Americas

‘Panetta may have triggered an unseemly rush for the exit’ from Afghanistan

By Clausewitz, the Economist

From Clausewitz, the Economist:  The secret NATO report on the Taliban leaked to the BBC is full of fascinating stuff, but it mostly confirms what was already known rather than shedding new light on the conflict in Afghanistan. The report, called “The State of the Taliban” and based on interrogations with more than 4,000 Taliban […]

Panetta: U.S. plans to end combat missions in Afghanistan in 2013

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  The United States and NATO will seek to end their combat mission in Afghanistan next year and shift to a role of providing support and training to Afghan security forces

Panetta faces tough NATO meeting after budget shift

By David Alexander, Reuters

From David Alexander, Reuters:  The NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday comes a week after [Defense Secretary Leon] Panetta previewed a defense budget that calls for slashing American force numbers in Europe, part of a new U.S. military strategy that puts Asia and the Middle East as top priorities with Europe a lowly […]

NATO Plays Down Report of Collaboration Between Taliban and Pakistan

By Rod Nordland and Declan Walsh, the New York Times

Now Not the Time to Retreat from Europe

By Chad Manske, Global Post

From Chad Manske, Global Post:  Critics do not recognize that we have significantly reduced our forces and installations in Europe since the end of the Cold War. Of the 1.4 million current US military personnel, only 90,000 are in Europe, or about 6.4 percent.

Euro-Atlantic security ‘is vitally important for the entire world’

By Wolfgang Ischinger, Igor Ivanov, and Sam Nunn, the International Herald Tribune

From Wolfgang Ischinger, Igor Ivanov, and Sam Nunn, the International Herald Tribune:  At the close of the Cold War, hopes were high for a more organized and peaceful international system. Two decades later, there is not much sign of one emerging. The focus of governments is shifting away from the Euro-Atlantic community — the heart […]

Most security experts believe cyber arms race is on

By Rachel King, ZDNet

From Rachel King, ZDNet:  The digital arms race is already underway, according to many global experts and their opinions included in McAfee’s global cyber defense report. At least 57 percent of the study participants concurred with this point, while another 36 percent went so far as to argue that cyber security is more important than […]

U.S. Ranked 4th in Cyber Defense

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News

From Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News:  The U.S. ranked behind Finland, Israel and Sweden in a new report analyzing the ability of countries to defend themselves against cyber attacks.

Obama supports Georgia ‘ultimately’ becoming a member of NATO

By Barack Obama, the White House

From Barack Obama, the White House:  On defense and security, I expressed my gratitude to the President for the extraordinary contributions that have been made by the Georgian military in Afghanistan. 

Twenty Years of Kazakhstan Independence and US-Kazakhstan Relations

On January 31, the Atlantic Council hosted a conference entitled “Twenty Years of Kazakhstan Independence and US-Kazakhstan Relations” at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC.