WORLD MILITARY INFORMATION

iran news:Ahmadinejad tells West: Accept Israel's 'imminent collapse'

2008-01-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the West Wednesday to acknowledge Israel's "imminent collapse."

Speaking in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr, near the site of Iran's planned nuclear power plant, Ahmadinejad further incited his listeners to "stop supporting the Zionists, as [their] regime reached its final stage."
"Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end," the Iranian president said in a televised speech.

He added, "What we have right now is the last chapter [of Israeli atrocities] which the Palestinians and regional nations will confront and eventually turn in Palestine's favor."

Iran does not acknowledge Israel and Ahmadinejad has in the past sparked international outcry by referring to the systematic murder of six million Jews in World War II as a "myth" and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Iran is currently also mediating in the crisis over the Gaza Strip, where Israel has imposed a blockade on border crossings into the coastal territory, barring the entry of supplies into the already impoverished area. Last week, Palestinian militants blew holes in the barrier separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt, prompting hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt in search of supplies.

Iran has also declared readiness to host an emergency summit of the Islamic world within the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

iran news

PICTURES:us army special forces

2008-01-30T02:41:00.000-08:00

pictures suspected of us army special forces(1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D) )

other us army sf unit

BG William P. Yarborough (left) meets with President John F. Kennedy at Fort Bragg, N.C., Oct. 12, 1961

VIDEO:Special Forces Training

2008-01-30T02:35:00.000-08:00

Shows the extreme training U.S. Special Forces endure

NEWS:U.S. House Approves $146 Billion Economic Stimulus

2008-01-30T02:31:00.001-08:00

jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House approved a $146 billion economic stimulus plan aimed at averting an election- year recession in part by sending tax-rebate checks to about 111 million Americans.

Lawmakers voted 385-35 to approve legislation that would also expand investment tax breaks for business and add capital to the slumping mortgage market by allowing federally chartered companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy mortgages above the current federal limit. Republican and Democratic lawmakers said the bill would give a much needed jolt to the sagging economy.

``This is good news for the American public,'' said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat. ``This stimulus will put money in the hands of hard-working Americans to give them the help they need and at the same time stimulate the economy.''

House leaders negotiated the stimulus plan with President George W. Bush. The House vote sends the bill to the Senate, where some senators said they would try to alter the House version, potentially delaying passage.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, wants to complete work on the legislation by the end of the week, said his spokesman Jim Manley.

Distributing Checks

Lawmakers have said they want to get the bill to Bush by Feb. 15 so the government can begin distributing checks before June. Under the House measure, individuals would receive as much as $600 and couples would get up to $1,200. Families would get $300 for each child.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, yesterday proposed sending smaller checks to more people including millions of senior citizens he said would be left out of the House proposal. He also wants to extend unemployment benefits. The Joint Committee on Taxation said Baucus's bill would cost $161.3 billion, with $119.6 billion going to tax rebates, $10 billion to unemployment and the rest to business tax breaks.

A group of 22 senators, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, released a letter to congressional leaders today urging them to add $5 billion to the stimulus package for transportation-related projects.

House Version

Bush, at the White House, hailed the House action and urged the Senate to vote without delay.

``We need to get this bill out of the Senate and on my desk so the checks can get in the hands of our consumers and our business can be assured of the incentives necessary to make investments,'' Bush said.

At a joint news conference today on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican leader John Boehner urged their Senate counterparts to avoid attaching costly new provisions to the bill that could make it harder to get a compromise plan to Bush's desk.

``I hope the Senate will take heed,'' said Pelosi, a California Democrat. ``I would hope that the Senate would take up our bill and pass it, so that this can be as timely as it needs to be.'' Boehner added: ``The key to this whole exercise in providing these economic growth incentives is to do it now.''

The House plan would distribute checks of $300 to those who earned at least $3,000 last year. Higher earners would earn as much as $600 for individuals, $1,200 for couples and an additional $300 for each child. The benefits would be phased out for individuals who earned more than $75,000 and couples who took home at least $150,000.

Cost the Treasury

The tax-rebate plan would cost the Treasury about $100 billion this year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Lawmakers waived ``paygo'' rules requiring them to offset that expense with savings elsewhere in the budget to avoid adding to the deficit. Hoyer said the move was justified ``when you have a crisis economically,'' though not all his colleagues agreed.

``Short-term economic stimulus shouldn't make our long-term deficit worse,'' said Representative Jim Cooper, one of 10 Democrats to vote against the bill. ``We can't keep on mortgaging our children's future $150 billion at a time. Paygo exists to force Congress to make hard choices, even in election years.''

Baucus has proposed providing $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples and $300 for each child under 17. The Senate plan would count Social Security benefits as income, making millions of retired Americans eligible for a rebate. The Senate proposal also drops House provisions phasing out benefits for wealthier Americans. Reid criticized that provision, saying it would be a waste of money.

``We should not spend an extra $5 billion so I can get a rebate,'' Reid said. ``Warren Buffett should not receive a rebate.''

The House bill would expand business tax breaks primarily by providing a 50 percent bonus deduction for new equipment. That provision would cost the Treasury about $44 billion, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Depreciation

Baucus's proposal omits the mortgage-limit increases while changing the business tax-break provisions so that companies could take a 25 percent bonus deduction for two years rather than a 50 percent deduction for a single year.

His plan would target unprofitable companies by giving them a tax refund for losses over the past five years rather than the current limit of two years. It also would extend unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks with extra aid going to states recording unemployment rates of 6 percent or higher. The Finance Committee will consider Baucus's plan tomorrow.

Russian military adopts new uniforms, digital camo patterns

2008-01-29T01:49:00.000-08:00

Russian army adopts new field and everyday uniforms as well as new digital camo pattern, these apparently received final approval just last week. New field uniform is reportedly a four-layer system.

French Base in UAE Signals Regional Strategic Shift

2008-01-29T01:41:00.000-08:00

Dubai — The United Arab Emirate’s recent agreement to allow France to create a permanent military base in Abu Dhabi is intended to break the U.S. monopoly on security in the oil-rich region, help Arab Gulf states deter Iran and bolster regional sales for French defense firms, regional observers said.

“The UAE does not want to continue putting all its eggs in the U.S. basket, especially after the conflicting signals coming out of Washington concerning many issues, including Iran,” said Ebtisam Al-Kitbi, associate professor of political science at UAE University. She said the French base “would bring about more balance to the region and increase the deterrence of Arab Gulf countries against Iran and subsequently improve stability.”

Announced Jan. 15 by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the UAE, the base will be home to 400 to 500 French personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force, said French Vice Adm. Jacques Mazars, who heads the project.
“France responds to its friends,” Sarkozy told journalists following the signing of the military accord. “France and the Emirates signed a reciprocal defense accord in 1995. Our friends from the Emirates asked that this accord be prolonged and asked that a base with 400 personnel be opened.”
TO READ MORE
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php...9629&C=america

NEWS:Leopard 2 purchase agreement signed

2008-01-29T01:26:00.000-08:00

The agreement was signed on 14 December 2007 in the presence of Canadian and Dutch officials during a ceremony held at the De Salaberry Armoury in Gatineau.

We urgently needed to purchase a more modern and better performing tank. The Leopard 1 tank currently in use has nearly 30 years of service in the Canadian Forces. The purchase of these surplus Dutch tanks will be of enormous benefit to the Canadian Forces in their work in Afghanistan.
GATINEAU, Quebec — Canada has just signed a purchase agreement with the Netherlands for the purchase of one hundred Leopard 2 battle tanks
At the present time, the Canadian troops in Afghanistan are using twenty Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks loaned from Germany.
TO READ MORE
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/Engl..._1.asp?id=2392

SPECIAL FORCES:KAIBIL(Guatemala)

2008-01-28T01:11:00.002-08:00

The Kaibiles (singular: Kaibil) are a special operations force of the Military of Guatemala. They specialise in jungle warfare tactics and counter-insurgency operations.

The corps' soldiers are distinguished from regular troops by maroon berets with patches bearing a blazing sword. Its motto is: "If I advance, follow me. If I stop, urge me on. If I retreat, kill me."

