4 New Messages
Digest #4613
Messages
Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:52 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.defense.gov/News/Ne
U.S. Department of Defense
January 22, 2013
Northcom Pursues Closer Engagement With Mexico
By Donna Miles
====
Mexico’s constitution explicitly prohibits foreign forces from operating on Mexican soil. But as SEDENA and SEMAR, Mexico’s army and navy, respectively, shed their internal focus, they are becoming increasingly open to combined training and subject matter expert exchanges
The Mexicans...are modernizing their aviation platforms. Northcom worked with them, through the State Department, to help upgrade their RC-26 aircraft and acquire UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for SEMAR...The United States also is helping Mexico buy C-130J Hercules aircraft through the foreign military sales program...
Last spring, Northcom sponsored a group of Mexican military doctors to observe their American counterparts medically evacuating wounded warriors from Afghanistan. The Mexican group traveled from Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany...
This month, U.S. and Mexican military officials will chart new ground as they begin planning their first bilateral air defense exercise, expected to take place later this year...
“I think our vision, working with Mexico, is that they become more of a regional strategic partner and more of an outward-looking military. I think they’re moving in that direction.”
====
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – With a U.S. defense strategy focused heavily on the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, officials at U.S. Northern Command here are enthusiastically advancing engagement to the United States’ immediate southern border.
Mexico, which has long focused its military internally, is increasingly receptive to building a closer bilateral relationship with the U.S. military, Army Maj. Gen. Francis G. Mahon, Northcom’s director for strategy, plans and policy, told American Forces Press Service.
“During the past two to three years, as the Mexican army and Mexican navy have taken on a larger role beyond internal security issues, our relationship with them has really grown and expanded through security cooperation,” Mahon said. “They have opened up to us and said, ‘Let’s start working closer and closer together.’”
That’s good news for the United States, he said, because the United States and Mexico share a 2,000-mile border and are intertwined culturally as well as economically. What happens in Mexico matters to the United States - in terms of trade, immigration and, of particular concern here at Northcom, U.S. national security, he said.
...
Mexico’s constitution explicitly prohibits foreign forces from operating on Mexican soil. But as SEDENA and SEMAR, Mexico’s army and navy, respectively, shed their internal focus, they are becoming increasingly open to combined training and subject matter expert exchanges, Mahon said.
The Merida Initiative opened the door to increased engagement in 2007, with the United States providing funding and equipment to help Mexican law enforcement fight drug cartels and related criminal elements.
Five years later, the United States expanded the mission to include other efforts that contribute to security...
The bottom line - for the Merida Initiative and for all other theater security cooperation - is about building partnership capacity, Mahon said.
“The end state for Mexico, from our perspective, is that we are their strategic partner of choice in the region, and they are a regional partner who can then assist other nations in the region or respond to other crises in the region...,” he said.
The Mexicans, for example, are modernizing their aviation platforms. Northcom worked with them, through the State Department, to help upgrade their RC-26 aircraft and acquire UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for SEMAR, he said. The United States also is helping Mexico buy C-130J Hercules aircraft through the foreign military sales program, along with the logistics capabilities required to maintain these latest-generation cargo aircraft, Mahon said.
But Mexico’s interest in bilateral cooperation extends beyond equipment.
As Mexican military leaders evaluate their current missions and plan for the future, they are looking to the U.S. military for ideas and techniques that would be useful to them. Members of Marine Forces North, Northcom’s Marine Corps component, are conducting junior noncommissioned officer training for SEMAR at Camp Pendleton, Calif., a step toward helping Mexico to establish its own NCO academy, Mahon said.
Mahon hopes to establish a similar relationship between the U.S. and Mexican armies. To promote that effort, members of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., demonstrated various military techniques while hosting senior SEDENA leaders last year.
Last spring, Northcom sponsored a group of Mexican military doctors to observe their American counterparts medically evacuating wounded warriors from Afghanistan. The Mexican group traveled from Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and ultimately, to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. From this experience, the Mexicans may draw ideas on how to improve their field medicine capacity, Mahon said.
...
“The scope and breadth of things we are doing with our Mexican partners is very wide. It’s everything from techniques to planning skills...,” Mahon said.
The next big step - one that Mahon said he hopes Northcom will be able to take with Mexico in 2013 - will be the start of bilateral exercises...
Mexican military leaders participated in several tabletop exercises last year through the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. The scenarios, which centered on earthquakes and pandemic outbreaks, incorporated not only the U.S. and Mexican militaries, but also their interagency partners, Mahon said.
Mexico also sent observers last spring to Northcom’s Ardent Sentry, a major exercise that tests the command’s processes for supporting civil authorities in the event of a natural disaster or pandemic. “We hope to integrate that into future exercises that can benefit not only both countries, but also others in the region,” Mahon said.
This month, U.S. and Mexican military officials will chart new ground as they begin planning their first bilateral air defense exercise, expected to take place later this year, he said. As envisioned, the exercise’s scenario will involve a rogue aircraft that flies from the United States into Mexico. U.S. interceptor aircraft scrambled by North American Aerospace Defense Command will shadow the aircraft until it enters Mexican airspace, then will transfer the mission to the Mexican air force.
The scenario...will help both militaries exercise the procedures they would need to follow during a real-life situation, Mahon said.
...
With two Mexican officers assigned to the Northcom headquarters to help coordinate these initiatives and increasing receptiveness from Mexico, Mahon said, he sees plenty of opportunity for more exchanges and combined training.
“It’s all about getting comfortable with each other and hopefully, advancing in the relationship,” he said. “It would be wonderful, someday, to take a Mexican company to the National Training Center to train with an American battalion or brigade.
“That sounds visionary, but we regularly conduct combined training with other allies and partners. There is no reason we can’t get it going with our Mexican partners,” he said. “I think our vision, working with Mexico, is that they become more of a regional strategic partner and more of an outward-looking military. I think they’re moving in that direction.”
==============================
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==============================
U.S. Department of Defense
January 22, 2013
Northcom Pursues Closer Engagement With Mexico
By Donna Miles
====
Mexico’s constitution explicitly prohibits foreign forces from operating on Mexican soil. But as SEDENA and SEMAR, Mexico’s army and navy, respectively, shed their internal focus, they are becoming increasingly open to combined training and subject matter expert exchanges
The Mexicans...are modernizing their aviation platforms. Northcom worked with them, through the State Department, to help upgrade their RC-26 aircraft and acquire UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for SEMAR...The United States also is helping Mexico buy C-130J Hercules aircraft through the foreign military sales program...
Last spring, Northcom sponsored a group of Mexican military doctors to observe their American counterparts medically evacuating wounded warriors from Afghanistan. The Mexican group traveled from Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany...
This month, U.S. and Mexican military officials will chart new ground as they begin planning their first bilateral air defense exercise, expected to take place later this year...
“I think our vision, working with Mexico, is that they become more of a regional strategic partner and more of an outward-looking military. I think they’re moving in that direction.”
====
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – With a U.S. defense strategy focused heavily on the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East, officials at U.S. Northern Command here are enthusiastically advancing engagement to the United States’ immediate southern border.
Mexico, which has long focused its military internally, is increasingly receptive to building a closer bilateral relationship with the U.S. military, Army Maj. Gen. Francis G. Mahon, Northcom’s director for strategy, plans and policy, told American Forces Press Service.
“During the past two to three years, as the Mexican army and Mexican navy have taken on a larger role beyond internal security issues, our relationship with them has really grown and expanded through security cooperation,” Mahon said. “They have opened up to us and said, ‘Let’s start working closer and closer together.’”
That’s good news for the United States, he said, because the United States and Mexico share a 2,000-mile border and are intertwined culturally as well as economically. What happens in Mexico matters to the United States - in terms of trade, immigration and, of particular concern here at Northcom, U.S. national security, he said.
...
Mexico’s constitution explicitly prohibits foreign forces from operating on Mexican soil. But as SEDENA and SEMAR, Mexico’s army and navy, respectively, shed their internal focus, they are becoming increasingly open to combined training and subject matter expert exchanges, Mahon said.
The Merida Initiative opened the door to increased engagement in 2007, with the United States providing funding and equipment to help Mexican law enforcement fight drug cartels and related criminal elements.
Five years later, the United States expanded the mission to include other efforts that contribute to security...
