France Willing to Help Libyans With Training

TRIPOLI, Libya - France is ready to offer military training to Libya and is examining ways to boost its cooperation with the new regime, French army chief of staff Adm. Edouard Guillaud said Dec. 5.

"France is ready to provide what the Libyan government asks for, particularly in [military] training," Guillaud said after talks with Libyan leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil and Defence Minister Osama Juili.

He said his visit was to "contact our Libyan counterparts after the revolution, to see how to cooperate now that peace has returned."

"We had relations with the former Libyan Army. We will revive them, either with the Navy, Air Force or Army."

Asked if arms sales were discussed with Libya's leaders, Guillaud replied: "I am a user, not a seller, of weapons."

France spearheaded the NATO operation which helped topple Moammar Gadhafi, who was captured and killed Oct. 20 after ruling Libya for more than 42 years.

'Trail-blazing' U.K. Attack Sub Proves Itself in U.S.

NORFOLK, Va. - HMS Astute, Britain's first new attack submarine in more than two decades, is the most advanced undersea craft ever fielded by the Royal Navy. But the sub's many improvements often have been masked by a long-running series of developmental and operational problems - including design issues, cost overruns, production missteps, lengthy construction delays, an embarrassingly public grounding last year in Scotland and a tragic shooting on board in April.

CMDR. IAIN BRECKENRIDGE, standing with binoculars, guides the submarine Astute to a berth in Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 28. (MC1 Todd A. Schaffer / U.S. Navy)

Now operating from the U.S. East Coast as part of a lengthy trials period, the Astute finally has had a chance to show what it can do, and in November test-fired Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Gulf of Mexico. But the British media, even in reporting on its successes, continue to label the ship a jinx.

Cmdr. Iain Breckenridge, the submarine's commanding officer, bristled when asked about the jinx moniker during a Nov. 29 interview on board his ship.

"The media will always jump at an easy target. So we're an easy target, they're having a field day," he said.

"Fine by me, that's well behind us. I don't dwell on it, I don't look back. Myself and my team move forward to prove what a great submarine she is. With the Tomahawk firings recently, our successful torpedo firings in the summer in the U.K., pushing forward to get all trials completed, getting to Norfolk to meet the senior U.S. leadership, going to AUTEC [the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center test range] in January to finish trials, and getting her back to the U.K. in March, ready to go back into the yard for her final maintenance period before she becomes operational, for us, that's all good news.

"So the media won't use that, because that's not an interesting story. If anything minor happens, they'll jump on it and go, 'wow, wow, jinxed submarine!'

"Well, ask any of my ship's company, any of our supporting personnel, anyone in the Navy, any of our families, any of our friends in the U.S. submarine force; in fact, anybody that basically understands what a first-of-class submarine's got to go through, and they'll recognize that the term 'jinx' is just a very easy one that the media jumps on.

"Does it bother me? Used to, initially. Not bothered by it anymore. There are much more important things to deal with. It's a fantastic submarine to deliver to the front line as soon as possible. And I've got a really good team helping me do that."

TESTS, TESTS AND MORE TESTS

Breckenridge, a veteran submariner who previously commanded HMS Tireless, brought the Astute to the U.S. in October to begin a series of weapons, sensors, systems and warm-weather trials.

"We've got to prove the design, and prove the build," he said. "Over subsequent submarines, they just have to prove the build."

The boat loaded Tomahawk cruise missiles at the U.S. Navy's submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga., then launched two T-hawks from the Gulf of Mexico onto a missile range at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "Both flew beautifully," Breckenridge said.

Operations on the AUTEC range in January will fully prove the submarine's new Type 2076 integrated sonar suite, and more Spearfish torpedoes will be test-fired.

Breckenridge ticked off a list of new features aboard the sub, which is fitted with six 21-inch torpedo tubes, one more than previous classes. The weapons room also is larger, with a lower deck, allowing for a 50 percent increase in the number of weapons carried - "on the order of 36," he said.

The submarine features a large lockout chamber aft of the fin, or sail, and can carry a drydeck shelter to allow swimmers to enter and leave the sub while submerged.

