The Bolton Hearings

Shades of high school, the criticism of John Bolton at his confirmation hearing has not centered on any meaningful problem, but instead on whether he was once mean to a lower level federal employee (who had lied to Mr. Bolton). This leads to Mark Steyn being awarded the "Bolton Comment of the Week" for this paragraph from this:

If the Senate poseurs and the media wanted to mount a trenchant critique of Bolton's geopolitical philosophy, that would be reasonable enough. But there's not even a pretense of any of that. Instead, his opponents have seized on one episode -- an intelligence analyst in a critical position with whom Bolton and others were dissatisfied -- and used it to advance the bizarre proposition that every junior official should be beyond reproach, and certainly beyond such aggressive ''body language'' as putting one's hands on hips. Or as Peter Beinart, editor of the New Republic, complained to the BBC the other night: Bolton was ''disloyal to his subordinates.''

Of course, that brilliant shining light of legislative purity, Senator Boxer is involved...
To the esteemed "just say no" Democrats on the committee, the EagleSpeak Dodo award:



Earned for their failure to carry out the people's business in a sensible manner.

Hat tip to: PowerLine

Update: Add this to the list.

A few days ago, I referred to statements by Jonathan Turley, a self-dscribed social liberal law professor, about the judicial nominees being blocked by Democrats. Interviewed by Brit Hume, Turley found little merit to the claim that these judges were outside of the conservative mainsteam, as Democrats, led by Senator Schumer, have claimed....However, taking Turley's judgments to be on the mark, it seems clear that the Democrats are abusing the process by preventing votes on nine nominees as to whom even a liberal law professor can find no principled basis for blocking.

Car Nicobar IAF base back in action

India has its own Diego Garcia Car Nicobar IAF base back in action:

Indian defence planners have long recognised the growing potential of the Andamans as a strategic base. It is close to the important sea-lanes that take vast amounts of oil to East Asia through the Malacca Straits and the South-east Asian countries and is only around 45 km from the Myanmarese Cocos Islands where the Chinese have a presence.

India (Andamans in Bay of Bengal on right of map)


Andaman & Nicobar Islands (arrow to Car Nicobar): (update red star is Coco Island belonging to Myanmar)



Wait

"...only around 45 km from the Myanmarese Cocos Islands where the Chinese have a presence."

Sea lanes! See this. Note that the Andamans and Nicobar Islands are virtually at the western entrance to the Malacca Strait.

Update: Chinese presence on Coco Islands:

The maritime reconnaissance and electronic intelligence station on Great Coco Island in the Bay of Bengal, some 300 kms south of the Burmese mainland, is the most important Chinese electronic intelligence installation in Myanmar [Burma]. The Chinese Army is also building a base on Small Coco Island in the Alexandra Channel between the Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea north of India's Andaman Islands. These two islands, which have been leased to China since 1994, are located at a crucial point in traffic routes between the Bay of Bengal and the Strait of Malacca. The Coco Islands are thus an ideal location for for monitoring Indian naval and missile launch facilities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the south and movements of the Indian Navy and other navies throughout the eastern Indian Ocean.

Construction of the Great Coco Island station began in late 1992 with the emplacement of a 45-50m antenna tower, radar sites and other electronic facilities forming a comprehensive SIGINT collection facility. In mid-1993, some of the 70 Chinese naval personnel began operating the new radar equipment, and by the summer of 1994 the the PLA the radar and SIGINT facilities were complete and ready for use.

(source)

Update2: Interesting backgrounder on the Indian base (partially paid for by US funding) here.

Japan asks Indonesia to increase security in Malacca

Not much of a surprise: Japan asks Indonesia to increase security

A senior Japanese anti-terrorism official has asked Indonesia to step up security in the Malacca Strait, a narrow waterway through which a third of world trade and half its oil supplies flows.

A Fake UN Report Leading to Military Operations?

GeoPoliticialReview has a report That the U.N. May Have Falsified Congo Report. You know, the Congo report that Rwanda was acting up in the "Democratic Republic of Congo." It seems to be a breaking story, and I keep reminding myself that first reports are hardly ever accurate.

I suggest you visit GPR and take a look for yourself.

Update: It isn't exactly a first report, but a follow up on this, which is based on a BBC report....here citing to the same expert that GPR uses...and that contains this:

All this matters because the UN has been entrusted with trying to bring peace to central Africa.

If there are disputes between UN employees about something as basic as one country invading another, that trust may be brought into question.

Defining Terrorism Away

Rantingprofs invokes a sense of futility with the -gasp- UN. At first blush, it seems surprising that her reaction is caused by this

The 191-member U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday unanimously approved a treaty outlawing the use of nuclear weapons by terrorists and their supporters.

Until, that is you read the rest of the story:

An agreement on language was struck after members of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference were assured that the treaty would not be used to impose a generic definition of terrorism. Defining terrorism has been an intensely controversial issue at the United Nations, where Islamic governments have argued that anti-Israel national liberation movements that have targeted civilians should not be considered terrorists.

So exactly what is terrorism then, and why do we have the UN?

ONI World Wide Threat to Shipping Report for 13 April 2005

The latest ONI WWTTSR is here (click on the date). A couple of highlights:

2. SOMALIA: M/V (TIM BUCK) was boarded 10 Apr at 1000 local time while underway in position 03:24N, 048.17E, approximately 55 NM off the coast of Somalia. Pirates, armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons, set fire to a starboard rescue boat but failed to penetrate inside the ship. The crew acted in strict compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) in this emergency situation. The fire was localized. There were no injuries to the crew and no goods were taken. The vessel sustained a small amount of damage.
ONI NOTE: The long distance from shore at which recent attacks
have occurred off the Somali coastline demonstrates an increased tenacity by local pirates. All vessels transiting this area should take precautions. (INFO, ONI).

3. SOMALIA: An unidentified general cargo ship reports an
attempted boarding 31 Mar at 1330 UTC while underway in position
00:40.5N, 048:49.1E, approximately 220NM off Somalia, by six
persons armed with guns and grenades in two speedboats. Ship sent
distress message, increased speed and took evasive maneuvers.
Speedboats aborted attempted boarding at 1520 UTC (IMB).

Of course, read the whole enjoyable thing.

Sea Lanes Revisited

In an earlier post (Feb 20,2005), I set out a definition of sea lanes. In light of much recent discussion of China, I am reposting that information:

I keep posting about sea lanes. What are these things? Sea lanes are trade routes - almost like highways in the sea, where due to geography, ocean going vessels follow certain paths to avoid island, shallows and other impediments to their travel. They are also generally the most efficient routes to get from Point A to Point B - as close to straight line travel as a ship can accomplish given the number of obstacles in its path.

Of particular interest in recent days are the sea lanes China is working to find ways to protect. As you can see from the following (which just reference crude oil shipments) these lanes are heavily travelled. In the first chart, I have marked U.S. allies in blue (yes, Singapore is oversized) and areas that China is making claims or working to establish relations as red bursts. Note that the red bursts sit athwart the sea lanes. The second chart is from 2004 and you should be able to detect an increase in crude being shipped.

1993 lanes


Chokepoints: Maritime Economic Concerns in Southeast Asia Institute for National Strategic Studies, Washington,D.C. (National Defense University, 1996)
(color and bursts added)

2004 lanes


from Straits, Passages and Chokepoints: A Maritime Petroleum Distribution by Jean-Paul Rodrigue Rodrigue. Similar charts exist for other raw materials, such as metals.

So? Well, as Parapundit put it so well:

Oil is China's Achilles Heel from the standpoint of military strategy. Even if they use their massive economic growth rate to build a much larger blue water navy (and I expect they will do exactly that) it is far easier to deny the use of the oceans to some nation than to protect the sea lanes. On the other hand, even if the US and China clash over Taiwan the US would have a difficult time denying oil to China while still allowing oil to get through to other nations in East Asia. Though conceivably the US could allow tankers with carefully selected crews of known loyalties to go around New Guinea headed toward Japan and South Korea.

China wants to be in a position to defend its trade route/sea lanes and they are taking steps now to do so.

The fact that they are also vital to Japan, South Korea and lots of other countries is problematic not only for the reasons Parapunit points out, but because the potentially impacted countries are being targeted individually in what really is a collective problem. The U.S. is interested for economic and security reasons.

And that's why I keep posting about it.

Update: I note that Wretchard over at Belmont Club is also posting on the significance of sea lanes to China and what it means in terms of Taiwan:

But even if the United States could be persuaded not to intervene in any dispute with Taiwan, China's peculiar geographic vulnerability to maritime disruption means that even Taiwan's small submarine force could pose a major threat. This map from Global Security underscores how vital the South China Sea is to China's economy. Virtually all VLCC traffic to China, Japan and South Korea pass through the Lombok and Malacca Straits. Traffic bound for the cluster of ports (run your mouse along the Chinese coast and the ports will pop up as circles) around Guangdong (Hongkong and related ports) can stop 600 km west-southwest of Taiwan, but traffic bound for the port clusters around Shanghai must pass east of Taiwan, through the Luzon straits before berthing 600 km due north of Taipei -- right past the Bonins -- including Okinawa. Should Taiwan respond to a Chinese threat by deploying its Zwaardvis class diesel electrics along the Bonin littoral, the northern Chinese ports would be blockadaded. Both the Guangdong and Shanghai ports themselves are well within range of the 9,000 nautical mile ranged Taiwanese diesel-electrics.

Here is where some military analysts may have it wrong with their scenarios of a triumphal Chinese descent on a hapless Taiwan.  Taiwanese diesel electrics could respond to mainland saber rattling by taking station to the Bonins northeast of Taiwan and would be far better suited to littoral warfare than the nuclear attack boats Beijing is building. Moreover, any combat between Taiwan and China in this area would be exceedingly dangerous, because it would occur virtually within Japanese territorial waters. China would have to be very careful in naval operations or risk attacking Japanese fleet units by accident. Escorting tanker convoys east of Taiwan and through the Bonins  would be a nightmare. In fact, Taiwanese naval action need only be threatened: any naval confrontation in the South China sea would almost certainly disrupt commercial and oil traffic not only to China, but to Japan and Korea as well. If that were not enough, the Taiwanese subs could head south as well. All Taiwan would need to do is torpedo one large VLCC in the Malacca straits to block it for months...

While I don't agree that the sinking of one VLCC in the Strait of Malacca would result in a long term closure, the rest of his points are well made.

Update2: See also my postChina Builds Up Strategic Sea Lanes here for a discussion of the similar problems faced by China today and Japan at the start of WWII as this map of Japan's conquests shows:

and the two-phase approach as described by China Defence Today

The PLAN's evolving strategy has been described in terms of two distinct phases. The strategy's first phase is for the PLAN to develop a "green water active defence strategy" capability. This "green water" generally is described as being encompassed within an arc swung from Vladivostok to the north, to the Strait of Malacca to the south, and out to the "first island chain" (Aleutians, Kuriles, Ryukyus, Taiwan, Philippines, and Greater Sunda islands) to the east. Analysts have assessed that the PLAN is likely to attain this green water capability early in the 21st century. Open-source writings also suggest that the PLAN intends to develop a capability to operate in the "second island chain" (Bonins, Guam, Marianas, and Palau islands) by the mid-21st century. In the future, the PLAN also may expand its operations to bases in Myanmar, Burma. These bases will provide the PLAN with direct access to the Strait of Malacca and the Bay of Bengal.

Wretchard has now posted his conclusion with reference to a threat to Taiwan:

Taiwan is the secondary mission. Keeping China's access to energy is the primary mission.

That's probably close to right.

Bombay HC sets free Indonesian pirates

Bombay HC sets free Indonesian pirates

Yeah, but you have to read the article all the way to the end to find out they served "six years, nine months and 14 days imprisonment" of a seven year sentence. Some reduction.

Sea-Going Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The UAV Blog posts on a Sea-Going Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?

The aerospace world is buzzing over a newly announced contract that could take unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to the high seas. And Geneva Aerospace, Inc., is providing the airframe and technologies for the demonstration of the Kingfisher Jr. by Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.

Vought recently was awarded a $497,000 contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to investigate the feasibility of a sea-going UAV, which will be designed to take off and land on water.

Vought will modify Geneva's Dakota UAV for water operations, removing landing gear and adding floats, said Dave Duggan, vice president of business development for Geneva. The Dakota features a 16-foot wingspan and a 200-pound airframe, which was originally designed by Daedalus Research Inc., for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory as a rugged UAV test-bed. It has been used as a sensor test platform and surrogate vehicle for several research and development efforts, including autonomous operations exercised by the U.S. Navy.

In addition to the Dakota, Geneva is providing Vought with flightTEK(TM), its industry-leading flight computer developed specifically for UAVs. Geneva also will provide engineering services needed to adapt the flightTEK control system for use on the high seas.

"We're adapting our core guidance systems to enable a UAV to land on the open ocean," Duggan said. "The technology challenge is landing on the waves without harming the airplane. That requires integration of a sea motion sensing device to predict the movements of the water and choose a landing point on the back side of a wave -- without pilot intervention."

(source)

I'm a little fuzzy on why this type of UAV is needed. Any ideas?

Malaysia: Some Vessel Troubles

Malaysia, as reported here is looking into a contract to build 27 "high-tech" ships known as offshore patrol vessels (OPV) of which 6 were already supposed to be delivered. But the sea trials of the first vessel went badly.

"The failure of the first OPV to carry out its duty is not only a waste of our investment but it has also exposed the country to the risks of enemy threats, whether from neighbouring nations or from pirates," said DAP's Sec-Gen Lim Guan Eng.

For instance, he said the United States had previously sought to help police the Malacca Strait against possible terrorist attacks on shipping while the Indonesian navy was showing its might in a disputed oil-rich maritime area off Borneo island.

There has also been a spate of pirate raids on ships in the Malacca Strait since February, sparking fears that the ease with which ships have been boarded may tempt terrorists to stage a seaborne attack.

Malaysia announced it will place armed and uniformed police officers on board tugboats and barges plying the waterway, which carries a quarter of world trade and half its oil supplies. But it rejected suggestions that the US or other foreign navies be allowed to help patrol the Strait.

"We call for a royal commission of inquiry to be set up to look into the problems of building and delivering the OPVs because it is an issue of public interest involving the country's finance and integrity," Lim added.

Update: OPVs are built on the MEKO 100 model.



Some more background:

The vessels will be delivered by Blohm + Voss GmbH to Malaysia in the form of large modules. The ships will then be completed by PSC-NDSB in Lumut, Malaysia.

The yard of PSC-NDSB was built by Blohm + Voss AG in the 1980s as a naval shipyard on the order of Thyssen.

Malaysia is located at the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea on the height of the Philippines. In view of the geopolitical situation, the new patrol vessels will have a stabilizing function in this region.

In addition to the two patrol vessels built at Blohm + Voss GmbH another up to 27 units are planned to be built.

(source). And note Alan E. Brain's comment below.

Chinese WIng in Ground

As long as we're speculating about the ways that China could attack Taiwan, l toss out the development of Wing in Ground ship/planes.







See my earlier post More on Wing in Ground where I quoted the following

China, a great power in the Pacific, is particularly interested in WIG Air-Mech technology. Chinese analysts attribute the following advantages to WIG craft over conventional ships and aircraft:

--Superb Mobility. A WIG Air-Mech craft travels above the water's surface to travel in the air whose density is 800 times less than that of water. This greatly decreases the drag exerted on ordinary vessels and greatly increases its speed. Fast transports have a top speed of 20 knots. A conventional warship has a maximum speed of 30 to 40 knots, and although the hulls of hydrofoil craft and hovercraft travel above the water, their hydrofoils and their aprons still come in contact with the water. Thus their speed is limited to between 70 and 80 knots or less. But a WIG Air-Mech craft can travel between 300 and 400 knots.

--Superb Airworthiness. A WIG craft can fly around bad weather or fly above a stormy sea. Since a WIG craft is not pounded by the storm waves it is remarkably seaworthy. It is also very airworthy.

--Ease of Operation. A WIG craft is controlled through its vertical rudder, its elevator, and its wing flaps. It is simpler to fly than an airplane, and it turns easily. The WIG craft's speed and altitude are easily controlled by the flaps.

--Economical operation. Pressure under the wings of a WIG craft increases greatly by flying fairly close to the water surface. Consequently, only 80 to 130 horsepower are required to propel each ton of weight. The large lift-drag ratio means that fuel-consumption is less and the cruising radius is expanded when compared to similar-sized aircraft. WIG craft are far superior to ordinary aircraft and helicopters in carrying capacity, speed, and cruising radius when using the same power.

--Convenient Maintenance. WIG craft do not need permanent shore bases. Unlike other high-speed craft, they are able to come ashore under their own power and do not need cranes or chutes. Furthermore, since they have no aprons, like hovercraft, maintenance is very convenient. WIG craft do not have to make a gliding takeoff from the water or land on the water like seaplanes. This lessens the corrosive effect of seawater on the hull.

--Diverse Flight Modes. Not only can WIG craft fly quickly and steadily above water, under radar detection but they can also fly above beaches, marshes, grasslands, deserts, glaciers, and snow-covered land.

--Flight Safety. Should the engines fail, the WIG craft can travel on the water like a conventional ship. They are stable craft, which have operated safely over the years. Some WIG craft vent their engine exhaust forward beneath the wings of the craft to create an increase in dynamic lift. This not only assists takeoff and improves amphibious performance, but also improves flight safety.

--Military applications. The speed, maneuverability, amphibious capability, and reduced signature of WIG craft are greater than that of other craft. Their fast, low-altitude approach may allow them to become the next generation of fast attack craft replacing hydroplanes and hydrofoils. Since WIG craft usually fly within 50 meters of the surface, they are in the radar sweep and search blind zone. The ultra-low altitude of WIG craft leaves no traces on the water surface and is difficult to detect by radar. WIG craft are not optically trackable from space like conventional surface ships. This greatly increases the concealment and surprise attack capabilities of the craft. This extraordinary concealment capability has extremely important military significance. WIG craft may be used as Air-Mech landing craft and for the rapid and effective movement of Heavy AFVs, Gavins/Ridgway and M8 Buford AGS Armored Fighting Vehicles and troops in a campaign. The low-flying altitude, the long cruising radius, and the AFV carrying-capacity of WIG craft are second to only ships. WIG craft are also suited for anti-submarine patrol craft, high-speed minelayers, minesweepers, and rescue craft.

And they do make them, see here. In fact, on that site is this photo:



That looks like a big WiG. Similar to the older Soviet models...



(see this for more photos).

High speed, low radar profile and hard to spot from space. Makes more sense to me than filling up a container ship... of course they may already have container ships...