The bottom line - for the Merida Initiative and for all other theater security cooperation - is about building partnership capacity, Mahon said.
“The end state for Mexico, from our perspective, is that we are their strategic partner of choice in the region, and they are a regional partner who can then assist other nations in the region or respond to other crises in the region...,” he said.
The Mexicans, for example, are modernizing their aviation platforms. Northcom worked with them, through the State Department, to help upgrade their RC-26 aircraft and acquire UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for SEMAR, he said. The United States also is helping Mexico buy C-130J Hercules aircraft through the foreign military sales program, along with the logistics capabilities required to maintain these latest-generation cargo aircraft, Mahon said.
But Mexico’s interest in bilateral cooperation extends beyond equipment.
As Mexican military leaders evaluate their current missions and plan for the future, they are looking to the U.S. military for ideas and techniques that would be useful to them. Members of Marine Forces North, Northcom’s Marine Corps component, are conducting junior noncommissioned officer training for SEMAR at Camp Pendleton, Calif., a step toward helping Mexico to establish its own NCO academy, Mahon said.
Mahon hopes to establish a similar relationship between the U.S. and Mexican armies. To promote that effort, members of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., demonstrated various military techniques while hosting senior SEDENA leaders last year.
Last spring, Northcom sponsored a group of Mexican military doctors to observe their American counterparts medically evacuating wounded warriors from Afghanistan. The Mexican group traveled from Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and ultimately, to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. From this experience, the Mexicans may draw ideas on how to improve their field medicine capacity, Mahon said.
...
“The scope and breadth of things we are doing with our Mexican partners is very wide. It’s everything from techniques to planning skills...,” Mahon said.
The next big step - one that Mahon said he hopes Northcom will be able to take with Mexico in 2013 - will be the start of bilateral exercises...
Mexican military leaders participated in several tabletop exercises last year through the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. The scenarios, which centered on earthquakes and pandemic outbreaks, incorporated not only the U.S. and Mexican militaries, but also their interagency partners, Mahon said.
Mexico also sent observers last spring to Northcom’s Ardent Sentry, a major exercise that tests the command’s processes for supporting civil authorities in the event of a natural disaster or pandemic. “We hope to integrate that into future exercises that can benefit not only both countries, but also others in the region,” Mahon said.
This month, U.S. and Mexican military officials will chart new ground as they begin planning their first bilateral air defense exercise, expected to take place later this year, he said. As envisioned, the exercise’s scenario will involve a rogue aircraft that flies from the United States into Mexico. U.S. interceptor aircraft scrambled by North American Aerospace Defense Command will shadow the aircraft until it enters Mexican airspace, then will transfer the mission to the Mexican air force.
The scenario...will help both militaries exercise the procedures they would need to follow during a real-life situation, Mahon said.
...
With two Mexican officers assigned to the Northcom headquarters to help coordinate these initiatives and increasing receptiveness from Mexico, Mahon said, he sees plenty of opportunity for more exchanges and combined training.
“It’s all about getting comfortable with each other and hopefully, advancing in the relationship,” he said. “It would be wonderful, someday, to take a Mexican company to the National Training Center to train with an American battalion or brigade.
“That sounds visionary, but we regularly conduct combined training with other allies and partners. There is no reason we can’t get it going with our Mexican partners,” he said. “I think our vision, working with Mexico, is that they become more of a regional strategic partner and more of an outward-looking military. I think they’re moving in that direction.”
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:52 am (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.eucom.mil/article/2
United States European Command
January 14, 2013
International partnership among noncommissioned officers
Sgt. Angela Parady
====
[T]he first conference of its kind to be held in Kosovo...was designed to not only aid in the development of NCOs, but also to network, to build relationships and share ideas on how to better train, develop and prepare soldiers for combat roles.
The conference brought together senior enlisted leaders from all of the Balkan states...They built relationships and discussed how to develop the NCO corps within their militaries based on the NATO standard.
When Kosovo was looking to develop its own military presence, they decided to base it on U.S. doctrine. They trained and built their forces like those in the U.S. Army. Every year they review and develop ways to integrate the NATO system.
In developing an NCO program to meet the NATO objectives, Maddocks pointed to the National Guard’s State Partnership Program. Through this program, over 60 countries have been partnered with Army National Guard units to help develop their economies, their military and their leadership.
====
PRISTINA, Kosovo: Senior level noncommissioned officers from the Balkans region met during the Regional Senior NCO Conference for the Land Forces Senior NCO and Senior Enlisted Leader in Pristina, Kosovo Monday.
This is the first conference of its kind to be held in Kosovo. U.S. Army Europe Command Sgt. Maj. David Davenport Sr., said that this conference was designed to not only aid in the development of NCOs, but also to network, to build relationships and share ideas on how to better train, develop and prepare soldiers for combat roles.
The two-day conference covered topics on development from the International Senior Enlisted Seminar, the role of NCO academies, and NATO’s role in NCO development...
As the region works to develop and advance its military structure, Kosovo is looking to gain insight from the Slovenians, Albanians, Montenegrins and others as they look to improve their security forces. The conference brought together senior enlisted leaders from all of the Balkan states, the U.S. Army Europe Command Sergeant Major, and the U.S. European Command Senior Enlisted Leader as well as representatives from the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command. They built relationships and discussed how to develop the NCO corps within their militaries based on the NATO standard.
When Kosovo was looking to develop its own military presence, they decided to base it on U.S. doctrine. They trained and built their forces like those in the U.S. Army. Every year they review and develop ways to integrate the NATO system. In 2009, the Ahtisaari Plan established the Kosovo Security Force, which according to NATO is a lightly armed force, comprised of 2,500 active and 800 reserve multi-ethnic members.
...
U.S. Europe Command’s Senior Enlisted Leader Fleet Master Chief Roy Maddocks said the conference brought together senior enlisted personnel in the region to discuss how to further improve and train professional NCOs. They also discussed NATO strategy and standards and offered recommendations to Kosovo Security Forces Commander, Lt. Gen. Kadri Kastrati and his staff on how to further build and develop the NCO Corps.
“The most important resource military leaders possess, is the human resource,” said Maddocks. ‘Whether it is within NATO, within alliances, it is the people who carry out the mission. Whether you are working regionally or independently, you have to develop a standard. A strategy that holds common among the partners.”
Maddocks said that by working together in professional forums such as this, and the International Senior Enlisted Seminar, key enlisted leaders are prepared for multinational environments that are increasingly complex and challenging. The conferences help to continue the development of a professional NCO corps...
“Once you have a common strategy, you can collaborate, cooperate on regional security issues,” said Maddocks. “So we have common strategies, developed relationships. Just by building relationships at these conferences, when it becomes necessary to work together as a security force, it is not the first time you have worked with that country. You already have rapport.”
In developing an NCO program to meet the NATO objectives, Maddocks pointed to the National Guard’s State Partnership Program. Through this program, over 60 countries have been partnered with Army National Guard units to help develop their economies, their military and their leadership. With common goals and common challenges, these state partnerships help foster long-term relationships...
Kosovo Security Force Command Sergeant Major Fetah Zejhullahu said this conference was targeted specifically for his senior leaders to work on their relationships amongst the regional armies, from Slovenia to Albania, and with KFOR and EUCOM.
Many of these countries have faced challenges in developing their militaries. Zejhullahu, who has served in the security forces here for the last 13 years, said that after the war Kosovo didn’t have an organized military or any structure for one.
“We looked around to see how we wanted to base the structure, the ideology and the doctrine,” he said. “A lot of the foreign military influence in the past had been negative, and we didn’t want to continue that way.”
Training side by side with NATO Kosovo Force supervision and mentorship has helped the development of this force.
“First we built the officer system, now we work on the NCOs,” said Zejhullahu about the development of the soldiers. “We are a small organization, but we want to be professional. Ready.”
...
Maddocks, who was deployed to Macedonia and Kosovo in 1998- 1999, said that regionally, the ability to share resources is key to developing the NCO support channels that really get things done. By understanding the shared challenges, they can look at how to share and allocate resources to best meet the goals and challenges that they face.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
United States European Command
January 14, 2013
International partnership among noncommissioned officers
Sgt. Angela Parady
====
[T]he first conference of its kind to be held in Kosovo...was designed to not only aid in the development of NCOs, but also to network, to build relationships and share ideas on how to better train, develop and prepare soldiers for combat roles.
