Peacekeeping déjà vu: Arab League pushes Syria the Libyan way – Lavrov

A case is being built to justify a Libya-style military intervention in Syria, says Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The FM warned against attempts to exclude Damascus from international peace efforts.

­Lavrov wondered at the Arab League’s decision to suspend its observer mission in Syria. In January, the Arab League chose to freeze the mission over the resurgence of violence in the Arab country, dubbing their peace attempt “a failure.”

“Instead of expanding and boosting the mission, they say now that the mission is no use, and they need a joint effort with the UN. And that this should not be an observer mission, but rather peacekeeping forces,” said Lavrov.

Nothing is wrong with peacekeepers, except for the fact that they will be commissioned to protect civilians and ensure safe passage for relief aid, continued the FM, – which means they will have to be equipped with military hardware.

“It means a mandate to use force in order to protect civilians, too,” he added.

“We have had civilians protected in Libya and know the results,” Lavrov noted, referring to the all-out war between NATO air forces and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s troops, which toppled the Libyan regime and led to Gaddafi's brutal assassination.

It is no wonder that Syria has rejected the push for UN peacekeepers, saying such a move would violate its sovereignty, concluded Lavrov. The League came up with an initiative that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad could not help turning down.

­How inclusive is the Syria Friends club?

As Washington, the Arab League and some EU countries call to create a “Friends of a Democratic Syria” working group, Lavrov is unsure how balanced an approach such a group would have.

“The idea of creating a group, where the Syrian opposition is welcomed while the official regime is not, is nothing but an attempt to make the international community take sides in the conflict,” Lavrov told a press conference in Amsterdam.

“Everyone agrees that the Syrian national dialogue should be comprehensive, but still some of our partners insist that the Syrian government cannot be part of it. These are incompatible; the dialogue is either inclusive or without the Syrian government.”

Lavrov has once again called on the international community to find ways to end the violence carried out both by Assad’s government and the armed insurgency. The irregular pro-government militias on the ground should also be included.

“We are trying to find out if the Syrian National Council and other political groups have any influence at all on armed opposition group, such as the Free Syrian Army. But we are told they have no influence. We should understand who controls these fighters in this case,” Lavrov said.

On February 7, the Russian FM held talks with Syrian President, where the latter committed to stop the bloodshed and start talks with the opposition. Despite the peace effort, on Monday the UN Commission on Human Rights denounced Assad’s crackdown on anti-regime protesters and recommended referring the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court.

The UN estimates over 5,400 people have died in the Syrian violence since January 2011. Assad says he is protecting his nation from a foreign insurgency.

Moscow is to purchase a total of 20 nuclear submarines by 2020

Moscow is to purchase a total of 20 nuclear submarines by 2020, Russian Chief of the General Staff Nikola Mararov said today.

The purchase of 16 nuclear submarines of the Borei and Yasen classes have envisaged in the Russian start rearmament programme, but now the Defence Ministry planned to buy a further four.

Russia has allocated 20 trillion roubles (US$720 billion) until 2020 on rearmament.

Pentagon seeks more base closures

The Defense Department unveiled its $525.4 billion base budget for fiscal 2013 Monday and asked Congress to authorize not one but two new rounds of base closures, in 2013 and again in 2015.

The department's strategy for requesting a "double BRAC" is a mystery, said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District. There is neither precedent nor budget rationale for two rounds of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure process, Courtney said. The Naval Submarine Base in Groton narrowly escaped closure when it was targeted in 2005.

The Pentagon said its infrastructure has to be aligned with the size of its overall military force. By 2017 the Army will shrink by 72,000 personnel, the Marine Corps by 20,000, the Navy by 6,200 and the Air Force by 4,200. There will be more limited reductions in the Reserves and National Guard.

"If you look at the end strength of the Navy versus the land forces, we're talking 6,000 for the Navy. So really, how can you do a broad-brush base realignment program?" Courtney said. "It's going to get, I think, a blistering response at the Armed Services Committee hearings that start this week."

The proposed budget includes cuts and other initiatives that would reduce spending by $259 billion over the next five years and $487 billion over 10 years.

The Navy would receive $13.1 billion less to build ships. Under the proposal, Electric Boat in Groton and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia would still jointly build two Virginia-class submarines next year but only one in 2014.

