U.S. Army Receives First of Latest Apaches

MESA, Ariz. - Amid fanfare and after an Apache tribal blessing, the most lethal and technologically sophisticated attack helicopter in the world has been delivered to the U.S. Army by its Mesa manufacturer.
Named after the Native American tribe, the AH-64D Longbow Apache Block III is geared to meet next-generation battlefield challenges with high-tech gear such as sensors that allow pilots to guide unmanned aircraft to their targets, Army officials said Nov. 2.

"Our enemy is ruthless," said Maj. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Ala. "They are determined. They are adaptive ... and we must be adaptive and innovative."
Crutchfield was among 500 Army officers and enlisted personnel, Boeing employees and international customers, and public officials who celebrated the delivery of the first five Block III Apaches during ceremonies at The Boeing Co. plant where the aircraft is made.
Although the festive event portrayed the helicopter's devastating power, White Mountain Apache Tribal Chairman Ronnie Lupe concentrated on its lifesaving ability as he blessed the helicopters in a spiritual ceremony.
Holding eagle feathers as white smoke from a nearby smoldering pot of sage dissipated in heavy wind gusts, Lupe and two other tribal members approached one of the helicopters, touching it with the feathers during the early morning ritual on an asphalt flight line.
"That prayer was to the creator for the warrior in hopes that the warrior would return," said Crutchfield, who is of Native American heritage.
Jerry Gloshay, Lupe's executive assistant, said the tribal leader views the aircraft as a "living bird that is sort of like the Apache warrior."
"He wants to have a blessing, not in the light of the helicopter being on the attack mode, but rather how it is going to protect the family's well-being in the future," he said.
Gloshay said Lupe, a Korean War veteran who served with the U.S. Marine Corps' 1st Division, blessed the original "A" model of the Apache helicopter when it was built in 1984.
The war, which began in 1950, gave birth to the Marines' first helicopter unit specifically formed for combat.
Public officials attending the ceremony talked of a different type of blessing from the continued production of the rotorcraft at The Boeing Co. plant.
"I like to say that Mesa is the epicenter of Boeing rotorcraft," Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said. "Apaches bring 4,500-plus employees to this site. ...We look forward to another 30 years of growth, accomplishment and pride."
The helicopters are being built under a $247 million deal with the Defense Department.
The first phase of production will lead to the manufacture of 690 of the Block III aircraft for the Army, which could extend production for nearly a decade or more, according to Boeing officials.
The Army plans to acquire the helicopters between now and 2026 at a production rate of about two battalions per year, according to the Army. Of this amount, 643 will be remanufactured aircraft and 56 will be new.
Since the first Apache, called the A model, was delivered, more than 1,700 various models of the rotorcraft have been manufactured for the Army and U.S. allied forces.

U.S. Reins in Drones Over Diplomatic Concerns

WASHINGTON - The U.S. spy agency has quietly tightened its rules on drone strikes in Pakistan over concerns about their impact on tense relations with Islamabad, the Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 3.

Pakistanis protest U.S. drone strikes on Oct. 28 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Concerned about strained relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, the CIA has tightened rules on drone strikes, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP via Getty Images)

The Journal, citing senior officials, said the new rules resulted from a behind-the-scenes battle between an aggressive Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. military and diplomatic officials concerned about relations with Pakistan.

A high-level review reaffirmed support for the drone program - which has killed hundreds of militants, including top commanders, in recent years - but established new rules to minimize the diplomatic blowback, the Journal said.
The changes reportedly include granting the State Department greater sway in strike decisions, giving Pakistani leaders advance warning of more operations and suspending operations when Pakistani officials visit the United States.
"It's not like they took the car keys away from the CIA," the Journal quoted a senior official as saying. "There are just more people in the car."
The Journal said the debate was sparked by a particularly deadly drone strike on March 17 that took place just one day after Pakistan agreed to release a CIA contractor who had killed two Pakistanis.
Tensions between the two allies escalated throughout the spring, climaxing in May with the killing of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in a secret U.S. commando raid carried out without Islamabad's knowledge.
At issue in the debate over drones were so-called "signature strikes," in which unmanned drones fire on groups of suspected militants without necessarily knowing all their identities.
These strikes, which make up the bulk of operations, are seen as more controversial than "personality" strikes, which target alleged top militants, the Journal said.
U.S. officials do not publicly discuss the drone program, but they claim to have substantially weakened al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months by taking out top leaders.
Pakistan has criticized the program, however, saying it inflames anti-American sentiment and extremism by killing scores of civilians.

Libya Pledges To Destroy Chemical Weapons

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Libya's National Transitional Council has pledged to continue with the previous regime's program of destroying its chemical weapons stockpiles, an international monitoring group said Nov. 4.
"The new authorities inherited the obligations of the old regime as a state party to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," the organization's spokesman Michael Luhan said at its headquarters in The Hague.

