USA: Hagel to Travel to Germany, India, Australia

US SecDef Chuck Hagel

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will embark on an around-the-world trip next week focused on protecting U.S. interests but with a special emphasis on the Asia-Pacific, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said today.

Hagel will meet with his counterparts in Germany, India and Australia on what will be his 15th international trip as defense chief.

The secretary’s first stop will be to U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany where he will meet with Eucom’s commander, Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, who is also NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

At Eucom, Hagel will “receive briefings on the latest developments in Ukraine and the reassurance initiatives we are undertaking with our NATO allies,” Kirby said.

Hagel will also meet with service members and their families.

Editorial: Vietnam to Acquire Japanese Maritime Surveillance Ships

By Ankit Panda

Japan will sell Vietnam six used maritime surveillance vessels in a deal worth $5 million.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, on a visit to Hanoi this week, announced that Japan will provide Vietnam with six naval ships for the purpose of patrolling the South China Sea. The deal will amount to 500 million yen (roughly $5 million) and is likely to anger China, which recently faced off against Vietnam over the positioning of a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters off the Paracel Islands. The deal marks a continuing trend in Japanese foreign and security policy of stepping up arms exports and defense deals following the lifting of Japan’s self-imposed 1967 ban on weapons imports. Japan is also exporting weapons to India, and will collaborate on defense development with the U.K.and France.

Kishida announced the deal by noting that both Japan and Vietnam have agreed upon “maintaining peace and stability” in regional waters. Additionally, he added that both sides had agreed that maritime disputes ought to be resolved “in accordance with maritime law.” Vietnam recently threatened to take China to an international court over the oil rig dispute. Notably, Japan is selling Vietnam used surveillance vessels. According to Reuters, the ships will be accompanied by “training and equipment to help the coastguard and fisheries surveillance effort.” Additionally, according to anonymous Japanese government sources, Japan will further provide Vietnam with radar equipment. ”I hope that this support will contribute to the enhancement of Vietnam’s maritime law enforcement capability,” Kishida said. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: Chinese Hackers Target Israel’s Iron Dome

Iron Dome (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons)

By Zachary Keck

A PLA cyber unit targeted Israeli defense companies involved in developing the coveted Iron Dome missile defense system.

Chinese military hackers stole information relating to Israel’s much-touted Iron Dome missile defense system, according to a recent report by the cyber security website, Krebs on Security.

“Three Israeli defense contractors responsible for building the ‘Iron Dome’ missile shield currently protecting Israel from a barrage of rocket attacks were compromised by hackers and robbed of huge quantities of sensitive documents pertaining to the shield technology,” the report says, citing analysis by the Columbia, Md.-based threat intelligence firm Cyber Engineering Services Inc. (CyberESI).

The hackers penetrated the systems of three top Israeli defense firms — Elisra Group, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems — between October 2011 and August 2012, according to CyberESI (although the initial phishing emails went out in April 2011). CyberESI says that most of the information the Chinese hackers targeted was “intellectual property pertaining to Arrow III missiles, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), ballistic rockets, and other technical documents in the same fields of study.” This and other information led CyberESI to conclude that the hackers were interested in Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defense system.

The timing of the cyber intrusions is also consistent with this conclusion. The Iron Dome was first deployed in March 2011 and intercepted its first missile from Gaza a month later. That same month is when the first phishing emails were sent to the firms. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Think Tank: A realistic future submarine—at last

By Andrew Davies

At the Defence and Industry conference this week, we got an official update on the status of the Future Submarine project (SEA1000) from the project head, RADM Greg Sammut and DMO’s General Manager of Submarines, David Gould. That’s welcome, as multi-billion dollar government projects should be exposed to public scrutiny to the extent possible consistent with commercial and security sensitivities. (I won’t comment on other rumours doing the rounds.)

In a recent ASPI paper, Mark and I summarised the thinking that was on display at ASPI’s conference in April. What we got this week showed encouraging progress in the three months since. I’ve been writing about the project for years now (like the F-35, it’s a gift that keeps giving) and have lamented the apparent lack of coherence in planning. So credit where it’s due; with a couple of exceptions which I’ll come back to later, I think we’ve arrived at a sensible approach.

Firstly, RADM Sammut explained that the Integrated Project Team (IPT) in Adelaide is largely composed of industry representatives working in support of DMO’s project office. This ‘above the line’ industry participation is vitally important if the Commonwealth is to be a smart buyer. Having relevant industry experience in-house will allow Navy/DMO to refine their requirements cognisant of their impact on project costs and risks.

AUS: Exercise RIMPAC draws ADF closer to amphibious future

More than 800 Australian Navy, Army and Air Force personnel are on their way home after taking part in RIMPAC, the world’s largest naval exercise, which concluded in Hawaii today.

Australia sent the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ship HMAS Success and Submarine HMAS Sheean, a rifle company from 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment and three Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion aircraft to the exercise to conduct military training with defence forces from 21 other Pacific Rim nations.

At the start of the exercise on 26 June, Australian Defence Force officers were appointed to three senior RIMPAC command positions for the first time.

Rear Admiral (RADM) Simon Cullen served as Deputy Commander of the Combined Task Force, Air Commodore Chris Westwood as Combined Forces Air Component Commander and Commodore Peter Leavy as Expeditionary Strike Group Commander.

USA: US, Indian Navy, JMSDF Embark On George Washington, Enhance Maritime Interoperability

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Everett Allen, USS George Washington Public Affairs

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- Guests from Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Indian navy, Japanese Ministry of Defense and staff embarked on the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington, July 30. 

Itsunori Onodera, Japanese minister of defense, Rear Adm. Atul Kumar Jain, Eastern Fleet flag officer, and Rear Adm. Terry Kraft, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Japan, were among the 30 embarked distinguished visitors as part of Malabar 2014, a U.S. Navy, Indian navy, and JMSDF trilateral naval field training exercise, aimed at improving collective maritime relationships and increasing understanding in multinational operations. 

"It's fantastic to be out here on USS George Washington escorting the Minister of Defense to take a look at this trilateral exercise," said Rear Adm. Terry Kraft. "These exercises are so important because we all share responsibility for freedom of navigation and freedom of the seas." 

News Story: 8 ways the US can curb Chinese expansion by 2020 - Richard Fisher

Richard Fisher, a military expert on Chinese military development, has suggested eight ways for the United States government to stop China from expanding its power and influence around the globe by the year 2020, in a report written for the International Assessment and Strategy Center on July 24.

First, Fisher suggested the United States develop a family of medium- to short-range anti-ship ballistic missiles and sell them to its allies and security partners in the Asia-Pacific region. He said that it is time for Washington to declare the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty it signed with Moscow in 1987 obsolete under the new Chinese missile threat and that a large number of anti-ship missiles are capable of neutralizing the People's Liberation Army Navy in any potential battle.

He also suggested that the United States should create an Asian regional long-range sensor network that would provide network members a near real-time warning of China's military activity. This would allow regional governments enough information to pursue either individual or coalition defensive responses. Fisher then said that the US military should deploy rail guns to the Taiwan strait because this new weapon system would offer Taiwan the ability to finally emerge from the era of "missile terror" from China.

Read the full story at Want China Times

Editorial: Cambodian Defense Delegation Visits Thailand Amid Tensions

By Ankit Panda

A Cambodian delegation led by General Tea Banh visited Thailand to discuss defense cooperation, among other issues.

Earlier this week, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and defense minister paid a visit to neighboring Thailand to strengthen military ties between the two countries. Thailand experienced a coup in May of this year that has left the country under the rule of a military junta, led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha. The Cambodian delegation was led by Defense Minister General Tea Banh who met with a variety of Thai military leaders, including Supreme Commander Thanasak Patimaprakon and General Prayuth. The visit marks the first high-level military meeting between the two countries since the Thai military seized power in May. The visit takes place amid accusations from Thailand that Cambodia is harboring anti-junta activists.

According to The Cambodia Daily, the Cambodian delegation expressed its confidence in the leadership of the Thai military junta, stating that they believed that the military will bring “peace and order” to Thailand and that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, “understands the situation in Thailand very well.” Banh told the Cambodian media that the two sides discussed military cooperation without providing details about what specific topics were discussed. The Cambodian delegation also raised the issue of migrant workers. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: China's RIMPAC Spying - Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

By Shannon Tiezzi

China’s RIMPAC surveillance reveals a troubling disconnect in its interpretation of freedom of navigation.

Despite hopeful comments by U.S. military officials, China’s sending a naval vessel to spy on the international RIMPAC exercises near Hawaii does not indicate a tacit recognition that similar U.S. operations near China are legal. Instead, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman complained Thursday that such U.S. reconnaissance missions “severely compromise China’s national security.”

As Zach wrote earlier this week on the Flashpoints blog, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, was remarkably upbeat about the revelation that a Chinese auxiliary general-intelligence ship was shadowing the RIMPAC drills within Hawaii’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Locklear saw the Chinese vessel’s presence as “an acceptance by the Chinese of what we’ve been saying to them for some time, [which] is that military operations and survey operations in another country’s EEZs … are within international law and are acceptable.” China has long protested U.S. surveillance missions within China’s EEZs, while the U.S. believes waters outside the 12 nautical mile territorial zone are international waters and thus fair game for surveillance missions. Because China sent a vessel to perform reconnaissance within Hawaii’s EEZ, Locklear was hopeful China had come around to the standard international interpretation.

However, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman made it clear that China’s position has not changed. Geng Yasheng, speaking at the ministry’s regular monthly press conference, defended the presence of China’s AGI vessel in the Hawaiian EEZ, saying that the vessel was acting in line with international law. “We hope the U.S. [will] respect the legitimate rights of the Chinese ship,” Geng said, and the U.S. navy has shown every indication of doing so.

Still, China’s position that its own ship is acting lawfully doesn’t seem to have changed its dislike for similar actions by U.S. vessels. Geng objected to a comparison between the two: “The activities of the Chinese navy ship, no matter in terms of scope, frequency, or pattern, can not be compared to the U.S. ship and aircraft’s high intensity close-in reconnaissance against China.” 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: The Specter of North Korean ICBMs

By Clint Richards

With sanctions unable to stop Pyongyang’s weapons program, the U.S. needs a new policy.

Despite North Korea’s increasing isolation from its only strategic ally and benefactor, China, it has remained resolute in its antagonistic stance against the U.S. in recent weeks, especially as South Korea and the U.S. conduct regular military drills in the region. North Korea has responded by increasing its tempo of missile launches, and on Wednesday it was revealed that Pyongyang could be preparing for a full intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test. The U.S. has responded with new and proposed sanctions on several fronts as it seeks to constrain the Hermit Kingdom’s behavior.

However, any actual U.S. levers over North Korea’s behavior are limited, and many in the West, including some top American officials, are becoming sensitized to Pyongyang’s repeated nuclear and ballistic missile tests. As North Korea shows that it is not only unresponsive to sanctions, despite the cost to its economy and population, but that it can make steady progress in its missile and nuclear research, the U.S. and its allies will have to find more creative ways to check its progress before it manages to miniaturize a nuclear device and successfully mount it to a fully operational ICBM.

Following a rather audacious threat on Sunday from Pyongyang to strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons, on the 61st anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, it does appear that the military regime is taking steps to be able to do just that. Satellite imagery from the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s 38 North blog suggests that ICBM engine trials may be coming to a close. If those trials are successfully concluded by the end of this year, “the next stage in development of the KN-08 road-mobile ICBM may be a full-scale flight test of the missile.” Modifications to the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in order to accommodate such a large missile could be ready by 2015, although there is considerable speculation in the intelligence community as to whether North Korea is making enough progress in its ballistic missile program to be ready by such an early date. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat