DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S., Japan Agree On Okinawa Troop Relocation

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 27, 2012: U.S. and Japanese officials announced yesterday the two nations have agreed on a plan to relocate U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

The joint statement of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee spells out unit moves, land and facilities on Okinawa the United States will return to the Japanese government, and the costs each government will pay for the relocation.

The joint statement is the latest result of negotiations between the two countries dating to the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and the 2009 Guam International Agreement.

 

The two nations issued a joint defense posture statement in February that “delinked” the two agreements so parts of the relocation plan could move forward more quickly.

“I am very pleased that, after many years, we have reached this important agreement and plan of action,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a statement yesterday. He praised Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka for “spearheading discussions” leading to the joint statement.

“We will work closely with our partners in the Japanese Self Defense Force to implement these decisions and to further improve this vital alliance of ours,” the secretary added.

Panetta said he looks forward to strengthening the two nations’ partnership “as, together, we address security challenges in the region.”

During a Pentagon background briefing to reporters yesterday, senior State and Defense Department officials outlined the agreement.

About 9,000 Marines will relocate from Okinawa, with about 5,000 moving to Guam and the rest transferring to other locations in the Pacific such as Hawaii and Australia, the defense official said.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-us-japan-agree-on.html

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore 


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 6, 2012: The Defense Department's move to deploy U.S. combat ships to Singapore and raise the level of joint exercises will deepen the bilateral military relationship, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a joint statement after a Pentagon meeting yesterday.


Panetta and Ng, in Washington on his first official visit as Singapore's defense minister, discussed defense and security issues and affirmed the nations' longstanding bilateral defense relationship, the statement said.


Both underscored the shared belief that a strong U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region enhances regional stability and security.


The defense leaders also discussed the proposal for the United States to deploy up to four littoral combat ships to Singapore. The ships will be deployed on a rotational basis and will not be based in Singapore. The deployment signals U.S. commitment to the region, the joint statement said, and enhances the ability to train and engage with regional partners.


The rotational deployments are one part of the U.S.-Singapore partnership documented in the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde said. "This marks a significant movement in terms of our cooperation with Singapore," she added. "The specific details related to this unprecedented engagement are still being discussed."


Panetta and Ng noted progress made since 2005 in deepening bilateral defense cooperation, and recognized the value of practical interaction among regional militaries, including exercises and exchanges, in building trust.


The defense leaders agreed to increase the complexity of bilateral exercises such as Commando Sling to enhance interoperability between their armed forces. The annual Commando Sling series began in 1990 to provide combined air combat training for fighter units from the air forces of the United States and Singapore.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-singapore-defense-news-panetta.html

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore 


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 6, 2012: The Defense Department's move to deploy U.S. combat ships to Singapore and raise the level of joint exercises will deepen the bilateral military relationship, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Singapore 


Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a joint statement after a Pentagon meeting yesterday.
Panetta and Ng, in Washington on his first official visit as Singapore's defense minister, discussed defense and security issues and affirmed the nations' longstanding bilateral defense relationship, the statement said.


Both underscored the shared belief that a strong U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region enhances regional stability and security.


The defense leaders also discussed the proposal for the United States to deploy up to four littoral combat ships to Singapore. The ships will be deployed on a rotational basis and will not be based in Singapore. The deployment signals U.S. commitment to the region, the joint statement said, and enhances the ability to train and engage with regional partners.


The rotational deployments are one part of the U.S.-Singapore partnership documented in the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde said. "This marks a significant movement in terms of our cooperation with Singapore," she added. "The specific details related to this unprecedented engagement are still being discussed."


Panetta and Ng noted progress made since 2005 in deepening bilateral defense cooperation, and recognized the value of practical interaction among regional militaries, including exercises and exchanges, in building trust.


