Messages In This Digest (13 Messages)
- 1.
- Operation Eagle Guardian: NATO's Plans For War With Russia From: Rick Rozoff
- 2a.
- Recent Stop NATO articles From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- NATO Demonstrates Full Support For Georgia From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- Azerbaijan: NATO Ready To "Repel New Threats" From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- Analyst: Israel-NATO Spy Operation Against Iran At Afghan Border From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- NATO's New Partner In Africa: Arab League From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Pentagon Joins NATO Cyber Warfare Center In Estonia From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- "Interoperability, Readiness": Large-Scale U.S.-Japan War Games Unde From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- Kremlin "Bewildered" By U.S., NATO Partners' Baltic War Plans From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- Text/Video: U.S. Takes Aim At Iran As Talks Begin In Geneva From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- Text/Video: U.S. Military Spacecrft Shrouded In Mystery From: Rick Rozoff
- 12.
- U.S.'s Pet Madman: Russia Ordered Bombing Near U.S. Embassy From: Rick Rozoff
- 13.
- Georgia: U.S. To Use Border Experience Against Abkhazia, S. Ossetia From: Rick Rozoff
Messages
- 1.
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Operation Eagle Guardian: NATO's Plans For War With Russia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 6:13 am (PST)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/nato-plans-to-take-on-russia-revealed/story-e6frg6so-1225967226095
The Times
December 7, 2010
NATO plans to take on Russia revealed
Giles Whittell
-Operation Eagle Guardian's tactical details were worked out under Admiral James Stavridis, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, and are understood to have been leaked to Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper independently of WikiLeaks.
Washington: NATO has been drawing up Cold War-style contingency plans for the defence of eastern Europe against Russia.
This revelation comes even as US President Barack Obama pushes a "reset" of relations with Moscow.
In a move seen in Estonia as an "early Christmas present", NATO military chiefs have agreed to send nine troop divisions, British warships and squadrons of US fighter planes to Poland and the Baltic states in the event of any Russian aggression, diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show.
For the first time since NATO's latest eastward expansion, the blueprint for Operation Eagle Guardian commits the Western military alliance's land, sea and air forces to a military strategy in response to any attack on Russia's western neighbours.
The plans, thought to have been approved by NATO heads of government last month, were published by WikiLeaks last night despite efforts by Washington to keep them secret for fear of antagonising Moscow.
In the event of a conventional attack on Poland or the Baltic states, British, German, Polish and US troops would be mobilised under NATO command, while British and US warships and naval special forces would be given access to key Polish ports, including Gdansk and Swinoujscie.
Operation Eagle Guardian's tactical details were worked out under Admiral James Stavridis, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, and are understood to have been leaked to Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper independently of WikiLeaks....
The states have sought military guarantees from NATO under Article 5 of its charter since joining the military alliance in 2004....
"Events in Georgia have dominated the news and discussion here," one US diplomat wrote in a cable from Riga, Latvia, as Russian tanks rolled through South Ossetia towards Tbilisi.
Latvians "look at Georgia and think this could easily be them", the cable continues. "So far the US willingness to take a tough line in opposition to Russian actions has been well received here, but some key figures are asking if the West is fully prepared to deal with a resurgent Russia."
Disclosure of the military plans leaves NATO and Washington with an even more delicate task than they already had in mollifying Russia, which is outraged by NATO's eastward expansion.
Technically, Russia enjoys the status of a NATO partner. The value of such a role may be hard to explain in light of the intent of Operation Eagle Guardian.
===========================
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==============================
- 2a.
