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Exercise Trident FuryCanadian Forces (DND/CF) Website June 9, 2005 As HMCS Protecteur steamed in formation with Canadian and American ships, some of the ship's company enjoyed some well earned down time while watching ‘Top Gun' in their mess. They were treated to true surround sound as Air National Guard F-15s and F-16s screamed out of a dazzlingly blue sky in a low pass over the formation. Protecteur , and the other ships were participating in exercise Trident Fury , (one of the largest task group exercises ever held in this region), which ran from May 16-24. The exercise was organized...

New Delhi, May 26: The armies of India and China, which fought a border war four decades ago, plan to hold unprecedented joint counter-terrorism and peacekeeping training programmes, the Indian army chief said on Thursday. General Joginder Jaswant Singh said the plans had been discussed with visiting Chinese chief of general staff, General Liang Guanglie, who began a six-day tour on Monday. Military ties between the two Asian giants have vastly improved and their soldiers have gone on joint mountaineering expeditions, played volleyball matches, exchanged gifts and shared meals on the frontier, Singh said. "The momentum given by the leaders...

The American elite Navy SEALs (SEa, Air, Land) are increasingly interested in Umoe Mandal's speed boats that are 'invisible' to radar. Now the shipyard has a study contract with the SEALs. Umoe Mandal has Norway's military as a client, and the Norwegian navy will buy a total of six of the stealth "Skjold" (Shield) speed boats by 2008. Now billionaire Jens Ulltveit-Moe hopes that the SEALs interest in the swift stealth vessels will also lead to a future sales contract. "The Norwegian "Skjold" boat was on loan for a year's testing by special forces after Sept. 11, 2001. Our marketing...

The US and India have decided to harness their "transformed bilateral relationship" to jointly address global challenges like organised crime, trafficking in narcotics and persons linked to international terrorism and illegal arms trade, as also to use cleaner and efficient engergy sources. "The two delegations held a productive exchange of views and discussed new and expanded areas for U.S.-India cooperation on global affairs. These included issues related to protection of the environment, sustainable development, protection of the vulnerable, combating transnational organized crime, and promotion of democratic values and human rights," said a joint statement issued after the meeting. "The Forum...

U.S., Cdn flying teams in PensacolaCanoe Network ... cnews May 9, 2005 PENSACOLA, Fla. (CP) - Canada's Snowbirds will join both American military precision flying teams as well as U.S. army and navy parachute squads for a pair of rare joint public appearances Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting. The Blue Angels will host the other teams for practice shows at Pensacola Naval Air Station, where the Navy flight demonstration squadron is based. The flying is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., which is when the Blue Angels normally conduct public practice sessions, and continue through 1 p.m. both days. Public...

Story Number: NNS050506-03 Release Date: 5/6/2005 1:55:00 PM USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (NNS) -- A ceremony held aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) (TR) May 4 recognized the ongoing friendship between Spain and the United States with the joining of a Spanish ship to the TR Carrier Strike Group. Alvaro de Bazan (F 101), a medium-size Spanish frigate, is now officially a part of Carrier Strike Group 2. “We are pleased and honored to welcome Alvaro de Bazan to Norfolk, Va., and into the TR strike group,” said Commander, Carrier Strike Group 2 Rear Adm. James A. Winnefeld. “This project was...

BRUSSELS, May 6 (RIA Novosti, Alexander Shishlo) - The Russian Navy will engage in the Active Efforts NATO anti-terror operation in the Mediterranean, toward this year's end into early next year. Russia's Black Sea Fleet will regularly join the operation, Vice-Admiral Valentin Kuznetsov, Russia's chief military spokesman at NATO, said to the media in Brussels today. "I think we'll appear in the Mediterranean on two or three occasions," he remarked. The partners are presently consulting on prospects for NATO assistance to prepare Russian ships for the operation, added the admiral.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin to Form Launch Services Joint Venture Lowers Cost to the Government Maintains Assured Access to Space Enhances ReliabilityProvides Full Cost Visibility CHICAGO, and BETHESDA, MD – May 2, 2005 – The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) have entered into an agreement to create a joint venture that will combine the production, engineering, test and launch operations associated with U.S. government launches of Boeing Delta and Lockheed Martin Atlas rockets. The joint venture, named United Launch Alliance, will reduce the cost of meeting the critical national security and NASA expendable launch vehicle...

VILNIUS, April 21 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and NATO have made an agreement to hold joint exercises in the territory of the Kaliningrad Region, NATO’s Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said after a session of the Russia-NATO Council. He believes this is a good opportunity to promote cooperation between the military. De Hoop Scheffer recalled that NATO’s military experts had visited a Russian regiment in Samara recently. He described that as a good example of cooperation and a chance to know each other better. De Hoop Scheffer said the meeting in Vilnius had shown that interaction between NATO and Russia...

Japan, U.S. to research stealth vessel technology Reuters Apr 15, 2005, 13:12 TOKYO (Reuters): Japan and the United States, Tokyo's main security ally, have agreed to start joint research on stealth and other advanced technology for military vessels, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The agreement comes at a time when Japan has shown signs of stepping up cooperation with the United States on research and development of military technology. The joint research project will study advanced materials to build hulls as well as other technology that could be used to improve the capability of naval destroyers, the ministry...

Japan, U.S. to name ports for crisis use Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent The Japanese and U.S. governments Friday agreed to sit down and name which commercial airports and harbors will be made available for U.S. military operations in the event of emergencies in areas surrounding Japan. The agreement, confirmed during a meeting in Honolulu of senior foreign and defense officials, will complement the existing law that governs Self-Defense Forces operations to assist U.S. operations in dealing with crises in areas such as the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Strait. In the event of emergencies in such areas, Japan, according...

The Japanese and U.S. governments Friday agreed to sit down and name which commercial airports and harbors will be made available for U.S. military operations in the event of emergencies in areas surrounding Japan. The agreement, confirmed during a meeting in Honolulu of senior foreign and defense officials, will complement the existing law that governs Self-Defense Forces operations to assist U.S. operations in dealing with crises in areas such as the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Strait. In the event of emergencies in such areas, Japan, according to the 1999 law, is to provide logistic support for the U.S. military, including...

CALCUTTA, April 8: Indian air force (IAF) pilots will face off against US airmen in F-16 fighters in mock dogfights in November, officials said on Friday , two weeks after Washington agreed to sell the jets to nuclear neighbours India and Pakistan. Washington last month lifted a ban on sales of F-16 combat jets to Pakistan - imposed in 1990 as a sanction over its nuclear weapons programme - to demonstrate its support for a nation that had become a major ally in the war on terrorism after Sept 11. India opposed the US move, saying it could harm its...

Indian pilots to match skills against U.S. F-16s Fri April 8, 2005 3:13 PM GMT+05:30 CALCUTTA (Reuters) - Indian air force (IAF) pilots will face off against U.S. airmen in F-16 fighters in mock dogfights in November, officials said on Friday, two weeks after Washington agreed to sell the jets to nuclear rivals India and Pakistan. Washington last month lifted a ban on sales of F-16 combat jets to Pakistan -- imposed in 1990 as a sanction over its nuclear weapons programme -- to demonstrate its support for a nation that had become a major ally in the war on...

Navy to hone hunting skills on Swedish sub By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot © March 24, 2005 NORFOLK — The Navy has formally agreed to lease a Swedish submarine and its crew for a year so U.S. nuclear-powered subs, as well as other ships and planes, can practice hunting it. Under a memorandum of understanding signed this week in Norfolk with the Fleet Forces Command, the Swedish navy will send a Gotland-class sub to San Diego, where it will help the sea service train to combat the potential threat of diesel-powered submarines in the hands of rogue nations. The 200-foot...

BEIJING (RIA Novosti) -- The forthcoming Russia-China military exercise denotes progress in bilateral military relations, said Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces. "I am pleased to be making my first official visit to this country, to friends with whom we are linked by partner relations," he said in Beijing airport. He has come to China with "major powers delegated [to me] by the defense minister," the general said. "We have things to discuss and offer to our Chinese colleagues in military-technological cooperation and other spheres." Yuri Baluyevsky believes that the exercise, preparations for which...

Taiwan and Singapore will hold their first joint military exercises in three decades, a move expected to anger China, a report said March 21. The drill, involving a Taiwan motorized infantry battalion and a Singapore brigade being trained on the island, will be staged in the southern county of Hengchun from late March to early April, the Liberty Times said on its Web site. Aside from artillery and tanks, Taiwan will mobilize SuperCobra attack helicopters and Singapore will deploy Super Puma helicopters, the report said. Taiwan’s defense ministry declined to comment on the sensitive report, while China demanded an explanation...

A major row erupted between China and Russia over the location for joint military exercises, a Russian newspaper reported on Thursday. According to the Kommersant daily, the Russian military had suggested the Xinjiang autonomous region of China, because of the area's problem with Uighur separatists and its proximity to Central Asia, a focus for the international fight against terrorism. However, Beijing flatly rejected the proposal, and instead suggested Zhejiang Province near Taiwan. Exercises in this area, the Kommersant noted in its report, "would look too provocative and trigger a strong reaction not only in Taiwan, but in the United States...

MOSCOW, March 17. (RIA Novosti)-Yesterday, Chief of the Russian General Staff Yury Baluyevsky left for China to settle a scandal over the first Russian-Chinese military exercise, Commonwealth-2005, which is due to be held this fall off the Yellow Sea coast, writes Kommersant. The initial plans were to practice operational teamwork in combating terrorism during the exercise. However, Beijing, skillfully changing the format of the exercise, has tried to re-orient the two countries' armies to practicing an invasion of Taiwan. The choice of where the exercise will take place became a stumbling block. The Russian military selected the Xinjiang-Uigur autonomous region,...

WASHINGTON - The leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States will discuss a plan to beef up continental security and speed up movement across their borders when they meet next week. A report calls for the creation of a common economic and security community by the end of the decade. The document's proposals would try to create a secure perimeter around the continent, while making it easier for people and goods to move across the shared borders. The proposals contained in the report are expected to be a part of the discussions when Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican...