Islamic militants plan Southeast Asian caliphate

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 20): Islamic militants plan Southeast Asian caliphate



Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division, listens to questions during an interview with Agence France-Presse at the Royal Malaysian Police headquaters in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Malaysian police have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants inspired by Iraq’s extremist jihad group Isis, Ayob Khan said. AFP PHOTO/MOHD RASFAN
KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysian police have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants inspired by Iraq’s extremist jihad group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), a top counterterrorism official said on Tuesday.

The 19 suspected militants arrested from April to June were formulating plans to bomb pubs, discos and a Malaysian brewery of Danish beer producer Carlsberg, said Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police counterterrorism division.

Ayob Khan told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the group, all Malaysians, had visions of establishing a hard-line Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, and planned to travel to Syria to learn from Isis.

The plotters included professionals and two housewives.

Inquirer report

A recent Philippine Daily Inquirer report, from correspondent Arlyn de la Cruz, said Manila officials were on alert following an increase in the number of Filipinos going to Iraq and Syria to fight with Isis militants.

Felizardo Serapio Jr., executive director of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, said Syria had grown to be an attractive destination for foreign fighters and Muslim Filipinos were among those lured to join Isis, according to the Inquirer story.

Close to 200 Filipinos may have joined Isis. The Inquirer story quoted a government report in March as saying about 100 Filipinos had undergone training in Iran before going to Syria and that two Filipinos had died for taking part in the conflict.

The arrested Malaysians were only in the early stages of discussing their plans and did not have heavy weapons or bomb-making knowledge, Ayob Khan said.

Seven have already been charged with offenses ranging from promoting terrorism to possession of homemade rifles.

They planned “a campaign of violence and armed struggle and to die as martyrs,” Ayob Khan said, adding that police believed that there could still be coplotters at large in Malaysia.

Middle Eastern caliphate

Some of those arrested were apprehended at airports on the way to Turkey and Syria to seek training and other support from Isis.

Also known as Islamic State, Isis espouses an extreme brand of Islam. It is believed to have thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq, some of them westerners.

Money via Facebook

It has overrun large swathes of Iraq as it wages a ruthless campaign to establish a Middle Eastern caliphate under conditions akin to those of the religion’s early years.

The Malaysian plotters were ages between 20 and 50. Some of the arrests had been previously announced by authorities, but police had not yet detailed the group’s suspected plans and ideology.

Some had begun raising money—including via Facebook—to travel to Syria, typically under the pretext of “humanitarian work,” Ayob Khan said.

“From interrogating them, they talk about Isis ideology, including the killing of innocent people and also Muslims who are not in their group,” he said.

Global cells

Bars and the Carlsberg brewery near Kuala Lumpur were apparently targeted because alcohol consumption is forbidden by Islam, Ayob Khan said.

He said the suspects also had hoped to create networks with regional and global cells.

He said police believed that up to 40 Malaysians had gone to Syria to join the civil war there.

Breeding ground

Muslim-majority Malaysia practices a moderate brand of Islam and has not seen any notable terror attacks in recent years.

But concern has risen in the multifaith nation over growing hard-line Islamic views and the country’s potential as a militant breeding ground.

According to local media reports, 26-year-old Malaysian factory worker Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki blew up 25 elite Iraqi soldiers in a suicide car-bomb attack there in May.

Malaysia has previously been home to several suspected key figures in groups such as the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asia-based organization blamed for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings and numerous other attacks.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109636/islamic-militants-plan-southeast-asian-caliphate

In the Know: Itu Aba

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Aug 20): In the Know: Itu Aba



A handout picture received from Taiwan’s National Security Council on Sept. 1, 2012, shows Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan holding a national flag at Itu Aba or Taiping, the biggest islet of the disputed Spratlys on Aug.31, 2012. Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza may have committed a “grave mistake” in his handling of the Philippine case against China in the United Nations arbitral tribunal when he directed the government’s international lawyers to exclude the Taiwan-occupied island of Itu Aba from the 4,000-page memorial before it was submitted to the tribunal in The Hague in March. AFP PHOTO/Taiwan’s National Security Council
Itu Aba, the largest island in the disputed Spratlys, is occupied by Taiwan and administered by its Coast Guard.

