Category Archives: NATO

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --

U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, four Army vehicles, support equipment and Soldiers from the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Ft. Drum, N.Y., were delivered Feb. 28 and March 3, by an Air Mobility Command tasked C-5M Super Galaxy flown by the U.S. Air Force Reserve Commands 68th Airlift Squadron to Riga, Latvia in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

OAR demonstrates the United States commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Baltic region, while providing reassurance to NATO allies and regional partners. Through multinational training and exercises, the operation highlights the flexibility of U.S. ground and air forces to rapidly respond to contingencies alongside regional partners.

One of the largest aircraft in the world and the largest aircraft in the Air Force inventory, the C-5M is capable of carrying six Apache helicopters, two M1A Abrams tanks or 250,000 pounds of relief supplies. The 433rd Airlift Wing assigned C-5M Super Galaxy moved 167 tons of cargo and 63 passengers to Latvia.

The C-5Ms ability to airlift Army assets is vital to mission success.

It is critical, one thing we are trying to demonstrate is speed of assembly, said Army Maj. Nathan Colvin, officer in charge of Task Force Baltic Phoenix.

From the time the first C-5 (M) left Ft. Drum, we were able to rapidly assemble our helicopters and conduct an air assault training mission with Latvian forces on the ground, he said.

On such a long mission, where the aircrew amassed 46 flight hours, a good attitude is key.

Flying these missions is very diverse. What I tell new guys is stay flexible, expect the unexpected and keep a positive attitude, Master Sgt. Eric Mungia, a 68th Airlift Squadron loadmaster said. Sometimes you work in cold or hot weather, sandstorms, or humidity like Hawaii. You just have to stay flexible.

Thats just the way it works flying on the C-5, Mungia said.

The worldwide mission and the Airmens capabilities were enhanced according to Capt. Michael Raggio, 68th AS pilot and aircraft commander for the mission. It has been a very demanding mission as far as the uploads and odd hours of the mission, he said.

Flexibility is a key trait for airlift crews, as the Reservists were tasked with an additional mission after making two round-trips between Ft. Drum and Latvia. The second mission involved taking Air Force personnel and a vehicle from Riga to their home base in Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

It was an add-on mission, it was a good opportunity to pick up some cargo and bolster our presence in Europe, Raggio said.

The extra mission was an opportunity to excel for the San Antonio-based Reservists. The extra mission to Ramstein was something we learned from, and it makes you better as an aircrew member dealing with those differences. It makes you better as an individual and aircrew member, Mungia said.

U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Force Reserve Command and Air Mobility Command directly support the joint and multi-national warfighting environment with air superiority, direct air operations, global air transportation and capabilities that are essential to supporting the warfighters on the ground.

This mission has been very rewarding at the same time being able to help out and reaffirm our NATO allies and work with our Army partners, Raggio said.

The Air Forces strategic airlift capability provides global air transportation and enables Eucom to move the helicopters from their home stations rapidly.

They (Reserve air crew) have been nothing but great to work with, Colvin said. Despite any kind of adversity thrown their way, whether it be maintenance or the weather or uncertainty with an airfield they may unfamiliar with, they have responded by making sure everything is taken care of to meet mission and make sure we are successful as a joint partner

Portions of the brigade arrived in Europe via ship at Bremerhaven, Germany, in mid-January. Its operations will include medical transport missions, training, exercise support and various aviation operations throughout Europe to improve interoperability and strengthen relationships with NATO allies, Eucom officials said.

When the mission happens in real life, we are not going to be able to choose the time and the place. It is good to know we can count on our Air Force partners to be there with us anytime, anywhere to get the job done, Colvin said.

Working in below freezing weather on an unfamiliar airfield is a skill building opportunity. It makes you better because you always learn from it, it is always an experience from the pilots to the crew chiefs on how you could do things better, Mungia said.

Overall the mission was a success. We got the cargo there in a timely manner, and we were able to support Operation Atlantic Resolve, he said.

This airlift improved our interoperability and readiness with our host nation and other NATO partners, Colvin said.

More training opportunities are slated in 2017 as Operation Atlantic Resolve will remain in place as long as the need exists to reassure U.S. allies and deter adversaries from regional aggression.

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Alamo Wing supports NATO mission - Minuteman

March 7, 2017

[Vladimir] Putins aggression makes the possibility of a war in Europe between nuclear-armed adversaries frighteningly real, writesKimberly Martenin a newCouncil Special Reporton tensions between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). She outlines how U.S. policymakers can deter Russian aggression with robust support for NATO, while reassuring Russia of NATOs defensive intentions through clear words and actions based in international law.

Marten, a professor of political science at Barnard College, Columbia University, and director of the Program on U.S.-Russia Relations at Columbias Harriman Institute, lays out several scenarios that could lead to a dangerous confrontation, ranging from an inadvertent encounter between NATO and Russian military aircraft or ships to an intentional Russian land grab in Europe. The report, produced by theCenter for Preventive Actionat the Council on Foreign Relations, offers a plan for how the Donald J. Trump administration could work with Congress and NATO allies to lessen the chances of crisis escalation.

Marten recommends that U.S. policymakers take the following steps to deter Russian threats:

She also suggests a series of reassurance measures to demonstrate that the United States and NATO have only defensive intentions, including:

Marten acknowledges that President Trumps efforts to reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin and launch another reset policy may lead to new accord between the two countries, but expresses fear that Putin will test Trumps strength by seeking unequal advantages for Moscow.

To interview the author, please contact the Global Communications and Media Relations team at 212.434.9888orcommunications@cfr.org. To read the full report,Reducing Tensions Between Russia and NATO, visitwww.cfr.org/RussiaNATOCSR.

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US Should Support NATO and Offer Reassurances to Russia, Says New Council Special Report - Council on Foreign Relations

President Donald Trump will nominate Richard Grenell to be his ambassador to NATO, according to a White House official, a selection that would make the longtime loyalist and former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations the highest-ranking openly gay person to serve in the administration.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Grenell, 50, declined to comment. The White House official asked not to be identified because the position hasnt been formally announced.

A spokesman under John Bolton and three other Republican-administration ambassadors at the UN from 2001 through 2008, Grenell has been a Fox News contributor and a Trump supporter since the start of the campaign. He frequently tangles with journalists on his Twitter feed, accusing reporters of being unfair to Trump and Republicans.

If he wins Senate confirmation, Grenell will take a pivotal position in the Trump administration. The president spurred widespread anxiety in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization when he called the alliance obsolete and suggested during the campaign the U.S. might not honor its defense commitments if other members dont pay their share.

In 2014, Grenell said on Fox that Congress should push for Ukraine to join NATO, a move that would infuriate Russia. He later praised Trump for threatening to walk away from NATO, calling it a smart negotiating tactic.

I think this is about NATO reform, I dont think this is about getting rid of a NATO alliance, Grenell said on Fox last year. I think this is businessman Donald Trump showing that he knows how to reform.

In recent weeks, other officials including Defense Secretary James Mattis have said NATO members must come up with plans by the end of the year to fulfill promises to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Grenells selection required sign-off from the Defense Department given its prominent national-security role.

In 2012, Grenell was hired to be a foreign-policy spokesman for Mitt Romneys presidential campaign, a move gay Republicans praised at the time as a sign of progress in their party. He later resigned following a backlash from social conservatives, saying his effectiveness had been greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues that sometimes comes from a presidential campaign.

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Trump Said to Pick Former UN Spokesman Grenell for NATO Post - Bloomberg

Forbes

Pakistan's Economic Pressure Against NATO And Afghanistan Must Stop Forbes Pakistan is opening its border with Afghanistan for just 48 hours starting today, and only for people. This is too little too late for those who lost over two weeks of their lives stranded at the border, or who depend on regular and legal cross-border ... and more »

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Pakistan's Economic Pressure Against NATO And Afghanistan Must Stop - Forbes

Forbes

Montenegro Awaits Senate Verdict: President Donald Trump Should End NATO Expansion Charade Forbes The postage stamp country of Montenegro expected to be rushed into NATO during Washington's lame duck period before the unpredictable Donald Trump became president. But Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee, to their credit more concerned about ...

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Montenegro Awaits Senate Verdict: President Donald Trump Should End NATO Expansion Charade - Forbes

Officials with Britains Defense Ministry on Monday called for greater cooperation on cybersecurity between NATO and the European Union.

The demands come in the wake of Britains vote to leave the EU, which British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon indicated Monday would not affect Britains security cooperation with other European nations.

Fallon and Stephen Lovegrove, the Defense Ministrys permanent secretary, both said in separate remarks on Monday that NATO and EU should strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity.

Against evermore complex problems, we must bring together military and nonmilitary responses, and that means making the most of the agreement at Warsaw last year to invigorate the strategic relationship between NATO and the EU, including cooperation on cybersecurity and boosting cooperation counter-hybrid capabilities, Lovegrove said.

He specifically cited threats from Russias hybrid model of warfare.

Separately, Fallon made a similar call for deepened cyber cooperation between the two partnerships during a meeting of the European Union defense ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Today I have urged the EU to cooperate more closely with NATO, to avoid unnecessary duplication and to work together on new threats, including cyber, Fallon said, according to quotes posted on the ministrys website.

Russias cyber and influence campaign targeting the United States presidential election has stoked fears about the potential for future cyberattacks aimed at European elections.

In February 2016, NATO and the EU agreed to a technical arrangement to boost information sharing on cyber-related matters. NATO member states also recognized cyberspace as a domain of operations in which the alliance must defend itself and pledged to boost their cyber defenses at the Warsaw Summit last July.

More recently, NATO deepened cooperation on cyber defense with Finland, which shares a border with Russia.

NATO has also boosted its traditional defenses in Europe in the face of mounting Russian aggression in Ukraine. Moscow has described the buildup as a threat to its own security.

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British defense officials call for more cooperation between NATO, EU on cyber - The Hill

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has long been a symbol of the free world, enforcing humanitarian agendas and committing itself to universalrights for all. Such a noble force has the support of currently 28 of the most powerful countries in the world including the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K., and one would assume that out of all these members, it would be logical and fair that each country contribute the same percentage. After all, not just the U.S. is committed in making the world a better place.

The U.S. government currently contributes almost a quarter of NATOs operating budget, which is weird considering that NATO has 28 member states. One could argue that not all countries can afford such a huge financial burden, but per capita, many richer European countries such as Luxembourg, which has an annual GDP per capita of $110,697.03, twice the amount of Americas do not put forth the required amount to NATO.

Regulations dictate that all NATO members must spend at least 2 percent of their yearly GDP on defense and so far, a measly five of them have met the bare minimum.

Not only does direct contribution to NATO by the states overshadow any other country, indirect spending eclipses even that. It is estimated that nearly 73percentof all NATO spending comes from the U.S.

American presidents have long held resentments for being forced to be the main economic pillar supporting NATO. There is widespread bipartisan resentment for this issue, which draws the support of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, George Bush and most recently, President Donald Trump.

While many liberals contest any word that comes out of Trumps mouth, pulling the U.S. out of an obsolete Cold War relicis a cause that everyone should get behind. Having the U.S. spend so muchto act as world police is unnecessary and a remnant of the past.

The money that the U.S. would save, by reinvesting its NATO expenditures back into its economy, would bolster the economy and create more jobs. Direct spending overseas in Americas own military is already more than enough, and we dont need to give even more money to other countries who do the same thing as us.

If other countries dont even care enough about world security to provide for NATO, then the U.S. shouldnt have to pick up the burden. The U.S. should be content in its current overseas involvement, and by staying out of conflicts it doesnt relate to,the nation could save money and lives.

If other countries dont care for the brutalities that occur and arent investing enough to stop it, the U.S. no longer needs to be the paradigm of freedom in the world. Secretary of Defense General Mattis has said that unless other countries can contribute the same as the U.S., then we would be forced to moderate [our] commitment to NATO.

The need for all countries to be free should not rest merely on Americas shoulders. Freedom and liberty for all should be pursued by all countries. If continued U.S. investment is wanted in NATO, then other members must step up their commitments to world peace.

Featured Illustration: Samuel Wiggins

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Shaky commitments to NATO - North Texas Daily

Published time: 6 Mar, 2017 18:48Edited time: 6 Mar, 2017 21:18

A total of 8,000 NATO soldiers have been deployed to the Finnmark region of northern Norway, 160-300 km from the Russian border, for a series of joint military exercises.

The Joint Viking 2017 exercises, which involve British, American and Norwegian troops, kicked off Monday and are expected to last until March 15. According to the Norwegian Armed Forces website, the exercises primary goals are to practice crisis management and the defense of Norway.

A total of 8,000 troops are taking part, including 700 soldiers from the US Marine Corps, US Army and the British Royal Marines, which have been integrated into Norwegian units. The British and American troops took part in preparatory exercises to acclimatize them to the harsh Norwegian weather.

For the duration of the exercise, drones have been banned from local airspace.

The Armed Forces will have a lot of activity in the air, with fighter jets, helicopters and transport aircraft. To ensure safety in the air, we therefore introduced a drone ban, military spokesman Ivar Moen told the Norwegian public radio station NRK.

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In previous years, Joint Viking exercises have been held in Hordaland in 2013, Tromso in 2014, Finnmark in 2015 and Trndelag in 2016. The previous exercise in Finnmark was seen as a provocation in Russia, where in response a large-scale exercise was launched in the Kola Peninsula.

