April 1, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Air Force; issued March 31, 2014)

Av-Det Keeps U.S.-Polish Training Running Smoothly

LASK AIR BASE, Poland --- "All the expectations you have for a normal assignment -- throw those out the window. We have to analyze who we have, what our guys bring to the table and what we can do to overcome any challenges thrown our way," said Maj. Micah Chollar, 52nd Operations Group, Detachment 1 director of operations.

The Aviation Detachment here was activated in November 2012, and consists of a small group of Airmen marking the first enduring presence of U.S. military members on Polish soil. The detachment's presence in Poland makes it possible to host multiple allied air force elements and serve as a regional hub for air training and multi-national exercises. They also facilitate and enable combined U.S. and Polish training and exercises to increase air support to NATO.

Ten Airmen are assigned and work at the Av-Det, each serving a vital role in the mission here. The various jobs consist of Airmen from several mission-essential career fields to include: A C-130 Hercules and an F-16 Fighting Falcon instructor pilot, an aerospace ground equipment troop, a crew chief, a maintenance officer, a contracting officer, a logistics airman, two communications airmen and a supply airman.

"It's interesting because we're used to operating with people within our own career fields," said Chollar. "Now, all of us are one deep in the shop together. You learn a lot about each other's career fields, what each person brings to the fight and how to communicate more efficiently."

With the limited on-base resources available to those assigned here, the contracting officer, whose job is to procure anything needed off the economy, takes on a large responsibility within the detachment.

"My assumption coming here is that we are going to a U.S. Air Force base, but I came to quickly realize that we are a very small tenant unit inside a Polish air force base," said Tech. Sgt. Rommel Delmundo, 52nd OG, Det 1 contracting officer. "That changes a lot of things. We don't have a base exchange or a commissary or a gas station so we depend and rely a lot on the economy as far as accomplishing our mission to not only maintain our unit but the rotations that come through here as well."

While working and living with only 10 Airmen on a day-to-day basis may seem like a daunting task, the Airmen stationed here for the year realize it comes down to cooperation and understanding.

"Since there are only 10 of us, we've come to rely on each other whenever someone gets overloaded and needs help," said Tech. Sgt. Gloria Casanova, 52nd OG, Det 1 client systems. "We have come to be very close and been able to be that helping hand for individuals in any career field."

The Av-Det hosts approximately four rotations each fiscal year for off-site training for an average of two weeks at a time. While eight weeks out of the year may not seem that long, the Av-Det Airmen contribute their workload to the preparation before a unit arrives.

"What's not commonly known is how little downtime we have here," said Maj. Matthew Spears, 52nd OG, Det 1 commander. "We may have months in between each rotation, but it's not well known how hard we work in those months. It's that behind the scenes work that makes rotations successful here. The preparation we do allows units to come in and begin operations on day one."

Delmundo expresses the same views and explains that with extensive preparations, the outcome results in an easier workload while rotations are present at the Av-Det.

"There's a lot of preparation going on before a rotation arrives," said Delmundo. "There's hotel coordination, vehicle coordination, getting tents and making sure we have water. That's the majority of what we do here is preparation and when execution time comes, if everything is done right, then it's pretty much cruise control."

While preparations for several rotations of F-16 and C-130 squadrons can exhaust a lot of man-hours, Av-Det personnel understand the importance of their mission and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a successful completion of a rotation.

"We know that the work we accomplished was for a valid purpose and we took a little bit of coordination and administration off the plates off an operational unit with a high operations tempo to make their lives a little easier," said Spears.

"The team out here works hard, whether we're preparing for a rotation or building relationships with the Polish air force," Spears said. "Either way, I couldn't be prouder of the work that they do."

To date, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and numerous other distinguished visitors have visited the Av-Det here to solidify the importance of a U.S. presence in Poland.

02/04/2014 Sources : EMA

Engagés début novembre 2013 dans le cadre de l’opération Serval, les deux détachements de gendarmerie prévôtale basés sur Bamako et Gao accompagnent les soldats français déployés au Mali. Ils assurent les missions de « police judiciaire » et préviennent ou traitent les infractions qui pourraient mettre en cause les militaires français.

