Western Europe

NATO may hold summit in June for heads of state

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

From Adrian Croft, Reuters:  NATO is considering holding a summit in mid-2013 to mark a milestone in the handover of security responsibilities in Afghanistan to local forces, alliance Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday.

Top U.S. stealth jet has to talk to allied planes over unsecured radio

By David Axe, Danger Room

From David Axe, Danger Room:  For the first time, America’s top-of-the-line F-22 fighters and Britain’s own cutting-edge Typhoon jets have come together for intensive, long-term training in high-tech warfare. If only the planes could talk to each other on equal terms.

Disarmed Europe will face the world alone

By Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

The World from Berlin: ‘It’s Worth Promoting Economic NATO’

By Daryl Lindsey, Spiegel

From Daryl Lindsey, Spiegel:  The European Union and United States say they will soon begin negotiations to create the world’s largest free-trade zone. German editorialists argue a deal is necessary if the West wants to help shape global politics and address the challenge of a rising China.

Nearly 450 British military drones lost in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Nick Hopkins, Guardian

From Nick Hopkins, Guardian:  Almost 450 drones operated by the British military have crashed, broken down or been lost in action during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last five years, figures reveal.

NATO Chief: Mali and Libya exposed gaps in European defense capabilities

By James Blitz, Financial Times

From James Blitz, Financial Times:  France’s military intervention in Mali has provided a fresh indication of how European states rely heavily on the US when trying to conduct their own operations, Nato’s secretary-general has warned.

Mali: Mission (pas) accomplie

By J. Peter Pham

The triumphalism of French President François Hollande’s visit over the weekend to the fabled desert city of Timbuktu less than a week after French forces pushed out al-Qaeda-linked militants had more than a passing whiff of George W. Bush’s “mission accomplished” landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln ten years ago. Hopefully, both France and the […]

Mali: Now What?

By Julian Lindley-French

Oscar Wilde once wrote “One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is that things are what they are and will be what they will be.” As I witness the French, British, and other Europeans rush to offer their very little militaries in support of an expanding Mali mission I am reminded of that […]