See #1 below quoting Gates. Tom Begin forwarded message: From: "J.C. BEREZOWSKI" Date: October 12, 2007 5:33:42 PM PDT (CA) To: Subject: Fw: MARPAC's World Media & Naval Intelligence Briefs: 12 October 2007 Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 2:39 PM Subject: MARPAC's World Media & Naval Intelligence Briefs: 12 October 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARPAC's WORLD INTELLIGENCE BRIEF: 12 October 2007 Compliments of: Office of the Asia-Pacific Policy Advisor, Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters, CANADA. This briefing comes to you courtesy of Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC), Canada's Western Naval Formation United States: "Gates outlines vision for US army" Costa Rica: "Costa Rica 'supports' US trade deal" United Kingdom: "Britain to increase defense budget" Spain: "Blast hits Spain's Basque country" Germany/Afghanistan: "German troops extend Afghan stay" Eastern Europe: "European Leaders Sign Pipeline Deal" Belarus: "Belarus to build nuclear plant" Ukraine/Russia: "Gazprom, Ukraine sign deal to settle gas debt" Russia: "Consultants give environmental approval to Sakhalin II project" Turkey/United States: "Turkey recalls ambassador to US" Sudan: "'Dozens dead' in Sudan Darfur raid" Somalia: "Attacks continue in Somalia" India: "Six detained, Bangladeshi pilgrims quizzed, live bomb found" Thailand: "27 provinces in Thailand to remain under martial law during December election" China: "China's forex reserve tops US$1.43 trillion" Paracel Islands: "Chinese tourists 'annex' Paracels" Japan/United States: "US installs missile-tracking system in Japan" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- United States: "Gates outlines vision for US army" Al Jazeera, 10 October 2007 In a speech to the Association of the United States Army on Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the future of the American military must adapt to a changing world and rethink its approach to armed conflicts on a worldwide scale. He said the Army should focus on training foreign armies to police their own people, develop cultural understanding by mastering local languages and customs, and train troops to fight smaller, more mobile, guerilla forces. Success in future wars, "will be less a matter of imposing one's will and more a function of shaping behaviour, of friends, adversaries and, most importantly, the people in between," said Gates. Costa Rica: "Costa Rica 'supports' US trade deal" Al Jazeera, 08 October 2007 Costa Ricans have voted to accept a free trade agreement with the United States by a slim margin in a recent referendum. The opposition leader, Eugenio Trejos, has called for a recount of the ballots. Nearly 60 percent of the population participated in the referendum. Despite the vote to support the deal, many Costa Ricans are staunchly opposed to such an agreement with the US because it is believed that it would open the country up to cheaper US imports and undermine local state-run businesses. Critics warn that the deal will threaten the country's free education and health care programs, whereas proponents of the deal say it is time for Costa Rica to enter into the world market and develop trade; Costa Rica is a stable democracy with greater diversification in industry and manufacturing that its neighbours. United Kingdom: "Britain to increase defense budget" Xinhua, 10 October 2007 British Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling announced in his pre-budget report on Tuesday that defence spending will increase by USD $800 million by 2010, bringing the total defence budget to $74 billion. The government will also spend $1 billion to improve accommodations for servicepeople and $7 billion on anti-terror work. Spain: "Blast hits Spain's Basque country" Al Jazeera, 09 October 2007 A car bombing in Bilbao killed a bodyguard of a local Socialist party politician on Tuesday. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the militant separatist group Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA) is being blamed. No further details were available regarding the identity of the bodyguard's client, though a police investigation is underway. The Interior Ministry increased the national security alert status in light of the upcoming national holidays. Germany/Afghanistan: "German troops extend Afghan stay" CNN, 12 October 2007 Germany's lower house, the Bundestag, approved the extension of the deployment of 3,000 troops and six reconnaissance jets in Afghanistan for another year by a vote of 454 to 79, with 48 abstentions. German public opinion is largely against the extension after attacks on German forces and the abduction of German nationals in Afghanistan. Currently, most German troops are based in the north of Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and have not been involved in the fighting in the troubled southern area of the country. Eastern Europe: "European Leaders Sign Pipeline Deal" Associated Press, 10 October 2007 Ministers from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania signed an estimated USD $700 million deal on Wednesday to build an oil pipeline that will link the Black and Baltic Seas and reduce dependence on Russian oil supplies. The 480-kilometre extension of an existing pipeline running from Odessa to Brody, Ukraine, will stretch the pipeline to Gdansk, Poland, and will have an approximate annual capacity of 14 million tons. Europe receives 25 percent of its natural gas and 33 percent of its crude oil from Russia, who has used such reliance as a diplomatic weapon over the past three years by temporarily cutting off supplies to Ukraine and Belarus, and permanently ceasing oil deliveries to Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus: "Belarus to build nuclear plant" BBC News, 11 October 2007 Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, announced that his country has plans to build a nuclear power station in 2008 that will be completed by 2016 and cost USD $2.8 billion. Developing domestic nuclear energy is considered essential to guarantee "national security," said Lukashenko. Belarus is currently dependent upon Russia to supply the majority of its energy needs and tensions over fuel costs have become increasingly problematic. Ukraine/Russia: "Gazprom, Ukraine sign deal to settle gas debt" Ria Novosti, 09 October 2007 An agreement between Russian state-owned oil company Gazprom and Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boiko on settling the Ukraine's gas debt was reached on Monday. On 09 October, Gazprom threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine if the over USD $1 billion debt was not settled by the end of the month, but according to Konstantin Chuichenko, executive director of RosUkrEnergo, the sole supplier of Russian gas to Ukraine and 50 percent owned by Gazprom, the first $200 million of the money owing will be transferred by 22 October. Russia: "Consultants give environmental approval to Sakhalin II project" Ria Novosti, 09 October 2007 AEA Technology, an independent consultant to potential lenders to the Sakhalin II oil and gas project off Russia's Pacific coast, has produced a final report saying that the project is in accordance with national and international environmental laws. The venture was subject to months of pressure from Russian authorities last year, who accused it of major environmental damage on Sakhalin Island, though the dispute was resolved after the state-owned Gazprom acquired a controlling share last December. The minority partners in the project, Royal Dutch Shell, Mitsui, and Mitsubishi, hold 27.5, 12.5, and 10 percent stakes, respectively. Turkey/United States: "Turkey recalls ambassador to US" Al Jazeera, 11 October 2007 A recent vote in the US House of Representatives to describe the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during WWI as genocide has upset the Turkish government, who have staunchly opposed any move to term the atrocities as genocidal. To emphasize their displeasure, the Turkish government recalled their ambassador to Washington indefinitely. Many in the US, including President Bush, opposed the vote to accept the term "genocide" because they did not want to further strain the relationship with a valuable ally. Turkey is crucial to US supply lines into Iraq because 30 percent of fuel shipments, 70 percent of air cargo and 95 percent of new mine-resistant armoured vehicles pass through the country. Sudan: "'Dozens dead' in Sudan Darfur raid" Al Jazeera, 09 October 2007 The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) reported that 40 civilians and four fighters were killed in a Sudanese air and ground attack on Monday. As many as 80 people are still missing and an undetermined number of injuries were also reported. A nearby African Union peacekeeper's base said they treated over two dozen wounded but did not permit anyone to enter their compound. Jean-Marie Guehenno, head of UN peacekeeping operations said he was "very concerned" with recent escalations just prior to the 26 October peace talks in Tripoli. Guehenno also called for an increased presence of troops that are highly mobile and capable of dealing with armed aggressors. Somalia: "Attacks continue in Somalia" Al Jazeera, 10 October 2007 On Tuesday evening, anti-government rebels assaulted a police station in Mogadishu with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. Two insurgents were killed while a third was critically wounded. There were no reports of police casualties. Three government employees were targeted by gunmen in Mogadishu on Wednesday. Two of the victims were killed at the scene and the third was taken to hospital with severe injuries. The attack occurred while President Abdullahi Yusuf was in the capital to meet with Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi. There is mounting speculation that Yusuf intends to call a no-confidence vote to oust Gedi. Also on Wednesday, two civilians were killed and up to nine others were wounded in a roadside bombing ambush in Kismayu. India: "Six detained, Bangladeshi pilgrims quizzed, live bomb found" Hindustan Times, 12 October 2007 A day after an explosion at the Ajmer Sharif shrine killed two people and injured 17 others, a live bomb similar to the first one was found by the main gate of the shrine and defused. Six people were