Current Events in Asia-Pacific

China, Japan Set Naval Port Calls At Defense Talks By Associated Press TOKYO -- Chinese military growth isn't aimed at threatening any state, China's defense chief said in Tokyo on Thursday, as he stressed that Beijing was working to become more transparent about defense matters. Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan's assertions came as the two sides agreed on reciprocal port calls by navy ships, with a Chinese warship to visit Japan as early as November, for the first time since World War II, Japanese defense officials said. Mr. Cao met with senior Japanese officials and made a speech as part of his five-day visit to Japan, which began Wednesday and is …

From Flight International DATE: 06/11/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com PICTURE: J-10 debuts at Airshow China 2008 By Barbara Cockburn China's J-10 strike fighter aircraft, made its debut during an aerial display on 4 November in front of a crowd of spectators at the 7th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, known as Airshow China, held in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province.

Australia, U.S. launch joint exercises By Meraiah Foley - The Associated Press Posted : Monday Jun 18, 2007 7:32:59 EDT SYDNEY, Australia — Australia and the U.S. launched their biggest joint war games Monday, with 27,500 troops backed by a U.S. aircraft carrier engaging in exercises aimed at consolidating the allies’ military dominance in the Asia Pacific region. The biennial Talisman Sabre exercise pits 20,000 U.S. troops and 7,500 Australian forces against two fictional enemies — the Kamarians and Musorians — in a variety of land and sea-based scenarios designed to test their skills in combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief efforts. The exercise,…

From CNN February 20th, 2009 Rebels jets attack Sri Lankan capital Posted: 02:10 PM ET COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) — Two Tamil rebel aircraft swooped into this capital city Friday, with one dropping a bomb that killed at least two people and wounded 47 just before it crashed, officials said. Officials said the casualties occurred in and around the head office building of the Department of Revenue. The wreckage of the plane was found on top of the building. It was not clear if the aircraft was shot down or if the pilot had intended a suicide attack. The building is two blocks away from the Air Force headquarters, which officials believe the attacker meant t…

NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR THREAT / North Korea 'had plan to attack Japan' The Yomiuri Shimbun An agreement adopted at the latest round of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program stipulates two-phase measures toward Pyongyang's denuclearization in return for energy support. This second series of articles on the threats posed by North Korea's nuclear program, following the first series carried last month, takes a close look at the background to the agreement reached at the six-party talks. This is the fifth and last installment of the series. What appears to be a simple maritime accident can have very different implications in the eyes of military e…

Indian Navy declines to buy British Harriers HindustanTimes Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, October 13, 2006 The Indian Navy has declined to buy eight British Sea Harrier FA.2 fighter jets that were phased out of the Royal Navy in March 2006. According to a report in the October issue of the defence magazine India Strategic, the eight Harriers, which were also the last to serve the Royal Navy, were on offer but without some vital components like missiles and the Blue Vixen fire control radar. The prime consideration was to use them to train pilots and to fill in the gaps caused by the loss of six Harriers in the Indian Navy due to accidents spread over…

From Defense Aerospace New Torpedoes and Combat System for Collins Class Submarines (Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued Nov. 14, 2005) Australia’s Collins-Class Submarines are undergoing a major capability boost with work about to start fitting out the first submarine with a new tactical combat system and upgraded state-of-the-art Heavyweight Torpedoes. Defence Minister Robert Hill said the design and installation of the Replacement Combat System and Heavyweight Torpedo System are on schedule and on cost. Senator Hill said the $857 million capability investment will significantly boost the combat effectiveness of the Collins Class making…

FORMIDABLE CLASS MULTI-MISSION FRIGATES, SINGAPORE Naval-Technology.com Six Formidable Class multi-mission frigates are being built for the Singapore Navy. The first of class, RSS Formidable, was launched on 7 January 2004 at the Lorient dockyard in Brittany, France. The Republic of Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) awarded the contract in March 2002 to DCN in France for the design and construction of the frigates. The contract includes a technology transfer program under which the construction of the first frigate is carried out in France and then five further frigates are built in Singapore by Singapore Technology Marine (STM) at the Benoi shipyard. The fri…

