US defence chief in Gulf to discuss Iran, Yemen

The United States Secretary of Defense is to meet with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahayan. They will be discussing the problems in the Middle East. Their talks with involve that of Iraq, Yemen, and certainly Iran. The United States has been recieving increasing pressure in order to diffuse the Iranian nuclear power. The most famous of this pressure was when the Prince of Saudi Arabia said to “cut the head of the snake”.

U.S. Pacific chief vigilant about N. Korea, China

Navy Adm. Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific Command is vigilant about North Korea’s belligerence and China’s military becoming increasingly assertive.
Those issues may become the chief concerns of the American public in the future.

In response to the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March, the United States is planning a military exercise in that region. The timing and participants haven’t been announced. An international investigation concluded last month that North Korea torpedoed the Cheonan, which North Korea denies.

The U.S. exercise is a show of force. Beyond that, Willard said, the Cheonan incident made South Korea want to beef up training and become more effective in deterring the North.

Obama Extends U.S. Sanctions Against Syria

President Obama

President Obama announced on Monday that he will be extending sanctions against Syria.  Syria’s actions and policies “pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” Obama said.

President Barack Obama extended U.S. sanctions against Syria, saying on Monday it supported terrorist organizations and pursued weapons of mass destruction and missile programs.

U.S., Israel says Syria Arming Hezbollah with Missiles

Tuesday, United States and Israeli defense officials accused Syria of arming Hezbollah with missiles in Lebanon.  “We are at a point now where Hezbollah has far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world,” Secretary of Defense Gates said, noting that Washington was following the matter closely.

U.S. and Israeli defense ministers accused Syria on Tuesday of arming Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas with increasingly powerful missiles, but Israel said it did not intend to provoke a conflict over the buildup.

The comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Israel’s Ehud Barak stopped short of identifying what type of missiles were being supplied to Hezbollah, after reports that the group had obtained long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting targets across the Jewish state.

U.S. Officials See Iran Nuclear Bomb Probable in 3-5 Yrs.

U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran won’t be capable of producing nuclear weapons for at least a year but that it probably would be technically able to do so if it chooses within 3-to-5 years, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

The timeframe comes as President Barack Obama presses a reluctant China to back swift sanctions on Iran and U.S. intelligence agencies try to finish a classified report assessing how Tehran’s nuclear program is progressing.

Jane Harman, chairwoman of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, told Reuters on Tuesday that a revised U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran was “essentially complete” but that it was unclear if any of it would be made public after going to the president.

Syria Gave Scuds to Hezbollah, U.S. Says

Tuesday, Israeli President Shimon Peres publicly charged President Assad of Syria with transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah’s forces inside Lebanon.  The Scuds are believed to have a range of more than 435 miles—placing Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Israel’s nuclear installations all within range of Hezbollah’s military forces.

JERUSALEM—Syria has transferred long-range Scud missiles to the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, Israeli and U.S. officials alleged, in a move that threatens to alter the Middle East’s military balance and sets back a major diplomatic outreach effort to Damascus by the Obama administration.

Cold War Finale Made Missile Defense Possible

Ashton Carter, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics

Ashton Carter, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, Carter spoke at the 8th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference and stated that missile defense would not have been started without the ending of the Cold War.  He went on to talk about Reagan and Clinton’s role in missile defense and stated that now; missile defense is a cornerstone of American defense.

The end of the Cold War made effective missile defense possible, Ashton Carter, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said here yesterday.

Carter spoke at the 8th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference at the Ronald Reagan Building. The site of the conference is significant as Reagan was the first U.S. president in a generation to push for an effective missile defense system.

NATO forces interested in Iron Dome

Short-Range Missile Defense System

The Israeli Defense Ministry is in talks with a number of European countries about the possible sale of the Iron Dome short-range missile defense system. The Iron Dome is supposed to be capable of intercepting all of the short-range rockets fired by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hizbullah in Southern Lebanon.

The Defense Ministry is in talks with a number of European countries about the possible sale of the Iron Dome short-range missile defense system which the IDF plans to deploy in the coming months along the border with the Gaza Strip.

In January, the Iron Dome underwent a round of tests during which it successfully intercepted barrages of Kassam and Katyusha rockets. The missile barrages that the system succeeded in intercepting included a number of rockets that mimicked Kassam and longer-range Grad-model Katyusha rockets that are known to be in Hamas’s arsenal.

The Iron Dome is supposed to be capable of intercepting all of the short-range rockets fired by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hizbullah in Southern Lebanon. The Iron Dome uses an advanced radar – made by Elta – that locates and tracks the rocket, which is then intercepted by a kinetic missile interceptor.