FOR YOUR EYES ONLY ================== by Steven V. Cole The following material is reprinted from issue #274 of the biweekly military intelligence newsletter FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, dated 16 Sept 1991, and is Copyright (c) 1991 by Tiger Publications, Box 8759, Amarillo, TX 79114. This column represents a small fraction of the material from a single bi-weekly issue. Samples copies are $2; subscriptions are $60 per year in the US, Canada, APO, and FPO. ====================== SOVIET EUPHORIA = DEFENSE CUTS? .....Liberals and defense reformers have long campaigned for defense cuts, and now see the breakup of the Soviet Union as proof that radical cuts need to be made immediately. Some considerations: ..*..The situation in the Soviet Union is still too unstable to determine what the final form of the new economic union will be. ..*..The Russian Republic (even if all nuclear weapons outside of its territory are dismantled) still possesses the only real strategic threat to the American mainland, and the reduction of that threat will require careful negotiations. ..*..Demands for major cuts in the US Navy and the cancellation of new technology (such as the Seawolf submarine) based on the lower Soviet threat must be viewed critically. House Armed Services chairman Aspin asked: ''If the Soviet Navy is no longer a threat, what is it that threatens the United States control of the seas?'' The Soviet Navy still exists, and defense planning has always been based on capabilities, not intentions. Third World navies are fielding new modern diesel submarines and modern missile boats that pose a potential threat, and without the superpower standoff to keep the more aggressive regional powers in line, the Navy will remain the first line of defense for overseas American commercial interests. ..*..Calls to cut back on carrier groups ignore the fact that these huge power-projection platforms have always been more useful in handling regional conflicts than in launching strategic attacks on the USSR. ..*..Cuts in mechanized forces appear dangerous given the number of nations with 1,000 or more modern tanks. ====================== THE END OF TAC AIR? .....The US Army appears to be moving strongly away from the concept of tactical airpower and toward relying on its own helicopters and artillery. New artillery systems (with more speed, range, and accuracy) and new helicopters (with more firepower and survivability) have made the shift possible. The Air Force has never wanted the mission of bombing enemy troops in contact with US forces, and the increased coordination possible if only Army assets are employed may decrease friendly fire casualties. ====================== M-3 AS TOW VEHICLE .....Some US Army commanders have proposed replacing the M901 Improved TOW Vehicle (a modified M113 with a launcher for TOW anti- tank missiles) with the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle. The M901 is now the standard missile vehicle of US units, but it is slower than the M1 tanks and M2/M3 Bradleys in the same units. .....Replacing the M901 with the M3 would provide a vehicle that was faster and better protected and would have a 25mm cannon to protect itself from multiple short-range threats. The vehicle would also be indistinguishable from the other M2/M3s in the battalion. .....However, there are some disadvantages. The M901 can elevate its TOW launcher, allowing the vehicle to remain completely under cover. The M901 can also dismount its launchers, allowing them to be placed in some locations that the vehicle cannot reach. Both problems could be solved by installing the M901's turret on the Bradley (possible with some modifications), but this would eliminate the self-defense capability of the 25mm cannon and make it visually distinct. ====================== ADVANCED AIRCRAFT PROGRAMS .....THRUST VECTOR: General Electric is developing a round thrust- vector nozzle for the F-16 fighter. General Dynamics, also involved in the project, asked the USAF to provide an aircraft and test range, but the Air Force said it wasn't interested. General Dynamics has made a deal with the Israelis and will conduct test flights of the nozzle next year. A vectoring nozzle increases the maneuverability of the fighter. .....SOVIET HARRIER: The Soviets have canceled the Yak-141 vertical take-off naval fighter as too expensive, unreliable, and unnecessary. ====================== ADVANCED MISSILE PROGRAMS .....ADATS: The Air Defense/Anti-Tank System reached the first of three required goals, operating 66 hours without a failure. .....SS-NX-24 is the new Soviet supersonic submarine-launched cruise missile. There is no US equivalent. The missile can strike targets from offshore in less time than conventional subsonic cruise missiles (such as the US Tomahawk and the