Jan 31, 2013- The Chinese Navy is conducting this year’s first open-sea training exercise in the West Pacific Ocean. Three ships passed through the Miyako Strait early Thursday morning and sailed into the Western Pacific.
The ships from the North China Sea Fleet are carrying three helicopters. They will conduct various open-sea exercises during the Spring Festival holiday, which begins on February 9.
Fleet officials say training in international waters is normal practice around the world and the exercises are part of regular efforts to improve combat ability.
Wang Xianfeng, team leader of command squad of PLA fleet, said, "Naval vessels crossing the Miyako Strait to enter the western Pacific is in line with international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that the Miyako Strait is an international navigation and flight path for use by naval vessels and aircraft."
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Now read: China's naval fleet passes First Island Chain
Thứ Năm, 31 tháng 1, 2013
China continues cyberwar campaign, hacks the The New York Times
Feb 1, 2013- China has yet again been caught with its hand in the Western cookie jar. This time, it seems the Chinese military have hacked The New York Times, as an act of retaliation following a damning story published by The Times’ about China’s premier, Wen Jiabao. This follows on from Chinese hacks of Silicon Valley in 2010, and “hundreds” of other organizations and military contractors over the last few years.
The hack, which led to the complete infiltration of The Times’ network and numerous email accounts, started back in September when David Barboza was finishing a story about Wen Jiabao’s relatives accumulating billions of dollars through corrupt business dealings. The hackers set up three backdoors within The Times’ network, most likely using spear phishing (malware-laden email that is specifically targeted at certain users to maximize the chance that they open it). From here the hackers identified the domain controller, grabbed every user’s account name and password hash, cracked the hashes, and then had full access to just about everything on The Times’ network.
As an interesting aside, The Times uses Symantec’s suite of antimalware software — and yet over the course of three months, Symantec only successfully identified one piece of malware, out of 45 installed by the hackers. Mandiant, the security firm hired by The Times to root out the hackers, says that the malware was custom-made for the job, which is probably why Symantec couldn’t identify it.
Fortunately it seems like the hackers were only interested in information pertaining to the Wen Jiabao story – specifically, the names of people who provided information to Barboza. ”They could have wreaked havoc on our systems,” says Marc Frons, The Times’s chief information officer. “But that was not what they were after.” The Times says that, somehow, there’s “no evidence that sensitive e-mails or files from the reporting of our articles about the Wen family were accessed, downloaded or copied.” No customer data was stolen, either. It seems like The Times got away fairly unscathed, if a little humbled.
China, for what it’s worth, is denying any involvement, stating that “Chinese laws clearly forbid hacking attacks,” and “Cyberattacks have a transnational and anonymous nature; under such circumstances accusing the Chinese military of launching attacks through the web without irrefutable proof is unprofessional and baseless.” Mandiant insists that the attack is consistent with “A.P.T. Number 12,” a group of hackers that have previously been traced back to Chinese universities by Mandiant, AT&T, and the FBI. Without some kind of paper trail, it’s of course impossible to confirm that the Chinese government actually ordered the hackers to attack the NYT.
At this point, though, “transnational and anonymous” or not, it does seem fairly certain that China — as a nation — is engaging in cyberwarfare with the West, or those who seek to impugn the infallibility of its leadership. There has been a steady stream of reports from security firms of Chinese cyberattacks dating back into the mid-2000s, and they nearly always follow on from newspaper exposés, or target dissidents or activists. Remember, this is a nation where freedom of speech and the press doesn’t really exist, and where the flow of information is strictly controlled via the Great Firewall and other government-mandated means.
China’s industrial espionage on Silicon Valley and other Western companies rich in intellectual property is obviously in a different vein, but still with the same goal ultimately in mind: Chinese supremacy.
Extremetech
The hack, which led to the complete infiltration of The Times’ network and numerous email accounts, started back in September when David Barboza was finishing a story about Wen Jiabao’s relatives accumulating billions of dollars through corrupt business dealings. The hackers set up three backdoors within The Times’ network, most likely using spear phishing (malware-laden email that is specifically targeted at certain users to maximize the chance that they open it). From here the hackers identified the domain controller, grabbed every user’s account name and password hash, cracked the hashes, and then had full access to just about everything on The Times’ network.
As an interesting aside, The Times uses Symantec’s suite of antimalware software — and yet over the course of three months, Symantec only successfully identified one piece of malware, out of 45 installed by the hackers. Mandiant, the security firm hired by The Times to root out the hackers, says that the malware was custom-made for the job, which is probably why Symantec couldn’t identify it.
Fortunately it seems like the hackers were only interested in information pertaining to the Wen Jiabao story – specifically, the names of people who provided information to Barboza. ”They could have wreaked havoc on our systems,” says Marc Frons, The Times’s chief information officer. “But that was not what they were after.” The Times says that, somehow, there’s “no evidence that sensitive e-mails or files from the reporting of our articles about the Wen family were accessed, downloaded or copied.” No customer data was stolen, either. It seems like The Times got away fairly unscathed, if a little humbled.
China, for what it’s worth, is denying any involvement, stating that “Chinese laws clearly forbid hacking attacks,” and “Cyberattacks have a transnational and anonymous nature; under such circumstances accusing the Chinese military of launching attacks through the web without irrefutable proof is unprofessional and baseless.” Mandiant insists that the attack is consistent with “A.P.T. Number 12,” a group of hackers that have previously been traced back to Chinese universities by Mandiant, AT&T, and the FBI. Without some kind of paper trail, it’s of course impossible to confirm that the Chinese government actually ordered the hackers to attack the NYT.
At this point, though, “transnational and anonymous” or not, it does seem fairly certain that China — as a nation — is engaging in cyberwarfare with the West, or those who seek to impugn the infallibility of its leadership. There has been a steady stream of reports from security firms of Chinese cyberattacks dating back into the mid-2000s, and they nearly always follow on from newspaper exposés, or target dissidents or activists. Remember, this is a nation where freedom of speech and the press doesn’t really exist, and where the flow of information is strictly controlled via the Great Firewall and other government-mandated means.
China’s industrial espionage on Silicon Valley and other Western companies rich in intellectual property is obviously in a different vein, but still with the same goal ultimately in mind: Chinese supremacy.
Extremetech
Lockheed Martin Offers LCS to Thailand
Jan 31, 2013- Thai frigate competition among potential Lockheed Martin deals for ships, helos in Asia
Lockheed Martin is considering offering its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in response to a request for proposals (RfP) from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) for a frigate, the US-headquarted group confirmed on January 25.
The Thai government finally approved funding of up to USD1 billion in September 2012 to procure two modern frigates over the coming years. The requirement had previously been put on hold for more than a decade due to funding issues. Government support finally came as a result of economic expansion and the need to enhance the combat capability of the RTN.
Confirmation of Lockheed Martin's interest in the programme came from Doug Laurendeau, business development director of the company's ship and aviation systems unit. It is one of a number of opportunities that Lockheed Martin is pursuing in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
Lockheed Martin would be likely to face competition to meet the Thai frigate requirement from South Korea and Germany. Platforms known to be under consideration include the DW3000H frigate design from South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and the MEKO platform of Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
(Jane's)
Lockheed Martin is considering offering its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in response to a request for proposals (RfP) from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) for a frigate, the US-headquarted group confirmed on January 25.
The Thai government finally approved funding of up to USD1 billion in September 2012 to procure two modern frigates over the coming years. The requirement had previously been put on hold for more than a decade due to funding issues. Government support finally came as a result of economic expansion and the need to enhance the combat capability of the RTN.
Confirmation of Lockheed Martin's interest in the programme came from Doug Laurendeau, business development director of the company's ship and aviation systems unit. It is one of a number of opportunities that Lockheed Martin is pursuing in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
Lockheed Martin would be likely to face competition to meet the Thai frigate requirement from South Korea and Germany. Platforms known to be under consideration include the DW3000H frigate design from South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and the MEKO platform of Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
(Jane's)
ST Engineering Wins Newbuild Contractor for Eight Naval Vessel for Singapore
Jan 31, 2013- Singapore – Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) today announced that the Group has been awarded a contract by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) for the design and build of eight new vessels. This new development attests to the Group’s core strength of providing integrated capabilities and solutions to support its customers.
The Group’s marine arm, Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine) will build the eight vessels at its Singapore Benoi Yard. Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics), the Group’s electronics arm, will supply the core combat systems and combat system integration solutions. ST Marine will carry out the platform system integration as the lead system integrator.
Design of the vessels will commence immediately and the delivery of these vessels is expected to be from 2016 onwards. These new vessels will replace the Republic of Singapore Navy’s existing Fearless-class Patrol Vessels, indigenously designed and built by ST Marine in the 1990s.
“We are honoured to be awarded this contract by MINDEF, which reflects the excellent partnership between MINDEF and ST Engineering. It also demonstrates our continuing efforts and commitment to develop indigenous capability to better support MINDEF in the area of design, construction, operations and support.” ~ NG Sing Chan, President, ST Marine
As we are under contractual obligation to observe confidentiality in respect of the contract, we are unable to disclose any further details.
This contract is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of ST Engineering for the current financial year.
(STEngg)
The Group’s marine arm, Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine) will build the eight vessels at its Singapore Benoi Yard. Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics), the Group’s electronics arm, will supply the core combat systems and combat system integration solutions. ST Marine will carry out the platform system integration as the lead system integrator.
Design of the vessels will commence immediately and the delivery of these vessels is expected to be from 2016 onwards. These new vessels will replace the Republic of Singapore Navy’s existing Fearless-class Patrol Vessels, indigenously designed and built by ST Marine in the 1990s.
“We are honoured to be awarded this contract by MINDEF, which reflects the excellent partnership between MINDEF and ST Engineering. It also demonstrates our continuing efforts and commitment to develop indigenous capability to better support MINDEF in the area of design, construction, operations and support.” ~ NG Sing Chan, President, ST Marine
As we are under contractual obligation to observe confidentiality in respect of the contract, we are unable to disclose any further details.
This contract is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of ST Engineering for the current financial year.
(STEngg)
Philippines Nears $443 Million Deal for South Korea Fighter Jets
Jan 31, 2013- The Philippines is close to reaching an 18 billion peso ($443 million) deal to purchase 12 fighter jets from South Korea as it moves to bolster its defenses amid tensions with China over disputed territory
Defense Assistant Secretary Patrick Velez today said the government intends to finalize a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (047810) by the end of February and two could be delivered in the next six months. The Philippines hasn’t had an operating fighter jet since 2005.
“The military upgrade is already a priority before our incident with China,” Edwin Lacierda, a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino, told reporters today. “It is not aimed at any particular country. It is our obligation to modernize our military hardware.”
