World Bulletin/News Desk
The United States has a proven and enduring commitment to Middle East security, backed by diplomatic engagement and a fierce array of warplanes, ships, tanks, artillery and 35,000 troops, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel told Gulf Arab leaders on Saturday.
The U.S. defense secretary, speaking at a regional security forum, acknowledged Gulf leaders' concerns about the direction of U.S. policy in the Middle East, especially negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. But he said the U.S. emphasis on diplomacy should not be misinterpreted.
"We know diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum," Hagel said. "Our success will continue to hinge on America's military power, and the credibility of our assurances to our allies and partners in the Middle East."
Hagel's remarks to the Manama Dialogue security forum in Bahrain came at a time of heightened tension in the relationship between Washington and its longtime Gulf Arab partners.
"Iran has been a profoundly destabilizing influence, and a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable threat to regional and global stability," the U.S. defense chief said.
He said the accord "bought time for meaningful negotiation, not for deception" and that U.S. diplomacy would ultimately be backed up by the military commitments and cooperation it has with regional partners.
"As America emerges from a long period of war, it will not shirk its responsibilities," Hagel said, citing decades of U.S. involvement in the Middle East. "America's commitment to this region is proven. And it is enduring."
"Security commitment"
To underscore the scope of the U.S. security commitment to the region, Hagel outlined the array of American military forces in the area, including more than 35,000 military personnel "in and immediately around the Gulf." Included in that figure were 10,000 Army soldiers with tanks, artillery and helicopters.
He said the United States has deployed its most advanced fighter aircraft in the region, including the radar-evading F-22.
More than 40 Navy vessels patrol the waters nearby, including an aircraft carrier and its supporting warships, Hagel said. U.S. Navy ships have steamed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the gulf some 50 times in the past six months in the name of ensuring freedom of navigation.
Hagel also cited the United States military facilities in the region, including Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, where the Pentagon has a $580 million expansion program under way, and the combined air operations center in Qatar.
The Pentagon chief proposed new steps to improve security cooperation, including regular discussions of missile defense with the region's air chiefs and allowing the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to purchase U.S. defense systems as an organization to encourage regional cooperation.
"Significant interest" in F-35 from Gulf
Meanwhile, strong demand from Gulf countries for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet has prompted Washington to grapple with the thorny question about releasing the jet to the region sooner than expected, a senior U.S. defense official said.
Washington has already approved sales of the new stealth fighter to a range of allies, including Turkey, South Korea, Japan and Israel, but sales to the Gulf require a deeper review given U.S. policy guidelines that call for Israel to maintain a qualitative military edge in the Middle East.
Talk about selling the plane to the United Arab Emirates and other U.S. allies in the Gulf came into the open during the Dubai air show last month, with potential buyers weighing whether to buy existing planes or wait for the U.S. government to release the new radar-evading F-35.
Government officials and industry experts have said they do not expect Washington to allow the sale of the F-35 to Gulf countries until around 2020, just short of five years after Israel receives its first F-35 fighters in 2016.
The senior U.S. official said the depth of interest in the new fighter - the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program - from Gulf countries came as a surprise to some in the U.S. government.
"We in the Defense Department now recognize that there is significant interest there," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. "We knew eventually we were going to have to face that question, but it's come upon us a little sooner than we thought and we're going to have to deal with it."
U.S. government officials and weapons makers have put a bigger focus on foreign arms sales in recent years as a way to offset declines in projected U.S. military spending, and buttress the Obama administration's drive to build partnerships and help U.S. allies beef up their own military capacities.
The $392 billion F-35 program has seen repeated delays and a 70 percent increase in costs over initial estimates, but U.S. officials say the program is making good progress now.
Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan told a defense conference on Wednesday that the program had a "tragic past," but the cost of the plane was coming down, flight testing was continuing, and most technical issues had been addressed.
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7/12/13
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The United States has a proven and enduring commitment to Middle East security, backed by diplomatic engagement and a fierce array of warplanes, ships, tanks, artillery and 35,000 troops, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel told Gulf Arab leaders on Saturday.
The U.S. defense secretary, speaking at a regional security forum, acknowledged Gulf leaders' concerns about the direction of U.S. policy in the Middle East, especially negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. But he said the U.S. emphasis on diplomacy should not be misinterpreted.
"We know diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum," Hagel said. "Our success will continue to hinge on America's military power, and the credibility of our assurances to our allies and partners in the Middle East."