The 37.7-hectare island, 463 kilometers away from Palawan province and some 1,600 km southwest of Taiwan, has sophisticated facilities, including a 1,200-meter runway and its own freshwater source.

According to earlier reports, Taiwan is also building a $100-million port next to the airstrip. The port is reportedly designed to accommodate 3,000-ton naval frigates and coast guard cutters. The runway is also being upgraded for Hercules C-130 transport planes.

Taiwan officials said the improvements would be finished by late next year.

China and Taiwan share claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, a legacy of the Chinese civil war when the Communists split from the Nationalists and eventually took control of the Chinese mainland in 1949.

The Nationalists settled in Taiwan and still claim to be the legitimate rulers of greater China.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the potentially oil-rich South China Sea.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, addressing the Philippine Women’s Judges Association in March, discussed the arbitration case filed by the Philippines on China’s claim over the entire South China Sea.

Carpio, who had been going around lecture circles questioning the legality of China’s claim, noted inconsistencies in China’s position that Itu Aba generates its own exclusive economic zone which overlaps with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in Palawan.

The arbitration case, a remedy the Philippines sought under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in January 2013, seeks to nullify China’s claim over 90 percent of the 3.495-million-square-kilometers South China Sea, including waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone called West Philippine Sea; clarify maritime boundaries in the area; and end Chinese incursions into the country’s economic exclusion zone.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109656/in-the-know-itu-aba

5 hurt in Cotabato City bomb blast

From Rappler (Aug 19): 5 hurt in Cotabato City bomb blast

An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19, wounding at least 5 people including a soldier

An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19, wounding at least 5 people including a soldier, authorities said.

According to Cotabato City Police Director Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin, the bomb exploded as members of the 5th Army Special Forces Battalion were conducting a security patrol.

The wounded victims were identified as Private Dondon Bambao, Baingan Ango, Mambai Datumanong, and Abdulrakman Utto. Another wounded civilan is yet to be identified, authorities said.


BLAST. An improvised explosive device (IED) explodes near the Cotabato City plaza at around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 19. Photo by Rappler

  The 4 civilians – two women and two men – who were hurt were immediately brought to the Cotabato City Regional and Medical Center Hospital, according to City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRMMC) incident commander Boy Razalan.

The Army explosive ordinance team, police investigators, and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) are already conducting post-blast investigation. Authorities have yet to identify suspects behind the explosion.

Balquin told media local police authorities received information regarding security threats earlier last week but did not identify who the suspects were.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/66711-hurt-cotabato-city-bomb-blast

5 hurt in Cotabato City plaza explosion

From the Mindanao Examiner (Aug 20): 5 hurt in Cotabato City plaza explosion  

COTABATO CITY – A soldier on security patrol and four other persons were hurt when a suspected improvised explosive device went off at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday along Makakua St., the road behind the city plaza’s stage.

Senior Superintendent Rolen Balquin, city police director said, the bomb exploded as roving Special Forces Army personnel were conducting security patrol.



Police cordon off the blast site along Makakua Street in Cotabato City. MindaNews photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera

Boy Razalan, incident commander of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRMMC) said the victims were rushed to the Cotabato City Regional and Medical Center hospital.

 

One of the male victims near the explosion collapsed due to the strong impact, he said. The victim’s name was not immediately made available.

 The four others who sustained minor injuries are: Pvt. Dondon Asuncion Bambao, 23, of the 5^th Special Forces, who hails from Pinmilapin, Sison, Pangasinan; fruit vendor Baingan Aliuden Ango, 45, of Campo Muslim and Mambai ulandigan Datumanong, 33, of Lugay-Lugay both in Cotabato City; and corn vendor Abdulrakman Martin Utto, 22, of Bulalo, Sutltan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

Pvt. Loret Mangsibang, a colleague of Bambao, said the bomb exploded as the driver of the Wrangler type jeepney had just left the area.

Balquin, admitted at they have been monitoring security threats in the city since last week but declined to give details or name the threat groups.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2014/08/20/5-hurt-in-cotabato-city-plaza-explosion/

5 hurt in Cotabato explosion

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Aug 20): 5 hurt in Cotabato explosion

At least 5 people were hurt in an explosion late Wednesday in Cotabato City in southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the explosion occurred near a public square, but it was unclear whether the blast was from a fragmentation grenade or homemade bomb.

The wounded were rushed to hospital and police said they are investigating the blast or who was behind it.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/08/5-hurt-in-cotabato-explosion.html

Rumors of attacks, kidnappings spark panic in Zamboanga City

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (Aug 19): Rumors of attacks, kidnappings spark panic in Zamboanga City

False text messages warning of impending rebel attacks and kidnappings targeting school children have triggered panic among residents in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Parents rushed to schools to fetch their children after rumors spread quickly that kidnappers would strike in Zamboanga and this despite public pronouncement by the local police not to believe these reports.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar has repeatedly appealed to the public to remain calm and sober in an effort to douse the rumors. She told residents to refrain from spreading unverified cell phone text messages.

“Please refrain from forwarding unverified text messages as these sow panic and confusion. Despite the challenges, Zamboanga City situation remains normal. Reports about security threats in schools are negative.”

“Our police and military remain in control of the situation as they exhaust all means to curb all forms of lawlessness. Barangay officials and volunteers and the public in general are urged to help keep peace and tranquility. Let us remain vigilant, but calm,” she said.

Local police Angelito Casimiro also made a similar appeal to the public. He said it was unknown who started the false text messages.

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/08/rumors-of-attacks-kidnapping-spark.html

Gunmen abduct businesswoman in Zamboanga City

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 19): Gunmen abduct businesswoman in Zamboanga City

Troopers from the 1st Infantry Division are conducting pursuit operations against a group of heavily-armed men who abducted a businesswoman in Purok 5 of the coastal Barangay Labuan, Zamboanga City, at around 7:40 p.m. Monday.

Capt. Franco Suelto, 1st Infantry Division spokesperson, said the fatigue-clad suspects earlier grabbed couple Noel and Michelle Panes at gunpoint at the Labuan public market.

However, as the armed men were dragging them to a waiting speed boat along the shoreline, Noel managed to break free and ran away, leaving his wife behind.

Witnesses said the suspects immediately escaped after putting Michelle on the boat.

Pursuit operations are now ongoing.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=674324

BRP Gregorio Del Pilar to be fitted with 'Bushmaster' automatic cannons

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 19): BRP Gregorio Del Pilar to be fitted with 'Bushmaster' automatic cannons
 
The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF-15), one of the two Hamilton-class cutters in Philippine service, will be fitted with two Mark 38 Model 2 25mm "Bushmaster" automatic cannons before the end of the year.

Lt. Cmdr. Marineth Domingo, Navy public affairs office chief, said this in a message to the PNA.

"PF-15 (BRP Gregorio Del Pilar) has the priority in getting these weapons. These will be fitted before the end of the year. After this, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), will be fitted next," she added.

BRP Gregorio Del Pilar is now undergoing minor maintenance at her Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales.

These weapons will act as the ship's secondary weapons.

The weapon was commissioned by the US Navy following the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in 2000. It was designed to counter high-speed maneuvering surface targets and will be installed in almost all US surface ships by 2015.

The remotely controlled chain gun system can fire as many as 180 25m rounds per minute at targets as far as two kilometers.

These weapons will be fitted by a US Coast Guard team after the PN found out that having a private shipyard install the guns is extreme expensive.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=674421

7 bidders file motion for reconsideration in failed bidding for patrol aircraft -- DND

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 19): 7 bidders file motion for reconsideration in failed bidding for patrol aircraft -- DND

The seven bidders for the Department of National Defense (DND)'s P5.9-billion LRPA (long range patrol aircraft) project have formally filed their motion of reconsideration.

This is to appeal the failure of bidding declared last Aug. 11 due to various "infirmities" in the bid documents of the participants.

