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Reports that continuous operations in the Persian Gulf are reshaping the U.S. Navy's maritime security tactics and its approach to forming coalitions, in May 2005. Countries included in the Gulf Cooperation Council, which are involved in maritime security operations in the gulf; Formation of Iraqi maritime forces in the Northern Arabian Gulf; Information on the combined enterprise regional information exchange system CENTRIXS used by the Navy in its operations.

Focuses on the Al Bazra and the Khawr Al Amaya oil terminals, secured by Task Force 58 maritime security operations in the Northern Persian Gulf since December 2004. Percentage of Iraq's crude oil exports accounted for the Al Bazra oil terminal's production; International military forces included in Task Force 58; Goal of the task force.

Presents information on the efforts of several countries around the world to form special operations forces (SOF) based on the image of elite military units of the U.S. Argument of some critics against the enhancement of SOF units according to the U.S. model; Advantages of special forces exchanges between the U.S. and other nations; Overview of special operations training in other nations.

Focuses on the role of the U.S. Navy's salvage and diving teams in deploying floating bases to ports and beaches. Need for improvement in the Navy's approach to the team; Salvage ships used by the teams; Arguments raised by Navy Captain Jim Wilkins.

Focuses on technical and budgetary challenges faced by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in deploying sea bases. Outreach done by the Navy and Marine Corps to other military services; Consideration of other military equipment developments in planning sea bases; Benefits of sea bases.

Focuses on the effort of the U.S. Army's aviation school at Fort Rucker, Alabama to fill the demand of the Army for aviators. Process of the training session at the aviation school; Combat helicopters used in the training; Military training for pilot student under Flight School XXI; Agreement between military contractors and the Army on the operation and maintenance of the simulators.

Reports on the effort of the aviation branch of the U.S. Army to provide an aviation training simulation to pilots heading to Iraq and Afghanistan. Goal of the ATX simulation offered at the Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Alabama; Preparation for the simulation exercise; Collaboration between ATX planners and contractors to create a realistic simulated battle environment.

Focuses on the reorganization of the U.S. Army into a modular combat units. Purpose of the modularity concept; Changes in the training of military officers; Combat training provided by Fort Benning in Georgia to U.S. soldiers.

States that the U.S. Department of Defense wants to all military services to have a joint doctrine and training for personnel search and rescue operations. Differences in the doctrine and training of military services in personnel recovery; Performance of the military services in personnel recovery in Iraq; Status of the current forces assigned to personnel recovery in Iraq. INSET: GPS System Locates Downed Pilots, Speeds Up Recovery.

Reveals the upgrade plans of the U.S. Army for the Abrams tank. Role of Abrams in the Future Combat System network; Remarks from Army Chief of Staff Peter J. Schoomaker; Goals for the upgrade; Potential change in the system enhancement package of M1A2, the tank's digital version; Safety modifications; Plans of the Army on engine revitalization.

Presents information on several biometrics systems, developed in the United Arab Emirates as of 2005, to strengthen border security. Installation of the Eye Scan Project using iris scan system; Installation of e-gates scanning system at airports; Identification card project planned by the government to implement.

Provides information on the military operation of the USS Vinson, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, in the Persian Gulf in 2005. Goal of the Vinson; Carrier Strike Group Three in the Persian Gulf; Missions of U.S. pilots in Iraq war operation.

The article discusses the development of Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding company's water-jet driven warship in United Arab Emirates. The warships are supplied by Rolls Royce PLC with its Kamewa water jets with the partnership of Construction Mecaniques de Normandie. The European conglomerate MBDA Missile Systems will provide its Exocet MM 40 Block 3 missiles for ship defense. The company also chooses the Alenia Marconi Systems Inc. as the combat system integrator and combat management systems supplier.

The article reports on the expansion of King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) company which provides independent scientific and technical services to the armed forces in Jordan. It plans to expand its expertise to communications, battlefield management, and air defense systems as well as aircraft upgrades and systems integration. Meanwhile, the partnership of KADDB with the armed forces' Royal Maintenance Corps. enables the supply of new and refurbished armored vehicles.

