Category: NATOSource

SecGen Rasmussen: “This Alliance is about sharing security, but that doesn’t just mean sharing the benefits.”

By NATO

From NATO: The United States must know and see that in difficult times, indeed precisely when it is most difficult, this Alliance stands together and contributes together. If the United States do not see that now, I am afraid many in the U.S. will wonder about Europe as a real partner in security. And that […]

Somali pirates attack French military flagship

By AFP

From AFP: Somali pirates attempted to storm the French navy’s 18,000 tonne flagship in the Indian Ocean after mistaking it for a cargo vessel, the French military said on Wednesday. The crew of La Somme, a 160-metre (525-foot) command vessel and fuel tanker, easily saw off the brazen night-time assault by lightly armed fighters on […]

NATO to Start Training Afghan Police

By the New York Times

From the New York Times: NATO, criticized by the United States for not doing enough in Afghanistan, will start training the Afghan police in the coming weeks, the alliance’s new leader said. The move by NATO, which said in April that it would take on such a role but did not provide details until now, […]

NATO chief: US allies must do more in Afghanistan

By the AP

From the AP: America’s allies risk eroding NATO’s trans-Altantic defense pact if they do not contribute more to the Afghan mission, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance secretary general, said Wednesday. Fogh Rasmussen said there must be a “fair balance” between what the United States does to stabilize Afghanistan and what its allies do, but that […]

NATO Chief on EU-Backed Report on War

By Civil Georgia

From Civil Georgia: NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said when asked if the findings of the EU-commissioned report on the August war would influence on Georgia’s aspiration to join the alliance, that the report “will not have any impact on the decisions already made in NATO…” On the report itself NATO Secretary General said: […]

Rethinking Security in “Greater Europe”

By the European Council on Foreign Relations

From the European Council on Foreign Relations: Both the EU and NATO have exhausted their potential for “light” expansion. Both organizations have entered an area of open rivalry, where they will inevitably meet with opposition from Russia. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that not a single country in the former Soviet Union, including […]

Russia Ready For Restoration Of Ties With NATO

By AP

From AP: Russia is ready to fully restore cooperation with NATO which was suspended in the aftermath of the Russia-Georgia war, the Kremlin said Wednesday. A planned trip to Moscow by NATO’s secretary-general should demonstrate that the alliance is also ready for developing ties, said Nataliya Timakova, a spokeswoman for President Dmitry Medvedev. “Of course, […]

Danish defence chief quits over Arabic book uproar

By Reuters

From Reuters: The head of Denmark’s defence forces quit on Sunday after the military was forced to admit its own officers had translated into Arabic a book describing Danish special forces’ operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Admiral Tim Jorgensen resigned after it emerged that a military computer specialist produced an Arabic version of a book […]

Vershbow on U.S./Russia missile defense links

Q.: In what particular areas can Russia and the U.S. cooperate on missile defense? Does Washington consider the possibility that the two countries could jointly operate the Russian radar station in Gabala, Azerbaijan, and its S-300 and S-400 air defense systems? A.: Secretary of Defense Gates and other senior defense officials have already pointed to […]

’I’m on Facebook, friend me’: top NATO commander

By AFP

From AFP: NATO must make better use of networking sites and other social media to explain to the public what it does, its new supreme allied commander in Europe said Friday — starting with his own Facebook page. Admiral James Stavridis, who took over as NATO’s top commander in Europe in July, admitted that ‘not […]