Showing posts with label INDONESIA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label INDONESIA. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

U.S. TO SELL APACHE HELICOPTERS TO INDONESIA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Announces U.S. Deal to Sell Helicopters to Indonesia
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 26, 2013 - In a first-of-its-kind deal worth about $500 million, the United States has agreed to sell eight new Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and Longbow radars to Indonesia, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.

Hagel announced the deal during a joint news conference with Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro after productive meetings this afternoon with Yusgiantoro and earlier today with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The secretary is visiting Indonesia as part of an eight-day, four-nation trip that has included a stop in Malaysia and will take him this week to Brunei and the Philippines.

"Providing Indonesia these world-class helicopters is an example of our commitment to help build Indonesia's military capability," Hagel said.

The U.S. military will train Indonesian pilots and help in developing tactics, techniques and procedures for operating in the Southeast Asian security environment, a senior defense official said, adding that details of the delivery and training timeline are being determined.

The agreement represents a significant advance in military capabilities by a key U.S. partner and is the sort of investment the United States believes is prudent to support security in the Asia-Pacific region, the official said.

The new capability "will help Indonesia respond to a range of contingencies, including counterpiracy operations and maritime awareness," he added.

"The United States is committed to working with Southeast Asian nations to grow defense capabilities and deepen military-to-military cooperation with all of our partners," the official said.

During the news conference with Yusgiantoro, Hagel said it has been impressive to watch a democratic Indonesia emerge as one of the most important contributors to peace and prosperity, not only in Asia, but also globally.

"Helping ensure the region's security and prosperity is a goal the United States strongly shares," the secretary said. "The strong and enduring security partnership that has been built between the United States and Indonesia is a relationship the United States greatly values."

Hagel said President Barack Obama looks forward to his October visit to Indonesia and to deepening ties between the two countries.

Progress on security includes increasingly complex exercises between the two militaries, and growing defense, trade and high-level policy engagement, the secretary added.

The two militaries recently launched an initiative to share best practices in defense planning and management to increase Indonesian military capability, Hagel said, and next month the United States and Indonesia will cohost a counterterrorism exercise under the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus.

ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose 10 member states are Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Defense ministers from these nations attend the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting, or ADMM. And the ADMM-Plus is made up of ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners: the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and Russia. This year's ADMM-Plus meeting will be start tomorrow in Brunei.

Hagel said the United States welcomes Indonesia's leadership in promoting regional security cooperation through ASEAN and regional forums such as the East Asia Summit.

"The United States is committed to further strengthening the U.S.-ASEAN relationship and I look forward to meeting with my counterparts this week at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting- Plus in Brunei to address the many security challenges we face in this region," he said.

Developing long-term and enduring solutions to challenges like maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, counterterrorism, and the peaceful management of disputes in the South China Sea calls for greater cooperation and respect for rules and norms among all parties and the institutions that underpin them, the secretary noted.

"I am also pleased to be able to announce that the U.S. and Indonesia have pledged mutual support and cooperation on the search and recovery of U.S. personnel missing from World War II," Hagel said.

Several Indonesian ministries have oversight of such requests, including defense, education and culture, and research and technology. All have agreed to process future requests from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, a joint task force within the Defense Department whose mission is to account for Americans listed as prisoners of war, or missing in action, from all past wars and conflicts.

The United States believes that about 1,800 U.S. personnel are still missing in action from World War II in the waters and lands of Indonesia, a senior defense official said, adding that while not all are recoverable, current research indicates that hundreds ultimately may be found and brought home.

"The United States commitment to this effort is important to our personnel serving today," Hagel said, "to make clear that we stand by our pledge to leave no one behind."

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK COMMITTS $1.1 BILLION TO FINANCE AIRCRAFT SALES TO INDONESIAN COMPANY

Map:  Indonesia.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank Approves $1.1 Billion in Financing for U.S.-Manufactured B737-900ER Aircraft to Indonesia’s Lion Air
Transaction To Support an Estimated 7,300 American Jobs

Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has approved a final commitment of $1.1 billion to finance the export of a fleet of Boeing 737-900ER (extended range) aircraft with CFM International aircraft engines to Lion Air, the largest privately owned airline in Indonesia. The aircraft will be delivered to Lion Air, Malindo Airways (Malaysia) and Batik Air (Indonesia).

The transaction will support an estimated 7,300 jobs at Boeing’s manufacturing facilities in Renton, Wash., and its suppliers in numerous states across the country.

