Monthly Archives: June 2022

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attended the Bucharest Nine (B9) Summit by video teleconference on Friday (10 June 2022), to prepare for the NATO Summit in Madrid at the end of this month. The B9 format, established at the initiative of Polish President Duda and Romanian President Iohannis in the aftermath of Russias first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, includes NATO Allies Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, and its summit is currently taking place in Bucharest.

The NATO Secretary General thanked the B9 group for their strong support of transatlantic unity, their significant contributions to Euro-Atlantic security, as well as their consistent support for Ukraines sovereignty. He stressed that todays meeting is particularly timely in view of President Putins second invasion of Ukraine, leading to the worst security situation in Europe since World War Two. NATO has responded quickly, Mr. Stoltenberg said, including by doubling the number of multinational battlegroups from the Baltic to the Black Sea, with new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

At the NATO Summit in Madrid, all 30 Alliance leaders will take the next steps to continue to adapt the Alliance to a more dangerous and competitive world. The Secretary General outlined the importance of further strengthening deterrence and defence, including on the eastern flank, with more combat-ready forces, together with more enablers and pre-positioning, to leave no doubt that NATO will protect every inch of Allied territory.

Mr. Stoltenberg also stressed the importance of continued investment in defence and resourcing the Alliance at this critical time, commending the B9 members for the fact that many of them meet or exceed the 2% target of GDP on defence spending. The Secretary General outlined the need to deepen partnerships at the Madrid Summit, including with Ukraine, Georgia, Finland and Sweden, the European Union, and Asia-Pacific partners.

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NATO Secretary General takes part in B9 Summit - NATO HQ

On 8 June 2022, the Defence Institution Building School - one of the flagship initiatives of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package - achieved a major milestone, as it was certified as a NATO accredited Education and Training Facility for a period of six years, by the Allied Command Transformation.

This status will facilitate even broader participation in the Schools high-quality training and education courses by attendants coming from Allied and partner countries. The first one of these courses is the Basic Strategic Communications Course, certified by NATO in spring 2020. With this accreditation, Georgia has taken another important step towards meeting NATO interoperability standards. NATO defines interoperability as the ability to act together coherently, effectively and efficiently to achieve Allied objectives. It is the foundation of all NATO operations and a cornerstone of the Alliance. For Mrs. Tea Nikolashvili, the schools Director, the concept of Georgia-NATO interoperability now extends beyond war rooms and battlefields to her classrooms. For it is in these classrooms where Georgian and foreign defence and security sector professionals interact on a range of training and capacity building efforts aimed at benefitting Georgias and euro-atlantic security.

The Defence Institution Building School was founded in 2016 and serves as a flagship initiative under the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, which aims to strengthen Georgias ability to defend itself and advance in its preparations for NATO membership. The school offers professional development programmes and instructions on issues including amongst others - Black Sea security, good governance and parliamentary oversight over armed forces, as well as hybrid warfare, countering disinformation, and women peace and security, mirroring the Allies standards of defence transformation in its learning and development procedures. Since the inauguration of the Schools activities, the Clingendael Institute has partnered with the school by providing professional consultancy and equipment support funded through NATOs Defence and Security Related Capacity Building Trust Fund. An embedded NATO advisory team, led by Germany and supported by Slovakia, also supports the schools mission.

As a true mark of the schools professionalism and ability to address gaps in training requirements, its administrators are working closely with the NATOs Building Integrity (BI) Initiative to develop other NATO Certified courses designed to enhance good governance within Georgias armed forces. The Defence Institution Building School aims to become a regional centre of knowledge in the wider black sea security context and to act as a platform to support NATO and EU policy implementation through learning and development activities.

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Georgia takes another step towards NATO interoperability - NATO HQ

In late May, Russian ambassador at large Nikolai Korchunov informed state media that the situation in the Arctic was becoming perilous. He wasnt referring to melting polar ice due to climate change. Instead, he warned of a very disturbing trend that is turning the Arctic into an international arena of military operations, and blamed NATO for expanding its footprint in the region.

Thats a typical Russian play, retired Finnish Maj. Gen. Pekka Toveri told Yahoo News. Western activities in the Arctic have been very mild. In March, however, NATO held Exercise Cold Response in Norway. With 35,000 fighters from 28 countries, it wasNATOs biggest Arctic exercise in 30 years. Yet the alliance, unlike Russia, has no new plans for permanent forces or military bases in the region, Toveri said, while acknowledging that more patrolling and more exercises have given Russia reason to point the finger and claim the West is the problem.

The Arktichesky Trilistnik [Arctic Trefoil] military base on Alexandra Land Island in Arkhangelsk Region, Russia. (Russian Defence Ministry Press Office/TASS via ZUMA Press)

Western experts say that Russia, the largest of the seven countries surrounding the Arctic, is behind the militarization in the mineral-rich region, which supplies 20% of Russias GDP. For the past decade, the Kremlin has been revamping shuttered Soviet bases, forming a necklace of dozens of defensive outposts (by some counts upwards of 50) from the Barents Sea to territories near Alaska, and building new facilities like the ultra-modern Trefoil, its northernmost base that became fully operational last year. The U.S. and NATO have looked on in consternation as Russia has established a new Arctic command and four new Arctic brigades, refurbished airfields and deep-water ports, and keeps launching mock military attacks on Nordic countries in between jamming GPS and radar during NATO exercises. It has also, according to the U.S. State Department, been trying out novel weapon systems in the Arctic.

Weve seen increased Russian military activity in the Arctic for some time, a senior State Department official told Yahoo News. However, the situation is ratcheting up, and not just because Russia keeps testing new hypersonic weapons in the Arctic, launching a hypersonic missile there just days after Korchunov made his remarks. Before the years end, the State Department official added, Russia plans to launch 19 more tests, including of new weapons. Seeing Russias aggressive and unpredictable behavior, particularly since the Ukraine invasion, has really heightened concerns about Russian activity in the high north, the official said.

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With relations between Moscow and Western governments the iciest in decades due to Russias invasion of Ukraine, analysts wonder if the Arctic will become the next powder keg. Russias expansion of bases, weapons testing and boosted manpower in the Arctic comes as Finland and Sweden have applied for NATO membership. If accepted, that would further isolate Russia in the Arctic, making it the only non-NATO country in the region, further boosting the chances of unintended incidents, analysts say.

Author of the recently released report The Militarization of Russian Polar Politics, Mathieu Boulgue, a research fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, told Yahoo News that his biggest fear is a nuclear mishap in the region.

If you look at the long list of nuclear assets whether it is icebreakers, strategic submarines, floating nuclear power plants or spent fuel there is a lot of risk of nuclear incidents, he said. Incidents like this are mitigated in peacetime, when youre talking to the different stakeholders. But the problem is that we dont really talk [with] Russia very well these days. So this further increases the risk of miscalculation and errors.

The Kola Peninsula, for instance, a Kentucky-sized thumb of Russian land abutting Finland, is the most nuclearized place on the planet. The headquarters for Russias Northern Fleet, which accounts for two-thirds of Russias second-strike maritime nuclear capabilities, the Kola Peninsula marks the entry to the Russian part of the Arctic and holds three military bases and repositories for nuclear arms.

A new hypersonic cruise missile is launched by a frigate of the Russian Navy from the Barents Sea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Another third of Russias nukes on the sea, however, are located at the far Eastern end of the Arctic, Boulgue added with Russias Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Vladivostok, but some vessels are based in Kamchatka, just across from Alaska. Those facilities could pose future problems for the U.S., Boulgue said, by creating a flashpoint of tension, should Russia decide to contest American access to the Arctic.

Ian Williams, deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also points to Wrangel Island 300 miles from Alaska where Russia has installed a new air search radar system and may be renovating an airfield, as well as bases in eastern Siberia. Theyve got plenty of places to put stuff if they want to threaten Alaska, he noted.

The growing uneasiness about Russian activities in the Arctic, where it is pursuing a new Northern Sea Route made possible by melting ice due to climate change, has motivated the U.S. armed forces to rethink their Arctic strategies. Last year, the Army published Regaining Arctic Dominance, its first strategic plan for the far north. Army personnel has also started to train more frequently in Alaska, learning to fight in the brutal polar climes where temperatures can drop to negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The U.S. Navy is conducting Arctic maneuvers with ships and submarines and more and the Air Force is sending the bulk of its F-35s to Alaska, saying the state will be home to more advanced fighters than any other location in the world. Congress approved funding for six new ice breakers, ships that can plow through frozen waters. And new satellites meant to enhance polar communications and offer fresh eyes on Russia are being launched, along with new radar systems being constructed from Alaska to Denmark.

An Icebreaker cuts a path for a cargo ship near Nagurskoye, Russia. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

All of these moves are welcomed by Toveri, who believes that the West cannot appease Putin and expect to have the peace dividend from the Cold War times. He added that after the Soviet Union fell, many Nordic countries, including Sweden, shrunk their militaries and slashed spending, while countries such as Denmark, shut down their missile defense radar systems, which they are again rebuilding.

Such moves, however, rankle Russia, which sees them as provocative. Earlier this year, Russian spy planes violated Sweden and Danish airspace. In March 2018 and February 2019, Russia bomber jets targeted Norways Globus radar system in mock air attacks, barreling towards the domed structures before abruptly turning back. Russias problems with Norway extend far beyond its spying activities, however.

The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, which lies midway between Russia and Greenland, is a case in point. Beyond Russias historical territorial claims to the area, the archipelago is also home to a radar and satellite system capable of tracking ballistic missile paths that is seen as key to NATO communications. Russian politicians occasionally threaten to just snatch the archipelago, like they did with Crimea.

If theres going to be a dispute in the Arctic, it will probably be here, said Williams of CSIS, and the U.S. State Department official underscored that concern.

Telecommunication domes of the Kongsberg Satellite Services in Svalbard Archipelago, Norway. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

Timo Koivurova, research professor of the Arctic Centre at Finland's Lapland University, told Yahoo News he laments that relations between Russia and the Western states have deteriorated and Cold War thinking has started to prevail. He wonders if concerns are being overblown, however. If you are talking with a security-oriented scholar, he might argue that the third world war is coming out of the Arctic. But its very difficult for me to imagine that because if you think about Russia's military objectives in the region, there are not many military drivers for Russia, other than this kind of balancing with NATO.

Williams likewise sees many parts of the Arctic picture as undecided, including the U.S. military commitment to the region, which is a pricy undertaking.

Keeping an F-35 operating in the Arctic is a lot more expensive than keeping it operating in Hawaii, he said. He notes that the U.S. is concerned about Russian strong-arming control of the Northern Sea Route, an act that the U.S. believes would violate international maritime law. The big question is, would we extend ourselves out into that area? Right now, its an open question.

The last thing Russia needs is a hot war in the Arctic, Nima Khorrami, research associate at the Arctic Institute, told Yahoo News. Because if that happened, no one would come in to invest. And right now Putin, who has stamped the idea of Russias Arctic identity into the national psyche, wants Asian investments in the region, he said. Any kind of military showdown, added Khorrami, and the grand strategy of turning the Northern Sea Route into a new Suez Canal is gone.

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Russian military moves in the Arctic worry the U.S. and NATO - Yahoo News

Swedens and Finlands NATO bids seemed like a mere formality. Nothing, it seemed, could stop the two Nordic neighbors from joining the allianceindeed, they were even promised a fast lane to membership. But then Turkey proceeded to block the countries applications over concerns for their support of Kurdsa dig primarily directed at Sweden. And Swedens opposition parties organized a no-confidence vote against a bungling justice minister. In a remarkable turn of events, this caused Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson to make concessions to a Kurdish member of parliament. Swedens NATO application seems close to derailing, at least for the time being.

Before submitting their NATO applications, Sweden and Finland had surveyed alliance members; no one spoke up to object. Then they submitted their applications, and Turkey blocked them. Unless Sweden and Finland clearly show that they will stand in solidarity with Turkey on fundamental issues, especially in the fight against terrorism, we will not approach these countries' NATO membership positively, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last month. The Turkish presidents beef mostly seems to concern Sweden, which has long hosted Kurdish refugees (some of them of the militant variety). One former Peshmerga fighter, Amineh Kakabaveh, is even a member of Swedens parliament. Erdogan wants Sweden to curtail its links to Kurdish groups and end its suspension of arms exports to Turkey.

Enter Morgan Johansson. The veteran Social Democrat politician is minister of justice and the interior in Anderssons minority government, and he has a dismal record. During his tenure, a wave of gun violence, mostly perpetrated by criminal gangs, has rapidly spread through the country. Already last year, Sweden was among the EUs deadliest countries when it comes to gun violence, with four shooting deaths per million inhabitants compared to the EU average of 1.5, and since then the situation has further deteriorated. And on June 2, the parliamentary committee charged with scrutinizing government operations unanimously criticized Johansson for obfuscating. The opposition requested a parliamentary no-confidence vote in Johansson.

But instead of treating the parliamentary slap on the fingers as a welcome opportunity to sack a bungling minister, Andersson clung to Johanssonand as with all parliamentary decisions, her government needed every single one of the votes it had managed to sew together when it took office. The most decisive of those votes, the one that gives the government a one-vote majority of support in parliament, belongs to Kakabavehand shed already accused Andersson of giving in to Turkeys demands regarding NATO accession. She needed to be placated, which she apparently was. She voted with the governmentand afterwards told Swedish media that the government had made promises to her regarding the Kurds. These promises, Swedish media report, clash with Erdogans demands. And just in case Andersson thought she could trick Kakabaveh, the latter declared after the vote that shell vote against the governments budget in later this month if her demands are not met.

Andersson saved Johanssoneven though it meant jeopardizing Swedens NATO bid. Erdogan is a difficult man, and Turkey has always been a tricky member of NATO, but as a member it has the right to reject applicants it doesnt like. Had Andersson signaled willingness to compromise, its likely that Erdogan would have softened his opposition to Sweden. Now, with Andersson and her government at the mercy of Kakabaveh, hes extremely unlikely to do so. Swedens NATO bid is close to derailing.

That puts Finland in in a difficult spot. The two countries have long remained outside NATO together and it was always clear that if they were going to join, theyd join together. In May, after a closely coordinated discernment process, they submitted their applications together. And now? It would hardly be surprising if Finland gets annoyed with the wait. But it doesnt matter whether Finland is annoyed, because the only country that can cut the wait is Turkeyand Turkey might decide to let Finland in and keep Sweden out. There go the two perfect applicants perfectly managed NATO applications submitted at the perfect moment.

Sweden, of course, remains an extremely attractive NATO applicant, and theres no doubt that it will be a considerable asset to NATO when it joins. That, though, wont be this summer, and it may not be at the same time as Finland. The culprit is clearly Turkey, but Anderssona rookie prime minister without foreign or security policy experienceclearly mismanaged the no-confidence vote against Johansson. As a result, Swedish national security will suffer at an extremely sensitive moment. It doesnt matter that the Pentagon sent the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge as well as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, to Stockholm earlier this month. It also doesnt matter that the U.S. and the UK (and other NATO member states including Germany) have in the past few weeks given Sweden and Finland security guarantees. NATO membership is differentand now it sadly looks more distant. At least for Sweden.

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Sweden's NATO Bid Is in Trouble - Defense One

A small aeroplane toyed with the nerves of the air defences of six NATO members before landing on Thursday (9 June) in a small airfield in Bulgaria, whereby the pilot and passengers promptly disappeared.

The prosecutors office in the Bulgarian city of Targovishte launched an investigation into a mysterious incident with a small Beechcraft plane that flew into the skies of several European countries and landed at a local airfield usually reserved for agricultural aircraft.

The aircraft was found abandoned with a still-warm engine.

It is unclear why the 60-year-old two-seater flew over almost all of Europe to land in Bulgaria or whether the unknown pilot was alone or had passengers.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior said the plane took off Lithuania and passed through seven countries, including Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Serbia, before landing in Bulgaria. Six of them, except Serbia, are NATO members.

The media reported that the air defences in several countries spotted the intruder, scrambling jets to intercept it while trying to initiate contact with the pilot, without success.

The plane entered Bulgaria from the northern city of Vidin, where it landed for refuelling, but it is not known precisely where it was refuelled.

