Pakistan military bombs Afghanistan

Pakistani forces have bombarded residential areas and police checkpoints in eastern Afghanistan one day after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across border, a top Afghan official says.

Major General Aminullah Amarkhel, commander of first zone of border force in eastern Afghanistan, said Pakistani jets targeted the areas in Gushte district in Nangarhar province on Thursday, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Pakistani troops also attacked residential areas and government buildings in the area, damaging two police checkpoints in the Thursday attack, according to the report.

The aerial and ground assaults have left no casualties, General Amarkhel went on to say.

The Afghan official condemned the attacks and warned that Afghan forces would respond to them if repeated.

On Wednesday, one Pakistani soldier was killed and three others were left injured after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire across the border.

The two sides blame each other for provoking the shootout in North Waziristan's Ghulam Khan District.

Afghan and Pakistani border troops have previously exchanged fire.

The incident was the most serious cross-border clash since May 2007, when clashes between Afghan and Pakistani troops left three civilians and a police officer dead.

Afghan and Western officials say Taliban militants hiding in Pakistan's border areas are behind the attacks inside Afghanistan.

Assault Batteries BAE's Body Armor May Also Power Soldiers' Equipment

Ever on the lookout for ways to lighten its soldiers' load, the U.S. Army is eyeing new ways to keep troops' battery-powered gadgets and gear charged.
Among the proposed systems are propane, methane and solar power. Another promising contender, Army officials said, is a BAE Systems idea to make body armor that acts like a battery.
Brig. Gen. Peter Fuller, with the service's Program Executive Office Soldier, has likened soldiers to Christmas trees.
"We keep hanging things on the soldiers," he said. "We are putting on more gear, and not taking anything off. It may only be 5 pounds, but 5 pounds is 5 pounds."
The problems and promise inherent to emerging technology are evident in Nett Warrior, a system that will provide better situational awareness by plotting friendly and enemy locations as well as mission objectives on a digital map. The map will be viewed through an eyepiece mounted on the soldier's helmet. It will be a great asset on the battlefield, Fuller said, but again - power is an issue.
To operate its predecessor, Land Warrior, one soldier needs three batteries a day. The batteries weigh 2.2 pounds each. A company requires 578 batteries a day, which requires another 4.08 kilowatts from generators to recharge the batteries in 10 hours. That comes at a heavy cost, when petroleum is running upwards of $400 a barrel in Afghanistan.
A leading contender to replace batteries has emerged through ECLiPSE Gear, an arm of BAE. Called the Integrated Power System, it is a conformal battery shaped like body armor that can be wired for individual devices.
The system offers a 72-hour battery life in the field - promising news for soldiers who have to carry as many as 300 AA batteries for a typical three-day mission.
The plates contain interconnected battery cells and a unique safety system that shuts down a string that has been compromised. As such, a plate can take damage in one portion and the remainder will still work. In addition, the battery strings are made of nonflammable material to eliminate the threat of secondary explosion or acidity, said Michael Haynes, manager of business development at BAE's Security and Survivability department.
"We've done a lot of destructive testing on these with actual projectiles and simulated fragmentation, and they have performed very well," Haynes said.
Each battery has 100 watt-hours of storage and a small LED indicator to show how much power remains. A distribution hub allows a soldier to run four systems off the hub.
An empty battery can be fully charged in an hour, and it can be charged via a vehicle power adapter if a soldier is on the move, Haynes said.
The front and back plates weigh only 2.3 pounds, and the side plates weigh 1.5 pounds. A soldier need carry only as many plates as the mission requires.
Right now, five batteries will meet the communications requirements for a squad on a standard Afghanistan mission, Haynes said. That's not five batteries per person - that's five batteries for the whole squad.
But as individual soldiers need more power for things such as Nett Warrior, soldiers are likely to wear their own batteries. For example, BAE modified the MBITR radio by taking off the big battery block and replacing it with an adapter that plugs into the vest.
The IPS is making its way through Army channels as it undergoes final testing by BAE.

