Current Events in Asia-Pacific

India to launch BrahMos from Russian sub By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Sep 9, 2007 9:36:17 EDT NEW DELHI — India’s supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, built jointly with Russia, is ready to be launched from a submarine, Defence Minister A.K. Anthony reportedly told the Indian Parliament on Sept. 5. Currently, the Indian navy’s submarines do not have the capability to launch BrahMos missiles. Sources in the Indian Defence Ministry said the BrahMos will be tested on an unspecified Russian submarine later this year. Versions of the BrahMos have been developed for the Indian army, navy and air force. The air version will be integrated on …

Russia, Indonesia Set $1 Billion Arms Deal Moscow Seen Trying to Boost Clout in Asia By Peter Finn, Washington Post Foreign Service MOSCOW, Sept. 6 -- During a one-day visit to Indonesia on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin witnessed the signing of a $1 billion arms deal that many analysts here see as part of a broader Russian effort to restore diplomatic and military clout in the Asia-Pacific region and make some money, as well. Indonesia, which until 2005 was under a U.S. arms embargo because of human rights abuses, will purchase Russian tanks, military helicopters and submarines. Last month, Russia said it would sell six fighter jets to Indonesia, the …

China's Army Hacked Pentagon Network Deutsche Presse-Agentur | September 04, 2007 Military.com China's Army hacked into a computer network at the Pentagon in an attack that has US officials concerned about the growing regularity and sophistication of China's technological assaults, the Financial Times reported Tuesday. Computer specialists with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) penetrated an unclassified network used by policy aides to US Defence Secretary Robert Gates in June, resulting in a weeklong shutdown of the system, the newspaper said in a report that quoted unnamed US officials. The PLA has demonstrated the ability to conduct attacks that disabl…

From Aviation Week Japan Eyes Defense Changes Sep 2, 2007 By David A. Fulghum U.S. military operations have centered on the Middle East and Southwest Asia for most of the last two decades. The result is a myopic focus on combat against insurgents and terrorists. But the Western Pacific and Eastern Asia offer another concern. Some of the world’s largest, economically fastest-growing and most industrialized nations are beginning to develop and flex their military muscle. The question for the U.S. and its partners, in particular Japan, is how to keep a lid on political tensions and the impulse to use military force to solve problems of state. Here, in a special rep…

From Aviation Week China Developing Scramjet Propulsion Sep 2, 2007 By Craig Covault China is starting to ramp up its scramjet propulsion work—an initiative that will benefit high-speed missile programs while also helping the country to develop advanced aerospace materials, greater computational capabilities and a cadre of young engineers who have matured as a result of cutting-edge engine and aerodynamic challenges. Building on its ramjet experience, China is embracing the much more difficult task of developing Mach 5 air vehicle concepts in which propulsion and aerodynamics are highly coupled. As part of this effort, an integrated scramjet model is abo…

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 Navy Times Police raid Japanese base over suspected leak By Mari Yamaguchi - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Aug 28, 2007 7:18:28 EDT TOKYO — Police raided a Japanese naval base Tuesday to investigate an alleged leak of sensitive warship technology data shared between Japan and the U.S., defense officials said. The leak involves U.S.-developed technology for the Aegis radar systems used on several Japanese destroyers and U.S. warships carrying missile interceptors. Investigators believe the information was circulated among Japanese naval academy students. The scandal has embarrassed Japanese defense officials at a time when Tokyo and Washingto…

Chinese Navy Modernization Could Lead To U.S. Countermoves, CRS Report Says As concerns over the modernization of Chinese naval forces grow, Congress needs to worry about how much it should weight China's growing power in its planning for U.S. Navy capabilities, says a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. "Several elements of China's military modernization have potential implications for future required U.S. Navy capabilities," says the report. "These include theater-range ballistic missiles (TBMs), land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs), anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), land-based aircraft, submarines, surface comb…

Guam hosts talks on military buildup The Associated Press Posted : Friday Aug 24, 2007 8:30:09 EDT HAGATNA, Guam — U.S. representatives and business leaders converged on Guam this week as preparations for a $15 billion military buildup of the U.S. island territory kick into high gear. About 1,200 businessmen and women from Australia to Japan and New York to San Francisco gathered in Guam hotels to learn how they could profit from the buildup. The U.S. and Japanese governments plan to spend a combined $10 billion moving 8,000 Marines to Guam from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa by 2012. The Navy and Air Force also plan infrastructure upgrades o…

Navy crew crisis hits warships Article from: Herald Sun Ian McPhedran August 23, 2007 12:00am THE navy's warships are under threat because of a chronic shortage of qualified engineers and warfare officers. Insiders say the situation is so dire the number of principal warfare officers on the navy's five guided missile frigates has been cut from four to just one or two. On the eight Anzac class frigates, PWO numbers have fallen in some cases from three to one. And on some ships the shortage of engineers is so acute they are under way for only 12 out of every 24 hours. Similar shortfalls are occurring with weapons electrical engineering officers.…

From DefenseNews Posted 08/14/07 20:17 U.S. Sees Looming China Threat to Satellites By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE China may be just three years away from being able to disrupt U.S. military satellites in a regional conflict, a senior U.S. military leader said Aug. 14, citing a recent antisatellite test and other advances. The warning came amid calls at a conference in Alabama for intensified efforts to ensure U.S. “space superiority” in the wake of China’s shootdown Jan. 11 of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile. “It is not inconceivable that within about three years we can be challenged at a near peer level in a region,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin Campbell,…

