US suspends two admirals over major bribery scandal

Two US admirals — including the director of naval intelligence — are under investigation as part of a major bribery scandal

Telegraph, Jacqui Goddard, Miami, 09 Nov 2013

 (L-R): Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless and Vice Adm. Ted Branch Photo: AP

Two of America’s top Navy intelligence admirals have been placed on leave in a major escalation of a federal bribery probe in which officers are accused of selling military secrets in exchange for cash, prostitutes and Lady Gaga concert tickets.

Vice Admiral Ted Branch and Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless have also been stripped of access to classified information pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of improper business relations with Leonard Francis, chief executive of the Singapore-based maritime contracting firm Glenn Defence Marine.

“The suspension was deemed prudent given the sensitive nature of their current duties and to protect and support the integrity of the investigative process,” read a US Navy statement.

“The allegations against Admirals Branch and Loveless involve inappropriate conduct prior to their current assignments and flag office rank. There is no indication, nor do the allegations suggest, that in either case there was any breach of classified information.”

Mr Francis, a flamboyant businessman known as “Fat Leonard”, is alleged to have bribed Navy officials to hand over confidential shipping information and divert warships to ports whose lax management allowed him to overcharge the military by at least $10 million for services such as tug boats, fuel, sewage removal, security and docking fees.

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He was arrested in September and charged with bribery. He has pleaded not guilty. The Navy has terminated contracts worth $200 million with his firm, which for 25 years had serviced and supplied the Pacific fleet.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) began its investigation into corruption and bribery at the Navy’s outpost in Singapore in 2010. Vice Adm Branch, the director of naval intelligence, and Rear Adm Loveless, director of intelligence operations, are the highest-ranking staff to have been implicated in the scandal.

Three lower-ranking officers have been charged with accepting bribes such as prostitution services, luxury travel, and tickets to see the Lion King musical in Japan and Lady Gaga in Thailand. They have denied the charges. Prosecutors in the case

“According to the allegations in this case, a number of officials were willing to sacrifice their integrity and millions of taxpayer dollars for personal gratification,” said US attorney Laura Duffy, a prosecutor on the case.

Both admirals served in the Pacific region prior to their current Pentagon roles.

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Four Russian warships leave Vladivostok for joint exercise with China

English.news.cn   15 April 2012

Starting ceremony of Russia-China joint naval exercise

VLADIVOSTOK, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Four warships from Russia's Pacific Fleet, as well as its support vessels, warplanes, helicopters and naval infantry, left Vladivostok Sunday for a joint exercise with Chinese navy.

The Russian warships -- the guided missile cruiser Varyag and three large antisubmarine, Marshal Shaposhnikov, Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Vinogradov -- are expected to arrive in China next Sunday for the exercise slated for April 22-27 in the Yellow Sea.

More than 20 Russian and Chinese warships and support vessels will be involved in the war game.

Since 2005, China and Russia have conducted several joint military exercises within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Editor: Deng Shasha

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RI, M`sia agree to minimize sea border violations

Antara News, Wednesday, February 24, 2010 23:44 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian and Malaysian navies have agreed to minimize mutual violations of their sea boundaries, especially in Sulawesi waters.

"We have agreed and understand the rules that have been made by the two parties with regard to procedures for conducting patrols in the two countries` sea borders," Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Agus Suharto said here on Wednesday.

When asked by ANTARA News regarding the result of his courtesy call on Malaysian Navy Chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jafar last week he said the two parties had agreed to conduct patrol in their respective sea borders.

"So in case a sea border dispute occurs including in the Sulawesi waters we will refer it to the government to settle. We, the two countries` navies, will safeguard and patrol in our own regions in line with the standing procedures already agreed," Agus said.

Until now the Indonesian embassy has facilitated 13 rounds of talks on the Indonesia-Malaysia maritime border since 2005 with regard to delimiting four segments of the maritime border namely in Sulawesi waters, the Malacca Strait, the South China sea and the Singapore Strait.

In the Malacca Strait Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have conducted patrol cooperation under the Malsindo (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) program and a joint Eye in the Sky air patrol.

Indonesia and Malaysia however have not reached an agreement regarding the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) border line in the northern part of the Malacca Strait and in the South China sea.

In the Sulawesi waters the two countries also have not yet agreed with regard to continental shelf, territorial and EEZ borders.

Vietnam orders submarines and warplanes from Russia

BBC News, By Nga Pham, BBC Vietnamese Service

Vietnam has ordered six of the Russian Kilo class submarines

Vietnam has signed billion-dollar contracts to buy submarines and fighter jets from Russia, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has announced in Moscow.

The deals make Vietnam one of the key clients of the Russian arms industry.

The weapons purchases come at a time when disputes over sovereignty are increasing in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea.

Vietnam, China and other countries have competing claims over potentially oil and gas-rich island chains there.

"Vietnam signed contracts for the purchases of submarines and planes from the Russian side," the Vietnamese prime minister said, without elaborating.

Russian agency Interfax quoted unnamed sources as saying that Hanoi was to buy six diesel-electric Kilo-class submarines worth $2bn (£1.2bn).

Vietnam is already awaiting the delivery of eight Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighter jets from Russia in 2010. It is considering ordering 12 more, Interfax quoted another Russian source as saying.

A regional defence analyst said the rising tension in the South China Sea was "clearly a source of concern" to Hanoi.

The submarine acquisition "would increase [Vietnam's] negotiating power in the maritime disputes", Professor Carlyle Thayer of the Australian Defence Force Academy said.

India, Indonesia take up coordinated patrolling of Malacca Straits from Oct 18

By M Rama Rao - India Editor, Asian Tribune, New Delhi, 18 October,

India will join Indonesia on October 18 to undertake ‘coordinated’ patrolling of Malacca Straits. India is not new to the exercise and what begins on Sunday is the ‘14th cycle’ of cooperation between the two navies.

Code-named ‘Ind-Indo Corpat’, the patrolling of one of the most piracy prone seaways will continue till Nov 5.

Both countries share an International Maritime Boundary of about 300 nautical miles.

In a coordinated patrolling, the two sides remain inside their maritime boundaries but remain constantly touch and keep each other updated on the movements and the situation in the sea.

Such patrolling seeks to prevent piracy, armed robberies, poaching, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities.

Tactical command of the operation will be headed by Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andaman & Nicobar) on the Indian side and Commander of Sea Security Group of Western Fleet (located at Tanjung Pinang) on the Indonesian side.

The overall control will rest with Vice Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi, Commander-in-Chief of Andaman Nicobar Command (CINCAN) and Commander of Indonesian Western Fleet Command (PANGARMABAR), officials said here

The Indian Navy is deploying one Landing Ship Tank (Medium), INS Mahish, under the command of Cdr MVR Krishna and one Fast Attack Craft, INS Trinkat, under the command of Lt Cdr Pushkar Kumar. In addition there will be one Indian Naval Dornier.

The Indonesian Navy is deploying one corvette and a Dornier aircraft.

Operation CORPAT will get underway with an opening ceremony at Belawan, Indonesia; the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andaman & Nicobar) Cmde P Suresh, will lead the Indian delegation. The closing ceremony will be conducted on 04 Nov 09 at Port Blair.

India is also closing ranks with Maldives to protect their maritime boundary. A Dornier maritime patrol aircraft will be deployed in the Maldives as part of the security assistance.

New Delhi has agreed to help Male to secure its waters from pirates and threat from terror groups.

Three foreign fishing boats nabbed for alleged poaching

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The marine and fishery ministry has nabbed one Vietnamese and two Thai fishing boats suspected of poaching in Indonesian part of the South China Sea.

The three foreign fishing boats were detained for violating the Law No. 31/2004 on Fishery, Aji Sularso, the ministry`s director general for supervision and control of marine and fishery natural resources, said here on Monday.

Indonesia`s patrol boat Hiu 003 apprehended a Vietnam-flagged fishing boat while the foreign boat`s crews were fishing by using an equipment called a purse seine in the Indonesia Exclusive Zone (ZEEI) in the South China Sea.

Skipper Doan Hai Van of the Vietnamese boat with no. GT 91701 TS failed to show necessary documents such as a fishery business license (SIUP) and a fishing license to the Indonesian authorities, Aji Sularso said.

The Vietnamese boat and its 23 crew members were nabbed on March 14, 2009, and currently being being at the Pontianak fishery seaport in West Kalimantan, for further investigation process, he said.

Meanwhile, the two Thai fishing boats were seized by Indonesia`s patrol boat Hiu 4 in the ZEEI`s South China Sea on March 18, 2009. The Thai boats used trawls and had no required documents, he said.

The Thai fishing boats were currently being held at the Tarempa Naval base, Anambas District, in Riau Islands Province, for investigation process, he said.

MV Thepprnchai 2 has two crew members and MV Marksia 02 has nine crew members, all of them from Thailand.

Recently, Indonesian naval vessels also captured Taiwanese and Singaporean fishing boats for poaching in Indonesian territorial waters.

Spokesman for the Navy Commodore Iskandar Sitompul earlier said the `Hwang Jyi Long` Taiwanese fishing boat was arrested in Ranai waters, Natuna islands, while the Singaporean tug boat and barge - TB Marcopolo-107 and TK Marcopolo-108 -- were captured in Bengkalis waters, North Sumatra, on March 12, 2009.

