Indonesian Army 8th Cavalry Battalion Leopard 2RI MBTs. Credit to Yonkav 8.

KEKUATAN TNI AD DI MASA DEPAN






Tanggapan Panglima TNI Soal Bendera Indonesia Terbalik di Buku SEA Games 2017

looks like Thailand will gonna have 2 types of new MBT inside their inventory, Oplot & VT-4

Besides to have 2 types of MBTs the Royal Thai Army is also operating 2 types of 155mm Wheeled SPH, the French CAESAR & the Israeli ATMOS.

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 21 2017, 04:07 PM

Republic of Singapore Air Force to train at Australia's Pearce Airbase for another 25 years under new pact



SINGAPORE - The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will train at the Pearce Airbase in Western Australia for another 25 years, under a new treaty signed at a high-level bilateral dialogue between Singapore and Australia on Monday (Aug 21).

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was also inked at the 10th Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) meeting, which was held at the Sofitel Sentosa hotel.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the biennial meetings. It is co-chaired by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop. The ministers for trade and defence of both countries are also attending the meeting.



The new treaty will enhance an existing memorandum of understanding that was signed in 1993 and expires in 2018.

On Monday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Australian Minister for Defence Marise Payne signed the pact that will allow the RSAF to maintain and operate its Flying Training Institute in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Pearce for another 25 years.

The signing was witnessed by Chief of Defence Force Perry Lim, Chief of Australian Defence Force Mark Binskin, and other senior defence officials from both countries. The treaty will be sent to the Australian Parliament for ratification.

During the meeting, Dr Ng and Ms Payne reaffirmed the close and longstanding bilateral defence ties between both countries.

They also welcomed the progress made by both sides in the five areas of defence cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership CSP), including the implementation of the MOU on Military Training and Training Area Development in Australia.

The RSAF also conducts helicopter training at the RAAF's Oakey Army Aviation Centre, fighter training at Darwin and Amberley in Queensland, and air grading at Tamworth in New South Wales.



The MOU on tourism cooperation was signed by Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Lim Hng Kiang and Mr Steven Ciobo, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment. It aims to improve cooperation in the following areas: tourism industry supply-side development, research partnerships and data sharing, sharing of tourism information and insights, among others.

Mr John Gregory Conceicao, STB's executive director for international relations and market planning and Oceania, said the MOU will help facilitate opportunities in investments and infrastructure enhancements for both countries.

He said: "The MOU will bring about mutual benefits, with areas of cooperation including the sharing of insights to support tourism industry supply-side development, such as capability building and talent retention in the tourism industry."

At the joint press conference attended by the six ministers, they reviewed bilateral cooperation efforts, including the implementation of the CSP, which was signed in 2015.

They also exchanged views on international and regional political, economic and security developments.

The CSP was signed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2015, and signalled an elevation in bilateral ties since the first SAJMC meeting in October 1996.



The CSP aims to deepen economic integration, expand defence cooperation, jointly promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and strengthen people-to-people ties by facilitating tourism, cultural exchanges and educational opportunities.

The Australian delegation will also call on Mr Lee and be hosted to lunch by Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean.

Later in the day, there will also be a Singapore-Australian high-level women's dialogue co-chaired by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Josephine Teo.

The roundtable discussion will focus on the topic of women's representation on corporate boards, with about 10 participants from the public and private sectors on each side.

US Warship Collision Incident Draws Attention To Territorial Dispute Instead Of Missing Victims



A collision between an American warship and a merchant vessel on Monday has led to the dispatch of both Singapore and Malaysia search and rescue teams. Nonetheless, despite the accident and missing survivors, attention was instead focused on the Singapore-Malaysia territorial dispute.

MALAYSIA LAYS CLAIMS TO WATERS

Statements released thus far have mainly centred on whether the incident occurred in Singapore or Malaysia waters.

“It happened in Malaysian territorial waters, specifically in Teluk Ramunia waters,’’ Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency director-general, Mr Zulkifili said, insisting that the collision between USS John S McCain and Alnico MC occurred 4.5 nautical miles from Johor’s coast.

Additionally, he mentioned that Malaysia’s search and rescue team was operating independent of Singapore. Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, Malaysia’s navy chief, claimed that iits KD Handalan warship had responded to the American warship’s distress first.

“KD Handalan was just three miles from the USS McCain when it first received the distress call,” he said.



CONFLICTING CLAIMS

However, the United States Seventh Fleet made a statement on Monday (21 August) which contradicted to Malaysia’s claims.