The defense leaders agreed to increase the complexity of bilateral exercises such as Commando Sling to enhance interoperability between their armed forces. The annual Commando Sling series began in 1990 to provide combined air combat training for fighter units from the air forces of the United States and Singapore.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-singapore-defense-news-panetta.html

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore 


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 6, 2012: The Defense Department's move to deploy U.S. combat ships to Singapore and raise the level of joint exercises will deepen the bilateral military relationship, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Singapore 


Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a joint statement after a Pentagon meeting yesterday.
Panetta and Ng, in Washington on his first official visit as Singapore's defense minister, discussed defense and security issues and affirmed the nations' longstanding bilateral defense relationship, the statement said.


Both underscored the shared belief that a strong U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region enhances regional stability and security.


The defense leaders also discussed the proposal for the United States to deploy up to four littoral combat ships to Singapore. The ships will be deployed on a rotational basis and will not be based in Singapore. The deployment signals U.S. commitment to the region, the joint statement said, and enhances the ability to train and engage with regional partners.


The rotational deployments are one part of the U.S.-Singapore partnership documented in the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde said. "This marks a significant movement in terms of our cooperation with Singapore," she added. "The specific details related to this unprecedented engagement are still being discussed."


Panetta and Ng noted progress made since 2005 in deepening bilateral defense cooperation, and recognized the value of practical interaction among regional militaries, including exercises and exchanges, in building trust.


The defense leaders agreed to increase the complexity of bilateral exercises such as Commando Sling to enhance interoperability between their armed forces. The annual Commando Sling series began in 1990 to provide combined air combat training for fighter units from the air forces of the United States and Singapore.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-singapore-defense-news-panetta.html

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta, Singapore Defense Chief Affirm Deeper Cooperation And US Plans To Deploy Combat Ships To Singapore 


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 6, 2012: The Defense Department's move to deploy U.S. combat ships to Singapore and raise the level of joint exercises will deepen the bilateral military relationship, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a joint statement after a Pentagon meeting yesterday.


Panetta and Ng, in Washington on his first official visit as Singapore's defense minister, discussed defense and security issues and affirmed the nations' longstanding bilateral defense relationship, the statement said.


Both underscored the shared belief that a strong U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region enhances regional stability and security.


The defense leaders also discussed the proposal for the United States to deploy up to four littoral combat ships to Singapore. The ships will be deployed on a rotational basis and will not be based in Singapore. The deployment signals U.S. commitment to the region, the joint statement said, and enhances the ability to train and engage with regional partners.


The rotational deployments are one part of the U.S.-Singapore partnership documented in the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde said. "This marks a significant movement in terms of our cooperation with Singapore," she added. "The specific details related to this unprecedented engagement are still being discussed."


Panetta and Ng noted progress made since 2005 in deepening bilateral defense cooperation, and recognized the value of practical interaction among regional militaries, including exercises and exchanges, in building trust.


The defense leaders agreed to increase the complexity of bilateral exercises such as Commando Sling to enhance interoperability between their armed forces. The annual Commando Sling series began in 1990 to provide combined air combat training for fighter units from the air forces of the United States and Singapore.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-singapore-defense-news-panetta.html

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan Soldiers And U.S. Soldier On High Alert Following Shooting In Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan Soldiers And U.S. Soldier On High Alert Following Shooting In Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 11, 2012: Afghan soldiers, left, walk past a U.S. Army soldier outside of a military base in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 11, 2012. 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says a U.S. service member has killed more than a dozen people in a shooting including nine children and three women. Karzai called the attack Sunday "an assassination" and demanded an explanation from the United States. 

He says several people were also wounded in the attack on two villages near a U.S. base in the southern province of Kandahar. (Photo - AP)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: US Soldiers On Guard At Military Base Following Shooting In Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: US Soldiers On Guard At Military Base Following Shooting In Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 11, 2012: US soldiers keep watch at the entrance of a military base near Alkozai village following the shooting of Afghan civilians allegedly committed by a rogue US soldier in Panjwayi district, Kandahar province on March 11, 2012. 

An AFP reporter counted 16 bodies -- including women and children -- in three Afghan houses after a rogue US soldier walked out of his base and began shooting civilians early Sunday. 

