India: Indo-Russia Bilateral AirForce Exercise Avia-Indra I

An eighteen member Russian Air Force team at Air Force Station Halwara in Punjab is participating in Phase II of the Indo-Russian bilateral exercise‘AVIA – INDRA I’. The Russian delegation headed by Major General Lyapkin Alexander N consists of Fighter and Helicopter aircrew among other members. 

Russian aircrew have flown IAF Su-30 MKI, Mi-35 & Mi-17 along with our aircrew. Earlier, members of the Russian delegation visited Bengaluru, where they were exposed to indigenous projects such as Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas), Light Combat Helicopter and Advance Light Helicopter (Dhruv). 

Today, the media witnessed ‘air to ground’ firing by aircraft and helicopters jointly flown by pilots of Indian Air Force (IAF) and Russian Federation Air Force (RFAF) at Sidhwan Khas range near Halwara. The joint exercise will further strengthen the relations between the two Air Forces taking forward the India – Russia strategic partnership. The Russian team will be in India till 28 November 14. 

India Press Information Bureau

Industry: Boeing Delivers Sixth P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft to India

>> On-schedule arrival in India reinforces in-country partnership

SEATTLE, Nov. 25, 2014 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered the sixth P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India, on schedule, on Nov. 24, arriving at Naval Air Station Rajali to join five others being used by the Indian Navy.  

The P-8I is part of a contract of eight awarded in 2009. The final two deliveries are scheduled for 2015.  

“The P-8I’s arrival in India is another key milestone for the program and marks our final delivery of the year,” said Dennis Swanson, vice president, Boeing Defense, Space & Security in India. “The Indian Navy is currently conducting missions with the first five aircraft, and this newest P-8I will begin flight trials in the coming months.”

News Report: Indonesia Battles Islamic State Recruitment

Fatiyah Wardah

JAKARTA—Indonesia says it is continuing its efforts to prevent more of its citizens from joining the Islamic State militants.

An official at the Terrorism Management National Agency, Wawan Purwanto, told VOA that 300 citizens had joined the radical group so far, with 60 reported dead. He said their ages ranged from 17 to 25 and that they were from various parts of Indonesia.  

He said they were all recruited by IS sympathizers in Indonesia who have been categorized as radicals.

According to Wawan, Indonesian recruits who left for Syria received allowances of $1,500 for accommodations and transportation.

"Before their departures from ... Surabaya, they already had complete travel documents," he said. "And in Malaysia, someone made all the needed arrangements for them to go to Turkey.  Then in Istanbul, they began their training in the field, such as recognizing who the enemies are and learning about the weather condition of the country."

Editorial: Hagel's Out -- What About the Pivot to Asia?

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel

By Ankit Panda

Chuck Hagel, despite his flaws, was an asset for the administration’s ‘pivot’ to Asia.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced that he will resign, reportedly after pressure from President Barack Obama. The president has determined that a shake-up in the White House’s national security team is necessary amid spiraling conflicts the world over. Hagel, while more passive than he should have been on other issues, was nonetheless an important advocate of the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. Although many observers, both partisan and non-partisan, have criticized the Obama administration for failing to deliver on its much-touted “pivot” to Asia following the departure of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Hagel, as defense secretary, wasn’t a weak link.

In his first months on the job, Hagel set out to visit important U.S. allies at breakneck speed, revealing a passion for the United States’ defense posture in the Asia-Pacific region. When the U.S. government shut down in late 2013, forcing the president to embarrassingly miss last year’s APEC summit and cancel a broader scheduled trip to the region, Hagel carried on, visiting Japan and South Korea. As the New York Times noted at the time, Hagel’s visit to South Korea in late 2013 was “the longest stay by an American defense secretary in a generation.” At a time when the president was having trouble “showing up” in Asia, Hagel in effect became the face of the “pivot” to the United States’ allies in the region. In recent months, Hagel has overseen the process of redrawing the United States’ defense guidelines with Japan, the lifting of the United States’ lethal arms embargo with Vietnam, and the evolving U.S.-Philippines security partnership, among other issues.

Beyond the United States’ friends in Asia, Hagel was a regular interlocutor with its rivals as well. In particular, Hagel cultivated a strong rapport with China’s senior political and military leadership. Hagel’s tenure was, of course, marked by several periods of tension in the U.S.-China relationship, including China’s declaration of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, the Cowpens incident, Chinese spying on RIMPAC, the U.S. indicting PLA officers for counterespionage, and much more. At a time when U.S. allies and partners began doubting the United States’ commitment to the status quo in the region amid an increasingly assertive China, Hagel was the United States’ voice of reassurance. For example, at this year’s Shangri-La Security Dialogue, Hagel called on China to make a choice — either “unite, and recommit to a stable regional order, or, to walk away from that commitment and risk the peace and security that has benefited millions of people.” 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: Modi’s Diplomatic Chutzpah

By Harsh V. Pant

By inviting U.S. President Barack Obama to India’s Republic Day celebrations, Narendra Modi sends a powerful message.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again demonstrated why he remains one of the most interesting politicians in the country. By inviting the U.S. president, Barack Obama, to next year’s Republic Day celebrations, he has stumped his critics and surprised even his supporters. Last week, he informed the nation of his decision in a tweet, “This Republic Day, we hope to have a friend over… invited President Obama to be the 1st US president to grace the occasion as chief guest.” The White House was quick to accept the invite, underscoring the importance Washington attaches to restoring dynamism in U.S.-India relations and the confidence it has in the ability of Modi to deliver. “At the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, the President will travel to India in January 2015 to participate in the Indian Republic Day celebration in New Delhi as the Chief Guest,” a statement by the White House read minutes after the Modi tweet. With this visit, Obama will become the only U.S. president to visit India twice during his term in office.

Modi’s move is remarkable for many reasons. Most striking is the sheer audacity with which Modi seems to be challenging the foreign policy shibboleths of the past. On the surface, an invite for the U.S. President is not really significant. After all, the U.S. is now one of the closest partners of India. Be it the economy, defense, regional security, or geopolitics, there is today an extraordinary degree of convergence between the interests of the two states. Yet the diffidence of the Congress led-United Progressive Alliance government in acknowledging this openly was a reflection of the outmoded ideological trappings of the past. Even as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was gung-ho about a robust U.S.-India relationship, his party made sure that in the last four years, ties with the U.S. were not only put on the backburner but deliberate efforts were made to scuttle forward movement on issues which were clearly in India’s interest.

And now Prime Minister Modi in just a few months has brought about a paradigm shift in the relationship despite having being denied a visa by the U.S. in the past. In his very first month, his government scuttled the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) talks, leading to much talk of India’s impending global isolation. Yet New Delhi held onto its negotiating position and ultimately ended up signing a pact with the U.S. on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Daw, which indefinitely extends the so-called “peace clause” in the TFA. India’s food procurement and subsidy program now cannot be challenged in any forum until a conclusive deal on the subject is concluded on the issue. Obama commended the “personal leadership” of Modi in finding a way forward to break the impasse. Here was a leader who was not merely obstructionist but was eager to find ways to move forward. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Editorial: Chinese Media - 115 Terror Cells Eliminated in Xinjiang

By Shannon Tiezzi

Chinese media laud the successes of the anti-terrorism crackdown that began in May.

Chinese media are lauding the results of the first six months of a year-long campaign to crack down on terrorism. The campaign touts “extremely tough measures and extraordinary methods” – methods some activists say are harming the rights of ordinary Uyghurs in the region.

In late April, Xi Jinping urged a “strike-first” strategy against terrorists during an inspection tour of Xinjiang province. Only a few days later, a bombing at a railway station in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, sparked an even more urgent official response, leading to the announcement of a year-long anti-terror crackdown in late May. According to Chinese media reports, the crackdown specifically targeted four groups: those who use the Internet to disseminate terrorist videos or materials calling for holy war; key figures involved in terrorism and religious extremism; those who have been charged multiple times with lighter crimes relating to public security or violence; and those who join terrorist or religious extremist groups beginning in 2014. The crackdown will run through June 2015.

According to China Daily, state media in Xinjiang are reporting that 115 terrorist cells have been eliminated since the crackdown began. Around 40 percent of those cells “were found through the clues that authorities got during intensive inquests of detained suspects,” China Daily reported, citing officials in Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism office. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

AUS: Australian humanitarian aid drops continue in northern Iraq

Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft have undertaken multiple humanitarian aid airdrops during the past week to support displaced civilians on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq.

Four airdrop missions have delivered more than 32 tonnes of humanitarian aid stores including water, tents and blankets to the beleaguered Iraqi civilians who will face harsh winter temperatures in the coming months.

The sorties were conducted between Thursday, 20 November and Sunday, 23 November 2014 (Iraq time) using Iraqi-supplied stores prepared by coalition forces at Erbil airbase in northern Iraq.

Commander of Australia’s Joint Task Force Headquarters in the Middle East Major General Craig Orme said Australian forces were ready to contribute to any further humanitarian aid missions, particularly in the lead-up to winter.

“These airdrops will help support local Iraqis and are a result of careful planning by the taskforce and our coalition partners,” Major General Orme said.

Australia’s contribution in Iraq continues to be coordinated with the Iraqi Government, regional countries and international partners.

Operation OKRA is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the international effort to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist threat in Iraq.

AUS DoD

USA: Hagel Meets with New Zealand Counterpart

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here today with New Zealand Minister of Defense Gerry Brownlee.

Assistant Press Secretary Carl Woog reported that during their meeting, Hagel praised the growth of the bilateral defense relationship and expressed appreciation for New Zealand's support for the counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant coalition. 

The two also talked extensively about the security situation in Afghanistan and the Resolute Support mission set to begin after the first of the year, according to Woog. He said the two secretaries also reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and their nations’ continued partnership in the region.

US DoD

Brunei: FIFTH XIANGSHAN FORUM FOCUSES ON SECURITY IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, Saturday 22 November 2014 – The fifth Xiangshan Forum concluded last Saturday after focusing on the prospects of regional security architecture in addressing the evolving security challenges in the Asia Pacific as well as looking into strengthening cooperation in maritime security and countering terrorism. 

The three-day forum opened with a keynote address by General Chang Wanquan, State Councilor, Minister of National Defense, China who shared the three point proposal for the maintenance of peace in the region. It also featured other prominent speakers including H.E. Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Defence Minister of Malaysia, H.E. Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence Singapore as well as Defence Ministers from Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Tajikistan and Maldives. Also present in the forum were Chiefs of Defence Forces, senior defence and military officials as well as renowned experts and academics in the field of defence and security.   

Sri Lanka: A Russian naval ship arrives at the Port of Colombo

Yaroslav Mudry (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons)

Russian naval ship “Yaroslav Mudriy”, arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit on 24th November 2014. The ship was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on her arrival. 

“Yaroslav Mudriy” is a destroyer commanded by Captain 3rd Rank Vladmir A Cherokov. It is 126.6 meters in length. It has a displacement of 4,480 tons and a crew of 210 naval personnel.

The Commander of the task group, Captain 1st rank Igor N Smirnov and Commanding Officer paid a courtesy call on the Commander of the Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Dayananda Nanayakkara at the Western Naval Command Headquarters in Colombo. They held cordial discussions and exchanged mementos as a gesture of goodwill. 

The visiting Russian ship will stay in Sri Lanka until 28th November. The ship’s complement is scheduled to participate in a special programme organized by the Sri Lanka Navy during their stay in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Navy