Southern and Southeastern Europe

Anarchy at Door, West Starts to Rebuild Libyan Army

By Patrick Markey, Reuters

Turkey, Italy, and Britain are leading the way with promises to train around 8,000 troops and police in skills from infantry basics to forensics. Other recruits are graduating from programs in Jordan.

US Plan for New, Western-Trained Libyan Force Faces Obstacles

By Abigail Hauslohner and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

At the request of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, the United States, Britain and Italy have agreed to train 5,000 to 8,000 troops, many of whom will be drawn from existing militias.

Northrop Grumman Begins Building Drones for NATO’s AGS Program

By April M. Havens, Gulf Live

Many NATO countries have “a crying need” for the capabilities that will be provided by five unmanned aircraft being built by Northrop Grumman Corp., NATO’s Jim Edge said today.

Transatlantic Cooperation Towards the Middle East

On December 4, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Relations program hosted an off-the-record roundtable discussion with Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and member of the Italian Parliament, Lapo Pistelli. Pistelli has been an integral part of Enrico Letta’s government since his appointment in May 2013. The conversation also featured program directors from the Atlantic Council’s […]

American Leadership and the Future of the Transatlantic Alliance

By Marco Rubio, Chatham House

We are witnessing an attack on our shared values.

NATO: France Pulling Its Troops Out of Kosovo Mission

By AP and Reuters

From AP:  NATO’s supreme commander says France is pulling out of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo because of commitments in Mali and Central African Republic.

Russia and Serbia Sign Military Pact

By RFE/RL and RIA Novosti

From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:  Russia and Serbia signed a military cooperation agreement in Belgrade on November 13.

MEADS Missile Defense Destroyed Two Targets at Once – Lockheed

By Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters

The MEADS missile defense system developed by the United States, Italy and Germany intercepted and destroyed two targets simultaneously in a final test on Wednesday before Washington pulls out of the program, Lockheed Martin Corp said.

US and European Allies Building Libyan Army Bilaterally, Instead of Through NATO

By Frederic Wehrey , Foreign Affairs

Last month, discussing the Obama administration’s plans for a more modest Middle East policy, National Security Adviser Susan Rice noted that Washington “can’t just be consumed 24/7 by one region, important as it is.”

US, Germany, Italy Sign Agreement on MEADS Development

By Global Security Newswire

The United States, Germany and Italy this week agreed to maintain trilateral collaboration on a developmental battlefield short-range missile defense system