Category: NATOSource

Presidential frontrunner won’t push Finland into NATO

By Jussi Rosendahl and Eero Vassinen, Reuters

From Jussi Rosendahl and Eero Vassinen, Reuters:  Finland’s leading presidential candidate Sauli Niinisto said Monday he will not push for the country to join NATO if he is elected, despite his party’s enthusiasm for membership of the military alliance.

Europe should heed shift in US defense

By the Editors of the Financial Times

From the Editors of the Financial Times:  President Barack Obama’s new US defence posture – one that plans for “a smaller and leaner” military – is a significant moment in American policymaking.

Germany Might Sell Used Eurofighters to Eastern Europe

By Albrecht Müller, Defense News

From Albrecht Müller, Defense News:  In the wake of its military restructuring, Germany could sell some of its used Eurofighter jets to Eastern European countries. The Financial Times Deutschland newspaper reported on Jan. 4 that Bulgaria is interested in acquiring eight aircraft.

Former head of NATO’s 2nd-largest army arrested for “forming and directing a terrorist group”

By MSNBC

From MSNBC:  A former military chief was jailed Friday, accused of leading a terrorist organization and plotting to bring down Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, his lawyer said.

Despite tensions, US rescues 13 Iranian seamen from pirates

By Jim Miklaszewski and staff, MSNBC

From Jim Miklaszewski and staff, MSNBC:  Casting aside current tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the U.S. Navy on Friday rescued 13 Iranian seamen who were being held captive by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Oman.

What does the Pentagon’s new strategy mean for NATO?

By Andrew Chuter and Kate Brannan, Defense News

From Andrew Chuter and Kate Brannan, Defense News:  Just before the Pentagon unveiled a new military strategy that emphasizes a shift in focus toward the Asia-Pacific region, Britain’s Defense Secretary Phillip Hammond urged the U.S. government to maintain the strength of its commitment to the NATO alliance.

NATO Secretary General Responds to Obama’s New Defense Review

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  I welcome the announcement by President Obama of the US Defence Strategic Review. The announcement follows consultation with Allies. I appreciate the United States’ enduring commitment to European security, to preserving the strength and solidarity of our Alliance and to upholding our collective defence. In an unpredictable world,  the United […]

New US Defense Review claims NATO “is critical to the security of Europe and beyond,” but rebalances forces to other regions

By the Department of Defense

From the Department of Defense:  The United States has played a leading role in transforming the international system over the past sixty-five years.  Working with like-minded nations, the United States has created a safer, more stable, and more prosperous world for the American people, our allies, and our partners around the globe than existed prior to World […]

Obama: NATO is a force multiplier

By Barack Obama, the White House