NATO's International Security Assistance Force said it had arrested a soldier 'in connection to an incident that resulted in Afghan casualties in Kandahar province', without giving a figure for the dead or wounded. (Photo - Getty)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S-Afghan Military Joint "Route Clearing Patrol" In Nangarhar Province, Eastern Afghanistan

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S-Afghan Military Joint "Route Clearing Patrol" In Nangarhar Province, Eastern Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 9, 2012:  A convoy of joint U.S-Afghan military that conducted a two-day "Route Clearing Patrol", finding and removing roadside bombs on roads, return to Forward Operating Base Connolly overlooking snowcapped mountains in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan March 9, 2012.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-afghan-war-news-us-afghan.html

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistani Religious Group Rally To Condemn Quarns Burning At Bagram Airbase In Afghanistan

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistani Religious Group Rally To Condemn Quarns Burning At Bagram Airbase In Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 8, 2012: Supporters of a Pakistani religious group Tanzeem-e-Islami hold a rally to condemn the disposal last week of a number of Qurans at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, March 3, 2012. (Photo - AP)

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Helps New Stealth Fighter Cheat On Key Performance Test

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Helps New Stealth Fighter Cheat On Key Performance Test

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 7, 2012: It seemed like a promising step for America’s next stealth fighter: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter passed a key Pentagon test of its combat capability. But it turns out that the family of jets cleared the mid-February exam only because its proctor agreed to inflate its grade. In essence, the military helped the F-35 cheat on its midterms.

The collusion between the Pentagon testing body, known as the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), and the F-35 program — first reported by Inside Defense – confirmed that the US’ most expensive warplane met previously established performance criteria. Specifically, the review was meant to show that the jet can fly as far and take off as quickly as combat commanders say they need it to.

But the review council, which includes the vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, eased the standard flying profile of the Air Force’s F-35A model — thereby giving it a range boost of 30 miles. And it tacked an additional 15m onto the required takeoff distance for the Marines’ F-35B version, which US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta just took off budgetary probation.

The grade inflation comes at a critical time for the new warplane. The military’s new five-year budgeting blueprint, also released in February, cut more than 100 existing Air Force fighters while leaving intact plans to produce nearly 2500 F-35s — essentially doubling down on the new plane despite a recent report listing13 serious design flaws. The total cost to buy and fly the full fleet of F-35s over 50 years is estimated at around $US1 trillion, once inflation is factored in, making it the costliest defence program in

human history.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-pentagon-helps.html

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S. Soldiers At Forward Operating Base Connolly In Nangarhar Province, Eastern Afghanistan

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS:  U.S. Soldiers At Forward Operating Base Connolly In Nangarhar Province, Eastern Afghanistan

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 4, 2012: U.S. soldiers from Comanche Troop, 3rd Squadron 4th Cavalry congratulate three fellow soldiers from their unit after a military re-enlistment ceremony at Forward Operating Base Connolly in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan March 4, 2012.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Taliban’s Murder Tactics Show Their Weakness Says Panetta

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Taliban’s Murder Tactics Show Their Weakness Says Panetta

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 2, 2012: The Taliban’s adoption of murder tactics is a sign of their weakness, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said here today.

There have been a number of so-called “green on blue” incidents, in which members of the Afghan army and police killed NATO International Security Assistance Force troops, since the accidental burning of Qurans at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

These incidents are being taken seriously, but the United States and NATO will not change its strategy in response, Panetta told 101st Airborne Division soldiers.

The secretary said he discussed these incidents with Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Panetta said Allen told him “the Taliban are going to resort to these kinds of criminal acts against our guys because, frankly, they are failing in everything else.They haven’t been able to organize themselves; they haven’t been able to retake any of the areas that we have taken. This is the one way they can get some attention,.”

The military will continue with the strategy in place to work with the Afghan security forces and train them to assume the security load, Panetta said. NATO will fully transition the security responsibility to the Afghans by the end of 2014. Today, the Afghan security forces have responsibility for the security of more than half the population.

The fact that members of the Taliban are trying a new tactic will not dissuade NATO and the Afghan government from continuing with the strategy, he said.

