Category: Blogs

Russia in NATO?

By the Editors of the Washington Times

From the Editors of the Washington Times:  Some bad national security ideas refuse to go away. One of the worst of them floating around the last 20 years is the notion that Russia should be offered membership in the NATO alliance.

Defense Austerity, American Style

By James Joyner

 The age of austerity for NATO defense budgets is finally hitting the United States.   Here, though, it’s a bit different, with "cuts" coming in the Washington sense of "spending more than last year but less than projected." To be sure, this isn’t the impression one would get scanning the headlines.  NYT blares "Pentagon Seeks […]

Poll: Turks see US as Biggest Threat

By Joe Parkinson, the Wall Street Journal

From Joe Parkinson, the Wall Street Journal:  According to a wide-ranging survey carried out by the Ankara-based MetroPOLL Strategic and Social Research Center in December, some 43% of Turks said they perceive the U.S. as the country’s biggest threat

Enterprise Incident: More Than Bad Judgment

By Robert Bracknell

The relief of the commanding officer of the Enterprise resounds far beyond the person of Capt. Owen Honors. It impacts a storied warship, the Navy and the nation – all of whom deserve better. Leaving aside the separate issue of the propriety of Capt. Honors’ conduct, I am perplexed at his failure to recognize how […]

US sending over 1,000 additional Marines to Afghanistan

By Elisabeth Bumiller, the New York Times

From Elisabeth Bumiller, the New York Times:  The United States will send more than 1,000 additional Marines to Afghanistan this month to try to solidify progress in the south before troop reductions begin in July, American military officials said Thursday.

British CHoD: Not a Time for Strategic Shrinkage

By James Joyner

UK defense chief General Sir David Richards declared that, despite painful cuts in his country’s military budget, they "will continue to be the best ally the United States could hope for." Richards made no bones about how painful austerity would be, noting that it will require manning a smaller force than he would like and […]

British Defense Chief: Afghanistan Situation ‘Radically Better’

By James Joyner

General Sir David Richards, the chief of Britain’s armed forces, told an Atlantic Council audience that the situation in Afghanistan is "radically better than it was in 2008," when he turned over command of the NATO mission. He noted that little has changed in terms of the strategic vision. The essential understanding of how to […]

Germany takes over Baltic air policing mission

By DPA

From DPA:  German interceptor aircraft assumed air policing duties Wednesday in the skies above Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for a four-month rotation. Six Luftwaffe F-4F Phantom aircraft are taking over from four F-15C fighters of the US Air Force as part of NATO’s defence commitment along its eastern borders. The planes will operate out of […]

Croatian Parliament Approves New Defense Minister

By Focus News Agency

Polish border guards to patrol Greek-Turkish border

By Xinhua

From Xinhua:  Twelve border guards from four Polish units will patrol the Greek-Turkish border for two months, the border guards’ command said on Wednesday. The border guards are taking part in a joint operation of European Union border guards coordinated by Frontex. Frontex is the EU agency based in Warsaw, created as a specialized and […]