"That was a real design driver for the boat, and that's why we've got a big sail," he explained. "The shapes and curves [of the hull] help the dry deck shelter sit in the right place."

In the control room, Breckenridge pointed proudly to the Thales Optronics mast displays. Astute is the first British submarine to dispense with traditional periscopes and adopt photronics masts, similar to the arrangement aboard U.S. Virginia-class submarines.

"Much as I loved my old peri-scopes, this is much better," he said. Using the periscope on older submarines at night, he said, required "lights off, curtains draped, black lighting, can't see anything, not good for your eyes. This submarine," he said, has a "better working environment, better for the team. A really good capability. This is U.K. trail-blazing stuff."

The attack center control room on Astute is traditionally located forward on 1 Deck - topmost of the sub's three deck levels - but without the need for hull-penetrating periscopes, designers will have more flexibility to move it. Later ships in the seven-unit class, Breckenridge said, may move the room to 2 Deck and aft a bit. "There's more room down there," he said.

The captain was especially proud of the sub's maneuvering and hovering capabilities, featuring independent diving plane controls handled by a new, complex autopilot system.

"One of the limiting factors in designing a submarine maneuvering envelope is having a stern plane failure to dive or rise," Breckenridge explained. "In my situation, I've got a much wider operating envelope because, if the stern plane does fail to dive, it's probably only going to be one of them, and I can immediately correct it by slowing down and putting the noncasualty plane to rise. It gives us a much broader operating envelope."

Maliki Says He's Confident of Iraq's future

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Dec. 5 expressed confidence in the future of his country following a full withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of the month. But he said he was counting on American assistance.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced in October that U.S. troops would leave Iraq by the end of 2011, bringing to a close an almost nine-year war.

"Today, however, I am confident about the future of my country and the capabilities and resilience of our people," Maliki wrote in an op-ed piece in The Washington Post.

He said his government was seeking a "comprehensive redevelopment" of the country, which would involve creation of legislation and institutions, strengthening of freedoms, and reinforcement of Iraqi democracy.

"We want to build a state of citizens and not sects," Maliki wrote. "We want to create a healthy environment conducive to investment and provide vital services to citizens, including access to a proper education."

The prime minister said Iraq sought to build a strong army and security forces that have the capacity to protect its sovereignty and interests.

"We are able to do this with the help of the United States," he said.

Maliki said Baghdad opposed foreign interference in Iraqi affairs. "Iraq does not aspire to unduly influence any state but looks to cooperate with all countries to help maintain regional security," he wrote. "Iraq will not allow itself to become a source of disruption to friendly countries."

In contrast to the government of Saddam Hussein, the new Iraqi government has been treating neighboring Iran as a friendly state.

Iran Shoots Down U.S. Drone: Al-Alam TV

TEHRAN - Iran's military has shot down a U.S. Army RQ-170 unmanned aerial vehicle in the "east of the country," Iran's Al-Alam Arabic language satellite channel reported on Dec. 4, quoting a military source.

The report did not say when or where the drone was downed, but said it was not "badly damaged" and still in good shape.

No further details were provided.

Clinton Calls Pakistan PM Over Air Strike Deaths

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Dec. 3 called Pakistan's prime minister to offer condolences over the deaths of 24 Pakistani troops killed in NATO air strikes, the State Department said.

In the call with Yousuf Raza Gilani, Clinton "reiterated America's respect for Pakistan's sovereignty and commitment to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect," it said.

"She once again expressed condolences to the families of the soldiers and to the Pakistani people for the tragic and unintended loss of life," it said in a statement.

Following the strikes, Pakistan decided not to take part in this week's Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan - a decision which, together with the Taliban's boycott, has cast the event's usefulness into doubt.

A statement from Gilani's office said he told Clinton that Pakistan's non-attendance was not open to review since it had already received the backing of parliament's national security committee.

The committee "has supported the decision of the cabinet not to participate in the Bonn Conference," the statement quoted Gilani as telling Clinton.

Meanwhile, he said, parliament was looking into the general issue of Pakistan's relationship with the United States.