"They (bidders) have filed their motion for reconsideration and we discussed it in our meeting Monday. We have our recommendations and we discussed it in our meeting. We will (forward) our recommendation to the Secretary of National Defense," DND undersecretary Fernando Manalo, Special Bids and Awards Committee-1 chair, said on Tuesday.

Companies that have participated in the LRPA project include EADS/CASA Airbus Defense and Space, Elta Systems Ltd., Elbit Systems Ltd., Saab Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero) Indonesian Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, and Mission Integration.

The DND is planning to acquire two LRPA for use of the Philippine Air Force.

Earlier, in a supplemental bid bulletin posted at the DND website, prospective bidders were told to submit aircraft designs with systems that allows autonomous operation.

"(The aircraft) be equipped with a system that allows autonomous operation in remote bases ensuring electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic power on ground. The system must also be able to start the engines without ground support," it revealed.

This means that the LRPAs can be deployable in remote airfields lacking modern start-up facilities.

Aside from this, the planes must be equipped with a noise reduction system which is capable of reducing both cabin vibration and noise and eliminate many of the buzzes and rattles which would otherwise be a major source of annoyance and distraction for surveillance and patrol mission crew.

Money for the long-range patrol aircraft project will be sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act Trust Fund.

The contract includes sensors, sensor integration, mission support facilities and integrated logistic support, Manalo said.

Winning bidders are required to deliver the aircraft within 1,035 calendar days upon receipt of the notice to proceed.

Participants must have completed a similar project within the last 10 years.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=674339

Exam for Philippine for Army applicants set

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 19): Exam for Philippine for Army applicants set
 
FORT RAMON MAGSAYSAY, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, -- The opportunity is now knocking for patriotic youths to serve the country the military way.

The Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division based here announced the opening of application for the aptitude test battery, an examination given to applicants, slated next month in this military camp.

Applicants may opt for officer candidate, officer preparatory, or candidate soldier course, according to Capt. Mark Ruelos, public affairs officer of 7ID.

“The officer candidate course is open to Filipino citizens aged 21-24 years old for civilians and 21-29 years old for enlisted personnel who are single meaning never been married and has no legal obligation to support a child, at least 5 feet in height, physically and mentally fit, and no pending case in any court,” he said.

Enlisted personnel aspirants for the course must likewise have completed at least one term of three years continuous active serve.

Ruelos said that the officer preparatory course is for those not more than 31 years old at the start of the training and have been commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the reserve force.

"It has similar qualifications in terms of educational attainment, marital status, and height,” he said.

Moreover, the candidate soldier course is open to Filipinos age 18-26 years old that have at least finished 72 units in college.

Those who are interested and qualified are advised to bring with them the following on September 14: a valid identification card, original birth certificate issued by the National Statistics Office, original diploma or transcript of records, pencils, and long folder.

Applicants who pass the initial screening would take the exam on September 15.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=674280

Armed group blasts 2 heavy equipment with IED in Capiz town

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 18): Armed group blasts 2 heavy equipment with IED in Capiz town

Two heavy equipment owned by a construction firm were blasted by an armed group on Monday morning in Brgy. Guintas, Sigma, Capiz.

In a long distance interview this morning, Senior Inspector Ramir Entereso, chief of police of Sigma Municipal Police Station, said the armed group detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in blasting the backhoe and a roller that were heavily damaged after it caught fire.

A certain Melvin Dingcong, operator of the roller, said he was asleep in the vicinity of the barangay hall when one of the armed men woke him up about 2:30 early Monday morning and ordered him to park the two heavy equipments side by side.

Minutes later a power blast rocked the area that saw the two heavy equipment on fire.

Dingcong and a village watchman told the responding elements of the Sigma PNP that they overheard the group of around eight armed men claiming to be members of the New People’s Army as they sped away onboard four motorcycles as get-away vehicles in their haste escape.

Guintas is a barangay located along the national highway some two kilometers away from Sigma town proper.

Meanwhile, the damage incurred by contractor Silver Dragon Incorporated which owned the heavy equipment being used in the ongoing road repair project in the locality was estimated at some P10 million worth of property.

The Sigma PNP, on the other hand, is thoroughly investigating the incident in an effort to establish the motive behind the firebug crime reportedly perpetrated by members of the NPA rebels operating in Capiz.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=674396

Army camp in Leyte rebuilds facilities nine months after ‘Yolanda’

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 19): Army camp in Leyte rebuilds facilities nine months after ‘Yolanda’

Nine months after super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ hit Leyte, the camp of the 19th Infantry Battalion based in Aguiting village in Kananga, Leyte province has finally rebuilt their facilities, bared battalion commander Col. Nedy Espulgar.

A total of 18 structures that were made of light materials were reconstructed to include the administration building, officers’ quarters, motorpool, office, chapel, supply room, mess hall, fuel station, kiosks, firing range, among others.

Col. Espulgar disclosed the camp turned “ground zero” after the typhoon wherein all of the facilities were flattened.

However, the situation did not prevent them from continuing their sworn service of “serving the people.”

Immediately after the typhoon, the soldiers were one of those on the frontline services that responded to the communities, aside from continuously protecting the people from threats of insurgency and providing livelihood.

For a time, they set aside their camp rehabilitation and temporarily settled themselves in a tent and makeshift barracks that were made with the assistance of the Australian defense force.

In January this year, the rebuilding works of the camp facilities started utilizing funds from their own resources and aid from Australian defense force that provided logs.

The blessing and inauguration of the newly-built camp marker was graced by Major General Jet Velarmino, 8th Infantry Division Commanding General based in Camp Lucban, Catbalogan City.

He commended the leadership of Col. Espulgar saying the achievement “bespeak the unity and professionalism of the 19th IB’s officers and enlisted men that displayed the competence of the battalion as a whole.”

He further said that “the challenge faced by this unit is actually doubled – to rebuild this place and the much bigger challenge of performing and living by the sworn duty of ever soldier as stipulated in the army core purpose: serving the people securing the land. The rebuilding of the place is an inspiration that proves life’s realities that despite the odds there are always better ways to start a better beginning.”

Claretian missionary Fr. Christopher B. Ligason blessed all the facilities, including the vehicles and the armory.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=674470

Outpost commander killed

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Aug 17): Outpost commander killed

AN OUTPOST commander of the Army Special Forces was killed in an accidental firing incident in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, the police reported Sunday.

The Zamboanga del Norte Police Office reported that the incident took place around 8:42 p.m. Friday at the Riverine Detachment at Sitio Gusa in the village of Calatunan, Sindangan town.

The police identified the fatality as Private First Class Rodel Alingal, 30. He died on the spot.

Investigation showed that Alingal accidentally squeezed the trigger while cleaning his caliber .45 pistol inside his room at the detachment, the police said.

Alingal was hit on the left side of his head that caused his untimely death, the police added.

Aingal’s body was turned over to his relatives. He was a resident of Tupilac, R.T. Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay, the police said.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2014/08/17/outpost-commander-killed-360273

Malaysia militants plotted ISIL-inspired attacks: police

From the Manila Times (Aug 19): Malaysia militants plotted ISIL-inspired attacks: police

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants inspired by Iraq’s extremist jihad group ISIL, a top counter-terrorism official said Tuesday.

The 19 suspected militants arrested from April-June were formulating plans to bomb pubs, discos and a Malaysian brewery of Danish beer producer Carlsberg, said Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division.

Ayob Khan told Agence France-Presse the group, all Malaysians, had visions of establishing a hardline Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, and planned to travel to Syria to learn from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The plotters included professionals and two housewives.

They were only in the early stages of discussing their plans and did not have heavy weapons or bomb-making knowledge, he said.

Seven have already been charged with offences ranging from promoting terrorism to possession of homemade rifles.

They planned “a campaign of violence and armed struggle and to die as martyrs”, Ayob Khan said, adding police believe there could still be co-plotters at large in Malaysia.

Some of those arrested were apprehended at airports on the way to Turkey and Syria to seek training and other support from ISIL.

