Japan, US conduct joint warplane drill

Japanese Defense Ministry has announced that Japan and the United States will conduct a joint warplane drill in northern Japan.

The second regiment from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces, along with eight F15 fighters is expected to take part. The US plans to send eight F16 fighters and ninety soldiers. Japan says no live shells will be used during the drill.

Meanwhile, Japanese Land Forces on Hokkaido Island are to launch a two-day landing drill on Monday.

Japan’s Defense Minister, Itsunori Onodera, earlier said Japan would use its Self-Defense Forces if needed to boost Japan’s capability to defend its islands.

CCTV

The U.S. Army Reorganizes Again

July 7, 2013: The U.S. Army recently announced its plan to reduce its 45 combat brigades to 32 but to retain most of the combat capabilities of the 45 brigade force. This will be done by transferring many of the troops and equipment from the disbanded brigades to the 32 that will remain in service. This will increase most brigades to 4,500 troops. Each new brigade will have three infantry or armor battalions (instead of two, as most now do) 18 (instead of 16) 155mm self-propelled artillery vehicles (organized into three batteries instead of two) and more engineer troops (the equivalent of a battalion) for each brigade.

The new BCTs (Brigade Combat Teams) will initially consist of 14 infantry (two infantry and one tank battalion), 12 tank (two tank and one infantry battalion) and seven Stryker battalions. Three of these 35 brigades will be disbanded over the next few years, but which ones has not been decided yet. By late 2017 the army expects to reduce personnel strength ten percent (to 490,000 troops from the current 547,000).

All this shrinking is due to the fact that the army is facing some hefty budget cuts (at least 5-10 percent over the next decade). Linked with growing costs (for equipment, supplies and wages) makes this cut even larger. For example, over the next decade, defense spending will decline from 3.6 percent to 2.8 percent of GDP. Several years ago the army did the math and concluded that it would have to cut manpower up to 80,000 by the end of the next decade, and reduce combat brigades to as few as 32 (from the current 45) and total strength of 490,000 troops. Without the cuts training would have to be cut to the point where the troops would be unprepared for combat. The recent announcement simply confirms the initial army estimates.

These cuts are nothing new, as army leaders have seen it coming for some time. Four years ago, despite major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army went through a major reorganization. The end result was the increase in the number of combat brigades from 33 to 48 (soon reduced to 45 because of budget cuts). This required the transfer of over 40,000 people from combat-support jobs to the combat brigades. In doing this, the army got some experience in reducing personnel strength without losing capability. Most of this reset was completed, with all the new brigades ready for service, by 2010.

Six years ago, Congress ordered the army to increase its strength by 65,000 troops, and the army planned to add five more combat brigades. The army completed that personnel expansion, to 574,000 troops by 2009, but subsequent budget cuts reduced the combat brigade expansion. Then came confirmation of what the army expected all along, sharp cuts in the wake of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down.

The reforms and reorganization of the last decade make the brigades, not the divisions, the primary combat unit. The new brigades have more support units permanently attached and can be more easily sent off to fight by themselves. The most recent reorganization increased support even more. In the past, providing more support involved quickly adding (temporarily) a lot of support units to the brigade. But the new organization makes small support units part of the brigades, and, more importantly, the brigades train using these support units and learn to work well with them. The divisions still exist, but operate more like the corps has for the last two centuries (coordinating the actions of a few divisions and only having a few support units under its command.)

Initially the new divisions had four of the new brigades, but could control more (or less) in action. Now each division will go back to the old three brigades each. Initially each of the new brigades (or BCTs) had 3,500-4,000 troops (depending on type). There are three types of BCTs; light (infantry, including paratroopers), heavy (mechanized, including tanks) and Stryker (mechanized using wheeled armored vehicles.) This larger number of combat brigades is achieved by reorganizing the combat units of each division into four brigades, instead of the current three. There are several independent brigades as well.

