Free Republic

New Defence Minister John Hutton has been described as an "uber-moderniser," and brings a reputation for low-key competence to Britain's military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I WOULD LET THE TAX CUTS FOR ALL OF THE MIDDLE CLASS LAPSE" Yepsen: SENATOR, HOW DO YOU PAY FOR YOUR IDEA (ED: socialized medicine)? Biden: YOU PAY FOR MY IDEA BY DOING THREE OR FOUR THINGS, DAVID, AND ALSO YOU GO AFTER THE DEBT THIS WAY. I WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY -- YOU HAVE TO HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY AND A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN TERMS OF THE TAX POLICY. I WOULD LET THE TAX CUTS FOR ALL OF THE MIDDLE CLASS LAPSE. I WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THE NEW TAX CUT CALLED FOR BY ELIMINATING THE...

Argentina raised the prospect of posting military forces in the Antarctic region yesterday, with the announcement of plans to use troops to defend its interests. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner told defence chiefs that Argentina must be prepared to assert its sovereignty and protect its natural resources, as nations compete to claim areas of the region believed to be rich in oil. The plans threaten to inflame tensions between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, which the South American nation still considers to be its sovereign territory despite losing a war in 1982. Argentinian forces were driven from the...

In defiance of traditional party labels, Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, may ask the defence secretary of President George W Bush to stay on if he wins the White House. Obama’s top foreign policy and national security advisers are pressing the case for keeping Robert Gates at the Pentagon after he won widespread praise for his performance. The move would be in keeping with Obama’s desire to appoint a cabinet of all the talents. After appealing for unity with former rival Hillary Clinton and her supporters and big donors last week, Obama, 46, is turning his attention to wooing...

In a strange video address intended to reassure American voters regarding his military bona fides, Senator Obama ends up doing just the opposite. Among other things, he promises to cut "tens of billions of dollars" from the military budget, at a time when our armed forces are already stretched and in need of new weapon technologies and armor; to "cut investments in unproven missile defense systems," which in reality have already proven remarkably effective; that he "will not weaponize space" even though other nations such as China do exactly that; to terminate the Iraq war just as the surge proves...

4/24/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff of the Air Force T. Michael Moseley have issued the following letter highlighting the contributions of America's Airmen: Airmen, This past Monday, the Secretary of Defense delivered an address at Maxwell AFB to the students of our Air War College and Air Command and Staff College. Initial press coverage of his remarks misrepresented the tone and content of his address. Whereas some press reports characterized Secretary Gates as making a singular critique about one Service's commitment to the Global War on Terror, his...

Like pensions and insurance, defence is one of those subjects to which too many people only pay attention when things go wrong. You might think, in the light of the past decade, that this would have changed. But you would be sadly mistaken. Even today, even after Iraq, few mainstream MPs without an immediate personal or constituency interest in the subject turn up in the Commons for defence debates. Many politicians who are thoughtful about a range of domestic issues still pass by on the other side when the conversation gravitates to the military. In this they reflect the British...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. Air Force F-15s escorted two Russian Bear long-range bombers out of an air exclusion zone off the coast of Alaska, U.S. military officials said Wednesday.

Poland Questions the Missile Shield The formerly staunch US ally has shifted its tone, and now an ambitious pet project of the Bush administration -- a missile shield to protect Europe and the United States -- is no longer a sure thing in Poland. Until recently, it looked like the US missile defense shield was a done deal when it came to cooperation with Poland. Although no formal agreement had been signed, the government under Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski seemed eager to make the Americans happy -- and was even willing to ignore European Union concerns when it came to...

There is now a plan to allow college students to carry weapons on any public campus. The legislation is on its way to the state house. The text of House Bill 2513 says any student who is at least 21 years old and has a concealed carry permit would be allowed to bring a firearm to school. It comes as campus violence seems to be on the increase. Everyone at OSU-Tulsa we spoke to about the plan doesn't like it. They already have a lot of security on campus. One example -- push a button on a phone and it...

