News Story: Chinese ships sail near disputed islands with Japan

Chinese coast guard vessels sailed near disputed islands claimed by Japan and China in the East China Sea on Monday, marking the second such incident in less than a week.

The four ships entered the waters surrounding the island chain, controlled by Japan and known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in China, at around 10:00 am (0100 GMT) and were moving in a southwest direction, according to the Japanese coast guard.

An online statement from China's State Oceanic Administration only said the four Chinese coast guard vessels were "patrolling in Chinese waters off the Diaoyu Islands."

Japan's coast guard said it was the second time since Thursday that four Chinese ships had entered its waters.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: India Begins Major Overhauling of Country’s Coastal Security

With a coastline of more than 7500 kilometers, India aims to equip its coast guards with 175 ships & 110 aircraft in next five years.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – After a delay of more than a decade to fill the gaps in coastal security, India has finally expedited the process to add more ships, aircraft, and high-speed interceptor boats to Indian Coast Guard, the country’s smallest armed force.

On Thursday, private defense firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) delivered two more high-speed interceptor Ships (C-433 and C-434) to Indian Coast Guard near Chennai, seven months ahead of contractual schedule. The boats are part of a $200 million deal under which the company has to deliver 54 interceptors.

“Made of aluminum alloy hull with waterjet propulsion, these ships have a speed of over 45 knots with excellent maneuverability and are ideally suited for the high interception,” L&T said in a statement.

News Report: Japan to Closely Follow Russian Military’s Actions on Southern Kurils

Japan will closely follow Russian military’s actions on the South Kuril Islands that Tokyo considers to be Japanese territories, the Defense of Japan annual white paper for 2017 said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Japan will closely follow Russian military’s actions on the South Kuril Islands that Tokyo considers to be Japanese territories, the Defense of Japan annual white paper for 2017 said.

"It is necessary to follow tendencies of Russian Armed Forces on the Far East, including the Northern Territories [Japanese name for the South Kuril Islands]," the paper, released on Tuesday, said.

The four South Kuril Islands, namely Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, have long been disputed between Russia and Japan, and are the reason the countries have never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II.

In November, the Russian Pacific Fleet's official newspaper Boyevaya Vakhta reported that Bal and Bastion coastal defense missile systems were deployed on Kunashir and Iturup islands, respectively. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the deployment was part of scheduled works aimed at strengthening the country’s national security. Japan, in its turn, criticized the deployment, with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying it was "unacceptable."

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Story: Chinese ships enter Japan waters north of Kyushu for 1st time

FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- Two Chinese coast guard ships briefly entered Japanese waters Saturday around two islands off the southwestern main island of Kyushu, in the first confirmed entry by Chinese government vessels into the area, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, vessels of every country have the right to sail through territorial seas as long as they do not harm the safety of the countries concerned.

The Japan Coast Guard requested the ships to exit from the territorial waters, though it has not made it clear whether it considered their presence an intrusion into territorial waters.

According to the coast guard, it was notified by the Defense Ministry that one Chinese coast guard ship entered territorial waters near the southern tip of Tsushima Island around 11:50 a.m.

The ship exited the waters around 12:20 p.m. after the coast guard called on the ship to leave by radio.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Report: Discovery of More Chinese Ships Adds Pressure on Normally Passive Malaysia

Ralph Jennings

TAIPEI — The discovery of new and persistent Chinese coast guard activity in a tract of sea claimed by Malaysia adds public pressure on the Southeast Asian government to resist China, but is not seen as a tipping point in relations.

Three Chinese coast guard vessels patrolled waters off the Malaysian coast of Borneo over 60 days from December through late February, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative under U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies said this month.

Pressure on Malaysia for response

That finding will add public pressure on the Malaysian government of Prime Minister Najib Razak to step up resistance against China, analysts expect.

“I think certainly these are issues (that) will become a sticking a sticking point for Najib,” said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

“He wouldn't want to put foreign policy on center stage because this is going to become a particularly problematic issue that he will find very hard to deal with,” Koh said.

News Story: Navy’s warship to patrol Benham, says AFP chief

BRP Tarlac (File Photo)

By Jaime Laude

MANILA, Philippines - Vessel (SSV) BRP Davao del Sur will be deployed to patrol Benham Rise once the vessel is delivered by the Indonesian defense contractor next month, Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año said.

The BRP Davao del Sur will be the second SSV of the Navy. The military is also expecting the delivery of two missile-firing Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) by November.

“BRB Lanao del Sur will also be deployed in Benham Rise. With our naval assets we could now conduct regular maritime security patrols,” Año said.

Aside from the two ships, additional fast crafts and other assets are being planned for the Navy, part of the ongoing AFP Modernization Program.

The BRP Davao Del Sur is now undergoing sea trial.

The vessel is the sister ship of the BRP Tarlac that is currently the Navy’s largest operational warship.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: China sends message of supremacy in South China Sea — expert

By Levi A. So

MANILA, Philippines — An internal journal of China's armed naval wing is sending a message of dominance in South China Sea and two warnings on its possible future actions, an international security expert said.

An article authored by South Sea Fleet officers of China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy boasted military supremacy in South China Sea despite repeated denials by Beijing that it would militarize the maritime region. 

On Monday, the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative reported that construction of China's naval, air, radar and defensive facilities on Subi (Zamora), Mischief (Panganiban) and Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reefs are near completion.

"Intimidated by the projects, related claimants and neighboring countries are unlikely to provoke any military conflict or escalate it into a war because they are too poorly prepared," PLA Navy officers said in the article. The internal journal was obtained by Kyodo News.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: Philippines to conduct air patrols in Benham

Japanese TC-90 (Image: Wiki Commons)

By Michael Punongbayan

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will use its newly acquired TC-90 aircraft from Japan to patrol the West Philippine Sea and Benham Rise where incidents of China’s incursion were recorded.

The Philippine Navy officially received the first two of five TC-90 patrol planes from the government of Japan yesterday.

Japan has agreed to lease five patrol planes to the Philippines at minimal cost. The delivery of the other three planes is expected in 2018.

“We can use that anywhere, any part of the country where these are needed,” AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año told reporters during the turnover ceremony of the two patrol planes in Sangley Point, Cavite yesterday morning.

Asked if the West Philippine Sea and Benham Rise are among the areas that will be patrolled, Año said “yes.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Japanese State Minister for Defense Kenji Wakamiya led the turnover ceremony at the Naval Air Group headquarters in Sangley Point.

Japan has temporarily leased TC-90 patrol aircraft to the Philippines under several agreements in 2015 and 2016 pending another agreement that will allow Japan to donate the aircraft.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: Closer ties with US allies seen to benefit Philippine military

By Patricia Lourdes Viray

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines under the Duterte administration should foster closer security ties with the United States and its security partners including Japan, South Korea and Australia, an analyst said.

This would strengthen the territorial defense capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the face of the South China Sea dispute with China.

Renato De Castro, a professor at the De La Salle Universitiy and trustee of the Stratbase ADR Institute, recently released a study titled "The Role of America's Alliances in the Philippines' Balancing Policy on China: From the Aquino to the Duterte Administration."

In his study, De Castro said that despite the administration's efforts to rekindle ties with China, it is also crucial and urgent to engage the US and its other bilateral allies diplomatically and strategically.

"Dynamic partnerships enable the Philippines to strategize its territorial/maritime defense," De Castro said.

The country's strategic relations have helped the military overcome inadequacies such as in conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations during and after natural calamities.

"As the Duterte administration pursues its economic alliance with China, it should also take note of how these bilateral security partners have helped the Philippines in its times of need," the professor said.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: DFA wants Coast Guard to patrol Panatag

MANILA, Philippines (Philippines News Agency) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it is better to use Philippine Coast Guard ships instead of the Navy in patrolling the vicinity of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc to avoid any provocative move.

“The position of DFA is to ask concerned government agencies to patrol Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoals) using civilian ships,” DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said in a text message Wednesday.

He said Coast Guard ships patrolling the area can immediately send information on any development there.

The DFA senior official is reacting to the statement made by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio to send Navy ships instead of Coast Guards in the area.

However, Jose said sending Navy ships could be misinterpreted.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: Carpio cautions gov't over South China Sea statements

By Audrey Morallo

MANILA, Philippines — Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Monday that the government of the Philippines should avoid actions or statements that express or imply a waived Philippine sovereignty over any of its territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

In a subtle dig at President Rodrigo Duterte, Carpio said in a statement that any declaration saying that the country could not stop China from building on Scarborough Shoal actually encouraged the Chinese to build on it.

Carpio’s unsolicited advice came after Duterte said Sunday that the Philippines was helpless in stopping China from pursuing its reported plan to install a monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

“Avoid any act, statement or declaration that expressly or impliedly waives Philippine sovereignty to any Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea. This will preserve for future generations of Filipinos their national patrimony in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Carpio also reminded the president that as the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) he was tasked by the Constitution to defend the national territory.

Carpio though admitted that the country was no match to China militarily. He said, however, that this should not deter Duterte from fulfilling his constitutional duty.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: PH military hot spot in WPS, make structures stronger

The Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday (17 March) announced it will station ships and strengthen its military facilities on disputed islands and shoals in the West Philippine Sea internationally known as South China (Sea).

DND secretary Delfin Lorenzana disclosed the development plans after visiting a military base near Spratly Islands. “We will build a runway and a port, a pier, for our ships on Thitu,” Lorenzana said. “We are a bit blind in that area.”

Read the full story at Tankler

News Story: Vietnamese cargo ship rescued in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – A Vietnamese merchant ship was saved from robbery or kidnapping recently thanks to the Malaysian Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), according to the country’s Bernama News Agency.

