India, US plan to upgrade their already intensive military combat exercises

NEW DELHI: India and the US are planning to go in for a major upgrade of their bilateral combat exercises after inking the military logistics pact+ last month in tune with their "joint strategic vision" for the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region.



Defence ministry sources say the aim is to "further increase the scope and complexity" of bilateral military exercises and engagements "across the board", which will now be facilitated by the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) inked during defence minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to the US on August 29-30.

Opinion - "Tense Times in Asia-Pacific: Will the region's problems further draw in Guam?"

Richard Smart, Guam Daily Post

The Asia-Pacific region is as tense as it has been in decades. In many ways – some positive and some negative - the placid island of Guam seems ever likely to become further engaged in the conflicts escalating nearby.

The rise of China, a belligerent North Korea, a new president in the Philippines and joint military exercises by Russia and China on one side, and the U.S. and its many allies in the region on the other, have created an atmosphere in which the risk of an incident triggering a domino effect feels real. 

Guam, which has been referred to as “the tip of the spear” by the Pentagon, finds itself in a unique position in such circumstances. As a U.S. territory, it is afforded protection. But closer to Asia than the U.S. mainland, and within reaching distance of North Korean and Chinese missiles, tensions could actualize into direct conflict here first.

Military exercises at W-517 (Guam)

Press Release 

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Posted on Sep 23 2016

Tag: CNMI, military

The CNMI EOC Warning Point in conjunction with U.S. Naval Forces Marianas (N3) Guam, would like to inform the general public that the U.S. military unit will be conducting military exercises at Warning Area-517 Irregular Poly-Gon South of Guam on Sept. 27 and 28 from 12pm to 6pm on both dates.

The general location of this activity will be at W-517 Irregular Poly-Gon South of Guam comprising southwest into international waters.

Due to the danger imposed by these activities, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is strongly advising the general public especially fishermen, commercial pilots and marine tour operators to stay away from these areas during the time and dates indicated.

Plaintiffs’ groups for lawsuits over noise pollution from military bases in Japan condemn government’s attack against helipad protest in Takae

September 18, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

The National Liaison Council of seven groups of plaintiffs filing lawsuits over noise pollution from military bases held its 4th general meeting on September 18 at Akisihima City Hall in Tokyo.

The council adopted a resolution to oppose military bases’ violation of human rights, peace and democracy. The resolution claimed residents who were protesting against construction of U.S. helipads in the Northern Training Area in Takae, Higashi, were attacked violently by the government.

The resolution, referring to the government deploying more than 500 riot police and blocking a prefectural road, condemned the hardline response as ” an act of violence”. It claimed the government was acting under martial law without providing any legal basis for their action.

US base issues cast doubt on World Natural Heritage Site designation for Yambaru National Park woodlands

September 15, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

The meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that was held in Hawaii at the beginning of the month focused on the issue of invasive species. During the meeting the IUCN adopted a recommendation on protecting Okinawa Island against invasive species. The recommendation suggests that hauling soil to the planned site for construction of a base at Henoko should be halted, due to the concern that invasive species may be within the soil used for land reclamation work.

Yambaru National Park will soon be established, the newest following Kerama Shoto National Park, and Ishigaki-Iriomote National Park. The Japanese government highly values the ecosystem that supports precious wildlife living and breeding on these islands. As such, Japan is aiming to have the Yambaru woods along with Amami Oshima, Tokuno Island, Iriomote Island designated as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site under the title Amami Ryukyu in 2018. However, the U.S. Northern Training Area is a bizarre environment demonstrating mixed efforts of military exercises and environmental conservationism. NGOs for environmental conservation evaluate with concern that Amami Ryukyu is an unrealistic candidate for a World Natural Heritage Site under the current limits and criteria.

U.S. Aircraft Crashes off Okinawa

U.S. military aircraft AV8B Harrier II has crashed off the Japanese island of Okinawa. The crash of the ground attack fighter jet has prompted fresh concerns over U.S. presence in the southernmost prefecture of Japan.

Okinawa, once under U.S. control, returned to Japanese rule in 1972. The U.S. Army has a controversial military base at Okinawa, from which, according to reports by local media, the military aircraft took off and plunged into the sea shortly afterwards.

