Atlantic Council blogs

Transatlantic Relationship Words at Odds with Deeds

By James Joyner

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said all the right things about the transatlantic relationship at the Munich Security Conference. Alas, Panetta made a mockery of them on his way there. Panetta declared that “peace and prosperity of Europe is critically important to the United States, but because Europe remains […]

Is Chinese espionage responsible for the rising costs of the F-35?

By David Fulghum, Bill Sweetman, and Amy Butler, Aviation Week

From David Fulghum, Bill Sweetman, and Amy Butler, Aviation Week:  How much of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s spiraling cost in recent years can be traced to China’s cybertheft of technology and the subsequent need to reduce the fifth-generation aircraft’s vulnerability to detection and electronic attack?

World must aid Syria’s rebels

By Shadi Hammid, CNN

NATO clears funding hurdle to buy five Global Hawks

By Stephen Trimble, Flight Global

Top News: Clashes Continue in Cairo after Deadly Soccer Riot

By Mara Revkin

Violent clashes between protesters and security forces resumed near the Interior Ministry building late on February 5 in the fourth day of clashes since a deadly soccer riot in Port Said last week that killed at least 73 people.

Panetta: ‘Our military footprint in Europe will remain larger than in any other region in the world’

By Leon Panetta, U.S. Department of Defense

From Leon Panetta, U.S. Department of Defense:  For Europe, the U.S. defense strategy reaffirms the lasting strategic importance of the transatlantic partnership with the United States. 

NATO Will Switch On Its (Tiny) Missile Shield in May

By Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room

From Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room:  Starting in May, Europe will have the beginning of an operational shield against ballistic missiles, courtesy of NATO. The system will be modest at first, not much more than SM-3 interceptor missiles aboard the U.S.S. Monterrey, a ship enabled with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system and stationed in the […]

Can Egypt Avoid Pakistan’s Fate?

By Michele Dunne and Shuja Nawaz

One year after the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian military is closing down civil society organizations and trying to manipulate the constitution-writing process to serve its narrow interests. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, where the military has also held sway for more than half the country’s existence — for much of that time, with […]

Obama may pick Lute for European command

By Gregge Jaffe, the Washington Post

From Gregge Jaffe, the Washington Post:  The Obama administration is considering nominating retired Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute as the next commander of the U.S. European Command, a move that could stir controversy among some senior military officials who have clashed with Lute over war policy. Lute, who retired from the military in 2010, is currently […]