Text Fwd: Global Hawk purchase in trouble as U.S. price tag jumps twofold

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/475725.html
Hankyoreh
Global Hawk purchase in trouble as U.S. price tag jumps twofold
: A decline in demand due to U.S. defense budget cuts has been cited for the price hike
Posted on : Apr.30,2011 13:20 KST

By Lee Soon-hyuk

Following the South Korean government’s announcement of plans to hasten the introduction of the Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude surveillance aircraft in the wake of the Cheonan sinking and artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, the United States has reportedly raised its quote for the aircraft more than twofold.

While Seoul announced plans in March to move up the introduction of the Global Hawk in order to improve its North Korean intelligence gathering capabilities, the large increase in the price may generate controversy.

Military web journal Defense 21 reported Friday that the United States recently quoted a purchase price of $450 million for four Global Hawks and demanded an additional $350 million in development costs. Taking into account demands for the settlement of additional expenses at the time of delivery reflecting the rate of increase in consumer prices, the report added that the total purchase amount would be over one trillion won, more than twice the initially predicted amount, and that operation expenses are predicted to increase by 25 percent each year.

Defense 21 also reported the United States announced its intention to install an operation station at its military base in Guam with terrestrial reception station facilities in order to operate a surveillance and reconnaissance network linking unmanned surveillance aircraft and satellites.

The Global Hawk is an unmanned high-altitude aircraft capable of observing and photographing terrestrial facilities and movements even in the presence of clouds using state-of-the-art radar and optical and infrared sensors from an altitude of 20 kilometers. The top-level strategic spy satellite weapon, which over a 24-hour period is capable of generating thousands of detailed photographs in which a single point represents 30 square centimeters, has an operational radius of some 3,000 kilometers.

The reason cited for the sharp rise in the price of the Global Hawk was a decline in demand stemming from reductions in the U.S. defense budget.

According to a Bloomberg report, U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley stated in a letter submitted to Congress on April 12 that the per-unit price for the Global Hawk would increase by more than 25 percent owing to a 14 percent drop in the number of orders. Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer of the aircraft, also said that a decision by Air Force authorities to reduce the number of new and improved Block 40 models scheduled for production through 2015 from 22 to 11 also had a major impact. Amid this situation, the effects of U.S. defense budget cuts spilled over onto the South Korean government’s plan to introduce the Global Hawk.

The South Korean government currently has concerns over the matting. It is awaiting a response to a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) request submitted to the United States following its decision in the second half of 2010 to introduce the Global Hawk, citing the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) and strengthening its North Korea monitoring system.

It also made official its plans to hasten the introduction of next-generation stealth fighters and the Global Hawk with last month’s announcement of “National Defense Reform Plan 307.”

Regarding the controversy, an official of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said, “It has not been verified that the U.S. made such a proposal.”

“There should be an official response to the LOA request very soon, and we will handle the matter through transparent discussions at that time,” the official added.


Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: Seoul to bolster preemptive strike capability

* Image source: Kyunghyang Shinmun
The Global Hawk first deployed in actual combat in Afghan War in 2001 (File photo)
_____________________________________________
Korea Times
Seoul to bolster preemptive strike capability
By Lee Tae-hoon
March 11, 2011

Seoul is seeking a paradigm shift in its defense posture senior military officials said Friday, moving toward beefing up its preemptive strike capability against North Korea by deploying high-tech weapons that could be used to take out its leadership.

“Following North Korea’s two attacks last year, we’ve come to the conclusion that the belligerent behavior of Pyongyang will only end when its leadership realizes that Seoul is capable of conducting surgical strikes or covert operations against them,” a top official said, asking for anonymity.

He said altering the country’s military focus from passive defense to proactive deterrence is one of the three main pillars of the “Defense Reform Plan 307” unveiled by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, Tuesday.

Kim stressed in a press briefing that he would adopt an active defense policy, while seeking to enhance interoperability of the armed forces and streamlining the military command structure.

“I’ll adjust priorities on the country’s military buildup to deal with the North’s asymmetrical threats and a possible local war,” the defense chief said, adding that Seoul will speed up the purchase of high-altitude spy drones and stealth fighters.

Seoul has already asked Washington to sell its Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying at an altitude of more than 60,000 feet and monitoring enemy locations on the entire Korean Peninsula with pinpoint accuracy.

