Military Equipment

TRIPOLI, Libya - A delegation of US senators led by John McCain met with Libya’s leader yesterday to discuss the possible delivery of nonlethal defense equipment. The visit and Washington’s offer of military equipment was another sign of the improving ties between the former longtime adversaries. “We discussed the possibility of moving ahead with the provision of nonlethal defense equipment to the government of Libya,’’ McCain said during a press conference. He gave no details on the kind of military equipment Washington is offering.

TRIPOLI, Libya - A delegation of US senators led by John McCain met with Libya’s leader yesterday to discuss the possible delivery of nonlethal defense equipment. The visit and Washington’s offer of military equipment was another sign of the improving ties between the former longtime adversaries. “We discussed the possibility of moving ahead with the provision of nonlethal defense equipment to the government of Libya,’’ McCain said during a press conference. He gave no details on the kind of military equipment Washington is offering.

SANTIAGO, Chile - The United States must deliver weapons to Iraq more quickly, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday after an announcement that the Iraqis have ordered $100 million in military equipment from China. The US military is concerned that it is harder to track weapons purchased from countries other than America. In many cases, the Iraqis cannot account for arms flowing into the country, which often end up in the hands of insurgents. Speaking to reporters, Gates said the issue of slow foreign military sales also arose at his meeting with Chilean Defense Minister Jose...

BAGHDAD - The top US commander in Iraq said yesterday that Iran is still training and equipping Iraqi insurgents but is shifting its focus to influence the upcoming Iraqi elections and exerting “soft power’’ over its majority-Shi’ite neighbor. Iranian meddling “is more targeted now than it has ever been,’’ General Ray Odierno said after meetings with visiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “They are focused on their attempt to influence the national elections that will come up. They will be very focused on trying to support a government that will be more friendly...

BAGHDAD - The top US commander in Iraq said yesterday that Iran is still training and equipping Iraqi insurgents but is shifting its focus to influence the upcoming Iraqi elections and exerting “soft power’’ over its majority-Shi’ite neighbor. Iranian meddling “is more targeted now than it has ever been,’’ General Ray Odierno said after meetings with visiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “They are focused on their attempt to influence the national elections that will come up. They will be very focused on trying to support a government that will be more friendly...

WASHINGTON - For the third consecutive year, a classified Pentagon assessment has concluded there is a significant risk that the US military could not respond quickly and fully to any new crisis, the Associated Press has learned. The latest risk assessment, drawn up by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comes despite recent security gains in Iraq and plans for troop cuts there. The assessment finds that the United States continues to face persistent terrorist threats, and the military is still stretched and strained from long and...

A court granted bail for Sri Lanka's ex-army chief on Friday, a move seen as a step toward a full pardon for the man credited with ending the country's long civil war but who later was jailed after challenging the president in elections. Sri Lanka's High Court set Sarath Fonseka's bail at $8,000 in a case where he is accused of harboring army deserters. His lawyer, Saliya Peiris, said that Fonseka was also asked to surrender his passport. The court's decision comes ahead of a meeting between Sri Lanka's foreign minister and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary...

CAIRO -- A top human rights group accused China and Russia yesterday of violating a United Nations arms embargo by supplying Sudan with weapons and equipment that were used to fuel deadly violence against civilians in Darfur and neighboring Chad. Moscow and Beijing, which have balked at US and British efforts to put new pressure on their trade ally Sudan, quickly rejected Amnesty International's allegations. Sudan said the report was false. "The report is totally incorrect ," Sudanese government spokesman Bakri Mulah said from Khartoum.

Iran's state TV is reporting the country has produced laser-guided artillery shells, capable of hitting moving targets with high accuracy. The Monday report quoting Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi also says that the shell was an "intelligent" munition with the capability to identify its own targets. The report was accompanied by footage showing an artillery piece firing a shell, followed by an explosion in the desert. The report does not give details on specifications of the shell.

MUMBAI - Raytheon Co., the world's largest missile maker, is in talks with Tata Motors to mount the Javelin antitank weapon system on an infantry vehicle that India's largest truckmaker may manufacture. "This could be one of India's solutions to covering the full spectrum of combat equipment challenges in the region," said Brad Barnard, senior manager for international business and strategy at Raytheon. Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland Ltd., and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. are expanding their military equipment units after India opened defense production to private players in 2001.

WASHINGTON - For the third consecutive year, a classified Pentagon assessment has concluded there is a significant risk that the US military could not respond quickly and fully to any new crisis, the Associated Press has learned. The latest risk assessment, drawn up by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comes despite recent security gains in Iraq and plans for troop cuts there. The assessment finds that the United States continues to face persistent terrorist threats, and the military is still stretched and strained from long and repeated tours to the...

SANTIAGO, Chile - The United States must deliver weapons to Iraq more quickly, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday after an announcement that the Iraqis have ordered $100 million in military equipment from China. The US military is concerned that it is harder to track weapons purchased from countries other than America. In many cases, the Iraqis cannot account for arms flowing into the country, which often end up in the hands of insurgents. Speaking to reporters, Gates said the issue of slow foreign military sales also arose at his meeting with...