• About
  • News Feed
  • Quotes and articles
  • What Think Tanks Are Saying
  • Why U.S. Forces remain in Europe

Bruce K. Anderson

~ Security, National Defense and U.S. Interests at Home and Abroad

Bruce K. Anderson

Category Archives: Military and Defense

Judy Dempsey – Russia is Losing Germany

22 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

EU, European Union, Germany, Russia, sanctions, Vladimir Putin

By Judy Dempsey, Strategic Europe, August 21, 2014

A three-page letter that was sent to German parliamentarians on August 18 makes sober reading.

Ostensibly, the letter is about how Europe’s sanctions against Russia and vice versa might affect the German economy. But the real message that Sigmar Gabriel, Social Democrat leader and minister for economic affairs and energy, Wolfgang Schäuble, federal minister of finance, and Christian Schmidt, food and agriculture minister, want to get across is that Germany’s special relationship with Russia is all but over… (more)

 

 

Advertisement

Is Putin this century’s Hitler?

02 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Military and Defense, Russia, Ukraine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Adolf Hitler, Crimea, Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin

Questionable constitutional changes to gain and retain power, using armed thugs to suppress opposition and critical press, using hate speech against a minority group to divert attention from national problems, and now invading a neighboring sovereign nation to “protect” citizens who claim ethnic ties to his country from their own government – Vladimir Putin has often been compared to Adolf Hitler.

With his current occupation of sovereign Ukraine territory in the Crimean and his likely expansion into the the rest of eastern Ukraine, Putin is inviting more comparisons. Will his own people begin to se him that way? Or will they continue to support him, or at least tolerate him, while he takes pages from the playbook of their most hated enemy of all time?

Is Putin this century’s Hitler?

Here are a couple of recent articles.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/461770/Expert-likens-possible-Putin-action-on-Ukraine-to-Hitler-s-1938-move-on-Czechoslovakia

http://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/op-ed/boris-danik-putins-sudetenland-338092.html

NATO standards in former Warsaw Pact countries

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

NATO, NATO Standardization, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Warsaw Pact

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)

Related articles
  • Georgia and the New Geopolitical Struggle (caucasusmessenger.wordpress.com)
  • How do you solve a problem like Russia? (theguardian.com)
  • News story: Building defence capabilities in Europe (gov.uk)
  • Hagel, Romania’s Defense Chief Reach Significant Agreements (eurasiareview.com)
  • Breedlove Urges NATO to Tap NCO Corps Capabilities (defense.gov)
  • Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup… (news.err.ee)
  • Nato war games come at tricky time in EU-Russia relations (euobserver.com)

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

16 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, NATO, NATO Response Force, Poland, Ukraine

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)

Related articles
  • Nato war games come at tricky time in EU-Russia relations (euobserver.com)
  • NATO Mine Clearing Squadron Arrives in Tallinn (news.err.ee)
  • Ämari Serves as Control Center for NATO Exercise for First Time (news.err.ee)
  • Russian War Games on Baltic Border Spark Security Fears (bloomberg.com)
  • Sweden To Join NATO Response Force (glblgeopolitics.wordpress.com)
  • The security concerns of the Baltic States as NATO allies (brucekanderson.com)
  • Commanders Discuss NATO-Russian Observations of Military Exercises (news.err.ee)
  • NATO Fosters Partnerships Key to Future Success (defense.gov)
  • NATO plans major east European exercise (worldbulletin.net)
  • NATO Plans Major East European Exercise (voanews.com)
  • Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup… (news.err.ee)

Zapad 13 – Observations and perspective

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltic, Baltic region, Baltic States, NATO, Russia, Zapad 2013

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)

Related articles

  • Nato war games come at tricky time in EU-Russia relations (euobserver.com)
  • Commanders Discuss NATO-Russian Observations of Military Exercises (news.err.ee)
  • Defense Forces Express Surprise at Scale of ‘Zapad’ (news.err.ee)
  • Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup… (news.err.ee)
  • Russia, China Hold Large-Scale War Games (freebeacon.com)
  • Russian War Games on Baltic Border Spark Security Fears (bloomberg.com)

Russian Commandos Train for Arctic Combat

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Arctic Region, European News, Military and Defense

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Arctic, Arctic warfare, Energy Security, Polar region, Resource competition, Russia

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)

Related articles

  • What Russia’s Treatment of Greenpeace Activists Reveals About its Arctic Policy (theatlantic.com)
  • Russia Intensifies Control Over Northern Sea Route Shipping, But Suez May Still Win (businessinsider.com)
  • Russia’s Military Is Back (nationalinterest.org)
  • Russia to flex muscle in oil-rich Arctic, establish Soviet-era base (calgaryherald.com)
  • Putin to restore Soviet military base for new Arctic expansion (thestar.com)
  • Russia revives naval presence in Arctic (thehindu.com)
  • Russia commences Arctic naval patrols (newscientist.com)

Zapad 2013: the Belarusian and Russian armies’ anti-NATO integration exercises

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense, Russia

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltic Sea, Belarus, Kaliningrad, Military exercise, NATO, Russia, Russian Armed Forces, Steadfast Jazz 2013, Zapad 2013

Russian Army T-90A during a training exercise.

Russian Army T-90A during a training exercise. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Andrzej Wilk, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), Sept. 25, 2013

On 20-26 September, the active (military) phase of the strategic-level exercises held by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus, entitled ‘West 2013’, were held. This was the largest joint exercise both armies had ever carried out; including the ranges in the western part of Belarus, Kaliningrad and the Baltic Sea, over 22,000 soldiers took part in it. For the Russian army, ‘West 2013’ did not constitute a particular challenge, coming as it did as part of the larger series of exercises arranged in parallel in the Murmansk oblast and the Barents Sea. For the Belarusian army, however, this year’s joint exercises are the biggest undertaking in military training it has carried out for two decades. Above all, ‘West 2013’ was a test of the integration of the Belarusian and Russian armies, and particularly of the former’s ability to act within the norms and structures of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The scenario and nature of the ‘West 2013’ exercises leave no doubt that the Russian/Belarusian forces are training to conduct regular military operations, and their potential opponent is the NATO countries bordering with Russia and Belarus. In political terms, however, we can observe a certain duality in Russia’s approach to NATO. On the one hand – thanks to the information about the exercises reported in media – we see that Moscow is aiming to provoke a negative reaction from its western neighbours. But on the other – from its joint non-military exercises (the ‘Vigilant Sky 2013’ anti-terrorist exercises held in parallel with ‘West 2013’) – it has tried to allay NATO’s concerns regarding the objectives of Russia’s military policy towards Europe… (more)

Related articles

  • Russia, China Hold Large-Scale War Games (freebeacon.com)
  • Meanwhile, Over at the Massive Russian Military Buildup… (news.err.ee)
  • Russian Military Exercise Focuses on Western Nations, Says Reinsalu (news.err.ee)
  • Russian army officers arrive in Belarus for Zapad 2013 exercise (onetruerebel.wordpress.com)
  • Russian paratroopers arrive in Belarus for Zapad-2013 military exercises (indrus.in)

The security concerns of the Baltic States as NATO allies

04 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Steadfast Jazz

Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Dr. James S. Corum, Strategic Studies Institute and U.S. Army War College Press,The three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania hold a special position among the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations, as they are the three full members of the Western Alliance that were once republics of
the Soviet Union… (more)

Related articles
  • Belgium Takes Baton in Baltic Air-Policing Mission (news.err.ee)
  • Military conflict in the Baltics – the worst-case scenario (phantomreport.com)
  • NATO may consider Estonian backup base for Baltic air policing mission (stratrisks.com)
  • Principled Stand of the U.S. with the Baltics Still Resonates Today (heritage.org)
  • U.S. – Baltic relations: Laying the groundwork for deeper cooperation (estonianworld.com)
  • Baltic States Divided On Merging Armed Forces (historychannelfromthewar.com)
  • Steadfast Jazz to Feature Baltic Invasion Scenario (news.err.ee)
  • Joint Statement by the United States of America, Republic of Estonia, Republic of Latvia, and Republic of Lithuania + Fact Sheets + Action Alert (#TPP #TTIP) (dandelionsalad.wordpress.com)
  • Exercises, Training to Posture NATO for Future Challenges (defense.gov)
  • NATO Response Force 2014. & NATO’s Upcoming Exercise “Steadfast Jazz 2013” (12160.info)

Exercises, Training to Posture NATO for Future Challenges

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Baltics, European News, Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

NATO, NATO Response Force, Steadfast Jazz

By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2013 – Sharpened by the past decade of combat operations, NATO forces are launching an ambitious effort to build on that foundation and to enhance the capabilities of the NATO Response Force, the top U.S. and NATO commander reported.