Asian countries including China and Japan are increasing military spending as the region grapples with maritime disputes involving oil, natural gas and fishing rights. The Philippines has tussled with China over control of areas in the South China Sea where both claim sovereignty, leading to a standoff over the Scarborough Shoal last year.
The jets will be used for training, disaster response and fending off enemy forces, Lacierda said. The Philippines may also seek bids for the supply of an unspecified number of naval warships by April, Velez said.
The Philippines last flew its Vietnam-era Northrop-Grumman Corp. (NOC) F-5 fighter jets in 2005, Aquino said in an interview last May.
Doubling Fleet
The Philippines also plans to acquire 10 Coast Guard patrol ships from Japan from 2014 to 2017, doubling the size of its current fleet. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met Philippine counterpart Albert del Rosario in Manila this month to strengthen ties.
Japan is set to increase its defense budget for the first time in 11 years and boost Coast Guard spending as Chinese ships have made increased incursions into waters near islands claimed by both countries. The budget increase for Japan’s Coast Guard is the first in six years.
China’s military spending, projected to be about 670 billion yuan ($107.7 billion) in 2012, has more than doubled since 2006 and is the second-highest in the world behind the U.S.
The Philippines last week moved to challenge China’s maritime claims before a United Nations tribunal after exhausting political and diplomatic avenues for a negotiated settlement. Vietnam and the Philippines reject China’s map of the waters as a basis for joint development of oil and gas.
Chinese and Philippine vessels squared off early last year over the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed land feature in the waters claimed by both countries. The U.S. has been vague about whether a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines covers the contested islands.
The FA-50, South Korea’s first fighter jet, is a light combat fighter based on the T-50 trainer jet. Korea Aerospace said it signed a 711.2 billion won ($656 million) contract in 2011 to provide 20 FA-50 jets to South Korea by 2014.
(BusinessWeek)
Defense Assistant Secretary Patrick Velez today said the government intends to finalize a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (047810) by the end of February and two could be delivered in the next six months. The Philippines hasn’t had an operating fighter jet since 2005.
“The military upgrade is already a priority before our incident with China,” Edwin Lacierda, a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino, told reporters today. “It is not aimed at any particular country. It is our obligation to modernize our military hardware.”
Asian countries including China and Japan are increasing military spending as the region grapples with maritime disputes involving oil, natural gas and fishing rights. The Philippines has tussled with China over control of areas in the South China Sea where both claim sovereignty, leading to a standoff over the Scarborough Shoal last year.
The jets will be used for training, disaster response and fending off enemy forces, Lacierda said. The Philippines may also seek bids for the supply of an unspecified number of naval warships by April, Velez said.
The Philippines last flew its Vietnam-era Northrop-Grumman Corp. (NOC) F-5 fighter jets in 2005, Aquino said in an interview last May.
Doubling Fleet
The Philippines also plans to acquire 10 Coast Guard patrol ships from Japan from 2014 to 2017, doubling the size of its current fleet. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met Philippine counterpart Albert del Rosario in Manila this month to strengthen ties.
Japan is set to increase its defense budget for the first time in 11 years and boost Coast Guard spending as Chinese ships have made increased incursions into waters near islands claimed by both countries. The budget increase for Japan’s Coast Guard is the first in six years.
China’s military spending, projected to be about 670 billion yuan ($107.7 billion) in 2012, has more than doubled since 2006 and is the second-highest in the world behind the U.S.
The Philippines last week moved to challenge China’s maritime claims before a United Nations tribunal after exhausting political and diplomatic avenues for a negotiated settlement. Vietnam and the Philippines reject China’s map of the waters as a basis for joint development of oil and gas.
Chinese and Philippine vessels squared off early last year over the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed land feature in the waters claimed by both countries. The U.S. has been vague about whether a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines covers the contested islands.
The FA-50, South Korea’s first fighter jet, is a light combat fighter based on the T-50 trainer jet. Korea Aerospace said it signed a 711.2 billion won ($656 million) contract in 2011 to provide 20 FA-50 jets to South Korea by 2014.
(BusinessWeek)
China building armed forces to win high intensity military operations
Jan 31, 2013- China is building and strengthening its armed forces to fight and win high-intensity regional military operations of short duration, US Defence Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel has told lawmakers.
"China is pursuing a long-term, comprehensive military modernisation programme designed to improve the capacity of its armed forces to fight and win high-intensity regional military operations of short duration," Hagel said.
"I understand that Taiwan contingencies remain the principal focus of much of this modernisation, but there are growing indications that China is developing capabilities for missions that go beyond China's immediate territorial concerns, such as its counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa and noncombatant evacuation operations from Libya," he said in written answers to questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Hagel has been nominated by President Barack Obama, as his next Defence Secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Leon Panetta as the Defense Secretary.
His answers to the Senate committee run into 112-page questionnaire, wherein India does not find any mention.
He underlined that the US should continue to monitor developments in China's military modernisation while encouraging Beijing to be more transparent about its military and security strategies, policies and programmes.
66-year-old Hagel said the US response to China's military modernization should be flexible and supported by the continued evolution of its presence and force posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the strengthening of its regional alliances and partnerships.
The former Republican Senator described US-China the relationship as simultaneously possessing elements of cooperation and competition.
"China is rapidly modernising its military and increasingly asserting claims to territory in the East China Sea and the South China Sea," he said.
Observing that China's expanding economy and growing military are developments the US, Allies, partners, and all other nations in the region must monitor carefully, he said on the one hand, Beijing's growth and potential create an opportunity to cooperate where America's interests and those of China converge.
"At the same time, China's rapid rise and the relative lack of transparency surrounding its intentions can be a source of anxiety and concern in the region. If confirmed, I will evaluate the impact of these developments as well as the impact of other security trends on requirements for the US defense posture in the region," Hagel said.
Hagel said if confirmed, he will seek ways to improve the US-China military-to-military relationship, in terms of the quality and the quantity of exchanges between the two sides.
Indian Express
"China is pursuing a long-term, comprehensive military modernisation programme designed to improve the capacity of its armed forces to fight and win high-intensity regional military operations of short duration," Hagel said.
"I understand that Taiwan contingencies remain the principal focus of much of this modernisation, but there are growing indications that China is developing capabilities for missions that go beyond China's immediate territorial concerns, such as its counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa and noncombatant evacuation operations from Libya," he said in written answers to questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Hagel has been nominated by President Barack Obama, as his next Defence Secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Leon Panetta as the Defense Secretary.
His answers to the Senate committee run into 112-page questionnaire, wherein India does not find any mention.
He underlined that the US should continue to monitor developments in China's military modernisation while encouraging Beijing to be more transparent about its military and security strategies, policies and programmes.
66-year-old Hagel said the US response to China's military modernization should be flexible and supported by the continued evolution of its presence and force posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the strengthening of its regional alliances and partnerships.
The former Republican Senator described US-China the relationship as simultaneously possessing elements of cooperation and competition.
"China is rapidly modernising its military and increasingly asserting claims to territory in the East China Sea and the South China Sea," he said.
Observing that China's expanding economy and growing military are developments the US, Allies, partners, and all other nations in the region must monitor carefully, he said on the one hand, Beijing's growth and potential create an opportunity to cooperate where America's interests and those of China converge.
"At the same time, China's rapid rise and the relative lack of transparency surrounding its intentions can be a source of anxiety and concern in the region. If confirmed, I will evaluate the impact of these developments as well as the impact of other security trends on requirements for the US defense posture in the region," Hagel said.
Hagel said if confirmed, he will seek ways to improve the US-China military-to-military relationship, in terms of the quality and the quantity of exchanges between the two sides.
Indian Express
Thứ Tư, 30 tháng 1, 2013
Indian marine patrol aircraft DO-228 will fly in South China Sea's Air
Jan 31, 2013- India can supply Vietnam with the marine patrol aircraft DO-228 in the period of 2013-2014.
According to DefenceNow, The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aims to produce 30 maritime surveillance aircraft Dornier DO-228 in the period 2013-2014 supplying the Indian Navy.
HAL will also manufacture 10 aircraft DO-228 for 6 countries: Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa, Ecuador, Afghanistan and Thailand.
According to DefenceNow, this year India will give a DO-228 patrol aircraft for Saychelles (close ties with India). This aircraft will help Saychelles perform surveillance and anti-piracy waters.
Indian Defence Minister AK Antony is presenting at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), to award a DO-228 to Saychelles President James Michel on January 31st.
Dornier DO-228 aircraft are multi-turbine engine blades manufactured by Dornier GmbH (Germany) production in the 1980s. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has bought production licenses and produced 228 units for the Asian market. Price per a DO-228 unit is at about $ 7 millions.
The aircraft equipped with two turbine engine Garrett TPE-331 propeller that allows maximum speed of 433km / h, range more than 1,000 km, service ceiling at 8.535m. Plane just needs a runway of 750m to take off.
DO-228 is designed for taxi missions aviation, pilot training, maritime surveillance, search and rescue. In the role of passenger plane it carries up to 20 people.
Kienthuc.net.vn
According to DefenceNow, The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aims to produce 30 maritime surveillance aircraft Dornier DO-228 in the period 2013-2014 supplying the Indian Navy.
HAL will also manufacture 10 aircraft DO-228 for 6 countries: Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa, Ecuador, Afghanistan and Thailand.
According to DefenceNow, this year India will give a DO-228 patrol aircraft for Saychelles (close ties with India). This aircraft will help Saychelles perform surveillance and anti-piracy waters.
Indian Defence Minister AK Antony is presenting at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), to award a DO-228 to Saychelles President James Michel on January 31st.
Dornier DO-228 aircraft are multi-turbine engine blades manufactured by Dornier GmbH (Germany) production in the 1980s. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has bought production licenses and produced 228 units for the Asian market. Price per a DO-228 unit is at about $ 7 millions.
The aircraft equipped with two turbine engine Garrett TPE-331 propeller that allows maximum speed of 433km / h, range more than 1,000 km, service ceiling at 8.535m. Plane just needs a runway of 750m to take off.
DO-228 is designed for taxi missions aviation, pilot training, maritime surveillance, search and rescue. In the role of passenger plane it carries up to 20 people.
Kienthuc.net.vn
S. Korea Launches First Satellite Into Space, Weeks After N. Korean Launch
Jan 30, 2013- South Korea announced the successful launch of a rocket carrying an observational satellite into space on Wednesday. The success is a first for the nation’s space program and comes just weeks after their North Korean adversaries -- still formally at war with them, after the 1953 armistice -- surprised the world by launching their own satellite.
This was the South’s third attempt to launch a manned rocket in the past four years; two previous launches were scrapped after the discovery of technical glitches. South Korean officials are hoping to see signs of the satellite's successful operation by Thursday.
According to the Washington Post, cheering spectators watched as the rocket blasted off from a base near the southwestern village of Goheung. Crowds gathered around public televisions at train stations and other areas in the nation’s capital, Seoul. “I’m proud we have entered the ranks of satellite powers,” one spectator was quoted as saying.
But as many South Koreans are filled with pride, it is hard to ignore the implications of both North and South Korea’s satellite development amid heightened regional tensions in the Korean peninsula.
South Korea’s successful rocket launch was met with little (if any) criticism from the public, and particularly none from the United Nations, angering North Korea. After North Korea’s rocket launch in December, the United Nations Security Council responded by implementing sanctions on the nation for launching long-range rockets. The reason was that the U.S. and South Korea believe that the rocket launch was in fact a test for an intercontinental ballistic missile, with which the nuclear-armed, highly secretive dictatorship could threaten the world.
The satellite does not appear to be functioning, but North Korea’s December launch stirred international controversy after the rocket was surprisingly successful, traveling 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting West Coast U.S. cities in range.
As a result, the U.S. and its allies called for a U.N. Security Council meeting.
China’s status as one of five permanent members of the Security Council, and lone ally to North Korea, ensured that sanctions as harsh as those imposed on Iran would not be applied to the closed-off nation. As a result, a watered-down resolution was eventually passed. The North Korean government is accusing its enemies and their allies for acting on a double standard between the two Koreas. Pyongyang responded with direct threats of nuclear development and “force” toward the U.S., the “sworn enemy” of the Korean people.
ibtimes
This was the South’s third attempt to launch a manned rocket in the past four years; two previous launches were scrapped after the discovery of technical glitches. South Korean officials are hoping to see signs of the satellite's successful operation by Thursday.
According to the Washington Post, cheering spectators watched as the rocket blasted off from a base near the southwestern village of Goheung. Crowds gathered around public televisions at train stations and other areas in the nation’s capital, Seoul. “I’m proud we have entered the ranks of satellite powers,” one spectator was quoted as saying.
But as many South Koreans are filled with pride, it is hard to ignore the implications of both North and South Korea’s satellite development amid heightened regional tensions in the Korean peninsula.
South Korea’s successful rocket launch was met with little (if any) criticism from the public, and particularly none from the United Nations, angering North Korea. After North Korea’s rocket launch in December, the United Nations Security Council responded by implementing sanctions on the nation for launching long-range rockets. The reason was that the U.S. and South Korea believe that the rocket launch was in fact a test for an intercontinental ballistic missile, with which the nuclear-armed, highly secretive dictatorship could threaten the world.
The satellite does not appear to be functioning, but North Korea’s December launch stirred international controversy after the rocket was surprisingly successful, traveling 10,000 km (6,200 miles), putting West Coast U.S. cities in range.
As a result, the U.S. and its allies called for a U.N. Security Council meeting.
China’s status as one of five permanent members of the Security Council, and lone ally to North Korea, ensured that sanctions as harsh as those imposed on Iran would not be applied to the closed-off nation. As a result, a watered-down resolution was eventually passed. The North Korean government is accusing its enemies and their allies for acting on a double standard between the two Koreas. Pyongyang responded with direct threats of nuclear development and “force” toward the U.S., the “sworn enemy” of the Korean people.
ibtimes
China's South Sea Fleet to drill at the Spratlys
Jan 30, 2013- China's South Sea Fleet will conduct training of all combat attack, defense, ensuring contact, and assist in support maritime warfare in the Scarborough area (in the Spratly Islands, East Vietnam Sea).
Chinese Navy's website on January 30th reported, to "meet the requirements of maritime warfare in the future, expand the historical mission", 2 bodyguard ships in the South Sea Fleet,Chinese Navy has recently come to the west coast of Scarborough Shoal gotten ready for "patrol exercises".
According to news reports, in the battle plan of two guardian ships, the South Sea Fleet's sailors will perform all tactical training attack, defense, assured communication expenditures to support maritime warfare in Scarborough area.
The news did not specify the exact time and location of the exercise which they called "patrol", but said the exercises lasting up to 36 hours and two ships "side by side" conducts warfare.
Chinese Navy's website on January 30th reported, to "meet the requirements of maritime warfare in the future, expand the historical mission", 2 bodyguard ships in the South Sea Fleet,Chinese Navy has recently come to the west coast of Scarborough Shoal gotten ready for "patrol exercises".
According to news reports, in the battle plan of two guardian ships, the South Sea Fleet's sailors will perform all tactical training attack, defense, assured communication expenditures to support maritime warfare in Scarborough area.
The news did not specify the exact time and location of the exercise which they called "patrol", but said the exercises lasting up to 36 hours and two ships "side by side" conducts warfare.
Hagel says military view shaped by Vietnam
Jan 31, 2013- WASHINGTON (AP) — Chuck Hagel says his experience fighting in Vietnam alongside his younger brother will shape any decision he makes to unleash military force if the Senate confirms him to be President Barack Obama's defense secretary.
On the eve of his confirmation hearing, Hagel offered his opinions on a long list of issues, from cuts in defense spending and women in combat to penalties against Iran, in a 112-page response to a questionnaire from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
It was the first time that Hagel's voice had been heard in such detail since Obama announced nominees for his second-term national security team on Jan. 7.
"I understand what it is like to be a soldier in war," wrote Hagel. "I also understand what happens when there is poor morale and discipline among the troops and a lack of clear objectives, intelligence, and command and control from Washington. I believe that experience will help me as secretary of defense to ensure we maintain the best fighting force in the world, protect our men and women in uniform and ensure that we are cautious and certain when contemplating the use of force."
If confirmed, the former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska would be the first enlisted man to serve as defense secretary.
Hagel described volunteering for Vietnam, serving a 12-month tour that included the Tet Offensive in 1968 — a series of surprise North Vietnamese attacks on South Vietnam and its U.S. ally during a holiday cease-fire — and rising to the rank of infantry sergeant.
In his responses, Hagel adopted a hard line on Iran and its possible pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He echoed Obama's view that all options are feasible to stop Tehran, praised the rounds of penalties and warned of "severe and growing consequences" if Iran balks at international demands.
Hagel has faced a barrage of criticism that he is not sufficiently pro-Israel or tough enough on Iran. In the past, Hagel has questioned the efficacy of unilateral sanctions on Iran, arguing that penalties in conjunction with international partners made more sense.
"If Iran continues to flout its international obligations, it should continue to face severe and growing consequences," Hagel said. "While there is time and space for diplomacy, backed by pressure, the window is closing. Iran needs to demonstrate it is prepared to negotiate seriously."
The United States and other Western nations have demanded that Iran stopped its uranium-enrichment program, which they perceive as a precursor to production of nuclear warhead-grade material. Iran insists that its program is for peaceful purposes.
The most recent round of negotiations ended in a stalemate last June.
Questioned about all options, Hagel said, "If confirmed, I will focus intently on ensuring that U.S. military is in fact prepared for any contingency."
He said that he would continue to put in place the "smart, unprecedented and effective sanctions against the Iranian regime" that Congress and the Obama administration have adopted in recent years.
Hagel was in line for hard questions from the 26-member Senate committee at a confirmation hearing Thursday that was expected to be a determining factor in the vote of several senators.
Democrats have rallied to support Obama's nominee. More than a dozen are announced backers, and at least one Republican senator has said he will vote for his former GOP colleague — Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee and its defense subcommittee.
But GOP-leaning outside groups have waged an unprecedented campaign of critical ads and statements against a president's Cabinet choice. Six Republican senators have said they will vote against Hagel, including some who opposed him even before Obama's announcement, in a fresh sign of the fierce partisan politics.
Hagel's opponents have focused on his past statements about Israel, Iran, gay rights and the influence of a "Jewish lobby," a comment for which he's apologized. They also worry about his support for cuts in nuclear weapons.
"Sen. Hagel has no credibility on perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenge facing the Obama administration's second term and on American national security interests in the Middle East and around the world," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, an opponent of the nominee, said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
The criticism has surprised some of Hagel's strongest backers.
"This idea that's being propagated that he might be soft on adversaries. Chuck Hagel's not soft on anybody, particularly himself," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee, in a conference call with Hagel allies. "He drives hard. He's someone who searches for the right approach and the right policy."
Reed complained that Hagel had been pilloried by false attacks and revisionist theories about his career.
In the questionnaire, Hagel said that as long as nuclear weapons exist, the United States must have a "safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal."
He insisted that he will implement the military's policy allowing gays to serve openly and move ahead on opening combat roles to women.
He expressed his opposition to the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts that will hit the Pentagon on March 1 if Congress fails to come up with an alternative. At the same time, he indicated that some reductions are inevitable.
"We will continue to need the best Army in the world. But the best Army does not mean the largest. We must have the Army be appropriately sized for the contingencies we deem likely, and it also must be trained and modernized," he said.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AP
On the eve of his confirmation hearing, Hagel offered his opinions on a long list of issues, from cuts in defense spending and women in combat to penalties against Iran, in a 112-page response to a questionnaire from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
It was the first time that Hagel's voice had been heard in such detail since Obama announced nominees for his second-term national security team on Jan. 7.
"I understand what it is like to be a soldier in war," wrote Hagel. "I also understand what happens when there is poor morale and discipline among the troops and a lack of clear objectives, intelligence, and command and control from Washington. I believe that experience will help me as secretary of defense to ensure we maintain the best fighting force in the world, protect our men and women in uniform and ensure that we are cautious and certain when contemplating the use of force."
If confirmed, the former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska would be the first enlisted man to serve as defense secretary.
Hagel described volunteering for Vietnam, serving a 12-month tour that included the Tet Offensive in 1968 — a series of surprise North Vietnamese attacks on South Vietnam and its U.S. ally during a holiday cease-fire — and rising to the rank of infantry sergeant.
In his responses, Hagel adopted a hard line on Iran and its possible pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He echoed Obama's view that all options are feasible to stop Tehran, praised the rounds of penalties and warned of "severe and growing consequences" if Iran balks at international demands.
Hagel has faced a barrage of criticism that he is not sufficiently pro-Israel or tough enough on Iran. In the past, Hagel has questioned the efficacy of unilateral sanctions on Iran, arguing that penalties in conjunction with international partners made more sense.
"If Iran continues to flout its international obligations, it should continue to face severe and growing consequences," Hagel said. "While there is time and space for diplomacy, backed by pressure, the window is closing. Iran needs to demonstrate it is prepared to negotiate seriously."
The United States and other Western nations have demanded that Iran stopped its uranium-enrichment program, which they perceive as a precursor to production of nuclear warhead-grade material. Iran insists that its program is for peaceful purposes.
The most recent round of negotiations ended in a stalemate last June.
Questioned about all options, Hagel said, "If confirmed, I will focus intently on ensuring that U.S. military is in fact prepared for any contingency."
He said that he would continue to put in place the "smart, unprecedented and effective sanctions against the Iranian regime" that Congress and the Obama administration have adopted in recent years.
Hagel was in line for hard questions from the 26-member Senate committee at a confirmation hearing Thursday that was expected to be a determining factor in the vote of several senators.
Democrats have rallied to support Obama's nominee. More than a dozen are announced backers, and at least one Republican senator has said he will vote for his former GOP colleague — Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee and its defense subcommittee.
But GOP-leaning outside groups have waged an unprecedented campaign of critical ads and statements against a president's Cabinet choice. Six Republican senators have said they will vote against Hagel, including some who opposed him even before Obama's announcement, in a fresh sign of the fierce partisan politics.
Hagel's opponents have focused on his past statements about Israel, Iran, gay rights and the influence of a "Jewish lobby," a comment for which he's apologized. They also worry about his support for cuts in nuclear weapons.
"Sen. Hagel has no credibility on perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenge facing the Obama administration's second term and on American national security interests in the Middle East and around the world," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, an opponent of the nominee, said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
The criticism has surprised some of Hagel's strongest backers.
"This idea that's being propagated that he might be soft on adversaries. Chuck Hagel's not soft on anybody, particularly himself," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee, in a conference call with Hagel allies. "He drives hard. He's someone who searches for the right approach and the right policy."
Reed complained that Hagel had been pilloried by false attacks and revisionist theories about his career.
In the questionnaire, Hagel said that as long as nuclear weapons exist, the United States must have a "safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal."
He insisted that he will implement the military's policy allowing gays to serve openly and move ahead on opening combat roles to women.
He expressed his opposition to the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts that will hit the Pentagon on March 1 if Congress fails to come up with an alternative. At the same time, he indicated that some reductions are inevitable.
"We will continue to need the best Army in the world. But the best Army does not mean the largest. We must have the Army be appropriately sized for the contingencies we deem likely, and it also must be trained and modernized," he said.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AP
Video: Chinese navy trains in West Pacific
31-01-2013 A Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet conducted the year's first open-sea training exercise in the West Pacific Ocean on Thursday morning after sailing through the Miyako Strait as scheduled, military sources revealed.
The navy fleet entered the strait at 5:50 a.m. Thursday and sailed into the West Pacific at about 10:00 a.m., according to the sources.
The fleet arrived at its training area as planned, though it met with moderately high waves while passing through the strait, the sources added.
The fleet comprises three ships -- the missile destroyer Qingdao and the missile frigates Yantai and Yancheng -- carrying three helicopters, all from the North China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy
Chinese navy fleet to start training exercise in Pacific
Jan 30, 2013- The Chinese navy will conduct a training exercise in the Pacific in the near future, after sailing through islands off the country's coast. A statement from the defense ministry did not give a timetable for the exercise, but said it is a regular arrangement in line with the navy's annual training plan.
The Chinese navy has carried out a number of exercises in the west Pacific Ocean since last year. Analysts say routine training like this is common for many countries.
A Chinese military expert says the navy will conduct long-term routine training in the west Pacific Ocean area which is suitable for deep water marine training.
The US navy has carried out large-scale exercises in the Pacific Rim and so has the Japanese navy. The Indian navy used to conduct training with Vietnam, Japan and the US in the Pacific Ocean.
CNTV
The Chinese navy has carried out a number of exercises in the west Pacific Ocean since last year. Analysts say routine training like this is common for many countries.
A Chinese military expert says the navy will conduct long-term routine training in the west Pacific Ocean area which is suitable for deep water marine training.
The US navy has carried out large-scale exercises in the Pacific Rim and so has the Japanese navy. The Indian navy used to conduct training with Vietnam, Japan and the US in the Pacific Ocean.
CNTV
Israel attacks arms convoy in Syria
Jan 30, 2013- WASHINGTON - Israeli warplanes struck targets Wednesday outside Damascus, the Syrian capital, according to Syrian and Western reports, amid rising international fear that President Bashar Assad will lose control of his nation’s stockpiles of chemical and advanced weapons.
Reuters/Reuters - Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover as a tank shell explodes on a wall during heavy fighting in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
A Western official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the airstrike hit a truck convoy believed to be carrying antiaircraft weapons for Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. The shipment was thought to have included Russian-made SA-17 missiles, the official said. If such weapons were obtained by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, it could weaken Israel’s regional military power and hinder its ability to launch airstrikes in Lebanon.
Syrian state media, while also reporting an Israreli airstrike, denied that the target was a weapons shipment for Hezbollah, instead claiming that a military research facility and adjacent building had been destroyed. It said two people were killed and five were injured in the dawn attack.
Syria did not say what kind of research took place at the center in Jamraya, northwest of the capital.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the reports. But such a strike would mark Israel’s most aggressive military action in Syria during the nearly two-year uprising against Assad’s rule.
Israeli officials have been sounding alarms in recent days that Syria’s weapons might fall into the hands of militant groups that could use them against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised that concern during a Cabinet meeting this week and officials have repeatedly said that any transfer of Syria’s dangerous weapons outside the country might trigger a military response.
Israel has tried to steer clear of the Syrian conflict, fearing that any actions it might take, such as supporting opposition forces or launching a military strike, could backfire or become propaganda fodder for Damascus. Syrian officials have long charged that U.S. and “Zionist” forces are behind the rebellion against Assad. Each side in the Syrian conflict has portrayed itself as an implacable enemy of Israel.
There is also fear that an Israeli strike could draw others into the Syrian conflict. Iran, Syria’s close ally, said this week that any foreign attack against Syria would be regarded as an attack on Iran.
In addition to chemical weapons, Israeli officials have been particularly worried about Syria’s stockpile of SA-17 antiaircraft missiles.
Israel often refuses to confirm or deny its activities in the region, partly out of a belief its silence might reduce the pressure on its enemies to respond.
In recent weeks, Israelis warned that Assad is losing control over his chemical weapons and that military action might be taken.
Amid the renewed warnings, Israelis living in the northern part of the country near the borders with Syria and Lebanon have been swarming into post offices and other distribution centers to pick up government-issued gas masks.
Israel relocated two of its five Iron Dome missile-interception systems to the northern part of the country, though military officials said the move was not related to fear of impending attacks.
Los Angeles Times
Reuters/Reuters - Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover as a tank shell explodes on a wall during heavy fighting in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
A Western official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the airstrike hit a truck convoy believed to be carrying antiaircraft weapons for Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. The shipment was thought to have included Russian-made SA-17 missiles, the official said. If such weapons were obtained by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, it could weaken Israel’s regional military power and hinder its ability to launch airstrikes in Lebanon.
Syrian state media, while also reporting an Israreli airstrike, denied that the target was a weapons shipment for Hezbollah, instead claiming that a military research facility and adjacent building had been destroyed. It said two people were killed and five were injured in the dawn attack.
Syria did not say what kind of research took place at the center in Jamraya, northwest of the capital.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the reports. But such a strike would mark Israel’s most aggressive military action in Syria during the nearly two-year uprising against Assad’s rule.
Israeli officials have been sounding alarms in recent days that Syria’s weapons might fall into the hands of militant groups that could use them against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised that concern during a Cabinet meeting this week and officials have repeatedly said that any transfer of Syria’s dangerous weapons outside the country might trigger a military response.
Israel has tried to steer clear of the Syrian conflict, fearing that any actions it might take, such as supporting opposition forces or launching a military strike, could backfire or become propaganda fodder for Damascus. Syrian officials have long charged that U.S. and “Zionist” forces are behind the rebellion against Assad. Each side in the Syrian conflict has portrayed itself as an implacable enemy of Israel.
There is also fear that an Israeli strike could draw others into the Syrian conflict. Iran, Syria’s close ally, said this week that any foreign attack against Syria would be regarded as an attack on Iran.
In addition to chemical weapons, Israeli officials have been particularly worried about Syria’s stockpile of SA-17 antiaircraft missiles.
Israel often refuses to confirm or deny its activities in the region, partly out of a belief its silence might reduce the pressure on its enemies to respond.
In recent weeks, Israelis warned that Assad is losing control over his chemical weapons and that military action might be taken.
Amid the renewed warnings, Israelis living in the northern part of the country near the borders with Syria and Lebanon have been swarming into post offices and other distribution centers to pick up government-issued gas masks.
Israel relocated two of its five Iron Dome missile-interception systems to the northern part of the country, though military officials said the move was not related to fear of impending attacks.
Los Angeles Times
Pakistan’s Naval Survelliance Bolstered by U.S. P3C Orion Aircraft
Jan 30, 2013- Pakistan’s Navy will receive the P3C Orion surveillance aircraft from U.S. later this year, indicating strengthening defense ties between the two countries, said state media, quoting the country's ambassador Sherry Rehman in Washington.
The Pakistani ambassador emphasized that Pakistan-US interactions were crucial to push forward bilateral defense ties and the Navy's key role in securing North Arabian sea lanes as part of the anti-piracy international coalition was widely appreciated by the US.
Pakistan’s agreement with Lockheed Martin for the delivery of seven Orion aircrafts was signed seven years ago. Of these, three aircraft were delivered in 2010, while two were delivered in 2011.
The Orion is a four-engine turboprop, anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft with a distinctive tail stinger or ‘MAD Boom’, used for the magnetic detection of submarines. They are used by most of the world’s naval forces including the U.S., Japan, New Zealand and Brazil, primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
In addition to the Orions, the Pakistan navy is also operating seven aging Fokker F27-200 Friendship naval surveillance aircrafts, acquired during the 1980s.
Dwfense World
The Pakistani ambassador emphasized that Pakistan-US interactions were crucial to push forward bilateral defense ties and the Navy's key role in securing North Arabian sea lanes as part of the anti-piracy international coalition was widely appreciated by the US.
Pakistan’s agreement with Lockheed Martin for the delivery of seven Orion aircrafts was signed seven years ago. Of these, three aircraft were delivered in 2010, while two were delivered in 2011.