"Ex-Im Bank is pleased to support part of Lion Air’s historic purchase order of Boeing extended-range aircraft. This is a tremendous opportunity for American exporters and will help to sustain thousands of jobs in the U.S. aerospace industry for years to come," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg.

The authorization is a final commitment of a preliminary offer of financing that the Bank approved in 2011. Ex-Im Bank is providing a guarantee of financing provided by Apple Bank for Savings in New York, N.Y. Additional funding may be provided by capital-markets investors via an Ex-Im Bank-guaranteed bond.

The financing will support a portion of Lion Air’s outstanding orders for B737-900ER aircraft, which includes 230 Boeing 737 aircraft ordered in November 2011 – the largest commercial aircraft order in aviation history.

"We’re proud that Lion Air has put its faith in the 737-900ER by being the launch customer and largest operator of the type," said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Lion Air recognizes the business value and success that comes from investing in a quality, U.S.-built product. Ex-Im Bank’s financing support allows us to compete on the merits of our product and not be disadvantaged by financing offered by our competitors."

Headquartered in Jakarta, Lion Air provides passenger service throughout Indonesia and to other countries in Southeast Asia and Saudi Arabia. The region covered by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has more than 550 million people and is among the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world.

Lion Air President and CEO Rusdi Kirana noted, "This substantial final commitment reinforces the invaluable relationship that we enjoy with the U.S. Ex-Im Bank and positions the Lion Group and Transportation Partners for future growth across the ASEAN region."

Boeing Commercial Airplanes is headquartered in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, and has U.S. manufacturing facilities in Renton, Everett, Auburn and Fredrickson, Wash.; Charleston, S.C.; Portland, Ore.; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Boeing employs more than 80,000 U.S. workers in commercial aircraft manufacture and related operations.


Monday, February 18, 2013

A LOOK AT A VOLCANO ISLAND BY NASA

FROM: NASA

Although the summit of
Paluweh (also known as Rokatenda) is shrouded by clouds, evidence of a recent eruption is visible in this satellite image of the Indonesian volcanic island. After rumbling for months, Paluweh released an explosive eruption on February 2 and 3, 2013.

Gray ash covers the southern slopes of the peak in this natural-color image. A lighter gray swath running from the summit (shrouded by the plume) to the ocean traces the path of a volcanic landslide, likely the remnants of a pyroclastic flow. A new delta extends into the Flores Sea at the foot of the flow. To the northwest, airborne ash swirls around the island. Green vegetation appears relatively untouched, but ash has destroyed many of the island’s crops, according to The Jakarta Globe.

Erik Klemetti, author of the Eruptions Blog, suggested that the eruption at Paluweh may have been caused by the collapse of an unstable lava dome. The number of small tremors and emissions of ash increased in October 2012 and continued into February 2013, perhaps indicating growth of the lava dome.

The image above was collected on February 12, 2013, by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite. According to the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Paluweh has experienced minor ash and gas emissions almost daily since the initial blast.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data from the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Robert Simmon.

Monday, February 11, 2013

U.S. NAVY ADMIRAL LOCKLEAR SAYS PACIFIC TERRITORIAL DISPUTES COULD END IN CONFLICT

Equestrian statue of the famous samurai Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336) outside of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Credit: CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Locklear Warns of Territorial Disputes Escalating to Conflict
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2013 - Amid reports of an incident between China and Japan near the Senkaku Islands, the top U.S. commander in the Asia-Pacific reiterated the need to resolve territorial disputes peacefully and to develop a code of conduct to support the process.

Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told the U.S. Indonesia Society in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday that territorial disputes have occurred throughout history and will undoubtedly continue into the future.

But the admiral warned during a media roundtable about the stress these disputes inflict on the security environment – and the potential they pose for conflict if not resolved.

Nations of the world need to come together to settle their differences over parts of the South China Sea and other contested areas diplomatically so they don't escalate, he said.

Military conflict "would have global impacts that we should not even contemplate," he warned. "We should not even allow it to enter into our dialogue ... and not allow it to happen."

The United States does not take sides in border disputes, he emphasized, but will continue to do everything in its power to support steps being taken by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and others to promote peaceful resolution.

Locklear didn't get into specifics when asked about reports that a Chinese navy warship targeted a Japanese warship with its weapons radar near the Senkaku Islands last month. He said, however, that it rings a warning bell about how quickly territorial differences can turn dangerous.

"There must be real care in ensuring that the governments involved and leadership of those governments understand the potential for miscalculation if those systems are used incorrectly," he said.