“Royal Malaysian Navy ships joined the search this afternoon, providing KD Handalan, KD Gempita, and KM Marudu and a Super Lynx helicopter.

“Earlier in the day, Republic of Singapore Navy Fearless-class patrol ships RSS Gallant (97), RSS Resilience (82), and a Singaporean Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark (PH 55) rendered assistance,” the US Navy said.

In response, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that “The Malaysian agencies are not involved in the search and rescue operations that is led by Singapore.”

ATTENTION NOT ON RESCUE




The exchange between Malaysia and Singapore show little concern for the lives at stake as a result of the incident. It has been reported that the incident has led to five injured US Navy sailors and 10 missing crew members. Although members of the US Navy are still missing, it seems that attention has instead been put on laying claims to the territory.

“What is important is, we do not want to have another collision between assets on the ground. For the time being, we shouldn’t be arguing about whose waters it is. The most important thing is to focus on search and rescue”
– MR ZULKIFILI



Additionally, conversations arising from the incident also centred on whether the Malaysia or Singapore rescue team was heading the rescue initiative. With lives at stake, it’s only fitting for the focus to be on rescue efforts and the wellbeing of the victims and their families.

Pedra Branca has been a source of dispute between Singapore and Malaysia since the late 1970s. Although the court had ruled Pedra Branca to be Singapore’s territory in 2008, Malaysia continues challenge claims to the territory.

The recent collision incident could have been an opportune moment for Malaysia to continue challenging the claims of Pedra Branca, seeing that it had filed another application asking ICJ to interpret its ruling on the territory in June this year.

By claiming that its rescue team is heading operations, Malaysia tries to reassert its claims. It seems that even with casualties and missing victims, the territorial dispute refuses to take a back seat.

This post has been edited by Fat & Fluffy: Aug 22 2017, 08:06 PM

PERKEMBANGAN TERKINI HARI KEDUA; OPERASI MENCARI DAN MENYELAMAT 10 ANAK KAPAL USS JOHN S MCCAIN, KAPAL PERANG PEMUSNAH AMERIKA DI PERAIRAN MALAYSIA

Mayat Pertama Ditemui

PUTRAJAYA, 22 OGOS 2017 – Susulan Operasi Mencari dan Menyelamat SAR 10 anak kapal USS John S McCain, kapal perang pemusnah Tentera Laut Amerika Syarikat yang dilaporkan hilang selepas terlibat dalam insiden perlanggaran dengan kapal MV Alnic MC awal pagi semalam di perairan Teluk Ramunia, kedudukan 4.5 batu nautika Barat Daya Tompok Utara, Johor Timur, Malaysia. Mayat pertama berjaya ditemui pasukan SAR menerusi KD Handalan petang tadi.

Ketua Pengarah Maritim Malaysia, Yang Berbahagia Laksamana Maritim Dato’ Indera Zulkifili bin Abu Bakar dalam kenyataannya berkata, “mayat tersebut ditemui oleh KD Handalan di sektor E pada kedudukan 4 batu nautika timur Tanjung Penawar dalam perairan Malaysia. Jarak penemuan lokasi mayat adalah 7.5 batu nautika barat laut dari lokasi perlanggaran pada jam 3:43 petang tadi. Mayat tersebut dibawa ke KD Lekiu dan akan diserahkan kepada Amerika Syarikat setelah dikenalpasti oleh mereka. ”

“SAR pada hari ini diteruskan meskipun pada sebelah malam. Sektor pencarian SAR masih dikekalkan kepada dua sektor utama iaitu laut dan udara yang mana keluasan sektor pencarian laut seluas 352 batu nautika persegi, serta udara seluas 488 batu nautika persegi. Sehingga masa ini hanya satu (1) penemuan mayat berjaya ditemukan oleh pasukan SAR.”

https://www.facebook.com/maritimmalaysia/po...419639751461269

This post has been edited by DDG_Ross: Aug 22 2017, 08:51 PM

Unconfirmed report that Jordan to donate two or four AH-1F Cobra to the Philippines.









Read more: http://maxdefense.blogspot.co.id/2017/08/i...ell-ah.html?m=1

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesi...s-idUSKCN1B20QM

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 23 2017, 10:53 AM

'Mercenary King' Erik Prince pitches private military solution to the Afghanistan problem to President Trump


Erik Prince and Steve Bannon are huge proponents of a 'private military solution' to America's Afghanistan problem

Erik Prince was one of the most controversial players in George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq War. Now he’s reemerging as a key part of the Trump administration’s internal debates over the flagging war in Afghanistan.

