Current Events in Mideast-Africa

From The Telegraph [excerpt]

From eDefense Indian Navy Preparing to Receive Nuclear Subs by Pulkit Singh Dec. 13, 2005 Indian Navy personnel have completed their training in Russia prior to the service taking possession of Akula-class nuclear submarines. According to Indian Navy sources, some 265 personnel, mostly from Vishakapatnam, were trained in Sosnovy Bor, west of St. Petersburg, for service onboard two Akula-class submarines (referred to as the Bars class in Russia) that India is negotiating to lease from Russia. Officially, Russia has yet to sign an agreement for the lease of two submarines, but the training of Indian Navy personnel suggests that such a deal between India and Russia…

From Stratfor Geopolitical Intelligence Report - Move and Countermove: Ahmadinejad and Bush Duel GEOPOLITICAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT 08.29.2007 Dr. George Friedman Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Aug. 28 that U.S. power in Iraq is rapidly being destroyed. Then he said that Iran, with the help of regional friends and the Iraqi nation, is ready to fill the vacuum. Ahmadinejad specifically reached out to Saudi Arabia, saying the Saudis and Iranians could collaborate in managing Iraq. Later in the day, U.S. President George W. Bush responded, saying, "I want our fellow citizens to consider what would happen if these forces of radicalism and extremism are al…

As I've stated in the past, I'll put my personal experience in the Middle East up against that of any member of this group. In all my years working in Saudi Arabia, I found that there are many good folks there, but also some who seem to be in a perpetual state of looking for something to be offended by, especially over religious matters. A seemingly innocuous remark or action could rapidly escalate into someone being "Offended", and even more rapid unemployment. With this fact in mind, my initial employer decided to see that all hirees received training in the various aspects of society that could prove problematic. Hard as it may be for some Americans to accept, w…

From Stratfor Pakistan and its Army By George Friedman Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency over the weekend, precipitating a wave of arrests, the suspension of certain media operations and the intermittent disruption of communications in and out of Pakistan. As expected, protests erupted throughout Pakistan by Nov. 5, with clashes between protesting lawyers and police reported in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and several other cities. Thus far, however, the army appears to be responding to Musharraf's commands. The primary issue, as Musharraf framed it, was the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to release about 60 people the …

Building A Modern Arsenal In India By Heather Timmons and Somini Sengupta NEW DELHI, Aug. 30 — India is developing a military appetite to match its growing economic power. Over the next five years, military analysts expect the country to spend as much as $40 billion on weapons procurement alone, more than its entire annual armaments budget today — upgrading systems as diverse as jet fighters, artillery, submarines and tanks in its largely Soviet-era arsenal. As a result, India will become one of the largest military markets in the world. For American contractors, which had been shut out of India for decades, the surge in demand comes just as relations betw…

From Aviation Week [excerpt]

Possibly supersonic and ram-jet powered: http://defense-update.com/20160327_israeli_anti_ship_missile.html

Iran Bought Missiles From North Korea By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BERLIN DefenseNews Iran has bought 18 BM-25 missiles from North Korea which the Islamic Republic wants to transform to extend their range, the German press reported Dec. 16. ”Iran has bought 18 disassembled BM-25 missiles from North Korea with a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles),” Bild newspaper said, citing a report from the German secret services. It added that Iran’s ultra conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to have the range of the missiles “extended to 3,500 kilometers”. The newspaper said that until now Iran only had Shehab-3 missiles with a range of 1,300 kilomete…

From Defense Aerospace Experts Say Iranian Missile Program Poses Little Threat to US and Europe (Source: Voice of America news; issued June 7, 2007) WASHINGTON --- The U.S. says its proposal to base ballistic missile defense systems in eastern Europe is designed to deter what U.S. officials label as "rogue states," particularly Iran. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, Western analysts believe Iran's missile program is still far from posing any threat to Europe or the United States. Iranian National Security Council Chairman Ali Larijani labeled the U.S. assertion that the proposed missile shield is aimed at Iran as a "joke" because, he said, Iranian …

From Flight International DATE:30/08/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com Israel sets F-35 Joint Strike Fighter specifications By Arie Egozi The Israeli air force has completed a review of its design requirements for a national variant of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, with Tel Aviv expecting to make a decision to buy up to 100 of the US aircraft under a multi-year procurement. Details of the air force's unique requirements remain classified, but are known to include a locally built electronic-warfare suite and a new internally carried bomb to be developed by Israel Military Industries. The general staff of the Israeli defence forces will soon de…

From Foreign Policy [excerpt]

From Foreign Policy [excerpt]

From Jane's Zonal marking: Kenya looks to position itself for a new role in maritime security 30 June 2009 On 6 May, Kenya submitted a claim to extend its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from 200 n miles out to 350 n miles, adding 103,000 square kilometres to the nation's maritime area of responsibility, alongside the potential benefits of harnessing new and untapped resources such as petroleum, gas and manganese nodules and crusts. The economic importance of succeeding with the bid to extend the EEZ is obvious, but it brings with it some other important considerations, such as how to provide maritime security across hitherto unpatrolled waters. In the abse…

From Stratfor The Shift Toward an Israeli-Syrian Agreement April 29, 2008 By George Friedman The Middle East, already monstrously complex, grew more complex last week. First, there were strong indications that both Israel and Syria were prepared to engage in discussions on peace. That alone is startling enough. But with the indicators arising in the same week that the United States decided to reveal that the purpose behind Israel’s raid on Syria in September 2007 was to destroy a North Korean-supplied nuclear reactor, the situation becomes even more baffling. But before we dive into the what-will-be, let us first explain how truly bizarre things have gotten.…

From Aviation Week Rebuilding IQAF Not Without Challenges Nov 9, 2008 By Robert Wall The Iraqi vision is grand: build one of the Middle East's premier air forces flying F-16s, attack helicopters and modern airlifters. But years of neglect, combat losses and domestic turmoil mean that attaining this goal will be an enormous challenge. Trying to create a new air force in what's effectively still a war zone may be an unprecedented undertaking. Nevertheless, such efforts are gaining momentum as a new generation of systems, pilots, maintenance personnel and processes starts coming into its own. Transitioning to a Western-style flying culture is proving to be …

From DefenseNews Posted 12/07/06 11:35 Israelis Piqued by Gates Nuclear ‘Confirmation’ By DAN WILLIAMS, REUTERS, JERUSALEM Robert Gates, the incoming U.S. secretary of defense, won plaudits in Washington this week for his candor on the Iraq war. Some Israelis were less pleased, however, to hear Gates mention with equal frankness what U.S. administrations have long avoided saying in public -- that the Jewish state has the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal. To be fair, it was pretty oblique. During his Senate confirmation hearing on Dec. 5, Gates mentioned why Iran might be seeking the means to build an atomic bomb: "They are surrounded by powers with nuclear …

From ARES Blog IDF Drills Simulating War with Syria and Lebanon Posted by David Eshel at 11/10/2008 9:32 AM CST The Israel Defense Forces Northern Command concluded a large-scale exercise yesterday which simulated a double-front conflagration with Syria and Lebanon. The exercise incorporated its various branches including Israel Air Force, Israel Navy, IDF Army, and the IDF Intelligence Corps, lasted four days. Toch command post during the exercise The exercise, codenamed "Shiluv Zro'ot III" (Hebrew - Crossing Arms III), was the second largest of its kind since the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and was largely based on lessons learned. During…

From DefenseNews EU Threatens Support for Sanctions Against Iran By BROOKS TIGNER, BRUSSELS Tense back-channel talks are under way between European Union countries and Iran to persuade the latter from re-starting its nuclear enrichment research — an activity Tehran promised in late 2005 to freeze in exchange for a new economic and political relationship with Europe. The EU lead nations of Germany, France and the United Kingdom — the so-called EU3 — are warning they will support United Nations sanctions, long desired by Washington, if Iran does not immediately reverse its position. European support for U.N. sanctions “would certainly see them come into effect …

Chemical Attack in Syria - National Evaluation presented by Jean-Marc Ayrault following the Defense Council Meeting (26 April 2017) (France Diplomatie)