04.09.2013 Le Monde.fr (AFP)

Près d'une semaine avant la rentrée du Sénat, la commission des affaires étrangères du Sénat américain est parvenue, mardi 3 septembre, à un accord sur un projet d'autorisation de l'usage de la force armée en Syrie.

Le projet fixe une limite de 60 jours à une éventuelle intervention militaire en Syrie, avec la possibilité d'une prolongation unique et sous conditions de 30 jours. Il interdit également l'envoi de troupes au sol.

Cette version du texte remplacerait celle envoyée au Congrès par la Maison Blanche samedi, et qui était considérée comme donnant trop de latitude au président.

UNE INTERVENTION "LIMITÉE"

"La commission des affaires étrangères du Sénat a élaboré une autorisation du recours à la force militaire qui reflète la volonté et les inquiétudes des démocrates et des républicains", a annoncé le président de la commission, le démocrate Robert Menendez, dans un communiqué.

La résolution "n'autorise pas l'utilisation des forces armées américaines sur le sol en Syrie dans le but d'opérations de combat", précise le document. L'intervention devrait, en outre, être "limitée", selon le texte de compromis.

Le texte sera soumis mercredi au vote des membres de la commission sénatiorale. S'il est adopté, il sera alors transmis en séance plénière au Sénat, qui reprend ses activités lundi prochain.

Lire notre décryptage sur les scénarios possibles qui se présentent à Obama avec le vote du Congrès

Rencontre bilatérale Obama-Hollande

Barack Obama aura des entretiens bilatéraux avec ses homologues français François Hollande et chinois Xi Jinping cette semaine en marge du sommet du G20 à Saint-Pétersbourg, en Russie, a annoncé mardi un responsable de la Maison blanche.

Aucune rencontre formelle n'a en revanche été prévue avec Vladimir Poutine, a ajouté ce responsable, mais les deux présidents pourraient se parler "en marge" des réunions programmées jeudi et vendredi à Saint-Pétersbourg.

02 Sept. 2013 by Arie Egozi – FG

Tel Aviv - The Israeli air force says it will only evaluate a US offer to sell it surplus Boeing KC-135 tankers if the aircraft involved are R-model examples.

Washington has so far only proposed the sale of three KC-135Es, worth around $200 million.

Israeli sources say the air force has made it clear it prefers the CFM56-powered R-model aircraft. These are included in the USA's excess defense articles programme, which allows Washington to give its allies military hardware for free, or at a greatly reduced price.

The Israeli service is looking for new tankers, and surplus KC-135s were included in a US offer of equipment several months ago, which also featured the Bell-Boeing V-22 tiltrotor.

Israeli sources say that if the USA agrees to supply the longer-range KC-135R a deal could include 12 examples, to be transferred after undergoing depot maintenance in the USA.

The air force intends to use two of the aircraft for VIP transport applications, the sources add.

The Israeli government has for some years evaluated options for an "Air Force One"-type capability to conduct missions such as flying the nation's prime minister to foreign countries. An earlier programme was shelved following a request for information process, however, due to its price.

No official response has been given to the status of the negotiations.

The Israeli air force is currently using a fleet of upgraded Boeing 707 in-flight refuelling tankers, which were converted by Israel Aerospace Industries. These continue to be modified, with recent enhancements having introduced a new glass cockpit, modern communications equipment, a global air traffic management system and the same type of refuelling boom used by the US Air Force's KC-135s.

Sep. 2, 2013 – Defense News (AFP)

JALALABAD, AFGHANISTAN — Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen dressed as Afghan police attacked a US base near the Pakistani border on Monday and set dozens of parked NATO supply vehicles ablaze, officials said.

All three attackers were shot dead by helicopter gunships during the assault on the base in Nangarhar province, but no member of the US-led NATO mission was killed.

“Our investigation shows some 41 vehicles — supply trucks and vehicles belonging to US forces — were destroyed in the attack,” Nangarhar provincial spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai said after the attack near the Torkham border crossing.

