Building a network to hit militants

AP

The military targeting center aims to speed the sharing of information and shorten the time between targeting and military action. –Photo by AFP

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has ramped up its secret war on terror groups with a new military targeting center to oversee the growing use of special operations strikes against suspected militants in hot spots around the world, according to current and former US officials.

Run by the US Joint Special Operations Command, the new center would be a significant step in streamlining targeting operations previously scattered among US and battlefields abroad and giving elite military officials closer access to Washington decision-makers and counterterror experts, the officials said exclusively to AP.

The center aims to speed the sharing of information and shorten the time between targeting and military action, said two current and two former US officials briefed on the project. Those officials and others insisted on condition of anonymity to discuss the classified matters.

The creation of the center comes as part of the administration’s increasing reliance on clandestine and covert action to hunt terror suspects as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have tested the country’s patience and pocketbook. The White House has more than doubled the numbers of special operations forces in Afghanistan alone, as well as doubling the CIA’s use of missile strikes from unmanned drones in Pakistan and expanding counterterror operations in Yemen.

JSOC’s decision-making process in counterterror operations had previously been spread between special operations officials at Pope Air Force base in North Carolina, top officials at the Pentagon and commanders on the battlefield.

Now located at a classified address a short drive from the Pentagon, the center is staffed with at least 100 counterterror experts fusing the military’s special operations elite with analysts, intelligence and law enforcement officials from the FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies, the US officials said.

The new center is similar in concept to the civilian National Counterterrorism Center, which was developed in 2004 as a wide-scope defensive bulwark in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to share intelligence and track terrorist threats.

But the new military center focuses instead on the offensive end of counterterrorism, tracking and targeting terrorist threats that have surfaced in recent years from Pakistan to Yemen and Somalia and other hot zones. Its targeting advice will largely direct elite special operations forces in both commando raids and missile strikes overseas.

The data also could be used at times to advise domestic law enforcement in dealing with suspected terrorists inside the US, the officials said. But the civilian authorities would have no role in ‘‘kill or capture’’ operations targeting militant suspects abroad.

The center is similar to several other so-called military intelligence ‘‘fusion’’ centers already operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those installations were designed to put special operations officials in the same room with intelligence professionals and analysts, allowing US forces to shave the time between finding and tracking a target, and deciding how to respond.

At the heart of the new center’s analysis is a cloud-computing network tied into all elements of US national security, from the eavesdropping capabilities of the National Security Agency to Homeland Security’s border-monitoring databases. The computer is designed to sift through masses of information to track militant suspects across the globe, said two US officials familiar with the system.

Several military officials said the center is the brainchild of JSOC’s current commander, Vice Adm. Bill McRaven, who patterned it on the success of a military system called ‘‘counter-network,’’ which uses drone, satellite and human intelligence to drive operations on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While directly run by JSOC, the center’s staff is overseen by the Pentagon, while congressional committees have been briefed on its operations, officials said.

Locating the center in Washington has the advantage of tying in special operations forces officials to the NSA’s electronic data and to the White House’s decision-making arm, the National Security Council, said Brookings Institute’s Michael O’Hanlon. ‘‘There’s ready access to the NSC for face to face decision-making,’’ he said.

O’Hanlon, who specializes in national security and defense policy, predicts positive US public reaction to the military’s expanding use of special operations forces in counterterrorism strategy. ‘‘After spending a trillion dollars on two countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, with so far questionable result, people will say, heck yeah. This is the only tool of foreign policy where we can see immediate, positive results,’’ he said.

Officials said Afghanistan has been a proving ground for both the military’s growing use of special operations forces in raids against militants and in honing its ‘‘counter-network’’ system.

Delhi seeks Indian Ocean supremacy with warship research

AFP

This photo taken on November 14, 2010 shows flares fired past the corvette INS Vibhuti in the waters off the Bay of Bengal near Paradeep, some 150 kms from the the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar as part of the Naval Week event. Recently, India inaugurated a new naval research centre for warships, part of efforts by the South Asian giant to build its sea defences and counter the perceived threat of China in the Indian Ocean. – AFP Photo

NEW DELHI: India launched a new naval research centre for warships on Tuesday, part of efforts by the South Asian giant to build its sea defences and counter the perceived threat of China in the Indian Ocean.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony laid the foundation stone for the National Institute for Research and Development in Shipbuilding (NIRDESH) in the southern state of Kerala, which will be built at a cost of six billion rupees (133 million dollars).