A suspect is dead after messing with the wrong person Tuesday morning. North Las Vegas Police say a man tried to carjack a security guard at about 6 in the morning near Gowan and I-15. The intended victim and the suspect got into a shootout. The security guard was taken to the hospital with a minor wound. The suspect was taken to UMC where he later died. Police say the security guard may not face any charges, because it appears he was acting in self defense.

Norway's Chief of Defense Sverre Diesen said Monday that if the current loss of spending power continued, Norway's national defense would be history in 25 years. Diesen presented Minister of Defense Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen with FS 07 - the study of the next 20 years of Norway's Defense - on Monday. "If the loss of spending power continues the Defense will be so weakened in 25 years time that only limited units such as the Coast Guard and the Russian border guard will be fully functional - an independent, national Defense will be history," Diesen wrote. The Defense chief also warned...

Boeing has been awarded a U.S. Army contract valued at approximately $7 million to begin developing the initial phase for a truck-mounted laser weapon system that destroys rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds. Under the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) Phase I contract, awarded Friday, Boeing will develop and complete a preliminary design of a rugged beam control system (BCS) on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. The contract contains options that, if exercised, will call for Boeing to build and test a significant component of the HEL TD system, comprised of the BCS integrated on a vehicle...

A man shot at two burglars who broke into his home in Tempe on Tuesday, and police say one of them ended up at a Mesa hospital to be treated for his wound. Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Horn said a resident reported that two burglars broke into his home around 12:30 p.m. The resident fired a shot, and the two burglars took off running from the home just west of Loop 101 near Broadway Road and South River Drive. Police later got a call about a gunshot victim from Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa. Doctors operated on the man,...

PARIS, FRANCE, June 18, 2007 -- The Government of France has selected Lockheed Martin’s HELLFIRE II® missile system to equip its Hélicoptère d'Appui Destruction (HAD) Tiger attack helicopter fleet. The precision-strike missiles will be purchased under a foreign military sale for the French Army, which is fielding 40 HAD Tiger helicopters. The fielding is expected to be completed by 2012. “HELLFIRE II missiles will provide the French HAD Tigers a highly effective precision strike capability,” said Doug Terrell, international business development director for Tactical Missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. (...) The modular HELLFIRE II includes three semi-active...

The French Navy, the General Directorate for Armaments (DGA) and the US Navy have completed a test launch of US landing crafts from the brand-new Landing and Command Ships (BPC) commissioned by the French Navy. The test campaign happened out of Norfolk, Virginia, from May the 7th to May the 12th, and involved the BPC "Tonnerre" (Thunder) and units from the US Navy's Second Fleet. These trials at sea have allowed both Navies to verify the complete compatibility of the French BPC with American landing crafts such as the LCAC hovercrafts and with the operation of heavy MH-53E SUper Stallion...

Japan and Australia say the treaty benefits the region as a whole The prime ministers of Japan and Australia have signed a security pact designed to enhance military co-operation between the two nations. Japan's PM Shinzo Abe said the pact would help to stabilise the region. The defence deal - Japan's first with a country other than the US - includes co-operation on border security, counter-terrorism and disaster relief. It is the result of closer co-operation on security matters in Asia that Japan and Australia have been pursuing. The four part agreement Mr Abe signed with Australian PM John...

Mr Howard will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Australian Prime Minister John Howard has arrived in Japan on a visit which will include the signing of a bilateral security pact. The declaration is thought to include co-operation on terrorism, peacekeeping and disaster relief. The government has dismissed suggestions that the defence deal could strain ties with China. Meanwhile, Australian diplomats are due in North Korea for talks on its nuclear programme. The delegation will urge Pyongyang to abide by its agreement last month to start dismantling its nuclear facilities. Such progress could result in Australian aid,...

Mr Howard said the deal would bring the two countries closer Australian Prime Minister John Howard has dismissed suggestions that a security declaration with Japan could strain ties with China. Mr Howard is set to sign the ground-breaking deal during a four-day visit to Japan which begins on Sunday. The agreement is thought to include co-operation on terrorism, peacekeeping and disaster relief. Australia has been looking to exert more influence in Asia, in terms of business as well as regional security. Full details of the pact have not been revealed but it is expected to include plans for greater...

