7 Messages
Digest #5029
Messages
Tue May 20, 2014 5:57 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.stripes.com/news/
Stars and Stripes
May 19, 2014
Security concerns delay NATO assistance to Libya
By John Vandiver
STUTTGART, Germany: NATO is ready to provide training support to Libyan security forces, but turmoil in the country has prevented those efforts from moving forward, NATO’s top civilian official said on Monday.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had some difficulties in engaging with the Libyan authorities, also because of instability and lack of security in Libya,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told journalists.
Over the weekend, a militia group attacked the Libyan parliament building, and on Friday, members of the same group attacked Islamist militias in Benghazi in which authorities said 70 people were killed, The Associated Press reported.
“Once the Libyan authorities are ready to engage with us in a way that also ensures a safe environment for our assistance, we are ready to assist Libya to develop their security sector as requested,” Rasmussen said.
Last year, NATO received a request for support from Libyan authorities focused on helping the country develop its security sector. U.S. Africa Command has similar plans in the works.
Since the fall of...Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 following a NATO-led air bombardment, Libya has become a virtual failed state as government authorities struggle for control with heavily armed militias. Concerns also are growing over Libya serving as a haven for Islamic militants, many of whom are believed to be armed with weapons from the old Gadhafi regime.
NATO jets flew nearly 10,000 strike missions during the intervention in 2011, destroying about 6,000 military targets. Although at the time Rasmussen hailed the campaign as “one of the most successful in NATO history,” the situation in Libya never normalized and in recent months has further deteriorated amid bloody clashes between militia and government forces. In 2012, four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed during an attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi.
Soon after that, the Pentagon based a newly formed Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response team in Morón, Spain. The unit, which was moved last week to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, was formed to better protect diplomatic facilities in Africa.
U.S. officials have not named Libya as the reason for moving the task force to Sicily, but some news reports have stated that the mobilization is connected with safety concerns at U.S. Embassy facilities in the country.
Saudi Arabia recently announced it would be closing its embassy in Tripoli. There has been no announcement that the U.S. will follow suit.
==============================
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==============================
Stars and Stripes
May 19, 2014
Security concerns delay NATO assistance to Libya
By John Vandiver
STUTTGART, Germany: NATO is ready to provide training support to Libyan security forces, but turmoil in the country has prevented those efforts from moving forward, NATO’s top civilian official said on Monday.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had some difficulties in engaging with the Libyan authorities, also because of instability and lack of security in Libya,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told journalists.
Over the weekend, a militia group attacked the Libyan parliament building, and on Friday, members of the same group attacked Islamist militias in Benghazi in which authorities said 70 people were killed, The Associated Press reported.
“Once the Libyan authorities are ready to engage with us in a way that also ensures a safe environment for our assistance, we are ready to assist Libya to develop their security sector as requested,” Rasmussen said.
Last year, NATO received a request for support from Libyan authorities focused on helping the country develop its security sector. U.S. Africa Command has similar plans in the works.
Since the fall of...Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 following a NATO-led air bombardment, Libya has become a virtual failed state as government authorities struggle for control with heavily armed militias. Concerns also are growing over Libya serving as a haven for Islamic militants, many of whom are believed to be armed with weapons from the old Gadhafi regime.
NATO jets flew nearly 10,000 strike missions during the intervention in 2011, destroying about 6,000 military targets. Although at the time Rasmussen hailed the campaign as “one of the most successful in NATO history,” the situation in Libya never normalized and in recent months has further deteriorated amid bloody clashes between militia and government forces. In 2012, four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed during an attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi.
Soon after that, the Pentagon based a newly formed Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response team in Morón, Spain. The unit, which was moved last week to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, was formed to better protect diplomatic facilities in Africa.
U.S. officials have not named Libya as the reason for moving the task force to Sicily, but some news reports have stated that the mobilization is connected with safety concerns at U.S. Embassy facilities in the country.