ISIL, also known as Islamic State, espouses an extreme brand of Islam. It is believed to have thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq, some of them Westerners.

It has overrun large swathes of Iraq as it wages a ruthless campaign to establish a Middle Eastern caliphate under conditions akin to those of the religion’s early years.

The Malaysian plotters were aged between 20 and 50. Some of the arrests had been previously announced by authorities, but police had not yet detailed the group’s suspected plans and ideology.

Some had begun raising money—including via Facebook—to travel to Syria, typically under the pretext of “humanitarian work”, Ayob Khan said.

“From interrogating them, they talk about ISIL ideology, including the killing of innocent people and also Muslims who are not in their group,” he said.

Bars and the Carlsberg brewery near Kuala Lumpur were apparently targeted because alcohol consumption is forbidden by Islam, he added.

Ayob Khan said the suspects also had hoped to create networks with regional and global ISIL cells.

He said police believe up to 40 Malaysians have gone to Syria to join the civil war there.

Muslim-majority Malaysia practices a moderate brand of Islam and has not seen any notable terror attacks in recent years.

But concern has risen in the multi-faith nation over growing hardline Islamic views and the country’s potential as a militant breeding ground.

According to local media reports, 26-year-old Malaysian factory worker Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki blew up 25 elite Iraqi soldiers in a suicide car-bomb attack there in May.

Malaysia has previously has been home to several suspected key figures in groups such as al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asia-based organization blamed for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings and numerous other attacks.

http://www.manilatimes.net/breaking_news/malaysia-militants-plotted-isil-inspired-attacks-police/

Former foes US, Vietnam move closer on defense

From the Nikkei Asian Review (Aug 15): Former foes US, Vietnam move closer on defense



Dempsey became the first Joint Chiefs chairman to visit Vietnam in more than 40 years.

HANOI -- America's top-ranking military officer met with his Vietnamese counterpart here Thursday, underscoring their countries' rapidly deepening military relationship.

Martin Dempsey became the first U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman to set foot in this country since the Vietnam War in 1971. At the outset of his meeting with Do Ba Ty, Vietnam's army chief of staff, Dempsey said his visit showed Vietnam's importance.

Military contact between the two countries remained infrequent even after they normalized diplomatic relations in 1995. In 2011, they signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, agreeing to work more closely in maritime security and other areas. China's growing blue-water presence has hastened their rapprochement. Last December, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced $18 million in aid to Vietnam for maritime security, including five high-speed patrol ships.

Washington ended its ban on exports of nonlethal military equipment to Vietnam in 2007. An embargo on weapons sales may be lifted soon, Sen. John McCain told reporters here this month. At first, the arms trade should be limited to "defensive capabilities, such as coast guard and maritime systems," McCain said.

Vietnam's defense spending grew roughly fourfold in the past decade. But diversifying military procurement remains a challenge. The armed forces still rely mostly on Soviet-era and Russian-made gear.

The U.S. and Vietnam share concerns about Chinese assertiveness in the region. From May to July, Vietnamese and Chinese ships were locked in a standoff around an oil rig in the South China Sea. It was put there by China amid Vietnamese claims of territorial encroachment. Hanoi sees the U.S. as a shield against China, behind which Vietnam can build up its own forces.

America, meanwhile, has recently forged a new military pact with the Philippines, another Southeast Asian country embroiled in territorial disputes with China.

Four decades since the end of the Vietnam War, Hanoi hopes that a visit by President Barack Obama will show both Vietnamese and the rest of the world that the two former foes are now bound by friendship. But Washington insists Vietnam must show more respect for human rights if it wants access to American weaponry. Troublingly, bloggers critical of Vietnam's one-party Communist rule have wound up behind bars recently.

The Obama administration is also concerned about inconsistency in Vietnam's stance toward China. Vietnamese criticism of its huge neighbor to the north has diminished since the offending oil rig was removed, leaving Washington struggling to discern Hanoi's true intentions.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Former-foes-US-Vietnam-move-closer-on-defense