Korea Times
Conspiracy theory on Lotte whodunit
By Jung Sung-ki
A spy break-in of an Indonesian special envoy’s hotel room in Seoul last week made headlines here and abroad and cast doubts on a number of angles.
On the operational side, the state spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), was rightly scorned. Its maneuvers to obtain information on Indonesia’s plans, including the potential purchase of T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer aircraft, jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin of the United States were amateurish.
As for the political side, suspicion erupted about a test of authority between the NIS and the Defense Security Command (DSC), the military’s top intelligence-gathering branch. The two agencies have competed hard to gain up-to-date information about arms sales, which President Lee Myung-bak has called a new growth engine.
Some political insiders and intelligence officials depicted the spy scandal as the results of a simmering power game in the NIS between those supporting NIS chief Won Se-hoon and a group allegedly under the command of President Lee’s elder brother, Lee Sang-deuk.
The media was the subject of debate for making public the details of the botched intelligence operation at the risk of a diplomatic feud.
In all events, the finger was pointed at the NIS in the end for “harming national interest” on T-50 export negotiations that may have been close to a final agreement.
Citing unidentified government sources, many local newspapers claimed the bungled espionage attempt would likely deal a fatal blow to Seoul’s first chance of selling the luxury trainer jet.
It seems they took it for granted that Jakarta was in favor of the $25 billion Korean aircraft over Russia’s subsonic Yak-130 in its advanced trainer aircraft contest to buy 16 planes.
At this point, I can’t help raising my own doubt: Did Indonesia came close to buying the T-50?
From a nationalistic point of view, I hope that they did. But from a journalistic perspective, I can say that’s not the case now.
I’m not against the T-50, but no decision has been made by Indonesia regarding the aircraft, and the prospects for its export remain bleak due mainly to the jet’s high price tag, according to high-ranking officials at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the NIS and the DSC.
After returning from Indonesia in December, former DAPA Commissioner Chang Soo-man, who stepped down last week over a bribery scandal, admitted that the T-50 sale to Indonesia had virtually failed because Jakarta was negative about the Golden Eagle’s high price tag and was being lobbied intensively by the Kremlin. Chang was a key member of President Lee Myung-bak’s delegation at the time.
“When President Lee and (Susilo Bambang) Yudhoyono held a summit, I sat just beside them and listened carefully to their conversation, hoping that the Indonesian leader would mention something about the T-50. But I couldn’t hear any mention of the ‘T’ word, and President Lee was also very disappointed,” Chang recalled in a meeting with reporters.
Following the trip Lee ordered efforts to speed up the privatization of the KAI, as his patience was wearing thin over exporting the T-50. The Korea Finance Corp. subsequently announced plans to sell its 30.1 percent stake in KAI by the year’s end.
On top of that, the head of state is said to have directed an audit of the KAI to look into alleged management failures in exporting the T-50.
A DAPA official in charge of weapons exports also voiced concerns on the outlook for T-50 sales.
“We’ve not engaged in specific negotiations with Indonesians over the T-50, and Indonesia hasn’t given any positive signal for the aircraft purchase,” said the official. “There were a few discussions about the T-50 when the Indonesian delegation visited Seoul last week. I don’t know why such groundless reports have been published, and I’m worried that such hasty action could provoke a backlash in negotiations.”
The T-50 is South Korea’s flagship weapons system and its export will serve as a springboard for the country to quadruple overseas arms sales to $4 billion by 2020 and become a top seven weapons exporter.
Against that backdrop, Cheong Wa Dae could be pressed to make the first sale of the T-50 and show off the CEO-turned-President’s business skills, following the back-to-back defeats in attempts to sell the Golden Eagle to the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
One more conspiracy theory occurs to me. Are Lee’s office and KAI smiling behind the scenes because they’ve shifted the blame for an anticipated failure in sales of the T-50 to Indonesia to the NIS? More conspiracy theories may be conjured up before this spy saga ends.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
Showing posts with label United Arab Emirates (UAE). Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Arab Emirates (UAE). Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Text Fwd: Korea to market small nuclear reactors
* As in the case of the export on the nuclear power plant to the UAE, South Korean military expansion in other countries may be expected.
Korea Times
Korea to market small nuclear reactors
Feb. 24, 2011
By Kim Tae-gyu
Korea has diversified its product portfolio to boost the sales of nuclear power facilities. Demand is rapidly rocketing thanks to the world’s concerted efforts to reduce its heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
Korea Nuclear Energy Promotion Agency (KONEPA) Chairman Rhee Jae-hwan said in a recent interview with The Korea Times that the nation is working on the development of small-sized commercial nuclear power generation systems.
“Local researchers have finished much work on small-sized SMART nuclear reactors and have applied for global approval, which will be reviewed next year,” said Rhee who took charge of the state-run KONEPA in late 2009.
“The SMART reactor is a new-concept product, which will cater to the requirements of a city with a population of between 100,000 and 200,000. Many have shown interest in the innovative products including Kazakhstan.”
Asia’s fourth-largest economy has basked in the international spotlight over the past couple of years after it signed an $18.6 billion agreement to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates by 2020.
They are mega-sized ones designed to generate a huge amount of electricity. In comparison, the SMART reactors are smaller-sized, tailor-made products with multiple functionalities.
Emerging countries tend to prefer small-sized facilities like the SMART reactor and demand is expected to be somewhere between 500 and 1,000 by 2050. This means that the overall market size will amount to $350 billion.
Many countries including Chile, Lithuania and Kazakhstan are seeking to embrace the mini-sized facilities and Korea is looking to preempt the lucrative market.
“With the help of its technical edge and experience, Korea will be able to carve out a substantial chunk of the markets for both the large- and small-sized nuclear reactors,” Rhee said.
Asked about the revision of the Atomic Energy Agreement between Korea and the United States, Rhee contended that the country has to be allowed to use nuclear fuel down the road.
“The capacity of Korea’s interim dumps for high-level radioactive waste will run out fast. It will hit full capacity in 2016 but we are struggling to build permanent waste sites,” he said.
“Knowing that it took almost two decades to set up the sites for low-level radioactive dumps, we will not be able to build ones for high-level waste by 2016. Hence, we have no other choice but to reuse the spent nuclear fuel. The worries on weaponization can also be blocked through safe pyroprocessing.”
Under a bilateral nuclear agreement signed in 1974, Seoul has not been able to reprocess any spent nuclear fuel. Since this is set to expire in early 2014, the Lee Myung-bak administration started talks on revising the deal.
One of the thorny issues is whether Korea will be allowed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. The U.S. is against the idea, citing the possibility of enriching it for nuclear weapons.
In response, Korea countered that pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel will calm such concerns because the new technology can reprocess spent nuclear fuel only for power generation.
(voc200@koreatimes.co.kr )
Korea Times
Korea to market small nuclear reactors
Feb. 24, 2011
By Kim Tae-gyu
Korea has diversified its product portfolio to boost the sales of nuclear power facilities. Demand is rapidly rocketing thanks to the world’s concerted efforts to reduce its heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
Korea Nuclear Energy Promotion Agency (KONEPA) Chairman Rhee Jae-hwan said in a recent interview with The Korea Times that the nation is working on the development of small-sized commercial nuclear power generation systems.
“Local researchers have finished much work on small-sized SMART nuclear reactors and have applied for global approval, which will be reviewed next year,” said Rhee who took charge of the state-run KONEPA in late 2009.
“The SMART reactor is a new-concept product, which will cater to the requirements of a city with a population of between 100,000 and 200,000. Many have shown interest in the innovative products including Kazakhstan.”
Asia’s fourth-largest economy has basked in the international spotlight over the past couple of years after it signed an $18.6 billion agreement to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates by 2020.
They are mega-sized ones designed to generate a huge amount of electricity. In comparison, the SMART reactors are smaller-sized, tailor-made products with multiple functionalities.
Emerging countries tend to prefer small-sized facilities like the SMART reactor and demand is expected to be somewhere between 500 and 1,000 by 2050. This means that the overall market size will amount to $350 billion.
Many countries including Chile, Lithuania and Kazakhstan are seeking to embrace the mini-sized facilities and Korea is looking to preempt the lucrative market.
“With the help of its technical edge and experience, Korea will be able to carve out a substantial chunk of the markets for both the large- and small-sized nuclear reactors,” Rhee said.
Asked about the revision of the Atomic Energy Agreement between Korea and the United States, Rhee contended that the country has to be allowed to use nuclear fuel down the road.
“The capacity of Korea’s interim dumps for high-level radioactive waste will run out fast. It will hit full capacity in 2016 but we are struggling to build permanent waste sites,” he said.
“Knowing that it took almost two decades to set up the sites for low-level radioactive dumps, we will not be able to build ones for high-level waste by 2016. Hence, we have no other choice but to reuse the spent nuclear fuel. The worries on weaponization can also be blocked through safe pyroprocessing.”
Under a bilateral nuclear agreement signed in 1974, Seoul has not been able to reprocess any spent nuclear fuel. Since this is set to expire in early 2014, the Lee Myung-bak administration started talks on revising the deal.
One of the thorny issues is whether Korea will be allowed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. The U.S. is against the idea, citing the possibility of enriching it for nuclear weapons.
In response, Korea countered that pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel will calm such concerns because the new technology can reprocess spent nuclear fuel only for power generation.
(voc200@koreatimes.co.kr )
Text Fwd: Mullen finds Middle East leaders anxious about upheaval in the region
Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates armed forces, talked about the uprisings sweeping the Middle East at a massive international arms expo in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Kevin Baron/Stars and Stripes________________________________________
Defense News
Stars and Stripes
Mullen finds Middle East leaders anxious about upheaval in the region
By Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 22, 2011
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Adm. Mike Mullen said Persian Gulf leaders have told him they are anxious about uprisings elsewhere in the Middle East and are hoping for peaceful resolution across the region.
“We all agree that this is a time of enormous change, and it needs to be resolved peacefully, without violence, without loss of life, and leaders have to step forward in that regard,” Mullen said, after meeting with Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces.
Keeping up with the region’s rapid developments, Mullen condemned the Libyan military’s violent response against its citizens.
“That kind of loss of life, that kind of military firing on its own people, killing its own people, is absolutely unacceptable,” said Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mullen and Zayed met for more than an hour in a corner of a crowded food court in an exhibition hall at the Middle East’s largest arms expo.
The glitzy five-day International Defense Exposition and Conference is hosting more than 1,000 companies, 110 from the U.S., showcasing everything from drones to armored vehicles and the latest rifles.
As Arabic television remains rapt with wall-to-wall coverage of collapsing regimes, Mullen’s tour of Persian Gulf states has quickly become an exercise in delicate diplomacy. The top U.S. military officer is meeting with autocratic rulers, royal families and military chiefs the Pentagon has supported for decades. The reason: To listen to their perspectives and offer reassurances to longtime friends, he said.
Mullen’s first stop was to see Saudi military leaders in Riyadh, where state television one day earlier had stopped airing Al-Jazeera, the Arabic-language cable news network widely credited with keeping the revolutionary movement alive through live, unflinching broadcasts from the streets of Cairo, Tripoli and Manama.
Mullen then visited Qatar, the home of Al-Jazeera, where he met with Maj. Gen. Hama al-Attiyah, the chief of staff; and his heir apparent, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, among others.
But a short flight later Mullen was walking the convention floor at IDEX, where U.S. weapons manufacturers will log billions of dollars in orders this week from friendly militaries across the region.
Mullen also appeared unaware that across the peninsula an Iranian naval frigate and a supply ship had passed through the Suez Canal on Tuesday – the first Iranian ships to do so in roughly 30 years.
“That’s something that the government of Egypt controls, the Suez Canal,” he said, flatly. “Actually, this is news to me.” baronk@stripes.osd.mil
_________________________________
See also
New York Times
Protests in Bahrain Become Test of Wills
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN and NADIM AUDI
Published: February 22, 2011
Reuters
INTERVIEW-Mideast unrest shows need for alternative fuels-Mabus
Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:39am GMT
U.S. Reviews Arms Sales Amid Turmoil(Wall Street Journal)
By Adam Entous
The Obama administration has launched a review of military assistance and prospective weapons sales to countries caught up in a wave of popular revolts, underlining growing uncertainty about how the turmoil sweeping the Middle East will alter fundamentals of U.S. policy in the region.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Text Fwd: S.Korea found to loan $10B for UAE power plant
* Image source: HankyorehA basic model of the nuclear power plant order from the United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Lee Jong-keun)
Hankyoreh
S.Korea found to loan $10B for UAE power plant
: The deal has been criticized for including a UAE troop dispatch and for its lower valuation at under half the announced $40 billion
Lee Soon-hyuk
Posted on : Feb.1,2011 14:15 KST
A news program has belatedly exposed the fact that the South Korean government agreed to provide a loan covering approximately half the construction costs for the exportation of a nuclear power plant to the United Arab Emirates. While the government explained that this was part of ordinary power plant export financing, controversy has been flaring up as this revelation couples with previous controversies over inflation of the order amount and the deployment of troops to the UAE as a condition for receiving the order.
A Jan. 30 episode of the MBC program “News Magazine 2580” revealed that in the process of signing a contract with the UAE for the power plant export in December 2009, the South Korean government agreed to provide a loan for approximately $10 billion (around 12 trillion Won) of the total order amount of $18.6 billion through Korea Eximbank. In addition, the program reported that the repayment period was set at 28 years, and that the transaction generates a loss due to the fact that South Korea, which has a lower credit rating than the UAE, has to borrow the money at high interest rates and lend it at low interest rates.
The program also reported that the construction has encountered setbacks, including a delay in the groundbreaking ceremony from its originally scheduled date in late 2010, as the government has encountered difficulties coming up with the promised $10 billion loan.
In response, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Korea Electric Power Corporation produced explanatory data Monday with the argument that export finance support for overseas orders of nuclear and other power plants is standard international practice.
“The conditions, including the size and interest rate of the loan, will be established through future discussions with the UAE, but the interest rate has to follow Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines, so there is no possibility of our side suffering a loss,” they explained.
“It is true that [the UAE] proposed financing, and the South Korean government responded by saying it would provide up to $10 billion,” said Bae Won-hak, head of KEPCO’s UAE power plant project team. “But the project financing according to the contract is not an important element determining the success or failure of the construction, and the payment is coming in appropriately now according to the degree of progress in the construction, so there is no problem whatsoever in the progress of the construction.”
Regarding the OECD guidelines, an official with the Korea Eximbank public relations office said, “This loan is subject to the terms of the Sector Understanding on Export Credits for Nuclear Power Plants of the OECD, of which South Korea is a member nation, and it specifies that the period of repayment for nuclear power plant export financing can be up to 18 years, while the interest rate is set at the U.S. treasury bond yield, with a margin included that takes into account factors such as the period and credit rating.”
“In terms of the specific loan period and amount, we will have to have discussions, but there will be no reverse margin,” the official added.
However, the Internet and Twitter were buzzing with criticisms of the government in the wake of the episode’s airing.
One person with the ID “Patriamea” wrote, “I was stupefied when I saw the report... there needs to be a parliamentary inquiry right away!”
Another person “HongAhn” wrote, “We need a recall!”
Opposition parties also applied pressure on the government, with Democratic Party floor leader Park Jie-won saying, “An enormous deceit has been brought to light.”
In a statement Monday, Energy Justice Actions said, “Since the time of the order, the United Arab Emirates nuclear power plant export has been the subject of various controversies about under-the-table agreements regarding the amount of the order and military cooperation, and the truth has come out, with the order amount turning out to be $18.6 billion rather than $40 billion, and the military cooperation taking the form of last year’s dispatch of special forces soldiers.”
“As the loan for the construction costs marks an extreme even amid these controversies, the National Assembly needs to open a parliamentary inquiry and thoroughly investigate all of the allegations,” the statement continued.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Text Fwd: Do not dispatch Korean army to U.A.E. based on steam-rolled bills 기관차 식 법안에 기반해 한국군을 파병하지 말라
Kyunghyang Sinmun
Do not dispatch Korean army to U.A.E. based on steam-rolled bills
Posted on : 2010-12-15
The clause 2, article 5, of the constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates that the national army has the sacred mission of guarding the safety of the country and the integrity of the national soil, etc. In a word, the national army is an armed group that takes the highest mission of guarding the lives, safety, and national soil.
Nowhere in the constitution does the highest law allow the government to send our national army overseas thoughtlessly. However, if the international community recognizes the necessity to maintain peace and if Koreans citizens forge a consensus, then it is possible to dispatch the Korean army to maintain peace in the name of peacekeeping forces with a social agreement reached.
Relevant customs are also established. On the contrary, one cannot discover any relevant grounds where we can dispatch Korean army in exchange for exporting nuclear power plant to the U.A.E..
However, this government enacted a law for army dispatch to the UAE under the pretext that the law was "approved" in the National Assembly, even while the laws were steamrolled. The lawmakers did not even examined whether the law violated the constitution and whether Korean society formed a consensus concerning this issue.
READ MORE
Do not dispatch Korean army to U.A.E. based on steam-rolled bills
Posted on : 2010-12-15
The clause 2, article 5, of the constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates that the national army has the sacred mission of guarding the safety of the country and the integrity of the national soil, etc. In a word, the national army is an armed group that takes the highest mission of guarding the lives, safety, and national soil.
Nowhere in the constitution does the highest law allow the government to send our national army overseas thoughtlessly. However, if the international community recognizes the necessity to maintain peace and if Koreans citizens forge a consensus, then it is possible to dispatch the Korean army to maintain peace in the name of peacekeeping forces with a social agreement reached.
Relevant customs are also established. On the contrary, one cannot discover any relevant grounds where we can dispatch Korean army in exchange for exporting nuclear power plant to the U.A.E..
However, this government enacted a law for army dispatch to the UAE under the pretext that the law was "approved" in the National Assembly, even while the laws were steamrolled. The lawmakers did not even examined whether the law violated the constitution and whether Korean society formed a consensus concerning this issue.
READ MORE
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Text Fwd: GNP railroads bills for budget, troop deployment and corporatizing universities 국회, 군대 배치와 대학 기업화 법안 통과시킴
* Image & caption: same as the linkGrand National Party (GNP) Lawmaker Jeong Eui-hwa, vice speaker of the National Assembly, stands surrounded by GNP lawmakers and Assembly guards just before banging a gavel to declare the passage of the 2011 budget. (Photo by Tak Ki-hyoung)
Hankyoreh
GNP railroads bills for budget, troop deployment and corporatizing universities : Observers say the GNP acted according to the wishes of President Lee
By Song Ho-jin
Dec. 9, 2010
The ruling Grand National Party convened a plenary session of the National Assembly to railroad through the 309.1 trillion Won ($271 billion) budget for 2010 on Wednesday, with opposition party members forcibly removed from their position around the speaker’s seat by the ruling party. Following an intense brawl with opposition party officials and aides blocking the entry to the parliamentary hall that afternoon, the Grand National Party (GNP) broke through and railroaded the budget.
The party also railroaded other controversial legislation after requesting that Speaker Park Hee-tae exercise his authority to present it before the assembly. This included a motion to deploy soldiers to the United Arab Emirates, an agreement connected to South Korea securing a nuclear power plant contract; a special law on the use of hydrophilic zones, which has been criticized as offering preferential treatment to the Korea Water Resources Corporation as a reward for taking on construction for the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project; and a law on the establishment and operation of Seoul National University, the “SNU corporatization law” that critics worry will compromise the public nature of a national university.
