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Excerpts: Proposal:U.S. army to shrink.Iraq signed arms deal with
Excerpts: Proposal:U.S. army to shrink.Iraq signed arms deal with Iran.Nuk=
e =
officers cheating. Morsi accused leaking secrets to Iran. UN Syria aid =
resolution.Egypt government resigns February 24, 2014
+++SOURCE: Al Arabya News 24 Feb.=9214:=94U.S.Army may shrink to smallest s=
ize =
since WWII=94,Staff Writer with Reuters
SUBJECT:Proposal: U.S. army to shrink
QUOTE:=94Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is set to propose reducing the size =
of =
the U.S. military on Monday (24 Feb.)=94
FULL TEXT:The U.S. defense secretary is set to propose Monday[24 Feb.] =
reducing the U.S. army to its smallest size since before the World War Two, =
and removing an entire class of Air Force attack jets, reported the New Yor=
k =
Times.
The reduction of U.S. defense spending stands behind Secretary Chuck Hagel=
=92s =
proposal, following President Barack Obama=92s pledge to end war in Iraq an=
d =
Afghanistan, Pentagon officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the =
newspaper.
“You have to always keep your institution prepared, but you can’t carry a =
large land-war Defense Department when there is no large land war,” A senio=
r =
Pentagon official was quoted by the Times as saying.
The new size would make it critical for the U.S. to carry out two large =
military actions at the same time, too small for long foreign occupations, =
but capable of defending itself.
Hagel is also to recommend a limit on pay raises for the military soldiers, =
higher fees for healthcare benefits, and decreased housing allowances, =
reported the Wall Street Journal.
A joint U.S.-South Korea military drill began on Monday, involving a =
computer-based simulation, as well as air, ground and naval drills, reporte=
d =
the BBC.
The annual exercise is set to continue till April 24, involving over 12,500 =
U.S. troops, added Britain=92s news website.
+++SOURCE: AlArabya News 24 Feb.=9214:=94Documents show Iraq signed arms de=
al =
with Iran=94, by Ahmed Rasheed ,Reuters
SUBJECT: Iraq signed arms deal with Iran
EXCERPTS:Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq arms and ammunition worth $195 =
million, according to documents seen by Reuters – a move that would break a =
U.N. embargo on weapons sales by Tehran.
The agreement was reached at the end of November, the documents showed, jus=
t =
weeks after Iraq=92s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki returned from Washington=
, =
where he lobbied the Obama administration for extra weapons to fight al =
Qaeda-linked militants.
Some in Washington are nervous about providing sensitive U.S. military =
equipment to a country they worry is becoming too close to Iran. Several =
Iraqi lawmakers said Maliki had made the deal because he was fed up with =
delays to U.S. arms deliveries.
A spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister would not confirm or deny the sale=
, =
but said such a deal would be understandable given Iraq’s current security =
troubles.
. . .
The eight contracts signed with Iran are as follows:
* Ammunition for light and medium weapons: $75 million
* Ammunition for tanks artillery and mortars: $57.178 million
* Light and medium weapons and mortar launchers: $25.436 million
* Artillery ammunition type 155 mm: $16.375 million
* Day and night vision goggles and mortar guiding devices: $7.320 million
* Protective equipment against chemical agents: $6.676 million
* Communications equipment: $3.795 million
* M12 USA ammunition 20 X 102 mm: $3 million
+++Saudi Gazette 24 Feb,=9214 Nuke test scores fell flat during alleged =
cheating, Agence France Presse
Last updated: Sunday, February 23, 2014 11:38 PM
Chuck Hagel. =97 AFP
WASHINGTON =97 Last summer, when dozens of nuclear missile officers alleged=
ly =
cheated on exams, test scores were among the lowest of the year, according =
to Air Force records obtained by The Associated Press. That is the opposite =
of what might be expected if answers were being shared as widely as =
officials allege.
Were they inept cheaters? Was there, in fact, no sharing of answers during =
that period? Were test questions so difficult that even the cheating by som=
e =
failed to produce higher-than-usual scores for the group as a whole?
