Current Events in Asia-Pacific

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…

From DefenseNews Singapore Mulling Purchase of Swedish Submarines By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, SINGAPORE Singapore’s Defense Ministry said Sept. 29 it is considering whether to buy second-hand Vastergotland-class submarines from Sweden to replace some units in its fleet. “The Swedish Navy is planning to stand down two of its submarines of the Vastergotland class,” the Ministry of Defense (Mindef) said in a statement. “Mindef is now considering whether this might provide the Republic of Singapore Navy an opportunity to enhance its submarine capabilities by replacing some of its Challenger-class submarines with the Vastergotland-class submarines.” Singapore…

Taiwan slammed on lax defense By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES September 20, 2005 A senior Pentagon official yesterday sharply criticized Taiwan's government for not moving ahead with an arms buildup to counter a mounting threat from China. Edward Ross, a senior Pentagon security cooperation official, also suggested in a speech that the United States might not defend Taiwan in a conflict with China unless Taipei does more to boost its defenses and national will. "As the lone superpower, our interests are plentiful and our attention short," Mr. Ross said. "We cannot help defend you if you cannot defend yourself." With U.S. troops fighting and dy…

Shifts in Pacific Force U.S. Military To Adapt Thinking New Plans Reflect Reaction To China's Growing Power By Edward Cody Washington Post Foreign Service Saturday, September 17, 2005; A01 ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A dull-gray B-2 bomber sat poised in a typhoon-proof air-conditioned hangar, its bat wings stretching 172 feet across. The bomb bay was fitted for 80 GPS-guided bombs, at 500 pounds each, that could be delivered to any target in Asia within a few hours. The hulking stealth aircraft is a symbol of new times in the Pacific. "Having this airplane in theater sends a message to the world," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Bussiere, of St. Joh…

Chinese attack sub encounter puts Taiwan's navy on alert Mainichi Daily News TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's military was investigating a news report Saturday that a nuclear submarine from rival China surfaced and nearly collided with a patrol of navy vessels off a Taiwanese-held island. The Chinese attack sub -- a Han-class nuclear-powered vessel -- suddenly surfaced and appeared to be heading for five Taiwanese ships near Kinmen island on July 25, according to Saturday's edition of the Apple Daily, which didn't cite any sources. The Taiwanese ships spotted the submarine and prepared for a confrontation. Three speedboats equipped with missiles were called in to a…

From eDefense It took seven years, but Singapore has finally chosen a replacement for its aging fleet of A-4SU Super Skyhawks: the Boeing (St. Louis, MO) F-15T, a variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle. The Singapore Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) announced on Sept. 6 that it is now in the process of seeking final clarifications and contract negotiation with Boeing under its New Fighter Replacement Program (NFRP), under which Singapore aims to procure 20 (although perhaps as many as 24) new fighters to replace its A-4SUs, which "will soon be at the end of their operationally useful life," according to a MINDEF spokeswoman. The NFRP, with an estimated value of some $1 bi…

Drills put U.S. Navy on notice By RICHARD HALLORAN Special to The Japan Times HONOLULU -- Soon after Adm. Gary Roughhead took the helm as the new commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Chinese and Russian armed forces gave him something to think about. Those two forces in the western Pacific have just completed eight days of joint maneuvers centered on the Shandong Peninsula, across the Yellow Sea from the Korean Peninsula. The drills were conducted with 10,000 military people on land, at sea, and in the air, about 8,500 of them Chinese. That's not large as those things go, but it was the first such exercise done together since the breakup of the Soviet …

For those familiar with the Harpoon Classic game, this idea sounds a lot like the Cold War concept platform, Mitchel Offshore Base, that is found in the GIUK and NACV Battlesets. Looks like what was old is new again. US and Japan plan floating runway Justin McCurry in Tokyo Monday August 29, 2005 The Guardian Japan and the US are planning to build a giant floating runway off the coast of western Japan in a bid to reduce noise pollution by US military aircraft, local media reported yesterday. The "megafloat" will be built six miles off Iwakuni, home to a US marine base, at a cost of up to ¥500bn (£2.5bn), the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said, quoting go…

Taiwan to get warships from US by year-end Taipei: Taiwan will begin taking delivery of four US Kidd-class destroyers before year's end to boost its defences against China, a military official said Tuesday. NewKerala "Two of the four vessels are undergoing testing and training in the US," Rear Admiral Lee Hao said at a news conference. "Both have passed the tests by the US Atlantic Fleet. Test-firing of Standard II anti-air missiles on the vessels will be held in October." "The two warships will depart from the Charleston port in South Carolina for Taiwan via the Panama Canal in November and are expected to arrive in Taiwan before the end of the year," L…

GLOBAL INSECURITY Private navies combat Malacca Strait pirates Waterway now so dangerous for shipping, Lloyd's classifies major seaway as warzone © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com Ship captains navigating the Malacca Strait no longer have to depend on the slow response of government – or sheer luck – to safely pass through the pirate- and terrorist-infested waters since private navies have begun providing escort services for ships through the strategic seaway. The Strait, passageway to a third of the world's crude oil, has long been treacherous, with gangs armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other modern weapons ready to board, kill crews, stea…

From DefenseNews Japan Plans First Spy Plane to Watch North Korea By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, TOKYO Japan plans to introduce unmanned spy aircraft to watch military bases in North Korea or other countries, letting Tokyo gather such intelligence on its own for the first time, a report said July 26. The Defense Agency will tighten its watch on North Korea, which fired a missile over Japan in 1998, regardless of the outcome of multilateral talks that began July 26 in China to end Pyongyang’s nuclear drive, the Tokyo Shimbun said. The agency will seek funds on the project for the fiscal year beginning in April 2006, the newspaper said, without citing sources. …

China's new destroyers feature Aegis tech copied from U.S. Special to World Tribune.com EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM Thursday, July 21, 2005 China's military put its new guided missile destroyers on display last week, disclosing its two new warships that are equipped with Aegis-type battle management systems. Two new Luyang II guided missile destroyers are part of China's naval builduup. The two Luyang II guided missile destroyers are Beijing's first Aegis-type ships. The ships are currently undergoing sea trials. U.S. intelligence officials say China stole the technology for the Aegis battle management system by setting up a front company in the United Sta…

There are at least one boatload of sailors in the Royal Canadian Navy who can fully empathize with their Australian counterparts. Sub 20 seconds from death By Cameron Stewart July 23, 2005 News.com.au AN Australian submarine carrying 55 sailors was seconds from sinking to the bottom of the Indian Ocean following a catastrophic on-board flood off the coast of Perth. The near-tragedy has forced the navy to permanently reduce the diving depth of its fleet of six Collins-class submarines for safety reasons - a move that has weakened their military capability. An investigation by The Weekend Australian has revealed that an accident on board HMAS Dechain…

From DefenseNews Chinese General Warns U.S. Over Taiwan By JOHN RUWITCH, REUTERS, BEIJING A Chinese general has warned that China was ready to use nuclear weapons against the United States if Washington attacked his country over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on July 15. Zhu Chenghu, a major general in the People’s Liberation Army who said he was expressing his own views and did not anticipate a conflict with Washington, nevertheless said China would have no option but to go nuclear in the event of an attack. “If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition onto the target zone on China’s territory, I think we will have to respon…

From Defense Aerospace Launch of RSN's Fourth Frigate (Source: Singapore Ministry of Defence; issued July 15, 2005) The Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) fourth frigate, RSS Tenacious was launched on 15 July 2005, by Mrs Lalitha Jayakumar, wife of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law, Prof S. Jayakumar, at Singapore Technologies Marine yard. Prof Jayakumar officiated at the launching ceremony. The launch of RSS Tenacious marks another milestone for the Formidable-class frigate programme. She is the third frigate to be built locally. In the next phase, RSS Tenacious will undergo harbour and sea trials. The RSN stealth frigates’ sophisticated sen…

From eDefense India Offered German U-214 Subs by Kenneth B. Sherman Jul. 13, 2005 India was believed as recently as June to be about to sign a $2-billion deal for six French Scorpene-class submarines, part of a fleet of 24 new boats to be obtained under Project 75. However, with that deal still stuck at the Cabinet level after two years, Germany has countered with an offer of its own – and one that may usher in a new threat to anti-submarine-warfare (ASW) aircraft. Germany last week offered U-214-class submarines, built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) (Kiel, Germany), for a relative bargain of $460 million per boat (including a 25-30% discount) – far b…

From Defense Aerospace INS Beas Joins the Indian Navy (Source: Indian Press Information Bureau; issued July 11, 2005) INS Beas, the latest Guided Missile Frigate built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata is being commissioned into the Indian Navy on 11 Jul 05 at Kolkata by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Arun Prakash. BEAS, a 3600 tonne warship, is 125 metres in length and a draught of 4.5 metres. The platform is densely packed with state-of-the-art weapons like Barak Anti Missile Defence system, four quad-packs of the URAN Surface-to-Surface missiles, one medium range 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount, four Close range 30mm AK 630 Guns, two…

From Defense Aerospace Breakthrough in Japan for Stirling AIP (Source: Kockums AB; issued July 11, 2005) Kockums has signed a contract with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) concerning delivery of Stirling engines for Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems of Japan’s submarine programme. The order has been placed following several years evaluation of Stirling engines aboard the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) training submarine. Japan has decided to adopt the AIP system that is based on Kockums' Stirling engine technology for its new submarines. “We are very pleased for the new orders for Stirling engines from Japan, including our long-term …

From Defense Aerospace Seoul to Purchase US Spy Aircraft (Source: Korean Ministry of National Defence; dated July 13, web-posted July 12, 2005) The Defense Ministry has officially requested the United States sell its high-altitude, long-range surveillance aircraft as part of its mid to long-term arms acquisition plan, ministry officials said on Tuesday (July 12). The request was made at a sub-panel session of an annual defense ministerial meeting between South Korea and the U.S., called the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), in Hawaii last month, officials said. The two allies are scheduled to hold the SCM in October. The South Korean delegates aske…

From DefenseNews China and Russia to Hold Joint Military Exercises Aug 18-26: Report By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BEIJING China and Russia will hold rare joint military exercises involving up to 8,000 service personnel from August 18-26, a state newspaper reported July 6. ”Peace Mission 2005” will involve China’s army, navy and air force, while Russia will dispatch its navy and air force, said the Global Times, citing Russian press reports. China’s Defense Ministry has not announced the exercises. But Russian President Vladimir Putin said June 30 during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao that joint exercises would take place later this year. …