1.: Iran Strikes: U.S. Air Force Gets Super-Heavy Bunker-Buster Bombs

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:54 pm (PST)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/15/60453467.html

Itar-Tass
November 15, 2011

US Air Forces get super-heavy bunker buster bombs

The US Air Force has received super-heavy bunker buster bombs, a spokesman for the Pentagon, lieutenant-colonel Jack Miller, told reporters Tuesday.

He said that Boeing had begun to supply the bombs to the Air Force Global Strike Command in September.

The bombs will be carried by B-2 bombers. Each bomb weights 13.6 tons and has a built-in satellite navigation system.

Some experts note that this type of bomb which is capable of breaking 18-meter-thick concrete walls is a perfect weapon for attacking nuclear facilities in Iran.
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2.: Gulf Arms, Missile Build-Up Boon To U.S. Weapons Companies

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:54 pm (PST)

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2011/11/15/Gulf-arms-sales-vital-for-US-companies/UPI-41161321381562/?spt=hs&or=si

United Press International
November 15, 2011

Gulf arms sales vital for U.S. companies

-In 2010, Saudi Arabia finalized an unprecedented deal with Boeing and other U.S. majors for advanced F-15 combat jets, helicopters, missiles and warships worth around $67 billion.
It was the biggest single U.S. defense package ever, and it came in the nick of time for American defense companies.
-The emirates, which currently have a powerful air force that is challenging the Saudis' long domination of GCC air power, is also moving toward a $7 billion contract for the Theater High Altitude Air Defense system or THAAD.
The system, designed to shoot down short-, medium- and long-range missiles, is developed, built and integrated by Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
-Kuwait has reportedly speeded up plans to deploy a ship-based outer defense ring and to procure land-based interceptions systems like THAAD, while upgrading its 40 Raytheon Patriot MIM-104 PAC-2 air-defense missile units.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The Pentagon's reported plan to sell the United Arab Emirates nearly 5,000 bunker-buster bombs to counter Iran is part of a move to strengthen Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf as the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq nears completion.

But it's also a lifesaver for U.S. defense contractors who're having to rely on exports to keep assembly lines running because of hefty cuts in military spending at home after the feeding frenzy of the post-Sept. 11 era.

"The defense industry is coming to the end of what many of its senior figures regard as a golden decade," The Financial Times reported in a September assessment of the sector.

"Ten years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. government began a huge injection of cash into the Pentagon budget.

"Over the course of the decade, the U.S. annual defense budget has doubled in cash terms to reach nearly $700 billion in 2010.

"The profits of the U.S. defense industry have quadrupled over that period," the FT reported. "The country has come to dwarf all other nations in the amount it spends on military equipment.

"Now, however, the tap has been turned off and defense companies in the United States - as well as in Europe - face more challenging times.

...

U.S. strategists see China emerging as a military power capable of challenging the United States, so countries fearful of the Dragon's fire, such as India, Japan, South Korea and Australia, are in the market for fifth-generation weapons systems.

The Iran threat has also been providential. Major purchases there by Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council - the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain - are likely to continue for some years.

These sales are critical to U.S. defense sector efforts to boost exports.

The GCC states have been preparing to make major arms purchases from the United States, and to a lesser extent from Britain and France, since 2007.

In 2010, Saudi Arabia finalized an unprecedented deal with Boeing and other U.S. majors for advanced F-15 combat jets, helicopters, missiles and warships worth around $67 billion.

It was the biggest single U.S. defense package ever, and it came in the nick of time for American defense companies.

The emirates, which currently have a powerful air force that is challenging the Saudis' long domination of GCC air power, is also moving toward a $7 billion contract for the Theater High Altitude Air Defense system or THAAD.

The system, designed to shoot down short-, medium- and long-range missiles, is developed, built and integrated by Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

Key subcontractors include Boeing, Raytheon, Honeywell, BAE Systems and Aerojet.

...

The Americans are expected to provide early warning systems and an outer screen of missile interceptors, largely on ships from the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, in the gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea.

Kuwait has reportedly speeded up plans to deploy a ship-based outer defense ring and to procure land-based interceptions systems like THAAD, while upgrading its 40 Raytheon Patriot MIM-104 PAC-2 air-defense missile units.

Western defense company executives attending the Dubai Air Show last week said that there could be big orders from the United Arab Emirates for early-warning systems manufactured by Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Swedish aerospace group Saab.

The tiny gulf emirate of Qatar is upgrading its air strike capabilities, so there could be orders from Doha in the coming months.

Meantime, the emirates and France are locked in what are billed as final negotiations for the sale of up to 60 Dassault Aviation Rafale multi-role strike jets worth an estimated $10 billion.

If Dassault pulls off the deal, the United Arab Emirates will be the jet's first foreign buyer.

The French have been struggling for years to sign up a major export order to help keep Rafale's production line going to provide aircraft for France's Armee de l'Air.
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3.: Nuclear Madness: Iran, Kuwait Or The IAEA?

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:54 pm (PST)

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27687

Global Research
November 15, 2011

Nuclear Madness: Iran, Kuwait or the IAEA?
by Felicity Arbuthnot


"The Public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men." (Samuel Adams, letter to James Warren, 1775.)

As the sabre rattling against Iran becomes more deafening, week on week, with threats of the nuclear insanity of potentially, deliberately, creating a few Chernobyls or a Fukushima, by bombing working nuclear power plants, another potential nuclear madness is planned, geographically "next door."

The IAEA appears to be behaving in as partisan, shameless way regarding Iran as it did with Iraq. Then, accusations, with considerable justification, were that the inspection teams were more about spying than neutral observation. "The way back to (the UN) was via Tel Aviv", remarked one former inspector, memorably.

Gareth Porter has meticulously, comprehensively trashed (i) the IAEA's latest Report on Iran, showing disturbing parallels with the tragic Iraq fiasco. Iraq had Ahmed Chalabi, Iyad Allawi and "Curveball" selling fairy stories. Iran, seemingly, has an expert in nanodiamonds, Vyacheslav Danilenko, apparently doubling as a nuclear weapons expert, and a plethora of unidentified spokespersons for "Member States." Hardly rigid, verifiable scholarship.

Previous "concerns" expressed have been that Iran has vast oil reserves, so there must be a weapons-related reason to expand nuclear power. However Iran has been under increasingly stringent sanctions since 14th November 1979, ironically necessitating additional sources of energy – for which it is now being threatened with Iraq's fate.

Yet headlines in the Middle East, warning: "Most volatile region in the world is going nuclear", one with a helpful map of "volatile" countries with advanced nuclear ambitions, seem to have escaped IAEA notice. Iran, of course, has no history of belligerence towards its neighbours, for decades. Indeed, in 2003, in spite of the terrible cost of the eight-year war after the 1980 (Western driven) invasion by Iraq, told that the country was still a "threat to its neighbours" by Washington, Tehran repeatedly responded that it was not.

Consider then the case of Kuwait: "Blessed with an abundance of natural petroleum resources …" (Gulf News 25th February 2011) which has advanced plans for up to four nuclear power stations – two apparently to be built on two islands, Warba and Bubiyan, which have been the source of conflict for nearly a century – many scholars contend longer - the dispute over which contributed to the disaster of Iraq's invasion and that country's subsequent decimation - of 2nd August 1990.

Theodore Draper outlined the vast complexities in 1993(ii.)

"The suddenness of the [Iraqi] action [invading Kuwait] and the coverage it has received should not disguise the fact that Iraqi claims to Kuwaiti territory have been pursued with remarkable consistency over the last half-century, through Hashemite and revolutionary rule alike.

"There is some justification for the argument (which) predates by a considerable length of time, the accession of Saddam Hussain to the Iraqi Presidency.

"These claims will not disappear with a settlement of the present Kuwait Crisis, whether or not this involves a change of regime in Baghdad.

"It is necessary to take these historical roots into account because they left such an explosive legacy in the Gulf region — the Iraqi quest for a coastal outlet, the obstruction of the Kuwaiti barrier islands of Warba and Bubiyan, the dispute over Kuwait's exploitation of the Rumaila oil field, the precarious borders…"

But as Richard Schofield (iii) points out:

"Thus there was more to Saddam Hussein's attempt to annex Kuwait than one man's evil character. Whatever may happen to him, the Iraqi grievances will not go away.

"For more than two centuries, Kuwait managed to survive by playing off one major power against another. As a nation, it did not have the ancient roots that Iraq has in Mesopotamia.

"Throughout the 1930s, Iraq refused to agree to a demarcation of the boundary with Kuwait unless the latter was willing to give up control of the islands, Warba and Bubiyan, and thus secure the narrow Iraqi Persian Gulf coastline. Despite its vulnerability, Kuwait refused to make concessions.

"By 1935, Iraqi propaganda openly called for the incorporation of Kuwait. Three years later, Iraq made this claim official, with the same justification used by Saddam Hussein five decades later — that Kuwait had once been attached to the Ottoman province of Basra. " (Emphasis mine.)

Swimming distance from Iraq, which Patrick Markey has described as: "… a flash point, a country still struggling with violence, sectarianism and pressure from neighbours in an unstable region", $20 Billion is to be spent on the Warba Island nuclear reactor, just 500 metres from the nearest Iraqi inhabited area, at the port of Umm Qasr. It is 30 miles from Kuwait. (Bubiyan nestles next to Warba..." (v.)

Pointing out that it is on the still disputed border between Iraq and Kuwait arising from further boundary tinkering after 1991s hostilities, politician Ms. Alya Naseef has demanded of Prime Minister Nuri Maliki he strongly represents that the plans be halted.

The main contractors are French giant AREVA, in which in December 2010 the Kuwaiti Investment Authority invested $794 million and Kuwait acquired a 4.8% stake, making it the third largest investor, the French State being the largest. AREVA has extensive contracts and mutual interests with the United States.(vi)

Further, in September last year, Kuwait signed a "… a bilateral agreement with Japan for cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, covering issues such as expertise exchange, human resource development, nuclear safety, following similar deals with France and the US earlier this year."

The five-year deal with Japan, includes "…preparation, planning and promotion of nuclear power development… safety and security.

"The scope of the cooperation includes training, human resources and infrastructure development, and the appropriate application of nuclear power generation and related technology."

I wonder if Fukushima's radioactive airborne or seaborne fallout has reached the Gulf yet.

The UK Foreign Office website states of Kuwait: "There is a general threat from terrorism. Attacks cannot be ruled out and could be indiscriminate

"These include references to attacks on Western interests…military, oil, transport and aviation interests."

