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20 May 21. North Korea ‘unlikely to surrender its nuclear stockpile’, says USFK commander nominee. US Army General Paul LaCamera, the Biden administration’s nominee to be the next commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), said North Korea is not only continuing to build its nuclear programme, but is also unlikely to surrender its nuclear stockpile and production capabilities.
In a statement on policy questions submitted ahead of an 18 May hearing before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen LaCamera said North Korea “has not taken any concrete steps towards denuclearisation”, adding that he does not believe economic sanctions alone will achieve this goal.
“Economic sanctions must be combined with a whole-of-government approach, including all elements of national power and the international community, to convince the [North Korean] regime to return to meaningful negotiations,” he said. “While I do not know what will ultimately incentivise or dissuade the regime to denuclearise, maintaining a combat credible force that is regularly exercised at echelon is an essential tenet to engage North Korea from a position of strength in any discussion of incentives or disincentives.”
Gen LaCamera, who is currently the commander of US Army Pacific, said Pyongyang continues to pursue capabilities to “hold key alliance targets at risk”. For instance, he stated that North Korea showcased “newer and developmental missile … and advanced ballistic fuel systems” in 2020, noting that a total of 76 individual ballistic missile systems, some of which probably have a nuclear capability, were paraded in October of that year.
These new systems represent advanced capabilities that offer greater range and accuracy than legacy North Korean systems while shortening the missile load and launch time, said the general, who, if confirmed, will also head the Republic of Korea (RoK)-United States Combined Forces Command and the United Nations Command, replacing US Army General Robert Abrams. (Source: Jane’s)
18 May 21. Japan looks to introduce finance system for defence exports. The government of Japan is reportedly looking into the possibility of supporting defence exports through the provision of low-interest loans.
The plan would involve the state-owned Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) providing credit to potential customers.
Government sources cited by Japanese media said the loans would enable developing countries with a shortfall in funding to procure defence equipment from Japan. The government’s official export credit agency, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), would support the loans.
Japan is understood to be seeking to establish a framework that can provide financial support for defence exports, including a potential sale of Japan’s 30FFM-class frigate (pictured) to Indonesia. (Mitsui E&S)
Contacted by Janes, JBIC and NEXI have not commented on the reports.
However, Janes understands that the potential move is aligned with a Japanese government effort to introduce a formal framework to financially support defence exports.
Government officials have previously told Janes that such a move would be consistent with trends in other exporting countries and would support Japan’s strategy to bolster security ties with international partners. The security aspect is considered a priority, especially in Japan’s alliances in Southeast Asia.
The intention was outlined in Tokyo’s ‘Defense of Japan 2020’ White Paper, which stated that the government will work on “necessary improvements in [the] implementation of related rules for promoting appropriate overseas transfers of defence equipment”.
In the past Japan has provided support for exports of security equipment through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) mechanism, which is run by the government’s Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). (Source: Jane’s)
19 May 21. Biden administration expected to continue ‘normalised’ sales approach for Taiwan. The Biden administration is believed to be pursuing a ‘normalised’ approach to high-profile military sales to Taiwan, similar to the methods applied under former president Donald Trump.
The normalised approach refers to a system of considering and approving major defence sales, which proceed through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, on a case-by-case basis as opposed to progressing deals in ‘bundles’.
The latter approach – where several FMS contracts are disclosed in one government announcement – was applied by the Obama administration.
A US Department of State spokesperson told Janes that the department declined to comment on “ongoing internal interagency deliberations”.
However, several indicators point to a continuation of the normalised approach, despite the Biden administration yet having announced any major military sales to Taiwan.
These indicators include several comments from senior US government officials about the US’ commitment to supporting Taiwan’s security as well as measures – including the newly proposed Strategic Competition Act – that look to impede China’s military-technology and strategic expansion.
“To date, the Biden administration appears to be consolidating what they inherited from the Trump administration on Taiwan policy,” Rupert Hammond-Chambers, the president of the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC), told Janes.
“As to defence policy, it is early. That said, it appears that programmes are moving through the US Department of Defense and State normally, which should result in case-by-case [sales], not bundling as with [former US president Barack] Obama.”
Hammond-Chambers said the USTBC advocates a “normalised and regular” approach to US military sales to Taiwan that “ensures steady, transparent support for Taiwan’s force modernisation efforts”. (Source: Jane’s)
18 May 21. General Says U.S.-South Korea Alliance Is Ironclad. The South Korea-U.S. alliance remains the cornerstone of stability and security in Northeast Asia. That partnership continues to grow through economic cooperation, mitigating threats to regional stability and fulfilling commitments to allies and partners in the region, the general nominated to lead the United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea said.
