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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia came close to nuclear disaster in late December when a blaze engulfed a nuclear-powered submarine carrying atomic weapons, a leading Russian magazine reported, contradicting official assurances that it was not armed. Russian officials said at the time that all nuclear weapons aboard the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine had been unloaded well before a fire engulfed the 167-metre (550 feet) vessel and there had been no risk of a radiation leak. But the respected Vlast weekly magazine quoted several sources in the Russian navy as saying that throughout the fire on December 29 the submarine was carrying 16...

Russian Navy to Drop Lada Class Subs – CinC Vysotsky The Russian Navy has decided against construction of Lada class submarines (Project 677) and will instead modernize its existing boats, Navy Commander-in-Chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said in an interview with RIA Novosti. The design of the diesel-electric Lada class was completed at the end of the 1990s, but none of the planned boats have entered service, although the lead ship in the class, the Saint Petersburg, is undergoing trials with the Baltic Fleet, Vysotsky said. “The Russian Navy does not need the Lada in its current form,” he said. Vysotsky...

Subs, silos, UAVs: Rumors cloud Israel's Iran clout By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Asked about the profusion of foreign reports that their armed forces could soon attack Iran, Israeli officials tend to smile and shrug enigmatically, seemingly content to let such guesswork simmer. The diplomatic dumbshow, which preserves military secrecy while keeping war-wary world powers negotiating for a halt to Tehran's nuclear programme, also conceals genuine bemusement in Israel at some of the assumptions abroad about its capabilities. "This is speculation which is not entirely connected to reality," Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, a former top Israeli general, said...

J’lem and Berlin sign contract for sixth submarine By YAAKOV KATZ 02/05/2012 02:38 Exclusive: German defense official dismisses reports that Merkel considered canceling deal in response to Gilo construction. Israel and Germany signed a contract a few weeks ago finalizing the sale of a sixth Dolphinclass submarine to the Israel Navy, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The Defense Ministry initiated talks with Germany last year about buying a sixth submarine but Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government initially balked when Israel asked that it underwrite part of the cost. In late November, though, Germany announced that it had approved the deal and...

The Russian Navy Grows from Bottom up While the nation’s leaders work at overhauling the Navy organization, the Navy itself continues to order new ships. Last year’s persistent scandals over nuclear submarine contracts proved a hard nut to crack when assigning government contracts in 2011. For a time, the submarine scandals confused the process for ordering surface ships. Meanwhile the focus there is being shifted to the production of time tested projects built around today’s armaments. “Due to the lack of funding, the Navy has come close to a numerical minimum required to fulfill its mission,” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry...

Pentagon Unveils New Plan for Conventional Submarine-Based Ballistic Missiles The U.S. Defense Department plans to develop a new conventional ballistic missile for fielding on attack submarines, according to major budget decisions announced on Thursday at the Pentagon (see GSN, Dec. 23, 2011). “The Navy will invest in a design that will allow new Virginia-class submarines to be modified to carry more cruise missiles and develop an undersea conventional prompt strike option,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at a press conference. Obama administration national security leaders -- like their Bush administration predecessors -- have touted the idea of developing conventional military...

Indonesia’s Submarine Play Indonesia's military has signed a $1.1 billion contract for three submarines. What does that mean for the region? The latest $ 1.1 billion contract for three Type-209/1400 diesel-electric submarines looks set to breathe new life into the Indonesian Navy (Tentera Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut or TNI-AL). It represents the third major TNI-AL purchase after the acquisition of new corvettes and landing ships since 2000 and has also been described as a move to “maintain power balance in the region,” prompting various analysts to attribute the purchase to Jakarta’s attempt to play regional submarine “catch-up.” For more...

Battle for control of Asia's seas goes underwater YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — It's getting a bit more crowded under the sea in Asia, where Andrew Peterson commands one of the world's mightiest weapons: a $2 billion nuclear submarine with unrivaled stealth and missiles that can devastate targets hundreds of miles (kilometers) away. Super high-tech submarines like Cmdr. Peterson's USS Oklahoma City have long been the envy of navies all over the globe — and a key component of U.S. military strategy. "We really have no peer," Peterson told The Associated Press during a recent port call in Japan. But America's...

‘Iran stealth subs could lie in wait to hunt hostile aircraft carriers’ TEHRAN – The deputy commander of the Armed Forces has said that Iranian stealth submarines are able to lie in wait in the Persian Gulf to target hostile aircraft carriers that are moving near them. “If an ordinary submarine submerges in the Persian Gulf, it could be the worst threat to the enemy. It is one of the Americans’ fears because our submarines are covered with coatings that do not allow sound to travel through them and do not reflect sound waves sent by (enemy vessels’) sonar systems,”...

The world got an unobstructed view of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley for the first time since the Civil War on Thursday as a massive steel truss that had surrounded the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship was finally removed. The truss weighing more than 8 tons had shrouded the sub since it was raised off the coast of South Carolina almost a dozen years ago.

Revealing photos of the nuclear powered submarine “Yekaterinburg” from before and during last week’s fire clearly indicate that the flames come from inside the torpedo-compartment.

India to achieve N-arm triad in February NEW DELHI: India will take a big step towards achieving a credible nuclear weapon triad in February when its first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant begins sea trials off Visakhapatnam. Top defence ministry sources say the "sea-acceptance trials'' (SATS) of INS Arihant are slated to begin "towards end-February'' after the completion of its ongoing harbour-acceptance trials (HATS). "It will take at least six months of extensive SATS and missile trials before the boat is ready for commissioning into Navy,'' said a source. With INS Arihant's induction, India for the first time will brandish...

MOSCOW - A massive fire engulfed a Russian nuclear submarine at an Arctic shipyard Thursday, but there has been no radiation leak, or injuries, officials said. The fire broke out while the nuclear submarine Yekaterinburg was undergoing repair at the Roslyakovo shipyard in the Murmansk region, said Irina Gretskaya, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry's branch in the area. The K-84 Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine is one of seven Delta-IV class submarines in service, all deployed in the Northern Fleet. The core of the naval component of the Russian nuclear triad at present, Delta-IV submarine carries 16 Sineva (NATO classification "Skiff")...

U-boats may be on navy's shopping list BY DAVID ELLERY DEFENCE REPORTER 29 Dec, 2011 01:00 AM Australia's ''future submarine'' could be a super U-boat built by a German company that made many of the submarines that nearly brought Britain to its knees in World War II. HDW has released details of a concept design, designated the Type 216, for a long-range conventional submarine. Experts say the design, based on the successful Type 214, is specifically targeted at Sea 1000 - Defence's future submarine program. Rex Patrick, a former submariner and the director of Acoustic Force, said yesterday the information...

Awesome torpedo!

India to get Russian nuclear attack sub in days: Report MOSCOW: Indian Navy is set to receive a major boost when the much-awaited Russian 'Nerpa' nuclear attack submarine would join its fleet "in the next few days" on a 10-year lease worth USD 920 million. The Akula-II class Nerpa nuclear submarine has finished sea trials and is now ready to be leased to the Indian navy in the next few days, a Russian engineer said today. "The submarine is now fully ready to carry out its tasks," a senior executive at the Amur Shipyard, where the submarine was built, was...

Russian subs to get advanced missiles Supremacy at sea has always been a fashion. Almost all countries are either building new submarines or modernizing their underwater fleets. For one, Australia and Canada have thought of strengthening and expanding their navies. Russia is also strengthening the combat capacity of its submarines. The Australian and Canadian governments are planning to buy nuclear-powered submarines. The strengthening of the Chinese Navy in the Pacific worries Australia. Canada’s plan to buy nuclear-powered submarines broaches Russia’s interests since the move might upset the balance in the Arctic. Russia is not staying idle against the background of...

