Monthly Archives: October 2013

NATO standards in former Warsaw Pact countries

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

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map of NATO members

map of NATO members (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By The Baltic Times, Oct 19, 2013

Former Warsaw Pact countries are steadily adopting NATO standards despite fiscal and industrial constraints, reports news agency Stratfor…

…NATO standardization is important for both new and old members of NATO for two key reasons. Operationally, NATO forces benefit from having interchangeable infrastructure and a network of supplies and logistics, from small arms ammunition to lighting systems. Utilizing the same communication and procedural doctrine means NATO members can better operate together, whether calling in naval gunfire support or interrogating prisoners of war.

Strategically, NATO standardization enables member states to deploy together in missions such as Operation Odyssey Dawn (the intervention in Libya) while minimizing the challenges that usually accompany multilateral campaigns. This serves to bring the alliance closer through consistent combined service and training…(more)

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300 Lithuanian troops to take part in NATO exercises in Poland and Baltics

16 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

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English: Emblem of the . Deutsch: Wappen der N...

Emblem of the NATO Response Force (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

by Lithuania Tribune, October 4, 2013

300 Lithuanian troops will take part in the so-called Chapter 5 exercises in Poland and the Baltic States, designed to test preparedness of the NATO Response Force to respond to an international crisis…

…The Steadfast Jazz 2013 exercises will involve about 6,000 personnel from 20 NATO member countries and partner nation Ukraine. During the event, 3,000 staff personnel from Joint Force Command Brunssum and other allied joint staffs will take part in a command and control exercise at the Adazi Base, Latvia. In addition, 3,000 troops will be involved in a live exercise at Poland’s Drawsko Pomorskie Training area…(more)

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Zapad 13 – Observations and perspective

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

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English: Zapad-2009 military exercises. Русски...

Zapad-2009 military exercises. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Karlis Neretnieks (Ret MG, Swedish Army) , Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences, October 14, 2013

Russia´s military capabilities are rising fast. The exercise Zapad 2013 clearly shows that the Russian Armed Forces have left the deplorable state they were in some ten years ago, and that the lessons learned from the Georgia conflict in 2008 are being implemented. The new command structure with Strategic Commands and leaner tactical units is being tested. It is not yet perfect, but Zapad 2013 will give valuable lessons…

…Altogether we see a rapidly increasing Russian capability to mount large scale, complex, military operations in its neighbourhood, coordinated with operations in other areas. It would be a mistake to see this just a problem for the Baltic States. It should have implications for most of Russia´s neighbours, and also for other parties interested in the security and stability in the Baltic Sea region…(more)

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Russian Commandos Train for Arctic Combat

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Arctic Region, European News, Military and Defense

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Arctic region CIA

Arctic region (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

StratRisks (Source: RIA), October 14, 2013   Russian army special forces units have had their first training sessions in Arctic warfare, under plans to boost the country’s military presence in the region, a Western Military District spokesman said Monday.   According to Col. Oleg Kochetkov, Russian special forces reconnaissance units have carried out a number of training missions on the Kola Peninsula under an experimental program simulating combat in the polar regions’ mountainous terrain…

…According to the Russian military, two arctic brigades will be deployed in Russia’s extreme north over the next few years. Russia also plans to return to mothballed Soviet-era… (more)

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Commentary: NATO and a New Agenda for the Arctic

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Arctic Region, Russia

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Artificially coloured topographical map of the...

Artificially coloured topographical map of the Arctic region. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Alexander Shaparov, European Dialogue, October 14, 2013

The Arctic region is turning into an area of protracted geopolitical rivalry. This rivalry will not necessarily be expressed in any military confrontation, but rather will take the form of economic, technological and political competition. In this context, the states involved will be ever less prepared to opt for compromise in upholding their national interests within international organizations. NATO’s increasing activity in the Arctic will lead to transfiguration in relations in the area of international security, with new challenges and opportunities emerging for Russia.

The Arctic is becoming a new area of NATO’s influence, an area where security is closely associated with crucially important interests of its member states… (more)

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