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Recent Stop NATO articles
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 6:14 am (PST)
U.S. And NATO Allies Escalate Military Buildup Against Iran
December 6, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/s-and-nato-allies-escalate-military-buildup-around-iran
North Korea As Pretext: U.S. Builds Asian Military Alliance Against China And Russia
December 3, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/north-korea-as-pretext-u-s-builds-asian-military-alliance-against-china-and-russia
U.S. And NATO Prolong And Expand Greater Afghan War
December 2, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/u-s-and-nato-prolong-and-expand-greater-afghan-war
U.S. Recruits Russia As Junior Partner To Maintain Global Dominance
November 24, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/u-s-recruits-russia-as-junior-partner-to-maintain-global-dominance
Lisbon Summit: NATO Proclaims Itself Global Military Force
November 22, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/lisbon-summit-nato-proclaims-itself-global-military-force
NATO: Afghan War Model For Future 21st Century Operations
November 19, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/nato-afghan-war-model-for-future-21st-century-operations
After NATO Summit, U.S. To Intensify Military Drive Into Asia
Stop NATO, November 17, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/after-nato-summit-u-s-to-intensify-military-drive-into-asia
Timetable Abandoned: U.S. And NATO To Wage Endless War In Afghanistan
Stop NATO, November 12, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/timetable-abandoned-u-s-and-nato-to-wage-endless-war-in-afghanistan/
Lisbon Summit: NATO To Retain Nuclear Arms, Build Missile Shield In Europe
November 10, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/lisbon-summit-nato-to-retain-nuclear-arms-build-missile-shield-in-europe
Obama, Gates And Clinton In Asia: U.S. Expands Military Build-Up In The East
November 7, 2010
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/obama-gates-and-clinton-in-asia-u-s-expands-military-build-up-in-the-east/
===========================
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- 3.
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NATO Demonstrates Full Support For Georgia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 6:18 am (PST)
http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20595&Itemid=132
Jamestown Foundation/Georgian Daily
December 7, 2010
NATO Demonstrates Full Support for Georgia
David Iberi
On November 23, as Georgians marked the seventh anniversary of the Rose Revolution, a peaceful popular protest that opened new opportunities for the South Caucasus nation's Euro-Atlantic integration, President Mikheil Saakashvili affirmed the country's European identity as he addressed the European Parliament. (http://www.president.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=228&info_id=5857)
On November 19-20, Saakashvili attended the NATO Summit in Lisbon, where he held bilateral talks with Western leaders, including US President, Barack Obama. Earlier, on November 16, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution that is highly favorable to Georgia (http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=2245). Encouraged by all of these developments, Saakashvili commented that this was "probably the most successful week" in almost seven years in office and a "great victory" for Georgian diplomacy (Rustavi-2 TV, November 20).
This characterization does not seem to be an exaggeration. The account of the first meeting between Obama and Saakashvili published by the White House said that Obama "reaffirmed US support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity…expressed his appreciation for Georgia's significant contributions to the ISAF [International Security Assistance Forces] mission in Afghanistan…[and] discussed the Georgian government's efforts to implement political, economic, and defense reforms and our shared interest in securing democracy, stability, and prosperity in Georgia" (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/11/19/read-out-presidents-bilateral-meeting-with-president-saakashvili-georgia).
The Lisbon NATO Summit Declaration, decoupling NATO-aspirant Georgia from Ukraine, whose leadership no longer sees membership of the Alliance as a national priority (at least for the time being) introduced a separate paragraph for Georgia stating: "at the 2008 Bucharest Summit we agreed that Georgia will become a member of NATO and we reaffirm all elements of that decision, as well as subsequent decisions" (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-5426623F-5D36B810/natolive/official_texts_68828.htm?mode=pressrelease). The document also reiterated NATO's "continued support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders… [and called on] Russia to reverse its recognition of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as independent states," urging Moscow "to meet its commitments with respect to Georgia, as mediated by the European Union" in August 2008.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly resolution went even further, by openly calling the Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia "occupied territories" and expressed concern over the "continuing failure by the Russian Federation to comply fully with the provisions of the EU-brokered Ceasefire Agreement, and particularly its failure to withdraw to the positions it held before the conflict." Furthermore, the NATO parliamentarians called on Moscow "to reverse the results of...the ethnic cleansing" and "allow the safe and dignified return of all internally displaced persons to their homes" (http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=2245).
