Malaysia Akan Memangkas Anggaran Pertahanan 2011

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PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, 14 Oktober (ANTARA News) - Pemerintah Malaysia memangkas alokasi untuk Departemen Pertahanan dalam Anggaran Malaysia yang akan diumumkan 2011, menteri pertahanan mengatakan Kamis.

Menteri Pertahanan Malaysia Ahmad Zahid Hamidi kepada wartawan di Dubes Malaysia di Jakarta, Kamis bahwa akibat pengurangan anggaran, pelayanan tidak akan membeli peralatan militer baru tahun depan.

Sebaliknya, pihaknya akan fokus pada peningkatan kemampuan rutin, tambah Ahmad Zahid.

Departemen memperoleh alokasi 9,1 miliar ringgit (2,93 miliar US. dollar), turun sebesar 1,5 miliar ringgit (483 87 juta US. dolar) dari tahun 2009.

Ahmad Zahid pernah berkata prioritas yang harus diberikan untuk merevitalisasi perekonomian negara, bukan menghabiskan sejumlah besar uang atas aset militer.

Dia juga membantah bahwa sebagian besar negara di kawasan tersebut meningkatkan pengeluaran pertahanan mereka, menekankan bahwa hanya satu atau kedua negara melakukannya.

Menteri mengatakan bahwa Malaysia harus memahami upaya pemerintah Malaysia untuk memperkuat pembangunan ekonomi.

Sumber: Xinhua

Menhan Ingatkan Pengunjuk Rasa

JAKARTA--MICOM: Rencana aksi unjuk rasa besar-besaran yang akan digelar tepat satu tahun pemerintahan SBY-Boediono pada 20 Oktober mendatang, membuat Menteri Pertahanan Purnomo Yusgiantoro ikut berkomentar. Purnomo mengingatkan agar aksi unjuk rasa yang digelar tidak mengganggu penyelenggaraan negara.

"Memandang perlu untuk menyikapi berbagai sorotan terhadap penyelenggaraan pemerintah pada setahun Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu II," ujar Purnomo melalui pesan elektronik yang diterima Media Indonesia, Minggu (17/10).

Demokrasi, kata dia, telah memberi ruang bagi masyarakat untuk menyampaikan aspirasinya. Budaya itu, harus terus dipelihara. "Selama kebebasan dalam berpendapat tersebut hendaknya memperhatikan etika dan tata cara berbangsa dan bernegara yang demokratis," tuturnya.

Pro kontra sebagai wujud perbedaan pendapat, sambungnya, merupakan hal yang wajar. Namun ia meminta agar perbedaan pendapat tersebut tidak dilakukan dengan cara yang inkonstitusional. "Sehingga dapat menimbulkan terganggunya penyelenggaraan roda pemerintahan yang sah sebagai wujud amanat kedaulatan rakyat."

Jika mengancam eksistensi keutuhan dan menyebabkan terjadinya disintegrasi soliditas kehidupan bangsa, tegas Purnomo, maka hal itu menjadi urusan pertahanan negara. "Alat pertahanan negara juga berperan dalam menjaga dan mengawal tetap berlangsungnya kehidupan demokrasi," tukasnya.

Sumber: MEDIA INDONESIA

Russian warship to visit port of Djibouti

Topic: Sea piracy in the modern world

Russian destroyer RFS Admiral Levchenko. Files

00:52 17/10/2010

© flickr.com/ Gorse Fox

The Russian destroyer RFS Admiral Levchenko will visit the port of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa on October 17-19 as part of its current anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, a Russian Navy spokesman said. The Port of Djibouti is located at the crossroads of one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, linking Europe, the Far East, the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf.
"Admiral Levchenko will call port in Djibouti on October 17-19 to replenish supplies of potable water and food. After the visit, the destroyer will continue its anti-piracy mission in the Gukf of Aden," the official said.
A task force led by the Northern Fleet's Admiral Levchenko, an Udaloy class guided-missile destroyer, arrived in the Gulf of Aden on July 3 to join the international anti-piracy mission near Somalia. The Russian naval group also includes the Olekma tanker and the SB-36 tugboat of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
The Russian task force has successfully escorted several commercial convoys though pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast since its arrival.
The Russian Navy has maintained a presence off the Horn of Africa with warships operating on a rotation basis. Russia joined international anti-piracy efforts in the area in October 2008.
MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti)

Russian-Indian joint drills enter active anti-terrorism stage

Topic: Russia-India partnership

Indian soldiers during antiterrorism exercises INDRA-2007 in the Pskov Region

15:39 17/10/2010

© RIA Novosti. Mikhail Mordasov

Russian troops started on Sunday an active phase of anti-terrorist drills on Indian territory as part of joint Russian-Indian exercises, the Russian Defense ministry said. "As part of the exercises, international Russian-Indian units have been set up, which are currently practicing operational coordination, working on practical training missions in mountains, arranging interaction between units," the ministry said.
"In particular, mixed companies have started patrols in the areas of the presumed terrorists' location. Mobile checkpoints have been set up on mountainous paths and roads to exclude the penetration of terrorists into populated areas and important state facilities," the ministry said.
The INDRA-2010 exercises were launched on October 16 at Chaubattia, in Uttarakhand, a mountainous area near the country's border with China and Nepal.
Russia sent more than 200 troops from its 34th mountain brigade, based in the North Caucasus, to join the Indian troops in the INDRA 2010 drills.
Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft delivered the Russian troops in the north-east of India on Thursday.
The Russian troops are equipped with lightweight Permyachka Infantry Suits, which protect at least 80 percent of the body surface from small-caliber bullets and low-speed shrapnel.
The drills will last through October 24.
The Indian and Russian military have conducted joint INDRA exercises since 2003, including biannual peacekeeping drills.
India's military cooperation with Russia goes back nearly half a century, and the Asian country accounts for about 40% of Russian arms exports.

MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti)

Erdogan: Hanya Dua Pilihan Bagi Israel, Terkucil Atau Meminta Maaf

Perdana Menteri Turki, Recep Tayyip Erdogan memberikan dua pilihan kepada Rezim Zionis Israel. Pertama bersedia meminta maaf secara resmi kepada Turki karena tindakan brutalnya membantai aktivis kemanusiaan kapal Mavi Marmara atau memilih dikucilkan di kawasan. "Selama Israel tidak meminta maaf kepada Ankara karena membantai sembilan warga Turki di Kapal Mavi Marmara maka Tel Aviv akan tetap terkucil di kawasan," ancam Erdogan seperti dilaporkan Fars mengutip Koran Haaretz Sabtu (16/10).
Erdogan yang berbicara di depan partai Islam Turki menandaskan, Israel harus meminta maaf kepada Turki dan membayar ganti rugi. Saat melawat Pakistan, Erdogan juga menyampaikan kritikannya kepada Amerika yang tetap mendukung Israel secara membabi buta meski rezim ini melakukan tindakan arogan terhadap konvoi kemanusiaan bagi warga Gaza.
"Sembilan warga Turki tewas tertembus 21 peluru serdadu Israel, kami telah mengirim hasil autopsi yang disertai rekaman dan foto kepada petinggi AS dan Uni Eropa namun mereka enggan mengutuk kebuasan Tel Aviv," tegas Erdogan.
Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa AS mendukung aksi teroris yang menewaskan warga Turki di perairan internasional, tambah perdana Menteri Turki. (IRIB/Fars/MF/LV)

Kedodoran Hadapi Taliban, AS Minta Bantuan Iran

Seorang pejabat teras Amerika Serikat terang-terangan menyatakan bahwa negaranya membutuhkan bantuan Iran untuk menumpas jaringan al-Qaeda di Pakistan. Daniel Benjamin, Koordinator Anti-teroris di Departemen Luar Negeri AS dalam wawancara dengan koran berbahasa Arab, al-Hayat cetakan London menyatakan bahwa anasir al-Qaeda yang berada di wilayah Waziristan, Pakistan yang berbatasan dengan Afghanistan akan merambah Eropa.
Benjamin kepada al-Hayat mengakui bahwa AS harus meminta bantuan Iran guna menangkal konspirasi al-Qaeda dan menangkap pelakunya. Pasca skenario Serangan 11 September 2001, AS menduduki Afghanistan dan Irak
dengan alasan menangkap jaringan teroris.
Kini, setelah 10 tahun invasi AS ke Afghanistan berlalu, masalah yang dihadapi masyarakat Afghanistan seperti problem keamanan, ekonomi dan sosial, terutama penyelundupan narkotika, lebih besar dari sebelum pendudukan.
Republik Islam sebagai salah satu negara paling berpengaruh di Timur Tengah memainkan peran penting di kawasan. Pengakuan pejabat teras Washington yang meminta bantuan Tehran untuk menumpas al-Qaeda, membuktikan peran vital Iran di Timur Tengah. (IRIB/IRNA/PH/AR)

