THE INTERCEPT HAS OBTAINED secret, internal U.S. government catalogue of dozens of cellphone surveillance devices used by the military and by intelligence agencies. The document, thick with previously undisclosed information, also offers rare insight into the spying capabilities of federal law enforcement and local police inside the United States.

The catalogue includes details on the Stingray, a well-known brand of surveillance gear, as well as Boeing “dirt boxes” and dozens of more obscure devices that can be mounted on vehicles, drones, and piloted aircraft. Some are designed to be used at static locations, while others can be discreetly carried by an individual. They have names like Cyberhawk, Yellowstone, Blackfin, Maximus, Cyclone, and Spartacus. Within the catalogue, the NSA is listed as the vendor of one device, while another was developed for use by the CIA, and another was developed for a special forces requirement. Nearly a third of the entries focus on equipment that seems to have never been described in public before.

According to the official, speaking to AFP on the condition of anonymity, about 1,000 soldiers were involved in the operation and killed dozens of Houthi militiamen.

The reported seizure of Harad leaves pro-government forces just a few kilometres from the Red Sea port of Midi, which has been under Houthi control since 2010, military sources said.

A unit of US Special Operations Forces have been spotted inside Libya after photographs were posted online on the North African country's air force social media page.

The small band of 20 US commandos were pictured carrying heavy weapons and dressed in civilian clothes at Watiya airbase in north-western Libya.

Upon arriving at the base via a Dornier 328 jet, the commandos disembarked before being ordered to leave by a local forces. Flight trackers show the unit was flown back to Pantelleria airport, Sicily.

China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which more than US$5 trillion of maritime trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

The US Pacific Fleet Commander on Monday warned of a possible arms race in the disputed South China Sea which could engulf the region, as nations become increasingly tempted to use military force to settle territorial spats.

In a front page story, the PLA Daily said the drill was carried out on Wednesday across “several thousand square kilometers” of waters somewhere in the South China Sea.

The forces were split into two teams, red and blue, as military commanders threw various scenarios at them, including an accidental missile strike on a commercial ship operated by a third party, the newspaper said.

The warships also simulated deflecting anti-ship missile attacks, and operating in concert with submarines, early warning aircraft and fighter jets, the report added.

The U.S. has stopped flying manned air-support missions for rebels in a key part of northern Syria due to Russia’s expansion of air defense systems there, and the Barack Obama administration is scrambling to figure out what to do about it.

But earlier this month, Moscow deployed an SA-17 advanced air defense system near the area and began “painting” U.S. planes, targeting them with radar in what U.S. officials said was a direct and dangerous provocation.

With U.S. planes out of the way, Russia has stepped up its own airstrikes along the Turkey-Syria border, and the Obama administration has accused it of targeting the rebel groups the U.S. was supporting, not the Islamic State.

.S. Central Command and now a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.  “The Russians are trying to create zones where they would have to give permission for U.S. flights,” he said. “The Russians are increasingly defining the military landscape by their actions.”

The Russians are doing this to squeeze the Turks," said Ford. "It’s going to cause problems for the CIA program."

But the Syrian Arabs and the Turks don’t want Kurdish troops to control Box 4, said Ford, because then the Kurds would then have a proto-state reaching all the way from the Mediterranean Sea to the Iran-Iraq border. 

According to Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, the Federal Government has agreed in principle to the Chinese initiative to develop a deep-sea port and Ocean Industrial Park at Malacca Gateway as part of its backing for the “One Belt, One Road” vision by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Malacca Gateway is a project by KAJ Development Sdn Bhd which plans to reclaim three islands with a gross development value of RM40 billion.

Can the Government guarantee that the port will never be used to further China’s military interests?

I hereby await Liow’s reply.

much big gun than our RMN Gowind ship 57mm gun .... most stupid decision on Gowind 57mm navy gun.

RI eyes Japanese weaponry purchase

Rendi A. Witular
The Jakarta Post, Tokyo | December 18 2015 | 6:27 PM

In what appears to be a historic chapter in Indonesian and Japanese bilateral relations, both nations have forged a defense cooperation agreement that will pave the way for Indonesia to procure Japanese military hardware with a possibility of technology transfers as well.