EU defence strategy snatches stability from the jaws of victory By David Rennie, in Brussels (Filed: 03/10/2006) Defence ministers from Britain and other European Union nations will today be asked to endorse a bleak vision of future European military capabilities. According to the new European Defence Agency, traditional ideas of "victory" will have to be jettisoned in favour of limited, multi-national campaigns to restore "stability" to conflict zones, with the grudging consent of an ageing, ever more casualty-averse European population. The vision of Europe in 20 years' time was drawn up at the invitation of defence ministers by the EU...

Five years after Sept. 11, the Democrats have suddenly become obsessed with truth. Their version of it. Former President Bill Clinton is incensed with the ABC docudrama "The Path to 9/11," set to run Sunday night, that depicts his administration as cavalier in its disregard for the threats al-Qaeda posed, and too distracted by the Monica Lewinski affair in any case to act decisively. Clinton is concerned a TV dramatization will become the accepted version of history. Democrats in Congress threatened to wage regulatory jihad on ABC, and ABC went back into rewrite. Some observers are shocked by the hypocrisy...

Moscow angered by US plan for 'star wars' bases in Europe to counter threat of Iran By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 24 May 2006 In a move that is raising hackles in Moscow, the US is proposing to install an anti-missile defence system in central Europe to counter any future attack from a nuclear-armed Iran. The plan, for which the Pentagon has requested $56m (£30m) of exploratory funding from Congress, would cost $1.6bn and involve 10 interceptor units. The most likely base for the system is Poland, followed by the Czech Republic, officials said. For the moment, the scheme ­...

Star wars II 20.04.2006 Media reports suggest that Washington has sent high-ranking CIA officials to Warsaw to discuss the possibility of stationing a US anti-missile defense system on Polish soil. Report by Bogdan Zaryn Discussions on stationing a US anti-missile defense shield on Polish soil surfaced in the media two years ago. But the issue has once again picked up momentum. Earlier this month Polish foreign ministry officials went on record saying that Washington has already proposed holding detailed talks in Warsaw on planting part of the US anti-missile defense shield somewhere in Poland. Polish dailies speculate that top brass...

Report: Poland tops Pentagon list for US missile defence site Mar 4, 2006, 13:58 GMT Warsaw - Pentagon experts favour NATO member Poland as a potential location for the overseas portion of the United States National Missile Defence (NMD) project, Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza daily reported Saturday quoting sources in Washington. The US-based NMD plan is designed to protect it and fellow NATO defence alliance members plus Japan from a potential nuclear missile attack by rogue states. Washington is now expected to make a political decision on the location of a large anti-missile base in Europe to serve as the overseas...

HALIFAX -- A new North American defence treaty with the United States will not compromise Canada's control over its own military, nor will it mean automatic adoption of American plans for a ballistic missile defence system, newly appointed Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said Monday. The existing binational agreement on continental air defence, the North American Aerospace Defence Command or NORAD, will be expanded to include maritime surveillance, the minister said following a tour of the sprawling navy dockyard in Halifax. But O'Connor, in his first public statement since being appointed to the defence portfolio, downplayed the significance of the new...

Poles Over the Baltic 25 January 2006 Since the start of January, Polish pilots have been patrolling the air space of the three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Poland is yet another NATO country to be monitoring the airspace over the Baltic states-admitted to NATO in March 2004-as part of the Air Policing mission. None of these countries has combat aircraft of its own, and in keeping with Alliance standards, other NATO members are responsible for the security of the Baltic skies using their own aircraft. Poland has deployed four MiG-29 fighter planes (see photo) to perform this mission,...

