Security & Defense

SACEUR Sees ‘Uncertainty and Insecurity’ Along Europe’s Borders

By Philip Breedlove, Department of Defense

From Philip Breedlove, Department of Defense:  These are dynamic times, and I’m invigorated by the challenges and opportunities in front of us today, and encouraged by the passion and the professionalism of the whole NATO team to meet those challenges and to address those opportunities. 

Germany and Italy Commit to Leadership Roles in Post-2014 Afghanistan Mission

By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times

From Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times:  Germany and Italy have committed to join the United States in helping to train Afghan troops after combat operations cease at the end of next year, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.

The Ghosts of Task Force Smith

By Pete Dillon

Here we are again. Since World War I the United Sates has consistently entered into a post conflict reduction of military capacity that attempts to rebalance the national ledgers and reign in spending.  The contemporary conversation inside the Beltway is saturated with opinions on the best way to proceed this time, even though our nation is […]

Hagel: NATO’s ‘Over-Dependence’ on US Capabilities ‘Brings with it Risks’

By Chuck Hagel, Department of Defense

NATO Boosts Cyber Defenses but Members Differ on Its Role

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

From Adrian Croft, Reuters:  NATO ministers agreed on Tuesday to strengthen the organization’s cyber defenses but differed about how much NATO should do to protect smaller allies from potentially devastating hacking attacks.

NATO’s Cyber Defenses to be Fully Operational by Autumn

By NATO

NATO in a New Security Landscape

By Jason Harmala

On June 5, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) held a conference on NATO in a New Security Landscape.

Lebanon inches toward disaster

By Rajan Menon

It has been Lebanon’s unenviable fate to be the playground for the deadly games of its more powerful and rivalrous neighbors. What has made Lebanon particularly vulnerable to the fears and ambitions of adjacent states—or in the case of Iran, those aligned with them—is the effect outsiders’ machinations have had on the delicate balance among […]

NATO Chief Highlights Freedom of Expression in Turkey Protests

By Fatma Demirelli, Today's Zaman

From Fatma Demirelli, Today’s Zaman:  NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on Turkish authorities and anti-government protesters to ensure peaceful protests, saying freedom to express one’s political views is a democratic value embraced by the alliance. Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who has clashed with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over freedom […]

NATO Decides to Send Team to Help Build Libya’s Security Institutions

By NATO

From NATO:  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said ahead of the start Tuesday’s (4 June 2013) NATO Defence Ministerial that Allied nations have decided to send an expert-level delegation to Libya to identify areas where NATO can provide assistance.