As part of the FX-III acquisition program, it is also accelerating a stalled plan to replace its aging F-4 and F-5 fighters with combat aircraft with stealth features from 2016.

“The great strength of stealth fighters is that they are capable of infiltrating deep into North Korea and return home after undertaking surprise air raids at anytime, anywhere with high precision without being detected or leaving behind any trace evidence,” a senior Air Force official said.

“Given that stealth fighters are practically invisible, the North will face difficulties in figuring out how often stealth fighters were flying over their land or whether they would conduct an air raid.”
He said Kim wanted to deliver a clear message to the North that should it undertake further attacks against South Korea, Seoul may topple the communist regime by mounting precision attacks on its leadership.

However, the official ruled out the possibility of a preemptive attack on the North, claiming that Seoul is acutely aware that such an action would draw international condemnation and would significantly isolate the country from the rest of the world.

There have been growing calls to beef up military readiness against imminent threats from the North, including possible missile attacks, after Seoul “failed” to properly retaliate against Pyongyang’s two deadly attacks last year.

The North unleashed an artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea in November, claiming the lives of four people, but the South Korean military failed to locate the exact weapons responsible in time for an effective counterattack.

Last March, a North Korea submarine managed to dodge the South Korean Navy after sinking the frigate Cheonan in the West Sea that killed 46 of the sailors onboard.

한국, 대북 선제타격 능력강화 추진

한국이 북한정권의 심장부를 도려낼 수 있는 최첨단 선제공격 무기 도입을 국방정책 패러다임 전환의 일환으로 추진하고 있다고 국방부 관계자가 11일 말했다.

익명을 요구한 한 고위 관계자는 "국방개혁 307 계획"의 핵심은 방어 중심에서 '선제(preemptive) 공격’을 포함한 적극적 억제전략으로의 전환이라고 말했다.

그는 스텔스 전투기 등을 도입 남한이 원하면 언제든지 평양으로 몰래 침투 김정일을 단번에 제압할 수 있는 능력이 있다는 공포심을 심어 줄 수 있을 정도의 군사력을 갖추어야 앞으로 북의 군사도발이 사라질 거라는 결론을 지난 해 천안함 침몰과 연평도 포격 이 후 내릴 수 있었다고 주장했다.

김관진 장관은 지난 8일 "국방개혁 307 계획"을 발표하며 3군 합동성 강화, 국방운영 효율성 극대화와 더불어 “적극적 대북 억제능력” 강화를 세 가지 중점 분야로 두고 개혁을 추진해 나아가겠다고 밝힌 바 있다.

김장관은 또한 북한의 국지도발과 비대칭 위협에 대비하기 위해 고고도 무인정찰기와 스텔스기를 조기 도입 하는 등 전력증강의 우선순위도 일부 조정하기로 했다 말한 바 있다.

________________________________________

See also Kyunghyang Shinmun
The Korean Military to Import the 'Global Hawk' and Stealth Fighters Earlier; Likely Influenced by US Government and Industry
Posted on : 2011-03-09 17:09

The military authorities have decided to import unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance planes such as the Global Hawk and the Stealth fighters at an earliest date.

These projects were stopped at the early stage of the Lee Myung-bak government, but were determined to be pursued afterwards, thus raising suspicions that these were influenced by the US lobbyists.

The National Defense Ministry announced 'National Defense Reform Plan 307' on Tuesday, Mar 08, 2011, while saying and that "it will pursue to secure state-of-the-art precision combat capability at an earlier date in order to respond to asymmetrical threats by the enemy.'

It was learned that the government determined to put into combat forces for 2015-2016 the Global Hawk reconnaissance planes and the Stealth fighters

However, voices are mounting that the reasons why the military excluded the unmanned Global Observer are unclear, which are competitors for the Global Hawk, in the course of putting high-altitude the unmanned reconnaissance planes into combat forces.

According to defense industry sources, the Global Hawk can stay in the air of 65,000 feet of altitude in the operational radius of 3000-4000 km for a duration of 38-42 hours, whereas the Global Observer can stay in the same altitude for over one week.

To compare the prices, the Global Hawk costs US$ 45,000,000 per plane and is more expensive than the Global Observer, and the expenditure for management and maintenance for the former is heavier than the latter, which uses hydrogen as fuel.

