Category: NATOSource

Russian Strategic Bombers Followed by NATO Fighters

By Interfax

From Interfax: Two Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers on November 24 and 25 flew air patrolling missions, assistant to Air Force commander-in-chief Col. Vladimir Drik told Interfax-AVN on Wednesday. “The flight route was above the neutral waters of the Arctic ocean to the Atlantic. The crews of the Tu-95Ms bombers were followed by NATO F-15 […]

UK: NATO to offer 5,000 troops for Afghanistan

By the AP

From the AP: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says 10 NATO nations are ready to offer about 5,000 more troops for the war in Afghanistan. Brown’s spokesman Simon Lewis said Wednesday the British leader was optimistic over the pledges of additional personnel following talks with about 10 NATO nations in recent weeks. Lewis said Brown […]

How Obama’s Afghan strategy is shaping up

By Reuters

From Reuters: Several of Obama’s top national security and military advisers, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have coalesced around two final options — deploying 30,000 to nearly 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, officials say. If bolstered by trainers from NATO allies, these two options […]

France shows off cutting-edge navy ship in Russia

By the AP

From the AP: French officers on Tuesday showed off a cutting-edge warship to a potential buyer – the Russian navy, whose pursuit of an amphibious assault capacity is frightening some neighboring countries… Russian officials have said they were planning to make their first arms deal with a NATO country by buying a French ship like […]

Strategic Concept Leaders Brief Secretary General

Madeleine Albright (Chair, Group of Experts for NATO’s New Strategic Concept) and Jeroen Van der Veer (Vice-Chair) briefed NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, on progress in the development of the alliance’s response to changes in the international security environment. (photo: NATO)

Americans Seek Up to 7,000 Extra NATO Troops for Ramp-Up in Afghanistan

By the Wall Street Journal

From the Wall Street Journal: The Obama administration is in advanced talks with its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies for a coordinated rollout of a new Afghan war strategy, which U.S. officials hope will include a commitment by European allies to send several thousand additional troops. U.S. and European estimates of the new troops they […]

NATO plans Afghan troops meeting on December 7

By Reuters

From Reuters: NATO will hold a meeting on December 7 to raise forces for Afghanistan, in the expectation that President Barack Obama will have laid out his plans for U.S. troop levels by then, alliance officials said on Monday. The meeting of countries contributing to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan will follow […]

Tories to pull British forces out of Germany

By the Telegraph

From the Telegraph: The Shadow Defence Secretary told The Daily Telegraph that ending Britain’s 25,000 strong military presence on the Rhine would be part of a fundamental reorganisation of Nato forces designed to free troops for military operations outside Europe… As part of a strategic defence review if the Tories win power, Dr. [Liam] Fox […]

America is listening to Russia’s call for new security arrangements in Europe

By the Economist

From the Economist: In theory, Russian diplomats accredited to NATO are welcome friends: the reality is murkier. For more than a decade now, Russian officials have been trusted to roam the alliance’s maze-like headquarters in Brussels just like envoys from other “partner countries” such as Sweden, Finland or Malta. In practice, says a diplomat, everyone […]

Could China fill a power vacuum in eastern Europe?

By the Economist

From the Economist: As the countries of eastern Europe bump nervously between a near-neutralist Germany, a revisionist Russia and an absent-minded America, the search is on for a powerful outsider, with strong interests in the region, willing to put all kinds of clout behind the smaller countries’ sovereignty and independence… Maybe China. It has plenty […]