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#2 - (News in English) Relations internationales - Europe de la défense - OTAN :

par AL de Bx 31 Octobre 2012, 22:34 Info - News dernières

Peres tells US military chief Iran sanctions showing

results
BAE Systems Gets Funding For Next Phase Of UK

Submarine Contract
UK Rejects Wind Farm Near CTBT Site
NA TO conducts annual crisis management exercise

(CMX) and cyber coalition exercise
Users of Gripen Aircraft Enjoy Tight Contacts
Federal aviation policy must be reformed- The Hill
Lokheed cites good reports on night Flights of F-35

• THEME 12 - 1 Peres tells US military chief Iran sanctions showing results

Source, journal ou site Internet : AFP

Date : 30 octobre 2012

Peres tells US military chief Iran sanctions showing results (AFP) US military chief Martin Dempsey and Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday discussed "the Iranian nuclear threat, the strengthening of strategic relations between the two countries and developments in the region," a statement from Peres's office said. It quoted Peres as saying that economic sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to abandon what Israel and the West say is a nuclear arms programme are starting to take effect.

"The sanctions are beginning to show some results," he said. "I think all of us agree that we should start with the non-military options while keeping all options on the table. If we can conclude it in a diplomatic way, then it's much better." Peres's office said that Israeli armed forces head Benny Gantz sat in on the meeting. Dempsey arrived in the Jewish state on Sunday in conjunction with a massive US- Israeli missile defence drill, described by officials on both sides as the largest joint military exercise ever between the two allies. "I know we're having a joint exercise at the moment which is important," Peres was quoted as telling Dempsey. "I want to thank you for coming and for your personal commitment to Israel's security." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that time is running out for the diplomatic option and the moment for military force is fast approaching. He has urged US President Barack Obama to define clear "red lines" for Tehran, along with the consequences of crossing them. Obama says that the use of force remains an option, but that there is still time for diplomacy to work. "I think it is our commitment to remaining strong militarily together that provides the foundation for the other instrument of power to be applied," Peres's office quoted Dempsey as telling him. Gantz earlier had his own meeting with Dempsey at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, discussing what an Israeli military statement called "aspects of military cooperation and shared security challenges." Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak flew to Britain on Monday for talks with senior defence officials and Foreign Secretary William Hague, Barak's office said in a statement. It did not elaborate on the reason for the trip, but talks were likely to centre on Iran's nuclear ambitions and instability in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. Last month Britain's Daily Mail newspaper said that the head of Britain's foreign intelligence agency MI6 had visited Israel to warn Netanyahu against military action on Iran. Sir John Sawers was also reported to have met Barak and a number of security and diplomatic officials. On Sunday Barak met Dempsey and a statement from his office said they discussed the exercise, known as "Austere Challenge 12" and talked about "all current regional matters."

• THEME 12 - 2 : BAE Systems Gets Funding For Next Phase Of UK Submarine Contract

Source, journal ou site Internet : Dow Jones Newswires

Date : 30 octobre 2012

BAE Systems PLC (BA.LN) has been granted 315 million pounds ($506 million) of funding by the U.K. government to start the next phase of design work on the U.K. Royal Navy's next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines, the Ministry of Defence said Monday. The investment, which follows an initial GBP328 million of design work announced earlier this year, will help sustain 1,200 jobs, it said. Engineering firm Babcock International Group PLC (BAB.LN) has also been granted a GBP38 million investment for this new phase of the work, it said. "Our continuous submarine-based nuclear deterrent is the ultimate safeguard of our national security and the government is committed to maintaining it, both now and in the future," Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said in a statement.

