Flying grenades. Mini spy blimps. Robotic bomb-busters. Suicide-vest spotters. Battlefield 3D printers. The Army is retooling for a very austere, very remote way of war. And the gear that's required is very different from the hardware that came before.
Most American soldiers used to live and fight from massive bases, complete with all sorts of creature comforts and heavy defenses. Today's troops don't have it so good. They're increasingly operating from small, isolated outposts, where they need to spot and ward off attacks without all the gun turrets and heavy armor and surveillance towers found on the old super-bases.
Coming up with that new gear has become a top mission for the Rapid Equipping Force, the Army office charged with getting tools and gadgets out to troops in a hurry. They showed off their latest kit at Ft. Belvoir, Va. just before Thanksgiving. Here's a sample.
Battle Lab in a Box
At Camp Nathan Smith outside of Kandahar, there's a 20-foot cargo container loaded with a 3D printer, a computer-controlled machine for cutting metal, and a couple of Ph.D.s. It's one of three REF "expeditionary labs" placed around Afghanistan that can quickly design and prototype tools for troops on the ground right now.
The Nathan Smith team, on the screen above, printed up new bolt links for the M240 machine gun on their remote weapons system when the old ones broke. They coded a program that plots enemy attacks on Google Earth. And over the course of three weeks, they built in the lab new adapters that extended the battery life of their metal detectors from 45 minutes to 30 hours. The Army liked the adapters so much, they ordered up another 2,000, which will be distributed all over Afghanistan.
Wired
CAIRO, November 22 (RIA Novosti) - Iran supplied Gazan militants with weapons, Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Islamist group Hamas, said on Wednesday.
“The weapons of Palestinian resistance were partially manufactured inside the Gaza Strip, and the rest was supplied by certain countries, including Iran,” Meshaal told journalists in Cairo after a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas.
The Hamas political leader said Tehran had supported Gaza militants with arms “even despite differences between Iran and Hamas on issues connected with the conflict in Syria.”
Meshaal said the Palestinians will now seek to unite their ranks and management structures in Gaza and on the West Bank.
An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect at 7:00 p.m. GMT on Wednesday. Both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Islamist group praised the deal, in line with which, Israel has to end hostilities and targeted killings in the Gaza Strip, and Hamas has to stop launching rockets into Israel.
The IDF said it has completed objectives for its Operation Pillar of Defense against the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave of 1.7 million that has been governed by Hamas since 2007. The operation started on November 14 with an airstrike that eliminated the head of the military wing of Hamas, Ahmed Jabari. The airstrike came after a reported surge in rocket attacks on Israeli border towns from Gaza.
“Following eight days of operations, the IDF has accomplished its pre-determined objectives for Operation Pillar of Defense, and has inflicted severe damage to Hamas and its military capabilities,” the IDF said on its website, adding that “broad terrorist infrastructure, facilities and military bases” were also targeted and dozens of smuggling and explosive tunnels destroyed.
But Meshaal called the truce deal a victory for Palestinians. In line with the ceasefire agreement, all border crossing points linking the Palestinian enclave with the outside world have to be opened 24 hours since the ceasefire took effect, which, according to Meshaal, means an end to Gaza’s blockade.
“Israel committed itself to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip and stop killings,” Meshaal said. “The latest Israeli aggression showed that resistance is the ideal choice for establishing a Palestinian state. The results we have achieved are a victory for all Palestinians and a victory for the Arab nation,” he said.
About 160 Palestinians have died in Israel's eight-day air and naval attack on Gaza. Five Israelis have been killed by Palestinian rockets in the last eight days and 240 have been injured.
Before the ceasefire was agreed, at least 18 people were injured when an explosion hit a bus in central Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Hamas said it welcomed the bombing as a "natural response" to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, but said it was not behind the attack.
RIA Novosti
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, on Thursday asserted that the government had attained the goals it set out to accomplish with Operation Pillar of Defense, but was determined to resume attacks on the Gaza Strip if a tentative ceasefire reached on Wednesday unraveled.
