February 21, 2008 Thursday

PACIFIC COMMAND STRATEGY HINGES ON MILITARY ENGAGEMENT

LENGTH: 1276 words

CONTACT: 703-695-0192

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, Feb. 21, 2008 - Military preeminence and strategic cooperation are at the heart of every action taken by U.S. Pacific Command, the chief of America's largest combatant command said here yesterday.

The command's scope is just one aspect, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating said. PACOM's area of responsibility includes the two largest countries in the world -- China and India -- as well as established regional powers, growing nations, struggling states and the overarching threat of transnational terrorism in the area, he said. PACOM is a maritime command, but its area includes five of the world's largest standing armies.

"We try to emphasize two things in everything we do: military preeminence and strategic cooperation," Keating said during an interview in his office overlooking Pearl Harbor. "Our job as a United States combat command is to protect the United States of America from attack and our allies and partners, of which we have many in this region."

The U.S. military must be strong enough to deter aggressors and, if attacked, able to defeat any enemy quickly. But the lesson of the region is that you don't have to be a shooter to be effective, the admiral said.

"Everywhere we go -- to one degree or another, but unmistakable nonetheless -- is the theme that those countries want us in some way, shape or form to be nearby, to be associated, to be close, to help," Keating said.

They want to have the phone number to call in case of a tsunami in Indonesia or a Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, he said. Responding to natural or manmade disasters is a mission of the command.

"If we can keep those folks in the frame of mind that the United States is here -- we are the indispensable element to ensure they know they can trust us and we can trust them -- the likelihood of kinetic military activity is much, much lower," he said.

And it has been working; guns in the Pacific are quiet for now, but there are concerns. Terrorist activity still plagues the southern Philippines. The military dictatorship in Burma remains a concern. The command watches developments in North Korea very carefully. There is tension between the Peoples' Republic of China and Taiwan.

"We think it's being monitored carefully and managed delicately," Keating said.

But while there are no shooting wars in the region, the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Defense Department civilians in the region are busy.

"There are many exercises, exchanges and programs being conducted that will strengthen the sense of trust we are trying to nurture," the admiral said.

Actions in U.S. Central Command obviously affect readiness of U.S. military forces worldwide. "The readiness of our forces in the Pacific is affected by combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq," Keating said. "But every day I report to the secretary of defense that we are ready to execute the plans that he expects of us."

Since the war on terror began, the command has had to assume a bit more risk and change contingency plans. "We've had to adjust them a little bit because of the 30,000 Marines and soldiers who are ordinarily in our (area), but are not (now)," he said. "We are at a higher risk state than we would be if there were no military operations in the Central Command, but we can execute the plans that are on the shelf."

Keating said he always is asked when he testifies before Congress what keeps him awake at night. "The answer is, `Nothing does,'" he said.

Exercises and military-to-military contacts are the building blocks of the command's strategic partnership program.

"Last summer in the Bay of Bengal, two U.S. aircraft carriers, an Indian aircraft carrier and ships from Singapore, Australia and Japan participated in a 10-day multilateral, multiservice exercise, . and we were able to communicate on a classified system in real time," Keating said. "That's a profound development."

Keating noted he was previously assigned to the command in 1985. "The notion of getting those five countries together in a maritime exercise (then) was a nonstarter," he said. "And now it happens as a matter of course."

More than 8,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are in the Philippines providing medical and engineering assistance throughout the southern Philippines. Terrorism is a danger in the country, but U.S. servicemembers are helping the Filipinos develop their capabilities.

"There are a wide variety of very effective nonshooting activities in which our men and women in uniform are involved," Keating said, adding that there are a number of bilateral and multilateral exercises, including the biggie: Cobra Gold in Thailand. At least half a dozen countries will send troops and equipment for Cobra Gold, and many more will send military observers.

Participating in these exercises has a long-range payoff, too. "Having had the luxury of participating in a bunch of these things since I was an ensign, you can move around the world and look up someone and say, `Hey, how are you? How are things going?'"

Keating said. "It goes back to that trust and confidence we are looking to not just build, but to nurture."

He said developing that type of trust with the region's largest nation has been somewhat troublesome.

"We are having a little bit of trouble engendering that trust and confidence with the People's Liberation Army in China," Keating acknowledged.

Keating said he can get in touch with senior Chinese military officials, but he must work through the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and that delays the process.

He can make those calls to other military leaders in the region, he said. "It is an on-the-spot, real-time way of at least reducing misunderstanding," Keating said. "If misunderstanding festers, it can lead to confusion and then crisis, and then even conflict."

Keating indicated that he is hopeful that communication with China will improve and that military-to-military contacts will continue to grow in scope and importance. "We are engaging with all of these countries in exercises, personnel exchanges at the senior NCO through the four-star level," he said. "(These are) a significant benefit to us, and we need to tell the American people."

Countries of the region are responding to U.S. engagement. The Indonesians are getting better at counterterrorism; the Malaysians are getting better at preventing piracy, "and it's not just because they are hanging with the United States," Keating said.

The Malaysian, Indonesian and Singaporean forces are working together better in providing increased security in the Straits of Malacca, a strategic choke point through which 90 percent of Asia's oil flows.

"Enhanced maritime security, enhanced awareness, information sharing, intelligence gathering -- all of those factors combine to make a more secure Straits of Malacca, and that transfers throughout the region as it all fits together," Keating said.

One of the more successful U.S. efforts in the region was sending the USS Peleliu on a six-month cruise throughout the region. The amphibious assault ship had no Marines on it, but was filled with medical personnel from military and civilian agencies, he said, and it traveled the region providing medical care to all who needed it.

Keating visited the ship during its cruise. He met a 23-year-old Filipina mother whose 3-year-old child will live because of the care he received. The hospital ship the USNS Mercy will make a similar cruise in the region this year, the admiral said.

"When they see the military uniforms, we want them to know they can count on the United States of America to be there with the military power that we represent, but we don't want to use it," he said.

March 3, 2008 Monday 3:40 AM ESTDATELINE: MANILA

Philippine army chief on Monday said it is seeking to expand its bilateral military exercise with the United States to a multilateral one with more countries involved.

At the closing ceremony of the two-week Balikatan Philippine- American war game, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said there are advantages into pushing for a multilateral war game.

"It is better to do things altogether, and we not only talk of the security of the Philippines but the security of the region itself should be looked at," he said.

Thailand, Brunei, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore sent observer teams to this year's Balikatan, which involved 6,000 American soldiers and 2,000 Filipinos, focusing on cooperation to deliver humanitarian assistance at the time of natural disasters.

Balikatan, or "shoulder by shoulder" in English translation, is based on the Visiting Forces Agreement signed by the Philippine and the U.S. governments in late 1990s.

The U.S. is the only foreign country the Philippines has an agreement on collaboration of military exercises. A similar proposal for Philippine-Australian bilateral war game is sleeping on Philippine senators' table.

Defense officials are also in the process of discussing possible status of forces agreement with southeastern countries such as Brunei and Singapore.

"When we go multilateral, I would imagine that it would still be the United States and the Philippines that will determine most of that because we are the primary participants here," the army chief said.

The bilateral war game has seen much local demonstration in recent years, especially after an American soldier was convicted of raping a Filipino woman in 2005. The war game was suspended in 2006 due to the raping controversy.

May 21, 2008 Wednesday

RP, US navies to hold 'CARAT' military exercise in Palawan

SECTION: NATIONWIDE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LENGTH: 306 words

DATELINE: PUERTO PRINCESA CITY May 19

The Philippine and United States navies will conduct the annual bilateral naval training exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) from May 24 to June 4.

CARAT 2008 is a combined naval tactical operations exercise involving fleet forces of both RP and US Navies.

LCDR Joselito De Guzman, Public Information Officer of Naval Forces West (Navforwest) here, said several activities are lined up for the exercise such as communication relations projects and providing medical/dental/engineering civic action projects in host communities.

The communication relations projects will be held in West Central School, Share a Life, Bahay ni Nanay, Bancao-bancao Elementary School and Puerto Princesa Pilot Elementary School, all in this city and Panacan Elementary School in Barangay Panacan, Narra town.

The medical, dental and veterinary services will be held in Aborlan and Narra towns.

On May 24, the USS Tortuga (LSD 46), a dock landing ship serving under Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7/Task Force 76, will arrive at the citys pier.

ESG 7/Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.

De Guzman said the CARATs goal is to strengthen the cooperation between the RP-US navies in thwarting intercontinental and trans-border crimes, piracy and maritime terrorism which are growing concerns of the global community.

The RP and US navies will exchange information and exercises on various fields, such as at sea tactical operations and amphibious training which will be held in Inagawan Beach, this city.

Last year, some 1,400 U.S. troops participated in CARAT that kicked off in Western Mindanao headquarters in Zamboanga City.

June 12, 2008 Thursday

Lambertville airman flew 1st U.S. relief to Myanmar

BYLINE: Gabe Nelson, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS

LENGTH: 1024 words

Jun. 12--For 10 days, Air Force Capt. Buckley Kozlowski could do nothing but wait.

Capt. Kozlowski, a Lambertville native, was with the 36th Airlift Squadron at the Utapao air base in Thailand, wrapping up a training exercise and preparing to return to the squadron's home base in Japan.

And then Cyclone Nargis hit, bringing with it 120-mph winds, torrential rain, and storm-surge waves.

For the next two days, the storm battered and flooded huge swaths of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, Thailand's neighbor to the northwest.

In the aftermath of the cyclone, which killed at least 78.000 and affected 2.4 million in Myanmar in early May, then-Lieutenant Kozlowski copiloted the plane carrying the first American relief to the southeast Asian country.

He flew on five flights to Myanmar in May, taking in about 50 tons of supplies at a time.

The junta only recently allowed the United Nations to deploy relief helicopters to the hardest-hit areas of Myanmar, including the remote

Irrawaddy Delta in the country's southwest.

The first relief helicopter arrived last week, with four more flying their first missions Monday.

"It's a great feeling to be able to respond when something like this happens," Captain Kozlowski, 26, said in an e-mail interview. "I'm thankful for having the opportunity to help."

As the news reports first came in on May 2, then-Lieutenant Kozlowski and his fellow airmen were told to hold tight and prepare for relief missions at the Thailand base, about 400 miles from Myanmar's largest city Yangon.

According to estimates from Myanmar's government and the United Nations, about 135,000 people were killed or went missing in the storm, with thousands more homeless and in need of food and supplies.

It was the most devastating natural disaster in the country's history.

"There was an element of concern and a little bit of shock as the death toll numbers continued to rise," said Captain Kozlowski, a graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School. "We were all anxious to go and looking forward to the opportunity to go help out."

But because of diplomatic snags, the airmen were waiting 10 days before they got the green light.

On the morning of May 12, their C-160 cargo plane was ready to go, carrying fifteen tons of bottled water, mosquito nets, and blankets.

Also aboard were Adm. Timothy Keating, the commander of U.S. Pacific forces, and Henrietta Fore, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.

Crew members were unsure how Myanmar would respond, said Capt. Trevor Hall, the flight's commander and pilot, in a telephone roundtable with the media on May 14.

Captain Hall said he and the crew members prepared for multiple scenarios.

Among the possibilities they had in mind were the chance that Myanmar's government would decide to refuse the supplies, impound the plane, or take the flight crew into custody, he said.

As it turned out, the air crew received a warm welcome at Yangon International Airport.

Soldiers from Myanmar's military met the plane, unloading the relief supplies by hand and thanking the plane's crew.

"We kind of went in with the worst-case scenario in mind, and when we were received so warmly on the ground, it was a great sigh of relief," Captain Hall said. "With the very little broken English that we could make out ... they would just say, 'Please bring more, please bring more.'--"

That sentiment hasn't been shared by Myanmar's ruling junta, which has refused much of the aid offered by the United States since the cyclone struck.

As they flew over southeast Myanmar, the plane's crew saw the devastation caused by the cyclone.

Captain Kozlowski said the fields surrounding Yangon were flooded and some villages still appeared uninhabitable because of floodwaters.

Trees had been thrown around and many houses had been knocked over, Captain Hall said.

Captain Hall said he only saw one truck on the roads during the flight.

Because of heavy damage to the country's transportation system, many areas of the country have been largely cut off, forcing Myanmar's government to distribute supplies by boat.

The U.S. Navy withdrew a fleet of ships carrying relief supplies from near the coast of Myanmar late last week. After three weeks, Myanmar had not given the ships permission to dock, citing concerns about U.S. intervention and insisting that the government could take care of the relief efforts without the United States.

The U.S. military has now offered Myanmar the use of 22 helicopters. Lt. Gen. John Goodman, the commander of Marine Forces Pacific, said late last week that the helicopters could bring aid to most of the country's remote areas within three days.

To date, Myanmar's government has only allowed the United States to deliver aid on cargo planes. The United States had delivered 2.2 million pounds of supplies on 116 flights by Friday, Lieutenant Goodman said.

Three weeks and five flights after the first relief mission to Myanmar, Lieutenant Kozlowski was promoted to captain and relocated to Anchorage for a training exercise.

Captain Kozlowski, 26, graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2004 with a degree in business management, having earned four varsity letters as a defenseman on the Air Force hockey team.

In three years as a pilot, he has served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and flown missions in Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, and Singapore.

He has eight years remaining with the Air Force and has not yet decided whether to re-enlist or return to civilian life.

Captain Kozlowski said it's missions like the ones in Myanmar that have made his time in the Air Force rewarding.

"It's easy to get up for missions when you know your actions will have a direct impact," he said

June 19, 2008 Thursday 2:35 AM EST

ROKAF, USAF JOIN FORCES FOR MAX THUNDER EXERCISE

BYLINE: US Fed News

LENGTH: 671 words

DATELINE: KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea

The U.S. Pacific Air Forces issued the following news release:

By Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan

8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Airmen and aircraft from units across Pacific Air Forces descended on Kunsan Air Base to participate in exercise Max Thunder here June 16 to 20.

Hosted at Kunsan Air Base, Max Thunder is a bilateral training exercise intended to increase interoperability between the Republic of Korea and the United States Air Force's.

"We live here together ... we will go together. It's important that we exercise together," said Col. J. Bryan "Wolf" Bearden, 8th Fighter Wing commander. "There's so much that we have to learn by working together, that's what makes this week so very important."

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, B-52 Stratofortresses, E-3 Sentries and KC-135 Stratotankers, flew multiple training missions alongside ROKAF F-15Ks, KF-16s and (R)F-4s, designed to replicate the scenarios and planning cycles of the Red Flag ahead of the ROKAF's participation in the exercise held annually at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

"The Red Flag exercise itself will be a tremendous training opportunity for the ROKAF," said Gen. Howie Chandler, PACAF commander, during his visit to Kunsan June 17.

According to Capt. Chris Hubbard, 8th Operations Group, while Korean and American Airmen regularly work together at Kunsan, the Max Thunder exercise marked the first the two Air Forces had flown together in such large numbers.

"We work together on a daily basis, but this is the first time that we've been able to work together on such a large scale-with that many aircraft flying together," said the Captain. "We get to plan together, brief together, fly together and de-brief together. And we learn from each other throughout all those opportunities."

"The sheer number of aircraft and participants made this exercise a little different," said Captain Hubbard. "Consequently, safety was a primary concern."

"It's a small airspace and trying to get that many aircraft in there at the same time is always going to be difficult," he said. "We use the same tactics that we'll do on our daily training missions, but the administration-getting to the airspace, getting back from the airspace, and making sure everybody's safe when we're out there with that many aircraft-is the biggest challenge."

In addition to the 8th FW and ROKAF aircraft normally stationed here, Kunsan also hosted F-15Es and Airmen from the 389th Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Maj. Matt Baugh from 389th Fighter Squadron highlighted the challenges involved with so many aircraft in the air.

"One of the challenges of an exercise of this size is integrating with so many different airframes," said Major Baugh. "In normal training missions we fly with four jets together, sometimes eight. [During Max Thunder] we're talking upwards of 50 or 60 jets and aircrew all working together, which is challenging."

"It also prepares them [ROKAF] for the style of briefing, de-briefing and training that they'll get at Red Flag," added 1st Lt. Sriram Krishnan, an F-15 weapons systems officer with the 389th FS. "This is the first time they'll get to see that, on a smaller scale."

"Another goal of the exercise was to allow 8th Fighter Wing Airmen to practice bedding down USAF aircraft as well as the ROKAF aircraft deploying to Kunsan," said General Chandler.

"It also allows the ROKAF to practice their deployment procedures which will help them as they deploy to Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base," added General Chandler. "Secondly it gives us [the USAF and ROKAF] an opportunity to work together in terms of interoperability and how we work together on the Peninsula."

However, the common goal of all the Airmen involved, was one of teamwork-from mission planning, briefing, flying and de-briefing, the two Air Forces worked as partners.

"No matter what our future holds, what we can guarantee today is that through this exercise, we'll be able to operate together better," concluded Colonel Bearden.

June 24, 2008 Tuesday

TAQ2406.004 Singapore, US conduct annual maritime exercise

SECTION: NATIONWIDE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LENGTH: 119 words

DATELINE: Hanoi June 24

The Singapore Armed Forces, the United States Navy, and the United States Coast Guard began their 14 th annual training exercise on June 23, news reports said.

The 10-day exercise, which will end on July 3, will focus on conventional maritime competencies in anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, maritime air operations, and maritime security operations, news reports cited a statement from the Singapore's Defence Ministry as saying.

Land, sea and air elements from the two armed forces, totalling 1,400 personnel, 14 ships, five aircrafts, and one submarine, are being deployed for the exercise.

The US-Singapore Cooperation Afloat readiness and training (CARAT) exercise has been carried out since 1995.

July 28, 2008 Monday

SINGAPORE'S STEALTH FRIGATE FIRES HARPOON MISSILE IN WAR EXERCISE

LENGTH: 235 words

from BERNAMA, The Malaysian National News Agency SINGAPORE, July 28 (Bernama) - A Singapore naval stealth frigate successfully fired a Harpoon anti-ship missile in a war exercise off the coast of Hawaii in the United States.

The RSS Steadfast, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s naval strike ship which was commissioned early this year, fired the missile during a two-month naval exercise hosted by the United States Navy.

This is Singapore's first participation in the multilateral Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise which involves the naval forces of Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Peru, the United Kingdom and the U.S. from yesterday until Thursday.

A total of 35 ships, six submarines, 150 aircraft and 20,000 personnel from the maritime forces of the 10 nations were involved in the exercise.

In a statement here, Singapore's Defence Ministry said the RSS Steadfast participated in the onshore planning phase and the 22-day sea phase exercise which covered combined anti-submarine and air defence exercises including the live-firing of the missile off the Hawaiian coast on July 14.

It said the exercise had validated RSS Steadfast's ability to conduct sustained sea operations.

Exercise RIMPAC 08 was aimed at enhancing the interoperability among the participating nations through high intensity and complex maritime operations, the Ministry said.

August 5, 2008 Tuesday

BRUNEI CARAT TRAINING EXERCISE

LENGTH: 560 words

The opening ceremony of the CARAT 2008 training exercise was held yesterday at the Royal Brunei Air Force in Rimba.

Deputy Commander Royal Brunei Air Force, Colonel (U) Jofri Bin Hj Abdullah who delivered a speech said, "The CARAT Exercise is one of the main events in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Character.

This year's CARAT is the 14th series of exercises between the United State Navy and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

CARAT is an annual bilateral series of military training exercise between the US Navy and several Southeast Asian nations, including Brunei, to bolster interoperability of the participating forces in a variety of mission areas.

CARAT 2008 with the United State Navy is one of the encouraging exercises for the officers of Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

The interaction allows both navies to develop professional relationships and personal friendships along the way.

"We have passed 13 years of excellent cooperation between our two armed forces, and CARAT remains a highpoint of bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries, which grows from strength to strength with every passing year," said Colonel (L) Jofri.

He said this year's exercise would incorporate a simulated national tasking for the Disaster and Emergency Response Symposiums, Peace Support Training and Search and Rescue Course for the Royal Brunei Air Force Air Crew.

"We must be prepared to work as a team when the need arises and interoperability is the key to a successful operation in the event that both elements from the US Navy and Royal Brunei Armed Forces require to work in a combined environment in response to crisis in the region in the future," he said.

Nora W Tyson, Commander, Logistic Group, Western Pacific and senior commanding officer of the combined task forces ships said, "We are looking forward to developing friendship during the CARAT 2008 exercises, as it will give us another tremendous opportunity to build a partnership between the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the United States Navy.

"CARAT represents an ideal venue for us to address the spectrum of challenges that we face today and ensure to prepare to respond not just individual operating units but its cooperating regional partners and any circumstance of environment.

"Working together with our partners now we realise that the advantages of joining forces and sharing experiences is the best effect to secure the maritime domain and the best response of regional process," she said.

A diverse range of jungle, pier-side and at-sea events are planned during the week-long exercise to further develop skills of mutual benefit, according to a Royal Brunei Armed Forces statement.

This also includes a community service project and several lined-up symposiums covering Military Operations and Law, Counter Surveillance Detection System, Disaster and Emergency Response and Media.

Participating in CARAT 2008 are representatives from the Fire and Rescue Services, National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Police Marine, Attorney General Chambers, Fisheries, local media, Royal Customs and Excise and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

CARAT Brunei is the sixth phase of the 2008 series following the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Brunei CARAT Exercise has an important role in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, to build up a relationship between countries.

August 11, 2008 Monday

India to join Air Force training exercises in Nev.

BYLINE: By OSKAR GARCIA, Associated Press Writer

SECTION: DOMESTIC NEWS

LENGTH: 549 words

DATELINE: LAS VEGAS

India's military pilots are expected to participate for the first time in Air Force training exercises above the Nevada desert, marking another step in steadily improving U.S. relations with the Asian subcontinent nation since the Sept 11 terrorist attacks.

South Korean and French pilots will also take part in the combat exercises that begin Monday and will put about 65 airplanes in the skies over two weeks, Air Force officials said.

"This particular Air Force exercise is important because India is included among some very important allies," said Christine Fair, a South Asia specialist at the RAND Corp., a nonprofit think tank. "This is definitely an extension of an arc that has been mapped out since 2000, and it really signifies that what India and the United States have is a strategic relationship."

The Indian and U.S. militaries had little interaction during the Cold War, when India was more closely aligned to the Soviet Union and the United States was seen as an ally of Pakistan, India's neighbor and rival.

But relations have improved, with increasing political, economic and military ties. The Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and the subsequent fight against terrorism brought the two sides even closer.

Military ties have expanded rapidly since then, with a series of joint exercises in the air, on land and at sea. Analysts believe that the U.S. is eager to use India as a counterbalance to China in the region.

India is also extremely worried about China's growing military and political influence in the region and has upped its military spending.

The strongest negative reaction to the joint military exercises would most likely come not from China, but from North Korea, said Dr. Jing-dong Yuan, a nonproliferation expert at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

"Pyongyang, through its state-run news agency, the Korean Central News Agency, has consistently and passionately criticized such ventures accusing the United States of harboring hostile intentions toward North Korea," Yuan said. "Beijing would likely remain reticent (about) such training since it does not see itself as directly and imminently affected by such activities."

The Air Force exercises are not designed to target any specific country or threat, but to test how the forces would work together during large scale missions, said Capt. Marcus Wilson, team chief for the exercises.

"We will learn how our allies operate in response to similar threats," Wilson said in a statement. "It will allow us to build observations to eventually learn those lessons about what it takes to integrate, talk, fly with, employ, deploy and sustain air power with places like India, Korea and France."

Wilson said more than 1,000 people would participate in simulations ranging from bomb-dropping to hostage rescue.

A growing military alliance between the U.S. and India would be welcomed by U.S. firms eager to get a share of the arms market in India, where Russia has long been the

prime supplier. India has already agreed to buy six of Lockheed's C-130J Hercules airlift aircraft for roughly $1 billion.

Boeing Corp. and Lockheed Martin are among those bidding on a $10 billion deal with India to supply 126 fighter aircraft.

Associated Press writer Gavin Rabinowitz contributed to this report from New Delhi.

August 19, 2008 Tuesday

SINGAPORE PARTICIPATES IN ANTI-TERRORISM NAVAL EXERCISE

LENGTH: 269 words

from BERNAMA, The Malaysian National News Agency SINGAPORE, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is taking part in the annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) exercise, which is currently being held in the region with the United States Navy (USN) and navies from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

SEACAT, which was first held in 2002, is a series of annual exercises by the USN and navies of Southeast Asian countries to enhance maritime information- sharing and the coordination of maritime security responses.

Singapore's Defence Ministry said today the Singapore leg of SEACAT 08 is being conducted for three days and would end tomorrow.

As part of the exercise, ships transiting through Singapore waters would be tracked and liaison officers from the RSN and other navies on board a USN platform would compile and analyse the data to create a shared maritime picture for enhanced situational awareness.

Other drills include the boarding of US civil resource ships participating in the exercise as merchant vessels suspected of terrorist activities.

Singapore is taking part in this year's exercise with patrol vessels from the RSN, Police Coast Guard (PCG) patrol boats, a joint RSN-PCG Accompanying Sea Security Team (ASSeT), and maritime patrol aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

Personnel from the Shipping Control Squadron of the RSN's Coastal Command, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority are also taking part in the exercise.

October 23, 2008 Thursday 6:51 AM EST

UTAH PARTICIPATES IN COOPERATIVE SPIRIT 2008

BYLINE: US Fed News

LENGTH: 2413 words

DATELINE: HOHENFELS, Germany

The National Guard issued the following news release:

By Lt. Col. Hank McIntire

Utah National Guard

The Utah Army National Guard and about 1,800 active-duty Soldiers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand recently trained together in Germany as part of Cooperative Spirit 2008.

The month-long exercise was sponsored by the Armies of the United States (America), Britain and Canada or ABCA and tested the interoperability of the major English-speaking militaries of the world.

Significantly less visible, but equally important cogs in the ABCA machinery were about 60 Soldiers from the Utah National Guard, who augmented the mayor's cell, the entity responsible for providing the logistical and maintenance support to the exercise.

The Utah contingent from the Training Site Command at Camp Williams, Utah formed the backbone of the operation, running the forward operating base here at Hohenfels' Camp Albertshof.

Their responsibilities included housing, feeding, equipping, issuing ammunition, transporting, showcasing, offering gym and Internet services and providing medical care to the Soldiers of the five ABCA member nations.

Starting with just nine members of the Utah Guard's advance party on Sept. 3, officer-in-charge Maj. Stephan Jarvis and his team of miracle workers built a framework of goods and services that underpinned the entire operation.

"I brought some good people; they knew what they were doing," said Jarvis. "There was a small number of us and a whole bunch of them. We had to do the work of 50 people, prep the ground for 2,000 more and clean up after 3,000 others who just left."

It was a gargantuan task, but it was also one that was tailor-made for Utah's Training Site Command, said their commander, Col. Robert Dunton.

"It's a pure M-Day (part-time) organization that helps support Army Garrison Camp Williams," said Dunton. "Our mission is warfight support, and a mayor's cell is what Army Garrison Camp Williams basically is."

Col. Gregory Berry, mayor or commander of FOB Albertshof said working FOB operations has been one of the unit's primary specialties. "They hit the ground running, knowing that we were behind the proverbial eight ball.

"We already had units on the ground, so they got everything up and running relatively quickly and efficiently."

Housing, Feeding, Equipping, Fueling

Ensuring that every Soldier in the exercise had "beans, bullets, beds" and whatever else they needed to survive in a training environment was Master Sgt. Clair Hugie, a 37-year veteran of the Utah Guard, affectionately known as 'Innkeeper' at Camp Williams for his many years of service overseeing life-support operations there.

Hugie recalled "bouncing like a rubber ball from one end of the installation to the other" during the first few days of the exercise as he and his staff sorted out a myriad of issues that exercise leaders needed solved:

* Arranging for delivery and installation of modified adapters on individual and crew-served weapons so that the Australians and New Zealanders (Kiwis) could use the U.S.-provided MILES gear in their training.

* Relocating fuel distribution points for the U.K. and Australians to make the most efficient use of vehicles, fueling equipment and travel time.

* Coordinating the pickup of Coalition Soldiers at Munich Airport when planned-for buses suddenly became unavailable

* Receiving shipments of supplies and equipment at all hours, signing trucks in, unloading their cargoes and escorting them off post

* Dealing with five different countries and their expectations for food and rations

Being pulled in so many directions, Hugie quickly adopted this mantra: "You bring the problem to me, and we'll fix it or we'll find someone who can."

One afternoon about midway through the exercise, Hugie received a call from Jarvis, telling him to come immediately to the briefing building.

Upon arriving, Hugie found Lt. Gen. Gary Speer, deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Europe waiting for him. Speer told the packed room what a tremendous job Hugie had

done in supporting the Cooperative Spirit exercise and presented him with his personal coin in appreciation for his efforts.

"It made me feel good in one aspect," said Hugie a few days later, "but the only thing that makes me look good is the people underneath me. So I'm thinking, 'How can I quarter this thing out?' I'm not the only one who should get the recognition. I give the taskings, and they're the ones who take care of it."

Ammunition

Serving as gatekeeper for "bombing up the blokes," the Australian equivalent for the issuing of ammunition, was Kearns resident Master Sgt. Michael Mellenthin, senior logistics technician at Camp Williams' Training Site Command.

Drawing on his 38 years of service, Mellenthin and his team, consisting of Sgt. Douglas Miller and Spc. Scott Young, both 89B ammunitions explosives handlers, oversaw the safety and security of the ammunition of the five nations involved in Cooperative Spirit.

While some nations shipped and controlled their own ammunition for the exercise, the Ammunition Holding Area had the ultimate responsibility for assuring compatibility, safe storage and proper use of munitions through enforcement of safety messages, regulations and ensuring that residue and ammunition are not stored together.

With safety messages, regulations and compatibility charts plastered all over the wall of the AHA, Mellenthin's Soldiers' familiarity with the letter of the law allowed them to identify potential problems.

In one case, a unit expressed the intent to delink their ammunition and use it in the shoothouse. Young knew that the plan was not in accordance with AR 385-63, Range Safety, and he brought the issue to the attention of the exercise leadership, who resolved the problem through the chain of command.

In another situation the Australians wanted to use some training hand grenades for a building-clearing exercise. Mellenthin said once they were made aware that the U.S. grenades threw off small fragments of the fuze up to 30 meters, creating a shrapnel hazard, they opted not to use them, saying, "It's good, mate. No problem."

"They weren't aware of these things because they're a different nation," said Mellenthin. "They don't work with our ammo."

Acknowledging that technical expertise is critical to AHA operations, Mellenthin believes that the ability to work with ABCA partners and the installation staff is the key to success.

Transportation

Coordinating the use of fuel, scheduled maintenance and vehicle sign-out and turn-in at the Hohenfels motorpool was Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Smith of Training Site Command. A full-time technician at Camp Williams with 12 service stripes on his sleeve (36-plus years) and a maintenance background, Smith had to shift gears slightly in taking on this job, but he had a good staff to work with.

Among Smith's deep bench was Sgt. 1st Class Alma Lund. One of the unit's few remaining Vietnam veterans, Lund is employed by the city of Ephraim as a vehicle maintenance supervisor.

Using his deployment and civilian work experience, "he brought a little bit of logic to it all," said Smith. "He knows what to look for. If there's a problem he's more likely to recognize it. He often said, 'Let's stop and think about what we're doing.'"

Having to adjust from initial agreements and expectations with contractors, as well as dealing with eight different units with their own thoughts on how things ought to go, serving in Iraq as a transportation NCO with the 115th Engineer Group in 2004-2005 came in handy for Smith.

"Deployment experience helps to have the patience to approach situations in a level-headed manner," he said.

Smith also believes that the experience gained at Hohenfels will help him with his job back home.

"With my background in maintenance, this has given me more insight into the logistics side of this," he said.

Visitors Bureau

Augmenting the Combined Visitors Bureau for the ABCA exercise were officers and NCOs from the Utah National Guard.

Their responsibilities included hosting distinguished visitors, transporting them to various locations to observe the training, coordinating briefings, meals, and other events and ensuring that proper rules of protocol were followed for the senior-level civilian and military visitors from the five countries.

Master Sgt. Reid Jarrett, assigned to the Utah Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters, was noncommissioned officer in charge of the CVB. He and his Soldiers were responsible for setting up work schedules, coordinating transportation, compiling visitor bios and preparing briefings.

As part of the process of transporting their guests, Jarrett and his Soldiers had to sign out the buses from the motor pool because no one at the post visitor's bureau was qualified to drive them.

"I own semis, so I can drive," said Jarrett. "We own these vehicles on the outside. These are hometown guys used to running their own businesses and not being told everything to do. When something comes up we just grab it by the horns and go with it. That's just the way we roll around here."

Medical Aid Station

Heading up the medical aid station was Lt. Col. Kenneth Wade, medical officer for the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade of the Utah National Guard.

Wade, who is slated to retire at the end of this year with 38 years of service, works as a physician's assistant in Logan, Utah.

The medical staff includes reserve healthcare professionals from all five nations to include emergency-room doctors from Australia and the U.S., and Canadian and British general practitioners. Each nation has a miniclinic set up within the larger clinic, seeing and treating their own Soldiers.

Bringing together a diverse group of medical professionals such as this has created some challenges to include how to interoperate among the different nations, which is the fundamental purpose for the exercise.

"The different countries have different names for the same medications, and countries' medics have different titles and different trainings than we do," observed Wade, citing one example of a potential roadblock to effective cooperation.

And, of course, there are communication challenges--even among the five so-called English-speaking nations.

"Relations with other countries have been an eye-opener," said Sgt. Jared Cornejo, medical section NCOIC, assigned to 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. "It can potentially become a volatile situation if others misunderstand our intentions. But we haven't seen any of that."

Even with all the differences between countries, the quality of care has remained constant.

"Medically speaking, they pretty much follow the same protocols as we do," said Cornejo. "And I've established rapport with the different officers and NCOs of the different countries. It's a chance to come together and establish these relationships so that when we get on the ground we're not trying to reinvent the wheel."

Administrative Support

Overseeing the administrative support to the exercise was 1st Sgt. Lynn Ostergaard, of American Fork, first sergeant from Training Site Camp Williams. As his Soldiers stepped

into their roles, he sensed some concern from exercise leaders about the Utah Guard's ability to do the job.

"When we first came here they were hesitant to let us take over and run the place," he said. "We knew how to do it. They don't have to follow up on us or remind us to do it. It's just done. It's taken care of."

As already noted, the Utah Guard brought a great deal of maturity to the job. Ostergaard said that Utah Soldiers' average age is 41, with at least one deployment under their belt and service in a variety of multinational operations.

"Even if they don't know the job, they're trained to jump in there and do it," said Ostergaard. "We give them the job, the ownership and the responsibility."

One Soldier who jumped in despite limited experience in administrative tasks was 18-year Guardsman Sgt. Steve Larsen, who works as an electrician in his unit and in his civilian job.

"This job is quite a bit different," he said. We've been thrown in here and had to adapt and learn different ways to do things. It's been a battle to get things done, but we're learning."

Ostergaard praised Soldiers like Larsen for stepping up and doing the heavy lifting to make the exercise a success.

"We haven't had to encourage them to get the job done; they are self-motivated," he said. "They like to show their senior leaders that they know how to do the job. It's just like out in the workforce; you hire good people and you don't have to follow up on them."

Senior NCOs working in the admin cell have also had to adapt to unfamiliar situations. Before he came to Germany, Sgt. 1st Class Keith Cartwright of Training Site Command, was told he would be working in transportation.

However, when he arrived he was asked to fill in for the OPS Staff NCO, who was unable to make the trip.

Ostergaard sees Cartwright as his right-hand man, keeping him busy writing job descriptions for the various positions on the FOB staff, picking up supplies and equipment and ensuring that the Charge of Quarters (CQ) is staffed.

"I'm the last one out of the office at night," said Cartwright.

A seasoned Guardsman with more than 20 years in the Guard, Cartwright served in support of Operation Noble Eagle with the 1-145th Field Artillery at Dugway and Deseret Chemical, providing security for the Nation's stockpile of chemical weapons in 2002-2003.

"It was the best thing that ever happened in my life," he said. "Having to lead 43 men [as a platoon sergeant], I didn't have time to worry about myself. Learning to deal with people on the deployment has helped me here."

Cartwright has applied that experience to work though the institutional rivalry that sometimes crops up between the active and reserve components.

"Our Soldiers have developed relationships with their active-duty counterparts," he said. "In one case one of my Soldiers broke the ice with a senior officer by talking about hunting and sports.

"We even made a birthday cake for Lt. Col. Chipchase (an active-duty officer in the Mayor's cell). These are people we didn't know two weeks ago. And now we've become quite close to them."

Ostergaard believes that his Soldiers will take away a sense of pride that they can hold their own with the regular Army.

"[Initially], the Army is hesitant about the National Guard, but they just love us when we get ready to leave," he said. "They always ask, 'When can you come back and work for us again?'"

December 5, 2008 Friday

Welcome

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LENGTH: 288 words

home

Lieutenant James Atkinson shares a magical moment as he is reunited with his baby son, Sam. Pictures: Able Seaman Photographer Morgana Salabert. |Able Seaman Erol Williams with his sons.

Awaiting the return of HMAS Waller.

THE Royal Australian Navys Collins Class submarine HMAS Waller returned to its home port at Garden Island last week after six months away the longest deployment carried out by a Collins Class submarine.

A navy spokesman said the deployment involved a variety of training exercises in the United States and South East Asia, as well as port visits to support regional ties.

The submarine took part in the major international exercise, Rim of the Pacific hosted by the United States Navy, in waters off Hawaii in July, he said.

This is a biennial exercise to improve the inter-operability of regional navies in a variety of maritime activities.

During the exercise, Waller carried out the first-ever live firing of a MK48 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) torpedo sinking the ex-USS Fletcher.

The submarine also took part in Exercise Lungfish, an exercise specifically for submarines, where a US Navy submarine and an RAN submarine put each others skills to the test off the oceans of Hawaii.

Both exercises were extremely successful, with Waller continuing to strengthen relationships with Australias allies and enhance the inter-operability with their defence forces.

The submarine crew visited several ports during the deployment, including Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, Guam, Kota Kinabalu and Singapore, and enjoyed diversions including sport, tours and charity activities.

More than 100 families and friends greeted the crew on their return, looking forward to spending Christmas and New Year with them.

December 18, 2008 Thursday 11:21 PM EST

UNITED KINGDOM: HMS KENT SAILS HOME FROM THE FAR EAST

BYLINE: US Fed News

LENGTH: 422 words

DATELINE: LONDON

The government of United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence's Royal Navy issued the following news release:

The crew of HMS Kent arrived home just in time for Christmas when the ship sailed in to a royal reception at Portsmouth this week, after returning from a six-month deployment to South East Asia and the Far East.

His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, brother of the ship's sponsor, Princess Alexandra, and Honorary Rear Admiral of the Royal Naval Reserve, met the Type 23 frigate when she anchored in the Solent on Monday 15 December 2008. The Prince spent a couple of hours on board and met some the 174 crew before the ship began her short journey into Portsmouth Naval Base.

HMS Kent sailed from the UK on 1 June 2008 and visited China, Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and many more countries, demonstrating the UK's ongoing commitment to the region.

Kent conducted several high-level, multi-national exercises with navies from the United States, China, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.

A key role for the frigate has been maritime security, which encourages security and stability at sea by combating challenges such as drug-trafficking, terrorism and international crime.

HMS Kent's Commanding Officer, Commander Simon Hopper, said:

I am extremely proud of the hard work my team have put in over the last seven months. They have done everything possible to ensure that HMS Kent has represented the UK and the Royal Navy with absolute professionalism half-way around the world.

"We have visited some fascinating countries during our deployment, but nothing beats the feeling of coming home to see families and friends waiting on the jetty and the chance to see 'Pompey' [Portsmouth Football Club] playing live at Fratton Park again."

For many of the crew, it was the first time they will have deployed to the Far East, and for some it was their first deployment away from home. In between a busy schedule of operations, exercises and defence diplomacy visits, the crew took the opportunity to explore some of the tourist sites along the way and undertake some adventurous training, with some of them scaling the heights of Mount Fuji and going on elephant rides in the Sri Lankan jungle.

Commissioned by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra on 8 June 2000, HMS Kent is a Type 23 (Duke Class) frigate, one of the most advanced ships in the Royal Navy. With a complement of 174 officers and ratings she carries a broad array of modern weapons and sensors including a Lynx helicopter that can be used in a variety of roles.

December 19, 2008 Friday

ADMIRAL TIMOTHY KEATING (USN) HOLDS FPC BRIEFING WITH ADMIRAL KEATING ON ASIA-PACIFIC U.S. MILITARY OVERVIEW

LENGTH: 4727 words

ADMIRAL TIMOTHY KEATING HOLDS A NEWS BRIEFING AT THE FOREIGN PRESS CENTER, AS RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT

DECEMBER 18, 2008

SPEAKER: ADMIRAL TIMOTHY KEATING (USN), COMMANDER, U.S. PACIFIC COMMAND

[*] MODERATOR: Hello, and welcome to the Washington Foreign Press Center. Please turn off your cell phones and any electronic devices at this time.

Today, we have for you Admiral Tim Keating, who is the U.S. Pacific Command Commander, who is going to deliver an Asia-Pacific U.S. military overview briefing.

Without further ado, here is the admiral.

ADM. KEATING: Thank you, Andy. And good morning to all of you. As Andy mentioned, I'm Admiral Tim Keating, Commander of the United States Pacific Command. I've been there for about two years. I am, as you can tell, an officer in the United States Navy. I've been in uniform for almost 40 years now.

This is an exciting time for us all. I'd take a few minutes here in the beginning to go over a couple of broad points, and then very much look forward to sharing your questions.

In the United States Pacific Command, we have a strategy that has, as its absolute centerpiece, three important points: partnership, presence, and military readiness. I mentioned that this was an interesting time for us as we go through administration transition. I would point out the obvious, that having been in uniform for 40 years, this is not our first transition of administrations, and we have begun a process of working with President-elect Obama's transition teams and have found those discussions to be very interesting and engaging.

Our aforementioned strategy -- we attempt to accomplish a couple of things by publishing our strategy and emphasizing it. We want everybody in our area of responsibility, AOR, to know that we're committed to security, stability and prosperity all throughout our region, which covers over half of the surface of the earth.

We're going to remain present and engaged throughout the area of responsibility, and we want to emphasize to our friends and allies that we will be there in the years ahead, as we have been there for decades in the past, and we want them to be confident and comfortable in our ability to respond across the entire spectrum of operations, should the opportunities arise.

We are emphasizing additionally that our strategy is inextricably linked to U.S. government policy and strategic guidance. We want to sustain this remarkable level of stability and continuity throughout the region while responding to significant regional pressures and addressing the enduring challenges that each country faces throughout our area of responsibility.

The global supply chains rely on freedom of access to the maritime and air domains, and we concentrate on sustaining and maintaining that freedom of access. We emphasize also, to a much greater degree than perhaps in years past, the fact that this will be an interagency, intergovernmental process and not just military-to- military. We rely increasingly on nongovernmental organizations and private industry partners to help us sustain the stability and enhance the security, improving the prosperity all throughout the region.

Thanks very much. I'll be happy to take your questions. MODERATOR: Please wait for the microphone, which may be coming from either side, and state your name and publication.

QUESTION: Thank you, Admiral. My name is Vincent Chen with the United Daily News, Taiwan .

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: Good morning. Given the current situation in the Taiwan Strait, does PACOM, or do you still regard Taiwan Strait as one of the flash points in the East Asia and Pacific region? And is there any sign showing that, you know, China has changed or rearranged its posture, military posture, against Taiwan ?

ADM. KEATING: Let me take them in reverse order, Vincent.

We watch very carefully the militaries of all of our friends, partners, allies and other countries in our region. We have seen some changes in China 's military posture, but I don't think I would characterize them as significant.

That said, we are pleased with the progress being made by China and Taiwan in reducing the tension across the Strait in the issues where we see progress can be in some ways not great strategic shifting of tectonic movement, necessarily -- China sending pandas to Taiwan; increased capability to send mail across the Strait; the improvement in cross-Strait transportation capabilities and access; the sociological changes that are going on where young men and women on various sides are falling in love with one another, and it's increasingly easy to do so.

All of these recommend to us a decrease in tension across the Strait, and we are gratified by that decrease. That said, we still pay close attention to the Strait, as we do many other regions in our area.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Admiral. My name is Shogo Kawakita with Kyodo News, Japanese Newswire Service.

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: Good morning. I have two questions, if I may. One is on China-U.S. relations. As we know, the Chinese authorities have notified U.S. authority, [in the] Pentagon, to postpone or cancel the military- to-military exchanges by the end of November. And now we are passing the end of October (sic). And do you have any update on that? And that's first.

And related to this, it's my understanding Ambassador Edelman also told the Chinese authorities to postpone the defense dialogue of this year until the Obama administration would be ready to take stock. And you could also say something about this, some updates on this.

And second question is you once mentioned in New York that deployment of 8,000 troops in Japan to Guam would be delayed beyond scheduled time period. But after your comment, Pentagon official immediately denied your comment. Would you respond to that? Thank you very much.

ADM. KEATING: It is a fact that the Chinese suspended mil-to-mil dialogue with Department of Defense in general and U.S. Pacific Command as the agency perhaps most frequently involved in that dialogue. We are hopeful, cautiously optimistic, that the Chinese will resume all the mil-to-mil dialogue and personnel exchanges and visits that had been suspended, and we have hopes that this suspension will be rescinded in the very near future.

The movement of forces off of Guam -- our administration's policy is clear. The Defense Policy Review Initiative, as agreed to by the United States and Japan , remains in effect. That calls for the movement of 8,000, as you know; 8,000 Marines and a number of dependents and thousands out of Okinawa to Guam . And the policy is still in effect.

My comments were based on the likelihood of the potential -- not likelihood -- the potential for a minor delay. I don't know that that potential is any greater or less today than it was when I made my comments in New York City . But the administration's policy is clear that we will adhere to the Defense Policy Review Initiative.

QUESTION: John Zang with CTI TV, Taiwan .

ADM. KEATING: Hi, John.

QUESTION: Admiral, this question may have been asked; I'm a little bit late. The former vice defense minister of Taiwan, Mr. Lin Chong-pin, said that, given the relaxation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait and given the fact that the three major links have

started, the risk of a military conflict across the Taiwan Strait has been reduced to close to zero.

Do you share his optimism? And are you sleeping better now? (Laughter.) Thank you, sir.

ADM. KEATING: Yeah. Thank you, John.

I slept well last night, but I sleep well most every night. (Scattered laughter.) I'm fortunate in that regard. And we talked in my earlier remarks about the peace and stability and prosperity that are prevalent throughout our region. That's not to say we take any of those for granted, and I'm sure the same holds true for Taiwan as it does in China and all of the countries in our area of responsibility. So I sleep well at night because of the great work done by thousands, hundreds of thousands, of men and women all throughout our area of responsibility.

I think it unmistakable that tensions have decreased across the Strait in the last couple of months. That said, I wouldn't put -- you know, I think you characterize it as near zero. I'd rather not put a number against it. I would just say we are grateful for the effort being put forth by the Chinese and the Taiwans to continue dialogue in seeking some sort of resolution to the cross-Strait challenge. And we're grateful for those efforts.

QUESTION: Jay Park with Radio Free Asia .

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: Admiral, thank you for your decades of service for the regional security.

ADM. KEATING: Thank you. It's a privilege.

QUESTION: Can you tell us Pacific Command's estimation of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health, the current condition? And concerning that, can you tell us about current status of contingency plan discussion among U.S. and other allies? Especially did you start discussion on contingency plan with China about this issue yet?

ADM. KEATING: It's our opinion that Kim Jong-il is alive. As to the particular details attendant to his medical condition, I don't know any more than you in the media provide us. I think he's alive. I think he's relatively in control of his faculties. I'm hardly a doctor and I wouldn't know how to characterize it medically. He's alive, and he remains in control of the North Korean government.

I can't comment on the status of operational plans anywhere in the theater other than to say they exist. We exercise them frequently, and we continue to report on our readiness to execute those plans to the Secretary of Defense and the President frequently.

QUESTION: Good morning, Admiral. Daphne Benoit with Agence France Presse (AFP). I have two questions.

ADM. KEATING: Bonjour.

QUESTION: Bonjour. I have two questions for you. First of all, what's your view on China being ready to send some ships off the coast of Somalia ? Is it a positive development -- do you see this as a positive development? And second QUESTION: Over the few last years, the counter-piracy efforts in the Strait of Malacca seem to have results. Can we -- is there anything to be learned from what has been applied in this region that could help in Somalia ?

ADM. KEATING: Thank you, Daphne. I think those are two great questions.

The first, we are in dialogue with various agencies and commands in an attempt to provide information to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), should their country decide to deploy ships to the Central Command area of responsibility. That is, of course, outside our AOR. But we're also talking to our good friends in the Central Command AOR. I'll meet with General Petraeus within a couple of days -- shorter than that, actually -- to discuss this, amongst other issues.

So we are working with the Chinese to ensure they are aware of the lines of communication that are available to them and to avail them of certain parts of information that we have from our friends in Central Command, should they desire to send ships to the piracy -- the area of piracy most prevalent, which is, of course, the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. I hope the Chinese do, and we'll work closely with them. And I think this augurs well for increased cooperation and collaboration between the Chinese military forces and U.S. Pacific Command forces.

To go back to one of our first questions, I think this could be a springboard for resumption of dialogue between PLA forces and U.S. Pacific Command forces in particular. So I'm cautiously optimistic and hopeful.

You cite a very good example for the power of increased cooperation and collaboration between right-minded countries who want to decrease piracy, whether it is a criminal or terrorist nature in basis. Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia and now Thailand are cooperating across a wider spectrum of operations, and the efficacy of their results is dramatic. Incidents of piracy of two or three years ago were numbered in the several dozens, three or four dozen per year. Those are down in this past year to seven incidents of piracy in the Strait of Malacca .

So by sharing information, by cooperating on an operational basis, by training extensively with each other, not just with the United States but on a bilateral-multilateral basis, those countries are decreasing incidents of piracy across the Strait of Malacca . And we think those lessons learned are, some of them, transferable to the Gulf of Aden . And we're sharing those lessons with our friends at Central Command.

Yes, ma'am.

QUESTION: Just to follow up on that, isn't the situation quite different --

ADM. KEATING: Yes.

QUESTION: -- as far as the countries that you're mentioning are, you know, somewhat more stable than --

ADM. KEATING: And you have hit on the absolute core element that is different in Somalia and the Gulf of Aden in particular.

The pirates have to understand they don't enjoy safe haven when they go back to -- they get a sack of cash from the owners of the vessel. They have to go somewhere to spend the money. Well, if they know they can't get safe haven in, let's say Somalia , that makes it dramatically more difficult for them to operate in the coast off of Somalia .

So you're absolutely right. The fact that there are standing governments who have rigid adherence to the rule of law in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines makes it much more difficult for the pirates to operate. You're exactly right.

QUESTION: Byungsu Kim, Yonhap News Agency , South Korea .

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: Good morning.

Yeah. Do you -- good morning. Do you think North Korea 's developed a nuclear warhead which is small enough to be loaded on a long-range missile?

Also, do you think North Korea has a long-range missile which can reach the United States ?

ADM. KEATING: The possession by North Korea of nuclear warheads, the -- I'm not going to give you a yes or no answer as to whether I think they do.

I would answer your question this way: We are prepared to deal with that eventuality should it -- that situation present itself. By ballistic -- by increased capabilities in ballistic missile defense, we in the United States Pacific Command are more prepared to address that issue should it develop.

North Korea , I think, does have intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the United States . Remember, that would include Hawaii and territories of the United States in our area of responsibility in the Pacific. So yes, I think they do have that capability.

QUESTION: Thank you, Admiral.

I'm Satoshi Ogawa with Yomiuri Shimbun, and I'd like to ask [whether] Futenma Marine Corps Air Base in Okinawa and Futenma's relocation to Camp Schwab plan is behind schedule.

And my question is, are you confident in that relocation? And if Japan will not meet the agreement again, would you consider to quit the Marine Corps relocation to Guam ?

ADM. KEATING: It won't be my decision to advocate any part of the Defense Policy Review Initiative. That will be made by our National Command Authority here in Washington , D.C.

I am aware that the progress of work on the Futenma replacement facility is behind schedule. And that is what leads me to say I understand DPRI. It is our country's policy, it is Japan 's policy.

I wouldn't be surprised if delays that are already occurring don't result in a slide a little bit to the right in execution of DPRI, as it's very much a matter of national policy between the United States and Japan as to long -- execution of DPRI writ large.

QUESTION: (Off mike.) As far as, I believe, that you emphasized trilateral cooperation among America and Japan and South Korea . How will you apply that to the strategy towards North Korea ?

ADM. KEATING: We just came from a conversation at the State Department, which centered upon progress in the Six-Party Talks. Of course, instrumental to that progress has been the cooperation and collaboration of all of those parties. To slightly varying degrees, perhaps somewhat less cooperation by the North Koreans themselves, but we are very much encouraged by the process and the progress.

The fact that these countries -- the participants in the Six- Party Talks -- sit down, have rational, reasonable discussions and agree on a way ahead is very encouraging to us. And that, of course, includes South Korea and Japan .

We just saw participation by those two countries' navies and the United States Navy in a search and rescue exercise off the coast of Hawaii , which was an inaugural event for those three nations to have navies participate in a multilateral exercise.

The exercise went very well. It has led to staff talks, including the United States , Japan and Korea , which were successful and recently concluded. So I am encouraged by the progress being made on a trilateral basis.

QUESTION: Hi Admiral, Nadia Chow with The Liberty Times.

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: Yeah, good morning.

We heard -- actually, it's not a rumor anymore, that China is building a carrier. And we see some, actually, solid progress. We heard their generals or admirals have commented on it.

I don't know if PACOM is monitoring the latest developments and have an assessment, you know, what the impact would be. Thanks.

ADM. KEATING: This is a topic that gets a modest amount of conversation. When I meet with our good friends in the media, the People's Republic of China 's plans to develop an aircraft carrier in particular, and that capability writ large.

I go back to a conversation I had on my first visit to China over a year ago when a Chinese admiral said to me, when we build our carrier, how about we make a deal: You stay east of Hawaii, we'll stay west of Hawaii and we can save you the time and the expense of coming all the way to the western Pacific. You tell us what happens where you are, we'll tell you what happens where we are and everything will be hunky-dory. I declined his offer.

I don't know how serious he was in terms of expressing a division of the Pacific. I do believe the Chinese are serious in considering development of aircraft carrier capabilities. As I told our Chinese host that morning, it's not as easy as it looks. We've been at this for decades and decades. I have a little bit of experience flying on and off carriers and employing carrier battle tactics. It's complex, it's complicated, it's an intensely demanding regime and it's a dangerous regime and it's a very expensive undertaking.

If the Chinese choose to pursue aircraft carrier technology, we will -- as we are now -- monitor very carefully that development. We would ask that they be increasingly transparent with us -- more transparent with us -- so we can understand their intention. When I proposed to the Chinese an increased statement of intention, they come back and say, well, we only want to protect those things that are ours, which is fair enough. So too do we, so too do all of the countries who have access to the maritime domain.

I followed with saying there's lots of room in the Pacific, there's lots of room in the Indian Ocean . We want to work with you to enhance maritime security. Your development of aircraft carriers, done in a certain way, could be seen as a threat by some. I don't regard it as a threat today. We are going to watch very carefully to make sure that it doesn't become a threat.

QUESTION: (Off mike.)

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: My name is Yoshinari Kurose from the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

ADM. KEATING: Good morning.

QUESTION: I have a question. It is that -- it is about the Littoral Combat Ship which the United States Navy is now developing.

Could you explain the role of this particular type of ship in the context of the maritime security of the Asian region? Thank you -- Asian Pacific Region. Thank you.

ADM. KEATING: Throughout our region, as I mentioned in my early statements, we will have -- we will emphasize partnership and presence. And there's a saying amongst the junior officers in all of our services. It goes something like, you know, "virtual presence equals actual absence." You've got to be there to be present. It sounds almost trite, but it's absolutely true.

As I move around our region, folks tell me in varying types of statements that they regard the United States as an essential partner. And so we want to demonstrate that partnership by being present. And to be present, you need ships, airplanes, soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen.

The development of follow-on naval platforms by our United States Navy is encouraging to us. We want more ships than less. We want them more capable than less capable. And I think the Littoral Combat Ship represents a reasonable development.

But I would emphasize, it's more capability in number and not specific platform in which we in the Pacific Command are interested. And that goes for ships and airplanes as well.

QUESTION: Good morning. Mike LeVallee from Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS).

ADM. KEATING: Hi Mike.

QUESTION: Just wondering, since you've taken this job a couple years ago I'm sure you've been watching pretty closely North Korea 's military potential and position. Have you noticed any change at all over the last couple of years in their positioning and their -- how they've deployed their forces, particularly with the tension with South Korea building and also within the region some of the times during the Six-Party Talks have not gone as well. And there was some discussion a couple of months ago that they might be getting ready to test a second nuclear device. Did you detect any of that?

ADM. KEATING: We have not, at Pacific Command, changed our military posture in and around South Korea since I have been at Pacific Command. So the first part, to your answer, is we haven't done anything different based on ebb and flow of Six-Party Talks, based on Kim Jong-il's apparent medical challenges, based on recalcitrance of the North Koreans on cross-DMZ traffic.

Writ large we haven't changed our posture other than normal adjustments with Naval forces moving in and out of the area or certain kinds of airplanes coming on and off the peninsula and our Army and Marine forces on and off the peninsula to supplement the --

General Sharp's troops on the peninsula. So a long answer to a short question, we haven't done much different, in particular on a strategic scale, with respect to North Korea .

What was the second part of your question?

QUESTION: The -- it was on speculation of ---

ADM. KEATING: Oh, with the nuclear test. Yeah, I'm better off not commenting on intelligence matters. We're -- and it kind of goes back to the larger issue of North Korea and nukes.

We're prepared to respond across a spectrum that could include nuclear weapons possessed by North Korea , should they have them. And I'm -- I'd rather not address the particulars of a potential nuclear test.

I don't -- think we ask them not to do it. (Laughter.) Should they be able to, we'd ask them not to. That's not to say whether I think they can or not but we would discourage them from conducting those tests.

QUESTION: (Off mike.)

ADM. KEATING: What would be our response? We've got a broad range of responses which are -- that goes back to our readiness, day-to-day readiness, that I report to the Secretary and the President and we're ready.

QUESTION: Admiral, David Morgan from Reuters. Can you give us you assessment, please, of relations between Pakistan and India in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks? And do you think the two countries have successfully avoided the danger of military confrontation?

ADM. KEATING: It's a great question, David, and thank you. I mentioned earlier I would meet with General Dave Petraeus soon. One of the main topics of our conversation will be the Pacific Command and Central Command position on a mil-to-mil basis, vis-a-vis the response -- that's the wrong word -- the position of India and Pakistan following the horrific attacks on Mumbai on Thanksgiving.

We're working closely with Central Command and with Department of State, Office of the Secretary of Defense and the intelligence agencies to make sure we are as fully apprised, as fully aware of developments in that particular part of the world as we can be, and I'm satisfied that we are.

I have been in contact with our ambassador in India , with Indian military leaders, and am grateful for the very measured response that India has demonstrated. We have not done anything significantly different from the Pacific Command in terms of military presence or posture in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

We are working through the initial parts of a package that would -- we would offer to India to help them understand some of the lessons learned that we very painfully learned in the wake of our 11 September attacks, in information sharing, collaboration and cooperation. And I expressed our willingness to provide that to India in my conversations with Indian leaders shortly.

But, I think the most important thing is the very -- the horrific nature of the attacks, the very calm measured response demonstrated by India thus far and our hopes that all throughout our region in particular and all throughout the world, folks will understand that the struggle against violent extremes -- violent extremists continues to this day. Mumbai is just the latest place where the victims number -- innocent victims number in the hundreds. And it remains our foremost objective in the Asia-Pacific Region to deter and prevent those kinds of attacks.

MODERATOR: We have time for one final question. I'll go down right here.

QUESTION: Andrey Bekrenev, ITAR-TASS. Tell me again on Kim Jong- il. The North Korean state news agency today reported that the North Korean authorities have captured the South Korean-hired agent who was (thought ?) to assassinate Kim Jong-il. Admiral, do you have any updated information on that?

ADM. KEATING: The short answer is I do not. (Scattered laughter.) I asked our friends in the State Department and our good friends in DoD, the Pentagon this morning if there was anything late-breaking. This is news to me. I had not heard anything about that.

One more. Anybody? Yes, sir.

MODERATOR: The gentleman in back.

ADM. KEATING: Because I'm such a nice guy. (Scattered laughter.)

QUESTION: Admiral, Li Liu, Voice of America . Good morning, sir.

ADM. KEATING: Good morning. How are you? QUESTION: Good, thank you. You -- earlier you mentioned that the United States will continue to have military presence in East Asia, and many in that region expressed so-called silent support for the United States military presence but they also asked for sensitivity and not taking it for granted. And I remember not too long ago there was a U.S. ship, a military ship that made a docking at a Japanese port and it was protested by Japanese officials. So can you tell us in what way the United States government and your troops are exercising sensitivity and not taking presence as a granted. Thank you.

MR. KEATING: I'll try to answer. I had the great -- my wife and I had the great privilege of living in Yokosuka , Japan for over two years in 1998, 1999 and 2000. It was our first time to be stationed in Japan . We learned firsthand of the remarkable support from the Japanese people. I have participated in many Pearl Harbor memorial ceremonies, right

there this past 7 December, right there on the USS Arizona memorial site. So I have seen firsthand the dramatic progress that the countries of the United States and Japan in particular have made from the dark days of World War II.

We go to great lengths in the Department of Defense, to ensure that our soldiers, sailors, airman, marines, and civilians who are stationed oversea, or who visit overseas are carefully apprised of cultural differences, that we do our level best to observe those cultural differences and capitalize on the remarkable opportunities attendant to permanent overseas basing, whether it's in Japan or Korea or the attaches and folks who we have all throughout our area of responsibility.

So we're very careful to remain culturally sensitive, to observe the customs and morays of those countries where we visit, where we're stationed, where we exercise, and we actively seek more opportunities to do so.

Thanks very much everybody. Good to talk to you. And Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Holidays.

MODERATOR: Thank you all for coming. This event is now concluded.

END