The conference brought together senior enlisted leaders from all of the Balkan states...They built relationships and discussed how to develop the NCO corps within their militaries based on the NATO standard.
When Kosovo was looking to develop its own military presence, they decided to base it on U.S. doctrine. They trained and built their forces like those in the U.S. Army. Every year they review and develop ways to integrate the NATO system.
In developing an NCO program to meet the NATO objectives, Maddocks pointed to the National Guard’s State Partnership Program. Through this program, over 60 countries have been partnered with Army National Guard units to help develop their economies, their military and their leadership.
====
PRISTINA, Kosovo: Senior level noncommissioned officers from the Balkans region met during the Regional Senior NCO Conference for the Land Forces Senior NCO and Senior Enlisted Leader in Pristina, Kosovo Monday.
This is the first conference of its kind to be held in Kosovo. U.S. Army Europe Command Sgt. Maj. David Davenport Sr., said that this conference was designed to not only aid in the development of NCOs, but also to network, to build relationships and share ideas on how to better train, develop and prepare soldiers for combat roles.
The two-day conference covered topics on development from the International Senior Enlisted Seminar, the role of NCO academies, and NATO’s role in NCO development...
As the region works to develop and advance its military structure, Kosovo is looking to gain insight from the Slovenians, Albanians, Montenegrins and others as they look to improve their security forces. The conference brought together senior enlisted leaders from all of the Balkan states, the U.S. Army Europe Command Sergeant Major, and the U.S. European Command Senior Enlisted Leader as well as representatives from the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command. They built relationships and discussed how to develop the NCO corps within their militaries based on the NATO standard.
When Kosovo was looking to develop its own military presence, they decided to base it on U.S. doctrine. They trained and built their forces like those in the U.S. Army. Every year they review and develop ways to integrate the NATO system. In 2009, the Ahtisaari Plan established the Kosovo Security Force, which according to NATO is a lightly armed force, comprised of 2,500 active and 800 reserve multi-ethnic members.
...
U.S. Europe Command’s Senior Enlisted Leader Fleet Master Chief Roy Maddocks said the conference brought together senior enlisted personnel in the region to discuss how to further improve and train professional NCOs. They also discussed NATO strategy and standards and offered recommendations to Kosovo Security Forces Commander, Lt. Gen. Kadri Kastrati and his staff on how to further build and develop the NCO Corps.
“The most important resource military leaders possess, is the human resource,” said Maddocks. ‘Whether it is within NATO, within alliances, it is the people who carry out the mission. Whether you are working regionally or independently, you have to develop a standard. A strategy that holds common among the partners.”
Maddocks said that by working together in professional forums such as this, and the International Senior Enlisted Seminar, key enlisted leaders are prepared for multinational environments that are increasingly complex and challenging. The conferences help to continue the development of a professional NCO corps...
“Once you have a common strategy, you can collaborate, cooperate on regional security issues,” said Maddocks. “So we have common strategies, developed relationships. Just by building relationships at these conferences, when it becomes necessary to work together as a security force, it is not the first time you have worked with that country. You already have rapport.”
In developing an NCO program to meet the NATO objectives, Maddocks pointed to the National Guard’s State Partnership Program. Through this program, over 60 countries have been partnered with Army National Guard units to help develop their economies, their military and their leadership. With common goals and common challenges, these state partnerships help foster long-term relationships...
Kosovo Security Force Command Sergeant Major Fetah Zejhullahu said this conference was targeted specifically for his senior leaders to work on their relationships amongst the regional armies, from Slovenia to Albania, and with KFOR and EUCOM.
Many of these countries have faced challenges in developing their militaries. Zejhullahu, who has served in the security forces here for the last 13 years, said that after the war Kosovo didn’t have an organized military or any structure for one.
“We looked around to see how we wanted to base the structure, the ideology and the doctrine,” he said. “A lot of the foreign military influence in the past had been negative, and we didn’t want to continue that way.”
Training side by side with NATO Kosovo Force supervision and mentorship has helped the development of this force.
