British Prime Minister David Cameron says national defense is the first duty of any government, and that restructuring Britain’s armed forces is necessary.  

“We will look at the real threats we face today in our world, whether it is from cyber terrorism, whether it is from international terrorism or terrorism that comes from dissident republicans in Northern Ireland,” said Cameron.  “We will look at the modern threats we face in a modern world and make sure our armed forces are fit to face them.”

Mr. Cameron says Britain will spend about $800,000 during the next four years on a national cyber security program.

“This will significantly enhance our ability to detect and defend against cyber attacks, and it will fix shortfalls in the critical cyber infrastructure on which the whole country now depends,” Cameron added.

Under the plan, Britain will scrap several plane systems, decommission several ships early, eliminate some 25,000 military-related civilian jobs and reduce its number of troops by about 7,000.  There will be no cuts for troops or equipment in Afghanistan.  

Malcolm Chalmers is an analyst at London’s Royal United Services Institute.

“I think for a number of years now, Britain’s policy has been based centrally on NATO – on operating militarily along with allies, particularly the United States.  The United States, perhaps, will find that perhaps we can make a smaller contribution.  But I think it will still be the most important military power in NATO Europe,” noted Chalmers.

While in Europe last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States is concerned about the cutbacks.  Britain has been America’s strongest ally in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

Mr. Cameron says the cuts will not hurt Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States.

“I talked to President Obama last night about some of the decisions that we are taking, and the Americans and he absolutely believe that it will allow us to maintain that very strong partnership with the United States and with NATO,” said Prime Minister Cameron.

Chalmers says Britain is the third largest military spender in the world, behind the United States and China, and that despite an eight percent cut in its defense budget, Britain will remain strong.

“The United Kingdom after this defense review will remain the most powerful European NATO partner in terms of military force,” added Chalmers.  “It will continue to spend more than other Europeans.  And not least, the UK’s willingness to get in there and to get engaged in operations with the United States, when we believe it is in our interests to do so, will continue to be very strong.  And I think that is evidenced in Afghanistan.”

Prime Minister Cameron says Britain will keep its independent nuclear deterrent, although it will delay building new nuclear submarines and extend the life of existing ones.  He says the goal is to build a military force that is more mobile, more flexible and better equipped to meet future challenges.

South China Sea territorial claims

President Obama and leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to call for a peaceful solution to the South China Sea territorial dispute.

The issue flared up earlier this year when China claimed the vital shipping lane as part of its core national interest. Last month, its navy planted a flag at the bottom of the South China Sea in a show of sovereignty.

But the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also have claims on the South China Sea, and the uninhabited Spratly Island chain within it. In 1988, Vietnam and China fought deadly clashes there.

The seabed around the islands is thought to be rich in resources such as oil and gas.

This week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu warned ASEAN and the U.S. against issuing a statement on the region.

Jiang says outside parties should not interfere with the dispute. She says the issue should not be internationalized because it will not solve the problem and would only make it complicated.

Multilateral approach

ASEAN has called for multilateral talks to settle South China Sea boundaries but Beijing rejects that idea.

In July, U.S. Secretary State Hillary Clinton told ASEAN foreign ministers that Washington has an interest in keeping the waters open to all.

Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, says Washington must raise its engagement with ASEAN, but not to isolate China.

“Southeast Asians have shown they’re quite concerned about what China is doing and how China will respond,” said Tay. “The U.S.-ASEAN summit, if it is to be useful, will not be simply the U.S. trying to get ASEAN countries to get into the U.S. orbit again, wholly on their side, because Southeast Asian countries would be stupid to do that. But I think it will be a kind of strategic dialogue that can then triangulate with China and the rest of Asia.”

Chinese Boat captain detained

Friday’s meeting comes as relations between China and Japan have deteriorated over a separate territorial dispute. Japan detained a Chinese boat captain earlier this month, after a collision between his boat and Japanese patrol boats near islands Beijing and Tokyo both claim.

Beijing cut off government exchanges with Tokyo and Premier Wen Jiabao says Beijing will take further measures against Japan if the captain is not immediately released.

Kitti Prasirtsuk, an associate dean of international relations at Thammasat University in Thailand, says the situation has implications for ASEAN.

“The issue between Japan and China is not different from what’s happening in the South China Sea,” said Kitti. “I think the Chinese stance would definitely affect ASEAN sentiments…. It would even heighten the importance of the talks about the South China Sea.”

