DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 12, 2012: The IDF plans to approve the procurement of a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a meeting of the General Staff later this month that will convene to finalize the military’s multi-year program.

Called Oz (Hebrew for Strength), the new multi-year program is scheduled to go into effect towards the end of the year. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz will oversee deliberations on the program over the next few weeks and will bring the final plan to the government for approval.

One of the plan’s key elements is expected to be the procurement of a second squadron of F-35s despite reports of possible delays and a rise in cost.

On Tuesday, the US Senate Armed Services Committee questioned the quality of production of the aircraft by Lockheed Martin citing a “potentially serious issue” with its electronic warfare capability.

“The committee is... concerned about production quality and whether it is sufficient to ensure the delivery of JSF aircraft to the US and its allies at an affordable price,” the committee said in a report accompanying its fiscal 2013 defense budget bill.

Israel placed an order for its first squadron of F- 35s in October 2010 for $2.75 billion. Under the deal, Israel was supposed to receive 20 aircraft but the number could drop due to the rising cost per plane. The aircraft are expected to begin arriving in Israel sometime in 2017.

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/06/dtn-news-israeli-defense-news-idf-moves.html

DTN News - DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA REGION: Philippines Accuses China Of Deploying 100 Ships In Scarborough Shoal

DTN News - DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA REGION: Philippines Accuses China Of Deploying 100 Ships In Scarborough Shoal

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 26, 2012: There are now 92 Chinese ships at Panatag.

The Philippines accused China on Wednesday of flaring tensions anew by sending more government and fishing vessels to Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal despite ongoing talks to resolve the two-month-old standoff.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the number of Chinese vessels at Scarborough Shoal increased to 92 from 77 on Tuesday. They included four government ships and fishing and utility boats.

Hernandez said the Philippines had only two vessels in the area, which both countries claim.

Hernandez said the DFA handed Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing a diplomatic note on Monday to protest the presence on that day of 77 Chinese vessels-five government ships, 16 fishing boats and 56 dinghies used to load fish or corals.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hong Lei, on Wednesday said that nearly 100 Chinese boats or dinghies arrived at the shoal.

"The Philippine side has recently taken some provocative actions in the Huangyan Island waters, thus the Chinese side has adopted corresponding measures to strengthen management and control," Hong said, using China's name for Scarborough Shoal.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-disputed-south-china-sea.html

DTN News - DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA REGION: Protesters In Manila Accuse Poaching By Chinese Fishermen In Scarborough Shoal

DTN News - DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA REGION: Protesters In Manila Accuse Poaching By Chinese Fishermen In Scarborough Shoal

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 26, 2012: There are now 92 Chinese ships at Panatag.

The Philippines accused China on Wednesday of flaring tensions anew by sending more government and fishing vessels to Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal despite ongoing talks to resolve the two-month-old standoff.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the number of Chinese vessels at Scarborough Shoal increased to 92 from 77 on Tuesday. They included four government ships and fishing and utility boats.

Hernandez said the Philippines had only two vessels in the area, which both countries claim.

Hernandez said the DFA handed Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing a diplomatic note on Monday to protest the presence on that day of 77 Chinese vessels-five government ships, 16 fishing boats and 56 dinghies used to load fish or corals.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hong Lei, on Wednesday said that nearly 100 Chinese boats or dinghies arrived at the shoal.

"The Philippine side has recently taken some provocative actions in the Huangyan Island waters, thus the Chinese side has adopted corresponding measures to strengthen management and control," Hong said, using China's name for Scarborough Shoal.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-disputed-south-china-sea.html

DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Iran, Pakistan, N. Korea May Pose Nuclear Threat to Russia

DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Iran, Pakistan, N. Korea May Pose Nuclear Threat to Russia

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 6, 2012: A nuclear-armed Iran, Pakistan and North Korea could potentially trigger regional chain reactions that ultimately threaten Russia's security, the former director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, said.