"The new authorities accepted this heritage," he told AFP.
Slain leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime joined the OPCW in 2004, but it had yet to destroy 11.5 tons of mustard gas - representing 45 percent of its initial stock - when the rebellion that toppled him was launched in mid-February.
"The destruction facility malfunctioned in February, so when destruction resumes will depend on when the facility is repaired," Luhan said but stressed that the NTC should destroy all chemical weapons by April 29, 2012.
Libya destroyed its total stockpile of 3,500 munitions - including bombs, shells and missiles that could be used to deliver chemical weapons such as mustard gas - shortly after joining the convention in 2004, the OPCW said.
Mustard gas causes serious chemical burns in the eyes, on the skin and in the lungs.
The new Libyan authorities also told the OPCW on Nov. 1 that further stocks of what were believed to be chemical weapons had been found, but the find needed to be verified.
The NTC declared "total liberation" in Libya on Oct. 23, three days after Gadhafi's death following his capture.
Libyan academic Abdel Rahim al-Kib has been charged to form a interim government by Nov. 23, tasked with disarming the country and getting its economy back on its feet.

Pakistan Clandestinely Moving Its Nukes: Report

WASHINGTON - Pakistan has started moving its nuclear weapons in low-security vans on congested roads to hide them from U.S. spy agencies, making the weapons more vulnerable to theft by Islamist militants, two magazines reported Nov. 4.
The Atlantic and National Journal, in a joint report citing unnamed sources, wrote that the U.S. raid on May 2 that killed al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden at his Pakistani compound reinforced Islamabad's longstanding fears that Washington could try to dismantle the country's nuclear arsenal.

As a result the head of the Strategic Plans Divisions (SPD), which is charged with safeguarding Pakistan's atomic weapons, was ordered to take action to keep the location of nuclear weapons and components hidden from the United States, the report said.
Khalid Kidwai, the retired general who leads SPD, expanded his agency's efforts to disperse components and sensitive materials to different facilities, it said.
But instead of transporting the nuclear parts in armored, well-defended convoys, the atomic bombs "capable of destroying entire cities are transported in delivery vans on congested and dangerous roads," according to the report.
The pace of the dispersal movements has increased, raising concerns at the Pentagon, it said.
Pakistan has long insisted its nuclear arsenal is safe and the article quotes an unnamed official from the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency saying: "Of all things in the world to worry about, the issue you should worry about the least is the safety of our nuclear program."
The Pentagon declined to comment on the article but a senior U.S. military official told reporters in Washington that the United States remains confident Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure.
"I believe the Pakistan military arsenal is safe at this time, well guarded, well defended," said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The article, based on dozens of interviews, said the U.S. military has long had a contingency plan in place to disable Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event of a coup or other worst-case scenario.
U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) has for years trained for a potential "disablement campaign" that its forces would lead and that would require entering more than a dozen nuclear sites and seizing or defusing atomic weapons, it said.
The operation would use sensitive radiological detection devices that can pick up trace amounts of atomic material, and JSOC has even built mock Pashtun villages with hidden mock nuclear-storage depots at a site on the East Coast to train elite Navy SEAL and Delta Force commandos, the report said.
Although Pakistan has suggested it might shift towards China and forsake its ties to Washington, Chinese officials have reached an understanding in secret talks with U.S. representatives that Beijing would raise no objections if the United States opted to secure Pakistan's nuclear weapons, said the report, citing unnamed U.S. sources.

Pak frees Indian chopper

India Set to Open Bids for 126 Fighter Jets

NEW DELHI - India was set to open rival bids Nov. 4 from France's Dassault and the Eurofighter consortium, which are competing over a multibillion-dollar contract to provide 126 fighter jets.
The deal to supply war planes to fast-developing India has been fiercely fought over for four years, and the opening of the bids will start the final phase of the decision-making process.

"Negotiations with the (two) firms will start after opening the bids on November 4," Air Marshal D. Kukreja said. "Whatever is beneficial to the country, we will choose."
India in April pulled a surprise by cutting out U.S. bidders Boeing and Lockheed Martin - much to Washington's disappointment - as well as dropping Sweden's Saab AB and the Russian makers of the MiG 35 from the race.
"The final outcome will not be known immediately except perhaps an indication of whom we may prefer," retired Gen. Afsir Karim, an expert on Indian arms procurement, said Nov. 3.
"A price negotiation committee will finally determine the winner," he said.
Dassault's Rafale plane and the Eurofighter Typhoon have both been in action over Libya in recent months during the international operation to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians from Moammar Gadhafi's forces.
James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, said the contract was "the single biggest competition in the global defense aviation industry at the moment."
"Both aircraft... are coming off successful performances as part of the NATO air campaign in Libya," he said. "Failure here would be a major blow after both made substantial investment in promoting their platforms in India."
A source for the French group, who declined to be identified, said last week that the decision "could be settled in one day or it could take months if the (price) gap is narrow."
Dassault's rival, Eurofighter, is produced by a consortium of Britain's BAE Systems, Italy's Finmeccanica and EADS.
The contract is for the outright purchase of 18 combat aircraft by 2012, with another 108 to be built in India with options to acquire more.
Such a large order attracted strong lobbying during visits to India last year by U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
India, the biggest importer of military hardware among emerging nations, issued the request for proposals in 2007 and trials of aircraft from the six companies competing for the deal began a year later.
The procurement of the fighter jets is a key part of India's military upgrade program, aimed at securing its borders against rivals Pakistan and China.

