Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: October 20, 2011

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NATO Air Strike Killed Gaddafi: NTC
Al Jazeera: NATO Air Attack Killed Gaddafi, Defense Minister

NATO Proxies Claim To Have Killed Muammar Gaddafi

Libya: 26,089 NATO Air Missions, 9,618 Strike Sorties

Libya’s National Transitional Council First To Recognize Syrian National Council

Videos And Text: NATO Deploys 100 Armored Vehicles, Drones Against Kosovo Serbs

U.S. Backs GCC Allies, Tells Yemeni President To Resign

Real War Just Starting: Obama’s Fatal Afghan Gambit

NPR: Afghan, U.S. Troops Forced Civilians Onto Mined Roads

Quadrupling In Two Years: U.S. Spy Drones Swarm In Droves Over Afghanistan

Romania: Draft Law On U.S. Missiles Approved

Russia Prepares Response To U.S.-NATO Missile Deployments

U.S.-Russia Missile Shield Talks At Complete Deadlock

Belgrade: Serbs Protest U.S. Ambassador On Eve Of NATO Attack

Historic “Surge” Exercises For U.S. Combat Commands “Across The Globe”

U.S. Activates Special/Psychological Operations Units For Africa

U.S. Navy: Asia Is Crucial Global Priority

Hawaii: U.S. Pacific Command Hosts 27-Nation Military Leaders Meeting

U.S.-Philippine Military Drills Signal Strategic Shift In South China Sea

Washington To Deliver More Warships To Philippines

NATO And Russia In Geopolitical Battle For South Caucasus

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Reaffirms America’s Support For Georgia’s NATO Membership

Georgia’s Saakashvili Invokes NATO, EU Membership Against “Invaders”

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NATO Air Strike Killed Gaddafi: NTC

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-10/20/c_131203098.htm

Xinhua News Agency
October 20, 2011

NATO launches air raids in Sirte on Thursday: spokesman

BRUSSELS: NATO aircraft struck two military vehicles on Thursday as they fled Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, a NATO spokesman said.

“At approximately 0830 local time (GMT0630) today, NATO aircraft struck two pro-Qadhafi forces military vehicles which were part of a larger group maneuvering in the vicinity of Sirte,” said Colonel Roland Lavoie, spokesman for NATO’s Libyan mission.

…

The spokesman didn’t say whether Gaddafi was in the convoy or not.

A commander of the Libya NTC (National Transitional Council) said Gaddafi has been killed when an air strike hit a convoy trying to flee Sirte.

However, NATO didn’t confirm the media report that Gaddafi was captured or killed.

A NATO official told Xinhua that it is up to the NTC to confirm the alleged capture of Gaddafi, not the military alliance.

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http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/1947337.html

Trend News Agency
October 20, 2011

Media: Gaddafi is murdered
T. Konyayeva

Baku: Libya’s former leader Moamer Gaddafi was murdered during NATO’s bombing attacks on a convey of cars fleeing from Sirte, the Al Jazeera reported.

His dead body was brought to the city of Misrata.

Earlier, Aljazeera reported that Gaddafi was wounded in the leg and arrested together with his son, Motasem.

Former Libya’s Defense Minister Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr was also killed during the air strikes.

…

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NATO Proxies Claim To Have Killed Muammar Gaddafi

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-10/20/c_131203056.htm

Xinhua News Agency
October 20, 2011

Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi dies of wounds, NTC field commander tells Xinhua

SIRTE, Libya: Libya’s fallen leader Muammar Gaddafi died of his wounds on Thursday, a National Transitional Council (NTC) field commander told Xinhua.

The commander, Momhemed Buras Ali Al-Maknee, told Xinhua earlier a group of fighters from the western Libyan city of Misrata captured Gaddafi in Sirte, who had been severely injured.

The allegation on Gaddafi’s death has not yet been officially confirmed by the NTC.
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http://en.rian.ru/world/20111020/167898653.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
October 20, 2011

Muammar Gaddafi dead – reports

Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has died of his injuries near his hometown of Sirte, the National Transitional Council said on Thursday.

The ousted [leader] was reportedly captured, wounded in both legs and taken away in an ambulance.

According to some reports, Gaddafi was also hit in his head during an NTC raid on Sirte.

Earlier reports said Gaddafi was captured and “critically injured.”

However, Al Libya, a TV channel loyal to Gaddafi, has denied the reports.

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Libya: 26,089 NATO Air Missions, 9,618 Strike Sorties

http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_10/20111020_111020-oup-update.pdf

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
October 20, 2011

NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ

…

Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:

Air Operations

Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 26,089 sorties, including 9,618 strike sorties, have been conducted.

Sorties conducted 19 OCTOBER: 67

Strike sorties conducted 19 OCTOBER: 16

…

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Libya’s National Transitional Council First To Recognize Syrian National Council

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=157684

Azeri Press Agency
October 19, 2011

Libya’s new leaders recognize Syrian opposition

Baku: A senior Libyan official says the country’s transitional government has formally recognized the Syrian opposition’s council as the country’s legitimate representative, making it the first country to do so, APA reports quoting AP.

