May 18, 2005: Russia has apparently successfully navalized their Topol-M ICBMs (as SLBMs, or Sea Launched Ballistic Missile), and are installing them on two different submarines next year. The new missile, the Bulava, has been tested in a Typhoon class SSBNs (the last of the six to remain in service). These subs, the largest ever built, entered service in the 1980s, but were very expensive to operate, and were gradually decommissioned through the 1990s. The last one in service, the Dmitry Donskoi, was refurbished and had new launch tubes and electronics installed for tests of the new Bulava ICBM. The second SSBN to carry the Bulava is the first of a new class of ships, the Yuri Dolgoruky, which has been under construction since 1996, and was, until recently, not expected to enter service until 2008. But the navy has gotten a lot of extra money of late, and a lot of it has gone to getting the Dolgoruky into service next year. Ultimately, at least half a dozen, and perhaps more than a dozen, of the new Yuri Dolgoruky class SSBNs will be built.

The 45 ton Bulava ICBM is slightly a slightly modified version of the Topol-M. The Bulava is a little shorter, to fit into the missile tube, and thus has a shorter range of some 10,000 kilometers. Bulava has three stages and uses solid fuel. Currently, each Bulava carries a single 500 kiloton nuclear weapon, plus decoys and the ability to maneuver. The warhead is also shielded to provide protection from the electronic pulse of nearby nuclear explosions. Take away all of these goodies, and the Bulava could be equipped with six smaller (150 kiloton) warheads. But the big thing these days is trying to defeat American anti-missile systems.

May 19, 2005: The news stories of the Russian sale of 100,000 assault rifles to Venezuela left out a few important details. Most stories described the rifles as “AK-47s.” Not so. Russia hasn't manufactured the AK-47 (or its upgraded version, the AKM), for many years. Instead, Russia now makes the AK-74, a weapon similar to the American M-16 (and also firing a .22 caliber type bullet). Normally, the AK-74 sells for about $800 each (including cleaning supplies, magazines, spare parts and the like.) But many of the AK-74s headed to Venezuela from Russia are being billed at $1200 each, the additional $400 going into the pockets of Venezuelan politicians who got behind the weapons purchase and distribution (to friends of the current Venezuelan government) of the weapons. New weapons, old traditions.

May 19, 2005: It’s not likely that the current dictator of Uzbekistan will be overthrown by a popular "flower" revolution, as has recently occurred in several of the former Soviet Republics, including neighboring Kyrgyzstan. There are two reasons for this. One, the internal security troops are willing to be ruthless and brutal. But perhaps more important, there are no sizable dissatisfied minorities which might serve as the basis for large scale opposition. The population is about 80 percent Uzbek, plus five percent Russians and another five percent Tajiks. The remaining ten percent are split among five or six other groups. About 90 percent of the people are Sunni Moslems, with the balance Russian Orthodox.

In addition, President Islom Karimov (in power since 1990, when the country was still part of the Soviet Union) has been particularly careful in distributing power, and money. The country's most important military and paramilitary forces are all in the hands of loyal supporters. If one of the President's principal supporters defected, taking with him his forces, that might make a difference. But even there, Karimov has protected himself by distributing the security troops so that no one commander could pull off a coup.

Security forces are divided among four agencies:

Interior Ministry. About 13,000 troops, which are a reserve for riots or uprisings. Most of the Interior Ministry personnel are police officers (300,000). That’s a lot of cops for a population of only 26 million, but it shows how the government payroll is used to keep Karimov in power. A job as a cop is much sought after in a country with high unemployment and much poverty.

Border Guards. About 10,000 troops, who guard border crossings, but mostly patrol long, lonely borders. They can be called in to take care of troublemakers.

Security Service. About 10,000 special agents and other personnel who basically keep an eye on the other three services, and the security situation inside the country. These guys are the secret police, many of the senior officials are KGB veterans.

Defense Ministry. About 45,000 troops. Note that less than twenty percent of men under arms belong to the “armed forces.”

The Interior Minister has some control over the Border Guards and Security Service (more or less the heirs to the KGB), but the heads of these agencies are directly responsible to the president. Thus it is clear that the main mission of the security forces is to keep Karimov in power.

Pakistan negotiating modalities for F-16s purchase from US
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, May 18, IRNA
Pakistan-US
Pakistan is discussing modalities and number of F-16 fighter jets to be purchased from the United States, a military official told IRNA.

Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmed Khan confirmed on Wednesday that presently, "the modalities of delivery and the number of planes to be purchased is being discussed with US authorities".

Sarfraz, Director of Public Relations Office of Pakistan Air Force, said that nothing had been finalised about the exact number of jets to be acquired.

A local newspaper reported on Wednesday that Pakistan had increased its demand for F-16s to at least 55 and plans to decide on configuration within next few weeks.

"The government-to-government meetings held in Pakistan recently resulted in a request for 55 jets most sophisticated version of the new Lockheed Martine F-16 plus 20 option," according to the daily Jang.

