United States and Canada

Statement of President Barack Obama on Secretary Gates Reform Agenda

By the White House

From the White House:  Today, Secretary Gates advanced our effort to invest in the defense capabilities that we need in the 21st century, while being responsible and accountable in spending taxpayer dollars.  I have long said that we need to change the way that Washington works so that it works better for the American people. […]

Russia, U.S. and Canada chase jet in first-ever joint hijack drill

By Dan Elliott, the AP

From Dan Elliott, the AP: In a historic first for Cold War adversaries, U.S., Canadian and Russian military officers directed fighter jets and ground controllers to test how well they could track an international terrorist hijacking over the Pacific Ocean. A chartered American jet code-named Fencing 1220 sent a mock distress signal shortly after taking […]

Secretary of Defense to close Joint Forces Command

By Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy

From Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy:  In Washington, you know a decision is controversial when the pushback comes before the announcement. Such is the case with Defense Secretary Robert Gates‘s Monday bombshell that he wants to close Joint Forces Command. The AP broke the news this morning that Gates would announce at a press conference his […]

NORAD and Russian Air Force conduct first joint air defense exercise

By NORAD

From NORAD:  The Russian Federation Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a first-ever cooperative air defense exercise. The civilian air control agencies of Russia (Federal Air Navigational Service) and the United States (Federal Aviation Administration) will also be involved in the exercise along with the military air operations centers at […]

Russia sees NATO forces in Eastern Europe as violatation of 1997 agreement

By Andrew Kramer, the New York Times

From Andrew Kramer, the New York Times:  Russia’s Foreign Ministry released a report on Saturday accusing the United States of violating dozens of provisions of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons treaties going back about a decade, apparently in a retort to American critics of a new arms treaty, who have been accusing Russia of violating past […]

Gen. Petraeus revises the rules of engagement for NATO forces in Afghanistan

By Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

From Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor: Gen. David Petraeus, appointed this June to turn the Afghanistan war around, has just made his first visible impact on how the increasingly deadly conflict is being run.

Afghanistan Clock Ticking

By James Joyner, the New Atlanticist

From James Joyner, the New Atlanticist:  The Netherlands became the first NATO member to quit Afghanistan Sunday, when it withdrew its 1955 troops.

What’s going on inside David Cameron’s foreign policy?

By Will Inboden, Foreign Policy

Why the U.S. can’t look to NATO or the EU to support its Russia strategy

By Stephen Szabo, Europe's World

From Stephen Szabo, Europe’s World:  America’s foreign policy leaders, both within the U.S. government and elsewhere, are losing patience with Europe.

Tactical Nuclear Weapons: Time to Reaffirm NATO Solidarity

By Kori Schake, Center for European Policy Analysis

From Kori Schake, Center for European Policy Analysis:  Of the NATO allies, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Poland and Sweden advocate alliance nuclear reductions. Some even support unilateral NATO elimination of its nuclear arsenal, a reckless position given that Russia has not cut its arsenal since the end of the Cold War, while NATO […]