Army Gen. Paul J. LaCamera testified today at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“This remains a critical period in Northeast Asia and in Korea as we face persistent challenges with the development of nuclear and advanced missile technical systems, cyber capabilities, asymmetric and military technologies,” he told the Senators.
LaCamera said he’s aware of the challenges involved with competition and shaping the environment to prevent crises from escalating into conflicts. “I recognize the need to maintain readiness not just for conflict but for competition and to compete daily.”
Being ready to fight tonight means maintaining capability and creating time and space to enable the diplomatic process, preserving options for leaders, he said.
“I’m aware of the most sacred trust given to me to prepare our service members to fight and win on the most dangerous piece of ground, the last 100 meters,” he said.
The foundations for success are a strong and effective integrated deterrence posture that brings to bear the unique capabilities and capacity of the entire joint, interagency and combined community, he said.
If confirmed, LaCamera said he intends to capitalize on the trust built with South Korean and other senior military leaders of allies and partners in the region while he was the commander of U.S. Army Pacific.
“As my predecessors have done, I endorse the four long-standing United Nations Command Combined Forces Command and the United States Korea priorities, which are sustaining and strengthening the alliance, maintaining the armistice, transforming the alliance and sustaining the force,” he said.
These priorities remain relevant, but if confirmed, as any incoming commander does, LaCamera said he will make adjustments based on new facts, changes in the environment, input and guidance from leadership, South Korea partners and his own observations to keep the alliance ironclad. (Source: US DoD)
17 May 21. Israeli Multi Domain War Gets First Test In Gaza.
For the first time, the Israeli Defense Force is using multi-domain operations in the strike against Hamas in Gaza.
The air, infantry, armor, artillery and naval forces are finding, fixing and destroying targets in Gaza according to “who has the best shot,” an Israeli defense source here says.
Key to this is deployment of the “Ghost” unit, created about a year ago as part of the multi-year program known as Tnufa (Swing). The unit is the main pillar of the new multi-domain strategy.
The IDF’s new multidimensional unit is based very generally on the idea of the U.S military concept of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), that was developed years ago to lay the basis for the change in the US Army. The similarities to the American All Domain Operations are obvious.
Described by Israelis sources as a “battalion with the capabilities of a division,” it is equipped with highly sophisticated weapon systems that are capable of performing ground, air and sea operations without the need to ask other military echelons for assets or even to coordinate.
“This unit is capable of producing very accurate fire power based on intelligence generated by tools that have never been in the tool box of any unit in the IDF,” an Israeli source said.
For example, the massive attack on the Hamas web of tunnels in which 160 Israeli aircraft took part involved close cooperation between the air force and “many other forces,” the defense source says. In addition to the multi-domain approach to finding and fixing targets, the air force used “special weapons” to destroy the massive web of tunnels dug in Gaza in recent years.
All the other Israeli attacks on the launchers of Hamas rockets were also based on almost real time “detect and shoot” sequences that were the products of the multi domain strategy, the defense source says.
The ongoing operations against the Hamas proved that command and control systems and data transfer could be combined between fighter pilots, intelligence ground forces and naval units, in a way that would detect terrorists and a rapid and accurate attack on an unprecedented scale.
The current fighting took real time intelligence from IDF and other Israel intelligence organization sensors, and that enabled to kill some of the Hamas leaders in spite of the fact that they travelled from one location to the other.
The multi-dimensional capabilities enabled the IDF to hit moving targets while they were exposed. One was an underwater unmanned “submarine” loaded with explosives that was hit seconds before it was put into the waters of the Mediterranean.
The IDF adopted the multi-domain strategy last year, to be more effective in the War Between Wars, as well as in major battles. The main pillar of the new strategy is closing the sensor to shooter cycle as fast as possible and then attacking the target with massive fire to end fighting in a short time.
Last year, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, chief of Staff of the IDF, and members of the General Staff Forum watched a training session of the 98 Ghost Unit, which was established with the aim of formulating a new concept for shortening the time span from target detection to hit, with inter-arm cooperation and use of advanced technologies. The training was conducted under the command of the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. E., and was led by the Fire Formation Division. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
18 May 21. Retired AVM laments lack of transparency from Defence. A former deputy chief of the RAAF has called for more “openness” from Defence, claiming it is “handicapping” industry with “obscure information blockages”.
Speaking at the annual Defence Connect Budget Lunch last week, chairman of the Institute for Integrated Economic Research (IIER), Air Vice Marshal (Ret’d) John Blackburn AO, lamented the lack of communication between Defence, industry, and academia on key projects.
Blackburn, who served as deputy chief of the RAAF from 2005 to 2008, pointed to a lack of detail provided to primes and SMEs in relation to project schedules.
“If you’re sitting on the outside trying to understand where Defence is going, it’s incredibly difficult,” he said.
