Monthly Archives: August 2017

"We are with you, we stand with you on behalf of freedom." Vice President Mike Pence spoke those words on July 30 in Estonia, the first stop on trip that includes Georgia and Montenegro.

Given political turmoil and uncertainty in Washington, as well as Russia's military assertiveness, the visit of Karen and Mike Pence to Eastern Europe is extremely important as well as timely.

The Baltic States of Latvia and Lithuania as well as Estonia were forcibly occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. Exile groups from the Baltics became influential in the United States, and elsewhere. All three nations became NATO members in March 2004.

Montenegro became NATO's newest member in June 2017. The tiny Balkan state had been campaigning for alliance membership for over a decade.

The rapid weakening and then collapse of the Soviet Union and communist regimes in Eastern Europe ended the Cold War, but also the relative stability of that era. President Vladimir Putin emphasizes nationalism, and has made military moves to expand Russia's territorial control.

In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed the territory of Crimea. The overt invasion of Ukraine by Russia's army, after months of covert aid to rebel forces, generated the most serious crisis in Europe since the Balkan wars of the 1990s and perhaps since World War II.

In 2008, Russian troops invaded a portion of Georgia, following an attack by Georgian troops on South Ossetia. This territory as well as Abkhazia had declared independence from Georgia. Russia encouraged and supported these breakaway efforts, though the international community has clearly rejected them.

The end of the Cold War was a great victory for the policy of restraint and deterrence, termed "Containment," supported by every United States president from Harry Truman when the Cold War commenced to George H.W. Bush when the conflict ended.

NATO endures, for good reasons. Bureaucracies naturally seek self-perpetuation, but strategic realities provide persuasive justification. General war in Europe was avoided for a century between the final defeat of Napoleon and the outbreak of World War I. A Concert of European nations, brokered by Great Britain, helped keep the general peace.

NATO today arguably represents an approximate counterpart to the uncertain but generally effective Concert. The alliance has operated well beyond the nations of the North Atlantic region, including not only on the margins of Europe but in distant territory, including notably Afghanistan.

Article 5 of the NATO treaty states that an attack on one member amounts to an attack on all. The al Qaeda strikes on New York and Washington D.C. and in the sky over Pennsylvania triggered this clause for the first time.

Today's alliance leaders in Europe are articulate and effective, including in particular German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Chancellor Merkel is spearheading expansion of Germany's roles in international humanitarian relief. She has also provided arms to Kurds fighting Islamic extremists in Iraq.

Another outstanding leader is David Cameron, Britain's Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016. He termed Russia's aggression "unacceptable and unjustified," and bluntly stated that any efforts to appease Putin would be a repetition of the same mistakes made by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in accommodating Adolf Hitler in 1938. Britain and Germany have highly effective militaries.

Since 2002, NATO has renewed practical efforts to develop rapid reaction military capabilities. The credibility of the alliance is essential. The Pences' highly visible visit is a diplomatic complement to such efforts.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War."

acyr@carthage.edu

See the article here:
Column: Pence trip underscores importance of NATO and current threats - Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON Members of the U.S. Senate confirmed a former colleague, Kay Bailey Hutchison, as its new ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

In this role, Hutchison will represent the United States at NATO headquarters in Belgium.

Kay has always been known for tireless advocacy on behalf of Texans and her ability to work across the aisle to get things done, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement.She has the experience, determination, and poise to strengthen our relationships on the world stage, and Im confident shell make Texas and our country proud.

NATO was created after World War II to counter Soviet influence in Europe. Hutchison will assume this position at an increasingly tense period in the United States' relationship with Russia.

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Just last week, Congress passed sanctions against Russia for interfering in the 2016 election.President Donald Trump, who appointed Hutchison, signed the sanctions bill but had he not, he likely would have faced a veto override. Trump has actively cultivated a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a special counsel is investigating whether members of his campaign colluded with Russian intelligence during the 2016 campaign.

Hutchison, whorepresented Texas in the U.S. Senate from 1993 until 2013, reassured senatorsin her confirmation hearing that she would counter Russian aggression in this new role.

In other business, the Senate confirmed Dallas businessman Ray Washburne, a longtime GOP fundraiser, to serve as president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a government agency that directs private capital into the developing world.

The Senate moved these nominations as the final votes of the summer as members were heading home for the August recess.

Disclosure: The author of this article briefly worked for Kay Bailey Hutchison more than a decade ago.

Read related Tribune coverage:

Former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas told a panel of Senate lawmakerson Thursday that she will take a hard line on Russia if she is confirmed as ambassador to NATO. She appears to beon track for confirmation. [link]

President Trump has nominated former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to be the nation's new NATO ambassador. [link]

Former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison,under consideration for the NATO ambassadorship, played a key role in shepherding U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson through hisSenate confirmation. [link]

The rest is here:
Former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison confirmed as NATO ... - Texas Tribune

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday (Aug 3) that ties between the alliance and Moscow were at their most difficult phase since the Cold War, blaming Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict.

Speaking after United States President Donald Trump said relations between Washington and Moscow had hit an all-time low, the alliance's chief said Russia's "destabilisation" of eastern Ukraine had helped scupper hopes of a diplomatic reset.

"I think (it) is correct to say that Nato's relationship with Russia is more difficult than it has been any time since the end of the Cold War," Stoltenberg told CNN.

"At the end of the Cold War, we hoped to develop a close partnership with Russia.

"But especially after the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the continued Russian destabilisation of eastern Ukraine, the relationship between Nato and Russia has deteriorated considerably."

Stoltenberg said that Nato was committed to avoiding a further spike in tensions and was pursuing a twin-track approach of "defense deterrence and dialogue."

"As long as we are strong, as long as we are predictable, we can also engage in political dialogue with Russia to try to avoid escalation and avoid a new Cold War," he said.

Original post:
Nato says Russia ties most 'difficult' since Cold War - The Straits Times

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (L) and Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert | Olivier Hoslet/EPA

Push to ease movement of military personnel and equipment across EU and NATO borders is supported by the Netherlands and top US Army general in Europe.

By David M. Herszenhorn

8/4/17, 4:07 AM CET

PAPA AIR BASE, Hungary Hold that convoy right there, general. Can we see your passport, please?

European leaders have made a priority of greater military cooperation, yet the ability of NATO forces to operate in Europe is still hindered by border restrictions and mismatched infrastructure, according to uniformed commanders and EU defense ministers.

While NATO has made substantial progress in surmounting legal hurdles to cross-border operations, lingering bureaucratic requirements such as passport checks at some border crossings and infrastructure problems, like roads and bridges that cant accommodate large military vehicles could slow or even cripple any allied response to an emerging threat, officials warned.

To lift the roadblocks, and speed coordinated military action, the Dutch defense minister, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, called on EU officials to create a so-called military Schengen zone. The idea, loosely modeled on the open-border travel zone that has covered most of Europe since 1996, has also been a long-time goal of the senior United States Army commander in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges.

We must be able to move quickly to any place where there is a threat Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert

We must be able to move quickly to any place where there is a threat, Hennis-Plasschaertsaid in a statement announcing her proposal at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in June.

NATO leaders insist they have addressed the most problematic obstacles to cross-border operations, but nonetheless welcomed the Dutch proposal as a way to raise political pressure and create a sense of urgency around further improving the interoperability of allied countries.

Officials say the obstacles are only apparent during peacetime exercises and planning, and that during a real military emergency, NATOs supreme allied commander for Europe based in Mons, Belgium would simply warn allies and deploy as needed.

But officials also said NATOs deterrence mission requires the alliance to constantly demonstrate its capabilities in peacetime and those capabilities are still encumbered. Moving U.S. forces to Poland from Germany, for example, requires a five-day notice period, American officials said.

And then there are infrastructure challenges: roads and bridges that potentially cannot bear the weight of heavy equipment; tunnels that are not tall enough; air strips that cannot accommodate all aircraft.

EU leadersat their June summitformally approved a plan for greater military cooperationbut the first concrete proposals will not be announced until European Commission President Jean-Claude Junckers State of the Union speech in September.

According to some officials, the military Schengen zone would be an ideal first step because there is little financial cost or basis for political disagreement.

One historic challenge is that while NATO has greater responsibility for multilateral military cooperation, the EU and its national governments retain authority over border regulations.

Hennis-Plasschaert, in putting forward her proposal, urged NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the EUs foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to work together to overcome such barriers.

In June, Stoltenberg said much had already been done.

Last autumn, we looked at a map of Europe which showed how difficult it was to move troops from one country to another at short notice, he said during the meeting of defense ministers. We used a traffic-light analogy and we saw that large parts of the map were red.We have worked very hard since then, and made significant progress. NATO allies have cut red tape, and updated complex procedures, with the support of ministries and parliaments.

Still, he said, there was more work ahead. We are now looking at what more needs to be done, for instance regarding railways, airfields and seaports.

A NATO official said that the alliance supported the Dutch proposal, especially if it prompted the EU to take similar steps.

Overall, we are in a healthy position in terms of rapid deployment in peacetime, the official said. Efforts in the European Union to improve the cross-border movement of forces and equipment in Europe could also benefit NATO, provided that they are inclusive and complementary to NATOs work.

The Dutch proposal called on EU and NATO officials to work out the details, but its clear that copying Schengen in a literal sense is not the goal, given that not all EU countries are NATO members and not all Schengen countries belong to the EU or the alliance.

It is important to coordinate military transport in Europe, to ensure that units and equipment are in the right place at the right time, regardless of whether they are deployed in an EU or NATO context, Hennis-Plasschaert said.

A spokesman for the European Defense Agency, which helps coordinate military cooperation among EU countries, said a new joint effort with the European Commission to smooth military transport was expected to begin next month.

Hodges, a three-star general who is due to complete his tour in September, knows the limitations on military movement firsthand.

Last month, he sat in his jet on the tarmac of Papa Air base in Hungary, engines screaming in the 40-degree heat, as an aide collected the passports of the general and his entourage, including a German military attach and this reporter, and brought them to be checked by Hungarian border guards waiting in a nearby car, so that the entourage could fly on to a base in Bulgaria.

Actually, I wish that we could move across Europe as quickly as migrants do United States Army commander in Europe Lieutenant General Ben Hodges

Elsewhere on the base, 452 U.S.-led paratroopers were readying their gear to simulate an airborne operation aimed at repelling an enemy force that had occupied the territory of a NATO ally. Hours later, Hodges watched through binoculars as the paratroopers carried out their drill in Bulgaria.

At another point, during related exercises, Hodgeswas told that his Black Hawk helicopter would have to divert from its intended route in order to clear customs in Romania. Ultimately, Hodges was able to avoid the stop.

While such passport and customs checks are typically routine and not hugely time-consuming, for Hodges they symbolize a tangle of bureaucracy that poses a risk to military speed and efficiency. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has put up fences to block the flow of migrants, but Hodges said that across much of Europe travel is easier for migrants than for allied military.

Actually, I wish that we could move across Europe as quickly as migrants do, Hodges said.

Of course, we should have to meet all the EU road laws, respect sovereignty, but it is a surprisingly cumbersome process in several countries to get permissions to move troops, weapons, ammunition, even just regular convoys, Hodges said.

I was nave, the general said, I just assumed, well, these are all EU countries, or NATO countries, it should be like going from Florida to Virginia on I-95. And its absolutely not the case. So theres just a variety of reasons in terms of diplomatic clearances, regulatory procedures, infrastructure.

Hodges said that investments in military transport and infrastructure also provide a convenient way for NATO allies such as Germany to meet their pledge to increase defense spending in ways that would indisputably benefit the alliance as a whole.

The rest is here:
Call for 'military Schengen' to get troops moving - POLITICO.eu