“Magnetic bombs were attached to some vehicles and detonated,” he told a press conference.

“Three armed insurgents were killed by US helicopter gunships. Weapons, suicide vests and hand grenades were found afterwards.”

A senior Afghan border police official also told AFP that 30 to 50 vehicles had been burnt.

Torkham is next to Pakistan’s Khyber Pass and straddles a key NATO overland supply route into landlocked Afghanistan from the nearest sea port of Karachi.

“There were a series of explosions that occurred in the vicinity of a forward operating base in Nangarhar province,” said a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The military later described it as an “attempted but unsuccessful coordinated attack by enemy forces”.

“There were three enemy forces killed during the attack. We can confirm that no ISAF personnel were killed as a result of this incident,” it said in a statement.

An AFP photographer saw the bodies of three dead attackers wearing Afghan police uniforms.

NATO combat troops are gradually withdrawing from Afghanistan and are due to finish their mission by the end of 2014, after presidential elections next April.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban which is leading a 12-year insurgency against Western troops and the Afghan government, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to the media.

The Taliban have launched a spate of attacks across the country in recent days, with scores killed in suicide bombings, ambushes and rocket attacks. They also killed five aid workers in the west.

On Sunday the bullet-riddled bodies of seven civilians kidnapped one week earlier by the Taliban were found in Ghazni province just south of the capital.

Also on Sunday, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan and potential candidate for next year’s presidential election, Omar Daudzai, was appointed acting interior minister.

President Hamid Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion removed the Taliban from power, is barred from standing for a third term.

Interior minister Mujtaba Patang was voted out by parliament in July over accusations that he had failed to thwart the threat from Taliban rebels.

Afghanistan’s 350,000-strong security forces are suffering a steep rise in attacks as the NATO mission winds down, with police and army casualties said to have increased by 15-20 percent since 2011.

The election to succeed Karzai is seen as the key test of whether 12 years of massive international military and aid intervention has been worthwhile.

Karzai recently named controversial former warlord Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, 2009 runner-up Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani as possible candidates.

Other potential runners include foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, Qayum Karzai, the president’s brother, and former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali.

Karzai has pledged to ensure a smooth election, but international donors have expressed concern about whether the vote will produce a credible result after the 2009 poll was marred by massive fraud.

02/09/2013 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft formally joins the Indian Air Force today. In the presence of A.K Antony - the Indian Defence Minister - the 70 tonne airlifter will be pressed into service at Hindon Air Force Station, Delhi.

Equipped with this brand new type, the Indian Air Force will be better-placed to airlift troops and support equipment into battle.

Able to accommodate up to 150 service personnel, the C-17 Globemaster III is the Indian Air Force's largest aircraft, taking over from the Russian-built Ilyushin Il-76 in this regard.

Ultimately, the air arm is getting a fleet of 10 Globemasters. In comparison, the Royal Air Force currently operates eight Globemasters and only the USAF, with 220 examples, has more in service. To date, three have been delivered to India, with the remaining seven to be supplied between now and the end of 2014. Still to be exercised is an option to acquire six more Globemasters, meaning India could one day have 16 such aircraft.

Indian Air Force Globemasters

The Indian Air Force Globemaster fleet will operate from India's advanced landing sites (in the northeast) and its more mountainous regions (in the north). Recent years have seen India orientate its arms purchases away from Russia and towards the US and other Western nations. With many older Soviet-era technologies now reaching the end of their service lives, the Indian Air Force is rearming itself with a host of new military technologies. Besides the C-17s, it has also recently obtained six Lockheed C-130J Hercules military transport aircraft and has its sights on six more.

The Boeing C-17A Globemaster III first flew in 1991 and entered service two years later. Capable of carrying payloads up to 77,500 pounds in weight, it can use 3,500 foot-long runways. Four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans - each generating 40,700 pounds of thrust - give it a maximum speed of 515 miles an hour, while it's also got a maximum operational ceiling of 45,000 feet and a 4,741 mile range.

