Typhoon jets based at RAF Lossiemouth were deployed to Lithuania today as part of the UKs latest NATO Air Policing mission.

The 6 Squadron aircraft are flying to iauliai Air Base where they will carry out the Baltic Air Policing mission for the summer, along with the Spanish Air Force, who will be deploying F-18 fighters.

The core UK defence task ensures that RAF staff are able to continue supporting the NHS, and other Government departments during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Wing Commander Matt DAubyn, the Officer Commanding 6 Sqn RAF, said: This deployment is the latest RAF contribution to NATO Air Policing. As one of four front-line Squadrons at RAF Lossiemouth, we routinely conduct UK-based Quick Reaction Alert on standby 24/7 to defend the Nations skies.

The NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltics is very similar to UK QRA, and my pilots and supporting personnel are experienced operators when it comes to completing this sort of task. Despite the difficult circumstances caused by Covid-19 we are well prepared and ready to deliver this mission.

The 6 Squadron detachment will be augmented by other personnel from across the Service to form 135 Expeditionary Air Wing, which consists of around 150 personnel who will be well equipped and trained to deliver this NATO Air Policing role.

The RAF has been a regular guest of our Baltic hosts; this is the sixth time the United Kingdom has deployed on this Air Policing mission, Wing Commander Stu Gwinnutt, Commanding Officer of 135 Expeditionary Air Wing, said.

He added: The RAF was the third NATO member to conduct, what was then, a new Allied Baltic Air Policing mission from iauliai, in 2004, and we look forward to conducting this important NATO mission.

During the operation we will be demonstrating NATOs collective resolve and assurance for our eastern allies, as well as showing that the United Kingdom remains leading NATO member that is committed to NATO operations.

135 EAW are deploying to conduct this important NATO mission despite the Covid-19 pandemic and all necessary measures have therefore been taken to ensure that both UK and Lithuanian mandated Covid-19 precautions and countermeasure have been followed.

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Moray Typhoons deployed to Lithuania for NATO mission - Press and Journal

The largest plane in the world arrived in Germany on Monday (27 April 2020) from China bringing urgent medical supplies as part of efforts to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The Antonov-225 cargo plane which carried 10,000,000 protective face masks arrived at Leipzig/Halle airport on Monday morning and was welcomed by German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. The masks were procured by the German government.

Todays flight was made possible by the NATO-supported Strategic Airlift International Solution or SALIS - which provides countries participating in the programme with access to Antonov heavy transport aircraft. A further two flights with an additional 14,900,000 protective face masks are arriving in Germany via SALIS-contracted Antonov aircraft from China.

The sole Antonov AN-225 aircraft was built in the 1980s to transport space shuttles and can carry up to 250 tons of cargo. The plane's smaller version, the AN124 has already moved vital supplies needed during the pandemic to several NATO countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.

Nine NATO Allies Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia participate in the SALIS programme which is managed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The aircraft is operated by Antonov Logistics SALIS from Leipzig/Halle airport.

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Coronavirus response: Largest plane in the world brings face masks to Germany - NATO HQ

Russian jets have been involved in several flybys with U.S. and NATO aircraft over the Mediterranean and Baltic seas in recent days.

The series of interceptions end a pause of at least six months in Russian and U.S. aircraft buzzing each other in Europe and the Mediterranean.

A Russian Su-35 fighter intercepted the U.S. Navys P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft in an unsafe and unprofessional manner within 25 feet Sunday, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. It said a similar interaction occurred Wednesday over the same waters where an Su-35 flew an inverted maneuver within 25 feet of a P-8A.

Russias military defended the intercept as compliant with international rules for the use of airspace over international waters.

A fighter from the air defense forces on duty at [Russias] Khmeimim air base [in Syria] was raised to identify the target, the Defense Ministry was quoted by the state-run TASS news agency as saying.

The ministry said the Russian fighter identified the U.S. Navy aircraft by its tail number and took it for escort. The P-8A then changed course away from Khmeimim.

Meanwhile, NATOs Allied Air Command said Monday that its aircraft intercepted two Russian fighter jets Friday overflying a U.S. Navy destroyer deployed in the Baltic Sea near Lithuania.

Russian and NATO aircraft have conducted thousands of intercepts over international waters in the past four years, the top U.S. commander in Europe said in December.

Russia hadnt buzzed U.S. aircraft and ships in Europe and the Mediterranean in the three months leading up to December, the commander, Gen. Tod Wolters, said at the time.

NATO members and Russia have reported numerous airspace violations by military aircraft in eastern Europe since 2014, when Moscows annexation of Crimea from Ukraine froze relations between the sides.

The United Statesreported several Russian incursions last year, including in airspace near Alaska and Syria.

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Russian Jets Buzz US, NATO Aircraft Over Baltic and Mediterranean - The Moscow Times

News2020.04.23 14:27

On April 21, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry received a fake electronic message supposedly from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Someone apparently tried to mislead the military officials by falsely informing them of a decision to withdraw NATO forces from the country.

According to the primary investigation, analogous messages were sent to the Lithuanian media and a number of addresses at the main NATO headquarters in Brussels, the MoD press service reports.

It is one in a series of attempts to turn the pandemic crisis into a security crisis. Fake news like this piece are aimed at sowing distrust in our Alliance partners and NATO unity, Lithianias Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said.

Over the past months, there have been consistent attempts to plant fake news stories amid the pandemic of COVID-19, the Strategic Communication Department reports. 807 cases of misleading information about the coronavirus outbreak in Russian, English and Lithuanian have been detected since February 1.

The coronavirus crisis has not only not reduced security threats in Europe but created conditions for the threats to grow, Karoblis stressed.

We cannot allow this crisis to undermine long-term defense plans of our countries, therefore cases like this one only demonstrate that we have to continue paying proper attention to strengthening defense, both, conventional and cyber capabilities, the minister added.

Lithuanian analysts distinguish several groups of dominant narratives: according to one of them, the purpose of NATO has changed and NATOs existence now endangers NATO allies. False news are spread about inappropriate behaviour of NATO troops in public places and protests of Lithuanian citizens against such behaviour. The narrative also claims that NATO finances nuclear weaponry instead of fighting COVID-19, which puts European, including Lithuanian, citizens at risk. NATO is also blamed for anti-Russian rhetoric.

belsat.eu, via kam.lt

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NATO forces' withdrawal from Lithuania? Another disinfo attempt - Belsat

But NATO generals are figuring out how to work with the European Union

Apr 23rd 2020

Editors note: The Economist is making some of its most important coverage of the covid-19 pandemic freely available to readers of The Economist Today, our daily newsletter. To receive it, register here. For our coronavirus tracker and more coverage, see our hub

IT WAS TO be Americas largest deployment of troops across the Atlantic since the cold war. Instead, Defender 20, an exercise designed to test Americas ability to move a division (20,000 or so soldiers) into and across Europe, was stricken by covid-19 and cancelled in March. But the lessons of the truncated drill are vital for Western war plans, which depend on armies being able to dash east over Europes disjointed road and rail system in a crisis.

After Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2014, a revived NATO strung 5,000 or so troops in four modest battlegroups through the Baltic states and Poland to deter more adventurism. These would slow rather than halt a Russian advance. If attacked, they would need massive reinforcement, and fast. So the allies agreed that by this year they would have 30 battalions, 30 warships and 30 air squadronsall available to NATO within 30 days.

But shoring up the frontline depends not only on having units ready but also on whether they can get to where they are needed, something planners call military mobility. Ben Hodges, a retired general who commanded American army forces in Europe in 2014-17, says shifting troops and equipment across borders was a bureaucratic and logistical headache. It still is, according to a recent report he co-wrote, published by the International Centre for Defence and Security and the Centre for European Policy Analysis, think-tanks in Estonia and Washington respectively.

