12 air fleets and 260 fighters are maintained and, aerial refueling and transport troops have been newly established.(JASDF[Japan Air Force])

Fighters can be called the central core of air defense. JASDF fighter troops are comprised of 12 air fleets and about 260 fighters in order to quickly respond to various situations. For the immediate and appropriate measures during an airspace incursion, etc., 7 new fighters will replace the F-4 as part of the new-mid-term defense plan, while considering the financial conditions. Also, since Japan is geographically made up of many islands, in order to appropriately handle an invasion to these islands, transport aircraft (C-X) will replace C-1 aircraft, rescue helicopter and C-130H transport aircraft will be equipped with aerial fuel-receiving and refueling functions, and the aerial refueling and transport troops will be newly established with the deployment of aerial refueling and transport aircraft (KC-767).

http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/en/mission/boueiryoku.html

Systems to handle new threats, such as ballistic missiles,(JASDF[Japan Air Force])

"Airspace Incursion"

JASDF constantly monitors Japan and its surrounding airspace, by national radar sites, airborne early-warning aircraft (E-2C), and airborne warning air control aircraft (E-767), for around-the-clock preparedness. When an aircraft is detected which may intrude into Japan airspace, fighters scramble to approach the aircraft, assess the situation, and take any needed action. If there is an incursion into Japan airspace, a warning to leave the airspace is issued.
"Response to New Threats"

In the event of an incoming ballistic missile, the Aegis ship of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces, radar by JASDF, Patriots (Surface-to-Air Guided Missiles), and the command and communication systems work in an integrated manner to destroy it. In the event of an armed attack by guerrillas or a special assault team, quick detection by aircraft and interception over the ocean is attempted.

http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/en/mission/boueiryoku.html

Results of Transport Activities by the Iraq Reconstruction Assistance by the dispatched Air Transport Squadron(JASDF[Japan Air Force])

Results of Transport Activities by the Iraq Reconstruction Assistance by the dispatched Air Transport Squadron

According Iraq Reconstruction Assistance Special Measures Law, the dispatched troop of ASDF, has begun transport activity of humanitarian supplies, etc by C-130 Aircraft, between airports within Iraq, based in a Kuwait airport, in March 3, 2004. In the future, details will be renewed weekly.

●Number of Transports* :698 times
●Weight of Transported Supplies :595.8t
●Classification of Supplies, etc.

2004.03.03-2006.07.19
Number of Ground Self-Defense Force Officials / Daily Commodities and other Supplies
Supplies / Number of Officials of each related Country and Agency

2006.07.20-2008.04.24
Daily Commodities and other Supplies
Supplies / Number of Officials of each related Country and Agency

* "Number of Transports" stated here is counted by the number of days of transport.

Exercise (JMSDF[JapanNavy])

The Maritime Self-Defense Force conducts exercises with the objective of improving the knowledge and skills required for each member to perform their duties, and refining the comprehensive ability required to achieve the mission of the unit.
The first stage of exercise focuses on creating teamwork for each ship and aircraft, which are the basic units of combat strength. Subsequently, this training progresses to applied unit training after the members demonstrate improved proficiency. The size of the units increase, and exercise is then conducted between ships or in tandem between ships and aircraft. We also conduct comprehensive exercise, including the annual exercise that enables larger units to work together.

http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/english/exercises/index.html

Actual Air Transport Conditions supporting the US【JASDF[Japan Air Force]】

Actual Air Transport Conditions supporting the US
As of Nov 01, 2007

Domestic Flights 366 times
Oversea Flights 15 times

Activities in the Indian Ocean and elsewhere(JMSDF[Japan Navy])

In view of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the Japanese government enacted the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law to provide all the assistance and cooperation possible with in Constitutional limits.

In accordance with the law, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has been conducting cooperation and support activities since November 2001. The activities have primarily involved supplying fuel to the U.S. naval vessels and other nations’ vessels participating in maritime interdiction operations in the Indian Ocean. These activities continue to the present day.

It is worth noting that the U.S. naval vessels to which we have supplied fuel in the Indian Ocean have achievedsignificant success with their maritime interdiction operations in the Persian Gulf and other locations. To cite just one example, since December 2003
these ships have confiscated more than nine tons of narcotics from suspicious vessels and discovered large quantities of small arms and portable anti-tank rockets.

http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/english/activities/index.html

CMS message (Admiral Akahoshi JMSDF[Japan Navy] )

On 24 March 2008, I was appointed as Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

　　　Amid the rapidly changing situations both at home and abroad, proper shape of Japan’s defense posture and the Maritime Self-Defense Force is widely questioned. Under this particular circumstance, the appointment to Chief of Staff makes me bear firmly in mind the heavy responsibility of being at the helm of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. However our surrounding situations change, importance of protecting maritime security is permanent. I will do everything I can with all the members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force to carry out missions of protecting maritime security, the life-line of Japan.

　　　The Maritime Self-Defense Force has recently caused several problems including a serious accident and people’s trust in us is largely shaken.

　　　It is needles to say that our duty is to carry out missions as servants of Japan and its people with resolution to devote our own life at any time in order to fulfill mandate from the people. The Maritime Self-Defense Force must be a strong, trustworthy defense force that can swiftly respond under any circumstance to requirements of the Japanese government and the people.

　　　With this engraved in mind, I have set two guidelines, “Proficiency and Readiness” and “Flexible response”, for the members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.

　　　“Proficiency and Readiness” – This is my intention to train the Maritime Self-Defense Force and maintain its proficiency and readiness at a highest standard so that it can quickly and smoothly accomplish assigned missions, without being affected by superficial changes of situations. This is also the tradition handed over since the establishment of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and essential qualities required to be professional guardians of maritime security.

　　　“Flexible response” – The Maritime Self-Defense Force will implement the largest reform of its organization on 26 March 2008. We must not act on precedent and hold to custom blindly. We should give up a past-oriented mentality and should change what needs changing flexibly and boldly.