History== On 5 December 1974, Guatemala's military government created its Commando School (Escuela de Comandos). Three months later, on 5 March 1975, it renamed it the Kaibil Special Operations Training Centre (Centro de Adiestramiento y Operaciones Especiales Kaibil). The name "Kaibil" is derived from Kayb'il B'alam (Kaibil Balam), a Mam indigenous leader who evaded capture by the Spanish conquistadors under Pedro de Alvarado.

Initially, the Kaibil Centre was located on two estates, El Infierno ("Hell") and La Pólvora ("Gunpowder") in the municipality of Melchor de Mencos, Petén department. On 12 January 1989, it was moved to the former headquarters of Military Zone 23, in Poptún, Petén.
HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF KAIBIL

FACT:ROMAN ARMY FORMATIONS

2008-01-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

The Romans used a variety of battle formations depending on the situation. For an open field conflict, the Romans would place their infantry in the middle with auxiliaries on the right and left sides. Cohorts of calvary formed the rear flanks, and there would be a large reserve of infantry men behind the main force.

(formation in open field)

Wedge
The wedge (or Pig's Head) was a tactical formation favored by many Roman generals. The formation took the appearance of a row of saw teeth facing the enemy, which would enable the Roman legion to separate the opposing force and break the enemy's formation. Every "tooth" would have 1 soldier in the first rank, 2 in the second, etc. Generally 10-12 ranks made an individual unit of the wedge formation. This also made the most of the customary weapon of the Roman soldiers, the gladius or spatha which were generally around 56-65.5 cm long, as it would force close combat where it would be difficult to wield larger weapons.

(pig formation)

SQUARE FORMATION
When surrounded, the Romans formed a square formation with interlocking shields.

(square formation)

Testudo/Tortoise
The most common form of defense Roman generals would use was the testudo formation. In one version of the testudo, the tortoise, the Roman soldiers would group together to make a semicircle which looked like a tortoise shell. In the original testudo formation, soldiers would form a rectangle; their shields fitting perfectly with one another. A soldier's head and body was protected by rows of shields. The testudo was more mobile than the tortoise, but the tortoise gave slightly better protection. Both forms mainly protected the soldiers from enemy arrows

(Testudo formation)

NEWS:Officials> Israel won't let Gaza border breach threaten security

2008-01-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

Israel will not tolerate the continued threat to its security posed by Hamas militants' breach of the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt earlier this week, officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz late Sunday.

"Israel will not allow the continuation of the current state where its security interests are being compromised," the officials said.

They added that Prime Minster Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas see eye to eye on what they perceive as the need to refrain from negotiations with Hamas.
Following the border breach, Israeli defense officials have expressed concerns that militants from the Gaza Strip may attack towns along Israel's long border with Sinai.

Palestinian sources who attended the Olmert and Abbas meeting told Haaretz that Olmert is seeking to transfer the responsibility for humanitarian problems in the Strip to Egypt.

Meanwhile, Olmert told Abbas on Sunday that Israel would not let a humanitarian crisis develop in Gaza.

The two leaders met days after the Strip's Hamas regime blew up the barrier along the border with Egypt. The two leaders said they would demand that Egypt reseal the border.
TO READ MORE GOT O THE LINK
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/948558.html

NEWS:Iraq parliament approves new flag

2008-01-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

Iraq's parliament has voted to change the country's flag.

The three stars that represented Saddam Hussein's Baath Party will be removed, to address the concerns of Iraqi Kurds.

They have refused to fly the flag since the fall of Saddam Hussein, saying it is too closely associated with a regime that repressed and killed their people.

The flag was also changed in 2004, when a line of script, allegedly in Saddam Hussein's own handwriting, was changed to Kufic script.

But the latest change - passed by 110 votes to 50 - is only temporary, as a design for a new flag will be sought after one year.
TO READ MORE DO THE LINK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7203222.stm

NEWS:'If there is no change in three months, there will be war again'

2008-01-27T22:48:00.000-08:00

By Patrick Cockburn in Fallujah
Monday, 28 January 2008

A crucial Iraqi ally of the United States in its recent successes in the country is threatening to withdraw his support and allow al-Qa'ida to return if his fighters are not incorporated into the Iraqi army and police.

"If there is no change in three months there will be war again," said Abu Marouf, the commander of 13,000 fighters who formerly fought the Americans. He and his men switched sides last year to battle al-Qa'ida and defeated it in its main stronghold in and around Fallujah.

"If the Americans think they can use us to crush al-Qa'ida and then push us to one side, they are mistaken," Abu Marouf told The Independent in an interview in a scantily furnished villa beside an abandoned cemetery near the village of Khandari outside Fallujah. He said that all he and his tribal following had to do was stand aside and al-Qa'ida's fighters would automatically come back. If they did so he might have to ally himself to a resurgent al-Qa'ida in order to "protect myself and my men".

Abu Marouf said he was confident that his forces controlled a swath of territory stretching east from Fallujah into Baghdad and includes what Americans called "the triangle of death" south-west of the capital. Even so his bodyguards, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, nervously watched the abandoned canals and reed beds around his temporary headquarters. Others craned over light machine guns in newly built watch towers. Several anti-Qa'ida tribal leaders have been killed by suicide bombers in recent weeks.

His threat is highly dangerous for the US and Iraqi government, neither of which made any headway in ending the Sunni insurgency against the US occupation for four years until the tribes of Anbar, the province in which Fallujah lies, turned against al-Qa'ida. They formed the Awakening movement, known in Arabic as al-Sahwah, of which Abu Marouf, whose full name is Karim Ismail Hassan al-Zubai, is a leading member.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, warned last week it would be "very dangerous" if the Awakening movement's 80,000 fighters were not absorbed into the army and police. "They are not that well organised and could easily be manipulated by al-Qa'ida," he said.
TO READ MORE GO TO THE LINK
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...in-774847.html

FACT:BrahMos

2008-01-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between India's Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed the Brahmos Corp. Propulsion is based on the Russian Yakhont missile, and guidance has been developed by Brahmos Corp. At speeds of Mach 2.5 to 2.8, is about three times faster than the American subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.

Development and Manufacture

The BrahMos has been developed as a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia under BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Moskva.

Capability
12th test of the army version of BrahMos at a test range in Rajasthan
12th test of the army version of BrahMos at a test range in Rajasthan

BrahMos claims to have the capability of attacking surface targets as low as 10 meters in altitude. It can gain a speed of Mach 2.8, and has a maximum range of 290 km.[1] The ship-launched and land-based missiles can carry a 200 kg warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant (BrahMos A) can carry a 300 kg warhead. It has a two-stage propulsion system, with a solid-propellant rocket for initial acceleration and a liquid-fueled ramjet responsible for sustained supersonic cruise. Air-breathing ramjet propulsion is much more fuel-efficient than rocket propulsion, giving the BrahMos a longer range than a pure rocket-powered missile would achieve.[citation needed]

The high speed of the BrahMos likely gives it better target-penetration characteristics than lighter subsonic cruise-missiles such as the Tomahawk.[1] Being twice as heavy and almost four times faster than the Tomahawk, the Brahmos has almost 32 times the initial kinetic energy of a Tomahawk missile (although it pays for this by having only 3/5 the payload and a fraction of the range despite weighting twice as much, suggesting a different tactical paradigm).

Although BrahMos is primarily an anti-ship missile, it can also engage land based targets. It can be launched either in a vertical or inclined position and is capable of covering targets over a 360 degree horizon. The BrahMos missile has an identical configuration for land, sea, and sub-sea platforms. The air-launched version has a smaller booster and additional tail fins for added stability during launch. The BrahMos is currently being configured for aerial deployment with the Su-30MKI as its carrier.

NEWS:Pakistan nuclear sites on alert

2008-01-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

By Barbara Plett,
BBC News, Islamabad

Pakistan has raised the state of alert around its nuclear facilities amid concerns they could be targeted by Islamist militants.

But a senior Pakistan military official said there had been no specific threat to the sites, and insisted that safeguards in place were fool proof.

The official was speaking in a rare press briefing on the issue.

It followed Western media reports warning that Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

The Pakistani authorities have been angered by Western media reports speculating that the country?s nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda militants.

The senior military official briefing foreign journalists said that the weapons were protected by an elaborate command and control system, and multiple levels of security.

'No collusion'

He acknowledged that Islamic militants had begun to attack army personnel in recent months, and that nuclear sites may also become a target.

He said the state of alert around nuclear facilities had increased, but there had been no specific threats against them.

The official said there was no way the Taleban or al-Qaeda could take over Pakistan?s estimated 50 nuclear warheads.

And he dismissed the possibility of collusion from within the system, saying all personnel dealing with sensitive material had been carefully monitored.

Despite fears raised by US media and politicians, the official said the US administration had not shown any recent concern about the safety of Pakistan?s nuclear weapons.

He also said any foreign intervention over the issue would be disastrous for the intruder.

FACT:WORLD WAR 2 FACTS

2008-01-26T22:11:00.001-08:00

World War 2 Facts

* The first German serviceman killed in the war was killed by the Japanese (China, 1937)
* The first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians (Finland 1940).
* 80% of Soviet males born in 1923 didn't survive World War 2
* The highest ranking American killed was Lt. Gen. Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps.
* Between 1939 and 1945 the Allies dropped 3.4 million tons of bombs, An average of about 27,700 tons of bombs each month.
* 12,000 heavy bombers were shot down in World War 2
* 2/3 of Allied bomber crews were lost for each plane destroyed
* 3 or 4 ground men were wounded for each killed
* 6 bomber crewmen were killed for each one wounded
* Over 100,000 Allied bomber crewmen were killed over Europe
* There were 433 Medals of Honor awarded during World War 2, 219 of them were given after the receipiant's death
* From 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945 in Europe the Allies had 200,000 dead and 550,000 wounded
* The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded in combat and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age. (His benefits were later restored by act of Congress).
* At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called CINCUS (pronounced “sink us”), the shoulder patch of the US Army’s 45th Infantry division was the swastika, and Hitler’s private train was named “Amerika”. All three were soon changed for PR purposes.
* Germany lost 110 Division Commanders in combat
* 40,000 men served on U-Boats during World War 2; 30,000 never returned
* More US servicemen died in the Air Corps that the Marine Corps. While completing the required 30 missions, your chance of being killed was 71%. Not that bombers were helpless. A B-17 carried 4 tons of bombs and 1.5 tons of machine gun ammo. The US 8th Air Force shot down 6,098 fighter planes, 1 for every 12,700 shots fired.
* Germany’s power grid was much more vulnerable than realized. One estimate is that if just 1% of the bombs dropped on German industry had instead been dropped on power plants, German industry would have collapsed.
* Generally speaking, there was no such thing as an average fighter pilot. You were either an ace or a target. For instance, Japanese ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa shot down over 80 planes. He died while a passenger on a cargo plane.
* It was a common practice on fighter planes to load every 5th found with a tracer round to aid in aiming. That was a mistake. The tracers had different ballistics so (at long range) if your tracers were hitting the target, 80% of your rounds were missing. Worse yet, the tracers instantly told your enemy he was under fire and from which direction. Worst of all was the practice of loading a string of tracers at the end of the belt to tell you that you were out of ammo. That was definitely not something you wanted to tell the enemy. Units that stopped using tracers saw their success rate nearly double and their loss rate go down.
* When allied armies reached the Rhine, the first thing men did was pee in it. This was pretty universal from the lowest private to Winston Churchill (who made a big show of it) and Gen. Patton (who had himself photographed in the act).
* German Me-264 bombers were capable of bombing New York City but it wasn’t worth the effort.
* A number of air crewmen died of farts. (ascending to 20,000 ft. in an un-pressurized aircraft causes intestinal gas to expand 300%!)
* Germany lost 40-45% of their aircraft during World War 2 to accidents
* The Russians destroyed over 500 German aircraft by ramming them in midair (they also sometimes cleared minefields by marching over them). “It takes a brave man not to be a hero in the Red Army”. - Joseph Stalin
* The average German officer slot had to be refilled 9.2 times
* The US Army had more ships that the US Navy.
* The German Air Force had 22 infantry divisions, 2 armor divisions, and 11 paratroop divisions. None of them were capable of airborne operations. The German Army had paratroops who WERE capable of airborne operations.
* When the US Army landed in North Africa, among the equipment brought ashore were 3 complete Coca Cola bottling plants.
* 84 German Generals were executed by Hitler
* Among the first “Germans” captured at Normandy were several Koreans. They had been forced to fight for the Japanese Army until they were captured by the Russians and forced to fight for the Russian Army until they were captured by the Germans and forced to fight for the German Army until they were capture by the US Army.
* The Graf Spee never sank, The scuttling attempt failed and the ship was bought by the British. On board was Germany’s newest radar system.
* One of Japan’s methods of destroying tanks was to bury a very large artillery shell with on ly the nose exposed. When a tank came near the enough a soldier would whack the shell with a hammer. “Lack of weapons is no excuse for defeat.” – Lt. Gen. Mataguchi
* Following a massive naval bombardment, 35,000 US and Canadian troops stormed ashore at Kiska. 21 troops were killed in the fire-fight. It would have been worse if there had been Japanese on the island.
* The MISS ME was an unarmed Piper Cub. While spotting for US artillery her pilot saw a similar German plane doing the same thing. He dove on the German plane and he and his co-pilot fired their pistols damaging the German plane enough that it had to make a forced landing. Whereupon they landed and took the Germans prisoner. It is unknown where they put them since the MISS ME only had two seats.
* Most members of the Waffen SS were not German.
* Air attacks caused 1/3 of German Generals' deaths
* By D-Day, the Germans had 1.5 million railway workers operating 988,000 freight cars and used 29,000 per day
* The only nation that Germany declared war on was the USA.
* During the Japanese attack on Hong Kong, British officers objected to Canadian infantrymen taking up positions in the officer’s mess. No enlisted men allowed!
* By D-Day, 35% of all German soldiers had been wounded at least once, 11% twice, 6% three times, 2% four times and 2% more than 4 times
* Nuclear physicist Niels Bohr was rescued in the nick of time from German occupied Denmark. While Danish resistance fighters provided covering fire he ran out the back door of his home stopping momentarily to grab a beer bottle full of precious “heavy water”. He finally reached England still clutching the bottle, which contained beer. Perhaps some German drank the heavy water…
* Germany lost 136 Generals, which averages out to be 1 dead General every 2 weeks

PICTURES:F-22 RAPTOR

2008-01-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

Disabled spy satellite threatens Earth

2008-01-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday.

The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, when asked about the situation after it was disclosed by other officials. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to be perhaps shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation.

Such an uncontrolled re-entry could risk exposure of U.S. secrets, said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled re-entry into the ocean so that no one else can access the spacecraft, he said.

Pike also said it's not likely the threat from the satellite could be eliminated by shooting it down with a missile, because that would create debris that would then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground.

Pike, director of the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, estimated that the spacecraft weighs about 20,000 pounds and is the size of a small bus. He said the satellite would create 10 times less debris than the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003.

As for possible hazardous material in the spacecraft, Pike said it might contain beryllium, a light metal with a high melting point that is used in the defense and aerospace industries.

Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, said the spacecraft likely is a photo reconnaisance satellite. Such eyes in the sky are used to gather visual information from space about adversarial governments and terror groups, including construction at suspected nuclear sites or militant training camps. The satellites also can be used to survey damage from hurricanes, fires and other natural disasters.

The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia.

In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would plummet.
TO READ MORE
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080126/ap_on_go_ot/dead_satellite

PICTURES:REPUBLIC DAY PARADE REHERSAL

2008-01-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

FACT:What is a "Full Metal Jacket"?

2008-01-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

by Martin Jangowski & Clark Walker
Additional informaton by Glenn Porter

Martin Jangowski: An FMJ (opposed to a softpoint or hollowpoint bullet) doesn't expand inside a soft ('soft'= human) target. Even when hitting bones it is will bend and deform, but not expand. On the other side, softpoint and hollowpoints will expand and/or fragment.

The landwar convention from The Hague doesn't allow fragmenting bullets for purposes of war, so every army in the world uses FMJ bullets. Usually a hit from a conventional FMJ doesn't kill, but leaves a clean hole. No hunter will use FMJ, since they want to kill, not to wound.

