- Situation Reports

PHILIPPINES: Abu Sayyaf Militants Killed

Watch Officer — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:35:37 +0000

On 7 March, Filipino marines raided an Abu Sayyaf (ASG) hide out on Laminusa Island in the Sulu province. Seven militants were killed, including two women, and one marine was wounded. Intelligence gathered from captured members and U.S. military surveillance has made it possible for the Philippine military to launch a series of successful offensives against ASG in recent months.

SOUTH KOREA: F-5 Jets Crash

Watch Officer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:33:05 +0000

On 2 March, the ROK's defense ministry announced that two Air Force F-5 fighter jets crashed into Mount Hwangbyeong near the city of Guangneung, about 237 kilometers east of Seoul. The jets were participating in a training mission. The government launched a rescue mission and found plane debris and the remains of three pilots. This is the seventh F-5 crash since 2000.

SOUTH KOREA: Destroyer to Undergo Evaluation

Watch Officer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:32:24 +0000

The ROK’s first Aegis destroyer, Sejong the Great, will undergo a comprehensive evaluation of its fighting capabilities in June a Navy source said on Monday. Sejong the Great will conduct tests during the multinational Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise near Hawaii. Lockheed Martin and U.S. Navy experts will act as observers and evaluate the weapons systems during the exercise. The trial includes evaluating the destroyer’s anti-aircraft capabilities, which include Standard Missile-2 (SM-2), Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM), and Goalkeeper close-in weapons systems (CIWS).

SOUTH KOREA: Plans to Develop UCAVs

Watch Officer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:31:22 +0000

On 28 February, the ROK’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced that it has started technology evaluations on an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). Research being done will focus on ground link control systems and stealth capabilities and a blueprint of the aircraft will be drawn in the 2011-2012 period according to an ADD source. The UCAV’s will be remote controlled and will carry precision bombs and missiles that can strike key military targets. The ADD source added that if the government builds a fleet of UCAVs, it may be deployed along the military demarcation line that separates the two Koreas.

SYRIA: Hezbollah Chief meets with President

Watch Officer — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:47:18 +0000

The head of the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has made a rare public appearance in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Sheikh Nasrallah attended a dinner with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both Syria and Iran provide the group with financial and military support. The meeting came a week after the US signalled an attempt to improve ties with Syria, sending a senior official to Damascus for talks and nominating a new ambassador after the withdrawal of his predecessor five years ago.

RUSSIA: Armored Trains Return to North Caucuses

Watch Officer — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:41:58 +0000

President Dmitry Medvedev has announced that he has signed a special order that will issue the return of armored trains to Russian railways. This order is in response to the growing number of attacks on railways by North Caucasus Islamist insurgents in an attempt to disrupt Russian infrastructure. The trains, which have been held in reserve for two years, are equipped with “special devices for the removal of landmines and heavy weapons capable of countering an attack by armed militants.”

SPAIN: ETA Basque Leader Arrested

Watch Officer — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:32:37 +0000

On 28 February, Ibon Gogeascotxea was arrested with two other suspected ETA members in a French and Spanish operation in Normandy. Madrid has commented that the arrests were vital in foiling a “commando” operation to take place in Spain. Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said that despite the recent arrests, an attack on Spain could not be ruled out for the near future.

RUSSIA: Stealth Fighter Takes Maiden Flight

Watch Officer — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:34:35 +0000

On 29 January, the Russian military’s new Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter spent 47 minutes in the air during the plane’s first flight. The fighter is also designated the PAK FA, and is seen as a potential rival to the F22 Raptor. Sukhoi’s director, Mikhail Pogosyan, said that he was convinced that the fighter would surpass its western rivals in cost effectiveness and offer greater defensive strength to the aging Russian military. The Russian air force is hoping to have the fighter operational and fully deployed by 2015.

SOMALIA / MARITIME: Greek Oil Tanker Seized

Eagle Eye Editing Staff — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:44:45 +0000

A Greek-owned 300,000 ton oil-tanker, the Maran Centaurus, bound from Saudi Arabia to the United States was seized by Somali pirates today off the Horn of Africa. This the second oil tanker ever to be captured by pirates; the first, a Saudi-owned supertanker, fetched a $3 million ransom in January of this year. The hijacking of the Maran Centaurus brings the total number of vessels held by Somali pirates to 14.

YEMEN: Security Forces Lock Down Port of Aden

Eagle Eye Editing Staff — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:25:22 +0000

The port-city of Aden on Yemen's southern coast was closed today in an effort to clamp down on potential turmoil on the anniversary of Yemen's independence from British occupation in 1967. Security forces closed all entrances to the city and deployed hundreds of troops to patrol major streets. Demonstrations on 25 November in the Sadwa region's capital of Ataq left 6 dead; these demonstrations have encouraged Sana'a to prepare for the Independence day, which has sparked separatist activity in the past. This comes as Yemeni government is focused on the al-Houthi insurgency in the country's northwest region of Saada.