Hindon Air Force Station is Asia's largest air base. Currently based there are Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters, MiG-29 air superiority fighters and a number of the Indian Air Force's C-130Js.

Sep 2, 2013 ASDNews Source : Lockheed Martin Corporation

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] will provide the U.S. Navy and allied navy customers from Canada and The Netherlands with upgrade kits and services for the MK 48 heavyweight torpedo under a new, $37 million contract award, part of a five-year effort to upgrade the entire submarine fleet.

The Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) upgrade kit equips the heavyweight MK 48 with increased bandwidth and streamlined targeting and tracking capabilities. The kit includes a broadband analog sonar receiver, a guidance and control box, and a pre-amplifier. Since the CBASS program was first awarded to Lockheed Martin in 2011, the U.S. Navy has awarded more than $70 million for functional item replacement kits, engineering services, spares, and production support material.

“The CBASS upgrades dramatically enhance the performance and capabilities of the MK 48,” said Tom Jarbeau, Lockheed Martin program director. “The refinements we’ve made to the torpedo’s guidance and control systems provide the U.S. Navy with a highly capable weapon in both littoral and deep sea environments.”

The replacement kits will upgrade the heavyweight torpedoes used by the entire United States submarine fleet for anti-submarine or anti-surface warfare. The MK 48 heavyweight torpedo is also employed by the allied navies of Australia, Canada, and The Netherlands.

Lockheed Martin’s Marion, Mass., facility will perform the CBASS work, with additional support from other company locations, including Manassas, Va.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Newport, R.I.  Lockheed Martin subsidiary Polaris Contract Manufacturing will build the circuit card and module assembly.

02.09.2013 Le Monde.fr

Les communications de la présidente brésilienne Dilma Rousseff et du président mexicain Enrique Peña Nieto ont été espionnées par les Etats-Unis, a révélé dimanche 1er septembre la télévision Globo du Brésil, documents des services secrets américains à l'appui.

La chaîne de télévision a présenté un fichier révélé par l'informaticien américain Edward Snowden, datant de juin 2012 et intitulé "Infiltration intelligente de données, étude de cas du Brésil et du Mexique".

Dans ce document, l'Agence nationale de sécurité américaine (NSA) cherche notamment à avoir "une meilleure compréhension des méthodes de communication et des interlocuteurs" de Mme Rousseff et de ses collaborateurs grâce à un programme qui permet d'accéder à tous les contenus visités par la présidente brésilienne sur le Net.

Suite de l’article

Sep. 1, 2013 By PAUL SINGER – Defense News

WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday he does not believe Congress will reject military action against Syria, but lawmakers are making it clear that the vote will not be easy and the outcome is not assured.

President Obama announced Saturday that he believes the United States should launch a military attack on Syria in response to an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in Damascus. But he said he would first seek approval from Congress for use of military force.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he thinks the Senate “will rubber-stamp what (Obama) wants, but I think the House will be a much closer vote.” Paul said he believes “it’s at least 50-50 whether the House will vote down involvement in the Syrian war.”

Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it’s not clear whether American interests are at stake in Syria, or whether opponents of the Assad regime would be any more friendly to the United States.

Paul recalled that Kerry said during the Vietnam War, “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?”

“I would ask, ‘How do you ask a man to be the first to die for a mistake?’” Paul said. “I’m not sending my son, your son or anybody else’s son to fight for a stalemate.”

Paul said he was “proud” of Obama for following the Constitution and asking for congressional support. But he said the president made a “grave mistake” in setting a “red line.” Obama’s push for military action, he said, is an effort to “save face and add bad policy to bad policy.”

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the president may have trouble winning the backing of Congress.

King, appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” said, “I think it is going to be difficult,” noting that there is an “isolationist” tendency in the Republican Party.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he believes “at the end of the day, Congress will rise to the occasion,” but he also said, “it’s going to take that healthy debate to get there.”

But Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., told “Fox News Sunday” that he didn’t think Congress would approve a war resolution. He said budget cuts have rendered U.S. forces “degraded and unready.”