“The IDF dealt a very heavy blow to Hamas and the other terror organizations,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Israel Police National Headquarters in Jerusalem. “We took out thousands of rockets that were aimed at the south, and almost all of the rockets that were pointed at the center of the country. We’re prepared to act if the quiet is broken.”
The prime minister acknowledged the frustration expressed by some Israelis who felt that the army should have pressed forward with a ground offensive and dealt Hamas a decisive, perhaps fatal blow.
“We’re prepared for [a more extensive operation] as well,” Netanyahu said. “We choose — as we did in this operation — when to act, against whom, and in what fashion. For the moment we’ve given the ceasefire a chance; it’s the right step for Israel, but if it isn’t upheld [by the other side], we’ll do what’s necessary.”
Barak said that Israel may be forced to fight Hamas again, possibly in the near future. But despite the tenuous nature of the ceasefire with the rulers of the Gaza Strip, he said, Israel had achieved its goals in Operation Pillar of Defense.
In an interview with Israel Radio — his first since Israel and Hamas agreed to ceasefire terms Wednesday, after eight days of fighting — Barak said that the military option of conquering the Gaza Strip was on the table throughout the operation. But removing Hamas from power, he said, would create a situation where “we’ll be forced to stay [in Gaza] for years.”
“You can topple the Hamas regime, but the problem is, you don’t know how to get out” of ruling Gaza, he said.
Insisting that the IDF came out on top in the latest round of hostilities — despite Hamas claims to the contrary — Barak said Hamas was dealt a serious blow.
“While our chief of staff will be addressing the press soon, their chief of staff is in the ground,” he said. Hamas’s military commander, Ahmed Jabari, was killed by an Israeli Air Force strike last Wednesday, the first day of the Gaza operation.
Hamas, he continued, “succeeded in hitting Israeli targets with only a single ton of explosives, while targets in Gaza were hit with a thousand tons… We have a powerful, effective military, and we consistently succeed in hitting Hamas hard.”
While some analysts have argued that the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas put Israel at a disadvantage, Barak said there was no difference between the ceasefire terms and the terms of previous agreements.
Senior Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad said the ceasefire agreement did not mark an Israeli capitulation or relinquishment of its rights to defend itself, including its right to launch targeted killings of Palestinian terror suspects. In an interview Thursday with Israel Radio, Gilad noted that the purpose of the agreement was to defend Israel’s citizens, and that new threats would be dealt with as they emerged.
Gilad said that, in Gaza, Israel had to act with full force, but also had to “know when to stop.” Re-occupying the territory, which Israel handed over to the Palestinians in 2005, was a military possibility, he said, but one that would have “serious repercussions” for Israel’s relations with its neighbors.
Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz also said that the army had achieved its objectives in Gaza.
“We hit the leaders of Hamas, the rockets, and the buried launchers,” he said in a meeting with soldiers in the south. “After eight days of fighting we stopped, and it’s too early to say what will be… We have all the authority to act as necessary. There will be challenges, and we will overcome them no matter what.”
Earlier, Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich praised the success of the Iron Dome system — which was initiated by her political rival, former defense minister Amir Peretz — for the protection it afforded civilians and for the operational freedom it gave the government in dealing with the threats from Gaza. A high death toll in Israel would have forced the government’s hand.
“We acted like a responsible opposition and supported the government in the conditions it laid down at the opening of the conflict,” Yachimovich told Israel Radio.
She said she hoped the ceasefire would hold. But given the prevailing conditions at the start of the operation, she said, she was unsure Pillar of Defense had yielded the desired results for Israel.
Opposition leader and former military chief of staff Shaul Mofaz of the Kadima party criticized the government for the agreement, which he said did not guarantee the safety of Israeli citizens and did not mark the defeat of Hamas.
The agreement was not a ceasefire but a “postponement of fire,” he said.
The Times of Israel
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Thursday that the world needs a new order on the basis of the fundamental principles of justice and humanity, claiming the era of capitalists has come to an end with the tiding of a new age for humankind.
"We have been witnessing the emergence of a more-complicated form of colonialism and hegemony which has been tightening its grip on the world resources, imposing its toll on all of us one way or another," the Iranian president said at the ongoing D-8 ( Developing Eight) summit in Islamabad.
"Former colonial power and slave masters in a new guise and with new slogans are using different methods and tactics to dominate and plunder resources of nations on the basis of the same hegemonic doctrines," he said.
Militarism, occupations and violation of other countries' national sovereignty have been rising as in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, he said.
"Because of their predominance over the world monetary system, worthless paper assets were printed to loot and deplete systematically the wealth and resources of nations," he said.
He added that a fundamental change and establishment of a new humane order require a firm resolve and joint efforts of all. " Each and every one of us must have the will and determination to participate in this process towards achieving a sustainable peace, and finally security and welfare for all."
Justice, love and freedom constitute the foundation of the new order, and are recognized as a right for all human beings, he said, adding, "We all seek to put an end to hegemony, unilateralism, occupation, arms race and violation of (other) countries' sovereignties.
The Iranian president also urged cooperation to exploit the " great economic, political and geographical potentials" of the D-8 countries, which groups Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
"We can and we must cooperate to exploit appropriately these resources and potentials towards the prosperity of our nations and for reforming the present world order," he said.
He called for formation of a permanent economic working group with the presence of senior experts of member countries for a fair development of economic relationship, while suggesting the establishment a political working group to boost coordination and joint efforts towards the restructuring of the United Nations, the Security Council and all the affiliated organs as well as for bolstering fairness and fraternity among members.
English News
MOSCOW, November 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Foreign Ministry cautioned Thursday against Turkey's intention to deploy NATO Patriot missiles on its border with Syria.
"The militarization of the Turkish-Syrian border would be an alarming signal," said ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich. "It would do nothing to foster stability in the region."
"Our advice to our Turkish colleagues is to use their influence on the Syrian opposition to draw them closer to dialogue, instead of flexing their muscles and taking the situation down a dangerous path," he added.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday that Turkey's request to deploy the missiles would be considered soon. Ankara says the missile system is necessary to protect its border with conflict-torn Syria.
US Patriot surface-to-air missiles were last deployed to Turkey in 1991 and 2003, during the two Gulf Wars.
Turkey has opened fire several times in recent weeks across its border with Syria in retaliation for Syrian shelling, which killed five Turkish civilians in October. It has also provided shelter to refugees fleeing the violence in Syria and has been one of President Bashar al-Assad’s harshest critics during the almost 17-month revolt against his rule.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria flared dangerously this summer after Damascus shot down a Turkish fighter that had violated its airspace. Turkey threatened retaliation if there was any repeat of the incident, although it admitted the plane had mistakenly strayed slightly into Syria.
Lukashevich also denied Russian media reports that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was planning to meet on November 26 with the Syrian opposition.
The Syrian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the start of an uprising against Assad in March 2011, according to various Syrian opposition groups.
Russia - along with China - has drawn heavy Western criticism for its refusal to sanction UN sanctions against Assad's regime, Moscow sole remaining ally in the Arab world. Moscow said the proposed UN resolutions betrayed a pro-rebel bias and would do nothing to bring peace.
Putin vowed earlier this year not to allow a repeat of the “Libya scenario,” which saw the ouster and murder of long-time Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi after a NATO military campaign.
But Moscow has denied it is supporting Assad in the conflict and says it will respect the will of the "Syrian people."
RIA Novosti
Syrian rebel fighters say they have taken a military base in the town of Mayadeen, leaving a swathe of eastern Syria under opposition control.
Opposition sources say they control a key oil-producing area between the city of Deir Ezzor and the Iraq border.
The rebels have made advances in the north and east but have yet to take a major city from government forces.
Activists say 40,000 people have been killed since protests against Bashar al-Assad's rule began in March 2011.
The director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP news agency on Thursday that at least 28, 026 civilians, 1,379 defectors, 10,150 soldiers and 574 unidentified people have been killed in Syria in the past 20 months.
The UN estimates that at least 20,000 have died.
The Observatory is one of the most prominent organisations documenting and reporting incidents and casualties in the Syrian conflict. The group says its reports are impartial, though its information cannot be independently verified.Rebel gains
On Wednesday, Syrian warplanes bombed the suburbs of Damascus and rebel-held areas of the north.
Reports said people had been fleeing areas under attack in the south and east of the capital.
