4 New Messages
Digest #4759
Messages
Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:13 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.rian.ru/military_new
Russian Information Agency Novosti
July 25, 2013
Russia Slams 'Cold War' Spirit NATO Exercise
MOSCOW: The scenario for a forthcoming NATO exercise in the ex-Soviet Baltic republics and Poland, in which those nations face invasion by a foreign power, is reminiscent of the Cold War period, Russia's Deputy Defense Minister said Thursday.
The exercise, dubbed Steadfast Jazz 2013, will be held in November in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. According to NATO, the primary purpose of the exercise is to test the command and control elements of NATO’s Response Force.
“As we prepared for this meeting, we carefully studied information received from NATO countries about Steadfast Jazz-2013,” Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels, according to the ministry's website.
“I can’t hide the fact that the Russian Defense Ministry was bewildered by the proclaimed goal of this exercise, which envisages the application of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty triggering a response to an aggression against Poland. These drills are in the spirit of the Cold War,” Antonov said.
The Zapad 2013 joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus in the fall this year will only simulate combat against terrorist groups and illegal armed formations penetrating Belarusian territory, he added.
Russia has held the largest exercises for its armed forces this year since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Defense Ministry said last week after a huge deployment and readiness test in the country's far east involving armor, aircraft and ships.
==============================
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Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:13 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/nat
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
July 25, 2013
Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Anders Gogh Rasmussen at the joint press point with the Minister of Defence of Italy, Mr. Mario Mauro
Minister, thank you very much for your hospitality and for the excellent discussion today.
We will review the progress we are making in Afghanistan. Italy is playing a leading role in the West...
...We are planning a new and different mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces after 2014, so that we build on our hard-fought gains. And I am grateful for Italy’s intention to play a leading role in that non-combat mission.
I'm grateful for Italy's strong commitment to our alliance. In every operation, NATO could count on Italy. From Libya to Kosovo, and off the Horn of Africa.
After over a decade of operational engagements, NATO has the most capable forces the Alliance has ever had, and the strongest ties with partners across the globe. As we draw down in Afghanistan, we need to maintain this ready, capable and interconnected NATO. So that we stand prepared to deal with any security challenge in today’s complex and unpredictable world.
That is why we have launched the Connected Forces Initiative, to make sure that we all exercise, and do it together - among Allies and with partners. This is where we count on Italy to play a leadership role as well. To share its experience so that we can all learn from each other.
Keeping NATO fit for the future will be one of the main topics on the agenda when defence ministers meet in the autumn. I look forward to a constructive discussion. And Minister, I look forward to continuing to work with you.
==============================
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==============================
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
July 25, 2013
Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Anders Gogh Rasmussen at the joint press point with the Minister of Defence of Italy, Mr. Mario Mauro
Minister, thank you very much for your hospitality and for the excellent discussion today.
We will review the progress we are making in Afghanistan. Italy is playing a leading role in the West...
...We are planning a new and different mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces after 2014, so that we build on our hard-fought gains. And I am grateful for Italy’s intention to play a leading role in that non-combat mission.
I'm grateful for Italy's strong commitment to our alliance. In every operation, NATO could count on Italy. From Libya to Kosovo, and off the Horn of Africa.
After over a decade of operational engagements, NATO has the most capable forces the Alliance has ever had, and the strongest ties with partners across the globe. As we draw down in Afghanistan, we need to maintain this ready, capable and interconnected NATO. So that we stand prepared to deal with any security challenge in today’s complex and unpredictable world.
That is why we have launched the Connected Forces Initiative, to make sure that we all exercise, and do it together - among Allies and with partners. This is where we count on Italy to play a leadership role as well. To share its experience so that we can all learn from each other.
Keeping NATO fit for the future will be one of the main topics on the agenda when defence ministers meet in the autumn. I look forward to a constructive discussion. And Minister, I look forward to continuing to work with you.
==============================
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==============================
Thu Jul 25, 2013 3:07 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.stripes.com/news/co
Stars and Stripes
July 25, 2013
Contract awarded for missile interceptor site in Romania
By Steven Beardsley
The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a construction contract for its planned ballistic missile interceptor site in Romania, another step toward the completion of a NATO European missile shield opposed by Russia.
The $134 million contract with global construction firm Kellogg Brown and Root, announced by the company in a press release last week, will include the buildup of facilities and infrastructure on a 269-acre site at Deveselu Air Base in the country’s south.
Plans call for the site to hold 24 Standard Missile-3 interceptors of the Block IB variant, making it the first land deployment of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system previously only installed on Navy ships.
Construction of the site will mark the second phase of the staged deployment of missile defense components across Europe, a system that two U.S. administrations have described as a defense against Iran. The first phase included installation of a radar system in Turkey, which was manned with U.S. soldiers in 2012.
The second phase, including the work in Romania, is pegged for completion in 2015.
The third phase, scheduled for deployment in 2018, includes a second land-based site, in Poland. The U.S. also plans to deploy four Aegis-based ships to its naval station in Rota, Spain, beginning in 2014. The system’s operational headquarters will be at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
A planned fourth phase, canceled earlier this year due in part to costs and delays, called for the deployment of an SM-3 variant to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles launched at the U.S. from the Middle East. The current variants are designed to intercept missiles with short and medium ranges.
Russia has opposed NATO’s missile defense shield since it was first announced by the administration of President George W. Bush, which planned for a much more elaborate system including longer-range interceptors to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Obama administration announced in 2009 that it would focus on shorter-range missiles and the offshore capabilities of Aegis-equipped ships.
The U.S. and NATO have pointed to Iran’s nuclear program as reason for the shield’s necessity...
But Moscow has continued to oppose the system, pointing out that Iran does not possess long-range ballistic missiles that can reach Europe. It has warned that time is running out for a solution.