The facility, which will be up and running in two years, will help develop technology for “drawing board to delivery” of warships for India, a naval official said.

The Kerala unit will work independently of the national Defence Research and Development Organisation, with the aim of reducing India’s dependence on military imports, which mostly come from Russia.

The 136-vessel navy said in a statement that NIRDESH would ensure India’s maritime security.

“This would empower Indian navy, coastguard and other maritime security agencies in a manner befitting the country’s stature and influence in the region,” it said.

The facility would “ensure that the country would be self-reliant in this crucial area of defence technology,” Antony added.

New Delhi is wary of growing Chinese influence around the Indian Ocean, where Beijing has funded or plans to invest in major infrastructure projects, including ports in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and military-ruled Myanmar.

In August, two Chinese warships raised eyebrows in Delhi when they sailed to adjoining Myanmar for a rare visit to promote ties between the two allied countries.

Retired admiral Arun Prakash, a former Indian naval chief, recently warned that the Chinese navy will have more warships than the United States within a decade and urged India to speed up naval procurement.

Analysts say India falls behind China in naval firepower, but the country should strive for supremacy in the strategic Indian Ocean, a vital shipping lane connecting Asia to Europe and the Middle East.

“Just because we cannot compete with China does not mean we do not defend our interests in the Indian Ocean where we want naval supremacy,” retired Indian navy rear admiral Raja Menon told AFP.

India has already begun strengthening its military presence in the Andaman archipelago, which lies south of Myanmar, as part of plans to protect its interests in the ocean.

Delhi, which wants to boost its 14-strong submarine fleet, launched its first nuclear-powered submarine in 2009 and has invested in its military shipyards to start building an aircraft carrier and stealth frigates.

It also plans to buy eight long-range maritime spy planes by 2015 besides six Franco-Spanish Scorpene submarines for which orders were placed in 2006.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China’s military spending was the second-largest in the world, after the United States, in 2009.

KPMG consultancy firm estimates India plans to spend 112 billion dollars on defence hardware between now and 2016.

India hiked its 2010-2011 military spending by four per cent to 32 billion dollars but analysts like Menon warn that the navy’s share of 16 per cent of the defence allocation is insufficient for funding its expansion plans.

India and China fought a brief border war in 1962 and still have unresolved territorial disputes

Germany to set end-2011 start date for Afghan pullout

Reuters

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (L) speaks as his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi (R) looks on during a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on January 8, 2011. Westerwelle arrived in Islamabad to hold talks with Pakistani leaders. – Photo by AFP

LAHORE: The German government will ask parliament this month for approval to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan at the end of the year, excerpts of the proposal obtained by Reuters showed on Saturday.

The disclosure came during a trip to Pakistan by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who lauded Islamabad’s role in combating militancy and underlined a need for closer cooperation between the nuclear-armed state and Afghanistan.

The pullout proposal, drafted by foreign and defence ministry officials, is set to be agreed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet next week before it is sent to the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, for approval on Jan. 28. The measure is likely to pass easily, with opposition backing.

“The government is confident it will be able to reduce the presence of German troops from the end of 2011, during the handover of responsibility for security,” the proposal reads.

Germany is the third largest troop contributor to NATO operations in Afghanistan, with around 4,600 forces based in the north, where violence increased last year.

The war is deeply unpopular among Germans and has brought down both the chief of the armed forces and a cabinet minister over a German-ordered air strike against the Taliban last year in which civilians were also killed.

A German president had to resign last year after saying during a visit to Afghanistan that Germany should use its armed forces to back its foreign trade interests.

COOPERATION

Speaking to reporters after talks with Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Westerwelle said his country appreciated Islamabad’s efforts in fighting militancy, but called for cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul to tackle the menace.

“We encourage Pakistan and Afghanistan to closely cooperate in the interest of stability and peace,” he told reporters in the capital Islamabad, flanked by Qureshi.

Pakistani action against militants along its Afghan border is considered crucial to maintain military operations against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

Pakistan will be a pivotal player in any Afghanistan accord due to the influence it has on the Taliban, which it nurtured to fight Soviet troops occupying Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The United States and its allies acknowledge Pakistan’s role in stabilising Afghanistan, but Islamabad is under rising US pressure to crack down on militants who used Pakistani sanctuaries to plot attacks in Afghanistan and in the West.