“It means that our troops have to be prepared to deal with this,” the secretary said. “We’ve got a training brigade here that will be going over there. They’ve got to make sure these (Afghans) are properly screened, properly trained and they’ve got to watch each other’s backs.”

While the “green on blue” incidents are horrific and tragic, people must remember that more than “99 percent of the Afghan army are doing the right thing – they’re there, they’ve shown over the past few days that they can control these demonstrations and do what they must do.

“I’ve made clear and I will continue to make clear that, regardless of what the enemy tries to do to us, we are not going to alter our strategy in Afghanistan,” Panetta said.

During his visit to Fort Campbell and the “legendary” 101st Airborne Division based there, Panetta met with soldiers preparing to go to Afghanistan to train National Security Forces there. He also visited the Air Assault School and said the 101st already demonstrates the agility and speed the rest of the military needs to adopt.

In addition, the secretary also met with Gold Star families, who lost immediate family members in combat, and with the division’s leaders.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-afghan-war-news-talibans.html

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Taliban’s Murder Tactics Show Their Weakness Says Panetta

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Taliban’s Murder Tactics Show Their Weakness Says Panetta

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 2, 2012: The Taliban’s adoption of murder tactics is a sign of their weakness, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said here today.

There have been a number of so-called “green on blue” incidents, in which members of the Afghan army and police killed NATO International Security Assistance Force troops, since the accidental burning of Qurans at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

These incidents are being taken seriously, but the United States and NATO will not change its strategy in response, Panetta told 101st Airborne Division soldiers.

The secretary said he discussed these incidents with Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Panetta said Allen told him “the Taliban are going to resort to these kinds of criminal acts against our guys because, frankly, they are failing in everything else.They haven’t been able to organize themselves; they haven’t been able to retake any of the areas that we have taken. This is the one way they can get some attention,.”

The military will continue with the strategy in place to work with the Afghan security forces and train them to assume the security load, Panetta said. NATO will fully transition the security responsibility to the Afghans by the end of 2014. Today, the Afghan security forces have responsibility for the security of more than half the population.

The fact that members of the Taliban are trying a new tactic will not dissuade NATO and the Afghan government from continuing with the strategy, he said.

“It means that our troops have to be prepared to deal with this,” the secretary said. “We’ve got a training brigade here that will be going over there. They’ve got to make sure these (Afghans) are properly screened, properly trained and they’ve got to watch each other’s backs.”

While the “green on blue” incidents are horrific and tragic, people must remember that more than “99 percent of the Afghan army are doing the right thing – they’re there, they’ve shown over the past few days that they can control these demonstrations and do what they must do.

“I’ve made clear and I will continue to make clear that, regardless of what the enemy tries to do to us, we are not going to alter our strategy in Afghanistan,” Panetta said.

During his visit to Fort Campbell and the “legendary” 101st Airborne Division based there, Panetta met with soldiers preparing to go to Afghanistan to train National Security Forces there. He also visited the Air Assault School and said the 101st already demonstrates the agility and speed the rest of the military needs to adopt.

In addition, the secretary also met with Gold Star families, who lost immediate family members in combat, and with the division’s leaders.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-afghan-war-news-talibans.html

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Taliban’s Murder Tactics Show Their Weakness Says Panetta

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Taliban’s Murder Tactics Show Their Weakness Says Panetta

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 2, 2012: The Taliban’s adoption of murder tactics is a sign of their weakness, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said here today.

There have been a number of so-called “green on blue” incidents, in which members of the Afghan army and police killed NATO International Security Assistance Force troops, since the accidental burning of Qurans at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

These incidents are being taken seriously, but the United States and NATO will not change its strategy in response, Panetta told 101st Airborne Division soldiers.

The secretary said he discussed these incidents with Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Panetta said Allen told him “the Taliban are going to resort to these kinds of criminal acts against our guys because, frankly, they are failing in everything else.They haven’t been able to organize themselves; they haven’t been able to retake any of the areas that we have taken. This is the one way they can get some attention,.”

