The US Is Stockpiling A Huge Cache Of Weapons In Israel

"The U.S. military has stockpiled $800 million worth of weapons in Israel and the amount is growing, according to a U.S. Congressional report and reported by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu of the Israeli media network Arutz Sheva.

The War Reserves Stock Allies-Israel (WRSA-I) program is run by the United States European Command (EUCOM) and includes missiles, armored vehicles and artillery ammunition.

The equipment was transferred to Israel "for use by the United States and, with U.S. permission, for use by Israel in emergency situations."

The U.S. gave such approval to the Israel Defense Force during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, according to the report.

Israel has promoted "strategic cooperation"  since the 1980s by inviting the placement of U.S. arms and equipment at Israeli bases for use in wartime..."

at http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-is-stockpiling-a-huge-cache-of-weapons-in-israel-2012-4#ixzz1stSLjwVh

The CIA's 'Persia House' Has Been Sending Stealth Drones Deep Into Iran For Years

"The RQ-170 Sentinel drone lost over Iran late last year was not the United State's first foray into Iran with the stealth UAV, and the Sentinel was not simply plying the northern border of Afghanistan as officials have maintained.

The doomed flight, where the Iranians claim they brought down the drone electronically, and the U.S. says it went down due to a malfunction, was simply the most recent reconnaissance mission deep into Iran by the CIA in the three years since the missions began.
Joby Warrick and Greg Miller at The Washington Post report that RQ-170s have flown more than 600 miles inside Iran for that long before the most recent incident brought the surveillance program into the limelight.
The effort began with president Bush who committed to increased intelligence on Iran's nuclear program during the final years of his presidency, and has been turning out choice information for years.
The drone operations are one part of a multi-agency effort.
The CIA's Iran Operation Division, known internally as "Persia House," is working with the NSA to pull high quality intelligence out of the Middle East country to offer President Obama the options he'll need to decide if Iran's nuclear program focuses on weapons...."

at  http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cias-persia-house-has-been-sending-stealth-drones-deep-into-iran-for-years-2012-4#ixzz1rZZ0Cuqy

Even Syrian Rebels 'Armed To The Teeth' Won't Defeat Assad: Russia

"Russia has warned Western and Arab nations against arming the Syrian rebels, saying it would only make the situation worse.

"It is clear as day that even if the opposition is armed to the teeth, it will not defeat the Syrian army, and there will simply be slaughter and mutual destruction for long, long years," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to RT..."

at http://www.businessinsider.com/syrian-rebels-armed-to-the-teeth-wont-defeat-assad-russia-2012-4?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29#ixzz1r6WIbIrb

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China Sees U.S. as Competitor and Declining Power, Insider Says

"Source: NYT
The senior leadership of the Chinese government increasingly views the competition between the United States and China as a zero-sum game, with China the likely long-range winner if the American economy and domestic political system continue to stumble, according to an influential Chinese policy analyst.
China views the United States as a declining power, but at the same time believes that Washington is trying to fight back to undermine, and even disrupt, the economic and military growth that point to China’s becoming the world’s most powerful country, according to the analyst, Wang Jisi, the co-author of “Addressing U.S.-China Strategic Distrust,” a monograph published this week by the Brookings Institution in Washington and the Institute for International and Strategic Studies at Peking University.
Mr. Wang, who has an insider’s view of Chinese foreign policy from his positions on advisory boards of the Chinese Communist Party and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contributed an assessment of Chinese policy toward the United States. Kenneth Lieberthal, the director of the John L. Thornton Center for China Studies at Brookings, and a former member of the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton, wrote the appraisal of Washington’s attitude toward China.
In a joint conclusion, the authors say the level of strategic distrust between the two countries has become so corrosive that if not corrected the countries risk becoming open antagonists.
The United States is no longer seen as “that awesome, nor is it trustworthy, and its example to the world and admonitions to China should therefore be much discounted,” Mr. Wang writes of the general view of China’s leadership.
In contrast, China has mounting self-confidence in its own economic and military strides, particularly the closing power gap since the start of the Iraq war. In 2003, he argues, America’s gross domestic product was eight times as large as China’s, but today it is less than three times larger..."

at http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/5137

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Russian destroyer heads for Syrian port: Report

"A Russian navy destroyer has set out on a planned mission to the Syrian port of Tartus, where it will arrive in a few days, reports say.

According to Russian military officials the warship left its Black Sea base of Sevastopol for the Mediterranean during the weekend and will soon arrive at Syria’s second largest port of Tartus.

Navy officials said that the ship would receive fresh supplies of food and water before carrying out planned exercises maneuvers near the Syrian coast.

"This will be a purely technical port call that is conducted by almost all Russian navy ships conducting exercises in the Mediterranean," Interfax news agency quoted a senior source in the Russian navy as saying.

The team on board the destroyer will not be leaving the ship while it is docked, the source added.

The Port of Tartus that lies on Syria's western shores is the only base used by Russia in the Mediterranean Sea."

at http://www.presstv.ir/detail/234210.html

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US’ ABM noose around China, Russia

"South Asia remains the only ‘unguarded’ segment of the arc of containment being set up around Russia and China through the United States’ missile defence [ABM] system. The US has seized Iran’s and North Korea’s missile capability as the pretext to bring the Persian Gulf and the Asia-Pacific within the ambit of the ABM.

North Korea’s expected missile launch sometime between April 12 and 16 is projected by the US military officials as threatening the countries in the Asia-Pacific as far away as Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia. Indeed, Japan has since then been making belligerent noises, threatening to shoot down the North Korean missile.

Whether Japan will do so or not is a moot point. What matters is that Tokyo henceforth has the raison d’etre for deploying the US’ ABM. The implications are obvious. The ABM deployed in Japan can also be trained to neutralise China and Russia’s missile capabilities.

That is exactly what Chinese daily Global Times has promptly pointed out in an editorial on Thursday. The GT editorial said, “North Korea and Iran are named by Washington as the targets of the missile defence system, though it is clear the real targets are China and Russia. China should firmly oppose it.”

 

at http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/5067

 

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China Warns Against Joint Exercises in South China Seas

"Chinese officials in Beijing are warning against any joint military patrols or exercises between Vietnam and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.

Vietnam and Philippines military officials have discussed conducting joint exercises in the disputed region in meetings earlier this month. The exercises could include joint patrols of the Spratly Islands, which both countries and China claim as their own.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei warned against any exercises in the Spratlys, which China calls Nansha.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, he said, and the adjacent waters. Hong also said China is opposed to foreign countries’ violation of China’s sovereign rights and interests.

There have been a series of run-ins involving fishermen, military patrols, and other vessels in the disputed region in recent months, increasing tension over the competing territorial claims. Philippine and Vietnamese officials have discussed establishing a communication hotline for possible disputes, as well as sharing shipbuilding expertise..."

at   http://www.voanews.com/english/news/China-Warns-Against-Joint-Exercises-in-South-China-Seas-144881075.html

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Brzezinski Says Romney Lacks ‘Grasp’ of Foreign Policy

"A former Democratic national security adviser assailed Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney for lacking a grasp of foreign policy and said the former Massachusetts governor would return the U.S. to the policies of George W. Bush.
“If we take seriously what he has been saying in the course of the campaign, we have every reason to be very worried,” former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s“Political Capital With Al Hunt,” airing this weekend. “He probably subscribes to the notions articulated by his Republican predecessor,” George W. Bush, Brzezinski said..."

at  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-30/brzezinski-says-romney-lacks-grasp-of-foreign-policy

NATO eyes deploying AMD in Ukraine

"The North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is holding talks with Kiev over Ukraine’s possible participation in the alliance's planned missile defense system n Europe.
According to the head of the NATO Liaison Office in Ukraine, Marchin Koziel, the deployment of the system's elements is a priority for the alliance. He says during the summit in Lisbon, NATO heads agreed on the possibility of involving non-member countries – or “third countries”- in the planned missile shield in Europe.
Thanks to “its ballistics missiles, technologies, know-how, experience or simply the process of European integration,” Ukraine is such a country, he stated speaking at a round table meeting in Kiev, reports the Rosbalt news agency.
The alliance and the leadership of the former Soviet republic are holding informal consultations regarding the issue on both political and technical levels, Koziel said.
After the February meeting between NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko, the latter announced Ukraine would participate in the upcoming alliance summit in Chicago.
NATO, for its part, noted that Kiev was interested in cooperation with the organization on the creation of the missile defense system.
Rasmussen also said that NATO will invite Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to take part in the summit in May.
Ukraine had long been bidding to join the military alliance. However, after Yanukovich replaced his pro-Western predecessor Viktor Yushchenko, the country's policy made a u-turn. The new leader signed a decree declaring that Ukraine would remain non-aligned to any political-military unions, but would still continue to cooperate with NATO and other blocks based upon common interests."

