visionary Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/09/us-japan-nato-missile-exclusive-idUSKCN0PJ2RV20150709?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter Exclusive: Japan interested in joining NATO missile consortium - sources Japan is interested in joining a NATO missile building consortium that would give Tokyo its first taste of a multinational defense project, a move the U.S. Navy is encouraging because it could pave the way for Japan to lead similar partnerships in Asia, sources said. The 12-country NATO consortium oversees development and shares the costs of the SeaSparrow missile, an advanced ship-borne weapon designed to destroy anti-ship sea-skimming missiles and attack aircraft. The missile is made by U.S. weapons firms Raytheon and General Dynamics. In May, Japanese naval officers traveled to a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in The Hague to learn more about the consortium, Japan's navy and a U.S. source familiar with the trip told Reuters. Two Japanese sources familiar with the initiative said discussions in Tokyo were at an early stage, although joining the consortium would dovetail with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's more muscular security agenda, which included the lifting last year of a decades-old ban on arms exports. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The consortium, established in 1968 by four countries including the United States, is set to develop an upgraded version of the SeaSparrow in the coming years. Having Japan on board would spread the project's costs, but Washington also sees a role for Japan in leading multinational military industrial partnerships in Asia at a time when China's military modernization and assertiveness is alarming many countries in the region, said the U.S. source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slateman Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Sea Sparrow? What is this, the 80s? Am I in a Tom Clancy novel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSilverMaC Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 China and Russia both crossing their fingers this doesn't go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I think it's time for a strong japan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinInsite Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 A Military strong Japan, that's gotta make rest of Asia feel warm and fuzzy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Nixon bet on China as a foil against the Soviets. I can definitely see letting Japan put on a little muscle to counterbalance China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinInsite Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Nixon bet on China as a foil against the Soviets. I can definitely see letting Japan put on a little muscle to counterbalance China. I wonder who we gonna use at a counterbalance to Japan 50 years from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I wonder who we gonna use at a counterbalance to Japan 50 years from now. New Zealand? Those kiwis are crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.