detained in connection to yesterday's bombing, and pilgrims of Bangladeshi origin were among those questioned by security officials, though no arrests have been made. Thailand: "27 provinces in Thailand to remain under martial law during December election" Xinhua, 12 October 2007 The National Security Council announced today that martial law will be lifted in 11 of the 35 provinces currently under it, and three other provinces will be put under martial law during the general election tentatively scheduled for 23 December. Martial law was imposed across all of Thailand's 76 provinces after last year's military coup, but was later lifted in 41 provinces, including Bangkok. The law remains in force in the remaining 35 provinces, mainly along the north and northeastern provinces, but also includes the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani, which are trouble by insurgent unrest. China: "China's forex reserve tops US$1.43 trillion" China Daily, 12 October 2007 The People's Bank of China announced today that the country's foreign exchange reserves reached USD $1.43 trillion at the end of September, up 45 percent from last year. Last month, the foreign exchange reserve rose by $25 billion, largely due to China's $185.7 billion trade surplus in the first nine months of the year, and a total of $367.3 billion has been added to the reserve in the same period. In order to make better use of the large reserves, Beijing announced the creation of the China Investment Corporate Ltd. (CIC) at the end of September; the CIC will invest its $200 billion in initial capital in overseas financial markets. Paracel Islands: "Chinese tourists 'annex' Paracels" Yomiuri Shimbun, 12 October 2007 In a new development over the disputed Paracel Islands, the Tourist Bureau of Hainan province in China has approved a project to expand group tours in islands in the South China Sea, including the Paracels. China began sightseeing tours several years ago to Yungshing Island, the main island of the Paracels, using government and military vessels to transport tourists, and Vietnam, which also claims the Islands but whose troops were evicted by China in 1974, has its own sightseeing trips. The move is an effort to solidify control over and promote full-scale development of the Paracels, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves. Japan/United States: "US installs missile-tracking system in Japan" Channel News Asia, 12 October 2007 For the first time in Japan, US forces have deployed a mobile missile-tracking station at the Misawa air base in Aomori prefecture, on the northern tip of Honshu island; another system has already been deployed in South Korea. The Joint Tactical Ground Station will alert American and Japanese defense staff of any incoming missile, and will be operated by 18 US servicepeople. The move follows the March deployment of the Patriot surface-to-air missile interception system in the Tokyo area, and the installation of Japan's first anti-missile system on Okinawa last year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that links to articles remain active only as long as the originating media source preserves them. Articles often move to an archive site within one day of publication and may be found by searching the original source's home page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARPAC's WORLD NAVAL INTELLIGENCE BRIEF: 12 October 2007 Compliments of: Office of the Asia-Pacific Policy Advisor, Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters, CANADA. This briefing comes to you courtesy of Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC), Canada's Western Naval Formation Canada: "Tories may be considering new submarines, say military sources" United States: "Desktop naval gazers know a sub when they see one" The Koreas: "S. Korea to develop N. Korea's Najin port W150 Billion" Japan: "Japanese patrol bomber goes aloft for the first time" Japan/Australia/United States: "Japan to conduct naval drill with U.S., Australia" Indonesia: "Indonesia to set up radars in Malacca Strait" Philippines/United States: "U.S., Philippine troops to hold joint exercises" & "US-RP military exercises resume next week" Australia: "Landmark Fleet Completed in Major Milestone for Austal" & "Amphibious Ships for Navy" & "Navy superships 'to trigger jobs boon'" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canada: "Tories may be considering new submarines, say military sources" The Canadian Press, 10 October 2007 Canadian media reports indicate that the office of the Minister of Defence has requested briefings regarding timelines for introducing new submarines, a move that has caused speculation about the fate of the troubled Victoria-class submarines currently in refit. The contract for a compressed-air system upgrade aboard HMCS Victoria has been put on hold. The briefings are said to have suggested that new subs would take six to eight years to become operational from the moment contracts were signed. As it stands, none of the four submarines Canada purchased from Britain are in working order, costs have already far exceeded earlier estimates and are still climbing, operational lifespan for the