At first, the Joint Chiefs of the Staff proceeded with the importation of the Global Observer instead of the Global Hawk, but an official related to the Chong Wa Dae opposed the plan, citing that introduction of unverified weapons is inappropriate, it was learned.

In this context, analysts in and out of the military raise the possibility of lobbying activity by the Northrop Grumman which is the producer of the Global Hawk.

Previously, in 2008, the Korean military pushed for a plan to purchase four Global Hawks by 2010 but failed because of the opposition from the Chong Wa Dae's argument that the prices are too heavy.

In the meantime, the Ministry of National Defense decided to hasten the third FX project of introducing additional 60 Stealth-grade fighters, which requires a budget size of 9 trillion won.

The ROK Air Force argued for the necessity of the third FX project from 2007 onwards, but the project did not move forward with no budget allocated.

The talk about the third FX project became livelier with the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' visit to Korea in January. However, it is pointed out that if Koreans hasten the project, then it is likely that Koreans will have to buy the Stealth F35 at a higher price.

All the more, it was known that the F35's that the US proposed to Koreans for importation are the initial products that even the US Air Force refused to buy.

Given that the targeted level for the software version for the F35's is 3.0, if Koreans purchased the initial products of the F35's that are equipped with only 0.5 version, upgrading of the software version will require an astronomical cost.

Translated by Seol Wontai, Editor of Online English Edition

[국문 번역] Text & Video Fwd:HOW DRONES USE SPACE TECHNOLOGY 무인 비행기들은 어떻게 우주 기술을 이용하는가?

* Image source: Yomiuri, Dec. 31, 2010요미우리 신문, 2010년 12월 31일

Bruce Gagnon's Organizing Notes 브루스 개그논의 조직 노트

Saturday, January 01, 2011 2011년 1월 1일
HOW DRONES USE SPACE TECHNOLOGY

드로운들 (무인 비행기들)은 어떻게 우주 기술을 이용하는가?

This video is a good example of how drones use space technology to fly their deadly missions.

이 비디오는 어떻게 드로운들 (무인 비행기들)이 그것들의 치명적인 임무들을 완수하기 위해 우주 기술을 사용하는지 보이는 좋은 예입니다.

The Global Hawk used by the U.S. Air Force can fly at an altitude of about 18,000 meters, far higher than the cruising altitude of passenger planes. Using high-performance sensors and radar, it can monitor an area with a maximum radius of about 550 kilometers. And since there is no flight crew, it can stay aloft for more than 30 hours.

미 공군에 의해 사용되는 글로벌 호크는 여객기들의 순항 고도 보다 높은 약 18,000 미터의 고도 위를 날 수 있습니다. 이것들은 고도의 작동 감지기들과 레이다를 이용, 약 550 킬로 미터의 최대 반경 지역을 감시할 수 있습니다. 그리고 비행 승무원이 없기에 30 시간 이상 높이 정지할 수 있습니다.

There can be no doubt that drones, and the satellites they use t0 direct them, can be called weapons in space.

드로운들, 그리고 그것들을 지시하는 위성들이 우주의 무기들이라 불릴 수 있다는 것에 의심의 여지가 없습니다.

(* Also thanks to M.S. in Japan)
(* 일본의 M.S.에 또한 감사 )

____________________________________________
* Text informed thanks to Corazon Valdez Fabros
* 코라존 발데즈 파브로스에 감사

The Yomiuri Shimbun 요미우리 신문
Govt to study U.S. drone for surveillance
[일본]정부, 감시를 위해 미국 드로운(무인 비행기) 연구하려 함
Dec. 31, 2010
2010년 12월 31일

The Defense Ministry has decided to begin full-scale research from fiscal 2011 into whether unmanned aerial vehicles should be introduced for surveillance of China and North Korea, government sources said.

정부 소식통들은 일본 관방부가 중국이나 북한 감시를 위해 재정 회기 2011년부터 무인 비행기들을 도입해야 하는지에 대한 전면 연구를 시작하기로 했다고 말했다.

The ministry will send senior Self-Defense Forces officers to study how the U.S. military uses and maintains the state-of-the-art high-altitude Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, the sources said.

정보통은 관방부가 자위대 고위 관리들을 보내 미국 군대가 어떻게 최고 기술로 고도에서 노쓰롭 그럼맨 RQ-4 글로벌 호크를 사용하고 유지하는지 연구하도록 보낼 것이라고 말했다.

