Fear of rising China unites polarized US Politicians

With the 2012 election cycle heating up, US politicians this week harnessed worries over a rising China to power support for everything from patent law reform to debt reduction -- and their own ambitions.

US President Barack Obama led the pack, warning Thursday that crumbling US infrastructure threatened Washington's standing as "an economic superpower" as he laid out a battle plan for assaulting 9.1 percent unemployment.

"And now we're going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads?" he said in a campaign-style speech aimed at shoring up his embattled reeletion prospects, weighted down by the sluggish US economy.

US Military Presence in the Asia-Pacific and the Implications for Australia

The Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) talks next week come at a time when Australia’s most important ally is reassessing its strategic policy and disposition of forces in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia’s security has long depended upon a robust US military presence in the Western Pacific. But America’s pre-eminence is under challenge with the rise of China.

Warship Rescues French Hostage From Pirates EU+Command

Warship Rescues. Troops from a Spanish warship boarded a pirate skiff in the Gulf of Aden Saturday and rescued a French hostage missing from her yacht for two days, the EU anti-piracy patrol said.

A second French hostage was not aboard and is still missing. The statement did not identify the rescued hostage, but a French source confirmed to AFP that she was a Frenchwoman and the wife of the second missing sailor.

RQ-11B RAVEN, Air Force security forces, Hot Weapon 2011

 Defencetalk Rq 11b Raven 25399

Mission

The RQ-11B Raven small unmanned aircraft system provides real-time direct situational awareness and target information for Air Force Special Operations Command Battlefield Airmen and Air Force security forces. The Raven falls into the class of Air Force small UAS known as man-portable UAS.

Bringing Back Cascoin At 6b VS 29b 36882, Hot Weapon

In the next few months the U.S. Air Force will have to pick the winner of the Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LAAR) competition. This decision will influence how the U.S. Air Force carries out close air support (CAS) and counter-insurgency (COIN) missions, providing  a robust, cost-effective, easy to maintained and heavily armed irregular warfare platform.