The Orion is a four-engine turboprop, anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft with a distinctive tail stinger or ‘MAD Boom’, used for the magnetic detection of submarines. They are used by most of the world’s naval forces including the U.S., Japan, New Zealand and Brazil, primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
In addition to the Orions, the Pakistan navy is also operating seven aging Fokker F27-200 Friendship naval surveillance aircrafts, acquired during the 1980s.
Dwfense World
Vietnam's missile-armed Su-30MK2
Jan 30, 2013- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh on January 26 examined training and combat readiness at Air Force Regiment 923 of Division 371 under the Air Defence-Air Force in Thanh Hoa province.
The Government leader praised the Regiment for its training efforts, and asked it to promptly master modern ammunitions to strengthen its self-defence capacity so as to firmly defend national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Your primary tasks are to improve training quality, heighten vigilance, and hold regular drills to be capable of coping with any possible worst circumstances,” said the PM.
He reminded the Regiment to pay special attention to staff training, considering this a decisive factor in mastering modern ammunitions and military techniques.
He asked the Ministry of Defence to better care for the material and spiritual lives of military officers and soldiers to ensure they devote themselves to tasks entrusted to them.
The same day, PM Dung and Defence Minister Thanh visited Tho Xuan air terminal in the province. The first air route between Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to be inaugurated on February 5, 2013.
Phunutoday.vn
At the end of year 2012, 24 Su-30MK2 fighter aircrafts equipped missiles including R-27, R-73, Kh-29, Kh-31A/P, X-35 (made in Vietnam),... were delevered to Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF).
The Government leader praised the Regiment for its training efforts, and asked it to promptly master modern ammunitions to strengthen its self-defence capacity so as to firmly defend national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Your primary tasks are to improve training quality, heighten vigilance, and hold regular drills to be capable of coping with any possible worst circumstances,” said the PM.
He reminded the Regiment to pay special attention to staff training, considering this a decisive factor in mastering modern ammunitions and military techniques.
He asked the Ministry of Defence to better care for the material and spiritual lives of military officers and soldiers to ensure they devote themselves to tasks entrusted to them.
The same day, PM Dung and Defence Minister Thanh visited Tho Xuan air terminal in the province. The first air route between Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to be inaugurated on February 5, 2013.
Phunutoday.vn
Thứ Ba, 29 tháng 1, 2013
Vietnam missile-armed Su-30MK2
Jan 30, 2013- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh on January 26 examined training and combat readiness at Air Force Regiment 923 of Division 371 under the Air Defence-Air Force in Thanh Hoa province.
The Government leader praised the Regiment for its training efforts, and asked it to promptly master modern ammunitions to strengthen its self-defence capacity so as to firmly defend national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Your primary tasks are to improve training quality, heighten vigilance, and hold regular drills to be capable of coping with any possible worst circumstances,” said the PM.
He reminded the Regiment to pay special attention to staff training, considering this a decisive factor in mastering modern ammunitions and military techniques.
He asked the Ministry of Defence to better care for the material and spiritual lives of military officers and soldiers to ensure they devote themselves to tasks entrusted to them.
The same day, PM Dung and Defence Minister Thanh visited Tho Xuan air terminal in the province. The first air route between Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to be inaugurated on February 5, 2013.
Phunutoday.vn
At the end of year 2012, 24 Su-30MK2 fighter aircrafts equipped missiles including R-27, R-73, Kh-29, Kh-31A/P, X-35 (made in Vietnam),... were delevered to Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF).
The Government leader praised the Regiment for its training efforts, and asked it to promptly master modern ammunitions to strengthen its self-defence capacity so as to firmly defend national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Your primary tasks are to improve training quality, heighten vigilance, and hold regular drills to be capable of coping with any possible worst circumstances,” said the PM.
He reminded the Regiment to pay special attention to staff training, considering this a decisive factor in mastering modern ammunitions and military techniques.
He asked the Ministry of Defence to better care for the material and spiritual lives of military officers and soldiers to ensure they devote themselves to tasks entrusted to them.
The same day, PM Dung and Defence Minister Thanh visited Tho Xuan air terminal in the province. The first air route between Thanh Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to be inaugurated on February 5, 2013.
Phunutoday.vn
Scholar warns of Asean 'fracture'
Jan 29, 2013- Asean could end up fractured if member nations fail to find a balance in their relations with the United States and China, an expert on Asian relations says.
Asean members' recent dealings with the US and China could be seen as putting national interests ahead of regional interests, Prapat Thepchatree, associate professor of international relations at Thammasat University (TU), said.
Members of Asean tend to flip-flop in their support of China and the US depending on which nation wants backing at the time, he told the 4th TU-Asean Forum yesterday.
Asean should find a better balance between the two major powers, he said. Maritime disputes in the region are simmering and Asean can help build stability, Mr Prapat, who is director of TU's Asean Studies Centre, said.
China is among six countries which claim ownership of parts of the South China Sea. The others are Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the US has been reasserting its power in the region and has been calling on countries in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, to join the Trans Pacific Partnership, a US-led free trade and investment pact currently being negotiated.
The TPP could split Asean, Mr Prapat said. Four Asean countries have joined the free trade pact and Thailand is eager to do so. However, five members have decided not to take part.
Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkaew said China plays an important role in economic development. But the US can help stabilise the region, he added.
"I believe the two countries' competitiveness will not be the same as during the Cold War era," Mr Sihasak said.
China and the US could work together on expanding the region's economy. A strong Asean could help liaise between the two rivals, he said.
Asean, however, must show it can be a leader on security issues in the region, especially over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, he said.
Thailand should tell China that if it is unwilling to change its stance on the South China Sea, it could harm relations with Asean, Mr Sihasak said.
Cambodia is siding with Beijing over the maritime dispute because Phnom Penh hopes to secure Chinese investment, former foreign minister Kasit Piromya said.
Bangkok Post
Asean members' recent dealings with the US and China could be seen as putting national interests ahead of regional interests, Prapat Thepchatree, associate professor of international relations at Thammasat University (TU), said.
Members of Asean tend to flip-flop in their support of China and the US depending on which nation wants backing at the time, he told the 4th TU-Asean Forum yesterday.
Asean should find a better balance between the two major powers, he said. Maritime disputes in the region are simmering and Asean can help build stability, Mr Prapat, who is director of TU's Asean Studies Centre, said.
China is among six countries which claim ownership of parts of the South China Sea. The others are Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the US has been reasserting its power in the region and has been calling on countries in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, to join the Trans Pacific Partnership, a US-led free trade and investment pact currently being negotiated.
The TPP could split Asean, Mr Prapat said. Four Asean countries have joined the free trade pact and Thailand is eager to do so. However, five members have decided not to take part.
Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkaew said China plays an important role in economic development. But the US can help stabilise the region, he added.
"I believe the two countries' competitiveness will not be the same as during the Cold War era," Mr Sihasak said.
China and the US could work together on expanding the region's economy. A strong Asean could help liaise between the two rivals, he said.
Asean, however, must show it can be a leader on security issues in the region, especially over the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, he said.
Thailand should tell China that if it is unwilling to change its stance on the South China Sea, it could harm relations with Asean, Mr Sihasak said.
Cambodia is siding with Beijing over the maritime dispute because Phnom Penh hopes to secure Chinese investment, former foreign minister Kasit Piromya said.
Bangkok Post
Indonesia Buys Chinese Missile for Warships
Jan 29, 2013- TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) will use C-705 missiles from China in its locally-made fast missile boats (KCR). According to plan, 16 KCR-40 warships manufactured in Batam by PT Palindo Marine will be equipped with the missiles.
"The contract had been signed, the missiles are expected to arrive in 2014," First Admiral Untung Suropati, Chief of Information Center for TNI AL, told Tempo on Monday, January 28.
In accordance with Law No.16/2012, the government will cooperate in technology transfer in the purchasing scheme. With the scheme, it is expected that three domestic factories: PT. Pindad, Lapan, and PT. Indonesian Aerospace, will be able to manufacture their own missiles.
Earlier, the Director General of Defense Potential at the Defense Ministry, Pos Batubara, said that he was negotiating a technology transfer contract with China's manufacturers. He ascertained that local producers will be involved in the process. "We hope to be able to produce the missile ourselves," he said.
Head of Defense Planning Division at the Ministry of Defense, Major General Ediwan Prabowo, said that a number of local manufacturers have started their involvement in arming KCR 40. "PT. Pindad had begun its involvement, but the percentage is still small," Ediwan stated.
Without mentioning China's missile procurement contract, Ediwan said that the cost to make the KCR 40 amounts to Rp 75 billion per unit. The entire fund was sourced using a domestic lending scheme.
"The contract had been signed, the missiles are expected to arrive in 2014," First Admiral Untung Suropati, Chief of Information Center for TNI AL, told Tempo on Monday, January 28.
In accordance with Law No.16/2012, the government will cooperate in technology transfer in the purchasing scheme. With the scheme, it is expected that three domestic factories: PT. Pindad, Lapan, and PT. Indonesian Aerospace, will be able to manufacture their own missiles.
Earlier, the Director General of Defense Potential at the Defense Ministry, Pos Batubara, said that he was negotiating a technology transfer contract with China's manufacturers. He ascertained that local producers will be involved in the process. "We hope to be able to produce the missile ourselves," he said.
Head of Defense Planning Division at the Ministry of Defense, Major General Ediwan Prabowo, said that a number of local manufacturers have started their involvement in arming KCR 40. "PT. Pindad had begun its involvement, but the percentage is still small," Ediwan stated.
Without mentioning China's missile procurement contract, Ediwan said that the cost to make the KCR 40 amounts to Rp 75 billion per unit. The entire fund was sourced using a domestic lending scheme.
China denies selling weapons to ethnic army in Shan State
Jan 29, 2013- China has dismissed as “ill-founded” and “misguided” allegations it sold or delivered weapons to the about 30,000-strong United Wa State Army in Shan State.
"The Chinese government holds a clear and consistent policy of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Myanmar," its embassy here said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Reports alleging China had sold or transferred weapons to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar are misguided, it said. The media reports are based on an erroneous “report by a western defence think-tank” it said, referring to Janes Intelligence Review, which released a report last month alleging that China’s effort to arm the ethnic army was “unprecedented both in the quantity of munitions and the type of systems delivered”. The report described the alleged arms deal as “highly likely to have stemmed from a high-level decision made in Beijing”.
Weapons the Wa Army received included ground-to-air missiles and 12 tank destroyers, the report stated.
The embassy stressed that China had always given strong support to a peaceful solution to the conflict within Myanmar through dialogue and negotiation by both sides. “China in recent days repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and joint efforts to resume peace and stability along the border area,” it said.
“China has persistently played a constructive role in promoting peace and facilitating dialogue towards the resolution of the conflict. We will continue to do so,” the statement added.
