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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Spraying the bubbles from sparkling wine across the enormous gray bow of the USS George H.W. Bush, the Bush family on Saturday christened the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named after the 82-year-old former president. "I know you join me in saying to our father, President Bush, your ship has come in," the current president said during a ceremony for the last of the Nimitz-class carriers, the CVN 77. "She is unrelenting, she is unshakable, she is unyielding, she is unstoppable," Bush said, lauding the warship's state-of-the-art design before pausing for a punch line aimed at his mother's...

Updated Ark Royal sails back to sea with new muscle SHÂN ROSS THE Royal Navy's biggest warship passed under the Forth Bridge and headed out for sea trials yesterday after a comprehensive £25 million refit to transform her into the service's only combined troop and aircraft carrier. HMS Ark Royal has had an internal refurbishment which will enable her to transport up to 600 Royal Marines to any flashpoint in the world. The impressive aircraft carrier is now considered "one of a kind" following the £25 million upgrade at Babcock's shipyard in Rosyth, Fife. The upgrade includes a third mast...

Russian air carrier to rejoin Navy by end of 2006 16:16 | 27/ 09/ 2006 MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, will join the Northern Fleet by the end of the year after modernization, the Navy's chief said Wednesday. The ship, also known as Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft carrier, was commissioned in the Russian Navy in 1991 and became fully operational in 1995. But it was plagued by technical problems, including faulty arrester gear, and was put into dock earlier this year for a technical overhaul. "All preparatory work has been completed on...

/begin my summaryUSS Enterprise Docks At Busan Harbor At 10 am, July 18, USS Enterprise has docked at pier in Naval Operations Base of (ROK) Third Fleet, located at Busan(Its escort ship,) USS Chancellorsville(CG 62) docked at noon at pier 8 of Busan Harbor.They will start their four day stay in Busan.U.S. Military and (ROK) Navy would not confirm if destroyers and submarines belonging to carrier battle group of Enterprise also docked at the harbor. USS Enterprise, a nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier  USS Chancellorsville, an Aegis cruiser /end my summary

U.S. aircraft carrier to enter Hokkaido port with MSDF destroyer (Kyodo) _ The U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, is to enter a Hokkaido port on Saturday accompanied by a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, MSDF officials said Friday. The 3,500-ton Yugiri will "strengthen friendship and goodwill" between the MSDF and the U.S. Navy by accompanying Kitty Hawk, and it will not be guarding the U.S. vessel, MSDF officials said, brushing off criticism by civic groups that the MSDF and the U.S. Navy are promoting their integration. The groups have said integration would amount to exercising...

No room for mistakes in a nuclear Navy Shishir Gupta With only two years to go before the Indian Navy is to transform itself to a blue water Navy—an elite club comprising mostly of the P5 countries—a string of incidents give clue to how unprepared the force is for it.Consider the following: • Last month, the sonar dome—an anti-submarine device—of the guided missile warship Talwar, got seriously damaged after the ship’s anchor was accidentally dropped on it. • In April, missile corvette Prahar sank after colliding with merchant ship Rajiv Gandhi. • In December 2005, a speeding INS Trishul, another...

2005: A Turning Point for China’s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions by Richard Fisher, Jr. Published on January 8th, 2006ARTICLES Since the early 1980s, when Western military officials began gaining tentative access to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) after decades of isolation, analysts have debated the question of whether China would build aircraft carriers. The events of 2005 have now given us the answer. Yes, China will build aircraft carriers. The debate now shifts to new questions: what type, what size, how many, and how soon? From the mid-1980s onward foreign analysts could agree only that China was committed to learning as...

ABOARD USS RONALD REAGAN (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 concluded military operations as part of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 7 in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO) May 29. The nearly 6,000 Sailors assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group supported operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, as well as conducted maritime security operations (MSO) in the region. MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny international...