In March, the US agreed to supply 25 F-16s to Pakistan for which Pakistan had already paid in 1980s. Each plane is reportedly worth US dollar 25 million.

A defence analyst, requesting anonymity told IRNA that by agreeing to provide 25 jets to Pakistan, the US government saved the manufacturing firm from closure of its F-16 production line and some 200 engineers and workers from losing their job.

After September 11 events in the US, defence cooperation between Pakistan and US has increased.

Last year, the US government okayed a five-year dollar 3 billion assistance package for Pakistan, half of which would be for military purchases.

http://globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/pakistan/2005/pakistan-050518-irna02.htm

May 20, 2005: The American decision to sell new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan comes not a moment too soon for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). PAF used to have technological superiority over it's Indian counterpart as recently as the 1980s, when PAF received some 40 state of the art F-16 Block 15 fighters. These aircraft were were a cut above the warplanes of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

However, all changed in the 1990s, when the US sanctioned Pakistan for nuclear weapons development and stopped delivery of more F-16s. What's worse, the spares for PAF's existing F-16s dried up as well and the air force had to effectively ground its F-16 fleet for a few years. Meanwhile, IAF began to induct the powerful Sukhoi-30 MKI air superiority fighter, even as it added new capabilities to its existing Mirage-2000 and MiG-29 fighters by equipping them with Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles. This posed a particular threat to PAF, which lacked BVR capability.

PAF's plight was exposed during the Pakistan army's incursion into the Kargil sector of Indian Kashmir in the summer of 1999. Analyses by Pakistani experts revealed that when the rubber met the road, PAF simply refused to play any part in support of the Pakistan army, angering the latter. While PAF fighters did fly Combat Air Patrols (CAP) during the conflict, they stayed well within Pakistani air space. On occasions, IAF MiG-29s armed with the deadly R-77 BVR Air-to-Air missiles were able to lock on to PAF F-16s, forcing the latter to disengage. In the absence of a PAF threat, the IAF was able to deliver numerous devastating strikes on intruder positions and supply dumps.

The situation changed little during the 2002 border crisis between India and Pakistan. Defense commentators in Pakistan noted later that despite public bravado, PAF had less than 50 percent of its top-end fighter jets available since the rest had to be cannibalized to keep the others flying. One Pakistani military expert observed that PAF's perceived inability to defend Pakistan's airspace and even put up a token fight against the IAF was the biggest driver for Pakistani leaders' warnings that any Indian attack would lead to an immediate nuclear strike by Pakistan. It would be no exaggeration to say that after the Kargil and 2002 experiences, PAF's psyche took a big beating.

In this context, PAF's planned F-16 purchase is clearly a massive boost to its sagging morale. For starters, PAF is likely to buy Block-52 F-16s, which are only surpassed by the Block-60 model currently being delivered to the United Arab Emirates. The Block-52 F-16 comes with the Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)9 multimode radar which has five times processing speed over the previous APG-68(V)7/8 radar. The F-16s also feature a new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with two-feet resolution, which enables autonomous delivery of precision, all-weather, standoff weapons like the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW), both of which are rumored to be on offer to Pakistan.

Most importantly, the new F-16s finally give PAF a BVR air-combat ability along with the peerless AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile, which is perhaps the best BVR weapon of its kind in the world today. PAF's existing 32 F-16s are also likely to be given a Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU), making them BVR capable as well. While the PAF has yet to release the exact number of new F-16s it will buy, reports say that it is likely to be around 55. Given that IAF's plans to procure newer planes are headed nowhere in the coming years and the slow rate of induction of IAF's Su-30s, it is quite likely that by 2009 or so, PAF will be in a position where it can confidently defend Pakistan's airspace and perhaps even be capable of deep strikes into India should the US supply offensive weapons like the JDAM and JSOW.

Still, PAF faces some challenges. According the recently released official flight safety statistics, the air force logged around 82,000 hours in 2004. Given that PAF has over 550 combat aircraft and at least two pilots per available aircraft, the average comes to less that 75 hours per pilot per year. This is clearly a far cry from the PAF's past claims of averaging over 200 hours per pilot annually. The IAF reportedly averages between 150 and 180 annual flying hours. Regardless, it now appears likely that with the F-16 purchase as well as other planned acquisitions including Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircrafts, PAF is well on its way to erasing the painful memories of Kargil and the 2002 crisis. -- Kaushik Kapisthalam

May 21, 2005: On May 17th, Macedonia, Albania, and Bulgaria signed a military cooperation agreement. On the same day Albania and Macedonia said they were interested in joining NATO as early as 2006. The Macedonia, Albania, and Bulgaria military cooperation agreement is a big political signal. Bulgaria has "old Balkan claims" to Macedonia. During the Macedonian civil war, ethnic Macedonian Albanians received aid from supporters in Albania. For the last couple of years both Bulgaria and Albania have said they intend to address crime and corruption issues. Crime and corruption hinder economic and political development. Military cooperation not only signals a desire for peaceful relations, but an intent to cooperate to solve the crime problem. There's also the "trans-Balkan pipeline." If and when that gets built, it will have to be protected, and protection of that economic asset requires security cooperation. Finally, there's the problem of Kosovo. Bulgaria, Albania, and Macedonia want the issue of Kosovo's independence or autonomy-within-Serbia resolved peacefully. Albania and Macedonia. A nascent alliance helps makes that point.

quote:

Originally posted by Sgt_Schlappy:

quote:

In general your list is good. But I think you are deadly wrong about Australia. You fully overestimate this country. Germany, which deserves to be at the end of this list, has at least 20 times the military budget of Australia. That is not one of my assumptions, that was a small google comparison I made.