Hagel's remarks to the Manama Dialogue security forum in Bahrain came at a time of heightened tension in the relationship between Washington and its longtime Gulf Arab partners.
- Leaders in the region are worried the United States will lose focus on the Middle East as it strategically rebalances to Asia. They also are frustrated by the U.S. response to the Arab Spring protests and the Syrian civil war.
- Hagel laid out the U.S. stance on Syria at the Manama Dialogue, saying that while the United States would continue to provide aide to Syrian refugees and the neighboring countries of Jordan and Turkey, the rise of extremism in Syria had to be addressed.
- "We will continue to work with partners throughout the region to help bring about a political settlement to end this conflict," Hagel said. But he called for efforts to ensure that aid for the opposition "does not fall into the wrong hands."
"Iran has been a profoundly destabilizing influence, and a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable threat to regional and global stability," the U.S. defense chief said.
He said the accord "bought time for meaningful negotiation, not for deception" and that U.S. diplomacy would ultimately be backed up by the military commitments and cooperation it has with regional partners.
"As America emerges from a long period of war, it will not shirk its responsibilities," Hagel said, citing decades of U.S. involvement in the Middle East. "America's commitment to this region is proven. And it is enduring."
"Security commitment"
To underscore the scope of the U.S. security commitment to the region, Hagel outlined the array of American military forces in the area, including more than 35,000 military personnel "in and immediately around the Gulf." Included in that figure were 10,000 Army soldiers with tanks, artillery and helicopters.
He said the United States has deployed its most advanced fighter aircraft in the region, including the radar-evading F-22.
More than 40 Navy vessels patrol the waters nearby, including an aircraft carrier and its supporting warships, Hagel said. U.S. Navy ships have steamed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the gulf some 50 times in the past six months in the name of ensuring freedom of navigation.
Hagel also cited the United States military facilities in the region, including Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, where the Pentagon has a $580 million expansion program under way, and the combined air operations center in Qatar.
The Pentagon chief proposed new steps to improve security cooperation, including regular discussions of missile defense with the region's air chiefs and allowing the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to purchase U.S. defense systems as an organization to encourage regional cooperation.
"Significant interest" in F-35 from Gulf
Meanwhile, strong demand from Gulf countries for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet has prompted Washington to grapple with the thorny question about releasing the jet to the region sooner than expected, a senior U.S. defense official said.
Washington has already approved sales of the new stealth fighter to a range of allies, including Turkey, South Korea, Japan and Israel, but sales to the Gulf require a deeper review given U.S. policy guidelines that call for Israel to maintain a qualitative military edge in the Middle East.
Talk about selling the plane to the United Arab Emirates and other U.S. allies in the Gulf came into the open during the Dubai air show last month, with potential buyers weighing whether to buy existing planes or wait for the U.S. government to release the new radar-evading F-35.
Government officials and industry experts have said they do not expect Washington to allow the sale of the F-35 to Gulf countries until around 2020, just short of five years after Israel receives its first F-35 fighters in 2016.
The senior U.S. official said the depth of interest in the new fighter - the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program - from Gulf countries came as a surprise to some in the U.S. government.
"We in the Defense Department now recognize that there is significant interest there," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. "We knew eventually we were going to have to face that question, but it's come upon us a little sooner than we thought and we're going to have to deal with it."
- Decisions about releasing sensitive technologies for sale to foreign countries are made by the State Department in consultation with the Pentagon and other government agencies.
U.S. government officials and weapons makers have put a bigger focus on foreign arms sales in recent years as a way to offset declines in projected U.S. military spending, and buttress the Obama administration's drive to build partnerships and help U.S. allies beef up their own military capacities.
- Lockheed is building three F-35 models for the U.S. military and eight countries that helped fund its development: Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, Norway, Turkey, Denmark and the Netherlands.
- Israel and Japan have also ordered the jet, and South Korea signaled last month that it also expected to order the F-35.
The $392 billion F-35 program has seen repeated delays and a 70 percent increase in costs over initial estimates, but U.S. officials say the program is making good progress now.
Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan told a defense conference on Wednesday that the program had a "tragic past," but the cost of the plane was coming down, flight testing was continuing, and most technical issues had been addressed.
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7/12/13
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Hagel: Military power backs Gulf security...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday sought to reassure America’s Arab allies in the Gulf of its strategic commitment to their security, following a recent deal between Washington and their arch-foe Iran.
While touring an anti-mine warship in the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Hagel reiterated America’s support for the Gulf.........http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/12/07/Hagel-reaffirms-commitment-to-Gulf-allies.html
7/12/13
Les Etats-Unis vont maintenir 35 000 soldats dans le Golfe...
ReplyDeleteLe secrétaire américain à la défense, Chuck Hagel, a prévenu samedi 7 décembre, que le processus diplomatique engagé avec l'Iran autour de son programme nucléaire controversé devrait être appuyé par la puissance militaire des Etats-Unis.
« Nous savons que la diplomatie ne peut fonctionner dans le vide, a déclaré M. Hagel devant les participants à une conférence sur la sécurité régionale dans le Golfe à Manama. Notre succès va continuer à dépendre de la puissance militaire des Etats-Unis et de la crédibilité de nos assurances à nos alliés et partenaires au Moyen-Orient. »
M. Hagel, qui cherche à rassurer les alliés des Etats-Unis dans le Golfe, inquiets des progrès diplomatiques de Washington avec Téhéran, a affirmé que les Etats-Unis allaient maintenir leur présence militaire, forte de 35 000 hommes, dans la région malgré un accord conclu le 24 novembre entre l'Iran et les grandes puissances. Les Etats-Unis maintiennent « plus de 35 000 hommes » dans et autour du Golfe, et « ils n'ont pas l'intention d'ajuster ce nombre dans la région », a-t-il affirmé.
http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2013/12/07/la-diplomatie-avec-l-iran-devra-etre-appuyee-par-la-puissance-militaire_3527229_3218.html
7/12/13
Οι ΗΠΑ διατηρούν την ισχύ τους στον Κόλπο αλλά δεν δίνουν το στελθ F-35 λόγω Ισραήλ...
ReplyDeleteΝα διασκεδάσει τις ανησυχίες των χωρών του Κόλπου για την προσωρινή συμφωνία για το πυρηνικό πρόγραμμα του Ιράν θα προσπαθήσει ο Αμερικανός υπουργός Άμυνας Τσακ Χέιγκελ, από το βήμα της διάσκεψης για την ασφάλεια που διεξάγεται στη Μανάμα, πρωτεύουσα του Μπαχρέιν, διαβεβαιώνοντας ότι οι ΗΠΑ θα διατηρήσουν τη στρατιωτική τους παρουσία στον Περσικό Κόλπο. Πηγές στην Ουάσινγκτον ωστόσο αποκλείουν την απελευθέρωση της πώλησης του στελθ F-35 στις χώρες της περιοχής, προκειμένου να διατηρηθεί το στρατιωτικό πλεονέκτημα του Ισραήλ.
Στη διάρκεια ενός ταξιδιού που έχει στόχο να διαβεβαιώσει τους συμμάχους των ΗΠΑ στον Κόλπο, που ανησυχούν για τη διπλωματική προσέγγιση Ουάσινγκτον-Τεχεράνης, ο Χέιγκελ απαρίθμησε τα όπλα και τις αμερικανικές δυνάμεις που θα παραμείνουν ανεπτυγμένες στην περιοχή.
"Έχουμε χερσαία, αεροπορική και ναυτική παρουσία με περισσότερους από 35.000 άνδρες μέσα στον Κόλπο και στην ακριβώς γύρω από αυτόν περιοχή", τόνισε και οι ΗΠΑ "δεν προτίθενται να τροποποιήσουν τον αριθμό αυτό".
Ο υπουργός Άμυνας διευκρίνισε ότι οι δυνάμεις αυτές αριθμούν 10.000 στρατιώτες, με τεθωρακισμένα οχήματα, ελικόπτερα Απάτσι, περί τα 40 πολεμικά πλοία και αεροπλανοφόρα, πυραυλικά αμυντικά συστήματα, προηγμένης τεχνολογίας ραντάρ, μη επανδρωμένα αεροσκάφη για αποστολές παρακολούθησης, στρατιωτικά αεροσκάφη που μπορούν ανά πάσα στιγμή να πραγματοποιήσουν επιχείρηση.
"Αναπτύξαμε τα πιο σύγχρονα στρατιωτικά μας αεροσκάφη στην περιοχή, κυρίως τα F-22, για να διασφαλιστεί ότι μπορούμε να απαντήσουμε ταχύτατα σε κάθε ενδεχόμενο", δήλωσε ο Χέιγκελ.
"Αν προσθέσουμε τα μοναδικά πολεμοφόδιά μας, κανένας στόχος δεν είναι εκτός του βεληνεκούς μας", πρόσθεσε αναφερόμενος στα "bunker buster", τις βόμβες διάτρησης ισχυρά προστατευόμενων στόχων θαμμένων βαθιά στη γη.
Οι χώρες του Κόλπου και τα στελθ F-35
Ακανθώδες στρατιωτικό ζήτημα ενδέχεται να αποτελέσει πάντως το ζωηρό ενδιαφέρον και η μεγάλη ζήτηση από τις χώρες του Περσικού Κόλπου για το νέο μαχητικό τζετ F-35 της Lockheed Martin Corp σχετικά με την απελευθέρωση της πώλησης του συγκεκριμένου τύπου αεροσκάφους στα κράτη της περιοχής νωρίτερα από το αναμενόμενο, δήλωσε ανώτερος αξιωματούχος του αμερικανικού υπουργείου Άμυνας.
Κυβερνητικοί αξιωματούχοι και εμπειρογνώμονες του κλάδου της στρατιωτικής βιομηχανίας έχουν δηλώσει ότι δεν αναμένουν η Ουάσιγκτον να επιτρέψει την πώληση του F-35 σε χώρες του Περσικού Κόλπου πριν το 2020. Σχεδόν τέσσερα χρόνια μετά την προμήθεια του πρώτου F-35 από το Ισραήλ, που αναμένεται να γίνει το 2016. ...........http://www.enet.gr/?i=news-room.el&id=403160
7/12/13
Hagel outlines new U.S. weapons sale plan for Gulf....
ReplyDeleteIran deal buys time, but U.S. well aware of regional tensions, says U.S. Defense Secretary as he lays out steps to beef up regional defense cooperation in speech to Gulf leaders.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel opened the door for the U.S. to sell missile defense and other weapons systems to U.S.-friendly Gulf nations, with an eye toward boosting their abilities to counter Iran's ballistic missiles, even as global powers ink a nuclear deal with Tehran.
In a speech Saturday to Gulf leaders, Hagel made it clear that the emerging global agreement that would limit Iran's nuclear program doesn't mean the security threat from Iran is over.
Instead, he laid out steps to beef up defense cooperation in the Gulf region, while at the same time insisting that America's military commitment to the Middle East will continue.
"I am under no illusions, like all of you, about the daily threats facing this region, or the current anxieties that I know exist here in the Gulf," Hagel told a security conference. "These anxieties have emerged as the United States pursues diplomatic openings on some of the region's most difficult problems and most complex issues, including Iran's nuclear program and the conflict in Syria." .......http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.562229
7/12/13
Report: Germany to sell Israel 2 battleships for $1 billion euros ....
ReplyDeleteGermany has agreed to sell Israel two battleships in exchange for one billion euros, AFP reported on Saturday, citing a report in German daily Bild.
According to the report, the torpedo-laden destroyers are intended to provide protection for Israel's natural gas installations.
Bild reported that the head of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's National Security Council, Yossi Cohen, visited Berlin last week.
AFP reported that while a German government spokeswoman confirmed Cohen's visit, she declined to comment on the nature of his business in Berlin.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Report-Germany-to-sell-Israel-2-battleships-for-1-billion-euros-334258
7/12/13
US sees ‘huge interest’ in F-35 jet from Gulf nations...
ReplyDeleteStrong demand from Gulf countries for Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 fighter jet has prompted Washington to grapple with the thorny question about releasing the jet to the region sooner than expected, a senior U.S. defense official said.
Washington has already approved sales of the new stealth fighter to a range of allies, including Turkey,
South Korea,Japan and Israel, but sales to the Gulf require a deeper review given U.S. policy guidelines that call for Israel to maintain a qualitative military edge in the Middle East.
Talk about selling the plane to the United Arab Emirates and other U.S. allies in the Gulf came into the open during the Dubai air show last month, with potential buyers weighing whether to buy existing planes or wait for the U.S. government to release the new radar-evading F-35.
Government officials and industry experts have said they do not expect Washington to allow the sale of the F-35 to Gulf countries until around 2020, just short of five years after Israel receives its first F-35 fighters in 2016.
The senior U.S. official said the depth of interest in the new fighter - the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program - from Gulf countries came as a surprise to some in the U.S. government. Israel and Japan have also ordered the jet.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-sees-huge-interest-in-f-35-jet-from-gulf-nations.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59213&NewsCatID=345
8/12/13