Reports of some militants with German citizenship killed in a suspected US drone attack in North Waziristan in October deepened concern that foreigners, some with Western passports, had travelled to Pakistan and planned attacks on Europe from the remote mountains.

The German foreign minister said his country would fully support Pakistan in countering terrorism.

Qureshi sought more cooperation in the defence field and asked his German counterpart to liberalise export control policy to help Pakistan modernise its means of fighting militants.

“We feel that there is German equipment that could be provided to the armed forces to enhance our capacity in dealing with counter-terrorism,” he said. “German equipment is good equipment.”

Westerwelle said he was hopeful a coming move by the European Union to lower trade barriers for imports from Pakistan would help stabilise the country’s economy. 

Pakistan seeks German defence equipment

From the Newspaper
(5 hours ago) Today

“Pakistan urges Germany to liberalise its export control policy towards it so that we could get export licences for defence equipment … to enhance our capacity to counter terrorism,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle after their bilateral talks. – Online Photo

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan asked Germany on Saturday to allow export of defence equipment so that it could fight terrorists in a better way.

“Pakistan urges Germany to liberalise its export control policy towards it so that we could get export licences for defence equipment … to enhance our capacity to counter terrorism,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle after their bilateral talks.

The talks focused on a Pakistani proposal for initiating strategic dialogue, enhancing investment, strengthening economic ties and boosting defence cooperation.

Pakistan has been uneasy over European countries’ reluctance to meet its defence and security needs while asking it to intensify its counter-terrorism efforts.

According to sources, the German foreign minister informed Mr Qureshi that European Union’s restrictions on arms export were stopping his country from considering Pakistan’s request for defence equipment.

At the news conference, however, Mr Westerwelle reiterated Berlin’s desire to extend full support to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism. He also spoke about the need for cooperation between Pakistan and Germany for fighting terrorism.

“Our common engagement is necessary to fight against every terrorist attack. And we very much appreciate the efforts Pakistan is making in the fight against terrorism. We encourage Pakistan and Afghanistan to cooperate closely in the interest of security and stability. And in Germany you have friends who will support in this way.”

The two sides also discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

Mr Westerwelle, who is on a two-day visit to Pakistan, arrived in Islamabad by road after his plane had to be diverted to Lahore because of fog and poor visibility in the capital.

F16 jet fighter makes emergency landing at Prestwick

The F16 was forced to land in Scotland after the mid-air alert

An F16 jet fighter aircraft has made an emergency landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport after suffering a fuel leak.

The airport activated its emergency response programme and alerted local fire, police and ambulance services. The alarm was raised at about 1200 GMT.
A spokesman said the US F16 aircraft landed safely, accompanied by another F16, and the emergency services were stood down shortly afterwards.
The jets were flying from Spangdahlem air base in Germany.
They were among a group of aircraft heading from Germany back to the US.
Two ambulances attended along with three appliances from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service.
The airport spokesman added: "Prestwick plans and prepares regularly for such an emergency and we are relieved it ended well."
The Ministry of Defence said it had no involvement with the incident.

U.S. to offer more support to Pakistan

U.S. to offer more support to Pakistan

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer 

The Obama administration has decided to offer Pakistan more military, intelligence and economic support, and to intensify U.S. efforts to forge a regional peace, despite ongoing frustration that Pakistani officials are not doing enough to combat terrorist groups in the country's tribal areas, officials said. 

The decision to double down on Pakistan represents the administration's attempt to call the bluff of Pakistani officials who have long complained that the United States has failed to understand their security priorities or provide adequate support. 


That message will be delivered by Vice President Biden, who plans to travel to Pakistan next week for meetings with its military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, and top government leaders. Biden will challenge the Pakistanis to articulate their long-term strategy for the region and indicate exactly what assistance is needed for them to move against Taliban sanctuaries in areas bordering Afghanistan. 

The strategy, determined in last month's White House Afghanistan war review, amounts to an intensifying of existing efforts to overcome widespread suspicion and anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, and build trust and stability. 

President Obama and his top national security aides rejected proposals, made by some military commanders and intelligence officials who have lost patience with Pakistan, to allow U.S. ground forces to conduct targeted raids against insurgent safe havens, officials said. They concluded that the United States can ill afford to threaten or further alienate a precarious, nuclear-armed country whose cooperation is essential to the administration on several fronts. 

The conclusions were referred to in a publicly released, five-page summary of the review as unspecified policy "adjustments." Several administration officials said that the classified review identified areas where stronger effort was needed rather than specific new programs. 

The review resolved to "look hard" at what more could be done to improve economic stability, particularly on tax policy and Pakistan's relations with international financial institutions. It directed administration and Pentagon officials to "make sure that our sizeable military assistance programs are properly tailored to what the Pakistanis need, and are targeted on units that will generate the most benefit" for U.S. objectives, said one senior administration official who participated in the review and was authorized to discuss it on the condition of anonymity. 

Pakistan has complained in the past that promised U.S. aid, currently projected to total more than $3 billion in 2011, has been slow to arrive and that requests for helicopters and other military equipment have remained unfulfilled. 

Beginning with Biden's visit, the time may be ripe for a frank exchange of views and priorities between the two sides, another administration official said. The Pakistanis "understand that Afghanistan-Pakistan has become the single most important foreign policy issue to the United States, and their cachet has gone up." But they also realize that they may have reached the point of maximum leverage, this official said, "and things about their region are going to change one way or the other" in the near future, as Congress and the American public grow increasingly disillusioned with the war and a timeline for military withdrawal is set. 

"Something is going to give," he said. "There is going to be an end-game scenario and they're trying to guess where we're heading." 

On intelligence, the administration plans to address Pakistan's complaints that the Americans have not established enough outposts on the Afghan side of the border to stop insurgent infiltration, while pressing the Pakistanis to allow U.S. and Afghan officials to staff border coordination centers inside Pakistan itself. 

The intelligence coordination is part of an effort to build political, trade and security links between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a way of assuaging Pakistan's fears that India, its traditional adversary, is building its own influence in Afghanistan. "We think there's a lot of room for improvement on that front," the senior official said. 

The administration also plans "redouble our efforts to look for political approaches" to ending the war, including a recognition that Pakistan "must play an important role," if not a dominant one, in reconciliation talks with the Taliban, he said. 

An intelligence estimate prepared for the review concluded that the war in Afghanistan could not be won unless the insurgent sanctuaries were wiped out and that there was no real indication Pakistan planned to undertake the effort. 

But the White House concluded that while Taliban safe havens were "a factor," they were "not the only thing that stands between us and success in Afghanistan," the senior official said. 

"We understand the general view a lot of people espouse" in calling for direct U.S. ground attacks, he said of the intelligence estimate. But while the administration's goal is still a Pakistani offensive, the review questioned whether "classic clear, hold and build" operations were the only way to deny the insurgents free access to the borderlands, and asked whether "a range of political, military, counterterrorism and intelligence operations" could achieve the same result. 

That view represents a significant shift in administration thinking, perhaps making a virtue of necessity given Pakistani refusal thus far to launch the kind of full-scale ground offensive the United States has sought in North Waziristan. 

"The challenge is that when you talk about safe havens in Pakistan, you imagine some traditional military clearing operation that then settles the issue," the official said. While the Pakistani military has cleared insurgents from most of the tribal areas, it remains heavily deployed in those areas, where little building has taken place. 


The operations, involving 140,000 Pakistani troops, have pushed the Taliban and al-Qaeda into concentrations in North Waziristan, where the United States has launched a withering barrage of missile attacks from remotely piloted drone aircraft, guided in large part by Pakistani intelligence. 


Kayani, the Pakistani military chief, has said he will eventually launch an offensive in North Waziristan. But he has told the Americans that he cannot spare additional troops from Pakistan's half-million-man army, most of which is deployed along the Indian border, and that he lacks the proper equipment to conduct operations he fears will drive insurgents deeper inside Pakistan's populated areas. 

U.S. military commanders have pushed numerous times over the past 18 months for more latitude to allow Special Operations troops to carry out missions across the Pakistan border, officials said. The CIA has similarly sought to expand the territory inside Pakistan it can patrol with armed drones, prodding Pakistan repeatedly for permission to fly drones over Quetta, a city in Baluchistan where the Taliban's political leaders are thought to be based. 

The senior administration official, who called the proposals "ideas, not even operational concepts much less plans," said they were rejected by the White House in the most recent review, as they have been repeatedly in the past, as likely to cause more harm than good. "We've got to increasingly try to look at this through their lens," the official said of Pakistan, "not because we accept it wholesale, but because their actions are going to continue to be driven by their perspective." 


"In the long run," he said, "our objectives have to do with the defeat of al-Qaeda and the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. If you're not careful here . . . you may do something in the short run that makes gains against the policy objective in North Waziristan but proves self-defeating in the long term."