True, but we are talking about 20 years from now.

...[related]...

Rising costs and ambitions boost Australia’s budget

Flight International
17 May 2005

Canberra to spend extra A$880 million in bid to keep modernisation plans on track

Australia is to increase its defence spending by A$880 million ($684 million) for its 2005-6 financial year, on the back of increasing operational costs and continuing plans for major capital equipment investment.

Total defence allocations will rise to A$17.5 billion, with new capital equipment spending forecast at A$2.3 billion – down from A$3.6 billion in 2004-5. A further acquisition cut of A$839 million is forecast for 2006-7. Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operational allocations are forecast at A$4.65 billion, up fractionally from this year’s A$4.62 billion. New projects awaiting initial government approval include the Project Air 5428 new pilot training system and the Air 7000 Phase 1 endurance unmanned air vehicle.

An A$1 billion contract for 12 NH Industries MRH90 helicopters for the army is expected to be signed with Eurocopter by 30 June. Budget papers indicate that initial mobilisation payments to this point will total A$163 million, with 2005-6 expenditure forecast at A$138 million.

Additional funding will be provided to expand the air force’s Boeing F-18A/B Hornet centre-barrel fuselage replacement programme and to launch a restricted competition to equip them with airborne jammers. The withdrawal date for the RAAF’s General Dynamics F-111 fighters is meanwhile becoming fluid. “A plan for withdrawing the F-111 from service in 2010 has been developed and includes a risk mitigation strategy to delay the withdrawal to 2012,” the budget papers say. Australia will sign a memorandum of understanding with the USA in December 2006 to acquire Lockheed Martin’s replacement F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The document also reiterates government plans to acquire precision-guided weapons for the RAAF and tactical UAVs for the army, but the latter’s entry into service will slip by one year until 2009. A mid-life upgrade for the navy’s Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters will be deferred until at least 2010, although a partial sensor upgrade will be completed by 2007.

May 23, 2005: The rapidly aging Russian population is not only shrinking, but is not fit for any major efforts. Some 60 percent of Russians are elderly, children, or disabled. Out of 20 million males of working age, one million are in prison, a million in the armed forces (including paramilitaries), five million are unemployed (or unemployable), four million are chronic alcoholics, and a million are drug addicts. Thus there is something of a labor shortage, with plenty of jobs for women and immigrants. The birth rate is below replacement level, and a declining population means more immigrants just to keep things going. Improving medical care, and health habits (especially treating alcoholism and drug use) is a government priority, in order to raise the life span of Russian males. All of this makes the idea of a smaller, all volunteer, military more attractive. Too many of the current troops are drunks, addicted to drugs or just unreliable. Volunteers must be paid much more, but their discipline is much higher. Russian officers are very impressed with what the British, Japanese and Americans have done with all-volunteer armed forces and want to emulate them.

Russian president Putin, who came up through the largely volunteer, and highly selective KGB, has practical experience with a high quality force. The KGB had combat units (to deal with any rebellious military units), and the difference between these and the regular army was stark. The all-volunteer Russian armed forces is likely to happen sooner, rather than later. A growing portion of the armed forces are already "contract troops" (higher paid volunteers working on contract). By 2008, the army expects to have all infantry units staffed with volunteers. After that, as money is available, the other two thirds of the troop jobs would be converted to volunteers. The all-volunteer units are much more effective, with less hazing of new recruits, or poor leadership (treating the troops like animals, an old Russian custom). The volunteers are expensive, and the officers are expected to take care of them. The officers like having volunteer troops, who are more enthusiastic and reliable. Even though most contract troops end up serving in Chechnya, the all volunteer units have good morale, and have been effective in fighting the rebels down there. The all volunteer units have gained a good reputation among Russian civilians, making recruiting easier.

Spain’s Government Selects the NH 90 Helicopter for its Armed Forces

(Source: Eurocopter; issued May 20, 2005)

MARIGNANE, France --- Eurocopter welcomes the Spanish government’s choice of the NH90 helicopter for the modernization of its Armed forces.

Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of the Eurocopter Group said: “After the selection last year of the Eurocopter’s Tiger Combat helicopter, this first batch of 45 NH90 helicopters for the Spanish Forces will definitely establish Spain as the third pillar of the Eurocopter group”.

As France, Germany and Australia did previously, Spain has now also selected the two most modern helicopter solutions in their category: the Tiger Combat helicopter and the NH90 Multipurpose helicopter.

