USA: Panetta Shares Perspectives From Latest Trip

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2012 – In a message to the men and women of the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta shared his perspectives from his recent trip to the Asia-Pacific region.

Here is the secretary’s message:

US SecDef - Leon E Panetta

This week I returned from a week-long trip to Japan, China, and New Zealand, my third trip to the Asia-Pacific region as Secretary of Defense. 

The underlying purpose of the trip was to support our new defense strategy, which calls for the Department of Defense to increase our focus on the Asia-Pacific region. This strategy is part of a government-wide effort that includes increased economic, diplomatic, development, and security efforts – all in order to renew and revitalize America’s role in a region that is becoming more critical to our future security and prosperity.

My first stop was Tokyo, a city that I have visited a number of times in previous capacities, and on my first trip to Asia as Secretary of Defense last year. I am always appreciative of the warm hospitality and genuine friendship that the people of Japan extend to me and all their American visitors. It reflects the fact that Japan is a very close ally in the region, and that our Alliance has served as the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific for more than 50 years.

This trip took place during a time of increased tensions between China and Japan over competing claims to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea – an episode that serves as a reminder of the important role the United States military continues to play in ensuring peace and security in the region. My message to the Government of Japan, which I would later repeat in China, was simple: the United States doesn’t take a position on competing sovereignty claims but we urge both sides to exercise calm and restraint, and we have an interest in seeing this dispute resolved peacefully and through diplomatic means. 

While in Japan, I had very productive meetings with Foreign Minister Gemba and Defense Minister Morimoto that allowed us to make progress on two key issues for our Alliance. First, we agreed to pursue an additional ballistic missile defense radar, directed at protecting the people of Japan, U.S. forward-deployed forces, and the U.S. homeland, from the North Korean missile threat. Second, we set the stage for an agreement, announced later in the week that reconfirmed the safety of the MV-22 Osprey aircraft, enabled the commencement of flight operations, and paved the way for the deployment of the aircraft to in Okinawa. The Osprey is an important new capability that will greatly enhance our ability to defend Japan and respond to crises in the region – with twice the speed, three times the payload, and four times the range of the platform it replaces.

Before departing Tokyo, I had the opportunity to visit with several hundred American service members stationed at Yokota Air Base – a critical hub for our activities in the region. I had the chance to describe our new defense strategy and point out that the key to our strength rests with them – the men and women in uniform serving our Nation. It’s always a highlight for me to have the opportunity to interact with service members wherever I travel in the world.

My next stop was Beijing, a visit that marked my first trip to China as Secretary of Defense. The goal of this visit was to build on the progress we have made toward establishing a military-to-military relationship with China that is healthy, stable, reliable, and continuous. Our two nations have had a series of high-level interactions this year – from the visit of Vice President Xi to the Pentagon earlier in the year to General Liang’s visit in May – that have helped to build sustained and substantive interactions between our leaders. My visit continued this trend. One of the highlights was an elaborate welcome banquet General Liang hosted in my honor at the State Guest House in Beijing, which even included a magic show and a few hundred toasts that we all survived.

In my discussions with key military and civilian leaders, the thing that most impressed me is that we are building the kind of relationship where we can talk openly and candidly about our disagreements. At the same time, we are increasingly able to identify areas where our militaries can cooperate more – such as counterpiracy and maritime security, humanitarian relief and disaster assistance, and peacekeeping operations. In that spirit, I invited China to send a ship to RIMPAC 2014 – the world’s largest multilateral Naval exercise.

I was also encouraged by my interactions with young officers and cadets at the Engineering Academy of PLA Armored Forces, where I gave a speech focusing on the United States rebalance to Asia-Pacific region and had the opportunity to join students for lunch in the cafeteria. The questions that I got from the young cadets were candid and thoughtful, and it was clear that they appreciated my message that a stronger defense relationship between the U.S. and China is critically important to security and prosperity in the 21st century. 

