In 2008, the Department of Defense bough 20 Italian-made twin propeller military transport aircraft, called G222s, to give to the Afghan military. Turns out, the things aren't made for the Afghan climate, nor did we buy all the parts necessary for the things to actually FLY. Just another example of the US government burning our taxpayer money. The Resident (aka Lori Harfenist) discusses.
Showing posts with label Defense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defense. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Welcome to Penny Lane: CIA secret Gitmo camp for recruiting double agents
For some Gitmo detainees, held prisoner on a US military base in the middle of shark-infested waters, the promise of freedom in return for helping the CIA root out terrorists back home may have proven too much of a temptation.
In addition to winning their freedom, co-conspirators were granted safety guarantees for their families, and millions of dollars from the agency's secret war chest, sources told AP.
The arrangement did not come without some inherent risks, however, since – as the war in Afghanistan has proven on various occasions - it is not uncommon for US troops to suddenly become the target of ‘friendly foreign fire.’
In January 2002, 632 detainees arrived at Gitmo, followed by 117 the next year. Suddenly, the risk of building a strategic partnership with the enemy seemed worth taking. The CIA, recognizing an opportunity for breaching the mountain hideouts of elusive terrorist targets, seemed prepared to release some prisoners from the harsh conditions of their indefinite detention.
'Behind the shelter…'
A few hundred yards behind the Gitmo detention facility, concealed behind vegetation and rock formations, sits eight unassuming barracks, known to those in the know as ‘Penny Lane’.
Given the relative comfort of the compound’s units, which were said to have had “private kitchens, showers and…real bed with a mattress,” CIA personnel jokingly referred to the complex as ‘the Marriott’.
The intelligence agency was then tasked to recruit potential candidates into the program. Of the ‘dozens of prisoners’ evaluated for the special program, only a handful signed agreements to work for American intelligence.
"Of course that would be an objective," Emile Nakhleh, a former top CIA analyst who spent time in 2002 assessing detainees but who did not discuss Penny Lane, revealed. "It's the job of intelligence to recruit sources."
To qualify for the program, recruits needed good connections with terrorist organizations, notably Al-Qaeda.
Once accepted into the secret program, candidates were instructed by the US intelligence agency to spy on behalf of the CIA in its effort to capture or kill Al-Qaeda operatives, current and retired US officials told the Associated Press.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program, which ended in about 2006.
CIA spokesman Dean Boyd declined to comment.
"I do see the irony on the surface of letting some really very bad guys go," David Remes, an American lawyer who has represented about a dozen Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo, told AP.
"The men we were sending back as agents were thought to be able to provide value to us," he added.
Penny Lane continues the US military’s trend of borrowing famous Beatles’ songs to name their facilities. In 2010, The New York Times broke the story on a clandestine facility disturbingly dubbed ‘Strawberry Fields’, since it was believed that the ‘high value’ inmates detained would be there, as the well-known lyrics say, ‘forever’. These individuals were referred to as ghost detainees, and were held for years by the CIA in secret ‘black site’ prisons across Europe, as well as in the Middle East and Asia.
AP sources confirmed that some of the double agents did help track down and kill terrorists, while other operatives ceased cooperation and the CIA lost contact with them.
The biggest fear, former officials involved with the program recalled, was that a former detainee would attack Americans then publicly announce that he had been on the CIA payroll.
The US government had such high hopes for Penny Lane that one former intelligence official recalled discussions about whether to secretly release a pair of Pakistani men into the United States on student or business visas. The hope was that they would connect with Al-Qaeda and lead authorities to members of a US cell.
Another former senior intelligence official said that never happened.
Meanwhile, efforts to shut down Gitmo, which has been labeled the ‘Gulag of our times’, by Amnesty International, remains an unfulfilled promise by the Obama administration, which has met fierce resistance to the idea by members of the Republican Party, most notably former Vice-President Dick Cheney.
“I can tell you that the administration remains committed to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,” deputy White House press secretary Josh Earnest announced in March.
Of the 779 people initially detained at Guantanamo Bay, more than three-quarters have been released, while others who have been cleared for release continue to remain at the facility.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Iran: Téhéran voit "une vraie possibilité" d'accord sur le nucléaire
"Je vais à Genève bien décidé à en repartir avec un accord. Je vois une vraie possibilité d'y parvenir", a déclaré à la presse Mohammad Javad Zarif, à l'issue d'un entretien avec son homologue italienne Emma Bonino.