　　　I resolve that I sincerely accept the present situations in which we are in, bear responsibility of maintaining maritime security, share the honor of being a member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force that devotes himself/herself to this country and its people, make every member fully understand their missions and duties, do what needs doing orderly, make every effort to restore trust of the people, accomplish given tasks, and thus fulfill mandate from the people, united with all the members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.


CMS JMSDF
Admiral
Keiji Akahoshi

Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan

Chief of Staff, Joint Staff

NAME ： Takashi Saito
RANK ： Admiral
DATE OF BIRTH ： 11,February,1948



BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

EDUCATION :
March 1970 National Defense Academy

PROMOTION:
1971 Ensign
January 1989 Captain
June 1995 Rear Admiral
January 2001 Vice Admiral
January 2005 Admiral

MILITARY CAREER:
December1992 Commander,Escort Division 22
July 1994 Head,Plans and Programs Division,MSO
July 1997 Director of Operations and Plans Department,MSO
January 2001 Commandant,Maizuru District
August 2002 Commandant,Yokosuka District
January 2005 Chief of Staff, JMSDF
August 2006 Present Assignment

http://www.mod.go.jp/jso/english/e-chief_of_staff.htm

Marines Report Osprey Has Proven Itself in Iraq

Marines Report Osprey Has Proven Itself in Iraq
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2008 - The MV-22 Osprey has proven itself in Iraq, and Marine officials are applying the lessons learned in the first operational deployment of the tilt-rotor aircraft to current operations.

"We're immensely proud of the Marines of Tilt-Rotor Squadron 263, who took on the challenging task of the first combat deployment of the Osprey," Lt. Gen. George J. Trautman, deputy commandant for Marine Corps aviation, said here today.

The MV-22 takes off and lands as a helicopter, but flies like an airplane.

Trautman, squadron commander Lt. Col. Paul Rock, MV-22 pilot Capt. Sara Faibisoff, and crew chief Sgt. Danny Herrman briefed Pentagon reporters on the squadron's deployment to Iraq. The unit deployed from Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., in September 2007 and returned last week.

Trautman said the decision to send the MV-22 to Iraq was the right one. It gave the Marines and soldiers in Anbar province "the best assault support aircraft" ever made, he said.

The MV-22 handled every mission it was assigned, Rock said. The unit flew more than 2,500 sorties during its seven-month deployment, with each of its aircraft flying an average of 62 hours per month. Rock said before the deployment, officials forecast each MV-22 would fly around 50 hours per month.

The aircraft was easier to maintain than the CH-46 helicopters it replaced. The 46 is 1950s-based technology, and mechanics put in 24 hours of maintenance on those aircraft for every hour in the air. The MV-22 took about 9.5 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight.

The squadron deployed with 10 aircraft. "On any given day, about seven aircraft were mission ready," Rock said. "That was more than sufficient to meet our daily taskings."

The biggest surprise for the Marines was the vastly increased payload and greatly increased range the Osprey brings to the mission. Herrman said that, in loading the aircraft, he would often run out of cubic space rather than exceeding the weight the aircraft could handle.

The range and speed of the aircraft also were pleasant surprises. Faibisoff told of flying a medical evacuation mission on Christmas Day. She picked up a Marine with a ruptured appendix in a remote base well south of Al Asad Air Base. The aircraft was able to launch and get the Marine to medical help in 56 minutes -- well within the "golden hour," a rule of thumb that gives an ill or injured person the best chance for survival if treated within the first hour of being stricken.

"We were off deck within 15 minutes of receiving the call and headed for a zone about 90 miles south of Al Asad," she said.

Computer software makes the aircraft easy to fly, and it was able to handle the desert environment, Faibisoff said.

The aircraft flew raid operations and scout missions, and conducted tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel. The squadron also flew alert missions and casualty evacuations.

"The overwhelming majority of what we did was general support -- taking people, gear, combat equipment all over the very large battle space," Rock said.

The combat conditions in Anbar province had improved to such a degree that the aircraft never had to fly into a landing zone while hostilities were under way. Still, Rock said, squadron aircraft came under small-arms fire once and rocket fire once. "Taking advantage of the aircraft's performance (means that) somebody's opportunity to engage us is very short," he said.

The Marine Corps is looking at adding an all-aspect, all-quadrant weapon on the MV-22.

"The system we're looking at now with the [U.S.] Special Operations Command is an all-aspect weapon that would be mounted in the belly of the aircraft," Trautman said. The weapon will fire in any direction and be controlled by a gunner inside the airplane.

Another MV-22 squadron is operating at Al Asad Air Base today. The service will create two more squadrons each year.

"We're on a journey to exploit a new and revolutionary technology," Trautman said. "We're going to continue to learn lessons and we're going to continue to improve and we're going to work hard to exploit the capability this aircraft."

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49764

Kim Jong-il builds ‘Thunderbirds’ runway for war in North Korea

An airbase inside a mountain is the latest sign that North Korea, whose links to Syria’s nuclear programme came to light last week, is cranking up its military machine
Michael Sheridan, Far East Correspondent, and Uzi Mahnaimiin in Tel Aviv

North Korean military engineers are completing an underground runway beneath a mountain that can protect fighter aircraft from attack until they take off at high speed through the mouth of a tunnel.

The 6,000ft runway is a few minutes’ flying time from the tense front line where the Korean People’s Army faces soldiers from the United States and South Korea.

The project was identified by an air force defector from North Korea and captured on a satellite image by Google Earth, according to reports in the South Korean press last week.

It is one of three underground fighter bases among an elaborate subterranean military infrastructure built to withstand a “shock and awe” assault in the first moments of a war, the defector said.

The runway, reminiscent of the Thunderbirds television series, highlights the strange and secretive nature of the regime that provided the expertise for a partially built nuclear reactor in Syria, film of which was released by the CIA last week.

The reactor was destroyed by Israeli aircraft last September in an operation that may have killed or injured North Koreans at the site in the remote deserts of eastern Syria.

The airstrike appears to have convinced North Korea to harden its own defences and to spend more on its military, even as it struggles to cope with a new food shortage that could see millions of its citizens go hungry. In recent days North Korea has ordered its people to be vigilant against “warmongers”.

“The prevailing situation requires the whole party and army and all the people to get fully prepared to go into action,” North Korea’s state media said on Friday.

Although the media unleashed a volley of abuse against the United States and Lee Myungbak, South Korea’s conservative new president, it also said “sincere and constructive” negotiations on nuclear disarmament were in progress, an apparent effort to play off hawks against doves in Washington.

Some diplomats, who are sceptical of the process, say that behind the rhetoric, Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, may sense that he is a hair’s breadth away from a deal that would leave him with up to 10 nuclear weapons and a security guarantee for his regime.

In Washington, nuclear experts were puzzled by the timing and quality of the evidence released by the Bush administration. Democrats suggested hardliners around Dick Cheney, the vice-president, had forced the issue to try to wreck the talks with Kim.

However, there is a more persuasive argument. Analysts in Seoul see the American disclosures as a sly way to keep the negotiations alive. Kim had refused to make a “full declaration” of his nuclear programme by a December 31 deadline; now, in effect, the CIA has done it for him. “The revelation was a highly orchestrated one,” commented The Korea Herald, adding that it “enabled” Pyongyang to “make its declaration without losing face”.

One indication is that Christopher Hill, the US State Department negotiator, flew to Singapore for an unusual session with his North Korean counterparts shortly before the United States went public. “There must have been some sort of secret agreement or deal,” said Taewoo Kim, of the Korea Institute for Defence Analyses in Seoul.

Last year Hill persuaded the White House that the talks offered a realistic chance to accomplish a peace treaty formally ending the 1950-3 Korean war, in which more than 50,000 Americans died. His critics, such as John Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador, say North Korea has a long recidivist history of selling missiles and unconventional weapons to unstable Middle Eastern regimes such as Syria, Iran and Libya.

Whatever the truth, even by the standards of North Korean politics the atomic intrigue half a world away -- with its multinational cast of spies, scientists, diplomats and airmen -- makes an exotic story.

The alliance between the two clan dictatorships in Damascus and Pyongyang is more than 35 years old. In another tunnel, this one under Mount Myohang, the North Koreans have kept as a museum piece the Kalashnikov assault rifle and pistols sent as gifts from President Hafez al-Assad of Syria to Kim Il-sung in the early years of their friendship.

Today North Korea and Syria are ruled by the sons of their 20th-century dictators -- Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father in 2000 and Kim Jong-il took over in 1994. They inherited a hatred of America and a fondness for authoritarian family rule.

Syria possesses the biggest missile arsenal and the largest stockpile of chemical weapons in the Middle East, built up over the past two decades with arms bought from North Korea.

North Korea, which detonated a nuclear device in October 2006, has become pivotal to Syria’s plans to enhance and upgrade its weapons.

Syria’s liquid-fuelled Scud-C missiles depend on “essential foreign aid and assistance, primarily from North Korean entities”, said the CIA in a report to the US Congress in 2004.

Diplomats based in Pyongyang have said they now believe reports that about a dozen Syrian technicians were killed in an explosion and train crash at Ryongchon, North Korea, on April 22, 2004. North Korea blamed a technical mishap, but there were rumours of an assassination attempt on Kim, whose special train had passed through the station en route to China some hours earlier.

No independently verified cause of the disaster was made known. However, teams of military personnel wearing protective suits were seen removing debris from the section of the train in which the Syrians were travelling, according to a detailed report quoting military sources which appeared on May 7, 2004, in the Sankei Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper.

The technicians were said to be from Syria’s Centre D’Etudes et de Recherche Scientifique, a body known to be engaged in military technology.

Their bodies were flown home by a Syrian military cargo aircraft which was spotted on May 1, 2004 at Pyongyang. There was speculation among military attache's that the Syrians were transporting unconventional weapons, the paper said at the time. Diplomats said the Sankei Shimbun report was now believed to be accurate.

Last year Jane’s Defence Weekly reported that dozens of Iranian engineers and Syrians were killed on July 23 attempting to load a chemical warhead containing the nerve gases VX and sarin onto a Scud missile at a plant in Syria.

The Scuds and warheads are of North Korean design and possibly manufacture. Some analysts think North Korean scientists were helping the Syrians to attach air-burst chemical warheads to the missiles.

Syria possesses more than 100 Scud-C and ScudD missiles which it bought from North Korea in the past 15 years. In the 1990s it added cluster warheads to the Scud-Cs that experts believe are intended for chemical weapons.

Like North Korea, Syria has an extensive chemical weapons programme including sarin, VX and mustard gas, according to researchers at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute in California.

The Scud-C is strategically worrying to Israel because Syria has deployed it with one launcher for every two missiles. The normal ratio is one to 10. The conclusion: Syria’s missiles are set up for a devastating first strike.

Since 2004 there have been a series of leaks designed to suggest that Syria has renewed its interest in atomic weapons, a claim denied by Damascus.

In December 2006 the Kuwaiti newspaper, Al-Siyasa, quoted European intelligence sources in Brussels as saying that Syria was engaged in an advanced nuclear programme in its northeastern Hasakah province.

It also quoted British security sources as identifying the man heading the programme as Major Maher Assad, brother of the president and commander of the Republican Guard.

Early last year foreign diplomats had noticed an increase in political and military visits between Syria and North Korea. They received reports of Syrian passengers on flights from Beijing to Pyongyang, almost the only air route into the country. They also spotted Middle Eastern businessmen using trains between North Korea and the industrial cities of northeast China.

Then there were clues in the official media. On August 14 Rim Kyongman, the North Korean minister of foreign trade, was in Syria to sign a protocol on “cooperation in trade and science and technology”. His delegation held the fifth meeting of a “joint economic committee” with its Syrian counterpart. No details were disclosed.

Initially, the conclusion of diplomats was that the deal involved North Korean ballistic missiles, maintenance for the existing Syrian arsenal and engineering expertise for building silos and bunkers against air attack. Now it is known that Israeli intelligence interpreted the meeting as the last piece in a nuclear jigsaw; a conclusion that Israel shared with President George W Bush.

For years the United States and Israel saw North Korean weapons sales to the Middle East as purely a source of revenue -- apart from seafood, minerals and timber, North Korea is impoverished and has little else to sell. The nuclear threat in Syria was also believed to be dormant, as Damascus appeared to rely on a chemical first-strike as an unconventional deterrent.

In a period of detente, the United States and its allies concurred when China sold a 30kw nuclear reactor to Syria in 1998 under international controls.

Then, in 2003, American intelligence officials believe that Syria recruited Iraqi scientists who had fled after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Like other countries in the region, Syria renewed its pursuit of nuclear research.

The calculus changed for good after North Korea tested a nuclear bomb in 2006 and admitted to a plutonium stockpile sufficient for 10 more.

The danger to Israel is multiplied by the triangular relationship between North Korea, Syria and Iran. Syria has served as a conduit for the transport to Iran of an estimated ￡50m of missile components and technology sent by sea from North Korea to the Syrian port of Tartous, diplomats said.

They say Damascus and Tehran have set up a ￡125m joint venture to build missiles in Syria with North Korean and Chinese technical help. North Korean military engineers have worked on hardened silos and tunnels for the project near the cities of Hama and Aleppo.

Israel also noted reports from Pyongyang that Syrian and Iranian observers were present at missile test firings by the North Korean military last summer and were given valuable experimental data. Israeli sources said last week that Iran was informed “in every detail” about the nuclear reactor and had sent technicians to the site.

Such was the background against which Israel took its decision to strike. Two signals from the North Koreans in the aftermath showed that the bombs hit home.

On September 10, four days after the raid, Kim sent a personal message of congratulations to Assad on the Syrian dictator’s 42nd birthday.

“The excellent friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries are steadily growing stronger even under the complicated international situation,” Kim said.

The next day, in a message that went largely unnoticed, the North Koreans condemned the Israeli action as “illegal” and “a very dangerous provocation”.

Just days later a top Syrian official, Saeed Elias Daoud, director of the ruling Syrian Arab Ba’ath party, boarded a Russian-made vintage jet belonging to the North Korean airline, Air Koryo, for the short flight from Beijing.

Daoud brought counsel and sympathy from Assad, whose father Hafez was famed as a strategic gambler with a talent for brinkmanship.

Now Kim is waiting to see if his own gamble has paid off.

Additional reporting: Sarah Baxter in Washington

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3822538.ece

Press Conference by the Defense Minister of Japan

Press Conference by the Defense Minister (Doorstepping)
Time & Date: 8:49-8:52 A.M. April 25, 2008
Place: Lobby in front of the Cabinet Meeting Room in the House

1. Announcements

None.

2. Questions and Answers

Question:
It is likely that the bilateral agreement for the “budget for host nation support for US forces in Japan” will be rejected at the House of Councilors plenary session from 10:00. If so, this will be the first case of a treaty being rejected by the Upper House. How do you take this?

Minister:
I think it cannot be helped, given the number of seats currently held in the Upper House. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is against the agreement, as are many in the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party. However, because this is a treaty, procedures stipulated in the Constitution will be taken. If the agreement is rejected at the House of Councilors, I will feel extreme regret.

Question:
Yesterday, the subcommittee of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) compiled a proposal on strengthening the functions of the Joint Staff Office. The proposal seems to show quite a different direction from what you have said, Mr. Minister. How do you take this?

Minister:
Do you think so? I do not think it is particularly different. The matter of integrating the operations of the Internal Bureau and staff offices has been a topic of discussion from the time when I used to do work on this within the LDP. I myself do not find this orientation peculiar in any sense. Various people have various arguments about this matter. They are not exactly the same. However, I do not think there is any significant deviation in the overall direction among them.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Says Iranian Meddling Destabilizes Iraq, Region

Joint Chiefs Chairman Says Iranian Meddling Destabilizes Iraq, Region
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2008 - Recently manufactured Iranian weapons found in and around Basra, Iraq, provide disturbing evidence that Iran continues meddling in Iraq in ways that hamper progress and put U.S. and Iraqi lives at risk, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said he's "increasingly concerned about Iran's activity, not just in Iraq, but throughout the region."

"I believe recent events, especially the Basra operation, have revealed just how much and just how far Iran is reaching into Iraq to foment instability," Mullen said. "Their support to criminal groups in the form of munitions and training, as well as other assistance they are providing and the attacks they are encouraging continues to kill coalition and Iraqi personnel."

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq who is in line for the top U.S. Central Command job, is preparing a briefing that details these activities, Mullen said. The report is expected in the next couple of weeks.

The recent findings prove Iraq is not living up to its pledge several months ago to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that it would stop meddling in Iraqi affairs, Mullen said. "It's plainly obvious they have not," he said.

"Indeed, they seem to have gone the other way," the chairman said. "I think actions, certainly here, must speak louder than words. And the actions just don't meet the commitments on the part of their leadership."

While conceding that he has "no smoking gun" to prove high-level Iranian government involvement, he said he's "hard-pressed to believe the head of the Quds Force is not aware of this."

The Quds Force is a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that organizes, trains, equips and finances foreign operatives.

Citing the "great downside potential" of this influence, Mullen emphasized the need to "to continue to press, using all available means," to get Iran to reverse course.

"While all options certainly remain open, I'm convinced the solution right now still lies in using other levers of national power, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure," he said.

But "we are not taking any military elements off the table," the admiral added.

Mullen said he has no expectation that the United States will get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future, and conceded that "a third conflict in this part of the world would be extremely stressing for us."

He emphasized, however, that the United States has reserve capability, particularly in the Navy and Air Force and based in other regions. "So it would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said.