Véritables appui à la force, les prévôts interviennent au quotidien pour sensibiliser les militaires français sur les risques encourus en opération extérieure et garantissent leurs droits juridiques.

Les prévôts participent également au renseignement dans le domaine de la sécurité publique et peuvent soutenir la gendarmerie malienne lorsque ces dernières interpellent des individus. En parallèle de toutes ces opérations, les prévôts remplissent occasionnellement des missions d’escorte de fonds à travers le Mali ou réalisent différents actes administratifs, comme par exemple l’établissement de procurations pour permettre aux militaires de voter en France.

Douze détachements prévôtaux, soit une centaine de militaires, sont actuellement déployés à l’étranger et sur les différents théâtres d’opération.

Trois sont permanents et sont stationnés auprès des Forces Française à Djibouti (FFDj), des Forces Françaises au Gabon (FFG) et des Eléments Français au Sénégal (EFS). Neuf sont temporaires et sont basés sur les théâtres d’opérations extérieures.

Environ 1600 militaires français sont actuellement présents sur le sol malien et poursuivent une mission de lutte contre les groupes armés terroristes, tout en appuyant la montée en puissance des forces de la MINUSMA et des FAMA.

KIEV, 2 avril - RIA Novosti

Plusieurs trains transportant des matériels de guerre ukrainiens sont déjà arrivés de Crimée en Ukraine, a annoncé mercredi à Kiev le chef de l'administration présidentielle ukrainienne par intérim Sergueï Pachinski.

"Le retrait de nos troupes et matériels a commencé. Plusieurs convois transportant des matériels ukrainiens se trouvent déjà sur le territoire ukrainien. Ce processus se poursuivra", a indiqué M.Pachinski devant les journalistes.

Le responsable avait antérieurement rapporté que plus de 2.000 militaires ukrainiens et leurs familles avaient quitté la Crimée, ancienne république ukrainienne qui a adhéré à la Russie à la mi-mars.

Le Conseil de la sécurité nationale et de la défense d'Ukraine a annoncé le 26 mars avoir lancé la procédure de retrait des troupes de la Crimée. Selon une source au sein du gouvernement criméen, 3.000 des 18.000 militaires ukrainiens déployés en Crimée ont souhaité poursuivre leur service au sein de l'armée ukrainienne.

Un changement de pouvoir ayant toutes les caractéristiques d'un coup d'Etat s'est produit en Ukraine le 22 février dernier. La Rada suprême (parlement) a destitué le président Viktor Ianoukovitch, réformé la constitution et fixé l'élection présidentielle au 25 mai. Moscou conteste la légitimité des nouvelles autorités du pays.

La république autonome de Crimée a refusé de reconnaître les nouvelles autorités ukrainiennes. Elle a proclamé son indépendance vis-à-vis de l'Ukraine et sa réunification avec la Russie au terme d'un référendum tenu le 16 mars, lors duquel 96,7% des habitants de la péninsule ont appuyé cette décision. La Russie et la Crimée ont signé le 18 mars dernier le traité sur le rattachement de la république de Crimée et de la ville de Sébastopol à la Fédération de Russie.

Korea Aerospace Industries has detailed the $420 million sale of 12 FA-50 light attack fighters to the Philippines, which brings to 52 the number of T-50 variants ordered to date by foreign customers. (KAI photo)

April 2, 2014 defense-aerospace.com/

(Source: Korea Aerospace Industries; dated March 28, 2014)

KAI Won A Contract to Export 12 FA-50s to the Philippines, Worth $420 Million

Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI) won a contract to export 12 FA-50s to the Philippines for Philippine Air Force's multi-purpose fighter purchase project in a government-to-government way on March 28th.

This contract including training is valued at $420 million and the company will completely deliver 12 aircraft within 38 months after the deal goes into effect.

The variant of T-50 family has received 52 orders from the Air Forces of Iraq (24) in 2013, Indonesia (16) in 2011 and the Philippines (12) in 2014.

T-50 variant aircraft developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin and in operation in the Republic of Korea Air Force.

