News Story: ASEAN-Plus defense ministers to discuss terrorism, drug trafficking in Philippines

MANILA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and eight dialogue partners will convene in the Philippines next month to discuss fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and maritime conflicts, the Philippine defense chief said on Thursday.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that ministers will also discuss ways to mitigate climate change and cushion its impact on the region.

"We are going to have some statements with ASEAN countries but we are also having dialogues with our eight other dialogue partners," Lorenzana told reporters.

He described the forthcoming high-level security meeting, dubbed the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), as "a huge conference" that is hoped to address issues that threaten peace and security of the region.

Read the full story at Xinhua

USA: Bonhomme Richard ESG completes deployment with 31st MEU

By MC2 Sarah Villegas, ESG 7 Public Affairs

In this file photo, ships of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group form up with ships from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy during exercise Talisman Saber in July. (Royal Australian Navy/LSIS Helen Frank) >>

OKINAWA, Japan - The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived in Okinawa, Japan, to offload the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Sept. 19, capping a multi-month deployment in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, deployed together since early June, successfully completed multiple certifications, participated in Talisman Saber 17, and conducted port visits throughout Australia.

The Blue-Green Team participated in the biennial exercise Talisman Saber off the coast of Australia to achieve interoperability and strengthen the U.S.-Australia alliance. The bilateral training tested watchstanders in nearly every domain—surface, air, undersea—and increased proficiencies in the ESG’s primary mission of landing forces ashore.

News Story: ASEAN countries express support for developing cyber security norms

SINGAPORE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states on Monday expressed their support for the development of basic, operational and voluntary norms of behavior to guide the use of ICTs in the bloc in a responsible manner.

They made the remarks at the second ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC), which is part of the Singapore International Cyber Week 2017 (SICW).

According to a press release from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, the norms will take reference from the norms set out in the 2015 Report of the United Nations Group of Government Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UNGGE).

The AMCC agreed that such norms will help to enhance trust among ASEAN member states and build confidence in the use of cyberspace so as to harness its full potential to bring about greater economic prosperity.

Read the full story at Xinhua

Related Story:

• Singapore to set aside 1.1 mln USD to promote ASEAN capacity in cybersecurity

News Story: Global Effort To Disrupt Proliferation/Illicit Trade Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction

The Australian Government is joining forces with countries from around the world to conduct Exercise Pacific Protector 2017, as part of an ongoing major international commitment to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems and related materials.

Exercise Pacific Protector will be held in Cairns, Queensland from 6–9 September 2017 as part of the Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation—a flagship event of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which is a global effort by 105 partner countries to build networks, tools and capabilities to counter illicit WMD-related trade across the globe.

Across the four days, participants will take part in a number of different activities, including academic sessions, a table top exercise, a subject matter exchange training program, a live exercise and demonstrations that will facilitate the sharing of intelligence, enhance quick decision-making processes, and deploy capabilities to conduct interdictions that will increase the capacity of PSI countries within the Indo-Pacific.

The live exercise will comprise a Royal Australian Navy Frigate, a Japanese P-3C Orion aircraft, and a Queensland Police vessel in a scenario that will involve the tracking of ships suspected of carrying materials related to weapons of mass destruction.

News Story: S. Korea, U.S. to end joint military exercise

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will wrap up their combined defense drills on Thursday as scheduled amid renewed tensions on the peninsula, officials said.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise, which started on Aug. 21, has involved more than 50,000 South Korea troops and around 17,500 American service members, including 3,000 from overseas bases.

Seven other member states of the United Nations Command -- Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Britain -- also took part in it.

The command post practice has focused on war games based on the allies' Operational Plan 5015 for an emergency situation on the peninsula and joint deterrence strategies.

The North has protested the training with a series of provocations. It fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday that flew over Japan following the launch of three short-range rockets.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: S. Korea, U.S. in military drills amid N. Korea's threats

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean and U.S. militaries on Monday started their first major combined training since North Korea's test-firing of two long-range missiles and threat to shoot ballistic missiles toward Guam.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise will run through next Thursday, focusing on a "tailored joint deterrence strategy" based on the Operational Plan 5015 of the Combined Forces Command, officials said.

In an unusual gesture, three top U.S. military commanders -- Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris, Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten and Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves -- will observe the command-post exercise in person.

It involves tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers. In a press statement, the Ministry of National Defense did not specify the number. Ministry officials said the size is similar to that of last year, roughly 50,000.

The U.S. has reduced the number of its participating service members to 17,500 from 25,000, according to the Pentagon. The troops include some 3,000 coming from off-peninsula.

Seven other member states of the United Nations Command -- Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Britain -- are also taking part in it.

There's no report of the U.S. dispatching such high-profile weapons as aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines or strategic bombers to the training.

"UFG is computer simulated defensive exercise designed to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean peninsula," it said.

Officials from the two countries denied speculation that links the decrease in the number of U.S. participants to an effort to cool down tensions on the peninsula.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: S. Korea, U.S. begin military drills amid N. Korea's threats

SEOUL, Aug. 21 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean and U.S. militaries on Monday started their first major combined training since North Korea's test-firing of two long-range missiles and threat to shoot ballistic missiles toward Guam.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise will run through next Thursday, focusing on a "tailored joint deterrence strategy" based on the Operational Plan 5015 of the Combined Forces Command, officials said.

In an unusual gesture, three top U.S. military commanders -- Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris, Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten and Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves -- will observe the command-post exercise in person.

It involves tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers. In a press statement, the Ministry of National Defense did not specify the number. Ministry officials said the size is similar to that of last year, roughly 50,000.

The U.S. has reduced the number of its participating service members to 17,500 from 25,000, according to the Pentagon. The troops include some 3,000 coming from off-peninsula.

Seven other member states of the United Nations Command -- Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Britain -- are also taking part in it.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

USA: Exercise to Strengthen Efforts in Defense of South Korea, Mattis Says

By Lisa Ferdinando 

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2017 — A joint U.S.-South Korean computer-simulated defensive exercise set to kick off tomorrow is meant to strengthen joint efforts for the defense of South Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said today.

Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which runs to Aug. 31, is focusing on command post operations for the integration of efforts, Mattis told reporters traveling with him while en route to Jordan on the first leg of an overseas trip.

"This right now is an exercise to make certain that we're ready to defend South Korea and our allies over there," he said, adding that "because of the specific circumstance, we want it to be a command post-heavy, command post exercise."

The exercise is defensive in nature, Mattis said, noting that joint exercises have been going on for decades. The exercise operates transparently and is carefully planned out to prevent any misinterpretation on what is occurring, he said.

"It's calculated to not allow for miscalculation," he added. The number of troops involved is because of the focus of this year's exercise -- command and control -- and not in response to any factor from North Korea, he explained.

News Report: Pyongyang - US, South Korean Military Drills Pushing Peninsula 'Into Nuclear War'

Joint military exercises by the US and South Korea are only "adding fuel to the fire" on the Korean Peninsula, Pyongyang said on Sunday.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises set to start on Monday, plus the new sanctions on North Korea by the US and the UN, are making things worse instead of easing tensions on the peninsula, the Pyongyang organ Rodong Sinmun said in a Sunday editorial, Yonhap reports.

Indeed, the exercises are "reckless behavior driving the situation into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war," Rodong Sinmun warned.

"The joint exercise is the most explicit expression of hostility against us, and no one can guarantee that the exercise won't evolve into actual fighting," the paper warned. "If the United States is lost in a fantasy that war on the peninsula is at somebody else's door far away from them across the Pacific, it is far more mistaken than ever."

At least 75,000 troops will take part in the 10-day war games, a huge-scale, computer-simulated drill designed to help American and South Korean forces practice defending South Korea against an invasion, according to the US Defense Department. Washington insists that the drills are "defensive," but Pyongyang sees them, and military drills that practice taking out North Korean leadership, as provocations.

USA: DoD Announces Start of Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2017 — South Korea and U.S. Combined Forces Command will hold the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise Aug. 21-31, defense officials announced today.

Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a computer-simulated defensive exercise designed to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula, defense officials said. About 17,500 U.S. service members will participate, with about 3,000 coming from installations outside South Korea, the officials said.

Multinational Participation

U.S. forces will join military forces from major South Korean units representing all services, as well as South Korean government participants. In addition, United Nations Command forces from seven nations, including Australia, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, will participate in the exercise.

Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission observers will monitor the exercise to ensure it complies with the 1953 armistice agreement, defense officials said. Training exercises like Ulchi Freedom Guardian are carried out in the spirit of the Oct. 1, 1953, South Korean-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty and in accordance with the armistice, the officials added.

"These exercises also highlight the longstanding military partnership, commitment and enduring friendship between the two nations, help to ensure peace and security on the peninsula, and reaffirm U.S. commitment to the alliance," the defense officials said.

US DoD

USA: USS Rushmore to support Oceania Maritime Security Initiative

From U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs

USS Rushmore (LSD 47) file photo. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Amanda R. Gray) >>

PACIFIC OCEAN - The Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47), with embarked U.S. Coast Guard District 14 maritime law enforcement personnel, departed San Diego in support of Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI), Aug. 14.

OMSI is a secretary of defense program aimed to diminish transnational illegal activity on the high seas in the Pacific Island Nations of Oceania's exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and enhance regional security and interoperability with partner nations.

"Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing undermines efforts to conserve and manage global fish stocks,” said Lt. Kenji Awamura, Coast Guard 14th District response enforcement. “The goal of combined efforts by the Navy and Coast Guard through the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative mission is to deter these devastating practices. In partnership with Australia, New Zealand, France, and the Pacific Island Nations, OMSI further promotes economic and environmental stability throughout Oceania."

News Story: New Zealand to increase investment in defense industry

WELLINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand government's planned investment in the defense industry over the next 15 years represents a huge opportunity for New Zealand companies, the Ministry of Defense said on Friday.

Defense Minister Mark Mitchell told defense industry representatives on Thursday night that the country needs a Defense Force that is equipped and supported to respond to a rapidly changing strategic environment, which requires investment, according to the release.

Over the next 15 years, the government will invest up to 20 billion NZ dollars (14.6 billion U.S. dollars) in new and upgraded military capability, including replacement of all the major platforms and the regeneration of the defense estate, Mitchell said.

"We have many companies in the Defense sector who are themselves investing and innovating in their areas of expertise," Mitchell said, adding that the government's investment in defense promotes growth in the sector, creates jobs and means that the industry will have every chance to build on its achievements.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: East Asia Summit commits to counterterror cooperation

By Pia Lee-Brago

MANILA, Philippines - Deeply concerned over the rise of terrorism and radicalization in some countries, members of the East Asia Summit (EAS) reaffirmed their commitment to counter the activities of extremist groups to prevent the flow of foreign terrorist fighters.

Foreign ministers stressed the importance of strengthening EAS cooperation to address security threats in a “comprehensive manner.”

“The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to counter the activities of the terrorist/extremist groups, including the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and resolved to step up efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism by strengthening security cooperation, information sharing, suppressing terrorism financing and de-radicalization,” according to a statement issued at the 7th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Story: Philippines' Duterte pushes for immediate conclusion of Asian trade pact RCEP

MANILA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stressed on Tuesday the need to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), saying it will help in further integrating the economies of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"The RCEP will provide further impetus to our efforts (to integrate the ASEAN economies). Negotiations should conclude swiftly as decided by RCEP leaders in 2016," he said in a speech marking ASEAN's 50th anniversary.

The Philippines has committed to fast track the RCEP, a giant free trade pact that aims to tie together ASEAN's free trade agreements with each trading partners including Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

In April, Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Philippines will push for the "substantial conclusion" of RCEP that will expand the ASEAN market from 600 million people to 3.5 billion by year-end.

At the same time, Duterte said ASEAN must take a serious look at the economic integration of its members economies.

"ASEAN has a bigger stake than any other part of the world standing up against protectionism and securing the rules of the game in the international trade," he said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: New Zealand issues RFT for NH90 helicopter simulator

RNZAF NH-90 (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Nick Lee-Frampton

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence has issued a request for tenders for a simulator to train pilots to operate the NH90 medium utility helicopters flown by 3 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

The service operates eight of the TNZA variant of the NH90 helicopters from the Ohakea air base located north of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The Air Force anticipates an annual “flying“ rate for the simulator of between 1,500 and 1,900 hours.