Soviet copy known as SS-N-21). ====================== NAVAL SYSTEMS UPDATE .....TYPHOON: The Soviet Taifun-class nuclear missile submarines have two 7-bladed propellers surrounded by circular guards. The stern diving planes are directly behind the propellers so that the thrust will wash across them, improving handling for the gigantic submarine. .....US NAVY SEALS want to buy Israeli Shaldag speedboats to transport commandoes to and from enemy beaches, but a 1982 law prohibits US ''warships'' from being built overseas. ====================== HELICOPTER UPDATE .....BLACKHAWK UH-60 US Army helicopters have completed a three- year program to qualify them to fire Hellfire anti-tank missiles. This allows the tactical transport helicopters to switch to anti-tank duties when required. The modified UH-60 carries 16 missiles on external pylons that can be fitted to the helicopter when required. .....JAPAN HELO: The Japanese are designing the new OH-X observation helicopter to replace the US-built OH-6. .....RECON HIND: The Mi-24K Hind-G(R) is the reconnaissance version of the Soviet gunship. A large camera pod replaces the missile sight, and there is no guidance pod on the left. ====================== GROUND COMBAT UPDATE .....SOVIET BRIDGES: The new Soviet MTU-72 assault bridge is normally carried by the new bridgelayer vehicle built on a T-72 chassis, but can also be carried by the old MTU-20 built on the T-55 chassis. The 20.6m bridge has an 11m center section with the two ramp sections hinged at either end. .....TUG-V: The Army and Marines will shortly issue a Request For Proposals for a small robot vehicle (Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle) to perform remote-controlled reconnaissance up to 4km forward of friendly lines. .....M16A3 RIFLE: The US Army plans to put optical sights on the M16A2 rifle; the result will be called the M16A3. The first units will be equipped in the second quarter of FY92. ====================== AIR FORCE WANTS ATBM MISSION .....The US Air Force wants a piece of the anti-tactical ballistic missile program, expected to be one of the few defense programs with an increasing budget. The Air Force wants to develop systems to detect and attack TBM launchers and storage areas. Critics charge that this is simply more money for the general air strike mission, with only lip service given to hunting TBMs. ====================== ARMS CONTROL .....US Defense Secretary Cheney said (7 Sept) that he was ready to discuss removing tactical nuclear weapons from Europe. .....FRANCE (which maintains its nuclear forces outside of NATO control) said it would cooperate with any efforts toward nuclear disarmament. ====================== CONVENTIONAL FORCES IN EUROPE .....German officers inspected the 37th Tank Regiment (19th Guards Tank Division, 7th Guards Tank Army) in Byelorussia under the confidence-building accords. .....TURKEY told Greece it wanted to send two officers to inspect a Greek Army unit in Thessalonika under the provisions of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Greece refused the request, saying it did not comply with the proper forms. ====================== GULF CRISIS: NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS .....OIL FIRES: Crews from the US, Canada, Hungary, China, and Iran had put out 406 of the 632 burning wells as of 10 Sept 91. .....BASE DEAL: The US and Kuwait have agreed on the details of a 10- year defense pact. The pact covers access to ports and airfields, Kuwaiti logistical support for US forces, joint training, and the pre- positioning of US military supplies and equipment in the country. The deal will be signed this fall during a visit by the Kuwaiti defense minister. .....ORDER OF BATTLE: Japan will withdraw its minesweepers in mid- September. Britain sent eight Jaguar fighter-bombers to Incirlik, Turkey, to help protect the Kurds. The US 11th Armored Cavalry was withdrawn from Kuwait at the end of August and replaced by a 1,500- man task force from the 3rd Infantry and 8th Infantry Divisions. Austria, Fiji, Ghana, Greece, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, and Thailand have all agreed to contribute troops to the UN guard force. .....THREE-WAY RADIOS: British intelligence placed special equipment inside military radios sold to Iraq before the Gulf War which allowed them to listen in on military communications, according to London's Sunday Telegraph for 18 August. ====================== LESSONS FROM THE GULF WAR .....Information, field expedients, stories, and lessons from the troops: ..*..The M2 Bradley proved itself in the Gulf War. Its 25mm chain gun destroyed everything (except a tank), and its TOW missiles were deadly against tanks. (One unit got 10 hits for 11 TOW shots.) The coax machinegun jammed constantly in the desert. Far from being the "deathtrap" predicted by defense reformers, crews were consistently able to evacuate vehicles hit even by tank rounds before they exploded or burned. ..