Blog

 
Last week the United Arab Emirates seized a ship carrying North Korean weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and explosives, a violation of U.N. sanctions. Unnamed diplomats said a Bahamian flag was attached to the ship, owned by an Australian subsidiary of a French company. Oil equipment on the ship was used as cover for the weapons. (Source)

The U.N. imposed sanctions against the rogue state. In June, the U.S. adopted a resolution that barred North Korea from exporting or importing particularly missiles and “weapons of mass destruction,” based on its nuclear test and missile launches.

In light of the discovery of this contraband-carrying ship, President Barack Obama’s abandonment of missile defense shields in Central Europe and his proposed cut to missile defense to the tune of $1.4 billion look even more foolish.

 
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed an agreement with U.S. defense contractor Raytheon for anti-aircraft missiles capable of being launched from the ground or air. (Media Line)

The UAE Air Force also will acquire Raytheon’s most advanced medium-range air-to-air missile as part of its effort to modernize defense technology. The UAE apparently is concerned about Iran’s weapons build-up and possible attacks if the U.S. and Iran escalate their conflict.

In other news, the U.S. Congress has cleared the way for the purchase of U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin’s Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD). The UAE will buy the system for $6.9 billion. (Source)

Although the authorization process takes about 18 months, Lockheed spokesman Denis Cavin said, “We see no obstacle to meeting the timeline the UAE has asked us to meet.” From the article:

“The U.S. government is extremely cautious on releasing sensitive defense technology, and although some transfer might be granted, it was unlikely all would be released to the UAE, a U.S. executive said.”

 
Don’t sell weapons to Israel’s enemies, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Russia on a diplomatic visit earlier this week. We’ve blogged about Russia possibly selling weapons to Iran and Syria, enemies of Israel. Iran, which has been sanctioned by the United Nations, says it will buy S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia. Syria currently is negotiating peace with Israel. Will Iran follow suit? (Associated Press)

American allies Kuwait, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates reportedly are interested in buying the Iskander-E ballistic missile from Russia. The missile is a short-range, surface-to-air weapon system. From the article: “Because the missiles are solid-fueled, they can be launched extremely quickly, again reducing to virtually zero the chances of knocking them out before launch with a pre-emptive airstrike. RIA Novosti said the second missile on a TEL could be fired within a minute of the first one being launched.” (UPI)
 
Richard Danzig, Barack Obama’s senior foreign policy adviser, said our country’s planned missile defense bases in Eastern Europe are not offensive moves against Russia. The U.S. will deploy a radar system to the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors to Poland. Russia opposes the bases, and Danzig said the country’s retaliatory actions would have consequences. (AFP)
 
According to the Telegraph, Russia is set to launch its biggest missile test in 24 years. Part of the Stability-2008 strategic maneuvers in Russia and Belarus, the test will last until October 12. East and West are at loggerheads over missile defense, and Russia’s invasion of Georgia and our country’s missile defense plans in Eastern Europe have added to the tension. (Telegraph)