“If you’re an SME and your funding roadmap is fairly short, you’re in a dire [situation].
“What I’ve learnt is that within Defence, the understanding of how business works and the reality of it is not there.”
The retired AVM stressed the need for “openness” and a renewed emphasis on strengthening co-operation with industry, which he said have been “handicapped” by “obscure information blockages”.
“We know of projects that have been delayed over the past three years and they haven’t notified it because they keep the [initial operational capability] date the same,” he continued.
“That’s a terrible way of dealing with industry partners.”
Blackburn’s remarks formed part of two key discussions at the Defence Connect Budget Lunch, with Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price and shadow minister for defence industry Matt Keogh also weighing in on current challenges within the sector.
Minister Price reaffirmed the government’s commitment to bolstering local industry participation across acquisition and sustainment programs.
The minister stressed that it is “not enough” for global defence primes to comply with AIC objectives as a “box ticking exercise”, instead calling for a targeted approach to addressing local capability gaps.
“We have to keep focusing on the gaps and what it is that we need to build at home to keep our nation safe,” Minister Price said.
Minister Price acknowledged that given the evolving regional situation, the government may need to select a “sole source” for defence projects.
However, she warned that in such scenarios, primes would not get an “easy ride”.
Minister Price said she would “not be afraid to use the big stick” if primes fall short of their obligations. (Source: Defence Connect)
17 May 21. Taiwan unveils Army restructure aimed at decentralizing military. Taiwan will reorganize its Army’s command structure to emphasize joint operations between its services and give regional commanders more operational flexibility in the event of a conflict, the country’s defense minister told lawmakers.
The reorganization will see the various corps and defense commands of the Taiwanese Army renamed as distinct “combat theater commands,” Chiu Kuo-cheng reported to the self-governing island’s parliament on May 10.
The Ministry of National Defense confirmed that the Army’s Penghu, Huadong, Sixth, Eighth and Tenth Army corps will be renamed the first to fifth combat theater commands responsible for the Penghu islands west of Taiwan and the areas of eastern, northern, southern and central Taiwan, respectively.
Chiu added that the leaders of each combat theater command will be responsible for coordinating the forces of each of Taiwan’s armed services in each region, in effect forming joint chiefs of staff to enhance interoperability and coordinate operations during conflict or peacetime operations, such as disaster relief.
Although each of the current Army corps are commanded by Army generals, Chiu left open the possibility that the new theater commands could be led by officers drawn from other services.
This possibility was welcomed by experts speaking to Radio Free Asia’s Chinese-language coverage of the announcement. The director of Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Su Tzu-yun, suggested that the second theater command in eastern Taiwan facing the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan’s outlying islands could be led by Air Force or Navy commanders due to the principal domains of that area.
He added that the new decentralized command structure would also potentially improve survivability of Taiwanese forces during a conflict by allowing theater commanders more latitude to act in the event that communications are jammed or disabled, impairing command and control.
The announcement also ties into Taiwan’s Overall Defense Concept, which focuses on developing the nation’s asymmetric defense capabilities and seeks to improve the ability to preserve its forces against China’s numerically superior and increasingly technologically advanced military. China sees Taiwan as a rogue province and has vowed to reincorporate the island into its territory, including by force if necessary.
It is unclear how the reorganization will affect the Taiwanese Army’s Kinmen and Matsu defense commands, which are responsible for protecting Taiwan’s front-line islands off the coast of mainland China.
It is also unclear whether the Army’s aviation and special operations command, which are currently independent of the various Army corps, will retain its current status or fall under the purview of another theater command following the restructure. The reorganization is planned to come into effect Jan. 1, 2022. (Source: Defense News)
17 May 21. Update: air strikes against Daesh. The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria. Summary
- Tuesday 11 May – Typhoons struck Daesh terrorists engaged in a firefight with Iraqi forces in northern Iraq.
Detail
On Tuesday 11 May, Iraqi security forces encountered a group of Daesh terrorists in a strong defensive position some twenty five miles south west of Mosul. Coming under heavy small arms fire from the terrorists, the Iraqi troops requested air support from the global coalition, and a pair of Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s responded promptly. Liaising closely with the Iraqis, our aircraft attacked the Daesh terrorists with two Paveway IV precision guided bombs. The bombs hit the target and eliminated a number of the Daesh extremists. The Iraqi forces were then able to assault the position successfully and overwhelm the few remaining terrorists.
Previous update
On Sunday 4 April, an RAF Reaper, armed with Hellfire missiles, identified a small group of Daesh terrorists in northern Syria, some fifty miles west of Al Hasakah. Having checked that there were no civilians nearby, the Reaper’s crew attacked the terrorists, striking the target successfully. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
17 May 21. Asian countries are sleepwalking towards a scenario that will lead to China dominating the South China Sea (SCS), and the time to take action is slipping away.
Few countries in the region are openly condemning China for its illegal island grabbing. Even the Philippines, which won a ruling by the international tribunal in The Hague in 2016 that China had no legal basis to claim a historic right to its Nine-Dash Line claims in the South China Sea, refuses to go any further with the country’s President Rodrigo Dutert stating on Thursday 6 May that it was ‘just a piece of paper that could be thrown in the bin.’
During a virtual briefing on Wednesday 12 May entitled hosted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Bill Hayton, associate fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, at Chatham House, London, highlighted the fact that Chinese militia thinly disguised as fishermen have been bullying Vietnamese and Chinese fisherman for some time around many of the disputed islands in the SCS. He said that there are in the region of 200-300 boats that don’t do any fishing but provide constant harassment to the nationalities of other nations working around contested reefs.
While the US Navy conducts Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) periodically to assert international rights, potentially to be joined by the ships of other navies such as the new Royal Navy carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth expected in the region later in the year, there is little resolution from any of the regional countries to play a direct and outspoken leadership role against China.
China’s incredible naval ship building programme has already ensured that it outweighs the US Navy is quantity, although not yet in quality. However, in terms of dominance China is operating in its back-water whereas the US Navy must rely on its supply bases in Japan, Okinawa and Guam, all of which can be reached by China’s long range missiles should conflict ever occur.
The squeezing out of the US Navy from the SCS would inevitably increase the pressure on Taiwan and position China as the dominant maritime force in Asia. (Source: Armada)
17 May 21. ‘US, South Korea to expand ASEAN, Indo-Pacific co-operation. The nations have agreed to enhancing engagement in south-east Asia to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.
The US and the Republic of Korea have committed to expanding co-operation in south-east Asia and the Indo-Pacific, following the first US-ROK Dialogue on ASEAN and south-east Asia last week.
Co-chairs of the virtual meeting, State Department Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, principal deputy assistant secretary ambassador Atul Keshap, and Director-General for ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Jae-kyung Park, discussed the need to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region”.
The pair noted that broader co-operation would include “mobilising recovery” from the COVID-19 crisis, upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, and peaceful dispute resolution.
Also discussed during the meeting was the need for regional adherence to international laws, particularly under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the South China Sea, as well as the importance of advancing digital innovation and smart cities, addressing cyber threats, overcoming cross-border challenges across the Mekong River Basin, and expanding co-operation in the maritime domain.
The US backed ASEAN centrality, particularly in its response to the Myanmar coup.
Both parties called on the military occupation in Myanmar to “immediately end and refrain from violence” and release all unjustly detained political prisoners.
The meeting formed part of a US-ROK dialogue series on the US vision for the Indo-Pacific and the Republic of Korea’s New Southern Policy.
(Source: Defence Connect)
14 May 21. ‘No easy ride for primes’: Defence holds firm on AIC targets. The Commonwealth government “won’t be afraid to use a big stick” if defence primes do not meet their AIC obligations, Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price has warned.
In an address to the annual Defence Connect Budget Lunch, Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price reaffirmed the government is committed to supporting Australian industry capability (AIC) across acquisition and sustainment programs.
Minister Price stressed that it is “not enough” for global defence primes to comply with AIC objectives as a “box ticking exercise”, instead calling for a targeted approach to addressing local capability gaps.
“We have to keep focusing on the gaps and what it is that we need to build at home to keep our nation safe,” Minister Price said.
“And there is no cookie cutter approach to filling those gaps – it needs a full-court press of investing significantly in innovation, skilling and capability improvement.”
Minister Price acknowledged that given the evolving regional situation, the government may need to select a “sole source” for defence projects.
However, the minister warned that in such scenarios, primes would not get an “easy ride”.
“We are independently and forensically examining whether prime contractors are meeting their AIC contractual obligations. There are primes being audited as we speak,” she continued.
“We will take a carrot and stick approach to ensure there is AIC compliance across the board.”
Minister Price said she would “not be afraid to use the big stick” if primes fall short of their obligations.
This comes amid ongoing scrutiny over Naval Group’s management of the Future Submarines program, with Minister for Defence Peter Dutton recently flagging that the government would carefully monitor the prime’s progress before determining whether to proceed with the program.
“[Like] with any contract that the Commonwealth enters into, those people that have contracted with us know that we are going to hold them to the conditions of the contract and if there are penalties to pay or there’s other action that we can take, that will happen,” he said.
“I want greater performance than what we’ve seen previously.”
Earlier this week, Naval Group appointed Lilian Brayle as the permanent replacement for Jean-Michel Billig as executive vice president of its Future Submarines program, effective from 31 May.
Brayle will take over from Laurent Espinasse, who has been serving as interim EVP. (Source: Defence Connect)
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