It’s a familiar role for Prince, the former head of the infamous private security firm Blackwater. According to the New York Times, White House advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner asked Prince and Steven Feinberg, the financier behind DynCorp International, to come up with proposals for sending private contractors into Afghanistan instead of US troops.

The request came while the Pentagon works on a strategic review about US involvement in the country that is expected to end with a decision to send no more than 3,900 troops there. There are currently 9,800 troops in Afghanistan taking part in what is now the longest war in US history, and bringing in private contractors could be appealing because it would reduce the chance of US troops getting killed.

The war in Afghanistan is not going well. The Taliban, the militant group that once controlled the country, now has control over 40 percent of territory and 8.4 million Afghans, about a third of the country’s population. It’s no surprise, then, that the administration would look for different thinking about how to turn the tide there, but Defense Secretary James Mattis appears to have rejected Prince and Feinberg’s proposals.

In an interview, military contracting expert Sean McFate said Prince also has big ambitions for his own role in shaping the future of Afghanistan.

It also matters that Prince effectively wants to be in charge of Afghanistan. In a May 31 Wall Street Journal op-ed, he made the case for a “MacArthur model” in Afghanistan, alluding to how US Gen. Douglas MacArthur governed Japan for a spell after World War II. Prince argued someone should be put in charge of overseeing Afghanistan, including the “private solutions” that are deployed there.

He was clearly advocating that he should assume that role. “He has a MacArthur-like vision for himself. Prince really wants to be the king of Afghanistan,” McFate noted.

i thought bannon sack already

This is last week story, unfortunately. With Bannon out, the generals are insiting for a traditonal Iraq-style 'surge' as the solution for Afghanistan.

Funnily enough, word has it that the very thing that made President Trump favor this approach is General H.R McMaster showing him photos of 1970s Afghani women wearing miniskirts and declaring they'd be restoring 'western values' to Afghanistan.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Aug 23 2017, 04:04 PM

US Navy 7th Fleet commander to be dismissed from his post after warship collision

Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin

WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) – One day after ordering a rare suspension of ship operations worldwide, the US Navy plans to relieve the commander of the fleet that has suffered four collisions in Asia and the deaths of more than a dozen sailors this year, a US official said on Tuesday (Aug 22).

Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the head of the 7th Fleet, is expected to be removed on Wednesday, the official said. Aucoin had been expected to retire in the coming weeks, but his superiors pushed up his departure date after losing confidence in his leadership. The action was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Navy officials declined to comment Tuesday night. But Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, was flying from Singapore to the 7th Fleet headquarters in Yokosuka, Japan, where he is expected to relieve Aucoin.



Aucoin, a highly decorated fighter pilot, has commanded the fleet since September 2015. The admiral’s removal would come as the Navy is preparing to conduct a rare suspension of ship operations worldwide for a day or two in the next week to review safety and operational procedures.


More broadly, Navy officials are also investigating the role that training, manning and crew communications may have played in the collisions.

Divers have found remains of missing US sailors in the flooded compartments of the Navy destroyer John S. McCain, which collided with an oil tanker Monday off Singapore, Swift said. He declined to say how many bodies had been located in the ship, which is docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore. He also said that the Malaysian navy, which was part of the search effort, had reported recovering a body at sea that might be one of the 10 missing sailors.

“We have discovered other bodies during the diving on the McCain today,” Swift said at a news conference, held within sight of the damaged ship. “But it is premature to say how many or what the status of the recovery of those bodies is.” The body found by the Malaysian navy was being handed over to the Americans for identification.



Ships and aircraft from five nations were searching for the sailors near the site of the collision. Swift said the search at sea would continue despite the discovery of remains in the ship. “The focus of the United States Pacific Fleet is our 10 missing sailors and their families,” he said. “We are always hopeful there are survivors.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the White House issued a statement expressing “great sadness” over the deaths of the sailors aboard the McCain. “As the Navy begins the process of recovering our fallen sailors, our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends,” the statement said.

The collision was the second in two months involving a destroyer from the Navy’s 7th Fleet, which is based in Yokosuka, Japan. In June, the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship off Japan. Soon afterward, searchers found the bodies of seven missing sailors in its flooded berthing compartments.

After the collision Monday, Admiral John Richardson, the Navy’s top officer, announced that all 277 Navy ships worldwide would take an “operational pause” to review basic seamanship, teamwork and other “fundamentals.” Defence Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters that an inquiry into the collision had already begun. “We obviously have an investigation underway, and that will determine what happened,” he said.