Several lawmakers raised objections to military action in the hours after Obama announced he will ask Congress to approve the use of force.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.Y., an Army veteran with multiple foreign deployments, said Saturday, “I hope my colleagues will fully think through the weightiness of this decision and reject military action. The situation on the ground in Syria is tragic and deeply saddening, but escalating the conflict and Americanizing the Syrian civil war will not resolve the matter.”

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said, “The apparent chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime is an appalling, unconscionable act by a bloodthirsty tyrant. The ‘limited’ military response supported by President Obama, however, shows no clear goal, strategy, or any coherence whatsoever, and is supported neither by myself nor the American people.”

Opposition to the use of force is not limited to the Republican Party. Democrat Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said in a statement: “Unilateral U.S. military action against the Syrian regime at this time would do nothing to advance American interests, but would certainly fuel extremist groups on both sides of the conflict that are determined to expand the bloodshed beyond Syria’s borders.”

While Congress remains on recess, the White House has begun its campaign to sway opinions, holding a classified briefing for lawmakers Sunday to show them evidence against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“We’re not going to lose this vote,” Kerry said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.”

Singer writes for USA Today. Contributing: The Associated Press; Gregory Korte; Brian Tumulty and Raju Chebium, Gannett Washington Bureau

Sep. 1, 2013 By DAVID JACKSON and AAMER MADHANI – Defense News

WASHINGTON — The president’s decision to seek congressional approval for a military strike against Syria came out of the blue — none of his national security team saw it coming, according to three senior administration officials.

Obama told some of his senior advisers during a National Security Council meeting last weekend that he was leaning toward taking action against Syria, but had not made a final decision, said the officials, who spoke on the condition they not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. As Obama mulled his next steps, the aides advised him not to seek congressional authorization for a military strike, they said.

But when Obama convened his senior advisers Friday night to tell them he had settled on launching a narrowly focused strike against the Bashar Assad regime, he also told them something stunning: He would ask Congress to authorize it first.

The president raised this idea to his national security team for the first time Friday night after a one-on-one chat with White House chief of staff Denis McDonough. In discussions Friday night and again Saturday morning in the Situation Room, Obama laid out his reasoning to his aides, some of whom were opposed to seeking congressional approval, according to the officials who declined to name the skeptics.

“Many people have advised against taking this decision to Congress, and undoubtedly, they were impacted by what we saw happen in the United Kingdom this week when the Parliament of our closest ally failed to pass a resolution with a similar goal, even as the prime minister supported taking action,” Obama told the nation Saturday. “Yet, while I believe I have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization, I know that the country will be stronger if we take this course, and our actions will be even more effective.”

In the months leading up to Saturday’s announcement, Obama made clear his desire to have broad support for any potential action against Syria — crystallizing his long-held view that the credibility of military action comes with numbers. But Russia, Syria’s most powerful patron, would block any United Nations Security Council resolution against Syria. After the British Parliament rejected Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for military action last week, it became clear to Obama that a groundswell of international was not coming.

Notably, Obama called President Francois Hollande of France — the one major U.S. ally that has endorsed a military strike — before he publicly announced his decision to seek backing from Congress.

Still, as Obama edged toward calling for a limited military strike against the Assad regime following Syrian forces’ alleged killing of more than 1,400 in a chemical attack in rebel stronghold outside of Damascus Aug. 21, White House officials maintained their view that the president did not need to seek congressional approval.

But aides said Obama, who as a candidate for the White House criticized President George W. Bush’s for rushing to war in Iraq, saw formal consultation with Congress as a central part of his desired legacy to take the United States off a permanent war footing.The president was further convinced that this was the best course of action after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, told him a Syria operation was not time-sensitive, and there was no negative impact for waiting, the officials said.

Congress is set to return from its summer recess Sept. 9 and is expected to debate and vote on an authorization that week. Obama would not rule out taking action immediately if Assad deploys chemical weapons before Congress is set to vote, the officials said.

