Week 36 in #wapenhandel25tweets

Netherlands / Nederland (see also 22, 23, 24, 25)

1 – 030918: Dutch navy halts use of Raytheon SM-2 missile after explosion on German frigate Sachsen. Answers on Parliamentary questions by MP Karabulut (SP) https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/kamervragen/detail?id=2018D41904&did=2018D41904

4 – 040918: The Near East and the Middle East in 2017 accounted for just over 60% of French arms exports. Asia-Pacific for about 17% of total order intake, followed, in order, Europe and the Americas. https://www.defense.gouv.fr/content/download/536160/9221135/file/RAP+2018+-+Exportations+armement+de+la+France.pdf

5 – 040918: Missed: In India the Rafale contract turns into a political scandal. En Inde, le contrat Rafale tourne au scandale politique https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2018/08/28/en-inde-le-contrat-rafale-tourne-au-scandale-politique_5347034_3234.html

6 – 040918: Battling for arms sales to major human rights violator. French Naval Group likely to loose in Egypt of German rival. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems close to reach agreement for a purchase of two Meko A200 corvettes . https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/bataille-navale-en-egypte-tkms-proche-de-detroner-naval-group-789068.html

7 – 060918: Questions Deutscher Bundestag (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) and answers. When German small arms companies established in the US export small arms to Mexico it is the responsibility of the US to implement arms export control. http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/040/1904091.pdf

8 – 080918: The process of demilitarization of War Weapons in Germany is governed by Ordinance on the Disarmament of Military Weapons. In German: Verordnung über die Unbrauchbarmachung von Kriegswaffen und über den Umgang mit unbrauchbar gemachten Kriegswaffen. http://www.bafa.de/DE/Aussenwirtschaft/Kriegswaffenkontrolle/kriegswaffenkontrolle.html;jsessionid=5A729382307CDEB39C72C27961B6AF96.1_cid362

9 – 040918: Spanish MoD announced that it will return the 9.2 million euros already paid by Saudi Arabia to buy 400 Spanish-made precision bombs amid fears that they could be used to target the innocent people of Yemen, the El Mundo reported. https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/09/03/573114/Spain-saudi-arms-deal

10 – 080918: Spanish government under pressure over Saudi defense deals Shipbuilders fear cancellation of mega-frigate deal with Islamist Kingdom. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/09/07/spanish-government-under-pressure-over-saudi-defense-deals/

11 – 040918: Swiss set to ease arms export rules despite Syria grenades report. SonntagsBlick reported on Sunday that Islamic State militants were hoarding RUAG-made hand grenades in Syria, based on photographs of weapons seized from fighters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss-grenades/swiss-set-to-ease-arms-export-rules-despite-syria-grenades-report

12 – 040918: The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) / Eidgenössische Finanzkontrolle (EFK) reports how defence companies use loopholes in the law with approval of the Bundesrat: export components to be assembled at the destination. https://www.efk.admin.ch/images/stories/efk_dokumente/publikationen/_wirtschaft_und_verwaltung/wirtschaft_und_landwirtschaft/17425/17425BE_Endg%C3%BCltige_Fassung_V04.pdf

13 – 050918: +/- 250 protested yesterday afternoon in Bern against the relaxation of Swiss arms export rules. Auch «Sprayer-Grosi» ist dabei; Waffenexport-Gegner protestieren in Bern. https://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/waffen-waffenexport-gegner-protestieren-in-bern-id8811138.html

14 – 080918: King’s College London and the Oxford Research Group report calls into question British-Saudi economic and political relations. https://www.theglobalist.com/uk-saudi-arabia-arms-trade-yemen/

REST of the world

15 – 090918: The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) called on the US Department of State to investigate the use of US defense equipment in a 2017 Israeli drone attack by the Azerbaijani military against the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Republic. http://asbarez.com/174808/anca-calls-for-investigation-into-azerbaijan-israel-arms-export-violation/

16 – 040918: Doraleh port terminal may in future be leveraged as a processing center for the illegal arms trade – Report https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/doraleh-port-terminal-may-in-future-be-leveraged-as-a-processing-center-for-the-illegal-arms-trade-report-2/

17 – 080918: Bleubird Joint Venture wins its 1st order from Indian army for Israeli Spylite drone for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. http://www.cyient.com/press/cyient-bluebird-joint-venture-wins-its-first-order-from-indian-army-for-spylite-mini-uas-the-only-system-to-pass-the-armys-extremely-high-altitude-trial/

18 – 060918: The US blocked a request for the UNSC to allow the Lybian El Hani frigate return home after extensive repairs at Maltese-based Cassar Ship Repair. Ammunition aboard the frigate was stored during the work. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/09/07/world/politics-diplomacy-world/u-s-blocks-unsc-request-frigates-return-libya-migrant-mission-mum/

19 – 080918: "It makes no sense to sit with and talk to Lybian militia, as long as countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia keep on arming them," Paris based French researcher Jalel Harchaoui said. [In Dutch] https://www.mo.be/analyse/libi-waarom-blijft-de-chaos-duren

20 – 090918: Qatar could saddle British taxpayers with a bill for billions of pounds by defaulting on payments for military equipment ordered from the UK. http://www.arabnews.com/node/1368196/business-economy

21 – 060918: Russia promotes itself as alternative power source to China and US in East https://sc.mp/2Q7W4MY  via @SCMPNews https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/2162919/subs-ships-and-aftersales-service-how-russias-military-making

DEFENCE-INDUSTRY

22 – 060918: Fokker Papendrecht involved for US$1.5m (1.9%) in latest F-35 Lockheed Martin contract (US$ 81m) for spare parts and engine change kits for US Navy amnd Marines. https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1618359/

WEAPONS

23 – 050918: Delft Dynamics' #DroneCatcher shown at #MSPO2018, visit booth D-23 of our partner @HertzSystems. Looking for partners from other @NATO countries to integrate with other counter-drone technologies. #counter #drones #CUAS https://www.dronecatcher.nl

24 – 060918: The lobby for (too) expensive Dutch Swedish build submarines continues. Book presented on Dutch sub-building in 1905-1958. One of the writers Tobias van Gent became MP for rightwing liberals VVD yesterday. Ron van Maanen (1958) is archive specialist on the history of wharf. https://twitter.com/martinbroek/status/1037625106321887232
See: https://www.pzc.nl/zeeuws-nieuws/damen-schelde-is-de-kandidaat-om-nieuwe-onderzeeboten-te-bouwen~aa7b62612/

OTHER

25 – 040918: NIDV - Bijeenkomst Platform Vliegende Systemen, zoals vandaag gevormd bij NIDV: over behoeften, Eur. projecten, industr. https://twitter.com/NIDVnews/status/1036907954337996800
participatie, strategische samenwerkingen. In nauwe samenwerking met overheid. Directeur Kustwacht, dank voor gastvrijheid.

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