N Korean Military Threatens to Use Nuclear Weapons Against Seoul, Guam US Base

08:46 23.09.2016(updated 12:59 23.09.2016) Get short URL

The North Korean military is threatening to use their nuclear weapons against the South Korean capital, Seoul, and a US military base located on the Pacific island of Guam. 

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the US Pacific Command (PACOM) reported that a US B-1B strategic bomber flew from the military base located in Guam and landed at the Osan airbase in South Korea for the first time since 1996. 

Australian aircraft involved in provocative US-led airstrike in Syria

By Peter Symonds 
22 September 2016

The direct involvement of the Australian air force in air strikes on Syrian troops on Saturday underlines the danger that Australia is being dragged into a US war not simply with the Syrian government but also its allies—Russia in particular. Some 90 Syrian soldiers were killed and more than 100 wounded in a sustained attack on a strategic government position near the Deir ez-Zor airport.

Following the cue from Washington, the Australian government and media have variously suggested that the air strikes were “a botched operation”, a blunder or a mistake. The Defence Department issued a statement acknowledging that Australian aircraft took part, adding that “Australia would never intentionally target a known Syrian military unit or actively support Daesh [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria].” The strikes briefly allowed ISIS fighters to capture Syrian government positions.

Strategic bombers made closest-ever flight to N. Korea: U.S. military

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bombers this week made the closest-ever flight to North Korea to warn the communist country against any further provocations, the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) said Thursday.

North Korea conducted its fifth underground nuclear test on Sept. 9, despite international condemnations and sanctions imposed after the previous nuke detonation in January. The latest provocation came on the heels of the launch of three ballistic missiles four days earlier.  

One of the two B-1B Lancers landed on Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, after flying over the skies of South Korea on Wednesday. The other returned to Andersen Air Base in Guam the same day. 

Pushing for an Independent Foreign Policy in the Philippines

by PAUL L. QUINTOS

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Last September 16, hundreds of Filipino activists braved the heat and police lines in marching to =the US Embassy in downtown Manila. The date is special: it marks the 25th anniversary of the Philippine Senate’s junking of an agreement that would have extended the 44-year stay of US military bases in Philippine soil.

For Filipino activists, the date has since become a day for rallies and other activities to denounce and express opposition to US military presence in the country. This year’s protest is special for another reason: for the first time in history, a Philippine president has expressed criticisms of the US, called for the pullout of US special forces from the big island of Mindanao and has vowed to pursue “an independent foreign policy.”

12 Beautiful Islands The U.S. Military Has Tested Weapons On [just a reminder]

The U.S. military plans to practice live fire training at Pagan island in Micronesia, which is home to many plants and animals found no where else in the world. It’s just one of many gorgeous islands where the U.S. has practiced war.

posted on Aug. 27, 2013, at 1:58 p.m.

1. Pagan island in the Commonwealth Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

Flickr: 68824346@N02

Pagan is located north of Saipan and is made up of two volcanoes. The northern one, Mt. Pagan, is still active.

A mighty, floating city

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22 Sep 2016

 

By Emmanuel T. Erediano - emmanuel@mvariety.com - Variety News Staff

ABOARD THE USS RONALD REAGAN — Saipan reporters and CNMI officials boarded this Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier on Tuesday as part of the U.S. Navy’s embark program.

The aircraft carrier, which has some 5,000 personnel, was taking part in Operation Valiant Shield, a joint exercise of the various branches of the world’s most powerful military force.

The two-week-long biennial exercise started on Sept. 12 and aims to showcase the U.S. military’s maritime and strike capability from the Western Pacific and all the way to the Indian Ocean, according to the USS Ronald Reagan commanding officer, Capt. Buzz Donnelly.

A Complicated History: Japanese Court Blocks Bid to Close Down American Military Base in Okinawa

By Jacob Atkins | September 21, 2016

Tensions between residents of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan and stationed American soldiers have reached a new boiling point. Last week court officials in the prefectural capital of Naha rejected incumbent Governor Takeshi Onaga’s bid to close down the disputed Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan. The resolution signified thefirst official judicial ruling over the complex reclamation project that was ignited in 1996 after three American soldiers were convicted of abducting and murdering a 12-year-old girl. Long-time opponents were once again outraged over the recent slaying of 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro by former US Marine and current military contractor, Kenneth Franklin Shinzato.

Onaga’s administration teamed up with locals to urge the national government to scrap the foreign airbase altogether, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe followed through on his resolution to relocate the contested encampment into a less populated region of Japan’s southernmost province. Keep reading to learn more about how the Okinawa is struggling to achieve self-autonomy after decades of American military intervention.

Okinawa residents sue state over construction of U.S. helipads

NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. – Residents around the construction site of helipads for the U.S. military in Okinawa Prefecture filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state, seeking to stop the construction due to anticipated noise problems.

Around the Northern Training Area in the villages of Higashi and Kunigami where two helipads have already been built, local residents suffer from noise caused by aircraft, according to the lawsuit filed at the Naha District Court.

Locals insisted additional helipads will worsen the situation.

Okinawa sailor escapes jail time after wrong-way crash that injured three

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — An American sailor whose wrong-way crash in June triggered sweeping travel and alcohol restrictions for servicemembers in Okinawa escaped jail time Tuesday during sentencing in Naha District Court.

Aimee Mejia, 21, a petty officer 2nd class assigned to Navy Munitions Command at Kadena Air Base, received a three-year suspended sentence requiring that she maintain good behavior for four years. The sailor faced a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted under Japanese law, but prosecutors sought only three years.

Mejia pleaded guilty and asked for leniency. It is unclear if she will be leaving the Navy and Japan.

Beach exercise in Tinian canceled due to turtles

A Valiant Shield exercise scheduled for Tinian had to be called off last week due to the discovery of evidence of an endangered turtle species nesting.

"It is an endangered sea turtle," said Bill Kavanagh, the regional and environmental coordinator for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.

A release issued by the U.S. Marine Corps stated that landings were originally planned for an area called Chulu Beach on the northwest side of Tinian, but were called off because the exercise could coincide with the hatching window of the turtles.

North Korea blames U.S. for nuclear weapons development

By Elizabeth Shim    |   Sept. 20, 2016 at 11:17 AM

 SEOUL, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- North Korea blamed both the Bush and Obama administrations Tuesday for "pushing" Pyongyang toward nuclear weapons development while claiming it now has the capability of striking U.S. territory.

In a statement that ran in the Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun, North Korea stated its fifth nuclear test marks the "peak" of its nuclear capability.

"Early this year our republic successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb then spontaneously and in succession took steps to strengthen its nuclear strike capability...this [most recent] test of a nuclear warhead marks the peak of [our] nuclear warhead power," Pyongyang stated.

America's Pacific pivot is sinking

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte caused shock and sniggers around the world when he called his US counterpart Barack Obama the "son of a whore". But the Duterte comment that will have really hurt the White House came a few days later. Announcing that he was ending joint naval patrols with the US in the South China Sea, Mr Duterte stated: "China is now in power and they have military superiority in the region."

That statement will sting in Washington. Throughout the Obama years, the US has attempted to reassure all its Asian allies that America has both the means and the will to remain the dominant military power in the Asia-Pacific region. President Obama set the tone in a landmark speech in 2011, when he firmly asserted that "the United States is a Pacific power and we are here to stay". Since then, America has transferred more of its navy to the region and Mr Obama has regularly made the long journey from Washington to East Asia.

But Mr Duterte has now directly challenged the idea that the US is still the hegemon in the Pacific. If others take his view, power could drain away from Washington, as more countries in the region begin to defer to Beijing.

U.S. Military Flexes Muscles in Asia Pacific

The U.S. is again showcasing it’s strength in the Asia Pacific as 18,000 troops pack up the “Valiant Shield” war games this week. Bloomberg's Stephen Engle hitched a ride out to the flagship aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan in Guam. (Source: Bloomberg)

10:23 AM ChST 
September 20, 2016

Climate Change Catch 22: It’s Official–the U.S. Military Poses a Significant Threat to the U.S. Military

This week, the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Climate and Security announced the release of a series of “bipartisan” statements and reports under the banner, “Military and National Security Leaders Urge Robust New Course on Climate Change.” The most comprehensive of the newly released documents focuses on the threat that rising sea levels and catastrophic storms pose to U.S. military bases globally.

Compiled by a panel of military luminaries, including Rear Admiral Jonathan White and Brigadier General Gerald Galloway, the report identifies “[d]ealing with” the “risks” that climate change increasingly poses to the “operational effectiveness” of the U.S. military as “a core priority” of the military in the coming years.