The officials also stressed that the president changed his own mind, and no congressional leaders directly asked him to seek authorization, even though about a third of rank-and-file House members have called for it. They won’t speculate what Obama would do if Congress does not approve use of force, while maintaining that Obama retains the authority to go it alone

Obama made clear in his remarks on Saturday that a “no” vote would send the wrong message to Assad and America’s enemies. “Here’s my question for every member of Congress and every member of the global community: What message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price?” Obama said.

“What’s the purpose of the international system that we’ve built if a prohibition on the use of chemical weapons that has been agreed to by the governments of 98 percent of the world’s people and approved overwhelmingly by the Congress of the United States is not enforced?”

Jackson and Madhani write for USA Today.

31/08/2013 par Nicolas Laffont – 45eNord.ca

Sur la base de documents fournis par l’ancien analyste de la NSA, Edward Snowden, les services de renseignement américains ont lancé 231 cyberattaques en 2011, visant notamment l’Iran, la Russie, la Chine ou la Corée du Nord.

«Ces révélations [...] fournissent de nouvelles preuves que les – cyberguerriers – de plus en plus nombreux de l’administration Obama infiltrent des réseaux informatiques à l’étranger et en perturbent le fonctionnement», écrit le Washington Post samedi, se fondant sur le budget secret des services de renseignement américains fournis par Edward Snowden.

En plus de ces cyberattaques, des spécialistes «s’introduisent dans des réseaux étrangers pour les mettre sous un contrôle américain discret», indique également le quotidien américain, qui évoque un projet baptisé GENIE et dont le budget s’élève à 652 millions $. Des logiciels malveillants auraient ainsi été placés «chaque année dans des dizaines de milliers de machines».

En se basant sur les documents dont dispose le Washington Post, les journalistes Barton Gellman et Ellen Nakashima précise que d’ici «la fin de l’année, GENIE devrait contrôler au moins 85.000 logiciels implantés dans des machines choisies stratégiquement tout autour du monde», contre près de 21.000 en 2008.

Le quotidien écrit ainsi qu’avec ce que leur a fourni Edward Snowden, il paraît clair que la «campagne d’intrusion informatique bien plus importante et plus agressive que ce qui avait jusqu’à présent été envisagé».

Si le «budger noir» ne détaille pas vers qui a été dirigé ces cyberattaques, d’anciens responsables ont indiqué que près de 75% d’entre elles «visaient des cibles de la plus haute importance [...] comme l’Iran, la Russie, la Chine et la Corée du Nord ou des activités comme la prolifération nucléaire».

Les États-Unis ont plusieurs fois appelé au cours des derniers mois la Chine à cesser ses activités de piratage informatique, mais «les services de renseignement américains utilisent de manière routinière dans le monde entier des logiciels malveillants bâtis par le gouvernement qui diffèrent assez peu dans leur fonctionnement des +menaces perfectionnées persistantes+ que les responsables américains attribuent à la Chine», pointe le Post.

La principale différence, expliquent des responsables, «est que la Chine vole des secrets industriels américains pour un gain financier», poursuit le quotidien américain.

À lire aussi:

Fournis par Snowden, les détails du «budget noir» éclairent la traque de Ben Laden >>

30 August 2013 army-technology.com

ViaSat has been selected for supply of Link 16 small tactical terminals for the US Army's AH-64E Apache attack helicopter fleet.

The company will supply its KOR-24A small tactical terminal (STT) to help address the army's requirement for an airborne and maritime/fixed station (AMF) Small Airborne Link 16 Terminal (SALT).

ViaSat Tactical Data Links general manager, Dr. Jay Kaufman, said: "The STT satisfies the latest requirements for Apache helicopters, providing a significant advance in battlefield communications such as Link 16 and SRW become essential capabilities in the future of army aviation."

Jointly manufactured by ViaSat and Harris, KOR-24 SST is a small, two-channel, very high frequency / ultra high frequency (VHF/UHF) radio terminal, designed to bring mobile network connectivity to dismounted soldiers and platforms such as ground vehicles, small boats, ships, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

"The STT satisfies the latest requirements for Apache helicopters, providing a significant advance in battlefield communications."

The terminal primarily enables soldiers to exchange secure situational awareness information and critical data communications with allied air, land, and sea platforms over Link 16 or UHF to maintain the tactical picture and also avoid Blue-on-Blue engagements.

Fully interoperable with global MIDS Link 16 terminals, joint tactical information distribution system (JTIDS), or UHF data radio systems, the terminal also supports all tactical digital information link (TADIL) J network messages, including network enabled weapon (NEW) messages.

Nicknamed Guardian, the Boeing AH-64E is a heavily armed helicopter featuring powerful, fuel-efficient T700-GE-701D engines, enhanced rotor blade technology and electronics, as well as improved aircraft handling, performance and agility at higher altitudes.

Designed to replace the existing AH-64D Longbow helicopters, the helicopter also features a joint tactical radio system, electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors to improve pilots' situational awareness and an oversea capacity, enabling potential strikes on smaller ships.

Aug. 30, 2013 – Defense News (AFP)

MANILA — The United States and the Philippines are moving toward an agreement that will expand the American military’s presence in the Philippines, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday during a visit to Manila.

Hagel and President Benigno Aquino “reaffirmed the progress being made” in talks begun earlier this month to allow a bigger military footprint in the Philippines, the Pentagon chief said.

“This progress is welcome and encouraging. I noted that our negotiating teams are working hard to finish the framework agreement in the near future,” he told reporters.

Hagel’s optimistic comments appeared to open the possibility that the negotiations, which resumed this week in the US capital, could be wrapped up in time for President Barack Obama’s expected visit to Southeast Asia later this year.

An accord opening the way to a more visible role for the American military marks a shift in relations between the two countries more than two decades after the United States closed large bases amid anti-American sentiment.

But the Philippines faces territorial disputes at sea with China and has asked for US assistance to better monitor coastal waters. The United States, meanwhile, is seeking to bolster its ties across Southeast Asia, partly to counter China’s growing military power.

The proposed deal would allow more US troops, aircraft and ships to temporarily pass through the Philippines at a time when Washington is refocusing its attention on Asia after a decade of war.

Hagel sought to reassure Filipinos, whose senate voted out the American presence in the early 1990s, saying Washington had no interest in setting up permanent outposts.

“The United States does not seek permanent bases in the Philippines — that would represent a return to an outdated Cold War mentality,” he said at a joint news conference with his Filipino counterpart.

“Instead, we are using a new model of military-to-military cooperation befitting two great allies and partners,” he said.

The Philippines once hosted tens of thousands of US soldiers at two bases near Manila, but they were forced to leave in 1992. A new accord in 1999 allowed troops to return to the Philippines for joint military exercises every year.

Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the proposed agreement could permit US forces to regain access to Subic Bay, a large naval base north of Manila that the Pentagon handed over to Philippine control in 1992.

“Subic Bay is one of the facilities that was mentioned for the US forces to (have) access in. As soon as the framework agreement is complete, we will provide the necessary access to all these facilities,” Gazmin added.

The US defense chief went ahead with his overnight visit to Manila despite a tense showdown over Syria, with US forces prepared to launch punitive strikes against the Damascus regime if ordered.

Even with the turmoil in the Middle East, Hagel said the US remained committed to a strategic focus toward Asia, as well as its 1951 mutual defense pact with Manila.

Hagel was in Manila at the end of a week-long Asian tour amid fresh strains between the Philippines and China over rival territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The tensions have forced Aquino to call off a planned visit Sept. 3 to the Chinese city of Nanning to attend a trade conference.

The Philippines accuses China of aggressively pushing its territorial claims over most of the South China Sea, including waters close to Philippine shores.

Hagel endorsed efforts by China’s smaller neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to negotiate a South China Sea “code of conduct,” as well as Philippine efforts to solve the disputes.

Without mentioning China, he said that Washington wanted nations to settle their disputes through international law “without coercion or militarized attempts to alter the status quo.”

Hagel held separate talks with Gazmin and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, and visited the US military cemetery in Manila before heading back to Washington.