The FA-50 measures 13.13m in length, 9.45m in width and 4.85m in height and is able to fly with a max speed of Mach 1.5 with up to 4,500kg armed weapons loaded in it.

FA-50 light attack aircraft, in particular earned KAI recognition for its high-performance and low-cost fighter.

KAI is eyeing to further exporting the T-50 variant aircraft to the U.S.A., Botswana, the U.A.E., Thailand and Peru.

02/04/2014 Sources : EMA

Du 25 au 27 mars 2014, la frégate antiaérienne Jean Bart, intégrée à l’opération Enduring Freedom de lutte contre le terrorisme, a participé au salon DIMDEX 2014 (Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference), au Qatar.

Jeudi 27 mars, à quelques heures de la clôture du salon, monsieur Jean-Yves Le Drian, ministre de la défense, s’est rendu à bord du Jean Bart, et s’est adressé à l’équipage. Il a salué l’action de la marine dans cette région et insisté sur l’importance du Qatar, avec qui la France a noué des les liens étroits, économiques et militaires. Il a également annoncé la prorogation pour cinq ans de l’accord de défense datant de 1994.

Lors des échanges qui ont suivi avec les marins, le ministre a réaffirmé le rôle essentiel des bâtiments déployés dans le dispositif opérationnel français en zone maritime Océan indien

La frégate Jean Bart est déployée dans l’océan Indien depuis le 27 février 2014. Elle participe notamment à l’opération Enduring Freedom (OEF) qui lutte contre le terrorisme et les trafics illicites sur une zone maritime qui s’étend de la mer Rouge au golfe d’Oman.

April 2, 2014: Strategy Page

As the U.S. Army retrains its forces to handle conventional war, what the military calls “near-peer” (against someone who has similar weapons and abilities) combat it is finding that computer simulators make it possible to retrain quickly and inexpensively. This is especially true with helicopters, which operate quite differently in near-peer combat than when fighting irregulars and Islamic terrorists. Pilots operate flight controls, sensors and weapons differently and relearning near-peer procedures is very expensive if you do it in the air. It’s also quite dangerous, since one of the things you have to practice is operating in near-peer mode at night, in bad weather or under attack (or all three at once). That’s nearly as scary and is over 90 percent cheaper when done on a simulator.

The primary American helicopter simulator is AVCATT (Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer). This is a mobile (two trailers) system that can emulate AH-64A/D 6.1/10, OH-58D, UH-60A/L and CH-47D. AVCATT comes with terrain databases for the U.S. Army NTC (Fort Irwin), Grafenwoehr-Hohenfels training area in Germany, Iraq, Fort Hood (Texas), Afghanistan and Korea. Multiple AVCATT’s can communicate with each other to allow multiple crews to train together. Since all the trainee data is captured electronically it’s possible to give very valuable and detailed after-action critiques.

 AVCATT has been around since 2003 and that first version proved invaluable in converting crews from decades of near-peer combat training to handling less well armed and organized opponents. The original AVCATT cut the cost of pilot training some 80 percent by using the same electronic and display components found in PCs and video games. In addition to saving a lot of money, using off-the-shelf components makes is possible to create portable flight simulators. This is important for several reasons. For one thing, not every helicopter units follows the same training schedule, so it's a major advantage if the simulators could be easily moved from air base to air base. It's also important to get simulators to a war zone so pilots can practice battle tactics. There was also a special AH-64 flight simulator which used full fidelity (almost like the real thing) graphics.

The AVCATT, however, takes the off the shelf components, and mobility, trends a lot farther. Housed in two standard, 40 foot trailers, the system contains;

- Six Reconfigurable Manned Modules (simulated cockpits for pilot and copilot). These do not have the fidelity of older simulators, but are sufficient for experienced pilots to work out tactics in cooperation with other pilots, and against a realistic enemy. What makes these work in 2003 was the photo-realistic graphics then widely available from off-the-shelf PC video cards. Running at about $300 each, these cards provided the graphics power of graphics “systems" from the 1990s ago that cost about a million dollars each.

- A Battle Master Control (BMC) Station. This is the officer who runs the training exercise. He, or she, must be cruel, but fair.

- A Semi-Automated Forces (SAF) Operator. The bad guys are played by software generated aircraft and ground units. But as the name SAF implies, a human operator can intercede to avoid the silliness that software generated NPCs (Non-Player Characters) are often guilty of if left to their own devices.

- Four Role Player Stations are four people who will provide realistic spoken communications over the radio. Eventually these will be replaced by software, but at the moment it's more reliable to use people.

- Eight Tactical Operations Center (TOC) Stations. Similar to the Role Player Stations, but the TOC people usually assume the same role (unit commander, air controller, Etc.) for the entire exercise.

- An After Action Review (AAR) Station. This is a miniature theater that takes up nearly half of one trailer. It seats 20 and has large displays and a sound system on one end. The beauty of this set up is that, right after the exercise, the trainees and some of the staff can go to the "AAR Station" and see instant replay, with appropriate commentary, of what they did right, or wrong.

The first AVCATT cost about three million dollars for each two trailer set and since then have gotten more expensive but a lot more powerful. For example the current model uses helmet mounted displays so wherever the trainee looks they see what they would see in an actual helicopter. AVCATT was also built to plug and play with other army combat simulators, taking networked gaming to places civilian gamers can only dream about.

The U.S. Army had, during the 1990s largely abandoned milspec (military specifications) in purchasing electronics for use in their simulators. Since the 1990s, the army has taken full advantage of the growing power of PCs and, especially, PC graphics. Milspec components can take years to get approved. But in the last few decades, noting how civilian products are developed faster, and often are more reliable than milspec equivalents, and a lot cheaper, the Department of Defense has been more readily giving permission to develop equipment that does not contain milspec parts. The markedly lowered the cost of things like simulators, produced faster delivery times and greater portability and has made the non-milspec pretty much a standard in some areas of military equipment. And in other cases, troops are taking their laptops, PDAs and other off-the-shelf electronics to take care of business in the combat zone. This has been going on for decades, a sort of unauthorized field testing of new gear. Strictly forbidden of course, as using this unauthorized stuff could get someone killed. But so far, the non-milspec gadgets appear to have saved a lot more lives than they have endangered.

02.04.2014 Par Nathalie Guibert - Le Monde.fr

Ce fut « un véritable chemin de croix », selon l'expression d'un diplomate à Paris. Il aura fallu des mois de discussions, et quatre réunions de « génération de forces », ces rencontres où chacun annonce sa participation, qui un avion, qui une section de combat, pour arriver à boucler une mission militaire européenne en République centrafricaine (RCA). Lancée officiellement à l'occasion du sommet Union européenne (UE)-Afrique mercredi 2 avril, Eufor-RCA comptera quelque 650 hommes sur le terrain dont 120 gendarmes, 850 en tout – la différence étant versée dans les états-majors.

La mission n'a été bouclée qu'avec l'aide de la Géorgie, non membre de l'UE, qui envoie 150 soldats, le plus gros contingent. Personne ne voulait les transporter. Ce sont finalement les Britanniques, soucieux d'adresser un signal à Vladimir Poutine dans la crise ukrainienne, qui le feront. Les grands pays européens se sont joints tardivement aux Estoniens et aux Lettons, volontaires de la première heure. Le nouveau premier ministre italien, Matteo Renzi, a fait un geste en acceptant de financer les travaux d'installation à Bangui. Réticente, l'Allemagne, sous l'impulsion de sa nouvelle ministre de la défense, Ursula Von Der Leyen, mettra finalement deux avions de transport. La Suède va convoyer les soldats Estoniens. La Pologne envoie des gendarmes.

« LA CRISE CENTRAFRICAINE EST DANS UN ANGLE MORT »

La France a choisi de lancer seule son opération « Sangaris » avec 1 600 soldats sous mandat de l'ONU le 5 décembre 2013, et cette absence de « portage européen » dès l'origine a été préjudiciable à une mobilisation, font valoir certains alliés. La Belgique, sur laquelle les espoirs de soutien reposaient au départ, n'a pu suivre pour des raisons de politique intérieure, à un mois d'élections. Autre point, la mission en RCA est difficile, et Paris peine déjà à convaincre sa propre opinion de sa pertinence. A la différence de la situation au Mali, dans laquelle des Européens ont pu faire le lien entre la menace djihadiste locale et leur sécurité intérieure, « la crise centrafricaine est dans un angle mort pour tout le monde », convient une source proche du ministre de la défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, à Paris.

