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Messages In This Digest (12 Messages)

1.: Superpower Expands Military Deployments In Asia-Pacific From: Rick Rozoff

2.: Pentagon Pushes 21st Century Global NATO "Security Architecture" From: Rick Rozoff

3.: Report: Iran Begins Air Defense Drill Simulating Israeli Attacks From: Rick Rozoff

4.: NATO Kills Afghan Policemen In Night Raid From: Rick Rozoff

5.: British Foreign Secretary To Meet With Syrian Rebels From: Rick Rozoff

6.: Ethiopian Troops Invade Somalia From: Rick Rozoff

7.: Syria: Western Military Attack Will Destabilize Entire Middle East From: Rick Rozoff

8.: Kazakhstan Warns Against Repeating NATO Libyan War In Syria From: Rick Rozoff

9.: Emirates: First Advanced Missile Interceptors Outside U.S. From: Rick Rozoff

10.: Georgia: U.S. To Install New Radar Systems, Upgrade Navy From: Rick Rozoff

11.: Turkish Activists Protest NATO Missile System From: Rick Rozoff

12.: Germany: NATO Holds Tenth Baltic Aerial Warfare Training Events From: Rick Rozoff

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Messages

1.: Superpower Expands Military Deployments In Asia-Pacific

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:39 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-11/19/c_131256990.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 19, 2011

U.S. "return" to Asia raises more questions than it can answer
by Wei Jianhua

-The superpower expanded military deployment to Australia and was actively involved in East Asian cooperation mechanisms while attempting to court several East Asian countries and interfere in long-standing disputes between countries in the region.
It clarified its nature as an Asia-Pacific power to seek "America's Pacific century" and secure the Asia-Pacific's security and prosperity.
-If the United States sticks to its Cold War mentality and continues to engage with Asian nations in a self-assertive way, it is doomed to incur repulsion in the region.
It is also called upon to guard against sparking disputes and encroaching on others' interests.

BEIJING: U.S. President Barack Obama joins other East Asian leaders Saturday at an ASEAN summit for the first time ever.

The move is widely seen as a landmark step to proclaim the United States' high-profile return to the "once-omitted" region, a region it has largely disregarded for decades.

In the 1990s, former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mahathir proposed to establish an East Asian economic forum. The idea was strongly opposed by Washington over concerns that such a measure could jeopardize its interests and challenge its hegemony.

Though the United States set up a dialogue relationship with the Association Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in as early as the 1970s, it was not until in July 2009 did Washington finally sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

For a long period, Washington saw the East Asia Summit as a redundant mechanism whose goal and significance were unclear.

Then surprisingly, the United States made a U-turn in its Asia strategy with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declaring a policy shift.

The top U.S. diplomat said prior to the APEC summit meeting in Hawaii last week that "there are challenges facing the Asia-Pacific right now that demand America's leadership" and the 21st century will be "America's Pacific century."

On top of that, Washington took a series of steps to promote its pivot strategy by declaring a high-profile "return" to Asia.

The superpower expanded military deployment to Australia and was actively involved in East Asian cooperation mechanisms while attempting to court several East Asian countries and interfere in long-standing disputes between countries in the region.

It clarified its nature as an Asia-Pacific power to seek "America's Pacific century" and secure the Asia-Pacific's security and prosperity.

The U.S. move has fueled strong suspicions from the region. Many countries wonder what kind of "leadership" America aspires to assume in the future.

The hard fact is that the Pacific Ocean belongs to all countries sharing its shores, not just the United States.

By claiming a return, Washington is confronted with questions it is hardly able to answer: How can the United States earn Asian countries' trust? How will it help maintain regional stability and promote common prosperity? And what steps it will take to get along with the rising regional power China?

Actually, China as well as other Asian nations never considered the United Sates had left the Asia Pacific and had never tried to squeeze it out of the region. They are also unlikely to approve of the U.S. attempt to impose its values on them or the so-called "leadership" it aspires to exercise in Asia.

What they need right now is a reliable partner, not a country that yearns for leadership and intends to act as an arbitrator.

After years of cooperative endeavors with the rest of the world, southeast Asia has undergone significant changes. Mutually beneficial cooperation and peaceful development have become the region's main theme.

If the United States sticks to its Cold War mentality and continues to engage with Asian nations in a self-assertive way, it is doomed to incur repulsion in the region.