Lighter Body Armor

Batteries are not the only place where the Army looks to lighten the load this year. Lighter body armor stands as a priority for defense and congressional leaders alike.
"Our metric is not 'How many MRAPs have we lost?' Our metric is 'How many kids have been killed and how many have been injured?'"Fuller said.
Congress in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act requires the defense secretary to conduct a study to "more effectively address the research, development, and procurement requirements regarding reducing the weight of body armor." That study is due to Congress by June 22.
So significant is the issue that the forthcoming Soldier Technology U.S. Conference is focused entirely on lightening the load and increasing situational awareness for the small unit and tactical operator. The conference is taking place the week of Jan. 31 in Washington, and features dozens of defense, industry and international experts.
But making lighter body armor is easier said than done.
"We've taken your grandmother's china, wrapped it in Kevlar and given you the capability," Fuller said. "You want more protection? More china, more Kevlar, that's weight. How do we move this forward?"
This comes at a time when government agencies have called into question the methods and materials used to make body armor. Among them:
■ A March 31, 2008, report by the Defense Department's inspector general found 13 contracts that did not have documentation of first-article testing;
■ An Oct. 16, 2009, Government Accountability Office report said the Army failed to follow established testing standards for X Small Arms Protective Inserts, or XSAPI. The report said several aspects of the new armor would have failed if tests were done properly;
■ Army Secretary John McHugh on Nov. 20, 2009, ordered an independent review by the National Research Council. It focused specifically on the behavior of ballistic clay and on other issues relating to the test process.
In its subsequent April 22, 2010, report, the council outlined 19 recommendations that are "urgently needed to achieve greater part-to-part consistency in the ballistic clay, to analyze [back-face deformation] dynamics, to determine possible replacements for modeling clay, to achieve a national clay standard for testing body armor, and to implement statistically based protocols."
■ A Jan. 3 DoD inspector general's report that said the IG could provide only "limited assurance" that Interceptor Body Armor vest components meet ballistic and quality requirements.
Col. William Cole, project manager of Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment, emphasized that Army body armor has never failed to stop a threat for which it is rated, and often outperforms its rating.
"I am confident we are fielding the best possible body armor," Cole said.

Israeli Military Backs Egyptian Troops

TEL AVIV - Following situational assessments of deteriorating conditions on the streets of Cairo, Israeli military leaders are extending messages of support to their Egyptian counterparts and pledges to preserve the 31-year peace between the two countries.

Egyptian anti-government demonstrators battle pro-government opponents in Cairo's Tahrir square on Feb. 3. (Mohammed Abed / Agence France-Presse)

"Based on our assessment of events on the ground, it's our understanding that the Egyptian Army is operating responsibly and in a manner that contributes to stability and preserves future peace," Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu, Israeli military spokesman, told Defense News.

In a Feb. 3 interview, Benayahu said assessments conducted in Tel Aviv in recent hours indicate that the Egyptian Army has been handling violence among demonstrators with restraint as it attempts to restore calm among peaceful demonstrators.
"The Egyptian Army is working to preserve stability and is operating as much as possible in a manner of restraint," Benayahu said.
He added, "Our peace with Egypt is a strategic asset of supreme importance to the government of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces, and I'm sure also to the people of Egypt. … Egypt is not an enemy of Israel, but rather a large and influential country with whom we hope our peaceful relations will ensure forever."

Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal tops 100

Citing US non-government analysts, the newspaper said that only four years ago, the Pakistani nuclear arsenal was estimated at 30 to 60 weapons. – AFP Photo

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has doubled its nuclear weapons stockpile over the past several years, increasing its arsenal to more than 100 deployed weapons, The Washington Post reported late Sunday.
Citing US non-government analysts, the newspaper said that only four years ago, the Pakistani nuclear arsenal was estimated at 30 to 60 weapons.
“They have been expanding pretty rapidly,” the report quoted David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, as saying.
Based on recently accelerated production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium, Islamabad may now have an arsenal of up to 110 weapons, Albright said.
As a result, Pakistan has now edged ahead of India, its nuclear-armed rival, The Post noted. India is estimated to have 60 to 100 weapons.