Clark Walker: This, in theory is better for two reasons -- one, it creates a situation where instead of creating a dead enemy soldier it creates a wounded one, which must be cared for by his buddy, thus taking two men out of action with each hit. The second reason behind the idea is that it is more humane to wound than to kill. This type of ammunition was agreed upon by the Geneva convention, and both sides of the vietnam war agreed to it's use. The irony is of course that men calmly agree on rules for slaughtering one another and then stick to them.

Of course in the field this creates situations like what the Lusthog Squad gets into -- a sniper can continuously torture a downed man and thereby draw out his buddies into the open to murderous effect. And conversely, when Rafterman finally gets the girl, she doesn't die right away and Joker has to finish her off.

Martin Jangowski:The M16 used in Viet Nam was something new. It uses a small, fast bullet that doesn't fragment, but tumbles violently, leaving horrible wounds. This wasn't foreseeable in the 1900's, when the convention of The Hague was signed. The actual rifle of the eastern armys uses a long, marginally stabilized small bore FMJ bullet, which is guaranteed to tumble...however, the Vietcong used the then actual AK47 with a .311 bullet.

Clark Walker:As an aside, another bitter irony of vietnam was that the M16 was a shitty gun for the jungle. It was designed as a cheaper knock off of an AR-15, a gun that was more reliable, but manufactured by a smaller company. The large corporation that made the M16 configured it with a cheaper barrel, and the FMJ's weren't really compatable with the weapon. They got dirtier quicker than they should have and many a grunt ws found dead in the field with the cleaning rod in his barrel - trying to unjam the gun in the heat of a firefight. . It all had to do with who got the contracts to make guns and bullets for war -- money, not logic was the reason. One of the sayings soldiers had about the M16 was, "You can tell it's Mattel" which was a toy company's slogan at the time -- the gun had a lot of plastic parts, which can't stand up to the vibrations like wood can but it is cheap, and it benefits the oil companies to use it instead of wood....

Glenn Porter: Mr. Walker's point that the M-16 was not a good jungle weapon was absolutely correct, but he attributes it's poor performance to corporate manoeuvring, while in truth it was the way in which the U.S. Army fielded the rifle, as well as decisions the Army made about ammunition production, that made the rifle earn it's early reputation.

It is pure drivel to suggest "many a grunt was found dead in the field with the cleaning rod in his barrel". Colt, the primary manufacturer, (not just some "large company" but the manufacturing licensee for the rifle) made the barrels of the finest steel available at the time. The Army, however, had failed to train or equip soldiers to maintain the rifles before they issued them. Additionally, the Army changed the powder used in the ammunition to a type that leaves significant fouling all over the works of the rifle. This problem was addressed fairly quickly however, and the soldier in the field soon learned how to deal with almost any stoppage. Upgrades and improvements to the rifle, including chrome plating the barrel bores, eliminated the corrosion problems. Furthermore, the rifle was developed to fire full metal jacket bullets from the beginning. In fact, it is hard to imagine a rifle barrel that isn't "compatible" with full metal jacket bullets.

Mr. Walker also quotes a saying from the early days of the Army's use of the M-16: "You can tell it's Mattel," commenting on the quantity of plastic used in the rifle. However, he has obviously never asked any marines who used the M-14 how they liked wooden model, because they were the very people who pushed for the development of a fibreglass alternative. In jungle conditions wooden gun parts were susceptible to rot, warping, insects, and all sorts of other nasty wear and tear that plastic parts were simply immune to. Plastics made rifles lighter, easier to carry and easier to deploy. While there were issues regarding some plastic breakage, they usually related to misuse or abuse of the weapon (it was never intended to be used as a club after all!)

PICTURES:AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

2008-01-25T09:38:00.000-08:00

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

NEWS:Soldier to be Tried in Iraqi's Death

2008-01-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

FORT WORTH, Texas - An Army sergeant accused of shooting a badly wounded and unarmed Iraqi insurgent in the stomach, then ordering a medic to suffocate him before fatally shooting him in the head will be tried in military court, his attorney said Jan. 24.

The decision to try Sgt. Leonardo Trevino on murder and other charges comes a month after his Article 32 hearing, which is similar to a civilian grand jury.

"Just a fraction of information in this case" has been heard, his attorney Richard V. Stevens told The Associated Press. "The issues are far from over."

The case was referred to court-martial on Jan. 10, Stevens said, although Fort Hood officials the past two weeks said no decision had been made about whether Trevino would go to trial. Fort Hood officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Thursday.

Trevino, 30, of San Antonio, remains in pretrial confinement at the Bell County Jail, Stevens said.

The charges stem from a June night in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, when Trevino's "small kill team" went to a dangerous neighborhood where insurgents were reportedly making improvised explosive devices.

After killing one of three insurgents in a gun battle, the Soldiers followed a blood trail into a house where one of the wounded lay crying and bleeding, according to testimony at the December hearing. The insurgent, who had about two dozen gunshot wounds, was not armed, according to a Soldier's testimony.

Trevino is charged with attempted premeditated murder for allegedly shooting the Iraqi in the abdomen, a nonfatal wound, and with soliciting murder for reportedly telling an Army medic to suffocate the man. Trevino is charged with premeditated murder for allegedly then shooting the insurgent in the head, killing him.

Trevino also is charged with impeding the investigation. He's accused of telling a Soldier to drop a gun by the Iraqi's body, instructing troops to say the man was armed and lying to his superior by saying the man had a gun.

Stevens said no trial date has been set but that the government first wants to try two other Soldiers charged in the case.

The medic, Spc. John Torres, has been charged with attempted premeditated murder and with dereliction of duty for failing to provide aid.

Cpl. Justin Whiteman, who allegedly placed the pistol by the insurgent's body, has been charged with accessory to attempted premeditated murder and with dereliction of duty for failing to provide aid. Whiteman also is charged with dereliction of duty for violating a law of war after he allegedly shot the dead insurgent's body in the street after the gun battle.

Because Fort Hood officials did not respond to calls seeking comment, The Associated Press was unable to get the names of attorneys for Torres and Whiteman.
TO READ MORE
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,160730,00.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS

NEWS:U.S. Will Fight in Pakistan if Asked

2008-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is willing to send a small number of U.S. combat troops to Pakistan to help fight the insurgency there if Pakistani authorities should asked for such help, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

"We remain ready, willing and able to assist the Pakistanis and to partner with them to provide additional training, to conduct joint operations, should they desire to do so," Gates told a news conference.

Gates said the Pakistani government has not requested any additional help in the weeks since al-Qaida and affiliated extremists have intensified their fighting inside Pakistan. He stressed that the United States would respect the Pakistanis' judgment on the utility of American military assistance.

"We're not aware of any proposals that the Pakistanis have made to us at this point," he said. "This is clearly an evolving issue. And what we have tried to communicate to the Pakistanis, and essentially what we are saying here is we are prepared to look at a range of cooperation with them in a number of different areas, but at this point it's their nickel, and we await proposals or suggestions from them."

The top American commander in the region, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, was in Pakistan this week meeting with senior Pakistani officials, including the new army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani. Last week Fallon told reporters that Pakistani officials were more willing to seek U.S. assistance.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who appeared at the news conference with Gates, said he did not know whether Fallon had offered or received any new proposals.

Most of the discussion with the Pakistanis thus far has focused on the possibility of U.S. troops being used to train Pakistani forces, Gates said, but he acknowledged that combat operations might be included.

"You're not talking about significant numbers of U.S. troops for the kinds of things if you're talking about going after al-Qaida in the border area or something like that," Gates said. "So, in my way of thinking, we're talking about a very small number of troops, should that happen. And it's clearly a pretty remote area. But, again, the Pakistani government has to be the judge of this."

Mullen said talks with the Pakistanis are progressing, and the U.S. military stands ready to provide training or combat forces.

"If asked to assist, I think we could do a lot," Mullen said.

For several years the focus of U.S. concern about al-Qaida elements in Pakistan was their support for resurgent Taliban militia fighters who have been training in western Pakistan to infiltrate into Afghanistan to foment violence. More recently, al-Qaida in Pakistan has posed more of a threat to the Pakistani government, seeking to destabilize the government of a nuclear-armed Muslim nation.

At his news conference, Gates said the worry about al-Qaida goes beyond its threat to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"We are all concerned about the re-establishment of al-Qaida safe havens in the border area," he said. "I think it would be unrealistic to assume that all of the planning that they're doing is focused strictly on Pakistan. So I think that that is a continuing threat to Europe as well as to us."