China tells Japan it wants aircraft carrier

Beijing (ANTARA News/Afp) - China will not remain the world's only major nation without an aircraft carrier indefinitely, state press Monday cited the nation's defence minister as telling his Japanese counterpart.

Liang Guanglie made the remarks to visiting Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Friday, the Oriental Morning Post said, in discussions that took place after a recent spike in tension in the South China Sea.

"Among the big nations only China does not have an aircraft carrier. China cannot be without an aircraft carrier forever," the paper quoted Liang as saying, citing Japanese official sources.

"China's navy is currently rather weak, we need to develop an aircraft carrier."

Liang's comment is the highest-level recent confirmation that China aims to acquire an aircraft carrier, a sophisticated piece of military hardware that can be used to project power far beyond a nation's shores.

It comes after several similar calls in recent months by senior members of the People's Liberation Army.

"Building aircraft carriers is a symbol of an important nation. It is very necessary," the China Daily quoted Admiral Hu Yanlin as saying earlier this month.

"China has the capability to build aircraft carriers and should do so."

In December, defence ministry spokesman Huang Xueping told reporters that China would "seriously" consider getting an aircraft carrier.

Defence Minister Liang was speaking after Chinese vessels confronted and nearly collided with a US naval surveillance ship in what Washington says are international waters off south China earlier this month.

The confrontation was described by US intelligence director Dennis Blair as the most serious military incident involving the two powers since a US spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet in April 2001.

China said the US naval ship Impeccable was carrying out illegal activities in its exclusive economic zone.

Beijing has also reacted angrily to a Philippine law passed earlier this month that laid claim to parts of the Spratlys Islands in the South China Sea which are claimed by China and other nations in the region.

China called the law "illegal and invalid," and dispatched a civilian patrol boat to the region.

3 Indian warships leave for China to join international fleet review

www.chinaview.cn, 2009-03-21 13:38:39

NEW DELHI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Three warships and a tanker of the Indian Navy Friday left India for China for participating in an international fleet review to be held in the northern Chinese navy port of Qingdao, the local daily The Statesman reported on Saturday.

The newspaper quoted Naval sources as saying the three warships, all belonging to the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy, are guided missile destroyers INS Mumbai and INS Ranveer, and guided missile corvette INS Khanjar. The tanker is INS Iyoti.

The Indian warships will make calls at ports in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea along its way to China, said the newspaper.

The fleet review, to be held from April 20 to 24, is for marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the navy force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China.

Editor: Sun

Indonesia sends warship to help secure Somali waters

www.chinaview.cn, 2009-03-20 16:49:41

JAKARTA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia on Friday sent a warship to support maintaining security in the waters of Somali following the rampant piracy there, Indonesian Military Commander General Djoko Santoso said here.

"The participation has been coordinated with the United Nation," Santoso said during the deployment of the ship here in Jakarta.

The Indonesian warship would join 14 foreign warships, which have been securing the Somali waters now, the Antara news agency reported.

These warships are from Japan, the United States, India, Russia, European Union and others.

Somalia's offshore waters are highly prone to piracy. The international maritime bureau reported that at least 24 attacks had taken place in the region between April and June this year.

Somalian armed groups had held hostage 10 ships recently and asked for a ransom to be paid at Eyl, a former fishery port in the country.

Indonesian warship departs for Lebanon

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 03/20/2009 6:14 PM

Indonesian warship KRI Diponegoro-365 departed from Jakarta on Friday for Lebanon as a maritime task force to join the Marine Task Force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (MTF-UNIFIL), Antara state news agency reported.

KRI Dipononegoro-365 will make stopovers at several seaports such as Cochin in India, Salalah in Oman, Port Said in Egypt, and Beirut in Lebanon, with a total distance of 6,555 miles.

In Lebanon, KRI Diponegoro will join the the MTF UNIFIL's Commander Task Force (CTF)-448, which has already had warships from France, Turkey, Greek, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Germany.

The Indonesian warship is among other things equipped with BO-105 NV-414 helicopter.

The commander of Konga XXVIII's Maritime Task Force is Colonel Aan Kurnia, while the commander of KRI Diponegoro-365 is Lieut. Col. Arsyad Abdullah.

General Djoko Santoso said it was for the first time that TNI, especially the Navy, sent its maritime task force to join the UN peace keeping force.

KRI Diponegoro will join the MTF UNIFIL for six months until October 2009, and if the mission is successful, TNI will send its second warship.

UNIFIL was created by the UN Security Council in 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese Government in restoring its effective authority in the area.