Le contre-espionnage allemand va élargir ses opérations
BERLIN (Reuters) - Les services allemands du renseignement intérieur vont élargir leurs opérations de contre-espionnage y compris contre des Etats alliés à la suite des révélations sur les pratiques d'écoutes des services américains, a annoncé un haut responsable du renseignement allemand.
Jusqu'à présent, parmi ses partenaires de l'Union européenne ou ses alliés de l'Otan, l'Allemagne ne surveillait que les pays considérés comme concrètement suspects, a-t-il ajouté. A savoir des pays espionnant l'Allemagne ou tentant de recruter des agents dans la république fédérale.
Mais compte tenu des révélations sur les pratiques de la National Security Agency (NSA) américaine, l'agence allemande devra avoir à l'avenir une "vision à 360°" incluant les Etats alliés.
US rules out apologies to Afghanistan
The United States is not going to apologise for “mistakes” made during the 12-year war. The statement came amid claims by Afghan officials that the Obama administration offered to write the letter as part of an effort to keep a small number of US troops in Afghanistan well past the 2014 deadline to withdraw. "There is not a need for the United States to apologize to Afghanistan. Quite the contrary," said US National Security Advisor, Susan Rice. She also added that "no such letter has been drafted or delivered. That is not on the table."
'US needs to have wars going around the world to keep system of private corporations, of supply and defense in business' - expert
EXCLUSIVE: 'US needs to have wars going around the world to keep system of private corporations, of supply and defense in business'
The Voice of Russia discussed the recent Reuters investigation that revealed Pentagon’s epic waste of billions of dollars with Paul Sheldon Foote, a Professor at California State University.
Fraud practices appear as widespread in The Defense Department’s books. What's your stance? And who should take the responsibility?.........................
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/2013_11_19/US-needs-to-have-wars-going-around-the-world-to-keep-system-of-private-corporations-of-supply-and-defense-in-business-expert-6415/
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Pentagon forges accounting docs to balance budget
“A lot of times there were issues of numbers being inaccurate," said former DFAS employee. "We didn't have the detail...for a lot of it."
"These cuts are too fast, too abrupt and too irresponsible… and will cause an unnecessary, strategically unsound and dangerous degradation in military readiness and capability," Hagel said speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington at a forum organized by the Munich Security Conference.
“It’s necessary to adapt armed forces so that they remain strong, combat capable and first in the world,” Hagel concluded.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Israël et l’Arabie saoudite s’allient contre l’Iran
Israël et l’Arabie saoudite s’allient contre l’Iran
Les services secrets israéliens (Mossad), élaborent avec l'Arabie saoudite un plan de crise pour attaquer l'Iran, écrit lundi le quotidien Nezavissimaïa gazeta:
"Il y a certainement beaucoup de discussions entre les deux pays en coulisses et des scénarios plausibles prévoyant un certain niveau de coopération entre les renseignements et dans le secteur opérationnel, explique Teodor Karassik de l'Institut d'analyse militaire au Moyen-Orient (INEGMA). Mais je ne pense pas qu’un scénario concret soit viable. Aucune préparation militaire n’est en cours. Le Conseil de coopération des Etats arabes du Golfe (CCG) est simplement en négociations avec Israël pour définir leur réaction aux décisions et accords du groupe 5+1.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Défense : le débat sur la dissuasion nucléaire s'envenime
Le général Norlain réplique au député Guilloteau après que celui-ci s'en est pris publiquement à deux généraux qui réclament une évolution de la doctrine.
Lors de l'examen de la loi de programmation militaire, qui doit commencer mercredi à l'Assemblée nationale, on est bien certain qu'un sujet au moins ne sera pas discuté : celui de la dissuasion nucléaire. Il est hors débat, verrouillé par le président de la République avant même son élection. Et il ne faut pas s'attendre à ce que trop d'esprits chagrins contestent cette attitude. Plusieurs personnalités sont cependant montées au créneau pour demander une discussion ouverte sur cette question, en exigeant notamment que la France prenne position en faveur d'une élimination progressive des armes nucléaires. Parmi ces personnalités, on compte les anciens Premiers ministres Alain Juppé et Michel Rocard, l'ancien ministre de la Défense Paul Quilès et un officier général : le général d'armée aérienne (cinq étoiles) Bernard Norlain.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Lockheed Martin announces plans for SR-72 hypersonic spy drone
Plans for the SR-72 drone were first unveiled Friday in an Aviation Week article which revealed that Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works advanced development program has drafted plans for a plane that could fly as fast as Mach 6 - twice the speed of the Blackbird. Aircraft experts and military aficionados have cause to rejoice now that Lockheed Martin has debuted the SR-72 unmanned spy plane, the long-awaited successor to the SR-71 Blackbird and potentially the first hypersonic craft to enter service.