The U.S. perspective to both Japan and China, he said, is that "we need to be very, very careful in ensuring we don't see escalation that could lead to miscalculation that could lead to unintended consequences."

Locklear reiterated his call for a code of conduct that provides a framework for resolving these differences. He expressed hope that ASEAN and nations in the region including China will "feel a sense of urgency" and reinvigorate the stalled discussions toward reaching one.

"The question is, can we have a system of rules that allows us to work together with this with diplomacy rather than military power?" he said

Establishing this code "will give diplomacy breathing room and give diplomacy time to work, because it will take some time," he said.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

REMARKS BY U.S. SEC. OF STATE CLINTON AND ASEAN SECRETARY GENERAL SURIN

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Meeting with ASEAN Secretary General SurinRemarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

ASEAN Secretariat
Jakarta, Indonesia, Indonesia
September 4, 2012
ASEAN SECRETARY GENERAL SURIN: Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, chair of ASEAN program representative, Excellencies, members of the CPR, it is a great privilege for us to welcome the Secretary here for the second time in her term. And I remember very well on the 18th of February you were here. Your first trip to the world you came to Asia. You came to the ASEAN Secretariat. You became the highest ranking ever official of the United States Government to visit us. And ever since, this place has been a routine destination for visiting dignitaries to ASEAN, to the Republic of Indonesia.

At that time you promised many things. You promised full engagement with ASEAN, with Southeast Asia. You promised to accede to our Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. You have promised the highest presidential engagement. You have promised to come to attend our post-ministerial (inaudible) conference, ARF. And I am glad to say that you have delivered it all. Thank you very, very much. Along the way we were a bit skeptical and we asked you -- we challenged you we would believe in the change when you delivered everything that you had promised us. And you did. And we certainly feel very much honored to welcome you here.

Now, let me just say that most of the diplomats we work with, they are counterparts. And you have turned your counterparts here in Southeast Asia, in ASEAN, into your friends. And friendship is extremely important for the region and for the region's diplomacy. We count you not as counterpart, but as a true friend. That is why today is very special. And we hope that we will accomplish many more things together into the future with the United States and ASEAN.

Madam, warmly welcome, please.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, my friend. And let me express what a pleasure it is to be back in Jakarta and to have this second opportunity to visit the ASEAN Secretariat.

As Dr. Surin has said, I came here in February of 2009 with the intention of deepening and broadening and elevating the relationship between the United States and ASEAN. And we have worked to do just that. I believe our relationship is stronger and more effective. And that is all to the good, because the United States views ASEAN as central to regional stability and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific.

We did sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, as I said we would, and I visited back in February of 2009. We were the first dialogue partner to open a mission to ASEAN. And I am pleased that others are also doing that. We appointed our first resident U.S. Ambassador, and Ambassador Carden holds regular meetings with his counterparts in the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives, whom we soon will welcome on their first official visit to the United States. We have engaged with ASEAN at the highest levels, with President Obama attending three U.S.-ASEAN leaders meetings, as well as the East Asia Summit, here in Indonesia last year.

Later this month, I will host my ASEAN counterparts in a meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly. We have devoted resources to supporting ASEAN's goal of economic and political integration through the Advance program to narrow the development gap among ASEAN nations, and to promote and protect human rights. We are increasing our People-to-People ties through the ASEAN Youth Volunteers program and the U.S.-ASEAN Fulbright program, which we are now launching.

In short, we are making a sustained, all-out effort to build an enduring, multi-faceted relationship between ASEAN and the United States. We want to do all we can to advance ASEAN's goal of integration, because we have an interest in strengthening ASEAN's ability to address regional challenges in an effective, comprehensive way.

And we really invite and need ASEAN to lead in crafting strong, regional responses to challenges like climate change and trans-national crime, which require collective actions. And we need ASEAN to lead in upholding a system of rules and responsibilities that will protect regional stability and guide the region to greater political and economic progress.

So, Dr. Surin, it is a great honor for me now to have returned for a second visit to conduct, if you will, a progress report among partners and friends, and to state once again what I have said in other contexts. The United States believes in ASEAN centrality, and ASEAN centrality is essential to ASEAN unity. So I am looking forward to our exchange today and the dialogue among us, looking forward to continuing to work on behalf of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship.

ASEAN SECRETARY GENERAL SURIN: Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

USS BLUE RIDGE CREW MEMBERS SERVE AS GOODWILL AMBASSADORS


FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Indonesia (May 14, 2012) Sailors assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) carry tools and supplies at Yayasan Pendidikan Banglin school during a community service event in Jakarta, Indonesia. These port visits represent an opportunity for U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge crewmembers to serve as goodwill ambassadors of the U.S., promoting peace and stability in the region and to demonstrate their commitment to regional partnerships and foster relations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mel Orr/Released)




Blue Ridge Builds Friendship with Indonesia 
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Norman, USS Blue Ridge Public Affairs
JAKARTA, Indonesia (NNS) -- Sailors aboard U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), embarked 7th Fleet staff and Marines assigned to Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Pacific departed Jakarta, Indonesia May 15, after a four-day port visit strengthening bonds between the U.S. and Indonesian navies.

Blue Ridge Sailors participated in a community service event that gave them the opportunity to demonstrate the Navy's dedication to fostering positive relations with countries in the Asian-Pacific region.

They participated in sporting events with Indonesian nationals and interacted with the community through an outreach project involving a children's school. Sailors volunteered their time at the Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun School to help create a soccer field for the children.

"Giving my time to create a soccer field for the children at the school was a very fulfilling and rewarding experience," said Ensign Wanda Colon, Blue Ridge stock control officer. "The work we did at the school was hard labor, but the children made it all worth while. You could tell the children really wanted us there."

For one Sailor, the port visit was much more personal.

"I was glad to have this opportunity to come back to Indonesia after being a part of the relief efforts for the 2004 tsunami," said U.S. 7th Fleet Staff member Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Philip Keehn. "It was enlightening knowing I helped Indonesia get back on its feet when I was assigned to the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in 2004. I never thought I'd be back to Indonesia to see how the Navy's hard work paid off."

Friday, May 4, 2012

USNS MERCY BEGINS MISSION TO INDONESIA


FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
USNS Mercy Departs for Humanitarian Mission
From a Military Sealift Command News Release

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2012 - Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy left Naval Station San Diego today to begin its part in Pacific Partnership 2012, a four-and-a-half-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Mercy is crewed by 70 civil service mariners working for Military Sealift Command who operate and navigate the ship while Navy planners and medical personnel plan and execute the mission.
The ship was scheduled to depart May 1, but a mechanical problem delayed the ship's departure for two days.

Pacific Partnership 2012 will take medical, dental, veterinary, engineering and civic assistance projects to Southeast Asia and Oceania. It builds on relationships developed during previous missions, officials said, noting Mercy's participation in international relief efforts following the December 2004 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia and its 2006, 2008 and 2010 humanitarian and civic assistance deployments to the region.
Pacific Partnership 2012 is led by three element commanders: Navy Capt. James Morgan, mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2012 and commander of San Diego-based Destroyer Squadron 7; Navy Capt. Timothy Hinman, commander of the medical treatment facility, who is responsible for the hospital and providing medical care aboard Mercy and ashore; and Capt. Jonathan Olmsted, Mercy's civil service master who has overall responsibility for the ship and the safety of its nearly 1,000 passengers.

"Having participated in Pacific Partnership 2009, I know firsthand what an impact we have on the local populations we visit," Olmsted said. "In building these relationships, we'll have a better understanding of how multiple militaries and civilian organizations can work together to overcome the adversity of a natural disaster."

Throughout the 2012 Pacific Partnership mission, the 894-foot Mercy will serve as a platform from which U.S. and partner nation militaries and nongovernmental organizations will coordinate and carry out humanitarian and civic activities in each country. Japanese landing ship tank Oosumi, carrying a complete medical team, helicopters and representatives from Japanese volunteer organizations, will join Mercy during its stops in the Philippines and Vietnam.

Military Sealift Command's civil service mariners are vital to the mission's success. They navigate the ship to each mission stop and provide the fresh water and electricity needed to run the shipboard hospital and to support the mission personnel living and working aboard.

In addition, the civil service mariners play a critical role in mission success by operating two 33-foot utility boats to transport patients and mission personnel between ship's anchorage and shore. Mercy is too large to pull pierside at any of the mission stops, officials explained, so the operation of these small boats, which can carry more than twice as many passengers as Mercy's two embarked helicopters, will greatly increase the number of people who will benefit from the mission.

"This is the biggest thing I've ever been involved in my life," said Second Officer Casey Bell, a Military Sealift Command civil service mariner working aboard Mercy as the cargo mate. "I'm really excited to get going. I've spent my career moving ammunition or fuel. Now, a better name for me is 'patient mate,' because I'll be working to safely move patients and personnel to and from the ship."

