QinetiQ CUTS 400 UK Jobs so how many will they bring to Athan???

The MODs 'Defence Training Rationalisation' programme is one of the biggest privatisations ever and is set to privatise military training! QinetiQ has become one of Britain’s most blatant war profiteers. They will be expected to help other parts of government in a cost-cutting drive and to cut training facilities drastically. Watch out for the new privatised UK McMilitary, objective to expand business and profits so goodbye defence, hello offence and more war! Welsh MPs Smith and Bryant are grovelling to the consortium Metix (includes Qinetiq and arms dealers Raytheon which has been blacklisted by Norway and Belgium) to bring all training for army, navy and airforce to St Athan, Wales promising mythical thousands of jobs despite half of the deal, package 2 being abandoned as Derek Twigg told MPs, there were too few areas where costs could be cut and qinetiq cutting jobs.

qinetiq rewards mount with rise in dividend

Guardian Unlimited, There was further controversy yesterday at qinetiq, where directors made more than £100m out of its flotation last year, after they further rewarded ...As far as we are concerned, we are doing the job, which is delivering value for shareholders," said Love, who admitted that the axe would fall on 400 of the 8,000 staff employed around Britain......

....The job cuts inside a company that employs 13,500 worldwide will increase the frustration of those former civil service staff who witnessed a small handful of the top management make vast sums of money out of the privatisation of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.

QinetiQ, which still employs the vast bulk of its staff in Britain at 38 different locations including Bristol, Plymouth and Rosyth in Scotland, is poised to help other parts of government in a cost-cutting drive.????

The company is the preferred bidder on the first part of the MoD's Defence Training Rationalisation programme which could be worth £16bn over the next 30 years. The winner of the contract will be expected to reduce the current size of the training facilities from 30 sites to 10. ..(Defence Training Rationalisation means privatising military training at St Athan and working with arms dealers Raytheon..in the Metrix consortium)

See also Union Welcomes MoD U-Turn On Training Privatisation

Is the tide turning on Defence Training Review

UK MoD reconsidering award of second training contract to QinetiQ-led consortium

Ten senior managers pocketed millions from privatisation of ...
Ten senior managers pocketed millions from the privatisation of defence technology business QinetiQ – leaving the public purse short changed, it has emerged. A.
PersonnelToday.com - Employment law news - http://www.personneltoday.com/

.......The other major beneficiary of the privatisation had been the private equity firm Carlyle Group, which had seen the rate of return on its investment increase by 112%.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) were shocked by the report's findings.
Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "It is scandalous that a small number of senior managers and private companies should be making so much money out of an organisation that was built by public servants with public money. It is unacceptable that returns of 20,000% can be made at the expense of the taxpayer."

The MoD said it will respond in full to the NAO report "in due course", and welcomes the Public Accounts Committee decision to take evidence on this report.

qinetiq to cut 400 despite profit jump
Times Online -
qinetiq, the defence research business in which the chairman and chief executive made more than £35 million on the flotation of the business, will eliminate ...
See all stories on this topic

Qinetiq war profiteer

Taxpayer may have to pay £170bn for PFI schemes
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 26 Nov 2007
The huge cost to the taxpayer of Labour's commitment to the private finance initiative since it came to power a decade ago is revealed by the Treasury in a ...

Tues 27 Nov

Treasury: Tendering and benchmarking in PFI (63rd), HC 754

BAE Corporate bribery

UK: Payload: Taking Aim at Corporate Bribery

PERU-IRAQ: A Year in Hell for 1,000 Dollars a Month

Write to your MP, AM www.WriteToThem.com

Land Securities Trillium slammed

Land Securities Trillium slammed for insurance failure at PFI school
23/11/2007

Pupils at a private finance initiative school were nearly left without a place to play sport or sit exams, after the contractor failed to adequately insure a sports hall that burned down.

Land Securities Trillium said its contract did not require it to provide alternative accommodation while the hall was being rebuilt at Woodside High in Haringey, north London.

But media pressure has forced the local council to provide some portacabins in the meantime.

"Generally PFI insurance does not cover for the provision of alternative accommodation,” a Trillium spokeswoman said, “because schools would end up paying more for that cover and the public sector does not deem this to be value for money."

Head teacher Joan McVittie replied that the existing insurance cover was “completely inappropriate for the needs of a school".

©Copyright 2007, Centaur Media PLC. All rights reserved

How George bush ended up owning part of the British Secret Service

News from the blogs!!!
Selling the family silver

how George Bush ended up owning part of the British civil service.
By Dr Grumble(Dr Grumble)
At about the same time he spoke to a very senior civil servant within DSTL about what QinetiQ might be worth. Dr Grumble wondered how a top civil servant who knew nothing about the private world could know what QinetiQ might be worth. ...
Dr Grumble - http://drgrumble.blogspot.com/

uk government accused of reclassifying cluster bomb to beat weapon ban!

Agencies accuse UK government of reclassifying cluster bomb in order to beat the weapon’s ban

18 September 2007 | Oxfam, Amnesty International UK, Human Rights Watch, Saferworld | Related document

Just noticed this ...

---

The UK, the world’s third largest user of lethal cluster bombs over the last ten years, has renamed one of its two remaining cluster munitions in an effort to beat an expected worldwide ban next year said humanitarian organisations Oxfam, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Landmine Action today.

The move would mean that the Hydra CRV-7 rocket system, which can deliver 171 “M73” bomblets from a helicopter-mounted rocket pod, would remain part of British arsenals.

As recently as 23 November 2006, the government listed the CRV-7 as a cluster munition. But on 16 July this year, just months after it said it would back a worldwide cluster bomb ban, the Government said the CRV-7 was no longer a cluster bomb.

“Ten years after it championed a treaty banning landmines the UK has a chance to do the same with cluster bombs – but instead it is spinning a cluster bomb con,” said Simon Conway, Director of Landmine Action. “This is a deeply cynical move. The UK Government needs to announce an immediate end to the use of these indiscriminate killers.”

US forces used the rocket-delivered M73 ‘bomblets’ in Iraq in 2003. Human Rights Watch reported contamination of unexploded M73 bomblets left behind after the strikes.

Cluster bomblets are notoriously unreliable and many fail to explode on impact, remaining a lethal hazard to civilians months after the initial attack. Even in test conditions, around 6% of these bombs malfunction, cluster bomb reliability rates are consistently found to be lower in combat conditions than in tests.

"A technical solution is doomed to failure,” said the London Director of Human Rights Watch, Tom Porteous. “Human Rights Watch's investigations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon have all shown that cluster munitions, no matter how sophisticated, do not work as advertised, and instead get used in ways that violate international humanitarian law."

In February 2007 the UK joined 46 other nations in calling for a world wide ban on cluster bombs. This initiative, called the Oslo process, is expected to lead to a treaty banning cluster bombs next year.

But campaigners say the UK needs to get its own house in order first.

“Current UK policy on cluster bombs makes no sense. They say they want an international treaty - but they also want to keep using cluster bombs well known to kill and injure civilians,” said Anna MacDonald, Head of Arms Control for Oxfam.

