Western Europe

Former NATO Military Leader Calls for Permanent Basing of NATO Troops in the Baltics

By Steven Swinford, Telegraph

[O]ne of Britain’s most senior generals said that British troops should be permanently stationed in the Baltic States as part of a Nato task force to deter an invasion by Russia.

NATO Should Buy French-built Warships

By Eliot Engel, World Affairs

[L]ast month I wrote to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, urging a plan by which the alliance would collectively purchase or lease the warships as a common naval asset.

Is Germany Willing to Defend the Baltics?

By Christiane Hoffmann and Rene Pfister, Spiegel

Excerpts from Spiegel interview with historian Heinrich August Winkler.

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

By Albrecht Müller, Defense News

The ruling conservative-left coalition of the German Bundestag Wednesday night passed a 2014 defense budget of €32.44 billion (US $44.13 billion), compared with a budget of €33.26 billion for 2013.

Most Germans Oppose Permanent NATO Base in Poland and Baltics: Poll

By Stephen Brown; Reuters

Nearly three quarters of Germans would oppose NATO having permanent NATO military bases in eastern Europe as requested by Poland and the Baltic states because of a perceived threat from Russia, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

The Texas Air Base Where NATO Fighter Pilots Are Forged

By Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics

Sheppard Air Force Base is not especially well-known in the United States. But in some parts of Europe, particularly Germany and the Netherlands, the base is famous for its role as a NATO pilot training center.

NATO Unlikely to Grant Georgia Step to Membership-Diplomats

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

NATO countries, wary of antagonising Russia, are unlikely to grant former Soviet republic Georgia a formal step towards membership of the alliance at a summit in September, NATO diplomats say.

A Beginning of Dialogue? Russia’s Ivanov and Germany’s Ischinger Discuss the Ukraine Crisis

By James Rupert

Four months into the Russia-Ukraine crisis, public discourse between Russia and the transatlantic West is not just polarized, it’s even toxic. Last month, when Ukraine and Romania barred Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Rogozin’s jet from their airspace, he tweeted that he would visit those countries next time in a strategic bomber. Last week, Ukrainian […]

NATO Allies Mull Ending Patriot Mission in Turkey

By World Bulletin

NATO allies have started preliminary consultations on concluding the Patriot missile mission in Turkey at the end of 2014, German media reported on Sunday.

Germany to Rethink Arms Sales to Russia; Defense Minister Says “Indifference is Not an Option”

WASHINGTON – Germany’s Federal Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen affirmed today that Germany is committed to helping solve the challenges in Europe’s East and beyond alongside its transatlantic partners and the country will “rethink” its arms sales to Russia.