In the north, opposition groups and eyewitnesses in the embattled city of Aleppo said a key hospital there had been flattened by Syrian government airstrikes.
At least 15 people are reported to have died in the attack on the Dar al-Shifa hospital, which was run by volunteers.
On Thursday morning, opposition groups said the Mayadeen military base had fallen under its control at 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT) after a 22-day siege.
Rebel fighters said that 44 of their number had died in the battle.
Syrian army casualty figures are as yet unknown, and the government has not commented on the loss of the base.
If the reports are confirmed, the rebels will now be in control of a large area of the Euphrates valley, from the Iraqi border to the provincial capital of Deir Ezzor.
The base is approximately 42km (26 miles) south-east of the city and was an important stronghold for the Syrian government, the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says.
The attack on Mayadeen follows the capture of a military airport near the Iraqi border last week.
Analysts say a series of gains by rebels in the east and north shows their growing military strength, but the Syrian army still possesses vastly superior aerial firepower and has struck back with force.
Rebel fighters have found themselves unable to make any real progress in major cities like Aleppo and Damascus under bombardment from government warplanes.
BBC
BRUSSELS - EU and US statements after one week of Gaza hostilities have underlined the new status of the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.
British foreign minister William Hague and French President Francois Hollande - speaking for the two former colonial powers in the Middle East - joined the US on Wednesday (21 November) in singling out Egypt's role in ending the fighting.
"I urge all sides to uphold their commitments and pay tribute to President Morsi and the Egyptian government for their intensive efforts and the leadership they have shown," Hague said, referring to Egypt's recently-installed leader Mohamed Morsi, a prominent figure in the brotherhood movement.
Speaking for the EU as a whole, foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton noted: "I commend in particular the efforts of Egypt and all those who engaged in mediating between the parties to secure this ceasefire."
For her part, US secretary of state Hilary Clinton, told press alongside Morsi's foreign minister in Cairo the same day: "I want to thank President Morsi for his personal leadership to de-escalate the situation in Gaza and end the violence. This is a critical moment for the region."
The ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by Hamas and Israeli delegates in Cairo over the past few days, includes an Israeli pledge to lift its seven-year-long blockade on the Gaza strip.
"Opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods and refraining from restricting residents' free movements and targeting residents in border areas and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire," the text says.
The deal, if implemented, would mark a victory for the militant Palestinian group.
Both sides on Wednesday said the fighting - which claimed 160 Palestinian and five Israeli lives - did them good.
Hamas said Israel backed down despite the fact its rockets hit the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israeli military sources said they got away with pounding their old adversary despite the new Islamist government in Egypt.
Commentators also noted that the crisis made Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas look like a marginal player just one week before he aims to call a UN vote on upgrading Palestine's international status.
But the real winner could be the Muslim Brotherhood itself.
A broad Arab movement with roots in Yemen and important offshoots in Algeria, Egypt, the Gulf states, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Syria and Tunisia, it was for decades kept down by Israeli and US intelligence and by pro-Western dictators as a threat to stability.
It kept a low profile, but built street-level backing in part by providing welfare support, before bursting out on the political scene in post-Arab-Spring elections.
On Monday, US President Barack Obama spent almost one hour on the phone with Morsi during the middle of the night on a trip to Asia in a bid to broker the Gaza truce.
"The thing that appealed to the president was how practical the conversations were - here's the state of play, here are the issues we're concerned about ... This was somebody focused on solving problems," a White House official told the Washington Post.
"The way we've been able to work with Morsi ... indicates we could be a partner on a broader set of issues going forward," another US official said.
"May God keep him in the presidency," Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas, which has no direct contacts with EU or US officials because both parties designate it as a terrorist entity, noted.
EUobserver
Marc Faber : "There will be pain and there will be very substantial pain. The question is do we take less pain now through austerity or risk a complete collapse of society in five to 10 years’ time?"
"In the Western world, including Japan, the problem we have is one of too much debt and that debt now will have to be somewhere, somehow repaid or it will slow down economic growth,” stated Faber. “I think we lived beyond our means from 1980 to 2007, and now it’s payback period.” - in CNBC