*..The Mk-19 automatic 40mm grenade launcher was found to be useless against light armored vehicles because it lacks a dual-purpose anti-armor round. The Mk19 can fire the dual-purpose rounds of the M203 grenade launcher, but as those rounds cannot be linked into belts, the M19 can fire them only single-shot. ====================== SOVIET UNION: NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS .....SOVIET GENERALS, from the lowest to the highest rank, are: Major General, Lieutenant General, Colonel General, Army General (or Marshal of "Arms"; e.g., Infantry, Tank Troops, Artillery, etc.), Marshal of the Soviet Union (or Chief Marshal of Arms). There is no Brigadier General. Major Generals wear one star and command divisions; the Soviets claim they are equal to two-star US Major Generals (division commanders) while the US rates them equal to Brigadiers. Marshal of Aviation Shaposhnikov is equivalent to an ''Army'' General. .....THE REPUBLICS face a challenge in becoming independent. Their economies were designed (i.e., factories built, transportation facilities provided, resources developed, etc.) to integrate with the entire USSR economy, not to be self-sufficient. They can ill afford to buy raw materials from outside the former union. Worse, there is no longer a central structure to coordinate trade. Republics will have to negotiate prices for their exports (something they have no experience in) and decide what currency will be used for the exchanges. ====================== UNITED STATES .....THE US AIR FORCE: The Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Interceptor Group became the first unit to fire AIM-7 Sparrow missiles from operational F-16s. The 125th is one of 10 units assigned to continental air defense. Its F-16As were not designed to fire radar- homing missiles and had to be modified for the task. .....THE US ARMY admitted that there had been a small leak of soman nerve gas during a 24 Aug test at Dugway Proving Grounds. The leak was entirely contained within negative-pressure safety systems. .....THE US NAVY can continue random drug testing, according to a Federal Court of Appeals. .....The Navy has canceled the current ''Top Gun'' fighter pilot class because the F-16N aggressor aircraft have been grounded by fuselage cracks. The pilots involved will probably never have another chance for the career-enhancing course. .....PENTAGON: The US Armed Forces included 2,018,361 uniformed personnel on 31 July 91, the lowest figure since 1950, when total forces were about 1.5 million. ====================== EASTERN EUROPE .....POLAND and the USSR officially confirmed that the NKVD had murdered 4,000 Polish officers in the Katyn Forest in 1940-41. .....CZECHOSLOVAKIA is reorganizing its Air Force, returning to the British-style units (flight, squadron, group) and uniforms (blue, without red stars) used in 1940. .....ALBANIA has allowed 300 Italian Marines of the San Marco Regiment to deploy in the ports of Valona and Durazzon to help Albanian troops control civilians trying to escape to Italy. .....BULGARIA thanked Germany for supporting its request for NATO membership. ====================== WESTERN EUROPE .....NATO is using the Certain Shield 91 exercise (10-20 Sept) to test the new Multi-National Airmobile Division (with British, Belgian, Dutch, and German brigades). Simultaneously, the US deployed troops of the III Corps to the exercise under REFORGER-91, including units from the 4th Mechanized and 10th Mountain Divisions. .....BRITAIN has borrowed an Su-22 and a MiG-23 from Germany for air combat tests. .....FRANCE has canceled a contract to upgrade 92 AMX-30 tanks and 54 other armored vehicles, and has warned contractors that it might not continue participation in the NH90 helicopter. .....GERMANY has called for a meeting to renegotiate the basing of allied troops on its soil. The Germans want control of all military forces, limitations on the disruptions caused by training, and compensation for the economic impact of troop withdrawals. .....ITALY has asked the UN to make Germany, Italy, and Japan permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers. .....CYPRUS: UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar called (5 Sept) for a ''high level meeting'' to discuss Cyprus within the month. .....TURKEY: US F-16s at Incirlik scrambled to intercept an incursion by Iraqi MiGs in early August, but identified them as Turkish F-105s returning from air strikes against Kurdish base camps. ====================== MIDDLE EAST .....BAHRAIN has received a shipment of Stinger shoulder-fired anti- aircraft missiles from the US. The US is generally reluctant to sell that