The article discusses the need to have aircrews' proficiency training for the sophisticated equipments in United Arab Emirates. Training includes ballistic missile defense, improved command and control, and readiness for the first delivery of 80 F-16 Block 60 fighters. The education which is mandatory through service life enhances the capabilities and specialties of the aircrews by studying all around the world. The overview of the designs of the equipments are offered in article.

The article reports on the efforts of the government of the United Arab Emirates to increase its military power with billions of investments in defense programs. The country is purchasing jet fighters, tanks, ships, and air defense systems, as well as nuclear, biological, and chemical defense capabilities, communications and early warning systems. In addition, government officials are working on a joint-service logistics concept for rapid response.

The article reports on the need for the U.S. Department of Defense to make long-range investment decisions to prepare for crucial capabilities for the next 20 years. The barriers in developing critical defense technologies include the shortage of specialists who are educated across the sciences. Among the areas of concern are improvement of military education and intelligence analysis, ground- and foliage-penetrating radars, and technology to enable soldiers to detect color and chemical changes in the environment.

Focuses on the efforts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lead the production of unmanned aircraft. Functions of the unmanned aircraft and other collection systems in the UAE; Information on the unmanned aerial vehicle research and technology center established by the UAE military in 2004; Avionics systems tested by the center.

Explores the global application of the counterinsurgency tactics employed by the U.S. military in Iraq to the war on terrorism. Definition of an insurgency; Factors that is prompting the U.S. Department of Defense to accord stability and security operations the same priority as combat operations according to Jeffrey Nadaner, deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability operations; Features of the systems that allow information sharing by a coalition.

Deals with the efforts of the U.S. Defense Department to rewrite regulations for battlefield contractors. Prediction of Deidre Lee, director of defense procurement and acquisition policy, on the U.S. military; Comment on the capability of the Pentagon to oversee the contracts, according to James Jay Carafano, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Document produced by the Defense Department to clarify its contractual relationships with private firms.

Deals with briefings being conducted by military and private security officials on how to recognize and avoid the ubiquitous threats of suicide bombs, roadside mines and ambushes. Information on a briefing crafted by Blackwater USA; Car accidents staged by insurgents; Tactics adopted by Iraqi insurgent forces, according to Anthony Cordesman, an expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Weak points in the U.S. military structure.

Talks about a common military equipment market in the European Union. Main roles of the European Commission; Contents of a defense procurement policy paper published by the Commission of the European Communities; Requirements for creating a common European defense equipment market (EDEM); Effect of the creation of EDEM.

Presents information on the decision of the U.S. Special Operations Command to fund the development of a common standard and imagery database for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment of the U.S. Army. Overview of the development contract which was awarded to Canadian Aviation Electronics USA; Information on the 160th aviators; Compatibility of the common database standard.

Focuses on the visual threat recognition and avoidance trainer (VTRAT), a simulator used in the U.S. Air Force special operations. Ability of VTRAT to create views of ground threats; Use of the avoidance trainer by the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center; Importance of the aircraft host in the equipment.

Presents information on equipment and training shortcomings in Iraqi special forces. Dependence of recruitment for the force on the expertise of multinational advisors; Number of special police commandos who were fully trained and equipped as of November 2004; Equipment deliveries to the Iraqi military from the U.S. for November 2004.

Presents information on the practice of sea basing by U.S. Navy sea, air and land teams together with the U.S. Army and Air Force. Importance of connectivity in carrying out joint missions from a seabase; Information on a sea-basing mission conducted by special operation forces in Afghanistan; Use of the Joint Venture catamaran by special operators in Iraq to guard oil platforms in the Persian Gulf and ferry supplies from Bahrain.

