Israel Helps Turkey Fight the Kurds

One of the interesting aspects of the air strikes by Turkey against the Kurds is that it is Israel who is helping with the targeting.

Ten days ago, the Turkish television station Star reported that IAI Heron UAVs are being used in the offensive against the Kurds.

The same report stated that Turkey's Chief of Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, had observed the UAVs' operations in real time, in the operations room of the Batman air force base near the border with Iraq. The intelligence relayed by the UAVs was used by the Turkish Air Force in targeting the Kurdish militants.

However, in the Turkish Daily News report, a Turkish military source is quoted expressing criticism that the IAI and Elbit, which is also part of the Heron program, have failed to meet their contractual obligations and have delayed the supply of UAVs ordered for the Turkish Air Force in 2005.

"The delays have left the TuAF critically short of UAVs when intelligence input from those valuable reconnaissance assets are exceedingly required," the Turkish military official was quoted as saying.

Well, sortof. Strategypage has the story right, the purchase of the Heron UAV was never so simple as the Turkish 'sources' are trying to suggest. Basically it comes down to Turkey wanting some parts supplied by domestic companies, but those companies weren't able to meet the orders. Now that there is a fight against the Kurds, Turkey is taking what they can get.

This story is made more intriguing considering only a few years ago Israel was helping train the Kurds, beside the teams from Jordon no less. Either way, the relationship between the Turkish military and Israel continues to be one of those strange combinations we constantly hear aren't supposed to exist in the Middle East, kind of like Shia Iran helping a Sunni Al Qaeda.

Too much is made of the conventional wisdom of ethnic divides. They exist, sure, but money is a great equalizer. Indirectly, this should continue to send the message to the reason hinted back in September...

The Turkish military and Israel continue to be on the same page. That may seem like a little thing, but every independent analyst would identify both of them the major regional military powers of the Middle East, a list Iran only wishes it belonged on.

Why Not Use the Kilo Class?

This article doesn't make any sense to me.

While the DRDO is speeding ahead with the development of the Air Force version of the BrahMos missile, the submarine version of the lethal projectile is yet to get a platform for testing.

The original plan was to test the missile on a Russian Akula class submarine, but that has not been finalised yet. “The missile is ready, but we are yet to finalise on the platform,” BrahMos Aerospace managing director and CEO A. Sivathanu Pillai told this website's newspaper.

What do you mean you can't find a submarine to test the Brohmos from? Earlier this month we heard Vice Admiral Puthan suggest that the entire Kilo upgrade program will probably have to be reconsidered because of poor success rates with the Klub missile, and now that India is producing a domestic submarine launched competitor to the Klub missile they can't find any platforms to test the Brohmos from?

Is the submarine launched version of the Brohmos considerably larger than the Klub? Doesn't appear to be... Sounds to me like India still hasn't figure out how to be tough with the Russians in diplomacy.

So much for never being tied to one weapon supplier. Whenever the obvious answer isn't mentioned, there is politics involved in the defense purchase, which btw consistently proves to be the best way to insure any program in India costs more than it should.

5th Fleet Focus: Order of Battle

Order of Battle in the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.

The Truman Carrier Strike Group

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)
USS San Jacinto (CG 56)
USS Hue City (CG 66)
USS Carney (DDG 64)
USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79)
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81)
HMS Manchester (D95)
HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339)
USNS Artic (T-AOE 8)
USS Montpelier (SSN 765)


Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group

USS Kearsarge (LHD 3)
USS Ponce (LPD 15)
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44)
USS Vicksburg (CG 69)
USS Porter (DDG 78)
USS Carr (FFG 52)
USS Miami (SSN 755)


Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group

USS Tarawa (LHA 1)
USS Cleveland (LPD 7)
USS Germantown (LSD 42)
USS Port Royal (CG 73)
USS Hopper (DDG 70)
USS Ingraham (FFG 61)