Vatican's Evolutionists By Rafael Brom Catholics should wonder why Vatican constanly issuing a stout defence of Charles Darwin's Fraudulent Communist Religion "Theory of Evolution". Now we have Vatican's high ranked Cardinal claiming that the Genesis description of how God created the universe and Darwin's theory of evolution were "perfectly compatible" if the Bible were read correctly. Looks like that 150 million martyrs who were tortured and killed by communists since 1917 in the name of "Theory of Evolution" did not read their Bible correctly. I am sure that Vatican's Evolutionists will one day declare St. Peter as the First Communist...

A senior State Department official is warning that terrorists are continuing to seek nuclear, chemical and biological weapons for use in future attacks. "If terrorists acquire these weapons, they are likely to employ them, with potentially catastrophic effects," said Robert Joseph, undersecretary of state for arms control and the senior Bush administration arms proliferation policy-maker. Mr. Joseph also said the U.S. government will not back off from sanctions imposed on an Asian bank that the Treasury Department said was part of the North Korean government's illegal counterfeiting and money-laundering program. On terrorism, Mr. Joseph said a well-organized terrorist group with...

IN A SUDDEN ATTACK of common sense, a Pentagon-commissioned study released in mid-November suggests an approach to nuclear nonproliferation in the Middle East that might actually be accepted by the people of the region. What is this breakthrough idea? That U.S. policies begin not with a country that currently lacks nuclear weapons - Iran - but rather with the one that by virtually all accounts already has them - Israel. To avert Iran’s apparent drive for nuclear weapons, concludes Henry Sokolski, a co-editor of "Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran," Israel should freeze and begin to dismantle its nuclear capability....

SARASOTA, Fla. Bud Carson, who developed Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense, has died of emphysema at age 75. Carson, a defensive back at North Carolina from 1949 through 1951, was the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1972 through 1977, and shaped a defense led by Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert into one of the best in N-F-L history. In that span, the Steelers won three Super Bowl titles under coach Chuck Noll. Carson then became defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, who lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl after the 1979 season. He coached the Cleveland Browns...

Rafael wins $70m contract with Polish Army Rafael beat leading manufacturers of remote controlled weapon stations. Hadas Manor 14 Nov 05 12:29 The Polish Army has chosen Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd. to supply cannon stations in a $70 million contract. Rafael won the contract when the Polish Ministry of Defense and WZM decided to equip the Polish Army with Patria Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) equipped with Rafael cannon stations. Rafael’s Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) enable troops to direct and fire cannons from inside armored cars, without being exposed. The cannon station has fire control system includes a high-performance...

BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro (AP) - Lawmakers Friday elected a reported ally of notorious war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic as Serbia-Montenegro's new defense minister. Zoran Stankovic, former director of the Belgrade military hospital, was elected with 72 votes in the 126-member assembly. Stankovic's candidacy was put forward by Serbia, the country's larger republic, after an equipment purchase scandal forced the previous minister to resign. Some analysts believe Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica proposed Stankovic in hopes that he would persuade Mladic to surrender to the Netherlands-based U.N. war crimes tribunal. Stankovic, 51, is believed to have close ties to Mladic, a former...

A major accident was averted at the joint Indo-Russian exercises here today, when a paradropped vehicle landed close to the stand where the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and the Indian top brass were sitting. Four Army jeeps, mounted with anti-tank guided 'Milan' missile system, dropped by IAF An-32s in the first drop of the exercise, went off course due to unexpected gust of winds. Though one landed in the proper drop zone, the other three overshot with one sailing precariously close to the viewstand where Mr Ivanov, Army chief Gen JJ Singh, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S P...

The North Arabian Sea would become the stage of a formidable build-up of naval armada, including 100,000-tonne displacement United States carrier Nimitz, as Indian and American flotilla cross swords in a nine-day joint manoeuvre from September 25.The eighth series of exercises, billed the most advanced so far, would not only see the pride of the US seventh fleet,  Nimitz, in action, but also bring the carrier-based E2C Hawkeye Air Early Warning aircraft, the Los Angeles class submarines and the F-18/A hornet to Indian shores. Against such formidable forces, the Indian Navy would pit its lone carrier, INS Viraat, carrier-based Sea Harriers,...