NATO Ready To Help Libyan Defense, Security: Rasmussen

BRUSSELS - Two days after NATO completed its last Libyan air mission as part of the alliance's Unified Protector operation, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced here that NATO is willing to help reform the defense and security sectors, "if so requested" by the Libyan authorities.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks in Tripoli at an Oct. 31 news conference, as Libyan National Transitioanl Council chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil listens on. Rasmussen says NATO is willing to help with reforms in Libya. (Marco Longari / Agence France-Presse)

"Libya is not alone," he said. "They can, if they wish, ask the international community, including individual allies and nations, for support."

During a visit last week to the Libyan capital of Tripoli, Rasmussen met with Mustafa Mohammed Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC). During the talks, Rasmussen made it clear that NATO was ready to help with defense and security reforms, but it has not yet received a formal request for help, he said.
"We would be prepared to offer the same kind of assistance as we have offered to other partners within defense and security sector reforms," Rasmussen said. "That is overall to help put defense and security agencies under civilian and democratic control. We can also help in organizing modern defense structures," he said, citing examples such as helping Libya build a defense ministry or organize the general staff of its armed forces.
A number of NATO allies have gone through a similar transition from dictatorship to democracy and therefore have valuable experience to offer, Rasmussen said. It is "of utmost importance" that all the different militias in Libya are put under a common command and control, he said. "One of the big challenges for the NTC" is "to build such unified armed forces in Libya."

Preventing Proliferation

Libya must play a responsible role in the region, including "preventing the spread of arms through North Africa," Rasmussen said.
On Oct. 31, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution that included a call for Libya "to take all necessary steps to prevent the proliferation of all arms and related materiel of all types, in particular man-portable surface-to-air missiles, to ensure their proper custody, as well as to meet Libya's arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation obligations under international law."
NATO has no estimate of the number of missiles that are missing, Rasmussen said.
Asked about arms smuggling in the region, he said he had no information, but he noted that even though NATO's Unified Protector mission is over, "according to [previous] UNSC resolutions, the arms embargo is still in place and it is the responsibility of individual nations now to enforce the arms embargo, including Libya's neighbors."
Under the latest resolution, it is "the responsibility of the new political authorities in Libya to make sure that all weapons are properly controlled, monitored, secured and also destroyed if necessary," Rasmussen said.
"It is not for NATO any longer to enforce the arms embargo as an alliance [as its mission is over], but it is still the responsibility of individual allies to implement the U.N. resolution as far as the arms embargo is concerned," Rasmussen said. "Upon request from the new authorities in Libya, it is possible for individual nations, including NATO allies, to assist the new authorities in Libya."
Enforcement of the arms embargo is not just for Libya and its neighbors or countries in the region but is also the responsibility of all members of the United Nations, including NATO allies, he said.
NATO conducted its operations in Libya in such a manner that "we have no confirmed civil casualties caused by NATO" and "have really minimized the amount of collateral damage," Rasmussen said.
There are cities in Libya "where you will see a lot of damage," he conceded, "but actually that's rather caused by fighting on the ground between the NTC and Gadhafi forces than caused by NATO airstrikes. Our airstrikes have been precision strikes. We have hit legitimate military targets and minimized the collateral damage and, for that reason, I don't see any need for further investigation. We have fully implemented the U.N. mandate to the letter."

Afghanistan/Iran

On Afghanistan, Rasmussen said that "spectacular attacks capture the headlines" but "do not allow the enemies of Afghanistan to seize and hold ground."
Enemy attacks were down 26 percent from July to September this year, compared with the same period last year, he said. NATO has achieved its target of having trained 306,000 Afghan soldiers and police by October this year, Rasmussen said. He noted that Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will soon announce the next group of provinces and districts to be handed over to Afghan security lead and that a quarter of the Afghan population already has day-to-day security provided by Afghan forces.
As for Iran, Rasmussen said NATO had no intention to intervene.
"NATO supports international efforts to pursue political and diplomatic solutions to the Iran problem," he said.