Some obstacles are procedural, like border checks on military goods. Others are to do with infrastructure. The difference in European and Baltic rail gauges requires switching trains at the Polish-Lithuanian border, for instance, while the key Poznan-Warsaw highway, like many roads in eastern Europe built to handle lighter Warsaw Pact armour, cannot take Americas M1 Abrams tanks. All told, it would take 60 days to get a heavy division from America to the Baltic region and five to six months for a corps (up to 45,000 troops), says the report. By that time, Russian invaders could be well ensconced.

General Hodges says he eventually realised that European interior ministries and border agencies were better interlocutors than his fellow generals. I also discovered that the European Union was actually the better institution for addressing most of the challenges, he says. While NATO had the plans, they had the authorities and processes and money. In recent years the EU has been working more closely with NATO. In 2018 it put the Dutch in charge of a project to improve military mobility.

Even so, under current EU rules it could still take a leisurely five days to issue movement permissions for most units. Europe is in a bad place, concludes Bruno Lt of the German Marshall Fund, another think-tank. He points out that the European Commissions latest budget proposal suggests that funds for military mobility could shrink from 6.5bn ($7.1bn) to zero.

Scaling back Defender 20 is really a lost opportunity to effectively test that logistical knowledge of Europes infrastructure, says Mr Lt. The planning efforts were a huge success, insists Rear-Admiral Pete Stamatopoulos, the director of logistics for US European Command. But only 6,000 or so American troops had arrived in Europe when the plug was pulled. The fact that America was prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in an election year on an exercise is a sign of commitment and a signal to the Kremlin, says General Hodges. But whether American troops could get east in a hurry remains unproven.

Dig deeper:For our latest coverage of the covid-19 pandemic, register for The Economist Today, our daily newsletter, or visit our coronavirus tracker and story hub

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Yankees go home"

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Americas dry run to defend Europe is derailed by covid-19 - The Economist

At the end of March, a NATO field hospital was dispatched to Luxembourg from Italy in order to support hospital infrastructures.

The Luxembourg army proceeded to install the field hospital in front of the Municipal Hospital in Luxembourg City. To date, however, the facilities have not been put into service, as the hospital has not yet reached capacity.

CHL's medical director, Dr Martine Goergen, described the facilities as "spartan" during a press visit on Monday, but said the beds received from the Army were a great luxury, and the Grand Duchy was fortunate compared to abroad.

The visit, which included the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health, began at triage, which is currently housed in tents supplied by NATO. Patients displaying Covid-19 symptoms are separated from other patients here. While other patients proceed to the interior of the building, potential coronavirus patients are tested outside the establishment. Dr Marc Simon, emergency doctor, explained those with symptoms were taken to a second tent where a doctor will carry out tests, including blood tests, EKG, and a scan if required.

Around two-thirds of patients with Covid-19 require hospitalisation following the scan. Thus far, no patients have had to stay in the field hospital installed in the car park. The field hospital is also divided, with 10 of its 40 beds kept aside for patients with minor symptoms or who have not yet been confirmed, while the remaining 30 are designed for more serious cases.

Dr Goergen explained the tents could allow them to hospitalise patients who had tested positive, but were not considered to have life-threatening complications, despite needing surveillance and care.

Patients in the field hospital will be treated as though they are in a proper hospital room. Dr Goergen said there was sufficient equipment to provide oxygen to patients if needed. The hospital has also organised teams which can be called upon if required, so that staff are sufficiently spread out across the different areas of the hospital. The field hospital is prepared to be used straight away if the situation should further develop.

As of Monday afternoon, 34 patients with coronavirus were in hospital at the CHL. The number of new cases is dropping on a daily basis, but the supplementary structures are nonetheless reassuring, said Paulette Lenert.

Lenert said they were sufficiently prepared, although some might think it was excessive. However, the Minister of Health said they had learned from other countries and had prepared the additional tents so as not to overwhelm the Grand Duchy's healthcare system.

The tents and equipment for the field hospital were supplied free of charge by NATO, with the Luxembourg government only contributing financially for transport or eventual damage. Once the epidemic is under control, the equipment will be returned.

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CHL: NATO field hospital is operational in the capital - RTL Today

The global fight against COVID-19 has devastating economic consequences which might soon be felt in the defense sector. First estimates by OECD and national institutions conclude that the initial economic impact of the measures to fight the virus will by far exceed that of the 2008 financial crisis. The severe socio-economic consequences may tempt European governments to prioritize immediate economic relief over long-term strategic security and defense considerations. The good news is: there is no automatism it remains fundamentally a political decision.

If European governments do decide to slash defense spending as a result of the current crisis, it would be the second major hit within a decade. Defense budgets have only just begun to recover towards pre-2008 crisis levels, though capabilities have not. Nationally, as well as on an EU and NATO level, significant gaps still exist. European armies have lost roughly one-third of their capabilities over the last two decades. At the same time, the threat environment has intensified with an openly hostile Russia and a rising China.

With European defense budgets under pressure, the United States might see any effort to balance burden-sharing among allies fall apart. A militarily weak Europe would be no help against competitors either. The US should work with allies now to maintain NATOs capabilities.

Improve coordination to avoid past mistakes

Europes cardinal mistake from the last crisis was uncoordinated national defense cuts instead of harmonized European decisions. In light of the looming budget crisis, governments could be tempted to react the same way. This would be the second round of cuts within a decade, leaving not many capabilities to pool within NATO. If domestic priorities trump considerations about procurement of equipment for the maintenance and generation of military capabilities the system-wide repercussions would be severe. NATO defense, as well as the tightly knit industrial network in Europe, will suffer. Capabilities that can only be generated or sustained multinationally like effective air defense, strategic air transport or naval strike groups - could become even more fragile; some critical ones may even disappear.

If Europeans cut back on capabilities like anti-submarine warfare, armored vehicles of all sorts and mine-warfare equipment again, they could endanger the military capacity of nearly all allies. Ten years ago, such capabilities for large-scale and conventional warfare seemed rather superfluous, but today NATO needs them more than ever. This outcome should be avoided at all costs, because rebuilding those critical forces would be a considerable resource investment and could take years. Europe would become an even less effective military actor and partner to the US, resulting in more discord about burden-sharing.

Uncoordinated cuts would also affect the defense industry, as development and procurement programs would be delayed or cancelled altogether hitting both European and American companies. Moreover, their ability to increase efficiency through transnational mergers and acquisitions and economies of scale is limited due to continued national sentiments in Europe. Companies might decide to either aggressively internationalize, including massive increase of defense exports, or leave the market as national armed forces as otherwise reliable clients drop out. Technological innovation would suffer from a shrinking defense industrial ecosystem and duplicated national research and development efforts, risking the foundation of security for the next generation of defense solutions.

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To safeguard NATOs strategic autonomy, lean on lead nations

In order to prevent the loss of critical capabilities and infrastructure within NATO, the US should immediately start working with its European partners to preemptively plan for increasingly tight budgets. NATO should take stock of existing capabilities and offer alternatives for consolidation. Based on a coordinated effort to redefine NATOs level of ambition and priorities, it should offer plans for maintaining the military capacity to act while retiring unnecessary and outdated resources. Such a coordinated effort should include close cooperation with the European Union.

Building on the NATO Framework Nations Concept, the United States should work with a network of larger member states, better equipped to weather the economic shock of the current crisis, to act as lead nations. These countries could safeguard critical defense capabilities and provide a foundation of essential forces, enabling smaller partners to attach their specialized capabilities. Such an arrangement allows for a comparatively good balance of financial strain and retention of military capacity. Additionally, NATO should look beyond the conventional military domain and build on lessons learned from hybrid warfare and foreign influence operations against Europe.

The way ahead is clear: As ambitions for European strategic autonomy become wishful thinking in light of the current crisis, allies should focus on retaining NATOs strategic autonomy as a whole. For the foreseeable future, both sides of the Atlantic have to live by one motto: NATO first!

The authors are analysts at the Berlin-based German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

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The coronavirus threatens NATO. Let's move to protect the alliance. - DefenseNews.com

Critics claim Hungary has turned into an elective dictatorship, with parliament voting to give Prime Minister Viktor Orban power to rule by decree. This follows Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who effectively rules by decreeas well as manipulates elections and arrests critics. What is NATO, an alliance focused on supposedly democratic Europe, going to do?

A better question would be, why should the U.S. continue to underwrite the transatlantic alliance?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization began in 1949 with 12 members. A more accurate name would be North America and the Others. Now up to 30 membersthe comedic Duchy of Grand Fenwick became a member in late March, in the guise of North Macedoniathe alliance long has been notable for enabling military free-loading by a continent whose wealth matches and population exceeds that of America.

By a vast margin the biggest spender with the largest military and greatest combat capabilities is the U.S. Only eight other governments meet NATOs official objective of military outlays reaching 2 percent of GDP. Four of them barely hit the line. Only Bulgaria is significantly above that level. Greece makes this elite group because it is arming against fellow alliance member Turkey, not Russia or any other outside threat.

The 2 percent goal is not new: it was set in 2006, when seven members total met that level. Most significant, even now only one of the continents major powers, the United Kingdom, makes it across the line, staggers really, with a bit of fiscal legerdemain (expanding the definition of military outlays). France comes close. Expenditures by Germany, Italy, and Spain fall abysmally short.

Admittedly, the 2 percent standard is arbitrary, merely indicating military effort. Nevertheless, it represents important evidence of a countrys commitment to defend itself and its region. Apparently most Europeans cant be bothered to do so.

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the states viewed as most at risk seemingly view the floor as a ceiling. Poland spends 2.0 percent, Latvia 2.01 percent, Lithuania 2.03 percent, and Estonia 2.14 percent. All claim to feel frightened by possible Russian aggression, yet is that all they believe their independence and freedom are worth? Even the very nations that proclaim themselves to be most at risk prefer to rely on Washington than devote their own resources to their defense.

Of the other 29 members only two have genuinely capable militaries, France and the United Kingdom. Germany, despite a storied past, when its prodigious battle skills were put to ill ends, has been embarrassed for years by reports of minimal readiness. Small nations such as Denmark and the Netherlands have contributed forces to allied endeavors (losing lives in the process) but would be marginal players in any continental conflagration. And mini-states, such as North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, and Croatia, are merely geopolitical ornaments, increasing allied defense responsibilities but not capabilities.

The basic problem is two-fold. Most European nations, certainly those constituting old Europe, as Donald Rumsfeld referred to it, have little fear of Russia. Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinOvernight Energy: Trump says US will cut oil production to secure global deal | Green groups press Biden on climate plans after Sanders exit | EPA looks to suspend hazardous waste cleanups during outbreak Trump says US will cut oil production to secure global deal Trump, Putin speak for second consecutive day MORE is a nasty authoritarian, not a foolish megalomaniac. Martians are more likely than Russians to invade the continent. European peoples know that and offer little support for a military build-up to satisfy Washingtons threat conceptions.

Equally important, NATO members assume Washington would deal with any crisis, so ask, why spend more money on the military? Moscows assault on Ukraine has spurred a small but steady spending increase by some members. However, despite constant whining by Washington, expressed more vociferously by President Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpCalifornia governor praises Trump's efforts to help state amid coronavirus crisis Trump threatens to withhold visas for countries that don't quickly repatriate citizens Trump admin looks to cut farmworker pay to help industry during pandemic: report MORE, the substantive impact is and will remain small. After all, even as U.S. officials insisted that Europe must do more, they repeated reassurances of Americas commitment to the continent and increased funding for and placement of men and materiel in Europe. Congress even approved more military subsidies as part of The European Reassurance Initiative (since renamed The European Deterrence Initiative).

What incentive does any European government have to do anything more than the minimum necessary to reduce Washingtons complaining?

Now even alliance advocates are appalled by Hungarys authoritarian move. Yet Turkey has gone much further down this path, wrecking a democratic order, crushing dissent, threatening fellow NATO member Greece as well as Cyprus, aiding the Islamic State and other Islamic radicals in Syria, and moving close to Russia, even purchasing weapons from Moscow. Who seriously believes that Turkey would go to war with Russia over a threat to, say, Estonia?

Still, the more fundamental issue is whether the transatlantic alliance serves Americas interests. Orbans power play should trigger a review of Americas, not Hungarys, membership in NATO. The U.S. should turn responsibility for Europes security over to Europe, which could take over NATOs leadership or create an organization tied to the European Union. Washington still should cooperate with the Europeans but need not guarantee the security of nations well able to defend themselves.

The EU has 10 times the economic strength and three times the population of Russia. With America so busy elsewhere in the worldfighting endless wars in the Middle East and confronting a rising China in AsiaEuropean governments should do what all governments normally are supposed to do, defend their peoples. It is time for burden-shedding, not just burden-sharing.

Alliances should be a means to an end, enhancing U.S. security. In Washington, NATO has become an end, even as it undermines U.S. security. Hungarys transformation is forcing an alliance rethink, which is long overdue. In the midst of a viral pandemic and debt explosion, Americans cannot afford to provide military welfare for the rest of the world, especially populous and prosperous Europe. The Europeans should take over that responsibility.

Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is author of Foreign Follies: Americas New Global Empire.

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What way for NATO? Hungary follows Turkey down the authoritarian path | TheHill - The Hill

The United States has a new ally. North Macedonia is now the 30th member of NATO and, as of last week, its flag now flies over NATO headquarters in Brussels. On March 27, the State Departments acting assistant secretary for Europe, Philip T. Reeker, met the Spanish ambassador to Washington, Santiago Cabanas, who handed over at arms length and without a handshake, in these days of COVID-19 the final bilateral ratification of North Macedonias membership for filing this latest accession to the Treaty of Washington.

It has been a long process. North Macedonia began its membership drive in 1995 when it joined NATOs partnership for peace, but it was continually blocked from achieving full membership because of Greeces objection to the name Republic of Macedonia. When Macedonia agreed in 2019 to change its official name and add the word North a modifier designed to differentiate the country from the province of Macedonia in Greece North Macedonia was on its way to membership.

During its 25-year wait, successive Macedonian governments decided that even though the country was not a full-fledged member, it would act as if it had become one, including through participation in NATO out-of-area deployments and facilitating NATO movements. It has not been easy. During NATOs action in Kosovo in 1999, then-NATO Commander Wesley K. Clark asked Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov if he would agree to store war materiel in the event that NATO needed to invade Kosovo with ground troops.

President Gligorov listened carefully, and replied to Gen. Clark: Would this mean that Macedonia is a member country? Before the general could finish explaining that membership is a much broader question that could be solved at his level, Gligorov continued in his deliberative style, I ask because, if we are to help in the invasion of our neighbor, we need to bear in mind that the Serbs have long knives but even longer memories.

Membership for North Macedonia provides another land link that helps connect the 30 NATO countries to each other in this case, a direct route from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. It also helps take what was known for centuries in Balkan history as the Macedonia Question and reinforces the answer. With only Bosnia and Serbia to go, membership for North Macedonia represents an important step toward completing the mission of a Europe that is whole, free and at peace.

North Macedonias membership comes at an important time for Europe and the worlds premier military and security organization. More than any other single institution, NATO has bound the United States to Europe. The United States left Europe during a period of isolationism, which ended when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor while Adolf Hitler in solidarity with his Japanese allies declared war on the United States. Over the course of four bloody years, Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, with an assist post-war from an extremely aggressive and belligerent Soviet Union, set the U.S. on a course that made it an essential element in European security.

When the Balkans exploded into bloody conflict in the 1990s, the United States and Europe came together in Bosnia, and later in Kosovo, to reestablish peace and bring that part of Europe into European institutions where it belongs. In Afghanistan, NATO states deployed under NATO command and fought a long, difficult war to make sure that country did not, as it was before, become a breeding ground for terrorism with global reach.

With countries such as North Macedonia, the complex task for NATO has been to maintain military standards while also insisting on standards for internal behavior and democratization. These latter expectations at times have proven more difficult to achieve than the military standards. North Macedonia has done well so far. It has succeeded in the important task of holding elections in which the government changed peacefully. As a former Macedonian prime minister said to me upon learning that his party had lost an election, One of the greatest tests of a democracy is not just the behavior of the government, but also the behavior of the opposition. We will do our part.

NATOs future rests on a myriad of factors. Will new members understand the responsibilities of membership? Will military standards be strengthened and better shared? Will a broad commitment to democracy and NATOs values be sustained? Can consensus decision-making be maintained with 30 members? These are all valid questions as NATO moves forward.

Ultimately, however, a great deal rests on U.S. understanding of this vital element of its security. An active U.S. presence in Europe, far from being a drain, has made the U.S. stronger and more influential. The fact that North Macedonia is now a member speaks to a U.S. commitment to collective defense that still holds. But, like many things in the world, it requires constant and relentless effort.

Christopher R. Hill is a retired foreign service officer who was a four-time ambassador, including to Macedonia from 1996-1999. He was Assistant Secretary of State for Asia/Pacific affairs from 2005-2009, and currently is a professor of the practice of diplomacy at the University of Denver and a senior nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Institute. Follow him on Twitter @ambchrishill.

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NATO welcomes its 30th member, strengthening the ties that bind | TheHill - The Hill

ANKARA

NATOs strategic military command on Thursday acknowledged Turkey for sending aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina among other Balkan countries, saying "we are stronger together."

Turkey provided aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina to assist in the fight against #COVID19, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) said on Twitter.

NATO Allies and partners continue to support each other during this pandemic and show we are Stronger Together."

Ankara on Wednesday sent medical supplies to five Balkan countries to help fight COVID-19, the virus that has infected almost 1.5 million people in 184 countries and territories.

Masks, overalls, and test kits prepared by Turkeys Health Ministry have been delivered to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo upon the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The virus, since its inception in China late last year, has killed nearly 90,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University's latest data.

The epicenter has now shifted to the U.S. and Europe, which lead in the number of cases and deaths worldwide.

The most common symptoms of the virus include cough, fever and difficulty in breathing.

To slow the spread of the disease, governments have implemented lockdowns or partial curfews, advising people to stay at home and practice social distancing.

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NATO acknowledges Turkish aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina - Anadolu Ajans

RIGA - NATO is getting increasingly involved in battling the Covid-19 pandemic with its military resources, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (New Unity) told LETA.

Rinkevics indicated that NATO foreign ministers held a video conference to discuss the steps taken by NATO allies in providing mutual support for countering COVID-19. "This is already happening. NATO's military planes airlift gravely ill Covid-19 patients from one country to another where lung ventilation equipment is more readily available," the minister said.

Also, NATO is helping with various materials, military transport and logistics. During their meeting, the ministers repeatedly affirmed that NATO has to keep performing these functions.

NATO also has to take care of its soldiers' safety. Cases of Covid-19 infections among NATO soldiers have been reported in Lithuania and Latvia. "Work is under way also on this issue," Rinkevics said.

During the video conference it was underlined that despite the Covid-19 crisis, all NATO operations and contributions, for instance, to strengthening Baltic security, remain in force and there will be no weakening of any functions. "NATO continues to do its job in full," Rinkevics said, adding that the ministers also discussed concrete support mechanisms for the alliance's partners Ukraine and Georgia.

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NATO increasingly involved in battling Covid-19 with its military resources - Rinkevics - Baltic Times

In the first edition of our LIVE Sessions webinars, Boxoffice Pro hosted National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) president & CEO John Fithian and chief communications officer Patrick Corcoran. On April 3, Boxoffice Pro executive director Daniel Lora and deputy editor Rebecca Pahle moderated the live webinar, with over 600 attendees tuning in from 30 different countries, in a conversation that covered the state of theatrical exhibition during the COVID-19 crisis.

The discussion opened with NATO providing insights on its three top priorities during the crisis: providing economic assistance to affected cinema workers through government and private funds, keeping exhibitors afloat and viable by lobbying for liquidity sources during this pause, and keeping the public safe by following the guidelines and recommendations of local agencies in regards to business operations.

Of those three priorities, Fithian highlighted the importance of protecting cinema workers through public and private fundraising efforts. We are encouraging governments to help the workers by compensating for their lost wages, he says. We live in a business that is mainly hourly employees. Unlike big businesses with salaried employees, were a place where first workers come to get their first job. First and foremost, we are trying to help cover our workers so that they can pay their rent and can have groceries during the interim.

Fithian notes that liquidity is crucial for companies to stay afloat during this crisis and to welcome their workers back as quickly as possible. We have to have liquidity for our members to weather the storm, he says. They have ongoing fixed costs and no income coming in. The various loan programs being established in the United States, the various government subsidies and tax breaks that are happening around the world, are intended to get our members to the other side of this storm.

The president and CEO of NATO stressed the importance of the industry working together during this difficult period, noting the voluntary closure of many cinemas before they were legally mandated to suspend operations. Were trying to do our part to keep everybody safe, says Fithian. We shut down all of our cinemas very, very quickly. Were working with all of our governments as they support the healthcare efforts, because the faster we can get through this crisis, the faster we can get back up and running.

NATO is hoping for theaters to begin reopening in June. That would mean a two to two-and-a-half month shutdown of the theatrical exhibition industry in the United States, depending on how effective current containment measures are in slowing down the spread of the virus. NATOs chief communications officer, Patrick Corcoran, notes that timeframe could change. It depends on how the situation changes and if the curve bends downward on this pandemic. Were looking at possibly being open at the end of May, early June, in a limited way. Then ramping up to major releases, if thats possible, in July.

The reopening strategy will be inspired by efforts from different countries around the world, as each country is at a different stage in dealing with the crisis. The lessons are very similar, the timelines are very different, says Fithian. China shut down in January and Western Europe and North America didnt shut down until mid-March, so were learning from each other. Were comparing notes on how long the virus takes, on what you do to ramp back up once the virus has gone, what kind of film programming we can have when we get back up and running.

What that reopening campaign could look like depends largely on the guidance of health officials. NATO is consulting with the Center for Disease Control as well as local health departments in the United States on issues like social distancing, cleanliness, and sick employees staying home. Whether we open back up location-by-location, region-by-region, nation-by-nation remains to be seen, depending on what the health officials say is the cessation of the threat, says Fithian.

Everyone should stay in touch with their local health officials first and foremost about their recommendations and then prepare to ramp back up in steps. We anticipate that when we first open cinemas anywhere in the world well have social distancing elements involved. The 50 percent seating capacity issue is one way to address that so that people have a chance to come to the cinema but have some space between themselves. Obviously, well return to very intense cleaning procedures and anything else that health officials recommend, so that when were opening back up people know that we are careful with their health as they come to our cinemas.

In an audience poll conducted during the webinar, a majority of attendees highlighted the importance of a coordinated, industry-wide marketing campaign to encourage a return to cinemas as their most desired initiative in the coming months.

B&B Theatres executive vice president Bobbie Bagby Ford joined the conversation by emphasizing the importance of an industry-wide recovery effort to get audiences comfortable to return to cinemas. Its important that we all get our heads around that messaging so we have a united front, she says, suggesting incorporating a social media hashtag once cinemas are ready to reopen. All of us are in this industry for a reason, and if we can find a way to be united and jump forward with that messaging, its vitally important. It can be that sweet spot in American and in worldwide culture about how its time to be together. Youve been alone, youve been quarantined: now lets get out and enjoy our communities and our movie theaters.

Another major concern is content availability, particularly when it comes to the theatrical exclusivity window. With some studios moving titles whose theatrical runs were curtailed by the onset of the crisis to digital outlets, exhibitors are worried more titles might forgo a theatrical release entirely in favor of a straight-to-streaming launch. Fithian, however, believes most studios and distributors will abide by their original theatrical commitments for future films. The model is not broken. The model is simply on hold, he says.

A related problem is the availability of release dates as titles get pushed further down the schedule. This could potentially create a bottleneck for titles and crowd the marketplace. Fithian doesnt believe this will be the case, as the impact of COVID-19 is also affecting production schedules: titles originally slated for release in 2021 will likely get bumped to later dates until production can resume. Im very confident that for most distributors, almost all their movies are going to be postponed for a later theatrical release where theyll have an adequate and robust theatrical window, says Fithian.

Ultimately, once cinemas are deemed safe to reopen, NATO is confident audience demand will be there to welcome the return to business. My family is watching a lot of content at home right now, just like everybody elses. Thats the only place where you can get entertainment as people are following the right steps to stay home, stay safe, and to reduce the spread of the virus, says Fithian. All that means is they still love movies and they still love content. Its good to keep people connected to that content while theyre stuck in their homes, because once theyre out they will want to come back [to cinemas]. We strongly believe there will be a rush to cinemas to see all kinds of movies, just as people will want to reconnect with their friends and family through social experiences.

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Boxoffice Pro LIVE Sessions: NATO's John Fithian on the State of the Cinema Industry During the COVID-19 Crisis - Boxoffice Pro

Commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan U.S. General Austin S. Miller attends a meeting in the Kandahar Governor's Compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan, October 18, 2018.

(Reuters photo)

KABUL (Reuters) - The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan met Taliban leadership in Doha to discuss the need to reduce violence in the war-torn country, spokesmen for both sides said on Saturday, as continued clashes threaten to derail a fragile peace process.

The meeting between Taliban leaders and General Scott Miller, commander of U.S. forces and the NATO-led non-combat Resolution Support mission in Afghanistan, took place on Friday night. It came as the insurgent group accuses U.S. forces of breaching an agreement signed between the two sides in February.

"General Miller met with Taliban leadership last night as part of the military channel established in the agreement," a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan told Reuters. "The meeting was about the need to reduce the violence," he said.

The February pact between the United States and the Taliban, under which international forces will withdraw in phases in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, is the best chance yet of ending the 18-year U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.

The spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha also said on Twitter that the meeting discussed implementation of the agreement.

The Taliban last week accused U.S. forces of supporting Afghan security operations in some parts of the country, and warned that such support could jeopardize the agreement.

The spokesman for the U.S. forces described the latter's actions as defense of Afghan forces.

The Taliban are to sit for negotiations with an inclusive Afghan delegation as part of the agreement, but a prisoner exchange preceding the talks has hit snags.

The Afghan government released a total of 200 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday and Thursday, but the insurgent group had walked away from the exchange process saying its demand on who was to be released first was not met.

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Top US commander in Afghanistan meets with Taliban to discuss reduction in violence - Task & Purpose

Across the world, countries are struggling to deal with coronavirus (Covid-19). But one NATO country, Turkey, is using the pandemic as a weapon of war and a tool of repression.

Both domestically and in its war in the North East of Syria (aka Rojava), the Turkish state is seizing the opportunity of coronavirus to continue its war against majority Kurdish communities.

On 3 April,Kurdistan 24 reported that:

Shelling by Turkish-backed armed groups on Thursday caused severe damage to a water pipeline, one of their many recent intentional actions to block the crucial resource for some 460,000 civilians in Syrias northern Hasakah province

Meanwhile, UNICEFs representative in Syria Fran Equiza warned that:

The interruption of water supply during the current efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus disease puts children and families at unacceptable risk. Handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against COVID-19.

Coronavirus is already present in Syria. And a tweet from theRojava Information Centerhighlights how dire the situation is for those living there:

According a Human Rights Watch 2019 report on Turkey:

An estimated 8,500 peopleincluding elected politicians and journalistsare held in prison on remand or following conviction for alleged links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK/KCK) and many more on trial but at liberty, although official figures could not be obtained.

And Reporters Without Borders describes Turkey as:

the worlds biggest jailer of professional journalists.

But not only is Turkey excluding political prisoners from its plans to release 90,000 prisoners due to the pandemic, its also using the virus as a threat. The Morning Star reported that the Arrested & Convicted Families Law Solidarity Associations Federation (Med Tuhad-Fed) claimed authorities told prisoners:

You have to obey the rules, otherwise we will bring in someone who has the coronavirus.

And as theMorning Star stated, Med Tuhad-Fed warned that:

A lack of cleaning and a refusal to refer prisoners displaying symptoms to medical units is risking a serious outbreak of Covid-19 among Turkeys bulging prison population.

The pandemic also hasnt stopped what many people would consider the normal repression communities face in Turkey. On 3 April,ANF News reported that musician Helin Blek had died as a result of undertaking a death fast. Blek was part of Group Yorum, a popular music group that had faced harassment and repression from the Turkish state.

ANF News provided background to the case:

Over the last three years, the police have raided at least eight times the dil Cultural Center in stanbul, where the band carries out its activities. During the raids, musical instruments of the band were either broken or taken away, music books damaged. According to a statement by the band, the police arrested a total of 30 people in these raids. Band members initiated a hunger strike in June 2019 in protest of these attacks. The band demands the release of its arrested members, removal of arrest warrants against some other members, termination of incessant police raids into the dil Cultural Center, and an end to arbitrary bans on their concerts and cultural events.

But mourners were not even allowed to grieve by the Turkish states. Reports on Twitter show people attacked the funeral with tear gas and water cannons:

While coronavirus means many forms of mobilisation are not available to people, there is still resistance. In particular, on 4 April, social media users took the opportunity of his 71st birthday to remind people of Kurdish leader Abdullah calans situation.

calanco-founded the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish freedom and autonomy since the 1970s. He was given a life sentence and has been imprisoned by Turkey for over 20 years and is held in solitary confinement on mral prison island.

AsThe Canary previously reported:

Turkey has now fought against the PKK for decades. And there have been biglosseson both sides (as in most conflicts, civilians were oftencaught in the middle). Today, however, the PKK and its alliescondemnall attacks on civilians. Yet since 2015, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoan has sought torepressall of his political opponents by labelling them either terrorists or terrorist sympathisers (andkillingor arresting them accordingly). European courts havecriticisedthis tactic insistingthat the PKKis aparty to an armed conflict and not a terrorist organisation. The PKK has alsoreportedlynever attacked Western targets.