Members of the Syrian National Council are visiting the Libyan capital to drum up support for their 7-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad. The Syrian council is a broad-based opposition umbrella group that was formed in September.

Hassan al-Sughayer, a member of Libya’s National Transitional Council, told reporters Wednesday in Tripoli that the NTC has formally recognized the Syrian council’s legitimacy as the representative of the Syrian people.

Syria’s government has threatened tough measures against any country that recognizes the opposition council.

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Videos And Text: NATO Deploys 100 Armored Vehicles, Drones Against Kosovo Serbs

http://rt.com/news/nato-tear-gas-kosovo-259/

RT
October 20, 2011

Tear gas at the barricades: NATO sprays Serb protests

Video

NATO peacekeepers have used tear gas against Serb protesters in northern Kosovo. They dispersed the crowd in order to start dismantling barricades erected in a protest against deployment of customs checkpoints on the border.

Some 300 Serbs tried to prevent the Kosovo peacekeeping force (KFOR) from tearing down the barricades, but the soldiers were armed with anti-riot equipment to cordon off the barricaded area, reports RT’s Maria Finoshina.

KFOR used loudspeakers to try to convince the Serb to go home, but it failed to help. There was a lot of shouting from both parties, but otherwise the conflict was not violent.

NATO soldiers fired tear gas grenades at the protesters and managed to disperse them, says AFP. RT’s Maria Finoshina says it was more likely pepper spray than tear has. She adds KFOR is erecting a barbed wire fence to isolate Serbs from the barricade and threatens to use force against them.

At least 100 armed transport vehicles are involved in the operation, which is aimed at removing the 16 barricades on the border. KFOR is also using a number of drones, which are circling over the area of the conflict.

No injuries were immediately reported. The actual dismantling of the barricades has not started yet and Serbs are watching KFOR actions closely.

The situation remains tense with fears high that it could escalate into violence.

NATO action follows a week of tense negotiations with the protesters, which failed to produce a peaceful solution.

Serbs living in northern Kosovo had blocked two cross-border roads into Belgrade-controlled Serbian territory in July. The move was in a protest by Pristina’s plan to take over checkpoints at the crossings.

This was meant to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia, which was part of a trade dispute with Belgrade. Officials in Pristina said ethnic Serbian customs officers had sabotaged the ban and planned to replace them with ethnic Albanians.

Northern Kosovo is home to some 40,000 Serbs, who constitute a majority in several towns in the area. They do not recognize the Albanian government in Pristina. Many of them complain of persecution by Albanians.

John Laughland from the Paris-based Institute for Democracy and Co-operation blames KFOR for igniting the border tension.

“What’s happening today in northern Kosovo is the direct result of this ridiculous idea that Kosovo can be an independent state. KFOR and EULEX, the European Union authorities, which now run Kosovo – illegally, by the way, because only the UN has authority in Kosovo – are determined to push this policy through to its logical conclusion. I’m afraid it’s a very bad sign for those Serbs who are hanging on to the north of the province,” he told RT.

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U.S. Backs GCC Allies, Tells Yemeni President To Resign

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=157704

Azeri Press Agency
October 20, 2011

US says Yemen’s Saleh should sign deal to quit

Baku: The United States called Wednesday on Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign without delay a deal for him to quit, rejecting his call for international guarantees on a timetable, APA reports.

The embattled leader said earlier Wednesday that he was willing to sign a deal brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to quit after 33 years in office but wanted US and European guarantees on the timetable.

“We don’t believe any further guarantees are necessary,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.

“We would just urge that President Saleh fulfill his pledge to sign the GCC agreement without further delay (and) arrange for presidential elections to be held before the end of the year within the framework of that agreement,” he said.

Violence has raged in recent days in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, with troops loyal to Saleh using deadly force against anti-regime protesters.

Saleh did not elaborate on the timetable he was seeking, but the GCC initiative calls for him to hand over to the vice president 30 days after the agreement is signed, with an election after 60 days.

A prime minister from the opposition would lead a national unity government and Saleh and his aides would be granted immunity from prosecution.

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Real War Just Starting: Obama’s Fatal Afghan Gambit

http://rt.com/news/afghanistan-us-troop-death-209/

RT
October 19, 2011

Obama’s fatal Afghan gambit
­William Echols

The total number of US troops killed in Afghanistan has officially doubled since President Barack Obama took office less than three years ago. But as the US president claims the conflict is drawing down, the real war might just be getting started.

­The number of US troops killed in the decade long war in Afghanistan reached 1,728 over the weekend, according to the latest figures from icausalities.org. With some 575 troop deaths recorded during the seven years the Bush administration prosecuted the war, the latest figures show that the total number of war dead has more than doubled under Obama’s watch.

The spike in US casualties indicates the dramatic escalation in military operations since President Obama’s announced his surge policy before cadets at West Point Military Academy.

While there were some 31,000 US troops serving there by the end of 2008, troop levels in the country have seen a twofold increase since 2009. But as US causalities grew at a rate parallel with the increase of soldiers on the ground, President Obama claimed the war was actually beginning to wind down.

Speaking from the White House on June 22, he told the American people “we can take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding. Fewer of our sons and daughters are serving in harm’s way. We have ended our combat mission in Iraq, with 100,000 American troops already out of that country. And even as there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end.”

But as the tide of war “receded,” this past August would mark the deadliest month for US forces since the war began, with some 66 soldiers reportedly killed.

The following month, Taliban insurgents would launch a brazen attack on the US embassy in the heart of Kabul. While the US ambassador in Afghanistan played down the September 14 embassy attack as being “no big deal,” many Afghans have come to believe that the Taliban is increasingly establishing a foothold in the once secure capital.

­Obama goes for broke

­President’s Obama’s doubling down in Afghanistan and the ensuing violence it inspired hinged on a threefold set of goals.

“When I announced this surge at West Point, we set clear objectives: to refocus on al-Qaida; reverse the Taliban’s momentum; and train Afghan security forces to defend their own country.”

In regards to Al-Qaida, the dwindling number of foreign fighters actively operating in Afghanistan has rendered them mostly irrelevant in the ongoing struggle for the future of the country.

In fact, the real problem seems to lie in making ethnic Pashtuns, who compromise some 42 per cent of the population and share deep preexisting cultural and religious ties with the Taliban, loyal to the notoriously corrupt Karzai government.

The United States attempts to defeat a cultural mindset through military means might shed light on the difficulties in stamping out the insurgency via increased troop levels.

The Taliban have long recognized what they believe is a failed strategy on behalf of the United States and NATO forces to fight the Afghans into submission.

And any hopes of finding a peace with the Taliban through negotiations fell through when the former President Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed by a suicide bomber last month. Rabanni, who was serving as the head of Karzai’s Peace Council, had been tasked with reaching out to the insurgents. And while Karzai vowed to stop talks with the Taliban, Rabanni’s death represented a clear blow to the Afghan president’s ability to effectively govern.

Such chaos seems to be perfectly in line with the Taliban strategy.

“In the past nine years, the invaders could not establish any system of governance in Kabul and they will never be able to do so in future,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid proclaimed, as cited by Al Arabiya.

Perhaps recognizing that the insurgency has actually grown despite the intensification of military operations, President Obama’s assertion that the “Afghan people will be responsible for the own security” is less cut and dry then it might have originally appeared.

According to the Telegraph, US and Afghan officials are expected to sign a strategic pact before the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in December which would could see up to 25,000 American troops staying in Afghanistan until 2024.

But as many Afghans increasingly view the war as a struggle against foreign occupiers, the decision to maintain a seemingly permanent military presence in Afghanistan could prove that the increased bloodshed seen in recent times might only be a sign of things to come.

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NPR: Afghan, U.S. Troops Forced Civilians Onto Mined Roads

http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/afghanistan/npr-afghan-soldiers-with-u-s-mentors-present-forced-civilians-to-walk-mined-road-1.158251

Stars and Stripes
October 20, 2011

NPR: Afghan soldiers, with U.S. mentors present, forced civilians to walk mined road

Villagers in southern Afghanistan say that Afghan troops, along with several American mentors, forced civilians to march ahead of soldiers on roads where the Taliban were believed to have planted bombs and landmines, National Public Radio reported Thursday on its website.

No one was hurt, according to the NPR report. If the allegations are true, NPR noted, the act would appear to violate the Geneva Conventions governing the treatment of civilians.

…

Faizal Mahmud, the deputy head of Panjwai’s council of elders told NPR that village elders and residents from the hamlets of Zangabat, Talukan and Mushan all told a similar story: Afghan troops, accompanied by American soldiers, pulled them out of their homes, lined them up and forced them to walk in front of the soldiers for more than a mile, through areas believed to be mined by the Taliban.

Col. Daniel J. W. King, a spokesman for NATO’s joint command, said an investigation is under way.

…

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http://www.npr.org/2011/10/20/141518344/afghan-civilians-allegedly-forced-onto-mined-roads

National Public Radio
October 20, 2011

Afghan Civilians Allegedly Forced Onto Mined Roads
By Quil Lawrence

Villagers from a violent part of southern Afghanistan say that Afghan troops, along with several American mentors, forced civilians to march ahead of soldiers on roads where the Taliban were believed to have planted bombs and landmines.

No one was hurt. But if the allegations are true, the act would appear to violate the Geneva Conventions governing the treatment of civilians. The episode also raises questions about how civilians are caught between the two sides in the war.

The Afghan general in charge of Afghan troops in the Panjwai district, southwest of Kandahar, vehemently denied that any such incident took place. Panjwai’s district governor also denied it. Meanwhile, a spokesman for NATO’s joint command said the incident is under investigation.

Villagers’ Accounts Of Forced March

The Panjwai district was a Taliban fortress for years, until the U.S. troop surge in 2010 began to displace the insurgents. At first, the violence spiked, as U.S. and Afghan troops brought the front line through Panjwai and other districts outside Kandahar.

Now, for the first time in several years, the 20-minute drive out to Panjwai is safe enough for regular traffic. But that doesn’t mean the Taliban are gone.

These days, the Taliban fight with roadside bombs and suicide bombers, says Faizal Mahmud, the deputy head of Panjwai’s council of elders. His constituents tell him they feel caught between the insurgents and Afghan government forces with their American allies. Last month that went to extremes, Mahmud told NPR in an interview.

Mahmud said scores of villagers came to the district meeting hall in Panjwai to complain last month. Along with their village elders, people from the hamlets of Zangabad, Talukan and Mushan all told a similar story. They said Afghan troops, accompanied by American soldiers, pulled them out of their homes one evening in early September.

Mahmud said the soldiers detained a group of villagers, lined them up and forced them to walk in front of the soldiers for over a mile, through areas believed to be mined by the Taliban. Mahmud’s story was corroborated by local residents, including a truck driver from Talukan who goes by one name, Hamidullah.

“They brought in people from all the villages on the sides of the main paved road. The Taliban had told us not to go through this way because there were a lot of mines. All of the road to the next village was mined. But the soldiers told us to keep walking in front of them,” Hamidullah told NPR.

Other local residents reached by phone told the same story. Ahmad, a 22-year-old man from Zangabad village, said he was also forced to walk through what he believed to be a mined road.

“They kept telling us to show the mines. We said we didn’t know where the Taliban planted mines. Then they told us to move forward to the next village, on the way if anything happens, you are responsible for the consequences. We kept praying, oh, God, save us,” Ahmad told NPR.

Allegations Under Scrutiny

Col. Daniel J. W. King, a spokesman for NATO’s joint command, said an investigation into the incident is under way.

“We take all allegations of human rights violations very seriously. At this time there is no credible information or evidence to substantiate these claims. It is our top priority to continue to assess the situation, and if any information or evidence does come to light, we’ll take the appropriate legal actions,” he said, adding that he cannot answer further questions about what is now an ongoing investigation.

Reporting in Panjwai is still dangerous, which limits the possibility of confirming exactly what took place in the villages and how closely involved international forces may have been.

Multiple sources have confirmed, however, that on Sept. 18 and 19, a large number of elders from the community did meet at the Panjwai district center, where Afghan and American officials apologized to them for the incident and promised it wouldn’t happen again, according to the deputy head of the elder’s council, Faizal Mahmud. His boss, the district governor, and the Afghan general in charge deny any such meeting took place. But Mahmud described it in detail to NPR.

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Quadrupling In Two Years: U.S. Spy Drones Swarm In Droves Over Afghanistan

http://rt.com/usa/news/afghanistan-us-drones-nato-243/

RT
October 19, 2011

American spy drones swarm in droves over Afghanistan

Following a surprise visit in Libya earlier this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unannounced stop in Afghanistan today. She’s not the only American export people overseas are getting used to seeing, though.

In the first nine months of 2011 leading up to the 10-year anniversary of the Afghan War, US-led spy drones operating with NATO conducted nearly 23,000 surveillance missions in the Afghanistan sky.

With nearly 85 flights a day, that figure is nearly double the daily amount from only two years earlier.

In 2009, daily spy mission by NATO drones occurred 22 times a day. Though the Obama administration has assured America that the US military’s presence in Afghanistan is being diminished more and more in the days to come, the number of robotic, unmanned spy planes conducting surveillance operations has only skyrocketed, amounting to nearly four times the amount daily now compared with statistics from only two years ago.

As criticism continues to surround the controversial aircraft, it looks as if the US is doing little to halt its drone operations. This summer the military announced that they would be increasing their fleet of Global Hawk spy drones by more than 50 new planes at a cost of $23 billion, despite the president insuring America that the war in Afghanistan is coming to a close and the United States continues to hemorrhage money, made more severe by a military that spends more than any other country in the world several times over.

Although the Pentagon insists that drone aircraft are crucial to the Department of Defense, problems continue to amass pertaining to its expensive fleet. RT reported only last week that a computer virus recently infiltrated the drone’s command center, to which the military’s network operations team was unaware of until the news made its way to the Internet. The Air Force responded by saying that the infectious worm was “more of a nuisance than a threat,” but meanwhile civilians across the Middle East, Africa and Asia see the biggest threat as the US military itself — drones have taken hundreds of lives since the American military added the stealth craft to its arsenal.

Just this week the US government admitted that miscommunication between remotely located drone operators led to the deaths of two Americans.

As the Pentagon adds to the number of drones to aid in NATO missions over Afghanistan, attacks by insurgents have gone up by nearly 50 percent since 2009, reveals a media brief issued last month from the Afghanistan International Security Assistance force. Despite what appears to be an ineffective battle complicated by drone aircraft, the US is continuing its operations with full force. The US is currently constructing new bases in remote locations in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to more quickly conduct operations over areas considered a threat to American defense.

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Romania: Draft Law On U.S. Missiles Approved

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/E/EU_ROMANIA_US_MISSILE_SHIELD?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-19-09-27-55

Associated Press
October 19, 2011

Romania approves draft law on US missile shield

BUCHAREST, Romania: Romania’s government has approved a draft law that permits the building of an anti-ballistic interceptor site in the country as part of a U.S. missile shield.

Romania and the U.S. signed an accord in September to install interceptors at Deveselu former air base near Romania’s border with Bulgaria.

The government on Wednesday approved the law, which must now be voted by Parliament this year.

…

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Russia Prepares Response To U.S.-NATO Missile Deployments

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/10/19/59011890.html

Itar-Tass
October 19, 2011

Russia prepares its response to Euro ABMs

Russia is preparing its response over Euro ABM deployment in Europe, the country’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Wednesday. He noted that the country will still talk the issue over with the US and Moscow and Washington will try to settle it by the Chicago summit and Russia-NATO Council in May 2012.

Russia hasn’t accepted the invitation yet and this is up to a new president that will be elected in March 2012. Rogozin wouldn’t recommend to hold the Council if the US gives no specific and constructive proposals by that time.

Now the diplomat considers the situation to be at a standstill.

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U.S.-Russia Missile Shield Talks At Complete Deadlock

http://en.rian.ru/world/20111019/167871608.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
October 19, 2011

U.S.-Russia missile defense talks deadlocked

Moscow: Missile defense talks between Russia and the United States are deadlocked, but Moscow will not make concessions at the expense of its own security, Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday.

Ellen Tauscher, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security said on Tuesday that the United States was ready to offer Russia written assurances that the NATO-backed Euro missile defense shield being built is not directed against the country. She, however, refused to provide any legally binding commitments demanded by Moscow.

“The missile defense talks with the United States have come to a complete deadlock,” Rogozin said.

“We will continue the talks, there is still time, but little,” he added, recalling that a NATO summit will be held in Chicago in May 2012. “It’s quite possible that we will combine certain response measures and continuation of talks. But the the president has the last word.”

“Our position is not rock solid; it is very intelligent and open to compromise, we offer different outcomes,” Rogozin said.

Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European missile defense system at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010. NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system with full-scale interoperability.

Washington has invited Russia to use its own radars to measure the test-flight of one or more U.S. interceptor missiles.

Russia has agreed to cooperate on the new system, but warned it may strengthen its own defenses if it is not made a full partner in the U.S.-led shield.

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Belgrade: Serbs Protest U.S. Ambassador On Eve Of NATO Attack

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=10&dd=19&nav_id=76935

Tanjug News Agency
October 19, 2011

MPs protest U.S. ambassador’s presence

BELGRADE: The opposition SRS party protested in parliament today because of a meeting between the Group of Friendship with the U.S. and U.S. Ambassador Mary Warlick.

About ten SRS MPs blocked the entrance to the hall where the meeting with Warlick, in view of 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, was due to begin.

After 20 minutes, the Radicals stepped away.

During the brief protest, the Radicals carried banners saying “We will not forgive you our children,” “Stop killing Serbs in Kosovo,” “NATO = crime,” and “Bloody Mary.” They also sang the national anthem.

After the incident, SRS MP Boris Aleksić criticized the government for receiving Warlick at the Serbian parliament at the moment when, as he said, NATO is getting ready to attack the Serbs’ barricades in Kosovo.

Aleksić accused the government that Warlick arrived at the Assembly to “give them orders to jointly plan the operation against the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.”

He said this is the reason why SRS MPs gathered in front of the hall, “where the government is celebrating relations with the U.S.”

Aleksić stressed his colleagues wish to send a clear message that “the U.S. has been carrying out a crime against the Serbian people for 20 years, and is now preparing to do away with them once and for all.”

“They did not allow us to attend the meeting. What is it that they are hiding from MPs,” wondered Aleksić.

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Historic “Surge” Exercises For U.S. Combat Commands “Across The Globe”

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123276362

U.S. Air Force
October 18, 2011

Historic ‘surge’ exercises airlift crisis, contingency response
by Maj. Michael Meridith
18th Air Force Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – A surge of C-5 Galaxies, slated to take place Oct. 17-21, will bring together 18 active-duty and 23 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command crews and aircraft to fly cargo in support of combatant commanders across the globe.

The assembly of the nation’s largest military airlifters will more than double its normal day-to-day workload, exercising the ability of U.S. Transportation Command and its air component, Air Forces Transportation, to rapidly provide strategic airlift in response to large-scale crises and contingencies, officials said.

…

“The 41 daily missions will more than double the 18 we normally execute on a typical day,” said Maj. Sandy Thompson, the AFTRANS lead planner. “To put it in a historical context, the best C-5 daily achievement since 2007 was 33 C-5s flown.”

With its ability to carry more than any other U.S. military aircraft and to fly 6,000 miles without refueling, the C-5 has been a “workhorse” for the Air Force since the 1970s, according to the Air Force fact sheet. In addition, the C-5 can transport fully equipped combat units rapidly anywhere in the world and then provide the support needed to sustain them.

In total, six total force units will provide aircraft and crews for the surge, illustrating what officials here describe as a “seamless integration of active-duty and reserve component forces.”

…

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U.S. Activates Special/Psychological Operations Units For Africa

http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2011/10/19/1130996?sac=Mil

Fayetteville Observer
October 19, 2011

Birth of 7th Military Information Support Battalion is a special event
By Henry Cuningham

-The 7th is the final battalion to be activated as part of the growth of military information support operations, formerly known as psychological operations.
Those soldiers’ job is to convey selected information to foreign audiences to influence emotions, behavior, reasoning and behavior.
-The Army on Aug. 26 provisionally activated the 8th MISO group to oversee half of the Army’s active-duty battalions. The 8th Group has about 1,000 soldiers…Plans call for Fort Bragg to have about 2,700 MISO soldiers within three years…

The 7th Military Information Support Battalion was activated Tuesday, looking backward to its World War II heritage and forward to operating in Africa.

…

The airborne battalion will add between 200 and 250 soldiers and their families to the Fort Bragg community.

…

The unit flag was unfurled with campaign streamers from Normandy, northern France, the Rhineland, the Bulge and central Europe.

Soldiers of the newly activated battalion stood in formation in the maroon beret of paratroopers during the ceremony at Meadows Field at U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters.

The 7th is the final battalion to be activated as part of the growth of military information support operations, formerly known as psychological operations.

Those soldiers’ job is to convey selected information to foreign audiences to influence emotions, behavior, reasoning and behavior.

The battalion will work for the special operations commander of Africa Command, which has headquarters in Germany and oversees U.S. military activity in Africa.

…

[Col. Reginald] Bostick is commander of the 4th MISO Group, the battalion’s higher headquarters. The group has between 650 and 800 soldiers, Bostick said.

“We have violent, extremist organizations that are operating on the continent of Africa,” Evans said after the ceremony. “As a special operations unit, specifically military information support operations, we influence the population to not support those organizations.”

…

The Army on Aug. 26 provisionally activated the 8th MISO group to oversee half of the Army’s active-duty battalions. The 8th Group has about 1,000 soldiers, said Col. Brian Cavanaugh, the commander.

Plans call for Fort Bragg to have about 2,700 MISO soldiers within three years, said Michael Miller, an Army civilian in charge of force management.

The MISO groups belong to U.S. Army Special Operations Command, which oversees specially trained forces that usually work in small groups in austere or hostile overseas locations.

MISO, civil affairs and Special Forces battalions are oriented to geographic regions of the world. Their soldiers are trained in the languages and cultures of those regions.

The 7th Battalion’s soldiers mostly speak French, whose use on the continent is widespread from the colonial past, Evans said. Some speak Swahili, which is widely spoken in east Africa. A few speak Arabic.

The Army on Friday activated the 92nd Civil Affairs Battalion, which will add 230 soldiers to Fort Bragg. The 92nd is the fifth and final battalion of the expanding 95th Civil Affairs Brigade.

Growth in civil affairs and MISO is expected to replace the 2,000 soldiers of 7th Special Forces Group who relocated this year from Fort Bragg to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

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U.S. Navy: Asia Is Crucial Global Priority

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hg2VI875DlrXiOMzosiFMyTFhpbw?docId=CNG.1b8d06e6744ae77bf443892ad3eb4d4e.281

Agence France-Presse
October 19, 2011

For US Navy, Asia is crucial priority: admiral
By Dan De Luce

-The Navy now constantly maintains an aircraft carrier – the USS George Washington – in the Pacific, compared to 10 years ago when a carrier was available only 70 percent of the time…
US officials have vowed to expand the American naval presence in Southeast Asia and to uphold “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea, despite China’s territorial claims in the area.
-Greenert cited a new agreement to station four US destroyers in the Spanish port of Rota for NATO’s new missile defense system as an example of more efficient “forward” deployments, which are designed to save time, fuel and personnel costs.
-The pace of operations has increased in the past decade due to the new missile defense mission using Aegis ships, counter-piracy and counter-proliferation efforts and a decision to keep two aircraft carrier groups in the Arabian Sea at all times as well as amphibious ship groups, according to Greenert.