<p>Top secret papers are set to prove that the warship Belgrano was heading into the Falkland's exclusion zone when it was sunk, and not heading back to port as the Argentinians claimed.</p> <p>For decades debate and recrimination has raged over where the ship was heading when it was torpedoed by a Royal Navy submarine.</p>

Israeli fighter jets, helicopters and possibly a submarine were involved in multiple attacks on targets in Sudan last week, according to local news outlets. The reports say that Israeli jets hit targets in the eastern part of the African country, near its border with Egypt, last Thursday. They hit six Land Cruiser jeeps and killed four people. An earlier strike took place last Sunday and reportedly involved Israeli helicopters. A truck was targeted. Some reports say an Israeli submarine was also spotted at the same time. However, the Sudanese army spokesman, Col. Al-Sawarmi Haled Sa'ad, said that the military's air...

Half-price super subs tempt navy by: Cameron Stewart From:The Australian AUSTRALIA can build a new fleet of 12 state-of-the-art submarines in Adelaide for $18 billion, less than half the cost of initial estimates, according to a major report to be released next month. The report, by strategic think tank the Kokoda Foundation, will be embraced by the Gillard government, which has been under pressure from critics to opt for smaller, cheaper, ready-made submarines from Europe rather than pursue Navy's more expensive but preferred option of building a next generation of the Collins-class boats. The report - Australia's Future Submarine, obtained...

Daewoo Shipbuilding Bags Order for 3 Subs from Indonesia Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering said it picked up a huge order to build submarines from the Indonesian Ministry of Defense on Wednesday. The company will build three 1,400-ton class diesel-powered submarines in a project worth about W1.3 trillion (US$1=W1,162), representing the biggest single export contract in the history of Korea’s defense industry. Daewoo now ranks as the first Korean company to export submarines it has created with its own technologies. It first received technological support from Germany in late 1988 and used this at the time to build a 1,200-ton...

New home needed for Russian Cold War boat What do Berlin, Glasgow Cardiff and London all have in common? They have all been considered as new homes for The Black Widow, a Russian submarine that has been moored on the River Medway for almost a decade. The boat moved to Medway in 2003 and is on the Strood side of the Rochester Bridge. Skelwith, the company that owns the vessel, is searching for a new location. John Sutton, 47, who manages the submarine, said the company would like to open it as a tourist attraction, but has encountered a number...

Taiwan giving up on US subs, eyeing local plan: analyst By J. Michael Cole / Staff Reporter Thu, Dec 15, 2011 - Page 1 Taiwan has all but given up on acquiring diesel-electric submarines from the US and is expected to embark on a domestic program with assistance from abroad, a leading defense analyst told the Taipei Times. Longstanding plans to augment TaiwanÂ’s small and aging submarine fleet gained momentum in 2001, when the administration of US president George W. Bush offered to provide eight diesel-electric submarines to Taiwan for about US$12 billion. With efforts going nowhere, in 2003 the...

Australia seeks European designs on $36 bln submarine fleet Dec 13 (Reuters) - Australia has asked three European companies to submit designs to replace its submarine fleet at a cost of up to A$36 billion ($36 billion) in a defence buildup aimed at protecting resource exports and countering an accelerating arms race in Asia. French naval builder DCNS, part owned by Thales, Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH and Spanish state shipbuilder Navantia had been asked for information on conventional submarine designs, Australia's Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare said on Tuesday. "The Future Submarines Project is the biggest and most complex...

The Russian nuclear submarine Aleksandr Nevsky will be fitted with its own Orthodox chapel after the vessel finishes its sea trials. It has become the second nuke-carrying sub equipped with a sanctuary in addition to ballistic missiles. ­The military chapel will allow sailors to attend religious services right on board during the sub’s long missions. It was donated to the vessel’s crew by the Omophor Fund (omophorion), which brings together both able-bodied and war-wounded veterans who spent their lives serving their motherland and who are continuing that service in the field of social and church charity. It is the sixth...

Orthodox submarine: In nukes we trust The Russian nuclear submarine Aleksandr Nevsky will be fitted with its own Orthodox chapel after the vessel finishes its sea trials. It has become the second nuke-carrying sub equipped with a sanctuary in addition to ballistic missiles. ­The military chapel will allow sailors to attend religious services right on board during the sub’s long missions. It was donated to the vessel’s crew by the Omophor Fund (omophorion), which brings together both able-bodied and war-wounded veterans who spent their lives serving their motherland and who are continuing that service in the field of social and...

