Archive for ‘Military’

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10/05/2012

* Marine forces of China, Thailand to hold joint training

China Daily: “Marine forces of China and Thailand will hold a joint military training in south Chinas Guangdong province from May 9 to 29, sources with Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.

Garuda as national symbol of Thailand

Garuda as national symbol of Thailand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The training, codenamed Blue Commando-2012, will be conducted in Zhanjiang and Shanwei of the province in line with an agreement reached by the two countries navies, according to the ministry’s information office. The training will be the second of its kind by the two navies marine forces since 2010, and it will feature anti-terrorism and increase mutual understanding of the two forces.”

via Marine forces of China, Thailand to hold joint training|chinadaily.com.cn.

It takes two to tango. So it is with the US trying to ‘surround’ China with alliances or naval exercise with Australia, India, Philippines and (see other post) with Singapore.  In the meanwhile, China is holding exercises or reaffirming military alliances with Russia and Thailand.

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10/05/2012

* U.S. plans 10-month warship deployment to Singapore

Strait of Malacca from globe at Field Museum

Strait of Malacca from globe at Field Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reuters: “The first of a new class of U.S. coastal warships will be sent to Singapore next spring for a roughly 10-month deployment, the Navy said on Wednesday, spotlighting a move that may stir China’s fears of U.S. involvement in South China Sea disputes.

Deployment of the shallow-draft ship “Freedom” will help refine crew rotations, logistics and maintenance processes to maximize the classs value to U.S. combat commanders, Rear Admiral Thomas Rowden, the Navys director of surface warfare, told reporters.”Well be deploying the ship for about 10 months in the spring of next year” to Singapore, he said in a teleconference. “In the meantime, were prepping her for success in the execution of that deployment.

“Singapore is strategically located along the Strait of Malacca, the chief link between the Indian and Pacific Oceans through which flows about 40 percent of world trade. The government has discussed hosting up to four such U.S. “Littoral Combat Ships,” or LCS, on a rotational basis at its naval facilities. Both countries have said the deployment stops short of a basing agreement.”

via U.S. plans 10-month warship deployment to Singapore | Reuters.

It takes two to tango. So it is with the US trying to ‘surround’ China with alliances or naval exercise with Australia, India, Philippines and with Singapore.  In the meanwhile, China is holding exercises or reaffirming military alliances with Russia and Thailand (see other post).

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03/05/2012

* Unease Mounting, China and U.S. to Open Military Talks

NY Times: “Limited military talks between China and the United States — an arena in which the two sides view each other with mounting unease — open here on Wednesday as a prelude to a wider-ranging economic and strategic dialogue between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and their Chinese counterparts.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasur...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner listen as President Barack Obama addresses the opening session of the first U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on July 27, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Military talks are a prelude to an economic and strategic dialogue. China is increasingly suspicious of what it views as stepped-up spying by American planes and ships along its coast, and the United States is disquieted by China’s growing array of weaponry, analysts on both sides say. The two nations have been unable to agree on a serious agenda for military talks despite an escalation of tensions as China presses territorial claims in the East and South China Seas and the United States fortifies longstanding alliances from Australia to the Philippines.

The meetings, known as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, will be limited to a one-day session on Wednesday that will cover two subjects, cyberwarfare and maritime issues, Obama administration officials said.”

via Unease Mounting, China and U.S. to Open Military Talks – NYTimes.com.

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30/04/2012

* Philippines Role May Grow as U.S. Adjusts Asia Strategy

New York Times: “… The (joint US-Philippines military) exercises included mock beach invasions along coastlines facing China, whose military buildup and territorial claims in the South China Sea have alarmed some of its neighbors and jumpstarted the United States’ military “pivot” to the region.

That American policy, which will include sending more troops and ships to the region, appears to have picked up speed in recent weeks. On Thursday, Japan and the United States announced what was effectively a compromise on Okinawa that calls for thousands of Marines to leave for Guam and Hawaii in an attempt to allow others to remain on the strategic Japanese island despite local objections. And on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta will meet their Philippine counterparts in Washington, the highest level meeting after months of talks to expand the American military presence in the Philippines.

Ramping up the number of troops in the Philippines — even if they are rotating in and out from temporary bases — would still be something of a reversal for the nation after Philippine lawmakers years ago forced the closing of American bases, including the shuttering in 1992 of the Subic Bay Naval Station. The base, which had been a cornerstone of the United States’ military presence in Asia, was a casualty of some Filipinos’ sense that the facility served as a painful reminder of decades of American rule.

via Philippines Role May Grow as U.S. Adjusts Asia Strategy – NYTimes.com.

America continues with its strategy to encircle China in the Pacific, with military alliances not only with its traditional allies, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea; but also with Australia, India and the Philippines.

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19/04/2012

* Agni-V launch: India demonstrates ICBM capability; China reacts cautiously, says India not rival

Times of India: “Reacting cautiously to India’s test of Agni-V missile, China on Thursday said the two countries are not rivals and enjoy “sound” relations though the sources in the Chinese establishment feel that the launch can give rise to another round of arms race in the region.

“China has taken note of reports on India’s missile launch. The two countries have sound relationship. “During the recently held BRICS meeting in Delhi the leadership had consensus to take the relationship further and to push forward bilateral strategic cooperative partnership,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a media briefing in Beijing when asked about the launch.

In Delhi, the diplomatic sources in the Chinese embassy said the “Agni-V launch can give rise to another round of arms race in this part of the world. “They were also critical of the media commentary on the successful launch of the nuclear capable 5000 km-range Agni-V missile, saying it sounded provocative. Asked whether China was concerned as most of the country would come under the Agnis range, Liu said in Beijing that “both the countries are emerging powers. We are not rivals. We are cooperative partners. We should cherish the hard earned momentum of cooperation.”

via Agni-V launch: India demonstrates ICBM capability; China reacts cautiously, says India not rival – The Times of India.