weapon to Arab states because of Israeli concerns over the possibility that terrorists could obtain them. .....EGYPT arrested two Palestinians who planned to attack US warships in the Suez Canal with a rocket launcher. .....UNITED ARAB EMIRATES plans to begin teaching environmental and military science in its schools, having previously relied on hired foreign workers for those specialties. .....The UAE signed an accord for joint military training deployments with France on 10 Sept. ====================== ASIA AND THE PACIFIC .....BURMA's military government said it might hold power another 5-10 years, despite the fact that a civilian government was elected in May 1990 to replace it, because that civilian government is not (in the military view) ready to or capable of taking power. .....CHINA has strengthened the ideological control of its Army in view of the Soviet coup. .....INDIA said that the Soviets had agreed to continue supplying critical spare parts for Soviet-built weapons. .....JAPAN: Anti-military terrorists attacked the naval headquarters in Yokosuka on 7 Sept. .....Political parties were reportedly near agreement on a new law to allow Japanese troops to participate in UN peacekeeping missions. .....NORTH KOREA and JAPAN are trying to normalize relations, but the North Koreans want compensation for damage during the 1920-45 Japanese occupation while Japan insists that North Korea has done so much damage to itself since 1953 that the question is moot. .....North Korea said that South Korean troops fired .50-cal machineguns at their positions on 26-27 Aug. .....The CIA has concluded that North Korea is now in a position to produce nuclear weapons. .....SOUTH KOREA plans to cut its military from 830,000 troops to 660,000 within two years. .....Yugoslavia has offered to sell submarine technology to the South Koreans in exchange for investment in the conversion of Yugoslav industry to non-military production. .....Turkish sources claimed that the F-16s to be sold to South Korea will come from Turkey. .....TAIWAN is finalizing details on a deal to buy six Lafayette-class frigates from France and build another 10 themselves. The total contract is worth $4.8 billion. .....VIETNAM said that the CIA is trying to undermine world communism. ====================== AFRICA .....ETHIOPIA: The Eritrean People's Liberation Front released most of the 45,000 captured soldiers of the former government in July and most of the 8,000 captured officers in August. .....MALI: Tuareg rebels claimed to have killed 65 government soldiers and to have captured 10 more in a 26 Aug attack on Mounti. Three different Tuareg groups are fighting for the independence of the Adrar region, which includes land now owned by Mali, Niger, and Algeria. .....NIGER: The national conference suspended the military government (which has held power since 1974) and fired the military commanders on 10 Sept. .....RWANDA: Peace talks began in Zaire on 31 Aug. Rebels blew up a bridge on the border with Uganda. .....SOMALIA: Heavy fighting has broken out between rival factions of the former rebels who now run the country. .....TANZANIA: Saboteurs derailed a passenger train on 2 Sept; 91 were killed. .....ZAMBIA said it would not cut its military spending until the situation in South African stabilized. ====================== LATIN AMERICA .....ARMS PACT: Argentina, Brazil, and Chile signed an agreement banning the use of chemical and biological weapons on 5 Sept. .....CHILE: Army chief (and former dictator) Pinochet claimed that the KGB orchestrated the undeclared guerrilla war that began after he seized power in 1973. Pinochet indicated that KGB involvement excused the ''excesses'' of his forces in fighting that war. .....COLOMBIA: Two hundred rebel sabotage attacks have cause damage and losses totalling $700 million so far this year. .....GUATEMALA: URNG rebels attacked the city of Escuintla, but retreated when government troops responded. .....PANAMA asked the US (on 28 Aug) to return some of the 80,000 weapons captured by US forces during the 1989 invasion. The weapons were returned on 5 Sept. .....PERU moved troops to the Ecuadorian border near the confluence of the Yapui and Santiago Rivers to counter border incursions by Ecuadorian troops. ====================================================================== FOR YOUR EYES ONLY ================== The following material is reprinted from issue #275 of the biweekly military intelligence newsletter FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, dated 30 Sept 1991, and is Copyright (c) 1991 by Tiger Publications, Box 8759, Amarillo, TX 79114. This column represents a small fraction of the material from a single bi-weekly issue. Samples copies are $2; subscriptions are $60 per year in the US, Canada, APO, and FPO. ====================== SOVIETS