What a prize a nuclear power station would be.

"Many areas of the Gulf are highly sensitive, including near maritime boundaries and the islands of Bubiyan and Warbah…" Further: "The area in the northern Gulf, between Iran, Iraq and Kuwait has not been demarcated…" reminds the Foreign Office.

It would be hard to find a more volatile place to build a nuclear installation. Oh, and the land is low-lying and subject to silting and shifting.

With the IAEA berating Iran for its nuclear programme, it seems bewildering that the very real and present dangers of these terrifying, madcap projects have passed them by.

Heaven forbid that the fifty years of fruitful trade relations between Japan and Kuwait, celebrated in May this year,(viii) have tempted Japan's Mr Yukiya Amano, heading the IAEA, to put country before nuclear madness.

And don't forget the suicide bombers.

Notes

i. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27599

ii. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1992/jan/16/the-gulf-war-reconsidered-2/?pagination=false

iii. Islands and Maritime Boundaries in the Gulf 1798-1960, pub: 1990: R Schofield. ISBN: (13) 978-1-85207-275-9

iv. http://analysis.nuclearenergyinsider.com/weekly-brief/weekly-intelligence-brief-14-21-july-2011

v. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ku-map.gif

vi. http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-13040-iraq-20bn-kuwait-nuclear-plant-will-harm-iraqis/

vii. http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/159399/reftab/36/t/Kuwait-Japan-sign-pact-on-nuclear-energy/Default.aspx

See also:

http://www.nationalsecuritywatch.com/2011/03/french-nuclear-giant-areva's-multi-billion-dollar-strategic-partner-american-taxpayers/

viii. http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/middle_e/kuwait/index.html
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4.: Clinton, Obama Visits Shore Up Asian NATO Against China

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:54 pm (PST)

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=748579&publicationSubCategoryId=63

The Philippine Star
November 16, 2011

Hillary to hold talks with Noy on US support

-Officials accompanying Clinton...said she would hold talks today with President Aquino and tour a warship at a time of high tension between Manila and Beijing over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.
The US recently provided the Philippines with a warship and Clinton will discuss offering a second one, the officials said.
-In a speech last week, Clinton said that the US was "updating" relationships with its five treaty-bound regional allies – the Philippines, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
"These five alliances are the fulcrum for our efforts in the Asia-Pacific," Clinton said at the East-West Center in Honolulu.
-"January 2012 will mark 10 years of US troops' permanent presence in Mindanao. While US troops in Iraq are set to leave at the end of 2011, US troops in Mindanao appear to be staying indefinitely. There is no known timetable or duration for their presence. Secretary Clinton's visit will likely reinforce this illegal arrangement."

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to announce new support for the Philippines and flood-hit Thailand as she shores up ties with key US allies, officials said Tuesday.

After her Manila visit, Clinton will head later this week to Thailand, part of a renewed US focus on Asia. President Barack Obama is traveling separately to Australia, another longtime ally in the region.

Officials accompanying Clinton, whose plane made a brief refueling stop in the US territory of Guam, said she would hold talks today with President Aquino and tour a warship at a time of high tension between Manila and Beijing over disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.

The US recently provided the Philippines with a warship and Clinton will discuss offering a second one, the officials said.

They said Clinton will also look for ways to step up cooperation at sea. Recent US military efforts with its former colony have focused on fighting Islamic militants in Mindanao.

"We are now in the process of diversifying and changing the nature of our engagement. We will continue those efforts in the south, but we are focusing more on maritime capabilities," a senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

...

[R]elations between the US and China have been uneasy, with Obama pressing President Hu Jintao during a weekend summit on a range of issues from intellectual property rights to the exchange rate level of the Chinese yuan.

Obama welcomed leaders from 20 other Pacific Rim economies to the weekend summit in his native Hawaii where he built momentum for an emerging free trade agreement that would span the Pacific – but does not include China.

Clinton and Obama have vowed to put a new focus on the Asia-Pacific...

In a speech last week, Clinton said that the US was "updating" relationships with its five treaty-bound regional allies – the Philippines, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

"These five alliances are the fulcrum for our efforts in the Asia-Pacific," Clinton said at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

"They leverage our regional presence and enhance our regional leadership at a time of evolving security challenges," she said.

Admiral Robert Willard, head of the US Pacific Command, also stressed that the five treaty alliances "form in many ways the basis for security in the region."

"One of our endeavors is to improve those alliances and strengthen those alliances along the way," Willard told reporters in Honolulu.

...

Zenia Rodriguez, head of the political science office at the University of Santo Tomas, said that Clinton's trip was timely in light of the tensions in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, including over the Spratly Islands.

"When you face China in the Spratlys, the most the Philippines can do is lean towards a stronger nation, which in our case is the US," Rodriguez said.

"Her visit underlines the enduring alliance and responsive strategic partnership between the Philippines and US and is the latest concrete manifestation of US action and reengagement in the most dynamic region in the world – the Asia Pacific," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said for his part.

...

Protests

Protests by militants greeted Clinton's Manila visit which was also in observance of the 60th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

"The MDT continues to be invoked to justify US intervention in our country. There are no benefits from this. In the last 40 years, the MDT was used to justify US military bases in the Philippines, as well as Philippine involvement in US conflicts abroad. To this day, the MDT is being wrongly used to justify the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) even if the MDT predates the VFA by 48 years," said Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

"The US government wants us to be content with receiving US military junk. The MDT has not modernized our armed forces. If anything, the MDT and similar military agreements have made us dependent on the US," Reyes said.

"They have made us weak and unable to stand on our own," he added.

"How can we expect fair and equal treatment from the US, especially after what we learned from Wikileaks? In 2009, Secretary Clinton herself ordered US diplomats to spy on UN officials and other UN representatives, even ordering the gathering of biometric and IT-related information," he said.

"As revealed in Wikileaks, the US embassy in the Philippines undermined Philippine sovereignty on many issues. That's the kind foreign policy that the US carries out even with its so-called 'allies'."

Bayan said the VFA should also be scrapped as it has been used to justify not just brief visits but extended or even permanent stationing of US troops in the Philippines.

"The Aquino government should stand for sovereignty and do away with mendicancy in its foreign relations," Reyes said.

"January 2012 will mark 10 years of US troops' permanent presence in Mindanao. While US troops in Iraq are set to leave at the end of 2011, US troops in Mindanao appear to be staying indefinitely. There is no known timetable or duration for their presence. Secretary Clinton's visit will likely reinforce this illegal arrangement," Reyes said.

Bayan said that after more than a year in office, the Aquino administration has yet to make good its promise to make public the results of its review of the VFA.

The Senate has passed a resolution calling for the renegotiation or termination of the VFA because of some questionable provisions.

Labor groups also protested Clinton's visit and demanded the abrogation of the MDT.

"This treaty is based on the lie that the US is a real friend of the Philippines. It is the US, not the Philippines, which benefits the most from it. The Aquino government, which is so proud of welcoming Clinton, is far from scrapping this treaty and ending US supremacy over the country," Kilusang Mayo Uno vice chairman Lito Ustarez said.

He added that Clinton's visit is proof of the Aquino administration's commitment to preserve or even strengthen US hold over the country.

"This has meant nonstop violations of our country's sovereignty so we urge the Filipino workers and people to be critical of and fight US domination of our country. It is responsible not only for the dragging of the country into US-sponsored wars but for the country's poverty," he said.

Anakpawis executive vice president Joel Maglunsod, for his part, said the MDT and the VFA have allowed the US to trample on the country's sovereignty.

The group also criticized US President Obama's Partnership for Growth initiative, saying it would further open the Philippine economy to US control.

"We have been opening up our economy for almost a century and what has it caused us? Nothing but a backward economy, destroyed hopes for national industrialization and a spectacularly high poverty rate," Maglunsod said.

...

Mayen Jaymalin, Rhodina Villanueva, Christina Mendez, Pia Lee-Brago
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5.: Pentagon To Test Hypersonic Prompt Global Strike Missile This Week

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:55 pm (PST)

http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20111114_8724.php

Global Security Newswire
November 14, 2011

U.S. Army to Test "Global Strike" Technology This Week
By Martin Matishak

-The Pentagon is interested in developing a nonnuclear, prompt-strike capability to attack a target anywhere around the world with just an hour's notice. This type of weapon might be used in the event that U.S. naval vessels or land-based aircraft are not located close enough to strike a target under urgent conditions...

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Army on Wednesday will test missile technology that could eventually be incorporated into the development a conventional "prompt global strike" weapon, according to Defense Department officials (see GSN, Dec. 14, 2010).

Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Forces Strategic Command will conduct a flight test of the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, which is to use an advanced-technology glide body built to endure high-speed flight in the upper atmosphere en route to a target.

"This test is designed to collect data on hypersonic boost-glide technologies and test-range performance for long-range atmospheric flight," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Melinda Morgan told Global Security Newswire last week by e-mail.

...

The test vehicle is slated to be launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, and is to fly to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, located more than 2,000 miles southwest on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

...

The data gleaned from the test will be used by the Defense Department to develop future capabilities for conventional prompt global strike, she told GSN.

The Pentagon is interested in developing a nonnuclear, prompt-strike capability to attack a target anywhere around the world with just an hour's notice. This type of weapon might be used in the event that U.S. naval vessels or land-based aircraft are not located close enough to strike a target under urgent conditions...

AHW technologies, if proven successful, might be incorporated into the Air Force Conventional Strike Missile, which could be the first such prompt-attack capability to be fielded (see GSN, June 24).
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6.: Abkhazia Condemns NATO's Arming, Remilitarization Of Georgia

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:55 pm (PST)

http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/272081.html

Itar-Tass
November 15, 2011

Georgia's arming at variance with settlement appeals - Abkhazia

SUKHUMI: Georgia's arming with the support of NATO in conditions of unsettled conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia is at variance with appeals of the Alliance for a peaceful settlement of conflicts, the Foreign Ministry of Abkhazia said in a statement of Tuesday.

"Statements by high-ranking NATO officials as to commitments to a peaceful settlement of conflicts do not look convincing," said a commentary on a statement of the NATO-Georgia Commission.

NATO, which makes appeals for a peaceful settlement of conflicts, is a key organization that directly supports the continuing intensive militarization of Georgia, it stressed.

"In conditions of unsettled conflicts with Abkhazia and Georgia it becomes obvious that the armament, re-equipment and training of the Georgian army with the support of NATO is by no means aimed at the settlement of conflicts peacefully," the Foreign Ministry stressed.

"Georgia's aggression against South Ossetia in August 2008 and analogous plans against Abkhazia were stopped owing to the timely interference of the Russian Federation" is a clear example of that, it said.

NATO's appeals to Russia to "give up the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are independent states, and whose sovereign status is recognized by the Russian Federation and five more U.N. member countries" are "absolutely inadequate," it continued.

According to the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry "such a step demonstrates the biased approaches of that organization and an absolute unwillingness to regard the existing political realities in the region."

NATO ambassadors led by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen visited Tbilisi on November 9-10. On the results of the visit the ambassadors made a statement, in which they once again confirmed their commitment to the so-called "territorial integrity" of Georgia and once again urged Russia to give up the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The statement also contained an appeal to look for peaceful ways to settle the conflicts.
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7.: Estonia: U.S., Poland Join NATO Cyber Warfare Center

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:55 pm (PST)

http://news.err.ee/politics/a1af1752-c667-42cf-813f-7d9327735b32

Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR)
November 15, 2011

US, Poland Join NATO's Cyber Defense Center
By Ott Tammik

NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn will hold a flag raising ceremony on Thursday, as the United States and Poland officially join the institution.

A press conference will be held by Defense Minister Mart Laar, Polish Ambassador Grzegorz M. Poznański, US Ambassador Michael C. Polt and the NATO agency director, Col. Ilmar Tamm.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves will also address guests at the ceremony.
Estonia has taken a lead role in advocating cyber security among its allies since becoming the first country to undergo a full-scale cyber attack in 2007. NATO's cyber defense agency in Tallinn was established in 2008.

Having already launched an IT unit in the Defense League - a voluntary military reserve force – the former defense minister proposed a military draft specializing in cyber defense in January.

The headquarters of the EU's IT security agency in Tallinn - housing the Schengen information center and a large-scale fingerprint database - will begin operations in 2012.

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

http://baltic-review.com/2011/11/us-poland-join-natos-cyber-defense-center/

Baltic Review
November 15, 2011

US, Poland Join NATO's Cyber Defense Center
By Ott Tammik

NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn will hold a flag raising ceremony on Thursday, as the United States and Poland officially join the institution, reported ERR.

A press conference will be held by Defense Minister Mart Laar, Polish Ambassador Grzegorz M. Poznański, US Ambassador Michael C. Polt and the NATO agency director, Col. Ilmar Tamm.

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves will also address guests at the ceremony.

...NATO's cyber defense agency in Tallinn was established in 2008.

Having already launched an IT unit in the Defense League – a voluntary military reserve force – the former defense minister proposed a military draft specializing in cyber defense in January.

The headquarters of the EU's IT security agency in Tallinn – housing the Schengen information center and a large-scale fingerprint database – will begin operations in 2012.
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8.: Turkey Threatens To Cut Off Power To Syria

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:55 pm (PST)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/15/60453959.html

Reuters
November 15, 2011

Turkey threatens to cut off power to Syria

Turkey may cut off power supply to neighboring Syria if the relations between the two countries fail to improve, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Tuesday.

Earlier, crowds of outraged Syrians attempted to storm the Turkish embassy in Damascus and consulates in Aleppo and Latakia, prompting Ankara to start evacuating the families of its diplomatic staff in Syria.
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9.: Kosovo Serbs Turn To Russia Over Belgrade's Negligence

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:55 pm (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20111115/168720849.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 15, 2011

Kosovo Serbs turn to Russia over Belgrade's negligence

BELGRADE: At least 20,000 Kosovo Serbs, who applied for Russian citizenship last week, were acting out of despair and disillusion in Belgrade's ability to defend the ethnic minority, a Serbian leader in Kosovo, Marko Jaksic, said on Tuesday.

Last week, Kosovo Serbs handed over a petition with signatures to the Russian Embassy in Belgrade, asking for Russian citizenship.

"Those who turned in the petition live mostly in the southern enclaves in Kosovo, further away from the administrative border between Kosovo and Serbia," Jaksic said. He added this showed how hard their lives were.

"As Russian citizens they would be more secure compared to their current status when Belgrade has turned its back on them," Jaksic said.

Serbs constitute 5-10% of the 2-million population and Albanians make up the majority of Kosovo.

Albanian authorities proclaimed Kosovo's independence from Belgrade with support from the United States and the European Union in 2008.

Both Serbia and Russia have refused to recognize Kosovo's independence. Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo are bluntly opposed to the Albanian authorities in Pristina.

Tensions flared in Kosovo's ethnic Serbian enclave in October after Albanian Kosovars installed their customs officers at the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings with Serbia.
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10.: NATO Container Torched In Balochistan

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:09 pm (PST)

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C11%5C16%5Cstory_16-11-2011_pg7_5

Daily Times
November 16, 2011

NATO container torched in Mastung

QUETTA: Unidentified armed men torched a container carrying military hardware for NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan on Tuesday, Balochistan Levies said.

The assailants came on motorcycles and opened fire on the container near Dasht area of Mastung district, about 45 kilometres off provincial capital.

As result of firing, driver Abdul Majeed suffered bullet injuries and stopped the containers. The assailants set the container on fire before making good their escape. "The driver sustained injuries while the container was completely gutted," a local officer said.
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11.: Australia Could Be Caught In U.S.-China Crossfire

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:09 pm (PST)

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/684097/Australia-could-be-caught-in-Sino-US-crossfire.aspx

Global Times
November 16, 2011

Australia could be caught in Sino-US crossfire

US President Barack Obama arrived in Australia today for a long-delayed visit. It is reported that Obama is going to announce an expanded US military presence in Australia. The move is widely seen as a renewal of the US-Australia alliance to keep China in check.

It is also interpreted as a choice made by Australia between the US and China, the two largest Asia-Pacific powers. Prime Minister Julia Gillard refuted the interpretation Tuesday, saying that "it is well and truly possible for us, in this growing region of the world, to have an ally in the US and to have deep friendships in our region, including with China."

Nevertheless, both Chinese and Australian media outlets know that this is merely diplomatic parlance. Some Australians worry that this unfriendly move will harm their country's relationship with China, its largest trade partner.

Apparently, Australia aspires to a situation where it maximizes political and security benefits from its alliance with the US while gaining the greatest economic interests from China. However, Gillard may be ignoring something - their economic cooperation with China does not pose any threat to the US, whereas the Australia-US military alliance serves to counter China.

Australia surely cannot play China for a fool. It is impossible for China to remain detached no matter what Australia does to undermine its security. There is real worry in Chinese society concerning Australia's acceptance of an increased US military presence. Such psychology will influence the long-term development of the Australia-China relationship.

Some Australians have been arguing that China does need Australian resources to fuel its own economy, and thus the two countries rely on each other. It is true that China does not have many cards to play to respond to Australia. The US military presence in Australia will not change matters in the short-term. It remains to be seen how Australia will behave in the future and how China is going to respond.

But one thing is certain - if Australia uses its military bases to help the US harm Chinese interests, then Australia itself will be caught in the crossfire. Australia should at least prevent things from growing out of control.

China values its friendship with Austria, and people here understand Australia's difficulty in seeking the balance between two powers. However, there is a certain line that neither side should cross. Australia should cherish its friendship with China and show this, not merely spout soothing words.

Australia is nimble at navigating between great powers. We believe Australia has the wisdom of dealing with the US-China game and guarantee its own prosperity and security.

Australia should make endeavors to defuse, rather than increase, misgivings between the US and China. This will bring greater interests to both Australia's interests and to regional peace. In this regard, Australia can be a huge force for good.
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12.: U.S. Global Empire May Crumble Under Its Own Weight

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:10 pm (PST)

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/683879/US-rule-may-crumple-under-its-own-weight.aspx

Global Times
November 15, 2011

US rule may crumble under its own weight

-Some in the US have forgotten that no empire lasts forever, and believe that superior firepower, a strong economy and unmatched soft power will lead to perpetual dominance status...US public opinion cannot bear any small country going against Washington's will. The stronger it becomes, the more obscure the line between "leading the world" and "ruling the world" becomes.
-The world does not belong to the US as some of its leaders might think. Neither China, nor any other country, are to blame for that.

Public opinion in the US concerns every detail of the Obama administration's China policy, including its "tough" stance that has seemingly become political mainstream.

In fact, a deliberately "tough" US is unnecessary since China has never doubted the country's power. Instead, it is Americans and Europeans that seem to believe more in the decline of the US.

The national strength of the US will remain first and foremost for a long time. However, this has led to over-confidence since the Cold War. Some in the US have forgotten that no empire lasts forever, and believe that superior firepower, a strong economy and unmatched soft power will lead to perpetual dominance status. The US never expresses the intention to "rule the world," but its desire to be the world leader is obvious. US public opinion cannot bear any small country going against Washington's will. The stronger it becomes, the more obscure the line between "leading the world" and "ruling the world" becomes.

A worry that the US will lose its global position has resulted from the country's current crisis. The Obama administration enhances strategic deployment in the Asian-Pacific region to safeguard this global presence. This will burden and drag down the US. The country is not really becoming weak, but its strategic demand surpasses its real capacity. In the Cold War era, the strength of the US could easily protect the Western world. However, as its economy is declining, it is not realistic for the US to regulate the world order along as before.

The US attempts to mobilize global political and economic resources to refuel its capacity but this has worsened the country's financial straits. The US has tried to subdue the world by its military and economic power and system in the past, but nowadays, it is pursuing private interests. Due to a worsened economy, the US is returning to a mixture of military and political power. However, such shortcuts do not guarantee success as seen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The US intends to solve economic problems by exerting political pressure on China. Congressmen and politicians take the task of CEOs, blindly interfering politically in the marketplace.

Such a mission is hollow, and ultimately doomed to failure. Maybe the US should learn to accept the reality of a multi-polar world and change its mentality. As long as it lowers its defensive posture, it will remain a key player in the world. The difficulties the US faces today are controllable and will not lead to its decline.

It is understandable that the US feels insecure in front of a rising China, but if this insecurity becomes extreme, it will clash with this unrealistic ambition of dominating the world. The world does not belong to the US as some of its leaders might think. Neither China, nor any other country, are to blame for that.
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13.: Obama: U.S. To Increase Military Activities In Australia Next Year

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

Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:07 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/16/c_131250838.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 16, 2011

U.S. to increase military activities in Australia from 2012: Obama

CANBERRA: The United States is stepping up its commitment in the Asia-Pacific, with U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday announcing the United States will boost military activities in Australia from 2012.

