http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100112/NATIONAL/701119837/1010
The National (United Arab Emirates} January 11, 2010 US wants GCC to share defence data Mahmoud Habboush -Lt Gen Hostage said....he was “very optimistic” that the Gulf states would work with the US on organising a missile defence system “as quickly as possible”. ABU DHABI: A top US official said yesterday he has discussed with GCC officials the possibility of setting up a shared early warning system and enhancing the region’s ballistic-missile deterrence. “I am attempting to organise a regional integrated air and missile defence capability with our GCC partners,” said Lt Gen Michael Hostage, commander of the US Air Force Central Command. But some military officials from the region questioned the benefits of such an arrangement. Retired Gen Khalid al Buainnain, the former chief of the UAE Armed Forces, said GCC states were asking such questions as: “What are the benefits? Why would they need a new partner since they have their own capabilities?” ..... Lt Gen Hostage said he is hoping to connect the electronic systems, as well, so that data can be shared instantly among the Gulf countries and the US bases in the region. But Gulf military sources have said the US had not made a concrete offer in terms of sharing data, and that the US would be the only beneficiary of the new early warning capabilities the Gulf nations have acquired at high cost, mostly from US firms. When asked whether the US early warning systems in the region were enough to cover the whole region or would need to tap into the resources of other countries in the region, Lt Gen Hostage responded: “I see all I need to see. My GCC partners see much of what they need to see. I can offer them more.” .... Lt Gen Hostage said....he was “very optimistic” that the Gulf states would work with the US on organising a missile defence system “as quickly as possible”. .... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/us-sharing-missile-data-with-gcc-1.566715 Gulf News (United Arab Emirates} Janaury 12, 2010 US sharing missile data with GCC By Samir Salama Abu Dhabi: The United States is providing GCC member countries immediate access to intelligence on missile launches to help its Gulf allies defend themselves, a top US official said on Monday. The shared early warning system, which links GCC countries to sophisticated US intelligence satellites that can spot a missile launch instantly, is working at the tactical operations level, Lieutenant General Mike Hostage, commander US Air Forces Central Command, told Gulf News. Hostage, who is responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting air operations in a 20-nation area covering central and southwest Asia, was speaking on the sidelines of the Middle East Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Conference. Hostage, however, pointed out certain challenges were facing the intelligence sharing between the GCC countries and the US at the policy level. He did not elaborate because of the sensitivity of the issue. The early warning system enables the Gulf countries to have a direct link to what US sensors are able to pick up, thus obtaining near real-time information on air and missile attacks to enhance each nation's ability to defend itself. .... "Ballistic missile threat is a common concern and the answer must be common. The GCC needs a national and multinational ballistic missile defence (BMD) to counter long-range proliferating regional ballistic missile threats," [General Al Buainain] said. .... =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: [email protected] or [email protected] Daily digest option available. ==============================