U.S. Web site offers encryption tool for al-Qaeda backers

2008-01-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

The new encryption tool is called Mujahideen Secrets 2 and appears to be an updated version.

Jaikumar VijayanJan 24, 2008

An Arabic-language Web site hosted on a server located in Tampa, Fla., is apparently offering a new version of software that was designed to help al-Qaeda supporters encrypt their Internet communications.

The new encryption tool is called Mujahideen Secrets 2 and appears to be an updated version of easier-to-crack software that was released early last year, said Paul Henry, vice president of technology evangelism at Secure Computing Corp. in San Jose.

The tool is being distributed free of charge on a password-protected Web site that belongs to an Islamic forum known as al-Ekhlaas, according to Henry and a blog posting by the Middle East Media Research Institute. The MEMRI is a Washington-based organization that monitors what it describes as jihadist Web sites and publishes translations of online content originally posted in Arabic, Persian or Turkish.

Henry said that he contacted the FBI about the al-Ekhlaas site and its contents last weekend. But as of this afternoon, the site was still up and running. Prior to being hosted on the server in Tampa, the site appears to have been run off of a system in Minnesota, Henry said.

The MEMRI identified the Web hosting firm that owns the server on which the al-Ekhlaas site is running as Tampa-based Noc4hosts Inc. Officials from the hosting firm didn't immediately return calls to a general toll-free number listed on its Web site.

Because of the password protection, Henry hasn't been able to download the new tool and therefore can't say what level of encryption it supports. But he said that a banner ad on the site claims that the software offers the highest level of encryption now available. That means it likely uses at least 1024-bit encryption, whereas the first version of Mujahideen Secrets used 256-bit AES encryption, he said.

A Reuters story posted Jan. 18 and datelined Dubai quoted the al-Ekhlaas Web site as saying that the new release was a "special edition" of the encryption tool created "in order to support the mujahideen in general and the Islamic State in Iraq in particular." That organization was described by Reuters as being linked to al-Qaeda.

Efforts by groups that support al-Qaeda to develop their own encryption tools appear to be driven by concerns about possible back doors being built into publicly available encryption software, Henry said. He added that the upgraded Mujahideen Secrets tool could cause problems for law enforcement and antiterrorism agencies that are tracking the activities of such groups.

"Up to this point in time, we have been able to discount al-Qaeda's use of the Internet as an attack vehicle because of their use of outdated and easily thwarted technologies," Henry said. But, he warned, that could begin to change if al-Qaeda backers start adopting more up-to-date tools.

The MEMRI posted a notice last January about the release of the original version of Mujahideen Secrets. The initial release was announced by the Global Islamic Media Front on Jan. 1, 2007, according to the MEMRI. It noted that the GIMF advertised the tool as "the first Islamic computer program for secure exchange [of information] on the Internet" and went on to say that the software provided users with "the five best encryption algorithms, and with symmetrical encryption keys (256 bit), asymmetrical encryption keys (2048 bit) and data compression."

Last February, the MEMRI also posted an analysis of so-called electronic jihad activities. According to the institute, radical Islamic groups have been trying over the past few years to carry out coordinated attacks against Web sites belonging to organizations that they consider to be their enemies. "As [is] evident from numerous postings on the Islamist Web sites, many of these coordinated attacks are organized by groups devoted to electronic jihad," the MEMRI wrote in its analysis.

Six prominent electronic jihad groups have emerged on the Internet, according to the MEMRI, which said that four of them had their own Web sites "through which they recruit volunteers to take part in electronic attacks, maintain contacts with others who engage in electronic jihad, coordinate their attacks and enable their members to chat with one another anonymously."

Among the content available on one of the sites was a document explaining how to carry out electronic jihad attacks, along with technical information about the software needed to do so and descriptions of previous attacks and their results, the MEMRI said.
TO READ MORE
TO THE POST

NEWS:Man killed, 3 injured in terror attacks in Jerusalem area

2008-01-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

Terrorists fire on Israelis at entrance to Shoafat refugee camp north of Jerusalem; man killed, woman sustains serious wounds. Simultaneously, two terrorists arrive at yeshiva at settlement of Kfar Etzion, manage to stab two Israelis before being shot to death

A man was killed and three people were injured Thursday evening in two simultaneous terror attacks which took place in the Jerusalem area.

Two people were shot at the northern entrance to the refugee camp of Shoafat, north of Jerusalem. A man was critically injured and later

died of his wounds, while a young woman sustained serious wounds and was evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in the capital.

An initial investigation revealed that two terrorists had approached the northern entrance of the refugee camp by foot. They fired at two Israelis and fled the scene. Police began combing the area with the help of a helicopter in a bid to locate the terrorists.

Fatah's military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack. A Fatah spokesman told Ynet that the organizations "Black September" activists carried out the attack.

2 injured in stabbing attack
Simultaneously, two terrorists broke into a yeshiva in the settlement of Kfar Etzion, located between Jerusalem and Hebron, armed with a gun and a knife. They managed to stab two Israelis, who sustained light to moderate wounds.

The terrorists threatened the students and the instructors at the yeshiva and were then shot to death, apparently by the teachers.

The injured were evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital by an MDA crew. IDF forces began searching the area for additional terrorists.
TO READ MORE
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...498562,00.html

PICTURES:SNIPER RIFLE

2008-01-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

M-14

The M14 rifle (more formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14) is an American selective fire battle rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. Although largely superseded in military use by the M16 rifle, it remains in limited front line service with the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. The M14 also provides the basis for the M21 and XM25 sniper rifles

M-24

The M24 SWS (Sniper Weapon System) is the military and police version of the Remington 700 rifle, M24 being the model name assigned by the United States Army after adoption as their standard sniper rifle in 1988. It is also used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The M24 is referred to as a "weapons system", because it not only consists of a rifle, but also a detachable telescopic sight and other accessories.

OP 96 FALCON
The Falcon rifle is manufactured by ZVI in Czech Respublic. The rifle is manufactured in two variants - OP 96 for NATO-standart .50BMG cartridge, and OP 99 for ex-Esatern block standart Russian 12.7x108mm cartridge.
Falcon is made in bull-pup configuration. It has mauser-type, three lugs bolt. Built-in 2 round magazine may be blocked by special cover to convert rifle to single-shot mode. Falcon has mounts for various telescopic sights, as well as back-up iron sights. To reduce felt recoil, Falcon is equipped with muzzle brake and spring-powered recoil pad in buttstock.

ANTI-MATERIAL SNIPER RIFLE

Barrett M82

The M82 is a heavy SASR (Special Application Scoped Rifle) developed by the American Barrett Firearms Company. It is currently used by many units and armies around the world, including the American Special Forces. It is also called the "Light Fifty" for its .50 caliber BMG (12.7 mm) chambering. The weapon is found in two variants — the original M82A1 (and A3) and the bullpup M82A2. The M82A2 is no longer manufactured, though XM500 can be seen as its spiritual successor, in that it also employs a bullpup configuration.

Gepard anti-material rifle

Gepárd anti-material rifles are a family of Hungarian weapons designed to destroy unarmored and lightly armored targets. These long range, large caliber rifles have high accuracy as well as high muzzle velocity. The Gepárds originate from World War I anti-tank rifles created to damage the primitive armored vehicles developed by the British. Since then, anti-material rifles fell into disuse. Heavier tanks meant thicker armor, which even the heaviest rifles could not pierce. However, in 1987 the Hungarian army sought to obtain a compact, mobile weapon that could damage lightly armored targets. The project, led by eng. ltc. col. Ferenc Földi (Institute of Military Technology of Hungarian People Army), culminated in the creation of the Gepárds.

Accuracy International AS50

The AS50 .50 BMG sniper/anti-materiel rifle is the latest creation of British firearms producer Accuracy International. The rifle was specially developed for the US SOCOM and is in use with the Navy SEALs. The AS50 enables operators to engage targets at very long range with high accuracy using explosive or incendiary ammunition. The AS50 employs a gas operated semi-automatic action for rapid fire engagement of multiple targets. The rifle is also highly transportable, ergonomic and lightweight. It can be disassembled in less than three minutes and serviced without tools.

AW50F
The AW50F is a .50 BMG anti-materiel rifle used by the British, Australian military and South Korean Special Forces. It is a version of Accuracy International AW50 (which in turn is a variant of the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare), but with an Australian produced Madco barrel and a folding stock. It is used with, among other rounds, the multi-purpose Raufoss Mk 211 cartridge.

McMillan TAC-50

The McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle is produced in the United States by the McMillan Brothers Rifle Company. This long-range anti-material/anti-personnel weapon is based on previous designs from the same company, which first appeared during the late 1980s. McMillan makes several versions of .50 caliber rifles, based on the same proprietary action, for military, law enforcement and civilian use.

PGM Hecate II

The PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II is the standard heavy sniper rifle of the French Army, sometimes known as FR-12,7 (= "Fusil à Répétition de calibre 12,7mm" = 12.7mm caliber bolt-action rifle).
It is manufactured by PGM Precision of France. This is the largest weapon of the Ultima Ratio rifle family, using the .50 BMG (12.7 x 99 mm) cartridge (as used in Browning M2 heavy machine gun).
Its design is the same metallic-skeleton like the other ones in this family, only scaled up. Equipped with an adjustable bipod, and a rear monopod, for maximum accuracy. The barrel is deeply fluted in order to disperse heat, and is fitted with an extremely high efficiency muzzle brake which reduces the felt recoil to about the level expected of a 7.62 × 51 mm NATO cartridge. The stock is also adjustable.
It is used as an anti-materiel rifle for demolition shooting at long ranges, harassing fire and counter-sniping and the destruction of explosive ordnance (unexploded bombs or sea mines, for example) from a safe distance, with High Explosive Incendiary/Armour Piercing Ammunition (HEIAP).

Steyr IWS 2000

The Steyr IWS 2000 is an Austrian semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle, produced by Steyr Mannlicher. IWS stands for Infantry Weapon System. It is actually a smoothbore, like many modern tank guns, not a true rifle.
The first design for the IWS2000 was called the Steyr AMR (Anti-Materiel Rifle), but was later changed to the IWS. It fires a 15.2mm armor piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot round, and is the first man-portable rifle to use this type of ammunition.

TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR :CHIORNY ORIOL (BLACK EAGLE) Main Battle Tank

2008-01-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

A new Russian MBT named Chiorny Oriol (Black Eagle) was shown for the first time at the second VTTV-Omsk-97 International Exhibition of Armaments, Military Equipment and Conversion Products held in September '97 in Omsk, Siberia region, Russia.

Until recently, there were hardly any details about the tank except for a couple of words and a poster on the Defendory 1998 held in Greece.

According to the information I have, this tank is being developed in cooperation with and for export to S.Korea and may even feature Korean thermal imagers. It will not be fielded with the Russian Army and seems to be entirely an initiative of Omsk Plant. It originates from the now-closed Nikolai Popov's design bureau at Leningrad Kirov Plant (LKZ) and is now developed by Alexander Morozov.

The tank is built on a T-80U chassis and will borrow most of its components including FCS from T-80U.

The most significant difference between the new tank and T-80 is the completely redesigned turret (at Omsk'97 a full-sized mock-up was presented) and the lengthened hull with 7 roadwheels per side.

The new turret will have a larger degree of protection than the current Russian MBTs. The steep slope of forward armor plates on the turret reflects designers' desire to maximize protection from APFSDS rounds in a duel situation, when tanks fight "face to face".

For additional protection, the tank is fitted with Kaktus ERA and the new Drozd-2 APS.

It was originally planned to install a 152 mm gun that is being developed for a future Russian MBT. However, since this tank is not going to be fielded with the Russian Army, it carries a 125 mm 2A46M-series gun.

BLACK EAGLE STATS
Dimensions: (mm) L7,000+? x W3,582 x H1,800(?!) x 451 clearance
Weight: 50.0? metric tons
Crew: 3?

Engine: 1,200 hp 16-cyl. turbo-diesel engine
Max Road Speed: ? km/h
Max X-country Speed: ? km/h
Power/Weight: 24? hp/tn
Ground Pressure: ? kg/sq.cm
Range: ? km

Obstacle negotiation:
Fording depth: ? m
Trench width: ? m
Vertical obstacle: ? m
Maximum gradient: ?°

Weapons
Main Weapon: 125mm 2A46M* smoothbore
Rate of fire: 10-12? rounds/min
Ammunition: 40? rounds
Ammunition Types: APFSDS, HEAT, HEF
ATGM through main gun?
Auxiliary armament: UNKNOWN

Equipment
Rangefinder: laser?
Night Vision: thermal imager?
Fire Control: ?
Jammers: No active jammers?
Active protection: Drozd-2

Onboard Computer: ?
on-board information system: subsystems status, GPS,
HQ & units link

Other: NBC, auto-fire-fighting equipment,
self-digging blade, air conditioning

Front armor extremely sloped; new generation "Kaktus" ERA

BLACK EAGLE VIDEOS

NEWS:U.S. commander orders plans on Pakistan

2008-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

By ROBERT BURNS 35 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. forces in Central Asia has launched planning for more extensive use of U.S. troops to train Pakistani armed forces, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
Adm. William J. Fallon, commander of U.S. Central Command, issued a planning order, an internal instruction to lower-level commanders, to propose ideas for a long-term approach to helping Pakistan combat what has become an expanding, homegrown insurgency that threatens the stability of the government.
Fallon's intent is to develop new approaches to help Pakistan, with a time horizon stretching to 2015, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the order has not been made public.
A central assumption in the planning is that no such U.S. training contribution would be made without the Pakistani government's prior approval, the official said.
Fallon was in Pakistan this week meeting with senior Pakistani military officials.
In an interview last week during a conference with Middle Eastern defense chiefs in Florida, Fallon said Pakistan is taking a more welcoming view of U.S. suggestions for using American troops to train and advise its own forces in the fight against anti-government extremists.
Fallon said he believes increased violence inside Pakistan in recent months has led Pakistani leaders to conclude that they must focus more intensively on extremist al-Qaida hideouts near the border with Afghanistan.
"They see they've got real problems internally," Fallon said. "My sense is there is an increased willingness to address these problems, and we're going to try to help them." He said U.S. assistance would be "more robust," but he offered few details. "There is more willingness to do that now" on Pakistan's part, he said.
The Bush administration's anxiety about Pakistan's stability has grown in recent months, not only because of its potential implications for U.S. stability efforts in neighboring Afghanistan but also because of worry about the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Wednesday with Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf, the highest-level meeting of U.S. and Pakistan officials since the assassination last month of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. While Rice praised Musharraf as a steadfast ally and promised continued U.S. support, she pressed him to keep his commitment to democracy and to free and fair elections in February.
At the Pentagon, one of Fallon's subordinate commanders, Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, said the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan is unlikely to stage a spring offensive in the volatile eastern region bordering Pakistan.
Rodriguez, who commands U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan, told a Pentagon news conference that Taliban and al-Qaida fighters operating from havens in the largely ungoverned tribal areas of western Pakistan appear to have shifted their focus toward targets inside Pakistan rather than across the border in Afghanistan.
"I don't think there'll be a big spring offensive this year," Rodriguez said.
That is partly due to ordinary Afghans' disillusionment with the Taliban movement, he said, and partly because the Taliban and al-Qaida fighters see new opportunities to accelerate instability inside Pakistan. He also said Afghan security forces are becoming more effective partners with U.S. forces.
The Taliban generally has staged stepped-up offensives each spring, when the weather is more favorable for ground movement, although an anticipated offensive last spring did not materialize.
U.S. officials have said in recent days that they do expect a spring offensive in the southern area of Afghanistan, a traditional Taliban stronghold where fighting is most intense. That is one reason Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week approved the deployment of an additional 2,200 Marines to the southern sector, where NATO forces are in command.
In all, there are about 28,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, of whom roughly half are under Rodriguez's command. Rodriguez said he needs no more U.S. troops in his area but looks forward to having two more Afghan National Army brigades, due to begin operating in his sector this spring.
Rodriguez also said he sees no sign that the United States is preparing to send forces into Pakistan without the Pakistan government's approval.
"We're not planning that," he said. "Pakistan is a sovereign government, and we have no plans that I'm involved in or have even heard of to do anything like that."
On Capitol Hill, the House Armed Services Committee heard testimony from retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno, a former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The committee chairman, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., opened the session with an expression of concern about trends in Afghanistan.
"I believe that we currently risk a strategic failure in Afghanistan and that we must do what it takes to avoid this disastrous outcome," Skelton said in a prepared statement. "We must re-prioritize and shift needed resources from Iraq to Afghanistan. We must once again make Afghanistan the central focus in the war against terrorism — our national security and Afghanistan's future are at stake."

to verify post
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080124/...istan_pakistan

FACT:Jane's - Impenetrable Russian Tank Armour Stands Up to Examination

2008-01-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Jane's International Defence Review 7/2007, pg. 15:

"IMPENETRABLE RUSSIAN TANK ARMOUR STANDS UP TO EXAMINATION"

By Richard M. Ogorkiewicz

Claims by NATO testers in the 1990s that the armour of Soviet Cold War tanks was “effectively impenetrable” have been supported by comments made following similar tests in the US.

