Category: NATOSource

Russia and Kyrgyzstan Sign Base, Debt, and Power Deals

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed a series of deals on Thursday including an agreement on maintaining Russian military bases in the Central Asian state, following a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 15-year base agreement, signed by the two nations’ leaders, will come into effect in 2017 with a possible five-year extension. […]

Intell Report: Iranian planes carrying personnel and weapons to Syria via Iraq ‘on an almost daily basis’

By Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

From Louis Charbonneau, Reuters:  Iran has been using civilian aircraft to fly military personnel and large quantities of weapons across Iraqi airspace to Syria to aid President Bashar al-Assad

Panetta talks cyber issues with Chinese, but experts see no decline in attacks out of China

By Lolita C. Baldor, AP

From Lolita C. Baldor, AP:  Despite several years of escalating diplomacy and warnings, the U.S. is making little headway in its efforts to tamp down aggressive Chinese cyberattacks against American companies and the government. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who is wrapping up three days of meetings with military and civilian leaders, said he has […]

Pictures prompt Russian defence ministry to confirm Eurocopter purchase

By Flightglobal

UK, Denmark suggest NATO meeting on Afghan attacks

By AP

From AP:  Britain and Denmark have called for a meeting of NATO countries to discuss how to tackle insider attacks against allied troops by Afghan forces. British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said Thursday that such attacks, which have killed 51 international service members this year, will be addressed at a NATO defense ministers meeting Oct. […]

Russia Revamps Missile Defenses Around Moscow

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russia will reactivate mothballed ballistic missile silos around Moscow as part of deep modernization of a missile defense network protecting the Russian capital, former chief of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Col. Gen. (Ret) Viktor Yesin said on Monday.

ISAF General: Afghan ‘insider attacks’ aimed at weakening Western resolve

By Robert Burns, AP

From Robert Burns, AP:  A senior officer at the U.S.-led military command in Kabul says Afghan "insider attacks" on U.S. and allied troops are designed to shake Western resolve.

SecGen Rasmussen: New measures to protect NATO troops in Afghanistan are ‘prudent and temporary’

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  NATO is fully committed to its strategy in Afghanistan despite recent challenges, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told journalists in Brussels on 18 September.

Deputy SecGen Vershbow: ‘Much remains to be done’ to diminish military capabilities gap in NATO

By Alexander Vershbow, NATO

From Alexander Vershbow, NATO:  The U.S. “pivot to Asia” reflects the growing challenges of that region. But it is also an opportunity. Better connectivity with Asia is not only in the United States’ interests. It is also in Europe’s interest. This “pivot” has raised questions about the European Allies’ ability to do more for their […]

NATO’s Article 5 and the Riga Test

By Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist

From Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist:  The Riga Conference is a jewel in the crown of security conferences. Yesterday I shared a panel with the Italian, Latvian and Norwegian defense ministers, together with Ambassador Sandy Vershbow, NATO’s US Deputy Secretary-General to discuss “NATO post-Chicago”.