Whats the purpose? Who are these people? What happened? We are investigating, the Bulgarian Minister of Interior Boyko Rashkov Rashkov was quoted as saying.

The Ministry of Defense announced that the plane entered the airspace of Bulgaria without an approved flight plan shortly after 7 pm on Wednesday.

The plane was reportedly spotted by the Hungarian and Romanian Air Force, which scrambled F-16 jets to intercept the Beechcraft. Upon entering Bulgarian airspace, the countrys air force was also activated.

At no time was the plane a threat to civilian or military infrastructure in Bulgaria. It flew at low altitudes, which made difficult the interception for fighter jets, but it was monitored all the time. The Ministry of Defense is taking the appropriate actions to establish the circumstances, said Defense Minister Dragomir Zakov.

The media quoted the director of the airport in Debrecen, Hungary, who reportedly said the Beechcraft also landed at a small airport in Hungary. Reportedly five or six people got off and refuelled the plane using jerrycans. The Hungarian police tried to stop them, but they were swift and took off quickly.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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Phantom plane played with the nerves of six NATO countries - EURACTIV

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) --

Command-and-control subject matter experts from the 505th Command and Control Wing deployed to the 603rd Air Operations Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The contributions the 505th CCW Airmen made to the 603rd AOCs mission was instrumental in the strategy and execution of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe operations and bolstered the NATO alliance by strengthening the Ukrainian military.

The 505th CCW Airmen were all volunteers with different skill sets that were uniquely qualified to assist the permanently assigned personnel at the 603rd AOC. The first group arrived just days after the call for help went out and were assigned across all AOC divisions and the air communications squadron.

The impact the 505th CCW Airmen made was tremendous; they hit the ground running and provided greatly needed relief for our permanently assigned personnel, said Col. Steve Tittel, 603rd AOC commander. The 505th CCW volunteered their time and expertise for our sake and provided critical skills that were needed to prepare our AOC and NATO partners for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

For example, those assigned to the Strategy Division helped develop critical concepts of operations to bolster the U.S. contribution to NATO defense along the eastern front. One such plan was rapidly approved and executed, culminating with forward posture of F-35 Lightning II in multiple European locations, and highlighted by U.S. President Joe Biden during his national press conference.

The Airmen assigned to the plans division worked with AOC members and NATO partners to develop a comprehensive airspace and communications plan that accounted for host-nation requirements, security constraints, and ensured the reduction of tactical miscalculations.

The 505th CCW Airmen jumped immediately into operations and made tremendous impacts to the USAFE mission, said Lt. Col. Jack Staudt, 505th CCW mission commander.

The team working on the current operations floor ensured all aircraft, ground teams, and leadership were notified when Russia launched its first offensive weapon. In addition, the information, surveillance, and reconnaissance team provided timely updates of the ground situation. Finally, the Airmen assigned to the communications squadron helped maintain 24/7 coverage and kept the thousands of user accounts, multiple networks, and equipment operational despite a nearly 100% increase in network activity.

In addition, the team assisted in integrating the Kessel Run All-Domain Operations Suite, or KRADOS. Operators from the 603rd AOC, 609th AOC, 505th CCW, and subject matter experts from Kessel Run collaborated on employing portions of the KRADOS software and developing tactics for its use. This software enables real-time planning and increases automation in the air tasking cycle. KRADOS is now used daily to deliver the master air attack plan brief to USAFE leadership.

I am truly impressed and humbled by this teams accomplishments. Their actions had strategic impacts, Staudt said.

The mission of the 505th Command and Control Wing is to prepare and enable the joint force to execute war-winning command and control.

I could not be more proud of this team. These Airmen represent the epitome of our mission, said Col. Frederick Coleman, 505th CCW commander. Not only did these Airmen provide critical skills to the European air component, but they will bring their experience back to the 505th, and well use that experience to advance and accelerate C2 training, testing, and TTP [tactics, techniques, and procedures] development.

The 505th CCW Airmen participating in the mission were on the front lines of the largest NATO operation since the Cold War. The impact of their mission will leave a lasting impression on operations for years to come, Staudt said.

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505th CCW Airmen bolster USAFE operations, Ukraine military and strengthening NATO allianc - Air Force Link