United States and Canada

Germany and Italy Commit to Leadership Roles in Post-2014 Afghanistan Mission

By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times

From Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times:  Germany and Italy have committed to join the United States in helping to train Afghan troops after combat operations cease at the end of next year, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.

The Ghosts of Task Force Smith

By Pete Dillon

Here we are again. Since World War I the United Sates has consistently entered into a post conflict reduction of military capacity that attempts to rebalance the national ledgers and reign in spending.  The contemporary conversation inside the Beltway is saturated with opinions on the best way to proceed this time, even though our nation is […]

Hagel: NATO’s ‘Over-Dependence’ on US Capabilities ‘Brings with it Risks’

By Chuck Hagel, Department of Defense

Obama to Announce Susan Rice as His New National Security Advisor

By Mark Landler, New York Times

From Mark Landler, New York Times:  In a major shakeup of President Obama’s foreign-policy inner circle, Tom Donilon, the national security adviser, is resigning and will be replaced by Susan E. Rice

Defense Ministers to Discuss NATO’s Cyber Defenses

By Jerome Rivet, AFP

From Jerome Rivet, AFP:  Defense ministers from NATO’s 28 member states meet on Tuesday with cyber-defence top of the agenda, amid concerns about the threat posed by increasing cyber-attacks, many blamed on China. “The challenge evolves all the time, probably (much faster) than any other type of threat we face at the moment,” said one […]

Hagel and NATO Defense Ministers to Discuss Training Libyan Security Forces

By David Alexander, Reuters

From David Alexander, Reuters:  NATO defense ministers concerned about the growing presence of al Qaeda-linked rebels in southern Libya will this week discuss the possibility of training Libyan security forces, U.S. defense officials said on Monday.

NATO Starts Security Drills in the Baltics

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  NATO countries start on Monday large-scale security cooperation exercises on the territory of the former Soviet republics in the Baltic region, the Estonian military said.

Obama Announces 2014 NATO Summit on Afghanistan (Video)

By Roberta Rampton, Reuters

From Roberta Rampton, Reuters: NATO countries will hold a summit next year to discuss troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Obama to Discuss Afghanistan and Transatlantic Burden Sharing with NATO Secretary General on Friday

By White House

The Battle of the Atlantic

By Julian Lindley-French

Winston Churchill said “The only thing that ever frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril”. Last Friday in Moscow’s Victory Park I had the honor of an escorted visit to the Hall of Memory and Sorrow in which 2650 ‘teardrops’ commemorate the 26.5 million Russian war dead. It was a truly moving experience. Here in Oslo […]