De fait, le ministère la défense ne jugeait pas jouable de mobiliser les Européens, à la différence de celui des affaires étrangères, qui, par la voix de Laurent Fabius, avait annoncé dès le 17 décembre 2013 des « troupes au sol » européennes en renfort. L'entourage de M. Le Drian indique aujourd'hui ne pas tirer de leçon générale sur un échec de la politique européenne de défense à l'occasion de cette crise : car à l'inverse, les soutiens militaires européens s'accroissent pour la mission menée au Mali. Les Européens se sont néanmoins attirés les reproches du secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-Moon, qui les trouvés bien trop timorés au regard du désastre humanitaire et sécuritaire centrafricain. A plusieurs reprises ces derniers mois, celui-ci a invité l'UE à accélérer le déploiement de sa mission militaire.

La mission Eufor-RCA, commandée par le général français Philippe Pontiès, se déploiera à partir de la fin avril au mieux. Elle pourra soulager la force Sangaris sur l'aéroport de Bangui. Si les effectifs sont complétés, deux quartiers de la capitale centrafricaine pourraient aussi être sécurisés comme prévu au départ. L'enjeu est de permettre aux soldats français et africains de la Misca d'être davantage présents en province, où les populations musulmanes réfugiées sous la protection des forces étrangères sont toujours menacées par les milices anti-balaka à majorité chrétienne.

2 avril 2014 par EUTM Mali

Mardi 1er avril 2014 à Bamako s’est déroulée la cérémonie de transfert d’autorité de la Mission Européenne d’Entraînement au Mali (EUTM Mali) entre le général Bruno Guibert et le général Marc Rudkiewicz, en présence de M. Richard Zink, ambassadeur et chef de la délégation de l’Union Européenne au Mali.

Dans son allocution, le général Guibert a rendu hommage aux 560 militaires européens de la mission : « je tiens à vous faire part de ma satisfaction pour votre engagement et votre détermination pour atteindre vos objectifs. Vous avez donnez le meilleur de vous pour aider vos camarades maliens (…)».

Au cours de ce premier mandat, EUTM a jeté les bases du rétablissement des forces armées maliennes, en aidant notamment les autorités maliennes à définir un format d’armée s’appuyant sur des structures pérennes et en les dotant d’unités aptes à remplir des missions de sécurisation au nord du pays.

La Mission Européenne d’Entraînement au Mali regroupe 560 militaires européens de 23 nationalités différentes. Elle a pour objectif de contribuer à améliorer les capacités militaires des forces armées maliennes afin de leur permettre  d’assurer à terme la sécurité et la souveraineté du Mali. Elle fait partie intégrante de l’approche globale adoptée par l’UE face à la situation au Mali et au Sahel.

 Transfer of authority in the European Training Mission in Mali

On Tuesday the 1st of April, in Bamako took place the transfer of authority ceremony of the European Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) between General Bruno Guibert and General Marc Rudkiewicz, in presence of Mr. Richard Zink, ambassador and leader of the European delegation in Mali.

During his speech, General Guibert paid tribute to the 560 European servicemen of the mission: “I would like to share with you my satisfaction for your strong commitment and determination to achieve your objectives. You have given the best of yourself to help our Malian comrades (…)”.

During the first mandate, EUTM has set the foundations for the restoration of the Malian armed forces, helping the Malian authorities defining an army based on lasting structures and providing them with military units, able to accomplish the security mission in the north of the country.

The European Training Mission in Mali gathers 560 European servicemen from 23 different countries. Its goal is to contribute to enhance the Malian military capabilities, in order to enable them to ensure the security and sovereignty of Mali. The mission is integrated into the European Union global approach to the Sahel.

Les spécialistes du contrôle et du commandement des opérations ont participé à l'exercice Volfa

02/04/2014 Armée de l'air

Du 24 au 27 mars 2014, un équipage de l’escadron de détection et de contrôle mobile (EDCM) de la base aérienne 105 d’Évreux a participé à la première édition 2014 de l’exercice VOLFA, qui se déroulait dans le Massif central.

Opérant à bord d’un CDCd (centre de détection et de contrôle déployable), sa mission a consisté à assurer la conduite tactique des forces «ennemies» placées sous son contrôle. Pendant quatre jours d’intense activité, opérateurs et contrôleurs aériens ont effectué la surveillance aérienne de la zone d’entraînement, préalable à l’engagement des moyens aériens et sol-air Mamba et Crotale NG participant au scénario de l’exercice.

L’équipage a pris part à la totalité des créneaux d’activité, de jour comme de nuit, contrôlant 17 missions aériennes complexes, en utilisant notamment la liaison 16. Plusieurs spécialistes des CDC fixes de Cinq-Mars-la-Pîle, de Lyon Mont-Verdun, et de la réserve opérationnelle de l’unité sont venus prêter main forte à leurs camarades de l’EDCM.

La participation à ce type d’exercice majeur constitue l’opportunité de se familiariser avec le travail spécifique à bord du CDCd et de constituer un réservoir de force capable d’appuyer les équipages tactiques de l’EDCM en cas de besoin opérationnel.

Le CDCd constitue un moyen d’intervention complet, équipé d’un module de contrôle tactique doté de 14 postes de contrôle. Équipé d’une poursuite multi-radar alimentée par plusieurs radars HMBA (haute, moyenne, basse altitude), il offre une capacité de détection sur un large spectre. En plus de moyens de téléphonie et d’interphonie, il est aussi équipé de liaisons de données tactiques.

1 avril 2014 Cyrille DJEDJED - L’Inter

La force Licorne présente à Abidjan a été renforcée. Samedi dernier, une compagnie du 2e Régiment d’Infanterie de Marine est arrivée à Abidjan, dans le cadre des relèves régulières cette force. En effet, 150 militaires ont atterri à l’aéroport Félix Houphouët-Boigny, avant de rejoindre le camp de Port-Bouët par autobus. Il faut dire que tous les quatre mois, la Force Licorne procède à la relève de son personnel. Le 30 mars, la compagnie franc comtoise, arrivée en Afrique en décembre 2013, est repartie donc en France, comme prévu dans la programmation. Ainsi, le volume de la Force reste inchangé : 450 militaires arment un état-major tactique, une compagnie d’infanterie, une compagnie de commandement et de logistique, un escadron de combat, et des militaires issus de différentes entités, principalement dans le domaine du soutien. La France, à la demande des autorités ivoiriennes, accompagne la réforme de l’armée ivoirienne et maintient une présence militaire en Côte d’Ivoire pour assurer la protection des ressortissants français. La force Licorne veille, entre autres, à appuyer la mise en œuvre du processus de paix et à maintenir des éléments aptes à renforcer les unités de L’Onuci en cas de besoin.

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles are unloaded in 2009 from the MV Marilyn Vessel in the port of Antwerp, Belgium. (Pierre-Etienne Courtejoie/Army)

Apr. 1, 2014 - By JEFF SCHOGOL – Defense News

The US military has more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles in Afghanistan that it can bring home — and Afghanistan, India and Pakistan are locked in a three-way competition for them, a former senior defense official said.

“Those people in US government who want to support the Pakistani counterinsurgency say we should give [MRAPs] to them; the people who are concerned about the future of Afghanistan, the people who are principally concerned about India say we shouldn’t give [MRAPs] to them,” said David Sedney. “What we’re actually going to do is not clear.”

MRAPs initially were fielded in Iraq to protect troops from roadside bombs after insurgents discovered that the undersides of up-armored Humvees were vulnerable to buried explosives.

Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates made building the MRAPs and getting the vehicles downrange a top priority, even though he understood the vehicles were designed for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, not necessarily in future conflicts, said Sedney, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia from 2009 to 2013.