"The parliament was seized of the matter of terms of cooperation with the U.S. This will ensure national ownership and clarity about the relationship," the statement quoted him as saying.

Islamabad has so far refused to take part in a U.S. investigation into the air strikes on the Afghan border which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on Nov. 26.

The incident has exacerbated fears of a prolonged crisis in relations, after Pakistan also shut down NATO's vital supply line into Afghanistan and ordered American personnel to leave Shamsi air base. The base is widely understood to have been a hub for the covert CIA drone war on Taliban and Al-Qaeda commanders in Pakistan's troubled border areas with Afghanistan.

Swiss Socialists Want Public Vote on Jet Deal

GENEVA - Swiss socialists want to hold a referendum on the government's 3.1 billion franc (2.5 billion euro) purchase of a new fighter jet fleet if the deal affects spending elsewhere, it was reported Dec. 3.

The Federal Council revealed on Nov. 30 its proposal to buy 22 Swedish-made Gripen planes to replace its aging F5 fighters.

Socialists fear the deal will mean a rise in military spending that could translate into budget restrictions in other departments, notably education, transport and agriculture.

Meeting in Lucerne on Dec. 3, party members unanimously passed are solution on the matter after a document outlining the group's position was approved in October, ATS news agency reported.

The party rejects the prospect of a spending rise all the more because there was no public vote on the plane deal, described as a "scandal" by National Council (parliament) member Eric Voruz.

It will launch a referendum if parliament seeks a legal base to justify budgetary restrictions or requests a rise in military spending to cover the acquisition.

If such a referendum does not halt the deal the, socialists will call for a moratorium on the purchase until 2025.

The Gripen deal will be put to parliament as part of the government's 2012 arms program. Parliamentary decisions can be put to a public vote in Switzerland if a sufficient number of votes are collected.

Iran Missile Projects Unaffected By Blast: General

TEHRAN - A deadly explosion at a missile development plant last month has not affected Iran's ballistic missile program, its top general said in comments published Dec. 3.

Armed forces chief of staff Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said the death of Iranian military experts at the Bid Ganeh base outside Tehran on Nov. 12 "had no effect on the self-sufficiency unit" of the elite Revolutionary Guards- responsible for weapons research, the Resalat newspaper reported.

"The forces and military weapons of the Islamic republic, including ballistic missiles, are more than ready to confront the enemy," he said.

The blast killed at least 36 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards, including a key figure in Iran's ballistic missile program, Maj. Gen. Hassan Moqaddam.

Firouzabadi reiterated repeated assertions by Iran that the blast was accidental, suggesting that safety measures may have been neglected.

Iranian commanders "who have experienced dangerous situations (during the 1980-88 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq) ... do not take safety measures seriously," he said.

Following the blast, Firouzabadi had said that work at the plant had been delayed by only two weeks as a result. But commercial satellite photographs of the facility released by a private Washington institute suggested the explosion had caused serious destruction, with some buildings completely razed.

"The entire facility was essentially destroyed," said Paul Brannan, a senior analyst at the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), which posted the images this week.

"It looks like almost half of the buildings are gone and what's left are the skeletons of the buildings. I would call that a complete destruction of the facility," Brannan, who wrote an analysis of the pictures, told AFP on Wednesday.

The plant appears to have been used for the development of a new long-range ballistic missile, according to fragmentary reports published by Iranian media.

Following the blast, Firouzabadi said the base was being used for the production of an unspecified "experimental product" that could be used against the United States or Israel.

Moqaddam's brother, Mohammad, himself a Guards commander, spoke of a "project related to intercontinental ballistic missiles," which "was in its final phase" and was "completely hi-tech and secret" - in remarks he later retracted.

The Islamic republic already possesses several types of medium-range missile, some capable of reaching Israel or U.S. bases in the Middle East -both stated targets for retaliation in the event that Iranian facilities are attacked.

Iran's ballistic program, which along with its nuclear activities is subject to U.N. sanctions, has created worries in the international community that Tehran could succeed in producing missiles capable of delivering anatomic warhead.

Tehran denies any such ambition and says its nuclear program is for civil energy and medical purposes only.