READ MORE
________________________________________________
See also
Kyunghyang
The Lee Myung-bak Government Does Not Fear The People
Posted on : 2010-12-09
Monday, December 6, 2010
Text Fwd: United Arab Emirates: U.S. Extends Global Missile Shield To Gulf [유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠] 미국, 세계 미사일 방패를 중동에 확산
Stop NATO
Khaleej Times
December 5, 2010
Abu Dhabi hosts Mideast missile, air defence symposium (WAM)
Under the Patronage of the Armed Forces General Headquarters represented by the and with special support of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense, The Institute of Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) launched today at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club in Abu Dhabi the second edition Middle East Missile and Air Defense Symposium (MEMAD).
The two-day event was attended at the opening by a crowd of political and military leaders and diplomats from the Gulf region and abroad.
The first day included an opening session and three plenary sessions.
....
The first keynote speech was delivered by Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces Major General Ali Mohammed Subaih Al Ka’abi. He welcomed the attending delegates to the UAE, and discussed theater ballistic missile potential to reach over land and water. He added that the key problem is that the WMD capability is increasing. He also said that an integrated missile defence Center of Excellence along with CENTCOM is now a reality.
General Mattis of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) delivered the second keynote speech. He said that CENTCOM is eager to engage in countering ballistic and cruise missiles and providing a robust missile defence....Non-traditional security partners are now critical. There is desire for a common regional reaction and critical collaboration that needs to be multi-lateral.
....
The first plenary session was chaired by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Stanley Green, the Vice President of International Business Development, Air and Missile Defense at Lockheed Martin. Major General Richard Shook, the Mobilization Assistant to Commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, made a presentation on ‘Regional Integrated Air and Missile Defense – The Operational Picture’, where he presented the challenges of coordinating regional partners....
The last panelist in this session was Brigadier General (P) David Mann the Commander of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command from the US. His presentation was entitled ‘A Regional Approach to Missile Defense - The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Center (IAMDC)’. He discussed that the IAMDC is now operational in Abu Dhabi. This state of the art facility will be finished in the 2013-1014 time frame and shows the path forward in terms of interoperability.
READ MORE
_____________________________________
See also
Stop NATO
UAE: Britain Leads Air Combat, Naval Exercises
The National
December 5, 2010
Kareem Shaheen
Khaleej Times
December 5, 2010
Abu Dhabi hosts Mideast missile, air defence symposium (WAM)
Under the Patronage of the Armed Forces General Headquarters represented by the and with special support of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense, The Institute of Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) launched today at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club in Abu Dhabi the second edition Middle East Missile and Air Defense Symposium (MEMAD).
The two-day event was attended at the opening by a crowd of political and military leaders and diplomats from the Gulf region and abroad.
The first day included an opening session and three plenary sessions.
....
The first keynote speech was delivered by Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces Major General Ali Mohammed Subaih Al Ka’abi. He welcomed the attending delegates to the UAE, and discussed theater ballistic missile potential to reach over land and water. He added that the key problem is that the WMD capability is increasing. He also said that an integrated missile defence Center of Excellence along with CENTCOM is now a reality.
General Mattis of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) delivered the second keynote speech. He said that CENTCOM is eager to engage in countering ballistic and cruise missiles and providing a robust missile defence....Non-traditional security partners are now critical. There is desire for a common regional reaction and critical collaboration that needs to be multi-lateral.
....
The first plenary session was chaired by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Stanley Green, the Vice President of International Business Development, Air and Missile Defense at Lockheed Martin. Major General Richard Shook, the Mobilization Assistant to Commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, made a presentation on ‘Regional Integrated Air and Missile Defense – The Operational Picture’, where he presented the challenges of coordinating regional partners....
The last panelist in this session was Brigadier General (P) David Mann the Commander of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command from the US. His presentation was entitled ‘A Regional Approach to Missile Defense - The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Center (IAMDC)’. He discussed that the IAMDC is now operational in Abu Dhabi. This state of the art facility will be finished in the 2013-1014 time frame and shows the path forward in terms of interoperability.
READ MORE
_____________________________________
See also
Stop NATO
UAE: Britain Leads Air Combat, Naval Exercises
The National
December 5, 2010
Kareem Shaheen
Friday, November 12, 2010
Text Fwd: SIPRI: Comabt Planes Top World Arms Sales, U.S. Top Provider 전투기들, 세계 무기 판매 1위, 미국 1위 판매자
Stop NATO
Defense News letter
Combat Aircraft Top International Sales: SIPRI
By IGOR GEDILAGHINE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 10 Nov 2010
STOCKHOLM - Combat planes account for one-third of all global arms transfers, with the United States topping the list of sellers and India, the United Arab Emirates and Israel the biggest buyers, according to the SIPRI think tank.
In a report published Nov. 10, just a week before China opens its massive airshow in Zhuhai, the independent Swedish institute cautioned that increased sales of combat aircraft could have a destabilizing effect in many parts of the world.
Between 2005 and 2009, according to the report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the U.S. had sold 341 fighter jets, up from 286 planes sold during the previous five-year period, while Russia sold 219 planes, down from 331, and France sold 75, up from 58.
Only 11 of the world's countries figure on the list of combat aircraft producers: the United States, Russia, China, France, Sweden, India and Japan on their own, and Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain as part of the Eurofighter consortium.
However, the list of buyers is far longer.
During the five-year period, more than 50 countries, including Algeria (32), Bangladesh (16), Israel (82), Jordan (36), Pakistan (23), Syria (33), Venezuela (24), Chile (28), Poland (48), China (45) and Yemen (37), purchased a total of 995 new and second-hand fighter planes.
READ MORE
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site
Defense News letter
Combat Aircraft Top International Sales: SIPRI
By IGOR GEDILAGHINE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 10 Nov 2010
STOCKHOLM - Combat planes account for one-third of all global arms transfers, with the United States topping the list of sellers and India, the United Arab Emirates and Israel the biggest buyers, according to the SIPRI think tank.
In a report published Nov. 10, just a week before China opens its massive airshow in Zhuhai, the independent Swedish institute cautioned that increased sales of combat aircraft could have a destabilizing effect in many parts of the world.
Between 2005 and 2009, according to the report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the U.S. had sold 341 fighter jets, up from 286 planes sold during the previous five-year period, while Russia sold 219 planes, down from 331, and France sold 75, up from 58.
Only 11 of the world's countries figure on the list of combat aircraft producers: the United States, Russia, China, France, Sweden, India and Japan on their own, and Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain as part of the Eurofighter consortium.
However, the list of buyers is far longer.
During the five-year period, more than 50 countries, including Algeria (32), Bangladesh (16), Israel (82), Jordan (36), Pakistan (23), Syria (33), Venezuela (24), Chile (28), Poland (48), China (45) and Yemen (37), purchased a total of 995 new and second-hand fighter planes.
READ MORE
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site
Monday, November 8, 2010
Text Fwd: [Translation] Koreans' response on the Lee Myung Bak government's plan to dispatch troops to the UAE [번역] 정부의 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠 파병 계획에 대한 한국 반응
* Image source: Pan Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR), South Korean branch, Aug. 31, 2010'No sanction on Iran!' by 48 organizations, Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 31, 2010
* Related blogs/ articles 관련 블로그/ 기사
Stop NATO
South Korean Special Forces In Persian Gulf Raise Questions
남한 특전부대 페르시아만 군대 파견, 의문을 일으킴
Friday, November 5, 2010
Text Fwd: [Hankyoreh Editorial] Opportunistic troop deployment
[한겨레 논평] 기회적인 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠 군대 파병안
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획
Sunday, September 12, 2010
[In update] Some collections on the Koreans’ protests against the sanction & war on Iran
이란에 대한 경제 제재와 전쟁에 반대하는 한국인들의 시위
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* The below is some summary translations from the various South Korean organizations' statements and commentaries upon the subject. Please be generous to any of my possible mistakes with which I might have missed some important points by the Korean activists.
In reference, ROK means Republic of Korea (South Korea), while UAE, United Arab Emirates.
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Referred:
1. Nov. 4 statement by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
2. Nov. 4 statement by the Anti-War Peace Solidarity* (composed of about 45 organizations)
3. Nov. 4 statement by the People's Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP) and Nov. 6 commentary by Cheong Wooksik, Peace Network
사회 진보 연대 논평 원문(국문 클릭), 정욱식, 평화넷트워크 글 클릭
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1. One of them is by the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), which I made translation of only some parts and put in the blog on Nov. 5, 2010, as the below:People's Solidarity Participatory Democracy (PSPD),
[PSPD commentary] The baseless plan to dispatch troops to the UAE should be withdrawn!
Nov. 4, 2010
-[ROK government’s plan to] deploy troops to a non-conflict area without reason or basis [hides its] intention of military power extension.
-[The government and Grand National Party] should withdraw their troop-dispatch plan and clarify whether there was a secret agreement on the export of the nuclear power plant and dispatch of troops.
: We cannot but be shocked by the [ROK] government that has unilaterally and secretly driven the [plan to] dispatch combat troops to the United Arab Emirates and at its attitude with which it attempts to impurely extend [ROK] military power, under its blind cause of national interest.
: We greatly concern about the [prospect] that the troop dispatch to the United Arab Emirates could be a launching sign to open the way to dispatch troops to non-conflict areas.
: Further, [the plan] itself to dispatch troops to the geopolitically very sensitive middle east region and to strengthen military power with it is dangerous. One should not overlook the political, diplomatic waves that would be caused by the dispatch of combat troops to the United Arab Emirates.
: If one looks at the documents by the Ministry of National Defense, it is confirmed that [the ministry] has vigorously discussed with the UAE about the cooperation on military power since its process of the contract on nuclear power plant [with the latter] last year and it has even dispatched the [practical affairs committee] on troop dispatch [to the UAE] last month. The [ROK] government has, all these days, constantly denied the claim that there was its promise on the military support [to the UAE] at the price of receiving contact on nuclear power plant. However the [revealed] plan to dispatch troops this time shows that such suspicion could be a truth with high possibility.
: The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) demands that [the ROK] government should immediately withdraw such plan of no cause nor basis to dispatch troops to the UAE. The National Assemble should resolutely reject the government’s request to pass the bill on it. What the government and National Assembly should do is to make clear the detailed contents of the contract around the export of nuclear power plant to the UAE, which it is hiding now, and [the suspicion] of whether it promised the troop dispatch for the price of the receiving the contract on nuclear power plant [from the UAE].
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2. The 2nd is by the Anti-War Peace Solidarity that is composed of about 45 organizations on Nov. 4, 2010. The whole translation of its statement is as the below. For the original Korean statement, click HERE or HERE.
Immediately stop the drive for the dispatch of the special forces to the UAE!
The Ministry of National Defense issued [on Nov. 3] that it would dispatch the 130 personnel of the special troop units to the UAE. The [ROK] government is saying that after it would go through the review & resolution on it in the cabinet meeting on [Nov.] 9 and pass the bill on it in the National Assembly, it would dispatch troops within this year, even before the purpose and justice of the dispatch [plan] this time is debated.
Ever since the [ROK] exported the nuclear power plant to the UAE, various suspicions such as those from the contract size to military cooperation [between the two nations] have been raised. Nevertheless, the [ROK] government hasn’t ever openly made public of any information on that. Currently, the Middle East is being afflicted by the domination policy of the United States. Especially since the United States is applying double standards [to Iran] on her construction of nuclear power plant, to contain her, the U. S. -friendly nations in the Middle East are competitively constructing nuclear power plants that are possible even for the development of nuclear weapons. In addition to it, the Lee Myung-Bak government is driving for an aggressive sale plans toward the Middle East region, announcing that [the ROK] should leap to the 7th nation among the arms export countries.
While the Lee Myung-Bak government that has enforced the re-deployment to the invasive war like that of Afghanistan and has sent the military to the Gulf of Aden, Somalia, where ‘the 2nd war against terror’ is occurring, it attempts to sale nuclear power plant [to the UAE] even with troop-dispatch now!
The Ministry of National Defense saying that, “Different from the dispatch [as the participating nation of] the UN PKO or of the multi-national, the dispatch [to the UAE] comes from a new concept that would contribute to strengthen military cooperation and create national interest in the non-conflict regions of non combat-danger but of safety,” is covering its dispatch [plan] to the UAE this time. However, different from the Ministry’s saying, there still remains the possibility that [the ROK] would be caught in conflicts any time. Especially if the dispatch-planned troops are in charge of the responsibility for the works related to the security of nuclear power plant, they could be caught in arms collisions. The Ministry of National Defense and Lee Myung-Bak government who are again betraying their people, by saying that the dispatch to the UAE is safe, should immediately stop the drive for the dispatch of their special forces to the UAE!
Nov. 4, 2010
Anti-War Peace Solidarity*:
Imagination for International Solidarity; International Center for Labor Solidarity; Christian Social Mission Solidarity Council; Solidarity for the Practice of the SK-NK Joint Statement*; The Association for Migrant Workers’ Human Rights; Farmers’ Pharmacy*; All Together; Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea; Rangzen; Supporting Committee for Prisoners of Conscience; Democratic Labor Party; Central Council for the Nation’s Self-Reliance, Peace, and Reunification*; Korean Democratic Workers’ Council*; Association of the Family Movements for Democracy Practice*; Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities; Korea Council for Democratic Martyr; Korean Federation of Medical Groups for Health Rights; Buddhism Peace Solidarity*; Pan Korean Association for Reconciliation(Inc.); Revolution 4.19 Committee*; Pan Korean Bereaved Families’ Association for Democracy Movement (Inc.)*; Socialist Party of Korea; People’s Solidarity for Social Progress; Council for the Drive on Our Nation’s Unification through Federation System*; Living with Jesus; June 15 Youth and Student’s Solidarity*; 21st Century Pan Korean University Students’ Association*; Hunger Strike Comrades’ Council for the Withdrawal of Troops, 2005*; Korean Peasants League; Pan Korean Bereaved Families’ Association for Nation and Democracy*; Pan Korean Public Service Workers’ Union*; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Pan Korean Poor People’s Association for Liberation*; Pan Korean Women’s Solidarity; Pan Korean Students’ March*; Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification of Korea, South Korea branch; New Progressive Party; Unification Square; Intifada Korea (Peace Solidarity with Palestine*); Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea; Friends for Peace*; Veterans for Peace, Corea; Pan Korean University Students’ Association*; Workers Institute of Social Science; Korean Alliance of Progressive Movements; Corea Catholic Farmers' Movement)
(* Marked are temporary translations)
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3. The third is the translations of some excerpts from the statement by the organization called People's Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP) on Nov. 4 and from the commentary by Cheong Wooksik, representative of Peace Network on Nov. 6.
Like the above translated statements, the People’s Solidarity for Social Progress (PSSP), through its four-points statement titled, ‘Immediately stop the attempt on a dispatch to the UAE, without any basis!’ on Nov. 4, 2010, also raises the issue of ambiguous dispatch to the UAE, citing the remarks of the Ministry of National Defense who said that, “The UAE, not our special forces who would not take part in, is in charge of patrol for the nuclear power plant whose construction will be started from January next year,” and that “ The stationing site of the dispatched special forces is remote more than 300Km from the nuclear power plant construction site.”
The PSSP also concerns about that the dispatch to the UAE would heighten military tension in the Middle East. In the third point of its statement, it says as below:
‘The Arab Emirate is in face to face with Iran. The Arab Emirate and Iran have been in the territory conflicts on the three Islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb. Especially as the United States has strengthened sanction against Iran and the UAE has ordered to all the financial groups in the UAE to freeze 41 accounts related to the personnel/ institutes of Iran and to stop financial transaction with her last June, the conflicts between [the UAE and Iran] are being amplified. In a situation when the relationship between Iran and South Korea is being aggravated as the ROK government has taken part in [the United States’] sanction against Iran, the [ROK plan] to dispatch special forces to the UAE that has historically and politically been in conflict [with Iran] and to help her military power build-up is far from the ‘dispatch to a safe non-conflict area’ that is an explanation by the Ministry of National Defense and is predicted of [the ROK’s] deep involvement in the complicated political situation of the Middle East. It is like a kindling beside a powder magazine.’
Cheong Wooksik, representative of Peace Network also raises same concern. In his Nov. 6 commentary he says:
'Early in last July, the UAE ambassador to the United States, saying, “We cannot live with the nuclear armed Iran,’ stated that the mid and long term interests following the attack on Iran would be bigger than short term loss, bringing about a big ripple around his remarks. Upon [his remarks], the Iranian government threatened the UAE that she would make economical & militaristic retaliation against the UAE. The UAE is showing the most active steps for the sanction against Iran among all the nations in the Middle East.’
'The South Korea, adding her own additional sanction [on Iran] by the demand of the United States, separately from the UN Security Council’s sanction on Iran, has already arisen repulsion from her. In such situation, the dispatch of South Korean troops to the UAE who is in hostile relationship with Iran will more aggravate Iran’s cognition on South Korea. It is because [Iran] will have discontent of “ how we (Iranians) can understand the facts that South Korea would even dispatch troops to [the UAE] following her export of nuclear power plant [to the UAE] while she puts strong sanction on us on our peaceful use of nuclear power.” It is nothing but like South Korea’s sending to Iran a message that says, ‘South Korea will stand on behalf of the UAE, if needed, ”
With an warning that “If the Lee Myung Bak government carries out even the plan of dispatch as the price for the export of nuclear power plant to the UAE, which it makes as its most accomplishment, after it has already mobilized the nation’s troops in four river project [* which destroys all the ecology system in Korea], the [President, Lee Myung-Bak], supreme commander of the [ROK] military, would amplify the suspicion that he is abusing the nation’s military for his regime’s interest,” Cheong also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the defense ministry’s dispatch plan to the UAE.
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* Otherwise about South Korean’s statement and commentary against the Lee government’ joining MD, please see the below. Thanks, Bruce Gagnon for distribution on them and thanks, M. S. for translating those in Japanese.
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Friday, November 5, 2010
Text Fwd: [PSPD] The baseless plan of the dispatch troops to the UAE should be withdrawn [참여 연대 논평] 근거없는 UAE 파병 계획 철회해야
Sorry, only Korean available now. Summary translation comes later.
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* Related blog 관련 블로그
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획
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* The below are translation from some excerpted parts of the PSPD commentary.
People's Solidarity Participatory Democracy(PSPD),
[PSPD commentary] The baseless plan to dispatch troops to the UAE should be withdrawn!
Nov. 4, 2010
-[ROK government’s plan to] deploy troops to a non-conflict area without reason or basis [hides its] intention of military power extension.
-[The government and Grand National Party] should withdraw their troop-dispatch plan and clarify whether there was a secret agreement on the export of the nuclear power plant and dispatch of troops.
: We cannot but be shocked by the [ROK] government that has unilaterally and secretly driven the [plan to] dispatch combat troops to the United Arab Emirates and at its attitude with which it attempts to impurely extend [ROK] military power, under its blind cause of national interest.
: We greatly concern about the [prospect] that the troop dispatch to the United Arab Emirates could be a launching sign to open the way to dispatch troops to non-conflict areas.
: Further, [the plan] itself to dispatch troops to the geopolitically very sensitive middle east region and to strengthen military power with it is dangerous. One should not overlook the political, diplomatic waves that would be caused by the dispatch of combat troops to the United Arab Emirates.
: If one looks at the documents by the Ministry of National Defense, it is confirmed that [the ministry] has vigorously discussed with the UAE about the cooperation on military power since its process of the contract on nuclear power plant [with the latter] last year and it has even dispatched the [practical affairs committee] on troop dispatch [to the UAE] last month. The [ROK] government has, all these days, constantly denied the claim that there was its promise on the military support [to the UAE] at the price of receiving contact on nuclear power plant. However the [revealed] plan to dispatch troops this time shows that such suspicion could be a truth with high possibility.
: The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) demands that [the ROK] government should immediately withdraw such plan of no cause nor basis to dispatch troops to the UAE. The National Assemble should resolutely reject the government’s request to pass the bill on it. What the government and National Assembly should do is to make clear the detailed contents of the contract around the export of nuclear power plant to the UAE, which it is hiding now, and [the suspicion] of whether it promised the troop dispatch for the price of the receiving the contract on nuclear power plant [from the UAE].
[참여 연대 논평] 근거없는 파병 계획 철회돼야
2010년 11월 4일
- 이유도 근거도 없는 비분쟁지역 파병은 군사력 팽창 의도
- 파병계획 철회하고 원전수출과 파병 밀약 있었는지 해명해야
어제(11/3) 정부와 한나라당은 당정회의를 통해 아랍에미리트(UAE)에 특전부대 130명을 연내 파병할 계획이라고 밝혔다. 국방부는 내주 국무회의에서 심의, 의결하고 연내 국회 동의를 받겠다고 한다. 참여연대는 이유도 근거도 없는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병 계획을 단호히 반대한다. 우리는 정부가 일방적이고 비밀스럽게 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병을 추진해 온 것이나, 맹목적으로 ‘국익’을 앞세워 불순하게 군사력 팽창을 시도하는 태도에 대해 경악하지 않을 수 없다.
국방부는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병에 대해 “비분쟁지역에 군사협력과 국익 창출을 목적으로 파견하는 새로운 파병 개념의 첫 사례”라고 주장하고 있다. 우리는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병이 비분쟁지역 파병의 물꼬를 여는 신호탄이 될 수 있다는 점을 크게 우려한다. 군 당국이 지속적으로 군의 해외진출을 시도해 온 것은 주지의 사실이다. 그러나 국민의 안전과 국토방위, 국제평화 유지를 목적으로 존재하는 국군을 모호하기 짝이 없는 ‘국익’을 내세워 해외에 파병하겠다는 것은 본연의 임무와 거리가 먼 것이다. 그 동안 대북군사태세를 이유로 병력 감축이나 복무기간 단축에는 반대해왔던 군 당국이 이처럼 해외진출을 지속적으로 꾀하는 것은 군사력 팽창을 의도하고 있다는 의구심을 사기에 충분하다. 더욱이 지정학적으로 매우 민감한 중동지역에 전투병을 파병하고 군사협력을 강화하는 것은 그 자체로 위험한 일이다. 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병이 가져올 정치, 외교, 군사적 파장을 간과해서는 안 된다.
공론화 과정 없이 정부가 비밀리에 아랍에미리트 파병을 추진해온 것도 심각한 문제이다. 국방부 자료를 보면, 지난해 원전 수주 추진 과정에서부터 이미 아랍에미리트와 군사협력을 활발하게 논의해 왔으며 지난달에는 파병을 준비하기 위해 실사단까지 파견한 것으로 확인되고 있다. 정부는 그동안 아랍에미리트 원전수주 대가로 한국의 군사지원 약속이 있었다는 주장에 대해 줄곧 부인해왔다. 그러나 이번 파병계획은 이러한 의혹이 사실일 가능성이 높다는 것을 보여준다. 아랍에미리트 원전 수출과 군사협력에 관한 사항을 제대로 공개하지도 않은 채 전투병 파병을 서두르는 정부의 태도는 원전 수주와 파병계획에 대한 국민들의 불신을 가중시킬 뿐이다. 또한 안보를 명분으로 한 밀실행정, 관료적 편의주의라고 비난받기에도 충분해 보인다.
아랍에미리트 전투병 파병은 정당성도 없고 근거도 없다. 오히려 이는 비분쟁지역에 대한 한국군 파병을 본격화 시키는 나쁜 선례가 될 수 있다. 정치, 외교적으로 복잡한 중동지역에 전투병을 파견하여 군사력을 과시하는 것이, 그리고 이로 인해 무고한 국민들이 테러의 표적이 될 가능성을 높이는 것이 과연 어떤 측면에서 ‘국익’에 부합하는지 답해야 할 것이다. 참여연대는 명분도 근거도 없는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병계획을 즉시 철회할 것을 요구한다. 국회는 정부의 파병동의 요구를 단호히 거부해야 한다. 지금 정부와 국회가 해야 할 일은 정부가 숨기고 있는 아랍에미리트 원전 수출을 둘러싼 상세한 계약내용과 원전 수주 대가로 파병을 약속한 것인지를 해명하는 것이다.
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* Related blog 관련 블로그
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획
____________________________________________________
* The below are translation from some excerpted parts of the PSPD commentary.
People's Solidarity Participatory Democracy(PSPD),
[PSPD commentary] The baseless plan to dispatch troops to the UAE should be withdrawn!
Nov. 4, 2010
-[ROK government’s plan to] deploy troops to a non-conflict area without reason or basis [hides its] intention of military power extension.
-[The government and Grand National Party] should withdraw their troop-dispatch plan and clarify whether there was a secret agreement on the export of the nuclear power plant and dispatch of troops.
: We cannot but be shocked by the [ROK] government that has unilaterally and secretly driven the [plan to] dispatch combat troops to the United Arab Emirates and at its attitude with which it attempts to impurely extend [ROK] military power, under its blind cause of national interest.
: We greatly concern about the [prospect] that the troop dispatch to the United Arab Emirates could be a launching sign to open the way to dispatch troops to non-conflict areas.
: Further, [the plan] itself to dispatch troops to the geopolitically very sensitive middle east region and to strengthen military power with it is dangerous. One should not overlook the political, diplomatic waves that would be caused by the dispatch of combat troops to the United Arab Emirates.
: If one looks at the documents by the Ministry of National Defense, it is confirmed that [the ministry] has vigorously discussed with the UAE about the cooperation on military power since its process of the contract on nuclear power plant [with the latter] last year and it has even dispatched the [practical affairs committee] on troop dispatch [to the UAE] last month. The [ROK] government has, all these days, constantly denied the claim that there was its promise on the military support [to the UAE] at the price of receiving contact on nuclear power plant. However the [revealed] plan to dispatch troops this time shows that such suspicion could be a truth with high possibility.
: The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) demands that [the ROK] government should immediately withdraw such plan of no cause nor basis to dispatch troops to the UAE. The National Assemble should resolutely reject the government’s request to pass the bill on it. What the government and National Assembly should do is to make clear the detailed contents of the contract around the export of nuclear power plant to the UAE, which it is hiding now, and [the suspicion] of whether it promised the troop dispatch for the price of the receiving the contract on nuclear power plant [from the UAE].
[참여 연대 논평] 근거없는 파병 계획 철회돼야
2010년 11월 4일
- 이유도 근거도 없는 비분쟁지역 파병은 군사력 팽창 의도
- 파병계획 철회하고 원전수출과 파병 밀약 있었는지 해명해야
어제(11/3) 정부와 한나라당은 당정회의를 통해 아랍에미리트(UAE)에 특전부대 130명을 연내 파병할 계획이라고 밝혔다. 국방부는 내주 국무회의에서 심의, 의결하고 연내 국회 동의를 받겠다고 한다. 참여연대는 이유도 근거도 없는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병 계획을 단호히 반대한다. 우리는 정부가 일방적이고 비밀스럽게 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병을 추진해 온 것이나, 맹목적으로 ‘국익’을 앞세워 불순하게 군사력 팽창을 시도하는 태도에 대해 경악하지 않을 수 없다.
국방부는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병에 대해 “비분쟁지역에 군사협력과 국익 창출을 목적으로 파견하는 새로운 파병 개념의 첫 사례”라고 주장하고 있다. 우리는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병이 비분쟁지역 파병의 물꼬를 여는 신호탄이 될 수 있다는 점을 크게 우려한다. 군 당국이 지속적으로 군의 해외진출을 시도해 온 것은 주지의 사실이다. 그러나 국민의 안전과 국토방위, 국제평화 유지를 목적으로 존재하는 국군을 모호하기 짝이 없는 ‘국익’을 내세워 해외에 파병하겠다는 것은 본연의 임무와 거리가 먼 것이다. 그 동안 대북군사태세를 이유로 병력 감축이나 복무기간 단축에는 반대해왔던 군 당국이 이처럼 해외진출을 지속적으로 꾀하는 것은 군사력 팽창을 의도하고 있다는 의구심을 사기에 충분하다. 더욱이 지정학적으로 매우 민감한 중동지역에 전투병을 파병하고 군사협력을 강화하는 것은 그 자체로 위험한 일이다. 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병이 가져올 정치, 외교, 군사적 파장을 간과해서는 안 된다.
공론화 과정 없이 정부가 비밀리에 아랍에미리트 파병을 추진해온 것도 심각한 문제이다. 국방부 자료를 보면, 지난해 원전 수주 추진 과정에서부터 이미 아랍에미리트와 군사협력을 활발하게 논의해 왔으며 지난달에는 파병을 준비하기 위해 실사단까지 파견한 것으로 확인되고 있다. 정부는 그동안 아랍에미리트 원전수주 대가로 한국의 군사지원 약속이 있었다는 주장에 대해 줄곧 부인해왔다. 그러나 이번 파병계획은 이러한 의혹이 사실일 가능성이 높다는 것을 보여준다. 아랍에미리트 원전 수출과 군사협력에 관한 사항을 제대로 공개하지도 않은 채 전투병 파병을 서두르는 정부의 태도는 원전 수주와 파병계획에 대한 국민들의 불신을 가중시킬 뿐이다. 또한 안보를 명분으로 한 밀실행정, 관료적 편의주의라고 비난받기에도 충분해 보인다.
