Western Europe

Britain says sending 4 more warplanes for NATO in Libya

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Britain said on Friday it will send four more Tornado warplanes to support the NATO mission in Libya, in addition to the 12 already deployed. "These are the aircraft which are particularly well equipped for surveillance and reconnaissance, and as the conflict has gone on and the targets have become harder to detect […]

EU defence ambitions stuck in no-man’s land

By AFP

Text of Speech by Lord Robertson on Transatlantic Relations: A Case for Optimism

By Lord Robertson, Chatham House

From Lord Robertson, Chatham House:  In the wake of US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates’ final speech in office, berating as it did European allies for their growing uselessness in the security field, my title may seem at best generous and at worst delusional. I need to explain.

German armed forces fall below European standards

By Deutsche Welle

From Deutsche Welle:  The German armed forces are less efficient and not as deployment ready compared to other European militaries, according to the European Defense Agency (EDA) and a report by the economics magazine Wirtschaftswoche.

NATO SecGen rules out military intervention in Syria

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  Nato head Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said there will be no military intervention in Syria despite similar levels of government-sponsored violence as in Libya. Speaking in Vienna on Thursday (30 June) after a meeting with foreign minister Michael Spindelegger, the Nato chief told press: "We do not foresee any intervention […]

Germany to supply precision bombs to NATO forces in Libya Op

By Thomas Harding, the Telegraph

From Thomas Harding, the Telegraph:  Nato has turned to Germany to replenish it arsenal of bombs and missiles in a bid to keep the coalition together for the campaign against Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. With the number of "smart" bombs dropped on Libya estimated at more than 2,000 some Nato allies have seen their stocks […]

Liam Fox: outspoken military chiefs are putting lives at risk

By Thomas Harding and Andy Bloxham, the Telegraph

From Thomas Harding and Andy Bloxham, the Telegraph:  Military commanders who have spoken out against the ability to continue operations in Libya are putting lives at risk, Liam Fox said today.

Sarkozy rebuts ‘bitter words’ from Gates

By James Kanter, the New York Times

From James Kanter, the New York Times:  President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said on Friday that criticism by the departing United States defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, about European support for operations in Libya had been motivated by personal reasons and was grossly unfair.

China and Britain locked in cyber spy war

By Duncan Gardham, the Telegraph

From Duncan Gardham, the Telegraph:  As Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier, sips tea with the Prime Minister at Downing Street on Monday, both men will already know that their countries are in a state of undeclared war.