Atlantic Council blogs

Mistral contract should be signed at Euronaval show – Russian Navy commander

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russia’s contract to buy Mistral class helicopter carriers from France should be signed in Paris at the Euronaval 2010 defense show in October or Russia may lag behind in the ship building industry, Russian Navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said. Originally Russia was negotiating the purchase of one French-built Mistral class amphibious […]

Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Time to Reaffirm NATO Solidarity

By Kori Schake, Center for European Policy Analysis

From Kori Schake, Center for European Policy Analysis:  Of the NATO allies, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Poland and Sweden advocate alliance nuclear reductions. Some even support unilateral NATO elimination of its nuclear arsenal, a reckless position given that Russia has not cut its arsenal since the end of the Cold War, while NATO […]

Britain’s first National Security Advisor stepping down

By David Stringer, the AP

Moldova becomes first country to destroy cluster munitions

By Interfax

From Interfax:  The Moldovan military have completed the destruction of the last cluster munitions from the National Army arsenals at a testing range of the Bulboaka military base. "The completion of the operation means that Moldova has become the world’s first country to have destroyed cluster munitions from its military arsenals," the Defense Ministry said. […]

NATO Military Chief meets with Top Greek Defense Officials

By Allied Command Operations

From Allied Command Operations:  The Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Admiral James Stavridis, met in Athens with the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Ioannis Giagkos. The two-day visit, on the invitation of the Greek CHOD, was mainly focused on issues of common interest in the context of NATO.   "I want to […]

Malaysia becoming the 47th Contributor to ISAF

By Allied Command Operations

From Allied Command Operations:  Malaysia has offered to deploy 40 personnel to Bamyan province, northeast of the capital, Kabul, to operate within the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team there. These troops include mainly doctors and paramedics. They will focus on health services, dental care and other community work to treat Afghans. They will also train Afghan […]

Security Questions in the Caucasus

By Borut Grgic

News.Az interviews Borut Grgic, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and founder of the trans-Caspian initiative at the EPC in Brussels, and Institute for Strategic Studies in Slovenia.

US drawdown in 2011 will be ‘limited’: Gates

By Dan De Luce, AFP

From Dan De Luce, AFP:  Despite growing clamor against the war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday large numbers of US troops will remain after a "limited" July 2011 drawdown. Despite mounting casualties and public doubts, Gates said the US-led force was making headway in the war and Taliban insurgents would not be […]

US on the verge of activating a partial missile shield over southern Europe

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  The U.S. military is on the verge of activating a partial missile shield over southern Europe, part of an intensifying global effort to build defenses against Iranian missiles amid a deepening impasse over the country’s nuclear ambitions. Pentagon officials said they are nearing a deal to establish a key […]