아랍에미리트 전투병 파병은 정당성도 없고 근거도 없다. 오히려 이는 비분쟁지역에 대한 한국군 파병을 본격화 시키는 나쁜 선례가 될 수 있다. 정치, 외교적으로 복잡한 중동지역에 전투병을 파견하여 군사력을 과시하는 것이, 그리고 이로 인해 무고한 국민들이 테러의 표적이 될 가능성을 높이는 것이 과연 어떤 측면에서 ‘국익’에 부합하는지 답해야 할 것이다. 참여연대는 명분도 근거도 없는 아랍에미리트 전투병 파병계획을 즉시 철회할 것을 요구한다. 국회는 정부의 파병동의 요구를 단호히 거부해야 한다. 지금 정부와 국회가 해야 할 일은 정부가 숨기고 있는 아랍에미리트 원전 수출을 둘러싼 상세한 계약내용과 원전 수주 대가로 파병을 약속한 것인지를 해명하는 것이다.
Text Fwd: [Hankyoreh Editorial] Opportunistic troop deployment [한겨레 논평] 기회적인 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠 군대 파병안
Hankyoreh
[Editorial] Opportunistic troop deployment
Posted on : Nov.4,2010 15:21 KST
Excerpt
However, this latest deployment is problematic first and foremost because it lacks a strong rationale that can be explained directly to the international community. According to the Lee government’s explanation, the military cooperation card likely contributed to South Korea’s earning the construction bid. But however beneficial it may be in terms of moneymaking, traveling from country to country without any concern for justification is something that a mercenary squad would do. In short, this deployment bears no connection with the mission of the Republic of Korea’s armed forces, nor has there been any social consensus formed that it is acceptable to hand such duties to the nation’s armed forces.
This deployment is also likely to have major side effects in light of the thorny political situation in the Middle East. One immediate result will be alarm from Iran, which is located just across the Persian Gulf from the UAE and has maintained a tense relationship with the country. If South Korean forces are positioned there, Iran’s military forces will be designated as a hypothetical enemy. Diplomatic relations between South Korea and Iran, already severely strained due to our participation in the U.S.-led sanctions against the country, are very likely to become even more uncomfortable. Nor is the attack on a South Korean oil pipeline in Yemen a few days ago a matter to be passed over lightly.
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Related blogs 관련 블로그
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획
Friday, November 5, 2010
Text Fwd: [Boris Volkhonsky] Yemen_ New Venue For U.S. Geopolitical Great Game
[보리스 볼콘스키] 예멘_ 미국의 큰 지리정치학적 게임의 새로운 장소
[Editorial] Opportunistic troop deployment
Posted on : Nov.4,2010 15:21 KST
Excerpt
However, this latest deployment is problematic first and foremost because it lacks a strong rationale that can be explained directly to the international community. According to the Lee government’s explanation, the military cooperation card likely contributed to South Korea’s earning the construction bid. But however beneficial it may be in terms of moneymaking, traveling from country to country without any concern for justification is something that a mercenary squad would do. In short, this deployment bears no connection with the mission of the Republic of Korea’s armed forces, nor has there been any social consensus formed that it is acceptable to hand such duties to the nation’s armed forces.
This deployment is also likely to have major side effects in light of the thorny political situation in the Middle East. One immediate result will be alarm from Iran, which is located just across the Persian Gulf from the UAE and has maintained a tense relationship with the country. If South Korean forces are positioned there, Iran’s military forces will be designated as a hypothetical enemy. Diplomatic relations between South Korea and Iran, already severely strained due to our participation in the U.S.-led sanctions against the country, are very likely to become even more uncomfortable. Nor is the attack on a South Korean oil pipeline in Yemen a few days ago a matter to be passed over lightly.
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Related blogs 관련 블로그
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획
Friday, November 5, 2010
Text Fwd: [Boris Volkhonsky] Yemen_ New Venue For U.S. Geopolitical Great Game
[보리스 볼콘스키] 예멘_ 미국의 큰 지리정치학적 게임의 새로운 장소
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Text Fwd: Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE 서울, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠에 군대 파견 계획
* Image source: Global Research. click HERE
* Image source: Japan Focus (click HERE)
Middle East states that have discussed bilateral nuclear cooperation agreements since 2008
* Image source: Japan Focus (click HERE)
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11-03-2010 17:00
Seoul to dispatch troops to UAE
By Jung Sung-ki
Korea plans to dispatch about 130 troops to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year as part of efforts to establish closer defense ties with the Middle Eastern nation, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.
The plan was discussed during a policy coordination meeting in Seoul, a ministry spokesman said. Defense Minister Kim Tae-young and ruling party lawmakers belonging to the National Assembly Defense Committee attended the session, he said.
The troop dispatch plan comes after Seoul won a landmark $20 billion contract last December to build four nuclear reactors in the UAE.
Before the contract was announced, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young flew to the Middle East country twice to support the contract and discuss bilateral defense issues.
Kim and his UAE counterpart reportedly signed a closed-door agreement on specific defense cooperation measures, including the dispatch of Korean troops.
UAE military leaders also asked for the troop dispatch when they visited Seoul earlier this year, the spokesman said.
The local contingent will help train UAE troops and protect Korean nationals there from any possible terror attack, he added.
“A motion for the troop deployment will be presented in the Assembly’s regular session,” he said. “Once approved, the deployment could be possible early next year.”
The UAE military is interested in Korea’s operational skills and training methods, such as the battlefield Military Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), harbor protection systems and pilot training.
The armed forces of the UAE, officially called the Union Defense Force, consist of 65,000 troops, and are headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It is a federal military force and is primarily responsible for the defense of all seven emirates.
Korea has 650,000 troops and is supported by 28,500 U.S. forces. The troops are being equipped with high-tech weapons under the Defense Reform 2020 modernization program.
An official at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said a closer military relationship with the UAE could help exports of Korean weapons systems.
Seoul is seeking to boost its defense exports to nations in the Middle East and Africa.
Last year, the UAE selected Italy’s M-346 trainer jet as the preferred model for its trainer acquisition program.
But both sides have failed to finalize the deal, so there is a possibility that the UAE will reopen talks with officials over the sale of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer.
Seoul is also trying to sell its K-9 self-propelled howitzer to the UAE.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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See all the blogs on United Arab Emirates
Monday, December 28, 2009
Text Fwd: Korea, UAE Seek Closer Defense Ties
Monday, December 28, 2009
Text Fwd: Landmark nuclear power plant deal sounds energy alarm within South Korea
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Some excerpts from previous blogs
Friday, April 30, 2010
Text Fw: Propaganda about PAC-3 from Pro-MD organization
Excerpt
Last week MDAA had the honor to visit and interact with our nation's men and women in uniform at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; home of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA) School. This school teaches all current and soon to be deployed air defense soldiers who are stationed with the 13 Patriot battalions deployed in support of U.S. missile and air defense throughout the world; most prominently in the Middle East and East Asia. Fort Sill runs courses for Patriot operators and maintenance crews ranging in length from 8 to 30 weeks. The ADA school trains approximately 1,500 to 2,000 U.S. soldiers a year, as well as several hundred soldiers from Israel, Germany, Japan, South Korea,United Arab Emirates and other allied nations that have Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems.
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Text Fwd: S. Korea, Japan Can Build Nuclear Weapons Quickly
Excerpt
The 2008 report categorized South Korea, Taiwan and Japan as three "threshold nuclear states" that have the capability to develop nuclear weapons rapidly, should their political leaders decide to do so.
South Korea is recognized globally as a pioneer in the study of the "pyprocessing" method aimed at reprocessing spent fuel without extracting weapons-grade plutonium from it.
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
Text fwd: [Exclusive] S. Korea to Transfer UAV, Missile Technologies to UAE
Excerpt
Korea promised to transfer technology for its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following its successful bid to build four nuclear reactors in the Middle East nation, a government source said Thursday.
EMPs can severely disrupt electronic equipment, which is susceptible to damage by transient power surges. An EMP attack is generated by a very short, intense energy pulse or high-altitude nuclear blast.
The agency plans to complete the development by 2014.
Some observers say, however, potential exports of the RQ-101 to either the UAE or Libya could cause a political or diplomatic row between South Korea and Israel given the ground-control station for the UAV was developed with technical assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Monday, May 3, 2010
Text Fw: South Korea’s Global Nuclear Ambitions
*Source (same as the below link): Tamsin Carlisle, ‘South Korean companies strike it rich in UAE’, The National (Abu Dhabi), March 2, 2010
Japan Focus
South Korea’s Global Nuclear Ambitions
David Adam Stott
Introduction
“We had been building nuclear power stations for 30 years but had failed in repeated attempts to break into international markets.”
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in a January 2010 radio address. [1]
December 2009 was an historic month for the South Korean nuclear industry. In winning two bidding competitions to design and construct nuclear power plants in the Middle East, it dramatically signalled its arrival as an international force in the sector. The opening announcement concerned Jordan’s first nuclear research reactor whilst the second, and most important, was a massive contract to build at least four nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The South Korean team was one of nine original bidders and beat off competition from France and an American-Japanese consortium from the final shortlist of three. As the USA, France and Japan account for almost half of the world’s total nuclear reactors, this was an impressive achievement, especially since it will be the first nuclear power plant that Korea has exported.
The initial deal with the UAE to construct the reactors is worth around US$20 billion to KEPCO (Korean Electric Power Company) and its partners, whilst Seoul estimates that Korean firms will reap a further harvest of US$20 billion over the 60-year lifespan of the reactors by way of maintenance, servicing and fuel supply contracts. With a total value estimated at around $40 billion, this was the largest contract awarded in the Gulf last year, and the biggest single contract that South Korean firms have ever secured overseas. Indeed,, aside from military hardware, it is likely also the biggest contract ever signed in the Gulf region. Moreover, both sides view the landmark contract as a stepping stone to a much deeper economic relationship in which both countries pour greater foreign investment into the other. Indeed, Abu Dhabi has recently endowed South Korean firms with numerous large contracts to upgrade its petrochemical infrastructure.
* For more reading and maps/ images, click HERE
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
[국문 번역]Text Fwd: China circled by chain of US anti-missile systems
* Text sent by Bruce Gagnon on Feb. 22, 2010
브루스 개그논 2월 22일 보냄
Stop NATO
China Daily
China circled by chain of US anti-missile systems
미 대항 미사일 시스템 사슬에 둘러싸인 중국
By Qin Jize and Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
킨 지제와 리 시아오쿤 (차이나 데일리)
Updated: 2010-02-22 07:17
2010년 2월 22일 엎데이트됨
Washington appears determined to surround China with US-built anti-missile systems, military scholars have observed.
군사 과학자들은 워싱턴이 미국 대항 미사일 시스템으로 중국을 봉쇄할 것으로 결심한 것으로 나타난다고 관찰해왔다.
According to US-based Defense News, Taiwan became the fifth global buyer of the Patriot missile defense system last year following Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
미국에 기반을 둔 국방 뉴스에 따르면 대만은 일본, 한국, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠, 독일에 이어 작년에 5번째로 패트리어트 미사일 방어 시스템 세계 구매자 가 되었다.
Quite a few military experts have noted that Washington's latest proposed weapon deal with Taiwan is the key part of a US strategic encirclement of China in the East Asian region, and that the missiles could soon have a footprint that extends from Japan to the Republic of Korea and Taiwan.
꽤 많은 군사 전문가들이 워싱턴의 대만과의 최근의 제안된 무기 거래가 동아시아 지역에서 중국을 포위하려는 미국 전략의 핵심 부분이며 미사일들이 곧 일본에서 한국, 대만으로 확산되는 흔적들을 남길 거라 주목해왔다.
Air force colonel Dai Xu, a renowned military strategist, wrote in an article released this month that "China is in a crescent-shaped ring of encirclement. The ring begins in Japan, stretches through nations in the South China Sea to India, and ends in Afghanistan. Washington's deployment of anti-missile systems around China's periphery forms a crescent-shaped encirclement".
잘 알려진 군사 전략학자인 육군 대령 다이 슈는 이 달 나온 기사에서 “중국이 초생달 모양 고리로 둘러싸여 있다. 그 고리는 일본에서 시작하여 남중국해, 인도로 뻗어 아프가니스탄에서 끝난다. 중국 주변을 둘러싼 워싱턴의 대항 미사일 시스템 배치는 초생달 모양의 포위를 형성한다” 라고 썼다.
Ni Lexiong, an expert on military affairs with the Shanghai Institute of Political Science and Law, told the Guanghzou Daily yesterday, "The US anti-missile system in China's neighborhood is a replica of its strategy in Eastern Europe against Russia. The Obama administration began to plan for such a system around China after its project in Eastern Europe got suspended".
니 렉송, 상하이 정치 과학과 법 인스티튜트의 군사 사건 전문가는 어제 광조우 데일리에 말했다. “중국 이웃 국가들의 미국 대항 미사일 시스템은 러시아에 대항하는 동유럽에서의 미 전략의 복제이다. 오바마 행정부는 동유럽에서의 프로젝트가 연기된 후 중국 주위의 그러한 시스템을 계획하기 시작했었다
Tang Xiaosong, director of the Center of International Security and Strategy Studies with Guangdong University of Foreign Studies noted that the ring encircling China can also be expanded at any time in other directions. He said that Washington is hoping to sell India and other Southeast Asian countries the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missile defense system.
국외 연구 광동 대학 국제 안보 전략 연구소 감독인 탕 지아오송은 중국을 에워싼 고리가 또한 다른 방향들로 아무때고 확산될 수 있음을 주목했다. 그는 워싱턴이 인도와 다른 남아시아 국가들에게 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 미사일 방어 시스템을 팔려 원하고 있다 말했다.
Analysts say that China is closely monitoring US-India missile defense cooperation since any integration of India into the US global missile defense system, would profoundly affect China's security.
분석가들은 중국이 인도의 어떠한 미국의 지구 미사일 방어 시스템 내 통합도 중국의 안보에 심오하게 영향을 줄 것이기에 미국-인도 미사일 방어 협력을 면밀히 주시하고 있다 말한다.
However, according to former Chinese Ambassador to India Pei Yuanying, India is unlikely to be part of any such US scheme against China.
그러나 인도의 전 중국 대사 페이 유아닝 에 따르면 인도는 중국에 대항하는 미국 계획의 일부가 될 것 같지 않다.
"New Delhi needs to develop relations with the US, but it wants to be an independent international power on the international arena," he said.
“뉴 델리는 미국과의 관계 개발을 필요로 합니다. 그러나 인도는 국제 무대에서 독립적인 국제 세력이 되길 원합니다,” 라고 그는 말했다.
Pei said it was necessary to take multiple aspects of China-US relations into consideration. "The US has followed the policy of engagement plus containment with China for a long time and that overall policy will not change during Obama's term," he said.
페이는 중-미 관계들의 많은 단면들을 고려하는 것이 필요하다 말했다. “ 미국은 오랫동안 중국에 대해 친분과 함께 봉쇄 정책을 따랐으며 그 전체적인 정책은 오바마 기간동안 바뀌지 않을 것입니다.” 라고 그는 말했다.
Defense News quoted John Holly, Lockheed's vice president of Missile Defense Systems as saying the outlook for the missile defense market remains sound.
국방 뉴스는 미사일 방어망 시장 외양이 건강히 남을 거라는 존 할리, 락히드 미사일 방어 시스템 부통령의 말을 인용했다.
Pointing to missile programs in Pyongyang, Teheran, Moscow and Beijing, Holly said "the world is not a very safe world and it is incumbent upon us in the industry to provide (the Pentagon) with the best capabilities."
평양, 테헤란, 모스크바, 베이징의 미사일 프로그램을 지적하면서, 할리는 “세계는 매우 안전한 세계가 아니며 산업체의 우리가 (국방부에) 최고 능력을 제공하는 것은 우리의 의무이다. “
Beijing has frequently criticized US missile-defense development and has been making efforts to restrict missile defenses through the United Nations forums.
베이징은 종종 미국 미사일 방어 개발을 비판했으며 유엔 포럼등을 통해 미사일 방어를 억제하려는 노력을 해왔다.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told a UN disarmament conference in August in Geneva that "countries should neither seek for absolute strategic predominance nor develop missile-defense systems that undermine global strategic stability."
외무 장관인 양 지에치는 제네바에서 8월에 있었던 유엔 비무장 회담에서 “국가들은 전지구적 전략 안정성을 손상시키는 절대적 전략적 지배를 구하려 하거나 미사일 방어 시스템을 개발해선 안된다.
(China Daily 02/22/2010 page7)
(차이나 데일리, 2010년 2월 22일 )
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브루스 개그논 2월 22일 보냄
Stop NATO
China Daily
China circled by chain of US anti-missile systems
미 대항 미사일 시스템 사슬에 둘러싸인 중국
By Qin Jize and Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
킨 지제와 리 시아오쿤 (차이나 데일리)
Updated: 2010-02-22 07:17
2010년 2월 22일 엎데이트됨
Washington appears determined to surround China with US-built anti-missile systems, military scholars have observed.
군사 과학자들은 워싱턴이 미국 대항 미사일 시스템으로 중국을 봉쇄할 것으로 결심한 것으로 나타난다고 관찰해왔다.
According to US-based Defense News, Taiwan became the fifth global buyer of the Patriot missile defense system last year following Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
미국에 기반을 둔 국방 뉴스에 따르면 대만은 일본, 한국, 유나이티드 아랍 에미레이츠, 독일에 이어 작년에 5번째로 패트리어트 미사일 방어 시스템 세계 구매자 가 되었다.
Quite a few military experts have noted that Washington's latest proposed weapon deal with Taiwan is the key part of a US strategic encirclement of China in the East Asian region, and that the missiles could soon have a footprint that extends from Japan to the Republic of Korea and Taiwan.
꽤 많은 군사 전문가들이 워싱턴의 대만과의 최근의 제안된 무기 거래가 동아시아 지역에서 중국을 포위하려는 미국 전략의 핵심 부분이며 미사일들이 곧 일본에서 한국, 대만으로 확산되는 흔적들을 남길 거라 주목해왔다.
Air force colonel Dai Xu, a renowned military strategist, wrote in an article released this month that "China is in a crescent-shaped ring of encirclement. The ring begins in Japan, stretches through nations in the South China Sea to India, and ends in Afghanistan. Washington's deployment of anti-missile systems around China's periphery forms a crescent-shaped encirclement".
잘 알려진 군사 전략학자인 육군 대령 다이 슈는 이 달 나온 기사에서 “중국이 초생달 모양 고리로 둘러싸여 있다. 그 고리는 일본에서 시작하여 남중국해, 인도로 뻗어 아프가니스탄에서 끝난다. 중국 주변을 둘러싼 워싱턴의 대항 미사일 시스템 배치는 초생달 모양의 포위를 형성한다” 라고 썼다.
Ni Lexiong, an expert on military affairs with the Shanghai Institute of Political Science and Law, told the Guanghzou Daily yesterday, "The US anti-missile system in China's neighborhood is a replica of its strategy in Eastern Europe against Russia. The Obama administration began to plan for such a system around China after its project in Eastern Europe got suspended".
니 렉송, 상하이 정치 과학과 법 인스티튜트의 군사 사건 전문가는 어제 광조우 데일리에 말했다. “중국 이웃 국가들의 미국 대항 미사일 시스템은 러시아에 대항하는 동유럽에서의 미 전략의 복제이다. 오바마 행정부는 동유럽에서의 프로젝트가 연기된 후 중국 주위의 그러한 시스템을 계획하기 시작했었다
Tang Xiaosong, director of the Center of International Security and Strategy Studies with Guangdong University of Foreign Studies noted that the ring encircling China can also be expanded at any time in other directions. He said that Washington is hoping to sell India and other Southeast Asian countries the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missile defense system.
국외 연구 광동 대학 국제 안보 전략 연구소 감독인 탕 지아오송은 중국을 에워싼 고리가 또한 다른 방향들로 아무때고 확산될 수 있음을 주목했다. 그는 워싱턴이 인도와 다른 남아시아 국가들에게 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 미사일 방어 시스템을 팔려 원하고 있다 말했다.
