Monthly Archives: June 2017

ADAZI MILITARY BASE, Latvia, June 26, 2017 About 11,000 U.S. and NATO service members from 20 countries concluded the Saber Strike 17 exercise here on June 24.

The exercise took place in various regions in the Baltics and Poland from May 28-June 24.

Saber Strike 17 is a long-standing Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. European Command-scheduled, U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise.

Multinational Exercise

Participating nations in this years exercise included Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

This years key training objective was to exercise with NATOs enhanced forward presence battle groups as part of a multinational division, while conducting an integrated, synchronized, deterrence-oriented field training exercise designed to improve the interoperability and readiness of participating nations armed forces.

Less than one year ago, our alliance said we were going to transition from assurance to deterrence, said Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the commander of U.S. Army Europe. One of the manifestations of that transition was the creation of the eFP Battlegroups. In less than one year, these battle groups are exercising already in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. That is an amazing accomplishment for our great alliance.

Hodges added, Deterrence means you have to have the capability to compel or defeat a potential adversary. You have to demonstrate that capability and the will to use it, and these exercises are that demonstration.

Key Training Events

Key training events of the exercise included a convoy by Battlegroup Poland, from Orysz, Poland, to southern Lithuania; a maritime prepositioned offload of prestaged supplies and equipment in Latvia; a Marine amphibious assault in Latvia; two combined arms live-fire exercises, one each in Poland and Lithuania; an air assault by the British Royal Marines at the Polish and Lithuanian border; and a river crossing in the same area.

If you would like to have skilled soldiers, you have to train every day, said Latvian Army Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Leonids Kalnins. If you would like to be safe as a state, you have to find allies; but if you would like to be the winner and create a great future for all countries, for all society, you have to participate in such exercises as this one.

The Saber Strike exercise series facilitates cooperation between the U.S, allied, and partner nations to improve joint operational capability in a variety of missions and prepare participating nations and units for future operations while enhancing the NATO alliance.

During the exercise, U.S. and NATO distinguished visitors attended a demonstration of the joint and combined capabilities of the U.S. and NATO here.

NATO Allies Working Together

One of the visitors was Nancy Bikoff Pettit, U.S. ambassador to Latvia, who spoke about the importance of the exercise.

I think exercises like this send a very strong message, she said. Its not only the U.S. who is interested in security and defense here in the Baltic region, its all of our NATO allies working together.

Bikoff Pettit added, This exercise demonstrates what happens when many NATO allies come together to cooperate and demonstrate the interoperability that we have. We are really pleased with the quality of the exercises.

Saber Strike 17 promotes regional stability and security, while strengthening partner capabilities and fostering trust. The combined training opportunities that it provided greatly improve interoperability among participating NATO allies and key regional partners.

The U.S. is here, Hodges said. Were going to continue to participate in exercises; American soldiers love serving with Latvian soldiers. This is a great place to train, and were excited about doing that for as [long] as I can see.

As the seventh iteration of this exercise, Saber Strike 17 continues to provide a venue for U.S. and NATO military members to train and learn from one another to form a stronger partnership.

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US, NATO Conclude Saber Strike 17 Exercise - Department of Defense

General Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO Military Committee | Mariscal/EPA

General Petr Pavel said Russias increasing military presence was clear, even if its intentions were not.

By David M. Herszenhorn

6/26/17, 6:10 PM CET

Updated 6/26/17, 9:54 PM CET

NATOs senior military officer said the alliance was confronting efforts by Russia to increase its military capabilities on virtually every level and allies were on guard to prevent any repeat of the Kremlins military intervention in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.

Speaking at a POLITICO Brussels Playbook breakfastMonday, General Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said that while Russias intentions were not necessarily clear, its growing military prowess was undeniable.

We in uniform, we define the threat based on two major elements. One is the capability, the other is the intent, Pavel told POLITICOs Ryan Heath. When it comes to capability there is no doubt that Russia is developing their capabilities both in conventional and nuclear components. When it comes to exercises, their ability to deploy troops forlong distance and to use them effectively quite far away from their own territory, there are no doubts.

The Kremlins intentions were less clear, he said. When it comes to intent, its not so clear because we cannot clearly say that Russia has aggressive intents againstNATO, the general said.

Still, he noted Russias increasing military presence, and made reference to reports ofthe stationing of nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad and Crimea.

There are elements that have to worry us and we have to stay ready, Pavel said. So we take this even potential threat very seriously. We do everything possible to be ready both in terms of capabilities and readiness, to face any potential threat that would mirror the situationwe know from Crimea, from eastern Ukraine, not to be repeated against any NATO ally.

He added: We also observe an increased and more assertive attitude in both political and military leadership talking about taking all necessary measures to face NATO military build-up. We face a huge modernization of all Russia military.

In addition to the threat from Russia, Pavel said that NATO was working to increase its efforts on counter-terrorism and that the alliance did not have the luxury of focusing only on threats from state actors.

Officials at NATO viewed strong relations with Turkey as a priority, he said, even as political ties between Ankara and other NATO allies have been deeply strained.

After a failed coup attempt last summer, scores of Turkish NATO officers were purged from the military, with some arrested and others choosing to appeal for asylum in Europe.

Pavel said that NATO allies judged it important to see events in Turkey in context and it was likely Turkey feelsmore threatened than other nations when it comes to internal security.

Turkey is exposed to both major challenges that NATO is now facing, that is on the one hand, a state actor, Russia, on the other hand, non-state actors, extremism, terrorism and migration, he said. All these severely affect Turkey directly.

We see Turkey as an important NATO ally that needs to be supported, he said.

NATO defense ministers are due to meet in Brussels later this week.

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NATO's senior military officer: Russia threat growing on all fronts - POLITICO.eu

NATO can help.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has now formally enlisted in the fight against Islamic State. It can begin by helping to stem the flow of refugees trying to reach Europe from North Africa.

This would be more than a humanitarian exercise; it would be a counterterrorism operation. Wherever refugees gather in hopelessness, violent extremists have a fertile recruiting ground. And the number of refugees is staggering.

Nearly 200,000 people fleeing violence and poverty tried to cross the Mediterranean last year, and at least 5,000 died in the attempt. The U.N. estimates that there are more than half a million refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people in Libya alone. Neither the fractured Libyan government nor the European Union can cope with the numbers, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in makeshift refugee camps -- some of which are controlled by human traffickers and resemble concentration camps, according to a German government report.

Those who make it across the Mediterranean dont fare much better. Most end up in overcrowded camps in Italy where social services are lacking and applications for asylum languish. Those intercepted in Libyan waters are sent back. Sometimes the traffickers dump their human cargo in the sea to avoid capture.

So what can NATO do? With more than 700ships at its disposal, a lot.

For starters, it can build on Italian-led Operation Sophia, which has saved thousands of lives but is woefully inadequate to the task. NATOs sophisticated surveillance capabilities, such as long-range patrol airplanes and satellite imagery, can monitor ports in Africa and the Middle East and aid in search-and-rescue efforts. NATO can also help the EUs efforts to professionalize the Libyan coast guard.

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The alliance can foster far more naval cooperation and intelligence sharing among its members, and with intergovernmental entities like Interpol. This should also involve another underutilized asset: private shipping companies, which are obligated to respond to other vessels in distress.NATO could also encourage member states build more camps on Mediterranean islands and could aid with construction, perimeter security, health care and the like.

NATO patrols in the Mediterranean could also provide a more direct benefit in the fight against terrorists: stemming the flow of arms from the Middle East to Islamist terrorists in North Africa. Islamic State already has a foothold in Libya and is trying to expand into Tunisia.

Two years ago, the civil war in Syria caused the exodus of millions, which set off a political crisis from Greece to the U.K. and created a lasting rift between Turkey and its NATO allies. That time, the alliance watched from the sidelines. Now, as fighting intensifies and conditions deteriorate in Syria, NATO cant afford to make the same mistake.

--Editors: Tobin Harshaw, Michael Newman.

To contact the senior editor responsible for Bloomberg Views editorials: David Shipley at davidshipley@bloomberg.net .

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NATO Can Fight Terrorism and Help Refugees - Bloomberg

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For the Netherlands, NATO Participation Is as Important as Defense Spending - World Politics Review