Bulletin:US Limits Involvement in Israel vs. Iran Conflict

A Biden administration source has disclosed that the US will not participate in offensive operations against Iran.While US fighter aircraft assisted in the defense of Israel by shooting down Iranian drones and ballistic missiles,President Biden has drawn a red line at offensive operations.He communicated this to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call.

Defence Cooperation:US and Finland Bulk Up NATO's Eastern Flank

According to a Government of Finland Press Release,in its plenary session on 14 December 2023,the Finnish Government decided to propose that the President of the Republic,Sauli Niinisto,authorise Minister of Defence Antii Hakkonen to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United States.This was carried out on 18 December 2023 in the State Department Treaty Room in Washington,DC,with Secretary of State Antony Blinken signing along with Defence Minister Hakkonen,in the presence of Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.The agreement is subject to ratification by the Finnish Parliament and the US Senate.*The US is one of Finland's most important allies.Negotiations for the DCA were opened in August 2022.It is a binding agreement under international law.The negotiations concluded in October 2023.President Niinisto and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy decided in favour of approving the result of the negotiations on 27 November 2023.Parliament was kept informed on the progress of the negotiations in accordance with sections 47 and 97 of the Constitution.*The DCA will strengthen Finland's defence as it enables the presence and training of US forces on and the prepositioning of defence materiel on the territory of Finland,according to the Press Release.Thus it will also bolster NATO's deterrence and defence policy.According to Foreign Minister Valtonen,the DCA will:strengthen Finland's defence and enable cooperation in all security situations.The DCA also has regional importance,and it will help Finland contribute to NATO's collective defence efforts.*Said Minister of Defence Antii Hakkonen:The signature of the DCA is not an end point,but a new step towards even closer cooperation between Finland and the United States.The agreement reflects the United States' committment to Finland's security and it creates the conditions for cooperation in times of crises.Finland is not alone in defending itself,but does so as a NATO Ally and together with the United States.*The DCA deals with such matters as US access to,and use of,the 15 agreed facilities and areas;prepositioning of defence equipment,supplies and materiel on the territiory of Finland;entry and movement of US aircraft,vessels and vehicles;ensuring the protection,safety and security of US forces and the facilities and areas they use;and devises practical matters related to US forces on the territory of Finland,including the activity of US and Finnish contractors.The 15 agreed facilities and areas are listed in Annex A to the agreement.Finland will authorise the United States unimpeded access to and use of the facilities and areas for activities listed in the DCA.As a rule,the cooperation between Finland and the United States will focus on the agreed facilities and areas.However,the DCA will apply to the entire area of Finland.*The United States will commit to conducting all activities under the DCA with full respect for the sovereignty,laws,and international obligations of Finland.No nuclear weapons are permitted on Finnish territory.Regular provisions of the DCA contain obligations of the parties regarding consultations,respect for shared views,and coordination of measures to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement.*According to Annex A,the facilities and areas include:Ivalos Border Guard Base;Kuopio,Rissala,Konelin Air Command Base;various storage and training areas;Roveniemi (on the Arctic Circle) Lapland Air Command Base and Jaeger Brigade Garrison;Tampere-Pirkkala,Satekune Air Command Base;Jyvaskyla-Tikkakoski Air Force Academy Air Base;and Upinniemi Navy Base and Garrison in Kirkonummi including Russaro Island.*Finalnd's border with Russia runs for 1340 km/830 mi.It mainly crosses taiga forests and sparsely populated rural araeas.The border has been completely closed until at least 14 January 2024 because of an influx of undocumented migrants into Finland at two border crossings-an act of suspected hybrid warfare by Russia to destabilise Finland.

Pacific Perspective:Eyeing Beijing's Growing Might,Pentagon to Invest At Least 1 Billion in Northern Australia Upgrades

It was recently brought to light by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the Pentagon is bulking up its infrastructure in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) to improve the US-Australia force posture in the event of a China-generated security crisis,such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.In the course of preparing a recent documentary called "War Games" for its Four Corners programme,the ABC viewed US Government documents setting out the defence plans.The unannounced project is centered on two areas,one of them being Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal,which is just south of the NT capital Darwin.The US Air Force admitted to the project,saying: The ability to deploy U.S. Air Force bombers to Australia sends a strong message to adversaries about our ability to project lethal airpower.* At RAAF Tindal,the Pentagon is building an aircraft parking apron that can accommodate six B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable bombers.There are also detailed designs for constructing a US Air Force Squadrons Operations Facility and a maintenance center.These assets will facilitate training missions during the NT dry season.The Pentagon is furthermore building a fuel farm of 11 giant fuel storage tanks in Darwin to sustain military flight operations and an ordnance storage bunker.* A second area,the military intelligence base Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap in the Australian outback near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory,is also being enhanced.Over the past seven years,the base's antenna farm has grown from 33 up to its current 45 antennae.Pine Gap is considered the most critical intel base outside of the United States.Its monthly Australian-US tasking meetings respond to the needs of combatant commanders and civilian policy makers.The base can provide exact locations of Russian and Chinese missiles and silos,and can eavesdrop on the satellites of authoritarian regimes.So it was deemed prudent to give it a midlife upgrade,as the ongoing project has been described.* These projects should come as no surprise.Since at least the Obama presidency,US-Australia defence ties have been steadily increasing.At that time,President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Julia Gillard established the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin on 16 November 2011.On 16 September 2021,US and Australian Foreign and Defence Ministers gathered in Washington,D.C. to sign the Enhanced Force Posture Cooperation and Alliance Integration.It includes greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia;establishment of combined logistics sustainment and capability for our submarines and surface combatants in Australia;and supports a robust US presence in the Indo-Pacific Region,plus the provision of US extended deterrence and increasing Australia's defence budget to 73.7 billion dollars by 2029-2030.The combined logistics,sustainment and maintenance enterprise will support high-end warfighting and combined military operations in the region.Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton expressed the aspiration to increase the number of US troops through the rotations and to enhance air and maritime capability.If that includes basing and storage of different ordnance,that is in Australia's best interest at this point in time.*

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Iranian Students Ransack British Embassy

In a move that has haunting echoes for Americans,a crowd of Iranian students rushed the British Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday evening,vandalising the premises and terrorising diplomats and their families.Unable to break the lock on the compound's iron gate,the activists just climbed over it.Once inside,they trashed documents and set fires,burning the Union Jack and raising a Shiite banner.Chanting "Death to England,"they took hostages,whom they later released.
A British residential compound was stormed in the fracas.Iranian security forces did little to stop the intruders.The British Foreign Office expressed outrage and condemned the incident.The student mob was linked to the Basij plainclothes militia.
The U.K. has recently joined Canada and the U.S. in imposing sanctions on Iranian banks to thwart Iran's suspected nuclear weapons development programme.
In 1979,a similar group of students attacked the U.S. Embassy in Tehran,seizing dozens of American hostages and holding them for 444 days.March 2007 saw the Iranians seize 15 British Sailors and Marines,accusing them of violating Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf,which the U.K. denied.They were released after two tense weeks in captivity.

Mullen Responds to Concern

The situation in Afghanistan is serious and deteriorating,said Admiral Michael Mullen,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.He is concerned about eroding public support for the U.S. and NATO mission.The President's strategy is a work in progress as more U.S. troops are put in place.The U.S. is on the way to 68,000 troops in the country by year's end.The situation needs to be reversed in the next 12-18 months.Admiral Mullen,a Vietnam veteran,wouldn't say if more U.S. troops would be needed.A large number of civilian experts are also needed to stabilize the Afghan government and economy.
I recognize we've been there over eight years,the Chairman stated.But this is the first time we've really resourced a strategy on both the civilian and military sides.So in certain ways,we're starting anew.We're just getting the pieces in place from the President's new strategy on the ground now.I don't see this as a mission of endless drift.I think we know what to do.Certainly the numbers are of concern,but this is the war we're in,Admiral Mullen remarked.

Russian Subs Follow Coast

Russia engaged in a Cold War-type submarine patrol in recent weeks,sending two Akula nuclear submarines to scout international waters some 200 miles,or 321.86 kilometers,off the U.S. east coast.The Akula has a 3,000 kilometer range and is armed with nuclear cruise missiles.The attack sub has a complement of 62.
Some say the Russians were trying to impress India with the submarines' performance,as India is considering purchasing the Akula.Others hold that Russia was posturing,showing that it is still a strong military power.Of course,it may have been doing both.In any event,the Pentagon wasn't very concerned,noting that Russia has the right to exercise in international waters.

Raid Succeeds

U.S. troops carried out a successful raid on a building in Mosul in Northern Iraq on 5 October.The building is described as having been a major al-Qaida command and control center.Killed in the raid was Abu Qaswarah,the No.2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.Mr.Qaswarah,a native of Morocco,was in charge of al-Qaida in Northern Iraq,recruiting foreign fighters and directing them from Mosul,one of the few remaining al-Qaida strongholds in the country.A popular commander,he had been trained in Afghanistan.Four other militants died in the raid.