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The ex-Oriskany, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, became the largest ship intentionally sunk as an artificial reef May 17 when it was sunk approximately 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola, Fla. After 25 years of service to the Navy in operations in Korea, Vietnam and the Mediterranean, ex-Oriskany will now benefit marine life, sport fishing and recreation diving off the coast of the Florida panhandle. The 888-foot ship took about 37 minutes to sink below the surface after strategically placed explosives were detonated at 10:25 a.m. CDT. The Navy...

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - Hundreds of Navy veterans who grew to love the famed aircraft carrier USS Oriskany will see their old ship off on her final voyage - a trip to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, where she will become a massive artificial reef. Many, like Boyd Tong of Phoenix, plan to rent boats and watch as the Oriskany is sunk 24 miles off Pensacola Beach on Wednesday morning. "I expect it will be a little emotional," Tong said as a Navy band played "Anchors Aweigh" at Pensacola Naval Air Station tribute for the Oriskany on Saturday...

MEDITERRANEAN SEA– The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) hosted a special delegation of Moroccan dignitaries, high-ranking military officers and reporters to the ship Friday, May 12. Moroccan speaker of parliament, Abdulwahed Radi, was among the visitors to tour the massive ship, observe flight operations and experience daily life at sea. The distinguished visitors also met with the Commander of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Rear Adm. Ray Spicer and toured Big E's navigation bridge, flight deck control tower, hangar bay and foc'sle. Capt. Larry Rice, Commanding Officer of Enterprise, said the visit was part of U.S. efforts...

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- A pierside press conference was held April 18 aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola to provide details of the final preparations for sinking the decommissioned aircraft carrier ex-Oriskany (CVA 34). With the rusting hulk of Oriskany as a backdrop, Capt. Lawrence Jones, Inactive Ships program manager in charge of the Oriskany project and Resolve Marine’s Vice President Denise Johnston answered questions about the sinking. Resolve-Esco Joint Venture is the contractor for the final work necessary to prep the ship for its ultimate disposition as a reef. This includes pre-ballasting water tanks aboard to get...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy is deploying USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group (GW CSG), April 4, to participate in the “Partnership of the Americas” in the Caribbean Sea. Partnership of the Americas will enhance regional maritime security and strengthen ties through operations and exercises with Caribbean and Latin American partner nations. “Partnership of the Americas is designed to foster goodwill among partner nations through communications, operations, and training,” said Vice Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet. “Furthermore, this exercise allows for participating units to sharpen their skills to be better trained and prepared to respond...

US, South Korea launch war games Sat Mar 25, 12:18 PM ET South Korea and the United States have launched large-scale war games as North Korea accused them of rehearsing for a nuclear attack on the communist state. Some 25,000 US troops backed by a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier are taking part in the week-long drill aimed at testing the capability of US and South Korean commanders to receive and deploy US reinforcements from abroad. "The RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration) drill started today as planned," said an official with the US military who asked not to be named....

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- At the kickoff of its latest Western Pacific deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group gathered in Hawaiian waters in mid-March to hone its ability to detect, track and counter a threat from beneath the sea. This strike group, centered around the aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, from Everett, Wash., is the third to conduct an undersea warfare exercise near Hawaii this year, illustrating Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Gary Roughead’s focus on making anti-submarine warfare his top war-fighting priority. “This is a core competency for naval forces in a joint war-fighting...

"Why don't you take a picture of our antenna up there above that Rising Sun?" Larry asked. "A kamikaze plane hit the Lex right there in 1942." The decal on the superstructure of the USS Lexington shows the location of a kamikaze aircraft hit during an engagement in World War II. To the right and above it is the ship's ham station Hustler 5BTV antenna. Larry Boudreau, W5LDB, was the host during my operation in the 2004 Texas QSO Party aboard the USS Lexington. We were standing on the busy gangway leading up from the beach to the entrance...

France and Britain signed an accord to jointly construct three aircraft carriers on March 6, with France agreeing to pay 100 million pounds ($176 million) in phases towards the design work. Britain hopes to deliver the first of two new aircraft carriers to the Royal Navy sometime around 2012, while France wants one new ship by about 2014.