Britain also insists on keeping its artillery delivered M85 cluster bomblets because they are supposed to self-destruct if they do not explode on impact. Last year in Lebanon, these same weapons failed in large numbers, killing and injuring civilians. A recent Foreign Affairs Select Committee report estimated a failure rate of up to 10%, a figure far in excess of government claims.

“Despite being the third biggest user of cluster bombs in the world over the last ten years, the Government hasn’t made any efforts to asses the harm these weapons cause to civilians. Ministers are prepared to stand in Parliament and claim that careful assessments have been done – but where is the evidence? Their policies simply aren’t based on reality,” said Oliver Sprague, Programme Director, Military, Security and Police for Amnesty International UK.

In July 2007 an opinion poll showed 82% of the British public are in favour of a cluster bomb ban. In December last year Hillary Benn, the then Secretary of State for International Development, said that cluster munitions “represent a threat to aid-workers, peace-keepers, medical services, internally-displaced persons” after the cessation of hostilities.

Landmine Action, Oxfam, Amnesty International UK, Saferworld and Human Rights Watch UK are calling on the UK Government to announce an immediate end to the use of all cluster munitions.

-ends-

Notes for editors

Martin Bell, former BBC correspondent and long standing supporter of the campaign to ban cluster bombs will be supporting calls for the UK Government to introduce an immediate ban on the use of cluster bombs at a photo-call on Tuesday 18 September 2007 at 09.30hrs on the South East side of Lambeth Bridge, London SE1.

Tuesday 18 September 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines.

The next meeting of states in the Oslo Process will take place from 5-7 December 2007 in Vienna, Austria (see UK/Oslo Update and Declaration Text documents for additional information)

The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) coordinates a membership of over 200 non-governmental organisations worldwide including Landmine Action and Human Rights Watch.

For more information or to arrange interviews contact:

Therese Lyras, Campaigns Manager, Landmine Action
+44 (0)20 7820 0222/+(0)7894 512 852, tlyras@landmineaction.org

Metrix run scared as Qinetiq privatisation slammed

Metrix run scared as Qinetiq privatisation slammed
By permanentrevolution Key to this was an upcoming £16 billion contract for a new military super-academy. Qinetiq was a key player in the Metrix consortium which proposed to site this school of death at St Athan in the key marginal seat of the Vale of ...

QinetiQ – the War Profiteer Welsh Politicians Love to Love

THE National Audit Office (NAO) delivers a stinging rebuke to the Ministry of Defence with the publication of its long-awaited report into the privatisation of QinetiQ, the defence-technology group. National Audit Office Press Notice The privatisation of QinetiQ

QinetiQ is a company that has been mired in ethical controversy since its very beginning, for claims of taxpayer rip-offs, profit-gouging, sweetheart contracts and conflicts of interest. An early draft of the NAO report slammed the company for the “excessive profits” earned by its senior management and top investors.

In just four years, the US investment company Carlyle earned over £300 million on an initial £42 million stake in QinetiQ, while Chairman Sir John Chisholm turned his £129,000 QinetiQ investment into a £22 million personal fortune.Despite this greed of the highest order, Welsh politicians act as if they could not care less.

In January 2007, the QinetiQ-led Metrix Consortium won what is to be the largest investment in Welsh history – a £16 billion contract to build a private military training academy at St Athan, in the Vale of Glamorgan. The project would thrust Wales to the forefront of the global arms trade, since the business model at the heart of the St Athan Academy is to maximise profits by providing training not just to the British Armed Forces, but to militaries from all over the worldPrivatisation of the military, many fear, as is the case in other sectors, can undermine public accountability and erode ideas of public service and the public good, while achieving little if anything in the way of cost savings.

“The only winners in the privatisation of defence training,” says Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, “are the shareholders of the Metrix Consortium.”Jill Evans, Plaid MEP, has recently raised concerns about the St Athan Defence Training Academy, particularly because of the Consortium members behind the project, which include other arms companies like Raytheon.

Anne Greagsby, campaigning against the St Athan Academy said,“This cosy embrace of QinetiQ by Welsh political leaders over the past few years is puzzling, to say the least, given the country’s supposed commitment to principles of social justice and fairness, good governance, sustainable development and responsible international citizenship.“We are calling for a public debate about the companies involved in the Metrix consortium and we seek assurances that they are not involved in corruption or the trade of unethical weapons like cluster bombs and depleted uranium.”

QinetiQ also helps Wales manage and market its new UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) centre at Parc Aberporth – a facility the government has said is a key part of its plans for the regeneration of Cardigan and West Wales. Welsh Assembly Members and Ministers, in welcoming QinetiQ to Parc Aberporth, have spoken glowingly of its “vast expertise” and “international reputation.”

PCS the union representing staff involved said "Recently the MoD won awards at a PFI ceremony for privatising more functions than any other Civil Service department. This is a national scandal. Companies like QinetiQ were flogged off cheap, and now intend to make vast profits from delivering military training. QinetiQ will squeeze every penny out of the MoD that it can, while delivering training where quality is sacrificed to making profits for its shareholders.This does not benefit the people of South Wales or our service personnel. It benefits QinetiQ, and that's all they're interested in. With recent reports of the breakdown of the military covenant, PCS asks is privatising defence training going to make things better? Our answer is an uneqivocal 'No!' '"

ENDS Notes

Pfeifer (2007) “Audit Office Slams ‘Excessive’ Profits for QinetiQ Chiefs,” Daily Telegraph, March 17.George Monbiot (2006) “Greed of the Highest Order and the Worst Privatisation Since Rail,” Guardian, February 14.Public and Commercial Services Union (2007) “Union Anger Over Defence Privatisation” January 17.See QinetiQ briefing: http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=286

our briefings on:Qinetiq - http://www.cynefinywerin.org.uk/index.php?docid=286

Qinetiq latest
BAE Systems teams up with qinetiq, GE, others for armored vehicle ...MarketWatch - 21 Nov 2007LN) said Wednesday it's joining forces with other companies including qinetiq Group PLC (QQ.LN) and GE Aviation to bid for a role on a multi-billion pound ...BAE Systems Announces UK Industry Team for FRES PCB007 (press release)BAE Systems Names Companies Bidding for Role in Building British ... DefenseNews.com (subscription)Top team named in FRES work bid nebusiness.co.ukall 6 news articles »

Channel 4 News What the former military chiefs said

History

A Good Model for a Mugging
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2006/02/14/a-good-model-for-a-mugging/
Posted February 14, 2006 Labour’s first full-scale privatisation involves the multiple fleecing of the taxpayer By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 14th February 2006

Raytheons Torture Weapon

This is an interesting article reproduced here about raytheons torture weapon

US Military Invests in Hi-tech Torture for “Civilian Law Enforcement”
Posted by Sopan Greene on November 21, 2007
Notice that this information comes from Europe. Over fifty million American tax dollars have been used to create weapons of torture for over a decade, which the parent company sites as to be used on civilians, and American media doesn’t mention a peep about it. Active Denial indeed! Democracy my ass.
From Uruknet:
Hi-tech Tortureby Rosemarie Jackowski
Rosemarie Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in the USA. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for her participation in a peaceful protest of the war. The conviction was appealed and overturned in the State Supreme Court. The government then announced plans to retry the case. Finally, after years of legal proceedings, all charges were dropped. She can be reached at: dissent@sover.net

November 20, 2007
“…Now the US military directorate charged with developing non-lethal weapons, which has invested more than a decade developing the Active Denial System (ADS), has launched a concerted effort to convince both the public and its own bosses at the defence department of the device’s merits.
“With brand new technology like this, perception is everything,” said Col Kirk Hymes, a former Marine artillery officer who heads the directorate.
He added that tests were almost complete and the first ADS, also known as the Silent Guardian, could be deployed early next year if the Pentagon allows. The decision is so sensitive that it is expected to be made personally by the defence secretary, Robert Gates, who sent senior representatives to the demonstrations…”

The Telegraph co. uk, November 19, 2007
Just when it seems that things cannot get any worse, we learn that U.S. military commanders in Iraq are seeking permission to use a new weapon system. This will be the ultimate torture weapon. Its purpose is to cause excruciating pain, but leave no evidence of wounds on the victim. Imagine this weapon at AbuGhraib or Guantanamo. Imagine this weapon at your local precinct. The Department of Defense has named this weapon system “Active Denial”.
Besides torture, this weapon can also be used for crowd control. It is a ray gun which could literally make blood boil. It is based on the same technology as a microwave oven. The human body is comprised mostly of water… think of the sensation of boiling blood. The purpose of this weapon system is to cause an unbearable level of pain so that the victim will submit to the will of the US military or police.

The gun produces a 95-gigahertz microwave beam that is designed to penetrate 1/64th of an inch. Hummmm, should the experts be trusted to achieve zero defects with a technology that requires so precise a tolerance?
Raytheon, with headquarters in Waltham, Mass. is listed as the prime contractor on this project. Raytheon reports sales of $20.3 billion in 2006. The development of torture devices brings high profits to the corporation. Profits before people seems to be the accepted practice in the United States.


This project brings to mind some questions. The Raytheon web site states that this weapon will be used for “civilian law enforcement”. Is this system being designed for domestic use against U.S. citizens?
Will it be used for “crowd control” at sites of labor disputes and strikes? Will it be coming soon to a war protest near you?

Will it be used at the borders to prevent immigration? Does International Law prohibit the use of this weapon on the battlefield?

Will the government hide behind Sovereign Immunity when a citizen is injured or killed by this weapon? How will this weapon effect children? Will the NRA lobby for access to this weapon? How will it affect the performance of an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker?
The bad news is that this weapon is now operational.

The good news is that the weapon system has had some major design problems. The designers have failed to realize that a person is not a potato. Microwaving a human to the exact degree of doneness is proving to be problematic. Is there anyone out there who wants to volunteer as a subject for any further field tests that may be required? What they need is a test subject, with a pacemaker, contact lenses, a lot of amalgam dental fillings, and maybe a few metal surgical staples from an old appendectomy. Will they pay a bonus if the subject is pregnant? When the experiment is completed, if the subject is incapacitated, but still alive with no visible wounds, the field test is a success.

Fifty-one million dollars has already been spent on this weapon system. This gun has killed before the trigger was even pulled. In the U.S., 18,000 die each year because of the lack of health care. If that 51 million dollars had been used to provide health care to our fellow citizens many lives would have been saved. The real enemies of the American people are those whose priorities are so warped that they allocate money for ray guns while ignoring the humanitarian needs of the populace.

The design and production of redundant weapon systems is pushed by the lobbying efforts of the arms manufacturers who have been doing a land-office business. Somehow all of this seems to be OK with the employees of Raytheon.

The argument that, “We need the jobs”, is an old one that has been used to justify the development of the most horrific weapons.

It is puzzling that the psyche of so many U.S. workers allows them to be engaged in the design and manufacture of a weapon system designed to torture. As the U.S. economy disintegrates, more will be willing to sell their souls for the pay check at the end of the week.
Will those in the legal community speak out against this hi-tech torture system? Its legality under international law is questionable - but then compliance with international law is not a high priority in the US.

Will church leaders give sermons about hi-tech torture? It does not seem to be a hot topic among the clergy.

Will shareholders dump their Raytheon stock? Does Wall Street have a conscience - dumb question, I know.

Will US taxpayers object to having their money used to make weapons of torture? They don’t seem to object to cluster bombs, land mines, or nukes.

Will US citizens be duped by the spin of the Pentagon and State Department into thinking that this is just another “nice” weapon that we need to “protect our freedom”? The propaganda campaign has already begun. Col. Kirk Hymes is quoted as saying,
“With brand new technology like this, perception is everything.”

Waterboarding is low-tech torture. Active Denial is hi-tech torture. Torture is torture no matter how it is done. Most people - with the exception of at least one Justice on the Supreme Court - understand that. Torture by any other name is still torture.

Raytheon heat wave gun may be used in Iraq

From the article below
Raytheon, the company contracted to manufacture the prototype, has also received interest from several undisclosed European countries. The machine displayed last week cost about $10 million to build, but the directorate believes that the ADS can be put into production for $2-$5 million (£1-2.5 million) per device.

>>>only costs £1.2 million per device...could provide a lot of clean water in Iraq to the majority of people who don't have any.

US 'heat wave' gun may be used in Iraq --The US military directorate has invested more than a decade developing the Active Denial System (ADS). 21 Nov 2007 American commanders in Iraq are urging Pentagon chiefs to authorise the deployment of newly-developed heat wave guns to disperse angry crowds or violent rioters. Washington fears a barrage of adverse publicity in the suspicious Muslim world and is concerned that critics will claim the invisible beam weapons were being used for torture.
How I was zapped by a heat wave gun By Philip Sherwell 21 Nov 2007 On a cold and rain-swept morning on a US marine base, I stood and braced myself to be zapped by the latest prototype weapon in the American armoury - an invisible heat beam from a high-powered ray gun. The non-lethal device is designed for crowd control and the scientists responsible for monitoring this Star Trek technology had just assured me that I would suffer no harm and only temporary discomfort.

Qinetiq slammed

qinetiq report is Labour's a 'financial time bomb'Telegraph.co.uk, By Russell Hotten The Government faces further embarrassment with the imminent publication of what is expected to be a damning report into the Treasury's ...

Qinetiq Q-branch and Area 51 tech sell-off due a roasting Register, By Lewis Page → More by this author A long-anticipated report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the privatisation of defence-tech research company ...

Brown defends sale of mod research bodyTelegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - By Brendan Carlin, Political Correspondent Gordon Brown has been forced to defend the controversial sell-off of a Ministry of Defence research body which ...