“Even if Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are not Russian adversaries, their current and projected nuclear potential could destabilize the regional situation. It could trigger a chain reaction of proliferation (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) that gives rise to a new missile threat for Russia,” Trubnikov said in an article included in the digest for an international conference on missile defense in Moscow.

History shows that relations with unstable states and radical regimes can rapidly deteriorate and their nuclear potential could become a real threat to Russian national security, Trubnikov said.

That is why Russia needs to work toward mutual understanding with the United States and NATO on the issue of missile defense, he said.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-russia-defense-news-iran.html

DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Iran, Pakistan, N. Korea May Pose Nuclear Threat to Russia - World's Nuclear States Map - World's Nuclear States Map

DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Iran, Pakistan, N. Korea May Pose Nuclear Threat to Russia - World's Nuclear States Map - World's Nuclear States Map

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 6, 2012: A nuclear-armed Iran, Pakistan and North Korea could potentially trigger regional chain reactions that ultimately threaten Russia's security, the former director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, said.

“Even if Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are not Russian adversaries, their current and projected nuclear potential could destabilize the regional situation. It could trigger a chain reaction of proliferation (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) that gives rise to a new missile threat for Russia,” Trubnikov said in an article included in the digest for an international conference on missile defense in Moscow.

History shows that relations with unstable states and radical regimes can rapidly deteriorate and their nuclear potential could become a real threat to Russian national security, Trubnikov said.

That is why Russia needs to work toward mutual understanding with the United States and NATO on the issue of missile defense, he said.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-russia-defense-news-iran.html

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Japan Proceed To Order Initial Four F-35 JSF With Option Of 38 From Lockheed Martin

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Japan Proceed To Order Initial Four F-35 JSF With Option Of 38 From Lockheed Martin

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 3, 2012: The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress April 30 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Japan for a possible sale of an initial four F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft with an option to purchase an additional 38 F-35 CTOL aircraft. The estimated cost is $10 billion.

All aircraft will be configured with the Pratt and Whitney F-135 engines, and 5 spare Pratt and Whitney F-135 engines.  Other Aircraft Equipment includes:  Electronic Warfare Systems, Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence/Communication, Navigational and Identifications (C4I/CNI), Autonomic Logistics Global Support System (ALGS), Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), Flight Mission Trainer, Weapons Employment Capability, and other Subsystems, Features, and Capabilities, F-35 unique infrared flares, reprogramming center, and F-35 Performance Based Logistics.  Also included:  software development/integration, flight test instrumentation, aircraft ferry and tanker support, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support.  The estimated cost is $10 billion.  

Japan is one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific and a key ally of the United States in ensuring the peace and stability of this region.  The U.S. Government shares bases and facilities in Japan.  This proposed sale is consistent with these U.S. objectives and with the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/dtn-news-japan-defense-news-japan.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Places A Wreath At The Tomb of Unknowns Soldier At The Arlington National Cemetery In Arlington, Virginia

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Places A Wreath At The Tomb of Unknowns Soldier At The Arlington National Cemetery In Arlington, Virginia

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 30, 2012: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda places a wreath at the Tomb of Unknowns Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on April 30, 2012. 

The leaders of Japan and the US meet Monday to look at new ways to cooperate in defense, hoping to show that the alliance is back on track after a rocky few years. Amid fears that North Korea will test another nuclear bomb, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will hold talks at the White House with President Barack Obama days after a deal on a thorny dispute over US troops.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-white-house-news-japanese.html

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Visits White House

DTN News -  WHITE HOUSE NEWS: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Visits White House


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 30, 2012: President Barack Obama shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 30, 2012.