FR EXCLUSIVE: INTERVIEW WITH HIGH LEVEL NAVY COMMANDER REGARDING PRESIDENT BUSH'S TAILHOOK LANDINGa Navy commander | May 9., 2003 | dfu Posted on 05/09/2003 1:56:27 PM PDT by doug from upland After listening to the rantings and ravings of the DemocRATS who are both jealous and livid after seeing a beloved commander in chief do a tailhook landing on the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, I wanted to get the real story. After about 5 calls and transfers and return calls, I just spoke with a Navy commander who deals with public relations. He is very high level, but because this issue...

For Gorshkov, Navy pilots head to US for training SHIV AROOR NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 23: By the time Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov arrives in 2008, the Navy will have a contingent of 32 pilots, trained in specialised deck-based fighter operations at the US Navy training command in Pensacola, Florida. With the first batch of four Lieutenant-rank officers are already under training there, the next is scheduled to go in March. The selection of venue for training to operate Russian-built MiG-29K fighters off the Gorshkov may seem strange but the government was compelled to accept the Pentagon’s offer because Russia...

The US Navy welcomed the latest member of its fleet today. Pictured above: the USS William Jefferson Clinton CVS1 set sail today from its home port of Vancouver, BC. The ship is the first of its kind in the Navy and is a standing legacy to President Clinton and his foresight in military budget cuts. The ship is constructed nearly entirely from recycled aluminum, and is completely solar powered with a top speed of 5 knots. It boasts an arsenal comprised of one F14 Tomcat or F18 Hornet aircraft which, although they cannot be launched or land on the 100...

ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (NNS) -- Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 stationed aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) continued to provide support to coalition troops on the ground in Iraq Oct. 19. F-14 Tomcats from Fighter Squadron (VF) 31 conducted precision strikes on a known Improvised Explosive Device (IED) production facility northeast of Baghdad. The fighter jets joined a handful of other Roosevelt-based aircraft this week that have conducted strikes in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom while protecting coalition ground troops. IEDs have been one of the biggest threats to coalition ground forces since the beginning of...

27 militants held in raid  BAQUBA: Iraqi forces seized 27 Islamic militants in Baquba, 60km north of Baghdad, yesterday along with weapons and leaflets linked to the Al Qaeda network, the army said. "Sixteen of the arrested, including two Egyptians, are wanted by authorities for crimes they are believed to have been committed," said Colonel Ismael Ibrahim. "Large quantities of weapons were seized ... and leaflets of the Jordanian Islamist Abu Musab Al Zarqawi urging militants to carry out attacks against US and Iraq forces were found too." The defence ministry said it had also arrested 49 suspects in raids...

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- The beveling of a 15-ton metal plate kicked off advance construction of the newest class of aircraft carrier, the CVN 21 project, Aug. 11 at Northrop Grumman Newport News' shipyards in Virginia. The new carrier is designed to modernize the “flat tops” for the 21st century. Advance construction will take an estimated two years before construction can begin on the actual ship itself. This gives technicians and engineers the time needed to test and design the ship, and all the new technologies that will be put into the vessel. “We’re going to kind of mark...

Navy to Launch Region's Biggest Troop Landing Ship The Navy will launch Korea's first LPX-class ship equipped with a flight deck like a light aircraft carrier. The Dokdo, named amid the patriotic fervor surrounding a recent spat with Japan over Korea’s islets in the East Sea, will be used in a wide range of activities including UN peacekeeping operations and disaster relief. It opens new areas of operation for the Navy as Korea looks to more independent defense capabilities. With a displacement of 13,000 tons the Dokdo will not only be the largest vessel in the Korean Navy but...

SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Earl Lazenby had delivered mail for years to the aging brown home with overgrown plants in the yard and a National Rifle Association sticker on the front door. The home's owner was always friendly, sometimes chatting with Lazenby at the grocery store in this Atlanta suburb. But what Lazenby didn't know was that William Crutchfield was deep in debt and looking for a way out. Crutchfield apparently watched with envy as Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph was headed to prison for life and aspired to the same fate — allowing him to live off the government while behind...

ABOARD USS ANTIETAM (NNS) -- USS Antietam (CG 54), a cruiser equipped with the Aegis Combat System, has patrolled the Persian Gulf since arriving on scene with the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group in mid-March. The ship was a vital cog for the strike group as they conducted maritime security operations (MSO) and supported the coalition efforts in the region. Among the numerous operations conducted by Antietam in the Persian Gulf were Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations and protection of vital assets such as Iraqi oil platforms and Carl Vinson. Antietam is also responsible for...

/begin my translationChina Secretly Constructing an Aircraft Carrier Hong Kong Economic Daily(Jing-ji-ri-bao) reports 2005/06/30 China recently completed the final design for an Chinese aircraft carrier, and start in early August to construct it in secret at Jiang-nan Shipyard, Zhang-xing Island near Shanghai, reported the June 29th issue of Hong Kong Economic Daily(Jing-ji-ri-bao,) quoting (Chinese) high-level military sources. Costing 3 billion yuan(390 million dollars), which takes up 3% of Chinese military budget, this carrier, due to be completed next year if everything goes well, has top speed 30 knots per hour and  its maximal displacement is 78,000 ton. It is equipped with...

US offers training on aircraft carrier and presence in Pacific Defence Minister Mukherjee to meet Secy Rumsfeld at Pentagon on Tuesday SHISHIR GUPTA NEW DELHI, JUNE 25: From an offer to train Indian naval pilots to posting an Indian officer in the Pacific Command and possibly in the Florida-based Central Command as well, Washington is ready with a slew of proposals for Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee as he begins his US trip tonight. Although a careful Mukherjee has called the visit ‘‘exploratory,’’ these proposals are expected to be discussed when he meets US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon...

China is considering building an aircraft carrier, said a vice minister in charge of national defense, while emphasizing the country's only military interest is defense. "China's focus is on a peaceful rise,'' said Zhang Guangqin, vice minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. "Our national defense policy is only to protect China's maritime territories. However, relevant government agencies are looking into this matter of building an aircraft carrier.'' Getting advanced technology to upgrade its defense industry is a national priority for China, which announced Tuesday it will ask the European Union to reconsider its decision...

************************************************* Flagship of the Indian Navy, INS Viraat (R-22), the country's sole aircraft carrier after the retirement of the Vikrant (R-11), had been put into major refit in late 2003 and took more than a year to become fighting fit again. Although sea-trials and flying operations had been carried out between the end of 2004 and early 2005, the carriers first full scale naval exercise was however only conducted on March 27, 2005, off the coast of Mumbai. The ship itself is legendary, spearheading the British taskforce as HMS Hermes during the Falklands conflict, and needs no introduction. Purchased on...

May 15 2005 11:46AM Russia developing new aircraft carrier MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) - The Russian Navy is launching a project to develop a new aircraft carrier, the navy's commander Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov told Interfax. "We are beginning work to develop a new aircraft carrier in 2005. Construction is to begin after 2010," Kuroyedov said. "We are launching this development project and will involve leading experts to find out which materials and weapons we'll need and how many aircraft carriers should be built," he said. Kuroyedov earlier told journalists that the navy is planning to put the new carrier into...

An intruder ( with an "Arabic" name) managed to sneak aboard a carrier while it was in port in Great Britain. The trespasser was aboard 2 hours.No damage or explosives were found. For details,click on link.

Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to deploy on May 7 More than 6,200 sailors from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group will deploy from San Diego May 7 to conduct operations in the Central and Western Pacific. They will support the global war on terrorism with joint and combined operations, according to the Navy. The Nimitz strike group includes Carrier Air Wing 11, Destroyer Squadron 23, the missile cruiser USS Princeton, the guided missile destroyers USS Higgins and USS Chafe, the USS Bridge, and the attack submarine USS Louisville. Nimitz carries approximately 3.5 million gallons of fuel to support more than...

