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| Southeast Asia |
| US trains Philippines on how to use drones amid China fears |
| 2013-06-29 |
| [Pak Daily Times] US troops trained their Philippine counterparts how to use surveillance drones on Friday, as Manila seeks to boost military ties with Washington and counter what it perceives as a rising security threat from China. The naval exercises are part of annual training operations between the two defence partners, but they have come under closer scrutiny this year due to simmering tensions between Manila and Beijing over rival claims to the South China Sea. At a naval base around 13 kilometres (eight miles) southwest of the capital Manila, US Navy SEALs trained Filipino soldiers how to use small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, launching one from a boat out at sea after which it circled the base and landed in the water. US maritime civil affairs officer Jeremy Eden said these were the smaller "Puma" drones used only for surveillance and not the more lethal, armed versions employed in Afghanistan. "They (the Filipinos) are very interested and highly motivated to learn and if they acquire the systems, they will use them effectively," Eden said. The drones would be useful for the poorly-equipped Philippine military which faces both internal insurgencies and potential external threats, said Lieutenant Jojit Fiscar, a senior coordinator of the naval exercises. "This would be a very good instrument to use. This unmanned aerial vehicle can monitor the actual movement of the targets," he said. The US and Philippine troops also practiced marksmanship and piloting small rubber boats which are frequently used by naval commandos. Military officials from both sides stressed that the exercises had nothing to do with China's claim to the South China Sea. But Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin reiterated Friday that the Philippines was looking to give the United States greater access to its military bases, saying this was needed to respond to China's threats. "At this point in time, we cannot stand alone. We need allies. If we don't do this, we will be bullied by bigger powers and that is what is happening now: there is China, sitting on our territory," Gazmin said. "What are we going to do? Wait till they get into our garage?" |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 OTOH ... * TOPIX > [Indianapolis Star] US ARMY ANOUNCES 10 BRIGADE COMABT TEAMS TO BE CUT, CHIEF SAYS. * BREAKING DEFENSE > GENERAL ODIERNO: BUDGET CRUNCH [Sequester] WILL RENDER ARMY UNREADY FOR SYRIA OR HYBRID WAR. RELATED ... > US ARMY CUTS TEN COMBAT TEAMS - OR 11?, OR 13? -AND THATS JUST THE BEGINNING. > US MARINES WILL SACRIFICE EVERYTHING BUT ACV + READINESS TO SEQUESTER, MARINE PERSONNEL CARRIER SCRAPPED. > TOPIX = US AIR FORCE POSTURE DOES NOT REFLECT SEQUESTER CUTS. versus * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [IRDW.org] INDIAN NAVY TO GOA: GIVE US ISLAND OR SECURE FLYING PATH. I have to admit its highly similar to what China wants in ECS + SCS + Gwadar as per "strategic access". * DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > OBAMA'S "ALICE IN WONDERLAND" SYRIA STRATEGY. Chasing Wabbits??? * TOPIX > OBAMA'S PUZZLING MIDDLE EAST POLICIES. * 1ST HEADLINES > [Washington Times] IRAN COMMANDER: SYRIAN CONFLICT WILL END WHEN ISRAEL FALLS. * WORLD MILITARY FORUM > US INTELLIGENCE: CHINA HAS SENT PLA WARSHIPS TO GUAM, HAWAII WATERS WIDOUT PROPER INTERNATIONAL NOTIFICATIONS. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > IRAN CONDUCTS TEST OF NEW ROCKET MOTOR WID ICBM CAPABILITY | WASHINGTON FREE BEACON. RELATED SAME > IRAN ICBM ADVANCES. My bad vibes as per China-vs-Japan-vs- Debt/Sequester-ridden-USA continues to steadily intensify in the worse way. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-06-29 01:48 |
| #1 See also TOPIX > {People's Daily Online] MANILA MULLING WIDER [military = milbase] ACCESS TO US, JAPAN. RELATED FREEREPUBLIC = JAPAN VOWS TO HELP PHILIPPINES AMID CHINA SEA ROW, i.e. help the PHIL defend its islands agz China. * Also from TOPIX > CHINA SETS SUMMIT PRE-CONDITIONS FOR JAPAN: DECLARE "NO-ENTRY ZONE" AROUND SENKAKUS. * CHINA DAILY FORUM > POSTER THREAD: US WILL NO DOUBT CONSIDER USING TACTICAL NUKES AGZ CHINA IFF ASBMS IS USED, + US Navy CVNS, warships are destroyed or damaged via PLA attack. * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Yahoo News] CONFRONTATION IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA "DOOMED", CHINA TELLS CLAIMANTS. * STARS-N-STRIPES > CHINA BUILDING SHIPS FOR BLUE-WATER NAVY. * SAME > CHINA'S AGGRESSIVE TACTICS ALIENATING ITS NEIGHBORS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-06-29 01:28 |