The budget includes about $4.3 billion for the Virginia-class program, versus close to $4.8 billion this year, since the shipbuilders would not buy long-lead parts for the second submarine in 2014. The plans call for two submarines in 2018 instead of one, keeping the total number ordered by the Navy the same.

Higher costs

Retired Rear Adm. John B. Padgett III said changing the schedule would be disruptive to the shipbuilders and the vendors. The steady stream of work has kept costs low, he added.

"Disruption is the precursor to increased cost," said Padgett, who worked at EB as a vice president for business development and strategic planning. "So ultimately, it costs more to build a ship."

Courtney and U.S. Sens. Joe Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal plan to try to restore the second submarine in the plans for 2014.

"We are concerned about the impact this change could have on the industrial base and our submarine force structure in the years ahead, and look forward to working with our colleagues and the Navy to find an alternative that could address this short-sighted move," they said in a joint statement Monday.

The group met with the chief of naval operations last week and said they were told that at least 11 subs will be homeported in Groton through 2020.

The delegation's statement praised the budget's "strong commitment to the future of our nation's submarine force and industrial base in the face of significant budget pressures."

The budget proposes spending millions to develop a module with missile tubes that could boost firepower on Virginia-class submarines and to continue the research and design work on a new class of ballistic-missile submarines. EB has finished the initial concept work and program plan for the module and is currently designing the ballistic-missile submarine.

The Pentagon recommended delaying the start of construction on the ballistic-missile sub from 2019 to 2021 to save $4.3 billion through 2017.

EB spokesman Robert Hamilton said Monday he couldn't comment on the proposed budget since it is "the first step in a lengthy budget development process that will unfold through the summer and into the fall."

"It would be inappropriate for us to speculate about what the impact of any proposal might be in the meantime," Hamilton said.

Getting ready

Bob Ross, executive director of the state's Office of Military Affairs, said Monday that he was still sorting through the numbers but is concerned whenever there's a discussion of a potential BRAC. "What we'll do is organize our efforts to meet the first BRAC when it gets here, whenever it gets here," he said.

Relative to other states, Ross said he thinks Connecticut "fared pretty well."

Under the proposed budget, military personnel would receive a basic pay raise of 1.7 percent under the proposal but smaller raises after 2014. No changes were proposed for the military retirement system, but the department did recommend that Congress establish a commission to review it.

The Department of Homeland Security's request includes close to $10 billion for the Coast Guard, a 4 percent cut. It fully funds the sixth National Security Cutter and initiates the acquisition of a new polar icebreaker to address the emerging missions in the Arctic.

Should Canada scrap its fleet of submarines?

The damage to HMCS Corner Brook was in the area in which crew are quartered.

 

When the Canadian submarine HMCS Corner Brook hit the ocean floor in June, the navy was left with just one seaworthy sub, and even it is in partial disrepair.

The damage to HMCS Corner Brook was in the area in which sailors are quartered. (Obtained by CBC)Pictures obtained by CBC News show the extensive damage done to the Corner Brook when it hit the ocean floor off B.C. on June 4.

Rear-Admiral Mark Norman, deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, insists the damage is not as bad as it looks.

Canada bought its four diesel-electric subs from the U.K. in 1998 for $750 million. Since then, it has spent an estimated $3 billion on repairs and refits to them.

One of the subs, HMCS Chicoutimi, saw just two days of active service. The sub caught fire during its maiden voyage under a Canadian flag from the U.K. on Oct. 5, 2004, killing one sailor.

HMCS Windsor has been dismantled in Halifax, where its refit is years behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget.

Only HMCS Victoria is currently seaworthy, but its dented hull keeps it from diving deep.

None of the four submarines is capable of firing torpedoes or patrolling under Arctic sea ice. Only nuclear submarines would be able to go under the ice, but they come with a price tag of about $3 billion apiece.

Should Canada scrap its submarine fleet? Why or why not? Does the Royal Canadian Navy need submarines at all? 

Let us know what you think.

Russian Nuclear Submarine As Omen -- Will U.S. Continue To Disarm?

The world is justifiably concerned about a nuclear capable Iran, but the Islamic Republic's prime ally, the Russian Federation, is putting into active service a weapon with more destructive capability than Tehran could ever dream of possessing. While Iran's main target is America's ally Israel, Moscow still aims its atomic weaponry primarily at the United States.

