maandag 22 oktober 2018

Week 42 in #wapenhandel25tweets

(Gaarne 'liken' of delen als je het nuttig of interessant vindt.

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Retweet: @joepbertrams (Saoedische etiquette #MohammedbinSalman #Khashoggi @DeGroene) 

Netherlands / Nederland (see also 22, 25)

1 – 171018: Due to my work investigating arms exports I know the names of three of the ten richest people of the Nehterlands. One because of a recent rumour. Two already for decades. https://www.moneymakers.com/top-10-richest-people-in-the-netherlands/

2 – 181018: Dutch parliament adopted resolution (GreenLeft VanOjik) to aim for an European arms embargo on Saudi Arabia at the EU top in Brussels. Only the (far) right win of the parliament voted against: VVD, SGP en Forum voor Democratie. Motie%20van%20het%20lid%20Van%20Ojik%20c.s.%20over%20stoppen%20met%20leveren%20van%20wapens%20aan%20Saoedi-Arabi%C3%AB.pdf

EUROPE

3 – 171018:COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2018/1542, 151018 restrictive measures against proliferation and use of chemical weapons https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018R1542&from=EN
COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2018/1544, 151018 restrictive measures against proliferation and use of chemical weapons https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018D1544&from=EN

Belgium / België (see also 26)

4 – 221018 (retweet @Diederik_Cops): Will arms exports from Belgium to Saudi Arabia be suspended because of the #Kashoggi case? Walloon government licenced arms exports to Saudi Arabia worth more than 5 billion euros since 2010, Flemish arms exports valued at 1.2 million euros in the same period.

France (see also 13)

5 – 211018: Though the CEO Thales, Patrice Caine, pulled out of the conference, the French company is sending a subordinate the Saudis would respect, and a spokesman, Cédric Leurquin, said Thales hadn't changed its position on investing in Saudi Arabia. Although Mr. Leurquin would not divulge sales figures for KSA, Thales has 700 employees in the kingdom, supplies with military hardware, missiles, electronic warfare systems and even high-tech
security surveillance systems for Mecca and other holy sites https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/19/business/ceos-saudi-money.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fmichael-j.-de-la-merced

6 – 161018: Thales Nederland STIR EO MK 2 radar/electro-optical (EO) tracker in place of the Safran VIGY MM EO director at French FREDA frigates (fregates de défense aériennes/anti-air warfare (AAW)). https://www.janes.com/article/83618/first-freda-frigate-takes-shape

Germany / Deutchland

7 – 211018: Germany’s foreign minister is calling into question the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, after the kingdom acknowledged that writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed in its Istanbul consulate. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-latest-turkey-pol-criticizes-saudi-khashoggi-statement/2018/10/20/a8ded75c-d444-11e8-a4db-184311d27129_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.c6bceec2df0d

8 – 211018: Amid heightened scrutiny of Riyadh over the apparent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Germany approves 416.4 million euros worth of arms in what may be a breach of a coalition agreement by Angela Merkel https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/germany-approves-half-a-billion-euros-worth-of-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-1.6573590

Greece / Ellas

9 – 161018: Proposal for the Damen Sigma 10514 frigate for Greece. Damen Sigma: Μια πιθανή λύση για το ΠΝ αντί για τις Belharra και FREMM - ΦΩΤΟ - http://www.onalert.gr/stories/damen-sigma-mia-piuanh-lysh-gia-to-pn-anti-gia-tis-belharra-kai-fremm/71870 via @OnAlertfeed

UK (see also 28)

10 – 151018: UK political groups spied on by undercover police – the list; DSEI arms fair protests included. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-interactive/2018/oct/15/uk-political-groups-spied-on-undercover-police-list

REST of the world

Australia

11 – 221018: Australian Government move to keep from the public details of the Defence Department's contract with French-owned company Thales Australia for the purchase of 1100 Hawkei combat vehicles. detail faces renewed scrutiny. https://www.afr.com/news/government-move-to-block-defence-contract-detail-faces-renewed-scrutiny-20181022-h16yf6

Brasil

12 – 171018: Damen and Saab offer the transfer of knowledge to Brazil if the country buys the corvettes offered by the Swedish-Dutch team. (Damen-Saab Tamandaré promete transferência de tecnologia caso construa corvetas) https://www.portosenavios.com.br/noticias/ind-naval-e-offshore/damen-saab-tamandare-promete-transferencia-de-tecnologia-caso-construa-corvetas

China / Zhōngguó (see 18)

Egypt / Mişr

13 – 161018: Egypt: How French Arms Were Used to Crush Dissent draws on analysis by Amnesty's Digital Verification Corps of +20 hours of open source video footage, hundreds of photo's & 450 gig of further audio-visual material from local human rights groups and media. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur21/9038/2018/en/

Israël / Isra'il (see also 24)

14 – 211018: Revealed: Israel's cyber-spy industry helps world dictators hunt dissidents and gays https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-israel-s-cyber-spy-industry-aids-dictators-hunt-dissidents-and-gays

Saudi Arabia / Al-Arabiyah as Sa'udiyah (see also 2, 4, 5, 7-8, 29)


Saudi Import:
  • 1) China
  • 2) US
  • 3) Germany
  • 4) Japan
  • 5) UAE
  • 6) S Korea
  • 7) India
  • 8) Italy
  • 9) France
  • 10) UK
  • 13) Switzerland
  • 15) Spain
  • 19) Netherlands

16 – 151018: Newsweek piece on US weapon sales to Saudia Arabia. Includes graph based on SIPRI data:

17 – 171018: Business is boycotting Saudi Arabia's big conference. Here's who's still going @CNNI #Thales https://cnn.it/2CL5qLk  Who is and isn't going from the Netherlands? https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/15/business/saudi-arabia-conference-attendees/index.html

18 – 171018: Trump fears China could replace US in arms sales to Saudi. He shouldn’t. China may engage more with KSA if Washington imposes sanctions over disappearance and presumed murder of Khashoggi, but it cannot supplant US arms sales as he believes, analysts say. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2168849/china-may-seek-boost-ties-saudi-arabia-it-cant-fill-us-arms

19 – 171018: Slowly - too slowly? - support moven away from crown prince MBS. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key defender of U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, has vowed never to work with the kingdom so long as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in charge. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2018/10/16/saudi-arabia-is-losing-lindsey-graham-a-key-ally-of-us-arms-sales/

20 – 171018: Military Expenditures dominate Saudi Arabia's budget. Saudi Arabia spends an unhealthy 10 percent of its GDP on arms.

