General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee stressed his gratitude for Jordans contributions to NATO-led operations over many years when he visited Amman, Jordan on 7-8 March 2017. During the trip, the Chairman met with the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Lt General Mahmoud Freihat and the Director of the Military Intelligence Directorate, General Emad Adaileh.

Jordans participation in NATO exercises, its active and valuable contribution to NATO-led operations, as well as NATOs Defence Capacity Building (DCB) assistance to Jordan were discussed by the Generals. The Chairman stated, NATO is committed to strengthening NATO - Jordanian relations. Jordan is a key partner - both a security provider and a security contributor.

During the Generals meeting with General Emad Adaileh, regional security challenges and threats were discussed as well as their worldwide impact. The Chairman welcomed the discussion as Jordan has a wealth of expertise and experience and in todays complex world, sharing information and cooperating closely is key when addressing global threats.

While in Jordan, General Pavel also delivered opening remarks at the NATO Science for Peace and Security Border Security Symposium. Only through existing relationships, expanding networks, and cooperation with multilateral security organizations can we guarantee our collective peace and security, stated the Chairman.

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Chairman of the NATO Military Committee: NATO and Jordan have a strong and longstanding partnership - NATO HQ (press release)

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says he has ordered officials to look at how Canada calculates military spending compared to other NATO members, to ensure all allies are comparing apples to apples.

We have to be cognizant that different nations use a different formula, Sajjan told the House of Commons defence committee on Thursday.

So right now the deputy minister is working with our closest partners to look at exactly the formula that they were using so we can have a good comparison.

The comments come as Canada and other NATO allies are facing pressure from the Trump administration in Washington to increase the amount they spend on their militaries.

While all NATO members agreed in 2014 to work towards spending two per cent of their gross domestic product, or GDP, on defence, only five have reached that goal.

Canada is not one of them, and is actually near the back of the pack. It currently spends less than one per cent of GDP on defence, which ranks it 23rd among 28 NATO members.

Sajjan would not say whether the government will actual rolling in the spending on the coast guard or veterans programs like the U.S. and Britain, which would inch Canada closer to two per cent.

But at the same time, we do need to look at what our closest allies are actually using so that we can then compare apples to apples in terms of that commitment, he told The Canadian Press after the meeting.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to all but dismiss the two per cent target during a visit to Germany last month, saying: There are many ways of evaluating ones contribution to NATO.

That is the message the government has repeatedly delivered to Washington, emphasizing Canadas military contributions to Latvia, Ukraine and Iraq in lieu of large spending increases.

Sajjan repeated it during and after his committee appearance, adding that the government would invest in what it believes the military needs to do its job rather than to meet a specific target.

We are going to invest in defence and what we need for outputs, he said. Thats how we conduct a defence policy review. Thats what makes it credible.

Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute said there is validity to the governments argument that spending alone isnt a good measure of a countrys contributions to NATO.

But the fact the government is reviewing the formula indicates it is at least a little concerned about how Canada compares to other NATO members, particularly given the messages coming out of Washington.

It is also another indication that the government is not planning to include any big injections of money into the military in the upcoming budget or its new defence policy, which is expected in the coming weeks.

If they were about to unleash a big increase to the budget, Perry said, youd kind of wonder whether or not theyd be going through the exercise of figuring out what to count.

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Officials to review how Canada, NATO members calculate defence spending - The Globe and Mail

Russia has deployed a long-rangemissilethat threatensthe US and Natoand violates an international arms treaty, a senior American general has claimed.

Paul Selva, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee that Moscow hadintentionally deployed the weapon in order to threaten the West.

"The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe and we believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility," hesaid.

The deployment of theland-based cruise missile violatesthe spirit and intent of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) between the US and Russia, Mr Selva added.

Russian leaders do not intend to return to compliance of the treaty, hesuggested, adding that US officials had raised the issue with Moscow.

His comments mark the first time US officials haveconfirmed media reports last month relating to the deployment of the nuclear-capable SSC-8 missiles, which is said to have taken place late last year.

During the Armed Services Committee hearing, US military officials also gave their support to the START agreement between America and Russia that seeks to reduce both countries stock of nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump appeared to question the value of the treaty after it was reported he had told Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, that the deal was not beneficial to the United States.

But military leaders told congressmen the treaty was needed to prevent an arms race.

"I have stated for the record in the past, now I'll state again that I am a big supporter of the New START agreement," said Air Force General John Hyten, the head of U.S. Strategic Command.

"The risk [of scrapping the agreement] would be an arms race, we are not in an arms race now."

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Russia's deployment of nuclear-capable missile threatens Nato, senior American general says - The Independent

An organisation, society or country can only succeed if it uses the full potential of all of its members men and women, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, marking the occasion of International Womens Day on Wednesday (8 March 2017). He stressed that equal participation of men and women is a core security requirement, essential to the resilience of societies, to the effectiveness of NATO forces and to achieving and preserving peace.

NATO strongly supports the global women, peace and security agenda. The Alliance has integrated gender perspectives in its three core tasks collective defence, crisis management and cooperative security. NATO works to promote womens rights in training and operations, and in our assistance for partners, such as Jordan, Georgia and Ukraine. The appointment of NATOs Special Representative on Women, Peace and Security Ambassador Marriet Schuurman demonstrates the importance of these issues.

Today, NATO has more women in leadership positions than ever before as ministers, senior officials and military commanders. A quarter of NATO Defence Ministers are women, six of 28 NATO Ambassadors are women, and last year, the Alliance welcomed its first female Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller. NATOs Joint Force Command in Naples is also led by US Admiral Michelle Howard, a four-star officer, and US Army Brigadier General Giselle Wilz is the first woman to head NATO HQ Sarajevo. Canadas most senior female military officer, Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross, is currently commandant of the NATO Defense College in Rome.

The Secretary General has highlighted that making the best potential of both men and women makes NATO stronger and better prepared to deal with current security challenges. I look forward to the day when not just a quarter but half of NATO ministers are women; I am sure that time will come, said the Secretary General.

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NATO marks International Women's Day - NATO HQ (press release)

NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, ended a two day visit to Iceland on Wednesday (8 March 2017) by addressing students at the University of Iceland on how NATO is adapting to a new security environment. Ms Gottemoeller explained how NATO represents the gold standard in multilateral security cooperation and how it is strengthening its collective defence in Europe and doing more to fight terrorism.

Iceland, a founding member of NATO, is a highly valued Ally and although the country has no standing army, it has made important financial and civilian contributions to NATO missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan.

Ms Gottemoeller arrived in Iceland on Tuesday (7 March 2017) evening for talks with Icelands Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson. The two discussed the current security situation and Icelands contribution to NATO.

On Wednesday (8 March 2017), the Deputy Secretary General met with the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs. She also gave a speech at a NATO Resources Conference in Reykjavik, which has been discussing how the Alliance can best use its financial resources to adapt to the new security environment. Ms Gottemoeller stressed the importance of common funding, which enables Allies to join together to boost their defence capabilities, such as with NATOs fleet of AWACS surveillance aircraft.

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NATO Deputy Secretary General thanks Iceland for its contribution to European security - NATO HQ (press release)

Various events took place at NATO Headquarters to celebrate International Womens Day (8 March) and to raise awareness of gender perspectives and the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Promotion of gender equality and inclusive security is our core business as a matter of both institutional excellence and operational effectiveness. Because it is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do, said Marrit Schuurman, the NATO Secretary Generals Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security. She was speaking at an event to launch registrations for the second edition of the solidarity run known as She runs, He runs, We run at NATO Headquarters.

Corporal Pellegrina Caputo was a guest speaker at the same event. Telling her inspirational life story as an active duty soldier of the Italian Armed Forces, a veteran, a survivor and also a Paralympic champion with many awards, she had a strong message in line with this years theme for International Womens Day, Be Bold for Change.

Women are part of the community and so the military. I always wanted to serve people and my country. That is why I returned after I recovered from my injuries back to active duty. I am happy I got the chance once again, she concluded. Corporal Caputo lost her left lower limb in a car accident during her deployment in the NATO-led Kosovo Force but returned to duty just two years later.

In the spirit of the motto of the day, Ambassador Schuurman later moderated an informal discussion on principles and personal stories of boldness and change. Civil society activists, who are also members of the Civil Society Advisory Panel on Women, Peace and Security, participated as did a representative of NATOs International Military Staff.

NATO ambassadors gathered the day before to discuss progress in implementing the action plan for the implementation of Resolution 1325 developed by NATO together with partner countries.

Diversity makes us stronger and more effective. We have made considerable progress, but further efforts have to be taken to sustain what has been already achieved but also ensure consistency, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

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International Women's Day at NATO: #BeBoldForChange - NATO HQ (press release)

Richard Grenell, a well-known conservative communications professional, will reportedly soon be announced as the Trump administrations ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Its an important job given the alliances mission of standing up to Russia and a tough one given President Trumps harsh criticism of the organization.

