United States and Canada

US faults Turks for canceling NATO air exercises

By the AP

From the AP: State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tuesday, however, that “as to the question of whether there was a government that was invited to participate and then removed at the last minute, we think it’s inappropriate for any nation to be removed from an exercise like this at the last minute.” He was […]

Nuclear security summit will be held in Washington in April – Lavrov

By Interfax

From Interfax: A nuclear security summit will be held in Washington in April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In the area of nonproliferation, “Russia and the United States agreed to work on several tracks, including preparing a review conference of the […]

Defensive on Missile Defense

By the Atlantic Council

From the Atlantic Council: [T]he Obama team has struggled to counter criticism that its missile defense decision undermines its Czech and Polish allies and weakens Central Europe’s confidence in U.S. leadership. Critics say that the administration’s rollout of its policy and its poor consultations with allies left much to be desired. Even Under Secretary Tauscher […]

Solana: The EU is a “Global Provider of Security”

By Zaman

From Zaman: 2009 is a landmark year for the European Union’s role in the world. It marks 10 years of European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), during which the EU became a global provider of security, making a real difference to people’s lives all over the world. At the same time, we are on the […]

U.S. Senate Challenges President Obama With Missile Defense Vote

By Reuters

From Reuters: Riki Ellison, President and Chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/ has reviewed the missile defense vote in the Senate on Tuesday, October 6th, and concluded that the Senate wants to keep open the option for developing and potentially basing the ground-based interceptor in either Europe or the U.S… Last night, […]

New Missile Plan Would Link Allies’ Radar, Other Systems

By the Washington Post

From the Washington Post: Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly, director of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, defended that decision Wednesday, saying that the linking of U.S. and allied radar systems with satellites and other sensors would allow officials to follow the path of launched missiles throughout their flight. “This capability did not exist five years ago,” […]

Vershbow on U.S./Russia missile defense links

Q.: In what particular areas can Russia and the U.S. cooperate on missile defense? Does Washington consider the possibility that the two countries could jointly operate the Russian radar station in Gabala, Azerbaijan, and its S-300 and S-400 air defense systems? A.: Secretary of Defense Gates and other senior defense officials have already pointed to […]

NATOSource: Was George Bush Also Responsible for the Georgia Conflict?

Jörg Himmelreich, one of the members of the commission that last week produced the EU’s report on the Georgia conflict, feels strongly that there was one important element missing from the report, blaming George Bush. Writing in the New York Times, Himmelreigh argues that; the report has a major flaw. It fails to thoroughly analyze […]

Nato commander warns of conflict with Russia in Arctic Circle

By the Times (UK)

From the Times (UK): Competition for resources in the Arctic Circle could provoke conflict between Russia and Nato, a newly appointed commander at the alliance warned yesterday. Russia has recently been aggressive in its pursuit of claims to parts of the region and in February sent a submarine to the floor of the sea symbolically […]

Pentagon sees U.S. defense in 2010 for Iran rockets

By Reuters

From Reuters: Ground-based interceptor missiles to be deployed in the western United States in 2010 will be able to shoot down long-range Iranian rockets, Pentagon officials said on Thursday, brushing aside criticism of the Obama administration’s European defense overhaul. Israel will also get added protection under the administration’s missile shield, the officials told Congress. U.S. […]