Security & Defense

NATO Chief Rebukes Karzai, Defends Afghan Progress

By AP and NATO

From AP:  NATO’s secretary-general has sharply rejected Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s view that the presence of international troops in his country caused much suffering but achieved few gains.

Libyan Prime Minister Is Kidnapped, Then Freed

By David D. Kirkpatrick and Gerry Mullany

Libya’s prime minister, Ali Zeidan, was kidnapped from a hotel in the capital, Tripoli, on Thursday and briefly held in an apparent act of retaliation for his presumed consent to the capture of a suspected Qaeda leader by an American commando team.

German Military Power in an Age of Austerity

By Patrick Keller, American Enterprise Institute

Since 1990, the Bundeswehr has been undergoing constant reform.

Pentagon Builds Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Site in Romania

By Kris Osborn, DoDBuzz

The Missile Defense Agency is working with Lockheed Martin to build a land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site in Romania

Rapid Reaction HQ Testing New NATO Operational Concept

By Allied Command Operations

Close to 1000 personnel assigned to Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) arrived at RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall on Sunday to conduct a training exercise that will run through to Saturday 12 October 2013.

Lavrov: Afghanistan Not Ready for NATO Forces Pullout

By RIA Novosti

The development of the situation in Afghanistan clearly shows that Afghan security forces will not be in position to take control of law and order in the war-torn country after the withdrawal of NATO-led forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Demonstrating NATO’s Utility to US Policymakers

By Jacob Stokes and Nora Bensahel, CNAS

While the best way to increase U.S. support for NATO is to improve the military capabilities of the member states, NATO can also do a better job of demonstrating the value of what it already provides to the United States.

NATO Secretary General: ‘I Strongly Support’ TTIP

Some may ask why the Secretary General of NATO should kick off a discussion on trade between the United States and the European Union.

Karzai says Taliban No Threat to Women, NATO Created ‘No Gains’ for Afghanistan

By Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

Afghan President Hamid Karzai marked the 12th anniversary of the US-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan that dislodged the Taliban from power and ended up installing him as leader by saying that Afghan women have nothing to fear from a return of Taliban influence

China Dismisses Worries over Turkey Missile Deal

By Ben Blanchard, Reuters

China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed concerns about Turkey’s decision to co-produce a missile defense system with a Chinese firm, saying on Tuesday that the United States and others were needlessly politicizing a purely commercial deal.