Speaking at a conference on “The Future of Armoured Warfare” in London on the 30th May, IDR's Pentagon correspondent Leland Ness explained that US Army tests involving firing trials on 25 T-72A1 and 12 T-72B1 tanks (each fitted with Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour [ERA]) had confirmed NATO tests done on other former Soviet tanks left behind in Germany after the end of the Cold War. The tests showed that the ERA and composite Armour of the T-72s was incredibly resilient to 1980s NATO anti-tank weapons.

In contrast to the original, or 'light', type of ERA which is effective only against shaped charge jets, the 'heavy' Kontakt-5 ERA is also effective against the long-rod penetrators of APFSDS tank gun projectiles, anti-tank missiles, and anti-armour rotary cannons. Explosive reactive armour was valued by the Soviet Union and its now-independent component states since the 1970s, and almost every tank in the eastern-European military inventory today has either been manufactured to use ERA or had ERA tiles added to it, including even the T-55 and T-62 tanks built forty to fifty years ago, but still used today by reserve units.

"During the tests we used only the weapons which existed with NATO armies during the last decade of the Cold War to determine how effective such weapons would have been against these examples of modern Soviet tank design. Our results were completely unexpected. When fitted to the T-72A1 and B1 the 'heavy' ERA made them immune to the DU (Depleted Uranium) penetrators of the M829A1 APFSDS (used by the 120 mm guns of the Cold War era US M1 Abrams tanks), which are among the most formidable of current tank gun projectiles. We also tested the 30mm GAU-8 Avenger (the gun of the A-10 Thunderbolt II Strike Plane), the 30mm M320 (the gun of the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter) and a range of standard NATO Anti Tank Guided Missiles – all with the same result of no penetration or effective destruction of the test vehicles. The combined protection of the standard armour and the ERA gives the Tanks a level of protection equal to our own. The myth of Soviet inferiority in this sector of arms production that has been perpetuated by the failure of downgraded T-72 export tanks in the Gulf Wars has, finally, been laid to rest. The results of these tests show that if a NATO/Warsaw Pact confrontation had erupted in Europe, the Soviets would have had parity (or perhaps even superiority) in armour” – U.S. Army Spokesperson at the show.

Newer KE penetrators have been designed since the Cold War to defeat the Kontakt-5 (although Kontakt-5 has been improved as well). As a response the Russian Army has produced a new type of ERA, “Relikt”, which is claimed to be two to three times as effective as Kontakt-5 and completely impenetrable against modern Western warheads.

Despite the collapse of the USSR, the Russian Tank industry has managed to maintain itself and its expertise in armour production, resulting in modern designs (such as the T-90, the T-95 and mysterious Black Eagle) to replace the, surprisingly, still effective Soviet era tanks. These tests will do much to discount the argument of the “Lion of Babylon” (the ineffective Iraqi version of the T-72M) and export quality tanks being compared to the more sophisticated and upgraded versions which existed in the Soviet military’s best Tank formations and continue to be developed in a resurgent Russian military industrial complex."

NEWS:EU Rejects Chavez's Call To Remove FARC From Terrorist List

2008-01-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

BRUSSELS (AP)--The European Union insisted Tuesday it won't take Colombia's FARC rebel group off its blacklist of terrorist organizations despite the urging of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
"The answer is 'no.' There is no reason to change our position," said E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana after talks with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Chavez suggested FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, be removed from international terrorist lists after he helped mediate the release of two of the group's high-profile hostages earlier this month.
The U.S., the Colombian government and leading European powers such as France and Germany have already rejected Chavez's idea.
Solana said Uribe had the E.U.'s full backing for his fight against the rebels. "The terrorists have no justification," he told reporters.
Colombia accuses the FARC of holding more than 700 hostages. The E.U. joined the U.S. in listing the group - Latin America's largest rebel force, with roughly 14,000 fighters - as a terrorist group in 2002, outlawing economic support.

Uribe thanked the E.U. for its support. He said he outlined efforts to renew mediation efforts by the Catholic Church and by France, Spain and Switzerland to secure the hostages' release. He is also seeking European help for efforts to put together an international medical mission to check on the hostages, many of whom are reported to be in poor health in the FARC's jungle hideouts.

The Colombian leader also called for negotiations on a free trade and cooperation agreement to be accelerated between the European bloc and the Andean Community which comprises Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Uribe said he would prefer the four Latin American nations to continue negotiating as a group with the E.U. despite differences with Ecuador and Bolivia, whose left-leaning governments are wary of signing up to a deal with the Europeans.

Peru's President Alan Garcia Monday said his country should negotiate separately with the E.U., saying Bolivia and Ecuador "do not believe in free trade."

"The solution is negotiating as an Andean Community, taking into account the circumstances of each country," Uribe said, adding the deal would encourage foreign investment in the Latin American nations bringing economic and social benefits.
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FACTS :BANGALORE TORPEDOS

2008-01-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed on the end of a long, extendable, tube. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a Bangalore mine, bangers or simply a Bangalore.

It has been estimated that the modern Bangalore torpedo is effective for clearing a path through wire and mines up to 15 metres long and 1 metre wid

The Bangalore torpedo was first devised by Captain McClintock, of the British Army Bengal, Bombay and Madras Sappers and Miners at Bangalore, India, in 1912. He invented it as a means of exploding booby traps and barricades left over from the Boer and Russo-Japanese Wars. The Bangalore torpedo would be exploded over a mine without the sapper having to approach closer than about three metres (ten feet)

BANGALORE USED IN WW1
By the time of World War I the Bangalore torpedo was primarily used for clearing barbed wire before an attack. It could be used while under fire, from a protected position in a trench. The torpedo was standardized to consist of a number of externally identical 1.5 metre (five foot) lengths of threaded pipe, one of which contained the explosive charge. The pipes would be screwed together using connecting sleeves to make a longer pipe of the required length, and a smooth nose cone would be screwed on the end to prevent snagging on the ground. It would then be pushed forward from a protected position and detonated, to clear a 1.5 metre (five foot) wide hole through barbed wire.

BANGALORE IN WW2
The Bangalore torpedo was later adopted by the U.S. Army as well during World War II, as the M1A1 Bangalore Torpedo. It was widely used by both the U.S. and Commonwealth forces, notably during D-Day. The use of a Bangalore Torpedo to clear a barbed wire barrier is depicted in the D-Day beach invasion scene in the movies Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, and in the games Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and The Big Red One. In The Big Red One, screenwriter and director Samuel Fuller, a veteran of D-Day, expressed through the narrator his disdain for the inherent hazards of assembling and employing the weapon: "The Bangalore Torpedo was 50 feet long and packed with 85 pounds of TNT, and you assembled it along the way."

The Bangalore continues to be used today, in the little-changed M1A2 version, although primarily to breach wire obstacles, allowing soldiers to subsequently clear a path of mines using hand-emplaced demolitions, grappling hooks, or other means. American combat engineers have also been known to construct similar, "field-expedient" versions of the bangalore by assembling segments of metal picket posts and filling the concave portion with C4 explosive. The C4 is then primed with detonating cord, and pickets are taped to each other to make a long torpedo producing shrapnel that cuts the wire when detonated. This method produces similar results to the standard-issue bangalore, and can be assembled to the desired length by adding picket segments.

