Pakistan Chief of Navy Staff Visits US Military Commanders, Pakistan Navy Pilots, Aircrews

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (NNS) — Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff visited several U.S. military facilities in Florida during a 10-day trip to the United States to discuss opportunities for continued coordination and cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan navies.

While in Florida, Adm. Noman Bashir met with students from Pakistan Navy No. 28 Squadron at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla., March 24.

He was greeted by Rear Adm. Tim Alexander, commander, Navy Region Southeast, who provided details on cooperative programs between the U.S. and Pakistan navies.

Pakistan Navy pilots and aircrews are training at Patrol Squadron 30 (VP-30), based at NAS Jacksonville, to “bolster Pakistan’s search, surveillance and control capabilities in support of maritime interdiction operations,” said Alexander.

Capt. Frank McCulloch, U.S. Navy liaison officer to Commander, Defense Representative – Pakistan, said that Bashir’s visit to NAS Jacksonville and VP-30 is important for the Pakistan Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance force in order to strengthen the relationship between the two maritime nations.

As part of the visit, Bashir participated in a familiarization flight aboard a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft with Pakistani Navy aircrews.

“[Adm. Bashir] is the driving force for improved equipment and training,” said McCulloch.

He explained that the training Pakistan Navy students are receiving with VP-30, “will greatly expand their intelligence and anti-submarine warfare capability.”

Bashir also visited Naval Station Mayport, Fla., March 24 for lunch and a tour aboard the guided-missile frigate USS Klakring (FFG 42). Bashir and several members of his military staff were greeted on Klakring’s quarterdeck by Cmdr. Scott Smith, the ship’s commanding officer, who provided a tour of the ship and hosted the delegation for lunch.

“The opportunity to host a naval leader of one of our allies is a singular honor,” said Smith. “It provides an opportunity to reaffirm the bonds of mariners while allowing the crew to show off the pride they have in the ship.”

Capt. Ron Bach, U.S. Naval attaché to Pakistan and Bashir’s U.S. Navy escort during the visit, pointed to the Pakistan Navy’s superior support of anti-piracy efforts and peacekeeping operations with the United Nations.

“It’s significant that the Pakistan Navy has commanded Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 four times since the task force was established by the United Nations in 2001. Their active leadership engenders trust and confidence among other Islamic nations to also participate,” explained Bach.

CTF 150, a multinational task force, conducts maritime security operations in and around the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The task force was created to counter terrorism, prevent smuggling and deter other destabilizing activities in the maritime environment.

Bashir met with U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Special Operations Command Commander Adm. Eric Olson in Tampa, Fla., March 23 to reaffirm the strategic partnership between Pakistan and the United States.

Petraeus and Bashir discussed Pakistan’s efforts to combat drug trafficking, terrorism and piracy, while highlighting positive U.S.-Pakistan military-to-military relations. Bashir reinforced the Pakistan Navy’s commitment to strengthening the bonds between the U.S. and Pakistan navies. He also discussed the Pakistan Navy’s anti-piracy efforts and peacekeeping operations with the United Nations.

Bashir is in the United States on a ten-day visit at the invitation of the U.S. Navy. While there, he is scheduled to meet with various U.S. military and government officials to discuss opportunities for continued coordination and cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan Navies.

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=52182

Does China need to react? It can already target all of India. It is also one nation that can also outspend India (and soon the US).

Admiral Noman Bashir visits US Naval War College

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Islamabad/29-Mar-2010/Admiral-Noman-Bashir-visits-US-Naval-War-College

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir visited the U.S. Naval War College, in Newport, R.I. and addressed to students and faculty. According to US Embassy Spokesman, Bashir was greeted upon arrival in Rhode Island by the President of the Naval War College, Rear Adm. Phil Wisecup. Introducing Bashir to the college’s faculty and approximately 600 resident students, Wisecup noted that it was a special and rare opportunity to hear from an international navy chief. Bashir spoke on the role of the Pakistan Navy in enhancing regional maritime security.
“This was a wonderful occasion for our students to listen to the perspectives of an important international maritime partner,” said Wisecup. “It’s essential for the upcoming leaders of our nation’s military to be able to understand the views and efforts of our partners and consider the opportunities for cooperation as we all promote security and prosperity in the maritime domain.” Following Bashir’s address, he answered questions from the audience. He commented on his meetings with various U.S. military and government officials throughout his ten-day visit to the United States, which was at the invitation of the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead. Bashir said the experience is valuable for moving forward, achieving the common objective and developing further understanding. He also expressed belief in the importance of interaction at all levels of the military. Bashir met afterwards with Pakistan naval officers, who are students at the Naval War College and the neighboring Surface Warfare Officer School.
Currently, three Pakistan naval officers are part of the more than 100 international officers, who were handpicked by their nations to study in Newport alongside their U.S. colleagues. Eighty-six Pakistan officers have graduated from the Naval War College’s international programs, many attaining the level of flag rank. The college’s international programs were established more than 50 years ago to help form greater mutual understanding and enhance trust and confidence among friends and partners, the kind of interaction at all levels Bashir was advocating. Bashir’s ten-day program included visits to the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Stations Mayport and Norfolk, the United States Naval Academy, and a U.S. think tank. His meetings focused on opportunities for coordination and cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan navies.

JF-17 Thunder in operation during ‘High Mark-2010’

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) exercise ‘High Mark-2010’ was seeing the rapid operationalisation of the locally-made JF-17 Thunder aircraft on Monday, says a press release. The fighter was regularly being employed by the Blue Force to engage the Redland surface mock targets with high degree of accuracy. A variety of air-to-surface weapons were being delivered by the JF-17 Thunder fighter during ‘High Mark-2010.’

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=231672

U.S. hopes to give Pakistan drones within a year
Reuters
By Phil Stewart Phil Stewart – 1 hr 21 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon aims to deliver a fleet of surveillance drones to Pakistan within a year, but weaponized versions of the unmanned aircraft are still off-limits, a U.S. military official said on Monday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans in January to provide Islamabad with what aides said at the time were 12 Shadow drones, aiming to boost its ability to track insurgents.

But a senior U.S. military official, briefing reporters at the Pentagon on the condition of anonymity, said Islamabad was still weighing whether Shadow drones were the model of unmanned aircraft best suited to its needs.

“We looked at Shadows. We looked at Scan Eagles and other tactical UAVs that are out and about and what we want to do is try to find out” which model is best, the official said, referring to drones as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.

Shadows are manufactured by AAI Corporation, a unit of Textron Systems, while Scan Eagles are manufactured by Boeing Co.

Islamabad has also pressed for weaponized drones, like the ones the CIA is covertly using in Pakistan to track and kill al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents.

The official, asked about that request, said general U.S. policy was not to export weaponized capabilities of any drone aircraft. Washington has been reluctant to share sensitive technology so far.

The number of surveillance drones that the United States would eventually provide to Pakistan depends on the cost of the model selected, the official said.

“A key factor will be how quickly we can get the capabilities to them,” the official said.

Pressed on timing, the official said: “I would like to think that we would get them there within a year.”

Pakistan is already using some non-U.S., imported drone technology and has modified a C-130 military transport aircraft to allow some surveillance activities, the official said.

Drones have proven to be a crucial technological advantage for the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq, allowing it to remotely track militants and giving commanders battleground imagery in real time.

Gates told a Senate hearing last week it was in the U.S. interest to try to help close allies get drone technology, despite limitations on exports imposed by an international pact, known as the Missile Technology Control Regime.

The MTCR is a pact among at least 34 countries aimed at curbing the spread of unmanned delivery systems that could be used for weapons of mass destruction.

I dont see the problem of getting non-weaponised early model Predators.

Looks like the extra 14 birds will be Block 52s! great news!

‘Pakistan negotiating for 14 more F-16s with US’

* PAF chief says 18 F-16s with BVR missile systems to join PAF from June
* Existing F-16s will be upgraded in Turkey

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will start getting a lot of 18 latest version F-16 fighting falcon aircrafts fitted with Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile system by June this year, Chief of Air Staff Rao Qamar Suleman said on Saturday.

Briefing reporters on the on-going High Mark-2010 Exercise by PAF in collusion with the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy, the air chief said the delivery of the aircrafts to Pakistan would complete by the end of the current year.

He said, in addition to 18 F-16s, Pakistan had also been negotiating to get another lot of 14 aircraft of the same version, besides getting other modern gadgets and weapons.

“Our wish list is unending, but we are proceeding with a realistic approach,” he said, adding that JF-17 Thunder, which was developed with Chinese help, had been producing much better results than expectations.

He said the existing lot of F-16s in the PAF inventory would be upgraded to the level of Block 52 series in Turkey and the project would be completed by 2014.

When his attention was drawn towards the Indian doctrine of carrying out surgical strikes in the wake of Mumbai attacks, the PAF chief said the air force had immediately developed a strategy to counter the threat.

“Our response time during such situations is from 2 to 6 minutes from the ground,” he said, adding that said knowing the capability of the PAF, the adversary did not dare take any step.

He said the PAF had already been using Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology for reconnaissance purposes while it hardly needs to go for armed aerial vehicle.

He said the coalition forces hardly commit any violations of Pakistan’s airspace while Islamabad had always strongly protested in case of any airspace violation by coalition forces in Afghanistan. app

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010328story_28-3-2010_pg7_4

Thank You Ashish, I tried to make a strategic news thread for South Asia in General Discussion and tried to post Indian strategic news there and said the Pakistani posters were welcome to post theres too. One Mod did not like news thread so I had to delete it. I hope they bring back the Army section here so most of the news can be posted. 😉

Several people, Mods and myself did not like it because it was basically a thread put up to produce flame. Nothing less. Glad it was deleted.

Guys, can we get back on topic.

F-16I is a 2 seat block 52 with CFTs and Isreali avionics.

Nothing more!