WASHINGTON: The US Navy views the Asia-Pacific region as a top strategic priority even as it faces possible budget cuts that could curtail other global missions, the naval chief said Wednesday.

With China’s clout rising and its military might expanding, President Barack Obama’s deputies and military commanders increasingly portray Asia as a key to American national security.

The new chief of naval operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, echoed that view and suggested growing pressure on the US defense budget would not derail plans to focus on the Pacific region.

“Asia will be clearly a priority and we will adjust our operations accordingly,” Greenert told reporters in a teleconference.

The Navy now constantly maintains an aircraft carrier – the USS George Washington – in the Pacific, compared to 10 years ago when a carrier was available only 70 percent of the time, he said.

US officials have vowed to expand the American naval presence in Southeast Asia and to uphold “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea, despite China’s territorial claims in the area.

Apart from Asia, the Navy also needs to ensure a presence around the world but budget pressures will require having to make “trade-offs” when it comes to operations and joint exercises with partners, the admiral said.

“If you’re not in some areas of the world at all, then things can fester there and become a bigger problem later,” he said.

“The trade-offs become how we distribute our Navy around the world both from the perspective of security operations and also exercises with allies,” he said.

…

Greenert cited a new agreement to station four US destroyers in the Spanish port of Rota for NATO’s new missile defense system as an example of more efficient “forward” deployments, which are designed to save time, fuel and personnel costs.

…

The pace of operations has increased in the past decade due to the new missile defense mission using Aegis ships, counter-piracy and counter-proliferation efforts and a decision to keep two aircraft carrier groups in the Arabian Sea at all times as well as amphibious ship groups, according to Greenert.

…

Greenert, who took over as naval chief last month, spoke to reporters from Newport, Rhode Island, where he addressed an international conference on sea power.

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Hawaii: U.S. Pacific Command Hosts 27-Nation Military Leaders Meeting

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/132051473.html

Associated Press
October 18, 2011

Asia-Pacific military leaders meet in Hawaii

Senior military leaders from around the Asian-Pacific region are gathering on Oahu this week for a conference hosted by Adm. Robert Willard, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command.

Representatives from 27 nations including Australia, Japan, and South Korea are attending the meeting at a Ko Olina hotel.

The Pacific Command says the annual Chiefs of Defense Conference is meant to bring leaders together to discuss security challenges, improve relationships, and foster cooperation.

Last year’s conference was held in Seoul and was co-hosted by the U.S. and South Korea. The four-day meeting ends Thursday.

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U.S.-Philippine Military Drills Signal Strategic Shift In South China Sea

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/10389/u-s-philippine-military-drills-signal-strategic-shift-in-manila

World Politics Review/Trend Lines
October 19, 2011

U.S.-Philippine Military Drills Signal Strategic Shift in Manila
By Guy Taylor

Some 3,000 U.S. and Filipino marines have begun two weeks of joint training drills, including a hostile beach-assault exercise near the Spratly Islands – a patchwork of islets and atolls at the center of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

While U.S. military officials assert the drills are not aimed at China or any other country as a specific target, Marvin Ott, an Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, says they represent an obvious strategic move by Washington to counter growing Chinese efforts to claim sovereignty and exert dominance over the South China Sea.

“This exercise is a tangible and logical early expression of what will I think be an emerging posture of U.S. deterrence in the South China Sea, meaning deterrence vis-à-vis the Chinese military,” Ott told Trend Lines on Tuesday.

Perhaps more importantly, Filipino “support for an exercise like this is a statement that the Philippines are ready to play an important role in the strategic stance designed to cope with the rise of China.”

…

“What’s happening now is quite dramatic, sort of a 180 degree shift compared to where the Philippines has been over the better part of the past 20 years,” said Ott. He added that the joint military exercise is designed to send a message…

“It also represents a complete volte-face from the tone and tenor of U.S.-Philippine relations during the Arroyo period,” he added. “The Philippines has in effect stepped forward as a serious player in what will become an emerging strategic game in Southeast Asia, in particular within the context of the South China Sea.”

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Washington To Deliver More Warships To Philippines

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/10/19/11/ph-navy-chief-eyes-2nd-us-warship

ABS-CBN News
October 19, 2011

PH Navy chief eyes 2nd US warship
by Rodney Jaleco

-Rear Admiral Orwen Cortez, Philippine Navy vice commander, is scheduled to visit the US in early November to inspect another Hamilton-class all-weather high-endurance cutter (WHEC) that could be retired and turned over to the Philippines next year.   
A first Hamilton-class cutter was turned over earlier this year and is now deployed with forces patrolling western Palawan.   
The third Hamilton-class cutter is projected to be acquired by the Philippine Navy in 2013.
Pama also revealed that they are now preparing to acquire some missile technology.

