Week 43 in #wapenhandel25tweets

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

F-16's naar Jordanië

Photo: Neergestortte Jordaanse F-16 in Narjan bij de grens met Jemen. bron

De eerste zes F-16's zijn weg (zie ook tweet) naar Jordanië. Dat is een land dat onderdeel is van de Saoedische coalitie tegen Jemen. Jordanië zet daarbij F-16 in.

Een Jordaanse luchtmacht generaal vertelde in november 2015 een Nederlandse journalist dat vier F-16's werden ingezet voor de strijd in Jemen. Maar ook in januari 2017 zijn ze nog ingezet aldus Parstoday dat een aanval op een Jordaanse F-16 beschrijft. Volgens de Nederlandse regering (opent pdf, zie ook week 42) gaat het slechts om een ondersteunende rol.

Nederland heeft bovendien een afspraak gemaakt met Jordanië dat de geleverde exemplaren niet zullen worden ingezet in de strijd boven Jemen. Maar wat betekent zo'n afspraak?

“Een garantie van welke regering dan ook is waardeloos,” zegt de Britse minister van Materieelbeleid onder de Britse premier Thatcher, Alan Clark, begin jaren negentig al tegen journalist John Pilger. Eerder deze maand citeerde Defense News (een onafhankelijk, maar aan het Pentagon gelieerd weekblad) Rachel Stohl van het Stimson Center “... als je wapens geeft aan een land of organisatie, dan kan je niet meer controleren hoe ze gebruikt worden.”  

“Hoewel een dergelijke clausule als onderdeel van de wapenexportregeling opnemen naïef is, biedt ze wel handvatten om achteraf gefundeerde kritiek te leveren op de inzet voor oneigenlijke doelen en dat mee te wegen in de verstrekking van latere exportvergunningen,” schreef ik in 2003 in Explosieve Materie; Nederlandse wapenhandel blootgelegd. Om die controle vorm te geven is het van belang dat het publiek of tenminste Parlementariërs – vertrouwelijk indien onvermijdelijk – kennis kunnen nemen van dergelijke afspraken.

Als Jordanië zo'n kleine tachtig F-16's bezit en 15 mogen er niet worden ingezet boven Jemen dan kan het dat met passen en meten de Nederlandse F-16's inzetten voor taken die wel mogen en zijn de andere F-16's vrij om mee te doen met Saoedi's en Emiraten. Wat voor afspraken zijn er eigenlijk voor eerder door Nederland geleverde F-16's gemaakt? En hoe zit het de negen geleverd door België?

Nederland (zie ook 17, 23-24, 25, 27)

1 – 241017: retweet @Argosradio1 - Kees [van den Bosch] vertelt over zijn wereldprimeur in 2005, een verhaal over een Pakistaan die een atoombom ontwikkelde. #Argos25jaar https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/922733167731204098

2 – 241017: Documents on A.Q. #Khan & #Pakistan's nuke collected after #FOIA requests by @CTWnl @frankslijper. See @Argosradio1 http://broekstukken.blogspot.com/2017/10/stukken-over-aq-khan-wobdocuments-on-aq.html

3 – 251017: Q&A how to prevent & control #Dutch sales for #WMD by private companies. Military intelligence signals low awareness https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2017/10/25/beantwoording-kamervragen-over-kopen-van-onderdelen-voor-massavernietigingswapens

4 – 271017: Dutch technology may have been used in weapons of mass destruction: ministers http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/10/dutch-technology-may-have-been-used-in-weapons-of-mass-destruction-ministers/

5 – 261017: #Jordan takes delivery of ex-#Dutch #F16s | Jane's 360 http://www.janes.com/article/75226/jordan-takes-delivery-of-ex-dutch-f-16s

6 – 271017: Dutch #SP asks government to pressure Israel, Ukraine, China and Russia to end arms sales to #Myanmar. https://www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/document?id=a31fd849-cb5e-4fbe-ab62-709a9535be70&title=Conceptverslag%2520Myanmar%2520.docx

EUROPA (zie ook 22)

7 – 261017: retweet #EU under mounting pressure to ban arms sales to #Saudi Arabia. @_ENAAT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/26/eu-under-mounting-pressure-to-ban-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia

België (zie 25)

Denemarken

8 – 231017: Q&A Dutch MP's @SadetKarabulut @HanTenBroeke forced labour of North #Koreans at construction of #Danish naval vessel https://www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/document?id=2e7c4f0a-e460-45ec-b0ea-dd1beef2a45c&title=Antwoord%20op%20vragen%20van%20de%20leden%20Ten%20Broeke%20en%20Karabulut%20over%20het%20bericht%20dat%20Noord-Koreaanse%20dwangarbeiders%20in%20Europa%20zouden%20hebben%20gewerkt%20aan%20de%20bouw%20van%20een%20Deens%20marineschip.docx

Duitsland (zie ook 12)