"But in terms of having another conflict in that region, I certainly don't think that would be where we'd want to go right now," he said.

Syria's secret: did North Korea help to build a nuclear plant?

The White House yesterday broke seven months of silence over why Israel bombed a building in the Syrian desert last year, saying that it was convinced North Korea was helping to build a nuclear plant at the site.

In a statement issued last night, President Bush's press secretary declared the collaboration between Syria and North Korea represented "a dangerous and potentially destabilising development for the world" because the facility was unlikely to have been for "peaceful purposes". Syria described the accusation as "absurd".

Hours earlier the CIA had finally given Congress sight of videotapes and other "extremely compelling" evidence which, it believes, indicates that North Korea was helping Syria. The nuclear plant was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on September 6 that has since been the focus of world-wide speculation.

Intelligence officials showed committees on Capitol Hill a video taken inside the Syrian al-Kibar facility in which Korean faces were said to be visible. The design of the plant is alleged to resemble the North Korean reactor at Yongbyon, including a similar configuration and number of holes for fuel rods.

The CIA believes the facility would have been capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons but was destroyed by the Israelis just weeks before it became operational. The air strike last year has been compared to the raid on Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981. The videotape is understood to have been provided by Israeli intelligence hoping to overcome US scepticism, but the CIA yesterday stressed it had material from different sources that also pointed to North Korean involvement.

Syria's Ambassador to the US condemned the disclosures and insisted once again that his country never had a nuclear programme. Imad Moustafa said: "This is exactly the same story as Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction. There is a proven record of this [US] Administration to fabricate lies."

But both the US and Israel feared that if the Syrian reactor had become operational, not only would an Arab nation have developed nuclear capability for the first time but also that the regime the Washington accuses of supporting terrorism could have obtained weapons of mass destruction.

Yesterday's disclosures came at a sensitive time for relations between the US and North Korea. The US State Department is pressing Pyongyang to come clean about the full extent of its nuclear programme -- including exporting such technology -- before lifting sanctions against a country which Mr Bush once proclaimed was part of an "axis of evil".

But national security hawks have criticised the US Administration for watering down previous demands that North Korea publicly admit to having a nuclear weapons programme and helping Syria.

Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, is among those believed to be concerned that North Korea is being rewarded for "bad behaviour", and there has been speculation that the release of intelligence material is designed to wreck the six-party talks on disarmament that represent one of the few achievements of multilateral diplomacy in recent years.

Congressional resistance to the compromise deal with North Korea probably prompted yesterday's disclosures. Peter Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, complained repeatedly about the "unprecedented veil of secrecy" thrown around the September airstrike.

Yesterday he appeared little mollified, saying that by waiting so long to reveal intelligence material "the Administration has made it much more difficult -- if they do reach some kind of agreement with the six-party talks -- for them to go through the Congress and get these agreements approved".

Both the US State Department and the North Korean Government said that talks in Pyongyang on the nuclear issue this week were making progress despite the latest row.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3671892.ece

Flag Officer Assignments(US Navy)

Flag Officer Assignments
Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:21:00 -0500

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 341-08
April 24, 2008
Flag Officer Assignments

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced the following flag officer assignments:

Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan is being assigned as commander, Fourth Fleet, Jacksonville, Fla. Kernan is currently serving as commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, San Diego, Calif.

Rear Adm. (lower half) David H. Buss is being assigned as deputy chief of staff, Strategic Plans and Assessment, Multi-National Force - Iraq. Buss is currently serving as chief of staff for Navy Enterprise, N09X, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Edward G. Winters III is being assigned as commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, San Diego, Calif. Winters is currently serving as commanding general, Iraqi National Counterterrorism Force Transition Team, Multi-National Force - Iraq.

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/

Flag Officer Assignments

Navy Re-Establishes U.S. Fourth Fleet

Navy Re-Establishes U.S. Fourth Fleet
Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0500

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 338-07
April 24, 2008
Navy Re-Establishes U.S. Fourth Fleet

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the re-establishment of the U.S. Fourth Fleet and assigned Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, currently serving as commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, as its new commander. Fourth Fleet will be responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

U.S. Fourth Fleet will be dual-hatted with the existing commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO), currently located in Mayport, Fla. U.S. Fourth Fleet has been re-established to address the increased role of maritime forces in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of operations, and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to regional partners.

"Re-establishing the Fourth Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere, and signals our support and interest in the civil and military maritime services in Central and South America," said Roughead. "Our maritime strategy raises the importance of working with international partners as the basis for global maritime security. This change increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests. "

Effective July 1, the command will have operational responsibility for U.S. Navy assets assigned from east and west coast fleets to operate in the SOUTHCOM area. As a result, U.S. Fourth Fleet will not involve an increase in forces assigned in Mayport, Fla. These assets will conduct varying missions including a range of contingency operations, counter narcoterrorism, and theater security cooperation (TSC) activities. TSC includes military-to-military interaction and bilateral training opportunities as well as humanitarian assistance and in-country partnerships.

U.S. Fourth Fleet will retain responsibility as NAVSO, the Navy component command for SOUTHCOM. Its mission is to direct U.S. naval forces operating in the Caribbean, and Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies to shape the maritime environment.

Kernan will be the first Navy SEAL to serve as a numbered fleet commander.

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11862

For more information on U.S. Fourth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, including the map of its area of responsibility, go to http://www.cusns.navy.mil .

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/

Coalition Forces Kill Four Iranian-Trained Fighters in Iraq

Coalition Forces Kill Four Iranian-Trained Fighters in Iraq

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:11:00 -0500

American Forces Press Service

Bookmark and Share
Coalition Forces Kill Four Iranian-Trained Fighters in Iraq
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 - Coalition forces killed four Iranian-trained "special groups" criminals and detained five other suspected criminals today in Rashidiyah, Iraq, north of Baghdad.

Intelligence sources led the forces to the location of a criminal suspected of receiving weapons and finances from Iran. He also is suspected of directing and conducting kidnappings and sectarian violence against Iraqi citizens.

Despite receiving sporadic small-arms fire attacks, coalition forces apprehended the suspected criminal and three other suspects. As the forces approached a second location to apprehend another suspected criminal, they came under small-arms fire from both sides of the road and returned fire, killing one criminal.

After arriving at the targeted individual's location, the forces again came under small-arms fire from three criminals atop a local residence. Coalition forces followed the three individuals to a home in the neighborhood then came under attack from the criminals inside the house. They engaged the hostile threat, killing the three criminals. The engagement ignited a fire in the house, but coalition forces were able to evacuate residents from the building unharmed.

"Coalition forces will continue to seek out these criminal elements supported by Iran who threaten the security of Iraqi citizens and who undermine the sovereignty of Iraq," said Navy Cmdr. Scott Rye, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.

Elsewhere, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers killed three criminals in separate engagements in Baghdad yesterday and today.

-- At about 7:30 a.m. today, an aerial weapons team observed a criminal with a heavy machine gun firing on Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers in northeastern Baghdad. The aerial weapons team fired one Hellfire missile, ending the attack. The heavy machine gun was destroyed, but no casualties were reported.

-- At about 11:30 p.m., two criminals were observed emplacing an improvised-explosive device in northeastern Baghdad. After fleeing the scene, an aerial weapons team engaged the criminals in a building with two Hellfire missiles, killing both.

-- At about 10:50 p.m. yesterday, an aerial weapons team observed a criminal emplacing an improvised-explosive device. The IED was targeting a coalition forces patrol in northeastern Baghdad. The aerial weapons team engaged the criminal with a Hellfire missile, killing him.

In other operations yesterday, coalition forces killed three al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists and detained 14 suspects during operations targeting terrorist networks in the central and northern parts of the country Wednesday.

-- West of Biaj, coalition forces captured an alleged foreign-terrorist facilitator and three additional suspects. While rounding up the detainees, one terrorist attempted to escape. After the terrorist refused commands to halt, coalition forces engaged, killing him.

-- Coalition forces targeted an alleged leader of an al-Qaida in Iraq propaganda cell during an operation in Mosul. As coalition forces arrived at the target area, two individuals attempted to seize their weapons from them. Coalition forces responded in self-defense, engaging and killing the two men, officials said.

-- Coalition forces captured a suspected senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader in Mosul during a precision operation. Intelligence reports also indicate he is involved in kidnapping and suicide-bombing operations.

-- West of Baghdad, coalition forces conducted two operations targeting operatives in the area's bombing network. Six suspected terrorists were detained, and four are believed to be part of a bombing cell that attacks coalition forces.

"Iraqi citizens reject the criminal activity of al-Qaeda in Iraq's members," Rye said. "Terrorists cling to violence, while the people of Iraq have chosen a path of peace."

Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained five suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq networks operating north of Mosul.

Information from an operation April 12 led Coalition forces to a location where they secured a building and detained three suspected terrorists. Acting on additional intelligence, Coalition forces proceeded to a second location. While securing the building, two individuals displayed hostile intent toward Coalition forces, who fired in self-defense, wounding both men. One suspect was taken to a military medical facility, and the other wounded suspect was treated on site and detained.

Coalition forces followed a suspected terrorist in a vehicle to an area northwest of Samarra. When the driver would not follow signals to stop, including warning shots, Coalition forces fired into the vehicle. The vehicle stopped, and secondary explosions erupted from inside, indicating weapons, ammunition or explosives inside the vehicle. The terrorist in the vehicle was killed.

"We continue to target terrorists in Mosul and throughout Iraq to disrupt their networks and degrade their ability to attack innocent Iraqis," said Cmdr. Scott Rye, MNF-I spokesman.

Also yesterday, Multinational Force West soldiers pursuing two suspected enemy vehicles engaged insurgents north of Lake Thar Thar. Insurgents engaged the soldiers with small-arms fire and grenades. The brief chase ended as the lead enemy vehicle stopped. The enemy continued their attack as the second vehicle sped away. The soldiers returned fire, killing six insurgents and destroying their truck.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
Related Sites:
Multinational Force Iraq
Multinational Corps Iraq

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49679

Coalition Forces Kill Four Iranian-Trained Fighters in Iraq

Petraeus-Odierno Team Nominated to Lead in CentCom, Iraq

Petraeus-Odierno Team Nominated to Lead in CentCom, Iraq
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2008 - The White House will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq, to be the next U.S. Central Command commander, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today.

"I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job," Gates told reporters. He cited Petraeus' in-depth understanding of the situation in Iraq as well as counterinsurgency operations, and the successes seen in Iraq under his leadership.

"The kinds of conflicts we are dealing with not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan and some of the challenges that we face elsewhere in the region in the CentCom area, are very much characterized by asymetric warfare," he said. "And I don't know anybody in the United States military better qualified to lead that effort."

Gates also announced today that the White House will nominate Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who commanded Multinational Corps Iraq until just two months ago, to succeed Petraeus as Multinational Force Iraq commander.

Odierno served as Petraeus' right-hand man in Iraq, Gates said, and like Petraeus, has the experience required for the job.

"I believe in most parts of the world, especially the Middle East, personal relationships make a difference," Gates said. "And General Odierno is known recently to the Iraqi leadership, he's known to the Iraqi generals, he's known to our own people. He has current experience, so the likelihood of him being able to pick up for this baton-passing to be smooth – the odds of that are better with him than with anybody else I could identify."

Odierno had been nominated as Army vice chief of staff. That nomination will be withdrawn, with Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, currently Gates' senior military advisor, to be nominated for a fourth star and to serve in that position, the secretary announced.

Gates said Navy Adm. William J. Fallon's decision in March to step down as CentCom commander came unexpectedly, creating a big hole at "one of our most important combatant commands, one engaged in two wars and on many fronts and perhaps the most sensitive part of the world."