This year, however, Moscow was notified of the planned maneuvers in advance, Moen told NRK.

In January, 300 US Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were deployed to Norway. Both Norway and the US denied the notion that the deployment was meant to irk Russia as part of NATOs wider campaign to oppose what it calls Russian aggression in Europe, by sending additional troops and weapons closer to the Russian border.

A founding member of NATO, Norway pledged not to host foreign forces to allay Moscows concerns that it could serve as a platform for a surprise attack. For decades, the Scandinavian country only allowed in other allies troops for training purposes. Oslo dismissed the notion that the deployment goes against the old commitment, saying that American troops would be rotated rather than stationed permanently. NATO routinely applies the same reasoning to all its deployments in Eastern Europe as a way of circumventing the alliances agreement with Russia, which bans permanent deployments of significant forces near Russia.

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8,000 NATO troops launch exercise near Russian-Norwegian ... - RT

Notwithstanding apprehensions from member nations that the decision would weaken NATO, the European Union (EU) authorized the formation of a new military headquarters.

The facility would be manned by a staff of 30, whose responsibility would be the coordination of the EU member states military. A number of members, including Poland, Hungary and the United Kingdom, have disputed the notion of a combined European army. The defense ministers of all the member countries, however, unanimously decided on establishing the new headquarters.

In a statement released Monday, EU Foreign Affairs Minister Federica Mogherini said, Today we decided to establish a MPCC (Military Planning Conduct and Capability facility) which will command the EUs non-executive military missions. This is one of the fields where traditionally we have had in the history of the European Union more divisiveness since the fifties we were struggling in the defense field.

In an effort to achieve less dependence on the United States, France and Germany have advocated for the creation of common military organizations, joint headquarters and combined resources.

While emphasizing NATOs significance to the EU, Mogherini said the new arrangement is not a European army.

Nevertheless, British Defense Minister Michael Fallon vowed that the U.K. would veto any proposals to challenge Natos position, while the country is still a member of EU.

Speaking with Reuters, he said, We have resisted any mission creep. The danger is duplication (with NATO).

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EU Establishes New Military HQ Regardless of Concerns It Compromises NATO - Newsline

The European Union is to create a special military command center for operating foreign missions, the German defense minister announced amid criticism from some bloc members that the initiative is financially unreasonable and merely copies NATO's steps.

EU foreign ministers founded, or put in motion, today a European command center for foreign missions, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, according to AP.

Membership in the program is not obligatory, von der Leyen stressed, adding that EU members not wishing to take part could act as observers.

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For those who are not members of the European Union, like for example Norway or the British, there will be the possibility to join in selectively with certain projects or missions, she said.

The Norwegians have great interest in this, the British have great interest in this, the German minister noted.

Meanwhile, Britain has long criticized the blocs aspirations to launch its own army, saying the EU should not waste money on creating structures that match those set up by NATO. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, who was also present at the meeting, called on other EU ministers to cooperate more closely with NATO to avoid unnecessary duplication and structures.

Nevertheless, von der Leyen called the move a very important step that was long overdue.

We took a very important step toward a European security and defense union, because we have become very concrete, she said.

Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign affairs chief, shared her opinion, saying that the command center will provide a more efficient approach to the existing military training missions we have.

Reports on the EU establishing a so-called Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) center aimed at stepping up security and defense cooperation among the bloc's military missions first appeared in media outlets on Friday, March 3.

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The MPCC is expected to manage the blocs non-executive military missions, including the three missions currently in progress in Mali, Somalia, and the Central African Republic.

The idea of tightening cooperation among EU states on defense matters had long been off the table inside the bloc. However, the topic has again emerged on the agenda after Crimea joined Russia following a referendum in 2014. The EU described it as an annexation while the growing threat from Islamic militants also created additional pressure.

Britain opposed the idea for years, although after the UK voted to leave the EU in June last year, Germany and France, joined by Spain, were quick to try to revive the plan.

In November, von der Leyen urged the EU to modernize its military defense and security to match NATO, which has been beefing up its security forces most of them located along Russias borders.

We have seen an enormous modernization drive by NATO over the past three years because of the Kremlins behavior," von der Leyen said at a press conference, Reuters reported.

That was correct and important, but I believe that we must invest at the least same energy into a modernization of the European security and defense union, she said.

In June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia will have to adequately respond to NATOs military activities along its borders.

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EU ministers agree to create joint military command center in NATO footsteps - RT