/begin my translationU.S. Mulls Stationing 2 Carriers in Japan Tokyo: Yonhap News05/05/05 As a part of reorganizing overseas deployments, U.S. military is considering the Sasebo naval base as the home port for two carriers which will be deployed in the Western Pacific, according to Tokyo Shimbun, quoting a U.S. military source in Japan today. The source also disclosed that U.S. military asked Japan to permit the use of Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Perfecture as the living quarters for carrier-based aircraft crews.  U.S. government plans to deploy two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific. Pearl Harbor has been the leading candidate, while U.S. have...

The Navy will be towing the 40-year-old aircraft carrier, USS America, out of its berth at the old Navy Yard in Philadelphia Tuesday and taking it to its final duty station -- a secret location at sea. Built in 1961, commissioned in 1965, the Kitty Hawk-class attack aircraft carrier saw duty around the world, including Vietnam in 1968, 1970 and 1972 and Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1991. The ship was decommissioned in 1996. On Tuesday, tug boats will begin backing the 1,048-foot-long aircraft carrier out of it narrow berth for its long last voyage. Contrary to popular...

Wed 13 Apr 2005 9:47am (UK) Naval Security Reviewed over Ship Intruder By Ben Mitchell, PA A review of security at a major UK naval base has been carried out after an alleged intruder was found on board a visiting US aircraft carrier, the Royal Navy said today. The alleged trespasser was discovered on board the USS Harry S Truman, anchored off Stokes Bay, Gosport, Hants, on Saturday night during a week-long visit to Portsmouth Naval Base. A navy spokesman said the man had allegedly passed through both Royal Navy security and US Navy security to get on board passenger...

China held military drillHIGH ALTITUDE: A local military commentator said the drill, said to target US aircraft carriers, posed no danger since radar could detect a Chinese assaultDPA , TAIPEI Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005,Page 4 China reportedly held an anti-aircraft-carrier drill last month to prepare for blocking US assistance to Taiwan in the event of a cross-strait war, but a Taiwanese military expert yesterday said the drill would not pose a major threat to US aircraft carriers. "In this drill, Chinese warplanes can only descend to 100m above the water's surface, so they can still be easily detected by US...

THREE MURDER SUSPECTS CAUGHT IN MEXICO By: KENNETH DEAN, Staff Writer January 28, 2005 Captured in Mexico, three suspects sought in two different murders in Tyler now sit in a Mexican prison, awaiting extradition to face a Smith County jury. Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham announced the captures of Hersain Gomez, Susana Arroyo and her brother Saul Arroyo at a Friday press conference, where he was joined by federal and local law enforcement officers. "The district attorney's office, the Tyler Police Department and the FBI have been actively working with the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs to...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- To ease tuition sticker-shock, President George W. Bush wants to raise the maximum Pell Grant award by $100 each year and fix a persistent shortfall in the nation's chief college aid program. That would put the maximum grant at $4,550 by 2010, up 12 percent from the $4,050 currently offered. Bush is expected to make the announcement at a town hall meeting on higher education and job training at Florida Community College at Jacksonville's South Campus that begins at 1 p.m. Advance tickets to the event were snapped up in less than two hours earlier this week,...

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PARIS : France will send the helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc and the frigate George Leygues to Asia on Monday to provide medical aid to the countries hit by the tsunamis, Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Sunday in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche. "The urgency is to avoid a health disaster," the minister said, announcing that the two warships as well as an Airbus 310 carrying 12 tonnes of water purifying material and medication would be sent on Monday. The ships would have medical teams (16 doctors on the Jeanne d'Arc), an operating theatre and five helicopters. In...