The Janes Intelligence Review report alleges that a transfer of Chinese-made PTL02 Wheeled Tank Destroyers was made in the middle of last year. The report’s author, Thailand-based intelligence analyst Anthony Davis, described this as “a significant escalation in the equipment supply to the [Wa army]” from China.
Rising support for the ethnic army coincides with political developments in Myanmar that worry Beijing, primarily increased openness to diplomatic and military ties with the United States, the report said.
Eleven Myanmar
"The Chinese government holds a clear and consistent policy of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Myanmar," its embassy here said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Reports alleging China had sold or transferred weapons to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar are misguided, it said. The media reports are based on an erroneous “report by a western defence think-tank” it said, referring to Janes Intelligence Review, which released a report last month alleging that China’s effort to arm the ethnic army was “unprecedented both in the quantity of munitions and the type of systems delivered”. The report described the alleged arms deal as “highly likely to have stemmed from a high-level decision made in Beijing”.
Weapons the Wa Army received included ground-to-air missiles and 12 tank destroyers, the report stated.
The embassy stressed that China had always given strong support to a peaceful solution to the conflict within Myanmar through dialogue and negotiation by both sides. “China in recent days repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and joint efforts to resume peace and stability along the border area,” it said.
“China has persistently played a constructive role in promoting peace and facilitating dialogue towards the resolution of the conflict. We will continue to do so,” the statement added.
The Janes Intelligence Review report alleges that a transfer of Chinese-made PTL02 Wheeled Tank Destroyers was made in the middle of last year. The report’s author, Thailand-based intelligence analyst Anthony Davis, described this as “a significant escalation in the equipment supply to the [Wa army]” from China.
Rising support for the ethnic army coincides with political developments in Myanmar that worry Beijing, primarily increased openness to diplomatic and military ties with the United States, the report said.
Eleven Myanmar
China carries out anti-missile test
Jan 28, 2013- Chinese military performed a 'land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory', according to Xinhua
China's military show off their latest missiles last October Photograph: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
China tested emerging military technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air after an initial test in 2010, state media said, in a move that will unnerve its neighbours.
A brief report by the official Xinhua news agency said the military carried out a "land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory".
"The test has reached the pre-set goal," the report quoted an unnamed defence ministry official as saying. "The test is defensive in nature and targets no other country."
It did not specify whether any missile or object had been destroyed in the test.
"Although no other detailed information about the test was released from the military authorities, weapon system experts said such a test could build shield for China's air defences by intercepting incoming warheads such as ballistic missiles in space," the report added.
People's Liberation Army officials and documents in recent years have said developing anti-missile technology is one focus of defence spending, which has grown by double-digits over many years.
The latest flexing of China's maturing military hardware comes as Beijing is involved in increasingly bitter territorial disputes in the East China Sea with Japan and in the South China Sea with several southeast Asian nations.
Beijing says its military spending is for defensive purposes and the modernisation of outdated forces.
The Guardian
China's military show off their latest missiles last October Photograph: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
China tested emerging military technology aimed at destroying missiles in mid-air after an initial test in 2010, state media said, in a move that will unnerve its neighbours.
A brief report by the official Xinhua news agency said the military carried out a "land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory".
"The test has reached the pre-set goal," the report quoted an unnamed defence ministry official as saying. "The test is defensive in nature and targets no other country."
It did not specify whether any missile or object had been destroyed in the test.
"Although no other detailed information about the test was released from the military authorities, weapon system experts said such a test could build shield for China's air defences by intercepting incoming warheads such as ballistic missiles in space," the report added.
People's Liberation Army officials and documents in recent years have said developing anti-missile technology is one focus of defence spending, which has grown by double-digits over many years.
The latest flexing of China's maturing military hardware comes as Beijing is involved in increasingly bitter territorial disputes in the East China Sea with Japan and in the South China Sea with several southeast Asian nations.
Beijing says its military spending is for defensive purposes and the modernisation of outdated forces.
The Guardian
Japan's Defense Ministry mulls request to provide submarine technology for Australian Navy
Jan 28, 2013- Japan's Defense Ministry is weighing whether to share submarine technology developed by a contractor for the Maritime Self-Defense Force with the Royal Australian Navy, sources said.
Given that submarine technology is highly classified, doing so would signal strengthened cooperation among friendly nations in the Asia-Pacific region where the Chinese Navy has demonstrated a growing presence.
The sharing of military technology was made possible with the relaxation in 2011 of the three principles Japan had adhered to with regard to weapons exports. However, Japan has until now not shared such technology with any nation other than the United States.
According to high-ranking Defense Ministry officials, Australia sounded out Japan about getting submarine propulsion technology. Officials in Tokyo are now trying to determine what level of information to provide.
The request came on the heels of a visit in May 2012 to the MSDF Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture by a senior Australian official who inspected an advanced Soryu-class submarine.
Soryu-class submarines incorporate air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology. This allows a submarine to remain submerged for longer periods than those that have to surface to refresh their oxygen intake.
Japan, Germany and Sweden are among a small number of nations that operate submarines with AIP technology.
However, the contracts with foreign companies involved in the development of the technology carried restrictions on information disclosure. This means Defense Ministry officials must determine what level of technology can be shared with Australia without any comebacks.
The relaxation of the weapons export principles included a provision allowing joint development and production in instances where weapons exports had been approved.
While this seems clear-cut, an issue that still has to be addressed is the nature of technology being provided only one-way instead of mutual sharing.
According to Australia's 2009 defense white paper, Canberra intends to acquire 12 submarines to replace six outdated craft.
In response to queries by The Asahi Shimbun, an Australian Defense Department official said various alternatives were being considered.
Last April, Japan reached an agreement with Britain to begin joint development and production of military equipment.
The Asahi Shimbun
Given that submarine technology is highly classified, doing so would signal strengthened cooperation among friendly nations in the Asia-Pacific region where the Chinese Navy has demonstrated a growing presence.
The sharing of military technology was made possible with the relaxation in 2011 of the three principles Japan had adhered to with regard to weapons exports. However, Japan has until now not shared such technology with any nation other than the United States.
According to high-ranking Defense Ministry officials, Australia sounded out Japan about getting submarine propulsion technology. Officials in Tokyo are now trying to determine what level of information to provide.
The request came on the heels of a visit in May 2012 to the MSDF Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture by a senior Australian official who inspected an advanced Soryu-class submarine.
Soryu-class submarines incorporate air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology. This allows a submarine to remain submerged for longer periods than those that have to surface to refresh their oxygen intake.
Japan, Germany and Sweden are among a small number of nations that operate submarines with AIP technology.
However, the contracts with foreign companies involved in the development of the technology carried restrictions on information disclosure. This means Defense Ministry officials must determine what level of technology can be shared with Australia without any comebacks.
The relaxation of the weapons export principles included a provision allowing joint development and production in instances where weapons exports had been approved.
While this seems clear-cut, an issue that still has to be addressed is the nature of technology being provided only one-way instead of mutual sharing.
According to Australia's 2009 defense white paper, Canberra intends to acquire 12 submarines to replace six outdated craft.
In response to queries by The Asahi Shimbun, an Australian Defense Department official said various alternatives were being considered.
Last April, Japan reached an agreement with Britain to begin joint development and production of military equipment.
The Asahi Shimbun
India test fires missile from under sea, completes nuclear triad
Jan 29, 2013- Bay of Bengal: After a smooth countdown at 1.40 pm on Sunday, India's missile, named BO5, emerged effortlessly breaking the balmy waters of the Bay of Bengal. The missile was launched from an approximate depth of about 50 metres, simulating exactly the conditions as would prevail during an operational launch from India's indigenously made nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant. The missile whose name has been variously given as Sagarika or at times K-15 or even Dhanush has finally been christened as BO5 and is a medium-range ballistic missile.
After emerging from the water, the missile followed a copy book track of its trajectory and hit its target about six minutes after launch in a very precise manner. The trajectory was tracked using several cameras and radars specially deputed for this launch.
This is the fourteenth consecutively successful launch of this potent weapons system which has till now always been done in complete secrecy. This was the last developmental launch and now the weapons system is ready to be integrated with the Indian submarines, says AK Chakrabarty, the man who designed and perfected this naval missile system and is also the director of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad. He spoke exclusively to NDTV on board the ship which controls the missile launch. This sophisticated technology has been mastered only by the USA, Russia, France and China. India has now joined this select club of five, and has now completed what is called the nuclear triad, which essentially gives India the capability to launch at will its nuclear weapons from air, land and sea.
The indigenously made missile has been perfected after more than 15 years of development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Mr Chakrabarty, who had tears of joy in his eyes, described the mission as "perfect and could not have been any better."
A young team of about 200 DRDO scientists and personnel from the Navy and a flotilla of ships took part in today's mission. The NDTV team of Pallava Bagla and Alphonse Raj were the only journalists allowed to witness the launch live from the middle of the Bay of Bengal.
NDTV/ YouTube
After emerging from the water, the missile followed a copy book track of its trajectory and hit its target about six minutes after launch in a very precise manner. The trajectory was tracked using several cameras and radars specially deputed for this launch.
This is the fourteenth consecutively successful launch of this potent weapons system which has till now always been done in complete secrecy. This was the last developmental launch and now the weapons system is ready to be integrated with the Indian submarines, says AK Chakrabarty, the man who designed and perfected this naval missile system and is also the director of the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad. He spoke exclusively to NDTV on board the ship which controls the missile launch. This sophisticated technology has been mastered only by the USA, Russia, France and China. India has now joined this select club of five, and has now completed what is called the nuclear triad, which essentially gives India the capability to launch at will its nuclear weapons from air, land and sea.
The indigenously made missile has been perfected after more than 15 years of development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Mr Chakrabarty, who had tears of joy in his eyes, described the mission as "perfect and could not have been any better."
A young team of about 200 DRDO scientists and personnel from the Navy and a flotilla of ships took part in today's mission. The NDTV team of Pallava Bagla and Alphonse Raj were the only journalists allowed to witness the launch live from the middle of the Bay of Bengal.
NDTV/ YouTube
Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Struggle for Liberation
On the 45th Anniversary of the Tet Offensive
The following texts are based on an introduction on the Tet Offensive, given by LeiLani Dowell, and a talk on the Vietnamese liberation struggle given by Naomi Cohen at a Workers World Forum on January 30.
The Tet Offensive of 1968
This year is the 45th anniversary of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, which began on the night of Jan. 30, 1968, and continued throughout Vietnam for several months. This military offensive was launched by the National Liberation Front simultaneously in 140 cities and towns throughout South Vietnam and took the U.S. military and its puppet forces completely by surprise.
