United States and Canada

Obama tells Cameron BP criticism is not anti-British

By Deutsche Welle

From Deutsche Welle:  US President Barack Obama assured British Prime Minister David Cameron in a telephone conversation on Saturday that his criticism of BP’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not about national identity. US President Barack Obama told British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday that his frustration over […]

Kyrgyzstan Requested U.S. Military Aid and Rubber Bullets but was Turned Down

By Steve LeVine, Foreign Policy

From Steve LeVine, Foreign Policy:  Before Kyrgyzstan turned to Russia, it informally asked Washington for military assistance including a supply of rubber bullets to quell ethnic bloodletting in the south of the country, but was turned down, I am told by people privy to the situation.

Polish General Appointed Top NATO Post

By Polskie Radio

From Polskie Radio: Lt General Mieczyslaw Bieniek is to be deputy commander at NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, US – the highest position a Pole has attained within the Atlantic alliance. Defence Minister Bogdan Klich, refused to confirm the position simply however, saying a decision will be made "soon." The PAP news agency reports that initially, Gen. […]

A Casualty of Reset Relations

By Owen Matthews, Newsweek

Kyrgyzstan Asks Russia to Help Quell Ethnic Riots

By Philip P. Pan, the Washington Post

French and U.S. Carriers Practice Joint Air Ops

By Pierre Tran, Navy Times

From Pierre Tran, Navy Times:  Onboard the USS Harry S. Truman — A brace of French Navy Rafales flying from the Charles de Gaulle carrier roared down to perform touch-and-go landings on the vast deck of this Nimitz class carrier, in a show of interoperability between the two navies. The cross-deck operations included a Rafale […]

U.S. and NATO Team Creating Air Power in Afghanistan

By AFNS

From AFNS:  About 450 U.S. and NATO forces are working to bring the 3,300 members and 48 aircraft of the Afghan army air corps up to par as part of a long-term effort to give the country a self-sufficient air force, the Air Force general leading the transition team said June 10. "Our mission is […]

Medvedev to Discuss Missile Defense During U.S. Visit

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to visit the United States in June to boost Russian-U.S. cooperation in various spheres, including trade and the high-tech industry. "This [the U.S. missile defense plans in Europe] will be one of the topics for discussion; we have high expectations of this summit," Sergei Lavrov said in […]

NATO’s Training Mission Is still some 20 per cent Under Strength

By DPA

From DPA: NATO’s training mission is still some 20 per cent under strength. "We welcomed the significant improvement in the capability of the Afghan National Security Forces, and are committed to providing the trainers needed to support that steady progress," [NATO defense] ministers said in a joint declaration.

U.S. Military Test Launches New Missile Interceptor

By space.com

From space.com:  The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on June 6 successfully conducted the first flight test of a smaller version of its ground-based interceptor being developed as a backup option for a European missile shield, the agency said June 6. The two-stage interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and delivered an operational […]