APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, July 16, 2009

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APSNet 16 July 2009

  1. Secretive arms tycoon behind new uranium mine
  2. RAAF’s early-warning radar aircraft back on track
  3. RI Navy cooperating with USPACOM
  4. Police deny bullets removed from Australian’s body
  5. Jose Ramos Horta guards ‘fled rebels’
  6. Hu case poses reality check for Australia
  7. Mounting casualties in Afghanistan spur concern

1. Secretive arms tycoon behind new uranium mine, Ben Cubby, SMH, 2009-07-16

The new uranium mine approved by the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, will be owned by a subsidiary of one of the world’s biggest arms dealers. Quasar Resources is an affiliate of General Atomics, a US weapons and nuclear energy corporation which is chaired by Mr Blue, and reportedly holds $US700 million ($877 million) in Pentagon contracts.

2. RAAF’s early-warning radar aircraft back on track, Patrick Walters, Australian, 2009-07-14

Already running more than three years late, Project Wedgetail is now entering its final phase after passing several critical milestones in recent weeks, including US Federal Aviation Administration certification and successful air-to-air refuelling trials. The Wedgetail is now set to achieve “95 per cent” of its contracted specification. All six Wedgetails are due to be delivered by the end of next year.  

3. RI Navy cooperating with USPACOM, Antara, 2009-07-14

The Indonesian Navy has established cooperation with the United States Pacific Fleet Command (USPACOM) in the field of intelligence. The cooperation was implemented in the form of personnel capability development through a subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) program held for three days here. The activity covers personnel development through exchange of information and intelligence between the Indonesian navy and USPACOM. 

4. Police deny bullets removed from Australian’s body, Geoff Thompson, ABC, 2009-07-14

Papua’s police chief has denied bullets were removed from the body of murdered Australian Drew Grant before an autopsy was performed in Jakarta. Dr Abdul Mun’im Idries said it was possible bullets were removed before an autopsy 16 hours after the Australian engineer was murdered. He could not say with certainty whether the bullets came from military-grade weapons, but he said all of the fragments were from bullets with metal casings, which would be consistent with bullets of a military grade, but also other bullets. 

5. Jose Ramos Horta guards ‘fled rebels’, Paul Toohey, Australian, 200907-15

Members of Jose Ramos Horta’s hand-picked nine-man military guard fled at the sight of the rebels who turned up on the morning of February 11 last year and shot the East Timorese President, a court has heard. It was also revealed that despite Mr Ramos Horta having identified the man who shot him in a post-recovery interview, the President’s bodyguard said the shooter was wearing a balaclava.

6. Hu case poses reality check for Australia, Greg Earl, AFR*, 2009-07-16

The reluctance of the current batch of china sceptics to honestly acknowledge Australia’s economic dependence on China only underlines a fundamental point. Australia needs to find it’s national security inside Asia because the cost of the alternative in terms of defence spending, protectionism, and general insularity would be much higher.
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7. Mounting casualties in Afghanistan spur concern, Anand Gopal, Matthew Rosenberg and Alistair MacDonald, Wall Street Journal, 2009-07-14

A surge in battlefield deaths in Afghanistan has contributed to harsh criticism of the war in a handful of NATO countries that have lost soldiers in recent months, including Canada, Germany and France. It has been an especially divisive issue in Britain, which has lost 15 soldiers in the past 11 days. Those deaths have brought Britain’s total losses to 184, a tally that exceeds the 179 British military personnel killed in Iraq.