Saudi Arabia recently announced it would be closing its embassy in Tripoli. There has been no announcement that the U.S. will follow suit.
==============================
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==============================
Tue May 20, 2014 5:57 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.interfax.com/
Interfax-Military
May 19, 2014
Rogozin: NPP safety is IAEA's, not NATO's, responsibility
MOSCOW: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), not NATO, must oversee the safety standards of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.
"It looks like NATO is trying to put its finger in every pie. Is not the oversight of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants' safety standards the exclusive responsibility of the IAEA?" Rogozin said in his blog.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen earlier said at a press conference in Brussels that NATO has dispatched a team of civilian experts to Ukraine to enhance the Ukrainian nuclear power plants' safety standards.
==============================
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==============================
Interfax-Military
May 19, 2014
Rogozin: NPP safety is IAEA's, not NATO's, responsibility
MOSCOW: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), not NATO, must oversee the safety standards of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.
"It looks like NATO is trying to put its finger in every pie. Is not the oversight of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants' safety standards the exclusive responsibility of the IAEA?" Rogozin said in his blog.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen earlier said at a press conference in Brussels that NATO has dispatched a team of civilian experts to Ukraine to enhance the Ukrainian nuclear power plants' safety standards.
==============================
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Tue May 20, 2014 5:58 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.armradio.am/en/
Public Radio of Armenia
May 20, 2014
NATO and Armenia committed to solid partnership
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday (20 May 2014) thanked Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan for Armenia’s steadfast contribution to the Alliance’s KFOR operation in Kosovo and to ISAF, as well as for Armenia’s commitment to contribute to the Alliance’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan post-2014.
Visiting NATO Headquarters, the two Ministers also met with the North Atlantic Council for an exchange of views on Armenia’s cooperation with the Alliance and regional security. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen commended Armenia for the start of a new cycle of the Individual Partnership Action Plan agreed with NATO and welcomed the efforts towards more transparency and accountability in the defense and security sector.
Both sides stressed their commitment to continue developing a strong partnership. Armenia has been a NATO partner for 20 years and over the two last decades, Armenia and NATO have developed a solid political dialogue and a broad range of civilian and military areas of cooperation.
==============================
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==============================
Public Radio of Armenia
May 20, 2014
NATO and Armenia committed to solid partnership
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday (20 May 2014) thanked Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan for Armenia’s steadfast contribution to the Alliance’s KFOR operation in Kosovo and to ISAF, as well as for Armenia’s commitment to contribute to the Alliance’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan post-2014.
Visiting NATO Headquarters, the two Ministers also met with the North Atlantic Council for an exchange of views on Armenia’s cooperation with the Alliance and regional security. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen commended Armenia for the start of a new cycle of the Individual Partnership Action Plan agreed with NATO and welcomed the efforts towards more transparency and accountability in the defense and security sector.
Both sides stressed their commitment to continue developing a strong partnership. Armenia has been a NATO partner for 20 years and over the two last decades, Armenia and NATO have developed a solid political dialogue and a broad range of civilian and military areas of cooperation.
==============================
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==============================
Tue May 20, 2014 6:25 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.armradio.am/en/
Public Radio of Armenia
May 20, 2014
NATO and Armenia committed to solid partnership
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday (20 May 2014) thanked Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan for Armenia’s steadfast contribution to the Alliance’s KFOR operation in Kosovo and to ISAF, as well as for Armenia’s commitment to contribute to the Alliance’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan post-2014.
Visiting NATO Headquarters, the two Ministers also met with the North Atlantic Council for an exchange of views on Armenia’s cooperation with the Alliance and regional security. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen commended Armenia for the start of a new cycle of the Individual Partnership Action Plan agreed with NATO and welcomed the efforts towards more transparency and accountability in the defense and security sector.
Both sides stressed their commitment to continue developing a strong partnership. Armenia has been a NATO partner for 20 years and over the two last decades, Armenia and NATO have developed a solid political dialogue and a broad range of civilian and military areas of cooperation.
