Russia Reactivates Arctic Military Presence; India fires nuclear-capable 'Agni V' missile

Developments around the world are making nations think their stand on the international plane. The American strength and its apparent ability to touch on any country it wishes is giving others the motivation to go tough militarily too. Russia has reactivated its presence in the Arctic by deploying its nuclear-powered ice breaking warships to the region.

Russia’s Defence Ministry officially announced return of Russia’s military to the Subarctic region. The statement was made to mark the arrival of a task group of 10 warships and support vessels to the western coast of Kotelny Island in the Novosibirsk (New Siberian Islands) Archipelago.

The task group is headed by Russia’s most powerful battleship and the flagship of the Northern Fleet, cruiser Peter the Great (Pyotr Veliky). The group is accompanied by four nuclear icebreakers facilitating the passage through areas with particularly thick ice.

“For the first time ever, all Russia’s nuclear surface ships – heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great and nuclear icebreakers Yamal, Vaigach, Taimyr and 50 Let Pobedy, were combined to perform a joint task,” Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov told journalists.

Russia's first Defence Minister, Army General Arkady Bakhin said that Temp military airfield on Kotelny Island that was inactive for over 20 years will become operable in October, as An-72 and An-74 cargo planes will land there, bringing instruments and supplies for the reactivated Air Force base.

In the near future the airstrip will be modified to be able to receive heavy cargo planes such as Il-76 and An-22 Antey military jumbos. This will speed up reestablishing Russia’s military presence in the Arctic region, as the air connection will be regular, all-weather and all year around.

The task group left the port of Severomorsk and has already covered 2,000 nautical miles, crossing the Barents, Kara and Laptev seas. The region has been left unmanned militarily since the demise of the USSR. Now, Russia says it wants to take charge fully.

The simple theory of might is right. China itself has embarked on massive military developments which definitely is making the Asia-Pacific region look more like an upcoming theatre of war. America too has been bolstering its forces in Asia especially by radical increase in troops presence in the Philippines. It already has Seoul and Tokyo within its ambit.

India has conducted a second test firing of its nuclear-capable 'Agni-V' long-range ballistic missile, which boasts a strike range of over 5,000 kilometers – capable of reaching Beijing and much of Europe, The Indian Express reported.

The three-stage solid propellant missile was test-fired from Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha on Sunday. The 'Agni-V' can carry a nuclear warhead of over 1 ton. India has been struggling to keep up with China's growing military might, and is eager to have a viable deterrent against its larger, nuclear-armed neighbour.

Next Theatre of War: China Flexes Muscle in East Asia as Washington Boosts Military Presence

As the United States prepares to boost its military presence in East Asia by expanding her troops' strength in the Philippines, China shows off her military might; probably telling Washington, 'this is not the Middle East or Africa'. China has been embroiled in series of conflicts with her neighbours over land issues, mostly bothering on sea routes and maritime endowments. It is based on the skirmishes with some East Asian countries that Washington feels it has to contain China in her territory not elsewhere.

What comes easily to mind is how Washington denounced any interference in her own 'sphere of influence' during the Cold War to the extent of 'risking' a nuclear holocaust with the Soviet Union. Washington also rebuffed the International Court of Justice when it was to rule between her and Mexico on land dispute. She said she will not accept any arbitration in her 'sphere of influence'.

Apparently, the United States has succeeded to a good extent in destabilizing the Middle East as the region is really boiling now from Damascus to Cairo and among major countries that mattered most; notably, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Africa is already under her grip militarily and in all other facets. Africa is a perfect stooge, continually under her tutelage and seems to notoriously nauseously love to genuflect for her. Now it is time to go Asia and China is simply waiting.

As reported by RT, China has launched four days of live-fire naval exercises in the East China Sea that coincide with the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in WWII. The exercises come after Japanese Cabinet ministers visited Tokyo’s most controversial war shrine.

