Kurban Gurizev, president of Turkmenistan, former chairman of Supreme Council (Majlis, or legislative branch)
Saparmurad Niyazov, former president of Turkmenistan
Lieutenant General Boris Kasimov, Russian liaison to the Turkmen government
Valentin Gennadievich Sen’kov, president of the Russian Federation
Ivan Ivanovich Filippov, minister of foreign affairs
Sergey Yejsk, national security adviser and secretary of the Security Council
Army General Nikolai Stepashin, commander, Ministry of State Security (chief of all intelligence bureaus)
Vladimir Rafikovich, minister of federation and internal affairs
Alexander Bukayev, minister of defense
General Anatoliy Gryzlov, chief of staff of the armed forces
Major Boris Bolkeim, Tu-22M-3 bombardier
Captain Mikhail Osipov, Tu-22 DSO
Colonel General Yuri Kudrin, commander, Second Heavy Bomber Division, Engels Air Base
Colonel General Boris Kasimov, the Russian liaison to the Turkmen general staff
WEAPONS
AGM-211 “mini-Maverick,” small TV-guided attack missile, 28-pound thermium nitrate (TN) warhead, glide- and rocket-boosted, 6-mile range
AGM-165 Longhorn TV- and IIR-guided attack missile, 200-pound TN warhead, MMW radar guidance, 60-mile max range, 2,000 pounds each
AIM-120 Scorpion AMRAAM air-to-air missile, 50-pound warhead, 35-mile max range, triple-mode active radar, passive radar, or infrared, max speed Mach 3
AIM-154 Anaconda long-range radar-guided air-to-air missile, 50-pound TN warhead, 150-mile max range, ramjet engine, active-passive radar/IR guidance, max speed Mach 5
AGM-177 Wolverine cruise missile, turbojet-powered, 50-mile max range, 3 weapon bays, IIR or MMW radar terminal guidance
ABM-3 Lancelot air-launched anti-ballistic-missile weapon, 200-mile max range, plasma-yield or conventional warheads
Real-World News Excerpts
CAMPAIGN PROVES THE LENGTH OF U.S. MILITARY ARM
—
— The first phase of the Afghan War so far proves that American military might, including its devastating firepower, can be delivered against targets thousands of miles from the nearest friendly military base. This U.S. military capability is the main lesson being delivered by analysts after last week’s campaign destroyed the Taliban’s hold on power….
FIGHTING BACK WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
— EVAN THOMAS,
— America faces a new kind of arms race. We must marshal all our scientific and technological expertise to combat those forces that seek America’s destruction….
TURKMENISTAN
—
— … The U.S. Trade and Development Agency on April 23, 1998, agreed to finance a feasibility study of a natural gas pipeline that would run beneath the Caspian Sea, giving Turkmenistan access to the Turkish natural gas market without transiting either Russia or Iran. President Niyazov was guest of honor at the White House in Washington during the signing….
… Defense Minister Khikmatulla Tursunov on September 22, 1998, echoed statements by President Karimov warning of a threat from Afghanistan caused by increased terrorism, religious extremism and worldwide drug trafficking which could spill over into neighboring states….
HIGH-TECH WEAPONS CHANGE THE DYNAMICS AND THE SCOPE OF BATTLE
—
— The main battlefield lesson learned from the Afghan War is that small U.S. combat teams on the ground and high-performance aircraft with precision-guided weapons can be coordinated under almost any circumstance. The devastating aerial attacks on Taliban and al Qaeda targets give testimony to the effectiveness of high-tech warfare practiced by U.S. forces….
THE POSITION OF TURKMENISTAN IN THE LIGHT OF AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM
— MAYSA MAMEDOVA — WWW.GUNDOGAR.COM, 1/26/2002
— … The U.S. Department of State admitted that a high level U.S. delegation led by the Under Secretary of State John Bolton traveled to Central Asia, while the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister and communicated via telephone with the Presidents of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. These efforts resulted in the following agreement: all of the concerned states, except Turkmenistan, would provide assistance to the U.S., from the use of their ground bases for humanitarian operations only to the use of their airspace and additional facilities on the ground….
JAMES ROCHE, SECRETARY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE
—
— USAF Secretary James Roche has shown flashes of inspiration during the war on terrorism. He electronically linked AC-130 gunships with unmanned Predator drones and created an even more devastating weapon. His ultimate goals include creating an Air Force capable of locating and tracking a single moving target, such as a tank, and instantly destroying it with precision bombing. That would help keep down the number of civilian casualties that occur during war….
U.S. UNDERTAKING GENERATIONAL WEAPONS SHIFT
— STRATFOR, WWW.STRATFOR.COM, 3 MAY 2002
— A recent Defense Department decision to kill a costly artillery system program represents the start of a generational shift in weapons systems….
… The key representatives of this new breed of system are cruise missiles and other reusable unmanned