The contracts are part of a GBP3 billion investment in the design phase of the new Successor class submarines that was approved in May last year. The first Successor submarine is due to be delivered in 2028, replacing the Vanguard Class, which carries the U.K.'s Trident nuclear missile. Mr. Hammond is due to formally announce the investment on a visit to the submarine base in Faslane, on the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. The base is likely to be a focus after the government and Scotland's semi-autonomous administration signed an agreement this month paving the way for Scots to hold a referendum on whether to split from the rest of the U.K. by the end of 2014. The Scottish National Party--which holds the most seats in the Scottish parliament--wants Scotland to be independent so it can set its own economic policy. By contrast, the three largest political parties in Westminster are opposed to ending Scotland's 300-year-old union with the rest of the U.K. Mr. Hammond said he was confident the Scottish people would choose to remain part of the U.K. and the Royal Navy would base all its submarines in Faslane by 2017. "We have no plans to move the nuclear deterrent from the Clyde. On the contrary, we intend to move the Astute and Trafalgar Class attack submarines to Faslane, creating a further 1,500 jobs," he said.

• THEME 12 - 3 : UK Rejects Wind Farm Near CTBT Site

Source, journal ou site Internet : Global Security Newswire

Date : 30 octobre 2012

The British Defense Ministry will not allow an energy-producing wind farm to be established close to a facility in Scotland that is part of a global web for detecting nuclear tests, the BBC reported last week. The firm Renewable Energy Systems had intended to put up 10 wind turbines close to the town of Moffat. The community is located roughly 10 miles from the village of Eskdalemuir, which hosts a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty site that would detect ground tremors caused by an underground nuclear blast. Sound produced by the turbines could affect the seismic sensors at the site. There are already a maximum allowable number of wind farms within 31 miles of the facility, according to the report.

• THEME 12 - 4 : NATO conducts annual crisis management exercise (CMX) and cyber coalition exercise

Source, journal ou site Internet : OTAN

Date : 31 octobre 2012

NATO will conduct its annual Crisis Management Exercise CMX between 12 and 16 November 2012. The exercise is designed to practice Alliance crisis management procedures at the strategic political level and will involve civilian and military staffs in Allied capitals, at NATO Headquarters, and in both Strategic Commands. CMX 12 will be an internal command post exercise and no forces will be deployed for the purpose of this exercise. The Crisis Management Exercise will this year run concurrently with the NATO cyber defence exercise Cyber Coalition 12. The purpose of Cyber Coalition 12 will be to test Alliance technical and operational cyber defence capabilities. The two exercises CMX 12 and Cyber Coalition 12 will be conducted based on one single fictitious scenario portraying an escalating threat from chemical, biological and radiological attacks, including large scale cyber attacks affecting NATO and national critical infrastructure. This exercise scenario will require Allied political direction taking into account the advice of NATO military authorities and technical cyber defence bodies on possible measures to handle asymmetric threats. The CMX 12 will be jointly run by the NATO International Staff, the International Military Staff and the two NATO Strategic Commands, Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation. This is NATO’s 18th CMX since 1992. Finland and Sweden will participate as Partners alongside Allies in the exercise, as some elements of the scenario play out in their geographical proximity.

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will observe the relevant aspects of the exercise and, representatives of the EU European External Action Service (EEAS) will actively contribute to the exercise. The annual exercise Cyber Coalition (CC) will test the effectiveness and efficiency of collaborative cyber defence procedures and capabilities. Together with Allies, 3 partner nations (Austria, Finland and Sweden) will participate this year as players, and 3 other partner nations (Australia, Ireland and Switzerland) will participate as observers. In addition, EU cyber defence staffs will observe the exercise.

• THEME 12 - 5 : Users of Gripen Aircraft Enjoy Tight Contacts

Source, journal ou site Internet : Minkistfry of defence & armed Forces of the Czech Republic
Date : 31 octobre 2012

A Conference of Gripen User’s Group, held 22 - 26 October at Olomouc, Czech Republic, provided a new impetus to closer exchange of operational information in use of SAAB 39 Gripen (JAS-39) aircraft in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, South Africa and Thailand. Representatives of all these five users met at the Joint Forces Command of the Czech military at Olomouc to discuss operational, maintenance, logistic and security issues related to use of the SAAB 39 Gripen supersonic aircraft. The final document of the Conference called "Action List" represents a set of shared knowledge, information and the "know-how" for effective operational use of the aircraft.