Gates said he turned to the person most up to speed on the region to fill the post quickly without losing momentum.

Petraeus said he is "honored to be nominated for this position and to have an opportunity to continue to serve with America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians."

Gates said he expects the Petraeus-Odierno team to work together to continue building on progress taking place in Iraq. "I think the course ... that General Petraeus has set has been a successful course, so frankly I think staying that course is not a bad idea," he said. "I would say it's a good idea."

Because Odierno served directly under Petraeus for the past year, his assumption of the Iraq command with Petraeus at CentCom "probably preserves the likelihood of continued momentum and progress," Gates said.

The secretary urged the Senate to move quickly on the nominations, confirming them by Memorial Day, if possible, to pave the way for Petraeus to take the CentCom helm. Gates cited the "high respect" many Senate leaders have for Petraeus and said he expects a fairly smooth confirmation process.

Meanwhile, Petraeus will remain in the Multinational Force Iraq job through late summer or early fall to ensure a smooth hand-off to Odierno. Gates said he expects Petraeus to be on site to evaluate ground conditions following a 45-day pause to begin after the final surge forces withdraw from Iraq.

"I would expect that General Petraeus would carry out not only the evaluation, but that first decision in terms of are we able to draw down another brigade combat team or not, depending on conditions on the ground," Gates said.

At CentCom, Petraeus will broaden his responsibilities to address challenges not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region. Gates said he expects Petraeus to follow in Fallon's footsteps building relationships throughout the region.

Gates said he believes Petraeus, Odierno and Fallon all share the same views about the dangers of Iranian interference in Iraq. "What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and women inside Iraq," he said.

The secretary expressed special appreciation to Odierno for his willingness to accept another tour in Iraq so soon after returning home, and to his family for supporting the decision.

"I think his extraordinary sense of duty that has led him to accept this tough assignment," he said. "I am personally very grateful to him and to his family for their remarkable service to this country."

Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who was Fallon's deputy commander, has served as acting CentCom commander since Fallon handed over the reins March 28.
Biographies:
Gen. David H. Petraeus
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno

Related Sites:
U.S. Central Command
Multinational Force Iraq

Press Conference by the Defense Minister of Japan

Press Conference by the Defense Minister
Time & Date: 9:22－9:31 A.M. April 22, 2008
Place: Entrance of the Prime Minister’s Official Residence

1. Announcements

None

2. Questions and Answers

Question:
It is alleged that a 19-year-old member of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) at GSDF Camp, Nerima murdered a taxi driver in Kagoshima Prefecture. There is an undeniable feeling of repeated misconducts and incidents; how have you taken this news, Mr. Minister?

Minister:
We are asking for a report on it now, as we need to grasp the facts of the situation accurately. As you say, I have received a report that a 19-year-old Private First Class has committed this act. It had also been reported that the suspect in this matter had gone missing since late March. We will make further comment once the circumstances regarding this matter have been accurately grasped. For the moment, I will not deny that, from what we have heard, there is a similarity between this incident and that of the alleged murder of a taxi driver by a US sailor in Yokosuka. At any rate, once we have grasped the details, we should express our apology to the bereaved family in a sincere manner. We need also to examine carefully the causes of this incident. I think the Government must do its best to respond to this incident and to take necessary measures. The incident is truly regrettable. However, I cannot give a detailed comment until we get the details of the fact.

Question:
While the reorganization efforts have been going on within the Ministry, it is reported that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will put together one proposal for reorganization at its subcommittee. How do you think the ministry’s reorganizational efforts will progress, including its relation with this proposal of the LDP?

Minister:
I do not know how this proposal will be treated—whether it will come up in the National Defense Division, or in the three divisions concerning national defense, after going through several discussions within the LDP subcommittee. I do not know what the final contents will be either. Nevertheless, I know there are several topics that need to be discussed, and what matters is whether their viewpoint on these topics is similar or different to ours. One point is the integration of “uniformed” and “civilian” personnel; another is the issue of sorting out the relationship between the staff and the front-line personnel. There is also the issue of sorting out the relationship among politicians, the civilian and uniformed personnel. In particular, we need to see carefully where and how Article 12 of the Ministry of Defense Establishment Law will be effective or invalidated. Unless we actually see what happens when we elaborate the law, we could end up with differing interpretations of the act. I myself believe that we should not carry out our discussion too loosely, as there is a good chance that the results could be quite different from what we intended after we make a law. In other countries, reforming the army usually takes several years. In the case of Japan, we need to wrap up the discussion this time within only half a year or so. I think it is important for all these topics to be carefully examined in discussions. Whatever the case, we do not know what the proposal of the LDP will be in the end, so I cannot make any comment on the proposal at this time. At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to stress that when our discussion within the ministry moves from the general to the particular, we should get to the point of seeing what will happen by drafting all the stipulations of the law and applying them to figure out the nature of this issue. Otherwise, we may end up with unintended results. I would therefore like to examine this matter while ensuring consistency with the panel of experts at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Question:
General Tamogami, who is Chief of Staff, the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) stated at a press conference “Sonna no kankei nee” (“What does that matter?” or “I don’t care about that!”) with regard to the recent verdict of the dispatch of the ASDF to Iraq. Some people are criticizing this. Mr. Minister, what do you think of this matter, including his statement?

Minister:
I had been too busy at my home constituency, so I did not see this. Was this broadcast on live television?

Question:
There may not have been any television cameras at the press conference on that day.

