Russia Challenges NATO by Deploying New Missile,Violating Treaty

According to Administration officials who spoke anonymously to The New York Times,Russia has now deployed a new land-based intermediate range cruise missile in clear violation of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.The INF Treaty was signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.US intelligence has known about Russian testing of such a weapon since 2008 and the Obama administration formally accused Moscow of violating the INF Treaty by testing the missile in 2014.*
Known as the SSC-8 by the Pentagon,the missiles are seen as a direct threat to Europe.Russia has two battalions of the SSC-8.One of them is based at the Russian missile test range at Kapustin Yar;while the other was moved from there in December to an undisclosed location in Russia.Each battalion consists of four missile launchers and more than four missiles,intelligence analysts believe.The short range nuclear-tipped ballistic missile Iskander-M uses a similar type of launcher,but is not itself in violation of a treaty.The Pentagon has drawn up options to respond to the SSC-8 with,such as beefing up European missile defences or developing new US air or sea-based cruise missiles.*
The INF Treaty bans US and Russian missiles that can travel 300-3400 miles.It also forbids the production of launchers for such missiles.*
According to former US Defense Secretary and CIA Director Robert Gates,appearing before Congress in 1985,Soviet deployment of cruise missiles provides them with new multidirectional capabilities against US targets.*
At a 1 December 2015 Congressional hearing,Brian P. McKeon,Principal Undersecretary of Defense for Policy,said that the Joint Staff assessment tells us that the deployment of such a system by the Russian Federation would increase the risk to our allies and be an indirect threat to the US...the Administration determined that we need to consider Russian actions with respect to the INF Treaty in the context of its overall aggressive and bellicose behaviour that flouts international legal norms and destabilises the European security order.Russia is not violating the INF Treaty in isolation from it overall aggressive behaviour.*
Speaking at the same 2015 hearing,Rose Gottemoeller,who was then Undersecretary of Arms Control and International Security,and is now Deputy Secretary General of NATO,saidwe have made it very clear that this is not a technicality,a one-off event,or a case of mistaken identity,but a serious violation of one of the most basic obligations under the INF Treaty.Russian officials have denied violating the Treaty and told us the issue was closed.We do not accept this response.*

Leon Panetta's Brisk Entrance

Leon Panetta was sworn in as the new Defense Secretary on 1 July.The former Member of Congress had been serving as CIA Director.Mr.Panetta will be replaced at CIA by General David Petraeus,U.S. Army,who currently commands the International Security Assistance Force,or ISAF,in Afghanistan.
Mr.Panetta,73,is known for his outspoken manner,in contrast to the quieter ways of his predecessor,the esteemed Robert Gates,who received the Medal of Freedom,the nation's highest civilian honor,from President Barack Obama when he recently retired.
Mr.Panetta laughingly puts his demeanor down to being Italian.One thing is certain:the troops he serves,the world leaders he meets and the adversaries he warns will have no doubt about their standing with the United States and its new Pentagon chief.He wasted no time in addressing all three with his prompt journey to Iraq and Afghanistan.
While Mr.Panetta was traveling,Admiral Michael Mullen,outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,was meeting with the Chinese brass in an effort to restore relations with the People's Liberation Army,as China's military is known.Tensions over North Korea's behavior,Taiwan's defences and the status of the South China Sea have in recent years cast a chill over exchanges between the two strongest armed forces,which had been halted altogether for most of 2010.

Korea Update

The naval exercises off the South Korean Coast have been concluded after four days of gunnery and anti-submarine warfare practice,along with airpower displays.North Korea's shrill rhetoric had been toned down by the end of the exercises.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew to Seoul to meet with his South Korean colleague in recent days.They agreed to conduct an additional series of meetings and exercises over the next few months to reinforce their message of determination to counter any further aggression by Pyongyang,a Pentagon source said.Mr.Gates also visited the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas and U.S. troops at Camp Casey nearby.
Pynogyang has denied sinking the South Korean warship Cheonan in March,which led to the show of force by the U.S. and its ally Seoul.The Korean War raged from 1950-53,and remains in an uneasy truce that has been punctuated by various deadly crises.

Big Op Underway

At U.S. urging,the Pakistani army has launched a major attack on the 4,000 Taliban extremists in the Swat Valley of Pakistan.Operation Black Thunder is an all-out assault on the militants,with U.S. troops fighting on the Afghan side of the border.The Pakistanis have killed at least 700 Taliban,and hundreds of thopusands of refugees are fleeing the battlefield.The operation is an air-ground assault.
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan,U.S. Army General David McKiernan,is being replaced by Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal,U.S. Army.Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,made the announcement.General McKiernan will stay on until Lt.General McChrystal is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.The U.S. authorities wanted a fresh set of eyes for the new AfPak strategy,which is similar to the Iraq tactics of General David Petraeus.Lt.General McChrystal is a special operations expert,having served as Commander,Special Operations Command.He is said to understand all aspects of the operation:diplomacy and aid,as well as unconventional warfare.General McKiernan has a more conventional background.Former Vice-President Dick Cheney praised the choice of McChrystal,saying you couldn't find a better replacement.

Gates Unveils 2010 Budget

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has released his 2010 defense budget proposal.Mr.Gates says he is just trying to get the irregular warfare guys to have a seat at the table.He is shifting the emphasis to less costly systems that are appropriate to today's low intensity conflicts,not tomorrow's wars.Mr.Gates dismissed the "exquisite" weapons that characterized Pentagon thought in recent times.He is also rolling back the number of contracts from 39% of defense work to the pre-9-11 figure of 26%,as defense projects are moved in house.The 2010 proposal calls for 31 new F/A-18 fighter jets for the Navy;increasing special operations forces by 2800;increasing the Marine Corps by 27,000;halting the DDG 1000 Zumwalt destroyer at three ships,while returning to the Arleigh Burke class destroyer;canceling the new light armored vehicles in favor of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles;adding two billion more for surveillance systems;accelerating the production of F-35 fighters to 30 in 2010,up from 14 in 2009;and increasing the number of helicopter maintenance crews and pilots for Afghanistan service.The budget is for 534 billion dollars,an increase of 20 billion over 2009.

Destroyers on Station

Two U.S. Navy destroyers,USS John S. McCain(DDG56) and USS Chafee(DDG90),are believed to be sailing near North Korea in order to monitor a supposed satellite launch by the dictatorship.The destroyers joined warships from South Korea and Japan on similar missions.All the ships are able to track and shoot down ballistic missiles.U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. has no plans to intercept the North Korean launch,which is expected between 4 and 8 April,unless the missile goes off course and threatens Hawaii or something like that.Japan said it will fire at the missile only if it appears debris will hit Japan.The McCain and Chafee left the port of Busan,South Korea,where they had berthed following exercises with the South Korean navy.A U.S. Navy spokesman declined to reveal their destination.Both destroyers were built by General Dynamics.

Admiral Fallon Resigns

Admiral William Fallon has resigned from his Middle East command,which includes Iraq and Afghanistan.According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates,it wasn't just one issue,but an accumulation of problems the admiral had with the Bush administration.The military isn't totally different from the business world.Sometimes even the best of leaders don't fit into their position.Consider Chuck Prince,who resigned as CEO of Citigroup(C).No one disliked him.He just wasn't able to turn the firm around fast enough.He wasn't stupid or dishonest.It just didn't work out.