Daily Archives: October 26, 2014

NATO Intercepts Russian Jets Over Baltic Sea
HELSINKI NATO scrambled fighter jets twice in two days to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, it said Tuesday amid reports that Russia...

By: Alma News

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NATO Intercepts Russian Jets Over Baltic Sea - Video

ISIS can #39;t crack Jordan. But can Jordan crack ISIS? (NATO Review)
In this video NATO Review looks at how Jordan has managed to stay so calm in the face of not just ISIS #39; murderous threats to the country, but also the other security challenges it is trying...

By: NATO

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ISIS can't crack Jordan. But can Jordan crack ISIS? (NATO Review) - Video

NATO Says Russian Army Still in Ukraine: Putin denies sending troops into Ukraine
Russia still has troops in eastern Ukraine and retains a potent military posture with thousands of soldiers still camped along the border NATO has said. Only last week Presdent Putin claimed...

By: UKRAINE TODAY

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NATO Says Russian Army Still in Ukraine: Putin denies sending troops into Ukraine - Video

Uncharted 3 multiplayer #5 NATO...I #39;m Masters pfff

By: UnchartedGames

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Uncharted 3 multiplayer #5 NATO...I'm Masters pfff - Video

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan The NATO coalition ended its formal mission in restive and dangerous Helmand province Sunday, handing over two major bases and an airstrip to the Afghan military as U.S. Marines and British forces prepare to withdraw.

The transfer of Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion, the hub for coalition forces in southwestern Afghanistan, is the most dramatic signal to date that the 13-year-old war is drawing to a close.

For now, British forces and U.S. Marines will continue to secure the perimeter of the adjoining bases while they await orders to withdraw completely. When they do, it will essentially mark the conclusion of the war in Afghanistan for the Marines and British forces, officials in both countries said.

This is truly a historic day, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command. Years of continuous combat, countless hours of sunbaked patrols and numerous casualties this day marks the end of the [coalition] mission here in southwest.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon acknowledged that mistakes were made in Afghanistan by politicians and generals, comments that will add to the long-running debate in Britain about whether the mission was worth it.

Mistakes were made militarily, mistakes were made by the politicians at the time, and this goes back 10, 13 years, some time now, Fallon told the BBC on Sunday. But lets dont ignore what has been achieved.

Fallon said the majority of British troops would be home by Christmas.

Although about 34,000 coalition troops remain in Afghanistan, President Obama has pledged to cut that number in half by January. Under a security agreement that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently signed with the United States, Obama plans to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan next year.

About 3,000 troops from other nations are also expected to remain in Afghanistan to help train and support the Afghan army and police force.

Sundays ceremony means Afghan security forces now have full access to a sprawling military complex that includes more than 6,500 acres of desert land.

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NATO coalition hands over two major bases to Afghan military

KABUL, Afghanistan The international military coalition said Sunday it would continue to provide air support to Afghan forces after the scheduled end of combat operations in December, even as it shuttered a major regional command in the violent Helmand province.

Maj. Paul Greenberg, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said in a statement to Stars and Stripes that cooperation with the Afghan police and military after the transition to Afghan control "will include continued aviation support" by the coalition.

The framework for the continued air support was laid out in a recent agreement between Afghanistan and NATO, said Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi.

"According to our new agreement, the NATO air forces will support Afghan security forces until the Afghan air force is sufficient," he told Stripes in a phone interview. He said the current goal is to have the Afghan air force fully operational by 2016.

That news came as the United Kingdom essentially ended its combat mission in Afghanistan by handing over control of Camp Bastion to the Afghan forces in Helmand. Neighboring Camp Leatherneck was also formally transferred, signaling that the mission for U.S. Marines in the province is also nearing its end.

The planned American drawdown announced by President Barack Obama calls for about 9,800 U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan next year for a "noncombat train, advise, and assist mission." Other NATO partners have pledged to send about 2,000 troops. It is not clear whether coalition air forces will be counted in those numbers.

Continuing violence in the country has led the Afghan government to retain a massive national security force and to seek additional support from NATO.

There has been much speculation about the exact nature of future international military backing. Now ISAF says combat aviation forces may be part of that support.

While he said the past two years have seen "exponential growth of the Afghan Air Force and the ability of the ANSF to operate independently," Greenberg said military support will continue.

"Upon the request of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), the International Security Assistance Force has provided robust aviation support to the ANSF throughout Helmand Province in the form of close air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft," he said in the statement to Stripes. "This support has been provided consistently over the past two years. Upon request of the ANSF, NATO will continue to provide aviation support to Afghan forces during Resolute Support."

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NATO promises Afghans air support after 2014 as it shuts key base