Post WWII development
The newest evolution of the Bangalore is the Bangalore Blade, an updated version made from lightweight aluminum and using shaped-charge technology to breach obstacles which the original Bangalore would have been unable to defeat. In a test detonation conducted on the television show Future Weapons, the Bangalore Blade blasted a gap roughly 5 metres wide in concertina wire, and also created a trench deep enough to detonate most nearby anti-personnel mines. The Bangalore Blade was developed in the United Kingdom by Alford Technologies and is intended for use with both standard army and Special Forces units that require a lightweight, easily-portable obstacle-clearing device.

dutch soldier carrying bangalore in afghanistan

Mexican army clashes with tijuana drug cartel

2008-01-23T17:32:00.001-08:00

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
Published: January 18, 2008

REYNOSA, Mexico — Drug cartel gunmen and government forces fought a three-hour battle Thursday in Tijuana, the latest in a series of violent clashes in border towns where President Felipe Calderón has deployed the Mexican Army and federal agents to dismantle drug cartels.

One gunman was killed and four police officers were wounded in the fight, state authorities said in a bulletin Thursday night. The police later discovered at least six other bodies in a house where the gunmen had made a stand against the government, state officials said. Some of the dead appeared to be kidnapping victims who had been slain, they said.
During the fighting, the sound of machine guns and grenades terrorized the city, as residents hid in their houses and soldiers evacuated a preschool, according to reports from Mexican newspapers, television networks and radio stations.

As Mr. Calderón has put more pressure on them, the drug cartels have lashed back at the government. Gunmen assassinated three police commanders in Tijuana this week and killed four federal agents last week in the states of Tamaulipas and Michoacán.

The gunfight on Thursday in Tijuana broke out at 11 a.m., as federal agents tried to enter a house believed to belong to drug dealers in a neighborhood called La Mesa. The agents drew fire from black-garbed men in the house, and soldiers and federal police officers closed in, taking up positions outside.

According to reporters for Radio Red FM, the besieged gunmen fought with large-caliber machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, even shooting at a helicopter overhead.

The government forces made three assaults on the house before entering and arresting five people, state authorities said.

As the battle raged nearby, soldiers evacuated dozens of children from the Mi Alegría preschool, the Televisa network reported. Residents of the neighborhood remained trapped in their homes.

The shootout occurred in the same neighborhood where gunmen ambushed and killed two senior state police officials in their car on Tuesday just after midnight.

Hours later, gunmen broke into the home of a police commander, killing him, his wife and his 12-year-old daughter.

Funeral services for the police commander were being held Thursday as the new battle broke out. Early reports that drug cartel gunmen had fired on people at the funeral turned out to be false.

The authorities said that in the hours before the gun battle, drug dealers had been issuing death threats to the city’s police chief, Julián Leyzaola Pérez, over police radio frequencies.

Last week, a similar battle between drug dealers and government forces broke out in Rio Bravo, Mexico, just south of the Texas town of McAllen. In that fight, officials said, three gunmen were killed and 10 on the government side were wounded.

pics of the shootout

videos of the shootout
video 1

video 2

Russian army to get essentially new tank in 2009 - general

2008-01-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

MOSCOW. Dec 22 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is testing an essentially new tank and plans to put it in service in 2009, the chief of armaments said on Saturday.

The tank will have "a running gear, a power unit, armaments and systems of fire control, target identification and reconnaissance that are absolutely new," Gen. of the Army Nikolai Makarov, who is also a deputy defense minister, told reporters.

The tank will start being manufactured on a regular basis in 2009 as well, he said.

"Currently, tests are under way, we are planning to finish them next year," Makarov said.

The state armaments program makes provision for financing the final testing of the tank and putting it in service, the general said.

"These funds are enough for rearmament with the new [tank] to be noticeable not only to the armed forces themselves but to our whole people as well," he said.

At the same time, he complained that, as a result of the post- communist collapse of the Soviet military industry, some of the Russian defense industry facilities are unable to produce individual components to a proper standard.

"We should promptly re-equip our enterprises, fit them with state- of-the art equipment, technological lines guaranteeing high-standard military products," he said.
new tanks for russia

Bush lied 259 times

2008-01-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2008 at 03:08:40

Independent Study Finds Bush "Unequivocally" Lied U.S. into War with Iraq

by Frank J. Ranelli Page 1 of 1 page(s)
http://www.opednews.com

A nonprofit collaboration of two independent, non-governmental organizations has concluded that President Bush used at least 532 misleading and deceptively false statements to justify military action against Iraq. In all, the Bush administration as a whole used a mind-numbing 935 false statements to goad America into war with Iraq. Calling their findings "an orchestrated deception on the path to war," the partnership report may very well be the first fully comprehensive investigation that incontrovertibly proves the Bush administration lied this nation into an unfounded war.

The Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism determined, through a collective study and breakdown of Bush administration speeches, press briefings and interviews, that Bush and other top officials "led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information."

According to the report, Bush alone lied more than 259 times, including 232 false statements "about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq" and "28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida." Quoting Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism, "It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida." Furthermore, the shared study noted, "the statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

Among the seven top officials cited, Colin Powell was the most egregious in the dispersal of dissembling and mendacious language regarding the requisite call for war against Iraq. Powell is attributed to having made 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in a two-year period beginning on September 11, 2001 and through the commencement of military action in Iraq on March 18, 2003.

As a microcosm example of at least 935 lies cataloged by the exhaustive study, Vice President Dick Cheney declared on August 26, 2002 that "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction." Bush's patently false proclamation, made on May 29, 2003, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction," has now been completed discredited. Of course, no weapons of mass destruction were ever found and George Bush, on NBC's Meet the Press in 2004 conceded, "No weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq."

In a never-ending stream of fuzzy rationales to justify war, beginning as early as November of 2001, the Bush administration began making disingenuous statements attempting to tie Saddam to the attackers of 9/11. Quoting Bush, "They're both risks, they're both dangerous. The difference, of course, is that Al Qaeda likes to hijack governments. Saddam Hussein is a dictator of a government. Al Qaeda hides, Saddam doesn't, but the danger is, is that they work in concert." However, in stark contrast, the 9/11 Commission Report was unable to establish any "evidence indicating that Iraq cooperated with Al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the United States."

The comprehensive study also touches on and illuminates the vast failures of the mainstream media; mainly their failure to offer critical scrutiny, while chiefly operating as Bush's surrogate and disseminator in the misleading rhetoric of the dire need to take the country to war. During that critical, seminal juncture in the run up to the war, the media "creating an almost impenetrable din" that forced out nearly all dissenting views, the report revealed.

In what may be the first true, categorical "War Report Card" that separates fact from fiction, fine tunes mass distortion into utter clarity, the Center for Public Integrity makes a compelling case that "Following 9/11, President Bush and seven top officials of his administration waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq."
To learn more and read the full report, visit on the web:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/default.aspx

MAIN BATTLE TANKS

2008-01-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

pictures of main battle tanks from U.K
CHALLENGER 2

france
LECLERC

russia/india
T-90S/T-90

pakistan
ALKHALID

united states of america
M1A1 ABRAHAM

INDIAN SPECIAL FORCES

2008-01-23T13:08:00.002-08:00

Lets start with MARCOS they are also known as MCF(marine commandos).Along with the Para Commandos of the Indian Army. The initial MARCOS group was planned along with the establishment of the NSG counter-terrorism unit in 1986. The first unit was called the Indian Marine Special Force, and was later renamed as Marine Commando Force (MCF) in 1991.
They are also locally known as the Dadiwali Fauj (Hindi: Bearded Army) since they are the only unit of the Indian armed forces that permits non-Sikh recruits to maintain beards.
Training
Candidates undergo a two-year training regime,the first phase of which lasts one month consists of various physical challenges and only half of the candidates pass the test.After this physical test they train for another 9 months in which they learn how to use different type of weapons,reconnaissance training,special warfare tech,intel gathering.they practice these drills on various external environments like beach, coastal, riverine and jungle.They also undergo a parachute
training course and diving course which they undergo at Agra and Cochin respectively.once they have completed their 9 months training they are assigned to there respective groups where they do specialized training.They take another one year to get combat ready and once they
are ready they are assigned to protect sensitive indian investment in the sea surrounding india like oil rigs,merchant ships.