President of Azerbaijan Visits NATO: A Video Record

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
01/17/2014

01/17/2014: The President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev visited NATO Headquarters. He met with the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen and addressed the North Atlantic Council. Also available in high definition

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 15

By Saeed Isayev – Trend:

During the 20 years of membership to the Partnership of Peace program, relations between Azerbaijan and NATO have elevated to the level of strategic cooperation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Jan. 15 at a press conference held in Brussels.
”I am very glad to be back to NATO and continue our discussions on the strategic cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan. This is my fifth visit to the NATO headquarters, and it shows the level of cooperation,” Azerbaijani president said.
Ilham Aliyev reminded about the NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s visit to Azerbaijan in 2012.

“Today, we continue our discussions on a broad range of issues, issues related to our participation in ISAF. We will continue to be committed to security of Afghanistan in the post-2014 period. Today almost 40 percent of non-lethal cargo to Afghanistan goes through the territory of Azerbaijan, and the route through Azerbaijan is the most reliable and safe,” Ilham Aliyev said.

He added that Azerbaijan will continue its efforts in order to promote peace and security in the region.

 “Our participation in peacekeeping operations of NATO is an important part of our cooperation,” Azerbaijani president added.

President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan cooperates with NATO on counter-terrorism, and the country is grateful to the organization for supporting the reforms of its armed forces, as they are being transformed to NATO standards.

“Also, with the assistance of NATO, including financial assistance, Azerbaijan implements projects of de-mining in the country,” the president noted.

Ilham Aliyev said the sides also discussed the situation in the Southern Caucasus.


“The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a major threat to stability and security of the region. We need to find the soonest resolution to the conflict, based on the international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” President Ilham Aliyev said.

He said that less than a month ago Azerbaijan signed an agreement on Shah Deniz-2 project, which is considered to be the “project of the 21st century”.

“The construction of the transportation infrastructure to bring Azerbaijani gas to Europe starts soon, and Azerbaijan takes responsibility and initiative to implement this project on time. That will be the project of energy diversification, energy security, energy cooperation, and it will be the biggest infrastructure project of Europe. And this project needs additional coordination of the participating countries and companies,” Ilham Aliyev stressed.

So cooperation between NATO and Azerbaijan successfully continues, he said.
”Today, with the Secretary General, we have discussed the future prospects of this cooperation, and how we can deepen this cooperation, to find new forms for our relationship in the future. We also want to be a close and reliable partner for NATO in the future. I am sure that will be the case,” President Aliyev added.

http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2230468.html


                                          Credit Video: NATO Channel:1/15/14

 For our Special Report on Azerbaijan:

 Azerbaijan’s Regional Role: Iran and Beyond

 http://sldinfo.wpstage.net/azerbaijans-regional-role-iran-and-beyond-2/

INS Vikramaditya: Latest Indian Carrier Arrives in Its Homeport

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
01/11/2014

01/11/2014: The name means Strong as the Sun.

The carrier as pictured is in transit to its homeport of Karwar on the western coast. 

The vessel is seen in the Arabian Sea under escort by INS Viraat, an earlier but upgraded carrier and other ships of the Western fleet.

It has arrived at its homeport.

The aircraft carrier will be fitted with many weapons and air defense missiles in India and will be fully operational next year.

The Indians are building out their navy to deal with 21st century security and defense missions.

The carrier is viewed as an essential part of dealing with evolving challenges.

The Indian Naval Chief Admiral DK Joshi commented in December 2013 that as a carrier-centric force, the Navy was looking forward to the arrival of INS Vikramaditya and to integrate her “into our operational architecture.”

“Given our vast maritime domain, far-flung island territories, national interests, and the extremely dynamic geo-strategic environment, INS Vikramaditya’s recent commissioning has further bolstered our carrier centric ‘blue-water’ capability,” he had said in his annual Navy Day (December 4) press interaction.

Notably, the Navy had planned for induction of three aircraft carriers right from the late 1990s, with the aim that at least two carrier task forces would always be available while a third one would be under maintenance and replenishment.

In addition to the Vikramaditya (aka Adniral Gorshkov) acquired from Russia, India’s indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is being build at Kochi shipyard and should be ready for induction in 2017.

Plans are there to begin construction of a second indigenous carrier, of about 60,000 tons plus.

The Directorate of Naval Design (DND) is already considering what equipment should be on board, and according to Vice Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral Robin Dhowan, all options from nuclear to steam propulsion, steam-powered catapults or Electro Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), the type of aircraft and escort vessels and so on are on the table for both INS Vikrant and the second indigenous carrier.

The Indian Navy is in touch with General Atomics, which has been permitted by Pentagon to make presentations to the Indian Navy.

https://sldinfo.com/an-end-of-the-year-update-on-the-indian-navy-building-out-the-carrier-fleet/ 

[slidepress gallery=’ins-vikramaditya’]

Story provided by our partner India Strategic.

These pictures of INS Vikramaditya have officially been released by the Directorate of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence.