The leaders of Japan and the US meet Monday to look at new ways to cooperate in defense, hoping to show that the alliance is back on track after a rocky few years. Amid fears that North Korea will test another nuclear bomb, Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will hold talks at the White House with President Barack Obama days after a deal on a thorny dispute over US troops.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-white-house-news-japanese.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda With U.S. Army Major General Michael Linnington At Arlington National Cemetery In Arlington, Virginia

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda With U.S. Army Major General Michael Linnington At Arlington National Cemetery In Arlington, Virginia

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 30, 2012: Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (2nd R) departs with U.S. Army Major General Michael Linnington (R), commander of the Military District of Washington, after placing a wreath amongst graves in Section 60, where U.S. servicemen and servicewomen from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, April 30, 2012. Noda arrives in Washington to meet U.S. 

President Barack Obama days after the United States and Japan revised plans to reorganize and streamline U.S. bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa, allowing the allies to move toward closer military cooperation in the region. (Photo - Reuters)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 27, 2012: U.S. and Japanese officials announced yesterday the two nations have agreed on a plan to relocate U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

The joint statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee spells out unit moves, land and facilities on Okinawa the United States will return to the Japanese government, and the costs each government will pay for the relocation.

The joint statement is the latest result of negotiations between the two countries dating to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and the 2009 Guam International Agreement.

 

The two nations issued a joint defense posture statement in February that “delinked” the two agreements so parts of the relocation plan could move forward more quickly.

“I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a statement yesterday. He praised Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka for “spearheading discussions” leading to the joint statement.

“We will work closely with our partners in the Japanese Self Defense Force to implement these decisions and to further improve this vital alliance of ours,” the secretary added.

Panetta said he looks forward to strengthening the two nations’ partnership “as, together, we address security challenges in the region.”

During a Pentagon background briefing to reporters yesterday, senior State and Defense Department officials outlined the agreement.

About 9,000 Marines will relocate from Okinawa, with about 5,000 moving to Guam and the rest transferring to other locations in the Pacific such as Hawaii and Australia, the defense official said.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-japan-agree-on.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Unveil Revised Plan For Okinawa

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Unveil Revised Plan For Okinawa

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 27, 2012: The United States and Japan announced on Thursday a revised agreement on streamlining the U.S. military presence on Okinawa that will shift 9,000 Marines from the southern Japanese island to Guam and other Asia-Pacific sites.

The new plan, unveiled days before Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda meets President Barack Obama in Washington, helps the allies work around the central but still-unresolved dispute over moving the Futenma air base from a crowded part of Okinawa to a new site that has vexed relations for years.

"I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action. I applaud the hard work and effort that went into crafting it," U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement.

"Japan is not just a close ally, but also a close friend."

Under the agreement, 9,000 U.S. Marines will be relocated. Five thousand will go to Guam and the rest to other sites such as Hawaii and Australia, a joint U.S.-Japanese statement said.

The updated version of a long-delayed 2006 plan was needed to achieve "a U.S. force posture in the Asia-Pacific region that is more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable," the statement said.

Snags over Okinawa had raised questions about the viability of the Obama administration's strategy of shifting U.S. forces from other regions to the Asia-Pacific to deal with nuclear saber-rattling by North Korea, the rapid military buildup of China and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Friction over U.S. bases intensified after the 1995 gang rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by U.S. servicemen. The case sparked widespread protests by Okinawans, who had long resented the American presence due to crime, noise and deadly accidents.

There are about 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan under a 1960 bilateral security treaty.

Okinawa, occupied by the United States from 1945-72, accounts for less than 1 percent of Japan's total land but hosts three-quarters of the U.S. military facilities in the country in terms of land area.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-japan-unveil.html

DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Myanmar Thein Sein, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Japan Yoshihiko Noda Take Part In Electric Car Demonstration On Sidelines Of Summit In Tokyo

DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Myanmar Thein Sein, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Japan Yoshihiko Noda Take Part In Electric Car Demonstration On Sidelines Of  Summit In Tokyo

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 21, 2012: Myanmar President Thein Sein, left front, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, second left in front, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, center, take part in an electric car demonstration on the sidelines of the Mekong-Japan Summit in Tokyo, Saturday, April 21, 2012.                                 (Photo – AP)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/

DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Japan Yoshihiko Noda, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Vietnam Nguen Tan Dung Feed Carp After Their Dinner At The Akasaka Palace In Tokyo

DTN News - MEKONG-JAPAN SUMMIT 2012: Leaders From Japan Yoshihiko Noda, Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra And Vietnam Nguen Tan Dung Feed Carp After Their Dinner At The Akasaka Palace In Tokyo

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 21, 2012: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (L) and Mekong nations leaders (L-R) Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguen Tan Dung feed carp after their dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on April 20, 2012.     

