Europe & Eurasia

Lavrov: Iran Deal Nullifies Needs for Europe Missile Shield

By RIA Novosti and RT

From RIA Novosti:  Implementation of a deal on Iran’s nuclear program reached in Geneva this weekend will make the US missile defense system in Europe unnecessary, Russia’s foreign minister said Monday.

Report: NSA Bugged Merkel’s Phone at Request of State Department

By Siobhan Gorman, Wall Street Journal

Shortly after former government contractor Edward Snowden revealed himself in June as the source of leaked National Security Agency documents, the agency’s director, Gen. Keith Alexander, offered to resign, according to a senior U.S. official.

US Plans Increase in Arctic Operations

By AP and Reuters

From Lolita C. Baldor, AP:  The U.S. will assert its sovereignty in the Arctic, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned Friday, even as Russia, China and other nations stake claims and expand their use of the icy waters for military exercises and transit.

Text of Pentagon’s New Arctic Strategy

By Department of Defense

The DoD Arctic Strategy outlines how the Department will support the whole-of-government effort to promote security, stewardship, and international cooperation in the Arctic.

NATO’s Naval Leaders Meet to Discuss Global Security Challenges

By NATO Maritime Command

Today marks the beginning of a major conference in central London to address significant challenges to the future of global security and in particular maritime security.

US May Cut Military Spending in Europe by 20 Percent

By Peter Apps, Reuters

The United States may be compelled to cut its military spending in Europe next year by as much as a fifth in the latest round of reductions under “sequestration”, America’s top general in the region said on Thursday.

Navy Prepares Fleet for More Arctic Missions

By Kris Osborn, DoDBuzz

Navy leaders had been preparing to increase the services’ Arctic presence by the mid-2030s, but they are now accelerating the timetable to the mid-2020s due to the warming of the waters and the rapid pace of melting ice.

Lessons Learned from STEADFAST JAZZ

On November 21, the Atlantic Council hosted a non-for-attribution roundtable with top Allied military and government officials to discuss the 2013 STEADFAST JAZZ exercise and the lessons learned for the future readiness and capabilities of NATO.

EU Needs to Rethink its Eastern Partnership Policy

By Taras Kuzio

The EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP), unveiled four years ago to build better neighbourly relations with six former Soviet republics, is in crisis. The EaP was launched by EU members such as Sweden and Poland (with the backing of Britain) keen to promote enlargement into the former USSR. Although with this not possible due to widespread […]

Turkey’s Chinese Missile System Will Not Work with US, NATO Equipment – Pentagon Official

By Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters

If Turkey buys a missile defense system from China, it would not be able to integrate it with NATO or U.S. systems and would miss out on decades of training, support and upgrades that come with U.S. systems, a top U.S. official said at the Dubai Airshow.