9 – 231017: #German government continues sale of #submarine to #Israel after #corruption hurdle. http://www.badische-zeitung.de/deutschland-1/merkel-genehmigt-u-boot-deal

Finland

10 – 231017: #Finish arms exports, major destination #MENA-region. #Qatar #UAE http://eu.janj.eu/n/80157

Frankrijk (zie 15-16, 26)

Turkije

11 – 241017: #Turkey’s #kamikaze #drones ready for action https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2017/10/22/turkeys-kamikaze-drone-is-ready-for-action

12 – 241017: Annalena Baerbock, (Grünen) "man [sollte] endlich #Waffenexporte und #Hermes-Bürgschaften für die #Türkei beenden" http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/jamaika-sondierungsgespraeche-merkel-gegen-abbruch-der-eu-gespraeche-mit-ankara/20502316.html

VK (zie 21)

Zwitserland (zie 21)

REST VAN DE WERELD

Azerbeidzjan

13 – 241017: Despite support for #ATT #Canada considers to sell to weapons #Azerbaijan despite the conflict with #Armenia. https://horizonweekly.ca/en/canadian-mp-garnett-genuis-raises-concern-regarding-the-arms-sales-to-azerbaijan/

Australië

Botswana

Canada (zie ook 13)

14 – 261017: #Canadian military reviewing whether to provide weapons to #Kurds despite fighting with #Iraqi forces. http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-military-reviewing-whether-to-provide-weapons-to-kurds

Ecuador (zie 17)

Egypte

15 – 241017: Rights groups blast #Egypt's human rights record and #French weapon deals (involving others like #Thales Nederland) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/rights-groups-blast-egypt-human-rights-record-171023095106374.html

16 – 261017: It seems the more human rights considerations, the more efforts to sell #arms. #France ready to sell more to #Egypt. https://www.dailysabah.com/mideast/2017/10/26/france-ready-to-sell-more-weapons-to-egypt-reports-indicate

Iran (zie 3-4, 20)

Irak (zie 14)

Israël (zie 6, 9)

Jemen (zie 5, 7)

Jordanië (zie 5)

Myanmar (zie 6)

Noord-Korea (zie 8)

Oekraïne (zie 6)

Pakistan (zie 1-2, 3-4)

Qatar (zie 10)

Rusland (zie 6)

Saoedi-Arabië (zie 7)

Syrië (zie 3-4)

Taiwan (zie 26)

VAE (zie 10)

DEFENSIE-INDUSTRIE

Damen

17 – 231017: #Ecuadorian Navy commissions first #Damen Stan Patrol 5009 #OPV | Jane's 360 http://www.janes.com/article/75131/ecuadorian-navy-commissions-first-damen-stan-patrol-5009-opv

Thales (zie ook 15, 23)

18 – 251017: #European naval defence-industry consolidation. Stakes high 4 #Thales it may loose its position on Combat Data Syst. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2017/10/24/naval-airbus-in-europe-could-lead-to-industry-shake-up/

WAPENS

Drones (zie ook 11)

19 – 251017: New face of war: #DARPA contracts to develop #drones swarms for urban combat environments. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/uas/2017/10/24/darpa-we-want-autonomous-drone-swarms-for-war-fighters/

F-35

20 – 251017: Sentenced for attempt to transfer to #Iran material relating to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (#JSF) Program. http://www.exportshh.com/second-circuit-upholds-sentence-for-attempt-to-export-f-35-technology-to-iran/#page=1

Luchtvaart

21 – 231017: Most attractive economies for aeronautic industries. Top 3: US, Switzerland and UK. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industrial-products/publications/assets/pwc-aerospace-manufacturing-attractiveness-rankings-2017.pdf

Observatie technologie (IT)

22 – 261017: #MEPs want human rights safeguard on #surveillance tech exports @EURACTIV https://www.euractiv.com/section/cybersecurity/news/meps-want-human-rights-safeguard-on-tech-exports/

Onderzeeboten (zie 9)

Raketschild

23 – 241017: NATO missile defence. Dutch pride, the #Thales Smart-L #radar is missing in the story. #Raytheon stealing the show. https://www.defenceonline.co.uk/2017/10/23/raytheon-nato-ballistic-missile/

24 – 241017: Agitprop "Terrorists have a growing no. of Ballistic missiles that's why Dutch navy is involved in Missile Defence" https://www.rovid.nl/def/km/2017/def-km-20171016-idd3sk51y-web-hd.mp4

Wapenbeurzen

25 – 221017: In 2 weeks Defense Security Asia #DSA in #Thailand: FN Herstal (BE), DSM (NL) and 6 from Germany, 2 UK and 6 France. http://apps.ubmasia.com/exhlist/AsianDefense-2017/en/#

WMD (zie 1-2, 3-4)

OVERIG

Corruptie (zie ook 9)

26 – 261017: #Thales, #Dassault, #Safran fined 227 mln euros in #Taiwan dispute on arms sales and #bribes. https://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/World/20171025/3206930.html