This operational choice will also increase and secure in the long term Eurocopter Espana’s industrial presence in Albacete and Getafe as well as reinforce its Spanish partners.

Fabrice Brégier concluded saying: “This decision is an important signal as far as the European Defence construction is concerned and I am very proud that Eurocopter is contributing to it”.

The NH90 helicopter has already been ordered or selected by 12 other countries for a total of more than 350 aircraft plus options.

The twin-engine NH90 is the world’s most advanced multi-role helicopter which integrates fly-by-wire technology, along with the latest composite materials to minimize corrosion and maximize survivability and life cycle. The NH90 can carry up from 16 to 20 equipped troops and its versatility makes the NH90 suitable for all types of land and naval missions, such as troop transport, amphibious operations, search and rescue and counter-terrorism.

May 24, 2005: The Iraqi Navy has ordered six new patrol boats, to be built in an Iraqi ship yard. The first of the Al Uboor class boats will enter service later this year, and the last of the six will be completed by next Summer. Each of the boats cost $2.5 million. The Al Uboors will be similar to the five 87 foot patrol boats received last year, from Taiwan. The Al Uboors will be equipped with the latest radar, navigation and communications systems, as well as some heavy machine-guns. The main job of the Al Uboors will be guarding the oil drilling platforms offshore, and going after smugglers, who are still very active in the area. This expansion of the Iraqi navy will enable foreign warships to be withdrawn from duty patrolling Iraqi waters. Iraq’s main port, Umm Qasr currently handles about fifty cargo ships a month, and has not had any security problems in the last twelve months. The port is adding six new cranes and two new births (one for passenger ships and the other for RORO, or Roll On Roll Off, ships).

Dutch Navy to Dispose of Frigates

(Source: Radio Netherlands; published May 23, 2005)

Defence Minister Henk Kamp wants the navy to get rid of a number of large frigates.

The ships will be replaced by smaller vessels which can be used to patrol the coast.

The defence minister's plans are in line with the wishes of parliament.

The new strategy represents a shift of emphasis away from sea power and towards providing support for operations on land.

The minister is due to inform MPs about the changes to the navy today.

May 23, 2005: The government (the Phillipines) has negotiated a military agreement with China, which includes joint training and other cooperation that will help prevent unwanted clashes over disputed islands between the two countries.

http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=PHILLIP.HTM

May 27, 2005: The Russian SS-N-22/3M80 missile, better known as the Sunburn, is a missile many people are trying to figure out how to defeat. This is not an easy task. The Sunburn flies as low as ten meters above the surface of the ocean at 2,800 kilometers an hour. Stopping the Sunburn is a very necessary task, since a hit from that missile moving at 770 meters a second (as fast as a rifle bullet) is going to make a mess on just about any ship short of an aircraft carrier, even if the Sunburn’s 660-pound warhead doesn’t detonate. So, how does one prevent the Sunburn from ruining their day? There are a variety of methods to keeping the missile from reaching its target. Nearly every ship in the United States Navy carries the Phalanx Close-in-Weapon-System (CIWS). This is a 20-millimeter Gatling gun firing depleted uranium or tungsten rounds to destroy the missile before it hits the ship. With an effective range of just under 1,500 meters, the Phalanx is a marginal weapon against the Sunburn, due to the high speed of the missile (770 meters a second). Even a destroyed missile could still spray the ship with fragments – damaging radars, weapons, and causing casualties. It would not be as bad as a direct hit, but it still would require the ship to undergo repairs.

That said, there are other ways to stop Sunburn. Virtually every warship in the world has jamming systems (electronic countermeasures) and chaff. These systems are designed to decoy the missile. They can work, but sometimes using them is not a good idea. Warships have chaff, but merchant vessels don’t – and the high-speed of the Sunburn could also place other ships (the carriers and amphibious vessels that would be escorted) at risk. The British cargo ship Atlantic Conveyor was lost (off the Falklands in 1982) in this manner – chaff from an escort decoyed an Exocet into the requisitioned merchant vessel. If a Sunburn is incoming, it is better to shoot it down a fair distance away than to count on decoying it away. If the missile is destroyed, it is gone forever.

The United States carries two other point-defense systems: The Rolling Airframe Missile is a variation of the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder. This system, in a 21-round launcher, and has a range of nine kilometers. This means that it can engage the Sunburn at a safe distance. The other system is the Evolved Sea Sparrow, which is used in packs of four that fit into one cell of the Mk 41 vertical-launch system. This system has a range of over 15 kilometers. Then there is the SM-2 missile, which has a range of 74 to 166.7 kilometers. In essence, for a Sunburn to hit an American warship, it will have to get through at least two and possibly as many as four layers of defenses (SM-2, ESSM, RAM, and Phalanx).

However, the Sunburn does have a weakness. At best, its range is 129 kilometers, and a flight time of under ten seconds. For the sunburn to be a threat, the attacking ship needs to get within range. This is going to be very hard to do. The maximum range of U.S. Navy strike aircraft is considerably longer. So is the range of recent versions of the Harpoon (anywhere from 140 to 315 kilometers, depending on the version). The Sunburn that is never launched is a Sunburn that is absolutely no threat at all. The way to stop the Sunburn with the best chance of success is to sink the would-be launching platform. – Harold C. Hutchison (hchutch@ix.netcom.com)

http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/howtomakewar/default.asp?target=HTWEAP.HTM

Russia: Putin Takes Steps To Help Cossacks Restore Some Of Their Former Status
By Claire Bigg

Cossack leaders received Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Don region this week to discuss the revival of the legendary Tsarist cavalry corps. Putin in April submitted a bill to the State Duma that would allow Cossacks to serve as soldiers, police, and border guards. Some experts are eyeing the bill with concern, noting that Cossacks have been known for cracking down on ethnic minorities in southern Russia. They fear that the formation of Cossack military units could ignite tensions in the volatile region.

Moscow, 27 May 2005 (RFE/RL) -- President Putin this week received a warm welcome from Cossacks of the Don region, in the Cossack settlement of Veshenskaya.

Following decades of repression under Soviet rule, Cossacks are eager to restore some of their former status as Russia's elite cavalry guard.

Many Cossacks are pinning their hopes on a bill that Putin submitted to the State Duma in April that would allow Cossacks to serve in the army, police, and border-guard forces.

This practice is already well established in southern Russia, but Cossack troops do not have a full legal status.

The bill, which would also allow registered Cossack organizations to choose members for service in some military units, has been approved by the State Duma in a first reading.

Vassilii Bondarev is the ataman -- or chieftain -- of the military Cossack association in southern Russia's Tersk region. He told Putin that Cossacks are eager to bring order to the North Caucasus, a region where Cossacks once wielded considerable influence.

"One can defend interests not only through force but also through 'national democracy,'" Bondarev said. "This diplomacy was mastered to perfection by our ancestors, who lived among mountain-dwellers for more than four centuries."

The word "Cossack" is derived from the Turkish word "kazak," meaning "freedom." Having pledged allegiance to the tsar, Cossacks enjoyed a great amount of freedom for centuries until the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917.

Putin, however, made it clear that he is not interested in a powerful and independent Cossack law-enforcement unit. Cossacks troops, he told the atamans, will remain under the government's command:

"Of course, the fight [of Cossacks] against crime and terrorism can be very efficient," Putin said. "But this is above all the responsibility of governmental organs. All auxiliary subdivisions must perform auxiliary functions."

The idea of creating Cossack military units has been received with mixed feelings by defense experts and human rights groups.

Critics say Cossacks do not shy from using violence to repress and expel ethnic minorities and illegal immigrants in southern Russia.

Ivan Safranchuk, director of the Center for Defense Information in Moscow, said the Cossacks only stir up interethnic tensions in southern Russia, which includes war-torn Chechnya.

"Cossacks see themselves as Russia's front-line guards in the North Caucasus, and to a certain extent this is true," Safranchuk said. "On the other hand, Cossacks unfortunately often have nationalist views and display an extremely negative attitude toward other ethnic groups who live in southern Russia. Any nationalist propaganda in the region does a lot of harm to Russia."

Apart from the Cossacks themselves, few seem to believe that the glory of the proud imperial guards can ever be restored in Russia.

Aleksandr Osipov, a Caucasus expert at the Memorial human rights group, said today's Cossacks are far from reflecting the panache of Cossacks of times past.

"The Cossacks now are a sad parody of the former Cossacks," Osipov said. "Who enters Cossack organizations? Former -- or even serving -- police officers, former army officers, or simply losers, collective-farm members who tend to drink too much vodka. On the whole, people with nationalist, archaic views."

Cossacks are credited with contributing to the defeat of Napoleon's troops in 1812 and opening Siberia for colonization, founding dozens of Siberian cities on their way.

They are also believed to have discovered the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East and crossed the Bering Strait long before Bering himself.

Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. http://www.rferl.org

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2...a-050527.rferl01.htm

May 28, 2005: The government is not making a bit deal out of it, but they now regularly work with American counter-terrorist organizations, especially with regard to terrorist activity in southern Algeria. While most of Islamic radicals have fled Algeria, some of the most dangerous ones have moved to the desert wilderness of southern Algeria. Islamic radicals have been showing up in several of the countries that skirt the southern edge of the Sahara desert. This semi-desert area, called the Sahel, is poor, and generally mismanaged by the governments that are, sort of, in control. Algeria, like most African, and Arab, governments, is not liked by its population, because of corruption and incompetence. The Islamic terrorists, while they initially promised a better deal than the government, soon demonstrated that Islamic radicalism was worse than the current governments.

http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=ALGERIA.HTM

May 28, 2005: The Czech Republic has reorganized its Cold War era, Soviet style armed forces to conform to a NATO-compatible model. The Czechs are now restructuring their new army for rapid deployment operations outside of NATO. They are developing a peacekeeping and peacemaking force, in addition to a force that can take care of conventional combat operations.

The reorganized army has three combat brigades, plus combat support and service units. Nearly all the troops are on active duty. The active duty units are;

4th Rapid Reaction Brigade -- two mechanized infantry battalions and an airborne infantry battalion.

7th Mechanized Brigade -- two mechanized infantry battalions and a tank battalion.

13th Artillery Brigade -- two mech artillery battalions.

102nd Reconnaissance Battalion

15th Engineer and Rescue Brigade -- one combat engineer battalion and six "rescue battalions" (emergency service and disaster relief units, with a large number reservists, to be called up when there’s an emergency, and a need for the brigade.)

14th Logistics Brigade

31st Chemical and Biological Protection Brigade.

There is also a "Territorial Defense Force" composed of the seven Territorial Defense Brigade, designated 21st through 27th, largely composed of reservists.

The 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade can be reinforced with designated units (an artillery battalion, an engineer company, air defense company, NCB defense company, recon company, plus Civil Affairs, Medical, Military Police, and PSYOPS detachments.) The Reaction Brigade, with attachments as needed, can deploy as a brigade or in smaller, battalion size task forces, on short notice.

http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/howtomakewar/default.asp?target=htworld.htm

US Eases Curbs on Ties with Indonesian Military

The Bush administration has taken another step toward resuming full military-to-military relations with Indonesia. The decision was announced a day after a White House visit by Indonesian President Suslio Bambang Yudhoyono.

The United States restricted military aid to Indonesia more than a decade ago because of human rights concerns, and the Congress cut it off altogether in 1999 to protest the Indonesian army role in militia violence in East Timor.

But the relationship is being gradually restored amid growing anti-terrorism cooperation between the two governments, and Indonesian pledges, reiterated by President Yudhoyono to President Bush at the White House Wednesday, to reform the military.

The latest step was announced by State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher a day after the White House meeting. He said the administration is lifting a ban on direct sales of non-lethal military equipment by the Pentagon to the Indonesian military.

The phased restoration of military links began in January when the United States lifted a ban on sales of military spare parts for U.S.-made C-130 transport planes Indonesia was using for tsunami relief.

A month later, the administration renewed a U.S. training program for Indonesian military personnel, and recently also authorized regular commercial sales of non-lethal military hardware and services.

Spokesman Boucher said the U.S.training and military sales are targeted both to promote the reform of the Indonesian armed forces and advance key security objectives such as humanitarian relief, counter-terrorism and maritime security.

He said the United States is not extending loans or grants to finance Indonesian defense purchases, and he made clear that a broader military relationship depends on further action on human rights:

"We look forward to full normalization of military relations as the President said yesterday. But that will depend on continued counter-terrorism cooperation, prosecution and punishment of members of the armed forces who have been credibly alleged to have committed gross violations of human rights, accountability for human rights abuses committed in East Timor and elsewhere, and transparency in military financing. So this is a step along the road that we hope to be able to go down, as Indonesia makes these further changes in reform of the military.

In addition to pushing for action on alleged atrocities in East Timor, the United States has sought the prosecution of those behind the killing of two American school teachers three years ago in the province of West Papua.

In advance of the White House meeting, Indonesian human rights activists said in an open letter to President Bush that abuses by the Indonesian military continued in West Papua and Aceh, where separatists are fighting the government, and that officers behind East Timor killings had not been punished.

In another development, the State Department said Thursday the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, the consulate in Surabaya, and all other U.S. government offices in Indonesia had been closed until further notice because of what was termed a specific security threat.

Mr. Boucher would give no details of the threat, though the New York Times reported from Jakarta that the closure followed the posting on an Islamic website of a diagram of the U.S. embassy and supposed details of how to attack the facility.

The spokesman said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the pending closure of the U.S. facilities Wednesday with President Yudhoyono and his delegation, and that they promised every possible support from the Indonesian government in dealing with the matter.

Mr. Boucher noted that the current State Department travel warning for Indonesia says the terrorist threat in the country remains high, and that U.S. citizens are advised to avoid all non-essential travel there.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/200...-050526-2e7dbc88.htm

May 29, 2005: Who has the best frigates? This is a tough question, because frigates these days come in a number of different forms. Some of the most modern frigates today have become very capable multi-mission ships, a contrast with the days when the frigate was considered an evolved destroyer escort, a World War II design intended for escorting convoys and hunting submarines.

Many of the modern designs have come out of Europe. For instance, let’s look at Germany’s Sachsen-class frigates. These ships displace 5,690 tons, reach a top speed of 53 kilometers per hour, have a 32-cell vertical-launch system with a mix of SM-2 missiles and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a 76mm gun, two Lynx helicopters, and six 12.75-inch torpedo tubes. This ship is twice the size of World War II destroyers, and four times the size of World War II frigates. Some say that ships like this are called “frigates” in Europe because the label “destroyer” sounds too, well, warlike.

The Netherlands have their own design, the De Zeven Provincien-class frigates. Displacing 5,680 tons, with a top speed of 55 kilometers per hour, and armed with a 40-cell VLS with SM-2 and ESSM, a five-inch gun, eight Harpoons, four 12.75-inch torpedo tubes, a single Lynx helicopter, and two Goalkeeper close-in defense guns, four of these ships have been built to replace two Tromp-class destroyers.

Spain has the Bazan-class frigates. Displacing 4,555 tons, these frigates have a 48-cell VLS with SM-2 and ESSM, eight Harpoons, a Meroka close-in weapons system, and four 12.75-inch torpedo tubes. They operate one Seahawk helicopter. They can reach a top speed of 52.8 kilometers per hour.

India operates three Talwar-class frigates (built in Russia). These frigates displace 3,300 tons, and are equipped with eight Klub missiles (anti-ship, land-attack, or anti-submarine), a single launcher that can fire the SA-N-7 Gadfly, a 100mm gun, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, two CADS-N-1 systems (with two 30mm Gatling guns and eight SA-N-11 missiles), and a single Helix helicopter. These frigates can hit 59 kilometers per hour.

China operates two modern classes of frigates: The Jiangwei-class frigates displace 1,700 tons, with six or eight C-802 anti-ship missiles, an HQ-61 surface-to-air system (a six-round launcher in the Jiangwei I, an eight-round launcher with eight reloads in the Jiangwei II), a twin 100mm-gun, four twin 37mm guns, two ASW rocket-launchers, and a Z-9 helicopter. The Ma An Shan-class (or Jaingkai) is twice that size (3,500 tons), armed with sixteen C-803 missiles, an eight-round HQ-61 launcher, four 30mm Gatling guns (possibly along the lines of the Goalkeeper or AK-630), six 12.75-inch torpedo tubes, and the ability to carry a single Z-9 or Helix. The Jiangweis can reach 50.4 kilometers per hour, and the Ma An Shan can reach 50 kilometers per hour.

Finally there are two classes of frigates in Australian service. The Adelaide-class frigates were Perry-class frigates, but unlike the American Perry-class frigates, which have has their Mk 13 launchers removed, the Australians have upgraded these frigates to carry the SM-2 anti-aircraft missile, and eight VLS cells have been added, carrying 32 ESSM anti-ship missiles. The other Australian frigate is the Anzac class. This class, which displaces 3,300 tons, has an eight-round VLS for Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles (eventually to carry the ESSM in quad-packs), a five-inch gun, and six 12.75-inch torpedo tubes. The Anzacs will eventually get eight Harpoons and a Phalanx close-in weapon system. The Adelaides can reach 53 kilometers per hour, the Anzacs can reach 50 kilometers per hour.

The best frigates are probably the Spanish Bazan-class frigates, although the upgraded Australian Adelaides are no slouch. The Bazans have the most powerful anti-air system, and carry a Seahawk helicopter (arguably one of the best in the world). The Adelaide-class frigates, however, are a poignant and haunting reminder of what the United States Navy could have made with their Perry class frigates. – Harold C. Hutchison (hchutch@ix.netcom.com)

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May 29, 2005: The Russian navy is back in the ship building business. Russian shipyards have stayed in business since the Cold War ended by building for export. The Russian navy was broke during the 1990s, unable to spend much money on building or maintaining its huge fleet. But now the Russian navy has more money, thanks to a growing economy and higher oil prices (Russia’s main export). The first new project will be ten 4,000 ton frigates of the Dozorny class. The ships will cost about $200 million each. The navy actually wanted to start building these ships three years ago, but the money was not there. Now, the design will be reviewed, and updated. These ships may be similar to the American LCS (Littoral Combat Ships) of about the same size and cost. In addition, the navy is resuming, or speeding up work on submarine building projects, and doing a lot more refurbishing and upgrades on existing ships. But the Russian navy has a lot of work to do. Lack of money in the early 1990s left most of the once mighty fleet (for years, the second largest in the world) tied up and falling apart from lack of maintenance. Aside from a few submarines and small patrol boats, Russia has done nothing to replace its rapidly aging fleet. Over a hundred billion dollars will be required in the next decade or so to build new ships and upgrade existing ones.

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Russia Agrees To Pull Troops From Georgia By 2008
By Robert Parsons

Prague, 30 May 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Russia and Georgia have signed an agreement on the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia by 2008. The presence of the troops has bedeviled Russian-Georgian relations for the most part of the last decade. The agreement was signed in Moscow by Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov told journalists in Moscow that the document agreed by the two sides spells out not just the date for completion of the Russian troops' withdrawal from Georgia but also a schedule for a stage-by-stage exit.

"The withdrawal will be completed by the end of 2008," he said. "The declaration outlines every stage of this withdrawal in utmost detail."

The deputy commander of Russian troops in the southern Caucasus said the process of withdrawal of the military bases would begin in August of this year.

Speaking to Radio Liberty, a clearly elated Zourabichvili said that, in effect, the agreement signed in Moscow brought an end to 14 years of difficult negotiations.

"Today we have agreed on the principle of the withdrawal of the Russian military bases, on the dates and on the whole process: what should happen at which stages and the fact that it should start immediately upon signature, the fact that the Russian military bases stop functioning as military bases and start their withdrawal process," Zourabichvili said.

She said that while it had been agreed that the Russians would finally leave in 2008, no agreement had been reached yet on a final completion date. But the process of withdrawal, she said, was to begin immediately.

"In 2005 we have already the retrocession of a number of military elements and in 2006, the end of 2006, the retrocession of heavy military equipment at the base of Akhalkalaki, which will close by 1st October 2007 and then 2008 will be the closure of Batumi [military base] and the total withdrawal."

Zourabichvili said talks were to continue tomorrow on the details of the agreement but that the hard part has been completed.

The Georgian foreign minister said that the hardest part in the negotiations had been to persuade the Russians that withdrawal should not be seen as a national humiliation but the beginning of a new partnership with a neighbouring and independent state.

The Russians had originally asked for 11 years to withdraw from Georgia and for hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for the troops removal to new facilities in Russia or elsewhere. That they have agreed to far less is a reflection of the growing international pressure on Moscow to stop prevaricating on withdrawal and a dawning appreciation in Moscow of the fact that the issue was forcing the Georgians into ever closer ties with the United States and NATO.

It helped in the end that the Georgians were able to offer the Russians sweeteners. According to today's agreement, Georgia and Russia are to work to set up a joint antiterrorist center in Georgia, although where it will be and what its remit should be are yet to be decided.

Georgia has also offered a verbal commitment not to allow any third country to deploy troops on its territory.

In the end, the agreement came as no surprise. Just last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" that while it was regrettable from a political point of view that Georgia wanted the Russians to leave, it was its sovereign right.

And in any case, Putin added, the bases served no useful military purpose. Georgia's only regret will be that it has taken Moscow so long to reach this conclusion.

Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. http://www.rferl.org

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2...a-050530-rferl01.htm

June 1, 2005: France, as a military power, has been the butt of jokes since the controversy over the liberation of Iraq in 2003. But France is a major world power, with a professional military that has superb equipment, much of it indigenously-designed and produced. France spends about $45 billion a year on defense, about 2.6 percent of France’s GDP.

One of the biggest claims France has to major power status is its nuclear arsenal. Consisting of four SSBNs, three Le Triomphant class and the L’Inflexible, each of these carries sixteen M4/M45 missiles, which have a range of 5300 kilometers, and carrying six MIRVs packing a 150-kiloton nuclear warhead. France also has a force of 70 Mirage 2000N bombers carrying the ASMP cruise missile, with a range of 300 kilometers and packing a 300-kiloton warhead. Super Etendards flying from the Charles de Gaulle can also carry this missile.

The French Army is also a powerful force. This force consists of eight brigades, and is now all-volunteer. This has made is much more capable. Equipped with a mixture of LeClerc (240) and AMX-30 (780) tanks, 1050 AMX-10 IFVs, 3820 VAB APCs, and a mix of artillery (216 towed 155mm artillery pieces and 372 self-propelled artillery pieces). The French Army also operates 80 Tigre attack helicopters and 267 Gazelle attack helicopters. Since shifting to an all-volunteer force, the French army has become much better in terms of quality, backed by career non-commissioned officers. This force has carried out operations, mostly in Africa (4,400 in Cote d’Ivorie/Ivory Coast, 1,200 in Chad, and 200 in the Central African Republic), but also in Bosnia (500 troops), Afghanistan (1,800 troops), and Kosovo (3,000).

The French Navy is also a force to be reckoned with. It operates the only CVN outside the U.S. Navy, the Charles de Gaulle. It also has a force of 12 destroyers (two guided-missile destroyers of the Cassard class, a single Suffren-class destroyer, two Tourville-class destroyers, and seven Georges Leyuges-class destroyers), and fifteen frigates (five Lafayette-class and ten D’Estienne d’Orves-class frigates). In addition to the four SSBNs, France also operates six Amethyste-class SSNs. This navy is slightly behind the Royal Navy – the French have a carrier that operates the Rafale, which outperforms the British Sea Harrier, but the British have a larger submarine force and the Royal Navy arguably has the best personnel on a man-for-man basis.

The French Air Force is also one of the best in the world. Among its aircraft are the Mirage 2000, which comes in several variants: The Mirage 2000C, which is primarily an air-defense fighter; the Mirage 2000D, a ground-attack version capable of carrying a wide variety of bombs and missiles join with the Mirage 2000N, which is the backbone of the French Air Force’s nuclear deterrence arm. France also has the Rafale, a powerful multi-role fighter that has some stealth features. France is retiring the older Mirage F1 and Jaguar fighter-bombers, while the Mirage 2000Cs are being upgraded to the Mirage 2000-5, making them potent multi-role aircraft.

France also has the industrial infrastructure – many of its military designs are indigenous, and produced in France. While this can be expensive, it also means that France does not rely on anybody else’s designs. France has worked with other countries in the past (most
notably with England on the Jaguar). As a world power, France arguably ranks fourth at the present, behind the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia due to its nuclear arsenal and professional military. – Harold C. Hutchison (hchutch@ix.netcom.com)

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