MUSLIMS who resent the British way of life should leave the UK, regardless of whether they are citizens or not, a senior Conservative said last night in comments that have heightened already tense community relations. Gerald Howarth, the shadow defence minister, last night told The Scotsman that extremist Muslims who see the Iraq war as a conflict against Islam should be considered as treacherous as Soviet sympathisers during the Cold War. His remarkable claim shatters the tri-party consensus which Michael Howard, the Tory leader, sought to make with Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, and the Liberal Democrats. Mr Howarth said...

This article first appeared on DefenceTalk.com DefenceNews on Jan 22nd, 2005 - We are republishing this on request. Editor's Note: Even though this article has spiritual connotations, it is intended to stir a debate on alternative methods to prevent the disease of terrorism through new means of defence and military-related technologies. All ideas and avenues must be checked in light of defence and the military rather than any spiritual and social differences that they might present. I would like to thank Maj. Gen. Kulwant Singh and Dr Leffler for submitting this article to DefenceTalk.com DefenceNews. If you would like to...

BEIJING: Today Chinese participation in Galileo entered a practical stage, with the signature of three contracts by Chinese entities represented by China Galileo Industries. With these contracts finalised, the Chinese industry is now actively involved in the development phase of the Galileo Programme - the European Satellite Navigation Programme with global availability. The signing ceremony gathered together Prof. MA Songde, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Mr. Rainer Grohe, Executive Director of the Galileo Joint Undertaking (GJU), and Mr. ZHANG Guocheng, Executive Director of the National Remote Sensing Centre of China (NRSCC). Prof. Ma...

WASHINGTON: The Defense Department's annual report on Chinese military power, released late July 19, is "deliberately non-alarmist," a senior official said. However, some findings are "worrisome," the official added. The 45-page report, required by Congress each year, "is a very factual presentation of what's taken place in the People's Republic of China," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said, shortly before the report was released. An executive summary of the report contends "the United States welcomes the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China." However, it goes on to say, China faces a "strategic crossroads" with regard to the country's growing...

Military Actions in Iraq and Afghanistan Have Stretched U.S. Army Thin Frequent troop deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the U.S. Army so thin that many active-duty combat units are spending more than one of every two years on foreign battlefields, leaving few brigades ready to respond to crises elsewhere, according to a RAND Corporation report issued today. If the heavy demands continue for overseas rotations, "serious problems" in active unit readiness could arise, the study says. When soldiers have little time at home they have less time to develop new war-fighting capability or to stand ready for military...

China Military build-up includes missiles, jets, warships WASHINGTON: China not only is massing forces facing Taiwan, but developing new long-range missiles and acquiring an arsenal of sophisticated jets and warships in an ambitious arms build-up, the United States said on Tuesday. Over the "next several years", Beijing will deploy a DF-31 road-mobile, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile and a JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile, the Pentagon said in an annual report to Congress on Chinese military power. The current military focus by the People's Liberation Army stresses protecting Chinese borders and waters and intimidating Taiwan, according to the 44-page report, which lists...

Brisbane, Australia: Metal Storm has released information regarding a successful firing of the Area Denial Weapon System (ADWS) Capability Demonstrator which was undertaken at the Port Wakefield Proof and Experimental Range near Adelaide, Australia. The ADWS consortium project is sponsored by the Australian Department of Defence, and led by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), and includes Metal Storm as a major consortium member. Tenix Defence Industries was a significant contractor to the project. Australia is signatory to the 1997 Ottawa Treaty that bans the use of Anti-Personnel Land Mines (APL). Through the banning of APLs, the Australian Defence...

Indigenous forces learning military, reconstruction, humanitarian skillsMulti-National Force–Iraq, representing U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, issued a fact sheet July 4 that details progress made by the coalition and by units of the Iraqi military forces in recent weeks.Following is the text of the fact sheet:BAGHDAD, Iraq: Daily accomplishments, both large and small -– in governance, security and reconstruction –- marked progress toward Iraqi self-reliance as the country marked a year of sovereignty June 28. What follows is a partial list of these successes.• On June 1, in the first move of its kind, Coalition forces officially transferred full responsibility...

WASHINGTON: American experts are warning that China is rapidly building up its military so that it will have the capability to attack Taiwan, a separately governed island that Beijing considers part of Chinese territory. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait are hotter than usual, as Beijing increasingly sees Taipei's democratically elected government as moving the island toward independence. China says it does not want to attack Taiwan to keep the island from declaring independence, but at the same time, Beijing has refused to renounce the use of force. And, earlier this year, China's parliament passed legislation giving the country's military a...

Signalling that it's ready for intensifying defence ties with New Delhi, Washington has cleared the sale of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile defence system to India . Washington has given a green signal to the PAC-3 manufacturers, Lockheed Martin, to give a technical presentation to India on the state-of-the-art anti-missile defence system. The PAC-3 system is a big step beyond Washington's earlier offer for sale of PAC-2. In February this year, a US team, headed by Edward Ross from the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, had briefed South Block on technical details of PAC-2. Unlike previous Patriots, which operate by...

The Changing Face of NATO 18 May 2005 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is building a facility in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz to train military personnel in NATO tactics and strategy. The Memorandum Agreement to build the Joint Force Training Center (JFTC) was signed on April 13 by First Deputy Defense Minister Janusz Zemke, representing the Polish side, and Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr., United States Navy NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) and Commander U.S. Joint Forces Command (CDRUSJFCOM) (see photo). The JFTC will attain initial operational capability in June 2005 with full operational capability planned for...

The on-again, off-again status of arms supplies to Nepal has finally been resolved with the Manmohan Singh Government clearing the immediate dispatch of materiel "already in the pipeline." This means supplies approved when India suspended military assistance following King Gyanendra's seizure of power on February 1. An understanding on the resumption of arms supplies — and a "road-map" for the restoration of political processes in Nepal — was reached between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and King Gyanendra in the Indonesian capital on April 23. the Indian armed forces' strong representations in favour of sending weapons to the Royal Nepal Army...

Visegrad Group countries agree to promote defense cooperation WARSAW, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Defense ministers of the Visegrad Group member states agreed here Friday to enhance defense cooperation. The defense ministers from Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republicand Hungary welcomed Poland's suggestion of establishing a training center in Poland for training airforce in the region, with the Czech minister pledging to provide training aircraft. The ministers also exchanged information on the peace-keeping mission of their respective countries in Iraq and other regions ofthe world. The Visegrad Group was formed in 1991 in Visegrad, Hungary, by Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, with the...

BEIJING: China is expected to announce yet another year of double-digit growth in its defence budget next week. The move would feed a modernisation drive that is sparking fears in Taiwan and concern in the US. The budget, to be revealed by Finance Minister Jin Renqing during the annual parliament session that opens on Saturday, will appear relatively modest. But analysts estimate real expenditure is likely to be two to four times the amount announced by the Government. China has lifted defence spending steadily to transform the People's Liberation Army into a high-tech force capable of attacking Taiwan if the...

Canada already 'part of' missile defence: McKennaFebruary 22, 2005 CBC News OTTAWA - Canada's next ambassador to the United States set off a storm Tuesday by saying Canada is already taking part in the controversial U.S. missile defence program because it has agreed Norad can monitor the skies for incoming missiles. Frank McKenna made the comments Tuesday outside a meeting of the foreign affairs committee, which is examining his appointment. "I believe that we've given in large measure what the Americans want, which is the ability to use Norad and their intercept information in order to be able to target...

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has the military might to deter attacks against it, its defense minister said in remarks published Tuesday, one day after President Bush said he would not rule out military action against Iran. Ali Shamkhani said the Islamic Republic, which has seen U.S. forces topple regimes in neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq (news - web sites) in the last three years, did not fear attack. "We are able to say that we have strength such that no country can attack us because they do not have precise information about our military capabilities due to our ability to implement...