According to the 1968 book “Vietnam Will Win” by Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett, “The NLF forces, without any modern means of transportation or communications attacked almost every major military and administrative installation in South Vietnam in complete secrecy under the noses of the most sophisticated military machine that has ever taken the field. … Among the objectives attacked were all four zonal headquarters of the Saigon Army, eight out of 11 divisional headquarters, and two American army field headquarters. Among the 18 major targets attacked in Saigon itself were the U.S. Embassy, the ‘Presidential Palace,’ the joint U.S.-Saigon armed forces headquarters, and the South Vietnam naval headquarters.”
On Jan. 31, the liberation forces entered the city of Hue, hoisted the NLF flag on the main tower of the Imperial City and freed 2,000 prisoners. Fierce fighting continued in Hue for a month, until the U.S. resorted to massive bombing and completely destroyed the city to retake it.
Although the Pentagon and President Johnson declared the offensive a failure, it completely exposed the bankruptcy of the puppet regime in Saigon and the U.S. military in Vietnam. It was a dramatic illustration of the popular character of the Vietnamese liberation struggle and showed the strength of the resistance at a time when U.S. military leaders were promising a quick victory in the war and boasting that the NLF was on the run.
Instead, U.S. General Westmoreland, who was in charge of the war effort for the Pentagon, was relieved of his command and within months President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election. Washington was forced, in fact, to agree to hold discussions with the Vietnamese on ending the war as massive anti-war demonstrations spread in the U.S.
The youth group of Workers World Party, Youth Against War & Fascism, was the first organization to call a demonstration against the Vietnam War in 1962, when President John F. Kennedy sent 12,000 so-called advisors to Vietnam to prop up the puppet regime of Ngo Dinh Diem in the South. We are proud to say that President Ho Chi Minh heard of the YAWF demonstration at that time and told a reporter visiting in North Vietnam that this was the kind of solidarity the Vietnamese needed in the struggle.
A few years later, comrade Deirdre Griswold (now the editor of Workers World newspaper) was sent as a representative of YAWF to work with the Bertrand Russell War Crimes Tribunal, which indicted the U.S. for war crimes in Vietnam.
— LeiLani Dowell
The Vietnamese Liberation Struggle
The Vietnamese struggle for liberation has such a long and rich history that it is impossible to cover the subject in one meeting. There are so many aspects of this struggle, including the anti-war movement, that Workers World Party was deeply involved in, that we cannot even begin to cover.
What I would like to focus on is the legacy of those leaders and organizations that won the war against not one, but two, imperialist powers, and the ideology that guided them through a people’s war that lasted for decades.
The Vietnam struggle for liberation was not confined to the limits of Vietnam, or even Southeast Asia. It was connected to and inspired people’s movements all over the world, reaching from Asia to Africa and the Middle East to Latin America and into the imperialist centers in Europe and North America. It is therefore an important part of the legacy of the working class and oppressed peoples all over the world and must be preserved for future generations.
The Vietnamese communists based themselves on Marxist theory, Lenin’s analysis of imperialism and the national question, and employed a class analysis of Vietnam, the imperialist enemy and internationalism throughout the war.
Just as no analysis of the Cuban revolution could be given without discussing the role of Fidel Castro in the revolution, any discussion of the Vietnam revolution must begin with Ho Chi Minh, who is universally considered the founding architect of the Vietnamese liberation struggle.
Ho was born in a small village in central Vietnam on May 19, 1890. He was educated in Vietnamese, Chinese and French. Ho’s early life led him to the anti-colonial struggle against the French occupation of his country. In 1911, following the anti-colonial revolution in China, Ho signed on to a French ship to leave Vietnam. He travelled widely as a seaman and got to see firsthand the condition of the French colonial subjects in Africa and the Middle East, which deeply affected his thinking. He lived in the U.S. for a while around 1912-13 in Harlem, N.Y., and Hoboken, N.J., washing dishes and doing menial jobs. While in the U.S. he learned firsthand about lynching and the Ku Klux Klan and later wrote a now-famous essay exposing the horrors of racism in the U.S. Ho wrote in part:
“It is well known that the spread of capitalism and the discovery of the New World had as an immediate result the rebirth of slavery, which was for centuries a scourge for the Negroes and a bitter disgrace for humanity. What everyone does not perhaps know is that after 65 years of so-called emancipation, American Negroes still endure atrocious moral and material sufferings, of which the most cruel and horrible is the custom of lynching.”
On the eve of World War I, Ho went to England to live, where he took a keen interest in the Irish struggle against British colonial rule. He also joined a clandestine organization of Asian expatriates in London called Overseas Workers. By 1917 he moved to France to join other Vietnamese patriots in advocating for the independence of their country. He became involved in the French Socialist Party and took on the name Nguyen Ai Quoc (Nguyen the Patriot). Ho founded and wrote for a journal “La Paria” (The Outcast) that advocated for the colonial peoples all over the world.
At the close of World War I, the imperialist powers convened the Paris Peace Conference at Versailles to divide up the colonial plunder won in the war. Ho Chi Minh went to the conference to petition Woodrow Wilson and the other imperialist powers for self-determination for Vietnam, but he was unceremoniously shown the door.
Ho Chi Minh and the Third International
While the imperialists were carving up the world for colonial rule by Europe and the U.S., the Bolshevik revolution was exposing the role of the imperialist powers in the colonial world and putting forward Lenin’s theses on the right of oppressed nations to self-determination. This had a powerful influence on Ho Chi Minh, and he described his conversion to communism in an essay called “The path which led me to Leninism.”
Ho followed the debates over whether to remain in the Second International (whose member parties had supported their own imperialist governments in the imperialist war) or to join the Third International organized by the Bolsheviks.
“What I wanted most to know — and this precisely was not debated in the meetings — was: which International sides with the peoples of colonial countries? I raised this question — the most important in my opinion — in a meeting. Some comrades answered: It is the Third, not the Second International. And a comrade gave me Lenin’s ‘Theses on the National and Colonial Questions.’
“There were political terms difficult to understand in this thesis. But by dint of reading it again and again, finally I could grasp the main part of it. What emotion, enthusiasm, clear-sightedness and confidence it instilled into me! I was overjoyed to tears. Though sitting alone in my room, I shouted out aloud as if addressing large crowds: ‘Dear martyrs, compatriots! This is what we need; this is the path to our liberation!’
Ho Chi Minh became a founding member of the French Communist Party and for the rest of his life kept the perspective of building solidarity between the oppressed colonial subjects of French imperialism and the working class of France.
Ho Chi Minh spent a number of years in the Soviet Union and China during the 1920s, and in 1930 collaborated with other Vietnamese Marxist revolutionaries to found the Indochinese Communist Party.
It is instructive to read the 10-point program that Ho drew up for the party at the time. It included a call to overthrow French imperialism and Vietnamese feudalism; to make Indochina completely independent; to confiscate the banks and other enterprises belonging to the imperialists and put them under the control of the worker-peasant-soldier government; to confiscate all the plantations and property belonging to the imperialists and the Vietnamese reactionary bourgeoisie and distribute them to the poor peasants; to implement the 8-hour working day; to provide universal education; and to realize equality between man and woman.
This was a revolutionary program to fundamentally change the property relations in society. It gave the Vietnamese people the political confidence, backed up by a strong, centralized organization, to take up arms against the French and begin the long struggle for liberation.
Once the party was formed and its program proclaimed, the liberation struggle in Vietnam escalated. Throughout the 1930s, Ho was unable to return to Vietnam because he was being hunted by the French police. But he was the consummate organizer of the liberation fighters both inside and outside the country. Ho was arrested and imprisoned a number of times; he was even imprisoned for two years by the Chiang Kai-shek forces in China.
By 1941, Ho was finally able to establish a base in a cave at Pac Bo in the north of Vietnam where he, along with Vo Nguyen Giap, founded the League for the Independence of Vietnam, or Viet Minh, which carried out the struggle for independence against the French and then Japanese occupation of Vietnam during World War II.
Ho Chi Minh indicts French imperialism
The Viet Minh was so popular in the anti-colonial struggle that within weeks of the defeat of the Japanese imperialist army at the end of World War II, on Sept. 2, 1945, it was able to declare the formation and independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) with Ho Chi Minh at its head. In a speech to a huge crowd gathered in Hanoi for the declaration of independence, Ho Chi Minh indicted French imperialist rule in Vietnam, saying:
“They have built more prisons than schools. They have mercilessly slain our patriots; they have drowned our uprisings in rivers of blood. They have … forced us to use opium and alcohol. In the field of economics, they have fleeced us to the backbone, impoverished our people and devastated our land. They have robbed us of our rice fields, our mines, our forests, and our raw materials. … They have mercilessly exploited our workers. …
“For these reasons, we, members of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam solemnly declare to the world that Vietnam has a right to be a free and independent country — and in fact it is so already.”
Within weeks of this declaration, however, the French imperialists, with the military and financial backing of the U.S., began the campaign to reconquer Vietnam and opened up nine more years of bloody French colonial rule.
However, the Vietnamese leaders had gained years of military training in China during the revolutionary struggle there and were prepared to fight guerrilla warfare against the invaders. In the meantime, the triumph of the Chinese revolution in October 1949 gave the Vietnamese a strong ally to the north and within a few months China, as well as the Soviet Union, recognized the Vietnamese government.
By February 1951 the leaders in Vietnam called a revolutionary congress to form the Vietnamese Workers’ Party. Its program was to win independence and unify the nation, to abolish the colonial regime, to obliterate feudal and semi-feudal vestiges, to give the land to the peasants, and to develop popular democracy as the basis for socialism.
In the continuing fight against the French imperialists, General Vo Nguyen Giap was the most famous of the Vietnamese military leaders. He wrote what is now considered the authoritative work on guerrilla warfare entitled, “People’s War, People’s Army.” In it, he described how the French had to disperse their forces to occupy Vietnam, giving the guerrilla forces the opportunity to transform the imperialists’ rear into the liberation forces’ front lines. As the guerrillas liberated more and more territory, they broke up the French plantations and feudal landlords’ holdings to distribute the land to the peasants and set up local people’s power. Giap wrote, “There was no clearly defined front in this war. It was there where the enemy was. The front was nowhere, it was everywhere.”
In the early years, the Vietnamese fighters had almost no arms. The few arms they had were used to organize what were called armed propaganda units. The Vietnamese leaders knew that first the people had to know what they were fighting for and who the enemy was. This emphasis on political education as primary in the fight against the imperialists was characteristic of the Vietnamese struggle throughout the decades.