On my third and final day in China, I was able to fly to the coastal city of Qingdao and visit the headquarters of the North Sea fleet. There, I toured a PLA frigate and a diesel powered submarine. I was impressed with the professionalism and discipline of the PLA sailors, and it is clear that they are working to modernize their military. Throughout my visit, I stressed the importance of increasing their transparency as they undergo this modernization, so it was a positive step for me to be given a tour of these ships. 

From Qingdao, we boarded our plane for the final time in China and took an overnight flight down to Auckland, New Zealand, the final stop on this trip. 

It was the first visit I’ve ever made to New Zealand, and I was struck by the similarities in landscape between Auckland and my native Northern California. It was a special honor to be in Auckland because I was the first United States Secretary of Defense to visit New Zealand in 30 years. 

Soon after I arrived, New Zealand’s Defence Forces hosted a welcome ceremony for me that befitted the historic nature of this visit. During the ceremony, a group of Maori tribesman approached me with a ceremonial challenge. My job was to pick up a dagger while not smiling and maintaining eye contact in order to signal that I came in peace. Luckily, I passed the test.

My broader purpose in traveling to New Zealand was first and foremost to recognize that New Zealand has been a stalwart friend over the past decade of war. In Afghanistan, New Zealand has made a variety of contributions to the war effort and continues to lead the Bamiyan provincial reconstruction team. During my visit, I paid tribute to New Zealand’s war heroes at their National War Memorial Museum, and I had the opportunity to recognize five individual soldiers from the New Zealand Defence Forces with Army Commendation Medals.

New Zealand also plays an important role as a provider of security in the South Pacific, and as the United States rebalances to the Asia-Pacific region we are looking for new ways to partner together to enhance regional security. To that end, I was pleased to be able to announce while in New Zealand that the U.S. government is changing some policies that govern interactions with New Zealand’s military, which were put into effect after New Zealand passed nuclear-free legislation in the mid-1980s. Specifically, we have eliminated restrictions on discussions and exercises between our two militaries, and we have established a mechanism to authorize individual visits by ships of New Zealand’s Royal Navy to U.S. military and coast guard facilities, both in the United States and around the world. 

These changes sent a strong signal that we are entering into a new era of defense cooperation with New Zealand. More broadly, my entire week-long trip sent the message that the United States is following through with our strategy to rebalance towards the Asia-Pacific region. Throughout the week, it was heartening to hear Allies, friends and partners in the region welcome the Department’s renewed focus on Asia-Pacific. The high regard they have for the U.S. military is a reflection of the dedication and professionalism of all our men and women in uniform, and the civilians who support them. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful for your continued service to a strong and secure America.

US DoD

USA: US-Philippine Alliance Critical to Asia-Pacific, Official Says

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2012 – The U.S.-Philippine alliance plays a prominent role in the security landscape of the Asia-Pacific region, and the Defense Department continues to build military-to-military relations with the nation, a senior Pentagon official said here today.

Speaking during a conference on the Philippines hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mark W. Lippert, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said the relationship is “a new and exciting approach to the region.”

“I would say this is one of the most important alliances we have,” he said. “It’s a critically important part of our security discussions in Asia. The mil-to-mil relations have been on an upswing over the past decade.”

The effort has produced a true partnership, he said, and the countries now are poised for a new chapter.

Lippert said he believes working-level contacts have developed and matured, putting the United States in a strong position to work collaboratively with Manila on security-related issues. He explained a three-part approach to illustrate what the Defense Department is doing to help further the alliance.

The first point, pre-positioning of humanitarian and disaster relief supplies, also helps to enhance and upgrade the communication infrastructure so the two militaries can talk more effectively to each other, he said.

Another effort is developing a maritime awareness, with the most tangible result being a coastal watch center that was announced at a meeting of the two nations’ defense and diplomatic leaders earlier this year.

“The second line of operation is our mil-to-mil engagement,” Lippert said. “Again, that’s been going on for quite some time. It’s really reached new levels.” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, have engaged with the Philippine military in recent months, he noted.

Exercises are another important aspect of broadening and deepening the military-to-military relationship, Lippert said.

“I think we’re really poised for a liftoff here,” he added. “I think, in part, it’s a tribute to all the good work that has been done in the past decade or so.”

US DoD

Sri Lanka: 19 Australia bound Persons intercepted off Dondra

File Photo: Unrelated Human Trafficking boat caught by Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 19 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler on 26th September 2012. The trawler named “Kavisha Putha” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Southern Naval Command 27 nautical miles off Dondra.

Among the arrested persons are 03 Tamils, 09 Muslims and 07 Sinhalese. They are all males and residents of Colombo, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Pulmudei and Dikwella. They are being escorted to Galle Harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations.

Sri Lanka Navy

Saab Receives Order from Thailand for Upgrading the Combat Management Systems on two Frigates

H.T.M.S. Naresuan (Wiki Info)

Defence and security company Saab has received an order from the Royal Thai Navy for the upgrading of the Combat Systems on the frigates H.T.M.S. Naresuan and H.T.M.S Taksin. The order amounts to Baht 2520 million (approximately SEK 550 million).

The contract is a continuation of an on-going program contracted to Saab by the Royal Thai Navy in 2011. The contract adds additional sights and communications equipment to complete the combat suite on the two frigates. 

“Saab will further strengthen its position as supplier to the Royal Thai Navy through the upgrade of the Combat System on the frigates H.T.M.S. Naresuan and H.T.M.S Taksin. Saab is now on the Navy's three major vessels and with data links to the Royal Thai Air Force's Gripen and Erieye, capabilities and resources can be used more efficiently,” says Gunilla Fransson, Head of Saab’s Business Area Security and Defence Solutions. 

Saab is the main contractor to the Royal Thai Navy, and the order, apart from containing supply of Saab’s systems, also covers delivery of third party systems as well as responsibility for integration of all existing and new systems. 

The contract will run between 2012 and 2015. 

SAAB

Deputy Chief of RMAF gives A400M his thumbs up

Airbus Military A400M Atlas (Wiki Info)

Deputy Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Lieutenant General Datuk Roslan Saad, has given the Airbus Military A400M his thumbs up following his test flight of the new generation airlifter in Toulouse, France, recently.

“It was an enormous pleasure to fly the aircraft that it is going to be at the heart of the RMAF´s transport capabilities in future. It is a real ‘pilot´s aircraft’ and I very much look forward to seeing it enter service so that we can apply its capabilities on a wide variety of missions,” said Lieutenant General Datuk Roslan.

The Malaysian Government has ordered four of the A400M. It is expected to take delivery of its first A400M in 2015.

A total of 174 aircraft have so far been ordered by Belgium France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

About A400M

The A400M is an all-new military airlifter designed to meet the needs of the world's Armed Forces in the 21st Century. Thanks to its most advanced technologies, it is able to fly higher, faster and further, while retaining high manoeuvrability, low speed, and short, soft and rough airfield capabilities. It combines both tactical and strategic/logistic missions. With its cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize equipment needed today for both military and humanitarian disaster relief missions, it can bring this material quickly and directly to where it is most needed. Conceived to be highly reliable, dependable, and with a great survivability, the multipurpose A400M can do more with less, implying smaller fleets and less investment from the operator. The A400M is the most cost efficient and versatile airlifter ever conceived and absolutely unique in its capabilities.

Airbus Military

News Story: Obama's Pacific Tilt Comes Under Fire

By Otto Kreisher

The Obama administration's highly touted "rebalancing" of U.S. military forces to the Asia-Pacific region attracted a barrage of flak during a briefing at an influential Washington think tank Monday.

A group of former senior defense and State Department officials criticized the Pacific tilt at the Center for Strategic and International Studies saying the U.S. lacked a coherent, understandable strategy and failed to adjust the plan in light of shrinking funding and trying to hide the strategy's aim to counter an increasingly aggressive China. (Of course, some in the national security community praise this "strategic ambiguity," saying it allows us to manage the relationship with China without as much nationalistic chest-thumping as there might be.)

Read the full story at AOL Defense

News Story: Indian Army holds wargames along China border

NEW DELHI (PTI): With an aim of review its preparedness, the Indian Army has recently conducted wargames along the China border and is preparing for similar exercises along the Pakistan frontier soon.

The exercises in the North East were conducted by 33 Corps under the Eastern Army Command earlier this month, army sources said.

Army Chief General Bikram Singh oversaw these exercises which were intended to check the battle preparedness vis-a-vis the Chinese Army, the sources said.

Read the full story at Brahmand

Editorial: (China Vs Japan) An Ominous Pledge

By Mira Rapp-Hooper

The recent tensions between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands have garnered much attention. While some analysts have noted that the territorial dispute could easily spiral into a trade war, others have hailed the episode as a harbinger of the potential danger of China’s rise in the coming years.

But this is, of course, not a new story—Japan formally annexed the Senkakus in 1895, and the Chinese have claimed the territory for decades. What’s more, the two parties had a row over the uninhabited islands in the autumn of 2010. While this particular episode may already be subsiding, a repeat incident reminds us the Senkaku/Diaoyu issue is not likely to be settled any time soon.

The Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute is a particularly thorny one because of the way it involves the United States. American officials have long maintained that the islands are covered by the U.S.-Japan security guarantee, because they fall under Japanese administrative control. In this most recent episode, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta reminded both the Chinese and the Japanese of this important fact. What this means in treaty terms is that an unprovoked attack on Japan in the Senkakus can trigger military intervention by the U.S. That the islands are chiefly inhabited by goats is of little consolation here. The territory falls under the U.S.’ extended deterrent “umbrella,” and as such, could be a flashpoint in the Pacific in the years to come.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: War By Other Means: China’s Political Uses of Seapower

PLAN Frigate (Click to Enlarge)

By Toshi Yoshihara

China's development and use of naval and non-naval, non-military sea power has become a cause for concern - one that could alter the regional balance.

China's recent assertiveness in the South China Seas is a harbinger of things to come.  Beijing's seapower project and the enormous resources it has enjoyed have opened up new strategic vistas for Chinese leaders and military commanders.  With larger and more capable seagoing forces at its disposal, Beijing is well positioned to fashion sophisticated strategies that will be more effective and equally difficult to counter.  While such strategies do not—yet—portend the fundamental reordering of maritime Southeast Asia, they will likely yield incremental dividends that advance China's larger aims at sea.

Comprehensive Chinese Seapower

China’s naval and maritime buildup is providing Beijing with the wherewithal to pursue its ambitions.  The rate and scale of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) modernization process have defied many predictions in the West, reversing sanguine and even condescending conclusions about China's aptitude at sea.  But, seapower is more than just the navy.  Rather, it is a continuum that gives Beijing a range of options.  Non-naval and non-military platforms and systems account for a significant portion of Chinese seapower.

Read the full 4 page story at The Diplomat

Editorial: (China) Tall Tales of Patriotic Glory

Bao Tong at his Beijing home in 2008 (Wiki Info)

By Bao Tong

A former Chinese premier's aide calls China's land grabs and forced evictions a form of 'territorial dispute.'

Lawsuits, legal arguments. Well-reasoned points and common sense. If a situation is going to evolve, it needs to be expressed precisely in terms of time. To cover the whole thing with the phrase "since ancient times" is very convenient, but it's not going to convince people.

For example, "since ancient times" we have had emperors. The Eastern Barbarians, the Western Nomads, the Southern Barbarians, the Northern Tribes were all unfortunate because they didn't have emperors. It is said that this is why they were our vassals.

They were the subjects, the followers, who had titles conferred on them by the Son of Heaven.

Their duties and responsibilities were to pay annual tribute and to send a delegation to the emperor every year. Their tribute could consist of some locally produced goods, of some grass for thatching, but they were motivated by the true feelings of a subject, and by the pride of their rulers.

So what does this kind of "since ancient times" actually tell us?

Since ancient times, there have been a number of small islands to our east. During the Sui Dynasty, there was a country there called Liuqiu (Ryukyu).

The 1983 Source of Words official dictionary published in Beijing, on page 3060 of Vol. 3, gives the following definition: "Liuqiu. Name of an ancient country. Also refers to the modern Ryukyu chain of islands to the northeast of Taiwan, China. They became Okinawa Prefecture of Japan in the fifth year of the reign of the Qing Emperor Guangxu, in 1879, after the defeat of their king."

According to this, this happened in 1879, 16 years before the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895). There is a historical basis for every word of this definition.

The editors are well known, and the historical documents they base it on are in the Tales of the Eastern Barbarians in the History of the Sui Dynasty, the Records of the Ryukyu in the History of the Ming Dynasty, and the Four Barbarian Peoples of the historical documents of the Qing Dynasty.

But recently, there has been a new breakthrough and a discovery that has meant that the description "ancient country" has been rewritten as "a country with many dealings with our own." The new conclusion reads as follows: "In the Ryukyu island chain, there is a special island whose seas harbor unseen natural resources."

"And this small island has been China's territory since ancient times. Through patriotic education, it has become the object of patriotic love, part of our sacred territory which must be revered by our citizens. It has even found its way into the territories that we have had 'since ancient times'"!

Does this remind anyone of the large tract of land that was delineated as Chinese territory in the Treaty of Nerchinsk, signed between China and Russia in 1689?  Why, by the 20th and 21st centuries, silently, and without anyone knowing quite how, did this become the territory of another country [Russia]?

This was a very complex legal case, and to this day I don't know if there are any elite personages left alive who can explain it clearly.

But a lot of people say—Mao Zedong used to say this-—that there weren't any countries in ancient times. Of course there was no China. From this we can see that the phrase "since ancient times" is rather thought-provoking. Back then, back in ancient times, there were no governments, no armies, and no Party.

There were no politics and legal affairs committees, no "main theme tune."

In ancient times, there were no crippling projects like the Three Gorges dam, or the south-north water diversion project.

There may have been a few disputes that broke out from time to time over where people were going to graze their sheep and cattle, but there was no such thing as the mass land-grabs and other impressive feats that have been carried out in the national interest.

Forgive my ravings, but aren't land grabs and forced evictions and demolitions a form of "territorial dispute"? The differences are that the territorial disputes are resolved through diplomacy, while there is no mediation process for the land grabs and forced evictions.

Also, the area of land appropriated through these land grabs and forced evictions in recent years has exceeded the territory of the Diaoyu islands tens of millions of times over.

Their real-life impact on ordinary people has exceeded the impact of the Diaoyu islands dispute by far more than that.

Patriotism can have any number of different implications. What is the gulf that separates "bringing glory to the nation" and "bringing glory to the province," or "bringing glory to me" from "bringing glory to others"?

And I don't even know how tiny is the tenuous connection between "bringing glory to the country" and "bringing glory to the Party."

Patriotism is better than fire. In the 1930s, Hitler's National Socialism was similar to the militaristic imperialism of Japan. Both were founded on patriotism. From the point of view of we Chinese, this is an extremely disturbing thought.

From the calamity that Mao Zedong unleashed on us in the 1960s, we have the phrase "I love you, my country. But ... do you love me?"

"Patriotism" and "since ancient times" are works of art that never lose their beauty. Like fairy tales and nursery rhymes, sometimes a rhapsody, sometimes an aria, they are destined to become eternal tall tales, like the Water Margin and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie.

Bao Tong, political dissident and aide to former Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang, is currently under house arrest at his home in Beijing.

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