New Defence Minister Concern on Project

The tail boom of RAAF's AP-3C (photo : cbleyte)

Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare today released the updated and complete Projects of Concern list.

The Projects of Concern list was established in 2008 to focus the attention of Defence and industry senior management on solving the issues required to remediate listed projects.

This process has been successful in remediating a number of key complex and challenging projects.

Projects are placed on the list by the Minister for Defence Materiel on the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Materiel Organisation.

Projects are put on the list when, for example, there are significant challenges with scheduling, cost or capability delivery.

Following the advice of the Defence Materiel Organisation, Mr Clare has added Project AIR 5276 Phase 8B – replacing the AP-3C Orion aircraft’s Electronic Support Measures system.

“The advice to me from the Defence Materiel Organisation is that BAE Systems, awarded the Prime Contract in 2007, is currently 18 months behind the delivery schedule for the upgraded Electronic Support Measures equipment,” Mr Clare said.

“I look forward to the DMO and contractor demonstrating a renewed effort toward delivering this important capability to the Australian Defence Force as soon as possible.”

Mr Clare also confirmed Project AIR 5402, the Air-to-Air Refuelling aircraft and Joint Project 2048 Phase 1A, the landing watercraft for HMA Ships Manoora and Kanimbla are on the current list of Projects of Concern.

Project AIR 5402 is late with an expected delay of more than 18 months. The main focus is now on addressing further schedule risk, and to keep working constructively with the contractor, Airbus Military, to ensure delivery and acceptance of two first-of-type tanker aircraft by the end of 2010.

“I toured the aircraft conversion centre in Brisbane last week and was briefed on progress. Our focus is now on working with Airbus Military in Spain on developmental activities to support timely completion of testing and supporting activities,” Mr Clare said.

The Joint Project 2048 Phase 1A landing watercraft were originally approved in 1997.

The six watercraft have not been able to prove they meet the needs for their operational roles on HMA Ships Kanimbla and Manoora and for support of land forces.

“Over the past two years Defence has invested time and resources on resolving issues with these landing watercraft including detailed assessments of other roles they could perform,” Mr Clare said.

“I am expecting advice from Defence in the near future recommending what action needs to be taken on the project.”

This brings the total number of projects placed on the list since 2008 to 17, with six removed – five due to remediation and one due to cancellation.

From next year, the DMO Annual Report will also provide an update on the projects of concern list, including work being undertaken to remediate these projects.

The current complete list of projects is below.

-CN10 : Collins Class Submarine Sustainment and Projects,
-AIR 5077 Phase 3 : ‘Wedgetail’ Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft,
-SEA 1448 Phase 2B : Anti-Ship Missile Defence radar upgrades for ANZAC Class Frigates,
-JOINT 2043 Phase 3A : High Frequency Modernisation (HFMOD) – communications and data exchange capability for sea, air and land forces,
-AIR 5333 : ‘Vigilare’ – Aerospace surveillance and command and control, system,
-JOINT 129 Phase 2 : Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – airborne surveillance for land forces,
-LAND 121 Phase 3 : ‘Overlander’ replacement field vehicles, trailers and modules for land forces (‘Medium Heavy’ class of vehicles only),
-JOINT 2070 : Lightweight torpedo replacement for ANZAC and ADELAIDE Class Frigates,
-AIR 5402 : Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft – Air to Air Refuelling Capability,
-JOINT 2048 Phase 1A : LCM2000 Watercraft for Landing Platform Amphibious ships,
-AIR 5276 Phase 8B : Electronic Support Measures upgrade for AP-3C Orion aircraft.

(Australian DoD)