London Kurdistan Soldiarty put his confinement in the context of the isolation many of us are currently experiencing:

And it reminded people of the ongoing criminalisation of Kurdish communities and solidarity activists in the UK. It also demanded the release of Daniel Burke, currently on remand in the UK, accused of terrorism for attempting to travel to Rojava:

Using coronavirus as a weapon and a threat is hideous. Although given Turkeys humanitarian record, its perhaps unsurprising. And it means that now, more than ever, we need to raise our voices for those in prisons, and for those being repressed, killed, and threatened by the Turkish state.

Featured image via Wikimedia

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One NATO country is using the coronavirus as a weapon of war - The Canary

While the Kremlin has concentrated on the crisis unfolding in Western Europe, serious problems loom at home as the pandemic spreads further into the Russian heartland.

April 9, 2020 - Maksym Skrypchenko- Articles and Commentary

Ilyushin Il-76 Russian transport plane. Photo: Rob Schleiffert (cc) wikimedia.org

While Italy continues to record the largest number of deaths during the COVID-19 crisis, Russian President Putin has sent nine Il-76 military airplanes to Rome, carrying more than 100 specialists, some medical equipment (including truck-based units for disinfection) and testing devices. The planes and trucks bore giant stickers showing heart-shaped Russian and Italian flags with the slogan From Russia with Love in both languages. Russian media claimed it to be an act of goodwill free from any political pretext. At the same time, Italys daily La Stampa reported that 80 per cent of the Russian supplies are not useful to the countrys health services.

It is worth saying that this entire mission is the work of the Russian Ministry of Defence. Even the specialists are Russian military officers whose expertise is decontamination. This was one of the reasons why the airplanes had to change their route to avoid the airspace of some northeastern European countries Moscow would need to ask permission to fly over them.

Last month, whenCOVID-19 began spreading rapidly in Italy, the country appealed for help viathe Emergency Response Coordination Centre. We asked for supplies of medicalequipment, and the European Commission forwarded the appeal to the memberstates. But it didnt work, Italys permanent representative to the EU,Maurizio Massari, stated in an interview with Foreign Policy. After theoutbreak in Italy, EU or NATO members were not able to send immediate help.

Putin sent nine airplanes within 24 hours of his phone conversation with Prime Minister Conte. At that moment, Rome had not received any substantial help from the EU or NATO members. First of all, EU governments decided to close their national borders. Secondly, all European states are still suffering from a dramatic shortage of masks and medical equipment to fight the pandemic. Face masks, being the cheapest protection items to be bought in large numbers, are today a scarce product and it is very difficult to buy enough for a whole countrys population. As a result, it is increasingly hard to export such masks to other countries. Some EU countries are expecting a situation similar to Italy in the coming weeks and they subsequently do not feel comfortable sending masks to Rome. This logic also applies to ventilators, medicinal drugs and protective suits.

Even so, afterRussian planes had landed in Italy, some EU members decided to send millions offace masks and thousands of protective suits (Germany, France, Austria and theCzech Republic). Some countries, like Poland and Germany, sent experienceddoctors and also agreed to fly some critical patients to their hospitals. NATO isalso now using aircraft to transport patients and medical supplies. No matterhow useless or politically motivated it was, Russian aid attracted muchattention among the media as one of the first states to lend Italy a helpinghand.

Russian flags onthe trucks driving around Italy could affect Romes attitude towards the EU andNATO, which were not able to allocate resources at the same time as Moscow. Polishdoctors do not wear a specific uniform with national symbols like Russianmilitary officers. NATO placed trucks at Italian disposal without any alliancesymbols. A resident of Bergamo, the city worst hit by the coronavirus, would notbe able to differentiate between Italian military trucks and those provided byNATO. At the same time, Russian vehicles, which are not typical for the region,do possess many distinctive flags and symbols.

The nature ofthis military operation is also unprecedented for Moscow Russianspecialists are gaining access to Italys health and military system, which ispart of a larger NATO structure. One of the largest and most important USmilitary bases in Italy is located just two hours from the Bergamo area. Russianstate media continue to report that the countrys soldiers have been travellingin the very heart of Europe along NATO roads. It is clear that Putinwill demand that the operation continues regardless of any internaldevelopments. After all, the Kremlins prestige is at stake.

Italy is a NATOmember which has 166 soldiers based in Latvia as part of NATOs Enhanced ForwardPresence, which is ultimately an effort to deter Russia. A few days afterMoscow sent its specialists to Italy, NATO jets intercepted a Russian militaryaircraft in the Baltic Sea close to Latvia.

An EU internal document seen by Reuters accused Russian media of deploying a significant disinformation campaign against the West in order to worsen the impact of the coronavirus. Of course, Moscow denied any such plan. While not mentioning Russia by name, the EUs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on his blog that the EU needed to be more aware of a struggle for influence through spinning and the politics of generosity.

Although Putin says that there is no need to declare a state of emergency due to Moscows level of preparation for the pandemic, many Russian media reports have stated that the situation inside Russia is deteriorating and is only being made worse by deliberate government misinformation. According to official statistics, there are some 10,000 persons infected in Russia. However, independent media reports believe that there has been an ARVI and pneumonia outbreak in many large cities, as well as in the regions in close proximity to Russia-China border. Moscow does not have enough kits to test even those living in the capital. Many people with pneumonia, as Lenta reports, cant find out if they have been infected with COVID-19 because there are no test kits. Russian Vostok-media has provided stories of people in the Russian Far East, close to China, which claim that a strange flu is making many elderly people sick.

It is clear that the Kremlin is scared of any potential societal panic due to the economic crisis already affecting Russia. Sanctions over Ukraine and the collapse of crude oil prices have already defanged the Russian economy. Due to this, the coronavirus crisis may become a black swan event for the country. Despite this, Putin knows that the situation is critical and that he needs to mobilise all available resources. So why did he decide to send experienced Russian experts, ventilators, masks and even trucks to Italy when his own local authorities should be using them?

On March 18th, KonstantinKosachev, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Councilof Russia, called for a global lifting of sanctions, except those imposed bythe United Nations, due to the spread of coronavirus and the ongoing situationin the oil market. Of course, Russias own sanctions resulting from its actionsin Ukraine were not imposed by the UN, but rather the European Union andAmerica.

A year ago, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated that his government was trying to lift EU sanctions against Russia. The belief that Italy should respond to a hypothetical Russian attack on a NATO ally has become less common over time, decreasing from 40 per cent in 2015 to just 25 per cent in 2019 according to the Pew Research Center. The European Parliament has also reported a downward trend regarding the EU, with just 44 per cent of Italians surveyed stating that they would vote to remain a member. This is the lowest rate of support for EU membership among all 27 states.

It is alsoimportant to note that China was also one of the first states to help Italy.Certainly, it is still the biggest exporter of medical aid to affected countrieswhilst it simultaneously attempts to sell even more equipment. However, Beijingis still blamed for the coronavirus outbreak so its help is useful, at the veryleast, in restoring the bilateral status quo. Beijing has sold medicalequipment to many countries which are now returning it due to its lack ofquality.

Swedensexperience with China provides a clear example of the underlying politics oftenpresent in Beijings gift giving. It did not receive any medical aid from Chinaeven after it requested help. Elisabeth Braw believes that this is because of Swedishsupport for the imprisoned Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai, who was blamed for illegallyproviding intelligence overseas.

On April 2nd, Donald Trump stated that a Russian airplane full of medical stuff was preparing to land at New Yorks John F. Kennedy airport in the late afternoon. Trump expressed gratitude for 60 tons of ventilators, masks, respirators and other items. While Russian media were reporting about another successful Kremlins aid mission, one of the US officials told Reuters that Washington had to pay for that airplane. However, he admitted that the price was below market value. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Washington had only paid half the cost. Putin failed to present it as a gift but Trump anyway extended thanks for any help.

Overall, it is very important for state leaders to see the difference between real aid efforts and those tied to political interest. It is critical to remember that sanctions are ultimately imposed to exert pressure on dictatorial governments rather than people. Moscow waged war against Georgia in 2008. A year later, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with a reset button which was to symbolise a new era of relation between the Kremlin and the West. In 2014, Russia occupied Crimea and Donbas and established separatist republics. The EU and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia for violating Ukrainian territorial integrity. This war is not over, soldiers and civilians die every day and sanctions are increasing every year. Consequently, there is only one condition for the sanctions to be lifted Russia should abandon Ukraine and restore the borders as they were before the conflict. Otherwise, it would only legitimise the actions of others who violate international law.

Maksym Skrypchenko is a cofounder of Ukrainian TranslatlanticPlatform and a Deputy Director of Security Initiative Center residing in Kyiv. His main areas of expertise are conflictology, Eastern Europe, Ukraine-EU and Ukraine-NATO relations.

Covid-19 pandemic, European Union, NATO, Russian foreign policy, Russian influence

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How Russia is influencing the EU and NATO during the pandemic - New Eastern Europe

An A-400M cargo plane of the Turkish Air Force carrying medical supplies donated by Turkey was dispatched to a number of Allies and partners in the Balkans region on Wednesday (8 April 2020).

The medical supplies were provided by the Turkish Ministry of Health to help combat the COVID-19 outbreak in North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo.

The supplies include masks, overalls and test kits and left from Ankara's Etimesgut Airbase on a Turkish Army aircraft earlier today.

The medical supplies were sent in crates displaying the words of 13th century poet Jalaluddin Rumi: "There is hope after despair and many suns after darkness.

North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina requested assistance via NATOs Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). The EADRCC is NATOs principal disaster response mechanism. The Centre operates on a 24/7 basis, coordinating requests from NATO Allies and partners, as well as offers of assistance to cope with the consequences of major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Turkish initiative is the latest example of Allied efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, Turkey sent another A-400M cargo plane of the Turkish Air Force carrying medical supplies to Spain and Italy.

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Coronavirus response: Turkey dispatches medical supplies to Allies and partners in the Balkans - NATO HQ

Top brass from the National Association of Theatre Owners struck an optimistic tone during a webinar Friday, as VP Patrick Corcoran said he expects movie theaters to begin to reopen by late May or early June and ramp up to a summer blockbuster season beginning in July.

The webinar, hosted by NATO magazine Boxoffice Pro and viewed by exhibitors, concessionaires, theater vendors, and journalists from around the world, represented the latest effort by the trade group to offer guidance and soothe an industry facing an unprecedented crisis during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to NATO president John Fithian, We anticipate when we first open cinemas back up anywhere in the world, well have social distancing. This would include enforcing 50 percent auditorium capacity,a measure that was common if brief, before US theaters closed their doors in March. Well return to the very intense cleaning procedures and anything else the health officials recommend.

His hope is that within a couple of weeks of reopening of theaters, theyll be on full blast.

We essentially need to go through the period where the government is confirming that the threat has been abated, Fithian said.

That timeline coincides with the pandemic picture painted by President Donald Trump, who last week abandoned his earlier hope that things could return to normal by mid-April and extended social distancing guidelines through the end of the month. He suggested that by June 1, a lot of great things will be happening.

Other governments have less hopeful projections. In New York, the epicenter of the US outbreak, Governor Andrew Cuomo last month forecast the coronavirus spread could last up to nine months, with up to 80 percent of the population contracting the virus. And California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday confirmed that school campuses will be closed for the remainder of the academic year, which runs through mid-June at some institutions.

Here are some key takeaways from the NATO webinar.

NATO is urging its theater-owner members to rely on government programs created as part of the $2 trillion stimulus bill to ease their pain. The group said they lobbied Congress to ensure theaters could enjoy some of the benefits. We wanted liquidity for our members so they can get through this, Corcoran said.

Among those are Small Business Association loan and grant programs, some of which are partly forgivable contingent on businesses retaining employees and keeping payroll going.

The first thing I would say is you should be talking to your banker right now, Corcoran said.

Moving forward, NATO expects to see some conflicts arise surrounding the number of programs in which businesses can participate. The group is lobbying officials to ensure rules are clear, and discussing additional stimulus programs in the pipeline.

Nearly all of the 65,000-plus employees of the countrys three largest circuits, AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, have been laid off or furloughed. Theres also tens of thousands more who worked at small chains and local theaters.

Taking care of the employees is equally important, and a key concern because we want them to stick with us, Fithian said. We want employees that are trained and believe in the cinema experience.

For that, NATO is again counting on government assistance. The Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation on Monday launched a fund with an initial $2.4 million to provide grants to exhibition workers facing financial needs due to the coronavirus outbreak.

To start, $300 grants are available to experienced workers those with at least five years in the business. (Larger grants may be available on a case-by-case basis.)The money is meant to supplement government relief, such as the additional $600 per week for unemployment claims provided by the stimulus bill.

Closed theaters presented studios with a choice: Push back theatrical release dates or send movies straight to VOD. The most prominent example came when Universal announced last month it would release the animated musical Trolls World Tour for premium rental April 10. Fithian took pains to draw a distinction between the VOD debut of Trolls which he described as a mistake to on-demand movies that saw their theatrical runs cut short by theater closures.

Trolls: World Tour

Universal

Fithian downplayed the idea that the Trolls move represented a threat to theatrical.

Im very confident that for almost all distributors, almost all movies will get postponed, he said. We believe that was a bad decision, but one movie does not change a model. All the other movies are being postponed for later theatrical release.

That assessment overlooked another film, the Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae-starrer The Lovebirds, which was scheduled for release by Paramount April 3 and is now heading straight to Netflix theater chains public enemy number 1.

Asked what hes been hearing from studios, Fithian said The conversations are not suggesting significant changes in the business model. The conversations are how do we survive as an industry.

Fithian cited the Gulf War as a would-be analog to the current pandemic; during that time, Israeli cinemas were closed. When they reopened, the population flocked to cinemas for months.

We strongly believe there will be a rush to cinemas to see all kinds of movies because people will just want to connect with their family and friends once its safe to do so, he said.

However, the Gulf War happened three decades ago a time when the exhibition business was very different, and VOD didnt exist. Also, the threats of war are very different than a pandemic.

Bobbie Bagby, executive VP at Texas chain B&B Theatres, said its key for cinemas to engage with their audiences online. She also suggested launching an industrywide campaign that rallies people behind a message of seeing movies together. It would encourage them to sign a pledge that theyll head to the theater once the threat dissipates, and to sign up for an alert that lets them know when their local theaters open.

Tom Brueggemann contributed reporting.

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Could Movie Theaters Reopen by Early June? Thats the Optimism of NATO - IndieWire

Major Stephen Dicks is 45 years old and serves in the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery of the United States Army. Based at Fort Hood, Texas, this division is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the US Army. But the major is not an artilleryman he is a chaplain.

My job entails ensuring the free exercise of religion for soldiers, explains Major Dicks. This includes performing religious services, weddings, baptisms, funerals and sermons. It also includes facilitating for the religious needs of soldiers that are different from my faith group.As part of the commanders senior staff, it is his responsibility to advise the commander on matters of morale, morals, ethics and religion.

