Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:28 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.aco.nato.int/
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Maritime Command
September 24, 2014
COMMANDER OF ALLIED MARITIME COMMAND VISITS BULGARIA AND ROMANIA
BUCHAREST, Romania: The Commander of NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, CBE, has wrapped up three days of staff talks in Bulgaria and Romania. The official visits were held in conjunction with the conclusion of Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) port visit to Varna, Bulgaria, as part of ongoing NATO efforts to assure Allies on the eastern borders of the Alliance.
During the visit to Varna, Vice Admiral Hudson met with the Bulgarian Minister of Defence, Dr. Velizar Shalamanov, the Bulgarian Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Dimitar Denev, and the Bulgarian General Staff, followed by a visit to SNMG2 TU.02 ships HMCS TORONTO and ESPS ALMIRANTE JUAN DE BORBON.
In Bucharest, Vice Admiral Hudson met with the Romanian Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Stefan Danila, the State Secretary for Defence Policy and Planning, Mr. Valeriu Nicut, the Romanian Navy Chief of Training and Doctrine, Rear Admiral Constantin Ciorobea, and the Romanian Naval Staff.
Topics of discussion in both countries included maritime security in the Black Sea, increased NATO presence in the Black Sea, exercise participation (both national and NATO-led), participation in NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR and counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD, and force contributions to NATO’s Standing Naval Forces.
"Close coordination between MARCOM and individual Allied navies is critical to our ability to operate together, and Bulgarian and Romanian naval contributions to Allied Standing Naval Forces are of utmost importance,” said Vice Admiral Hudson. "Our Allies on the Black Sea are on the front line of an increasingly complicated maritime area following Russia’s destabilizing actions in Ukraine. NATO presence at sea is essential to assuring our Allies that NATO’s solidarity and commitment to collective defence are absolutes.”
Story by HQ MARCOM Public Affairs Office
==============================
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Maritime Command
September 24, 2014
COMMANDER OF ALLIED MARITIME COMMAND VISITS BULGARIA AND ROMANIA
BUCHAREST, Romania: The Commander of NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, CBE, has wrapped up three days of staff talks in Bulgaria and Romania. The official visits were held in conjunction with the conclusion of Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) port visit to Varna, Bulgaria, as part of ongoing NATO efforts to assure Allies on the eastern borders of the Alliance.
During the visit to Varna, Vice Admiral Hudson met with the Bulgarian Minister of Defence, Dr. Velizar Shalamanov, the Bulgarian Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Dimitar Denev, and the Bulgarian General Staff, followed by a visit to SNMG2 TU.02 ships HMCS TORONTO and ESPS ALMIRANTE JUAN DE BORBON.
In Bucharest, Vice Admiral Hudson met with the Romanian Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Stefan Danila, the State Secretary for Defence Policy and Planning, Mr. Valeriu Nicut, the Romanian Navy Chief of Training and Doctrine, Rear Admiral Constantin Ciorobea, and the Romanian Naval Staff.
Topics of discussion in both countries included maritime security in the Black Sea, increased NATO presence in the Black Sea, exercise participation (both national and NATO-led), participation in NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR and counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD, and force contributions to NATO’s Standing Naval Forces.
"Close coordination between MARCOM and individual Allied navies is critical to our ability to operate together, and Bulgarian and Romanian naval contributions to Allied Standing Naval Forces are of utmost importance,” said Vice Admiral Hudson. "Our Allies on the Black Sea are on the front line of an increasingly complicated maritime area following Russia’s destabilizing actions in Ukraine. NATO presence at sea is essential to assuring our Allies that NATO’s solidarity and commitment to collective defence are absolutes.”
Story by HQ MARCOM Public Affairs Office
==============================
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Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:30 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/
Ukrinform
September 24, 2014
Situation in Ukraine to be a priority for new NATO secretary general
KYIV: The situation in Ukraine triggered by Russian aggression will be a priority for Jens Stoltenberg, who takes up the post of the NATO secretary general on October 1.
He said this in an interview with the Norwegian Telegraph Bureau (NTB).
"The seriousness of the current situation in Ukraine is indicated by the fact that military force is used to change the borders of states. Ukraine is a NATO partner and, in addition, it borders the member states of the alliance," ITAR-TASS quoted Stoltenberg as saying.
He also noted that a return to the old format of relations between Russia and NATO was not being considered.
"The return to the former [format] is not being considered as an option. Russia has decided to stand for a more aggressive line. Therefore, we cannot, as we previously hoped, continue strengthening the partnership with Russia... The case of Norway, as a country that is a NATO member and modernize its armed forces, shows that force and firmness are the necessary conditions for dialogue with Russia," Stoltenberg said.
