companies used the trade show as an opportunity to test the waters of the Malaysian defence market. (Source: Google/http://www.investinaustralia.com)
22 Apr 19. Business booming for Russia’s arms traders. In a high-profile spat, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has acknowledged he is buying S-400 missile defense systems, a deal that has put Ankara on a collision course with Nato and Washington and complicated the country’s deal to buy F35 stealth jets from the United States.
This Ankara-Washington stand-off over the sale of Russian missiles and Erdogan’s obvious commitment to go ahead with the deal make clear how Moscow’s aggressive arms trade is offering the Kremlin new opportunities to strengthen its position, influence and foothold the world over.
Turkey is only one of the markets for Moscow’s arms traders. According to the latest annual report by The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for 2018, Russia has surpassed Britain as the number two arms producer and trader in the world, behind perennial number one, the US.
Combined sales of Russia’s arms and military services rose 8.5% from a year earlier, reaching an unprecedented US$37.7bn. Also, according to SIRPI, the largest arms-producing company in Russia, state-owned Almaz-Antey, for the first time entered the top 10 in the global arms sales ranking.
‘Arsenal of communism’
Russia’s leading export is energy, its second is weaponry. The USSR, as the “arsenal of communism,” was long a maker of classic weapons, from the T34 – the outstanding tank of World War II – and the Katyusha multiple rocket launcher to the Kalashnikov assault rifle and MIG and Sukhoi warplanes.
Following the break-up of the USSR, Russia’s military budget shrank six-fold. Potentially catastrophically, arms makers lost many of their top customers – the Eastern European member states of the Warsaw Pact. That forced producers to refocus on global sales. Even so, old partnerships in other parts of the world endured.
Russia’s manufacturers of effective and reliable arms have been given a powerful shot in the arm by President Vladimir Putin. The macho national leader’s injection blends industrial policy, R&D policy and foreign policy with personal testosterone.
With Putin an arms fetishist himself – he has been filmed watching tanks going through their paces at proving grounds, firing pistols, visiting the Kalashnikov factory, interacting with fully geared-up special forces, even cruising in a jet fighter in full paraphernalia – Russian arms manufacturers benefit from a highly prominent global marketer like no other.
The main focus is on Asia and the Middle East. Russia sells 43.1% of its weapons to Asia and more than 20% to the Middle East.
Chinese market
The top priority is China. While Chinese troops used Russian arms as early as the Korean War in the 1950s, the roots of current Moscow-Beijing cooperation in the sector date back to the turbulent early 1990s. China was Russia’s largest client between 1999 and 2006, accounting annually for 34% to 60% of Russia’s weapon exports, according to Russia’s Far East Institute.
In 2015, after years of negotiations, Beijing-Moscow cooperation ramped up a level when Russia finally agreed to sell China some of its most advanced arms: 24 Sukhoi Su 35 combat aircraft and four S-400 SAM systems for approximately $7bn within the next five years.
Then there’s Asia’s other rising demographic superpower, India, which acquires 62% of all its arms from Russia. Russia is providing a range of equipment, from tanks to fighter aircraft to frigates. India has now overtaken China as the largest buyer of Russian weapons in the world, having purchased more than $4bn worth of arms in 2017, according to Russia’s Oriental Studies Institute.
But the emerging Asian market for Russian hardware is Southeast Asia, where, from 2006 to 2015, military spending rose by an average of 57%, according to Aseantoday website.
Arms for Asean
As soon as Air Marshall Yuyu Sutisna was sworn in as Indonesia’s new Air Force Chief of Staff last year, he announced the purchase of 11 new SU-35s. And that’s just the beginning. The Russians are anticipating future great deals.
Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia more than doubled their military purchases. Vietnam increased spending on arms seven-fold from 2006 to 2016. Now Hanoi is the eighth biggest arms importer globally.
“All that is a response to national security threats of countries in the region,” explained Petr Brigin, a Vietnam expert at Vostochnaya Politika, a Moscow think tank. “Vietnam, for example, is spending heavily on naval weaponry – in response to China’s moves in the South China Sea.
