Northrop Grumman Lasers. Russian Exercises +

Northrop in electric blaster cannon milestone (update)
US war-tech behemoth Northrop Grumman announced yesterday that it had achieved another milestone in its battlefield raygun programme - ahead of schedule. Company blaster cannon execs believe that the first tests at combat power - 100 kilowatts - will take place as planned by the end of this year.Eight of these, and it's time to fry
Northrop's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) programme for the US forces is different from existing rayguns, as it uses electrically powered solid state equipment. Older efforts such as the famous nuke-nobbling jumbo jet (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/29/boeing_chuffed_with_abl_tests/) for the Missile Defence people and the silent, deniable flying sniper gunship (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/19/laser_gunship_lights_up/) for the US special forces use chemical lasers instead.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/03/northrop_jhpssl_two_chain/

Air Force to participate in large-scale exercises in central Russia
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080903/116521344.html

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Over 60 combat aircraft will participate on September 8-13 in exercises that are part of theater-level military maneuvers in central Russia, an Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.
Russia is currently holding large-scale Ground Forces' exercises, dubbed Center-2008, involving 12,000 troops, over 1,000 armored vehicles, large numbers of other military vehicles and units of the 5th Air and Air Defense Army on the territory of the Volga-Urals military district. The exercises started on September 1 and will run through September 27....

No Naval Buildup In Black Sea, NATO Assures Russia
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080903%5cACQDJON200809031143DOWJONESDJONLINE000699.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=No%20Naval%20Buildup%20In%20Black%20Sea,%20NATO%20Assures%20Russia
BRUSSELS (AFP)--The North Atlantic Treaty Organization insisted Wednesday there was no naval buildup by the military alliance in the Black Sea, saying four warships were there as part of long-planned exercises.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday that Russia would react to a buildup of NATO naval forces in the Black Sea, as tensions between Moscow and the West continued to flare in the wake of the Georgia crisis...

Statewide preparedness exercises underway (IL)
http://www.parisbeacon.com/articles/2008/09/03/news/doc48bee9b1dcd44973582960.txt
SPRINGFIELD – In another step to keep Illinoisans safe during an emergency, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich recently announced The Illinois Department of Public Health began a statewide pandemic influenza tabletop exercise series on Aug. 26 and will run through Nov. 6. The exercises are designed to discuss county preparedness plans and ways in which the State would provide resources in the case of an influenza pandemic.“Illinois has become a leader in the nation for emergency preparedness efforts. Exercises like this test our ability to respond at the local level and strengthen the State’s overall preparedness. We can identify our strengths and weaknesses during these exercises, build better partnerships and gain valuable knowledge to respond to emergencies,” said Governor Blagojevich.The exercise series will provide an opportunity for local health departments, hospitals, local law enforcement and emergency management agencies to discuss security needs outlined in each county’s community-based pandemic influenza plan. Additionally, the exercises will identify gaps or discrepancies in security plans and determine necessary plan revisions based on support capacity and capabilities.“These exercises will not only require a tremendous amount of coordination between state agencies, but also between the state and local level,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold. “On the local level, we have trained with and depended heavily on coordination with local health departments and hospitals for dispensing medications during a pandemic flu. Now we will look at what security measures will be needed at hospitals and medical facilities during an emergency to ensure everyone safely receives the medical help they need and avoid mass chaos.”


The exercise series will involve more than 1,400 participants, across 21 locations, and will look closely at 97 county pandemic response plans....