Trying To Stop The Bomb Makers In Pakistan And Afghanistan

The United States and Pakistan will begin working together on a new fertilizer formula that could be a significant technological step to limit the ability of terror groups to make improvised explosives and car bombs using the ingredient.

An agreement to try to make a product more inert was reached last week after Pakistani officials from Fatima Group, a major fertilizer manufacturer, met with Pentagon officials.

"Such a long-term solution would be a true scientific breakthrough," Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the head of the Pentagon's Joint Improved Explosive Device Defeat Organization, said in a statement.

Barbero met with Fatima representatives to urge them again to take steps to control fertilizer inventories. The meeting itself was a step forward since the Pakistani government previously had stopped the U.S. military from talking directly to the company.

Fatima Group is the Pakistani-based producer of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). It was developed as a non-explosive alternative to ammonium nitrate, long a key ingredient in homemade bombs used widely in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. But it can be converted into an explosive mixture.

Hundreds of American troops have been killed by improvised explosive devices containing the material.

Pakistan and the United States will now work on a "reformulated" CAN product in hopes of reducing its effectiveness in homemade bombs.

It is produced by two factories in Pakistan that are both owned and operated by Fatima. It also has now confirmed to the Pentagon in writing that it has suspended sales of CAN fertilizer products in the border provinces to 228 dealers in the area.

It is also working on plans for more readily visible bagging of CAN in hopes Pakistani border control agents will stop smuggling when they see it. Barbero is still pressing for color dying so it can more readily be identified.

India arrests man accused of spying for Pakistan

Indian police say they have arrested a man suspected of passing military secrets to arch-rival Pakistan.

The man, an Indian citizen, was held in the western state of Rajasthan near the two countries' border.

Police say he passed details of military exercises held last week to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

India and Pakistan frequently accuse each other of spying. The arrest comes after weeks of tension over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

The alleged spy is accused of "passing information related to Indian defence installations and military activities", senior police officer DS Dinkar told AFP news agency.

One report says his telephone calls to a relative in Pakistan, who it is alleged works for Pakistani intelligence, were intercepted.

Chinese transport "workhorses" extending military's reach

China is expanding its long-neglected fleet of supply ships and heavy-lift aircraft, bolstering its military prowess in support of missions to enforce claims over disputed territory and to defend Chinese interests abroad.

These transport workhorses are unlikely to arouse the same regional unease as the steady rollout of high performance fighters, long-range missiles or potent warships, but they are a crucial element of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) three-decade military build-up, defense analysts say.

Over time, the air and sea support will give the world's second-largest navy greater geographical reach and will enhance the PLA's capacity to assist troops on distant battlefields, potentially including Taiwan if Beijing were to launch a military assault to take control of the self-governing island.

China's state-owned shipyards last year launched two 23,000-tonne type 903 replenishment ships, according to reports and photographs published on Chinese military affairs websites and blogs, with further orders in the pipeline.

Iran, world powers see little chance of breakthrough in new nuclear talks

It’s been eight months since they last met, but negotiators representing Iran and six leading industrial powers acknowledged Monday that they may have little new to say to one another when the two sides come together for talks about Iran’s nuclear future.

Negotiations on proposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program are set to begin Tuesday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where expectations are nearly as low as the frigid temperatures in the former Kazakh capital city. In public comments over the past week, U.S. and Iranian officials alike insisted that the onus was on the other side to make key concessions that could lead to a nuclear deal.


Obama administration officials have set a low bar, expressing hope only that the Almaty meeting will yield cordial engagement and an agreement to hold further talks in the spring and summer. One senior U.S. official, briefing reporters on the eve of the talks, said small steps this week could lead to a breakthrough in the future.

“If Iran engages with us tomorrow and begins to discuss the concrete steps they will take . . . we can move forward,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in discussing the U.S. diplomatic position ahead of the talks. “They can get to where they want to go.”

Sudan-Saudi navies in first exercises: media

The navies of Sudan and Saudi Arabia Have Launched Their first joined military exercises in the Red Sea, the official SUNA news agency reported about on Sunday.

The training is to run Until Wednesday and focus on anti-smuggling operations and "boosting security and stability," SUNA quoted Sudan's military spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad as saying.

Two Saudi naval vessels and troops are Participating, he said.

The exercise comes from Effective warships Iran, with Saudi Arabia HAS Which tense relations, docked at Port Sudan last October and December.

At the time, the Iranian Port Described Saad calls as normal share of military exchanges entre le two states.

Israeli Officials Have Expressed concern about arms smuggling through Sudan, and the visits by Tehran's navy cam Effective Khartoum accusé state of the Jewish year October 23 against a military air strike in the capital factory.

White paper: commission issued its copy

The text is less than 100 pages: it was passed last week in the middle of the General Secretariat of Defence and National Security (SGDSN) to be validated - and possibly rewritten - by government authorities. This "final project" is the result of nearly a half of work of the Commission White Paper. It was written by a small team of five editors, under the authority of Jean-Marie Guéhenno.

The text, revised to SGDSN, will be discussed in early March at a Defence Council at the Elysée and approved by the members of the committee in plenary session. It then becomes the White Paper, which is based on the defense and national security of our country. It should be released in late March, early April.

GC Navigation System Integral to 1st Flight of nEUROn UCAV Demonstrator

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), in cooperation with Saab Aerosystems, HAS Provided the attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) for the nEUROn Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, Which has recently completed successful first flight.

Northrop Grumman's German navigation systems filiale, Northrop Grumman LITEF, the fiber-optic Supplied, LCR-100 AHRS gyrocompassing for UCAV demonstrator the European.

The LCR-100 AHRS Provides navigation information Relating to the aircraft's position, heading and attitude. The north-finding gyrocompass feature Eliminates the need for a magnetic sensing unit, similar to inertial reference system year. Additionally, the system's precise inertial measurement unit Enables extended coasting performance for the aircraft to continue Providing accurate navigation information in the event of GPS signal loss. The LCR-100 is certified to civil standards for commercial off-the-shelf equipment in military platforms.

Caracal controlled delivery of the final credits of "stimulus plan"

The Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has delivered to the Army Air February 8, 2013 the fifth and last of the five EC 725 Caracal helicopters ordered in 2009 at Eurocopter, under the stimulus of the economy.

These helicopters are intended to supplement the fleet of 14 Caracal service in the French army and regularly deployed in overseas operations.

The EC 725 is a helicopter designed to perform missions of search and rescue in the zone of combat, troop transport over long distances and special missions. It includes special equipment for such missions, such as refueling system against measures, an infrared camera and instruments to locate a pilot ejected.

Twin-engine helicopter in the 11-ton class, the EC 725 is the first French helicopter equipped with a self-protection system complete with LCD display and a blindage.Il is also capable of performing rescue missions at sea

Syria rebels shoot down two planes of the Air Force

The rebels killed Thursday two planes Air Force Syrian within a region northwest of the country, reported the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (OSDH).

Both incidents occurred in the province of Idleb, when aviation main advantage of the regime in its war against the rebels bombed several towns in the region, according to the organization.

Two military aircraft were shot a few hours apart around Maaret al-Noomane.

In a video, the rebel group descendants of the Prophet Brigades claimed one of the two operations, claiming to have shot down a Russian aircraft Sukhoi type with the anti-aircraft defenses.

Since the militarization of the conflict in Syria rebels, far less equipped than the regular army, were able to kill several military aircraft using anti-aircraft and heavy machine guns, according to the OSDH and activists to videos Support.

A medal for the Pentagon drone operators

U.S. Defense announced the creation of a "Distinguished medal warfare" to recognize the merits of those who contribute to "change the way we make war" by directing drones.

The Pentagon has created a new type of coin, the "Distinguished medal warfare" to greet "extraordinary achievements" of the drone operators, Leon Panetta announced Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense out. Because they do not put their lives in danger, these operators are not eligible for traditional distinctions, but flying planes distance, they contribute, he said, to "change the way we make war."

The "Distinguished medal warfare" will be awarded to drone operators whose actions have had "direct impact on combat operations." "This award recognizes the reality of the technological war in which we are committed to the twenty-first century," Leon Panetta insisted that must be replaced by Chuck Hagel whose appointment must be approved Friday by the U.S. Senate.

Russia may be drawn into resource wars in future - army chief

Russia may Become drawn into military conflicts as world powers to begin life for energy resources in the next two decades, Valery Gerasimov Said, the head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

By 2030, the level of "existing and potential terrorism threats will Significantly Increase," Gerasimov Said falling on a security conference in Moscow, selon Interfax.

Leading world powers will soon begin to struggle for fuel, energy and labor resources, as well as new markets in Which Their goods to sell, some powers will "Actively use Their military potential," he explained.

He aussi que la Observed sphere of struggle is moving away from traditional battlegrounds - Such as land and sea - and to aerospace information. Conflict zones in North Africa and the Middle East to the point Such exchange in the use of military force, the general said.

The role of non-military instruments Increasing aussi, Including information wars, secret operations and the use of the "protest potential of a population," Gerasimov Said, Adding That Such non-military means clustering are more effective than the Often use of military power .

Given thesis challenges, Russia's possession of state-of-the-art weaponry is a "vital requirement for the country's existence," Gerasimov said.

Russian Navy approves the proposed future destroyer

Command of the Russian Navy has approved the draft presented by the future destroyer design office Severnoe (Saint-Petersburg). If it is completed, this project will build the largest warship in Russia since the collapse of the USSR.

The Russian Navy has approved the next generation destroyer presented by the consulting firm Severnoe St. Petersburg, an office during the Soviet era was designed especially among the largest warships of the USSR: missile cruisers Project 1164 Atlant (cruiser Moskva , the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, pictured above), large ASW ship Project 1155 nuclear cruisers Kirov Project 1164 (the Peter Grand , flagship of the Northern Fleet) and Project 956 destroyers which included some success Export with 4 units sold in China in 2000. With his experience, Severnoe therefore presented to the Russian Navy destroyer project a displacement of 12,000 tonnes, higher than the Project 21956 destroyer designed primarily for export (8,000 t full load photo below). The last ship of comparable tonnage built in Russia was the nuclear missile cruiser Yuri Andopov , future Peter the Great , put on hold in 1986 to plant the Baltic (ASA in 1998 in the Northern Fleet).

Although the construction site has not yet been officially decided, it seems that this is the shipyard North (St. Petersburg), which is Presenti.It is expected that over the next 2 to 3 years, the office develops technical documentation of the ship, working on his appearance and armament. Regarding this last point, the armament of the future will therefore destroyer (as often since the cruisers of Project 1164 and 1144) and the height of the missions it will fall. It will be indeed a destroyer versatile able to implement missions ASW, anti-air to ensure a missile defense theater, even extended to a more substantial space and able to support land operations conducted by a task force . As a result, the next generation destroyer will carry torpedoes and will have a hydroacoustic station for ASW. It will also be equipped with anti-surface missile and will carry cruise missiles (probably like Club). It finally have anti-missile systems S-500 with Prometheus.