United States and Canada

Cyber Command Achieves Full Operational Capability

By the U.S. Department of Defense

From the U.S. Department of Defense:  Department of Defense announced today [11/3/10] that U.S. Cyber Command has achieved full operational capability (FOC). Achieving FOC involved U.S. Cyber Command completing a number of critical tasks to ensure it was capable of accomplishing its mission.  U.S. Cyber Command is responsible for directing activities to operate and defend […]

Entente Suicidal

By Andrew Roberts, the Wall Street Journal

From Andrew Roberts, the Wall Street Journal:  Great Britain desperately needed to sign a 50-year defense pact with a close ally to protect her dwindling military resources and retain the power to project force in the world.

NATO Seeks Unity on Kabul

By  Yaroslav Trofimov, the Wall Street Journal

From Yaroslav Trofimov, the Wall Street Journal:  Coalition commanders in Afghanistan are pushing for a show of unity at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Portugal this month, concerned about the pressure by some European allies to speed up transition to Afghan control and leave.

Entente Frugal: There Has to Be More to Defense Policy Than Saving Money

By Iain Martin, the Wall Street Journal

From Iain Martin, the Wall Street Journal:  [I]t is worth adding a note of caution amid all the cross-channel bonhomie. Almost everyone involved seems convinced they are getting something different out of these arrangements.

National intelligence director says budget will be moved from Pentagon control

By Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post

From Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post:  Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. said Tuesday that he has won a "conceptual agreement" to remove the $53 billion national intelligence budget from Pentagon control and place it under his purview by 2013

NATO’s hidden strengths

By Daniel Nexon, the Duck of Minerva

From Daniel Nexon, the Duck of Minerva:  [C]urrent defense cuts make clear NATO’s ongoing importance to Europe. By co-binding virtually the entire Atlantic and European Community, whether through direct NATO integration or the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, NATO has created an unprecedented security community. Every major power (save one) on the continent has interoperable […]

Turkey’s relationship with west on the line in missile defence negotiations

By Praveen Swami, the Telegraph

NATO members not providing 900 trainers for Afghanistan

By Patrick Markey, Reuters

From Patrick Markey, Reuters:  NATO training chief Lieutenant General William Caldwell said his mission was short of 900 instructors, mostly in the police, but also to train Afghans to become independent of NATO in areas such as logistics, maintenance, transport and medical services.

Hamid Karzai criticises Russian drug raid

By Ben Farmer, the Telegraph

Turkey not partner but owner of NATO, FM says

By Fulya Ozerkan, Hurriyet

From Fulya Ozerkan, Hurriyet:  Turkey is not a partner, but an owner of NATO, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Saturday, adding that an agreement within the multi-national alliance is as important as an accord within the European Union. Speaking to a small group of journalists en route from Xi’an to Shanghai as part of his weeklong […]