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18/04/2012

* India to test fire long-range missile

BBC News: “India is due to test fire a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The locally-developed Agni-V missile has a range of more than 5,000km 3,100 miles and is expected to be launched in the eastern state of Orissa.

Visual description of the approximate range of...

Visual description of the approximate range of the (Indian) Agni ballistic missile series. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Analysts say the Agni meaning “fire” in Hindi and Sanskrit missile family is to be the cornerstone of Indias missile-based nuclear deterrent. The missiles are among India’s most sophisticated weapons. In 2010, India successfully test-fired Agni-II, an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a range of more than 2,000km 1,250 miles.

Defence analyst Rahul Bedi says the successful test flight of the Agni-V missile, which is capable of delivering a single 1.5-ton warhead deep inside nuclear rival China’s territory, will strengthen India’s nuclear deterrence once it comes into service by 2014-15. It is 17.5m-tall, solid-fuelled, has three stages and a launch weight of 50 tons. It has cost more than 2.5bn rupees $480m; £307m to develop.

Only China, Russia, France, the US, and Great Britain have such long-range missiles. Israel is thought to possess them.”

via BBC News – India to test fire long-range missile.

Let’s hope this doesn’t start a military space race between India and China. Both countries must surely haev better things to invest their money in than nuclear missiles!

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04/03/2012

* Chinese defence budget exceeds $100bn (against US budget of over $700bn)


Extract from Xinhua: “China said Sunday it plans to raise its defense budget by 11.2 % to 670 billion yuan (106.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012. …

China’s military spending mainly comprises the living expenditures of service people, expenses for training and maintenance, and spending on equipment, he said. The costs for research, experiment, procurement, repair, transport and storage of all weapons and equipment, including new types of weapons, are included in the defense budget that is published every year, the spokesman said.

… Compared to other major countries, China’s military spending is low given its population of 1.3 billion, vast land area and long coastlines, Li said. While China’s military spending amounted to 1.28 % of its GDP in 2011, that of the United States, Britain and other countries all exceed 2 %, said Li. …

By June last year, China had sent a total of 2,044 peace-keeping personnel to 12 peace-keeping zones around the world, and the Chinese navy has sent escort vessels to the Gulf of Aden and waters off the coast of Somalia to protect thousands of commercial vessels from China and other countries, according to Li.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-03/04/c_131445012.htm

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/geopolitics-chinese/

A significant rise. But still less than 1/7 of US spend, though the latter is expected to halve over the next few years. Also, salary and living expenses for up to 3 million service personnel does cost a pretty penny!

 

 

 

 

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04/03/2012

* New Indian Army chief appointed

The Hindu: “Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Bikram Singh will be the next Chief of Staff of the 1.3 million-strong Indian Army. He will succeed General Vijay Kumar Singh, who retires on May 31.

The announcement by the Defence Ministry on Saturday came 90 days ahead of the scheduled day of assumption of charge — as against the 60-day norm the government has been following. The move removes uncertainty over the successor following a rash of speculative reports that Gen. Singh could put in his papers early which could alter the succession plan of the senior-most Army Commander taking over as the next Chief.

The appointment came a day after the incumbent Army Chief said he was not going to resign, effectively countering speculative reports by some television channels and dailies that Gen. Singh would resign after the Supreme Court disposed of his petition last month on the controversy over his year of birth.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2957641.ece

Controversy over the true date of birth of the incumbent Army Chief ends with appointment of his successor. This news is purely coincidental to China’s announcement of it’s $100 billion military budget.

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03/03/2012

* US military ties with India growing

Times of India: “Ties between the US and Indian militaries are growing, a senior defense official said on Friday, noting recent bilateral security talks between the two countries reaffirmed the partnership and the growing US interest in advancing it.

Acting under secretary of defense for policy James Miller joined Indian defense secretary Shashi Kant Sharma in co-chairing the 12th annual US-India defense policy group dialogue in New Delhi Feb 21 and 22.”

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Military-ties-with-India-growing-US/articleshow/12121013.cms

Undoubtedly another attempt at ‘encircling’ China policy by US. Earlier this year US and Australia agreed closer military cooperation. This will, no doubt, cause some reaction from the Chinese military eventually.

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28/02/2012

* Chinese naval escort squads to Somali waters escorted 4,411 vessels in three years

Xinhua: “Chinese naval escort squads to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters have completed 409 missions and escorted 4,411 Chinese and foreign vessels over the past three years.

To date, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has sent 10 batches of escort fleets with 25 vessels, 22 helicopters and more than 8,400 officers and soldiers to this area, Wu Shengli, commander of the PLA Navy, said at a forum on the escort missions held Wednesday.

The fleets have rescued 40 ships from pirates’ pursuits, taken care of eight vessels that were attacked and released by the pirates, and offered humanitarian aid to foreign vessels four times, Wu said.

The fleets also escorted four ships delivering humanitarian supplies for the World Food Programme and provided adequate protection to the ships and the crewmembers, Wu said.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-01/11/c_131355296.htm

China has been a strong contributor to UN forces, mainly in infantry terms. Now it is contributing its share in naval terms. Slowly, but surely, China is taking up its role as the world’s number 2 power.

Only in one area it will stand back, and that is in not interfering in internal affairs or ‘regime change’, despite criticisms from around the world – such as wrt to Syria, Iran, North Korea and Zimbabwe. It wants the world to respect its internal affairs such as Tibet and Xinjiang ; so it practices what it preaches.

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