“Individual users contain different experience with operation of these aircraft, for example, due to different climate conditions. We share the different experience and information during the conference and we find some of them to be quite similar. After evaluation we can therefore be better prepared for challenges which could come,“ Major Petr Michenka, Czech pilot of SAAB 39 Gripen aircraft, says.

One of the most discussed issues was the so called “Aircraft Cross Servicing“ which means that a “pilot would be able to prepare and leave an airport which will not have appropriate technical support for gripens,“ Major Michenka says. In other cases, for example, Czech ground personnel will be able to prepare Hungarian aircraft for the take off. “The cooperation could also result in service of joint crews which will enable to deploy lower size of contingents for foreign operations,“ Major Michenka claims. “The Czech Republic joined the Gripen User’s Group in 2007. Conferences are held twice a year, the first at a level of Air Force commanders and the second, as in this case, at a level of the working group where specific and technical issues are being solved and shared,“ Colonel Petr Hromek, Chief of the Czech Air Force Combat Training Department at the Joint Forces, says. As far as the use of Gripen aircraft by the Czech Air Force, talks go on with the Swedish party over conditions for prolonging current lease agreement for the aircraft after 2014.

• THEME 12 - 6 : Federal aviation policy must be reformed- The Hill

Source, journal ou site Internet : Brooking Institution Metropolitan Policy program
Date : 31 octobre 2012
Auteur : die Tomer and Robert Puentes

Air travel has changed tremendously since the days when passengers embarked in business attire to today’s more casual “Greyhound bus in the sky” experience. It’s also transformed our lives, revolutionizing how we do business, what food is available at our grocery store and even where we choose to vacation. And it continues to do so as our global relationships grow in importance. Over the last 20 years international passenger traffic in and out of the United States has more than doubled, reaching 163 million passengers in 2011. That growth rate was twice as fast as domestic travel, and similarly outpaced the growth in real GDP. At a time of economic upheaval, international aviation is a net positive for the domestic economy. Driving that growth are the country’s major international relationships. Corridors like New York-London, Los Angeles-Seoul, and Miami-Caracas dominate the travel in and out of the country -- reinforcing how the physical ties between major metropolitan aviation centers matter. Our aviation system relies on these physical links to make the entire network go. Domestically, since most places maintain limited international connections, gateways like New York and Seattle move an eye-popping 97 percent of all international transfer-passengers. This means metro areas like Omaha and Wichita, each with growing international passenger levels, rely exclusively on gateways to reach their global peers. And these gateways are not just connection points — they alone captured 73 percent of all international passengers starting or ending their trip in the United States. Internationally, aviation data prove the growing influence of emerging markets.

Between 2003 and 2011, travel between the United States and Brazil, Russia, India, and China -- the so-called BRIC countries -- jumped over 110 percent. Undergirding these national statistics is the growing connectivity between our markets and places like Sao Paulo, Moscow, Hyderabad, and Shanghai. But while the influence of international aviation increases, federal policy has failed to keep up. Instead, when it comes to American commercial aviation, key hubs must battle outdated capital policies and outmoded regulations. While most places in America have a commercial airport, the largest metropolitan areas move the vast majority of international passengers. In 2011, the 100 largest metro areas were responsible for 96 percent of the country’s international passengers. However, federal policies and regulations stack the deck against these vital aviation centers. Capital programs consistently deemphasize the critical role of the largest metropolitan aviation centers. The Airport Improvement Program, which outlays direct grants via passenger taxes, sends less than 40 percent of funding to those same metros generating over 90 percent of all passengers. Federal policy does allow airports to levy their own passenger tax, known as a Passenger Facility Charge, but it also caps the fee at $4.50. Federal regulations even hurt airports ability to borrow, classifying certain bonds as non-exempt from the Alternative Minimum Tax. As a consequence, the price of debt goes up.

Meanwhile, federal regulations restrict competition and complicate travel in and out of the country. Even with major deregulation in 1978, the United States still prohibits international airlines from operating domestic routes. With domestic airlines consolidating routes and leaving many communities with fewer direct flights, does it make sense to restrict carrier options for these communities? A similar question should be asked of the many international tourists looking to visit.

Why does it take so long to get a tourist visa for citizens in Brazil, India and other allies, especially considering they want to spend money on our shores? Federal policy can do better. We can no longer deemphasize investment in our country’s busiest metro areas, especially when those same places make travel possible for all other communities. We need to recalibrate our tourist visa system and facilitate travel between our emerging friends. And we need to actively consider if protectionist policies may hurt consumers in trying to shield domestic airlines. Aviation is no longer a luxury.

Rather, it is crucial to American business and the economy. It’s time we reform our aviation policies to reflect these global realities.

Tomer is a senior research associate and Puentes is a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. They are co-authors of “Global Gateways: International Aviation in Metropolitan America.”

• THEME 12 - 7 : Lokheed cites good reports on night Flights of F-35

Source, journal ou site Internet : helmet

Date : 31 octobre 2012

Auteur : Reuters

HERZLIYA, Israel, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Tuesday that it was making progress on resolving technical issues facing the cutting-edge helmet being developed for use by F-35 fighter pilots, and it cited positive initial reports from night flight tests of the system. Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Tom Burbage said that night vision performance was the "only real question" left on the helmet, which was designed by a joint venture of Rockwell Collins Inc and Israel's Elbit Systems to display all the information F-35 pilots need to fly the plane. The question was whether the helmet system would allow pilots to see well enough at night to carry out precision tasks such as refueling or landing on a ship, Burbage told Reuters before an event at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzliya. The helmet is an ambitious effort since it will integrate data from all of the F-35's sensors and cameras, allowing pilots to essentially see through the plane's floor and all around it. It must update the data constantly even when the plane travels at supersonic speeds and carries out complex maneuvers. "We're making great progress on the helmet," Burbage told Reuters, noting that it was in use by F-35 test pilots and those being trained by the U.S. military.

He said two tests dedicated to studying the helmet's performance at night were taking place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and initial reports were "quite good." The Pentagon's incoming F-35 program director, Major General Christopher Bogdan, last month cited continuing issues with the helmet, overall software development for the plane, and an automated logistics and spare parts system, but he said tension between the company and the U.S. government posed a greater threat to the program. Lockheed is developing three variants of the single-seat, single-engine F-35 fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Eight international partners are helping to pay for its development including Britain, Canada, Australia, Norway, Turkey, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.

Israel and Japan have also placed orders for the plane.

Yossi Ackerman, president and chief executive of Elbit, declined to comment except to cite what he called "dramatic progress" on the helmet. No comment was immediately available from the Pentagon's F-35 program office. Burbage said the company had logged almost 5,000 flights using the primary helmet, and it would be used by the U.S. Marine Corps when they start flying the new fighter in 2015, a deadline Bogdan had called into question last month. He said until it received full approval from the Pentagon for the primary helmet, the company was continuing to fund work on a less ambitious, alternate helmet being developed by BAE Systems, which uses goggles. "No one really wants to use goggles in a fifth-generation airplane. It affects your ejection envelopes and everything else. We are trying to get away from the goggles," he said. He said the primary issue now facing the Rockwell-Elbit helmet was whether pilots could see well enough to refuel the plane from a dark refueling aircraft and land the F-35B variant, which lands like a helicopter, on a dark ship at night. Burbage said the night flights under way now would help answer that question. He said there had also been concerns about a lag in getting sensor data to the helmet, but that was not an issue anymore.