At his news conference Tuesday, Swift discounted suggestions that the crew of the McCain had been overworked or underprepared. He said the crew responded quickly after the collision, righted the ship and prevented an even bigger disaster. “I was on the McCain this morning and looking at the eyes of those sailors, and even after their heroic efforts yesterday, I didn’t see exhaustion,” he said. “I didn’t see a crew that was taking a knee, so to speak. They are on their game.”

The admiral said there were no signs of failure in the ship’s steering system or of a cyberattack, two possibilities that had been mentioned in news reports. But he noted that the investigation was in its earliest stages and said, “We are not taking any consideration off the table.”

The destroyer is named after John S. McCain Sr. and John S. McCain Jr., Navy admirals who were the grandfather and father of Senator John McCain of Arizona.

In Washington, McCain, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement endorsing the operational pause. “I agree with Admiral Richardson that more forceful action is urgently needed to identify and correct the causes of the recent ship collisions,” he said. “Our sailors who risk their lives every day, in combat and in training, deserve no less.”

James G. Stavridis, a retired four-star admiral who commanded U.S. forces in Europe and Latin America, said the pause “makes sense, but it comes at a challenging time operationally.”

“The pause gives everyone a chance to stop the day-to-day operations, review training manuals, run drills to respond to crisis, study the specifics of previous collisions, rest and recuperate from the tempo of operations,” Stavridis said.

The Navy declined to confirm names of the missing sailors, but, by Tuesday, some of their relatives had begun to identify them. Jacob Drake, 21, of North Lewisburg, Ohio, was among the missing, according to a cousin, Brandie Roberts. “We are all having a very difficult time not knowing where he is or what has happened,” Roberts, 27, said in a Facebook message, adding that her family was “refusing” to lose hope. Roberts said he had last spoken with Drake last week.

Family members of Logan Palmer, an interior communications electrician petty officer 3rd class who was from Illinois, said in a statement released by the Navy that they, too, were awaiting “word from the Navy on our son Logan.”

And Darryl Smith, the father of Kenneth Smith, an electronics technician petty officer 3rd class, said in a separate statement provided by the Navy that he was waiting for news about his son. “I appreciate the courageous work of the crew in the aftermath of the collision and the ongoing rescue efforts,” Smith said.

The collision between the McCain and the Alnic MC, a Liberian-registered tanker about three times its size, occurred east of Singapore.

Navy to replace commander of 7th Fleet after latest collision

WASHINGTON/TOKYO — The U.S. Navy will relieve Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin after a series of collisions involving its warships in Asia, a U.S. official told Reuters, as the search goes on for 10 sailors missing since the latest mishap.

“An expedited change in leadership was needed,” the official said in Washington on Tuesday of the decision to relieve Aucoin of his command.

The Navy declined to comment on any plans to relieve Aucoin, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal (paywall).

The official told Reuters that Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, would relieve Aucoin, a three-star admiral, when the two meet in Japan.

It was not clear when the formal announcement would be made. The Seventh Fleet is headquartered in Japan.

Aucoin was due to step down next month, with Phillip Sawyer, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet and a submariner by trade, slated to succeed him. Aucoin came up through the Navy’s air wing as an F-14 navigator.

The move to replace Aucoin comes days after the collision between a guided-missile destroyer and a merchant vessel east of Singapore and Malaysia before dawn on Monday, the fourth major incident in the U.S. Pacific Fleet this year.

An international search-and-rescue operation involving aircraft, divers and vessels from the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia is looking for the 10 U.S. sailors missing since the accident.

On Tuesday, U.S. Navy and Marine Divers found human remains inside sealed sections of the damaged hull of the USS John S McCain, which is moored at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base. The Navy has not yet announced the identities of the bodies discovered.
The U.S. Navy is also working to identify a body found by the Malaysian navy about eight nautical miles northwest of the collision site.

The latest collision has already prompted a fleet-wide investigation and plans for temporary halts in U.S. Navy operations.

The USS John S. McCain’s sister ship, the USS Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan after colliding with a Philippine container ship on June 17. The bodies of seven U.S. sailors were found in a flooded berthing area after that collision.

The USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided on Monday while the U.S. ship was approaching Singapore on a routine port call. The impact tore a hole in the warship’s port side at the waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area.

sos

kelakar gila alasan cyber attack.
kalau mechant ships tu maybe la vulnerable. tu pun too many ifs to be fulfilled to make it happen.
apsal grey hull xmo nk switch on AIS kt situ? dah tau kan tempat tu gila sibuk, awal pagi lak tu. sure penuh atas bridge masa tu sebab nk masuk VTS scheme. kenapa x bole nk share info between themselves?
lain la kapal merchant, paling ramai pun 6 orang je on the bridge, 1x Master, 1 x duty officer, 1 x AB plus 2 extra lookouts (selalunya kadet atau OS)...

Only tanker was detected before collision with US destroyer



SINGAPORE - Oil tanker Alnic MC was detected by the Singapore maritime authorities before its collision with American destroyer USS John S. McCain in Singapore waters on Monday (Aug 21) morning.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in response to queries from The Straits Times on Wednesday (Aug 23) that its Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) had detected only the presence of Alnic MC.

The monitoring system detects and tracks vessels via radar or the Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals, and enables an alert to be sent to vessels in the event of an impending collision and to get them to change course.


The MPA said the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requiring mandatory carriage of AIS is, however, not applicable to ships of war and troop ships.

"In this case, MPA's VTIS and radar detected only the presence of the tanker," it said when asked by ST whether it had tracked the two vessels before the collision.

"The incident occurred in Singapore waters in the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait. Investigations are ongoing."



Naval experts say the VTIS had likely detected the tanker through the latter's AIS. But the AIS in the warship might have been switched off. Still, other vessels in the vicinity should have been able to detect or see the destroyer on their radar systems or by sight.


RSAF personnel boarding a C-130 before a search for missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain on Day Three of the multi-national search-and-rescue efforts on Aug 23, 2017.


Even as a probe is under way, experts have also suggested other possible causes for the collision - including a potential cyber breach that may have disabled the destroyer's computer system. It has also been suggested that the warship could have been hit by a technical failure that jammed its steering. Human error is another possible cause that has been floated.



Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, told reporters in Singapore on Tuesday that nothing is being ruled out in the investigations. This includes possible negligence on the part of the crew, which will be investigated, he said, adding that "every scenario will be reviewed and investigated in detail".

The collision left 10 US sailors missing and five injured. The US Navy said on Tuesday that the bodies of some sailors had been found.

Military experts say it is not uncommon for naval vessels to switch off their AIS systems for security purposes. Dr Sam Bateman, a former commodore of the Royal Australian Navy and adviser to the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "Warships often don't have their AIS switched on because of security... That is a real problem."

The International Maritime Organisation - a United Nations agency that oversees the safety and security of the global shipping sector - told ST it is compulsory for all merchant ships to switch on their AIS and other detection systems. But the guidelines do not apply to military vessels.

"While not mandatory, we do encourage all vessels - military and commercial - to adhere to the guidelines," a spokesman said, pointing out that cyber attacks against the shipping industry are a growing concern.

- Additional reporting by Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

According to report the Indonesian Army Aviation is in the process to receive deliveries of Mi-26T2 helicopters from Russia in 2018 - 2019.





Read more: http://defense-studies.blogspot.co.id/2017...ra-perkuat.html

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 24 2017, 12:46 PM

NORINCO Parades First VT4 Tanks for Thailand



NORINCO has recently paraded the VT4 MBTs it is producing for Thailand. Thailand is the first known export customer for the VT4. The Thai order, placed in 2016, is for 28 tanks (photo : Norinco)

NORINCO has paraded the first batch of VT4 main battle tanks (MBTs) that have been produced for Thailand at its Armour and Anti-armour Day demonstration for potential export customers.



The demonstration took place in the Inner Mongolia Region on 16 August and demonstrated the capabilities of the VT2B and VT4 MBTs and VT5 light MBT in cross-country manoeuvres and firing drills. The demonstration began with a parade of AFVs that included six vehicles recently built for Thailand and painted in a disruptive pattern camouflage. The display followed an earlier video released by China Central Television that provided an insight into the production line of the VT4s.



Thailand placed the VT4 order with NORINCO in 2016 following a delayed and disrupted contract with Ukraine for the Oplot MBT. The Royal Thai Army (RTA) subsequently selected the VT4 following a competition with the Russian T-90 and South Korean K1A1 MBTs, the deal reflecting closer strategic ties between Thailand and China. The VT4s will form part of the MBT fleet that will replace the ageing US-built tanks that remain in service with the RTA as well as increasing the size and capabilities of the force.

This post has been edited by Fat & Fluffy: Aug 24 2017, 12:56 PM

so much fire exercise there..indonesia army should order new replacement barrels by year end i think

The body found by tldm is not from uss John McCain.. whose body is that?