New weapons and equipment (especially satellite based communications and battlefield Internet software) enabled the army to get the same amount of combat power brigade, using fewer combat troops. The actual number of infantrymen and tanks didn’t change, but the number of communications, maintenance and intelligence support personnel did. For example, increased use of robots, sensors and computerized vidcam surveillance systems made it possible to do the same amount of work in combat, with fewer troops. A lot of these new ideas, and equipment, were tested in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most of these items have worked well in combat.

This "reform and reorganize on the run" approach has enabled the U.S. Army to leap way ahead of its contemporaries in terms of combat effectiveness. This is causing lots of unease in the military headquarters of the other major military powers.

Stategy Page

U.S. Marines Fast Rope Exercise

BLT 3/2 Fast Rope Exercise. Video by Cpl. Kyle N. Runnels | 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit | Date: 06.30.2013. U.S. Marines assigned to Battalion Landing Team 3/2, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), conduct fast rope familiarization training from a CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 266 (Reinforced), 26th MEU, on the flight deck of the USS Kearsage (LHD 3), at sea, June 30, 2013. The 26th MEU is a Marine Air Ground Task Force forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility aboard the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group serving as a sea based, expeditionary crisis response force capable of conducting amphibious operations across the full range of military operations. U.S. Marine Corps motion media by Cpl. Kyle N. Runnels/Released. Video available in High Definition. HD Video.

Video by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Kropiewnicki 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
U.S. Marines assigned to Battalion Landing Team 3/2, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), conduct fast rope familiarization training from a CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 266 (Reinforced), 26th MEU, on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), at sea, June 30, 2013. The 26th MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility aboard the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group serving as a sea-based, expeditionary crisis response force capable of conducting amphibious operations across the full range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps motion media by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Kropiewnicki/26th MEU Combat Camera/Released)

China's New Jet, Radar Complicate US Posture

TAIPEI — China’s increasing military musculature continues to crush the margins of how far the US military can conduct operations near the mainland, experts say. Through the purchase of Russian-made equipment, China is attempting to break beyond the current air defense range of 250 kilometers in what US experts refer to as China’s anti-access/area-denial strategy.

China plans to procure two new Russian weapon systems that will extend the range of its air defense strike capability to 400 kilometers. This would place all of Taiwan within the scope of China’s air defense network and endanger the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China also claims.

The first is the much-reported negotiation for the 400-kilometer range S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system with a possible deal after 2017, when the Russian manufacturer, Almaz-Antey, fulfills Russian military orders.

The second is the Sukhoi Su-35S multirole fighter jet. These fighters will not be outfitted with the older Zhuk radar, but with the IRBIS-E radar, said Vasiliy Kashin, a researcher at the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

Built by Tikhomirov NIIP, the 400-kilometer range IRBIS-E multimode X-Band passive electronically scanned array radar can detect and track up to 30 airborne targets and attack up to eight at the same time, according to the company’s website. In addition, in the air-to-ground mode, it can track up to four ground targets, and can track one ground target while preserving air sector surveillance.

The S-400 and Su-35S with the IRBIS-E radar might become “a psychological deterrent to politicians in Washington when they contemplate a Taiwan contingency,” said Alexander Huang, a military specialist at Tamkang University, here.

Kashin said the tactical situation is “bad news for Taiwan,” as the Su-35S will be able to spot Taiwan’s F-16 fighters at 400 kilometers with its new radar. “That means Chinese Su-35s patrolling on the mainland side of the border will be able to see the targets all over Taiwan.”

If anything, these systems will “inspire determination to expedite production, procurement and deployment of the [Lockheed Martin] F-35 fighter by the US and its Asian allies,” Huang said.

The latest information on the Su-35S deal was revealed on June 10, when the director general of Russian Technologies Co., Sergey Chemezov, said the final commercial contract on the fighter sale could be expected by the end of this year.

Kashin said the “contract likely will be signed at the next meeting of the Sino-Russian intergovernmental commission on military technical cooperation, which can be expected to take place in November in Moscow.”