With so many Americans popping prescription meds, who needs nature and sex and exercise? The odds are very good that you are on drugs. Right now. This minute. As I type this and as you read this and as false Texas dictators rise and sad empires crumble and as this mad bewildered world spins in its frantically careening orbit, there's a nearly 50/50 chance that some sort of devious synthetic chemical manufactured by some massive and largely heartless corporation is coursing through your bloodstream and humping your brain stem and molesting your karma and kicking the crap out of your...

Sir Elton John is famed for his outbursts and diva-ish tantrums. So when he was invited to a presidential reception, hosted by George W Bush, the organisers must have been praying the Rocket Man would not explode. Two weeks ago Sir Elton hit out at the US president, saying he was "the worst thing that has ever happened to America". "I just wanna scream," he said. "It's a nightmare. These idiots think they can get away with anything ... it enrages me that people can just smirk their way through it." But the 57-year-old entertainer managed to keep his cool...

Bush is the last anchorman for a nation drifting apart Last week saw the retirement of Tom Brokaw, a man with a speech impediment and impeccable Midwest credentials who anchored the NBC Nightly News for more than two decades. Brokaw’s retirement followed the abrupt resignation of Dan Rather, the fathomlessly batty liberal who had anchored CBS News’s nightly spot for ever as well. Rather left in less celebratory a context. He had been caught running a story on George W Bush’s service in the National Guard that relied on faked documents. After nine days of being mauled by bloggers, Rather...

Now, this was posted on another thread I frequent, and since an admittedly half-hearted search didn't turn up anything on the subject, I'm posting it for your eyes.The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force has been noted for a couple of things. One of those has been it's capability. Most pundits rate it as the #2 navy in the world. Now Japan also has a rather colorful history in terms of military expansionism, so one of the things that tends to freak out the neighbors is any time the Japanese say the words "Aircraft Carrier". This has become a phrase not...

The latest aircraft carrier to join the US Navy is the USS Ronald Reagan -- CVN 76. But is with the passing of the Gipper, and what that great American stood for, what might be a future slogan be for this great ship. I think Ronnie would like it to be referred to as the Spirit of 76. And what American of the 20th Century more embodied the spirit this country was founded on -- the spirit of 1776 or the the spirit of the American Independence. That spirit is embodied in our Declaration of Independence -- without a doubt...

http://www.globalterroralert.com/zarqawi-apc.wmvhttp://www.globalterroralert.com Globalterroralert.com (10/13/04): Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawheed wal-Jihad Movement in Iraq has released two new video clips, including video of a roadside bombing attack on a U.S. armored vehicle near the city of Mosul. The video features human body parts later retrieved from the scene of the ambush.

  Bush stands by aircraft carrier speech Defends declaring major conflict over in words to troops By Patrick Healy, Globe Staff  |  September 27, 2004MADISON, Wis. -- President Bush said in a television interview airing tonight that he does not regret flying to an aircraft carrier in May 2003 and announcing an end of major combat in Iraq -- under the banner "Mission Accomplished" -- despite the subsequent deaths of some 900 US military personnel from ongoing turmoil in that country.According to excerpts of the interview with Fox News's "The O'Reilly Factor," Bush said twice that he would "absolutely"...

China revamps top military command Beijing appoints two anti-aircraft carrier warfare experts to head the PLA in moveto prepare for war over Taiwan Strait By Ching Cheong HONG KONG - China recently appointed two experts well versed in anti-aircraft carrier warfare to head the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department (GSD) in yet another step to prepare the country for war over the Taiwan Strait. Lieutenant-General Xu Qiliang and Vice-Admiral Wu Shengli, deputy commanders of the Shenyang and Guangzhou Greater Military Regions (GMRs), respectively, were named Deputy Chiefs of Staff last month. The former was also commander of the Air...

TOKYO, Aug. 11, Kyodo - A plane based on an U.S. carrier crashed off Iwojima Island around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the Defense Agency said. The U.S. military has yet to contact Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force for help in the case, the agency said, adding the plane apparently crashed into the Pacific about 70 kilometers off the island.