China and South Korea, which both suffered under Japan’s militarist expansion in the 1930s and 40s, have expressed concern at Japanese Cabinet ministers’ visit to the Tokyo Yasukuni Shrine as glorification of the country's militaristic past and aggression. Established in 1869 and funded by the Imperial Japanese government until 1945, the shrine has been dedicated to the nation's 2.5 million war dead, including – controversially – 1,000 convicted war criminals.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry summoned Japan's envoy and issued a statement condemning the visits by nearly 100 Japanese lawmakers, saying they "fundamentally attempt to deny and gloss over Japan's history of invasion." According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the East China Sea drills will be conducted off the coast of Zhejiang province by the East Sea Fleet, which oversees the waters around the disputed Diaoyu Islands.

Earlier this month, on August 8, four Chinese coast guard vessels stayed a record 28 hours in waters near islands claimed by Japan and China. Japan summoned the Chinese envoy in Tokyo to lodge a formal protest. The latest intrusion into Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea by Chinese ships was twice as long as the last one, on February 4. Chinese ships have been entering the disputed area regularly since last September, when the Japanese government bought the islands.

China and Japan have long struggled for the ownership of supposedly oil-rich islands located in the East China Sea. The islands are known as the Diaoyu to the Chinese, and Senkaku to the Japanese. The dispute over the islands and the maritime boundaries around them has continued for years. The Senkaku Islands have been controlled by Japan since 1895, but China insists that it has historic rights to them dating back to the 16th century.

The standoff escalated after Tokyo announced the purchase of three of the islands from a private Japanese owner in September of last year. After that, China witnessed mass anti-Japanese demonstrations. A diplomatic scandal led to problems in bilateral economic relations, with Japanese businesses withdrawing investment. Several Japanese companies in China suspended their work for security reasons, and Chinese Customs’ clearance of goods slowed from Japan.

The tiny archipelago of islands, which is halfway between both countries, are currently uninhabited, but the ground below could house significant mineral resources.

"It is expected that there will be more drills in the East China Sea to build up the combat capabilities of the Chinese Army," Ni Lexiong , director of the Sea Power and Defence Policy Research Institute at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, told the South China Morning Post. "It is also possible that China's aircraft carrier will participate in some of these drills."

China News Service reported that Liaoning, the country's first aircraft carrier, which it refitted after buying a Soviet-era vessel from Ukraine, has also been dispatched from its home port of Qingdao, in Shandong province, for training of ship-borne aircraft in the East China Sea. The ship is reportedly sailing to the northern Bohai Sea, off Liaoning province, where a separate round of military exercises was launched.

Asia as the New Theatre of War?: United States boosts Military Presence in the Philippines

If  the theory of 'imperial overstretch' means anything in the historical analysis of international relations, then the United States will have to and must definitely watch her acts. She has been putting her talons on many lands; overtly and covertly and has been the bane of many agonies. Though she does all for her survival but the pains and repercussions are felt mostly among innocents; the poor people. The Middle East is almost gone, the Shia'a-Sunni divide now has become an institutionalised phenomenon. Thanks to Washington's gunboat diplomacy.

Africa is already a tool in her hand as always since the 60s and centrally since the demise of the Soviet Union. The Obama administration once opined that America will now concentrate her efforts in the Asia-Pacific. Which means she will bolster her military presence as wars in the Mideast are becoming queasy, nauseous and tiresome. Now, the United States after holding on firmly to South Korea and Japan wants to really prove her commitment to choking China.

US forces are set for an “increased rotational presence” in the Philippines, following negotiations in Manila. The two countries aim to counter China’s growing ambitions in the region. The Pentagon currently conducts a regular joint exercise and has a rotating force of 500 troops in the Southern Philippines, but may send more soldiers and advanced equipment, or upgrade local facilities.  Officials say that no specifics have been laid out in the first round of a four-stage negotiation.

“There should be a focus on high-impact, high-value training exercises and activities that would focus on maritime security, maritime domain awareness and our perennial problem with disasters,” said Defence Undersecretary Pio Batino, who was present at the discussion. The Philippines was a US colony between 1898 and 1946, and the presence of American troops remains a controversial issue. The US abandoned its last base in the South Asian country in 1992.

But tensions in the region have escalated as in the past decade Beijing began to lay forceful claims to almost the entirety of the South China Sea (which the Philippines calls West Philippine Sea), that rounds the coastlines of most of the states in the region. As disputes over potentially lucrative sea lanes and underground mineral resources have grown more bitter, Manila has made diplomatic appeals to the UN over what it calls “excessive claims”, and has sought greater assistance from the United States.

After years of being bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq, Washington has also re-directed its foreign policy towards Asia, signing a docking agreement for its warships with Singapore, and bolstering its troop numbers in Australia. Officials say that even when finalized, the new agreement will not specify exact troop numbers, and those will have to be negotiated on an annual basis.

Philippine officials have also sought to reassure the domestic audience that the increased presence will only be allowed with strict stipulations. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Carlos Sorreta, who led the talks on his country’s side, told Reuters that the specific areas where the US troops will be stationed were to be listed, as well as their the activities and exercises. “But not the number of troops, not the operational details," he added.

Sorreta emphasized that no US facilities could be off-limits to Philippine officials (some have previously been denied access), and insisted that the country will not host nuclear weapons, and will not be used as a platform for “acts of aggression”. Not everyone is placated. Some politicians have objected both to the substance of the agreement, and the fact that it is likely to be signed only by the executive branch, without any input from lawmakers.

“Any policy that the government wants to implement as regards our security or military should undergo close scrutiny,” said Senator Gregorio Honasan. “It poses a lot of danger now that military troops and their equipment will soon arrive in the country.  It might create an impression of hostility and just add to the on-going tensions in our troubled waters.” A heightened US military presence in the region to offset Chinese influence will only increase tensions, argues author and journalist Afshin Rattansi.

“The idea that the United States is protecting the interests of the world against Chinese influence is clearly absurd,” Rattansi told RT. “All the United States is doing is ratcheting up military tension and pressure at a time when the world doesn’t need it.” Several dozen anti-American supporters also staged a protest outside the main army base where the talks took place. The next round of negotiations will take place in Washington before the end of the month.

All Personnel Withdrawn from Russian Navy Base in Syria

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister says all personnel had been evacuated from the navy resupply base in Tartus, Syria, adding that not a single Russian military serviceman remained in the country.

Mikhail Bogdanov made the announcement in an interview with the Al-Hayat newspaper. “Presently, the Russian Defence Ministry has not a single person stationed in Syria. The base does not have any strategic military importance,” the newspaper quoted the Russian official as saying.

Russian media have verified the statement and the business daily Vedomosti quoted an unnamed source in the Defence Ministry as saying that this was true as all military and civilian personnel had been evacuated from the Tartus base and there were no Russian military instructors working with the Syrian military forces.

The source added that the withdrawal was prompted not only by the increased risks caused by the ongoing military conflict, but also by the fact that in the current conditions any incident involving Russian servicemen would likely have some unfavourable reaction from the international community.

Russia currently has a 16-ship flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea but none of them has called at the port of Tartus in recent months and there were no reports of such plans.

Mikhail Bogdanov is also Russian President’s plenipotentiary for Middle East issues and he headed the Russian delegation at this week’s talks between Russia, US and UN on preparations of the major international conference on Syria, dubbed Geneva-2.

Following the Tuesday round of talks another Russian diplomat – Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov – told reporters that the sides failed to agree on a number of questions and the terms of the future conference were not yet agreed. In particular, the participants of the talks varied on Iran’s possible role in the future conference.

Moscow supports Tehran’s participation in talks as it would make a positive contribution to the possible political settlement in Syria, the Russian official noted.

Besides, the participation of some of the Syrian opposition groups remains under question though the US side said they were working on this, Gatilov added.

The Russian diplomat said that the supplies of weapons to the Syrian opposition were not discussed at Tuesday's talks, though he noted that this issue “was not creating positive political environment for the start of the political process.”

Gatilov said that Russia still hoped the plan to call the international conference would end in success. In particular, the issue will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US State Secretary John Kerry, due soon within the framework of the ASEAN conference in Brunei.

Courtesy: Russia Today

United States Deploys Forces to Niger; Nigeria to host Drone Base

It is no longer a surprise that energy drove France to Mali because of Niger's Areva. Though France had an ulterior motive of her own to be in Mali, she however received massive accolades for the intervention. On getting to Mali, she deployed troops to Areva in Niger. Now, it is the US' turn.

The US military deployed about 100 troops in Niger to help coordinate intelligence sharing with the French, whose forces are currently fighting to seize Islamist-controlled territory in Mali, President Obama announced Friday.

The US forces are armed with “weapons for the purpose of providing their own force protection and security,” Obama said in a letter to Congress, adding that Niger officials consented to their deployment. The president said the troops will operate out of Niger to help gather intelligence information about the conflict in Mali, but did not elaborate on any specific plans that will be assigned to them.

The announcement comes just a few weeks after the Nigerian Defence Ministry revealed their approval to host an airbase for unarmed American spy drones, which could be used in Mali to monitor Islamists.

United States Radar to Visit Japan

North Korea has got the US, South Korea and Japan on their toes with the last rocket launch. This has made the US to concentrate more on the events going on around the region.

The US is planning to install an early-warning radar system at a coastal base near the Japanese city of Kyoto to bolster its defences against the North Korean missile threat, reports in the Japanese media claim.

It’ll be the second X-band radar system to be installed in Japan, with another one already operating in northern Aomori prefecture. The location was selected as military experts believe that a North Korean missile targeting Guam or Hawaii would most likely fly over western or central parts of Japan.

Nato Airstrikes Ban in Afghanistan

                                              Afghan President; Hamid Karzai

Afghan president Hamid Karzai signed a decree prohibiting members of the Afghan security forces from requesting NATO airstrikes during operations in residential areas.

Karzai promised to issue the ban two days ago, and signed it on Monday, amidst anger over a NATO airstrike requested by the national intelligence service that local officials said killed at least 10 civilians and four fighters in northeastern Kunar province.

"No Afghan security forces, under any circumstances, any circumstances, can ask for the foreigners' planes for carrying out operations on our homes and villages", Karzai said at a Sunday press conference.

The presidential order is directed at the defence and interior ministries, and the National Directorate of Security, the Afghan spy agency.

It states: "During your operations, do not call for air support from international forces during operations on residential areas." The coalition, however, can still carry out airstrikes on its own accord.

General Joseph Dunford, the US commander in Afghanistan, said he believes the American-led NATO coalition can operate effectively under the terms of the ban.

General John Allen, the erstwhile US-led NATO commander had earlier passed a similar rule aimed at mitigating civilian casualties. Dunford reiterated that NATO will continue to assist the Afghan government in more ways than airstrikes.

The US-led military coalition said last June that it would use airstrikes only in self-defence, as a weapon of last resort, and would avoid hitting structures that could house civilians.

That followed a bombardment that killed 18 civilians celebrating a wedding in Eastern Logar province, which drew an apology from the US commander.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said that 83 civilians were killed and 46 wounded in aerial attacks by international military forces in the first half of 2012.

Karzai's decree came after a NATO statement that an Afghan soldier who killed his US counterpart, in a so-called "insider attack" in Eastern Afghanistan last year, was killed in last week's Kunar province airstrike. He was identified as Mahmood.

Mahmood is thought was responsible for the May 11 killing of US army lieutenant Alejo Thompson, who died during an insider attack on a base in the Northeastern province. The attack also wounded two US soldiers. The Taliban said he joined the armed opposition group.

US is due to withdraw all her troops from Afghanistan by 2014 after the initial withdrawal of 34,000 soldiers.