Japan steps up surveillance posture against China
Tokyo (AFP) April 20, 2014 -
Japan bolstered its military surveillance capabilities in the southern island region of Okinawa over the weekend, reports said, as territorial tensions with China simmer.
The nation's armed forces, called the Self-Defence Forces, launched a squadron of four E-2C early warning planes at its air base in Naha on the main Okinawan island Sunday, the Jiji and Kyodo news agencies reported.
Thi ...
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N. Korea slams Obama's 'dangerous' Asia tour
Seoul (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
North Korea warned Monday that an upcoming Asian tour by US President Barack Obama could escalate military tensions, as South Korean media cited intelligence reports of increased activity at the North's main nuclear test site.
Obama's April 23-29 tour includes visits to Japan and South Korea, the two main US military allies in Asia and key partners in the effort to curb Pyongyang's nuclear w ...
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Japan defence chief puzzled by Russian warplanes
Tokyo (AFP) April 20, 2014 -
Japan's defence minister said Sunday there have been an "abnormal" number of flights by Russian military aircraft close to Japanese islands in recent days.
The country's air defence force scrambled fighter jets for seven days in a row through Saturday after spotting Russian military planes flying along the Japanese archipelago, according to the defence ministry.
On Friday six Russian T ...
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Japan warns over China ship seizure
Tokyo (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
Tokyo warned Monday that the seizure of a Japanese ship in Shanghai over pre-war debts threatened ties with China and could undermine the very basis of their diplomatic relationship.
Authorities in Shanghai seized the large freight vessel in a dispute over what the Chinese side says are unpaid bills relating to the 1930s, when Japan occupied large swathes of China.
The move is the latest ...
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Algeria army hunts Islamists behind deadly attack
Algiers (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
Algeria's army was hunting on Monday for an armed Islamist group linked to an attack in the rugged Kabylie region in which 11 soldiers were killed, a security official said.
Gunmen ambushed an army convoy carrying soldiers back to their barracks late on Saturday in Iboudrarene, in the restive mountainous region, a bastion of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), with three assailants also ...
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US plans to sell Black Hawks to Mexico for $680 mn
Washington April 21, 2014 -
The Pentagon said Monday it has informed the US Congress that it plans to sell 18 Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico for $680 million.
Lawmakers have 30 days as of April 17, when they were notified, to raise any objections. Otherwise, the contract will be concluded.
The proposed deal - announced a few days before a visit to Mexico by US defense chief Chuck Hagel - is for 18 UH-60M Black ...
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Yemen says 55 Qaeda suspects killed in Sunday air raids
Sanaa (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
A wave of air strikes on Al-Qaeda bases in south Yemen killed 55 militants, including three local chiefs, the interior ministry said Monday.
The raids on Al-Qaeda bases in the rugged mountains of Abyan province on Sunday were among the "most severe" against the jihadist network in Yemen, the ministry said on its website.
On Sunday, tribal sources had put the death toll from the raids nea ...
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Palestinians play down threat to dismantle Authority
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories April 22, 2014 -
The Palestinians on Tuesday played down a threat to dismantle the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which is Israel's interlocutor, if US-sponsored peace talks remain deadlocked.
"No Palestinian is speaking of an initiative to dismantle the Palestinian Authority (PA)," chief negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.
"But Israel's actions have annulled all the legal, political, security, econo ...
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Japan lawmakers visit war shrine on eve of Obama trip
Tokyo April 22, 2014 -
Nearly 150 Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday paid homage at the Yasukuni shrine which honours the nation's war dead, raising the stakes in an already tense region on the eve of US President Barack Obama's visit.
A cross-section of parliamentarians - including at least one cabinet minister - paid their respects at the shrine, which honours those who have fought for Japan including a number of s ...
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ADS sets new accuracy standards for global elevation models with WorldDEM launch
Paris, France (SPX) Apr 22, 2014 -
High accuracy and homogenous coverage of WorldDEM is set to boost effectiveness for military applications such as fighter aircraft, helicopters and UAVs. It will also deliver more precise customer applications in various sectors from commercial aviation to oil, gas and mining
Airbus Defense and Space has commercially launched WorldDEM, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) that provides pole-to- ...
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Pay rise helps Taiwan make progress towards volunteer military
Taipei (AFP) April 22, 2014 -
Efforts to make Taiwan's military an all-volunteer and more professional service - which suffered a setback after the death of a young corporal - have regained momentum following a pay rise, officials said Tuesday.
"Now we feel relatively optimistic. The outlook is turning brighter after our efforts," defence ministry spokesman David Lo told AFP.
The ministry said its full-year recrui ...
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US: 'Indications' of new chemical weapons use in Syria
Washington (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
The United States said Monday that chemical attacks were likely launched in Syria this month, possibly by the regime, weeks before an announced presidential election set for June 3.
"We have indications of the use of a toxic industrial chemical, probably chlorine, in Syria this month, in the opposition-dominated village of Kafr Zita," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
"We are examin ...
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CACI wins place on Navy support contract
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Apr 21, 2013 -
A contract with a base value of $42 million has been given to CACI International Inc. to support the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific.
The multiple award is specifically for lifecycle sustainment, integration, acquisition and technical support for Naval Electronic Surveillance Systems for a three-year period, with two one-year options. Included will be support ...
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Leidos subsidiary to aid NATO fuel monitoring system
Reston, Va. (UPI) Apr 21, 2013 -
The NATO Fuel Monitoring System is to receive support services from a subsidiary of Virginia-based Leidos, the company announced.
The fixed-price award from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Support Agency has a 10-month base period of performance with five one-year options. The total value of the contract if all options are exercised is about $13 million.
Leidos said the wo ...
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iSYS LLC gets order for cellular wireless managed services
Mclean, Va. (UPI) Apr 21, 2013 -
WidePoint Corporation reports that its iSYS LLC subsidiary has received a task order for cellular wireless managed services for the Federal Protective Service.
The task order is the first for the company under a $600 million Department of Homeland Security Blanket Purchase Agreement.
The Federal Protective Service is a law enforcement agency that operates under the umbrellas of D ...
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South Korea says North may be close to nuclear test
Seoul (AFP) April 22, 2014 -
North Korea could well be preparing to carry out a fourth nuclear test, South Korea said Tuesday, citing increased activity at its main test site just days ahead of a visit to Seoul by US President Barack Obama.
"Our military is currently detecting a lot of activity in and around the Punggye-ri nuclear test site," defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told a press briefing.
Kim stresse ...
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Lockheed's JLTV offering surpasses 100k miles in testing
Dallas (UPI) Apr 21, 2013 -
The Joint Light Tactical vehicle by a Lockheed Martin team has surpassed 100,000 miles in government testing, the company announced on Monday.
The Engineering & Manufacturing Development reliability, availability and maintainability testing involves primary on-road, secondary road and off-road/trail driving of the vehicles, 22 of which were delivered to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. / ...
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Japan lodges protest against China ship seizure
Tokyo (AFP) April 22, 2014 -
Japan said Tuesday it has lodged a formal protest against China's seizure of a Japanese ship over unpaid bills dating back to the 1930s, the latest row to underscore their bitter enmity.
Authorities in Shanghai said Saturday they had impounded the large freight vessel owned by Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines in a dispute over what the Chinese side says is money owed from before W ...
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Iraq attacks kill 26 as election looms
Baghdad (AFP) April 21, 2014 -
Attacks including five suicide bombings hit various areas of Iraq on Monday, killing at least 26 people as parliamentary elections loom next week, the first since American troops departed.
Iraq is suffering a protracted surge in bloodshed that has killed more than 2,750 people so far this year, and the UN envoy warned Monday that militants were seeking to stoke sectarian tensions between the ...
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Japan military in popularity push
Tokyo (AFP) April 22, 2014 -
Pacifist Japan is gradually learning to love its military, with an apparent public relations campaign under way to soften its image, featuring online popularity contests, a much-touted soprano vocalist and dating events.
The armed forces are also visible in youth culture, with young teens tuning in to "Girl und Panzer" a cartoon about schoolgirls who do battle in tanks. Japan's most popular ...
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China to boost space defense in 'new-type combat force'
Beijing (Voice of Russia) Apr 19, 2014 -
China is planning to beef up its combat capability by increasing resources in a "new-type combat force," which includes integrating air and space capability in reaction to the international development of space weapons, local media reported.
Visiting the People's Liberation Army Air Force headquarters in Beijing on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that the air force plays a de ...
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Sensitive detection method may help impede illicit nuclear trafficking
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 19, 2014 -
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the greatest danger to nuclear security comes from terrorists acquiring sufficient quantities of plutonium or highly enriched uranium (HEU) to construct a crude nuclear explosive device. The IAEA also notes that most cases of illicit nuclear trafficking have involved gram-level quantities, which can be challenging to detect with most ins ...
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Lockheed Martin Contracted To Maintain MK-48 Torpedoes
Pearl Harbor, HI (SPX) Apr 19, 2014 -
Operational readiness of the U.S. Navy's MK-48 heavyweight torpedo inventory will continue to be ensured by Lockheed Martin. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) awarded Lockheed Martin a contract option worth approximately $10 million to support the Navy's intermediate-level maintenance activities for all MK-48 torpedoes. This is the first option exercised from a contract awarded in 2013 and ...
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21st Space Wing reaches inspection milestone
Peterson AFB CO (SPX) Apr 19, 2014 -
The 21st Space Wing was recently recognized by the Air Force Inspector General as the first active duty or Reserve wing in the Air Force to fully implement the Air Force Inspection System and become commander's inspection program capable.
Leveraging an outstanding test bed effort on the part of U.S. Air Forces in Europe units, the 21st Space Wing achieved this milestone in February of this ...
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Russian Rockets used by the US
Bethesda MD (SPX) Apr 17, 2014 -
Since the end of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, U.S. and Russian relations have deteriorated significantly due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. One of the important questions on many minds is: "What will be the impact of this crisis on the U.S. space program?"
So far, joint U.S.-Russian activities related to the International Space Station (ISS) appear to be normal, i.e., NASA pays Rus ...
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