Primeministers questions 21 Nov 2007
Dr. Cable: May I point the Prime Minister to the next Treasury disaster, with the imminent publication of the report on the privatisation of QinetiQ, which I warned about in the debate 18 months ago? Was the Prime Minister not financially very naive when he agreed to the undervaluation of public assets, enabling an American private equity company to make a windfall profit of £300 million and the chief civil servant involved to make a personal fortune of £22 million?

The Prime Minister: It is very interesting that the hon. Gentleman has not moved to talk about Northern Rock again. I suppose that he is now supporting us in rescuing Northern Rock. I hope that that is a consensus.
As far as QinetiQ is concerned, we raised £800 million from the sale. QinetiQ is serving its country under its new ownership and QinetiQ is very important to the Ministry of Defence’s future procurement plans.

Auditors condemn rushed mod sale that turned civil servants into ...Guardian 20 Nov 2007
The Ministry of Defence will be severely criticised by the National Audit Office this week for allowing two senior civil servants to become ...

Defence ministry under fire for research unit’s sell-offGulf Times, Qatar - Military chiefs are to be criticised for the partial sell-off of a defence research group which allowed two civil servants to become millionaires, ...

Serco & Labour Lord Filkin, labour Baroness Margaret Ford

Serco is part of the consortium led by Raytheon --called Trusted Borders - !!
who have got the contract to biometrically screen all uk visitors ...
New labours Lord Filkin is just non-executive of Serco (home affairs) plc and new labour Baroness Margaret Ford is on Sercos main board!! don't forget our friends Qinetiq
QinetiQ to play key role in UK Home Office e-Borders Project

see also Raytheon dosh goes to New Labour
'Border' Defence sold to the US
Raytheon wins $1.3 billion UK contract
Fortress Britain
eborders unease

Trusted Borders also includes Capgemini
John Birt, Baron Birt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In 2006, Lord Birt (of blue skies thinking fame) joined the consulting firm Capgemini. ... Lord Birt, former director-general of the BBC and Prime Minister's strategy adviser, has been appointed adviser to the Board of Directors of Capgemini UK plc.

Serco on the Trusted Borders? website says "it is a British company which provides a range of key services to the UK Government and law enforcement agencies. The Mycroft intelligence system helps immigration officers track 'people traffickers' around the world, while Programme Cyclamen helps Revenue and Customs officers to detect illicit radiological material passing through ports and airports - reducing the chance of a terrorist 'dirty bomb'.
Serco is also a strategic partner to the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency, provides command and control systems for police forces and runs high-security prisons and prisoner escorting services. We are a partner in the Atomic Weapons Establishment, which maintains Britain's nuclear deterrent, and provide combat training and maintenance for British military helicopter pilots.
In short, across a wide range of key services vital to maintaining public safety and national security, Serco works as a committed partner to the UK Government."
www.serco.com/markets/homeaffairs/immigration/index.asp

Qinetiq scandal

Qinetiq news as we wait for the audit commission report..
The buyout rules that should hold no fearsThis is Money -
About the only thing Northern Rock has in common with QinetiQ is that they both go bang, the big difference being that the latter company, with its huge ...See all stories on this topic

Auditors condemn rushed MoD sale that turned civil servants into ...Guardian Unlimited - The part-sale of QinetiQ was ordered by the Treasury in the late 1990s and led to government assets being snapped up by a US private equity company at an ...See all stories on this topic

Whats going on here then?
COMMENT: News should be treated with cautionWorcester News - Worcester News, UKQinetiQ, which owns parts of the land there, says that the site has only been put forward for possible development and no planning process has started. ...

Raytheon 'heat wave' gun may be used in Iraq

Pioneering 'heat wave' gun may be used in Iraqhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/18/wdenial118.xmlBy Philip Sherwell in Quantico, Virginia and Jacqui Goddard
Telegraph (UK)
American commanders in Iraq are urging Pentagon chiefs to authorise the deployment of newly-developed heat wave guns to disperse angry crowds or violent rioters.
In pictures: How I was zapped by a heat wave gun
US plans new space weapons against China
Scientists develop material that bounces bullets
But the plea for what senior army officers believe could prove a valuable alternative to traditional firepower in dangerous trouble-spots has so far gone unanswered.

The ADS can target crowds from 750 metres away
Washington fears a barrage of adverse publicity in the suspicious Muslim world and is concerned that critics will claim the invisible beam weapons were being used for torture.
Now the US military directorate charged with developing non-lethal weapons, which has invested more than a decade developing the Active Denial System (ADS), has launched a concerted effort to convince both the public and its own bosses at the defence department of the device's merits.
"With brand new technology like this, perception is everything," said Col Kirk Hymes, a former Marine artillery officer who heads the directorate.
He added that tests were almost complete and the first ADS, also known as the Silent Guardian, could be deployed early next year if the Pentagon allows. The decision is so sensitive that it is expected to be made personally by the defence secretary, Robert Gates, who sent senior representatives to the demonstrations.
Raytheon, the company contracted to manufacture the prototype, has also received interest from several undisclosed European countries. The machine displayed last week cost about $10 million to build, but the directorate believes that the ADS can be put into production for $2-$5 million (£1-2.5 million) per device.
Col Hymes told observers at a demonstration that the system was a safe and effective alternative to plastic bullets, which can cause injury and sometimes death and are effective only up to 75 metres.
The heatwave weapon can, by contrast, target troublemakers from 750 metres. It works by dispatching high-powered radio waves from a vehicle antenna, similar to a satellite television dish, causing the molecules in a target's skin to vibrate violently, creating a burning sensation.
"We are pretty good at shouting and intimidating people and we have been perfecting the art of lethal warfare since Cain and Abel," he said. "But in places like Iraq we are re-learning that we need a response in the spectrum between shouting and shooting. The ADS provides this.

"But he added: "This is not something we want to roll out and deploy and surprise people. We know we need to educate the public." In fact the development of the weapon only became public after the Sunshine Project - a Texas-based group that campaigns against biological and chemical weapons - pushed for disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

The group's director, Edward Hammond, said: "If we are not prepared to use it as a crowd control technique on our own citizens, then we really shouldn't be using it in Iraq either."

Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon intelligence officer who is senior military analyst for the Human Rights Watch campaign group, was among those invited to feel the device's impact at a recent demonstration.

He said: "If I had the option of being shot by a bullet or this, I would choose this - but still not enough is known about it. This is novel technology. We're talking about bringing science fiction into reality and it's critical to have open discussion."

He added: "People understand what happens when you get shot with a gun, but with the "pain-ray" there's still uncertainty. When it's used, the military is going to have to deal with a public backlash because I'm sure there will be claims of medical problems by the people it's been used upon, real or not."

"We are talking about young soldiers having this in their hands. If we upset the civilian population in Iraq, whether by killing, by torture or by misusing this, it will have a strategic effect on the US's ability to execute effective operations."

Col Hymes said that all ADS operators were given a six-week training course that covered sophisticated crowd control techniques as well as handling the technology.

Metrix Consortium under threat

Land Securities Trillium to hive off its PFI arm , Raytheon may be thinking of pulling out and Qinitiq due to be slated by the audit office within days the Metrix Consortium is looking shaky.