As budget cuts place ever greater limitations on American deterrence, Moscow - and its allies -- are forging ahead in their construction of an ever greater military capability.

Russia's newest nuclear ballistic submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, is symbolic of the continuing progress which Moscow and its allies are making in their determination to end America's role as the last powerful defender of human freedom in the world. The Yury Dolgoruky will enter full service in the Russian fleet in the second quarter of 2012.

The Yury Dolgoruky is named after a Russian hero-prince credited with the founding of Moscow and the conqueror of the rival state of Kiev (in the present Ukraine). Yury Dolgoruky, Yury "the long arm," was also revered in the Soviet era, but while the Soviets honored Dolgoruky with statues, Moscow today remembers this Russian hero with a weapon capable of launching 16 ballistic missiles, each carrying warheads (MRVS - multiple re-entry vehicles) capable of devastating10 separate targets. Six cruise missiles are also on board.

The Yury Dolgoruky is the first of the new Borei (North Wind) class of ballistic submarines replacing earlier Soviet-era subs. Although the United States still has the edge in nuclear submarine numbers and effectiveness, Moscow and its allies are demonstrating the will to challenge the United States, but America seems unaware of this multi-national assertion of new-found strength.

For the United States, the period from initial design to implementation of a new major weapons system can take decades. A new model nuclear submarine, for instance, will take about 20 years from drawing board to sea launch, according to Rick Norris, a former U.S. intelligence analyst with over two decades of experience.

bulavaNorris, however, is more alarmed at the small and ageing number of individuals who can design weapons systems for America's future needs. Norris informed International News Analysis Today that the shrinking and ageing number of U.S. weapons designers "is of significant concern to our strategic planners and is a current topic under discussion, if not at the highest levels, at least at intermediate military strategic planning levels."

It is at the "intermediate military strategic planning" levels where scientific development meets military requirements and realities.

American weapons design is increasingly dependent on foreign scientists working in the U.S., in large part because mathematics, physics, and related sciences are deemphasized in the American educational system, Norris stated.

While Moscow has its problems in design and implementation, governmental commitment at the highest levels is not one of them. But, for many in the U.S. government, and those influencing the mass media - liberal and conservative -- Moscow remains a post-Cold War stereotype: a weak nation and an insignificant player on the world scene.

Little is heard about Russia except as an investment opportunity. One investment manager recently observed with exited anticipation regarding Russia's profit potential, "Russia warrants attention...From an investment standpoint in the big emerging markets, we prefer Russia. Yes, they have a lot of energy and basic materials, but what we really like about Russia long term is the fact that they still have a very good technological base and scientific background."

Unlike the present situation in the U.S., Moscow is using its "very good technological base and scientific background" to support its military and once again become a world power.

In addition to submarines, the Russian modernization program includes other surface ships, jet fighters, tanks, small arms, and an overhaul of the command and control structure. Moscow's espionage agencies are in full attack mode, and both American and British counterintelligence services have stated that Russian spying has reached Cold War levels.

Moscow is not limiting its activities to the terrestrial realm. The head of the Russian General Staff, General Nicholi Makarov, publically stated that Russia must be prepared to fight a war in outer space. Makarov also urged the development of cyber warfare capabilities.

How much Moscow is spending on its military development remains a mystery, even to many Russian experts, according to a recent article in a noted online Russian news source.

 Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the "democratic" Russian Federation has assisted to the best of its ability Communist China's own military modernization program, supplying arms and cadet training. The Peoples Republic of China is now on the verge of launching a blue water navy which eventually will become a very serious threat to the naval forces of the United States and its friends in the Asia-Pacific region, with devastating consequences for free trade and the very existence of independent nations in the area.

Moscow and Beijing are also planning joint ventures in space. Together, Russia and China are also providing important military assistance to North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The United States has thus far shown no hint of recognition of the existence of the array of nations acting in concert against us.

In like manner, the U.S. mass media, both liberal and conservative, are content to avoid any discussion of this reality.

The American mass media, again both liberal and conservative, also fail to inform the American people about the totalitarian nature of those who seek a "New World Order" and the end to American strength in the world.

Much less does the mass media address the point of what kind of world will come into being once "democratic" Russia and Communist China develop the power to dictate the kind of world which will exist.

A global darkness threatens, and the mass media is leaving American people uninformed and tragically vulnerable.