The deployment also will foster new relationships when Mercy stops in three Indonesian islands for the first time in early June.

"I am really looking forward to going beyond what we have done in the past as part of our exchanges," said Hinman about the medical capabilities of the mission. For previous missions, he said, surgeries were traditionally performed by U.S. and partner nation providers aboard Mercy.

"This year's mission provides opportunities to integrate host nation providers into performing surgeries, both on the ship and ashore, as a true exchange of expertise and practice that will greatly increase medical capacity and build relationships," he added.
The mission will include personnel from all branches of the U.S. military, the State and Justice departments, the Agency for International Development, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 12 partner nations, 11 nongovernmental organizations and numerous in-country organizations.

Military Sealift Command operates about 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces, conduct specialized missions and replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea.

Friday, April 20, 2012

STORM SYSTEM SEEN FROM SATELLITE LIES ABOUT 190 MILES NORTH OF DARWIN, AUSTRALIA


FROM:  NASA
This image of System 99P was captured on April 20, 2012 at 04:55 UTC (12:55 a.m. EDT) by the MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was centered about 190 nautical miles north-northeast of Darwin, Australia and showed some areas of strong thunderstorms west of its center of circulation.
Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response

This image of System 99P was captured on April 20, 2012 at 04:55 UTC (12:55 a.m. EDT) by the MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. It was centered about 190 nautical miles north-northeast of Darwin, Australia and showed some areas of strong thunderstorms west of its center of circulation.
Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid ResponseNASA Sees Slow-Developing System 99P Dogging Northern Australia

NASA satellites have been monitoring the slow-to-develop low pressure area called System 99P for four days as it lingers in the Arafura Sea, north Australia's Northern Territory. Satellite data indicates that System 99P is likely to continue struggling because of weak organization and nearby dry air.

System 99P was captured in an infrared image on April 20, 2012 at 04:55 UTC (12:55 a.m. EDT) by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies onboard NASA's Aqua satellite. At that time, System 99P was centered about 190 nautical miles (218.6 miles/ 352 km) north-northeast of Darwin, Australia, near 9.9 South latitude and 132.6 East longitude. The western-most extent of System 99P was now entering the Timor Sea (located west of the Arafura Sea). In fact, today's (April 20) MODIS infrared imagery revealed that System 99P showed some areas of strong thunderstorms west of its center of circulation, over the eastern edge of the Timor Sea. However, those thunderstorms remain disorganized and the low-level circulation is weak.

The TRMM satellite, managed by NASA and JAXA also gathered data from struggling System 99P. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over April 19 at 1142 UTC (7:42 a.m. EDT), and revealed curved banding of thunderstorms wrapping weakly into the center of the low. Total precipitable water products currently indicate there is sufficient moisture associated with the low, and that's the fuel for the tropical cyclone.

Even though there's a good amount of moisture available, dry air lingers nearby. Dry air can sap the life's blood (moisture) from a developing tropical cyclone. Satellite data shows dry air west of 130 East. In addition, an upper-air sounding from Darwin, Australia indicated dry air in its recent moisture profile.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is the entity that forecasts tropical cyclones in this part of the world and has been continuously gathering and analyzing data to determine if System 99P will further develop. JTWC cited surface observations from McCluer Island, which is located 65 nautical miles (74.8 miles/120.4 km) south-southeast of 99P's center. The island's weather observation noted northeasterly winds at 15-20 knots (17.3 - 23.0 mph / 27.7-37.0 kph). and sea level pressure near 1006 millibars.

Looking back, on April 19, System 99P was centered near 9.0S 132.8E, about 240 miles NE of Darwin, Australia and visible MODIS imagery from NASA's Terra satellite showed deep convection/t-storms flaring on western quadrant. At that time, maximum sustained winds were near 15 knots (17.3 mph/27.7 kph). On April 18 the MODIS image on NASA's Aqua satellite showed disorganized cloud cover as System 99P was still struggling. Its maximum sustained winds were 15 knots (17.3 mph/27.7 kph). When NASA passed over System 99P on the date of its birth, April 17, 2012, it was having a difficult time getting organized because of wind shear. It was located in the Arafura Sea, between northern Australia and Irian Jaya, Indonesia.

As of April 20, the forecasters at the JTWC said, "There is no significant model development due [in the next 24 hours] to the overall marginal environment and weak organization."


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