Category: NATOSource

French and U.S. Carriers Practice Joint Air Ops

By Pierre Tran, Navy Times

From Pierre Tran, Navy Times:  Onboard the USS Harry S. Truman — A brace of French Navy Rafales flying from the Charles de Gaulle carrier roared down to perform touch-and-go landings on the vast deck of this Nimitz class carrier, in a show of interoperability between the two navies. The cross-deck operations included a Rafale […]

NATO Honors Polish General Who Died in April Plane Crash

By DPA

From DPA: NATO defence ministers and top commanders on Thursday paid their last respects to Poland’s late chief of the general staff, General Franciszek Gagor, who died alongside his president in a plane crash in Russia on April 10.

U.S. and NATO Team Creating Air Power in Afghanistan

By AFNS

From AFNS:  About 450 U.S. and NATO forces are working to bring the 3,300 members and 48 aircraft of the Afghan army air corps up to par as part of a long-term effort to give the country a self-sufficient air force, the Air Force general leading the transition team said June 10. "Our mission is […]

Is NATO to Blame for Russia’s Afghan Heroin Problem?

By Simon Shuster, Time

From Simon Shuster, Time: On the international stage, Russia’s Afghan heroin issue has become the country’s favorite crusade, and has allowed Russia to enter a global debate about Afghanistan that had previously left it on the sidelines. Its basic point is a reasonable one: NATO has fueled drug production by refusing to destroy Afghan poppy […]

Medvedev to Discuss Missile Defense During U.S. Visit

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to visit the United States in June to boost Russian-U.S. cooperation in various spheres, including trade and the high-tech industry. "This [the U.S. missile defense plans in Europe] will be one of the topics for discussion; we have high expectations of this summit," Sergei Lavrov said in […]

NATO’s Training Mission Is still some 20 per cent Under Strength

By DPA

From DPA: NATO’s training mission is still some 20 per cent under strength. "We welcomed the significant improvement in the capability of the Afghan National Security Forces, and are committed to providing the trainers needed to support that steady progress," [NATO defense] ministers said in a joint declaration.

U.S. Military Test Launches New Missile Interceptor

By space.com

From space.com:  The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on June 6 successfully conducted the first flight test of a smaller version of its ground-based interceptor being developed as a backup option for a European missile shield, the agency said June 6. The two-stage interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and delivered an operational […]

NATO Defense Ministers Reaffirm Support for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic Aspirations

By NATO

From NATO:  On the morning of 11 June, the NATO-Georgia Commission met at the level of Defence Ministers for a discussion about the current security situation in the country and about NATO-Georgia cooperation. Georgian Defence Minister Bachana Akhalaia briefed his counterparts on the country’s ongoing reform efforts. NATO Ministers of Defence reaffirmed the Alliance’s continued […]

NATO SecGen: “The Bottom Line Is this, There will Be Less Money for Defense for Quite Some Time”

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  I was encouraged by the discussion today. Because there was a shared sense around the table on three very important points: First: we must cut fat and not muscle. While seeking savings, we must nevertheless preserve our ability to deter attacks against us and to carry out essential operations. We […]

Turkey’s Finance Minister: “We Are No Longer Puppets”

By the Economist