It is also called upon to guard against sparking disputes and encroaching on others' interests. Otherwise, the region's stability and prosperity will become an impossible dream.
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2.: Pentagon Pushes 21st Century Global NATO "Security Architecture"

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:39 am (PST)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66165

U.S. Defense Department
November 18, 2011

Panetta: Future Rests on Partnerships, Modernization
By John D. Banusiewicz

-"It must be complemented by a full range of America's national security capabilities: strong intelligence, strong diplomacy, a strong economy, strong technology, developments in cyber capabilities - using that great experience we gained from 10 years of war to be innovative, to be creative about the kind of force that we need for the future.
"But it must also be complemented by strong alliances, partnerships [and] regional efforts at cooperation - all have to be part of the answer."
-No global alliance has been more successful than NATO, the secretary said...Revitalizing NATO, he added, is a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's administration's efforts to build stronger alliances and partnerships...."We have seen the payoff in Afghanistan where 49 countries have come together largely under a NATO umbrella..."
-Modernizing NATO also means ensuring that investments focus on the most likely future threats, particularly those posed by countries like Iran...The United States has been leading the way in NATO's missile defense efforts, most recently by announcing it will deploy four Aegis ships to the Mediterranean Sea...
-"[W]e must build on our success with the trans-Atlantic alliance and further enhance our collective security by building enduring and capable 21st-century security architecture in other critical regions of the globe..."
-"[E]ven as we enhance our presence in the Pacific, we will not surrender our status as a global power and a global leader. As a country with global interests and responsibilities, and with a military with unique global strength and reach, America will remain committed to global security."

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia: Partnerships and modernization hold the key to meeting the challenges facing the United States and its allies as they near a turning point after a decade of war and adapt to new challenges and priorities, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

In a speech at the Halifax International Security Forum, the secretary said the alliance system remains the bedrock of the U.S. approach to world security and is "an enduring advantage and force multiplier that no rival possesses."

"As we in the United States confront the fiscal realities of limited resources, we believe that we have the opportunity to establish a force for the future that, while smaller, is agile, flexible, deployable and technologically equipped to confront the threats of the future," he said.

"It must be complemented by a full range of America's national security capabilities: strong intelligence, strong diplomacy, a strong economy, strong technology, developments in cyber capabilities - using that great experience we gained from 10 years of war to be innovative, to be creative about the kind of force that we need for the future.

"But it must also be complemented by strong alliances, partnerships [and] regional efforts at cooperation - all have to be part of the answer," he added.

The U.S. military alone, Panetta said, cannot be all things to all nations.
"We will maintain our excellence. We will maintain our leadership," he said. "But in the effort to maintain our excellence and our leadership, we also have to meet our security commitments around the world. And in doing that, we must - and we will - sharpen the application of our resources, better deploy our forces in the world, and share our burdens more and more effectively with our partners. And frankly, all of our allies need to do the same."

...

"Such transnational threats demand a shared response," he said. "That's why I have made it a priority to build and maintain partnerships across the globe. It's a theme I reiterated extensively during the international travel that I made last month in Europe, in Asia and in the Middle East. It has thus loomed large in our strategic review of the Department of Defense. This review is an effort not only to grapple with new budgetary realities, but also to adapt the force to better confront current and future security challenges."

No global alliance has been more successful than NATO, the secretary said, crediting that success to decades of investment in capabilities and joint training and the determination of leaders in the trans-Atlantic community.

Revitalizing NATO, he added, is a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's administration's efforts to build stronger alliances and partnerships. He noted that NATO has expanded from being an alliance geared toward collective territorial defense to take on expeditionary operations outside its area.
"We have seen the payoff in Afghanistan," he said, "where 49 countries have come together largely under a NATO umbrella, expending both blood and treasure...To all our [International Security Assistance Force] partners, we are profoundly grateful for your sacrifice and for your steadfast partnership."

Panetta praised Canada in particular for its decade of contributions in Afghanistan, noting that Canadian soldiers fought in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province, and he also praised Canada for its leadership in NATO's recent success in Libya.

As it works to help in forging a stronger NATO, the United States will continue to play a decisive role in safeguarding its partners' shared interests, Panetta said. Part of doing so, he added, is enabling allies and partners to contribute their share to the common defense.