Defensiebudget (zie ook 24)

27 – 241017: Complains Dutch military must shout PANG! when firing rifle & hasn't protective cloths. Buys 26 AMRAAM $360.000 each http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/government-netherlands-aim-120-c-7-advanced-medium-range-air-air-missile-amraam

Onderzoek en activisme (zie ook 2)

28 – 241017: Helpful tool to develop quickly a basic understanding of the arms trade, defence industry and its surroundings. http://www.housmans.com/blog/?p=2792

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

Dutch technology for major weapons in the Yemen war

A coalition of 10 countries, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is  fighting in Yemen against Houthi rebels who forced Yemen's government into exile. Dutch weapon systems are playing an invisible but important role in this war; many of the participating navy ships are fitted with Thales Nederland fire control radar. Analysts say the war is not about Yemen's internal situation, but a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. They warn that the only winner will be terrorist groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Yemenites are confronted with destruction of their cities, infrastructure, and the scarce industrial facilities. Not to mention their deads, by heavy aerial and naval bombardments on cities. The US had to ask the Saudi's to narrow the scope of attacks.

The coalition against the Houthi's is actively sponsored though by US arms deliverances and fights with weapons sold by European countries as well (in the EU consolidated report on arms export 2013 Saudi Arabia was the second most important customer for EU-weapons, only after the US, with almost € 4 billion in one year). The United Nations installed an arms embargo against Yemen and - unsuccessfully - called to stop the fighting.

When Iran sailed to Yemen with two naval vessels, the destroyer Alborz and the axillary vessel Bushehr, it made headlines in the papers. What was not mentioned was that the Alborz is built at the British Vickers wharf as far back as 1969. The ship is one of a class of five (two others are more recently built in Iran). The Bushehr is build in 1974 at the C. Luhring, Brake wharf in Germany. Sold at their time to the Shah, for the most part of their lives the ships have belonged to the Islamic Republic. In response to the deployment of the oldies the US has send the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and the cruiser USS Normandy to the Gulf.

The Gulf Cooperation Council coalition and their friends are deploying a wide array of war planes and naval vessels (see illustration Business Insider). Jane's Defence Weekly of April 15, 2015 reported that the assets contributed by the countries involved 'remain vague'. The military magazine stated however that countries like Jordan are deploying jets and mentioned photo footage of Egyptian, Jordan and Bahraini F-16's taking part in the war. The kingdom of Jordan got 18 F-16's from the Netherlands and 9 from Belgium. Thus over a third of its 79 F-16 air frames came from the Benelux.

Due to offset policies of the past decades even the other F-16's used by the coalition are equipped with Dutch technology. The Eurofighters (EFA/Typhoon), which the Saudi's use in the operations, are a product of BAe Systems, Finmeccanica, and Airbus, the last company based in the Netherlands for tax reasons. The use of these planes was reported by UK media. Naval missile systems used (like Sea Sparrow, Harpoon) might also have Dutch components.

The map of the region shows that Yemen’s shoreline is almost as long as its land borders. Its beaches along the Gulf of Aden and the narrow entrance to the Red Sea are the route to the Mediterranean through the Suez canal. No wonder naval vessels have been deployed and used by the coalition in the Yemenite waters. It is also expected that Pakistan will join the fleet to enforce the naval blockade, but mission creep is already feared. It may be a method to circumvent the Pakistan Parliamentary opposition to join the forces against Yemen. The newest surface naval vessels of Pakistan were built by the Peoples Republic of China and fitted with Dutch military communication and combat data systems. Its Oliver Perry class is fitted with a Thales Netherlands derivative, the Perry Mk 92 fire control radar (Signaal WM28).

Above all, it is Egypt which is involved in the operations against the Houthi's. It owes this to the Saudi's, because of the generous donations made to al-Sisis by the House of Saud – the most recent donation of March 2015 worth 4 billion. Cairo has also its own reasons; the Suez Canal earns Egypt about $5 billion a year, a vital source of hard currency for a country that has suffered a slump in tourism and foreign investment. It is no surprise that the country has sent its navy to Yemen.

In early April reports turned up that the Egyptian navy fired missiles on Yemen. Of this navy, the guns come mainly from the US, Sweden and Italy and the radar, combat systems, and parts of missiles are also produced in the Netherlands. Jane's mentions the frigate Alexandria (formerly the Mubarak) fitted with Mk92 fire control radar and the fast attack misille craft Ezzat Awent fitted with Thales Nederland Scout data processing. At a Parliamentary round table on arms export however Thales Netherlands pretended not to understand why the Dutch government hesitated with giving permission for the export of Thales products to the wharf building Egypt’s naval vessels. While these are clearly and essential parts of the weaponsystems

Currently, work begins on Egypts Gowind corvette. Thales Netherlands will not only deliver its surface search radar, but also a crucial element of its direct fighting capabilities the target designation radar.

Written for: Stop Wapenhandel 
In Dutch