Category: NATOSource

Should the EU develop a joint European Strike Force?

By Olivier de France and Nick Witney, European Council on Foreign Relations

From Olivier de France and Nick Witney, European Council on Foreign Relations:  [T]he European Council needs to shake up the system by itself demanding that blueprints be produced for one or two major, exemplary, integrative projects.

Russia plans to add 20 ships to its Black Sea Fleet

By ITAR-TASS

Pentagon discloses that U.S. has already deployed a small number of troops in Mali

By Craig Whitlock, Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, Washington Post:  The Pentagon has deployed a small number of troops to Mali to support allied forces fighting there, despite repeated pledges by the Obama administration not to put “boots on the ground” in the war-torn African country.

In a first, a Russian warship docks in Israel

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russia’s large landing ship Azov entered the Israeli port of Haifa on Wednesday, marking the first time a Russian warship calls at an Israeli port. Azov will stay in Haifa until Friday to resupply and allow the crew to rest, a spokesman for the Russian Navy said. . . . Azov is […]

NATO AWACS provided security support for Dutch royal handover

By NATO

From NATO:  NATO radar surveillance aircraft, known as AWACS, patrolled the skies over the Dutch capital of Amsterdam on Tuesday (30 April), working with the Royal Netherlands Air Force to safeguard Dutch airspace during the royal investiture ceremonies and festivities.

U.S. military academies groom new officers for war in cyberspace

By AP

From AP:  The US service academies are ramping up efforts to groom a new breed of cyberspace warriors to confront increasing threats to the nation’s military and civilian computer networks that control everything from electrical power grids to the banking system.

Russia’s Foreign Minister sees danger in ‘NATO trying to play a global role with global military reach’

By Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Policy

From Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Policy:  Of course the relationship between such big countries can never be cloudless. And we have some things which still divide us. Missile defense is one case in point.

Pro-Assad Syrian hackers launching cyber-attacks on western media

By   Nick Hopkins and Luke Harding, Guardian

Most Swedes Doubt Sweden can Defend Itself

By Local (Sweden)

From Local (Sweden):  A new Novus opinion poll showed that 83 percent of survey respondents doubted whether Sweden could defend itself. Ten percent said they did not know, leaving a slim sliver of six percent who trusted Sweden’s defence.

Europe’s defense capabilities gap

By Thomas Enders and Wolfgang Ischinger, Munich Security Conference

From Thomas Enders and Wolfgang Ischinger, Munich Security Conference:  Demands are growing – as the recent crises in Mali and Libya illustrate – even as defence budgets steadily decline.