Category: NATOSource

US to Replace 2 Brigades in Europe With Rotating Units

By Jim Garamone, Armed Forces Press Service

From Jim Garamone, Armed Forces Press Service:  In an interview on his way to Fort Bliss, Texas, [Defense Secretary Leon] Panetta said that the Army will withdraw two brigade combat teams from Europe, while retaining a strong presence in the region via rotational units.

Poland: NATO can’t keep subsidising Afghan army

By Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters

From Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters:  Afghanistan cannot expect current levels of Western financial aid for its armed forces to be sustained beyond 2014, when NATO forces plan to pull out, Poland’s defence minister said on Thursday.

US ranked 13th in security of nuclear material

By William J. Broad, the New York Times

From William J. Broad, the New York Times:  The 32 nations with materials that can fuel atom bombs are typically mum on security, which looks to the public like a closed world of barbed wire and armed guards. Behind the scenes, atomic insiders have long told horror stories of risky practices and security flaws

Russia Says NATO, Persian Gulf Nations Plan to Seek No-Fly Zone for Syria

By Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov, Bloomberg

Republicans Bash Europe in Search of Votes

By Sebastian Fischer, Spiegel

From Sebastian Fischer, Spiegel:  Europe is socialist, bloated and a threat to the global economy. That appears to be the message from the ongoing presidential campaign in the US. Republicans in particular have discovered Europe as a convenient punching bag

A new kind of NATO

By Sean Kay, Foreign Policy

From Sean Kay, Foreign Policy:  NATO needs a radical new kind of American leadership if Europe is to be incentivized to assume new responsibilities in effective ways.

Georgia releases new National Security Concept, but no mention of Western European nations

By Joshua Kucera, the Bug Pit

From Joshua Kucera, the Bug Pit:  Georgia has released its new "National Security Concept" document, updating it from the 2005 version which said there was “little possibility of open military aggression against Georgia." Now, unsurprisingly, Russia dominates the document: of the twelve "Threats, Risks and Challenges to the National Security of Georgia" it identifies, ten […]

Senior Officials: New Defense Review Recognizes U.S. NATO Commitments

By Donna Miles, Armed Forces Press Service

From Donna Miles, Armed Forces Press Service:  As the United States implements new strategic guidance that increases its focus on Asia and the Pacific, it also needs to pursue “smart defense initiatives” as it continues to honor its NATO commitments, a senior defense official said today. Budget constraints will demand new efficiencies and new approaches […]

EU defense spending still outstrips Russia and China combined, but little to show for it

By Peter Apps, Reuters

From Peter Apps, Reuters:  The European Union might appear a military superpower, at least on paper. It has more uniformed personnel than the United States and overall EU defense spending outstrips Russia or China. But as Washington pulls troops back from the continent, two decades after the Cold War ended, and refocuses on Asia, the […]

Hackers expose email addresses and passwords of 242 NATO officials

By Ed Pilkington and Richard Norton-Taylor, the Guardian

From Ed Pilkington and Richard Norton-Taylor, the Guardian:  Thousands of British email addresses and encrypted passwords, including those of defence, intelligence and police officials as well as politicians and Nato advisers, have been revealed on the internet following a security breach by hackers.