TO LEAVE CUBA .....Soviet President Gorbachev announced on 11 Sept that the brigade of Soviet combat troops that had been in Cuba for decades would be withdrawn soon. The brigade has about 2,800 troops. Other Soviets in Cuba include 2,800 military advisors, 2,100 intelligence personnel (who run the gigantic electronic eavesdropping station), and 5,000 civilians. .....This signalled a major change in Soviet policy toward Cuba, although the Soviets will continue their $4.5 billion annual subsidy for Cuba for now, without which the country cannot function. .....Cuba demanded that the US respond to the Soviet move by leaving Guantanamo Bay (the naval base leased from Cuba in 1903), but the US refused. Cuba said that the Soviet withdrawal was a ''green light for a US invasion.'' The US similarly ignored a Soviet suggestion that US forces in the region should be reduced to compensate for the Soviet departure, but the Soviets said their withdrawal was not contingent on any US action. .....The first talks on the withdrawal were held on 23 Sept; the Soviets described them as ''very difficult.'' ====================== STEALTH BOMBER FLUNKS RADAR TEST .....The Air Force revealed on 12 Sept that the B-2 Stealth bomber had failed to pass a radar test conducted on 26 July. This immediately brought calls from traditional opponents of the plane to cancel the embattled bomber. Even opponents, however, admitted that the Air Force was correct to keep the actual test data a closely-guarded secret. .....The Air Force insisted that the problem was solvable and that several approaches were being examined. Even with the failure to attain the expected levels of radar evasion, the B-2 is the most difficult aircraft to track in the world. AF Secretary Rice said that the B-2 was stealthier than the F-117 and that the tests were only intended to show where improvements are needed. ====================== SPRATLY ISLANDS .....The Spratly Island group in the South China Sea is claimed by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Vietnam. All occupy some of the islands with small garrisons. There are thought to be offshore oil deposits there, but this has never been confirmed. Malaysia announced in early September that it would build an airstrip on one of the islets it controls. Taiwan protested (12 Sept) that this would be a grave mistake and was ''doomed to fail.'' Malaysia responded that no nation had the right to tell it what to do with its territory and rushed more naval and air units to the Islands. The Chinese threatened to increase their garrison, but Malaysia warned them to ''stay out.'' ====================== ARMOR PROFILE: M9 ARMORED COMBAT EARTHMOVER .....The US Army's M9 armored bulldozer saw its first action in the Gulf War. The vehicle is designed to perform barrier construction and breaching tasks on the battlefield. .....The M9 weighs 18 tons empty, but is ballasted to 27 tons when sent into action. At the full weight, the ground pressure is 14.5psi. It can climb a 60% slope when ballasted, 20% without ballast. It can operate on a 40% side slope when ballasted, 20% without ballast. There is a one-man crew; most of the armor is Kevlar. .....The vehicle hull is 9.2 feet (2.8m) wide (10.5 feet, 3.2m, across the blade), 20.5 feet (6.25m) long, and 8.3 feet (2.53m) high (cupola height is 9.8 feet, 2.99m). The 295hp V8 diesel engine provides a maximum speed of 30mph on roads. The 132-gallon fuel tank provides a maximum range of 200 miles. It is nominally amphibious, propelled by its tracks at 3mph. .....M9s sent to the Gulf experienced hydraulic problems. Virtually everything on the vehicle uses hydraulics, and the system runs at high pressure. If stressed, the system will reach its peak pressure and the emergency relief valve will vent some of the fluid (into the crew compartment). .....There are no weapons, although some units in the Gulf added a machinegun on a pintel mount. There are two four-barrel smoke grenade launchers. The winch has 105 feet (32m) of 5/8" (16mm) wire rope. ====================== ADVANCED AIRCRAFT PROGRAMS .....UK STEALTH: British Aerospace has begun a research program with a goal of flying a stealth fighter-bomber prototype within five years. .....DRONE: Teledyne has rolled out its BQM-145A reconnaissance drone. The unmanned aircraft can be launched from F-16s and F-18s and cruise 700 miles into enemy territory at high subsonic speeds to photograph enemy positions. .....C-17 AIRLIFTER made its first flight on 15 Sept. .....YAK-141: The Yakolev Bureau will continue flight tests of the Yak- 141 VSTOL fighter, hoping to reverse the Soviet cancellation. ====================== ADVANCED MISSILE PROGRAMS .....HEAT-SEEKERS: The US Navy has given Raytheon and General Dynamics a $138.7 million contract to develop a heat-seeking system that could be added to the radar-homing Sparrow and Standard-II missiles. This would provide a back-up homing system in a heavy electronic-warfare environment. The concept of a dual-seeker missile was predicted by Tom Clancy in his 1986 novel Red Storm Rising. .....STEALTH CRUISE: The Air Force warned Northrop on 17 Sept that it must make up delays in the stealth cruise missile program. .....NORTH KOREA is developing a new missile, designated Labor-1, with a range of 900km. .....RAYTHEON has developed a new tail-control system that will make short-range dogfight missiles more maneuverable. ====================== GROUND COMBAT UPDATE .....ARMORED GUN SYSTEM: The US Army has issued a Request For Proposals for 300 Armored Gun System tank destroyers to replace the M551 Sheridan. The vehicle will be armed with a 105mm EX-35 rifled gun provided by the government. Six prototypes must be completed in 18 months, with production to begin in late 1994. At least a dozen makers of existing armored vehicles are expected to reply to the RFP. .....SPAIN: Santa Barbara has completed the first production lot of the SB40-LAG automatic 40mm grenade launcher. At 30kg it weighs less than the US Mk19. It can feed ammunition from either side and has a range of 1,500m. The fragmentation round has a 12m lethal radius; the dual-purpose round can penetrate 50mm of armor. .....FRIENDLY FIRE: Hughes has developed a new battery-powered system that will transmit an identification signal automatically when it detects a laser rangefinder. This could reduce friendly-fire incidents. ====================== ARMS CONTROL .....The National Academy of Sciences recommended that the next nuclear arms treaty should reduce the number of warheads allowed under the START treaty by 50%. .....BIOLOGICAL warfare is being discussed at a three-week conference (which opened in Geneva on 9 Sept) to review the 1972 convention banning such weapons. The US said that several nations, including the USSR, had continued extensive biological warfare programs despite the convention, The Soviets demanded tighter controls on the sale of materials that could be used in such weapons. ====================== US FORCES REDUCTIONS IN EUROPE .....The 3rd Armored and 8th Infantry Division HQs will be withdrawn and the VII Corps disbanded. The 3rd Infantry Division will take over the three brigades of the 1st Armored Division, becoming the largest division in US history (six combat, one aviation, one artillery, and one engineer brigades). Some of those brigades will be disbanded later. The 1st Armored Division will take over brigades from the 3rd Armored and 8th Infantry. ====================== ESPIONAGE .....GERMANY: The KGB is rebuilding its network in Germany and focusing its efforts on industrial espionage. .....Markus Wolf, former head of the East German Stasi, surrendered to German authorities on 24 Sept after no country would give him asylum. Wolf threatened to reveal embarrassing secrets if prosecuted. .....ISRAEL arrested an 18-year-old boy with a computer for tapping into secret US computer networks and obtaining files on the Gulf War (among other things). He was also accused of operating a credit card scam. ====================== JAPANESE COMPANY SOLD MISSILE PARTS TO IRAN .....Police arrested (28 Aug) four top officials of Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Ltd (JAE) for illegally selling missile parts to Iran during the First Persian Gulf War. The four were indicted on 13 Sept. The US suspended licenses for JAE and another Japanese company to export US equipment. Japan was unsure how to punish JAE, as the company is vital to the Japanese aerospace industry. ====================== US FORCES IN THE GULF THEATER ..*..Army Task Force Kuwait: 3/77 tank battalion, 4/8th infantry battalion, 202nd Forward Support Battalion (all from 8th Infantry Div); C company 10th Engineers, detachment 4/3 air defense (3rd Infantry Div). Another 9,000 Army troops, mostly non-combat, are still in the theater shipping equipment home from the Gulf War. Two Patriot batteries en route from Europe. A brigade of paratroops is being sent for airbase security. ..*..Air Force (Saudi Arabia): 24 F-15, 24 F-16, 3 AWACS. Another 70- 100 combat aircraft are on alert or deploying. ..*..Air Force (Turkey): 55 combat aircraft including A-10, F-16, British Jaguar, French Mirage. F-111s are to replace the A-10s. ..*..Navy (in Gulf): Carrier Lincoln, cruisers Lake Champlain and Long Beach, destroyer Merrill, frigates Gary and Ingraham, supply ships Roanoke and Pyro; Amphibious group 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Pelilieu, Cleveland, Comstock, Bristol County); minehunters Guardian, Impervious, Leader, Adroit. Between 30 and 80 Tomahawk land-attack missiles. ..*..Navy (Arabian Sea): 26 ships including cruiser Arkansas, destroyer Elliot, frigates Kaufman, McClusky, and Stark; logistics ships Spear, Sioux, White Plains, Pecos. Total 38-80 Tomahawk land- attack missiles. ..*..Navy (Mediterranean): Carrier Forrestal with 18 other ships and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. ..*..Navy (en route): Carrier Eisenhower, 12 other ships, 22nd MEU. .....An MEU includes a Marine battalion, artillery battery, tank platoon, helicopter squadron, and other support units. ====================== LESSONS FROM THE GULF WAR .....Information, field expedients, stories, and lessons from the troops: ..*..The Navy wants to arm its anti-submarine helicopters with anti-ship missiles (or even standard anti-tank missiles) to allow them to combat small gunboats. During the Gulf War, Army and Marine attack helicopters had to engage the small boats as the Navy had no appropriate systems. ..*..French tanks and armored cars fired 630 105mm cannon shells during the ground fighting, while other vehicles fired 328 HOT missiles. Before the war, the French bought ten cannon shells for every missile in stock. French helicopters fired 180 HOT missiles and scored 127 hits. The French used the ''Iron Fist'' tactic of sending waves of armed helicopters to overrun specific targets. ====================== BURIED ALIVE: ATROCITY OR UNAVOIDABLE? .....New York Newsday reported on 12 Sept that, during the US attack on the Iraqi fortifications, tanks with plows had collapsed Iraqi trenches and buried some Iraqi soldiers alive. There was no way to know if dozens or hundreds (or thousands) of Iraqis were involved. .....This touched off something of a furor in the media (who seemed to think that there should have been some other way of launching the attack that did not produce this result), and Iraq protested that this was a war crime. The Army said the only alternative was to clear the trenches with grenades and the bayonet, which would have produced more casualties for both sides and taken much longer. .....The Army noted that this tactic was used only at the point of the breakthrough, and was definitely not a matter of deliberately collapsing entire trench networks. Any burials were an inadvertent byproduct of the breakthrough, not a deliberate act. In some cases, vehicles were used to crush bunkers, but the alternative was to destroy the bunker with heavy weapons. Bunkers that were not offering resistance were not attacked. A Pentagon spokesman said ''I don't mean to be flippant, but there is no nice way to kill people in a war.'' --FYEO analyst Herbert Gara (Gulf vet) ====================== .....NAGORNO-KARABAKH is an oil-rich enclave in Moslem Azerbaijan. Christian Armenians were imported as workers over the last several decades. The Armenian workers do not want to go home to Armenia (where there are no jobs) and do not want to live under the Azeri government (due to ethnic differences). The Azeris do not want to give up the region because of its oil, and the Armenians want the region transferred to them (because of the oil and people). ====================== UNITED STATES .....THE US NAVY asked Congress to approve a more limited and cheaper overhaul for the carrier Kennedy than the SLEP overhaul that has been applied to other carriers. .....The aircraft carrier Independence arrived in Japan, where it will be based in the future, on 11 Sept. .....A House committee replaced the third Seawolf submarine with two more Los Angeles-class subs on 20 Sept, then reversed its position after intense lobbying. .....THE US MARINE CORPS was ordered to discontinue wearing their emblem on the left pocket of their fatigues and begin wearing a tape saying ''US MARINES'' over the pocket (as do the Army, Navy, and Air Force). The Marines objected and will continue wearing the emblem after the tapes are added. .....CONGRESS: Republicans demanded an investigation into improper contacts between Congressmen and the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. ====================== SOVIET UNION .....According to former Chief of Staff Moiseyev, the Soviet Union discards 1,400 tanks per year due to wear and tear and will build only 630 new tanks in 1991 compared to 3,500 during 1987 and 1988. .....The US media has ignored statements by Soviet LtC Osipovich, who shot down KAL-007. He admitted that he fired no warning shots and made no effort to contact the plane, and that he was ordered to lie about the incident. .....Alenia (Italy) won a $2.4 billion contract to sell 41 air traffic control radars to the Soviet Union. .....Security Forces Lt Oleg Babak became the first to receive the Hero of the Soviet Union medal for action in an inter-ethnic conflict (7 April 91 in Azerbaijan). He remained behind to cover the retreat of his platoon (and many civilians) after most were wounded and the rest were nearly