CV32

File Name: Qian Kong Kuai File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Qian Kong Kuai The Senkaku/Diaoyu islands comprise small volcanic islands and three rocky outcrops at the eastern edge of the East China Sea. The dispute between China and Japan over their sovereignty goes back 500 years, and with the potential of huge offshore oil and gas reserves in the region, shows no sign of resolution. Now China has begun to exploit the resource, and Japan has responded in kind. Now that the Taiwan and Korea questions have been answered, China feels daring enough to enforce its claim on the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Once again, competing economic interests in dangerous proximity result in military action. Released August 2005. Click here to download this file

File Name: Thunder Dragon meets the Gold Eagle File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Thunder Dragon meets the Gold Eagle One of the most significant obstacles to a forced reunification between the PRC and the Republic of China (ROC, commonly referred to as Taiwan) is the US Navy. The presence of a US Navy carrier strike group in the vicinity would pose a very serious danger to PRC military action. Does the PRC possess the capability to neutralize the threat ? Try it and see for yourself. Released September 2005. Click here to download this file

File Name: Third Idea File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Third Idea Negative sentiments flowing from Japan's role in the Second World War continue to run deep in Asia, even six decades later. This remains especially true in China. Nevertheless Beijing tooks steps to rein in vehement anti-Japanese rallies in Spring 2005, ostensibly with the intention of protecting its own internal stability. And yet there was a deeper strategy at work. A newly revitalized relationship between Russia and the PRC, on both economic and defence levels, resulted in a joint plan to seize a commanding position in the Asian sphere of influence. The only obstacles ? Japan and its ally, the United States. Released October 2005. Click here to download this file

File Name: Blame it on the Kellys File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Blame it on the Kellys A growing dispute between Indonesia and Papua-New Guinea about rights to a newly discovered uranium deposit on their mutual border has led to the intervention of China and Australia on opposite sides. China, eager to gain access to the uranium, has sent a sizeable force into the region to support the Indonesian claim. Indonesia has likewise shifted considerable military assets eastward into the disputed area. Overflights of Papua-New Guinea airspace by unknown (and presumably Chinese) aircraft have already been reported. Meanwhile, Australia is moving to support its old colony, and New Zealand is pledging assistance. Released January 2006. Click here to download this file

File Name: My Pet Dragon File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac My Pet Dragon The European Union has long been unhappy with American economic and military sanctions against the People's Republic of China. In recent years, the EU has grown increasingly concerned that the sanctions were unduly stifling European prosperity by blocking access to a huge market. The EU continued to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on Washington as the sanctions dragged on, hoping that eventually they would be lifted. Instead, when American intelligence community insisted that it had discovered an apparent link between China and the Iranian nuclear weapons program, the sanctions were tightened, much to the chagrin of the EU. The focus has now shifted away from diplomacy, and the EU is determined to exploit potential economic opportunities in the PRC. Cargo ships are now enroute from the EU to China, carrying Ariane 5 rocket components from France and Type 212 submarine technology from Germany. The convoy is defended. The Americans are incensed and vow to stop the shipment. Released January 2006. Click here to download this file

File Name: Thirst for Victory v2.0 File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Thirst for Victory v2.0 The relationship between Singapore and Malaysia has never been particularly great, due in large part to historical sensitivities, some stemming from the time of their separation in 1965. Diplomatic level interventions by Australian in the 1980s (through the Five Power Defence Arrangement, or FPDA) helped to encourage better dialogue and cooperation, particularly in defence matters, but there remains an underlying friction between Singaporeans and Malays. Modern era difficulties include unresolved territorial and airspace disputes, customs and immigration issues, new cross-border bridges and railways, and the continued reliance of Singapore upon fresh water supplies from Malaysia. Released February 2006. Click here to download this file

File Name: Bad Moon Rising File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Bad Moon Rising The launch of a Chinese lunar module experiment has failed, with the spacecraft returning to earth somewhere in the central Sea of Okhotsk (according to USAF Space Command). What is alarming, however, is that a scientist from the Chinese space program has defected to Japan, and he has some ominous news. He claims that the rocket was actually carrying an anti-satellite weapon that was being launched by the PRC as a prelude to an impending attack against Taiwan. The race is on to recover the module. Released January 2006. Click here to download this file

File Name: Dynasty File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Dynasty The war with the Americans and its puppet allies is several days old, and going well. So well, in fact, that there are signs of severe fractures in the political support for the war in Washington. Beijing believes the American President is becoming increasingly fearful of losing the war, and may try to neutralize our nuclear deterrent as a prelude to their own escalation to nuclear conflict. To play from the Blue side, try the scenario "The Ninth Immortal". Released February 2006. Click here to download this file

File Name: The Ninth Immortal File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac The Ninth Immortal War with the People's Republic of China is several days old, and going well. So well, in fact, that there are signs of severe fractures in the political structure in Beijing. National Command Authority is becoming increasingly concerned that the PRC may raise the stakes and risk nuclear escalation rather than face humiliation. Satellite reconnaissance indicates a brand new Chinese ballistic missile submarine is preparing to go to sea. To play from the Red side, try the scenario "Dynasty". Released February 2006. Click here to download this file

File Name: Predator or Prey File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 7 Apr 2007 File Updated: 7 Apr 2007 File Category: WestPac Predator or Prey Having taken responsibility for its own defence, and in the face of increased dialogue and openness on the part of the North, the Republic of Korea has tacitly encouraged the departure of US troops on the Korean Peninsula. Responsibilities elsewhere have accelerated this redeployment and reshaped the American presence from a military force into a wholly diplomatic delegation. An end to the decades old stand-off between the two Koreas appears imminent, and yet something is not quite right about this new atmosphere of peace and reunification. Key anti-Communist legislation was recently dismantled in Seoul, and regular military exercises with the Americans have been called off this year due to financial pressures. While the mood seems ripe for conciliation, everyone knows that a predator will always choose to strike when the prey is least expecting attack. Released February 2006. Click here to download this file

From RIA Novosti No U.S. attack on Iran, oil price hits $70 in expectation TEHRAN, April 6 (RIA Novosti) - Washington did not launch air strikes against Iran early Friday despite recent media reports, but expectations of the attack have driven Brent price to $70 per barrel. Russian and foreign media have recently reported the U.S. could launch an operation, codenamed Bite, against Iran at 4:00 a.m. local time April 6. The operation was expected to deliver air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over a 12-hour period to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons. "We are used to this situation. The Americans have been threatening us for many years, and they keep introducing sanctions against Iran," Majid, a salesman, told RIA Novosti. "But nothing has changed. We continue living and working as usual." "I do not think the U.S. will take the risk - Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan," he said, echoing the opinion of many fellow countrymen. Iran's Defense Ministry declined to comment on possible U.S. strikes Thursday night, saying it was closed for Thursday and Friday, which are days off in the republic. Israel's DEBKAfile Web site quoted intelligence sources in Moscow in late March as saying a U.S. strike against Iranian nuclear sites had been scheduled for April 6 and aimed at setting Tehran's nuclear program back several years. The air strikes were expected to hit a uranium enrichment center in Natanz, about 1,000 miles from the Israeli border, a nuclear research center in Isfahan about 210 miles south of Tehran, a nearby heavy water plant in Arak, and military command centers. Israel, which destroyed nuclear facilities in Iraq in 1981, took charge of the first of 25 U.S.-made F-15I multi-role fighters in 1998. The fighters have a range of about 2,700 miles without refueling and have a load capacity, including air-to-ground missiles, of up to 11 tons. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said Thursday contacts between Moscow and Washington gave no reason to expect U.S. strikes at Iran in the next few days. "I am more than certain that no strikes will be delivered tomorrow, and therefore there is no reason to panic," he said. The U.S. has not excluded the military option in negotiations on Iran over its refusal to abandon uranium enrichment. The UN Security Council passed a new resolution on Iran March 24 toughening economic sanctions against the country and accepting the possibility of a military solution to the crisis. A source in Russian security structures quoted Russian intelligence March 30 as saying the U.S. Armed Forces had nearly completed preparations for a possible military operation against Iran, and would be ready to strike in early April. "Russian intelligence has information that the U.S. Armed Forces stationed in the Persian Gulf have nearly completed preparations for a missile strike against Iranian territory," the source said, adding, though, that the final decision would be up to the country's political leadership. Russian Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week the Pentagon was planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran's military infrastructure in the near future. "I have no doubt there will be an operation, or rather an aggressive action against Iran," Ivashov said. A new U.S. carrier battle group has been dispatched to the Gulf. The USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed-wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships and four nuclear submarines are heading for the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed, U.S. Fifth Fleet Lieutenant-Commander Charlie Brown said March 21. Russia's leading business daily Kommersant said Friday Brent prices had soared to $70 per barrel, a record for the past seven months, in anticipation of the U.S. attack, despite the release of British sailors and marines detained by Iran on suspicion of trespassing.

From Jane's Defence Weekly 06 April 2007 Hizbullah prepares for war By Nicholas Blanford Lebanon's Hizbullah organisation is mobilising its military wing, the Islamic Resistance (IR), in preparation for an expected new confrontation with Israel in mid-2007. New recruits are being pushed through an intensified training programme at the Iranian-backed group's training camps in the Bekaa Valley and a steady flow of arms, including surface-to-surface rockets, is coming into Lebanon from Syria, sources within Hizbullah, Lebanese military intelligence and other Lebanese close to the Shia Muslim party told Jane's. The preparations have been detected by Israel, which reportedly delivered a message through US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the Syrian leadership in Damascus on 4 April assuring that no war against Lebanon or Syria is being planned. Hizbullah's build-up began immediately following the 14 August 2006 ceasefire, which ended the 34-day conflict between the Lebanese militants and the Israel Defence Force (IDF). The war yielded inconclusive results for both sides. Hizbullah was able to withstand the IDF's month-long onslaught, killing 119 IDF soldiers and launching an uninterrupted flow of rockets into Israel. However, Hizbullah lost its military autonomy along the Blue Line, the UN name for the Lebanon-Israel border, abandoning its elaborate network of fortified underground bunkers and firing positions to a reinforced 13,000-strong UN Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL 2) and to some 20,000 Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) troops. Israel failed to achieve its pre-war goals of securing the release of two IDF soldiers captured on 12 July 2006, which triggered the war, and of crushing the IR. The repercussions of the conflict have weakened the Israeli government and eroded the IDF's image of deterrence.

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So, after 35 years as host of that venerable game show, "The Price is Right", Bob Baker is retiring in May. The field of candidates is narrowing, with the buzz in Hollywood indicating that Mark Steines, George Hamilton and Mario Lopez are top contenders, together with Todd Newton, John O'Hurley and Mike Richards. But now, with the end of the debacle of the British Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines held in Iran, a new contender has emerged: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The return of the 15 British military personnel was a "gift" to the British people from Iran. They even departed on a first class British Airways flight, complete with new suits and other lovely parting gifts such as candy and CD's. The sheer generosity of Ahmadinejad was overwhelming, to say the least. So, what do you think ? How do you say "Come on down !" in Farsi ?