Presents information on the preparations for Virtual Flag, a training exercise to be held by the U.S. Air Force in March 2005. Purpose of the exercise; Integration of live constructive training and computer simulations by the Air Force; Challenges in planning the event.

Focuses on budget challenges faced by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in planning the development of the Maritime Pre-positioning Force Future ships (MPFF). Information on the MPFF ship; Construction cost of the ship; Plans outlined by the Congressional Budget Office to decrease the funding challenge of the Navy.

Focuses on issues related to insufficient equipment of the U.S. Army to fight low-intensity wars. Predictions by army intelligence on low-intensity conflicts through 2025; Problem with the implementation of the Future Combat Systems program; Residual gaps identified by Philip Coker, director of capabilities development at the Training and Doctrine Command's Futures Center.

Reports on the decision of the U.S Army to intensify the training drills required for truck drivers and maintenance crews to be deployed in Iraq. Simulation exercise to prepare drivers and crews in protecting their convoys from ambushes; Leadership training provided by the Army; Investment of the Army to acquire virtual-reality convoy simulators.

Reports on the decision of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps to develop a common software in an effort to standardize a multitude of gunnery training systems. Problems with the existing gunnery training programs for the Abrams tank and the Bradley fighting vehicle; Eight trainers that are currently in service; Economic benefits of a common gunnery system.

Reports on the decision of the U.S. Air Force to separate from the U.S. Army in the flight training of its novice helicopter aviators. Reasons for the decision; Decision of the Air Force to continue the training using UH-1 Huey helicopters; Differences between the training programs of the Air Force and Army.

Reports on the application of the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer-Aviation (AVCATT-A) reconfigurable manned simulator developed by Link Simulation & Training in the training of U.S. Army helicopter pilots at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Plan of the Army to acquire additional AVCATT-A collective trainer; Importance of the virtual-reality simulators; Features of the AVCATT-A.

Reports on the efforts of the U.S. Army to improve the training and tactics of soldiers for military operations in urban terrain (MOUT). Facilities constructed to address each level of training; Short-term solutions for mobile MOUT training facilities addressed by the Army.

Focuses on the accounting report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on the research and development spending of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Research and development projects funded by DHS and TSA in 2003 and 2004; Increase in the research budgets of both agencies in 2004; Other findings of the report.

Reports on the move of the U.S. Army to overhaul its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to emulate the kind of pit-stop maintenance approach used on NASCAR track. Failure of the THAAD missile defense program of the Army; Design of the THAAD missile defense system; Details on how the THAAD missile defense system works; Illustration on the obstacle facing the THAAD missile defense system that necessitates the adoption of the pit-stop approach of NASCAR.

Reports on the competition among major aircraft manufacturers for a contract for a U.S. Air Force search and rescue helicopter. Estimate on the amount of the contract; Information on the current search and rescue helicopter of the Air Force; Helicopter designed by Sikorsky to meet the needs of the Air Force; Helicopter designed by Lockheed Martin; Helicopter designed by Northrup Grumman; Helicopter designed by Bell Boeing; Criteria which the Air Force will consider in selecting its search and rescue helicopter.

Emphasizes the necessity of allies in personnel rescue and recovery operations of the U.S. Armed Forces. Impediments to a successful cooperation between the U.S. and her allies in rescue and recovery of personnel; Suggestion on how to overcome the impediment to cooperation between the U.S. and her allies.

Deals with the move of the U.S. to reexamine its reconstruction plans in Iraq. Impact of the spate of violence and terrorist attacks in Iraq on the reconstruction plan of the U.S. for the country; Challenges faced by the U.S. forces in Iraq; Survey conducted by the U.S. to better understand the sentiments of Iraqis about U.S. occupation of their country; Amount of fund allotted for the reconstruction of Iraq.

Reports on the improvement plans of the U.S. Army to its Bradley Fighting Vehicle in response to needs born out of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Total number of the Army's vehicles; Comments from Roy Kuykendall, technical advisor to Army for Bradley and Stryker light armored vehicles; Worth of the contract awarded to United Defense in July 2004 to manufacture and upgrade Bradleys to M3A2 configuration; Features of the Bradley OIF version.