21 – 211018: BigLaw Firms Quiet About Lobbying Ties To Saudi Arabia. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP is the only major US law firm to end its lobbying relationship with KSA after its involvement in a journalist's death, as five other major law firms are keeping quiet. https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2018/10/18/gibson-dunn-ends-saudi-arabia-lobbying-contract/?slreturn=20180922044805



UAE / Al-Imarat Al-Arabiyah Al-Muttahidah (see 23-24, 25)

Ukraine / Ukrajina

22 – 171018: Q&A Dutch government if of the opinion that arms sales to the Ukraine don't support a solution for the conflict. However some small military exports happened, but other requests for export permissions were denied. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2018/10/17/beantwoording-vragen-over-wapenleveranties-aan-oekraine

Yemen / Al-Yaman

23 – 181018: US mercenaries — some of whom were ex-special operators with Army Special Forces, SEAL Team 6, and the CIA — were hired by the UAE in 2015 to take part in a "targeted assassination program in Yemen," BuzzFeed News investigation. #SpearOperationsGroup https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-us-special-ops-reportedly-hired-to-assassinate-yemeni-politicians-2018-10

24 – 191018: In-depth - Sana Uqba writes “#UAE hired Israeli mercenary to lead US death squad on #Yemen assassination spree“ https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/10/16/uae-hired-american-death-squad-to-assassinate-yemeni-opposition

25 – 221018: The battle for Hodeida begun. There are reported coalition airstrikes and shelling by naval ships. Guess who is delivering the UAE (2nd in the coalition) naval vessels with canons? The Dutch. https://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemeni-military-begin-operation-on-hodeidah-1.2236081#.W82TZPQ0qBw.twitter

DEFENCE-INDUSTRY

Damen (see also 9, 12, 25)

26 – 191018: CEO of biggest Dutch naval wharf takes position for Belgium to look after (as honorari consul ) Brussels interests in the rovince of Zeeland. More close the interest of the Netherlands biggest arms exporter and a State can hardly become. https://www.ad.nl/zeeland/scheldedirecteur-wordt-ere-consul-van-belgie~af6dd691/

27 – 211018: Long read: The sales strategy of the largest Dutch ship wharf. De doorgeschoten verkooplui van Hollands grootste scheepsbouwer. https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/10/19/de-doorgeschoten-verkooplui-van-hollands-grootste-scheepsbouwer-a2665456 via @nrc

MBDA

28 – 151018: MBDA BV (Rotterdam): this holding seems to be a dovecot for persons with a BAES background one of the other replaced. https://drimble.nl/bedrijf/rotterdam/20150695/mbda-bv.html

Thales (see also 6, 9, 11, 17)

29 – 211018: Blockade of gates Dutch Thales because of equipment sales for Saudi tanks (not regarded military equipment), the role played by arms exports in the refugee crisis and the export of tech to consequently deny migrants entrance to the EU. [in Dutch] https://www.ravage-webzine.nl/2018/10/19/blokkade-thales-om-weren-van-vluchtelingen/

Letter box companies (see 28)

WEAPENS
Arms fairs (see 10)

Drones

30 – 161018: The MQ-9 Reaper #drone is now flown by the US in Ukrainian airspace, taking off from Miroslawiec airbase in Poland. Read more on drone politics in both Poland and Ukraine on our website: http://www.efadrones.org/countries

F-35

31 – 171018: About 20% of F-35s still down. Last week, the Pentagon’s joint progam office ordered all Joint Strike Fighters to stay on the ground until fuel tubes could be inspected. Many were found in need of replacement. https://www.defenseone.com/news/2018/10/rogue-killers-us-mercs-hired-kill-yemen-20-f-35s-still-down-army-wants-bigger-gun-and-just-bit-more/152058/ … via @defenseone

32 – 171018: Next large problem: F-35 is set to move into operational testing next month — a milestone that precedes the Pentagon’s decision on whether to begin full-rate production — but there are already signs that it may not be able to complete testing on time. #JSF https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/10/17/heading-into-f-35-operational-tests-threat-of-delays-loom/

Nukes

33 – 181018: When a US navy vessel visited a port it was always a question is it nuclear armed (Terrier, Asroc, subroc). But the US policy was: neither confirm nor deny. Some are longing to that past and propose: Bring Tactical Nukes Back to the Fleet. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018-10/bring-tactical-nukes-back-fleet

Observation technology (IT) (see 14)
Speciale Forces (see 23-24)

OTHER

Corruption and fraud (see 27, alledged)

Defence budget

34 – 221018: VPRO Argos (radio) over Defensie en de negatieve krantenkoppen, begroting, structuur etc. https://www.vpro.nl/argos/media/afleveringen/2018/Krijgsmacht-in-het-slop.html

Refugees (see 29)
Research and activism (see 10, 13, 29)
Espionage (see 10)

This is a selection from a larger amount of tweets. Tweets with a relation the Netherlands, arms trade and defence-industry weight heavier in the selection. If you want to have them daily see http://twitter.com/martinbroek