From Navy Times 3 Virginia-class subs to be based at Pearl By Jaymes Song - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Aug 10, 2007 8:11:44 EDT HONOLULU — Two of the newest attack submarines will join the USS Hawaii in being home-ported at Pearl Harbor as the Navy shifts its focus to the Pacific, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said Thursday. Inouye said the relocation of the USS North Carolina and the USS Texas from the East Coast was a policy decision made several months ago in recognition of the “strategic nature of the Pacific as compared to the Atlantic.” “I think it’s obvious the next area of concern is the Pacific region,” he said. The vessels are now…

Russia bombers resume Cold War sorties Flights to Guam intended to showcase Moscow’s resurgent military prowess The Associated Press Updated: 10:52 a.m. ET Aug 9, 2007 MOSCOW - Russian bombers have flown to the island of Guam — home to a major U.S. military base — for the first time since the Cold War in an exercise intended to show the Kremlin’s resurgent military power, an air force general said Thursday. Two Tu-95 bombers reached Guam, a U.S. territory, this week, and their crews smiled at the pilots of the U.S. fighter jets that scrambled to intercept them, said Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov. “Whenever we saw U.S. planes during our flights over the ocean, we g…

Navy keeps very quiet while it waits for the last laugh August 4, 2007 Sydney Morning Herald WHEN Brendan Nelson announced last month a $3 billion order for two giant amphibious landing ships, it was widely seen as a victory for the "expeditionary force" school of strategy, emphasising overseas punch for the Australian Army. The Defence Minister himself went on to proclaim the "final nail in the coffin" for the "Defence of Australia" strategy adopted under Bob Hawke's Labor government in the 1980s, which stressed navy and air capability to fight off threats in the country's approaches and resulted in the army contracting to a niche force. Now the army wou…

From Air Force Magazine August 2007, Vol. 90, No. 8 It’s time to stop wondering if China is a military danger. Its buildup answers that question for anyone who had an honest doubt. China Stands Up By Richard Halloran Sun Tzu would be pleased. Some 2,500 years ago, the great Chinese strategist wrote: “The art of war is of vital importance to the state.” Today, communist China, with a rapidly if unevenly expanding economy, has turned to building a world-class military force and mastering the art of modern war, all part of its quest to become the predominant power in Asia. The country’s very name—“Chung Kuo”—means the “Middle Kingdom,” a concept holding th…

From Flight International DATE:31/07/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com Japan mulls over indigenous stealth fighter By Siva Govindasamy Japan has started a study to develop next-generation stealth technology, which if successful could lead to the production of its first indigenous fighter in almost 30 years and give it a long-coveted ability to counter China's growing air power. The study, however, could also be a way of putting pressure on the USA to release information about the Lockheed Martin F-22. Japan is one of the few countries that can afford the Raptor's $200 million price tag, but US Congress has banned export sales of the aircraft due to its use of secr…

Keating: China could join 1,000-ship navy By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer Posted : Wednesday Jul 25, 2007 9:21:49 EDT The Chinese navy could eventually become part of what Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen envisions as the “1,000-ship navy,” Pacific Command head Adm. Timothy Keating said Tuesday. At a question-and-answer session at a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a public policy research group, Keating said that maritime cooperation with China is important, saying he recently met with Chinese defense officials. He acknowledged that China could eventually become part of the “1,000-ship navy,” but he said chall…

Bomb By Bomb, Japan Sheds Military Restraints By Norimitsu Onishi ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — To take part in its annual exercises with the United States Air Force here last month, Japan practiced dropping 500-pound live bombs on Farallon de Medinilla, a tiny island in the western Pacific’s turquoise waters more than 150 miles north of here. The pilots described dropping a live bomb for the first time — shouting “shack!” to signal a direct hit — and seeing the fireball from aloft. “The level of tension was just different,” said Capt. Tetsuya Nagata, 35, stepping down from his cockpit onto the sunbaked tarmac. The exercise would have been unremarkab…

From DefenseNews Posted 07/05/07 21:39 China’s New Missile Submarine Seen By Satellite By REUTERS China’s newest ballistic missile submarine, the Jin-class vessel, has been spotted for the first time by a commercial satellite, a nuclear expert at the Federation of American Scientists said July 5. The submarine was photographed in late 2006 south of the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, said Hans Kristensen, director of the FAS’s Nuclear Information Project. It appeared to be based on Russia’s Victor-3 model and, although photographs are unclear, resembles China’s early-1980s Xia-class submarines, said Kristensen, who spotted the long-anticipated vessel. Th…

From Navy Times Kitty Hawk visits Sydney on farewell tour By Meraiah Foley - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday Jul 5, 2007 9:05:49 EDT ABOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK — The Navy’s oldest ship in full active service pulled into Sydney Harbor on Thursday for a farewell visit, following its final military exercises before being decommissioned. The carrier Kitty Hawk, based in the Japanese port city of Yokosuka, and its crew of more than 5,500 sailors, docked at the Garden Island naval base along with support ships from its battle group. Thousands of spectators lined the shores of Australia’s biggest city to catch a glimpse of the massive vessel, as a half-do…