On November 23, at the European Parliament, which Saakashvili called "a symbol of hope," the Georgian president announced a new step in his country's policy of what he described as constructive unilateralism. Saakashvili pledged that Georgia "will never use force to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty [and] that it will only resort to peaceful means in its quest for de-occupation and reunification". (http://www.president.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=228&info_id=5857)
"Even if the Russian Federation refuses to withdraw its occupation forces, even if its proxy militias multiply their human rights violations, Georgia will only retain the right to self-defense in the case of new attacks and invasion of the 80 percent of the Georgian territory that remains under [the] control of the Georgian government," Saakashvili declared. Given the constant Russian threat, Saakashvili argued, Georgia was "building a democracy at a gunpoint." Speaking as the representative of the entire South Caucasus, the Georgian leader urged, "It [was] high time for the European peace to be extended to the South Caucasus."
The non-use of force commitment in the European Parliament and in the subsequent letters Saakashvili sent to the UN, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and several Western leaders was a formalization of what began in August, when he told the Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy that Georgia planned to minimize the threat of renewed Russian aggression by "officially formalizing" the fact that it has no intention "to use military force against the Russian occupation." In Saakashvili's view, Georgia's unilateral decision would "quell and disarm" those in Russia who are thinking of solving the "Georgian question" by military means (http://echo.msk.ru/programs/beseda/706011-echo). That Saakashvili made the formal announcement in the European Parliament, Georgian analysts argue, has symbolic significance underlining Georgia's European identity.
But the pledge, first and foremost, should be considered within the context of the latest NATO decisions on Georgia and the meeting Saakashvili held with Obama. Making Tbilisi feel comfortable with the Russia "reset policy" has long been problematic for the Obama administration, despite many statements in Washington that Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity would not consequently be jeopardized. After the Obama-Saakashvili meeting and the recent NATO commitments vis-à-vis Georgia, Tbilisi feels more assured. Many Western leaders from the EU and the US highly praised the Georgian president's new initiative (http://www.president.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=226&info_id=5915).
....
What Tbilisi needs most is greater US and European engagement in resolving its outstanding problems with Moscow. Now that Georgia has vowed that it has no plans to end the Russian occupation by military means, the undeclared Western arms embargo against Tbilisi must, logically, end and the country should be provided with sophisticated defenses to further diminish the risk of a new invasion. But even more importantly, the patience and maturity of the Georgian government must be rewarded by more closely embracing the country and, perhaps the entire South Caucasus region.
===========================
Stop NATO
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- 4.
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Azerbaijan: NATO Ready To "Repel New Threats"
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 6:22 am (PST)
http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1793526.html
Trend News Agency
December 7, 2010
Baku discusses NATO future strategy
E. Ostapenko
-The security of Azerbaijan is threatened by a number of countries, Azerbaijani opposition Musavat party Chairman Isa Gambar said. He specifically noted Russia and Iran. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate the integration process into NATO as soon as possible, he said.
Baku: NATO's new strategic concept is designed to determine the alliance's further steps to repel new threats, Polish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Michal Labenda said.
"NATO's new strategic concept is designed to determine the alliance's further steps to repel new threats," he said at an international conference on "NATO After the Lisbon Summit: A New Strategic Concept" in Baku. "The current common security threats were included in five points at the NATO summit in Lisbon - the situation in Afghanistan, cyber security, security from weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism and protection against natural disasters."
The NATO summit was held in Lisbon on Nov. 19-20.
The Polish diplomat called for resuming the dialogue between NATO and Russia as an important achievement at the summit. Labenda said the NATO-Russia Council is an important part of implementing the Corfu Process.
The Corfu Process aims to ensure European security.
NATO is open to cooperation with Russia, he added. Not only NATO member countries, but also partner countries will benefit from such an alliance, Labenda said.
He stressed that a true partnership must be based on transparency, openness, predictability and responsibility.
The diplomat said it is important to create a single missile defense system in Europe. All NATO countries can only be protected from a nuclear threat this way, he said.
Reforms on the functioning of the NATO General Staff, reducing the budget and eliminating some NATO committees were discussed at the summit. However, this should not affect the alliance's ability to respond to modern threats. The summit was just a first step toward the further reforming ofo the organization and the defining of a strategy for the next decade, he said.
The partnership between Azerbaijan and NATO will benefit the Azerbaijani people, East-West Research Center Director Arastun Orujlu said.
"One must not forget that besides the military component, NATO is an influential political bloc," he said. "I think that the civil society in Azerbaijan must participate in developing cooperation with NATO."
Speaking about regional security, Orujlu mentioned the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. He said it is difficult to guess Azerbaijan's future position on the issue. He also noted that NATO refused to provide Georgia and Ukraine with a roadmap for membership and put these countries in a vulnerable position in relation to Russia.
However, he spoke optimistically about future cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO.
"I hope that I will be able to talk about the results of cooperation rather than its opportunities at the meeting next time," he said.
NATO's attitude toward the South Caucasus and cooperation with countries in the region as part of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) testify to the organization's open position regarding newly democratic in countries the South Caucasus, Azerbaijani expert on security issues Bakhtiar Aslanbayli said.
However, he noted a number of challenges facing integration, as according to the NATO charter, the organization cannot accept new members if their territories are occupied. Consequently, Georgia's membership in NATO is impossible given Russia's military presence on its territory.
"The process of Azerbaijan's integration into NATO is also difficult due to the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said. "NATO's position on the issue is clear. NATO supports the format of talks within the OSCE Minsk Group."
The foundation for cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO was laid through the signing of a document within the framework of the Partnership for Peace on May 4, 1994. Azerbaijan was one of 27 OSCE member countries to join the program.
In April 1996, an official document envisaging concrete directions of cooperation was signed within the framework of the Partnership for Peace. Now, Azerbaijan is fulfilling about 50 tasks in conformity with the program.
On Aug. 3, 2005, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the approval of an action plan on an individual partnership between Azerbaijani and NATO.
Now, cooperation is carried out within the second phase of the IPAP between Azerbaijan and NATO.
The security of Azerbaijan is threatened by a number of countries, Azerbaijani opposition Musavat party Chairman Isa Gambar said. He specifically noted Russia and Iran. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate the integration process into NATO as soon as possible, he said.
However, any country whose territory is partially occupied cannot be a NATO member, he said.
"This is a closed circle," Gambar stressed. "We need to get out of it."
He also said international organizations are losing their authority in Azerbaijan - in particular the Council of Europe and OSCE. However, Azerbaijan has not lost faith in NATO yet, he said.
===========================
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- 5.
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Analyst: Israel-NATO Spy Operation Against Iran At Afghan Border
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 6:27 am (PST)
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8909160942
Fars News Agency
December 7, 2010
Israel, NATO Launch Spying Operation against Iran at Afghan Borders
TEHRAN: A prominent Afghan military analyst unveiled that Israel has deployed its troops at a NATO base in Afghanistan near Iran's border to launch joint operations against the Islamic Republic.
Speaking to FNA about NATO's $184 million plan to upgrade Shindand Air Base in Western Afghanistan and 20 miles from the Iranian border, Javid Kohestani said, "The NATO member states are reconstructing the base in a bid to harm the Islamic Republic of Iran and to spy against Iran."
He recalled previous reports about the deployment of Israeli forces in Shindand base, and noted, "Accordingly, the reconstruction of the base by the NATO is considered as one of the NATO's clandestine programs to harm the Islamic Republic of Iran and promote Israel's spying activities in the region."
Kohestani believes that the base has been handed to Israel for conducting sabotage operations in Iran's eastern regions.
The United States and NATO have 150,000 troops in Afghanistan, following a military surge ordered by President Barack Obama.
Senior Iranian security officials have always underlined that the terrorists who carried out terrorist attacks in Iran's Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan had certainly been funded by certain foreign countries.
The Iranian officials also noted that the confessions made by Abdolmalek Rigi, the Pakistan-based Jundollah terrorist group's ringleader, before his execution, unveiled the United States' widespread support for waging an insurgency against the Islamic Republic.
Rigi's confessions proved that the US, Zionists and some European countries were directly linked with the terrorist attacks in Eastern regions, because he had confessed that the US wants bomb attacks to be carried out across Iran.
===========================
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==============================
- 6.
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NATO's New Partner In Africa: Arab League
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 8:21 am (PST)
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/arab-league-nato-discuss-red-sea-piracy
Al-Masry Al-Youm
December 7, 2010
Arab League, Nato discuss Red Sea piracy
-[T]he meeting also dealt with some NATO-related issues of importance for the Arab League, such as training Iraqi army personnel, NATO aircraft carriers in Darfur, and a new high school for training Arab League employees.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa met on Monday with NATO's security and political affairs official to dicuss how to tackle piracy in the Red Sea.
Moussa's assistant secretary Ahmed Ben Helli said the meeting also dealt with some NATO-related issues of importance for the Arab League, such as training Iraqi army personnel, NATO aircraft carriers in Darfur, and a new high school for training Arab League employees.
Ben Helli said the meeting was part of the league's plan to benefit from NATO's experience particularly in security and peacekeeping, and that it reflects relations between the organization and some Arab states, particularly Mediterranean countries.
Helli said it is important for the secretary-general to be acquainted periodically with NATO's efforts and plans, stressing at the same time the league's desire to preserve peace and security.
===========================
Stop NATO
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==============================
- 7.
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Pentagon Joins NATO Cyber Warfare Center In Estonia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 8:21 am (PST)
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/20327/?SID=13d05e717df9bcf3cbf2460a07f1aecc
Defence Professionals
December 7, 2010
US to join NATO Cyber Defence Centre
-Aaviksoo visited the NATO Allied Command Transformation located in Norfolk and the US CYBERCOM.
Aaviksoo is accompanied on the visit by the Undersecretary for Defence Policy Sven Sakkov and the Head of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre Colonel Ilmar Tamm.
Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo met on 3 December with his American colleague Robert Gates who announced the US decision to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.
According to Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo the US joining the Cyber Defence Centre gives an important impulse to the development of the centre and also to the joining of other countries. "Cyber security is a central security matter of the 21st century. The Cyber Defence Centre founded in Estonia is becoming an acknowledged leader in the field and we are proud of that," noted Aaviksoo.
Aaviksoo and Gates also discussed the outcome of the Lisbon summit, the new strategic concept of NATO and the operation in Afghanistan. According to Aaviksoo, the security of the US and Europe are closely related and the transatlantic cooperation has ensured peace in Europe for more than 60 years. "Continuing this cooperation by US military presence is definitely in Estonia's interests," said Aaviksoo.
During the meeting, the importance of each NATO member allocating 2% of the GDP to defence funding was also stressed.
During the four-day visit to the US, Defence Minister Aaviksoo also met with Howard McKeon, the next Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, and with the White House Cyber Security Coordinator Howard Schmidt. Aaviksoo visited the NATO Allied Command Transformation located in Norfolk and the US CYBERCOM.
Aaviksoo is accompanied on the visit by the Undersecretary for Defence Policy Sven Sakkov and the Head of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre Colonel Ilmar Tamm. The Defence Minister will returned to Estonia on 4 December.
===========================
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- 8.
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"Interoperability, Readiness": Large-Scale U.S.-Japan War Games Unde
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 9:57 am (PST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-12/07/c_13638620.htm
Xinhua News Agency
December 7, 2010
Japan-U.S. military drill starts major field training
KIRISHIMA, Japan: Japan and the United States launched a major field training in Kirishima Training Area in southern Japan's Miyazaki Prefecture Tuesday, as part of the biggest-ever joint military exercises which kicked off in several places in Japan last Friday.
The field training, called "Forest Light", involves 550 Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) members and 215 marines and sailors from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of the United States, and will last till Dec. 15.
Major training events include bilateral heliborne assault, helicopter and fast rope training, motorized movement to contact, passage of lines, sniper training, communications and first aid, among others.
Following an opening ceremony, the two sides held practice of first aid in the afternoon, during which the U.S. Marines shared with GSDF members the experience they gained through missions in Iraq and elsewhere.
First Lieutenant Caleb Eames, public affairs officer of the 31st MEU, said the annual bilateral field training exercise helps Japanese GSDF and U.S. Marines maintain interoperability and readiness.
"We value bilateral engagement and cooperation," he said, adding "we are very proud to be the partners with the Japanese ground Self-Defense Forces.
....
[T]he series of Japanese-U.S. drills, following one that was conducted by the United States and South Korea in waters west of the Korean peninsula after the exchange of artillery fire between South Korea and the Democratic people's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will involve more than 34,000 Japanese and 10,000 American troops and is the largest ever, media reports have said.
....
In terms of hardware, about 400 planes and 60 warships will participate, including the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which took part in the Korean peninsula exercises, as well as Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force's next-generation Aegis-equipped battle ships.
The core of the drills, according to authorities, will focus on counter-measures to a potential ballistic missile attack and will utilize Standard Missile-3 interceptors on the both U.S. and Japanese Aegis destroyers deployed to the Sea of Japan off the Noto Peninsula in central Japan and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 ground-to-air missiles currently stationed at bases from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
South Korea joined the drills in Japan for the first time as an observer.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu had said the U.S.-Japan joint exercise and their alliance should not damage the interests of third parties including China, adding that the international community does not support actions that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the exchange of fire between Pyongyang and Seoul.
China had proposed an emergency six-party consultations on the Korean Peninsula situation in Beijing in early December following the rising tensions on the peninsula, as it believes the only way to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue is through dialogue and negotiation.
===========================
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- 9.
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Kremlin "Bewildered" By U.S., NATO Partners' Baltic War Plans
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 10:24 am (PST)
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article938032.ece
The Hindu
December 7, 2010
U.S. plans to "defend" the Baltic irks Russia
Vladimir Radyuhin
-[T]he strategy targeting Russia was pushed through at Washington's insistence even as U.S. President Barack Obama declared a "reset" in relations with Moscow.
The cables reveal that NATO plans to deploy missile defences against Russia.
Russia has said it is bewildered over NATO secret plans to "defend" the Baltic states and Poland against "Russian aggression" as revealed in the latest batch of WikiLeaks spills.
"These stories beg a lot of questions and evoke our bewilderment," a Foreign Ministry official told Interfax. "We have just issued a joint statement with NATO at the alliance's Lisbon summit stating that the security of NATO and Russia is inter-related and the sides will refrain from resorting to the threat or use of force."
The cables show that earlier this year NATO drew up plans to defend the former Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Poland against a perceived Russian threat. The plans identified nine NATO divisions for combat operations against Russia and provided for the deployment of naval assault forces and British and U.S. warships in the Baltic Sea.
What makes the secret NATO plan particularly scandalous is the fact that it was endorsed at the same Lisbon summit where the Atlantic alliance in the presence of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared its desire to build "strategic partnership" with Russia.
Russia's envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin demanded explanation from Brussels.
The leaked cables show that the strategy targeting Russia was pushed through at Washington's insistence even as U.S. President Barack Obama declared a "reset" in relations with Moscow.
The cables reveal that NATO plans to deploy missile defences against Russia. The U.S. embassy in Warsaw quoted U.S. Brigadier-General John Hesterman reassuring Polish leaders that sea-borne anti-missile platforms "could provide surge capability against threats" not only from Iran, but "from an unforeseen direction" [read: Russia], and that "radars could be reoriented" accordingly. The revelations make a mockery of NATO invitation to Russia to cooperate in building a European missile defence system.
===========================
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- 10.
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Text/Video: U.S. Takes Aim At Iran As Talks Begin In Geneva
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 10:42 am (PST)
http://rt.com/usa/news/usa-iran-nuclear-media/
RT
December 7, 2010
America takes aim at Iran as talks begin in Geneva
When it comes to taking military action against Iran, the US seems to come to the brink, only to step back again.
From Bush to the Obama Administration, the message has been that we won't attack Iran--but here's what would happen if we did, economically, politically and public-opinion wise.
David Broder of the Washington Post recently penned an editorial praising what war with Iran could do for Obama's public approval ratings and for the struggling US economy.
"If you start a war in the Gulf, the Iranians will tend to close the shipping lanes of the gulf, they'll make the tanker routes impossible, and at that point the price of oil shoots up to $500 a barrel, and there's huge demand for dollars," said Webster Tarpley, an investigative journalist. "So dollars, instead of sloshing around in the gutters of the world, are immediately in demand and you save the dollar for at least a few years.That sounds fantastic, but this is what was done in 1973."
George W. Bush may no longer be in the White House, but for Republicans, the Axis of Evil still exists.
"Our biggest national security threat is Iran," said Emily Miller, editor of the conservative magazine Human Events. "It's such an unstable government, we have such an irrational dictator there, it's in such a key location, they're supporting Al Qaeda…and with nuclear arms it is such a danger."
As talks begin in Geneva regarding Iran's nuclear program and more cables from WikiLeaks appear, it remains unclear what the Obama administration's course of action will be. But similarities between the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War and the rhetoric today about Iran are striking, and frightening.
"One of the similarities is that some of the same people, some of the neoconservatives, John Bolton for example, was clearly one of the people who was on board with regard to the plan with propaganda for war against Iraq, and now he has been a leading voice for attacking Iran," said investigative reporter Gareth Porter. "Clearly that's a point of continuity between Iraq and Iran as far as war policy is concerned."
Contrary to documents made public by WikiLeaks showing many Arab governments have issues with Iran, Phil Wilayto, the editor of The Virginia Defender argued the Arab people actually support Iran and feel threatened by the US and Israel.
Arab leaders fear a growth in power by Iran because they are clients of the US, he said. They are promoting the US stance.
"Egypt receives the second largest amount of foreign aid of any country, next to Israel. Saudi Arabia has been in the hip pocket of the United States since the 1930s,"said Wilayto. "It's not surprising they would just parrot the line that they get from the US."
He explained that Iran has the strength and the ability to defend itself. It may not compare to US military strength, but it boasts enough to make Washington pause before attacking.
"The bottom line is, just as the problem that the US has with Venezuela, with Cuba, with Bolivia, with Ecuador and with other countries around the world that don't follow it's line, Iran is, to use President Obama's words, defiant," commented Wilayto.
Media analyst and critic Danny Schechter, who recently returned from Iran, explained Iran is demonized as a threat in the US by the government and the media.
"They already assume that the facts are in, that Iran is building a bomb. This is of course the view Israel has taken repeatedly, but the evidence for it is very thin. Iran of course denies it and the very fact that Iran is sitting down for talks in Geneva is an indication of their willingness to discuss these issues. If they were taking this hard line and refused to talk, they wouldn't be there," he said.
Rather than praise for taking positive steps, Iran is continually attacked. There is an Iran-phobia that drives US policy, Schechter argued.
"American policy needs enemies, we need bad guys," he explained. "We need these threats because these threats justify an expansion of military spending; they justify the voices of the military and hawkish congressman being believed by the American people who are being kept rather ignorant about Iran."
The hype over Iran and possible nuclear weapons is operating much like the playbook used prior to the US invasion of Iraq, he explained. Like Iraq, the media is contributing to the build-up and spread of hype on Iran.
"The press in this country has been intimidated in many ways by both the attacks on the right and voices within big media companies who want to be on the right side of the administration," explained Schechter.
===========================
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- 11.
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Text/Video: U.S. Military Spacecrft Shrouded In Mystery
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 10:42 am (PST)
http://rt.com/usa/news/usa-spacecraft-military-secrecy-x37b/
RT
December 7, 2010
US military spacecraft shrouded in secrecy
The X-37B unmanned spacecraft, a secretive US military project, landed on December 3rd at a California airbase after a successful seven month flight.
The US Air Force claimed the flight was a test flight, used to measure the effectiveness of the craft. However, all of its activities while in orbit were classified. Officials explained the mission objectives as; guidance, navigation, control, thermal, autonomous operation, re-entry and landing tests.
Due to the vague nature of the flight description, some have come to believe the craft was designed for spying or other military purposes; possibly leading to the militarization of space.
Robert Bowman, the former director for Advanced Space Programs Development at the US Air Force said, the program is secret so potential adversaries are not aware of the exact nature of the program.
"It's pretty easy to figure out what the possibilities are," Bowman said, addressing the nature of the X-37B mission. "The important thing is quick response. This is a vehicle that can get launched in a hurry, as opposed to something like the space shuttle."
The vehicle can launch quickly and respond quickly, unlike current spacecrafts which can take months of turn around. The X-37B operates more like an airplane, he explained.
Many in the US military industrial complex have conceived of a space-based bomber, including the ability to carry nuclear weapons, commented Bowman.
"That has been against our policy and I hope it still is, but it's a physical possibility," he said.
Loopholes in international agreements and laws governing outer space leave open many possibilities, including the weaponizing of space.
"There are other benign things that can be done with this; reconnaissance. It there is a spot on the Earth that you want to look at quickly, you can launch this and fairly rapidly get it over any spot on Earth," said Bowman.
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- 12.
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U.S.'s Pet Madman: Russia Ordered Bombing Near U.S. Embassy
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 11:40 am (PST)
http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1793731.html
Trend News Agency
December 7, 2010
President: Occupied territories pose serious threat to Georgia
N. Kirtzkhalia
Tbilisi: Georgia was able to avoid very serious acts of terrorism by denouncing and arresting members of a terrorist group, President Mikheil Saakashvili said in Batumi today before flying to Mexico.
"I want to say 'thank you' to the police, who detained the group that prepared serious terrorist attacks on our territory," he said.
He added that preliminary data show that the attacks were prepared from the occupied territories, and represented a serious threat.
"Of course, all of these preliminary findings must be confirmed by a court, but one can say exactly that we were able to avoid a high risk," Saakashvili said.
....
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http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22933
Civil Georgia
December 7, 2010
Georgia Links Blasts to Russia, Arrests Suspects
'Key suspect acted under Russian officer's instructions'
Tbilisi: Police arrested six persons suspected of being behind series of explosions in Tbilisi and in western region of the country in the last few months, the Georgian Interior Ministry said.
Police said one of the key suspects was acting under the instructions of an Abkhaz-based Russian military officer. The Interior Ministry said that the arrest were carried out on December 4.
Two explosions in separate locations of the capital city left one woman dead overnight on November 28.
The Interior Ministry said that the same group of suspects was behind the explosion close to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi on September 22 and two explosions near Tbilisi Central Railway Station on October 21. The group, the ministry said, was behind a failed attempt [at an] explosion at a railway bridge in the Khobi district of the western region of Samegrelo in October.
According to the Interior Ministry, one of the arrested persons, who is suspected of carrying out the explosions, is a resident of [the] Gali district in breakaway Abkhazia, Gogita Arkania.
Eka Zguladze, the Georgian deputy interior minister, who described the explosions as "terrorist acts", said that Arkania was recruited by a Russian military officer, Yevgeny Borisov, serving in breakaway Abkhazia and under the threat against his family forced Arkania to carry out series of explosions.
The ministry said that police found in a house of Arkania's one of the suspected accomplices "13 explosive devices, including 9 cans filled with hexogen, out of which four had nails inside and one contained bullets."
"In total, 10 kilograms of hexogen were found," the Interior Ministry said.
It said that two suspects, wanted in connection to the same case, "are hiding in [the] Russian-occupied Gali district."
"We are ready to cooperate with any party and we hope that in case of a constructive approach by relevant Russian agencies we will be able to question others involved in the case," Eka Zguladze said.
Next day after the two blasts in Tbilisi, Davit Bakradze, the Georgian parliamentary chairman, said that the explosions were an attempt by external forces to portray Georgia as unstable state.
"There are forces outside the country [Georgia], which are interested in portraying Georgia as unstable state. These forces have nothing else left, except of this type of physical attacks. I want to disappoint them and say that they have less and less chances of doing that," Bakradze said on November 29.
===========================
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- 13.
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Georgia: U.S. To Use Border Experience Against Abkhazia, S. Ossetia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Dec 7, 2010 11:40 am (PST)
http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1793402.html
Trend News Agency
December 7, 2010
Georgia studies U.S. experience in border security
N. Kirtzkhalia
Tbilisi: Head of the Georgian Border Police Zaza Gogava is visiting Washington upon the invitation of the U.S. State Department. Gogava has already held meetings with the heads of the Customs and Border Services, the Georgian Border Police told Trend.
Gogava will study the work of U.S. border guards in El Paso on the U.S.-Mexican border, which is considered to be the busiest of all border crossing points in the United States.
The relations between Georgian and U.S. border guards are moving "to the next level," Gogava told Georgian journalists.
"This relationship provides for cooperation in the preparation and training of Georgian border guards by U.S. experts, as well as for exchange programs and joint training," he said.
===========================
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