U.K., Canada Discuss Joint Frigate Development

LONDON - Britain is in talks with Canada about a possible joint program to develop a frigate for their respective navies, according to U.K. Defence Minister Gerald Howarth.

Responding to questions from parliamentarians Jan. 31, Howarth said the British government is in "close discussion with the Canadians" on a possible collaborative program to develop the Global Combat Ship, destined to replace Type 23 frigates in Royal Navy service by the start of the next decade.
The minister said Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Turkey have expressed interest in the warship program, to be called the Type 26 in Royal Navy service, when Defence Secretary Liam Fox recently visited the various countries.
The British government is mounting a major effort to increase defense exports in the next few years to offset the downturn in military budgets at home, and has identified the Global Combat Ship as a key platform for a collaborative effort with Commonwealth and other allies.
BAE Systems has been working since last year on a 127 million-pound ($202 million) assessment phase to provide a warship capable of supporting land operations and conducting other roles, such as anti-submarine warfare.
Last year, the company, supported by the government, made proposals to Brazil to build up naval capabilities, including joint development of the Global Combat Ship. Italy, France and others have also shown an interest in the Brazilian program.

Afghan War Winnable Without Pakistan: U.S.

WASHINGTON - NATO-led forces can still win the war in Afghanistan even if Pakistan fails to move against militant havens on the border, a top U.S. general said Feb. 1.
"That's not a mission stopper in my mind," Gen. David Rodriguez, deputy U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told a Pentagon news conference.

U.S. officials have long pressed Islamabad to crack down on the Haqqani network and other militants based in North Waziristan, saying the insurgents exploit the area as a sanctuary to stage attacks on coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan.
But Rodriguez said the war effort would not be derailed even if Pakistan never fulfils promises to take action in North Waziristan, saying Islamabad has launched effective operations elsewhere along the northwest border.
"We need them to do more. We're going to encourage them to do more because that makes it easier on what we're doing. But I think it's still doable, without them decreasing what they've been doing, which is significant," he said.
His comments contrasted with more pessimistic assessments from U.S. intelligence agencies and some lawmakers, who have warned that Pakistan's reluctance to combat the Haqqani network in North Waziristan could undermine the war effort.
Pakistan has maintained ties to some militant groups as a hedge against historic rival India and to ensure Islamabad's influence in Afghanistan, diplomats say.
Rodriguez said he expected violence in Afghanistan to increase as usual in the spring as the insurgency launches its annual "seasonal" offensive.
But he predicted the Taliban would change its approach, targeting Afghan officials for assassination while moving away from confrontations with the heavily-armed coalition force.
With President Barack Obama planning to start a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in July, Rodriguez said it was too early to say how many forces might be pulled out.
Rodriguez leads the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, serving under the overall commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. David Petraeus.

China, Pakistan, Iran Blocked From Indian Air Show

NEW DELHI - India, which hosts South Asia's biggest air show next week, has not invited arch-rival Pakistan, China or Iran to the biennial event, organizers said on Feb. 1.
"Invitations to the air show have not been sent to China, Pakistan and Iran, but these are decided by the foreign ministry," defense production secretary R.K. Singh told a news conference in New Delhi.

Pakistan and India, who have fought three wars since their 1947 independence from the British, have no military-to-military contacts.
Trade links in recent years have improved between India and China, who fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962, but strategic ties are frosty as territorial disputes remain unresolved despite rounds of negotiations.
Singh did not comment on New Delhi's decision to block Iran from the event.
Aero India 2011, which begins on Feb. 9, has invited a delegation from war-torn Afghanistan, Singh said, as part of India's national policy to build better ties with the country.
"We have good cooperation with Afghanistan and so we are delighted it is sending a delegation to the air show. We want such cooperation to grow," Singh said.
About 350 official and trade delegations from 30 countries including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Germany and the United States will participate in the five-day event, the organizer said.