The agreement was announced after the so-called “2 plus 2” ministerial meetings attended by the foreign and defense ministers of both countries on Thursday, which came amid simmering territorial tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) between China and Indonesia’s fellow ASEAN members Philippine and Vietnam.

With a raft of outcomes from the meetings that see Indonesian and Japanese relations achieve a new high, Indonesia is the first ASEAN member to have the privilege of holding such a rare meeting, following similar meetings held by Japan and its allies the US and Australia.

The main outcome of the agreement relates to Indonesia’s potential purchase of advanced Japanese military products, after the latter passed legislation on peace and security that has lifted prohibitions on exporting military hardware imposed since the end of World War II.

“In today’s meeting, we’ve agreed to start negotiations on defense equipment and technology transfers,” said Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in an interview at his office after the meeting.

“We like to focus on the holding of discussions [on the procurement] in relation to maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” he said.

According to Nakatani, Indonesia’s plan to procure US-2 amphibious aircraft used in maritime rescue operations was high on the agenda.

However, he said that when it came to technology transfers a comprehensive and concrete agreement should be forged.

“There should be a clear rule such as how long this cooperation can be conducted and to what extent. Going forward we need more concrete proposals and more coordination with the Indonesian government,” he said. According to an Indonesian official, the cost of one US-2 may amount to Rp 1 trillion (US$71.4 million).

I dun have much problem we going for 57mm main gun.
I just disappointed it lacking of ciws.
Well for now the 57mm gun will take the ciws role.

Airbus Defence and Space Delivers High-Performance Radar for Protection of Malaysian Coastlines

(Source: Airbus Defence and Space; issued Dec 17, 2015)

ULM, Germany --- Airbus Defence and Space will deliver five of its newest SPEXER 2000 Coastal radars to Malaysia in order to monitor coastlines and prevent illicit intrusions. Under the multimillion Euro contract, deliveries will be completed in 2016.

"SPEXER 2000 Coastal is the worldwide first security radar using the latest radar technology of Active Electronically Scanning Array (AESA). Its capability to detect even smallest targets in difficult littoral environments ensures a very high level of situational awareness providing security forces with additional reaction time", explained Thomas Müller, Head of Electronics and Border Security at Airbus Defence and Space.

SPEXER 2000 Coastal is optimized for the surveillance of coastal areas and maritime infrastructure such as harbours and oil fields. With an instrumented range of 133 NM (247 km), its high doppler and velocity resolution as well as its high sea clutter suppression, it is able to detect and track even very small and slowly moving objects such as swimmers and rubber dinghies, but also fast objects such as speed boats. The Command & Control system will be provided by Signalis/Bremen.

Due to a unique signal processing architecture, SPEXER 2000 Coastal reliably detects sea, land and air targets alike. Hence, one SPEXER 2000 Coastal radar can replace two or more conventional radars that would be necessary for a simultaneous land and sea surveillance.

The radar has a compact all-in-one design allowing also the integration into surveillance vehicles or the rapid deployment on a tripod for an on-demand surveillance of alternating areas of interest. Furthermore, a camera can be cued to the radar in order to identify suspicious objects. Combined with its high availability and no scheduled maintenance, this ensures a superior performance without any surveillance gaps.

SPEXER 2000 Coastal is part of Airbus Defence and Space’s SPEXER security radar family which consists of several sensors, each optimized for specific applications in the fields of border, infrastructure, perimeter and coastal surveillance.

A specific version for border surveillance, SPEXER 2000, is deployed in a huge border surveillance system in the Middle East; a military version has been developed for the German Army.

Saudi Arabian air defense has intercepted one of two ballistic missiles fired from the territory of Yemen, according to AFP. The second ballistic missile landed in a desert area east of the Saudi city of Najran, the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement.

No injuries have been reported so far.

Earlier this week, several Saudi targets in Yemen were said to have come under the rebels’ fire. At least three Qahir-1 rockets were used to shell various bases and camps, according to Al Manar.

The attack comes as a UN-negotiated ceasefire announced in Yemen on Tuesday is being violated by all parties, putting an ongoing peace negotiation in Switzerland in jeopardy.

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Russian servicemen have practised fighting against militants using the tactics of the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization during snap checks, Chief of General Staff and Deputy Defense Ministry Army General Valery Gerasimov said on Monday.

"Military personnel practised fighting against illegal armed groups using the tactics of the Taliban and Islamic State. In the future, the practice of holding such events of operational and military drills and snap checks will be continued," Gerasimov told a briefing for foreign military attaches accredited in Russia.

"Up to 300,000 people participated in snap checks. Districts were regrouped to create military unit groupings in threatened areas," he continued. He reminded that snap checks were held in the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Defense Forces, Southern, Central and Western military districts.

is that BBC Russia thing on the helicopter a watermark from BBC Russia or does that mean something else and is not a watermark ?

Written by Akram Abu Abs exclusively for SouthFront

December 9, the commander-in-chief of Blackwater/Academi mercenaries in Yemen was killed in al-Omari, Ta’izz province. Some Australian, British and French advisers and commanders, plus half a dozen Colombians, were also killed and several wounded and the death toll has increased to 15.

December 10, the Saudi coalition suffered an embarrassing defeat in a powerful attack on Mount Hayd Al-Baqr, overlooking Dabeen and Juraybah, located between Ta’izz and Al-Lahj, resulting in losing control of this site and the Al-‘Arous Camp and the nearby village of Al-Shaqab, to the Houthi alliance. Hence, the Houthi alliance have cutoff the last supply line to Ta’izz.

December 11, 8th Saudi warship was reportedly destroyed in a rocket and missile attack.

December 11, the naval forces of the Saudi coalition captured the Red Sea island of Jazirat al-Hanish al-Kabir near the Bab al-Mandab Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. After it was captured earlier this year by the Houthi alliance, it was converted into an armed base and arms depot.

December 11, the Saudi coalition launched airstrikes on its mercenaries in Al Marwan area, killing and wounded many and destroying several military vehicles.

December 12, missile and artillery fire from the Houthi alliance destroyed Saudi military sites in Najran, Jizan and Asir provinces. A large number of Saudi troops were reportedly killed and many more wounded.

December 12, the Houthi alliance destroyed a battle tank and killed two soldiers on a Saudi military camp in Lahij. A Saudi airbase in the Asir region also came under a missile attack.

December 12, an F-16 fighter jet of the Saudi coalition forces crash-landed as it tried to land at the al-Anad airbase, and the aircraft was completely destroyed when a missile it was carrying, exploded.

December 12, Saudi coalition fighter jets mistakenly targeted a military camp in al-Marwan area, mistaking it for their enemy. Dozens were killed or injured and experts believe that their pilots lack military experience.

December 13, the Houthi alliance launched a Qaher-I surface-to-surface missile onto the Saudi King Khaled military base in Khamis Msheit and a Saudi military camp in Jizan.

December 13, the Houthi alliance killed over 80 Saudi-coalition troops, including 42 Academi (Blackwater) mercenaries, in a ballistic missile attack on a Saudi military headquarters in the western Bab-el-Mandeb area of Ta’izz. Another reports said the attack left nearly 150 casualties. Two Patriot missile systems, three Apache helicopters, more than 50 military vehicles, all belonging to the US Academi/Blackwater mercenaries were also destroyed.

December 14, the Houthi alliance reportedly targeted and destroyed two more Saudi warships in the Al-Mukha coastal waters in the province of Ta’izz near Bab al-Mandab Strait.

December 14, the Hothi alliance forces hit Jizan airport in Southern Saudi Arabia with their new Qaher-I surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

December 15, at least ten civilians were killed and 20 others injured in the Saudi coalition airstrike in Harad, Hajjah province. They also pounded several areas in al-Sharija, Ta’izz province, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

December 15, the Houthi alliance targeted a military camp in the al-Karsh district, Sa’ada, destroying two military vehicles. They also fired dozens of rockets at two Saudi military bases in the Zabnah district, Najran, with no casualties reported. At least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured in airstrikes in Bani al-Haddad village in Harad, Hajjah province.