The SR-72 would have the ability to gather intelligence, conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, and launch combat strikes at an unprecedented speed. The plane is designed to fill what is considered in military circles to be a gap in capabilities between the spy satellites orbiting Earth and the manned and unmanned technology meant to replace the SR-71.
Russia looks at hypersonic flight plans
Russia is accelerating plans to set up a new holding company to develop hypersonic technologies. As stated by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, overseer of the entire defense industry, the project can be compared to the atomic bomb, in terms of the potential scientific and technological breakthrough.
The new holding company will include the Tactical Missiles Corporation (TMC) and the Scientific and Production Association of Machine Building (SPAMB), the latter of which is expected to withdraw from the Russian Space Agency.
"It's not just an attempt to link brain and industrial capacity. Looking ahead, we'll need to think about possible test sites. We believe that mergers, net takeovers, will help us raise the tempo in the field of hypersonic research," said Rogozin.
"The merger will help focus financial resources on priority areas to create new types of missiles, including ones based on the principles of hypersonic flight. Overall, the holding will be a key center of competence in Russia's expansion of both tactical and strategic weapons. It should be noted that the scientific and technological potential of TMC and SPAMB is very great indeed," said Igor Korotchenko, military expert and editor-in-chief of the journal National Defense.
In recent years, the development and implementation of hypersonic devices has become a stable trend in the global arms market. In particular, this year has seen the U.S. test-launch of its new X-51 Waverider missile. The tests failed, however.....
Friday, November 1, 2013
Navy’s new Fire Scout unmanned helicopter takes its first flight
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Pt. Mugu, Calif. – The Navy’s newest variant of the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter completed its first day of flying Oct. 31 at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu.
At 12:05 p.m. PDT, the MQ-8C Fire Scout took off and flew for seven minutes in restricted airspace to validate the autonomous control systems. The second flight that took off at 2:39 p.m. was also flown in a pattern around the airfield, reaching an altitude of 500 feet.
The MQ-8C air vehicle upgrade will provide longer endurance, range and greater payload capability than the MQ-8B, which is currently operating aboard USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58).
The MQ-8C is a larger air vehicle, has a range of 150 nautical miles and a payload capacity of more than 700 pounds.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Une nouvelle arme secrète: un simple caillou qui nous vient de Lockheed!
La technologie a parcouru un long chemin depuis l’époque où nos lointains ancêtres se faisaient la guerre à coup de pierres, mais voilà que le caillou fait un retour remarqué dans l’arsenal des armes… de haute technologie.
Avait lieu la semaine dernière à Washington la réunion annuelle de l’Association of United States Army, une association professionnelle représentant l’Armée des États-Unis auprès des élus dans la capitale américaine et dans les communautés locales.
À cette occasion, Lockheed Martin a présenté la «roche-espionne» de son système de surveillance de haute technologie SPAN (l’acronyme de l’anglais «self-powered ad-hoc network»), un réseau de capteurs sans fil perpétuellement autoalimenté à l’énergie solaire qui peut exercer une surveillance continue pendant des années et tient dans ce qui ressemble tout simplement à un vulgaire caillou.
Le réseau SPAN, qui utilise de savants algorithmes pour repérer ce qui peut représenter un danger peut, par exemple, prévenir les ingénieurs responsables de la sécurité d’un pipe-line en cas de risque de bris ou alerter un drone de surveillance qui viendra voir de plus près ce qui cloche.
Lockheed dit de cette technologie qu’elle offre une couverture maximale à un coût minimal , les capteurs pouvant rester sur le terrain après y avoir été déposés plusieurs années sans entretien.
On les dépose et on les oublie, tout simplement, jusqu’à la prochaine alerte.
Lockheeed compte vendre ses «roches-espionnes» pour la surveillance, et la protection des frontières , la surveillance des pipelines et la sécurité du pont, entre autres choses.
Certes, la présentation publique de cette technologie est récente, mais, semble-t-il, les États-Unis, la Grande-Bretagne et Israël utilisent déjà de pareils dispositifs d’espionnage et une «roche-espionne» avait même explosé l’an dernier, tout près d’une usine d’enrichissement d’uranium iranienne soupçonnée d’être une pièce maitresse du programme nucléaire iranien, et possiblement du développement de l’arme atomique.
Toujours l »an dernier, l’ancien chef du personnel de l’ex-premier ministre Tony Blair, Jonathan Powell, a admis que le MI6, les services secrets britanniques, avait planté une «roche-espion» dans un parc de Moscou en 2006 pour «communiquer avec ses agents secrets».
La morale de cette histoire, si un jour vous croyez qu’il y un caillou «qui vous regarde de travers», vous n’aurez peut-être, pas tort.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Kalashnikov Concern expands rifle range for export
Ninety-one items including a submachine gun Vityaz-SN and a small caliber sniper rifle SV-99 have been included into the export list of armory of the Federal Service for military-technical cooperation.
In the photo: SV-99/ air-gun.ru
#gun #rifle #Russia #Kalashnikov
In the photo: SV-99/ air-gun.ru
#gun #rifle #Russia #Kalashnikov
US Navy gets largest and most expensive destroyer ever
On Monday, the Navy launched the new USS Zumwalt into Maine’s Kennebec River for the first time. Originally designed simply for shore bombardment, the ship is now intended to serve multiple purposes, including backing up Marines on clandestine missions.After suffering numerous problems with the latest class of surface warships, the Navy is hoping for a win with the introduction of the largest destroyer in United States history.
The massive Zumwalt – which is 100 feet longer than the Navy’s current class of destroyers – features unique angles that deflect radar, advanced sonar and guided missiles, and has a new type of gun that shoots rocket-powered warheads up to 100 miles.
"The concept of the Zumwalt is sort of a bridge between the traditions of the past and the new world of networked warfare and precision guided munitions," said Loren Thompson, defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, according to Fox News. "It's not so much a radical concept as it is an attempt to pull off a full range of missions with a ship that has one foot in the present and one foot in the future."
To go along with its forward-looking nature, many of the Zumwalt’s operations are automated. There are so many computers running the ship that it will only require about 158 crew members to be on board. A typical Navy destroyer requires almost double that number.
“The Zumwalt is really in a league of its own,” said defense consultant Eric Wertheim, author of the 'The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World,' to the Daily Mail.
In fact, the Navy’s plan to pack in so much sophisticated technology carried such a high price tag that some senior Navy officials tried to kill off the project. Instead, the program’s goal was narrowed: Rather than build 20 ships, the Navy would approve the construction of only three.
Currently, the Zumwalt is on track to cost more than $3.5 billion. That’s a hefty sum, but, much to the relief of Navy officials, the ship’s construction is on time and on budget. Previous Navy programs, like the new fleet of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), haven’t been nearly as lucky.
Although significantly smaller than destroyers, the LCS have been swamped with complications ranging from technical issues to cost overruns. Last year, the Navy said it had brought the cost for each LCS down to under $400 million, but the first two each carried a $700 million price tag.
To make matters worse, one suffered a major leak-causing crack in its hull, while the other’s on-board technology failed to distinguish underwater mines from light hitting the waves. The LCS’ computer networks also proved to be susceptible to hackers, and a Defense Department study found that the ships are “not expected to be survivable” in combat.
"[The LCS] is a total disaster," Norman Polmar, a naval historian, analyst and author, told Fox News.
The Zumwalt’s construction has been relatively smooth in comparison. Its christening ceremony was originally scheduled for early October, but was delayed into the spring due to the government shutdown.
The ship is named after Admiral Zumwalt, a Bronze Star winner who served during World War II, appointed women to serve on ships for the first time, and battled against racial discrimination in the Navy.
More on RT
More on RT
DARPA developing drone-mounted lasers to shoot down missiles
“The focus of the Endurance effort...will be on miniaturizing component technologies, developing high-precision target tracking, identification, and lightweight agile beam control to support target engagement. The program will also focus on the phenomenology of laser-target interaction and associated threat vulnerabilities,” DARPA says.
“In other words,” as Motherboard wrote of the project, “DARPA hopes that drone-mounted lasers will soon be able to shoot missiles out of the sky.”
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
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