==============================
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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==============================
Public Radio of Armenia
May 20, 2014
NATO and Armenia committed to solid partnership
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday (20 May 2014) thanked Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan for Armenia’s steadfast contribution to the Alliance’s KFOR operation in Kosovo and to ISAF, as well as for Armenia’s commitment to contribute to the Alliance’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan post-2014.
Visiting NATO Headquarters, the two Ministers also met with the North Atlantic Council for an exchange of views on Armenia’s cooperation with the Alliance and regional security. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen commended Armenia for the start of a new cycle of the Individual Partnership Action Plan agreed with NATO and welcomed the efforts towards more transparency and accountability in the defense and security sector.
Both sides stressed their commitment to continue developing a strong partnership. Armenia has been a NATO partner for 20 years and over the two last decades, Armenia and NATO have developed a solid political dialogue and a broad range of civilian and military areas of cooperation.
==============================
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Stop NATO website and articles:
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==============================
Tue May 20, 2014 9:46 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.defense.gov/news/
U.S. Department of Defense
May 20, 2014
NATO Defense Chiefs to Discuss Russia, Afghanistan
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT: Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will discuss the situation in Eastern Europe, Europe’s southern flank, and the way forward in Afghanistan during meetings with NATO’s uniformed leaders in Brussels this week.
The NATO Chiefs of Defense meetings are held twice a year, and this one is a lead-in to the NATO Summit that’s slated in Wales in September.
In Brussels, the chiefs will discuss the Russia-Ukraine crisis and its implications for the alliance. They will also assess the situation in the Middle East and North Africa -- an area crucial to NATO’s southern flank.
Dempsey telegraphed this concern during a May 14 speech at the Atlantic Council last week.
“NATO is in a critical crossroads … given the aggressiveness of Russia, so its eastern flank must be reconsidered,” Dempsey said at the council meeting. “But I’ll also tell you that my personal advice to my fellow [chiefs of defense] in NATO is that the southern flank of NATO deserves far more attention than it currently receives from NATO.”
The alliance leaves the southern flank to the southern European nations, the chairman said. Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece are most concerned about the Mediterranean.
“And yet the issues that are emanating into the NATO southern flank from the Middle East and North Africa could quite profoundly change life inside of Europe, not only Southern Europe, but well into Central and Northern Europe,” he said.
...
The chiefs will also discuss plans for the remainder of the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan and the implementation of Operation Resolute Support -- the advise and assist follow-on mission in the country.
Meanwhile, Russia’s actions in Ukraine have changed the political situation in Europe, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a press conference in Brussels yesterday.
“It is less predictable and more dangerous,” Rasmussen said of Europe’s current political situation. “For NATO, this has implications for now and in the future.”
...
“NATO cannot take what it has achieved for granted, because Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has posed a challenge to a fundamental principle -- the right of sovereign states to choose their own paths,” Rasmussen said. “Russia has committed to this precept many times, but we see that President [Vladimir] Putin now refuses to uphold this promise.”
...
To deter Russia and reassure allies, NATO has beefed up the Baltic air-policing mission. The alliance also has added ships in the Baltic and the Black Seas. Alliance airborne warning and control system aircraft are patrolling the skies over Poland and Romania. And NATO has increased the number and size of its exercises.
“Right now, about 6,000 troops from across NATO are taking place in Exercise Steadfast Javelin in Estonia,” Rasmussen said. “This is a significant exercise aiming to test our ability to repel an attack against an ally. It includes infantry, fighter jets and also a cybersecurity team.”
Steadfast Javelin, he said, is a good example “of the steps we are taking to bolster our forces and their readiness.”
The alliance must look at how much nations spend on defense and how they spend it, the secretary general said. NATO has a goal of each member country spending 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, but only four do so -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Greece. Some nations -- France, Turkey and Poland -- are close to that benchmark.