A minimum requirement for the simulator’s software and hardware is meeting the NATO Helicopter Management Agency’s final operating configuration, including five multifunction displays — and level-three standards as detailed in European Aviation Safety Agency certification specifications for helicopter flight simulators; however, the MoD said that “a full-motion simulator is also acceptable.“

The timeline from when a contract is signed to delivery to New Zealand will be approximately two years. The RFT closes Sept. 28, 2017.

A request for proposals for simulator services was awarded in September 2016 to Helicopter Flight Training Services GmbH. This, the MoD told Defense News, was done to allow interim access to simulation training while a decision was made on potential procurement of a simulator for operation within New Zealand.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Indonesia, New Zealand agree to deepen anti-terrorism cooperation

JAKARTA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia and New Zealand have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism through information exchanges and preventive efforts.

The agreement was the result of the meeting between Indonesian government's anti-terrorism desk of BNPT head Suhardi Alius and New Zealand's Assistant Commissioner for International and National Security Michael Pennet.

Alius said during the meeting on Wednesday that he and his New Zealand counterpart shared the experiences and views in dealing with terrorism issue.

The two shared similar concerns on the returning of Islamic State (IS) militants to their respective countries. Those militants, popularly known as Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF), have posed new security threats to several Asian countries.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: Japan, New Zealand Join US Forces for Anti-Submarine Drill in Western Pacific

A US Navy P-3C Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Armed forces from the United States, Japan and New Zealand will practice anti-submarine warfare near the Pacific island of Guam for the next ten days, the US Navy announced in a press release on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The exercise named GUAMEX 2017 will include approximately 40 operational scenarios and the opportunity for military-to-military exchange events on aircraft and vessels, the release explained.

"GUAMEX will include multiple aircraft and subsurface assets from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)," the release said.

The US Navy will provide P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft for the July 31-to-August 12 drills, which include air patrol squadrons from Japan and New Zealand, the release added.

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

USA: GUAMEX kicks off for regional maritime patrol and reconnaissance partners

From CTF 72 Public Affairs

In this file photo, a P-3C Orion from Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 conducts a mission during a preview GUAMEX. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Jillian Lotti) >>

YIGO, Guam - Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft from Japan, New Zealand and the U.S. are participating in a multinational anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise off the coast of Guam, July 31 - Aug. 12.

Exercise GUAMEX 2017 is aimed at increasing proficiency and interoperability between Asia-Pacific countries.

GUAMEX will include multiple aircraft and subsurface assets from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and the U.S., who will collaborate to strengthen personal relationships between these countries.

News Story: Nations agree to boost cooperation on fighting terrorism - Indonesian official

JAKARTA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and Brunei Darussalam have pledged to step up cooperation in combating terrorists following the IS's militant strikes in the Philippines, a senior official said here Monday.

Indonesian Chief Security Minister Wiranto made the remarks after attending the sub-regional meeting on foreign terrorist fighters and cross-border terrorism in Manado city of North Sulawesi province at the weekend.

The meeting agreed on the establishment of a forum on counter foreign terrorist fighters in a bid to strengthen cooperation and share information among the law enforcers and intelligence, Wiranto said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

USA: McCampbell visits Sydney following Talisman Saber

From USS McCampbell Public Affairs

USS McCampbell (DDG 85) departs Sydney, July 27. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Jeremy Graham) >>

SYDNEY, Australia - The forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) departed Sydney, July 27 following a four-day port visit.

The visit marked the end of McCampbell's participation in the biennial, U.S.-Australia, multi-domain exercise Talisman Saber 2017 (TS 17). This was an exercise that focused on joint training among U.S. forces to conduct a range of missions in the air, sea, land, and cyberspace.

US Navy participants included USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), Carrier Air Wing 5, USS Shiloh (CG 62), USS Barry (DDG 52), USS McCampbell (DDG 85), USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), USS Green Bay (LPD 20), USS Ashland (LSD 48) and USS Sterett (DDG 104).

More than 33,000 forces from the U.S. and Australia have participated in TS 17. Although TS 17 remained a bilateral exercise, members of the New Zealand Defense Forces participated under the command of Australia, and members of the Japan Self-Defense Force participated under U.S. command.