boats is diminishing, and once they are seaworthy, they will not be capable of conducting extended Arctic missions, which is something the government has stated is a growing priority. United States: "Desktop naval gazers know a sub when they see one" The Age, 12 October 2007 Hans Kristensen, an analyst and blogger for the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), has located a second and possibly third Chinese Jin-class submarine by using Google Earth software. Mr. Kristensen found the first publicly available images of the Jin-class subs earlier in July. Intelligence sources indicate that China may be building up to five Type 094 Jin-class submarines, each of which is capable of launching ballistic missiles that can hit targets 8000 kilometres away. As of 03 May, the time of the latest Google Earth update, the two subs were moored at the Bohai shipyard at Huludao. The Koreas: "S. Korea to develop N. Korea's Najin port W150 Billion" Chosun Ilbo, 11 October 2007 South Korea's Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Kang Moo-hyun, said on Wednesday that his country will discuss plans to invest almost USD $163 million in the North Korean port of Najin. "In the short term, we will turn the existing port in Najin into a container port with a budget of [almost $33 million]," Kang said. "In the medium term, we will invest [about $130 million] to expand the port and build more berths. The project will be accompanied by construction of roads and railways to connect with the port." Japan: "Japanese patrol bomber goes aloft for the first time" RF Design, 10 October 2007 Kawasaki's USD $141.5 million XP-1 maritime patrol aircraft, first unveiled as the P-X, completed its first flight on 28 September from the Gifu military airbase. The XP-1 has a top speed of 500 knots and a range of 4320 nautical miles, as well as a bomb bay and eight pylons to carry anti-submarine weapons. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) had been seeking a replacement for its 20 year-old P-3C aircraft, and plans to acquire 80 XP-1s. Japan/Australia/United States: "Japan to conduct naval drill with U.S., Australia" Xinhua, 09 October 2007 On 17 October, Japan will conduct a naval drill with the US and Australia off the coast of the southern island of Kyushu. Two destroyers and two P-3C anti-submarine patrol planes from the JMSDF will join one P-3C plane each from the US and Australian navies in the small scale drill. Indonesia: "Indonesia to set up radars in Malacca Strait" Xinhua, 10 October 2007 Following an announcement last week on the establishment of radars along the coastline of the Makassar Strait, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Slamet Soebijanto said on Wednesday that the construction of four of nine radars along the Malacca Strait is complete, with the remainder to be completed this year. Two of the four completed radars were funded by Jakarta, while the other two were subsidized by Washington. Philippines/United States: "U.S., Philippine troops to hold joint exercises" & "US-RP military exercises resume next week" Xinhua, 10 October 2007 & Manila Times, 11 October 2007 Starting on Monday next week until 31 October, the US and Philippine Armed Forces will begin the annual joint exercise "Talon Vision and Amphibious Landing Exercise" (PHIBLEX) in an effort to improve interoperability between the two countries' forces. The exercise, being held in in Central Luzon and in Calabarzon, will include around 6,500 US and Filipino troops, including US Marines and sailors from Japan. American and Filipino forces will also participate in community outreach projects, such as repairing local schools and holding free medical and dental clinics. Australia: "Landmark Fleet Completed in Major Milestone for Austal" & "Amphibious Ships for Navy" & "Navy superships 'to trigger jobs boon'" Defense-aerospace, 08 & 09 October 2007 & Sydney Morning Herald, 09 October 2007 Australian shipbuilder Austal has successfully completed the last of the 14-vessel Armidale-class patrol boat fleet, with the final ship, the Glenelg, officially named last Saturday. The fleet, which will replace the aging Fremantle-class patrol boats, will primarily carry out surveillance, interception, investigation, and apprehension of ships suspected of illegal fishing, quarantine, or customs offences. As well, Prime Minister John Howard announced on Tuesday the signing of a USD $2.8 billion deal to build two new amphibious ships for the Royal Australian Navy. The first, HMAS Canberra, is slated for delivery in 2013 and will replace HMAS Tobruk, and the second,HMAS Adelaide, is scheduled for completion by 2015 and will replace either HMAS Manora or Kanimbla. The two ships will be able to land approximately 1,000 personnel along with their vehicles, and will feature two operating theatres and a hospital ward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that links to articles remain active only as long as the originating media source preserves them. Articles often move to an archive site within one day of publication and may be found by searching the original source's home page
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