out of ammunition. The award was posthumous. ====================== EASTERN EUROPE .....POLAND hosted the first international air show ever held in Eastern Europe at Poznan on 25 August. NATO and Soviet aircraft participated in the displays. .....Poland's arms industry wants the ban on exports lifted so that it can earn hard currency. .....ALBANIA formally joined the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe on 16 Sept. .....Thousands of Albanian soldiers have deserted. ====================== WESTERN EUROPE .....CSCE: Poland proposed a joint armed peacekeeping force under CSCE control. Czechoslovakia supported the plan. .....BRITAIN plans to cut its order for 1,000 Warrior armored personnel carriers by 100-300. About 500 have been built to date. .....CANADA plans to close its two bases in Germany by 1995, leaving only 1,100 troops in the multinational division. Forces will be reduced from 84,000 to 76,000. .....FINLAND is buying 100 armored vehicles, tons of ammunition, and several spare MiG-21 engines from Germany for $49 million. .....Finland reported that an unidentified submarine violated its territorial waters near Porkkala in late Aug. .....FRANCE wants an airborne radar aircraft for its aircraft carriers and cannot afford to develop one for its small (8-aircraft) requirement. They have tested US E-2Cs on their carriers. ====================== MIDDLE EAST .....BAHRAIN and QATAR have a minor border dispute in their offshore areas. Qatar says that Bahraini gunboats have fired on Qataris, but Bahrain denies this. .....EGYPT will buy $70 million in US military communications equipment. .....SAUDI ARABIA will buy a battalion of 40 Patriot missile launchers from the US for $1 billion for delivery in 1994. .....SYRIA can count on continued Soviet cooperation, according to Soviet naval chief Admiral Chernavin. ====================== ASIA AND THE PACIFIC .....INDIA has ordered 200 Soviet M46 towed 130mm field guns for immediate delivery. The Soviets have offered to upgrade Indian air defenses with the Tungushka gun system and the SA-17. .....NORTH KOREA has rejected an IAEA demand that it sign a nuclear inspection and guarantee agreement. .....SOUTH KOREA offered to help North Korea with peaceful nuclear projects if it submitted to IAEA inspections. .....LAOS and China initialed a new agreement resolving border disputes on 12 Sept. .....SRI LANKA has received a landing craft from China. The vessel has a capacity of 50 tons, and its shallow draft will allow it to operate from all Sri Lankan ports. The country had only two landing craft prior to the new arrival. .....TAIWAN will buy 110 M60A3 tanks from the US for $119 million. .....THAILAND will buy 18 used F-16A and F-16B fighters from the US for $547 million. ====================== AFRICA .....UNION: President Abdou Diouf of Senegal proposed that a ''United States of Africa'' should be formed. Diouf called for industrial nations to write off Africa's debt and launch a massive Marshall plan to end hunger and create business and industry on the continent. .....ETHIOPIA announced it would disband the regular army over two years and create a self-defense security force. .....SOUTH AFRICA signed the IAEA nuclear safeguards agreement on 16 Sept. South Africa ratified the signing immediately. The IAEA will now conduct an inventory of South African nuclear material. .....President de Klerk, ANC president Mandela, and Zulu chief Buthelezi signed a peace pact to end the seven years of tribal and political violence. The government demanded that the ANC disband its military wing. .....South Africa announced a new code of conduct for its military and moved to create a non-racial force. .....SUDAN and CHAD have agreed to launch a joint campaign against armed gangs operating along the border. .....TANZANIA has 300,000 refugees from neighboring countries. .....ZAIRE: France and Belgium sent paratroops into Kinshasa 24 Sept after a mutiny by Zairian troops that had not been paid. ====================== LATIN AMERICA .....ARGENTINA demanded an investigation of alleged British war crimes during the Falklands War after a British soldier (Vince Bramley) described in his book Excursion to Hell that British troops had executed two Argentine prisoners and three American mercenaries. .....COLOMBIA's Attorney General accused 1,400 members of the armed forces of human rights abuses. .....GUATEMALA and the URNG rebels began the fourth round of peace talks on 20 Sept in Mexico City; they ended with no progress. .....HONDURAS: The US will maintain 1,100 troops at Palmerola in Honduras indefinitely. .....PERU denied that its troops had infiltrated into Ecuador. .....Security forces have fought repeated skirmishes with Shining Path rebels. One battle on 17 Sept left 25 rebels dead; an ambush on 19 Sept killed 35 rebels.