Aerospace Diary

  (By Derek Scissors, Ph.D. ) The Heritage Foundation Posted by- Neelam Mathews Jan 20, 2012 The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) relationship with Iran receives a good deal of attention. As the U.S. considers how to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program short of military action, the PRC is considered vital in ensuring economic sanctions are effective. But it has been difficult to win Chinese cooperation in applying sanctions. One mistake the U.S. may have made is treating China as a unified entity. It is true, of course, that the PRC has a tightly controlled political system. There is one ruling party, a powerless legislature, and muzzled debate. Even so, distinct interests have emerged. State-owned enterprises rarely operated internationally a decade ago and, if they did, unfailingly followed the central government line, as when China Unicom was nationalized in 1999. One outcome of state-led development since 2003 is powerful growth by state firms. By some measures, Stat...

Posted by Neelam Mathews Dec 5, 2011  The Iranian Army's Navy will test “its latest achievements in the fields of missile technology and sub-surface vessels” in a series of naval drills in the international waters in the near future, says its news agency.   The Navy plans to stage wargames, called 'Velayat 90', in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean. The dates are not specified. Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy for Operations Rear Admiral Seyed Mahmoud Moussavi said test of new equipment delivered to the Navy combat units sets a priority in the drills. Earlier, Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the huge wargames of the Army's naval force will be held in an area from the Sea of Oman to the Indian Ocean. In the last naval drills staged by the Iranian Army, in May 2010 a six-staged naval maneuver was held, codenamed Vellayat 89, in the Strait of Hormuz and Northern Indian Ocean. The second phase of the warg...