at http://rt.com/politics/nato-ukraine-missile-defense-835/

BRICS: Foreign interference in Syria 'unacceptable'

"The world’s five leading emerging economies, represented by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have released a statement that condemns foreign interference in Syria.
It is important to give the Arab Republic’s government and the opposition a chance to start a dialogue, “without saying that such a dialogue is doomed to failure from the start and that only military actions can restore order,” President Dmitry Medvedev told reporters on Thursday at the conclusion of the fourth BRICS summit, held in New Delhi, India.
The Russian leader stressed that a military approach to the Syrian crisis, which is pitting anti-government militants against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, would be “the most shortsighted and dangerous.”
He stressed that the BRICS member states “will promote the success” of the Syrian dialogue.
Medvedev also suggested his partners from BRICS organize joint humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.
The Russian president noted that Russia is already providing such aid to the conflict-torn country.
The BRICS Summit also focused their attention on other pressing global issues, including reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)..."

at http://rt.com/politics/brics-medvedev-syria-aid-732/

Putin says U.S. behind his opposition: Circumstance could mean greater prospect for confrontation

" Vladimir Putin, slated to become the next president of Russia as a result of recent elections, believes that the Obama administration is behind the opposition that seeks to remove him, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
That prospect has made Putin more assertive in reversing the perception of a weakened Russia in the face of what he envisions as a direct Western challenge to the foundation of his country.
Consequently, Putin’s perception could mean a greater prospect for confrontation with the U.S. and the end of the Obama administration’s “reset concept,” according to informed sources.
Putin and others in Russian leadership never were great fans of the reset concept, since it implied restoring the relationship to a period during the George W. Bush administration.
To many Russians, that period was marked by weakness and humiliation and a strong challenge to Russia’s nuclear capabilities, making analysts conclude that it may be very difficult to implement future security agreements with Washington.
Major differences between Moscow and Washington also could make future cooperation in using Russian territory to get supplies to U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan very difficult..."

at http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/putin-says-u-s-behind-his-opposition/

America's Strategic Naval Base in Korea

"The Construction of "Another US Naval Base" on Jeju Island, Korea is not only a regional issue, it has global military ramifications. There are four major global powers involved: the US, China, Russia, Japan, together with both Koreas.

Resulting from the Jeju Naval base and its strategic geographic location, the national security and geopolitical interests of these countries has become dangerously intertwined. (see map below)..." 




at http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29921

Japan Readies PAC-3 And AEGIS SAM Countermeasures As North Korea Missile Launch Prep Enters Final Stage

"Moments ago Japan's Kyodo reported that the upcoming North Korean missile launch has entered a "full-fledged state of action." While not immediately clear what this means, it is not all that surprising: after all this is precisely what Un has said he would do, and so he will. What is more important is that according to VOA Japan is now actively preparing for "countermeasures" and is "preparing for contingencies" should the missile veer off course. Because if Fukushima taught us something is that gusts of wind around Japan always somehow point toward Tokyo. To wit: "The Japanese parliament has approved a resolution condemning North Korea's planned missile launch, and the country is also preparing contingencies should the missile veer off course and pose a threat to Japan. Speaking in Tokyo Friday, Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said the Japanese military will be prepared for any eventuality. Tanaka says he is ordering officials to prepare deployment of PAC-3 surface-to-air missiles and Aegis destroyers carrying a state-of-the-art anti-missile system that could attempt to shoot down the rocket." Of course, by the time the shooting is over, ES will be at least limit up: consider the upside GDP potential resulting from rebuilding the world in the aftermath of armageddon..."

at http://www.zerohedge.com/news/japan-readies-pac-3-and-aegis-sam-countermeasures-north-korea-missile-launch-prep-enters-final-