The introduction of unmanned drones would beef up the SDF's ability to monitor the Chinese Navy's rapidly expanding activities in the seas around southern Japan, as well as the volatile Korean Peninsula.

무인 비행기들의 도입은 불안정한 한반도와 마찬가지로 일본 남쪽 해상에서 급속도로 확장해가는 중국 해군의 활동들을 감시하기 위해 자위대의 능력을 증강할 것이다.

The ministry's research will focus on assessing the drone's merits, including cost-effectiveness, according to the sources.

정보통들에 따르면, 관방부의 연구는 가격 효과를 포함한 그 드로운(무인 비행기)의 장점들을 평가하는데 초점을 맞출 것이다.

The drones, which can make long flights and do not put military personnel at risk, are widely used by U.S. and British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The German military plans to begin using drones soon.

장거리 비행들을 만들 수 있고 군인들을 위험에 처하지 않게 할 수 있는 그 드로운들은 이라크와 아프가니스탄의 미국 및 영국 군대에 의해 넓게 사용된다. 독일 군대는 드로운들을 사용하는 것을 곧 시작하길 계획한다.

The government has already expressed willingness to introduce surveillance drones. The midterm defense buildup program from 2011, approved by the Cabinet on Dec. 17, clearly stipulates the ministry will study a comprehensive surveillance system over a wide range of areas, taking into consideration a variety of new technologies, including space-based systems and unmanned drones, that would allow it to flexibly respond to the changing security environment.

정부는 이미 감시 드로운들을 기꺼이 도입할 의사를 밝혔다. 내각에 의해 12월 17일 승인된 중기 국방 증강 프로그램은 관방부가 변화하는 안보 환경에 유연하게 대응할 우주 기반 시스템들과 무인 드로운들을 포함, 새로운 기술들을 고려하면서 넓은 지역들에 걸친 포괄적인 감시 시스템을 연구할 것임을 명백하게 명기한다.

The ministry plans to make a decision on the drones by the end of fiscal 2015, the last fiscal year for the latest midterm defense buildup plan, the sources explained.

정보통들은 관방부가 가장 최근의 방어 증강 계획의 마지막 재정 연도인 2015년까지 드로운들에 대한 결정을 하길 계획한다고 말했다.

The Global Hawk used by the U.S. Air Force can fly at an altitude of about 18,000 meters, far higher than the cruising altitude of passenger planes. Using high-performance sensors and radar, it can monitor an area with a maximum radius of about 550 kilometers. And since there is no flight crew, it can stay aloft for more than 30 hours. After the massive earthquake in January in Haiti, U.S. drones were used extensively to survey the damage.

미 공군에 의해 사용되는 글로벌 호크는 여객기 순항 고도보다 훨씬 높은 약 18,000 미터의 고도에서 날 수 있다. 초정밀 감지기와 레이다를 이용, 그것은 최대 약 550 킬로 미터 반경의 지역을 감시할 수 있다. 그리고 비행 승무원이 없기에 30 시간 이상을 높이 뜬 채로 머무를 수 있다. 지난 1월 아이티에서의 거대한 지진 이후 미국의 무인 비행기들은 손상을 조사하기 위해 넓게 사용되었다.

The Global Hawk is about 14.5 meters in length, with a wingspan of about 40 meters. If deployed, it will be the first large unmanned aircraft deployed by the SDF. One Global Hawk, without sensors, costs about 2.5 billion yen.

글로벌 호크는 길이에서 14.5 미터되며 40 미터되는 날개 폭을 갖고 있다. 배치된다면, 그것은 자위대에 의해 배치되는 가장 큰 무인 비행기가 될 것이다. 글로벌 호크 한대는 감지기를 제외하고도 약 25억 엔이 든다.

According to a senior ministry official, three reconnaissance drones would be necessary to cover all of Japan's territory and surrounding waters.

고위 군사 관리에 따르면, 일본의 전 영토와 주위 수역을 커버하기 위해 세 정찰 드로운들이 필요할 것이다.

When the cost of ground facilities, including headquarters, is factored in, the initial layout is estimated to be several tens of billions of yen, the ministry official said. As these are unmanned vehicles, post-deployment costs will gradually decline after the steep initial price tag, ministry sources said.