Kitti adds ASEAN would like U.S. involvement in the region but not to the extent that it jeopardizes ties with China, a top source of investments and trade.

“China-ASEAN trade will grow anyway because our [economic] interdependence has been increasing over the past decade or so. ASEAN has to play a delicate game to get the U.S. involved so as to check China a bit as well,” said Kitti.

The meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations’ annual General Assembly will be the second between President Obama and ASEAN leaders.

Fighting terrorism

The talks also are expected to include security cooperation, especially in the fight against terrorism.

Patricio Abinales is a Philippine scholar and a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. He expects more U.S. assistance to Thailand and the Philippines, focused on their southern regions, which have been wracked by Muslim insurgencies.

“The U.S. will continue to be concerned about the way al-Qaida [and] Jemaah Islamiyah operate in the region,” he said. “They’ve also realized the Islamic-related tensions in Southeast Asia, with the exception of Indonesia, are very indigenous and homegrown and so the aim there is to try to keep it at a low level, negotiate with local Islamic movements and assist the governments of Thailand and the Philippines deal with more extremist groups.”

The U.S. Agency on International Development started a five-year $30 million program in southern Thailand earlier this year, and has poured at least US$345 million into Mindanao in the Philippines since 2000.

Friday’s meeting will be Mr. Obama’s first meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who took office in June.

However, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will be absent. President Obama’s visit to Indonesia, another ally in the war on terrorism, has been postponed three times this year. Jakarta says the president has previous commitments and will send Vice President Boediono instead.

The U.N. General Assembly’s annual debate gets under way on September 23.  Leaders and representatives from all 192 member states are expected to address the gathering. In a long-established tradition, Brazil’s president will open the debate, followed by the U.S. president as the leader of the host nation.

This year’s debate will be preceded by a three-day summit on the Millennium Development Goals. Some 140 presidents and prime ministers are expected to attend.

The goals are meant to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and disease by 2015. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that with the target date just five years off, many countries are in danger of not meeting the goals, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.  But he said recently that with the right strategies countries can close those gaps.

“But if we have the right mix of political priority and resources, together, combined, then we can achieve it,” said Secretary-General Ban.  “And if the developing countries have more focused priority policies and enhancing good governance and investing even limited resources toward the areas like education and job creation, maternal and children’s health, and with international assistance, this can be achievable.”

Maternal health and reducing child mortality are particular concerns. Action plans for implementing all of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are expected to be adopted at the summit. Mr. Ban said a simple yet crucial message runs through the document.

“The goals can be achieved. The MDGs are difficult and ambitious, but doable,” added Mr. Ban.

Apart from the speeches, the annual meeting in New York gives leaders the opportunity to meet one-on-one and in small groups, where much of the substance happens.

Political instability and violence in Somalia and other parts of Africa, the recent devastating floods in Pakistan, and the fight against international terrorism are just a few of the  topics world leaders are expected to discuss.

President Obama spoke after laying a wreath at the memorial to the 184 people killed when Islamist militants hijacked a commercial airliner and slammed it into the side of the Defense Department headquarters.

Flowers had been placed on many of the memorial’s stone benches, each of which bears the name of one of that day’s victims.

Calling the Pentagon “hallowed ground,” the president told the families of those who died nine years ago their loved ones will not be forgotten.

“I thought it must seem some days the world has moved on to other things. I say to you today, that your loved ones endure in the heart of our nation now and forever,” he said.

The president alluded indirectly to the controversy over a plan to build an Islamic center and mosque near the area of the 9-11 attacks in New York, and to a Christian minister who Friday called off his plan to burn the Quran in protest.

Mr. Obama spoke strongly in favor of religious freedom, saying Americans will not give in to the hatred and prejudice the 9-11 hijackers had sought to spread.

“They may seek to spark conflict between faiths but as Americans we are not and never will be at war with Islam,” said the president. “It was not a religion that attacked that September day. It was al-Qaida, a sorry band of men who pervert religion.”

The president also said the United States will be relentless in defending itself against terrorism. “They doubted our will, but as Americans we persevere.  Today in Afghanistan and beyond, we have gone on the offensive and struck major blows against al-Qaida and its allies.  We will do what is necessary to protect our country,” he said.

Earlier Saturday, Mr. Obama observed a private moment of silence at 8:46, the time when the first plane crashed into New York’s World Trade Center.

The president has also encouraged Americans to make September 11th a day of service to others.  After speaking at the Pentagon Memorial, the president traveled to a school in Washington to help paint its walls.  While there, he talked with volunteers who were making quilts for the children of service members deployed overseas.