The first procurement contract is expected to include 24 Su-35S fighters, with an option for an additional 24 as things progress. Though 24 to 48 fighters are not a significant threat to US forces, they pose a problem for Taiwan as it retires 56 Mirage 2000 fighters and roughly 50 F-5s. Taiwan is upgrading 126 indigenous defense fighters and 145 F-16A/B fighters, but there has been a significant push by Taiwan to procure 66 F-16C/D fighters to counter reductions. Effective lobbying by China within the US government has blocked new F-16 sales to Taiwan.

With projected reductions in fighters, Taiwan’s military has begun fielding its first land-attack cruise missile, the Hsiung Feng 2E, and is working on a variety of new anti-ship cruise missiles.

However, Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies, said Taiwan’s growing interest in land-attack cruise missiles could be countered by the Su-35’s “potential ability to detect small low-flying targets at ranges suitable to support an engagement.”

The IRBIS system’s 400-kilometer range “could provide a useful gap filler” to support the Chinese air force’s limited number of airborne warning and control system aircraft (AWACS), Barrie said. “It remains to become clear what, if any, long-range air-to-air missile might be supplied with the Su-35.”

Both the S-400 and Su-35S with IRBIS-E radar are “impressive steps in increasing capability,” said Lance Gatling of Nexial Research, a defense consulting firm in Tokyo. However, there are technical challenges to integrating China’s AWACS capability with the S-400 and IRBIS-E. “SAM radars, ground-based, have the radar horizon issue, so they can’t see planes at very low altitude over Taipei.”

Taiwan could use the jamming capabilities of its new early warning radar at Leshan Mountain, near Hsinchu, to play havoc with China’s various radar systems, said a Taiwan defense industry source. The Leshan facility is considered one of the most powerful radars in the world, and unconfirmed sources here indicate it relays data directly to the US military to allow for the monitoring of aircraft and missile activity within China.

Gatling said the ultimate question on China’s procurement of the IRBIS and S-400 systems is: “How advanced is the integrated air defense system, data management and data links” in China? At present, this is difficult to define, as much of China’s military capabilities remain opaque to outsiders.

Defense News

Russian Navy to Receive 36 Warships in 2013

The Russian Navy will receive 36 warships in 2013, an unprecedented number in Russia’s history, Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov said on Sunday.

“During this year, 36 combat ships, fast attack crafts and support vessels will join the Russian Navy. This has never happened before,” Fedotenkov said at the International Maritime Defense Show in St. Petersburg.

Russian Navy warships are now performing missions in all areas of the World Ocean, with over 60 combat ships currently at sea, he said.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in March the Russian Navy would receive 24 submarines and 54 warships of various classes by 2020.

“As a result of the implementation of the state rearmament program to 2020, the navy should receive eight nuclear-powered strategic submarines, 16 multirole submarines and 54 warships of various classes,” Shoigu said.

The eight strategic missile boats include three Borey and five Borey-A class vessels (SSBN) armed with Bulava ballistic missiles.

The 16 multi-purpose submarines include eight Graney class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) and improved Kilo and Lada class diesel-electric (SSK) boats.

In addition to submarines, the navy will receive Admiral Gorshkov class frigates and Steregushchy class corvettes, Buyan class corvettes and Ivan Gren Class large landing ships.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last year that the procurement of new warships and submarines for the Navy would be a priority over the next decade. The Russian government has allocated five trillion rubles ($166 bln) or a quarter of the entire armament procurement budget until 2020 for this purpose.

RIA Novosti

Japan eyes two new Aegis destroyers to counter N. Korea missile threat

The Defense Ministry will likely purchase two new Aegis-equipped destroyers to raise Japan’s fleet of the vessels to eight in light of the mounting North Korean missile threat, a ministry source revealed Saturday.

The government plans to unveil its policy for bolstering the country’s missile defense shield after drawing up fresh national defense guidelines by the end of the year, the source said.

The Maritime Self-Defense Force currently deploys four Aegis destroyers capable of shooting down ballistic missiles with Standard Missile-3 interceptors. It is renovating another two of the vessels, which will enter service by fiscal 2018.

The ministry is expected to sign a contract to buy an additional pair of Aegis destroyers, one in fiscal 2015 and the other in fiscal 2016, the source said. The vessels will likely be deployed by fiscal 2020.

As North Korea readied for a satellite rocket launch this spring that was widely interpreted as a guise to test ballistic missile technologies, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on April 7 ordered the Self-Defense Forces to prepare to shoot down any of Pyongyang’s missiles if they were headed toward the Japanese archipelago.

The MSDF dispatched two destroyers equipped with SM-3 missiles to the Sea of Japan, while the Air Self-Defense Force deployed ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors at strategic points.

The Defense Ministry scaled back the deployment in early May, after North Korea reportedly removed two Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles from a launch site. Onodera ordered the interceptors be completely withdrawn June 28.

Japan Times

MBDA's HOPLITE Indirect Precision Attack Concept

At the Paris Air Show 2013, MBDA unveiled CVS302 HOPLITE that is designed to supply an Indirect Precision Attack capability for land and naval artillery in 2035 and beyond. This represents the fourth and latest of MBDA's annual Concept Visions projects, demonstrating once again the company's position as a thought leader in envisaging how innovation in missile systems could dominate the future battlefield.

The HOPLITE system consists of a mission control system, and two missile variants, HOPLITE-S and HOPLITE- L both of which can fly 70km in under two minutes at low altitude or up to 160km at high altitude in under four minutes when the way is clear. The system is able to quickly and safely traverse contested airspaces, and closely coordinate salvo firings to provide an exceptional fire support capability to the front line. HOPLITE's one shot one kill precision simplifies operations while reducing collateral damage risk and mission cost. HOPLITE offers a true step change in indirect precision effects at range for 2035 and beyond.

HOPLITE's mission control guides the operator who maintains executive control. Planning times are vastly reduced by automating the trajectory planning and collateral damage risk modelling. Optimised mission solutions differing in priorities such as time to target or survivability are provided to the commanding officer. These features enable firings that would otherwise be impossible, while removing the need to clear an air corridor and reducing the risk of exposing the launch position. All processing takes place on a tablet sized computer that is generally located with the artillery or warship's command and control but it can also be with a single launcher. By being platform agnostic the system will adapt to a wide range of operational needs.

HOPLITE-S is a 3.2m long, 120kg 'utility' missile for simple, supported engagements. It has a versatile spot-scanning ladar seeker that also provides SAL detection among other functions. As the missile is either 3PrdP party designated or attacks on coordinates, its ladar is used for aim-point refinement. The one-way datalink (receiver) allows mission updates and retasking. HOPLITE-S can be used in more complex scenarios with targeting assistance from HOPLITE-L.

HOPLITE-L is a 3.75m, 135kg missile designed for complex, isolated engagements that require an operator in the loop (OITL) capability. Its multi-mode seeker allows passive and active 3D imaging, and is robust to adverse weather, heavily cluttered scenes and countermeasures. The missile can decelerate to subsonic speeds to provide time for OITL targeting over its two-way data link. This, and its ladar channel, can be used to direct HOPLITE-S onto targets in coordinated salvo attacks resulting in a high-value increase in capability compared to current systems.

Certain innovative technologies allow such high performances. Both missiles use an air turbo rocket propulsion system, with its integrated boost motor, to cruise at over Mach 2. The air turbo rocket offers the benefits of solid rocket motors and gas turbines, as well as allowing the large accelerations and decelerations required by the missiles. A Boosted Kinetic Energy Penetrator warhead enables HOPLITE-L to defeat all of its targets from any flight velocity. Lastly, the spot-scanning ladar is used by both missiles for 3D imaging, target identification, SAL reception, fuzing and as an altimeter.

For HOPLITE, MBDA's European workforce was challenged to suggest concepts and technologies for weapon systems that could give future surface forces the organic capability of delivering precision effects at range. Following assessment by an international panel within MBDA, the winning concepts and technologies became the subject of intense workshops, utilising not only the technical expertise inside the company, but also reaching out to the end-user community.

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