In a joint press conference held here after a meeting between Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the pair announced the two countries have agreed to increase joint military initiatives to enhance the alliance between the two nations.

From 2012, the United States will boost its military activities in Australia in stages. A force of around 250 marines will be accommodated and begin training in the Northern Territory of Australia next year.

The U.S. forces, which will bring with them vehicles, ships and aircraft, will then be increased to a battalion strength group of 1,000 by 2014 and will have a 2,500-strong Marine Air-Ground Task Force by 2016.

Exercises will involve joint training and combat operations, live firing...

Also over the next two years, more U.S. aircraft will come to the Tindal base in Northern Territory for training and exercises.

"The U.S. has no stronger ally than Australia, bound by common values and rights," Obama said. "With my visit, I am making it clear that the U.S. is stepping up its commitment in the Asia Pacific."

Gillard said "the increased U.S. presence would reinforce stability in the Asia-Pacific."

"It will be good for our Australian Defense Force to increase their capabilities, by joint training with the U.S. Marines and personnel," she said. "It will mean that we are postured to better respond together, along with other partners in the Asia-Pacific, to any regional contingency..."

...

Currently, there are around 300 U.S. military personnel posted in Australia for two to three years at a time.

...

Obama arrived in Canberra of Australia on Wednesday afternoon. He will visit Australian War Memorial, and address the parliament on Thursday morning, before visiting Darwin, Northern Territory of Australia. He will then leave for Indonesia on Thursday afternoon.
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14.: U.S. Challenges Russia, Iran Over Trans-Caspian Pipeline

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

Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:07 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/capital/energy/1957718.html

Trend News Agency
November 16, 2011

US says if Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan agree on Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, no other country has veto power over that decision
H. Hasanov

-[T]he Obama Administration has worked to support the establishment of a new pathway, the Southern Corridor, to bring natural gas to Europe through Turkey, from the Caspian and potentially other sources, including Iraq.
Just last month, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on transit of gas across Turkey to Europe, a significant step forward in realization of the Southern Corridor.

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat: If Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan agree on construction of a Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, no other country has veto power over that decision, Senior Adviser to the U.S. State Department's special envoy for Eurasian energy Daniel Stein said in his speech at the International Oil and Gas Conference in Ashgabat today.

The EU, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are currently negotiating an agreement that...would the basis for a Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, he added.

"In this respect, I should state our view - if Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan agree on construction of such a pipeline, no other country has veto power over that decision," he said.

The Trans-Caspian route would become a part of trans-national projects of "the Southern Gas Corridor". Gas may be delivered for the Trans-Caspian project through the 1,000-km East-West gas pipeline which is under construction on the territory of Turkmenistan.

The South Corridor is a priority EU energy project, diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing EU energy security. The Southern Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline, TAP and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline). The gas produced within the second phase of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz Field is considered to be the main gas source for these projects.

Regarding additional gas supplies for the Southern Corridor, Mr. Stein said President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov has talked positively about providing gas to Europe as part of Turkmenistan's efforts to diversify its export routes.

He believes by expanding export routes, these countries can increase competition for their resources, demand a higher price, and create strong links to the global economy.

"The producer countries, including Turkmenistan, should be able to make their own independent choices regarding how they deal with energy resources," he noted

In line with this approach, Mr. Stein said, the Obama Administration has worked to support the establishment of a new pathway, the Southern Corridor, to bring natural gas to Europe through Turkey, from the Caspian and potentially other sources, including Iraq.

Just last month, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on transit of gas across Turkey to Europe, a significant step forward in realization of the Southern Corridor.

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

http://en.trend.az/regions/casia/turkmenistan/1957563.html

Trend News Agency
November 16, 2011

Turkmenistan's role in strengthening global energy security is growing - EU envoy
G. Hasanov

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat: Turkmenistan has a growing role in strengthening global energy security, said the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Pierre Morel at a meeting in Ashgabat with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said on Wednesday the Turkmen government.

"Pierre Morel focused on various aspects of energy cooperation, stressing it is purely forward-looking, taking into account the gigantic economic and resource potential of Turkmenistan and its increasing role in enhancing global energy security," said the media.

The European diplomat, as the report says, "has expressed interest in strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation, including within the framework of the long-term strategy of cooperation with EU countries of Central Asia."

As stressed by the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, "in Europe warmly welcomed consistently put into practice the strategy of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on the creation of multi-variant system for Turkmen energy to international markets."

In turn, Berdimuhamedov said that, "speaking an active supporter of a new approach to global energy security, Turkmenistan has taken concrete steps to enhance its export potential, creating an extensive, modern and efficient running network delivery of energy to world markets."

Turkmenistan and the EU in May 2008 signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in the field of energy.
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15.: Caspian: U.S. Secretary Of Navy To Visit Azerbaijan

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

Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:07 am (PST)

http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/azerbaijan/1957803.html

Trend News Agency
November 16, 2011

U.S.-Azerbaijani security cooperation to be mulled
V. Zhavoronkova

Baku: Secretary of the US Navy Ray Mabus will visit Azerbaijan on Nov. 20-21, the U.S. embassy reported.

During his visit, Secretary Mabus will meet with government of Azerbaijan officials to discuss U.S.-Azerbaijani security cooperation.

