Pentagon Update

By Wendy Wang
The secretary met with the Israel Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, for about 35 minutes this morning. They discussed a wide range of issues including Iran. However top Pentagon officials would not go into the specifics of the discussion when asked if the Iran nuclear situation was discussed. Iran was characterized as a country of concern, but its nuclear capability was did not come up as far as officials know. Also discussed was the Hamas led Palestinian government. The Prime Minister outlined his perception of the current Palestinian government, but the specifics of what he said were not revealed to the press.

All officials will say is that the two leaders acknowledged the importance of the bilateral alliance and agreed to continue to share information given Israel’s experience with terrorism. The Statement of Understanding between the two nations still stands and will continue to be followed but it is not a settled issue and will see continuous progress.

Asked about the deployment of National Guards to the southern border, Pentagon officials say it is still too early to respond to that question.

Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People’s Republic of China

The Pentagon releases a report on China’s growing political and economic power in conjunction to its growing military modernizations efforts. The report outlines China’s missile and nuclear doctrinal development, and hopes to better understand China’s military strategy, including scope of operation beyond Taiwan.

A key US concern is China’s purpose for military expansion. The rate of military expansion in strategic nuclear forces, land and sea-based capabilities, and other weapons capabilities could rival that of other militaries operating in the region.

The annual report and previous reports are available on the Department of Defense website:

http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/china.html