The U.S. estimates some 200 military, civilian employees and contractors will be needed to run the U.S. facility at Deveselu. The Romanian air force will still maintain control over the base.
As part of construction, KBR will disassemble and move a four-story radar deckhouse — the land-based counterpart to the radar housing on an Aegis-equipped ship — from the U.S. East Coast to Romania, according to the press release.
==============================
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==============================
Stars and Stripes
July 25, 2013
Contract awarded for missile interceptor site in Romania
By Steven Beardsley
The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a construction contract for its planned ballistic missile interceptor site in Romania, another step toward the completion of a NATO European missile shield opposed by Russia.
The $134 million contract with global construction firm Kellogg Brown and Root, announced by the company in a press release last week, will include the buildup of facilities and infrastructure on a 269-acre site at Deveselu Air Base in the country’s south.
Plans call for the site to hold 24 Standard Missile-3 interceptors of the Block IB variant, making it the first land deployment of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system previously only installed on Navy ships.
Construction of the site will mark the second phase of the staged deployment of missile defense components across Europe, a system that two U.S. administrations have described as a defense against Iran. The first phase included installation of a radar system in Turkey, which was manned with U.S. soldiers in 2012.
The second phase, including the work in Romania, is pegged for completion in 2015.
The third phase, scheduled for deployment in 2018, includes a second land-based site, in Poland. The U.S. also plans to deploy four Aegis-based ships to its naval station in Rota, Spain, beginning in 2014. The system’s operational headquarters will be at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
A planned fourth phase, canceled earlier this year due in part to costs and delays, called for the deployment of an SM-3 variant to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles launched at the U.S. from the Middle East. The current variants are designed to intercept missiles with short and medium ranges.
Russia has opposed NATO’s missile defense shield since it was first announced by the administration of President George W. Bush, which planned for a much more elaborate system including longer-range interceptors to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Obama administration announced in 2009 that it would focus on shorter-range missiles and the offshore capabilities of Aegis-equipped ships.
The U.S. and NATO have pointed to Iran’s nuclear program as reason for the shield’s necessity...
But Moscow has continued to oppose the system, pointing out that Iran does not possess long-range ballistic missiles that can reach Europe. It has warned that time is running out for a solution.
The U.S. estimates some 200 military, civilian employees and contractors will be needed to run the U.S. facility at Deveselu. The Romanian air force will still maintain control over the base.
As part of construction, KBR will disassemble and move a four-story radar deckhouse — the land-based counterpart to the radar housing on an Aegis-equipped ship — from the U.S. East Coast to Romania, according to the press release.
==============================
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==============================
Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:52 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/
Polish Radio
July 25, 2013
Joint US-Polish military training to continue
US budget cuts will not affect the joint American-Polish military training programme, the US's highest-ranking general insisted on Wednesday.
General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the pledge while visiting an air base in Lask, central Poland, where joint exercises began two weeks ago.
“These joint exercises belong to those which we consider as the most important,” Dempsey said, as cited by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
“Firstly, this base is excellent, providing perfect conditions for training in the air,” he reflected.
“Secondly, these exercises strengthen the historic ties between our nations,” he added.
Six American F-16 planes were brought from the US base in Aviano, Italy, for the training programme. American and Polish air crews, together with special forces soldiers, have been cooperating in exercises involving the Airborne Early Warning and Control radar system (AEW&C).
Further US-Polish military exercises are due to take place in November.
Poles expected in Afghanistan post-2014
Meanwhile, General Dempsey noted that Polish troops would still be needed in Afghanistan after the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission ends in 2014.
“The coalition and its partners will continue to help the Afghans,” he said, with the troops purportedly staying as a peace-keeping force.
Dempsey affirmed that in line with NATO forecasts, about 8000 to 12,000 international troops would stay on in the country.
The general commented that “each country that is part of the coalition will make appropriate arrangements,” while suggesting that for the good of US-Polish relations, Poland should send as many troops as possible.
Polish forces have been part of the mission to Afghanistan since 2002, just months after the Taliban regime was compelled to abandon the capital, Kabul, in November 2001, under heavy attack from American forces.
There have been 40 Polish casualties to date, including one medic.
Polish Radio
July 25, 2013
Joint US-Polish military training to continue
US budget cuts will not affect the joint American-Polish military training programme, the US's highest-ranking general insisted on Wednesday.
General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the pledge while visiting an air base in Lask, central Poland, where joint exercises began two weeks ago.
“These joint exercises belong to those which we consider as the most important,” Dempsey said, as cited by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
“Firstly, this base is excellent, providing perfect conditions for training in the air,” he reflected.
“Secondly, these exercises strengthen the historic ties between our nations,” he added.
Six American F-16 planes were brought from the US base in Aviano, Italy, for the training programme. American and Polish air crews, together with special forces soldiers, have been cooperating in exercises involving the Airborne Early Warning and Control radar system (AEW&C).
Further US-Polish military exercises are due to take place in November.
Poles expected in Afghanistan post-2014
Meanwhile, General Dempsey noted that Polish troops would still be needed in Afghanistan after the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission ends in 2014.
“The coalition and its partners will continue to help the Afghans,” he said, with the troops purportedly staying as a peace-keeping force.
Dempsey affirmed that in line with NATO forecasts, about 8000 to 12,000 international troops would stay on in the country.
The general commented that “each country that is part of the coalition will make appropriate arrangements,” while suggesting that for the good of US-Polish relations, Poland should send as many troops as possible.
Polish forces have been part of the mission to Afghanistan since 2002, just months after the Taliban regime was compelled to abandon the capital, Kabul, in November 2001, under heavy attack from American forces.
There have been 40 Polish casualties to date, including one medic.
