Daily Archives: June 8, 2017

A rapid assault on the Baltic region would leave NATO with few attractive options, including a massive risky counterattack, threatening a nuclear weapons option or simply allowing the Russian to annex the countries.

One of the limited options cited in the study could include taking huge amounts of time to mobilize and deploy a massive counterattack force which would likely result in a drawn-out, deadly battle. Another possibility would be to threaten a nuclear option, a scenario which seems unlikely if not completely unrealistic in light of the U.S. strategy to decrease nuclear arsenals and discourage the prospect of using nuclear weapons, the study finds.

A third and final option, the report mentions, would simply be to concede the Baltic states and immerse the alliance into a much more intense Cold War posture. Such an option would naturally not be welcomed by many of the residents of these states and would, without question, leave the NATO alliance weakened if not partially fractured.

How much of a threat do Russia's emerging5th-generationstealth fighter, nuclear arsenal, high-tech air defenses, anti-satellite weapons, conventional army and submarines pose to NATO and the U.S.?

Current tensions between Russia and NATO are leading many to carefully assess this question and examine the current state of weaponry and technological sophistication of the Russian military -- with a mind to better understanding the extent of the kinds of threats they may pose.

Naturally, Russias military maneuvers and annexation of the Crimean peninsula have many Pentagon analysts likely wondering about and assessing the pace of Russia's current military modernization and the relative condition of the former Cold War military giants forces, platforms and weaponry.

Russia has clearly postured itself in response to NATO as though it can counter-balance or deter the alliance, however some examinations of Russias current military reveals questions about its current ability to pose a real challenge to NATO in a prolonged, all-out military engagement.

Nevertheless, Russia continues to make military advances and many Pentagon experts and analysts have expressed concern about NATO's force posture in Eastern Europe regarding whether it is significant enough to deter Russia from a possible invasion of Eastern Europe.

Also, Russias economic pressures have not slowed the countries commitment to rapid military modernization and the increase of defense budgets, despite the fact that the countrys military is a fraction of what it was during the height of the Cold War in the 1980s.

While the former Cold War giants territories and outer most borders are sizeably less than they were in the 1980s, Russias conventional land, air and sea forces are trying to expand quickly, transition into the higher-tech information age and steadily pursue next generation platforms.

Russias conventional and nuclear arsenal is a small piece of what it was during the Cold War, yet the country is pursuing a new class of air-independent submarines, a T-50 stealth fighter jet, next-generation missiles and high-tech gear for individual ground soldiers.

The National Interesthas recently published a number of reports about the technological progress now being made by Russian military developers. The various write-ups include reporting on new Russian anti-satellite weapons, T-14 Armata tanks, air defenses and early plans for a hypersonic, 6th-generation fighter jet, among other things. Russia is unambiguously emphasizing military modernization and making substantial progress, the reports from The National Interest and other outlets indicate.

For instance, Russia hasapparently conducted a successful test launch of its Nudoldirect ascent anti-satellite missile, according toThe National Interest.

"This is the second test of the new weapon, which is capable of destroying satellites in space. The weapon was apparently launched from the Plesetsk test launch facility north of Moscow," the report from The National Interest writes.

In addition,The National Interests'Dave Majumdar reported that Russian Airborne Forces plan six armored companies equipped with newly modifiedT-72B3Mtanks. Over the next two years, those six companies will be expanded to battalion strength, the report states.

Russia is also reportedly developing a so-called "Terminator 3" tank support fighting vehicle.

During the Cold War, the Russian defense budget amounted to nearly half of the countrys overall expenditures.

Now, the countries military spending draws upon a smaller percentage of its national expenditure. However, despite these huge percentage differences compared to the 1980s, the Russian defense budget is climbing again. From 2006 to 2009, the Russian defense budget jumped from $25 billion up to $50 billion according to Business Insider and the 2013 defense budget is listed elsewhere at $90 billion.

Overall, the Russian conventional military during the Cold War in terms of sheer size was likely five times what it is today.