The article sheds light on the role of unconventional weapons in the U.S. war in Iraq. Despite spending more than a decade developing non-lethal weapon technology, the Defense Department is struggling to catch up with soldiers' needs in Iraq. While researchers in the U.S. ponder how to advance from rubber bullets and tear gas to such cutting-edge technologies as directed energy, troops on the ground are demanding quick non-lethal alternatives for peacekeeping and crowd-control operations. The most widely used non-lethal weapons are chemical agents, such as tear gas and pepper spray, blunt impact munitions, including rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, diversionary devices, among which are flash/bang grenades and electric shock, and anti-vehicle systems, embracing caltrops and spike strips to deflate tires.

The article informs that the U.S. Special Operations Command is charging ahead with the development of advanced sensors, ammunition and weapons tailored for urban combat. Confined spaces, hardened targets and night vision limitations are among the more critical factors driving this effort, said Army Colonel Thomas Spellissy, formerly in charge of special programs at the command. The command is evaluating existing technologies from domestic. The paramount area is fusion technology as it relates to night vision goggles and weapon sights.

The article presents information on various developments related to the U.S. armed forces. Facing soaring demand for small caliber ammunition, the U.S. Army is turning to industry to dramatically increase the production of rifle and machine gun rounds. The plan is for the Army to select a "lead systems integrator" that will coordinate the procurement of ammunition from multiple domestic and offshore vendors. Critics contend, however, that by including foreign vendors in the mix, access to ammunition and reliability could be compromised by shifting political circumstances.

The article sheds light on the criticism of the U.S. army. The U.S. Army must do a better job applying lessons from one conflict to another, said a senior military strategist. Events in Iraq, particularly, prove that the Army needs to reform its educational institutions to teach officers analytical skills and cultural awareness, said retired Major General Robert Scales, a former commandant of the Army's War College, in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee. Although experts agree that the Army should not be blamed for U.S. government's miscalculations in planning the war, others, such as Scales, believe that the Army must take responsibility for not adapting its training and education programs.

Presents information on several helicopters of the Abu Dhabi police air wing, used to respond to incidents in the United Arab Emirates since 1997. Bell 412 helicopters; BO 105 choppers; Eurocopter BK 117.

Discusses the development of the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems, a network of manned and unmanned system designed to respond to the service's requirements, in 2005. Cost of the program; Several U.S. coalition partners who are in the process of developing their own future force programs; Agreement between the Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Singapore to conduct experiments and develop land warfare concepts and technology.

The article reports on the intent of Pakistan's arms makers to pursue a strong export market. Such plan has stemmed from earlier efforts to develop homegrown capabilities to produce military equipment such as lasers and ammunitions. The Institute of Industrial Control Systems, which designs and produces weapon systems, has managed to sell its products to Saudi Arabia and is in negotiations with the United Arab Emirates. Another entity venturing in international markets is Air Weapons Complex.

The article reports on the efforts of China's arms manufacturers to sell its products in international markets, particularly in the U.S. After conflicts with the U.S. over adoption of a law to invade Taiwan, the European Union has been hesitant to lift an arms embargo on China. Despite initiatives to curb the supply of weapons of mass destruction-related goods and technologies to other countries, Chinese companies continue to engage in problematic transfers. An example of which was China North Industries Corp., who has sold its missile technology to Iran.

Reports on the installation of Cubic Defense's V12 personnel locator system on the AS 330 Puma helicopters of the United Arab Emirates in April 2005. Features of the system; Significance of the system in rescue operations; Background of the system.

Features the special operations of Group 18, the air wing of the United Arab Emirates' special operations command. Main missions and influences of Group 18; Helicopters utilized by Group 18, according to Mohammed Ali Amer, a training officer with Group 18; Problems encountered by the group during their desert operations.