WASHINGTON D.C. – The Philippine Navy will likely get its second Hamilton-class cutter next year, boosting its capability to patrol the country’s maritime borders even as it races to finally acquire missiles for its ships.
 
But Vice Adm. Alexander Pama, Navy Flag Officer-in-Command (FOIC), said the bigger challenge is not in getting the new weapons the Philippine Navy needs but in improving its “absorptive capacity” to operate and maintain them.
 
“We have to consider everything,” he told ABS-CBN News. “Buying equipment is the easiest thing to do. The more difficult part is the capability of people because for so long we were concentrated on helping in the counter-insurgency effort. Now we’re shifting to external defense and a conventional navy. That needs a re-adjustment of the skills of our people and that doesn’t happen overnight.”
 
…
 
Pama was on his way to the biennial Sea Power Symposium in Newport, Rhode Island where he will address about 70 chiefs of navies from all over the world on “maritime terrorism”. The event is organized by the US Navy.
 
He stopped briefly in Washington DC to brief think tank groups on the state of the Philippine Navy and naval challenges in the South China Sea.
 
…
 
[A]s the Philippine Navy’s focus turn increasingly on the Spratly Islands and the country’s need to tap its vast resources, Pama stressed that “no matter what and no matter with what, we will carry out our mandate even if all we can do is spit on them.”
 
Pama said they are laying down plans to upgrade the Philippine Navy’s capabilities all the way to the end President Aquino’s term…
 
Rear Admiral Orwen Cortez, Philippine Navy vice commander, is scheduled to visit the US in early November to inspect another Hamilton-class all-weather high-endurance cutter (WHEC) that could be retired and turned over to the Philippines next year.
 
A first Hamilton-class cutter was turned over earlier this year and is now deployed with forces patrolling western Palawan.
 
The third Hamilton-class cutter is projected to be acquired by the Philippine Navy in 2013.
 
Pama also revealed that they are now preparing to acquire some missile technology. The Philippine military is the only one in Southeast Asia that still does not have missiles.  “It’s in the drawing board. I can’t say when but if things turn out as planned, it will be more sooner than later,” he told ABS-CBN News.
 
…

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NATO And Russia In Geopolitical Battle For South Caucasus

http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/2466_october_19_2011/2466_econ_two.html

The Messenger
October 19, 2011

Europe and Russia in Geopolitical Battle for South Caucasus

The leader of one of Armenia’s opposition parties, Aram Karapetian, recently stated that Europe and Russia are carrying out a serious geopolitical battle for the South Caucasus.

The receent visit of French President Nicholas Sarkozy in the region could also be understood as a part of this battle. Sarkozy wanted to see the situation in the region personally and in particular Karapetian thinks that France will be promoting Armenia for integration into the EU and NATO.

Karapetian also touched upon the issue of the Eurasian Union promoted by Russia expressing his positive assessment of the organization. The only obstacle in the way of development of this region Karapetian thinks is the Karabakh conflict.

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U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Reaffirms America’s Support For Georgia’s NATO Membership

http://rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=43499&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth=

Rustavi 2
October 19, 2011

Deputy Secretary of State meets with Georgian journalists in Tbilisi

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met with Georgian journalists in Tbilisi today and discussed democratic development, free media, independent court and prospects of Georgia`s integration into NATO with them.

“President Obama and Secretary Clinton attach big significance to our partnership with Georgia. The U.S. is deeply proud of the relationships between our two countries. We have a shared interest in advancing democracy, in strengthening peace and security in this region…

“Let me just make a few points: first – the American people deeply appreciate Georgia`s contribution of troops to the International Security Assistance in Afghanistan. I want to personally thank the Georgian people and especially the families of the soldiers…

“Second – as President Obama has stressed on many occasions, the United States remains strongly committed to Georgia`s territorial integrity and sovereignty, also your aspiration to become a member of NATO.

“Third – we will use the Georgia-U.S. strategic partnership format to assist self-defense, trade, democratic institutions, deepening inter-personal relations and in other fields…”

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Georgia’s Saakashvili Invokes NATO, EU Membership Against “Invaders”

http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/2466_october_19_2011/2466_misha.html

The Messenger
October 19, 2011

Saakashvili: Our land must be returned by peaceful means

Our land must be returned by peaceful means. It is our territory, where the graves of our ancestors are located, our homes, the place where we were born, and the schools where we grew up, President Mikheil Saakashvili stated at the opening ceremony of a new settlement for IDPs in Poti on October 17.

…

The president also focused attention on the Russian aggression…

“I want to tell the conquerors, who are currently on our soil, and everyone else that their plans have not succeeded…,” the president stated.

…

Saakashvili talked about Georgia’s NATO and EU membership and emphasized that Georgia had never been so close to achieving its goals as now.

“Never before we have been so close to achieving our historic goals as now; never before we have been so [close] to NATO and never before we have been so close to EU as now. Although our invader still rules [in parts] of our territories…our invaders have never before had so few chances as now,” the president said.

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