Update: The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics features a WiG. And, here, in a Jamestown Foundation publication from 2002, is a sign that I'm not completely off-base here:

In addition to slower conventional transports, the PLA is also developing unconventional and far faster transport systems for its amphibious troops. One such system under development is the large Wing-In-Ground-Effect Landing Craft (WIGELC), which fly close to the sea but carry large loads and can land on a beach. Kanwa has also learned that the PLA is planning on at least two large type WIGELCs, a 400-ton craft and a 370-ton one. The latter is a passenger-cargo transport version with a loading capacity of two wheeled armored vehicles and 250 soldiers. With a fleet of such craft the PLA could launch surprise amphibious attacks against ports or other strategic areas where geography might block conventional assault ships.

Kanwa has also learned that Russia is currently helping China to establish a production line in Guangzhou be capable of producing large WIGELC for both civil and military use. It is not yet known which type of Russian WIGELC China will buy. One possibility is the ORLYONOK, which weighs 140 tons and can carry 20 tons at a speed of 375 knots. China has also expressed strong interest in Russia's Beriev Be-200 amphibious jet transport aircraft. Sales negotiations are underway. The Be-200 has a speed of 420 mph and a cargo capacity of 8 tons of goods or eighty soldiers.

A couple of Orlyonoks:



Speed is important.

Update2: An older (1998?) Sea Power article by the then US Naval attache' to China:

Although the PLAN has approximately 60 tank landing ships and medium landing ships--including relatively capable Yuting, Yukan, and Yuliang classes--its aggregate lift capability is only about 5,000 to 10,000 troops.

This limited lift capability is inadequate to support any major amphibious operation. Recent improvements in the Navy's amphibious capabilities have included the acquisition of Jingsah-class air cushion vehicles. The PLAN also has shown an interest in developing a wing-in-ground-effect craft. These hybrid aircraft have the capability to cruise one meter above the water at speeds of 120 knots or more, and in the future such craft may prove capable of supporting amphibious operations.

More on China

Instapundit points to this Defense Tech: CHINA THREAT, ROUND THREE as we cycle about trying to determine if China is a threat to Taiwan and to US and other interests.

Update: And for another view, read this Jamestown Foundation piece "BEIJING'S ALARM OVER NEW "U.S. ENCIRCLEMENT CONSPIRACY" By Willy Lam, which sets out some of China's concern over US maneuvering in Asia.

One of Beijing's worst nightmares seems to be coming true. Having apparently steadied the course in the Middle East, the Bush administration is turning to Asia to tame its long-standing "strategic competitor." While this particular term has been shelved since 9/11 – and Sino-U.S. relations have improved thanks to China's cooperation with Washington's global anti-terrorist campaign – there are signs at least from Beijing's perspective that Washington is spearheading multi-pronged tactics to contain the fast-rising Asian giant.

In the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership, the new doctrine of encirclement and containment was spelled out during a visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Tokyo, part of a recent tour through Asia. Echoing President Bush's State of the Union address, which pushed a foreign policy predicated upon "spreading democracy," Rice noted in a speech at Sophia University that "even China must eventually embrace some form of open, genuinely representative government." And she dropped hints that the U.S. would somehow bring about a democratic China through joint actions with its Asian allies. "I really do believe the U.S.-Japan relationship, the U.S.-South Korea relationship, the U.S.-India relationship – all are important in creating an environment where China is more likely to play a positive role than a negative role," she added.

and

Indeed, Beijing is upbeat that China's fast-expanding global clout – and especially the vast China market – has better enabled the country to drive a wedge between the U.S. and quite a few of its traditional allies. Take Australia, which was one of the staunchest supporters of Washington's war against Iraq. Earlier this year, Prime Minister John Howard made it clear that Canberra would not join in the U.S. effort to lobby the European Union to persevere with its embargo on arms exports to China. And last summer, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer indicated that despite the Australia-U.S. joint defense agreement, Canberra could remain neutral if American forces were involved in a war over the Taiwan Strait. Immediately afterwards, Singapore, another close friend of the U.S., made known a similar stance of neutrality regarding a possible U.S.-China military conflict over Taiwan.

Interesting read. (Hat tip to Simon World which is worth a daily look.)

Update2: And don't forget to take a look at The Daily Demarche's China Project which has many interesting bloggers linking in. (Update a to Update2: and here.)

Update3: And Bubblehead at The Stupid Shall Be Punished has some links to Chinese submarine info. And just in case you are geographically challenged, here's a map with the sea lanes China needs to worry about (red stars indicate places it's already taking steps to secure):



And see my earlier posts on Oil, sea lanes and Navies and China Builds Up Strategic Sea Lanes.

Connecting Kashmir to the Sea

Everything is intertwined, and a peace move in Kashmir between Pakistan and India has ripples that touch naval matters in Asia as this excellent report by Jim Bencivenga in The Christian Science Monitor establishes.

For the first time in decades Thursday, Kashmiris from India and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir took steps towards each other across a 220-foot-long bridge rebuilt in the last two weeks. The bridge, now called the Peace Bridge, was destroyed 50 years ago in a battle during the first of three wars fought between these rivals on the Asian subcontinent.

History will record that American and Chinese admirals took special note of those footsteps...

Not too often these days that Mahan and the battles of Salamis, Lepanto, Trafalgar and Midway get mentioned, but Mr. Bencivenga does so and ties it all together pretty well.

Worth reading.

Hat tip: Naval Open Source Intelligence

Prototype of Unmanned Communications Airship Shown

Prototype of Unmanned Airship Is Unveiled

GlobeTel foresees a fleet of helium-filled "stratellites," each able to stay aloft for months at a time and automatically held on station by electric motors powered by batteries charged by solar cells.

They would relay communications services including voice, broadband, high-definition TV, interactive high-definition TV and satellite radio at a cost far lower than traditional satellites in orbit, the company contends, and could also have military and government uses for surveillance and remote sensing.

"When we prove what we can do the military will use this immediately," Coleman said.

By positioning "stratellites" at an altitude more than a dozen miles high, the developers hope to minimize the effects of winds. There are still winds at 65,000 feet but the lower density of the atmosphere, combined with the shape of the "stratellite," should allow the motors to hold it in position, the developers believe.

Die toads! Bad Toads!

Australia Lawmaker Urges Killing Toads

A government lawmaker advised people in northern Australia to bludgeon to death a species of toxic toad imported from Central America more than seven decades ago.

Cane toads, which release noxious secretions when threatened, were imported to the northeastern state of Queensland in 1935 to control beetles on sugar cane plantations. They have since hopped all the way to Australia's northeastern coast and south into parts of the state of New South Wales, killing much of the native wildlife that eat them — particularly the endangered marsupials called quolls.

Liberal Party lawmaker David Tollner said Monday the best way to stop the spread of the animals is to hit them on the head, as he did when he was a child.

"We hit them with cricket bats and golf clubs and the like back then," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio...

Finally, an undertandable use for a cricket bat.

Indonesian Volcano Prompts Evacuation

Indonesian Volcano Prompts Evacuation

The 9,186-foot mountain was spewing ash some 1,600 feet into the air Tuesday, though on Monday the ash reached twice as high, said Surono, an official at a government-run volcano center.

"However, we are still monitoring the mountain," said Surono, who goes by a single name.

About 25,000 residents from five villages around the volcano have been evacuated to nearby Solok district, said district chief Djamawan Fauzi. Many are returning to their homes during the day to tend crops and look after their animals, another official said.

"The volcano has not yet spewed lava from the crater, but in order to anticipate such an incident, we have evacuated those living around the mountain to safer areas," Fauzi said.

Indonesia has it all.

Venezuela Picks Up Some Interesting Friends

Things get interesting. According to Regime Change Iran, Venezuela and Iran are getting cozy...

Those who don’t watch one of the Spanish language channels or al-Jazeera regularly might have missed the recent visit by President Khatami of Iran with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. This visit comes as no surprise to those few who have really been paying attention to geopolitical events in Latin America. This visit also provides a key to understanding current Venezuelan polices. For the past few years these two régimes have been developing a strong, productive relationship. These two leaders have a surprising number of issues in common considering one is a leftist, would-be Marxist Latin American despot in training, and the other is an Islamist terrorist puppet of the Iranian mullahcrats.

CDR Salamander has noted some other Venezuela activity.

Venezuela's Castro wanabe Hugo Chavez is a danger to the entire hemisphere and the great progress in democracy gained over the last two decades. He is making friends with all the wrong people, and does not have peace on his mind.

Hmmm.

Reviving the Stillwell Road?

This UPI article brings up some history and points toward an interesting future.

The Stilwell Road, a strategic supply route between India and China via Burma built during World War II by the United States, may become a key power trade link of the future.

The geopolitical economy of the modern world is on the precipice of sea change if China and India, the two rising forces on the Asian continent, can resolve outstanding disputes while improving upon a crucial transportation

The agreement Monday in New Delhi might well usher Asia's giants into a promised land of economic and political power flourishing during the 21st century, provided both sides clearly and publicly demarcate their shared borders; previous statements of supposed breakthroughs on this issue have come to naught.

Agreement? Oh, yes, this agreement: India and China forge new relationship.

Diplomatic understatement was absent from the Indian subcontinent on Tuesday. Announcements by China's Premier Wen Jiabao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh claimed significant diplomatic progress between the two nations as Mr. Wen wound up a four day visit to India, reports the Hindustan Times.

The world's two most populous countries each recognized the right of the other to seek a larger role on the world stage. They publicly promised to make their relations that of partners, not rivals, reports Reuters.

Agreement was reached on issues ranging from trade and energy cooperation to a plan on how to proceed in resolving Himalayan border disputes which brought them to war in 1962. They agreed to cooperate in the search for new energy supplies to avoid a bidding war that would drive prices up. They also agreed to explore joint development of an Asian high-tech industrial zone with China manufacturing hardware and India developing software.

Oh, and by the way, oil and sea lines of communication play a role in some unresolved issues:

Even with a peaceful resolution of border disputes, tensions will remain, continues the Monitor.

More worrisome to Chinese negotiators ... may be the Indian-US plan for India to send its Navy to patrol the Straits of Malacca between Indonesia and Malaysia, a crucial shipping lane. China has long considered Southeast Asia to be its own backyard.

Some 80 percent of Chinese oil imports flow through these straits. They are of strategic importance to China's future industrial development.

And here's nice concluding quote:

"India and China can together reshape the world order," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a ceremony for his Chinese counterpart, Premier Wen Jiabao, at India's presidential palace.

Together, the two nations account for one-third of the world's population.

(source)

Yes, they do.

Sea bases

Naval Open Source Intelligence links to a Virginian- Pilot Special Report collection on Sea bases: the Navy's new way to fight. While this concept has been discussed here before, this report includes a nice summary of various Sea Base components and also this article.

Enemy SCUBA divers?

Froggy over at Froggy Ruminations: Worried About Enemy SCUBA Divers? suggests that those who have spread alarm over enemy SCUBA divers are overreacting. As one of the accused (see this post and this one), I understand Matt's argument. As a diver myself, I doubt if civilian SCUBA training teaches sufficient underwater navigation to allow for much in the way of night operations or bad visibility (a lot of the water in the world's ports is not as clear as that in, say, Guam). And, yes, there are significant weight and distance issues that hamper diver attacks.

But Matt's argument mostly applies to US Navy ships. There are a lot of other ships in the world and not all of them are as well guarded as Matt describes. And divers need not always be interested in blowing things up. And there are a many ways in which a ship can be used to accomplish terrorist ends other than its destruction. And, in addition to ships, there are a lot of other targets out there that would be within the reach of even moderately capable divers.

So, sorry Froggy, I still think there is the need for some concern.

Update: Added the word "think" to the final sentence. Preview is my friend.