Land Securities hives off PFI armPublic Private Finance - London Property firm Land Securities has announced plans to spin off its private finance initiative division, Trillium. The move is part of a plan to split the ...
Two articles which we can't read ...are Defence training centre may ditch private finance ...
News Article 01/11/2007..The second part of the £14 billion private finance initiative for a defence training centre at St Athan...
Problems hit defence training PFI ...News Article 29/10/2007
Cost concerns mean that the second part of the £14 billion defence training scheme at St Athan in Wales....
Land Securities to split into three after slide in sharesIndependent - London,By Karen Attwood Land Securities, the UK's largest real estate investment trust (Reit), is to split into three separate quoted companies. ...


Land Securities pushes on with three-way split Telegraph.co.uk - The Land Securities name will be adopted by the London business and outsourcing will retain the Trillium brand, but retail will find a new name. ...



Split could be recipe for takeover at Land SecuritiesFinancial Times (subscription) - London,England,UKBy Jim Pickard Stephen Hester, chief executive of British Land, tried delicately not to criticise rival Land Securities – which has just confirmed plans for ...

Raytheon 9 trial Nov 19th

Trial of the Raytheon 9 is due to start in Derry today (nov 19th.) The 9 face charges arsising out of the disabling of Raytheon computers in Derry, Ireland, during the Israeli military bombing of Lebanon in 2006. Raytheon equipment was used extensively in the bombing of Lebanon.

Raytheon, the world's third largest arms corporation, was introduced to Derry as part of the "peace process". Go figure! Please check the following website for background on the nonviolent disarmament action and updates on the trial.
http://www.raytheon9.org/home.html

Last Saturday night (Nov 17th.) Gary Donnelly, one of the Raytheon 9 was attacked by police in Derry breaking his arm. See link below.... http://www.indymedia.ie/article/85112

Raytheon dosh goes to New Labour think tank

Henry porter on liberty observer sun 18th....
much of money will go to raytheon systems, the us company that developed the cruise missile and which, no coincidence has embedded itself in Labours information project by supporting security research at the partys favourite think tank the Institute for Public Policy -IPPR...so Raytheon will have access to all our travel details ....

RAYTHEON SYSTEMS LIMITED TO SUPPORT IPPR’S BRITISH
SECURITY POLICY WORK

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTMLLONDON (23rd MAY, 2007) - - - Raytheon Systems Limited (RSL) has today announced. that it is to support the Institute for Public Policy Research’s (IPPR’s) ...www.raytheon.co.uk/news_room/news/press_release_23-05-2007.pdf

Don't forget LABOUR'S 2005 BRIGHTON CONFERENCE some people allege that
US arms manufacturer, Raytheon Systems chucked the Labour party five grand in 1997, sweetening the gift by flying a load of MPs to Paris on a jolly at the same time. A real bargain - despite former Raytheon sales manager, John McDermott, admitting taking £140,000 in bribes two years previously, the company still managed to pick up a Ministry of Offence contract to build a £800m battlefield radar spy-plane system.

Raytheon spent over $2.4M lobbyingCNNMoney.com - 16 Nov 2007WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense contractor Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) Co. spent more than $2.4 million to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, ...Raytheon Spent Over $2.4M Lobbying MSNBCall 20 news articles »
Raytheon Awarded Contract with UK Home Office for e-Borders ProjectCNNMoney.com - 14 Nov 2007 The e-Borders program will build upon the country's current pilot program for border control and expand it into a fully flexible, scalable and robust e- ...
UK border control to be tightened by technology & new 'UK
Border ...PublicTechnology.net, UK - 15 Nov 2007 Immigration, customs and visa checks will be united in a new UK Border Agency, it was announced yesterday. At the same time the Government announced a ...

Raytheon wins $1.3 billion UK contract Boston Globe, United States - 14 Nov 2007"We see this as a capability we're interested in forwarding to new countries interested in border control," said Mike Keebaugh, president of Raytheon's ...

UK to Give $2.5 Bln Borders Deal to Raytheon or BT (Update2)Bloomberg - 14 Nov 200711 that a group of companies led by Raytheon had won the 10-year contract to improve border controls. Raytheon, BT and the Home Office wouldn't comment ...

UPDATE 1-Raytheon wins $1.3 bln UK immigration contract Reuters.uk, UK - 14 Nov 2007N: Quote, Profile , Research) signed a 650 million pound ($1.35 bln) contract to provide Britain with a new electronic border control system on Wednesday. ...
Raytheon Signs Contract With UK Home Office For E-Borders Project ...RTT News, NY - 14 Nov 2007The company noted that the e-Borders program would build upon the country's current pilot program for border control and expand it into a fully flexible, ...Raytheon to win 500 mln stg UK govt contLife Style Extra, UK - 14 Nov 2007LONDON (Thomson Financial) - A consortium led by Raytheon Co is to be awarded a 500 mln stg British government contract to run a new electronic border ...Home Office awards £650m e-Borders contractComputerWeekly.com, UK - 14 Nov 2007The project will see the development and implementation of the nation's "e-Borders" project, an advanced border control and security programme. ...

Raytheon spent $2.4M lobbing !

Raytheon spent over $2.4M lobbying
CNNMoney.com - 19 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense contractor Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) Co. spent more than $2.4 million to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, ...

Raytheon spent over $2.4M lobbying
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense contractor Raytheon Co. spent more than $2.4 million to lobby the federal government in the first half of 2007, according to a disclosure form.
ABC Money News - What or Who... - http://www.abcmoney.co.uk

Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or engaging in lobbying. Is it the same here? I don't think so but they sure have friends in high places such as the home office as they are been awarded such huge contracts.

90 facts travellers must tell officials Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 14 Nov 2007 By Sophie Borland Travellers will be forced to hand over more than 90 pieces of personal information as part of new plans to combat terrorism. ... If you thought ID cards were a bad idea this is the mother of all bad ideas.

Raytheon wins $1.3 billion UK contract International Herald Tribune, France - 14 Nov 2007 Extending its homeland security business overseas, Waltham defense giant Raytheon Co. today signed a deal worth $1.34 billion over the next 10 years to help ...

Raytheon Wins $1.3 Billion UK e-Borders Contract Trading Markets (press release), CA - 19 hours ago Nov 16, 2007 (Defense Daily International/Access Intelligence via COMTEX) -- RTN | charts | news | powerrating -- Raytheon [RTN] recently was selected by ...

'Border' Defence sold to the US

Americanisation and privatisation of defence and security is alarming. US firm Raytheon condemned in Norway and Belgium for its relationship with cluster bombs is being boosted by Brown here. This consortium with a 1.3 billion dollar contract has the usual dodgy suspects involved ...yes ...Serco and Qinetiq...a requirement seems to be messing up big time previous government work .... if you were worried about ID cards ..be evan more worried about this even bigger brother!!!!

Raytheon wins $1.3 billion UK contract
International Herald Tribune, France - 14 Nov 2007

Extending its homeland security business overseas, Waltham defense giant Raytheon Co. today signed a deal worth $1.34 billion over the next 10 years to help the United Kingdom control its borders.
Under the agreement, signed with the British Home Office, Raytheon will lead a six-company consortium called "Trusted Borders" that will collect and analyze data on people entering the nation by air, sea, and rail. The effort is part of the United Kingdom's e-Borders project undertaken in advance of the London Olympics in 2012.

The deal is important in two ways to Raytheon, which has a larger share of foreign sales than any other large Pentagon contractor. The operation will run out of the London suburb of Uxbridge, near Heathrow International Airport, and will deploy techniques and technologies Raytheon could market to other countries. And it will raise the company's profile in the fast-growing field of homeland security -- called "national security" in the United Kingdom -- a key focus for Raytheon.

"We see this as a capability we're interested in forwarding to new countries interested in border control," said Mike Keebaugh, president of Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems unit in Garland, Tex., outside Dallas, which is leading the effort. "Those countries could be in the European Union or they could be in Asia."

Raytheon walks away with $1.35B UK dealBusinessWeek - 14 Nov 2007By DONNA BORAK Raytheon Co. on Wednesday said it won a $1.35 billion contract from the British government to develop a computerized system that will track ...

Brits beef up anti-terror efforts with help from Raytheon Bizjournals.com, NC - 14 Nov 2007Raytheon Co., which has a division in Tucson, won a $1.3 billion contract from the British government for new border security systems. ...

Raytheon Wins 650 Million-Pound UK Border Contract (Update1)Bloomberg - 14 Nov 2007By Robert Hutton Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlined plans to step up security in the UK and combat terrorism, awarding Raytheon Co. ...
The U.S. defense contractor beat British phone company BT Group Plc for the contract to provide electronic controls for immigration officers at ports and airports. The E-Borders program aims to help police and security services keep track of people entering and leaving the country. The Raytheon contract is worth 650 million pounds over 10 years, the Home Office said.
Home Office Minister Liam Byrne announced the winner as his department set out recommendations from two reports into borders and security in the wake of failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow in June. The program will go ``hand-in-hand'' with the creation of a new single Border Agency to control immigration, customs and security.
``The new agency will enable us to transfer intelligence from U.K. operations overseas to those making visa decisions, and to check biometrics taken from visa applicants against criminal and counter-terrorism records,'' Brown said in a statement to Parliament.
Among other measures, the largest global technology and Internet companies will be asked to help stop terrorist propaganda from being districted online, Brown said.
To guard against terrorist attacks, barriers and special glass will be installed at railway stations, airports and other crowded places, Brown said. The 250 busiest railway stations in the U.K., many of them in London, will be the first to see security stepped up.
Baggage Restrictions Eased
At the most ``sensitive'' locations, such as large rail stations, there will be additional screening of baggage and passenger searches, Brown said. He said the U.K.'s one-bag limit on airline hand baggage would be ``progressively lifted'' as airports improved security.
Brown earlier this year commissioned Alan West, a junior government minister and former Navy admiral, to report on how high-profile targets can be better protected from attacks. West's full report is secret. Among the conclusions Brown released is a move to design traffic flow and barriers to stop people driving up to targets.
On June 30, a burning car was driven into a terminal building at Glasgow airport. It didn't explode, and the only person to die was one of the drivers.

Border Checks
Another report today from Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell made suggestions about how to improve checks on people entering and leaving the U.K. O'Donnell, the most senior U.K. civil servant, examined how the Borders and Immigration Agency could be combined into an office that also manages visas and customs inspections.

The Treasury currently manages customs, while visas are granted by another wing of the Home Office and by embassy staff abroad.
The E-Borders system will be part of that effort, giving agencies access to passenger lists and enabling staff to check identity documents. It is an attempt to answer Conservative criticism that the ruling Labour Party has lost control over immigration. The government said this month that 300,000 more foreign nationals are working in the U.K. than it first estimated.
Last year, the government admitted it released more than 1,000 foreign prisoners who should have been considered for deportation. The revelation among other led then-Prime Minister Tony Blair to fire Charles Clarke as Home Secretary. When John Reid took over the job, he said the department was ``not fit for purpose.''
Illegal Immigrants
His successor, Jacqui Smith, yesterday made a statement to lawmakers explaining why illegal immigrants had been allowed to work in the security industry, some protecting government offices. Brown said today he was still in favor of allowing police to hold terror suspects for more than 28 days. Civil liberties groups and opposition parties oppose any extension.
Raytheon's partners on the E-borders project include Accenture, Detica Group Plc, Serco Group Plc, QinetiQ Plc, Groupe Steria SCA and Cap Gemini SA. Subcontractors in BT's bid included Lockheed Martin Corp., LogicaCMG Plc, Hewlett-Packard Co., Arinc Inc. and Anite Plc.
BT is ``disappointed' it had not been chosen for the contract, the company said in a statement released today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net

Raytheon competes with Blackwater for contracts from Pentagon

Next Test for Blackwater

Can Firm Get New PentagonWork After Iraq Incident?

By AUGUST COLENovember 13, 2007; Page A6
A Defense Department contract involving antidrug training missions may test the durability of the political controversy over Blackwater Worldwide's security work in Iraq.
The Moyock, N.C., company, which was involved in a September shooting in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead, is one of five military contractors competing for as much as $15 billion over five years to help fight a narcotics trade that the government says finances terrorist groups.

Also competing for contracts from the Pentagon's Counter Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office are military-industry giants Raytheon Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp., as well as Arinc Inc., a smaller aerospace and technology contractor.
The contracts are expected to be awarded as the need arises, so the Pentagon's level of concern about employing Blackwater will likely be measured over time and by whether the company wins leading roles or is shut out.

Companies competing for the work might be called on to develop detection or surveillance technology; train U.S. and foreign forces; or provide logistics, communications and information-technology systems, among other areas.

Blackwater faces the question of whether it is too tainted to be tapped for such work, even though the contract doesn't involve the kind of security detail that it performs in Iraq. The Sept. 16 shooting in Baghdad strained relations between Washington and the Iraqi government, which alleged that the shooting was unnecessary.

The company, formerly known as Blackwater USA, maintains that its ability to win additional government business hasn't been affected by scrutiny from Congress, the State Department and the Justice Department. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said customers have "confidence in our ability to perform in a capable and professional manner."
Peter Singer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Blackwater's troubles are not a "death knell," for the company but said: "This extremely public kind of controversy certainly isn't of much help in winning contracts."

Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois introduced the "Stop Outsourcing Security Act," which would halt the government's practice of using companies such as Blackwater to provide private security for U.S. diplomats in Iraq.

Can Government Control and oversee mercenaries

Will private contractors be supervised adequately as st athan?

Worth reading this story

IRAQ Blackwater Buzz
The State Department has been facing rough times lately, with its lax oversight of government contractors under scrutiny, diplomatic dissatisfaction over forced postings to Iraq, and a behemoth embassy in Iraq that is expected to cost $144 more than projected. The official who is supposed to be rooting out this "waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement" at the agency, Inspector General (IG) Howard Krongard, is instead fending off allegations that he has politicized the agency and blocked investigations. As House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) noted in a September letter, it appears that Krongard's "foremost mission is to support the Bush Administration, especially with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan," rather than "act as an independent and objective check."INSPECTING THE INSPECTOR GENERAL: Krongard yesterday appeared before the House Oversight Committee to defend himself against allegations that, among others, he stalled investigators from cooperating with a Justice Department probe waste relating to the new U.S. embassy in Iraq and refused to send "any investigators" into Iraq or Afghanistan to "pursue investigations into wasteful spending or procurement fraud." In late September, Waxman also found that Krongard's senior staff "attempted to coerce" State Department employees from cooperating with Congress's investigation, threatening them with their "jobs and careers." Even a report by the committee's Republican staff found "substantial support" that Krongard would regularly "belittle employees" or treat them harshly. "Several witnesses observed that the IG had a poor regard for government workers," the report concluded. The FBI is also investigating Krongard and the American Foreign Service Association has called for his ouster.AN 'UGLY' REALITY: One of the most serious charges against Krongard is that he impeded an investigation into whether Blackwater USA employees illegally smuggled weapons into Iraq that were then sold on the black market. In a Sept. 18 letter, Waxman revealed that Krongard had ordered his employees to "IMMEDIATELY" stop cooperating with federal investigators. Krongard has denied this allegation, but yesterday's hearing revealed that he has a conflict-of-interest with the contractor: his brother, Alvin "Buzzy" Krongard sits on Blackwater USA's advisory board. At first, Krongard vehemently rebuffed the charge, calling it an "ugly rumor." "It couldn't possibly have affected anything I've done, because I don't believe it," he said. Yet during a break in the proceedings, Krongard called his brother and confirmed that the "ugly rumor" was in fact true, and promised to recuse himself from any Blackwater investigations: "I learned that he had been at the advisory board meeting yesterday. I had not been aware of that." Krongard claimed that the last time he talked to his brother -- "about six weeks ago" -- Buzzy had not been on Blackwater's board. But TPMmuckraker.com's Spencer Ackerman yesterday spoke with Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell, who said Buzzy was invited to join the board in late July and "accepted soon after," raising doubts about Krongard's timeline. In fact, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) presented a Sept. 5 e-mail at yesterday's hearing, in which Blackwater wrote to Buzzy to "thank you for accepting the invitation to be a member." Buzzy also told Ackerman that about two or three weeks ago, he told his brother he would be joining the advisory board.

FUTURE CONTRACTING: Blackwater is a State Department contractor and has received hundreds of millions of dollars of work from the government. The Bush administration has repeatedly rushed to the defense of Blackwater after the deadly September shootout that killed 17 Iraqi civilians, even promising legal immunity to the company's guards. But an FBI investigation concluded yesterday that the employees' shootings were "unjustified under State Department rules for the private guards," although charges remain uncertain. Despite these troubles, Blackwater is likely to continue its association with the State Department, which is why Krongard's conflict-of-interest is so troubling. Just weeks after the September shooting, the State Department awarded the firm a new $92 million contract. Blackwater is also "one of five military contractors competing for as much as $15 billion over five years to help fight a narcotics trade that the government says finances terrorist groups."

Raytheon JSOW missile available with cluster ammunition payload!

Raytheon is producer of the JSOW Joint Stand-Off Weapon, a missile that is available with cluster ammunition payload. That variant is using BLU-97and BLU-108 cluster ammunition.

The JSOW is in use with much of the US Air Force fighter aircraft (such asthe F-16) and is selected for the Joint Strike Fighter currently underdevelopment.

JSOW has been used in both Iraq and Afghanistan recently, though I cannot confirm that cluster ammunition versions have been used. Moreover, Raytheon is responsible for the AGM-129 nuclear cruise missile,though it was announced earlier this year that the US plan to retire this one.

U.S. clears Blackwater mercnenaries in 3 Iraqi deaths

New Law May Spell End to Iraq Contractors --CBS News: Documents Show Iraqi Parliament Considering Ending Immunity For Private Firms 09 Nov 2007 The government of Iraq has notified private security firms their immunity from Iraqi law is about to end, CBS News reports. The title of a letter sent by the interior ministry: "Removing the legal immunity." The draft of a new law says "all immunities … shall be cancelled." That law still must be ratified by the Iraqi parliament, and if and when it is, private security firms like Blackwater would almost certainly pull out of Iraq.
U.S. clears Blackwater in 3 Iraqi deaths 09 Nov 2007 The U.S. government countered Iraqi claims that employees mercenaries with Blackwater USA fired "without any provocation" on Iraqi guards, killing three. Iraqi accounts of the incident describe the shootings as "an act of terrorism" and concluded Blackwater employees fired "without any provocation."

Raytheon Admit cluster bomb connection!

St Athans: Raytheon admit cluster bomb connection

Read this excellent article .

St Athan Raytheon and the 'Cluster Bomb'

St Athan, Raytheon and the Cluster Bomb

Blogger on the 'bomb' a comment on our story from earlier today!
What Is Wales And What Is It For?...

“To clarify, Raytheon has never manufactured cluster bombs, but in the past we have been associated with their manufacture because of our contract to produce a missile that can carry different types of munition payloads, determined by the customer...”Well, there you go. It never made the bombs. But it did make a delivery vehicle.And what a delivery vehicle.The item in question was the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon, used extensively in Iraq and which in 2006 it sold to Turkey.According to Raytheon’s own press team in April 2006: “The AGM-154 A (also called JSOW-A) variant dispenses BLU-97 combined-effect bomblets for use against soft andarea targets. It is produced for use on the F/A-18, F-16, F-15E, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft.”

Weapons firms role in St Athan Academy Comdemned

Weapons firm’s role in St Athan academy condemned ic Wales, United Kingdom - CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of a weapons company previously ...
anne
the whole story
Nov 9 2007 by Martin Shipton, Western Mail

CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the Assembly Government for backing a huge military training project, despite the involvement of a weapons company previously linked to cluster bombs.
The St Athan Defence Academy is due to create 5,000 jobs in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2013.
But an anti-military group called the Cluster Munition Coalition says that one of the major companies involved in the academy, Raytheon, has been involved in manufacturing devices that carry cluster munitions.

Raytheon, a leading American arms firm, insists it no longer produces weapons capable of carrying cluster bombs. But campaigners say they remain concerned.
Anne Greagsby, co-ordinator of the campaign to stop the St Athan academy from being built, said, “In 2005 a European Parliament resolution was introduced to ban investments in companies, such as Raytheon, that have produced cluster munitions. In response to this, Norway and Belgium have already endorsed this call. Liverpool City Council has also recently adopted a similar position.
“Yet the Welsh government has ignored all of these concerns, and instead launched a high profile development project with Raytheon.
“Raytheon is a central member of the Metrix Consortium that was awarded the St Athan Defence Training Academy contract in January 2007. The St Athan Defence Academy has been supported by all of the main political parties in Wales and sold to the public on the basis of alleged benefits to the economy.
“The involvement in the project of the world’s largest arms companies has so far not received any attention.”
Ms Greagsby added, “Given the evident public concern over cluster bombs and the arms trade more generally, I am sure that most people would be shocked to hear that the Assembly has laid a welcome mat for such companies, especially after other governments have turned their backs on them.”

