Western Europe

Security issues will test transatlantic co-operation in 2013

By Bruce Stokes, European Voice

From Bruce Stokes, European Voice:  Both Pew and GMF surveys show that Americans and Europeans continue to back NATO, but they want out of Afghanistan, currently a joint US-European military operation. How that disengagement is managed may shape future public support for NATO.

Britain faces intense debate over its nuclear weapons

By James Blitz, Financial Times

From James Blitz, Financial Times:  [A]s London struggles to regain control of its finances, debate is stirring about the affordability of the independent nuclear deterrent.

Parliament: Cyber attack could fatally compromise British military

By U.K. House of Commons

Majority of British polled support pre-emptive cyber attacks

By Tom Whitehead, Telegraph

From Tom Whitehead, Telegraph:  The majority of the public believe pre-emptive strikes are justified if enemy states or hi-tech criminals pose a threat to national security. Earlier this year, a committee of MPs and peers said Britain should declare cyber war on those who target the country through aggressive retaliatory strikes to destroy their operations. […]

US Ambassador to NATO urges European allies to spend Afghan withdrawal savings on defense

By Nick Hopkins, Guardian

From Nick Hopkins, Guardian:  The UK and other European countries must use the money saved by withdrawing from Afghanistan to re-equip their military and help reverse worrying cuts in defence spending, the American ambassador to Nato will warn on Tuesday.

Nearly half of British forces to leave Afghanistan in 2013

By Peter Griffiths and Matt Falloon, Reuters

Britain’s drone air force decimated by pilot error

By Robert Verkaik, Daily Mail

From Robert Verkaik, Daily Mail:  Nearly half of Britain’s top-secret military drones deployed in Afghanistan have crashed – many because of pilot error.

NATO allies may lack sufficient precision bombs for Syria contingencies

By Zachary Fryer-Biggs, Defense News

Fabius on NATO: ‘France will act to pursue the reform of the alliance’

By Laurent Fabius, International Herald Tribune

From Laurent Fabius, International Herald Tribune:  In 2009, we did not support a return to the integrated command, but there is no question of organizing a permanent to-ing and fro-ing, and there would be little point in leaving it again today. However, we must ensure that our return, now officially endorsed, does not result in […]