관방부 관리는 본부를 포함한 지상 시설들의 가격이 고려 대상이 된다면 초기 설계만 삼~사백억 엔이 될 것이라고 말했다. 관방부 정보통은 이것들이 무인 비행기들인 만큼, 배치 후 비용들은 가파른 초기 가격의 꼬리표 이후 점차 감소할 것이다라고 말했다.

However, some senior SDF officials have expressed concern over the introduction of unmanned drones, saying it could result in cuts in SDF personnel. Currently, the Maritime Self-Defense Force's P-3C reconnaissance planes are Japan's main surveillance aircraft.

그러나, 몇 고위 자위대 관리들은 무인 비행기들에 대한 도입이 자위대 인사들 을 감축시키는 결과를 낳을 것이라며 그것에 대한 우려를 표현했다. 현재 해상 자위대의 P-3C 정찰 비행기들이 일본의 주요 감시 비행기이다.

Text Fwd: Northrop Grumman profiting from the Diaoyu/Senkaku row

* Text thankfully informed from M.S. and S. N. on Oct.5, 2010

breitbart.com

Northrop Grumman profiting from the Diaoyu/Senkaku row

TOKYO, Oct. 4 (AP) - (Kyodo)?Japan's Defense Ministry is considering acquiring three Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft from the United States to deal with China's military rise and North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, sources in the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces said Sunday.

The ministry hopes to write the plan into its new Mid-Term Defense Program for fiscal 2011-2015, which will be based on a new National Defense Program Outline the government is poised to adopt at the end of this year.

The recent rise in tensions between Japan and China triggered by the collisions last month between a Chinese trawler and Japan Coast Guard patrol boats near disputed territories in the East China Sea is expected to help push the acquisition plan, the sources said.

The current midterm defense buildup plan says that from the standpoint of strengthening Japan's intelligence-gathering capabilities, the ministry will take "necessary measures after considering" acquiring unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

Although the ministry has been conducting basic research on unmanned surveillance aircraft since fiscal 2003 with the possibility of producing it domestically, it has now tilted toward first importing the Global Hawk given the aircraft's advantages in performance and costs, the sources said.

The U.S. government has also sounded out the Japanese government over acquisition possibilities through multiple channels, they added.

The Global Hawk would cost about $50 million (roughly 4.15 billion yen), including equipment, bringing the sum for three aircraft to more than 12 billion yen. The ministry estimates it would need tens of billions of yen additionally to build ground facilities with command functions, according to the sources.

Equipped with sophisticated cameras and highly sensitive communications-receiving abilities, the Global Hawk can fly at 60,000 feet (roughly 18,000 meters) in altitude -- about twice as high as commercial passenger aircraft can -- for just more than 30 hours on autopilot.

Data gathered on board the reconnaissance plane can be almost simultaneously sent to command facilities on the ground. Its ability to fly at high altitudes also enables the aircraft to survey countries such as North Korea and China much more deeply into their territories.

Together with its ability to fly longer than manned counterparts, the Global Hawk is likely to boost Japan's ability to gather intelligence and monitor its neighbors' activities.

The ministry hopes to use the aircraft, which does not have attack capability, to defend remote Japanese islands and counter suspicious ships in and near Japanese waters, while at the same time looking at the possibility of operating them as part of the country's shield against ballistic missiles, according to the sources.

The ministry has yet to decide which section within its organization should be in charge of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, partly because officials are concerned that money will be cut from existing programs if the new program comes under their authority, they said.

If the ministry has trouble sorting out which section will be in charge, there is a possibility that plans about unmanned reconnaissance aircraft would remain unclear in the new midterm defense buildup plan, the sources said.

Text Fwd: Guam: Small Pacific Island Becoming A U.S. Strategic Hub 괌, 작은 태평양 섬, 미국의 전략적 허브가 되다.

* Image source: Minagahet Chamorro blog on Sept. 23, 2010
_________________________________________________________

* Text from Rick Rozoff on Sept. 23, 2010

CNSNews
September 22, 2010
Small Pacific Island Becoming A U.S. Strategic Hub
By Patrick Goodenough
__________________________________________________________

-Guam, which is currently home to U.S. Navy facilities and Andersen Air Force Base, has long been a functional forward-deployed location for the military, and in 2000 became the first installation outside the continental U.S. to store long-range air-launched cruise missiles, easily accessible in the event of a future conflict in the region.

-In another sign of its growing importance, Andersen on Monday became the first permanent U.S. base to deploy an RQ-4 Global Hawk, the advanced unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft slated in time to replace the venerable U-2 spy plane.

Andersen is scheduled to get three Global Hawks, which are capable of flying at high altitudes for long-distance missions lasting 30 hours or more, tracking moving targets and intercepting ground communications.
__________________________________________________________

The signing of a document on Guam Tuesday marked the beginning of a historic build-up of U.S. military assets on the small Pacific island, part of an alignment of forces designed to better handle future security challenges in a key part of the world.

The plan calls for the relocation to Guam of 8,600 U.S. Marines and their estimated 9,000 dependents, from Japan’s Okinawa some 1,400 miles to the northwest; the construction of a deepwater wharf capable of accommodating visiting nuclear-powered aircraft carriers; and the development of a U.S. Army air and missile defense facility, to provide a defensive umbrella for the military assets.

Some Marine training facilities also are expected to be built on Tinian island, 100 miles to the north – part of the Northern Marianas, a U.S. commonwealth.

Guam, which is currently home to U.S. Navy facilities and Andersen Air Force Base, has long been a functional forward-deployed location for the military, and in 2000 became the first installation outside the continental U.S. to store long-range air-launched cruise missiles, easily accessible in the event of a future conflict in the region.

But now it is on track to become a much more important strategic hub and staging point for the U.S. as the closest military presence on U.S. soil to regional hot spots such as North Korea and the Taiwan Strait. Guam is about 3,700 miles closer to the Korean peninsula than is Hawaii.

Being U.S. territory, Guam also meets the “freedom of action” requirement, the absence of which has at times hampered U.S. forces based in America’s main regional military allies, Japan and South Korea.

In another sign of its growing importance, Andersen on Monday became the first permanent U.S. base to deploy an RQ-4 Global Hawk, the advanced unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft slated in time to replace the venerable U-2 spy plane.

Andersen is scheduled to get three Global Hawks, which are capable of flying at high altitudes for long-distance missions lasting 30 hours or more, tracking moving targets and intercepting ground communications.
....
At Naval Base Guam on Tuesday, a U.S. Navy “record of decision” was signed, marking what the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) executive director, retired Marine Maj. Gen. David Bice, called the “transition point” for the major project.

When then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Guam during a 2003 visit to Northeast Asia to first discuss force repositioning options Gov. Felix Camacho and Guam’s congressional delegate, Madeleine Bordallo, urged him to consider deploying more U.S. personnel there. They also wanted the Pentagon to choose Guam over Hawaii as the homeport for the first nuclear-powered carrier to be permanently stationed outside the continental U.S.

Although they did not get their wish on the carrier homeport – Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan was chosen instead to house the USS George Washington – Guam will see a significant influx of military personnel and dependents in the coming years.

The report signed Tuesday estimates that the population increase on Guam will total around 34,000, although it will reach double that for a limited period while construction work is underway.

The influx will have a big impact on the island, which is about three times the size of Washington, D.C., and has a population of around 178,000 people, about 40 percent of them indigenous Chamorros.

....
Two sensitive aspects of the plans relate to the location of a live-fire training range near an ancient Chamorro village, raising heritage preservation concerns; and the impact of the carrier berth on coral reefs. The document signed Tuesday deferred final decisions on those two issues, allowing more time for consultation and marine surveys of possible alternative berth sites.

The U.S. Marines’ move to Guam by 2014 is part of a broader bilateral agreement with Japan, aimed at reducing the U.S. military footprint on Okinawa while retaining U.S. commitments to provide for the defense and security of Japan. As such, Japan agreed in 2006 to carry just under 60 percent of the costs of the relocation.
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[famoksaiyanfriends] Global Hawk Arrives on Guam 무인 비행기 글로벌 호크 괌 도착

* Image source: KUAM News



* Video source: Pacific News Center
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* Texts sent from Martha Duenas on Sept. 21, 2010

Pacific News Center
Global Hawk Arrives on Guam
David Macaluso
Monday, 20 September 2010

Guam-Andersen Air Force Base officially unveiled the first Global Hawk to be deployed at Andersen Monday. It is an unmanned intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.

The Air Force says that 2 more Global Hawks will eventually be deployed to Andersen. Another arrives later this year and the third early next year.

The Global Hawk has a wing span of 116 feet and a range of 9500 nautical miles. It can fly at an altitude of 60,000 feet and remain in flight for 30 hours. The Air Force says that expands mission capabilities because it frees them from the need to change out flight crews. Flight controllers on the ground can be easily switched out while the Global Hawk is still in the air.

Global Hawks transmit real-time reconnaissance information back to controllers.

The Air Force 9th Operations Group Detachment 3 at Andersen will launch and recover the aircraft while the bulk of missions will be controlled by pilots at Beale Air Force Base in California.

Pacific Air Force Commander General Gary North says "The intelligence and information gathered can be instantly be downloaded to the distribution ground station to be processed, exported and disbursed intelligence officials who are responsible for making important real time decisions."

Although the media might refer to the Global Hawk as a "drone" North disagrees with that term. He says there is always a "pilot" in control on the ground, while the aircraft is in the air. North says there has been an evolution from the historical drones used years ago, which are now being replaced by the kind of technology embodied in the Global Hawk.

When asked if the Global Hawk was brought to Guam to monitor China and North Korea, General North said "there's no one key country we are watching."

"If you look at the map of the Pacific," said North, "Guam is in the perfect location for this platform. You can fly in any direction, north, south, east or west and the Global Hawk can give us the capacity to execute humanitarian or military missions in this region."


KUAM News
Unmanned Aircraft Lands at Andersen AFB
by Nick Delgado
Sep 19, 2010 10:48 PM PDT

KUAM News
USS Essex Joins Operation Valiant Shield
by Nick Delgado
Sep 19, 2010 11:29 PM PDT

Text Fwd: DRONING ON

Bruce Gagnon blog on Sept. 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
DRONING ON

Our local newspaper reported yesterday that the Navy has flown an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) into our community for a week-long visit. This is nothing more than a public relations effort to promote the idea that the Brunswick (Maine) Naval Air Station, set for closure in 2011, could be turned into an "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Test Center."

The Times Record article extensively quoted me and another local peace activist and ended with a revealing statement from Maine's commissioner of economic and community development, a guy by the name of John Richardson, who is planning to run for governor in our next statewide election. Just days ago one of our key peace movement leaders in the state reported that she had talked with Mr. Richardson and he said there was no plan to use the closing base as a UAV test center. Politicians do deceive.

In the news article Richardson says, "There are many adaptive uses of UAV's that could be very helpful to the nation and then to the world. I wouldn't cast out of hand UAV research or testing, because of the potential benefits to the nation in the areas of search and rescue, air and water quality, homeland security and even forest fire prevention."

How nice....how sweet. So that is what the US has been doing with our UAV's in Afghanistan and Pakistan....checking on water quality?

In the interview Richardson, a Democrat and former speaker of Maine's House of Representatives, noted that the Global Hawk drone that visited Brunswick is a surveillance craft, "which is different than the drones that drop bombs."

We know that the fledgling aerospace industry in Maine is drooling at the prospects of using the closing Naval Air Station as a drone test center. They have formed a committee to push this project and have developed a relationship with the University of Maine to begin offering an "aerospace industry" class at the institution this fall. In one video of the aerospace committee that I recently saw they were excited about the fact that the Pentagon is moving from expensive fighter aircraft to cheaper UAV's for war fighting. The aerospace committee was predicting that this was a "growth market" and that Maine needs to get in on the ground floor. Someone is going to make some big money they were saying as they rubbed their hands together.

In the article I was quoted talking about the UMASS-Amherst Economics Department study that points out that military spending is capital intensive while every other kind of job creation is labor intensive. Since the base closure is causing much distress about job loss in our community it was important to get that information into the news article. Fortunate for us the newspaper ran the story at the top of the mast on the front page.

It will now be crucial that the peace movement in Maine respond resoundingly to this trial balloon that was floated by the "visit" of this UAV to Brunswick. We are suggesting that Mainers call the town of Brunswick at 725-6659 to lodge your disagreement with the idea of turning the Naval Air Station into a UAV Flight Test Center. Since the state is at some level going to pay for redevelopment of the base this is a legitimate statewide issue.

Because the UAV market is expected to be so huge globally we are beginning to hear from activists in other places who are facing this same issue. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Wales is reporting that a UAV development operation is going to be set up in their country. And interestingly enough, it is being similarly sold as a "civilian" use.

Funny how the development and testing of these killer drones is always just for civil use........