Now the US military has thousands of MRAPs in Afghanistan that neither the Army nor Marine Corps want, Sedney said. Since the US government has considered MRAPs too sophisticated for the Afghan military to use, it has been shipping some vehicles back to the US while destroying others that have battle damage, Sedney told Military Times on Tuesday.

But some members of Congress have objected to destroying the costly vehicles, he said. Meanwhile, the companies that build MRAPs — and the lawmakers that represent states where the vehicles are built — want to encourage other countries to use MRAPs because building spare parts for the vehicles is a “lucrative business.”

Pakistan has said it wants a lot of MRAPs and some US government officials think the vehicles could help the Paksitanis fight their own insurgents, Sedney said.

“As soon as the Indians even got hint of this, they became upset because they said, ‘Hey look, these MRAPs, they’re of limited utility in the worst areas of Pakistan but they could be really useful in an offensive action [by Pakistan] against India,’” Sedney said. “The Indian government started lobbying against MRAPs to Pakistan.”

Afghan officials also were concerned that the Pakistanis could use MRAPs against them, and Afghan military leaders felt many of their troops who were killed by roadside bombs in 2013 could have survived if they had been in MRAPs, he said.

“The Afghans realized that and they said, ‘Wait a second ... you’re saying that we have to absorb much higher casualties than you ever were willing to? Why don’t you give us the MRAPS?’ But of course, they didn’t have the money.”

Last week, US Forces Afghanistan issued a statement that it has no plans to provide Pakistan with excess MRAPs used in Afghanistan. The US Embassy in Pakistan then issued a statement on Monday saying the US government is considering Pakistan’s request for excess military equipment.

That prompted the State Department to release a statement on Monday clarifying that while the US government is considering giving military equipment to Pakistan, none of it would come directly from Afghanistan.

“To be clear, the United States has not refused Pakistan’s request regarding EDA [excess defense articles] sourced from the worldwide pool (to include any request that might involve MRAPs),” according to the statement. “The United States continues to assist Pakistan through many security cooperation programs to build partnership capacity, including through the provision of worldwide available EDA.

“US military equipment leaving overland from Afghanistan through Pakistan or via the Northern Distribution Network is part of the overall process of removing equipment as our forces draw down in Afghanistan. We have not and do not intend to transfer this equipment to the governments neighboring Afghanistan.”

The Army’s new Australian Light Armoured Vehicle. (photo : Army News, Finmeccanica)

29.03.2014 Defense Studies

After rigorous testing, the new Australian Light Armoured Vehicle surveillance variant, ALSAV-S, has been shown to significantly improve Army’s Cavalry operations.

The new vehicles tested during Exercise Kosta River in late March 2014, conducted at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

Commanding Officer of 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) Lieutenant Colonel Ash Collingburn said the vehicles were yet another tool in the Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance toolbox.


 

“The new vehicles are a game changer; the new capability they provide changes the way we think about Cavalry operations,” Lieutenant Colonel Collingburn said.

Exercise Kosta River, was a training opportunity for surveillance troops, providing the chance to put the new vehicles through their paces.

“We’re learning as we go,” Lieutenant Colonel Collingburn said.

 

“We have some very smart junior Non Comissioned Officers and soldiers in the surveillance troop and they are quickly learning about the limitations and realising the full potential of the capability.”

Equipped with the Multispectral Surveillance Suite of equipment including a ground surveillance radar, thermal camera and day camera, the vehicles are capable of laser designating targets and can penetrate the tree canopy thanks to its raiseable mast.

This equipment now allows the surveillance troops to screen over greater distances than they have previously been able to with traditional Cavalry vehicles.

 

Crew Commander Corporal Daniel Cameron leads one of the vehicles and said the first time he saw the system in his training he thought it was amazing.

“You could see everything,” he said. “It makes you think harder now as a crew commander on where to position the vehicle to get the full potential out of the system.”

Corporal Cameron said the field trial had been going well. “Like anything there are always some teething issues with new equipment but the training we’re doing here is good in order to test it properly,” he said.

(Aus DoD)