In Theater

Ocean 6
FGS Augsburg (F 213)
FS Guepratte (F714)
FS Commandant Ducuing (F795)
FS Premier Maitre L'Her (F792)
PNS Tariq (D 181)
PNS Babur (D 182)
PNS Tippu Sultan (D 185)
USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41)
HMS Campbeltown (F 86)
HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)
USS Scout (MCM 8)
USS Gladiator (MCM 11)
USS Ardent (MCM 12)
USS Dexterous (MCM 13)
HMS Ramsay (M 110)
HMS Blyth (M 111)

Some units of the Kearsarge ESG have already pulled out of the 5th Fleet AOR, but as the core units remain I'll retain them on the list for at least one more week.

Project Valour-IT and Other Stuff

Remember this? I got my coin in the mail today. Will work out details and start the new year right.

The coin appears generic, so it looks like anyone with a SA coin can get in the contest, regardless of service. That should make things interesting.

Otherwise, posting here will likely slow down until the new year. If I don't get a chance to say it later...

Happy New Year.

As Pakistan Descends Into Mourning

It was an interesting day as we woke up to learn of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. There are a lot of really good round ups on the net, this one being the best btw, but as the day approached late afternoon I began searching for a few specific details. First, I was waiting to read what Ahmed Rashid, perhaps the best reporter on all things Pakistan, was going to write.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has left a huge political vacuum at the heart of this nuclear-armed state, which appears to be slipping into an abyss of violence and Islamic extremism. The question of what happens next is almost impossible to answer, especially at a moment when Bhutto herself seemed to be the only answer.

This next paragraph could only be written by someone who personally feels the emotions that must be straining that nation today.

Benazir Bhutto and her Pakistan People's Party were the closest anyone in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has ever gotten to espousing a secular, democratic political culture. In a country where political advances have been made recently only by the Taliban, the role Bhutto filled, trying to bring modernity to this nation of 165 million people, was immensely brave and absolutely necessary if Pakistan is to remain in the polity of nations. Whatever her shortcomings, she loved her country and gave her life for it.

His entire article is an excellent read. He realizes there is real potential for bad to turn worse quickly, and the passion of his country really comes out well in the article.

While I'm sure the US media will descend into mourning and round table politics to observe events in Pakistan, I am not sure we are going to learn much with that approach. If you want to get a feeling for what will happen here, I think one will need to keep a close eye on China. They have already issued their strong condemnation, but that isn't what I'm waiting to see.

I don't see a scenario where China sits by and watches a nation on its border, particularly one where so much economic and strategic partnerships have been established the last few years..., stand idle should Pakistan starts turning into chaos. The US may 'encourage' Musharraf to take this or that action, but China has a lot of influence throughout the Pakistani military, and they will quietly extend a boot into someone's rear side to keep things in control, with or without Musharraf.

China has the influence in the military to steer events, we have seen the evidence time and time again. There is a reason the only tribes the Pak military actively engages are the tribes found near Gwador, and it wasn't an accident earlier this year that shortly after the extremists killed the Chinese nationalists during the Red Mosque incident the Pakistan military quickly concluded that sad episode. Indeed, don't get lost listening to the US media's fixation with American solutions and responses, if you want to observe what will happen next in Pakistan, observe how China reacts, they have a tremendous amount at stake, much more leverage than the US from the inside, and as a nation with a shared border with Pakistan, they are much closer to the issue.

I'm not trying to downplay the US role, nor downplay the stakes with the nuclear arsenal, rather I'm highlighting that our leverage hasn't produced results to the same degree the Chinese have in encouraging action against Islamic extremists who stir the pot in Pakistan.

For those who are interested, the next series of scheduled US Navy deployments begin starting today (Friday December 28th). With these scheduled deployments already in the pipeline over the next several weeks, it is unlikely we will see any surge activity, although I'm sure the US media will overplay these scheduled deployments as something otherwise.