The Air Force isn=92t saying. It notes that tests are not identical each =
month, and thus score =93variances can be expected.=94 The facts of the tai=
nted =
testing are still under investigation by the Air Force Office of Special =
Investigations. It ranks as the worst such scandal in the history of the =
intercontinental ballistic missile force and is among a series of security =
lapses and slip-ups that have plagued the ICBM corps over the past year. Th=
e =
missteps prompted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to launch two probes of the =
entire nuclear force to find root causes for leadership lapses and other =
problems =97 steps Hagel deemed necessary to restore public confidence.
Hagel says he believes the nuclear force remains secure and reliable but =
says =93something is wrong.=94 The alleged cheating has been described as a =
symptom of mismanagement by commanders who have given too much weight to =
monthly test scores in determining which launch officers get promoted. More =
broadly, it reflects a degree of turmoil inside a force responsible for 450 =
nuclear-tipped Minuteman 3 missiles that stand launch-ready in underground =
silos in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.
The alleged cheating was uncovered in January during an Air Force =
investigation of illegal drug use. Two officers questioned in that probe =
happened to be members of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force =
Base, Montana, and at least one stands accused of having transmitted test =
answers to colleagues via text message.
The exam in question, known as a T-1, is given monthly and is meant to test =
knowledge of classified procedures for targeting and launching the Minutema=
n =
3s, the nation=92s only land-based nuclear missile. Over the course of a ye=
ar, =
the tests cover different segments of a long list of launch tasks.
In addition to these and other written proficiency tests, missile launch =
officers undergo classroom instruction and routine training on launch =
simulators; most do 24-hour shifts =93on alert=94 in underground launch con=
trol =
centers about eight times a month with a team of two officers responsible =
for 10 missiles.
The Air Force has focused its investigation on Malmstrom, where officials =
say the cheating took place during late summer. Notably, in the months afte=
r =
the cheating allegedly ended, scores at Malmstrom improved dramatically. =
Neither of these patterns =97 relatively weaker scores during the period of =
alleged cheating, and much improved results later =97 seems to fit with the =
scenario described by Air Force officials in January when they announced th=
e =
cheating investigation.
Brian Weeden, who served on Minuteman 3 crews at Malmstrom in 2000-04, said =
that while he is not privy to inside information about the investigation, =
one possible explanation for weaker overall scores in August and September =
is that the test questions =97 for cheaters and noncheaters alike =97 may h=
ave =
been more difficult than usual. =93I saw that happen in my time,=94 he said=
. Or, =
Weeden said, the weaker-than-expected results might reflect a slump in the =
quality of instruction prior to those tests. Initially the Air Force said 3=
4 =
officers assigned to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom were implicated; =
that later was raised to 92. All have been taken off launch duty, creating =
a =
shortage that has been filled in part by temporarily augmenting Malmstrom =
with 10 launch officers each from ICBM bases in North Dakota and Wyoming. =
About 40 of the 92 are alleged to have transmitted or received test answers=
; =
the rest are accused of knowing but not reporting it.
Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force=92s top general, told reporters on Jan. 15 t=
hat =
=93the indications are that this compromise that we=92re aware of happened =
in =
the August-September timeframe.=94 A spokesman, Lt. Col. Brett Ashworth, sa=
id =
it=92s not clear whether the cheating was only in August or only in Septemb=
er, =
or in both months.
Test results obtained by the Associated Press under the Freedom of =
Information Act suggest a different scenario.
=95 All three of the squadrons that operate the Minuteman 3 force at Malmst=
rom =
had average or weaker-than-usual T-1 test scores in August-September. Of th=
e =
44 members of the 10th Missile Squadron tested in August, for example, 79 =
percent recorded perfect scores. That was about the norm during the spring =
and summer months of 2013 but well below most other months. In September th=
e =
squadron had 42 percent perfect scores =97 the weakest of any month in 2013=
. =
Perfect scores are not required; to pass the test an officer needs to get 9=
0 =
percent correct, meaning he or she could not miss more than three out of 30 =
questions. Only one failing grade in the Malmstrom wing was recorded out of =
2,181 T-1 tests completed during 2013.
=95 All three squadrons did markedly better on the T-1 test in October, =
November and December, after the period of alleged cheating. In the 490th =
Missile Squadron, for example, 47 officers were tested in October and 46, o=
r =
98 percent, got perfect scores; 45 of 47 were perfect in November and 47 of =
51 were perfect in December.
=95 In January, the month in which the cheating was announced and the first =
implicated officers were removed from launch duty, test results declined =
sharply. The 12th Missile Squadron, for example, had 62 percent perfect =
scores in January, whereas it had about 90 percent perfect scores in each o=
f =
the preceding three months.
The AP=92s review of test data provided by each of the three ICBM bases sho=
ws =
widely varying monthly results in 2013.
Records of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota =97 =
where no reports of cheating have surfaced =97 show that of 153 officers wh=
o =
took the T-1 test in June, 30 failed. Just six months earlier, in December =
2012, 150 in that unit took the test and none failed. What=92s more, all 15=
0 =
of those officers got perfect scores =97 not a single incorrect answer. =97=
AP
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 24 Feb.=9214:=94Morsi accused of leaking Egypt secu=
rity =
secrets to Iran=94, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Morsi accused leaking secrets to Iran
QUOTE: Prosecutors accused Morsi and 35 others. . .of conspiring with =
others=94
FULL TEXT:CAIRO =97 Prosecutors Sunday[23 Feb.] accused deposed president =
Mohamed Morsi of leaking state secrets to Iran=92s Revolutionary Guards as =
part of a plot to destabilize Egypt, at the second hearing of his trial for =
espionage.
The trial, one of three that are under way against Morsi, is part of a =
relentless government crackdown targeting him and his Muslim Brotherhood =
movement since his ouster by the army in July.
Prosecutors accuse Morsi and 35 others, including leaders of the Muslim =
Brotherhood, of conspiring with foreign powers, Palestinian movement Hamas =
and Shiite Iran to destabilise Egypt.
On Sunday, the second hearing since the trial opened on February 16, they =
detailed the charges against Morsi and his co-defendants.
They were specifically accused of =93delivering to a foreign country… =
national defence secrets and providing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards wit=
h =
security reports in order to destabilise the security and stability of the =
country=94.
The statement read in court did not identify the =93foreign country=94.
But prosecutors said Morsi and the defendants carried out espionage =
activities on behalf of the =93international Muslim Brotherhood organisatio=
n =
and Hamas with an aim to perpetrate terror attacks in the country in order =
to spread chaos and topple the state=94 from 2005 to August 2013.
During Morsi=92s one year presidency, ties flourished between Cairo and Ham=
as, =
a Palestinian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood which rules neighbouring =
Gaza.
But since July, Egypt=92s military-installed government has accused Hamas o=
f =
backing Morsi and his Brotherhood, and carrying out terrorist attacks insid=
e =
the country.
At Sunday=92s hearing Morsi was held separately in a soundproof glass cage, =
designed to keep him and the other defendants from interrupting the =
proceedings with outbursts.
But this did not stop defendants including Brotherhood supreme guide Mohame=
d =
Badie, his deputy Khairat Al Shater and other Islamist leaders from shoutin=
g =
and rejecting the accusations against them.
=93Void, void,=94 they shouted when the judge asked them if they accepted t=
he =
charges, an AFP correspondent said.
If found guilty, the defendants could face the death penalty.
Most of the defendants were also accused of moving armed groups in and out =
of Egypt in January 2011, in a bid to attack army and police installations =
and prisons to facilitate the escape of inmates.
Also on Sunday the defendants were represented by a new team of 10 defence =
lawyers appointed by the lawyers=92 union, to replace the original team tha=
t =
withdrew from the case.
The trial was adjourned to February 27.
Morsi is already on trial for the killing of protesters during his =
presidency and a jailbreak during the 2011 uprising that ousted his =
predecessor Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt=92s first democratically elected president, also faces trial for =
=93insulting the judiciary=94. A date for that has yet to be set
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 24 Feb.=9214:=94Syria insists on =91sovereignty=92 =
in UN aid =
resolution=94, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: UN Syria aid resolution
QUOTE:=94Syria insists on =91sovereignty=92 in UN aid resolution=94
FULL TEXT:=94DAMASCUS =97 Syria said Sunday[23 Feb.] it is ready to coopera=
te =
with a rare UN Security Council resolution to allow humanitarian access, so =
long as it respects =93state sovereignty=94.
A Saudi source, meanwhile, said Riyadh is in talks with Pakistan to provide =
anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets to Syrian rebels to try to tip the =
balance in their war against the regime.
In Damascus, the foreign ministry said the =93root causes=94 of the humanit=
arian =
crisis must be treated, singling out =93foreign-backed terrorism=94 and =
sanctions placed on President Bashar Assad=92s regime by Western and Arab =
countries.
The Security Council, which has been sharply divided over the nearly =
three-year Syrian conflict, unanimously adopted Resolution 2139 on =
Saturday[22 Feb.], calling for humanitarian aid convoys to be allowed acces=
s =
across the war-torn country.
According to the ministry statement, carried by state news agency SANA, =
Syria is ready to cooperate with the UN mission and international =
humanitarian organisations =93to agree on the implementation of Resolution =
2139=94.
It said the resolution must be implemented =93with respect for the principl=
es =
laid out in the UN Charter, international law and the basic foundations of =
humanitarian work, especially state sovereignty and the role of the state, =
and principles of neutrality, transparency and non-politicized assistance=
=94.
Damascus said the resolution, which condemns terror attacks by Al =
Qaeda-linked organizations, zwas an =93admission=94 by the Security Council=
of =
the presence of =93extremist Al Qaeda-linked terrorism=94 in Syria.
It described the UN condemnation as =93a step in the right direction=94.
Since the March 2011 start of Syria=92s uprising =97 which began as peacefu=
l =
protests but escalated into a civil war after security forces repeatedly =
attacked demonstrators =97 Assad=92s regime has blamed the violence on =
foreign-backed =93terrorism=94.
An estimated 140,000 people have been killed since the start of the uprisin=
g =
and millions more have been displaced.
=91Starvation weapon
of war=92
Syria=92s staunch ally Russia, with support from China, had blocked three =
previous resolutions aimed at pressuring the Damascus regime since March =
2011.
But Moscow and Beijing, two of the five permanent Security Council members, =
did not do so this time, sending a strong message to Assad, whose governmen=
t =
is accused of serious rights violations.
The Security Council resolution calls on =93all parties to immediately lift =
the sieges of populated areas=94.
An earlier draft of the resolution had threatened sanctions should Syria =
fail to comply, but Russia refused and distributed a draft of its own, whic=
h =
included the language on =93fighting terrorism=94 in Syria.
The resolution is the second Security Council decision since Syria=92s war =
began. It follows a decision ordering the destruction of Syria=92s chemical =
arsenal, after an August 21, 2013 chemical attack near Damascus killed =
hundreds of people.
Nadim Houry, a Middle East deputy director of Human Rights Watch, said the =
resolution was =93a political breakthrough but words will not feed Syrians =
in =
desperate need of food=94.
Without the threat of sanctions, =93it is up to Syria=92s allies, particula=
rly =
Russia and Iran, to ensure that the Syrian government gets the message, and =
stops using the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war,=94 he said.
Reflecting scepticism on the ground, an activist from Douma near the Syrian =
capital told AFP: =93We would really like humanitarian corridors to become =
a =
reality. But I really doubt it, especially as the resolution doesn=92t ment=
ion =
sanctions=94.
On the international scene, a Saudi source said Riyadh was seeking Pakistan=
i =
arms for the Syrian rebels it supports in the wake of the failure of Geneva =
peace talks earlier this month.
The source, requesting anonymity, pointed to a visit to Riyadh earlier this =
month by Pakistan=92s army chief of staff, General Raheel Sharif, who met =
Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz.
Pakistan manufactures shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, known as =
Anza, and anti-tank rockets =97 both of which Riyadh is trying to get for t=
he =
rebels, said the source, who is close to Saudi decision makers.
In the latest violence, a car bomb explosion hit a hospital on Syria=92s =
border with Turkey on Sunday, killing two people and wounding several more, =
a monitoring group said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast struck close to =
Orient hospital near the rebel-held border town of Atmeh.
And a prominent rights lawyer, Anwar Bunni, said his brother Akram, a =
dissident writer and journalist, was arrested by the security forces in =
Damascus on Saturday.
+++SOURCE: New York Times 24 Feb.=9214:=94Egypt=92s Military-Backed Governm=
ent =
Resigns=94, Associated Press
SUBJECT: Egypt government resigns
QUOTE: =93Field Marshal el-Sissi. . .could . . .run for President=94
FULL TEXT:CAIRO =97 Egypt’s interim prime minister announced Monday[24 Feb.=
] =
the resignation of his Cabinet, a surprise move that could be designed in =
part to pave the way for the nation’s military chief to leave his defense =
minister’s post to run for president.
Hazem el-Beblawi’s military-backed government was sworn in on July 16, less =
than two weeks after Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the defense =
minister, ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi after a year in office. =
Its ministers will remain in their posts in a caretaker capacity until the =
president picks a prime minister to form a new Cabinet.
The government’s resignation, announced by el-Beblawi in a live TV =
broadcast, came amid a host of strikes, including one by public transport =
workers and garbage collectors. An acute shortage of cooking gas has also =
been making front page news the past few days.
Egypt’s political system gives most powers to the president. The prime =
minister usually handles day-to-day economic management, but does not set =
key policies. Under deposed President Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled Egypt fo=
r =
nearly 30 years until his 2011 ouster, the prime minister was perceived as =
a =
scapegoat for government failings.
It was not immediately clear whether el-Beblawi will stay at the helm of a =
new government or will step aside for a new prime minister. Local media has =
repeatedly reported that he planned to reshuffle his government but not =
resign.
He said the Cabinet’s decision to resign was made during Monday’s[24
Feb.] weekly government meeting, but he gave no details.
El-Beblawi has often been derided in the media for his perceived =
indecisiveness and inability to introduce effective remedies for the =
country’s economic woes. He has also been criticized for the security =
forces’ inability to prevent high-profile terror attacks blamed on militant=
s =
sympathetic with Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood.
The outgoing prime minister acknowledged the difficult conditions in which =
his Cabinet functioned, but suggested that Egypt was in a better place now =
that it was when he first took office. He also pointed out that while =
members of his Cabinet may not have represented the nation’s top talents, =
they were experts in their fields who accepted Cabinet posts at a very =
difficult time.
“The Cabinet has, in the last six or seven months, responsibly and dutifull=
y =
shouldered a very difficult and delicate burden and I believe that, in most =
cases, we have achieved good results,” he said.
“But like any endeavor, it cannot all be success but rather within the =
boundaries of what is humanly possible,” el-Beblawi said. The goal, he =
added, was to take Egypt out of a “narrow tunnel” brought about by security=
, =
political and economic pressures.
Commenting on the flurry of strikes, the outgoing prime minister cautioned =
Egyptians that this was not the time for making demands. “We must sacrifice =
our personal and narrow interests for the benefit of the nation.”
A presidential bid by the popular el-Sissi has been widely anticipated and =
leaving him out of the next Cabinet will most likely be accompanied or soon =
followed by an announcement by the 59-year-old soldier that he is running.
El-Sissi has already secured the support of Egypt’s top military body, the =
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, to launch a presidential bid.
Already, the career infantry officer trained in Britain and the United =
States has been acting in a somewhat presidential manner. He paid a highly =
publicized visit to Russia earlier this month, when he secured the Kremlin’=
s =
goodwill, its blessing for his likely presidential bid and negotiated a =
large arms deal.
Last week, his wife made her first public appearance since Morsi’s ouster, =
seated next to him in a military ceremony.
The resignation followed the adoption last month of a new constitution =
drafted by a mostly liberal and secular panel and two months ahead of a =
presidential election, now expected to be held in April. The charter gives =
the military the exclusive right to pick the defense minister for the next =
two, four-year presidential terms.
In Egypt, the defense minister is routinely the armed forces’ commander in =
chief, so if el-Sissi is left out of the next Cabinet, then he would be lef=
t =
in a vacuum unless he announces his presidential candidacy simultaneously a=
s =
or just before the new government is sworn in. Newspapers and broadcasters =
with ties to the military have tipped Chief of Staff Gen. Sedki Subhi to be =
the next defense minister.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Sue Lerner – Associate, IMRA =
________________________________________
IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis
Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on A=
rab-Israeli relations
Website: www.imra.org.il
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Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=63291