"To do that, however, the alliance needs to develop new capabilities to keep pace with emerging threats - even in an era of fiscal austerity," the secretary said. "As I said [at a NATO defense ministers conference] in Brussels last month, these challenging economic times cannot be an excuse for walking away from our security responsibilities. I refuse to believe that we have to choose between fiscal responsibility and national defense. Instead, we must commit to ensuring NATO addresses key shortfalls in areas such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; precision strike munitions; and aerial refueling and lift capabilities."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen's "Smart Defense" initiative provides a framework for allied nations to pool their declining defense funds more efficiently and effectively, Panetta said, adding that the alliance plans to make more progress in that regard at its upcoming summit in Chicago.

Modernizing NATO also means ensuring that investments focus on the most likely future threats, particularly those posed by countries like Iran that are developing intermediate-range missiles capable of targeting Europe. The United States has been leading the way in NATO's missile defense efforts, most recently by announcing it will deploy four Aegis ships to the Mediterranean Sea, the secretary said...

But while missile defense is a tangible sign of NATO modernization efforts, the alliance also must constantly assess the forms of engagement that are most appropriate for the alliance's capabilities and the threats it faces. These, he said, are the kinds of discussions taking place in the Defense Department's strategy and global posture review, as officials try to be disciplined in setting priorities to maintain the U.S. global leadership role while meeting the department's fiscal responsibility to the nation's taxpayers.

Addressing concerns about the effect those discussions may have on the future of the U.S. military presence in Europe, Panetta offered assurances.
"Let me be clear at the outset that the United States will always ensure that we maintain the right mix of forces and capabilities, including those stationed in Europe, prepared to meet the full range of security challenges acting in concert with our allies - including instability on its periphery and unforeseen developments," he said. "At the same time, we must build on our success with the trans-Atlantic alliance and further enhance our collective security by building enduring and capable 21st-century security architecture in other critical regions of the globe, beginning right here in this part of the world."

The United States has worked with Canada to encourage new partnerships in the Pacific and in the Western Hemisphere, Panetta said...

Two regions of the world stand out as posing particularly vexing challenges, the secretary said.

"It is apparent to all that the Asia-Pacific region is going to be a principal force behind world economic growth, with lines of commerce and trade that are constantly expanding and security challenges that are growing in complexity," he said. "In the Middle East - another region crucial to the global economy and U.S. interests - we've seen dramatic changes as a result of the Arab Spring. We see continuing violence. We see continuing extremism. We see continuing instability. And the threat from Iran continues to pose challenges.

"So as the United States draws down its forces in Iraq and begins to draw down its surge forces in Afghanistan," he continued, "we will also have to maintain a strong presence in the Middle East and work closely with our allies and partners to bolster multilateral cooperation in countering threats emanating from al-Qaida, from Iran, and elsewhere."

The global nature of security challenges and the interests at stake require building multilateral structures that enable all allies and partners to improve cooperation in countering common threats, Panetta said. "That includes encouraging Canada and our European allies to join us in meeting common challenges - whether it's in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East or throughout the Western Hemisphere, and enabling them to do so through NATO when appropriate," he added.

The United States can and will do more than one thing at a time, the secretary said. "U.S. security commitments are not zero-sum," he added. "And even as we enhance our presence in the Pacific, we will not surrender our status as a global power and a global leader. As a country with global interests and responsibilities, and with a military with unique global strength and reach, America will remain committed to global security."

American and Canadian leadership have built a system of alliances and partnerships...Panetta said.

"And as we move forward - as we make the tough decisions needed to ensure a better life for our children and our grandchildren - we will not back away from these alliances and partnerships. Indeed, they are a key to our ability to provide that strong defense for the future. We will strengthen them, and in so doing, we will strengthen our two great nations..."
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3.: Report: Iran Begins Air Defense Drill Simulating Israeli Attacks

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:39 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/1959075.html

Trend News Agency/Deutsche Presse-Presse
November 19, 2011

Iran to start air defence drill simulating Israeli attacks

Iran's Revolutionary Guards will carry out an air defence drill simulating an Israeli attack on its nuclear sites, the official news agency IRNA said Friday, DPA reported.

The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that the drill was aimed at ensuring Iran was ready for any attacks on its nuclear facilities and other strategic sites.

The announcement came shortly after the United Nations nuclear agency adopted a resolution calling on Iran to respond to a report by the watchdog indicating that Tehran had made tests on designs used for making a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies it is seeking a nuclear bomb and says its programme is peaceful. Israel considers a nuclear armed Iran an existential threat.

There has been mounting speculation in the media that Israel would strike Iran's nuclear facilities if Iran continues to defy international demands that it allay western concerns over it nuclear activities.

Iranian military officials have warned that Israel would regret such any preemptive strike on its nuclear facilities.