==============================
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Ukrinform
September 24, 2014
Situation in Ukraine to be a priority for new NATO secretary general
KYIV: The situation in Ukraine triggered by Russian aggression will be a priority for Jens Stoltenberg, who takes up the post of the NATO secretary general on October 1.
He said this in an interview with the Norwegian Telegraph Bureau (NTB).
"The seriousness of the current situation in Ukraine is indicated by the fact that military force is used to change the borders of states. Ukraine is a NATO partner and, in addition, it borders the member states of the alliance," ITAR-TASS quoted Stoltenberg as saying.
He also noted that a return to the old format of relations between Russia and NATO was not being considered.
"The return to the former [format] is not being considered as an option. Russia has decided to stand for a more aggressive line. Therefore, we cannot, as we previously hoped, continue strengthening the partnership with Russia... The case of Norway, as a country that is a NATO member and modernize its armed forces, shows that force and firmness are the necessary conditions for dialogue with Russia," Stoltenberg said.
==============================
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Wed Sep 24, 2014 7:12 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 24, 2014
NATO: A long blue line for security
Speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the United States Military Academy West Point, New York
[Edited by RR]
General Thomson, thank you for that kind introduction. And thank you, cadets for that warm welcome.
This is a visit I have wanted to make for a long time. During my five years as NATO Secretary General, I have had the privilege of working with many of this institution’s outstanding graduates.
Truly exceptional leaders and commanders such as the current commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General John Campbell. As well as two of his predecessors.
Indeed, the history of West Point and of NATO are intimately linked. The very first NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Eisenhower, was a West Point graduate. And so were twelve of the sixteen SACEURs who followed him.
…
Two of my senior staff, Matt Klimow and EJ Herold, graduated from this academy. And so did your country’s current ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute. He was a member of the class of 1975…
…
Cadets,
When you graduate, you will leave here to serve your flag. And many of you will likely also serve under the flag of NATO. As American service men and women have done in Afghanistan, Kosovo, off the coast of Somalia, over Libya and in the Mediterranean Sea. And from the Baltic Sea to Turkeys south-eastern border.
NATO is a unique organization. It is an Alliance of 28 nations…
Our Alliance was founded 65 years ago, on the ruins of World War Two and in the shadow of the Cold War. It binds together North America and Europe to ensure our collective security…Article 5 of our founding Treaty states that we consider an attack against one to be an attack against us all. This remains our solemn pledge. All for one, and one for all.
Article 5 has only been invoked once. Not to protect Europe, as we expected during the Cold War. But in support of the United States, immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
So NATO remains vigilant. But we are also carrying out ongoing operations and preparing for the challenges we will face in the future.
Just a couple of weeks ago, President Obama, joined me and the other Allied leaders in Wales, in the United Kingdom, for a crucial NATO Summit.
We laid out the way ahead for our Alliance. A NATO that will be fitter, faster, and more flexible. I wont go through all the decisions that were made at the Summit. For those of you with interest, and some time, you can read the Summit Declaration on the NATO website. All 113 paragraphs of it. If any of you are suffering from insomnia, it will certainly cure it.
Instead, let me set out the threats we face. NATO’s responses. And the missions and operations that could be part of your future.
Today’s security challenges are more interconnected and more complex than ever before.
In Iraq and Syria, we see the rise of the so-called Islamic State…
With such groups, there is no negotiation. Only violence and destruction. So we can’t just talk. We need to act. And I welcome yesterday’s strikes, led by the United States and several regional partners….
Turning now to Europe, a revanchist Russia has rejected all the rules and commitments that have helped to keep peace since the end of the Cold War. From the Republic of Moldova to Georgia, and now in Ukraine, Russia has used economic pressure, military force and the most cynical propaganda. Hot conflicts and frozen conflicts. To forcibly rebuild its influence in the former Soviet space. And to deny countries in its neighbourhhod the right to choose their own path.
So the security landscape has dramatically changed. And we have to adapt. At our NATO Summit in Wales a few weeks ago we did exactly that. We approved a Readiness Action Plan that will increase our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to threats to our territory. Our priority is to provide for the collective defence of all our Allies. This means having the right forces in the right place with the right equipment.
We also agreed to create a special spearhead force. Ready and deployable at short notice. In the years ahead, some of you may exercise and train with other NATO soldiers as part of this force.
At the Summit, we also launched a Defence Capacity Building Initiative. Which is aimed at helping nations with security challenges…
As an initial step, we extended this Initiative to Georgia, Jordan and Moldova. And we are also considering how to provide this type of support to support Iraq, if the new government requests our help.
Here again, I would expect some of you might participate in these teams. To pass on your advice, your experience, and the wealth of knowledge that you acquire during your time in this academy and during your Army service.
…
For over 60 years, American soldiers, including many West Point graduates, continued to put their lives on the line. To preserve not just American security, but the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region.
In recent years, many brave Americans have served in Afghanistan…We have done that together. In a coalition of over 50 nations. Led by NATO.
Today, members of the Long Gray Line can be found from Japan and the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea all the way to the Baltic states in northern Europe.
The Long Gray Line has stood firm. And you have not stood alone. NATOs flag is blue. So we must ensure that a long blue line of security continues to protect all our Allies and their freedom.
==============================
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.
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==============================
September 24, 2014
NATO: A long blue line for security
Speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the United States Military Academy West Point, New York
[Edited by RR]
General Thomson, thank you for that kind introduction. And thank you, cadets for that warm welcome.
This is a visit I have wanted to make for a long time. During my five years as NATO Secretary General, I have had the privilege of working with many of this institution’s outstanding graduates.
Truly exceptional leaders and commanders such as the current commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General John Campbell. As well as two of his predecessors.
Indeed, the history of West Point and of NATO are intimately linked. The very first NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Eisenhower, was a West Point graduate. And so were twelve of the sixteen SACEURs who followed him.
…
Two of my senior staff, Matt Klimow and EJ Herold, graduated from this academy. And so did your country’s current ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute. He was a member of the class of 1975…
…
Cadets,
When you graduate, you will leave here to serve your flag. And many of you will likely also serve under the flag of NATO. As American service men and women have done in Afghanistan, Kosovo, off the coast of Somalia, over Libya and in the Mediterranean Sea. And from the Baltic Sea to Turkeys south-eastern border.
NATO is a unique organization. It is an Alliance of 28 nations…
Our Alliance was founded 65 years ago, on the ruins of World War Two and in the shadow of the Cold War. It binds together North America and Europe to ensure our collective security…Article 5 of our founding Treaty states that we consider an attack against one to be an attack against us all. This remains our solemn pledge. All for one, and one for all.
Article 5 has only been invoked once. Not to protect Europe, as we expected during the Cold War. But in support of the United States, immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
So NATO remains vigilant. But we are also carrying out ongoing operations and preparing for the challenges we will face in the future.
Just a couple of weeks ago, President Obama, joined me and the other Allied leaders in Wales, in the United Kingdom, for a crucial NATO Summit.
We laid out the way ahead for our Alliance. A NATO that will be fitter, faster, and more flexible. I wont go through all the decisions that were made at the Summit. For those of you with interest, and some time, you can read the Summit Declaration on the NATO website. All 113 paragraphs of it. If any of you are suffering from insomnia, it will certainly cure it.
Instead, let me set out the threats we face. NATO’s responses. And the missions and operations that could be part of your future.
Today’s security challenges are more interconnected and more complex than ever before.
In Iraq and Syria, we see the rise of the so-called Islamic State…
With such groups, there is no negotiation. Only violence and destruction. So we can’t just talk. We need to act. And I welcome yesterday’s strikes, led by the United States and several regional partners….
Turning now to Europe, a revanchist Russia has rejected all the rules and commitments that have helped to keep peace since the end of the Cold War. From the Republic of Moldova to Georgia, and now in Ukraine, Russia has used economic pressure, military force and the most cynical propaganda. Hot conflicts and frozen conflicts. To forcibly rebuild its influence in the former Soviet space. And to deny countries in its neighbourhhod the right to choose their own path.
So the security landscape has dramatically changed. And we have to adapt. At our NATO Summit in Wales a few weeks ago we did exactly that. We approved a Readiness Action Plan that will increase our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to threats to our territory. Our priority is to provide for the collective defence of all our Allies. This means having the right forces in the right place with the right equipment.
We also agreed to create a special spearhead force. Ready and deployable at short notice. In the years ahead, some of you may exercise and train with other NATO soldiers as part of this force.
At the Summit, we also launched a Defence Capacity Building Initiative. Which is aimed at helping nations with security challenges…
As an initial step, we extended this Initiative to Georgia, Jordan and Moldova. And we are also considering how to provide this type of support to support Iraq, if the new government requests our help.
Here again, I would expect some of you might participate in these teams. To pass on your advice, your experience, and the wealth of knowledge that you acquire during your time in this academy and during your Army service.
…
For over 60 years, American soldiers, including many West Point graduates, continued to put their lives on the line. To preserve not just American security, but the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region.
In recent years, many brave Americans have served in Afghanistan…We have done that together. In a coalition of over 50 nations. Led by NATO.
Today, members of the Long Gray Line can be found from Japan and the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea all the way to the Baltic states in northern Europe.
The Long Gray Line has stood firm. And you have not stood alone. NATOs flag is blue. So we must ensure that a long blue line of security continues to protect all our Allies and their freedom.
==============================
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.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@
==============================
Wed Sep 24, 2014 7:13 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.interfax.com.ua/
Interfax-Ukraine
September 24, 2014
Defense Ministry to buy Polish drones and Ukrainian helicopters for ATO forces - Turchynov
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry will purchase Polish drones and Ukrainian helicopters for the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) forces, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov has said.
"When visiting the exhibition [11th Arms and Security exhibition] we have already agreed on the immediate purchase of several of these helicopters for the National Guard. The Defense Ministry is also buying these helicopters along with armaments," he told reporters when attending the exhibition in Kyiv on Wednesday.
In addition, according to Turchynov, the Ukrainian army and the police showed an interest in unmanned aerial vehicles.
"It's very important to us, and our Polish colleagues want to supply these products to Ukraine," he said.
He said that Polish drones have very serious specifications, in particular, they can lift up to 15 kilograms of cargo, including arms.
Turchynov noted that one of the problems in the area of the anti-terrorist operation for the Ukrainian military was to find targets, locate and neutralize them.
"There are several systems here that will leave for the ATO zone straight from the exhibition and will help fully realize the drones that are used by the Russian Armed Forces for precision-guided fire on our positions," he said, adding that these products will be tested in the ATO zone.
==============================
http://en.interfax.com.ua/
Interfax-Ukraine
September 24, 2014
Arms and equipment for National Guard and Armed Forces to be purchased this year – interior minister
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that arms and equipment for the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) will be purchased this year.
"Purchases will be made this year. They continue. The prime minister held a respective meeting... By the end of the year, as part of defense contracts, we will purchase a sufficient amount of BTR-4Es, BTR-3Es and Grads and domestically produced equipment for the National Guard and the Armed Forces alone," he told journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday when attending an international specialized exhibition "Arms and Security 2014."
"I think that following today's exhibition and following conversations with our suppliers (we are working as part of the defense order, direct contracts and through government funding from the reserve fund)... we will modify the current contracts according to the latest achievements that they managed to demonstrate today," Avakov said.
He also said that the work of defense enterprises in Ukraine today "is a big backlog for 2015, taking into account the challenges given to us by the war."
Interfax-Ukraine
September 24, 2014
Defense Ministry to buy Polish drones and Ukrainian helicopters for ATO forces - Turchynov
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry will purchase Polish drones and Ukrainian helicopters for the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) forces, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov has said.
"When visiting the exhibition [11th Arms and Security exhibition] we have already agreed on the immediate purchase of several of these helicopters for the National Guard. The Defense Ministry is also buying these helicopters along with armaments," he told reporters when attending the exhibition in Kyiv on Wednesday.
In addition, according to Turchynov, the Ukrainian army and the police showed an interest in unmanned aerial vehicles.
"It's very important to us, and our Polish colleagues want to supply these products to Ukraine," he said.
He said that Polish drones have very serious specifications, in particular, they can lift up to 15 kilograms of cargo, including arms.
Turchynov noted that one of the problems in the area of the anti-terrorist operation for the Ukrainian military was to find targets, locate and neutralize them.
"There are several systems here that will leave for the ATO zone straight from the exhibition and will help fully realize the drones that are used by the Russian Armed Forces for precision-guided fire on our positions," he said, adding that these products will be tested in the ATO zone.
==============================
http://en.interfax.com.ua/
Interfax-Ukraine
September 24, 2014
Arms and equipment for National Guard and Armed Forces to be purchased this year – interior minister
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that arms and equipment for the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) will be purchased this year.
"Purchases will be made this year. They continue. The prime minister held a respective meeting... By the end of the year, as part of defense contracts, we will purchase a sufficient amount of BTR-4Es, BTR-3Es and Grads and domestically produced equipment for the National Guard and the Armed Forces alone," he told journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday when attending an international specialized exhibition "Arms and Security 2014."
"I think that following today's exhibition and following conversations with our suppliers (we are working as part of the defense order, direct contracts and through government funding from the reserve fund)... we will modify the current contracts according to the latest achievements that they managed to demonstrate today," Avakov said.
He also said that the work of defense enterprises in Ukraine today "is a big backlog for 2015, taking into account the challenges given to us by the war."