“First we built the officer system, now we work on the NCOs,” said Zejhullahu about the development of the soldiers. “We are a small organization, but we want to be professional. Ready.”
...
Maddocks, who was deployed to Macedonia and Kosovo in 1998- 1999, said that regionally, the ability to share resources is key to developing the NCO support channels that really get things done. By understanding the shared challenges, they can look at how to share and allocate resources to best meet the goals and challenges that they face.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups
==============================
Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:16 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.stripes.com/news/mi
Stars and Stripes
January 23, 2012
NATO: Patriots to reach initial operating status in Turkey this weekend
By John Vandiver
STUTTGART, Germany: NATO expects its Patriot anti-missile batteries deployed to Turkey to reach initial operating capability this weekend...NATO said Wednesday.
And by month’s end, NATO expects the batteries from the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands to be fully operational...Brig. Gen. Garry Deakin, director of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe’s strategic operations center. The mission in Turkey is expected to last for at least a year, he said.
“We’re planning to sustain this mission as required to augment Turkey’s air defenses,” Deakin said during a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
On Dec. 4, NATO defense ministers authorized deployment of Patriots in response to a request from Turkey...Since then, the alliance has been getting its forces into position in Turkey.
In all, NATO allies are sending six batteries and about 1,200 troops for the mission, dubbed Active Fence.
The bulk of the U.S. force is coming from the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery, which will operate from Gaziantep, a city less than 80 miles from Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.
“The deployments of the Patriots will...send a strong signal of allied solidarity,” said Oana Lungescu, NATO spokeswoman.
The deployment of the Patriot batteries is part of NATO’s standing defense plan.
“This is not anything spectacularly new for us,” said Deakin, who noted the alliance provided similar support to Turkey in 1991 and 2003 when Dutch forces deployed troops and Patriots to the country.
“Currently, it’s all going according to plan,” Deakin said.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
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Stop NATO website and articles:
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==============================
Stars and Stripes
January 23, 2012
NATO: Patriots to reach initial operating status in Turkey this weekend
By John Vandiver
STUTTGART, Germany: NATO expects its Patriot anti-missile batteries deployed to Turkey to reach initial operating capability this weekend...NATO said Wednesday.
And by month’s end, NATO expects the batteries from the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands to be fully operational...Brig. Gen. Garry Deakin, director of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe’s strategic operations center. The mission in Turkey is expected to last for at least a year, he said.
“We’re planning to sustain this mission as required to augment Turkey’s air defenses,” Deakin said during a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
On Dec. 4, NATO defense ministers authorized deployment of Patriots in response to a request from Turkey...Since then, the alliance has been getting its forces into position in Turkey.
In all, NATO allies are sending six batteries and about 1,200 troops for the mission, dubbed Active Fence.
The bulk of the U.S. force is coming from the Army’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery, which will operate from Gaziantep, a city less than 80 miles from Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.
“The deployments of the Patriots will...send a strong signal of allied solidarity,” said Oana Lungescu, NATO spokeswoman.
The deployment of the Patriot batteries is part of NATO’s standing defense plan.
“This is not anything spectacularly new for us,” said Deakin, who noted the alliance provided similar support to Turkey in 1991 and 2003 when Dutch forces deployed troops and Patriots to the country.
“Currently, it’s all going according to plan,” Deakin said.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.co
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==============================
Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:33 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.mod.gov.ge/en/news/
Ministry of Defence of Georgia
January 24, 2013
Georgian Military Servicemen Wounded in Afghanistan
Three Georgian miilitary servicemen have been wounded in Afghanistan. Corporal Erekle Kharshiladze and Junior Sergeant Iago Kakulia were patrolling when insurgents opened fire. As a result both of them received minor injuries. Their health conditions are stable. They are undergoing medical treatment in the US Military Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
Private Guram Chimakhidze exploded an antipersonnel mine while patrolling. He was seriously injured. The wounded soldier was immediately hospitalized at the Bastion Hospital. His health condition is also stable. Private Guram Chimakhidze will be transferred to the Landstuhl Military Hospital in the nearest future for further treatment.
------------------------------
http://www.civil.ge/eng/
Civil Georgia
January 25, 2013
Three Georgian Soldiers Wounded in Afghanistan
Tbilisi: Two Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan sustained "minor" injuries when they came under insurgents' fire during patrolling, the Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said late on January 24.
Corporal Erekle Kharshiladze and junior sergeant Iago Kakulia are currently undergoing treatment in the U.S. Army-operated Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, according to the MoD.
In a separate incident, Private Guram Chimakhidze was "seriously" wounded during patrolling when an anti-personnel mine exploded, according to the MoD.
It said that Private Chimakhidze was currently at the Bastion hospital in Helmand province and would be transferred to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
The announcement signals a change in the MoD's policy, which previously was not reporting about those incidents in Afghanistan in which Georgian solders were sustaining injuries. Recently the MoD has also made the public total number of Georgian soldiers, 93, wounded in Afghanistan in 2010-2012.
Georgia has lost a total of nineteen soldiers in Afghanistan, eight of them in 2012.
Georgia joined the ISAF mission in November 2009 with deployment of about 170 soldiers in Kabul. In April, 2010 Georgia increased its contribution by sending a battalion to Helmand province and in October, 2012 Georgia almost doubled its presence in Afghanistan to over 1,560 soldiers after sending one more battalion to Helmand province.
Georgia, in cooperation with the U.S., plans a rehabilitation center where wounded soldiers will be cared for. Members of the U.S. European Command visited the proposed center on January 23.
"The U.S. government is working closely with the MoD to build amputee care capacity and will continue to show its commitment for caring for wounded warriors," the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said on January 23. "Georgia's substantial contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan is invaluable. We recognize Georgia's loss of soldiers in the line of duty in Afghanistan as a great sacrifice and we mourn these, as we also honor those Georgian soldiers who were wounded in action."
Ministry of Defence of Georgia
January 24, 2013
Georgian Military Servicemen Wounded in Afghanistan
Three Georgian miilitary servicemen have been wounded in Afghanistan. Corporal Erekle Kharshiladze and Junior Sergeant Iago Kakulia were patrolling when insurgents opened fire. As a result both of them received minor injuries. Their health conditions are stable. They are undergoing medical treatment in the US Military Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.
Private Guram Chimakhidze exploded an antipersonnel mine while patrolling. He was seriously injured. The wounded soldier was immediately hospitalized at the Bastion Hospital. His health condition is also stable. Private Guram Chimakhidze will be transferred to the Landstuhl Military Hospital in the nearest future for further treatment.
------------------------------
http://www.civil.ge/eng/
Civil Georgia
January 25, 2013
Three Georgian Soldiers Wounded in Afghanistan
Tbilisi: Two Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan sustained "minor" injuries when they came under insurgents' fire during patrolling, the Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said late on January 24.
Corporal Erekle Kharshiladze and junior sergeant Iago Kakulia are currently undergoing treatment in the U.S. Army-operated Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, according to the MoD.
In a separate incident, Private Guram Chimakhidze was "seriously" wounded during patrolling when an anti-personnel mine exploded, according to the MoD.
It said that Private Chimakhidze was currently at the Bastion hospital in Helmand province and would be transferred to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
The announcement signals a change in the MoD's policy, which previously was not reporting about those incidents in Afghanistan in which Georgian solders were sustaining injuries. Recently the MoD has also made the public total number of Georgian soldiers, 93, wounded in Afghanistan in 2010-2012.
Georgia has lost a total of nineteen soldiers in Afghanistan, eight of them in 2012.
Georgia joined the ISAF mission in November 2009 with deployment of about 170 soldiers in Kabul. In April, 2010 Georgia increased its contribution by sending a battalion to Helmand province and in October, 2012 Georgia almost doubled its presence in Afghanistan to over 1,560 soldiers after sending one more battalion to Helmand province.
Georgia, in cooperation with the U.S., plans a rehabilitation center where wounded soldiers will be cared for. Members of the U.S. European Command visited the proposed center on January 23.
"The U.S. government is working closely with the MoD to build amputee care capacity and will continue to show its commitment for caring for wounded warriors," the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi said on January 23. "Georgia's substantial contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan is invaluable. We recognize Georgia's loss of soldiers in the line of duty in Afghanistan as a great sacrifice and we mourn these, as we also honor those Georgian soldiers who were wounded in action."