Israel's decision to release frozen public funds to the Palestinians last week came after Germany insisted it did so as a condition for the completion of the sale of a submarine, a German newspaper reported Sunday. The Welt am Sonntag quoted sources as saying Germany had told Israel it could not go ahead with the purchase of the submarine unless it made political concessions. According to the report, aides of German chancellor Angela Merkel had confidentially informed leaders of opposition parties in parliament that Israel made a concession before Berlin approved the sale on Wednesday.

The Iranian Navy expanded the fleet of its submarines after it received three more Ghadir-class submarines today, Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced on Saturday.

Australian Navy submarine crew's sacrifices go deep SOMEWHERE beneath the wild seas of the Great Australian Bight, 50 Australian Navy submariners are heading home to their HMAS Stirling base in Western Australia after seven weeks in eastern waters. Under the command of 22-year submarine veteran Commander Jason Cupples, the Collins-class boat HMAS Dechaineux will spend about 10 days cruising hundreds of metres below the surface before it sees the sun again off the WA coast near Rockingham. The Courier-Mail spent a day on board Dechaineux off Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast last Friday to witness the capability of...

Russia orders five Yasen class nuclear subs By Gleb Bryanski SEVERODVINSK, Russia | Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:35am IST SEVERODVINSK, Russia (Reuters) - Russia announced plans to build five nuclear submarines and made $9 billion worth of orders for the navy on Wednesday as part of an ambitious programme to modernise its army and fleet spear headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin, who will seek his third term as president next year, visited Alexander Nevsky, the new Borei class nuclear submarine, which will carry Bulava intercontinental missiles, and attended the signing ceremony at the Sevmash shipyard on the White...

Why Australia Needs Nuclear Subs Australia’s government is considering developing the country’s own submarine fleet. It would be better off buying American. The Australian Government is courting disaster with its approach to this country’s largest-ever defense program, the purchase of new submarines. The government seems determined to spend over $30 billion designing and building in Australia 12 new submarines that will almost certainly have serious flaws, will be delivered late, will be unnecessarily expensive and will be inadequate for our defense needs. How could the government get itself into such a bad position? Some key decision-makers have failed to appreciate...

Report: Germany could halt Israeli submarine deal over settlements Oct 30, 2011, 12:15 GMT Berlin - Germany has threatened to suspend the delivery of a nuclear-capable submarine to Israel, in protest at the country's settlement policy, according to a media report released Sunday. Government sources confirmed to Der Spiegel news magazine that Germany may withhold a Dolphin submarine commissioned by the Israeli military. Israel already owns three strategically important Dolphin submarines, the weekly magazine reported, while two more are being built in the German harbour city of Kiel. Earlier this year, the German government granted 135 million euros (191 million...

Canada may buy nuclear submarines Harper government considers mothballing 4 British-made diesel subs by Greg Weston, CBC News CBC News has learned the Harper government is considering buying nuclear submarines to replace its problem-plagued fleet of diesel-powered subs, all of which are currently awash in red ink and out of service for major repairs. The four second-hand subs Jean Chrétien’s Liberal government bought from the British navy in 1998 for $750 million were portrayed at the time as the military bargain of the century. Instead, they have spent almost all of their time in naval repair yards, submerging Canadian taxpayers...

Russia’s Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine Goes to Sea Trials Lajos F. Szaszdi October 19, 2011 It was reported early in October that Russia’s first fourth-generation nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine, the Severodvinsk, successfully conducted its first sea trials. In naval terms, a fourth-generation submarine belongs to the latest and most modern generation of submarines. The Severodvinsk is a Project 885 submarine of the Yásen’ (ash tree) class that has been described as “an undersea nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser.” Plans are for six or seven Yásen’ class submarines to be built, with the second vessel, Kazan, currently under construction. The Severodvinsk has significant characteristics...