In his spare time, Dicks has been a cartoonist for many years. He has even had the privilege of drawing cartoons for two US presidents both of whom gave him an autographed copy of his cartoon in return.

For exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20, Dicks was deployed to Germany. The country is not new to him. In the 1970s, his father was stationed in Wildflecken, Germany, together with a good friend who invited him to visit his home in the United States, where he fell in love with his friends daughter. They got married and went back to Germany where Major Dicks was born in the city of Wrzburg in northern Bavaria.

The very fact that I am now the soldier serving where my father once served fills me with happiness, says Dicks.

Training with other Allied units

During DEFENDER-Europe 20, NATO Allies tested their ability to move quickly across the Atlantic and Europe and to work together to protect each other from any potential threat.

From January to March 2020, the US Army moved approximately 6,000 soldiers from the United States to Europe, as well as 9,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment from Army Prepositioned Stocks, and about 3,000 pieces of equipment via sea from the United States. Moreover, in coordination with other Allies, it also completed movement of soldiers and equipment from multiple ports to training areas in Germany and Poland.

Dicks believes it is important to exercise with other NATO Allies. The United States military has continually worked with NATO Allies for years, especially over the last two decades of conflicts around the world. Since we work together on the battlefield, it is important to train together because we will fight like we train, therefore we must train as a multinational team of Allies.

Dealing with the COVID-19 crisis

In response to the current outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 was modified in size and scope. On 13 March 2020, all movement of personnel and equipment from the United States to Europe ceased. Allied forces, however, continue to preserve their readiness, if needed.

The health and well-being of all soldiers, civilians andfamily members is a top priority and critical to our readiness, concludes Major Dicks.

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Meet Major Stephen Dicks, a chaplain deployed to Europe with the US 1st Cavalry Division - NATO HQ

On March 27, North Macedonia became NATOs 30th member, expanding the Alliances direct area of responsibility to much of the Balkans, with the exceptions of Serbia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Bosnia is negotiating to enter the Alliance, and Kosovo has indicated it intends to apply. Whether NATO has the resources, the will or, for that matter, the ability to defend every one of its members and certainly any more members is an open question.

Four days after North Macedonias accession, the U.S. Navy placed all but the skeleton crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in quarantine to halt the spread of the coronavirus onboard the ship. The decision underscores the tenuous nature of NATOs ability to defend its members against external aggression. The carriers commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, who asked the Navy for assistance after several of his crewmen contracted COVID-19, had asserted that the situation would be different in wartime because in combat we are willing to take certain risks that are not acceptable in peacetime. (Crozier since has been relieved of his command.)

Whether the United States, or any other NATO member would undertake those risks during a crisis, or in the face of an aggressors gray zone operation against one of its weaker members such as North Macedonia, is not that clear, however. Indeed, the Alliances flaccid collective response to the challenge of the coronavirus points to its lack of cohesion and does not augur well for its ability to mobilize militarily in the face of an impending threat to one or more of its members.

NATOs foreign ministers released a statement Thursday after discussing the COVID-19 threat by video conference, saying in part, Allies continue to stand together and support each other in the pandemic, through different NATO arrangements, as well as bilaterally, and that the ministers will consider what more can be done.

But in fact, the NATO states have not done much to assist one another in combating the coronavirus. It took weeks, and hundreds of deaths, before Italy began to receive aid from its European neighbors. Until mid-March, China was Italys major source of protective masks. NATO created the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) in 1998, but tellingly, it did not issue its first situation report until April 1. At the same time, it has received requests from seven nations including a North Macedonian request for 500,000 masks and 800,000 nitrile gloves to which it has yet to respond. Thus far, only Turkey and the Czech Republic have completed deliveries to Spain and Italy.

France, which had started to supply large numbers of masks to Italy, now is running short of its own supply of masks and is in need of ventilators as well. Thus far, it does not appear to have received much, if any, assistance from its NATO or European Union partners.

In his statement welcoming North Macedonia to NATO, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called it great news in a difficult time. The time is certainly difficult, but the news may not be that great. The alliance is stretched thin and North Macedonias entry stretches it thinner. NATO simply has too many members and too few that can make a material contribution to its defenses. Its cohesion in the face of a threat is not a foregone conclusion.

The travails of the Theodore Roosevelt highlight the reality that NATOs forces even those of the United States may be insufficiently robust to overcome extraordinary challenges, such as the coronavirus, that would reduce its readiness and responsiveness in a crisis. And the go-it-alone policies of NATOs member states, most especially the United States, in combating the coronavirus do little to inspire confidence that all, or even most, members can be relied upon to invoke Article 5, which calls for their common response if one of their counterparts comes under attack.

As the coronavirus rages on, it offers NATO a chance to demonstrate its credibility to operate as a unit for the benefit of all members. The Alliance, together with its partners, should build upon its creation of the EADRCC to develop a common plan for the most efficient distribution of masks, protective gear, ventilators and other badly needed commodities including any newly developed vaccines among all member states.

In addition, now that the Trump administration has finally recognized the seriousness of the threat that the virus poses, it should assume its historic NATO role and lead both the planning effort and its rapid implementation. There is no time to lose. Too many lives remain in serious peril.

Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was under secretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy under secretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987.

Editor's Note: This article was updated to reflect that Kosovo is not yet negotiating to join NATO.

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Coronavirus gives NATO a chance to demonstrate its worth | TheHill - The Hill

Tensions erupted between the Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers during a meeting on Thursday, according to diplomatic sources who spoke to CNN Greece. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlt avuolu reiterated some of the fake news that his countrys media and leaders have been spreading about Greece during the migration crisis that Turkey unleashed in March.

Ankara claimed that Greek border forces tortured and killed illegal immigrants, something that Turkey attempted to disseminate to international media to discredit Greece with little effect or success. Greek City Times has already debunked the Turkish fake news relating to the migration crisis. However, we must remind our readers that Turkey isone of the lowest ranked countriesfor media freedoms in the world, is the second most susceptible country surveyed on the European continentto fake news, has themost imprisoned journalistsin the whole world, and90% of media is government controlled.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was not tolerating any of the allegations made by avuolu and immediately took the floor during the online NATO conference to inform the alliance thatGreece faced an orchestrated and unprecedented attackon its border and a disinformation campaign from Turkey. Themethods used by Turkey violated the supposed values of NATO, adding that all so-called allies have the right to call for NATOs solidarity, but only if they honour their commitments.

The Turkish Foreign Minister became so enraged by Dendias comments that he called for a second opportunity to speak. This was promptly rejected by NATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenberg. avuolu clearly thought he was dealing with the Turkish public where he can disseminate the fake news with a high level of believability and little scrutiny, and became frustrated with the rejection that he resigned from the meeting even before the conference was over.

On Twitter, Dendias said During the Council of Foreign Ministers of the NATO member states, I referred to the recent developments in Evros and the instrumentalization of people, which undermines the values of the Alliance, but offered no further details to what the diplomatic source revealed.

Both Greece and Turkey became NATO members in 1952, becoming the first new members of the alliance since the formation of it from the original 12 founders. Despite technically becoming NATO allies, relations have remained hostile between Greece and Turkey, mostly notably during the 1955 Istanbul pogrom when the Greek population of the city decreased from 116,108 to 49,081, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the 1996 Imia Island crisis.

In 2019, Turkish war planes violated Greeces airspace 4,811 times and Ankara redrew the maritime borders of the Eastern Mediterranean on a new map with the Muslim Brotherhood government in Libya. The new map claimed large swathes of Greeces maritime space. NATO has not condemned or punished Turkey for any of its hostile actions against Greece.

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Tensions flare up between Greece and Turkey during NATO meeting - Greek City Times