Western Europe

NATO Allies Poised to Slash Military Budgets

By Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post

From Craig Whitlock, the Washington Post:  European allies are bracing for their deepest cuts in military spending since the end of the Cold War, fueling concerns in Washington that an already wide gap in military power between the United States and the rest of NATO will grow.

The Keys to Britain’s New Policy on Afghanistan

By the Financial Times

From the Financial Times:  [British Prime Minister David] Cameron’s task now is to explain where the strategy is heading. He must emphasise three points. First, the US troop surge needs time to work. There can be no reassessment of policy until June 2011, when the surge will begin scaling down. There will be setbacks ahead. […]

Britain Is No Longer America’s Bridge to Europe

By Charles Kupchan, the Council on Foreign Relations

From Charles Kupchan, the Council on Foreign Relations:  [T]he effort to reclaim the US-UK “special relationship” as the foundation of British statecraft promises to leave Britain in a geopolitical no-man’s land and marginalise its international influence. The UK will enjoy far greater sway over transatlantic and global affairs by becoming a leading voice within the […]

Those Damned Sceptical Germans

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist: Once again, Europe has a German problem. In its handling of the euro crisis, Germany’s government stands accused of weakness, indecision and populism. Pro-European Germans say that Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that theirs has become just another normal European country. They add ominously that this risks flirting with Euroscepticism, even nationalism. […]

Outgoing EU Military Chief Dismisses Drive for Single HQ

By Expatica France

From Expatica France: The outgoing British head of the European Union’s military staff on Thursday said a French-led drive for a single EU military command centre was unworkable. "There is not a one-sized feasible solution, neither from the point of view of politics nor from the pratical, military one," Lieutenant-General David Leakey told reporters as […]

NATO Chief Warns Britain: Don’t Cut Your Defence Budget Too Deeply

By the Times (London)

From the Times (London): Nato’s Secretary-General warned Britain yesterday not to cut defence spending too deeply as it grapples with its budget deficit. In an interview with The Times, Anders Fogh Rasmussen advised all cash-strapped Nato members to use the tough economic climate as an opportunity to make their armed forces more efficient to tackle […]

Britain’s Nuclear Arsenal is 225 Warheads, Reveals William Hague

By Richard Norton-Taylor, the Guardian

NATO Warship Rescues Crew from Ship in Peril in Cyclone

By NATO

From NATO:   HMS Chatham’s Bridge team received a distress call from the Master of MV Dubai Moon, who said that his ship was caught in a tropical storm 90 miles south west of Socotra and struggling to make headway in extremely rough seas and high winds. … As HMS Chatham made her way into the […]

New British Government Calls Afghanistan Its Top Foreign Policy Priority

By  Reuters

From Reuters:  Ministers from Britain’s new coalition government were in Afghanistan on Saturday for talks with President Hamid Karzai and other officials … Foreign Secretary William Hague, Defense Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell will meet Karzai and some of his ministers, visit British troops and also see a British-funded development project, officials […]

British Troops in Afghanistan to Get U.S. Commander

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Almost all British troops fighting in Afghanistan will answer directly to a U.S. commander as part of a restructuring of the NATO-led mission, NATO and the British army said on Friday. Helmand province, where military operations to oust Taliban militants have long been under British control, will fall under the command of U.S. […]