The Russian military had roughly 766,000 active front line personnel in 2013 and as many as 2.4 million reserve forces, according toglobalfirepower.com. During the Cold War, the Russian Army had as many as three to four million members.

Read more:
If Russia and NATO Went to War Would It Go Nuclear (And Kill Millions)? - The National Interest Online (blog)

Rep. Lou Correa introduced bill to protect U.S. and NATO allies from Russian cyberattacks.

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., introduced a bill that seeks to improve America and its NATO allies' abilities to defend against Russian cyberattacks.

The "Enhanced Partner Cyber Capabilities Act" would direct the President to specifically develop offensive cyber capability strategies and information and method sharing with our NATO allies.

The act calls for the Department of Defense to update its cyberstrategy, draft strategy for offensive cyber capabilities, and authorize international cooperation by helping NATO partners improve their cyber capabilities.

The bill states the Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime is actively working to erode democratic systems of NATO member states including the U.S.

"World War III is raging right now in cyber space, Rep. Correa said. With the increased frequency of cyber-attacks executed by foreign advisories we must increase our investments into securing our networks.

Rep. Correa said his bill will help prevent advisories from engaging in the types of cyber-espionage we saw during the past election and that protecting our networks is vital to privacy and the health of our democracy.

If passed the bill calls for action no later than 180 days after the bill is enacted.

View post:
Congressman proposes bill to strengthen US and NATO cyber abilities against Russia - SC Magazine

The European Union launched a new defense fund Wednesday designed to alleviate funding concerns put forth by President Donald Trump and bolster the region against perceived Russian aggression.

The initiative, called the European Defense Fund, is headed by the European Commission, one of seven organizations that manage the EU, and is intended "to help member states spend taxpayer money efficiently, reduce duplications and get better value for money," according to a post featured onthe European Commission's official Twitter account. The decision comes after repeated demands by Trump that the U.S.'s European allies contribute more to Western military alliance NATO, which includes most of the EU and has undergone a major arms buildup in response to what it considers to be a growing regional threat by Russia.

Related:Putin Warns U.S.-Russia Nuclear War Would Leave No Survivors

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An official statement by the European Commission detailed plans for the EU to provide$560 million for defense "development and acquisition" in 2019 and 2020, with that figure projected to reach more than $1 billion by 2020 and possibly expand to $5 billion per year in the years that follow.

"People across Europe are worried about their and their children's security. Complementing our cooperation with NATO, we need to do more and better ourselves. Today we are showing that we walk the talk," said Jyrki Katainen, European Commission Vice President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, according to the statement. "The Fund will act as a catalyst for a strong European defense industry which develops cutting-edge, fully interoperable technologies and equipment. Member states will remain in the driving seat, get better value for their moneyand ultimately see their influence increased."

European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen holds a news conference on the European Defense Action Plan in Brussels, Belgium November 30, 2016. The European Commission launched the European Defense Fund in response to criticisms by President Donald Trump of NATO members' financial contributions to regional defense and what EU and NATO perceive as a growing military threat posed by Russia, June 7, 2017. Eric Vidal/Reuters

"Europe must become a security provider.The fund will support collaborative research in defense and the joint development of defense capabilities," Commissioner ElbietaBiekowskasaid in the statement. "It will, therefore, be a game-changer for the EU's strategic autonomy and the competitiveness of Europe's defense industry including the many SMEs and mid-cap companies forming the European defense supply chain."

The statement also outlined EU plans to allocate more than $100 million to the fund for research until 2019 with proposals coming next year to boost this figure to more than $562 million per year. Such a move would result in the EU becoming "one of the biggest defense research investors in Europe," according to the statement." Over $28 million has already been designated for research by the end of this year.

The inception of the fund can be traced back to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's 2016 state of the union speech, in which the former prime minister of Luxembourg proposed the creation of a European Defense Action Plan. Juncker reiterated his support for this concept Wednesday, echoing comments made last month by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She stated that the EU could no longer depend on the U.S. and the U.K., which voted last year to exit the EU, for defense cooperation.

"For too long we have relied too much on the military power of others," Juncker said Wednesday, according to Deutsche Welle. "We must now seize the moment to take charge of our own security. We owe this to our fellow Europeans."

Along with the U.S., a number of European nations have accused Russia of interfering in foreign politics and of threatening regional stability with its military. Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from neighboring Ukraine in 2014, NATO and Russia have undergone dueling military buildups with each faction accusing the other of crossing lines that could instigate a conflict. Russia has defended its 2014 move by arguing political upheaval in Ukraine threatened the sizeable ethnic Russian community in Crimea, but both Russia and NATO forces have since sent tens of thousands of troops along with nuclear-capable missiles and other armaments to their mutual borders.

Analysts have predicted that the European Defense Fund may be a precursor to a more comprehensive European defense union that would operate alongside NATO. While the union would not likely constitute a unified, pan-European military force, it would reportedly focus on further integrating the defense infrastructure of the EU's 28 member states separate from the U.S.-dominated NATO.

"EU progress on this front in recent months has focused on establishing an EU defense fund and aiming to centralize procurement strategy. A possible future defense union would go furtherit could necessitate a joint, centralized defense industrial strategy, sharing of member state 'strategic' defense assets, and perhaps even a level of autonomy from NATO," Aarti Shankar, political analyst at U.K.-based liberal think tank Open Europe, told CNBC via email.

In a separate development from Wednesday's launch of the European Defense Fund, the U.S. announced that same day that it would partner with 23 other nations to hold a massive military exercise in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania next month. The U.S.'s European Command said that this year's "Saber Guardian" exercises would be "larger in both scale and scope" than previous drills held annually since 2013, according to Reuters. Later this summer, Russia is preparing its own large-scale, multinational military drills called Zapad, or "West," which will simulate a NATO invasion.

The rest is here:
EU Launches Own Defense Against Russia, Responding to Trump NATO Funding Comments - Newsweek

TORONTO Canadas defense chief announced Wednesday that the country plans to sharply increase its military budget following pressure from the Trump administration to bolster spending.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said military spending will grow 70 percent to reach $32.7 billion Canadian ($24.1 billion) in a decade. That means Canada would spend about 1.4 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2026-27, up from about 1.2 percent now.

U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that NATOs member countries increase their spending on defense forces. The U.S. accounts for more than 70 percent of all NATO military spending. Only Britain, Estonia, Greece and Poland now meet the NATO goal of spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he was heartened by Canadian policy.

The United States welcomes Canadas marked increase in investment in their military and their continued commitment to a strong defense relationship with the United States and NATO, Mattis said in a statement.

This new defense policy demonstrates Canadian resolve to build additional military capacity and a more capable fighting force. In light of todays security challenges around the world, its critical for Canadas moral voice to be supported by the hard power of a strong military.

Sajjan said the added money is designed to make sure Canada is a reliable and credible partner.

The plan calls for 5,000 additional military personnel, 15 new warships and 88 new fighter jets, the latter up from a planned 65 announced by the previous government.

If were serious about our role in the world, we must be serious about funding our military, Sajjan said. And we are.

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau called it a sovereign decision by his government. The announcement comes a day after Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada would increase military spending because Canada can no longer rely on Washington for global leadership.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was pleased with Canadas move.

I warmly welcome Canadas new defense policy and the major planned investments, Stoltenberg said in a statement. This new policy affirms Canadas unwavering commitment to NATO and will ensure Canada has the armed forces and key capabilities that the Alliance needs.

Canada has about 800 military personnel in the international mission against the Islamic State group, but removed its fighter jets after Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberal Party government was elected in late 2015. Canada also has about 200 troops in the Ukraine and 220 in Poland.

Associated Press writers Lolita Baldor in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Trump's NATO comments paying off as Canada vows to increase military spending - GOPUSA