Esscom Commander Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid on March 7 said emergency signals were sent by vessel MV PHU AN 268 of Vietnam when it was passing through waters off the Boan Islands of the Philippines.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

News Story: AFP readying purchase of missiles vs external threats

By Jaime Laude

MANILA, Philippines -  While keeping its focus on internal security, the military is looking forward to better external fighting capabilities with its multibillion-peso Shore-Based Missile System (SBMS) acquisition project.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda bared the plan to reporters Wednesday when asked if the Army is upgrading its external defense capabilities despite its focus on dealing with local threats.

“It’s in the planning stage,” Miranda stressed.

The P6.5 billion SBMS acquisition project was shelved during the previous administration and the budget for it realigned and used for the acquisition of force protection equipment to increase the survivability of soldiers deployed in conflict zones.

Miranda said that SBMS project is still being pursued but this can wait, he added, as the Army is still building up its internal fighting capabilities.

“There’s a plan (for SBMS) project but we have to address first the needs of our soldiers in the field for them to be highly effective in addressing internal security threats,” Miranda said.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: Iran navy heightens security in Gulf territorial waters

TEHRAN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has officially taken over the responsibility of preserving the security of Iranian waters in Persian Gulf, Press TV reported on Tuesday.

According to an agreement with the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran, the IRGC Navy is tasked with seizing vessels trespassing on Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, said Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the commander of the IRGC Navy.

IRGC will seize all intruding vessels in the Persian Gulf and hand them over to the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran, Fadavi said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: Russia Has No Intention to Use Military on Kuril Islands Against Japan

Russia does not intend to use its division which will be deployed to the Kuril Islands against Japan and is ready for military cooperation with Tokyo on the issue, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense committee in the Russian upper house of parliament, told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the ministry would deploy a division on the Kuril Islands this year. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced the following day that Tokyo had sent a note of protest over the plans.

"We do not intend to use our armed forces against Japan by deploying them to the Kuril Islands … We are ready to cooperate, including in the military sector, in the sphere of countering terrorism and theft of marine biological resources," Ozerov said.

Japan lays claim to Russia's Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. Tokyo's stance has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: Japan Lodges Protest Over Russia's Plan to Deploy Division on Kurils

Japan sent a note of protest against Russia over its plan to deploy a division on the Kuril Islands later in the year, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a plan to deploy a division on the Kuril Islands in 2017 in the framework of the border protection measures.

"The protest was submitted via diplomatic channels on [February] 22 and 23. It is regrettable if the Russian Armed Forces enhances its military presence… [there]. It is at odds with the position of our state," Suga said at press conference.

Japan lays claim to Russia's Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. Tokyo's stance has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: India to Add 42 Radar Stations for Surveillance in Western Coast

In the backdrop of frequent movement of rival naval ships and increased risk of terrorist attacks from sea, India has expedited the second phase of coastal surveillance scheme.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – Indian government has sanctioned $120.2 million for 42 coastal radar chains, including 4 mobile ones to supplement the existing 46, installed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Defense sources says that Defense Acquisition Council chaired by India's Minister of Defense has approved the much awaited proposal of Indian Navy on Tuesday whereas it will integrate ships to 38 additional radar and four mobile radar stations along western coasts close to Pakistan.

Works have been assigned to government owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) which will take cooperation from private industries as well.

News Story: Philippines' Duterte wants China sea patrols to stop kidnappings

President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he has asked China to send sea patrols to help stop Islamic militants abducting sailors and attacking vessels off the southern Philippines.

Duterte said he would like Beijing to dispatch a fleet like it did in 2009 when it sent a naval convoy to the Gulf of Aden to protect Chinese ships from Somali pirates.

"I also asked China if they can patrol the international waters without necessarily intruding into the territorial waters of countries," Duterte said in a speech to newly promoted Filipino generals.

"Grey ships are not really needed," he said, an apparent reference to warships.

"I said even coast guard cutters would do, just to patrol, like what they did in Somalia."

Manila has said militant groups are trying to establish an Islamic State-backed caliphate in Southeast Asia that would include the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: Russia Has the Right to Defend Kurils, Japan Has the Right to Have a Voice

Japan and Russia are concentrating on joint economic projects on the Kuril Islands in hope it will help to tackle the 70-year-old territorial dispute. However, Japan has protested the strengthening of the Russian military presence in the region. Experts believe Japan has only a voice as far as in Russian national security is concerned.

The Japanese government will concentrate on economic projects important for both Russia and Japan when working on settling the Kuril Islands dispute, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the parliament on Monday.

According to Abe, during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, he expressed regret over the growing Russian military presence on the Southern Kuril Islands.

In November 2016, Russia deployed the Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems to the islands.

Irina Romanova, the expert of the Russian International Affairs Council and assistant professor of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University, in an interview with RIA Novosti was not inclined to attach much significance to Abe’s protests as a kind of “the last Chinese warning.”

“It not the first time in post-war history that this has happened, especially, in the past 20 to 25 years,” she said.