Saturday, Muslims across the United States took part in volunteer service and attended interfaith discussions about the meaning of September the 11th, before returning to gatherings in their hometowns with their families, as is the tradition.

Eid marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and usually involves big parties.

But many Islamic centers in the United States scaled down festivities on the day of the September the 11th anniversary.

Imam Ben Abdul-Haqq from Washington saw the coincidence of dates as an opportunity.

“The reality is some Muslims are uneasy but I believe that that is God’s will. I really believe that some of us feel, Muslims and non-Muslims, because I have talked to some of my non-Muslim friends, and they feel that what is happening with all these situations, the mosque in New York situation, the Florida situation with Pastor [Terry] Jones all of these things, if we continue to take them with the right spirit, it will bring us closer and make us more sensitive,” he said.

He also called on those supporting the Reverend Jones’ now dropped plans to burn Qurans in Florida and those opposed to the proposal for a mosque near the site of the terrorist attacks in New York to better understand Islam.

“Those individuals have to come to understand what Islam is about, and understand that Islam is not anti-American, to be Muslim is not anti-American,” said Imam Ben Abdul-Haqq.

Ide Bilo, a nursing student from Niger at the University of the District of Columbia, said he felt Islam was being manipulated by many American politicians before important congressional elections in November.

“These topics are hot topics here, topics that some politicians use to get people to vote for them,” said Bilo. “Because of all the terrorist actions that are going on in the world, the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, all these issues come together, because Islam is misunderstood, and most Americans do not even have a Muslim friend, most of them they do not understand Islam.”

He said it was also up to him and other Muslims to reach out and better educate Americans to show them Islam is a religion of peace, and not the religion of terrorism.

After Saturday, Eid-related events will pick up again, with several Islamic centers organizing unity walks as well as family celebrations, but many of these events will be held at locations other than mosques.

In a national address from the White House, the president says the “historic moment” comes at a time of great uncertainty for many Americans, after nearly a decade of war and a “long and painful” recession.

He says the United States intends to “sustain and strenghten” its leadership in this young century.

He says much has changed since then-President George W. Bush announced the start of the war in March 2003, saying the war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency.  

He says terrorism and sectarian fighting threatened to tear apart Iraq.  He says thousands of Americans died in the war and tens of thousands have been wounded.

In the White House Oval Office address, President Obama declared an end to the American combat mission in Iraq and that Iraqis now have the lead responsibility for the security of their country.  

In doing so, the president noted that the conflict in Iraq has been one of America’s longest wars.  But he said at every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve.  

The president said that as commander-in-chief, he is incredibly proud of their service and that like all Americans, he is awed by their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families.

He said the Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given and defeated a regime that had terrorized its people.  The said U.S. forces, together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future.  President Obama noted they shifted tactics to protect Iraqis, trained Iraqi security forces and took out terrorist leaders.

He said Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

Mr. Obama says he is following through on his pledge as a candidate to end the war in Iraq.

He says his administration has removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq, closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis and have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.

He says that even though Iraq continues to have terrorist attacks, security incidents have been near the lowest on record since the war began.  He says Iraqi forces have “taken the fight to al-Qaida,” removing much of its leadership in Iraqi-led operations.

He encouraged Iraq’s leaders to “move forward with a sense of urgency” in forming an inclusive government.  Iraq has been in a political deadlock, after general elections in March produced no clear winner.

The president said that going forward, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq with a different mission: advising and assisting Iraq’s Security Forces; supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting American civilians.

He said that consistent with a U.S. agreement with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of next year.

Mr. Obama said that as the U.S. military draws down, America’s dedicated civilians -diplomats, aid workers, and advisors -are moving into the lead to support Iraq as it strengthens its government, resolves political disputes, resettles those displaced by war, and builds ties with the region and the world.  He said that is a message that Vice President Biden is delivering to the Iraqi people through his visit there.

The president said this new approach reflects our long-term partnership with Iraq – one based upon mutual interests, and mutual respect. He said violence will not end with the U. S. combat mission.  He said extremists will continue to set off bombs, attack Iraqi civilians and try to spark sectarian strife.  But he said ultimately, these terrorists will fail to achieve their goals.

The president said Iraqis are a proud people, saying they have rejected sectarian war, and have no interest in endless destruction. He said only Iraqis can resolve their differences and police their streets and that only Iraqis can build a democracy within their borders.  He said America will provide support for the Iraqi people as both a friend and a partner.
The president says ending the war is not only in Iraq’s interest, it is in the interest of the United States as well.

He says the United States has paid a “huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people.”  Mr. Obama said the United States has met its responsibility in what he called a “remarkable chapter” in the history of the United States and Iraq.

He says it is now time to move forward.

The president said he spoke to former President George W. Bush earlier Tuesday, saying it is well known that he disagreed with the former president on the decision to go to war.

Admiral Mullen says the flight gave him greater appreciation for the “degree of difficulty” Pakistani forces face as they battle insurgent groups and try to assert government control in areas where tribal leaders have reigned and insurgents have sometimes had free access.

Another U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Pakistani forces have cleared about 4,000 square kilometers of insurgents, about half of the area where the militants operated as recently as 16 months ago.

But the officer says the scope of the military operation is not as important as the civilian follow-up, designed to convince the local people to help the government keep the insurgents out in the future.  And the officer says while Pakistan has done more than anyone could have expected, there are still more things the United States would like the Pakistani forces to do, including targeting insurgent groups that attack U.S. forces in Afghanistan and conduct international terrorism.

Admiral Mullen says he often discusses that with Pakistani officials, particularly the U.S. desire for a crackdown on the group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks in India in 2008.

“I try to actually make the case, as I talk, that this is a growing threat,” he said. “It’s an organization that is becoming more lethal, proven so.  It’s not just operating where it used to be.  It’s expanding.  It’s in the West here [in Pakistan].  It’s in Afghanistan now.  It’s in other countries.  And I’ve seen this kind of expansion in other organizations, and I think we all have to be concerned about it.”

During a briefing with Pakistani and international reporters, Admiral Mullen stressed that the United States will not leave the region next July, when President Barack Obama has said he will begin to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.  Admiral Mullen said that process that will take years, and the United States’ “strategic partnership” with the region “will endure.”

He also expressed support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s reintegration and reconciliation processes for insurgents and their leaders, saying that is how the conflict will truly end.  But the admiral said the Afghan government and its coalition supporters are far from being in a strong enough position to negotiate successfully with militant groups like the Haqqani Network. ” We need to be in a much stronger position to, in fact, get to a point where we reconcile with organizations like that,” he said.

Admiral Mullen said the final several thousand U.S. surge forces will be in Afghanistan soon, and he believes he will know much more by the end of the year about whether the strategy President Obama announced last December is creating that ‘stronger position.’   The admiral will travel to Afghanistan Sunday to personally assess the situation.

Admiral Mullen says the flight gave him greater appreciation for the “degree of difficulty” Pakistani forces face as they battle insurgent groups and try to assert government control in areas where tribal leaders have reigned and insurgents have sometimes had free access.

Another U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Pakistani forces have cleared about 4,000 square kilometers of insurgents, about half of the area where the militants operated as recently as 16 months ago.

But the officer says the scope of the military operation is not as important as the civilian follow-up, designed to convince the local people to help the government keep the insurgents out in the future.  And the officer says while Pakistan has done more than anyone could have expected, there are still more things the United States would like the Pakistani forces to do, including targeting insurgent groups that attack U.S. forces in Afghanistan and conduct international terrorism.

Admiral Mullen says he often discusses that with Pakistani officials, particularly the U.S. desire for a crackdown on the group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks in India in 2008.

“I try to actually make the case, as I talk, that this is a growing threat,” he said. “It’s an organization that is becoming more lethal, proven so.  It’s not just operating where it used to be.  It’s expanding.  It’s in the West here [in Pakistan].  It’s in Afghanistan now.  It’s in other countries.  And I’ve seen this kind of expansion in other organizations, and I think we all have to be concerned about it.”

During a briefing with Pakistani and international reporters, Admiral Mullen stressed that the United States will not leave the region next July, when President Barack Obama has said he will begin to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.  Admiral Mullen said that process that will take years, and the United States’ “strategic partnership” with the region “will endure.”

He also expressed support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s reintegration and reconciliation processes for insurgents and their leaders, saying that is how the conflict will truly end.  But the admiral said the Afghan government and its coalition supporters are far from being in a strong enough position to negotiate successfully with militant groups like the Haqqani Network. ” We need to be in a much stronger position to, in fact, get to a point where we reconcile with organizations like that,” he said.

Admiral Mullen said the final several thousand U.S. surge forces will be in Afghanistan soon, and he believes he will know much more by the end of the year about whether the strategy President Obama announced last December is creating that ‘stronger position.’   The admiral will travel to Afghanistan Sunday to personally assess the situation.

Admiral Mullen says the flight gave him greater appreciation for the “degree of difficulty” Pakistani forces face as they battle insurgent groups and try to assert government control in areas where tribal leaders have reigned and insurgents have sometimes had free access.

Another U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Pakistani forces have cleared about 4,000 square kilometers of insurgents, about half of the area where the militants operated as recently as 16 months ago.

But the officer says the scope of the military operation is not as important as the civilian follow-up, designed to convince the local people to help the government keep the insurgents out in the future.  And the officer says while Pakistan has done more than anyone could have expected, there are still more things the United States would like the Pakistani forces to do, including targeting insurgent groups that attack U.S. forces in Afghanistan and conduct international terrorism.

Admiral Mullen says he often discusses that with Pakistani officials, particularly the U.S. desire for a crackdown on the group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks in India in 2008.

“I try to actually make the case, as I talk, that this is a growing threat,” he said. “It’s an organization that is becoming more lethal, proven so.  It’s not just operating where it used to be.  It’s expanding.  It’s in the West here [in Pakistan].  It’s in Afghanistan now.  It’s in other countries.  And I’ve seen this kind of expansion in other organizations, and I think we all have to be concerned about it.”

During a briefing with Pakistani and international reporters, Admiral Mullen stressed that the United States will not leave the region next July, when President Barack Obama has said he will begin to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.  Admiral Mullen said that process that will take years, and the United States’ “strategic partnership” with the region “will endure.”

He also expressed support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s reintegration and reconciliation processes for insurgents and their leaders, saying that is how the conflict will truly end.  But the admiral said the Afghan government and its coalition supporters are far from being in a strong enough position to negotiate successfully with militant groups like the Haqqani Network. ” We need to be in a much stronger position to, in fact, get to a point where we reconcile with organizations like that,” he said.

Admiral Mullen said the final several thousand U.S. surge forces will be in Afghanistan soon, and he believes he will know much more by the end of the year about whether the strategy President Obama announced last December is creating that ‘stronger position.’   The admiral will travel to Afghanistan Sunday to personally assess the situation.

The head of Uganda’s police counterterrorism division, Abas Byakagaba, says the unexploded vest was discovered Monday by a Kampala resident at a discotheque in the Makindye district.   

Byakagaba showed reporters in Kampala a black laptop bag, which he says contained the vest and two large slabs of brownish-colored explosives material fitted with an electric detonator.

“What you see here are explosives, including the blue wires.  Inside the brownish material are the ball bearings.  Those are meant to accelerate the effect of the explosives.  And here is the jacket, where all these materials are supposed to go,” explained Byakagaba.

It is not clear why the bomb was left at the club.  Police theorize that the would-be bomber may have changed his mind before setting off the charge.  They also say the vest was designed so that it could be planted, rather than detonated by a suicide bomber.

Ugandan police chief, Kale Kayihura, says the police are studying the contents of the laptop bag for clues that might lead them to the men who planned and carried out Sunday evening’s dual attacks.

“What we found here is consistent with what we found on both scenes of crime.  So, this is a very significant lead in our investigation,” said Kayihura.

At least four people are believed to have been arrested in connection with the bombings.  The nationalities of those arrested have not been released, but Ugandan officials have hinted that one of the suicide bombers may have been a Somali.  

Somalia’s extremist insurgent group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility for the Kampala bombings, the deadliest in East Africa since the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.  

The terrorists say the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda’s refusal to withdraw its peacekeeping troops from Mogadishu.  Al-Shabab has also threatened to attack Burundi, the other African nation that has peacekeeping troops in Somalia.  

The African Union peacekeeping force has been a major obstacle in al-Shabab’s efforts to take power in Mogadishu and turn the country into an ultra-conservative Islamic state.

Al-Shabab’s leadership is composed of Somalis trained by al-Qaida in Afghanistan.  But several-hundred foreign al-Qaida fighters are also believed to be in Somalia, acting as instructors for recruits and operational leaders.  In recent years, al-Shabab militants have carried out suicide bombings in Somalia reminiscent of attacks blamed on al-Qaida affiliate groups in such places as Iraq and Pakistan.

Prior to Sunday, the group had never attacked outside Somali borders.  Analysts say the bombings have firmly placed al-Shabab in the category of a “transnational terrorist group,” significantly raising the security stakes in the region.