Subordinate to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy is responsible for the conduct of all the affairs of the Department of the Navy as its Chief Executive Officer. The Department of the Navy consists of two Uniformed Services: the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the President or the Secretary of Defense.
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16.: Eyeing China, Obama Drives Eastward

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

Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:18 am (PST)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-11/16/c_131250185.htm

Xinhua News Agency
November 16, 2011

Eyeing China, Obama drives eastward
By Li Hongmei

-The last time the remote Australian city of Darwin played a significant role in American military planning was during the early days of World War II. So it is with considerable symbolism that Washington intends to use Darwin as a new center of operations in Asia as it seeks to reassert itself in the region and grapple with China's rise.
-Technically, Obama's aggressive step venturing into Asia is not merely a premature but a risky move, even if he insists this would do some good to his 2012 campaign. But to his Asian allies, it is more of a hindrance than a help.

As the U.S. looks toward Asia, it is mindful of China. President Obama, who was born in Hawaii and calls himself "America's first Pacific president", has overseen a shift in focus away from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific.

At the just wrapped-up APEC Summit he hosted in Hawaii, Obama tried to push his framework agreement for a smaller trade group, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) under the leadership of the U.S., which is expected to act as a replacement for APEC. This somewhat aroused concerns of China which believes the TPP is supposed to be complementary to APEC, rather than its replacement.

"Pacific president" Obama this weekend will kick start his Asian trip to Australia, and then Indonesia where he will attend the 19th ASEAN Summit. His visit is designed to re-assert Washington's Pacific priorities, which is said to be welcome by his allies, as "China's increasingly assertive posture has unnerved several neighbors."

In Australia, Obama is expected to announce a major boost in military ties, giving U.S. forces permanent access to Australian bases in northern Australia, close to Indonesia. That would make it much easier for them to reach key shipping lanes in the South China Sea.

President Obama's trip comes at a crucial time back home, as he continues his struggle to jolt the U.S. economy out of recession. By touring Asia, Obama will also be sending a message to Americans back home: He has got to make the case that if the embattled economy is to move out of nightmare Asia is part of the answer.

Also, complex economic and security relationships with China, including regional rivalries over the South China Sea are a backdrop to Obama's travels.

Noteworthily, the plan to station marines at an existing base outside the northern Australian city of Darwin, on the doorstep of South East Asia, would allow the U.S. to disperse its forces more widely in the region -- in particular, away from Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam, which are said to be "within range of the new generation of Chinese ballistic missiles."

The last time the remote Australian city of Darwin played a significant role in American military planning was during the early days of World War II. So it is with considerable symbolism that Washington intends to use Darwin as a new center of operations in Asia as it seeks to reassert itself in the region and grapple with China's rise.

The United States is taking steps, at least bold in rhetoric, to materialize its "Comeback to Asia" strategy, and to convince its Asian allies that it intends to remain a crucial military and economic power in the region as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to a close.

Still, the U.S. plan to expand its military presence in Australia has raised concerns among some analysts that it could complicate the already volatile situation, escalate regional tensions and damage relations with China.

Hugh White, a former senior Australian defense official, said a dramatic expansion of U.S. troops in the country was "a very significant and potentially very risky move for Australia".

Technically, Obama's aggressive step venturing into Asia is not merely a premature but a risky move, even if he insists this would do some good to his 2012 campaign. But to his Asian allies, it is more of a hindrance than a help.
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17.: Russian Envoy: Kosovo Serbs Should Be Granted Russian Citizenship

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

Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:26 am (PST)

http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20111116170147.shtml

RosBusinessConsulting
November 16, 2011

Russian envoy pledges support for Kosovo Serbs

Moscow: Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin called upon authorities to grant Russian citizenship to 20,000 Kosovo Serbs after this group filed a relevant petition, claiming that its security was in jeopardy in a region dominated by ethnic Albanians.

"This opportunity should be discussed, including with the Russian president, and we should assist them in relocating to Russia," Rogozin said, adding that Kosovo Serbs should be included in Russia's repatriation program.
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18.: Washington Maintains Belligerent Stance On European Missiles

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

Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:55 am (PST)

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20111116/168747917.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 16, 2011

Washington maintains its stance on European missile shield

MOSCOW: Washington will not provide Moscow with any legally binding guarantees on the European missile shield because the U.S.-led NATO project does not involve Russia in any way, a senior U.S. State Department official said.

Recently-appointed Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman reiterated in an interview with Russia's Kommersant newspaper published on Wednesday that the shield is designed solely to defend NATO members against ballistic missiles from "rogue states" such as North Korea and Iran, and would not be directed at Russia.

Sherman, who is known as a North Korean expert and diplomatic troubleshooter, visited Moscow last week to discuss bilateral relations, including missile defense, with Russian officials.

...

Russia and NATO tentatively agreed to cooperate on the European missile defense network at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, but the differences in approaches toward the project's architecture led to a deadlock in negotiations.

NATO insists there should be two independent networks that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.

Russia maintains staunch opposition to the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense systems in the Mediterranean, Poland, Romania and Turkey, claiming they would be a security threat.
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Monday, November 21, 2011

PENTAGON TO TEST THE DEADLIEST MISSILE

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

Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:54 pm (PST)

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Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:54 pm (PST)

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