Which makes it interesting that Grenell, unlike his potential boss, is a strong supporter of maintaining the NATO alliance and using it as a counterweight to Russias efforts to expand its influence in Eastern Europe. Grenell, who served as a foreign policy spokesperson in the George W. Bush administration, seems more aligned with the moderate wing of the administration (represented by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis) than the radical revisionist one (represented by senior strategist Steve Bannon).

[Its] confusing, Steve Saideman, a professor at Carleton University who studies NATO, tells me. As far as I know, Grenell does not hate NATO or want to burn it down.

Grenell is also somewhat controversial in conservative circles, owing to the fact that hes openly gay and a supporter of same-sex marriage. The Romney campaign picked him to be its foreign policy spokesperson in 2012, but a social conservative backlash ended his tenure very quickly. This time around, Grenell is less likely to get into trouble for who he is than what hes tweeted: The tone of his comments about Trump during the primary, especially on Twitter, was highly critical.

If you think Trump knows foreign policy issues then absolutely yes, you are stupid, Grenell tweeted in March 2016.

He changed his tune during the general election, once referring to a Trump statement on NATO, where he said he refocused the alliance on terrorism, as fantastic. But past criticism of Trump has gotten potential administration nominees into trouble before. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly wanted former Bush administration official Elliott Abrams for his top deputy but Trump nixed the pick, reportedly because Abrams had written harshly about Trump in the past.

The Grenell pick is thus an interesting test for the Trump administration: How much internal dissent can it tolerate, and what kind of dissent is acceptable? Washingtons closest allies, and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, will be waiting anxiously for the answers.

The US ambassador to NATO, also called the permanent representative, sits on the North Atlantic Council, the alliances decision-making body. The council is where NATO countries vote on key issues like whether to undertake collective military missions such as NATOs involvement in the Afghanistan war. The ambassador votes on behalf of the US, and also plays a role in negotiating the text of any NATO-wide agreement.

These are important tasks, but typically the person doing them doesnt have a lot of freedom. Historically, the ambassadors job is more to do what his bosses tell him than make independent decisions. The [ambassador] is both a very important position as the US representative in the room when big decisions are being made and also not so important since they are very closely guided/managed by DC, Saideman explains.

That may be less true in the Trump administration, given its deep internal divisions over foreign policy and well-earned reputation for disorganization. In this environment, clear guidance could be lacking, leaving the ambassador with a lot more discretion. That would make Grenells personal background and views, if hes confirmed by the Senate, a whole lot more important than those of previous NATO ambassadors.

Grenell does have a lot of experience in conservative foreign policy land. Prior to his job with Romney, he served as the spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations under George W. Bush, holding that job longer than any other individual.

As you might expect from someone with this background, he holds fairly conventional conservative views on foreign policy including on issues relating to NATO, which he has called the worlds greatest alliance. When Russia invaded eastern Ukraine in July 2014, he called for an immediate and forceful response.

The US leads NATO ... they should have been on the ground in Ukraine immediately, he tweeted. We should sell Ukraine arms immediately.

In a March 2016 appearance on the Fox Business Channel, Grenell defended the alliance against the fact that its not spending enough on its own defense a charge that President Trump has made repeatedly. NATO countries are supposed to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense, but only five countries hit that target in 2016.

In Grenells view, the issue is that the Obama administration has been too disengaged from the alliance, weakening it as an institution.

You cant blame NATO, Grenell told host Charles Payne. I would say the reason why were having this debate about NATO right now ... is because you dont have US leadership.

Grenell had also been a tough critic of Putin, attacking his intervention in Ukraine and meddling with foreign elections in a number of op-eds and numerous tweets published in the past several years. Once again, Grenell saw this as a product of Obamas weakness.

If Grenell gets the NATO job, half the reporters in DC (including me) will have to unblock him

The Russian president has successfully used propaganda, natural gas, intimidation, money laundering, military hardware, corruption, and his opponents weaknesses to chip away at the Wests influence throughout Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, he wrote in the conservative tabloid Newsmax last year. Russia is calculating how best to continue its offense undeterred by the West and President Obama.

The point, then, is that Grenell seems to have broadly conventional foreign policy views: He sees NATO as a vital alliance and bulwark against an expansionist Russia. His critique of the Obama administration was that it was too withdrawn, too disengaged from allies and unwilling to come to their aid when theyre threatened.

Trump, by contrast, has cast doubt on Americas commitment to NATO and described Russia as a potential partner. His critique of the Obama administration was that it was too beholden to outdated international institutions like NATO and too willing to use force when Americas direct national security interests were not at stake.

This kind of tension is becoming fairly normal in the administration. Secretary Mattis, for example, more or less disavowed past Trump statements on NATO and Russia in his confirmation hearing. During a trip to Brussels for a NATO summit, Mattis openly ruled out Trumps proposal to cooperate with Russia on military matters. Vice President Mike Pence, during a speech in Germany, said that America strongly supports NATO and is unwavering in our commitment to our transatlantic alliance.

This kind of sub-presidential diplomacy can make it difficult to figure out what the administrations actual position is or would be in a crisis. Do Mattis and Pence speak for Trump, or will the president overrule them when their views come into direct conflict, especially over Russia?

Right now, its too soon to tell. But Grenell, if confirmed, will be thrown into the middle of this conflict on one of the most important points of internal tension, the NATO alliance, inside the administration.

Grenell is not shy about expressing his opinions. He appears on Fox News regularly, and has attacked a fairly large percentage of the Washington press corps on Twitter.

If Grenell gets the NATO job, half the reporters in DC (including me) will have to unblock him, New York Times political reporter Glenn Thrush tweeted when the news of Grenells nomination first broke.

So its no surprise that Grenell has had a lot of things to say about Donald Trump. Since roughly last summer, most of those things have been positive Grenell has vigorously defended Trumps record both on foreign policy and LGBTQ rights.

But prior to Trumps victory in the primary, Grenells Twitter tone was about as hostile to Trump as it was to reporters. He described candidate Trump as dangerously ignorant, and seemingly called on the Republican Party to block him from taking the nomination:

All of this raises the question of whether Grenell will go the way of Abrams, the Tillerson deputy who never was.

There is a key difference between Grenell and Abrams. Abrams was #NeverTrump, and never apologized or withdrew his attacks. Grenell, by contrast, appears to have recanted his anti-Trump faith after the primary, spending the past several months vocally defending the candidate and the new administration on Twitter and TV.

So what were about to see assuming the reports of Grenells nomination are true is a test of the loyalty component of a Trump nominee. How much criticism of the president and his policies is acceptable in a high-profile nominee? And is withdrawing the attacks enough to make things better?

If Grenell gets past the trial balloon stage, and is formally announced as the administrations NATO ambassador pick, then well have our answer. If he doesnt get picked well, then well have learned something too.

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Trump's rumored pick for NATO ambassador doesn't seem to agree with him about NATO - Vox

President Trump has reportedly tappedas his ambassador tothe North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) a hawkish critic of Russia who wants the U.S. to arm Ukraine. Its the latest sign that the administration isreacting to criticism that it is too soft on Russiabypivoting to the other extreme.

Richard Grennell is a former Bush-era U.S. spokesperson at the United Nations who also served as a foreign policy spokesperson forMitt Romneys presidential campaign. He frequently appears on Fox News and other conservative outlets saying President Obama appeased Russia.

Following Russias annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Obama resistedpolitical pressure from hawks in Congress to provide lethal arms to the Ukranian government, fearing that doing so would only cause Russia to escalate its own military involvement.

Writing in The New York Timess Room for Debate section in 2014, Grenell said that Obamas belief that the U.S. could support Ukraine but not antagonize Russia represented a nave and dangerous world view.In aFox News op-ed, he proposed military escalation: Offer advice and training to Ukraine, and sell it the lethal weapons required to contend with Russian armored personnel carriers, tanks and missiles, he wrote,adding that the U.S. should also restart missile defense shield programs in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Grennellalso counseled Obama to leave directly military confrontation with Russia over Ukraine on the table.

The Obama doctrine only persuades Putin that he need never fear the U.S. military the worlds most powerful deterrent, he wrote. Even if Obama would never start a war with Russia, he should stop swearing off military action in public. Instead, President Obama, through his inexhaustible number of speeches and statements, should rhetorically leave military action on the table.

Although his support for arming Ukraine stretches back years, Grenell was continuing to advocate for lethal aid for Ukraine as recently as Tuesday via his Twitter account, which he frequently uses to opine on world affairs:

Grenell is not the only Russia hawk to step into Trumps orbit recently.