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories3123_Indian_Navy_aims_three_aircraft_carriers.htm

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories3149_INS_Vikramaditya_photo_essay.htm

For a related story which looks at Indian naval aviation see the following:

http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories2034_Indian_Naval_Aviation_gets_combat_gems.htm

And for a video which shows the Mig-29K naval Fulcrum operating aboard the Indian aircraft carrier Vikramaditya see the following:

http://theaviationist.com/2013/10/11/mig-29k-new-video/

 

 

 

DCANG F-16’s Land in Natal Air Base, Brazil

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
01/07/2014

01/07/2014: 113th DCANG is participating in the 7th CRUZEX hosted by the Brazilian Air Force.

Six F-16’s made it to Brazil after a few complications.

CRUZEX is hosted by the Brazilian Air Force and 8 other countries were invited to join the training event.

CRUZEX lasted from 4-15 November 2012.

 Credit:113th Wing, District of Columbia Air National Guard:11/3/13

 For the Brazilian look at the exercise see the following:

http://www.cruzex.aer.mil.br/index.php

Special Purpose MAGTF Deploys to South Sudan

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
01/05/2014

01/05/2014  The Special Purpose MAGTF is a very flexible instrument.

As  Brigadier General James S. O’Meara currently serving as commander, U.S. Marine  Forces Europe, and deputy commander, U.S. Marine Forces Africa, commented about the SP-MAGTF in an earlier interview we conducted with him:

The SP-MAGTF is the basic Marine Corps air ground team or MAGTF approach but applied to a Special Purpose Mission. Special means it’s uniquely tailored to a particular mission or a few mission sets.

In this case, the focus is upon security embassy reinforcements or a noncombatant evacuation.Also, it is a rotational force, which provides a crisis response force able, to deal with EUCOM and AFRICOM needs.

General Dempsey provided strategic guidance, which was looking for a force, which operates with a small footprint, and is low-cost, and rotational. 

This is the answer to that guidance.

The SP-MAGTF meets the need to respond rapidly to a developing situation either proactively or reactively with a small force with a small footprint and has its own organic air, which means that it has operational reach as well.”

Recently, the SP-MAGTF was involved in South Sudan in assisting in the removal of US personnel.

Murielle Delaporte visited the SP-MAGTF and discussed with the SP-MAGTF their training and approach in mid December just prior to their engagement in South Sudan.  Her reporting will be published later this month.

Her visit underscored the maxim that you train, deploy and train again.

According to the SP-MAGTF in a press release in late December:

Tuesday evening (24 December), at approximately 2000 CET (1300 ET) U.S. Africa Command postured a platoon sized element and a KC-130J aircraft from the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response (SP-MAGTF CR), which was currently positioned at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to Entebbe, Uganda.

This forward posturing provides the Combatant Commander additional options and the ability to more quickly respond, if required, to help protect U.S. personal and facilities.   

This movement was made with the full knowledge and cooperation of Ugandan authorities.  FROM 27 DEC:  Special-Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Crisis Response (SP-MAGTF CR), based out of Moron Air Base, Spain, is the lead element for the Marines currently staged in Djibouti and Uganda.

It has the ability to be augmented by additional Marine forces in the area, namely components of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13 (SP-MAGTF AF).  

At the time of the casualty evacuation of the 4 service members, the small contingent of Marines and Sailors from SP-MAGTF AF were participating in a pre-planned, logistics training engagement with the Ugandan People’s Defense Force. 

This training began on October 23 and ended on December 20, when approximately 160 UPDF soldiers graduated.  The training was to prepare a logistics company to deploy in support of the African Union Mission in Somalia.   

The role of SP-MAGTF AF is to strengthen partnerships between the U.S. Marine Corps and African nations. Its Marines and Sailors conduct security force assistance, military-to-military engagements, and are trained to provide support to crisis response.  SP-MAGTF Africa Marines and sailors from our unit’s Theater Security Cooperation team in Uganda assisted with the casualty care and en route care of the 4 service members who were wounded while assisting in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Bor, South Sudan. 

The aircraft flew to Entebbe, Uganda, after sustaining damage and were received at the airport by our Marines and sailors.  Our team then assisted in loading the wounded service members and the provision of first aid care. 

Team members also accompanied the wounded service members aboard an Air Force C-17 to Nairobi, Kenya, to assist in the provision of en route care.

The slideshow below highlights some of the SP-MAGTF activities in support of the removal of US personnel from South Sudan.

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Credit: SP MAGTF

  • In photo 1, a procession of vehicles arrives at an airfield in South Sudan during an evacuation of personnel by Marines from the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 3, 3014.  A squad-size element of U.S. Marines from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response successfully evacuated more than 20 personnel from the U.S. Embassy in coordination with the East Africa Response Force, and under the command and control of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. The Marines from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response are specifically trained for scenarios in which they provide support to a U.S. Embassy in the form of fixed-site security, Embassy reinforcement, support to non-combatant evacuation, and other missions as directed.
  • In photo 2, Sgt. Scott G. Campbell, a Marine with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, guides U.S. citizens to a staging area on the flight line in Juba, South Sudan, after an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy, Jan. 3, 2014.
  • In photo 3, Capt. Thomas Wallin, right, the commanding officer for the Ground Combat Element, Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, passes orders to Sgt. Andrew Rodriguez, a team leader with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, on the flight line in Juba, South Sudan, during an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy, Jan. 3, 2014. 
  • In photo 4, Sgt. Andrew Rodriguez, a team leader with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, stands security on a flight line in Juba, South Sudan, during an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy, Jan. 3, 2014.
  • In photo 5, Sgt. John T. Kelly, left, a radio operator with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, calls in a status update during an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, Jan. 3, 2014.
  • In the final photos, Marines from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response guide U.S. citizens down the flight line in Juba, South Sudan, during an evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy, Jan. 3, 2014.

Additional information was provided by US AFRICOM in early January:

As announced by the Department of State, due to the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan, today (3 January), theUnited States has further reduced staffing at the Embassy in Juba. The Department of Defense, at the request of the Department of State, assisted in the transportation of U.S. Embassy personnel, as well as several personnel from other nations, this morning, from Juba, South Sudan to Entebbe, Uganda.

Two KC-130 aircraft assigned to the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response (SPMAGTF-CR) element pre-positioned at Entebbe, Uganda was used to move the personnel.

Soldiers from the East Africa Response Force (EARF), assigned to USAFRCIOM, and under the command and control of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, will continue to provide security reinforcement to the U.S. Embassy in Juba.

The Department of Defense, supporting the Department of State, continues to work to ensure the safety and security of our citizens in South Sudan.  We will continue to monitor the security situation in South Sudan in order to be postured to respond to the any additional requests from the Department of State.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

USMC Insertion and Extraction Exercise with CH-53E

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/31/2013

12/31/2013: U.S. Marines from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (1/5), 1st Marine Division from Camp Pendleton, Calif. conduct a company extraction and insertion aboard a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466 (HMH-466), Marine Aircraft Group 16 (MAG-16), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW) from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, San Diego, Calif.

 The exercise was conducted at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC) Bridgeport, California during Mountain Exercise (MTNEX) 6-13, Oct 18, 2013.

 1/5 conducted battalion training and combined arms operations at MCMWTC Bridgeport, in order to continue pre-deployment training program (PTP) requirements in support of MTNEX 6-13.

Credit:3D Marine Aircraft Wing Combat Camera:10/18/13

Complex Missile Defense Test: A System of Systems Appraoch in Action

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
12/23/2013

12/23/2013: The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Army Soldiers from the 94th and 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC); U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and airmen from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center successfully conducted the largest, most complex missile defense flight test ever attempted resulting in the simultaneous engagement of five ballistic missile and cruise missile targets.

This is what a system of systems approach is all about.

 Credit:Missile Defense Agency:10/24/12

According to an MDA press release:

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Army soldiers from the 94th and 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC); U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS FITZGERALD (DDG 62); and airmen from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center successfully conducted the largest, most complex missile defense flight test ever attempted resulting in the simultaneous engagement of five ballistic missile and cruise missile targets.

An integrated air and ballistic missile defense architecture used multiple sensors and missile defense systems to engage multiple targets at the same time. All targets were successfully launched and initial indications are that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system successfully intercepted its first Medium Range Ballistic target in history, and PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) near simultaneously destroyed a Short Range Ballistic Missile and a low flying cruise missile target over water.

The live-fire demonstration, conducted at U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site, Hickam AFB, and surrounding areas in the western Pacific, stressed the performance of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), THAAD, and PATRIOT weapon systems.

An Extended Long Range Air Launch Target (E-LRALT) missile was airdropped over the broad ocean area north of Wake Island from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft, staged from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The AN/TPY-2 X-band radar, located with the THAAD system on Meck Island, tracked the E-LRALT and a THAAD interceptor successfully intercepted the Medium-Range Ballistic Missile. THAAD was operated by Soldiers from the 32nd AAMDC.

Another short-range ballistic missile was launched from a mobile launch platform located in the broad ocean area northeast of Kwajalein Atoll. The PATRIOT system, manned by soldiers of the 94th AAMDC, detected, tracked and successfully intercepted the target with a PAC-3 interceptor.

The USS FITZGERALD successfully engaged a low flying cruise missile over water.

The Aegis system also tracked and launched an SM-3 Block 1A interceptor against a Short-Range Ballistic Missile. However, despite indication of a nominal flight of the SM-3 Block 1A interceptor, there was no indication of an intercept of the SRBM.

FTI-01 was a combined developmental and operational test. Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen from multiple Combatant Commands operated the systems and were provided a unique opportunity to refine operational doctrine and tactics. Program officials continue to assess and evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

In our interview with Task Force Talon Commander, LTC Cochrane, the THADD battalion commander who is currently based on Guam, he emphasized that THAAD is a perfect example of no platform fights alone.

“Missile defense is more than just one platform or system.  It is a classic case of what you call no platform fights alone.  It is a system of systems.”

This video provides a clear example of what he was talking about.