----------------------------------------------------------

http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/1959172.html

Trend News Agency
November 19, 2011

Iran launches military drills

Baku: Iran has launched the first stage of defense drills in the country's eastern part in the form of tactical practice, ISNA reported.

The first phase of the war game which was opened Friday night was conducted in pre-determined points in the area of 800 km vast. The drill included operational, intelligence and combatant units of Iranian army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, disciplinary forces and trained popular troops.

The extent of coordination between units of the armed forces in public and operational places was evaluated by the military experts in the drill.

The four-staged drills "Saminul Hujaj" are aimed at demonstrating the Iranian latest military achievements and increased might of all Iranian Army's defensive structures.

The drills will last for four days.

Edited by T.Konyayeva
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4.: NATO Kills Afghan Policemen In Night Raid

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:39 am (PST)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15803316

BBC News
November 19, 2011

Afghan police killed during Nato night raid

Two Afghan police officers have been killed in a clash with Nato-led forces who were conducting a night-time raid, say officials in Afghanistan.

The "friendly fire" incident happened in Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul.

Two other Afghan soldiers were injured, according to the provincial governor.

President Hamid Karzai has called repeatedly for an end to night raids, which are used by international forces to search for insurgents hiding in civilian homes.

The police chief in Ghazni, Dilawar Zahid, said the shooting happened when a convoy from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) refused to obey police orders to stop.

"A convoy of foreign forces from Kabul were heading towards Ghazni when they were stopped by Afghan police. They opened fire on the police checkpoint, killing two police," he said.

...
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5.: British Foreign Secretary To Meet With Syrian Rebels

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:39 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/19/c_131257388.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 19, 2011

British foreign secretary to meet Syrian rebel leaders

LONDON: The British Foreign Office said that Foreign Secretary William Hague will meet Syrian rebel leaders in London on Monday.

Hague's meeting with leaders of the Syrian National Council and the National Co-ordination Committee for Democratic Change comes at a time when Britain is ratcheting up pressure on the Syrian government.

"We have been having regular contacts with a variety of figures in the Syrian opposition for several months. We are now intensifying these," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

Hague has appointed Frances Guy, a former ambassador to Lebanon, as an envoy to deal with the exiled Syrian opposition.

Advisers for Prime Minister David Cameron will also meet the Syrian rebel leaders in Downing Street.

...
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6.: Ethiopian Troops Invade Somalia

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:09 pm (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20111120/168853714.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 20, 2011

Ethiopian troops cross into Somalia - media

Several hundred Ethiopian troops with military vehicles have crossed into Somalia's southern and central part, news networks reported citing local elders.

BBC quoted eyewitnesses as saying there were at least 20 vehicles carrying Ethiopian troops.

The Ethiopian authorities dismissed the reports.

Ethiopian soldiers withdrew from Somalia in 2009 after a three-year presence.

----------------------------------------------------------

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/20/c_131257715.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 20, 2011

Ethiopian troops amass at common border with Somalia

MOGADISHU: Hundreds of Ethiopian troops have gathered along the common frontier with Somalia...

Residents in the central Somali town of Beledweyne in Hiran province along the border with Ethiopia said that there has been a visible increase in the Ethiopian troops at the border and that rebel fighters in the towns near the border are getting ready for a possible incursion.

"We still don't have troops over the border yet but many trucks full of troops arrived at the border and the fighters here are preparing for any eventuality," Daahir Adde, an elder in Beledweyne told Xinhua by phone.

Reporters from other areas in the central Somalia provinces said that troops from Somalia's neighbor Ethiopia were seen along the common frontiers of the two countries and that rebel fighters' battle wagons were seen heading towards the frontier.

This news comes as joint military operations are being undertaken by Kenyan and Somali troops against rebel militants in the southern provinces...

Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia in 2009 after two years of presence during which they fought with an insurgency led by the radical Islamist group of Al-Shabaab.

...

The Al-Shabaab fighters currently control much of the south and center of the wear ravaged horn of African nation while the internationally-recognized Somali government runs only the capital and a few parts of the south of the country.
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7.: Syria: Western Military Attack Will Destabilize Entire Middle East

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:09 pm (PST)

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=159908

Azeri Press Agency
November 20, 2011

Assad: Syria war will destabilize all ME

Baku: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned against any foreign attack against his country, saying military action will cause instability in the whole Middle East, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Speaking to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Assad said the Arab League's intervention could provide a pretext for a Western military action, warning that a war against Syria would create an "earthquake" across the region, AFP reported on Saturday.

"If they are logical, rational and realistic, they shouldn't do it because the repercussions are very dire. Military intervention will destabilize the region as a whole, and all countries will be affected," he said.

The Syrian president referred to the mounting foreign pressure on his government, but vowed that his country "will not bow down and that it will continue to resist the pressure being imposed on it."

The remarks come in response to a decision by the Arab League which set a deadline of Saturday for Syria to comply with its peace plan, threatening to impose sanctions if Damascus failed to end the months-long unrest in the country.

The Arab bloc, which had earlier suspended Syria's membership over the unrest, called on the Syrian government to allow in teams of observers to help establish calm in the country, a move Damascus has described as "illegitimate and dangerous."

...

Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and that security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.

In addition, Syrian state TV has broadcast reports showing seized weapons caches and confessions by terrorist elements describing how they obtained arms from foreign sources.
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8.: Kazakhstan Warns Against Repeating NATO Libyan War In Syria

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:09 pm (PST)

http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/11/20/382563.htm

Syrian Arab News Agency
November 20, 2011

Kazakh President Warns against Repeating Libyan Scenario in Syria

MOSCOW: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed rejection of any foreign intervention in Syria and the repetition of the Libyan scenario in the country.

In statements to the Russian press in Moscow on Saturday, President Nazarbayev said that there was a complete interference in Libya's internal affairs, and this can't be repeated against any other independent country such as Syria.

He considered that the UN took a decision on monitoring what was taking place in Libya, yet the decision degenerated into air strikes and falsifying the resolution of the UN Security Council and violating what it stipulated.

He indicated that the global financial crisis intensified the existing contradictions, indicating that the living standards in Europe and North Africa are deteriorating due to current events.

He asserted that the main issue today is to guarantee social justice and to better living standards.
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9.: Emirates: First Advanced Missile Interceptors Outside U.S.

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:10 pm (PST)

http://gulfnews.com/business/general/uae-continues-talks-on-advanced-missile-defence-1.933693

Gulf News
November 20, 2011

UAE continues talks on advanced missile defence
Lockheed expects more Mideast contracts
By Iman Sherif

-"The governments of the United States and the UAE are having discussions about Theatre High Altitude Area Defence [THAAD] systems making the UAE the first customer for this system outside the United States. We look forward to providing this unique technology to the UAE." The programme is initially valued at about $7 billion (Dh25.69 billion).
-The UAE's military expenditure was about $15 billion in 2010, making the UAE second in the GCC after Saudi Arabia (Dh139 billion), and 18th worldwide.
In comparison, the military expenditure of the US in 2010 was about $700 billion.

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is likely to become the first country outside the US to have an advanced ballistic missiles defence system developed by US weapons giant Lockheed Martin, a senior executive of the company has said.

Gulf News had a candid discussion with the Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin's Middle East division, Willy Moore, during the Dubai Airshow, which was attended by a large contingent of the company's executives.

"Lockheed Martin looks at the Middle East as an important region. Approximately 30 per cent of our international sales come from the Middle East, and we expect that we will continue to have a strong presence here in the years to come," Moore said.

The UAE Airforce operates about 80 F-16 fighter planes made by Lockheed Martin.

"We were so pleased to see UAE pilots flying demonstration flights in Lockheed Martin F-16s at the Dubai Airshow. They are the result of over a decade of engagement in the UAE from the signing of the initial contract to the delivery of the aircraft and up to today," said Moore.

Regional programmes

Several regional programmes are in development in which Lockheed will be a major contractor.

"The governments of the United States and the UAE are having discussions about Theatre High Altitude Area Defence [THAAD] systems making the UAE the first customer for this system outside the United States. We look forward to providing this unique technology to the UAE," added Moore. The programme is initially valued at about $7 billion (Dh25.69 billion).

Lockheed Martin's regional headquarters is in Abu Dhabi...

Security environment

Lockheed Martin is a 30 per cent shareholder in a local joint venture for aircraft maintenance and support.

The company, Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Centre (Ammroc) is owned by Mubadala Aerospace, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky to provide maintenance services for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft of the UAE Armed Forces.

The nations of the region are constantly adapting to the changing global security environment.

The UAE's military expenditure was about $15 billion in 2010, making the UAE second in the GCC after Saudi Arabia (Dh139 billion), and 18th worldwide.
In comparison, the military expenditure of the US in 2010 was about $700 billion.

"Many nations see the need to enhance their capabilities in a number of areas, including tactical aircraft and integrated air and missile defence.

...
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10.: Georgia: U.S. To Install New Radar Systems, Upgrade Navy

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:10 pm (PST)

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=159868

Azeri Press Agency
November 19, 2011

US to help Georgia install new radar systems
Rashad Suleymanov

Baku: The US will help Georgia install new radar systems, Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said at the press conference after a meeting with US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, APA reports.

The minister said the sides discussed the issues of the coast guard and security. Vano Merabishvili said modern radar systems will be installed in Georgia with the help of the US. It will allow Tbilisi to fully control the country's air space.

"Our Navy needs support," he said.

Mabus said Washington will continue to support Georgia. The US will help Georgia with security issues, including the renewal of the infrastructure of the Navy.
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11.: Turkish Activists Protest NATO Missile System

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:10 pm (PST)

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/211032.html

Press TV
November 19, 2011

Turkish activists protest NATO missile system ‎

Turkish activists in the city of Malatya in eastern Turkey have staged a protest rally to voice their opposition to Turkish government's decision to establish a NATO radar base in Malatya province.

The protesters said they don't want their country to host a system that would protect Israel and the US. The activists also called on NATO to leave their country. This is not the first time that Turkish people have opposed the establishment of the NATO missile system.

The planned radar base has provoked concerns in Turkey and also in some other countries in the region, including in Iran, that it could destabilize the region.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of Iran's Parliament Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, during his Ankara visit, said Iranian lawmakers see the NATO missile system as a negative development. Boroujerdi, however, stated that Iran is still determined to upgrade its friendly relations with Turkey.

The Turkish government had been pursuing a policy of zero-tension towards the country's neighbors, but experts say the missile system could create tensions between Turkey and some of its neighbors.

...

It seems that Turkey's agreement to host the NATO radar base has opened up a complicated chapter in relations between Iran and Turkey...
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12.: Germany: NATO Holds Tenth Baltic Aerial Warfare Training Events

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:10 pm (PST)

http://baltic-review.com/2011/11/nato%E2%80%99s-allied-air-command-ramstein-germany-will-hold-the-10th-baltic-region-air-training-event/

Baltic Review
November 19, 2011

NATO's Allied Air Command Ramstein (Germany) will hold the 10th Baltic Region Air Training Event

On November 21 and 22 NATO's Allied Air Command Ramstein (Germany) will hold the 10th Baltic Region Air Training Event (BRTE X). The event will demonstrate NATO commitments to international security, solidarity between the allies and confidence.

"It is our pleasure to receive NATO partners in Lithuania for a joint exercise in the Baltic skies for the tenth time. We work together to have a shared security. BRTE is an excellent opportunity to display solidarity between NATO and the Baltic States," Commander Lithuanian Air Force Brig Gen Edvardas Mažeikis said.

BRTE X will focus on the interoperability of regional capabilities. Real and simulated situations will be used to train both deployable and static NATO air command and control centers.

The event will involve two of the four Danish fighters conducting the Baltic Air-policing mission, L-39 light assault aircraft and Mi-8 helicopter of the Lithuanian Air Force, two US F-15 fighters, three Poland's Mig-29 fighters, and US Air Force's KC-135 aerial refueling military aircraft. Air operations will be controlled from the Baltic Joint Command and Reporting Centre in Karmėlava, Joint Air Operations Centre in Uedem (Germany), and Air Operations & Control Station Nieuw Milligen (Netherlands) which will be deployed for the training event.

Aircraft will take part in an aerial warfare situations, simulate mid-air loss of communication and interception, and emergency landing in the Vilnius International Airport. BRTE X will also involve imitational weapons jettisoning and ejection tasks over the Rukla Training Area, and aerial refueling is also foreseen.

Headquarters Allied Air Command Ramstein (HQ AC Ramstein, Germany) plans and conducts air training events to improve command and control of NATO's airspace surveillance and control, air policing, and other air capabilities deployed in the Baltic region. With the program, NATO aims at improving interoperability and integration of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian Air Forces in line with valid NATO standards as well as demonstrating the solidarity of the allies with the Baltic States. Introduced in 2008 as a series of training for air-policing over the Baltics, BRTEs have grown into wide-range air exercises that train for various aspects of air operations. The training events are coordinated with respective civilian institutions and departments. Participants of NATO's Partnership for Peace program are also invited to train in BRTEs.
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