Virginia-Class Subs Could Bolster Cruise Missile Fleet, But Where's the Money? By David Axe The nuclear-powered submarine USS Florida was lying in wait, quietly submerged off the Libyan coast, when the order came from then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to launch its cruise missiles. It was the evening of March 19. Two days before, the U.N. Security Council had unanimously voted to approve Resolution 1973, authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya aimed at protecting civilians against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi's repressive regime. To clear the way for the no-fly zone, the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy prepared a barrage...

Costs sinking our submarine fleet * by: Ian Mcphedran * From: The Courier-Mail AUSTRALIA'S troubled Collins Class submarines are more than twice as costly to operate as US Navy nuclear submarines that are more than five times larger. According to new figures obtained by News Limited, the six Collins boats cost about $630 million a year or $105 million each to maintain and sustain, making them the most expensive submarines of any type to ever put to sea. At present just two of the fleet of six boats could go to war and with a maximum of three available at...

Korea to make $1.1 bil. sub sale to Indonesia By Jung Sung-ki Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has begun final-phase negotiations with the Indonesian government over the construction and sale of three 1,300-ton, Type-209 submarines valued at $1.1 billion, the company said Tuesday. Korea’s biggest arms sale is expected to be completed by November. Previously, a $400 million deal with Indonesia to sell 16 T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jets, jointly built by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin of the United States, was the biggest weapons sale. “We have launched talks to sign a contract with Indonesia’s defense...

Russia scraps Typhoon nuclear submarines: timeline of a Cold War Symbol The Russian navy is planning to scrap its legendary Typhoon-class nuclear submarine by 2014, at least five years early. By Andrew Osborn, Moscow 6:18PM BST 29 Sep 2011 Here are the main dates in its history: 1974: Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev gives a speech talking about a new type of ballistic nuclear missile submarine and mentions the word 'typhoon,' prompting Nato to christen the new vessel the Typhoon class. 1976: Construction work on the first submarine begins at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia. 1980: The first submarine of...

THE navy has been forced to offer an unprecedented $80,000 bonus to engineers on its submarines and Anzac-class frigates to stop them being poached by cashed-up mining companies. The move will lead to some non-officer submariners being paid up to $177,000 a year, almost as much as an experienced submarine commander, in a move the navy privately concedes could cause tension in the ranks. The bonuses of between $40,000 and $80,000 will be paid over two years to 200 selected non-officer marine technicians "who possess key operator qualifications" in return for two years' service. The Australian understands the drastic step...

Navy's $80,000 bonus to keep sailors Cameron Stewart From:The Australian September 22, 2011 THE navy has been forced to offer an unprecedented $80,000 bonus to engineers on its submarines and Anzac-class frigates to stop them being poached by cashed-up mining companies. The move will lead to some non-officer submariners being paid up to $177,000 a year, almost as much as an experienced submarine commander, in a move the navy privately concedes could cause tension in the ranks. The bonuses of between $40,000 and $80,000 will be paid over two years to 200 selected non-officer marine technicians "who possess key operator...

Talk of the Day -- Taiwan mulling to build submarines 2011/09/19 21:58:20 Taiwan is studying the feasibility of building diesel-electric submarines itself after the United States shelved its procurement request for many years, a local newspaper reported Monday. The United Daily News cited unidentified military sources as saying that research on submarine building has been launched and that the military is trying to acquire production know-how from abroad. The following are excerpts from the local media coverage of the issue: United Daily News: The military has commissioned a local shipbuilder to contact a non-U.S. country capable of building submarines for...

2011/09/19 08:47 KST N. Korean submarine exercises in Yellow Sea becoming more frequent: lawmaker SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has stepped up its submarine drills this year, but the South Korean Navy hasn't been able to detect the vessels, an opposition lawmaker claimed Monday. Shin Hak-yong, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party who serves on the parliamentary committee on national defense, said there were 50 North Korean submarine drills in the Yellow Sea through the end of August this year, up from 28 drills over the first eight months of 2010. Shin said there were only...

How Israel’s doomsday fleet responded to 9/11 9 September 2011 Rare glimpse into Israel’s doomsday weapon – the submarine fleet By Alex Fishman YNetNews.com The day the Twin Towers collapsed in Manhattan, September 11, 2001, Israeli submarine “Leviathan” of the advanced Dolphin model was on a training sail somewhere at sea – the exact location of Israel’s submarines will always remain classified, even dozens of years after the fact. At one point, the submarine rose to the surface to take a break. The sub’s commander, then-Lt. Colonel Oded, looked through the periscope and saw a calm, blue sea. However, one...

"Almost Like a Nuclear Submarine" A security official discusses the capabilities the navy’s sixth submarine The new submarines have a dramatically different capability from the existing ones in terms of their propulsion systems,” a security official tells IsraelDefense. This comes on the heels of recent publications about Israel and Germany agreeing to the construction of a sixth submarine for the Israeli navy’s fleet of three active submarines. The reports say the deal was almost closed, during German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière’s last visit to Israel. A previous contract, following the Second Lebanon War, was between Israel and two German...

All Canadian submarines now out of commission By David Pugliese, Postmedia News September 4, 2011 The navy’s last operational submarine is now sidelined until 2016, leaving the service without an underwater capability and potentially throwing into question the future of the submarine fleet. The submarine program, which has already cost around $900 million, has been plagued with various maintenance issues that have prevented the boats from being available for operations on a regular basis. A media report in July noted that one of the subs, HMCS Windsor, arrived in Canada in the fall of 2001 but since then it has...

Chilean Stealth Sub Visiting San Diego By Matt Potter | Posted September 2, 2011, 3:56 p.m. The Chilean navy's Carrera, a diesel-electric submarine, has arrived for a training mission with the 3rd Fleet in San Diego, Navy Times reports. The latest generation of diesel-electric subs, with their unusual stealthiness and relatively low price have become troublesome for U.S. defense planners. As smaller countries acquire more of them, safe access for U.S. ships to world coastal areas and the high seas could be jeopardized, the Pentagon argues. "Once they have powered up their batteries, the submarines can sail to the bottom...

RSS Archer submarine arrives in Singapore RSS Archer, the most advanced submarine in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), arrived here for the first time on Wednesday morning. Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng and other senior naval officers were at Changi Naval Base to witness its arrival from Karlskrona, Sweden. The Archer-class boat is one of two former Royal Swedish Navy Vaastergotland-class submarines acquired second-hand by the RSN in 2005. It was launched in Karlskrona for sea trials two years ago, after undergoing upgrading to operate in tropical water conditions. Submarine crew members from the RSN have been...

China `unaware` of reported radioactive leak from nuke sub AUGUST 05, 2011 08:21 China is known to have told Korea that it does not know about a reported leak of radioactive materials to the Yellow Sea from a Chinese nuclear submarine moored in the Chinese port of Dalian in Liaoning Province. The Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry told a regular news briefing Thursday that it has asked Beijing to confirm reports about the rumored leak. “We`re waiting for China’s answer,” said a ministry official. Another ministry official said, however, that the ministry asked China through a diplomatic channel Tuesday...

Vietnam to get sub fleet in six years: state media (AFP) – 6 hours ago HANOI — Vietnam will have a submarine fleet within six years, the defence minister reportedly announced on Thursday, in what analysts say is intended as a deterrent to China's increasing assertiveness at sea. Russian media reported in December 2009 that Vietnam had agreed to buy half a dozen diesel-electric submarines for about $2 billion. "In the coming five to six years, we will have a submarine brigade with six Kilo 636-Class subs," Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh was quoted as saying by the state-controlled Tuoi...

Argentina eyes nuclear-powered sub project Published: Aug. 1, 2011 at 5:12 PM BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Argentina says it is developing a nuclear-powered submarine for its navy but won't arm it with nuclear weapons, opting instead for a conventional arsenal. Despite frequent denials and mutual admonitions Latin America has responded to its commodities-fueled economic boom with military regeneration and rearmament of varying intensity. The more cash-endowed of the Latin Americans states have set out to spend more, even borrowing against future income, as in oil-exporting Venezuela. Argentina is neither cash-rich nor at risk of attack from its neighbors....