Category Archives: Military and Defense

Exercise Rapid Trident 2013 – Multinational exercise in the Ukraine

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in European News, Military and Defense

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English: Location map of Ukraine within Europe

Location map of Ukraine within Europe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rapid Trident supports interoperability among Ukraine, the United States, NATO and Partnership for Peace member nations. The exercise helps prepare participants to operate successfully in a joint, multinational, integrated environment with host-nation support from civil and governmental agencies.

Rapid Trident is a part of U.S. European Command’s Joint Training and Exercise Program, designed to enhance joint combined interoperability with allied and partner nations.

The exercise also supports Ukraine’s Annual National Program to achieve interoperability with NATO and commitments made in the annual NATO-Ukraine work plan.

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Exercise Saber Strike 2013 – Multinational exercise hosted in the Baltics

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Baltics, Military and Defense

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Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

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

Saber Strike is a long-standing, multilateral, multifaceted, U.S Army Europe-led security cooperation exercise primarily focused on the three Baltic States. The exercise spans multiple locations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and involves approximately 2,000 personnel from 14 countries.

In addition to major contingents from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Saber Strike 2013 includes participation from Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, NATO’s Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), the U.S. Army and Air National Guard, U.S. Army Cadet Command and observers from Norway and Sweden.

The exercise trains participants on command and control as well as interoperability with regional partners and is comprised of a brigade-level command post exercise and computer assisted exercise, as well as company-level field and situational training exercises. It also features the integration of U.S. close air support with partner nation ground forces and the demonstration of U.S. Expeditionary Medical Support (EMEDS) capability.

This theater security cooperation exercise provides commanders and their staffs practical experience in organizing, controlling and supporting coalition operations and allows the United States, NATO and participating nations to demonstrate their own unique roles in contributing to regional and global stability by strengthening international military partnerships, enhancing multinational interoperability and preparing participants for worldwide contingency operations.

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New report on European military capabilities

07 Tuesday May 2013

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

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By James Rogers, European Geostrategy, May 6, 2013

Chairman of the European Union Military Commit...

Chairman of the European Union Military Committe visits EUFOR HQ (Photo credit: European External Action Service – EEAS)

The European Union’s Institute for Security Studies published a report  commissioned by the European Union’s Military Committee to provide further reflection during 2013 about the future of European military capabilities.

The report argues that we are likely to face a series of growing threats and challenges, particularly in relation to the changing balance of global power… (more)

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DOD Conducts ‘BRAC-like’ Review in Europe

29 Monday Apr 2013

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Europe - Satellite image - PlanetObserver

Europe – Satellite image (Photo credit: PlanetObserver)

By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service, April 26, 2013While the U.S. continues to reduce its military presence in Europe, the Defense Department is conducting a review to identify more Europe-based installations and training areas to recommend for closure or realignment….In fact, the U.S. force in Europe has decreased about 80 percent from the height of the Cold War, when the United States had 450,000 service members serving at some 1,200 bases, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, the U.S. European Command commander and supreme allied commander for Europe, told Congress last month.

Today, Eucom consists of 64,000 joint forces, representing less than 5 percent of the U.S. military, spread across 21 major bases and smaller supporting sites, Stavridis reported… (more)

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Steadfast Jazz 2013 collective defense exercise in the baltics, Poland

22 Monday Apr 2013

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

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English:

Baltic States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BNS via Lithuania Tribune, April 22, 2013

Up to 5,000 NATO soldiers will attend Steadfast Jazz 2013, an exercise to be held in the Baltic States and Poland this fall, a NATO officer has said… (more)

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How the Nordic Countries Are Quietly Leading the Alliance into the Future

10 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Foreign Policy, Military and Defense

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Nordiska passunionen: Norge, Sverige, Finland,...

The Nordic Passport Union: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Magnus Nordenman, New Atlanticist, April 08, 2013Amidst massive defense cuts and perennial squabbling over burden sharing across NATO, the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark have quietly assumed a real leadership role in the transatlantic security relationship. They are making valuable contributions to the Alliance in personnel, strategic vision, operations, and policy. More importantly, they provide a model for how NATO can remain an effective security provider in a future of constrained resources… (more)

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Putin orders surprise Black Sea military exercises

28 Thursday Mar 2013

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

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A map showing the location of the Black Sea an...

A map showing the location of the Black Sea and some of the large or prominent ports around it. The Sea of Azov and Sea of Marmara are also labelled. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Russian military honor guard welcomes U.S....

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Agence France-Presse (Published on Hurriyet Daily News), March 28, 2013Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered surprise military exercises in the Black Sea region involving 7,000 troops and dozens of ships to test the army’s battle readiness, the Kremlin said.

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Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said 36 ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet‘s base in the Ukrainian Crimean city of Sevastopol and the Russian port of Novorossiisk would be involved in the exercises… (more)

 

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A Nordic defensive shield

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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

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English: Map of the geographic situation of No...

Map of the geographic situation of Nord Baltic Eight countries. Nordic countries (Demark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) are painted in blue and Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are painted in green. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Edward Lucas, European Voice, March 14, 2103

Look at a map and the case for closer co-operation between NATO and its non-member neighbours Finland and Sweden seems obvious. Like the alliance’s most vulnerable members, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, they have problems with Russia. By virtue of their membership of the European Union, both Finland and Sweden are committed to collective defence of a kind. Close co-operation with NATO simply makes it more effective. The shibboleths about non-alignment and neutrality look anachronistic… (more)

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Visegrad Four to strengthen military cooperation

07 Thursday Mar 2013

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Countries of the Visegrád Group

Countries of the Visegrád Group (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Deutsche Welle, March 7, 2013

Defense ministers from the Visegrad Four – Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – have agreed to form a joint military unit for EU missions. Germany and France praised the move at the summit in Warsaw… (more)

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Large NATO Exercise to Take Place in Baltics in Fall

24 Sunday Feb 2013

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

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English: Locator map of the Baltic region – Es...

Baltic region – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the russian Kaliningrad Oblast. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Estonian Public Broadcasting, Feb. 22, 2013

This fall, the Baltic region will host NATO’s biggest collective defense exercise of the last ten years.

The maneuvers, named ‘Steadfast Jazz,’ will take place in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Estonia will participate with one infantry company as well as staff officers and civilian officials, the Ministry of Defense said in a press release on Thursday… (more)

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