 Japan will host a summit with five Mekong nations on Saturday aimed at fostering development and friendship in a resource-rich region that is also being courted by China.

(Photo – Getty)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile Taepodong-Class Intermediary Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM)

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile Taepodong-Class Intermediary Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM)

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 21, 2012: A rocket is carried by a military vehicle what is believed to be a Taepodong-class missile Intermediary Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), about 20 meters long with during a military parade to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang April 15, 2012 in this picture released by North Korea's KCNA on April 16, 2012.

South Korea's YTN TV later cited military sources and analysts as saying the rocket is a new long-range missile, presumed to be a ballistic missile with a range of 6,000 km (3,700 miles).         (Photo - Reuters)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/

DTN News - JAPAN NEWS: Anti-Japan Protesters In Hong Kong Over Disputed Islands Between China And Japan

DTN News - JAPAN NEWS: Anti-Japan Protesters In Hong Kong Over Disputed Islands Between China And Japan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 19, 2012: An anti-Japan protesters stands on the Rising Sun Flags of the former Imperial Japanese military and shouts slogan "Japan get out of Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku islands)" during a demonstration near the Japanese Consulate in Hong Kong Thursday, April 19, 2012.

Tokyo's outspoken governor said earlier this week the city has decided to buy a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea to bolster Japanese claims to the territory, a move that could elevate tensions with China. Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said the city is close to reaching an agreement with the private Japanese owner of three of the four islands in the group known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.   (Photo - AP)


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Acknowledges Cheers During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Acknowledges Cheers During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 16, 2012: In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed by the Korea News Service on April 16, 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un acknowledges cheers during a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate the centenary of the birth of his grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea.   . (Photo - AP)

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DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: Rockets Are Carried By Military Vehicles During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: Rockets Are Carried By Military Vehicles During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 16, 2012: Rockets are carried by military vehicles during a military parade to celebrate the centenary of the birth of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012, in this picture released by the North's KCNA news agency on April 16, 2012. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered his first major public speech on Sunday.  . (Photos - Reuters)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korean Soldiers March With Portrait Of Kim Il-Sung During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korean Soldiers March With Portrait Of Kim Il-Sung During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 15, 2012: North Korean soldiers march with a portrait of the country's founder Kim Il-Sung during a military parade to mark 100 years since his birth, in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012. 

The commemorations came just two days after a satellite launch timed to mark the centenary fizzled out embarrassingly when the rocket apparently exploded within minutes of blastoff and plunged into the sea.  (Photo - Getty)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-korean-peninsula-news-north.html

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korean Soldier Salutes Atop Military Vehicle During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: North Korean Soldier Salutes Atop Military Vehicle During Military Parade / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 15, 2012: A North Korean soldier (C) salutes atop a military vehicle during a parade to mark 100 years since the birth of the country's founder Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012. 

The commemorations came just two days after a satellite launch timed to mark the centenary fizzled out embarrassingly when the rocket apparently exploded within minutes of blastoff and plunged into the sea. (Photo - Getty)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-korean-peninsula-news-north.html

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: Kim Jong-Un Makes First Public Speech During Festivities / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

DTN News - KOREAN PENINSULA NEWS: Kim Jong-Un Makes First Public Speech During Festivities / North Korea Reveals Possible New Missile

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 15, 2012: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks to tens of thousands before a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the late North Korean founder Kim Il Sung on Sunday, April 15, 2012.  (Photo - AP)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-korean-peninsula-news-north.html