Admiral stresses more talk between navies By Rod McGuirk - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday May 3, 2007 8:05:12 EDT CANBERRA, Australia — China will likely expand its navy and send its ships further out on the high seas to take a more active role in securing global sea lanes vital to its burgeoning economy, the U.S. naval commander in Japan said Thursday. Rear Adm. James Kelly said the strategic shift heightened the need for operational transparency between the world’s navies “so we don’t have a misinterpretation of something out on the high seas.” “As their economy continues to grow ... I suspect that China is thinking that they need to have a blue…

From Aviation Week DSP Satellites See Aggressive New Chinese Missile Testing By Craig Covault China is beginning an unprecedented surge in the flight test of new ballistic missiles at the same time that the U.S. is starting a lengthy transition of missile-warning satellite systems, critical for providing intelligence on this test activity. The current Defense Support Program (DSP) missile-warning spacecraft and new Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) spacecraft, just starting to be launched, have a primary job of attack warnings. But the powerful infrared telescopes on the DSPs are especially providing vital intelligence on new Chinese, as well as Iranian…

China raises stakes in Japan oil row By Hamish McDonald China Correspondent Beijing October 4, 2005 TheAge A CHINESE warship trained its guns on a low-flying Japanese military patrol aircraft last month in the intensifying confrontation between the two Asian powers over disputed seabed oil and gas reserves. According to Japan's Kyodo news agency, the incident occurred on September 9 when the Japanese navy sent a P-3C aircraft to look at five Chinese warships that had sailed close to a contested boundary between economic zones claimed by both countries. One of the ships trained its guns on the aircraft, Kyodo quoted Japan Self-Defence Agency officials as s…

BBC reporting escalating row between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea China 'cable' cutting angers Vietnam in Spratlys row

Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2015 (pdf, US DOD)

Ares story Seems to have been a navigational error; the pilot would have survived had he not hit a house on landing. Could have been a defection attempt; might not have been.

From On War #117 May 18, 2005 War with China? By William S. Lind [The views expressed in this article are those of Mr. Lind, writing in his personal capacity. They do not reflect the opinions or policy positions of the Free Congress Foundation, its officers, board or employees, or those of Kettle Creek Corporation.] I regard a war with China – hot or cold – as perhaps the greatest strategic blunder the United States could make, beyond those it has already made. The end result would be the same as that from the 20th century wars between Britain and Germany: it reduced both to second-rate powers. In the 21st century, the real victors would be the non-state for…

Washington Times April 17, 2008 Pg. 1 Taiwan Strait Tension Cools Off China issued warning to U.S. By Bill Gertz, The Washington Times The United States sent three aircraft carrier strike groups to waters around Taiwan after China told U.S. officials last year there was high risk of a military incident after Taiwan's March 22 presidential election, according to Pentagon and military officials. One strike group has been redeployed to the Persian Gulf since the failure of an election-day referendum strongly opposed by Beijing, but two groups remain near the island, the officials said. The Chinese warning, described in a March 31 Pentagon report to Con…

From Flight International DATE: 25/06/10 SOURCE: Flight International Boeing applies to export F-15SE to South Korea By Stephen Trimble Boeing has applied for an export licence to brief South Korea on sensitive details of a stealthier version of the F-15E that is within a few months of its first flight. The US government approved an export policy in the second quarter for the F-15SE Silent Eagle after Boeing submitted details of its radar cross-section about six months earlier, says Brad Jones, Boeing programme director for F-15 development programmes. The export policy allows Boeing to request an export licence for specific customers, with South Kor…

Australias Submarine Folly (The Diplomat, Flashpoints blog) Link to the Australian Defence White Paper 2013.

From Flight International DATE: 10/06/08 SOURCE: Flight International BREAKING NEWS: Wedgetail 737 deliveries to Australia slip again By Andrew Doyle First deliveries of Boeing 737 airborne early warning and control system aircraft to launch customer Australia have been hit by a further four-month delay. The US manufacturer says the initial operational capability date for the first pair of aircraft under Australia's Wedgetail surveillance programme has slipped to July 2009, due to the need to "extend validation and flight test". The project - which had already been running around two years late - has also encountered delays in development of the airc…

Has China Been Practicing Preemptive Missile Strikes Against U.S. Bases? (War on the Rocks)