30/08/2013 - 19:15 JDD

Le secrétaire d'Etat américain John Kerry s'est engagé vendredi à ce que les Etats-Unis ne "répètent" pas l'expérience de la guerre en Irak s'ils devaient agir militairement contre la Syrie accusée d'avoir utilisé des armes chimiques. "Nous ne répéterons pas ce moment", a-t-il déclaré devant la presse à Washington. "Ce que feront les États-Unis ne ressemblera pas à l'Irak, à l'Afghanistan ni même à l'intervention en Libye, a-t-il poursuivi.

Une éventuelle action aura une durée déterminée, a précisé le secrétaire d'Etat, et prendra la forme d'une action "ciblée" sans troupes au sol.

Aug 30, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: The Hill; published Aug. 29, 2013)

F-35 Purchase Could Cost Canada $71-Billion Under Worst-Case Scenario: Report (excerpt)

PARLIAMENT HILL --- A worst-case scenario of cost risks in a Department of National Defence report on a possible acquisition of 65 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets estimates the airplanes could cost Canada up to $71 billion through acquisition, sustainment and operations over 36 years.

The costs, $25-billion more than the current National Defence estimate, are contained in a section of the department’s latest report to Parliament on the F-35 that outlines “cost risk and uncertainty” and is intended to provide a range of effects on the cost of buying and operating a fleet of stealth attack planes if factors such as inflation, the exchange rate between the Canadian and U.S. dollar, the cost of fuel and the rate of aircraft to be produced by Lockheed Martin fluctuates either higher or lower than the estimates that are behind the current National Defence figures.

If Lockheed Martin expectations of more efficiency through continued production and economies of scale as it makes and sells an expected 3,100 jets are even just three per cent less than expected, the extra cost to Canada would be $6.1-billion over a current acquisition calendar which has the 65 aircraft being delivered over a seven-year period beginning in 2017.

…/…

Other risks the National Defence report outlines include a likelihood that Lockheed Martin will sell 250 aircraft less than the number previously expected during the period Canada would potentially buy, leading to lower economies of scale in production and an extra cost to Canada of $500 million.

The risk analysis shows if the Canadian dollar were valued at 78 cents per U.S. dollar, instead of the current forecast of 92 cents, it would add $1.6-billion more to the acquisition cost. If the inflation rate were one per cent more over the lifetime of the fleet than the inflation rate on which the current National Defence forecast is based, the extra cost for sustaining Canada’s fleet would be $3.1-billion over the aircraft lifecycle. A change of one cent in the exchange rate could mean an extra $2.1-billion in lifetime sustainment cost. On the other side of the coin, a one-cent change in the exchange rate to the benefit of the Canadian dollar would lower the lifecycle sustainment cost by $2.1-billion.

The National Defence forecast of $19.8-billion in operating costs over the F-35 fleet’s lifecycle would increase by $5.4-billion with just a one per cent increase in the inflation rate from the rate the National Defence estimates are based on. It would correspondingly drop with a reduction of one per cent in the inflation rate from the current forecast rate.

The National Defence report forecast of fuel costs over the fleet’s lifetime is based on a price of 87.9 cents per litre, and a 10-per-cent increase in that cost could raise the forecast of life cycle fuel costs by $1.5-billion, with a reduction of the same amount in the unlikely event fuel costs would drop by 10 per cent. (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full report, on The Hill website.


(EDITOR’S NOTE:
Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have recently begun to claim they have significantly lowered F-35 costs when, in fact, they have simply lowered their estimates.
It is thus particularly appropriate to see how the picture can change when estimates are instead increased; in this instance, life-cycle costs jump from C$45 billion to C$71 billion if just a few assumptions change by a percentage point or two.
As the cost reductions claimed by Lockheed and the JPO are based on estimates of how various costs (labor rates, fuel, materials, exchange rates, inflation, etc. etc.) will evolve over the next 50 years, it is eye-opening to see how easily minor fluctuations can cause a totally unexpected cost blow-out.)