Minister:
I see. I only read about this in print, so I do not know how this was actually said. Sometimes the words spoken at a press conference give quite a different impression from what one gets when reading it in print. Had I seen the actual scene either at the press conference room or on television I would be able to comment on it properly. Regarding how I felt about the facts on the premise that I read it only in print, I do think that from the perspective of the Government it was unnecessary for the judge to refer to the activities of the ASDF in the process of discussion leading to the conclusion for the judgment of the court, as I said in a previous comment. In addition, our basic plan specifies “Baghdad Airport,” but did not say anything as vague as “Baghdad.” Although such judgment was made, the Government’s stance is that the activities of SDF have been carried out in a non-combat zone, and are therefore not in any way unconstitutional. I believe that the General Tamogami has spoken along the same lines as well, but I do need to follow up on his press conference carefully. I myself, as a minister, have been speaking for the Government on this matter, concerning its impact on legal and legislative fronts. So I feel a little uncomfortable when a member of our staff makes statements of a different nuance. But having said that, I understand very well that he, as the Chief of Staff, ASDF, wanted to stress that the SDF’s activities are constitutional, so as to maintain the morale of SDF personnel on the field. Although I have no doubt of General Tamogami’s sentiments, and how he cares about the SDF personnel, I must say that I felt a little uncomfortable about the way that he spoke. Nevertheless, I believe that Mr. Tamogami’s sincere feelings toward the SDF personnel remain absolutely unchanged.

Gates Forms Task Force to Promote Intelligence, Surveillance for Warfighters

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates established a new task force last week to ensure the Defense Department is doing everything possible to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets to support warfighters, he announced today.

Gates told officers at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., he created the task force to give the ISR issue the same level emphasis that another task force he established has put on mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.

"My concern is that our services are still not moving aggressively in wartime to provide resources needed now on the battlefield," the secretary said during a speech to Air War College students. "While we have doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough."

Gates expressed frustration at the pace of progress, slowed by people "stuck in old ways of doing business" who make instituting change "like pulling teeth."

The new task force will move the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance issue to the front burner as it explores "more innovative and bold ways to help those whose lives are on the line," he said.

Getting more ISR support to deployed forces "may require rethinking long-standing service assumptions and priorities about which missions require certified pilots and which do not," Gates said.

"For those missions that still require manned missions, we need to think hard about whether we have the right platforms," he said. Particularly in environments where the United States and its partners have total control of the skies, "low-cost, low-tech alternatives" may provide the basic reconnaissance and close-air support needed, he said.

Gates recalled the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles in the 1990s, when he was director of central intelligence. "The introduction of UAVs around this time meant far less risk and far more versatile means of gathering data, and other nations like Israel set about using them," he said. "In 1992, however, the Air Force would not co-fund with CIA a vehicle without a pilot."

As he called today for out-of-the-box thinking about how the military can operate in the most sensible, affordable way, Gates said it's time to recognize the role unmanned aerial vehicles play in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions -- and how much more they can contribute.

"Unmanned systems cost much less and offer greater loiter time than their manned counterparts, making them ideal for many of today's tasks," he said.

He noted a 25-fold increase since 2001, with 5,000 now in the military inventory. "But in my view, we can do -- and we should do -- more to meet the needs of men and women fighting in the current conflicts while their outcome may still be in doubt."

Brad Berkson, director of program, analysis and evaluation, will chair the new task force and provide regular updates to Gates beginning early next month, said Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

Other task force members include representatives of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, the Joint Staff, the military services, the comptroller, and other Defense Department components.

Biographies:
Robert M. Gates

Related Articles:
Gates Urges Unconventional Thinkers to Address Unconventional Challenges

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49639

About the enforcement of the Japan-U.S. joint exercise（4/15 Japan Air Self Defence Force）

　The Air Self-Defense Force(JASDF:Nippon Air Force) is eyes by improvement of Japan-U.S. both tactics ability and improvement of the ability for Japan-U.S. joint tackling
I carry out a Japan-U.S. joint exercise as follows on a mark.

A note

1. A fixed date
　20.4.22 4.24 Tuesday or more Thursday

2. Enforcement corps

（1） The Air Self-Defense Force
　　The Southwest Air Lines concoction group headquarters, the 83rd flying corps, Southwest Air Lines caution control unit
（2） The United States Armed Forces
　　The fifth US Navy carrier wing

3. 演練項目
　　Ambush battle training

4. A use base and a use training air boundary

（1） A use base
　　Oh, it is the Air Self-Defense Force： The Naha base イ United States Armed Forces： Carrier "Kitty Hawk"
（2） A use training air boundary
　　Okinawa peripheral airspace (RO/W-173, 185) and a temporary training air boundary（X-24）

5. A participation scale
（1） The Air Self-Defense Force
　　F-4 around *1-2, T-4 around *1-2
（2） The United States Armed Forces
　　F-18 around *2, EA-6 *1, E-2C *1

About the results of the training with many foreign countries of 2007

　The results of the training with the many foreign countries which the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF Nippon Navy)did enforcement (participation) of in 2007
I am as follows.

1. A Japan-U.S. joint exercise
（1） American dispatch training three times
（2） Antisubmarine special training three times
（3） Minesweeping special training twice
（4） Transportation special training once
（5） Hygiene special training once
（6） Base guard special training once
（7） 15 times of small basic trainnings

（A note） Without a prior plan, I utilize the opportunities when a sea area acting at the opportunity when a Japan-U.S. military unit anchors in the same port approaches it, and the small basic trainning is small training to carry out appropriately.

2. Joint training between other 2 countries
（1） Japan-Korea search / rescue joint training one time
（2） Japan and Russia search / rescue joint training one time

3. Training between many countries
（1） West Pacific submarine rescue training 　　　　　　　　　　　　　Once
（2） Sea joint training mullah bar 07-2 between many countries 　　　　　　Once
（3） Joint training cobra gold 07 between many countries 　　　　　　　Once
（4） Security design (PSI) sea check training once for the diffusion

4. Friendship training
（1） Visit to Japan country (war vessels such as the foreign navy, a plane enforce it at the time of visit to Japan by a goodwill visit) Australia, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, Korea, India for each 1 time

（2） Visit country (Marine Self Defense Force war vessel, a plane enforce it at the time of a visit in ocean navigations) India, New Zealand for each 2 times, Australia, dust, France, Germany, Peru, Korea, Canada for each 1 time

5. Others
　About the person planning main attendance, it may be changed.