“After more than 10 years of experience fighting together in Afghanistan, we have achieved an unprecedented level of cohesiveness among allies and partners,” Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, said in his new blog posting…(more)

 

Related articles

  • Steadfast Jazz to Feature Baltic Invasion Scenario (news.err.ee)
  • NATO Response Force 2014. & NATO’s Upcoming Exercise “Steadfast Jazz 2013” (12160.info)
  • Breedlove: Detachment in Poland Reflects Commitment to Europe (defense.gov)
  • Russia Furious About NATO Drill Centered Around “Foreign Invasion” of Poland (usahitman.com)
  • Sweden registers Nato force interest (thelocal.se)
  • The Necessity of NATO in the Post Cold War World (thomasheier.wordpress.com)
Related articles
  • Sweden registers Nato force interest (thelocal.se)
  • The Necessity of NATO in the Post Cold War World (thomasheier.wordpress.com)

The Case for U.S. Troops in Europe Today

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Bruce K. Anderson in Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

NATO, U.S. forces in Europe, United States, United States Armed Forces

Taken from The Future of U.S. Bases in Europe: A View from America

By Luke Coffey, Heritage Foundation, July 15, 2013

… “In my opinion, however, basing American troops in Europe directly serves U.S. national security interests.

Of course, the presence of U.S. forces in Europe contributes to the collective defense of U.S. allies on the continent, but this is a consequence of, not the reason for, maintaining a robust presence. The challenge for U.S. decision makers is to keep a military force that can promote U.S. interests in the region without creating a culture of dependence on the U.S. security umbrella among some of America’s European allies.

The commonly held belief that U.S. forces are in Europe to protect European allies from a threat that no longer exists is wrong. In fact, forward basing U.S. troops in Europe is just as important now as it was during the Cold War, albeit for different reasons… (more)

Related articles
  • Withdrawing US Forces From Europe Weakens America – Analysis (albanytribune.com)
  • U.S. Presence in Europe Critical in the Years Ahead (heritage.org)
  • Poland Welcomes U.S. Troops (freebeacon.com)
  • US Army Creates NATO Rapid-Deployment Forces (stratrisks.com)
  • DOD Announces U.S. Force Posture Revision in Europe (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
← Older posts

  • Bruce K. Anderson

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Judy Dempsey – Russia is Losing Germany
  • Daily Beast- Putin’s Sleight-of-Hand Invasion
  • Is Putin this century’s Hitler?
  • NATO standards in former Warsaw Pact countries
  • 300 Lithuanian troops to take part in NATO exercises in Poland and Baltics

Twitter Posts

  • @GalvestonFerry Are all 4 boats on the Bolivar side right now? None to be seen on the Galveston side 4 months ago
  • RT @TheWTFNation: You spelled ❌ wrong. https://t.co/fM1mKIFXIT 1 year ago
  • RT @ArmyCIO: During the Joint experiments at #ProjectConvergence21, data fabric capabilities played a key role by bringing together multipl… 1 year ago
  • RT @ArmyCIO: #ArmyCIO Dr. Raj Iyer and Army CDO Dr. David Markowitz are speaking at the @AFCEANOVA Virtual Army IT Day on Thursday. We’re l… 1 year ago
  • RT @ArmyCIO: #ArmyCIOYearInReview In March, the Enterprise Cloud Management Agency was distinguished as a field operating agency of the #A… 1 year ago
Follow @BruceKAnderson

My Facebook Page

My Facebook Page

Archives

  • August 2014
  • March 2014
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • November 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

Tag Cloud

Afghanistan Anders Fogh Rasmussen Arctic Armenia Athens Austerity Azerbaijan Baltic Baltic region Baltic States Belarus BRIC Caucasus China Collective security Collective Security Treaty Organisation Czech Republic Erdogan Espionage Estonia Europe Europeans European Union Finland Foreign Policy Georgia Germany Government Greece International security Iran Iskander Israel Kaliningrad Kazakhstan Kofi Annan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Mark Hertling Mavi Marmara Middle East Military exercise Missile Defense MV Mavi Marmara NATO NATO Response Force North Atlantic Treaty Organization Pentagon Poland Russia Russian Armed Forces sayings Secretary General of NATO Smolensk South Ossetia Soviet Union Steadfast Jazz Sweden Syria Tajikistan Tbilisi Transatlantic Security Turkey U.S. Army Europe U.S. Forces Ukraine United States United States Armed Forces United States Army United States European Command USAREUR Vladimir Putin weather Zapad 2013

Blogroll

  • Baltic Review
  • Brookings Foreign Policy
  • Carnegie Europe
  • Discuss
  • Eastern European Forum
  • EurasiaNet
  • European Geostrategy
  • Foreign Policy Review
  • Get Polling
  • Get Support
  • Institute for the Study of War
  • Jamestown Foundation
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • South Caucasus Diary
  • Tamada Tales
  • The Bug Pit
  • The Daily Cheese
  • The European Strategist
  • The Turko-file
  • Theme Showcase
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Bruce K. Anderson
    • Join 30 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Bruce K. Anderson
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar