World War Three Thread....

[American Patriot]

Maybe we ought to be rethinking our thoughts on Ukraine???


Vice President’s Youngest Son, Hunter, Given Lucrative Position With Ukrainian Oil Company

1, May 15, 2014 by jonathanturley

There is a obvious concern this week over the selection of the newest member of the board of directors for Burisma Holdings, Ukraine’s largest private gas producer: Vice President Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter Biden. Despite a strong resume, it seems rather coincidental that Ukraine is receiving aid from the United States and recently had a visit from Vice President Joe Biden only to decide that his youngest son was the very best person to sit on its board.


Hunter Biden will in charge of the Burisma’s legal unit and will “provide support” among international organizations. The White House spokesman would only say that “Hunter Biden and other members of the family are obviously private citizens and where they work is not an endorsement by the president or vice president.”


Reporters were referred to Biden’s law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, which declined to coment.


Alan Apter, the chairman of the company’s board of directors, said: it is views the selection as part of its effort to “introduce[e] of best corporate practices, and we’re delighted that Mr. Biden is joining us to help us achieve these goals.” Those “best corporate practices” are hardly the best ethical practices if the company is hiring the children of high ranking officials to curry favor. This is particularly a concern in Ukraine which, as we discussed earlier, leads Europe as one of its most corrupt nations where the family members of powerful politicians are routinely showered with gifts and positions.


Like many spouses and children of our politicians, Hunter Biden made a fortune as a lobbyist in Washington. That common path for children continues to raise troubling questions of influence peddling and corruption for our leaders as discussed in this earlier column. The company recently added Devon Archer, a wealthy investor and Democratic campaign bundler. Archer previously declared how his business deals at Rosemont Seneca rely on a “relationship network creates opportunities for our portfolio companies which then compound to greater outcomes for all parties.” That “relationship network” is precisely what many have objected to in the hiring of family members tied to our leaders — allowing companies to give millions legally to families of Democratic and Republican leaders.


In addition to his position as counsel with the firm, Biden is a co-founder and a managing partner of investment advisory company Rosemont Seneca Partners and serves as director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a network of 400 businesses. He is also the chairman of the advisory board for the National Democratic Institute, a non-profit that works to support democratic institutions and elections around the world. Even with this experience, I am rather skeptical. First, his selection as counsel to Boies, Schiller, Flexner, LLP, seems designed to create a tie to his father and the Administration. He was was chief executive officer, and later chairman, of hedge fund PARADIGM Global Advisors – an association that he co-founded with convicted financier Allen Stanford. He was later appointed by Bill Clinton to serve in the United States Department of Commerce under Secretaries Norman Mineta and William M. Daley. He was then nominated by President George W. Bush to the board of directors of Amtrak. It is a resume that many would envy but also one that reflects the type of opportunities that are often afforded children of our ruling elite.


Of course, the selection of a Bush for such a position in the prior administration would have had Democrats and liberals in an uproar but they are again largely silent in the face of another deal benefitting one of our ruling elite. Obviously, Hunter Biden is an adult and does not need the approval of his father to accept a position, though his father has had an obvious impact on his past opportunities. It is simply worth noting that while we rightfully criticize the Chinese for the “Red Nobility,” we have a long list of children and spouses receiving millions in cushy deals and positions in this country. However, in the blue state/red state politics fosters by both parties, such issues are quickly brushed aside by those arguing again that the other side is worse or that such ethical questions are merely an effort to smear their side.

[American Patriot]

Russia, China Each Commit Six Ships To East China Sea Exercises

Posted on May 16, 2014 by News • Tagged China’s Defense Ministry, east china sea • Leave a comment

1 Vote

Russian military officials say the Russian and Chinese navies will each commit six ships to joint exercises scheduled in the East China Sea before the end of May.
The Russian Pacific Fleet’s press service said in a statement on May 13 that its contribution will include the Varyag missile cruiser as well as an antisubmarine ship and a large amphibious ship.
The Russian detachment, led by the Varyag, is expected to sail out of the naval port of Vladivostok on May 14.
China’s Defense Ministry says they exercises are called “Jointly At Sea 2014” and follow similar maneuvers in 2013 off Russia’s Far East coast.
China and Japan are currently locked in a dispute over a small uninhabited string of islets in the East China Sea that are administered by Japan.
They are known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands, but are called the Diaoyu Islands by China.
The row peaked in 2012 when Tokyo bought some more islands in the archipelago.
China also angered many countries when it said in December 2013 that it was establishing an air-defense zone above the disputed islands.
SOURCE

[vector7]

*Breaking* Proton-M rocket carrying Russia's most advanced satellite crashes

Published on May 15, 2014

Check out the magnified image at the end of the video @5:59. I have slowed the speed 3x. An unidentified object approaches the right side of the rocket and appears to fly into it.

US and Europe Strike Russian Military Satellite. Star Wars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO5Od...

Proton-M rocket carrying Russia's most advanced satellite crashes

A Russian Proton-M rocket with an advanced satellite on board crashed outside of Kazakhstan's territory on Friday, about nine minutes after lift-off. The Express-AM4R would have been Russia's most advanced and powerful satellite.

There are so far no reports of damage or casualties resulting from the Proton-M's failure to deliver the satellite into orbit.

The rocket could have crashed over the Altai Mountains or the Pacific Ocean, a source told RIA Novosti.

All other launches of Proton-type rockets will be halted at Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan until the reason for the crash is determined, a source told RIA Novosti.
There was an emergency engines shutdown on the 540th second following the launch, the Russian Federal Space Agency said, as quoted by Itar-Tass.
The third stage had another 40 seconds to go before the planned separation from the satellite when the engines failed, RIA Novosti quoted a source as saying.

All of the fuel left over from the launch was likely burnt up in the atmosphere, including the toxic heptyl components used to power the Proton rocket, Interfax reported, citing a source.

Both the rocket and the satellite on board also burnt up in thick layers of the atmosphere during the fall, but debris from the objects could have fallen on the ground, Itar-Tass reported, citing Roscosmos."Individual small fragments of the rocket could have fallen...the impacted area is being specified," a source from Roscosmos said.

A special commission from the Russian Federal Space Agency will be in charge of investigating the reasons behind the crash.

Space expert Stephen Clark told RT that it is extremely unlikely that there are casualties.

"None have been reported up until this point. It is a vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean or the Russian Far East where this debris has likely fallen. And that area is very sparsely populated, so it is highly unlikely that someone was hurt or killed by this," he said.

The Proton-M rocket, carrying an advanced Express-AM4R satellite, was launched on schedule from Baikonur on Friday. The Express-AM4R would have been Russia's most advanced and powerful satellite.

The spacecraft weighed 5.8 metric tons and had 63 transponders providing X-band, C-band, S-band, L-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band capacity along with 10 antennas installed.

The satellite was to provide internet access in Russia's remote regions at affordable prices. This was Russia's third launch of Express series satellites this year. In March, Express-AT1 and Express-AT satellites were put into orbit.

In 2013, Russia carried out 32 of the 82 space launches completed worldwide, only one of which failed, Interfax reported.

U.S. Space Restrictions on Russia May Strike Back
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/ar...



US and Europe Strike Russian Military Satellite. Star Wars

Published on May 15, 2014

ON THE VERGE OF WW3. Russia to ban US from using Space Station over Ukraine sanctions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world...

Russia is to deny the US future use of the International Space Station beyond 2020 and will also bar its rocket engines from launching US military satellites as it hits back at American sanctions imposed over Ukraine crisis.

Russia's deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced a series of punitive measures on Tuesday against the US in response to sanctions imposed after Russia annexed Crimea.

The two countries have long cooperated closely on space exploration despite their clashes in foreign policy.

The Space Station is manned by both American and Russian crew, but the only way to reach it is by using Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.

The US is keen to keep the $100 billion (£600) ISS flying until at least 2024, four years beyond its original target.
What other World Powers Could or have the Technology to do this?

[American Patriot]

LOL, we didn't "strike" anything. The Russians screwed up, they know it, we know it, they are screwed. We pay for rides, they are denying rides. They aren't gonna get cash to make more.

Tough shit.

We'll rebuild our space program. Mark my words on that.

[American Patriot]

EEK!

US-China military chiefs openly clash; U.S. blamed for troubles in South & East China Seas

Posted on May 16, 2014 by StMA | 1 Comment


PLA Gen. Fang Fenghui (l); U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey (r)


Richard Sisk reports for Military.com, May 15, 2014:


A top Chinese general Thursday strongly defended Beijing’s territorial claims over disputed islands in the South and East China Seas and charged that the U.S. rebalance of forces to the Pacific was encouraging unrest in the region.


Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the general staff of the People’s Liberation Army, said “the rebalancing strategy of the U.S. has stirred up some of the problems which make the South China Sea and the East China Sea not so calm as before.”


Fang warned that China would respond to any attempts by Vietnam, Japan or other neighbors to assert their own claims over the disputed islands and reefs.


“We do not create trouble but we are not afraid of trouble,” Fang said at a Pentagon news conference after meetings with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.


Dempsey appeared to be slightly irritated as he waited to comment while listening to a long-winded response by Fang on the current dispute with Vietnam over offshore oil drilling rights.


“Thank you for giving me the time to formulate my answer,” Dempsey told Fang.


When his turn finally came, Dempsey dismissed Fang’s objections to the so-called “Pacific pivot” and said the U.S. was committed to the policy.


“We’ll go because we can and should, and we’ll go because we have to,” Dempsey said of the rebalance. Dempsey also told Fang “We will respond to threats.”


However, Dempsey mostly stuck to his long-held position that the U.S. must build better military-to-military relations with China to avoid miscalculations that could lead to conflict in the region.


Fang came to the Pentagon after meeting at Naval Base San Diego with Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of the Pacific Command. Dempsey met with Fang, China’s No. 3 military leader, last year in China and was returning the favor by inviting him to Washington.


At the opening of the news conference, Dempsey noted that China’s claims in the South China Sea could be seen as “provocative,” the same term used in recent days by the State Department.


Fang responded at length, blaming Vietnam for the current dispute over China’s movement of a $1 billion oil rig into territorial waters claimed by Hanoi. The action by China triggered widespread protests in Vietnam in which foreign factories were set ablaze and a Chinese national allegedly was killed.


Fang charged that other nations he did not name had drilled for oil in the same region but complaints only surfaced when China sought to do the same.


“We believe the ones provoking those issues in the South China Sea are not China,” Fang said in an apparent rebuff to Dempsey. “When China does drill, we instantly become a threat.”


Vietnam officials have charged that Chinese ships have rammed Vietnamese Coast Guard vessels attempting to patrol near the oil rig, but Fang said the Vietnamese ships were attempting to interrupt the drilling.


“That is something that we cannot accept,” Fang said. “We will make sure that this well will be successfully drilled,” he said.


Fang also made China’s case in a separate dispute over disputed reefs and shoals with the Philippines, and accused Japan of reverting to World War II militarism in asserting its claims to disputed uninhabited islands called the Senkaku by Japan and the Diaoyu by China.


Fang said the Japanese claims were also encouraged by the U.S. rebalance of forces. “This is something that we can never agree (upon),” Fang said.


Despite their disagreements, both Dempsey and Fang noted that China next month for the first time will send ships to participate in the annual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises off Hawaii.


See also:

• “Tension between China and Vietnam-Philippines ratchets up in South China Sea,” May, 2014.
• “Fighting words: China disses U.S. soldiers as worthless,” April 20, 2014.
• “Dir. of US Navy Intelligence: Chinese Navy in drills to take Senkaku and invade Okinawa,” April 18, 2014.
• “China threatens war in South and East China Seas,” Jan. 13, 2014.

~StMA

[Avvakum]

Maybe we ought to be rethinking our thoughts on Ukraine???


Vice President’s Youngest Son, Hunter, Given Lucrative Position With Ukrainian Oil Company

1, May 15, 2014 by jonathanturley

There is a obvious concern this week over the selection of the newest member of the board of directors for Burisma Holdings, Ukraine’s largest private gas producer: Vice President Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter Biden. Despite a strong resume, it seems rather coincidental that Ukraine is receiving aid from the United States and recently had a visit from Vice President Joe Biden only to decide that his youngest son was the very best person to sit on its board.


Hunter Biden will in charge of the Burisma’s legal unit and will “provide support” among international organizations. The White House spokesman would only say that “Hunter Biden and other members of the family are obviously private citizens and where they work is not an endorsement by the president or vice president.”


Reporters were referred to Biden’s law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, which declined to coment.


Alan Apter, the chairman of the company’s board of directors, said: it is views the selection as part of its effort to “introduce[e] of best corporate practices, and we’re delighted that Mr. Biden is joining us to help us achieve these goals.” Those “best corporate practices” are hardly the best ethical practices if the company is hiring the children of high ranking officials to curry favor. This is particularly a concern in Ukraine which, as we discussed earlier, leads Europe as one of its most corrupt nations where the family members of powerful politicians are routinely showered with gifts and positions.


Like many spouses and children of our politicians, Hunter Biden made a fortune as a lobbyist in Washington. That common path for children continues to raise troubling questions of influence peddling and corruption for our leaders as discussed in this earlier column. The company recently added Devon Archer, a wealthy investor and Democratic campaign bundler. Archer previously declared how his business deals at Rosemont Seneca rely on a “relationship network creates opportunities for our portfolio companies which then compound to greater outcomes for all parties.” That “relationship network” is precisely what many have objected to in the hiring of family members tied to our leaders — allowing companies to give millions legally to families of Democratic and Republican leaders.


In addition to his position as counsel with the firm, Biden is a co-founder and a managing partner of investment advisory company Rosemont Seneca Partners and serves as director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a network of 400 businesses. He is also the chairman of the advisory board for the National Democratic Institute, a non-profit that works to support democratic institutions and elections around the world. Even with this experience, I am rather skeptical. First, his selection as counsel to Boies, Schiller, Flexner, LLP, seems designed to create a tie to his father and the Administration. He was was chief executive officer, and later chairman, of hedge fund PARADIGM Global Advisors – an association that he co-founded with convicted financier Allen Stanford. He was later appointed by Bill Clinton to serve in the United States Department of Commerce under Secretaries Norman Mineta and William M. Daley. He was then nominated by President George W. Bush to the board of directors of Amtrak. It is a resume that many would envy but also one that reflects the type of opportunities that are often afforded children of our ruling elite.


Of course, the selection of a Bush for such a position in the prior administration would have had Democrats and liberals in an uproar but they are again largely silent in the face of another deal benefitting one of our ruling elite. Obviously, Hunter Biden is an adult and does not need the approval of his father to accept a position, though his father has had an obvious impact on his past opportunities. It is simply worth noting that while we rightfully criticize the Chinese for the “Red Nobility,” we have a long list of children and spouses receiving millions in cushy deals and positions in this country. However, in the blue state/red state politics fosters by both parties, such issues are quickly brushed aside by those arguing again that the other side is worse or that such ethical questions are merely an effort to smear their side.

You know, I almost had the same thought, at first at least.

You have to be a pretty low-down piece of shit to try to make (more) of a fortune cashing in on nepotism and the misery of a poor bankrupted Nation like Ukraine.

Thing is, real Ukrainian patriots know that the present interim government is as corrupt and stupid and venal as the last one-except that Yanukovich turned out to be an actual traitor. So the real patriots have created facts on the ground. They filled the Ukrainian National Guard with supporters, and formed Paramilitaries to fight the Putinist infiltrators and Separatists. Don't let RT fool you folks, many ethnic Russians are in 'Nazi' groups like Right Sector, and Russian Nationalists IN Russia hope for the freedom of Ukraine as well as the freedom of Russia. Russia to be saved as a Nation has to let go of the Neo-Liberal/Neo-Soviet Multicultural 'Eurasian Project', which will mean the doom of Cultural/Spiritual/Ethnic Russia. Russians are already nicknaming their cities to reflect the flood of Moslems and primitive Turkic and Siberian Asiatics; "Moscowbad" and "Peterstan". Putin's 'United Russia' even plays up the number of Negro supporters of his policies, including a Seperatist Leader in E. Ukraine.

No, we should support any nation's right to be free, free to follow it's own course, even if vile parasites make money off of the Crisis in the meantime.

Some Hip-Hop Putin supporters;



Couple more examples from the 'Nashi' Putin Youth/Neo-Soviet website;



And this guy;



And some 'Urban Youths' just 'kickin it' in 'M-Town';



Mongols;

[American Patriot]

Japan to establish strategic military outposts near disputed islands

.

Chinese marine surveillance ship Haijian No. 51 (C) sails near Japan Coast Guard vessels (R and L) and a Japanese fishing boat (front 2nd L) as Uotsuri island, one of the disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China (Reuters / Kyodo)


Tokyo has reportedly made plans to create new military outposts on remote islands close to disputed territories in an apparent move to bolster Japan’s defense capabilities amid its ongoing territorial rows with China.


Some 350 Ground Self-Defense Forces could be stationed on the three islands near the disputed islands, known as Diaoyu in China and as Senkaku in Japan, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun cited unnamed senior Japanese Ministry of Defense officials as saying.


The three uninhabited, disputed islets lie some 2,000 km southwest of Tokyo, and around 200 km north of Taiwan.


According to the report, Tokyo will be establishing three bases close to the strategic location – a base on Amami Oshima Island, Miyako Island (210 km southwest of the disputed islands), and Ishigaki Island (about 170 km south), each staffed by up to 150 soldiers.


Last month, Japan announced it was building a high-tech radar outpost on Yonaguni Island, due to become operational in 2016.


Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said earlier that Japan had already made decisions to develop its military presence in the southwest and that research had been conducted. However, he added that: “At the moment, however, we have not decided on specific, concrete locations, such as those reported.”



The current absence of military troops close to the strategic islands has caused some concern to Japan, which believes it is making itself vulnerable in the face of an increasingly domineering Chinese approach.


While there has not yet been much grist of military confrontation, being largely confined to coastguard squabbles, close watchers have stated that some naval ships have been lurking beyond the horizon and suggest that further confrontation may be on the cards. Additionally, China has increased spending on its military in recent years, allegedly to develop a two-tier blue water navy – one capable of operating across the deep waters of open oceans, implicitly the Pacific.


In its territorial dispute with China, Japan was supported by US President Barack Obama last month.


“The policy of the United States is clear – the Senkaku islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of…the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security,” Obama said during his visit to Japan in April.

[American Patriot]

Thailand under martial law this morning.

U.S., Other Countries Warn Citizens About Thai Martial Law

At least 11 governments updated advisories for their citizens traveling to or living in Thailand after the military declared martial law.


By Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol


BANGKOK—At least 11 governments on Tuesday updated advisories for their citizens traveling to or living in Thailand after the Royal Thai Army declared martial law.
The U.S. government asked its citizens to “stay alert, exercise caution and monitor media coverage,” and to “avoid areas where there are protest events, large gatherings, or security operations.”


The Australian government urged Australians in Thailand to “exercise a high degree of caution while traveling throughout Thailand due to the possibility of civil unrest.”
Pornthip Hirunkate, vice president of industry trade group the Tourism Council of Thailand, said the updated advisories were expected after the army declared martial law, which would hurt tourism.


The Tourism Council held a meeting Tuesday and forecast that martial law would likely cause tourist arrivals in the second quarter of this year to decline 9.5% on year, said Ms. Pornthip. A decline was anticipated anyway because of the prolonged unrest, but martial law will make it worse, she added.


The Thai tourism industry has been undermined by nearly seven months of anti-government protests that have left at least 28 people dead. Fifty governments have issued travel advisories warning their citizens about Thailand’s political turmoil since November.


The Bank of Thailand reported Monday that due to political unrest, income from tourism during the first quarter of this year fell 4% from the same period a year earlier. The Tourism Council said tourist arrivals declined 6% on-year in the first quarter due to political unrest. Tourism accounts for around 10% of Thailand’s GDP.


The tourism industry had hoped business would return more or less to normal when, less than two months ago, the Thai government lifted emergency rule for Bangkok and nearby areas. That emergency rule had been blamed for scaring away tourists during the high travel season, which ended in March.


Thailand’s flag-carrier Thai Airways and leading low-cost carrier AirAsia issued statements Tuesday saying they are operating as usual.


Other countries that updated advisories included the U.K., which said it was “looking into the implications” of the invocation of martial law.


Meanwhile, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said during a news conference that Japan is watching the situation in Thailand with concern, while strongly encouraging all parties there to exercise restraint and refrain from violence.


Write to Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol at nopparat.chaichalearmmongkol@wsj.com

[American Patriot]

Russian, Chinese leaders to open joint naval drills off China’s coast

Leave a reply

Joint Sea 2014 drills are regular exercises held by the Chinese and Russian navies, which are aimed at enhancing practical cooperation between the two militaries
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

SHANGHAI, May 20. ITAR-TASS.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met on Tuesday at a naval port in Shanghai to officially open joint Russia-China naval drills.
Six warships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet, led by a missile cruiser, the Varyag, entered Shanghai’s port of Wusong on Sunday for the joint naval drills with China code-named Joint Sea 2014 and running on May 20-26 in the northern waters of the East China Sea.
President Putin, who is on an official visit to China on May 20-21, was greeted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he had arrived at the port.
The Russian delegation to China, led by Putin, includes Deputy Prime Ministers Arkady Dvorkovich and Dmitry Rogozin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chief of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Alexander Fomin and Navy chief Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov.
The Chinese delegation represented at the port of Wusong includes Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and other high-ranking officials.
Besides the Varyag, a Slava-class missile cruiser with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine striking capabilities, the grouping of Russian warships includes the destroyer Bystry, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev, the large amphibious ship Admiral Nevelskoy, the tanker Ilim and the sea-going tugboat Kalar.
The Russian side also brought two Su-30MK2 fighter jets, combat helicopters and special task marine forces as the Chinese Navy added six of its warships for the drills, which enter the active phase on May 23-24.
China’s CCTV.com cited on Sunday Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Navy Tian Zhong as saying that the exercise would be “different from previous China-Russia joint sea drills.”
“The two sides will mix all the warships together for the first time, and the ships will carry out battle exercises beyond visibility for the first time,” Tian Zhong was quoted as saying.
Chinese Defense Ministry earlier reported that the Joint Sea 2014 drills are regular exercises held by the Chinese and Russian navies, and are aimed to enhance practical cooperation between the two militaries and to strengthen their capabilities to jointly deal with maritime security threats.
The two nations held naval drills off Russia’s Far East coast in the Sea of Japan last July. Exercises assembling some 20 warships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet and China’s North and South Sea Fleets were described by China as the largest the country had undertaken with a foreign force.

[American Patriot]

US Navy ‘Shaping Events’ in South China Sea

.

The nuclear-powered aircraft supercarrier USS George Washington is escorted into a navy port in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 4, 2013
Victor Beattie
May 20, 2014
WASHINGTON — The United States’ top naval officer said the Navy’s growing presence in the Asia-Pacific region is beginning to show results and shape events, but acknowledges it will be ‘a long-term effort.’ AdmiralJonathanGreenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, said he hopes the U.S. Navy will be able to expand cooperation with India once its new government takes its place.Speaking Monday at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),Greenert said the growing military-to-military dialogue with China is beginning to show results, especially in the South China Sea, where maritime tensions between China and its neighbors are on the rise.He said China was among the Asia-Pacific powers that joined the United States last month in adopting a Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) during a meeting in Qingdao.

“They have had situations where they (China’s navy) have intervened on our behalf, where one of our ships was being approached by a non-navy Chinese ship and being kind of harassed, and the commander of the [Chinese]warship said, ‘I’ve spoken with this guy (U.S. ship commander), he’s on constant course and speed, getout of the way, and actually positioned himself [between the ships]. And, there are a few examples of this. We are starting to shape events. We have got to manage our way through this, in my opinion, through this East China Sea and South China Sea [tensions]. We’re not leaving. They know that. They would be the leadership of the Chinese navy. We believe that we have to manage our way through this,” saidGreenert.
USS Howard, an Arleigh Burke-class, guided missile destroyer from the US Pacific Fleet, arrives in Manila on a routine port call. BULLIT MARQUEZ/AP
The Philippines and Vietnam are among the nations that have territorial disputes with China. During President Obama’s Asia trip last month, the United States signed a 10-year security agreement with Manila.
Greenert said navy-to-navy “interoperability” with the Philippines today is “reasonably good,” but how the two countries build on that, he said, is a matter of discussion and could involve a status of forces-type agreement (SOFA). The U.S. Navy has also requested more port calls in Vietnam. Greenert also said he would like to see more cooperation with Hanoi “in a deliberate manner.”

USS Tortuga during a port visit to Subic Bay, the Philippines
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the admiral also expressed the hope the United States could renew a strategic partnership with India, a relationship he said the two navies once enjoyed.
“Stable mil-to-mil relations are there, they’ve been there with India. We need to improve our communications and our interoperability. Currently, we do exercise with the Indian navy. It’s a lot of humanitarian assistance, search-and-rescue, [and] medical. But, my goal would be to get back to where we were in the mid-2000s. We were doing very comprehensive events in an exercise called Malabar, which is an annual exercise we have with the Indian navy. We were doing carrier operations together, very, very complex, integrating air wings, and I think it would be great if we could get back to that level,” said Greenert.
Greenert said with the new Indian leadership coming to power, perhaps they would be willing to have a greater presence in the western Pacific. He said it will depend on what the political ramifications are and where they are willing to go.
The chief of naval operations said the Navy is fully committed to the Asia rebalance. Today, 51 of the Navy’s 289 ships are deployed in the Asia-Pacific region, and that presence will grow to 58 ships next year and 67 by 2020.
Greenert says 23 nations are to take part in Rim of Pacific war game exercises off Hawaii, running June 26 to August 1, involving hundreds of aircraft, 40 warships and 25,000 military personnel, including army and navy forces from China for the first time.

.


China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning
China Building Its First Chinese Designed Aircraft Carrier — “It means that the PLA and the party are serious about operating carrier battle groups”

The presence of China’s navy has expanded greatly as China adds more capability and warships.

A shipborne fighter jet is about to land on China’s Liaoning Aircraft Carrier during a training session on Thursday April 18, 2013. [Photo: CFP]

Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Linyi (FFG 547) moors alongside the Luhu-class destroyer Qingdao during a visit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Chinese navy ship launching missiles during training

[American Patriot]

China Warns Of Retaliation After US Hacking Charges

BEIJING (Reuters) – China has warned the United States that it would retaliate if Washington presses on with charges against five Chinese military officers accused of hacking into American companies to steal trade secrets, state media said on Tuesday.

The warning from an unnamed State Internet Information Office spokesman came hours after the United States charged the five Chinese, accusing them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets.
It was the first criminal hacking charge that the United States has filed against specific foreign officials, and follows a steady increase in public criticism and private confrontation, including at a summit last year between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The indictment is likely to further roil relations between China and the United States. Besides cyber hacking, Washington and Beijing have grappled over a range of issues, including human rights, trade disputes and China’s growing military assertiveness over seas contested with its neighbors.
“If the United States continues to insist on going its own way, China will take measures to resolutely fight back,” the spokesman told state news agency Xinhua and the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
He did not elaborate on the measures that China will take. It is unclear if China could use its financial clout to retaliate against the United States. China is the United States’ biggest foreign creditor. As of February, China held $1.27 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds, according to Treasury Department data.
China’s Foreign Ministry immediately denied the charges on Monday, saying in a strongly worded statement the U.S. indictment was “made up” and would damage trust between the two nations.
The ministry said it would suspend the activities of a Sino-U.S. working group on cyber issues, which American officials believe refers to a joint effort established in April 2013 involving State Department expert Chris Painter and China Foreign Ministry official Dai Bing.
CHINA’S COUNTER-ACCUSATION

The spokesman from the State Internet Information Office was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the United States “attacks, infiltrates and taps Chinese networks belonging to governments, institutions, enterprises, universities and major communication backbone networks”.
“Those activities target Chinese leaders, ordinary citizens and anyone with a mobile phone,” Xinhua quoted the spokesman as saying.
“China has repeatedly asked the U.S. to stop, but it never makes any statement on its wiretaps, nor does it desist, not to mention apologize to the Chinese people.”
Xinhua cited data from China’s top Internet security agency, the National Computer network Emergency Response technical Team Coordination Center (CNCERT), which said a total of 2,077 Trojan horse networks or botnet servers in the United States directly controlled 1.18 million host computers in China during the period from March 19 to May 18.
The CNCERT found 135 host computers in the United States carrying 563 phishing pages targeting Chinese websites that led to 14,000 phishing operations. The centre also found 2,016 IP addresses in the United States had implanted backdoors in 1,754 Chinese websites, involving 57,000 backdoor attacks, during the same period.
China has long singled out the United States as the top source of intrusion on its computers and says it is a victim of cyber attacks.
UNIT 61398

U.S. Federal prosecutors said on Monday that the suspects targeted companies including Alcoa Inc, Allegheny Technologies Inc, United States Steel Corp, Toshiba Corp unit Westinghouse Electric Co, the U.S. subsidiaries of SolarWorld AG, and a steel workers’ union.
In an indictment filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, prosecutors said the suspects hacked into computers starting in 2006, often by infecting machines with tainted “spear phishing” emails to employees that purport to be from colleagues.
Prosecutors alleged that one hacker, for example, stole cost and pricing information in 2012 from an Oregon-based solar panel production unit of SolarWorld. The company was losing market share at the time to Chinese competitors who were systematically pricing exports below production costs, according to the indictment.
Another suspect is accused of stealing technical and design specifications about pipes for nuclear plants from Westinghouse Electric as the company was negotiating with a Chinese company to build four power plants in China, prosecutors said.
Officials declined to estimate the size of the losses to the companies, but said they were “significant.” The victims had all filed unfair trade claims against their Chinese rivals, helping Washington draw a link between the alleged hacking activity and its impact on international business.
According to the indictment, Chinese state-owned companies “hired” Unit 61398 of the People’s Liberation Army “to provide information technology services” including assembling a database of corporate intelligence. The Chinese companies were not named.
The Shanghai-based Unit 61398 was identified last year by cybersecurity firm Mandiant as the source of a large number of espionage operations. All five defendants worked with 61398, according to the indictment.
Unit 61398 has hundreds of active spies and is just one of dozens of such bodies in China, said Jen Weedon, an analyst at Mandiant, now owned by global network security company FireEye Inc.
(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
More from Reuters:

• U.S. Coast Guard resumes search for four missing UK sailors in Atlantic
• Toyota develops chips for hybrid cars to boost fuel efficiency
• Italy’s antitrust watchdog investigates TripAdvisor, booking sites
• Third of South Sudanese face starvation as conflict rages: U.N.
• After air fares and share sales, U.N. seeks aid money from oil Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/r-chi...#ixzz32GnRAG9i

Related here on Peace and Freedom:
Against Chinese Cyber Warfare, The U.S. Indictment By Itself Accomplishes Nothing
Cyber-Spying: China Summons US Envoy Over U.S. Government Indictment
U.S. Charges China With Cyber-Spying on American Firms

‘UglyGorilla,’ an alias of Chinese army official Wang Dong, allegedly controlled the computers of U.S. victims after a gang of cyber-hackers gained access by sending users fake ‘spearphishing’ emails that contained links to malware


.



‘Jack Sun’ (Top), a Chinese Army captain, ‘was observed both sending malicious emails and controlling victim computers,’ while ‘KandyGoo’ (Bottom) tested malicious email messages and managed domain accounts used by the Chinese


.



‘WinXYHappy’ may sound like an unoriginal Twitter handle, but it was the alias of an alleged Chinese army hacker (Top) who controlled Americans’ computer accounts while computer programmer ‘hzy_lhx’ (Bottom) and others managed online domains after the People’s Liberation Army got control of them



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz32GoSW4NW

[American Patriot]

China Drops Other Shoe

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Brittius


The Government of the People’s Republic of China, is making declaration public of their dissatisfaction with the recent conduct of the US Justice Department prosecution regarding officials of the PRC having been indicted by a US Federal Grand Jury. A warning of retaliation has been made, and it would behoove the Obama Crime Syndicate to consider what may possibly happen if the PRC decides to engage not in overt warfare, but an economic divesting and severing of foreign diplomatic ties between the PRC and US.


http://johnib.wordpress.com/2014/05/...cking-charges/

[American Patriot]

Stars and Stripes
May 19, 2014


NATO sends thousands of troops to Estonia for war games
John Vandiver






STUTTGART, Germany: As part of an effort to shore up defenses on its eastern flank, NATO is conducting large-scale war games in Estonia involving some 6,000 troops from nine alliance nations.


Steadfast Javelin 1, which commenced on Friday and will continue through the week, is based on a fictitious scenario in which Allied forces repel an attack on Estonia, according to NATO.


Participating units include infantry and reconnaissance forces, engineers, fighter jets as well as anti-aircraft teams and a cybersecurity team. The exercise comes during widespread unrest in Ukraine and renewed concerns over a more militarily assertive Russia, which the West has accused of fomenting tensions in the region.


“It is my great privilege to assume command of the forces participating in Exercise Steadfast Javelin 1 today,” General Hans-Lothar Domröse, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, said in a news release. “There is no doubt the Alliance is strong and NATO’s resolve to assure its members of the ongoing utility of the Washington Treaty remains central to our actions.”

Troops in the exercise come from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Britain and the United States. Germany was not listed as a participating nation. Some critics in eastern Europe have expressed frustration with Germany and accused NATO’s second-largest nation of not doing enough to reassure allies in the East.


Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, NATO has reinforced its presence in eastern Europe. In April, the alliance announced a package of extra military measures, including expanded air patrols over the Baltics, deployment of ground forces for training events in the East and increased patrols by war ships in the region.

[Avvakum]

White House hosts senators for ‘bizarre’ secret foreign policy meeting

By Olivier Knox, Yahoo News 4 hours ago Yahoo News

.View photo

U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) talks to reporters after the weekly Republican caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington April 29, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)



White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and National Security Adviser Susan Rice met with a bipartisan delegation of senators late Tuesday for secret talks focused on foreign policy, several sources with knowledge of the discussion told Yahoo News.



Sen. Bob Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alluded to the meeting on Wednesday, as the panel held a hearing on whether and how to overhaul the signature law of the global war on terrorism.
“I know we both attended sort of a discussion last night that I found to be one of the most bizarre I've attended on Foreign Relations on foreign policy in our country,” Corker said at one point, referring to himself and Sen. Bob Menendez (D.-New Jersey), the committee’s chairman.
“I know several of us were involved in a very bizarre discussion last night. This continues a very bizarre discussion,” Corker said at another point.
The Tennessee Republican did not say where or with whom the meeting took place (or why it was bizarre).
The White House later confirmed the meeting. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said McDonough hosted "an informal discussion on national security issues," and that Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken attended.
"This session was part of our ongoing efforts to consult with the Congress on issues important to the president," she said.
In addition to Corker and Menendez, Senators Susan Collins (R.-Maine), Carl Levin (D-Michigan), Jon Tester (D.-Montana) and John Walsh (D.-Montana) also attended the meeting, according to the sources, who requested anonymity.
Aides to those senators declined to discuss the meeting on the record (though Tester’s public schedule included a reference to a 7 p.m. meeting with McDonough).
The White House had not announced the meeting before it happened.
The secret meeting came at a time of increasing bipartisan frustration with the White House over the 2001 law that authorized the war in Afghanistan and underpins policies like indefinite detention without charge and drone strikes.
In a speech almost exactly one year ago, President Obama declared that it was time to overhaul the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), and “determine how we can continue to fight terrorism without keeping America on a perpetual wartime footing.”
“I look forward to engaging Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate. And I will not sign laws designed to expand this mandate further,” Obama said at the time. “Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end. That’s what history advises. That’s what our democracy demands.”
But one year later, the administration has yet to provide Congress with suggested specific changes to the law, much less with legislative language for rewriting it.
Senators including Corker let their frustration bubble over at Wednesday’s hearing.
“Has the administration proposed any refinement or any redefinition of the AUMF? I mean, have they provided us language in terms of what they think they need to handle the current situation?” Senator Ron Johnson (R.-Wisconsin) asked the State Department’s principal deputy legal adviser, Mary McLeod.
“No, senator, we have not, “ she repl

[American Patriot]

North and South Korean warships exchanged artillery fire

May 22, 2014 Mike Woldburg Leave a comment Go to comments




SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North and South Korean warships exchanged artillery fire Thursday in disputed waters off the western coast, South Korean military officials said, in the latest sign of rising animosity between the bitter rivals in recent weeks.


Officials from the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Ministry said a South Korean navy ship was engaged in a routine patrol near the countries’ disputed maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea when a North Korean navy ship fired two artillery shells. The shells did not hit the South Korean ship and fell in waters near it, they said.


The South Korean ship then fired several artillery rounds in waters near the North Korean ship, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.


South Korea was trying to determine if the North Korean ship had attempted to hit the South Korean vessel but missed, or if the shells were not meant to hit the ship.


Officials said that residents on the frontline Yeonpyeong Island were evacuated to shelters, and fishing ships in the area were ordered to return to ports. In 2010, North Korea fired artillery at the island, killing two civilians and two marines.


Kang Myeong-sung, a Yeonpyeong resident, said in a phone interview that hundreds of residents were in underground shelters after loudspeakers ordered them there. He heard the sound of artillery fire and said many people felt uneasy at first but later began to stop worrying.


Both Koreas regularly conduct artillery drills in the disputed waters. The sea boundary is not clearly marked, and the area has been the scene of three bloody naval skirmishes between the rival Koreas since 1999.


North Korea has in recent weeks conducted a string of artillery drills and missile tests and has unleashed a torrent of racist and sexist rhetoric at the leaders of the U.S. and South Korea.


On Tuesday, South Korean navy ships fired warning shots to repel three North Korean warships that briefly violated the disputed sea boundary. On Wednesday, North Korea’s military vowed to retaliate.


North Korean military ships and fishing boats have routinely intruded into South Korean-controlled waters that the North doesn’t recognize. The Yellow Sea boundary was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

[American Patriot]

North Korea artillery fires at South Korean navy ship, and misses

By Jack Kim and Ju-min Park
SEOUL Thu May 22, 2014 9:46am EDT

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Residents watch a television report on North Korean artillery fired near a South Korean navy patrol ship as they take shelter on Yeonpyeong island near the West Sea border with North Korea May 22, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Ongjin County/Yonhap











(Reuters) - North Korean artillery fired at least one shot which landed near a South Korean navy patrol ship south of the two sides' disputed maritime border on Thursday, but it did not hit the vessel, a military official in Seoul said.


The official added that South Korean artillery fired at a North Korean naval vessel in response.


Residents of the Yeonpyeong island, which lies just south of the disputed sea border, were evacuated to bomb shelters, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Shelling by North Korean artillery killed four people on the island in 2010.


There was no further firing from the North following the incident soon after 6 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), the official said.


North Korea has refused to recognize the so-called Northern Limit Line that was drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War and has frequently challenged it with intrusions of ships or more recently by firing artillery near or across the line.


Earlier on Thursday, North Korea had issued its latest threat to "blow up" any South Korean warships, in an angry response to an incident earlier in the week when the South fired warning shots at the North's patrol boats that breached the line.


The North accused South of "a grave provocation" at the time and said its vessels were merely trying to contain Chinese fishing boats that were in the area illegally.


Also, earlier on Thursday, the South's Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said North Korea had no business interfering in operations of South Korean naval vessels south of the Northern Limit Line.


In March, the North fired more than 500 rounds of artillery in an exercise, but 100 rounds landed south of the border, prompting the South to fire more than 300 shots back.
The Northern Limit Line, a maritime border that wraps itself around a part of the North's coastline, has been the scene of frequent clashes.


Earlier in 2010, a South Korean naval vessel was sunk close to the line by what an international commission said was a North Korean torpedo, although the North denies involvement.


The two sides are still technically at war as the conflict ended in a mere truce, not a treaty.


(Additional reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

[American Patriot]

22 May 2014 Last updated at 13:06 North Korea 'shells near South Korea warship'




North Korea has fired shells into disputed waters near a South Korean warship, South Korean military officials told media.


This happened near Yeonpyeong island, on the disputed western maritime border, Yonhap news agency said.


On Tuesday, South Korea fired warning shots at three North Korean ships that crossed the maritime border. The North had said it would retaliate.


In 2010, North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong killed four people.


The latest incident happened after 18:00 local time (09:00GMT) on Thursday, reports citing South Korean officials said.


"The shells fell near our ship which has been on regular patrol in our territory, but it did not cause any damage to our ship," a spokesman from South Korea's defence ministry told the Agence-France Presse news agency.


According to local news reports, South Korean forces fired several shells into northern waters in response.


Local television network YTN reported that residents on Yeonpyeong were being evacuated to bomb shelters.


Tensions have been rising again between the two neighbours recently, with Pyongyang directing shrill insults at the leaders in Seoul and Washington, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.


The North and South regularly conduct drills near the western sea border, which has long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas.


The UN drew the border after the Korean War, but North Korea has never recognised it.


Since the war ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two sides remain technically at war.


In March, the two countries traded artillery fire across the border.


North Korea killed two civilians and two marines in the 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong island, which it said was in response to South Korean military exercises.


Earlier that year, a South Korean warship sank near Baengnyeong island, leaving 46 people dead. Seoul says Pyongyang torpedoed the vessel, but North Korea denies any role in the incident.

[American Patriot]

Japan military exercise simulates retaking island — China is watching

.

Japan self defense force ship Shimokita

By Ruairidh Villar

ENIYABANAREJIMA, Japan (Reuters) – Japanese land, sea and air forces combined to simulate the recapture of a remote island on Thursday, a small drill that nonetheless underscores the country’s concerns about far-flung territory claimed by China.

Bobbing silently into a cove on rubber boats and wielding plastic training rifles, about 50 troops training for a new marine force landed on the uninhabited outcropping, the size of 30 soccer fields, 600 km (370 miles) northeast of a string of islands held by Japan but claimed by China.

“Our amphibious warfare skills still have a way to go and our training is in its early days,” said Gen. Shigeru Iwasaki, chief of the military’s Joint Staff, Japan’s top uniformed officer.

“But these capabilities are absolutely vital to protecting our land, sea and skies,” he told reporters gathered on Eniyabanarejima, part of an island chain between the southern main island of Kyushu and Okinawa. “We intend to build on this drill today to boost our skills in the future.”

JSDF soldiers approach Eniyabanare Island from JSDF transport vessel Shimokita during a military drill, off Setouchi town on the southern Japanese island of Amami Oshima

JSDF soldiers approach Eniyabanare Island from JSDF transport vessel Shimokita during a military drill, off Setouchi town on the southern Japanese island of Amami Oshima (reuters tickers)

The joint exercise of the Self-Defense Forces was not aimed at any specific country, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. But Tokyo identifies its giant neighbor as a key source of concern and defending remote islands as a policy priority.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei criticized the drill, saying that “moves taken by Japan in the military and security field have always been of high concern to its Asian neighbors”.

“We require the Japanese side to make clear its true intention of the relevant deployment,” Hong told a daily news briefing in Beijing. “We also call on the Japanese side to do more conducive things to safeguard regional peace and stability.”

The dispute over the Japanese-held islets, which Tokyo calls the Senkaku and China claims as the Diaoyu, has raised fears of a clash between Asia’s biggest powers that could even drag in the United States.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, chafing at the constraints of Japan’s pacifist post-war constitution, has made a priority of a more robust military posture and a less-apologetic diplomacy. Abe has reversed a decade of defense-spending cuts with small increases and is calling for a review of legal limits on the ability of Japan’s armed forces to fight overseas.

The military last month began its first expansion at the western end of its island chain in more than 40 years, breaking ground on a radar station on a tropical island near Taiwan.

In Thursday’s exercise, troops scanned the beach for enemies, then marched single-file into the jungle. They later returned to the beach to collect huge backpacks from the boats and pushed once more into the interior of the 30 ha (75 acre) island.

The first combined-services drill in Japan on retaking an island was a modest undertaking involving 1,300 personnel, two destroyers, two F-2 fighter jets, a carrier for troops and amphibious vehicles, a minesweeper and a handful of helicopters.

AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT FORCE

But in addition to signaling Tokyo’s keenness to protect its thousands of small islands, it is the latest step in forging a unified amphibious assault force capable of fighting without support from its U.S. ally.

“Amphibious operations that combine naval, ground and air forces are one the most difficult military operations,” said Grant Newsham, a former U.S. Marine liaison officer to Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force.

“Japan is showing that it will do what is necessary to defend itself, ideally alongside the Americans, but alone if necessary,” said Newsham, a research fellow at Japan Forum for Strategic Studies.

Despite controlling vast ocean territories, Japan had no significant amphibious units until it began training the marine force in 2012.

A legacy of inter-service rivalry – stretching back to the Imperial Army and Navy before and during World War Two – has also made combined operations difficult to stage, analysts say.

Concern over China, and Abe’s push for a more assertive military, are spurring the top brass to put their differences aside.

Japan “has gone from a standing start to having a serviceable amphibious capability in an astonishingly short time,” said Newsham. U.S. military planners, he added, were impressed by the Japanese marine force during their participation alongside U.S. forces in landing drills in California last year during operation Dawn Blitz.

New equipment on Abe’s military shopping list are set to add to that capability, including amphibious assault vehicles able to drive troops from the sea inland and tilt-rotor aircraft such as the U.S. Osprey.

(Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in Tokyo and Sui-Lee Wee in Beijing,; Editing by William Mallard and Ron Popeski)

******************************
Ground Self-Defense Force members board a transport vessel at the Japanese base in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on May 16. (Yusuke Fukui)

Ground Self-Defense Force members board a transport vessel at the Japanese base in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on May 16. (Yusuke Fukui)

SASEBO, Nagasaki Prefecture–The three branches of the Self-Defense Forces have begun their first joint drill in Japan to simulate recapturing a remote island, as tensions with China remain high over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

About 1,300 SDF members are taking part in the exercise on the 0.31-square-kilometer islet of Eniyabanarejima, located between the main island of Kyushu and Okinawa. The islet is part of Kagoshima Prefecture and situated just south of Amami-Oshima Island.

The joint exercise involves the full deployment of naval vessels and fighter jets. It is the first time the three branches of the SDF have worked together in a drill in such a scenario in Japan.

About 100 members of a special unit of the Ground Self-Defense Force who are known for their swimming and other skills left for the site aboard a transport vessel from the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture on May 16.

The unit belongs to the GSDF’s Western Army Infantry Regiment, which will form the core component of the amphibious force the SDF is preparing to establish to retake remote islands should they be captured by a foreign entity.

Tensions between Japan and China are high due to competing claims of sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, a group of small, uninhabited islets in the East China Sea. They are currently administered by Japan as part of Okinawa Prefecture.

[American Patriot]

Tanks, troops, jets: NATO countries launch full-scale war games in Baltic

Published time: June 09, 2014 13:36
Edited time: June 10, 2014 13:53


U.S. army paratroopers attend opening ceremony of NATO military exercise "Saber Strike" in Adazi June 9, 2014. (Reuters/Ints Kalnins)



A major military exercise kicked off in Latvia, with 10 NATO member countries participating. The war games involve 4,700 troops and 800 military vehicles. Russia sees NATO's military build-up as a sign of aggression.


The Saber Strike ground forces exercise is being conducted for the fourth time this year and coincides with Baltic Host 2014 and Baltops 2014 naval drills.


Troops from the US, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway and the UK are taking part.


The two-week exercise is hosted by the three Baltic States, although some parts will be conducted in Germany.



A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber (Reuters/Tim Chong)



For Latvia, where the opening ceremony was held, it's the biggest NATO military drill since its accession to the alliance in 2004, the country's defense ministry said Monday in a statement. The ceremony was crowned with a US strategic bomber B-52 flyover.


In total, Saber Strike will involve about 2,600 troops coming mainly from Denmark (1,100), Lithuania (900), about 200 soldiers from the US, 100 from Britain, 50 from Poland and several dozen each from Estonia and Finland. The exercise will include about 800 military vehicle units.


The UK’s HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, will take part in the two-week long security exercise, the BBC reports.


The exercise comes amid high tension between NATO and Russia over the Ukrainian political crisis. The alliance ramped up its presence in Russia's neighborhood, claiming that it is a response toward Moscow's aggressive stance.



Britain's army soldiers march during opening ceremony of NATO military exercise "Saber Strike" in Adazi June 9, 2014. (Reuters/Ints Kalnins)



Russia says NATO's actions are provocative and is taking measures to balance the shift in military power.


“We can't take this military buildup by the alliance next to Russia's borders as anything but a demonstration of hostile intention. The deployment of extra NATO troops in Central and Eastern Europe, even on a rotational basis” is a violation of Russia's agreements with the alliance, Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov said Monday.


“Of course we won't stand idly and watch the militarization of the countries in our neighborhood and will take all necessary political and military measures to ensure our security,” the diplomat told Interfax.


On Thursday, eight US Minnesota National Guard F-16 fighter jets arrived in Amari airbase, that are going to make battle flights over the Adazi polygon. Also KC-135 refueling tankers are located in Amari, as well as transport planes and naval aircraft P-8. Among Estonian Air Force units participating in the exercise, in addition to the support team, L-39 jets and air fire commanders participate.

[American Patriot]

Russia sends 24 warships, bombers to Baltic drills as NATO stages war games

Published time: June 12, 2014 03:57
Edited time: June 12, 2014 12:47

http://rt.com/news/165464-russia-baltic-drills-nato/

Corvette "Soobrazitelny" (RIA Novosti / Alexei Danichev)

Download video (18.22 MB)




Russia has deployed 24 Baltic Fleet warships and vessels, along with heavy fighter jets and bombers, as reinforcement for military drills in the westernmost Kaliningrad region while NATO stages its own war games across the border.


On Wednesday, Moscow deployed a grouping of 24 Baltic Fleet warships and vessels for military drills in its exclave on the Baltic Sea coast. The drills were launched on Tuesday in response to NATO’s international drills – Saber Strike 2014 and BALTOPS 2014 –near Russia’s border.

"The squadrons of warships are performing the tasks of ensuring the protection of the state border of the Russian Federation, protecting marine communications, providing for shipping safety, organizing air defense, and searching for and detecting surface ships and submarines of the imaginary enemy," said Russia's Defense Ministry.

The ministry added that the newest Su-34 Fullback fighter bombers and Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft have also taken off from their air base in Voronezh region to join the war games in Kalinigrad.

"Tu-22M3 long-range bombers are in the state of readiness to patrol the area of the exercises. An A-50 long-range airborne warning and control system aircraft is involved in the drills for reconnaissance purposes."

The presence of Russia’s military force in the war games is “equitable” with the number of NATO troops concentrated in the three nearby Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia – which are hosting the drills from June 9-21, the Defense Ministry noted.

The drills come amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukrainian crisis. Troops from the US, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, and the UK taking part in the war games beefed up their presence near the Russian border, accusing Moscow of having an aggressive stance in the Ukrainian conflict.