Analysts say that China is closely monitoring US-India missile defense cooperation since any integration of India into the US global missile defense system, would profoundly affect China's security.
분석가들은 중국이 인도의 어떠한 미국의 지구 미사일 방어 시스템 내 통합도 중국의 안보에 심오하게 영향을 줄 것이기에 미국-인도 미사일 방어 협력을 면밀히 주시하고 있다 말한다.
However, according to former Chinese Ambassador to India Pei Yuanying, India is unlikely to be part of any such US scheme against China.
그러나 인도의 전 중국 대사 페이 유아닝 에 따르면 인도는 중국에 대항하는 미국 계획의 일부가 될 것 같지 않다.
"New Delhi needs to develop relations with the US, but it wants to be an independent international power on the international arena," he said.
“뉴 델리는 미국과의 관계 개발을 필요로 합니다. 그러나 인도는 국제 무대에서 독립적인 국제 세력이 되길 원합니다,” 라고 그는 말했다.
Pei said it was necessary to take multiple aspects of China-US relations into consideration. "The US has followed the policy of engagement plus containment with China for a long time and that overall policy will not change during Obama's term," he said.
페이는 중-미 관계들의 많은 단면들을 고려하는 것이 필요하다 말했다. “ 미국은 오랫동안 중국에 대해 친분과 함께 봉쇄 정책을 따랐으며 그 전체적인 정책은 오바마 기간동안 바뀌지 않을 것입니다.” 라고 그는 말했다.
Defense News quoted John Holly, Lockheed's vice president of Missile Defense Systems as saying the outlook for the missile defense market remains sound.
국방 뉴스는 미사일 방어망 시장 외양이 건강히 남을 거라는 존 할리, 락히드 미사일 방어 시스템 부통령의 말을 인용했다.
Pointing to missile programs in Pyongyang, Teheran, Moscow and Beijing, Holly said "the world is not a very safe world and it is incumbent upon us in the industry to provide (the Pentagon) with the best capabilities."
평양, 테헤란, 모스크바, 베이징의 미사일 프로그램을 지적하면서, 할리는 “세계는 매우 안전한 세계가 아니며 산업체의 우리가 (국방부에) 최고 능력을 제공하는 것은 우리의 의무이다. “
Beijing has frequently criticized US missile-defense development and has been making efforts to restrict missile defenses through the United Nations forums.
베이징은 종종 미국 미사일 방어 개발을 비판했으며 유엔 포럼등을 통해 미사일 방어를 억제하려는 노력을 해왔다.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told a UN disarmament conference in August in Geneva that "countries should neither seek for absolute strategic predominance nor develop missile-defense systems that undermine global strategic stability."
외무 장관인 양 지에치는 제네바에서 8월에 있었던 유엔 비무장 회담에서 “국가들은 전지구적 전략 안정성을 손상시키는 절대적 전략적 지배를 구하려 하거나 미사일 방어 시스템을 개발해선 안된다.
(China Daily 02/22/2010 page7)
(차이나 데일리, 2010년 2월 22일 )
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
우주의 무기와 핵을 반대하는 글로벌 넷워크
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
globalnet@mindspring.com
www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Text fwd: [Exclusive] S. Korea to Transfer UAV, Missile Technologies to UAE
* Image source/ caption'RQ-101 unmanned aerial vehicle'
Korea Times
01-07-2010 18:10
[Exclusive] S. Korea to Transfer UAV, Missile Technologies to UAE
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Korea promised to transfer technology for its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following its successful bid to build four nuclear reactors in the Middle East nation, a government source said Thursday.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young made the commitment during his visit to the UAE in November to discuss bilateral defense issues as well as to support the landmark $20 billion deal, the source told The Korea Times.
Kim also offered to provide key arms technologies related to the homegrown Hyunmoo ballistic and cruise missiles to the UAE as part of efforts to expand defense cooperation between the two countries, he said on condition of anonymity.
Technology on an electromagnetic pulse bomb (EMP) is among the key items for cooperation promised by Korea, said the source.
The state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has been pushing to develop the bomb capable of neutralizing an enemy's command-and-control, communications and defense radar systems.
EMPs can severely disrupt electronic equipment, which is susceptible to damage by transient power surges. An EMP attack is generated by a very short, intense energy pulse or high-altitude nuclear blast.
The agency plans to complete the development by 2014.
"The UAE asked Korea to provide such key arms technologies as part of the package deal for the reactor contract," the source said. "Korea's positive response to the request played an important role in sealing the deal."
Speculation has been growing after the agreement that there could have been some behind-the-scene promises to satisfy the UAE needs. At that time, Seoul's defense ministry declined to elaborate, only saying the two sides exchanged views on ways to expand bilateral defense cooperation programs.
As for the UAV, Korea will offer the technology on the Night Intruder-300, also known as RQ-101, built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), according to the source.
KAI built the RQ-101 corps-level battlefield-reconnaissance UAV between 2001 and 2004. The Korean Army bought five sets of RQ-101s, with each set including six aircraft, a launcher and a ground-control station.
KAI is also discussing the sale of the RQ-101 to Libya.
The RQ-101 has a service ceiling of 4.5 kilometers and a cruise speed of 120 to 150 kilometers per hour. The 215-kilogram aircraft has a service radius of 200 kilometers and can operate for up to six hours in the air.
The UAV is capable of multipurpose operations to perform missions like wide area surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, bombing guidance, battlefield supervision and checking target break-down. It is also possible to transfer real-time images, especially in unfavorable environments during day and night.
Some observers say, however, potential exports of the RQ-101 to either the UAE or Libya could cause a political or diplomatic row between South Korea and Israel given the ground-control station for the UAV was developed with technical assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
IAI offered the technology when it sold its Searcher II UAVs to South Korea.
Referred missile technologies are related to those for the 300-kilometer-range Hyunmoo-II ballistic missile and the 1,000-kilometer-range Hyunmoo-III surface-to-surface cruise missile developed by the ADD and LIG Nex1.
The Hyunmoo-III missiles have been operational with the Army since last year. The Hyunmoo-III can hit targets with a margin of error of plus or minus five meters aided by a Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) system.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Text Fwd: Korea Sets Goal of $1.5 Bil. of Arms Sales This Year
* Image source/ caption
T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet
T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet
Korea Times
Korea Sets Goal of $1.5 Bil. of Arms Sales This Year
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has set a goal of achieving $1.5 billion in defense exports this year, up 28 percent from last year's 1.17 billion, the largest amount ever.
``To this end, pan-government efforts to pioneer worldwide defense markets and come up with related measures will be implemented,'' a DAPA spokesman said.
Last year's exports marked a 13 percent increase from the previous year's $1.03 billion, he said.
Key export items included depot level maintenance for submarines, submarine combat systems, wheeled armored vehicles, spare parts for the KT-1 basic trainer and military communication systems, the spokesman said.
About 100 domestic defense companies contributed to expanding arms sales abroad last year, he added.
The spokesman said the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet was a key defense good for export next year.
The trainer jet, jointly built by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin of the U.S., is competing for a trainer acquisition deal in Singapore, which is expected to announce the final bidder by March.
The T-50 lost to Italy's Aermacchi M-346 in a contest last year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE has been negotiating with the Italian firm for final contract but still has an option to retract its decision and negotiate with South Korea over the T-50, according to informed sources.
Other potential consumers for the T-50 include the United States, Iraq, Israel and Poland.
The single-engine jet, featuring digital flight controls and a modern, ground-based training system, is designed to have the maneuverability, endurance and systems to prepare pilots to fly existing and next-generation fighters, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II.
The jet has a top speed of Mach 1.4 and an operational range of 1,851 kilometers.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
* Related article
Yonhap News
2010/01/05 11:47 KST
(LEAD) S. Korea's defense exports reach US$1.17 bln in 2009
By Shin Hae-in
* Related blog
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/text-fwd-next-target-for-lees-sales.html
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Text Fwd: Next Target for Lee’s “Sales Diplomacy” is T-50 Trainer Jets
Monday, December 28, 2009
Text Fwd: Korea, UAE Seek Closer Defense Ties
*Image source/ caption: same as the link below'Kim Tae-young
Defense Minister'
Korea Times
12-28-2009 19:57
Korea, UAE Seek Closer Defense Ties
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter
The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed ways to create a stronger defense relationship last month, officials here said Monday.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young flew to the UAE in November twice to discuss bilateral defense issues as well as to support Seoul's successful bid to win a $20 billion contract to build four nuclear reactors in the Middle Eastern nation, they said.
``Based on a Korea-UAE memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2006, Kim and his UAE counterpart discussed the details of the defense cooperation between the two nations,'' an official at Seoul's Ministry of National Defense said on condition of anonymity. ``The UAE asked South Korea to provide lots of information regarding possible defense cooperation programs.''
The official neither confirmed nor denied a report that both sides had signed an agreement on specific defense cooperation.
The UAE sought to review South Korea's battlefield training system using the Military Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), harbor protection systems, pilot training programs and others, he said.
The sides also discussed ways of providing military support to each nation in the case of an emergency, the official said.
``The UAE is a small military power at the moment but faces potential conflicts in the volatile Middle East, so it wants to learn know-how from South Korea, which maintains a large and advanced armed forces,'' a diplomatic source said.
The armed forces of the UAE, officially called the Union Defense Force, consists of 65,000 troops, and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi. It is the federal military force and is primarily responsible for the defense of all seven emirates.
South Korea has 650,000 troops and is supported by 28,500 U.S. forces. Korean troops are being equipped with high-tech weapons systems under the Defense Reform 2020 modernization program.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
* Related blog
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/12/text-fwd-landmark-nuclear-power-plant.html
Monday, December 28, 2009
Text Fwd: Landmark nuclear power plant deal sounds energy alarm within South Korea
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