In 2005, the Advisory Council on Ethics for the Norwegian Government Pension Fund excluded Raytheon from the fund’s investment portfolio, along with other manufacturers associated with cluster munitions. In 2007, Belgium passed a law banning all investments in any companies still producing cluster munitions.
Raytheon is still producing the AGM154 Joint Standoff Weapon, which according to its website,“is a family of low-cost, highly lethal weapons that can engage a wide spectrum of targets – from soft targets to hardened point targets – over a range of threat environments by using highly integrated Global Positioning System and Inertial Measurement System guidance.”

Ms Greagsby said, “It has been reported that a Raytheon device hit the Shu’ale market in Baghdad in 2003, killing at least 62 civilians, and that a Raytheon device hit Qana in Lebanon in 2006, killing at least 28 civilians, including 16 children.”

Veteran former Labour MP Tony Benn has signed a petition opposing plans to build the £14bn defence training academy at RAF St Athan.
The project has also been criticised by CND Cymru.

A spokesman for Raytheon said, “Raytheon does not manufacture cluster bombs or any associated delivery vehicles. Any assertion to the contrary is based on dated information that is no longer valid or correct.
“To clarify, Raytheon has never manufactured cluster bombs, but in the past we have been associated with their manufacture because of our contract to produce a missile that can carry different types of munition payloads, determined by the customer. One configuration allowed it to carry cluster bomb payloads, which were not produced by Raytheon.
“But in any case, Raytheon has completed its contracted production run for this particular missile, and we have no plans to resume production. Furthermore, Raytheon has no other products in development that are designed to dispense cluster submunitions.”

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said, “The development at St Athan is vital if our armed forces are to have the best possible training to equip them to deal with any threat to the safety and security of this country and its people.
“The training activities at St Athan are related to engineering and IT skills, which are also useful in civilian life as well.
“Under the Metrix consortium’s proposals, the army, navy and air force will get better training to protect the UK from enemies, both now and in the future.
“Raytheon is one of the partners in the consortium. They have made it clear to the Welsh Assembly Government that they do not manufacture cluster bombs or any missiles capable of delivering the weapons, and they have no plans to do so in future Any claim to the contrary is wrong and based on old information.
“The UK government is committed to banning the production, stockpiling and use of cluster bombs, and has signed a joint declaration with 45 other countries to achieve this aim.”

...........................

The JSOW family uses a common and modular weapon body capable of carrying a variety of payloads and handling multiple munitions. Its long standoff range of up to 70 nautical miles allows delivery from well outside the lethal range of most enemy air defenses. The AGM-154A (also called JSOW-A) variant dispenses BLU-97 combined-effect bomblets for use against soft and area targets. It is produced for use on the F/A-18, F-16, F-15E, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft. The AGM-154C (JSOW-C) is currently being produced for Navy F/A-18s and has been selected by Poland for use on its F-16s. The Navy/Raytheon team is developing a Block II configuration of the JSOW weapon system that provides significant cost reductions to all J
http://investor.raytheon.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=84193&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=617664&highlight=

Raytheon

Raytheon to Proceed with the Warfighter FOCUS Program
CNNMoney.com - USA6, 2007 /PRNewswire/ --
The US Army has directed Raytheon Company to proceed with consolidating the Army's live, virtual and constructive training ...See all stories on this topic

Raytheon makes cluster bombs..now called SUBMUNITIONS

Explosive Investments Financial Institutions and Cluster MunitionsBriefing Paper by Netwerk Vlaanderen February 2007
Explosive investments

Raytheon (USA) produces the AGM154 Joint Standoff weapon (JSOW), an air-delivered bomb with some cluster munition variants. For example the AGM154A, the standard version, contains 145 BLU-97/B sub munitions. Also the Tomahawk cruise missile has amongst its variants a submunition warhead.(5)
(5) Website Raytheon (http://www.raytheon.com/), Viewed in February 2007.

The Norwegian Parliament considers that cluster weapons are in violation of fundamental humanitarian principles by breaching the principle of distinction between military and civilian targets. Other weapon systems excluded under these ethical guidelines are anti-personnel mines, nuclear weapons, chemical and biological weapons, incendiary weapons and blinding laser weapons.In the summer of 2005 the Fund excluded eight companies from its portfolio because they were considered to manufacture key components for cluster bombs. These companies are: Alliant Techsystems, EADS, EADS Finance, General Dynamics, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Thales. Disinvestment from these companies totalled almost NOK 2.2 billion (€ 271.8 million)

KBCKBC is a Belgium-based bank-insurance group with € 196 billion assets under management. In 2004 they worked out a policy on investments in the weapon industry. They decided to stop any investments in anti-personnel mines, chemical weapons, uranium weapons and cluster munitions. KBC argues “these weapons have caused great suffering to innocent civilians”.Their policy is applicable to all their activities including commercial banking, asset management and investment banking. KBC has not only worked out a clear and concrete policy, it has also implemented this policy in a strict and thorough way. In 2006 they updated their black list resulting in a publicly available list of nineteen weapon producers. KBC mentions seventeen of them as producers of cluster munitions: Aerostar, Alliant Techsystems, Aselsan, BAE Systems, EADS, Finmecanicca, Gencorp, General Dynamics, Honeywell, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Magellan Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Poongsan, Raytheon, Rheinmetall and Thales. Singapore Technologies Engineering and Textron are excluded on the grounds of involvement in anti-personnel mines.

INSYS is contracted by the MoD to support the Royal Air Force's arsenal of RBL755s (INSYS's former incarnation, Hunting Engineering, manufactured the BL755). IMI is reported to be the manufacturer of the L20 Extended Range Cluster Shell used by the Royal Artillery. RAYTHEON is the prime contractor for the Tomahawk cruise missile and the JSOW AGM-154, both of which deliver BLU/97B submunitions (cluster bombs).'The final incriminating piece of evidence tying up RAYTHEON, the Israeli air force's terror campaign in Lebanon and its use of cluster ammunition comes from an Indymedia source:http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/134864/index.php

The Cluster bomb feeling documentary on investment of Dutch pension fund in arms industryBanking Secrets documentary on investments of Dutch banks in arms industry and other dodgy projects.
Cluster bombs – Skeet warhead - The BLU-108 is capable of integration into a number of weapon systems:
BQM-109 Tomahawk, Raytheon Systems
SM-2 Land Attack STANDARD Missile, Raytheon Systems
MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). Lockheed Martin
AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile - Expanded Response (SLAMER), Boeing
AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), Lockheed Martin

More information

(WO/2005/019764) MISSILE SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE SUBMUNITIONS
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Cluster bomb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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- Dumb Bombs
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Friends of Lebanon M85 Submunition Cluster Bomb Petition
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