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USA
U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 8, 2010 | STRATFOR
The U.S. and its Odd Juxtaposition of Security Dilemmas STRATFOR
The U.S. and its Odd Juxtaposition of Security Dilemmas | STRATFOR
December 8, BBC News – (Maryland) Baltimore arrest over ‘recruitment center bomb plot’. Authorities have arrested a man in Baltimore, Maryland, for allegedly plotting to blow up a military recruitment center. A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman said the suspect was an American citizen. The spokesman said the man had been monitored by law enforcement officers for months as part of a sting operation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland said the suspect was plotting to blow up a military base using a vehicle bomb. The office added there was no danger to the public, and that the explosives were inert. It is not yet clear which of the military recruiting bases in Catonsville, Maryland was his alleged target. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11953514
December 7, WFXL 31 Albany – (Georgia) Explosive found on base not a threat. Officials on board the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia confirmed there was an explosive found on base December 3. Identified as a “composition 4 plastic explosive,” it was found in the back of a humvee that came from overseas, used to transport service members. A lieutenant with the base said there was no danger of the explosive detonating because there were certain key elements missing. “Normally it’s set off by electrical charge and you have to have certain pieces of equipment to do that. Otherwise you have the simultaneous application of both heat and pressure at the same exact time. If you have one or the other, it’s actually not going to explode,” he said. The case is under investigation. Source: http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?list=~\news\lists\local and state&id=551478
December 7, Fayetteville Observer – (North Carolina) Sailor spy case: Feds seize items from suspect’s car, hotel room. Federal agents have seized documents, a computer, and other items from the hotel room and car of a Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based sailor who is accused of selling classified materials to an undercover FBI agent, according to a search warrant unsealed December 6 in federal court. The 22-year-old Navy Reserve Intelligence Specialist 3rd Class, of Mexico, New York, has been in custody in Norfolk, Virginia, since being detained the week of November 29 in the espionage investigation. No charges had been filed against the intelligence specialist, who was assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command. The warrant said NCIS agents December 1 searched the suspect’s room at the Landmark Inn in the 1200 block of Glider Street on Fort Bragg and seized a GPX digital audio player, a laptop computer and hard drive, a dozen CDs and DVDs, a brown bag containing handwritten notes, banking paperwork, and a printed recall roster. From the suspect’s 2009 Nissan Altima, agents seized a cell phone, a brown bag containing documents, a black leather portfolio, a hanging file folder, and a receipt for a concealed-carry permit class at a gun store, according to the warrant. Source: http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/12/07/1053425?sac=Home
EUROPE
Poland: U.S. Offers Military Aircraft December 9, 2010
The United States has offered to periodically station F-16 fighter jets and Hercules aircraft in Poland for joint exercises beginning in 2013, an adviser to Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said Dec. 9 in a statement posted on Poland’s presidential website, AP reported. According to the statement, the United States will station the aircraft in Poland to enhance cooperation between their air forces.
Poland: DM Hopes U.S. Aircraft Deployment Talks Completed In 2011 December 9, 2010
Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said he hopes talks over a rotating station of F-16 and C-130 Hercules aircraft deployed to Polish territory in 2013 will be completed in the first half of 2011, Polish news agency PAP reported Dec. 9. Klich said he has received declarations from both countries’ presidents over increased U.S. military presence in Poland and said the more allied soldiers in the country, the safer it will be.
Poland Examines its Defense Partnership Options | STRATFOR
ASIA
U.S. Encourages Japan To Enhance its Security Role STRATFOR
China Security Memo: Dec. 9, 2010 STRATFOR
Japan: Patriot Systems Planned To Deter North Korea December 11, 2010
Japan plans to deploy more U.S. Patriot PAC-3 systems to defend against North Korean ballistic missiles, according to a draft defense document, RIA Novosti reported Dec. 11. Under the proposed plan Patriot missiles, currently deployed at three sites, would be placed at all major air bases. Japan’s annual revision of its basic defense program may be adopted by Dec. 31, reflecting the recent Korean Peninsula crisis.
Dispatch: Chinese Influence in North Korea and the World | STRATFOR
RUSSIA
Russia: First Israeli Drones Received December 9, 2010
Russia has received a delivery of an unspecified number of drones from Israel, Reuters reported Dec. 9, citing a report from Interfax. The first such order of drones is part of Russia’s effort to revitalize its air force. A group of Russian officers have had training in using the equipment, an unnamed military-diplomatic source told Interfax.
Russia Reminds Belarus of its Weakness STRATFOR
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Kazakhstan: Russia To Give Air Defense Systems At No Cost December 10, 2010
Russia will supply Kazakhstan with as many as 10 S-300 strategic air defense batteries at no cost, a spokesman for the secretariat of the Commonwealth of Independent States Council of Defense Ministers said Dec. 10, Interfax-AVN reported. The deliveries of the S-300 systems, designed and manufactured by Russia’s Almaz-Antey, will start in 2011 as part of efforts to create a unified Russian-Kazakh air defense system, the spokesman said.
IRAN
Venezuela, Iran: Delegations Discuss Construction Projects December 10, 2010
An Iranian delegation headed by Iranian Industry and Mines Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian met with Venezuelan officials in Caracas on Dec. 9, according to a Dec. 10 news release from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry. The delegations discussed the construction of ships for PDVSA in Iran, the construction of 26 milk, flour and plastics factories and a plan for building 7,000 residences in Venezuela.
Iran: U.S., U.K., French Officials Discuss Arms Smuggling December 10, 2010
Western officials accused Iran of using evasive techniques to trade weapons and explosives in violation of U.N. sanctions, AFP reported Dec. 10. Addressing the U.N. Security Council, the British ambassador to the U.N. called for tighter sanctions measures and said recent seizures of Iranian shipments indicated “a pattern of violations.” A French representative said the seizures proved that U.N. sanctions were having an impact, as Iran has been forced to use more complex smuggling routes. Iran is responsible for a substantial flow of weapons and dangerous material, and new routes in Africa are cause for concern, the French official said. He called for a more detailed investigation, saying the seizures were “only the tip of the iceberg.” The U.S. ambassador also urged more investigations to help better grasp and stop Iranian arms smuggling and proliferation networks.
IRAQ
Iraq: Army Disables Al Qaeda Website December 9, 2010
The Iraqi Defense Ministry disabled al Qaeda’s “biggest electronic website,” a spokesman for the ministry said Dec. 9, Al-Sabah reported. The Iraqi army discovered the location of Al-Furqan website and seized its devices and equipment, the spokesman said. He said Arabs operated the website, which Iraq considers al Qaeda’s ministry of information for the world. The Defense Ministry will provide additional details at a Dec. 9 news conference.
ISRAEL
Israel: Turkey In Talks Over Resolution Of Flotilla Raid December 9, 2010
Israel has proposed paying $100,000 to each family of the men killed in the raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship in exchange for Turkey’s assistance in indemnifying the Israeli navy against lawsuits, Reuters reported Dec. 9, citing an unnamed Israeli official. An adviser to the Israeli prime minister, Ron Dermer, said protection of the marines and commanders is the priority for the prime minister. Israel also wants the return of ambassadors to the other’s country. Turkey wants the words “apology” or “begging for forgiveness” in the draft, rather than Israel’s preference of “regret,” according to AFP.
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: U.S. Blacklists Watan Security Firm December 9, 2010
The U.S. military is cutting ties with the Watan Group, an Afghan security firm — whose subsidiary is run by relatives of Afghan President Hamid Karzai — amid accusations of bribing both government officials and Taliban commanders, AP reported Dec. 9. According to documents received by AP, Watan was given a “proposed debarment status” Dec. 6 that prohibits it from signing new U.S. government contracts or renewing existing contracts. A Watan official confirmed receiving the letters but denied any wrongdoing on the part of the company, saying the firm takes seriously the accusations of the U.S. Army. The official said Watan would appeal the debarment, a move it has 30 days to make upon receipt of the letters.
A Week in the War: Afghanistan, Dec. 1-7, 2010 | STRATFOR
MIDDLE EAST
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico: Roadblocks, Helicopter Crash Reported In Michoacan December 9, 2010
Suspected members of an unidentified Mexican drug trafficking cartel blocked several roads in Morelia, Michoacan state, with vehicles and engaged in firefights with security forces, Mi Morelia reported Dec. 9. Roadblocks were reported on the highways to Mexico City and Quiroga, Michoacan state, but the vehicles blocking the roads are being towed away. On Dec. 8, at least 20 vehicles were set on fire at a roadblock and a police helicopter was allegedly shot down in El Alcalde, Michoacan state, El Sol de Morelia reported.
Mexico: LFM Leader Presumed Dead - Official December 10, 2010
Mexican security forces may have killed the leader of La Familia Michoacana (LFM) drug cartel, Mexican national security chief Alejandro Poire said Dec. 10, Reuters reported. According to Poire, preliminary information indicates Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, aka “El Chayo” and “El Mas Loco,” may have been killed in one of the many clashes between government authorities and drug gangs in Michoacan state. However, Poire told reporters that the information has yet to be confirmed as it is an ongoing operation.
Mexico: LFM Leader Confirmed Dead December 10, 2010
Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, one of the leaders of Mexican drug trafficking cartel La Familia Michoacana (LFM), was killed Dec. 9 in a firefight with security forces in Michoacan state, Mexican national security spokesman Alejandro Poire confirmed, Milenio reported Dec. 10.
Mexico: Operations Against LFM Continue In Michoacan December 10, 2010
Operations by Mexican federal police and roughly 300 heavily armed marines continued Dec. 10 around Apatzingan in the western state of Michoacan, federal police sources said, Reuters reported. The Mexican navy was unavailable for comment, but media reported that marines were patrolling the area following two days of fighting. Excelsior newspaper reported that more roadblocks were set up by drug cartels outside the town of Morelia. The federal police cannot confirm the deaths of La Familia Michoacana (LFM) leaders, but suspect they are very close to the leadership based on the cartel’s behavior, a government spokesman said, AP reported. Preliminary reports suggest one top LFM leader is dead, he added.
Bolivia: Retirement Age Lowered, Pensions Nationalized December 10, 2010
Bolivian President Evo Morales signed a law that lowered the country’s retirement age to 58, AP reported Dec. 10. The law also nationalized pensions and extended coverage to Bolivians working in the informal economy — roughly 60 percent of the populace — if they make contributions.
MISC
Agenda: With Peter Zeihan | STRATFOR
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