“In Thailand, dealing with an insurgency in the south of the country, there’s a strong demand for land-based arms – so the Royal Thai Armed Forces placed an order for new AK rifles.”
Between 2000 and 2016, Vietnam imported more than 80% of its arms from Russia, rejuvenating an old partnership – the country deployed Warsaw Pact weapons in its struggle against the United States.
The Vietnamese military, facing off against China in the South China Sea, recently purchased 12 SU-35 fighter-jets and boosted its navy with highly advanced Russian-Indian Brahmos cruise missiles and six diesel submarines.
Myanmar and Laos bought between 60% and 80% of their weapons from Russia. Why buy Russian? Because not only are these weapons technologically advanced, they are cheaper and don’t require the political sign off that arms from Moscow’s main rival do. Human rights criteria must be met before the US Congress approves arms sales, but Russian weapons come with no such baggage.
In 2016, the Philippines placed an order for 26,000 automatic rifles from the US. Those rifles never arrived, as Congress refused to approve the sale over suspicions that President Rodrigo Duterte might use the weapons against his own people in his war on drugs.
As a result, Moscow stepped in and supplied the Philippines with 5,000 AK-74M rifles, one million items of ammunition and 20 trucks.
“Selling weapons to Asian countries perfectly fits Putin’s foreign policy objectives,” said Alexei Sidorov, an independent Moscow-based analyst who specializes in Southeast Asia. “Putin is trading weaponry with rivals in the South China Sea,” he added, a reference to the fact that both Hanoi and Beijing were customers of Moscow’s armorers.
“This gives Moscow more leverage and political influence in the region.”
The Syrian showcase
The ever-troubled, oil-rich Middle East is also high on Moscow’s agenda. It is a promising market – arms imports by Middle Eastern states rose 87% over the last four years, accounting for 35% of global arms imports, according to SIPRI.
Russia has been trying to make inroads into the prosperous Gulf states, a market dominated for decades by US arms producers. More than half of all US weapons sold go to the Middle East. To win over new customers from the Gulf, Russian companies in recent years have boosted their presence at the major airshows and defense exhibitions in the Middle East, like IDEX in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Airshow. In the region, Moscow deploys a special sales pitch. The Russian military has showcased the best it has to offer in its largely successful military intervention in Syria, a theater that has provided a proving ground for the weaponry.
Between 60 and 200 weapons have been tested in Syria in real combat. These include the supersonic strategic bomber the Tu-160, the Su-34 fighter-jet and the first Russian stealth fighter, the Su-57. Older generation T-90 tanks and Ka-52 attack helicopters have also proven their worth. Egypt is traditionally a leading buyer of Russian arms. Moscow has actively sought to upgrade relations with Cairo, through subtle diplomacy and high-profile official visits – in 2015, Putin was the first major leader to meet with President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi after he assumed office. During Putin’s second visit in 2017, several landmark agreements were signed. Nowadays, Cairo is the leading Russian arms buyer in Africa, with annual weapons purchases estimated at more than $1.3bn, according to data from Moscow University’s Asian-African Institute.
Long-range arms sales
Moscow arms players also boast a strong foothold in Latin America. Many regional nations – particularly those aligned against the United States – are familiar with Soviet weapons from the Cold War days and are drawn by low price tags.
Cuba, Peru, Venezuela and Nicaragua are at the top of the list for Russian arms sales companies. According to SIPRI, between 2000 and 2017, the Russian share of arms sales to Latin America was about 20%, on par with the US share.
Nicaragua is central. Since 2000, Russia has supplied 100% of Nicaraguan weapons’ needs. Venezuela is also heavily dependent on Russian arms supplies, which make up about 69% of Venezuela’s arms purchases – aircraft, transport and combat helicopters, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft systems, rocket artillery and mortars.
Russia also has a foothold in Brazil, where about 7% of arms sales are Russian. Since 2010, Russia has delivered Mi-35M combat helicopters and SA-24 portable surface-to-air missiles.
Sometimes Russian arms sales are found in unexpected places. Recently, following the ouster of Sudanese dictator Al-Bashir, it was reported in Moscow press that Russia had been selling arms to the regime for more than 20 years. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/https://www.asiatimes.com)
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