Southern and Southeastern Europe

Prime Minister: Montenegro Expects Invitation to Join NATO in September

Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic is optimistic about his country’s chances of receiving an invitation to join NATO in Wales at the September 2014 NATO summit. He praised US support for Montenegro’s ambition during his speech at the Atlantic Council on April 8. Djukanovic said that his country is in an “encouraging place,” and noted […]

Bulgaria Considering Air Policing with Turkey and Romania Due to Increase in Russian Flights Near Borders

By Lithuania Tribune

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has said Sofia should cooperate with NATO partners Turkey and Romania in the face of increased Russian surveillance flights coming close to Bulgarian airspace.

US Sends More Marines to Romania, Navy Vessel to Black Sea

By Nick Simeone, American Forces Press Service

The Defense Department is deploying additional Marines to enlarge a rotational crisis response force based in Spain, and is also dispatching a naval vessel to the Black Sea to conduct exercises with U.S. allies in the region, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

Sixteen Nations Participating in Norway’s Cold Response Military Exercise This Week

By Norwwegian Armed Forces

The main purpose of Cold Response is to train participants in how to conduct combat operations in cold weather conditions.

Austria Boosts Peacekeepers in Balkans After Golan Withdrawal

By Georgina Prodhan, Reuters

Austria will send more peacekeepers to the Balkans and Africa after its withdrawal from the Golan Heights last year raised questions about the neutral Alpine country’s international commitment.

NATO Chief Expresses Concern over Italian Marines’ Case in India

By Justyna Pawlak, Reuters

NATO warned India on Wednesday that using anti-terrorism legislation to try two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen would undermine international efforts to combat piracy.

NATO’s New Frontier

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Project Syndicate

An American ship sailing into a Spanish naval base this week is making history.

The Next Chapter in European Presence and Partnerships

By Bruce W. Clingan, US Navy

USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) is heading east, on a course that will make the ship the first of four destroyers to be forward deployed in the Naval Forces Europe operating area.