The military will continue with the strategy in place to work with the Afghan security forces and train them to assume the security load, Panetta said. NATO will fully transition the security responsibility to the Afghans by the end of 2014. Today, the Afghan security forces have responsibility for the security of more than half the population.

The fact that members of the Taliban are trying a new tactic will not dissuade NATO and the Afghan government from continuing with the strategy, he said.

“It means that our troops have to be prepared to deal with this,” the secretary said. “We’ve got a training brigade here that will be going over there. They’ve got to make sure these (Afghans) are properly screened, properly trained and they’ve got to watch each other’s backs.”

While the “green on blue” incidents are horrific and tragic, people must remember that more than “99 percent of the Afghan army are doing the right thing – they’re there, they’ve shown over the past few days that they can control these demonstrations and do what they must do.

“I’ve made clear and I will continue to make clear that, regardless of what the enemy tries to do to us, we are not going to alter our strategy in Afghanistan,” Panetta said.

During his visit to Fort Campbell and the “legendary” 101st Airborne Division based there, Panetta met with soldiers preparing to go to Afghanistan to train National Security Forces there. He also visited the Air Assault School and said the 101st already demonstrates the agility and speed the rest of the military needs to adopt.

In addition, the secretary also met with Gold Star families, who lost immediate family members in combat, and with the division’s leaders.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-afghan-war-news-talibans.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta Outlines U.S. Troop Changes In Europe

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta Outlines U.S. Troop Changes In Europe

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 17, 2012: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met with German Defense Minister Thomas De Maizière at the Pentagon today, as Defense Department officials announced details of planned changes in the U.S. military presence in Europe.

The Army will inactivate its Germany-based 170th and 172nd infantry brigades this year and in fiscal 2014, respectively, officials announced, as part of a change that will cut U.S. service members in Europe from about 80,000 now to about 70,000 in 2017.

"The minister understands the necessity of the shifts we are making as we work to implement our new defense strategy while meeting our fiscal responsibilities," Panetta said during a press briefing with his German counterpart.

The secretary said he and De Maizière had a productive meeting today, as they had earlier this month in both Brussels and Munich where both attended NATO defense meetings and the annual Munich Security Conference.

Panetta thanked De Maizière for his leadership both in NATO deliberations and in his nation's "very steadfast" support to the alliance-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

"Germany has been with us from the very beginning," the secretary said. "The German military plays a very important role as the lead for ISAF Regional Command North."

Germany is both a top troop contributor for ISAF and a top funding contributor for Afghan security force sustainment, he noted.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-panetta-outlines.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta Outlines U.S. Troop Changes In Europe

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta Outlines U.S. Troop Changes In Europe

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 17, 2012: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met with German Defense Minister Thomas De Maizière at the Pentagon today, as Defense Department officials announced details of planned changes in the U.S. military presence in Europe.

The Army will inactivate its Germany-based 170th and 172nd infantry brigades this year and in fiscal 2014, respectively, officials announced, as part of a change that will cut U.S. service members in Europe from about 80,000 now to about 70,000 in 2017.

"The minister understands the necessity of the shifts we are making as we work to implement our new defense strategy while meeting our fiscal responsibilities," Panetta said during a press briefing with his German counterpart.

The secretary said he and De Maizière had a productive meeting today, as they had earlier this month in both Brussels and Munich where both attended NATO defense meetings and the annual Munich Security Conference.

Panetta thanked De Maizière for his leadership both in NATO deliberations and in his nation's "very steadfast" support to the alliance-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

"Germany has been with us from the very beginning," the secretary said. "The German military plays a very important role as the lead for ISAF Regional Command North."

Germany is both a top troop contributor for ISAF and a top funding contributor for Afghan security force sustainment, he noted.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-panetta-outlines.html

DTN News: Al-Qaeda Top Stories / Headlines News Dated February 13, 2012

DTN News: Al-Qaeda Top Stories / Headlines News  Dated February 13, 2012

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 13, 2012: Comprehensive daily news related to Al-Qaeda Top Stories / Headlines News  for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related on Al-Qaeda Top Stories / Headlines News  for the world of TODAY

Suspected Bali bomber said to be key link to Al-Qaeda

Channel News Asia

He is a suspected key member of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian terror network linked toAl-Qaeda. Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has cited intelligence that Patek tried to meet Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani town of ...

See all stories on this topic »

Pakistani Taliban decry attacks against military

Pakistan Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Terrorists have called on fighters to honour an agreement not to attack the Pakistanimilitary in the most important sanctuary for the Taliban and al Qaeda along the Afghan border.Terrorists have long used North Waziristan as a base to ...

See all stories on this topic »

Implications of an Al Qaeda Syria

ABC Online

Claims by US sources that Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Laden's heir in thePakistani/Afghani-based Al Qaeda prime, personally oversaw the operation against Aleppo also seem out of character for AQI's previous track record. Following the 2001 invasion ...

See all stories on this topic »

ABC Online

Osama Bin Laden told children to move to the West

Daily Mail

Zakaria al-Sadah, whose sister is the fifth wife of the Al-Qaeda leader, said Bin Laden did not want his children and grandchildren following in the same path of terrorism like him. 'He told his own children and grandchildren, go to Europe and America ...

See all stories on this topic »

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-al-qaida-top-stories-headlines.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Budget Eyes $178.8 Billion For R&D, Procurement

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Budget Eyes $178.8 Billion For R&D, Procurement

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 12, 2012: The Pentagon's fiscal 2013 budget plan calls for spending of $178.8 billion to develop and buy new warships, fighter jets and other major weapons, a 7.5 percent drop from the level initially projected for the coming year, according to a detailed budget document obtained by Reuters.

The total acquisition amount, which includes $9.1 billion in war-related funding, is down about 12.2 percent from the level requested in last year's budget, the document shows. The fiscal 2012 acquisition request included $15.4 billion in war funding.

The fiscal 2013 plan foresees spending of $109.1 billion for procurement and $69.7 billion for research and development, compared with earlier projections of $117.6 billion for procurement and $75.7 billion for R&D.

The document shows that the U.S. military is maintaining high levels of spending on most aircraft and ships as it shifts its focus to the Asia Pacific region under a new military strategy announced last month by President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

At the same time, the Pentagon will spend $2 billion less on space programs funding for ground vehicle programs will be far lower as the U.S. military reduces the size of the Army and Marine Corps after 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It doesn't look that bad for the Air Force and Navy procurement accounts, but the Army is clearly getting less money," said Virginia-based defense consultant Jim McAleese.

He said Boeing Co, the No. 2 U.S. weapons maker, fared well in the budget overall, especially given a sharp increase in funding for the KC-46 refueling tanker from $877 mln to $1.82 billion, as did Lockheed Martin Corp, the No. 1 supplier.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, the company spun out of Northrop Grumman Corp last year, also did better than expected, with the Navy adding $781.7 billion for initial construction funding of a new aircraft carrier, and $1.6 billion for the refueling of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier.

Truck maker Oshkosh Corp was hit hard by the Army's downsizing, losing about $600 million in funding for heavy trucks and a continued slowdown in a medium vehicle program.

Panetta last month gave highlights of the 2013 budget, his first as defense secretary and the first that takes into account a deficit-reducing measure passed by Congress that requires cuts of $487 billion from projected spending over the next decade.

It is also the first Pentagon budget since the September 11, 2001, attacks that requests less funding than the year before.

Weapons makers like Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, General Dynamics Corp, Huntington Ingalls Corp and Raytheon Co have been anxiously awaiting details about their programs.

