Current Events in Asia-Pacific

Source: US Delivers 30 Helicopters to Pakistan : Military Aviation : Defense News Air Force Army Navy News

Japan to host nuclear U.S. carrier The Navy says the move is unrelated to efforts to base such a vessel in Hawaii By Gregg K. Kakesako gkakesako@starbulletin.com The Pentagon's decision to locate a nuclear aircraft carrier in Japan for the first time is not related to the ongoing campaign to home-port one at Pearl Harbor, Navy officials said yesterday. Pacific Fleet spokesman Jon Yoshishige said no decision has been made on whether the Navy will base a nuclear aircraft carrier in Hawaii. The Navy announced yesterday that the USS Kitty Hawk -- one of its two remaining non-nuclear carriers -- will leave Yokosuka in 2008 and be decommissioned. It will be repla…

Kopp and the gang continue to be unhappy about the impending demise of the RAAF F-111 force: F-111: Deadly strike fighter to be trashed

Here is interesting fodder for scenario designers. I do not believe that it has been posted previously. A Question of Balance Pete

From Defense Aerospace [excerpt]

From Defense Aerospace Indian Navy to Build Nuclear Submarine Base (Source: Forecast International; issued June 17, 2010) NEW DELHI --- The Indian Navy will construct a new base for its nascent nuclear submarine fleet. The project, codenamed Project Varsha, will be located on India's east coast. It will involve special features to ensure the safety of the submarines and their maintenance personnel. Reportedly the base will be modeled on the Chinese nuclear submarine base on Hainan Island, implying that it will consist of underground facilities linked to the sea by tunnels. Currently, one locally built submarine, the INS Arihant, is undergoing its criticality …

From Flight Global [excerpt]

From Naval Open Source Intelligence Blog (http://nosint.blogspot.com/2012/06/vietnam-to-buy-amur-diesel-submarines.html) Russia began to Vietnam to offer an upgraded version of the Kilo class submarines - Amur, this submarine is well suited for patrolling and fighting in the East Vietnam Sea. According to analysts, if Vietnam could buy a fleet of Amur submarines, submarine forces of Vietnam will truly become a powerful force in the region. Amur class submarines can also be equipped with missiles launched from submarines to attack ground targets, so it can fully protect all targets on the coast and the islands of the East Vietnam Sea South. Vietnam Navy can be a p…

From Army Times March 09, 2005 Base in Korea closes Associated Press CAMP PAGE, South Korea — Thumping helicopters streamed out of the U.S. military base Camp Page Wednesday, as soldiers packed trucks with equipment to prepare for moving as part of Washington’s plan to reduce its forces in South Korea. The base is to be closed and turned over to South Korea by the end of March in line with U.S. plans to restructure its deployment of overseas forces in order to focus more on anti-terrorism operations. Some 12,500 troops will depart by 2008, leaving 24,500 soldiers in this country as part of the military presence that the United States has maintained here …

From Stratfor Chinese Geopolitics and the Significance of Tibet April 15, 2008 By George Friedman China is an island. We do not mean it is surrounded by water; we mean China is surrounded by territory that is difficult to traverse. Therefore, China is hard to invade; given its size and population, it is even harder to occupy. This also makes it hard for the Chinese to invade others; not utterly impossible, but quite difficult. Containing a fifth of the world’s population, China can wall itself off from the world, as it did prior to the United Kingdom’s forced entry in the 19th century and under Mao Zedong. All of this means China is a great power, but one that h…

PRC's new 'Type 094' submarine has no bite By Cheng Ta-cheng 鄭大誠 Taipei Times Saturday, Jul 15, 2006,Page 8 Advertising Advertising Recent reports indicate that China's Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered guided ballistic missile submarine is already in service. Some of the media haven't been able to avoid buying into the hype surrounding its production, calling it "the complete equal of the American Ohio-class nuclear submarine." The 094's construction process has been shrouded in mystery, even to the extent that authorities have cordoned off a restricted area extending several kilometers around the construction facilities on China's Hulu Island, strictly p…

From http://www.defensenews.com Singapore Navy To Escort Passing Merchant Ships By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, SINGAPORE Armed escorts from the Singapore Navy will guard selected merchant ships and cruise liners plying the city-state’s busy waters as part of efforts to prevent terrorism, the defense ministry said Feb. 28. The Accompanying Sea Security Teams scheme will be launched sometime in March, a ministry spokesperson said. The Straits Times newspaper reported Feb. 28 that up to eight navy personnel capable of running a commercial vessel in an emergency will board selected ships that might be threatened because of their cargo. The team will includ…

From Flight International DATE: 06/10/08 SOURCE: Flight International Eurofighter gets serious about Japan's F-X contest By Siva Govindasamy The Eurofighter Typhoon is becoming a serious contender in Japan's forthcoming F-X fighter competition, with industry sources saying that Tokyo is taking the European fighter more seriously in the much-anticipated tender. "If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said that the Typhoon did not have a chance due to the close US-Japan ties. I am no longer sure of that," says a Tokyo-based industry source close to the Japanese defence ministry. "Washington's continued refusal to release information on the [Lockheed …

From RIA Novosti [excerpt] CV32: Russkies got no money for fuel, etc, or something deeper going on?

From Defense Aerospace Air Warfare Destroyers – The Foundation Laid (Source: Australian Minister for Defence; issued Oct. 4, 2007) I am pleased to announce the signing of the final contracts to build three Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs) for the Royal Australian Navy. At a total cost of approximately A$8 billion, this is the largest naval shipbuilding project ever undertaken in Australia. The signing follows two years of hard work by the AWD team in the design selection phase of the project that resulted in the Australian Government choosing the Spanish Navantia F-100 warship as the platform for Australia’s next generation Hobart-class AWDs. The first o…

Watching BBC at this time, they are reporting that the North Koreans launched their rocket at 0230 UTC Sunday. First stage fell into the Sea of Japan, second stage fell into the Pacific ocean east of Japan. Nations in the region are lodging the usual protests. Apparently there was no effort by Japanese air defence to shoot the weapon down Depending on the apogee of the flight path, I'd guess we're looking at an IRBM class weapon. While the news calls this 'signifigant' I would say that it is somewhat less so. They need to perfect an RV and I don't see any nation allowing that kind of test near their borders. Remember that this is based on Scud technology. …

CV32: And, as expected, Beijing is less than happy ... From Flight Global [excerpt]

BBC News link The new leader isn't even 30 and has next to no political experience. No wonder the South are on high alert.

From Navy Times Fallon seeks quick agreement on Kitty Hawk replacement Associated Press (Kyodo) The commander of U.S armed forces in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday he wants to reach an early agreement with Japan on a replacement of the retiring Japan-based aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. ”I’d like to have some agreement on the issue with Japan,” Adm. William Fallon, commander of the Hawaii-based Pacific Command, told a House of Representatives Armed Services Committee hearing. With the Kitty Hawk slated for retirement in 2008, Congress is urging the military to quickly set out an overall naval deployment plan to offset China’s growing naval power in …

From RIA Novosti 03:50 02/06/2010 Russia will transfer its Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine for a 10 year-lease to India in the autumn, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation has said. "The training of the crew has been concluded, most of the tests have been carried out — everything is almost at the finish line," Mikhail Dmitriyev told journalists in New Delhi after a meeting of the Russian-Indian high-level supervisory committee on military and technical cooperation on Tuesday. He said India would receive the K-152 Nerpa submarine in October or November 2010. The lease follows an agreement inked between N…