MAIN HEADLINES FROM THIS ISSUE:

• Brazil announces national offset policy

  Brazil will have a national offset policy for civil purchases. On the defence side the country will establish a trading company to be owned and managed by the MoD. The national offset policy, known by the acronym PNAC, is projected to be rolled out in November 2013 with particulars of the defence trading company to be ready one month later.

• South Korea: DAPA deals a new deck of offset rules

  DAPA has judo-flipped on some of its key offset initiatives. From this month new regulations will steer defence contractors firmly towards….. Participation in commercial items is also in favour.

• After thirty years of offset and industrial participation Turkey has become an obligor

  Turkish defence companies are going into international markets and facing the same offset requirements as other foreign contractors, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

• Thailand: boiled chickens exchanged for 315 fire trucks, 30 fire boats and twelve years in jail

  Two former officials in Thailand have just been sentenced to long jail terms for inflating the price the government paid to buy fire trucks and boats from an Austrian company…..

• Thailand prepares weapons shopping list –to be paid for with yet more boiled chickens

  Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered the armed forces to prepare their weapons purchase plans for the next decade. Ms Yingluck has also asked each of the armed forces to consider negotiating a barter deal to purchase the weapons.