The secretary general said he is encouraged that NATO nations are looking for ways to reverse the trend toward less defense resources.
==============================
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==============================
U.S. Department of Defense
May 20, 2014
NATO Defense Chiefs to Discuss Russia, Afghanistan
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT: Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will discuss the situation in Eastern Europe, Europe’s southern flank, and the way forward in Afghanistan during meetings with NATO’s uniformed leaders in Brussels this week.
The NATO Chiefs of Defense meetings are held twice a year, and this one is a lead-in to the NATO Summit that’s slated in Wales in September.
In Brussels, the chiefs will discuss the Russia-Ukraine crisis and its implications for the alliance. They will also assess the situation in the Middle East and North Africa -- an area crucial to NATO’s southern flank.
Dempsey telegraphed this concern during a May 14 speech at the Atlantic Council last week.
“NATO is in a critical crossroads … given the aggressiveness of Russia, so its eastern flank must be reconsidered,” Dempsey said at the council meeting. “But I’ll also tell you that my personal advice to my fellow [chiefs of defense] in NATO is that the southern flank of NATO deserves far more attention than it currently receives from NATO.”
The alliance leaves the southern flank to the southern European nations, the chairman said. Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece are most concerned about the Mediterranean.
“And yet the issues that are emanating into the NATO southern flank from the Middle East and North Africa could quite profoundly change life inside of Europe, not only Southern Europe, but well into Central and Northern Europe,” he said.
...
The chiefs will also discuss plans for the remainder of the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan and the implementation of Operation Resolute Support -- the advise and assist follow-on mission in the country.
Meanwhile, Russia’s actions in Ukraine have changed the political situation in Europe, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a press conference in Brussels yesterday.
“It is less predictable and more dangerous,” Rasmussen said of Europe’s current political situation. “For NATO, this has implications for now and in the future.”
...
“NATO cannot take what it has achieved for granted, because Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has posed a challenge to a fundamental principle -- the right of sovereign states to choose their own paths,” Rasmussen said. “Russia has committed to this precept many times, but we see that President [Vladimir] Putin now refuses to uphold this promise.”
...
To deter Russia and reassure allies, NATO has beefed up the Baltic air-policing mission. The alliance also has added ships in the Baltic and the Black Seas. Alliance airborne warning and control system aircraft are patrolling the skies over Poland and Romania. And NATO has increased the number and size of its exercises.
“Right now, about 6,000 troops from across NATO are taking place in Exercise Steadfast Javelin in Estonia,” Rasmussen said. “This is a significant exercise aiming to test our ability to repel an attack against an ally. It includes infantry, fighter jets and also a cybersecurity team.”
Steadfast Javelin, he said, is a good example “of the steps we are taking to bolster our forces and their readiness.”
The alliance must look at how much nations spend on defense and how they spend it, the secretary general said. NATO has a goal of each member country spending 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, but only four do so -- the United States, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Greece. Some nations -- France, Turkey and Poland -- are close to that benchmark.
The secretary general said he is encouraged that NATO nations are looking for ways to reverse the trend toward less defense resources.
==============================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
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==============================
Tue May 20, 2014 9:46 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.stripes.com/news/
Stars and Stripes
May 19, 2014
NATO sends thousands of troops to Estonia for war games
John Vandiver
SUTTGART, Germany: As part of an effort to shore up defenses on its eastern flank, NATO is conducting large-scale war games in Estonia involving some 6,000 troops from nine alliance nations.
Steadfast Javelin 1, which commenced on Friday and will continue through the week, is based on a fictitious scenario in which Allied forces repel an attack on Estonia, according to NATO.
Participating units include infantry and reconnaissance forces, engineers, fighter jets as well as anti-aircraft teams and a cybersecurity team. The exercise comes during widespread unrest in Ukraine and renewed concerns over a more militarily assertive Russia, which the West has accused of fomenting tensions in the region.
“It is my great privilege to assume command of the forces participating in Exercise Steadfast Javelin 1 today,” General Hans-Lothar Domröse, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, said in a news release. “There is no doubt the Alliance is strong and NATO’s resolve to assure its members of the ongoing utility of the Washington Treaty remains central to our actions.”
Troops in the exercise come from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Britain and the United States. Germany was not listed as a participating nation. Some critics in eastern Europe have expressed frustration with Germany and accused NATO’s second-largest nation of not doing enough to reassure allies in the East.
Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, NATO has reinforced its presence in eastern Europe. In April, the alliance announced a package of extra military measures, including expanded air patrols over the Baltics, deployment of ground forces for training events in the East and increased patrols by war ships in the region.
==============================
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
May 19, 2014
NATO sends thousands of troops to Estonia for war games
John Vandiver
SUTTGART, Germany: As part of an effort to shore up defenses on its eastern flank, NATO is conducting large-scale war games in Estonia involving some 6,000 troops from nine alliance nations.
Steadfast Javelin 1, which commenced on Friday and will continue through the week, is based on a fictitious scenario in which Allied forces repel an attack on Estonia, according to NATO.
Participating units include infantry and reconnaissance forces, engineers, fighter jets as well as anti-aircraft teams and a cybersecurity team. The exercise comes during widespread unrest in Ukraine and renewed concerns over a more militarily assertive Russia, which the West has accused of fomenting tensions in the region.
“It is my great privilege to assume command of the forces participating in Exercise Steadfast Javelin 1 today,” General Hans-Lothar Domröse, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, said in a news release. “There is no doubt the Alliance is strong and NATO’s resolve to assure its members of the ongoing utility of the Washington Treaty remains central to our actions.”
Troops in the exercise come from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Britain and the United States. Germany was not listed as a participating nation. Some critics in eastern Europe have expressed frustration with Germany and accused NATO’s second-largest nation of not doing enough to reassure allies in the East.
Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, NATO has reinforced its presence in eastern Europe. In April, the alliance announced a package of extra military measures, including expanded air patrols over the Baltics, deployment of ground forces for training events in the East and increased patrols by war ships in the region.
==============================
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==============================
Tue May 20, 2014 3:15 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.lithuaniatribune.
Baltic News Service
May 20, 2014
Lithuanian Chief of Defence meeting with EU and NATO in Brussels
The Lithuanian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius will attend European Union and NATO Military Committees meetings in Brussels today, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence said.
The meeting of the EU Military Committee will focus on strategic priorities in capability concentration and division among member states.
The chiefs of defence of EU member states will also discuss the ongoing EU military operations in Western Balkans and the African region.
During the two-day meeting of the NATO Military Committee, chiefs of defence from NATO member and partner countries will meet with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The meetings will concentrate on NATO’s future priorities and challenges, the Ukrainian crisis and the role of NATO countries in it, the statement said.
The chiefs of defence will also discuss the Alliance’s other military operations, including those being carried out in Afghanistan, Kosovo as well as NATO’s anti-piracy and anti-terrorist operations.
Baltic News Service
May 20, 2014
Lithuanian Chief of Defence meeting with EU and NATO in Brussels
The Lithuanian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius will attend European Union and NATO Military Committees meetings in Brussels today, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence said.
The meeting of the EU Military Committee will focus on strategic priorities in capability concentration and division among member states.
The chiefs of defence of EU member states will also discuss the ongoing EU military operations in Western Balkans and the African region.
During the two-day meeting of the NATO Military Committee, chiefs of defence from NATO member and partner countries will meet with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The meetings will concentrate on NATO’s future priorities and challenges, the Ukrainian crisis and the role of NATO countries in it, the statement said.
The chiefs of defence will also discuss the Alliance’s other military operations, including those being carried out in Afghanistan, Kosovo as well as NATO’s anti-piracy and anti-terrorist operations.
