Why do Iran's conservatives oppose deals with Boeing, Hyundai?





Al-Monitor

ooo got fighter escorts...

isn't the Fulcrums or Sukhois more suitable for VVIP escorts?

coz i thought our F-18s more for ground/sea bombings

Japan calls on United States to ground Osprey flights after Okinawa crash

TOKYO: Japan's Defence Minister Tomomi Inada called on the United States to ground its Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft on Wednesday after one of the U.S.-operated military transports went down in waters of southwestern Okinawa island injuring its crew.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the incident as "regrettable" on Wednesday.

The Pentagon said in a press statement that a U.S. Marine Corp Osprey with five crew members "landed in shallow water off the coastline" on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Michael Perry)

- Reuters

US urges Taiwan to increase defence spending given China threat



WASHINGTON: Defence spending in Taiwan has not kept pace with the threat posed by China and should be increased, a senior U.S. defence official said on Tuesday, days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump touched off a storm by questioning American policy over the island.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Abraham Denmark said the Obama administration's "One China" policy remained unchanged, but he could not predict Trump's intentions when he takes office on Jan. 20.

Trump set off a diplomatic firestorm over the weekend when he questioned why the United States should be bound by the long-standing policy under which Washington recognises Beijing rather than Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.

This followed an earlier Chinese protest over Trump's telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 2, the first involving a U.S. President-elect or president since 1979.

Some U.S. analysts warn that Trump could provoke a military confrontation if he presses the Taiwan issue too far.



Denmark told the Project 2049 Forum in Washington that the main focus of China's military modernization program was to achieve reunification with Taiwan, by force if necessary.

"This makes it incumbent on Taiwan to prepare and invest in capabilities to deter aggression and mount an effective defence if deterrence fails," he said.

"Defence resourcing is critical," he said. "Taiwan’s defence budget has not kept pace with the threat developments and should be increased."

The United States is the main political ally and sole arms supplier to diplomatically isolated Taiwan.



Denmark said the administration had notified Congress of more than US$14 billion of arms sales to Taiwan since 2010 but declined to say whether any further sales were possible before President Barack Obama leaves office.

He said the United States was committed under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensuring it had the capability to defend Taiwan. But he stressed that any decision to do so was up to the resident and the primary responsibility remained with Taiwan itself.

Taiwan has been working to develop its own defence equipment and last year allocated an initial budget for a submarine program, but technology transfer is critical to the success of such projects and it has yet to receive key foreign technological support.



Trump adviser and China hawk Peter Navarro, who has produced books and multipart television documentaries warning of the dangers of China's rise, has suggested stepped up engagement with Taiwan, including assistance with its submarine development program.

The Obama administration notified Congress a year ago of a US$1.83 billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including two frigates, antitank missiles, amphibious assault vehicles and other equipment, drawing an angry response from China.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

- Reuters

baru keluar runway dah pacak terus

symbolic only

It's a dud dude

White House petition suggests naming next Navy ship 'USS The Deplorables'

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/13/white...eplorables.html

"Deplorable" class PT boat

Following are name suggestions for all ships in the class:
-USS Deplorable (lead)
-USS Expendable
-USS Inglorious Basterd

&

-USS Monica Lewinsky

They should name it "money pit" though

but, itu bukan zumwalt

Zumwalt is okay in my opinion.
It just that they went crazy on technology leaps which is the main reason on crazy cost.
Its new tech can be use on other ship upgrade.
The lcs on other hand it didn't provide anything huge tech leaps but just fancy name and with puny waepons.
Slap with crazy price tags.

Colombian Navy Fennec helicopter crashed in San Andrés





[sos]

2 Mexican Air Force pilots killed in Beechcraft T-6C plane crash





[sos]

Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashes in southeastern Turkey





[sos]

US Marine Osprey crashes off Japan, 5 rescued





[sos]

Sales pitch yes.. but theres certain truth in it.

Taiwan's Mirage2000 fleet is barely flying, army still running M48's, Navy running WW2 vintage sub.

Indonesian jails are breeding ground for terrorists: Study



Prisons in Indonesia, notorious for being overpopulated and under- staffed, remain a fertile breeding ground for pro-ISIS militants, according to a new study.

These structural problems within the prison system will continue to defeat efforts in deradicalisation, disengagement and rehabilitation, say analysts from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (Ipac) in a report released yesterday.

As a result, inmates loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are able to recruit and radicalise fellow prisoners with impunity, as well as direct attacks from behind bars, says the study by the Jakarta-based think-tank.



"Prisons are overcrowded and understaffed, corruption is rife, and inadequate budgets make it easier for well-funded extremists to recruit inmates when they can offer extra food," Ipac director Sidney Jones said yesterday.

"No deradicalisation programme is going to be effective unless some of these issues are addressed."

There are more than 200,000 inmates in 477 correctional facilities across Indonesia, of which some 300 or more prisons and detention centres are overcrowded.



The worst is a facility in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, which has more than six times its capacity, leading the warden to turn toilet areas into holding cells.

Indonesia has about 16,500 prison officers, most of whom have not been adequately trained in areas including the handling of high-risk inmates. With these officers on different shifts in a day, only some 3,650 staff are on duty at any one time.



This represents a ratio of about one officer to 55 inmates, making it almost impossible to closely monitor all prisoners, including 220 terrorist convicts.

While the number of inmates in jail for terrorism-related activities is low relative to the total prison population, the stakes are far higher with these "high-risk" offenders.

The risk is exacerbated with the rising number of terrorist convicts, with more than 120 jailed this year.

The radicalisation of common criminals by pro-ISIS inmates in prison continues to be a nightmare for both the police and prison officials, according to Ipac.

At least 18 former criminal offenders have been involved in terrorism cases in Indonesia since 2010, and most were radicalised in prison.

In one case, an inmate was recruited after he was involved in fights. Two others were recruited because they wanted better food, or had found the tight-knit community of terrorist inmates appealing.

Another factor in the radicalisation of inmates is the presence of jailed ideologues such as Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of the old Jemaah Islamiah terror network, and Aman Abdurrahman, who is said to have ordered the Jan 14 attack in Jakarta which killed eight people, including the four perpetrators.

Both Bashir and Aman are known to have followers in and out of prison, and have played active roles in the radicalisation of inmates.

Efforts have since been made to isolate the militant leaders to prevent the spread of violent ideology.



The Ipac report also says there is "probably no alternative to isolating the most hardline extremist prisoners in one or two facilities with specially trained staff so that controls on visitors, communications and outside donations can be strictly enforced".

Meanwhile, lawmakers on Tuesday asked Parliament for more time to deliberate on proposed legislative changes to beef up the country's anti-terrorism laws.

These include allowing the police to hold suspects involved in terror attack plots for up to six months, instead of a week, as well as making it an offence for citizens to join militant groups such as ISIS overseas.