United States and Canada

Russia rotates its peacekeepers in Transdnestr

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russia starts on Monday a regular rotation of its peacekeeping contingent in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdnestr. The peacekeeping operation in the region is carried out by the Collective Peacekeeping Forces (CPF), comprising 402 Russian, 492 Transdnestrian, 355 Moldovan troops and 10 Ukrainian observers. The peacekeepers man a total of 15 checkpoints […]

Official – Troops out of Afghanistan by 2014

By Jonathan Owen and Brian Brady, the Independent

From Jonathan Owen and Brian Brady, the Independent:  A communiqué containing a blueprint for British troops to pull out from Afghanistan in four years’ time has been leaked ahead of a major international conference this week. British troops are to pull out of Afghanistan by 2014, under a secret blueprint for drawing down coalition forces […]

Canada to buy 65 F-35 stealth fighter jets

By AFP

Europe falls out of love with Barack Obama

By Nile Gardiner, the Telegraph

Russian military denies ‘illusion of power’

By Bill Gertz, the Washington Times

From Bill Gertz, the Washington Times:  The Russian military responded to comments in this space last week by Navy Adm. James Winnefeld, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, who stated that increases of Russian strategic bomber flights near the U.S. and Canada airspace over the past several years were an attempt by Moscow to maintain […]

Troop pullout deadline working, Sen. Levin says

By  Nathan Hurst, the Detroit News

From Nathan Hurst, the Detroit News:  The July 2011 deadline for beginning to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan has helped stabilize the war-torn nation’s security, Sen. Carl Levin said Tuesday. "The Afghans must be in charge … with their own troops," Levin, D-Detroit, said during a Tuesday breakfast in Washington sponsored by the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor […]

U.S. deports alleged 12th Russian spy, a former Microsoft employee

By Jerry Markon, the Washington Post

From Jerry Markon, the Washington Post:  Federal authorities detained a 12th person in their investigation of a Russian spy ring in the United States, and he has been deported to Russia, U.S. law enforcement officials said Tuesday. The man, Alexey Karetnikov, entered the United States in October and was living in the Seattle area, where […]

National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones in Europe to discuss Afghanistan and upcoming NATO Summit

By the White House

From the White House: Statement by Ben Chang, Deputy NSC Spokesman, on the meetings of National Security Advisor General James Jones in Paris and Brussels On July 12 and 13, General Jones visited Paris and Brussels to consult with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen, senior French officials, and other allies.  His discussions focused on coordinating transatlantic actions […]

Nato chief: Afghanistan timetable puts British troops at risk

By James Kirkup, the Telegraph

From James Kirkup, the Telegraph:  David Cameron’s signal of a five-year timetable for withdrawing British troops from Afghanistan risks encouraging the Taliban to step up their attacks on Western forces, the head of Nato has said. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Nato secretary-general, delivered the blunt message after the Prime Minister said he wanted most British […]

U.S. Detains 12th Person in Russian Spy Probe

By Evan Perez, the Wall Street Journal

From Evan Perez, the Wall Street Journal:  Authorities are detaining a 12th, previously undisclosed person implicated in the federal probe that busted a Cold War-style Russian spy ring, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Federal Bureau of Investigation counterintelligence investigators have been investigating the 23-year-old Russian man since last fall when his […]