Current Events in Asia-Pacific

From Jane's Defence Weekly 19 April 2007 China marches forward By Timothy Hu The regeneration of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is shifting into higher gear as it takes delivery of a new generation of home-grown arms and steps up the development of sophisticated asymmetric technologies designed to thwart more advanced adversaries. Along with the continuing importation of Russian weapons, improved training and rising levels of professionalism, China is now firmly on track to become a credible regional military power. An array of new indigenous weapon platforms has been unveiled in the past year that is at least a generation ahead of the PLA's …

Wall Street Journal April 18, 2007 Pg. 9 Singapore Prime Minister Urges U.S. To Bolster Its Ties In Asia By Yaroslav Trofimov and Paul Beckett SINGAPORE -- Distracted by problems elsewhere, the U.S. isn't paying enough attention to Southeast Asia, losing its regional influence to a rising China and potentially weakening antiterrorism cooperation, Singapore's prime minister cautioned. In Southeast Asia, the U.S. has "many friends and many strategic interests," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told The Wall Street Journal ahead of his talks with President Bush, scheduled for early next month in Washington. "It's important for us to continue to nourish this,…

Keating urges sharing maritime security info By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press Posted : Monday Apr 16, 2007 7:18:42 EDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The top U.S. commander in the Pacific on Monday said countries lining the Malacca Strait have vastly improved the security and safety of the important trade route in the last five years. Adm. Timothy Keating also said that sharing maritime security information among military officials, diplomats and commercial shipping operators was an integral part of U.S. goals to boost regional stability. “It’s of critical importance to us,” said Keating told a joint news conference with Gen. Abdul Aziz Zainal, the chief…

Anyone with this edition or access to the USNI website, a vey interesting article can be found pp 38-42 discussing current Indian naval strategies/concerns. It can provide outstanding scenario fodder. I believe that you need "access", but here is the link anyway. Find article here - hopefully. I could always post a copy if it is believed to be "ok"

PaCom chief confident U.S. can deter N. Korea By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Apr 13, 2007 9:45:54 EDT SEOUL, South Korea — The new top commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific expressed confidence Friday in the military’s ability to respond to any aggression by North Korea though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have left him with fewer troops on the ground. Adm. Timothy Keating is visiting South Korea for the first time since he assumed control of the U.S. Pacific Command last month. He was expected to discuss the U.S.-South Korea alliance with Korean leaders and have U.S. commanders brief him on the North Korean threat and the status…

From Aviation Week Chinese ASAT strike was third try; had mobile element Amy Butler/Web Exclusive COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright says the Chinese made two unsuccessful attempts at an anti-satellite intercept before the successful test in January. During those earlier tests, at least one of which took place last year, the Chinese interceptor boosted into space but missed the target. The re-entry vehicles later fell back to Earth, an intelligence official says. Cartwright says the test was a pivotal moment for the U.S.'s presence in space, but he cautioned against an overreaction. "This is not in my mind the defining momen…

India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile India Test Fires New Nuclear-Capable Missile Agni III, State Government Official Says By MUNEEZA NAQVI The Associated Press NEW DELHI - India test fired a new missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Middle East, a state government official said Thursday. An earlier test firing of the Agni III missile had failed when it plunged into the Bay of Bengal short of its target in July last year. There was no immediate comment whether the current test was successful. The missile was launched from Wheeler Island off the eastern state of Orissa, the state government official said on condition o…

How the U.S. could lose a war with China over Taiwan World Tribune Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace inspected the honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Beijing in late March. Pace was in Beijing to hold talks with China 's top military leaders. (AFP/Elizabeth Dalziel) The Rand Corp., a leading consultant to the Pentagon and the intelligence community, has assessed that China could defeat the United States in a war over Taiwan. Rand said Beijing has developed a strategy meant to deny the U.S. military access to the Straits of Taiwan. In a report that contrasted sharply with the optimism of several U.S. mil…

Navy plans large-scale exercise off Guam Valiant Shield will involve 3 carriers, 22,000 troops By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Apr 10, 2007 9:54:39 EDT PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The Navy will send three aircraft carriers to waters off Guam for large-scale exercises late this summer, the outgoing U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said. The Valiant Shield war games will resemble exercises held near the U.S. territory last June. Those brought together some 28 ships, 280 airplanes and 22,000 troops. Adm. Gary Roughead, announcing the exercises Monday, said the Navy learned a great deal from last year's large-scale exercises and wanted to hol…

Los Angeles Times - April 10, 2007 China Missile Test Seen As A Threat To Taiwan Exercise showed ability to blind U.S. satellites that would help defend the island, study says. By Associated Press WASHINGTON — China's anti-satellite test in January increased the country's military threat to Taiwan by demonstrating a limited ability to blind the U.S. satellites that would be deployed in defense of the island, according to a report by an independent private research group to be released today. "The test is a vivid example of how China's emerging military capabilities will complicate the strategic environment confronting U.S. forces for decades to come,"…

Wall Street Journal April 9, 2007 Pg. 4 A Thaw For China And Japan? As Economies Become Intertwined, Nations Soften Stances By Sebastian Moffett and Jason Leow The complex and rocky relations between China and Japan these past few years have been neatly summed up in both countries by four Chinese characters: "politics -- cold; economy -- hot." Bilateral trade has doubled over the past four years, and exports of machinery and chemicals to China helped drag Japan's economy out of a slump. But there was little love lost between the governments and people. Japan's last prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, insisted on visiting Yasukuni, a shrine to Jap…

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…

Washington Times April 6, 2007 Pg. 9 China Mum On Pace Query On Anti-Satellite System By Bill Gertz, The Washington Times China's senior military leaders refused to disclose any details about a recent test of a new anti-satellite weapon system or other aspects of a secret space-arms program, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters yesterday. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, who recently returned from a four-day visit to China, also said NATO forces have launched a spring offensive in Afghanistan against ousted Taliban militia. On China's Jan. 11 test, Gen. Pace said he asked Chinese leaders during several meetings about the use of a mi…

Sri Lanka rebel naval HQ destroyed: defence ministry 1 hour, 53 minutes ago Sri Lankan warplanes "bombed and completely destroyed" a key Tamil Tiger naval base Wednesday, the defence ministry said, drawing an immediate denial from the rebels. Israeli-built Kfir jets pounded what the defence ministry said was the "Sea Tiger headquarters" of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Puthukkudiyiruppu, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the coast, in the northeast of the country. The LTTE said there were no casualties from the bombing, which they said took place near the "White Pigeon" charity, which helps victims of landmines. "The bombs fell about 60…

Japan, U.S., India to hold joint naval drill The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Apr 3, 2007 9:32:29 EDT TOKYO — Japan, the U.S. and India will hold their first three-way naval drill later this month, a Japanese defense official said Tuesday, amid efforts by Tokyo to boost ties with the region’s naval powers. An Indian missile ship, two U.S. destroyers and three escort ships of Japan’s Self-Defense Force were among the vessels slated to take part in the joint exercise off Chiba prefecture on Japan’s eastern coast on April 16, according to defense official Yoshihito Fukabori. The drill, which Fukabori described as a goodwill exercise, will consist of bas…

From Defense Aerospace China Could Potentially Defeat U.S. In Conflict Over Taiwan By Limiting Military Access, Rand Study Finds (Source: Rand Corporation; issued Mar 29, 2007) China could potentially defeat the United States in a future military conflict over Taiwan by using strategies designed to limit U.S. military access to the area, according to a report issued today by the RAND Corporation. The report examines scenarios in which China might employ what are known as “antiaccess” strategies – actions that would impede the deployment of U.S. forces into a combat zone, limit the locations from which American forces could operate, or compel the U.S. milita…

From Jane's Intelligence Watch Report 26 March 2007 Tamil rebels take to skies to attack Sri Lankan base EVENT On 25 March, the ethnic insurgent Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) became the world's first non-state armed group to undertake a bombing raid using its own aircraft without external support. The LTTE’s use of air power is not unexpected. The Sri Lankan government has long accused the rebels of developing an air wing, possibly called Vaanpuligal, stating in mid-2005 that the LTTE had built and was maintaining a 1,250 m air strip in Mullaitivu district. Photographs released by the LTTE on 26 March show the LTTE leader Prabhakaran with six a…

From DefenseNews Posted 03/21/07 08:40 South Korean Air Force Chief Resigns REUTERS, SEOUL, South Korea South Korea’s air force commander resigned March 21, becoming the latest leader in the country brought down in part by a golfing scandal. President Roh Moo-hyun accepted the resignation of Air Force Chief of Staff Kim Seong-il, a presidential spokesman said. In an abrupt announcement, Kim said he was offering to resign to take responsibility for air crashes that occurred during his tenure, an Air Force spokesman said. But he was also facing intense criticism for reportedly playing golf while the nation mourned the death of the first South Korean soldier kil…

From Defence Talk Indian Air Force Retires More Old MiGs Agence France-Presse | Mar 21, 2007 India’s air force bid farewell March 20 to some of its last active Soviet-era jets, which are set to be replaced by new hardware from either Russia, the U.S. or Europe. Four of its five remaining MiG-23 jets, which have top speeds of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,150 miles) an hour, staged a fly-by from an air base in western India before the entire squadron was declared retired, an air force spokesman said. The planes — referred to by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as "Floggers" — were bought from the Soviet Union in the early 1980s during a frenetic a…

From Defence Talk Japan is considering the Eurofighter Typhoon as a replacement for some of its ageing fighter jets, in what would be a surprise move for a country that has hitherto relied on the United States for combat aircraft. The Defence Ministry is examining its options as it plans to start replacing its fleet of 60 F-4 fighters as well as training aircraft in the next couple of years, the defence ministry said. "Of course we are considering the Eurofighter among other options," a spokesman at the Defence Ministry said. The Eurofighter is built by a consortium headed by BAE Systems, Europe's largest defence firm. The Rafale fighter jet manufactur…