The Pentagon is due to formally release the details on Monday when Obama sends his 2013 budget request to Congress, which must approve the spending plan.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-pentagon-budget.html

DTN News - AFGHANISTAN NEWS: Afghanistan - Moving Toward A Distant Endgame

DTN News - AFGHANISTAN NEWS: Afghanistan - Moving Toward A Distant Endgame

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 7, 2012:  U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta suggested last week that the United States could wrap up combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2013, well before the longstanding 2014 deadline when full control is to be ceded to Kabul. Troops would remain in Afghanistan until 2014, as agreed upon at the 2010 Lisbon Summit, and would be engaged in two roles until at least 2014 and perhaps even later. One role would be continuing the training of Afghan security forces. The other would involve special operations troops carrying out capture or kill operations against high-value targets.

Along with this announcement, the White House gave The New York Times some details on negotiations that have been under way with the Taliban. According to the Times, Mullah Mohammad Omar, the senior-most leader of the Afghan Taliban, last summer made overtures to the White House offering negotiations. An intermediary claiming to speak for Mullah Omar delivered the proposal, an unsigned document purportedly from Mullah Omar that could not be established as authentic. The letter demanded the release of some Taliban prisoners before any talks. In spite of the ambiguities, which included a recent public denial by the Taliban that the offer came from Mullah Omar, U.S. officials, obviously acting on other intelligence, regarded the proposal as both authentic and representative of the views of the Taliban leadership and, in all likelihood, those of Mullah Omar, too.

The idea of negotiating with the Taliban is not new. Talks, as distinct from negotiations, in which specific terms are hammered out, have gone on for some time now. Several previous attempts have ended in failure, including one instance when the supposed representative proved to be a fraud. However, according to the Times report, the negotiations took on a degree of specificity last summer. They began in November 2010, initiated by a man named Tayyab Agha, who claimed to speak for Mullah Omar. The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama regards authenticating the present offer as unimportant and the intermediary as having authority; the question on the table is the release of Taliban captives as a token of American seriousness.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-afghanistan-news-afghanistan.html

DTN News - US DEFENCE BUDGET CUTS: More Drones But 80,000 Fewer Troops

DTN News - US DEFENCE BUDGET CUTS: More Drones But 80,000 Fewer Troops


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 27, 2012: The United States is to increase its fleet of unmanned drones by nearly a third and rely more on small, specially trained ground units as part of a slimmed down military.


As part of massive cuts to its budget, the army plans to shed 80,000 soldiers over the next few years, defence secretary Leon Panetta announced yesterday.


But he added the enforced belt-tightening would be an opportunity to modernise the military, with a focus on technology and the use of agile, rapid-deployment combat teams.


The US would also be refocusing it attention towards China and the Pacific, while seeking strategic partnerships in areas in which it will be cutting its presence, such as Europe.


The rethink was prompted by the need to find $487 billion (£310bn) in spending cuts over the next decade. Mr Panetta conceded it meant slashing the number of soldiers in the army from about 570,000 to 490,000 over the next decade.


Speaking from the Pentagon, he said: “The military will be smaller and leaner. But it will be agile, flexible, rapidly deployable and technologically advanced. It will be a cutting-edge force”.


He said he refused to allow the “hollowing out” of the US’s military might, and that the new strategy would “emphasise special operation forces”.


The effectiveness of these small, dedicated units was seen in the assassination of terror chief Osama bin Laden last year and the rescue of a US aid worker and her Danish colleague from Somali pirates this week.


The envisaged refocusing on smaller rotational bases will be at the expense of larger military sites, with closures expected to take place as part of the budget cuts.


There will be more money available for technologically advanced weapons and measures to counter cyber-terrorism.


Mr Panetta did not say how many more drones would be developed under the plan, but an increase of about 30 per cent has previously been reported.


Any rise in the use of umanned aircraft is likely to be met with suspicion by those who believe that their use endangers innocent life.


Figures from the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism show CIA drones stuck Pakistan 75 times in 2011, causing up to 655 fatalities. The majority of those killed were alleged militants, but as many as 126 civilians may also have lost their lives, the figures suggest.


The shrinking of the US army was signalled earlier this month in comments made by president Barack Obama.


Outlining plans to trim the armed forces, he said the US was ”turning a page on a decade of war”, with the end of hostilities in Iraq and the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-us-defence-budget-cuts-more.html