His new national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, holds more moderate views on Islam than his bigoted predecessor Michael Flynn but also has a more adversarial view of Russia. In May, he described the Russian annexation of Crimea as an attempt to collapse the post-World War Two, certainly the post-Cold War, security, economic, and political order in Europe and replace that order with something that is more sympathetic to Russian interests. While Trump has been critical of NATO at one point in early January calling it obsolete McMaster is a strong supporter of the alliance.

Trumps UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has also taken a tough line with Russia during her first month on the job. The dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions, she said of Russian-allied forces there. She also affirmed continued support for U.S. sanctions on Russia that were enacted in response to the annexation of Crimea, saying: The United States continues to condemn and calls for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea. Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine.

Some Russian government officials, including those who were initially openly supportive of Trump, are starting to grow uneasy with the presidents approach, reportedMoscow-based journalist Amie-Ferris Rotman for Foreign Policy.We were too early in our decision, made with absolute sympathy towards President Trumps constructive rhetoric, that he would somehow be pro-Russian,Leonid Slutsky, who is head of the Russian parliaments foreign affairs committee, said in February. But he turned out to be pro-American.

Top photo: A Ukrainian soldier stands at the front line of the ATO operation in Artemovsk, Ukraine, in 2015.

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Trump Picks Hawkish Critic of Russia as NATO Ambassador, Veering From One Extreme to the Other - The Intercept

Richard Grenell.

President Donald Trump will nominate Richard Grenell to be his ambassador to NATO, according to a White House official, a selection that would make the longtime loyalist and former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations the highest-ranking openly gay person to serve in the administration.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Grenell, 50, declined to comment. The White House official asked not to be identified because the position hasnt been formally announced.

A spokesman under John Bolton and three other Republican-administration ambassadors at the UN from 2001 through 2008, Grenell has been a Fox News contributor for four years and a Trump supporter since the start of the campaign.

The founder of Capitol Media Partners, he frequently tangles with journalists on his Twitter feed, accusing reporters of being unfair to Trump and Republicans. His name had circulated as a candidate for Trumps ambassador to the UN, though the job ultimately went to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

If he wins Senate confirmation, Grenell will take a pivotal position in the Trump administration. The president spurred widespread anxiety in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization when he called the alliance obsolete and suggested during the campaign the U.S. might not honor its defense commitments if other members dont pay their share.

In 2014, Grenell said on Fox that Congress should push for Ukraine to join NATO, a move that would infuriate Russia. He later praised Trump for threatening to walk away from NATO, calling it a smart negotiating tactic.

I think this is about NATO reform, I dont think this is about getting rid of a NATO alliance, Grenell said on Fox last year. I think this is businessman Donald Trump showing that he knows how to reform.

In recent weeks, other officials including Defense Secretary James Mattis have said NATO members must come up with plans by the end of the year to fulfill promises to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Grenells selection needed sign-off from the Defense Department given the jobs prominent national-security element.

In 2012, Grenell was hired to be a foreign-policy spokesman for Mitt Romneys presidential campaign, a move gay Republicans praised at the time as a sign of progress in their party. He later resigned following a backlash from social conservatives, saying his effectiveness had been greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues that sometimes comes from a presidential campaign.

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Trump to Pick Former UN Spokesman Grenell for NATO Post, Official ... - Bloomberg

Forbes

Pakistan's Economic Pressure Against NATO And Afghanistan Must Stop Forbes Pakistan is opening its border with Afghanistan for just 48 hours starting today, and only for people. This is too little too late for those who lost over two weeks of their lives stranded at the border, or who depend on regular and legal cross-border ... and more »

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Pakistan's Economic Pressure Against NATO And Afghanistan Must Stop - Forbes

March 7, 2017

[Vladimir] Putins aggression makes the possibility of a war in Europe between nuclear-armed adversaries frighteningly real, writesKimberly Martenin a newCouncil Special Reporton tensions between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). She outlines how U.S. policymakers can deter Russian aggression with robust support for NATO, while reassuring Russia of NATOs defensive intentions through clear words and actions based in international law.

Marten, a professor of political science at Barnard College, Columbia University, and director of the Program on U.S.-Russia Relations at Columbias Harriman Institute, lays out several scenarios that could lead to a dangerous confrontation, ranging from an inadvertent encounter between NATO and Russian military aircraft or ships to an intentional Russian land grab in Europe. The report, produced by theCenter for Preventive Actionat the Council on Foreign Relations, offers a plan for how the Donald J. Trump administration could work with Congress and NATO allies to lessen the chances of crisis escalation.

Marten recommends that U.S. policymakers take the following steps to deter Russian threats:

She also suggests a series of reassurance measures to demonstrate that the United States and NATO have only defensive intentions, including:

Marten acknowledges that President Trumps efforts to reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin and launch another reset policy may lead to new accord between the two countries, but expresses fear that Putin will test Trumps strength by seeking unequal advantages for Moscow.

To interview the author, please contact the Global Communications and Media Relations team at 212.434.9888orcommunications@cfr.org. To read the full report,Reducing Tensions Between Russia and NATO, visitwww.cfr.org/RussiaNATOCSR.

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US Should Support NATO and Offer Reassurances to Russia, Says New Council Special Report - Council on Foreign Relations

NATO HQ (press release)

Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) NATO HQ (press release) Today, I have spoken to Hashim Thaci and Isa Mustafa to convey the serious concerns of NATO Allies about recent proposals by the Kosovo authorities to transform the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an armed force, without a constitutional change. I ... NATO chief warns Kosovo against army moveNews & Observer all 2 news articles »

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Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) - NATO HQ (press release)

Forbes

Montenegro Awaits Senate Verdict: President Donald Trump Should End NATO Expansion Charade Forbes The postage stamp country of Montenegro expected to be rushed into NATO during Washington's lame duck period before the unpredictable Donald Trump became president. But Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee, to their credit more concerned about ...

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Montenegro Awaits Senate Verdict: President Donald Trump Should End NATO Expansion Charade - Forbes

Notwithstanding apprehensions from member nations that the decision would weaken NATO, the European Union (EU) authorized the formation of a new military headquarters.

The facility would be manned by a staff of 30, whose responsibility would be the coordination of the EU member states military. A number of members, including Poland, Hungary and the United Kingdom, have disputed the notion of a combined European army. The defense ministers of all the member countries, however, unanimously decided on establishing the new headquarters.

In a statement released Monday, EU Foreign Affairs Minister Federica Mogherini said, Today we decided to establish a MPCC (Military Planning Conduct and Capability facility) which will command the EUs non-executive military missions. This is one of the fields where traditionally we have had in the history of the European Union more divisiveness since the fifties we were struggling in the defense field.

In an effort to achieve less dependence on the United States, France and Germany have advocated for the creation of common military organizations, joint headquarters and combined resources.

While emphasizing NATOs significance to the EU, Mogherini said the new arrangement is not a European army.

Nevertheless, British Defense Minister Michael Fallon vowed that the U.K. would veto any proposals to challenge Natos position, while the country is still a member of EU.

Speaking with Reuters, he said, We have resisted any mission creep. The danger is duplication (with NATO).

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EU Establishes New Military HQ Regardless of Concerns It Compromises NATO - Newsline

Officials with Britains Defense Ministry on Monday called for greater cooperation on cybersecurity between NATO and the European Union.

The demands come in the wake of Britains vote to leave the EU, which British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon indicated Monday would not affect Britains security cooperation with other European nations.

Fallon and Stephen Lovegrove, the Defense Ministrys permanent secretary, both said in separate remarks on Monday that NATO and EU should strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity.

Against evermore complex problems, we must bring together military and nonmilitary responses, and that means making the most of the agreement at Warsaw last year to invigorate the strategic relationship between NATO and the EU, including cooperation on cybersecurity and boosting cooperation counter-hybrid capabilities, Lovegrove said.

He specifically cited threats from Russias hybrid model of warfare.

Separately, Fallon made a similar call for deepened cyber cooperation between the two partnerships during a meeting of the European Union defense ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Today I have urged the EU to cooperate more closely with NATO, to avoid unnecessary duplication and to work together on new threats, including cyber, Fallon said, according to quotes posted on the ministrys website.

Russias cyber and influence campaign targeting the United States presidential election has stoked fears about the potential for future cyberattacks aimed at European elections.

In February 2016, NATO and the EU agreed to a technical arrangement to boost information sharing on cyber-related matters. NATO member states also recognized cyberspace as a domain of operations in which the alliance must defend itself and pledged to boost their cyber defenses at the Warsaw Summit last July.

More recently, NATO deepened cooperation on cyber defense with Finland, which shares a border with Russia.

NATO has also boosted its traditional defenses in Europe in the face of mounting Russian aggression in Ukraine. Moscow has described the buildup as a threat to its own security.

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British defense officials call for more cooperation between NATO, EU on cyber - The Hill

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Trump, and Obama before him, has urged NATO allies to increase their military spending to 2% of GDP. Some NATO allies, like France and Germany, are increasingly seeing this as a chance to develop their own alternative military forces. Especially after the Euro-skeptic UK left the EU.

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EU's Alternative to NATO - WhoWhatWhy / RealNewsProject (blog)

Published time: 6 Mar, 2017 18:48Edited time: 6 Mar, 2017 21:18

A total of 8,000 NATO soldiers have been deployed to the Finnmark region of northern Norway, 160-300 km from the Russian border, for a series of joint military exercises.

The Joint Viking 2017 exercises, which involve British, American and Norwegian troops, kicked off Monday and are expected to last until March 15. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces website, the exercises primary goals are to practice crisis management and the defense of Norway.

A total of 8,000 troops are taking part, including 700 soldiers from the US Marine Corps, US Army and the British Royal Marines, which have been integrated into Norwegian units. The British and American troops took part in preparatory exercises to acclimatize them to the harsh Norwegian weather.

For the duration of the exercise, drones have been banned from local airspace.

The Armed Forces will have a lot of activity in the air, with fighter jets, helicopters and transport aircraft. To ensure safety in the air, we therefore introduced a drone ban, military spokesman Ivar Moen told the Norwegian public radio station NRK.

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In previous years, Joint Viking exercises have been held in Hordaland in 2013, Tromso in 2014, Finnmark in 2015 and Trndelag in 2016. The previous exercise in Finnmark was seen as a provocation in Russia, where in response a large-scale exercise was launched in the Kola Peninsula.

This year, however, Moscow was notified of the planned maneuvers in advance, Moen told NRK.

In January, 300 US Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were deployed to Norway. Both Norway and the US denied the notion that the deployment was meant to irk Russia as part of NATOs wider campaign to oppose what it calls Russian aggression in Europe, by sending additional troops and weapons closer to the Russian border.

A founding member of NATO, Norway pledged not to host foreign forces to allay Moscows concerns that it could serve as a platform for a surprise attack. For decades, the Scandinavian country only allowed in other allies troops for training purposes. Oslo dismissed the notion that the deployment goes against the old commitment, saying that American troops would be rotated rather than stationed permanently. NATO routinely applies the same reasoning to all its deployments in Eastern Europe as a way of circumventing the alliances agreement with Russia, which bans permanent deployments of significant forces near Russia.

The rest is here:

8,000 NATO troops launch exercise near Russian-Norwegian ... - RT

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has long been a symbol of the free world, enforcing humanitarian agendas and committing itself to universalrights for all. Such a noble force has the support of currently 28 of the most powerful countries in the world including the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K., and one would assume that out of all these members, it would be logical and fair that each country contribute the same percentage. After all, not just the U.S. is committed in making the world a better place.

The U.S. government currently contributes almost a quarter of NATOs operating budget, which is weird considering that NATO has 28 member states. One could argue that not all countries can afford such a huge financial burden, but per capita, many richer European countries such as Luxembourg, which has an annual GDP per capita of $110,697.03, twice the amount of Americas do not put forth the required amount to NATO.

Regulations dictate that all NATO members must spend at least 2 percent of their yearly GDP on defense and so far, a measly five of them have met the bare minimum.

Not only does direct contribution to NATO by the states overshadow any other country, indirect spending eclipses even that. It is estimated that nearly 73percentof all NATO spending comes from the U.S.

American presidents have long held resentments for being forced to be the main economic pillar supporting NATO. There is widespread bipartisan resentment for this issue, which draws the support of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, George Bush and most recently, President Donald Trump.

While many liberals contest any word that comes out of Trumps mouth, pulling the U.S. out of an obsolete Cold War relicis a cause that everyone should get behind. Having the U.S. spend so muchto act as world police is unnecessary and a remnant of the past.

The money that the U.S. would save, by reinvesting its NATO expenditures back into its economy, would bolster the economy and create more jobs. Direct spending overseas in Americas own military is already more than enough, and we dont need to give even more money to other countries who do the same thing as us.

If other countries dont even care enough about world security to provide for NATO, then the U.S. shouldnt have to pick up the burden. The U.S. should be content in its current overseas involvement, and by staying out of conflicts it doesnt relate to,the nation could save money and lives.

If other countries dont care for the brutalities that occur and arent investing enough to stop it, the U.S. no longer needs to be the paradigm of freedom in the world. Secretary of Defense General Mattis has said that unless other countries can contribute the same as the U.S., then we would be forced to moderate [our] commitment to NATO.

The need for all countries to be free should not rest merely on Americas shoulders. Freedom and liberty for all should be pursued by all countries. If continued U.S. investment is wanted in NATO, then other members must step up their commitments to world peace.

Featured Illustration: Samuel Wiggins

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Shaky commitments to NATO - North Texas Daily

Home Global New York: No NATO, no Trump, U.S. out of Ukraine!

By Greg Butterfield posted on March 6, 2017

Opponents of the U.S.-Ukraine war against the Donbass region of eastern Europe picketed in frigid weather at United Nations headquarters in New York on March 5.

They chanted: No NATO! No Trump! U.S. out of Ukraine! Signs demanded: Trump, Poroshenko Stop bombing Donbass and Down with oligarchs and fascists from Kiev to Washington.

The protest was part of the International Day Against Genocide of People in Donbass, held in at least 16 cities worldwide. Demands included an immediate end to Ukrainian military attacks on the independent Donetsk and Lugansk republics; an end to the economic blockade of the Donbass region; that the international community force Kiev to respect the terms of the Minsk peace agreement; and an International War Crimes Tribunal for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

In New York, activists also raised the case of Alexander Kushnarev of Odessa, who was detained by the Kiev regime on Feb. 23. He is the father of Gennady Kushnarev, one of 48 anti-fascists killed by Ukrainian nationalists on May 2, 2014, at the Odessa House of Trade Unions.

Larry Holmes of Workers World Party emphasized: We are opposed to the [U.S President Donald] Trump regime and its attack on the workers and oppressed here and around the world. And we are opposed to the campaign by Trumps bourgeois opponents to whip up a war fever against Russia and our brothers and sisters in Donbass. International solidarity against imperialism is essential to stopping the threat of a wider war.

The New York action was called by the International Action Center.

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New York: 'No NATO, no Trump, US out of Ukraine!' - Workers World

The European Union is to create a special military command center for operating foreign missions, the German defense minister announced amid criticism from some bloc members that the initiative is financially unreasonable and merely copies NATO's steps.

EU foreign ministers founded, or put in motion, today a European command center for foreign missions, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, according to AP.

Membership in the program is not obligatory, von der Leyen stressed, adding that EU members not wishing to take part could act as observers.

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For those who are not members of the European Union, like for example Norway or the British, there will be the possibility to join in selectively with certain projects or missions, she said.

The Norwegians have great interest in this, the British have great interest in this, the German minister noted.

Meanwhile, Britain has long criticized the blocs aspirations to launch its own army, saying the EU should not waste money on creating structures that match those set up by NATO. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, who was also present at the meeting, called on other EU ministers to cooperate more closely with NATO to avoid unnecessary duplication and structures.

Nevertheless, von der Leyen called the move a very important step that was long overdue.

We took a very important step toward a European security and defense union, because we have become very concrete, she said.

Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign affairs chief, shared her opinion, saying that the command center will provide a more efficient approach to the existing military training missions we have.

Reports on the EU establishing a so-called Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) center aimed at stepping up security and defense cooperation among the bloc's military missions first appeared in media outlets on Friday, March 3.

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The MPCC is expected to manage the blocs non-executive military missions, including the three missions currently in progress in Mali, Somalia, and the Central African Republic.

The idea of tightening cooperation among EU states on defense matters had long been off the table inside the bloc. However, the topic has again emerged on the agenda after Crimea joined Russia following a referendum in 2014. The EU described it as an annexation while the growing threat from Islamic militants also created additional pressure.

Britain opposed the idea for years, although after the UK voted to leave the EU in June last year, Germany and France, joined by Spain, were quick to try to revive the plan.

In November, von der Leyen urged the EU to modernize its military defense and security to match NATO, which has been beefing up its security forces most of them located along Russias borders.

We have seen an enormous modernization drive by NATO over the past three years because of the Kremlins behavior," von der Leyen said at a press conference, Reuters reported.

That was correct and important, but I believe that we must invest at the least same energy into a modernization of the European security and defense union, she said.

In June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia will have to adequately respond to NATOs military activities along its borders.

Read more here:

EU ministers agree to create joint military command center in NATO footsteps - RT