The French were finally defeated in one of the greatest anti-colonial battles in human history at Dien Bien Phu, a heavily fortified stronghold of the French military in northwest Vietnam that was considered to be impregnable. Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army, directed the battlefield strategy.
Tens of thousands of volunteers built hundreds of miles of roads, dug hundreds of miles of trenches and some 200,000 volunteers hauled artillery and ammunition as well as food and fuel up and down mountains using thousands of bicycles, ox-carts and other crude vehicles to prepare to bombard the French stronghold.
After 55 days and nights of continuous fighting, on May 7, 1954, the Vietnamese army completely destroyed the Dien Bien Phu fortified camp. Forced to hoist a white flag, the entire French command surrendered, along with over 11,000 troops.
A Vietnamese historian described the battle this way: “The Dien Bien Phu victory was the greatest victory of our army and people in the protracted resistance against the French colonialists and American interventionists, one of the greatest battles in the history of the oppressed peoples’ struggles against the professional armies of the colonialists.” (“An Outline History of the Viet Nam Workers’ Party (1930-1975),” published in Hanoi in 1976.)
The effects of this victory were felt around the world. It inspired the development of the Algerian liberation movement, also suffering under French colonial rule. Within a few years liberation movements spread across Africa, and in 1956 the July 26 Movement, which had stormed the Moncada Barracks in Cuba on that date three years earlier, opened a guerrilla war on the island .
But in Vietnam, U.S. intervention had begun long before the French defeat. Washington and Wall Street were seeking to expand their empire in Asia. Even while they were fighting to stop the Korean Revolution in a bloody war from 1950 to 1953, some estimates show that by 1954 the U.S. was already paying 80 percent of the cost of the French military expedition in Vietnam. In fact, U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles offered to give the French nuclear weapons to use in Vietnam.
French leave, U.S. takes over south
Within months of their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the French were forced to enter into peace talks in Geneva and leave Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese were denied in the Geneva Accords what they had won on the battlefield. Vietnam was divided into north and south. The independence of the DRV was recognized, but the elections that were supposed to be held to reunify the country within two years were cancelled by the U.S.-backed puppet Ngo Dinh Diem in the south. The U.S. had never signed the Geneva Accords. Instead, Washington backed Diem until 1963 and then installed one puppet government after another in Saigon and determined to continue the occupation of the country, much as it had done in South Korea.
Vietnam, a relatively small and underdeveloped country, was now forced to fight on for another 21 years against the Pentagon war machine, which threw over half a million U.S. troops into the slaughter. It is hard for the mind to fully comprehend how this was possible. Yet it was done and it is important to understand the decisive role that political class consciousness and strong organization on the part of the Vietnamese played in this historic victory.
Wilfred Burchett, an Australian journalist who lived in Southeast Asia for many years, wrote the following in the book titled “Vietnam Will Win!” published in 1968:
“One did not have to spend very much time with a unit of the National Liberation Front forces to realize that political factors dominate all others in military planning and execution.” In describing the training for new recruits to the NLF, which was formed in 1960 to carry on the resistance after the partition of the country, Burchett notes that they “receive 15 days of education and training before they are given a gun, unless enemy activity interrupts the course. … The first five days are devoted exclusively to political education.”
Thus the Vietnamese recognized that to carry out the program of liberating their country, they needed a politically conscious and motivated fighting force and population. There was no separation between the trained fighters and the general population, which cooperated with the resistance in the millions and provided them with food, shelter and intelligence.
The NLF was fighting a people’s war. This is precisely why the U.S. military carried out so many massacres of the civilian population as the war continued. Having won the vast majority of the people over to the resistance, the NLF was in fact indistinguishable from the people. Thus the U.S. and its puppet regime in Saigon engaged in one tactic after another to isolate the NLF from the general population. When it became clear that the rural population was feeding and sheltering the resistance fighters, the U.S. tried to herd the people into “strategic hamlets,” which were nothing but concentration camps, to try to cut off support to the NLF fighters. The Pentagon used chemical warfare, dropping Agent Orange to defoliate jungle hideouts and destroy crops. When these tactics didn’t work, relentless bombing of so-called “free-fire zones” followed.
A new book titled “Kill Anything That Moves” by Nick Turse documents the war crimes committed by the U.S. forces in Vietnam. Based on newly released classified information, it shows that massacres of the population like the one at My Lai were the rule and not the exception. Demands by the Pentagon for higher and higher body counts to prove the effectiveness of U.S. operations fueled the massacres of the population.
As millions of people were driven off the land into urban areas, this only spread the resistance. NLF sympathizers and spies were everywhere. In fact, after the Tet offensive it was revealed that the chauffeur for the U.S. Ambassador in Saigon was in the NLF and led the storming of the Embassy grounds during the offensive. After the war, it was also revealed that the head of NLF intelligence in Saigon was a woman who had worked in a U.S. officers’ club, gathering information as she waited on tables and supplying this information to the NLF.
U.S. forced to negotiate
In 1968, following the Tet Offensive, the U.S. was finally forced to agree to open up negotiations to end the war. In another dramatic first, the Vietnamese showed the world how seriously they took the role of women in the war effort when they appointed Madame Nguyen Thi Binh as head of the delegation for the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam to the Paris peace talks. The appearance of this woman resistance fighter in Paris had an electrifying effect on the anti-war and women’s movements around the world.
Madame Binh had been an activist in the Vietnamese communist movement since 1948 when she was 21 years old. She was imprisoned by the French in Saigon between 1951 and 1953. During the war against the U.S. she became a member of the Central Committee of the NLF and Vice Chair of the South Vietnam Women’s Liberation Association. In 1969 she was appointed the Foreign Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam and played a major role in the Paris peace negotiations, facing numerous threats by then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to unleash nuclear weapons on Vietnam. She was a signatory to the Paris Peace Agreements of Jan. 17, 1973, and after liberation in 1975 was twice elected Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam between 1992 and 2002.
The Vietnamese liberation forces always made sure to highlight the leading role that women played in the struggle against the U.S., sending delegations of women fighters and former prisoners to many international conferences. Some of us from Youth Against War and Fascism had the honor of attending one such conference in Toronto, Canada, in 1970. A number of the Vietnamese women there had been imprisoned in the infamous tiger cages built to torture Vietnamese prisoners of war. Some of them had walked for over a month through jungles and under threat of carpet bombing to get to where other transportation could take them to the conference.
While the Tet Offensive was a blow to the U.S. ruling class and its puppet forces and politically exposed U.S. lies about the nature of the war, the Pentagon and the Nixon administration were determined to continue the war. They decided to step up the massive bombing of North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Meanwhile, the anti-war movement and the anti-war sentiment among GIs, many of them conscripted into the military, grew exponentially. In August 1966 heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the army, saying, “The Vietcong never called me [the N word].” By April 1967 Martin Luther King had already made his famous speech against the war at Riverside Church. The Tet offensive accelerated the decline of support for the war, and the U.S. war effort was clearly coming apart on both fronts.
‘Vietnamization’ fails, Vietnam wins!
Nixon and the U.S. generals were forced to declare the “Vietnamization” of the war, that is, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, but they stepped up the arming and training of puppet troops and launched massive attacks on the liberated territories in the south. It became clear that another offensive had to be launched to counter these attacks and blatant violations of the 1973 peace agreements. General Van Tien Dung, Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, wrote about the preparations for the final battles in a book published soon after the 1975 victory, titled “Our Great Spring Victory.”
He described how in October 1974, the Political Bureau of the Vietnam Workers Party and the Central Military Committee met to analyze the international and internal situation and consider plans for an offensive. They concluded that the Saigon troops were growing weaker militarily, politically and economically; that the U.S. was in no position to re-enter the war and would not be able to rescue the puppet Saigon regime. They saw that there was growing sympathy and strong support for their struggle around the world.
Just as they had done massive preparation for the siege of Dien Bien Phu and for the Tet Offensive, they prepared to launch the spring offensive of 1975. In under two months the Saigon regime collapsed and all of the South was liberated by April 30, giving us those unforgettable images of the South Vietnamese collaborators scurrying to the top of the U.S. Embassy to flee Saigon in U.S. helicopters. Saigon was soon to be renamed Ho Chi Minh City in a reunified Vietnam.
Of course, in the aftermath of the war, the U.S. never paid a cent of the reparations that it was supposed to contribute to the rebuilding of the country. It only left a legacy of death and destruction, with an estimated 13.5 million people killed, wounded or made refugees. An estimated 40,000 Vietnamese have died since 1975 as a result of the unexploded bombs left on the land, and untold millions suffer from the effects of chemical warfare that could affect the population for generations to come. These effects of the war, combined with the loss of aid from the socialist bloc when the USSR collapsed and conflict with China following the war, have all combined to make the process of rebuilding Vietnam even more difficult than anticipated. But that is the subject of a whole other discussion.
Perhaps the slogan that best summarizes the legacy of the Vietnamese liberation struggle was raised by the Black Panther Party when they said, “The power of the people is greater than the man’s technology.” But the power of the people had to be organized. The Vietnamese people, who began their war of liberation with only bows and arrows, were organized by communist revolutionaries into the most determined and experienced anti-imperialist fighting force ever seen. This is how they defeated the most powerful military on earth.
Ho Chi Minh and his comrades were not only wise in military tactics, but they knew how to reach out to every progressive layer of Vietnamese society — from religious groups, to minority peoples, to students, intellectuals, workers and peasants — to forge unity in the struggle. And beyond that, they knew how to reach out to workers and oppressed peoples around the world to win allies and strengthen their fight. In other words, communist politics and organization were the key to their victory.
Ho Chi Minh did not live to see the final victory in 1975. He died in 1969, but he was confident in the final outcome. I urge comrades to read the last testament that he wrote in May of 1969. It is a remarkable document, too long to read in full, but here is a small excerpt:
“Even though our people’s struggle against U.S. aggression, for national salvation, may have to go through more hardships and sacrifices, we are bound to win total victory. This is a certainty. …
“Our countrymen in the South and in the North will certainly be re-united under the same roof. We, a small nation, will have earned the signal honour of defeating, through heroic struggle, two big imperialisms — the French and the American — and of making a worthy contribution to the world national liberation movement. …
“My ultimate wish is that our entire Party and people, closely joining their efforts, will build a peaceful, reunified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam, and make a worthy contribution to the world revolution.”
And indeed they did. Long live the example of the Vietnamese revolution!
— Naomi Cohen
A source of much information on Ho Chi Minh’s life is “Ho Chi Minh, A Political Biography” by Jean Lacouture, 1968.
Workers.org
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