Category Archives: NATO

Norway sent up two F-35s off the coast of Finnmark, while Britain and Germany launched Eurofighters over the Baltic Sea.

NATO jets have intercepted Russian military planes in international airspace, continuing a long-established pattern of behaviour by the Kremlin that has taken on new significance since the invasion of Ukraine.

The Norwegian air force says it scrambled two F-35 fighters to respond to the sighting of several Russian planes off the northern region of Finnmark.

According to the air force, the group "consisted of two strategic bombers of the type Blackjack (Tu-160), followed by two tankers of the type Midas (Il-78), as well as three Foxhound fighter jets (MiG-31)".

After Norway shared details of the incident, Russias ministry of defence issued a statement describing a planned flight of 14 hours during which long-range aircraft crews carried out night and day refuelling in the air. It did not give a reason for the exercise, simply saying that its pilots regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas, and the Pacific Ocean.

The Finnmark incident echoes another that occurred in early March, when two Norwegian F-35s intercepted two Ilyushin IL-38 reconnaissance planes in the same area.

Meanwhile, Eurofighter jets belonging to Germany and Britain intercepted three Russian military aircraft flying over international waters in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, all with their transponders switched off.

The Luftwaffe shared pictures of two SU-27 fighters and an IL-20 reconnaissance plane one of the longest-serving and most secretive intelligence-gathering craft in the Russian military arsenal.

Russian and NATO military aircraft routinely intercepted each other in international airspace hundreds of times a year prior to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022; in the course of the last two decades, Britains Royal Air Force alone has been scrambled to respond to Russian military flights on well over 100 occasions.

Encounters between aircraft have continued amid the heightened tensions resulting from the Ukrainian war, but aside from an incident in which two Russian fighters downed an American drone over the Black Sea, none have as yet resulted in physical encounters.

See original here:
NATO jets scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft in Norway and ... - Euronews

John Healey,Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, recently inquired about the funding provided by the UK and Germany to the Wide Wet Gap Crossing defence procurement project.

TheMinister of State for the Ministry of Defence, James Cartlidge, replied that no joint funding has been provided yet as the contract is not committed.

The UK has spent 1,543,868 on the related TRITON project, while the German funding amount cannot be disclosed.

The information came to light in response to a Parliamentary Written Question.

John Healey, the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, asked:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding (a) the UK and (b) Germany have provided to the Wide Wet Gap Crossing defence procurement project.

James Cartlidge, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, responded:

The Joint UK-German programme to replace the current Wide Wet Gap Crossing capability is yet to commit to contract, so no funding has been provided jointly to date. The associated UK Project, TRITON, has spent 1,543,868 to date on requirements analysis and harmonisation with the German project, Schwimmschnellbrcke 2. We are not in a position to disclose the amount Germany has provided.

TRITON aims to deliver a modular, scalable and configurable bridging and ferrying system to enable Military Load Classification 100 (Tracked) and MLC 130 (Wheeled) crossing of wet gaps over 40m.

TRITON is an Equipment delivery project under the Next Generation Wide Wet Gap Crossing (NG WWGC) Programme led by Army Headquarters (AHQ), under Manoeuvre Support.

The Ministry of Defence say that the project fulfils a NATO commitment to provide a WWGC capability and will be operated by the Royal Engineers as part of a Multi-National Bridging Battalion.

Excerpt from:
UK spends 1.54m on NATO 'Wide Wet Gap' crossing project - UK Defence Journal

After the Soviet Unions collapse in the early 1990s, the alliance took on a wider role. NATO forces made up of troops volunteered by member states operated as peacekeepers in Bosnia in the 1990s, and bombed Serbia in 1999 to protect Kosovo, where the alliance still has troops.

In addition to the United States and Canada, 10 other countries became part of NATO in 1949: Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Britain.

Since then, 18 more European powers have joined: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

Other European countries have, over the years, avoided joining, often because of traditions of neutrality, like Ireland. But Russias invasion of Ukraine prompted two traditionally nonaligned countries, Sweden and Finland, to reconsider. They announced plans to seek membership in May and received formal invitations in June. Its expected to take several more months, however, for each existing member country to ratify the decision.

Ukraine, in contrast, has little prospect of membership any time soon, not least because of the risk of widening the conflict with Russia.

Original post:
What Is NATO and Which Countries Are Members?

Collective defence: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded in 1949 and is a group of 30 countries from Europe and North America that exists to protect the people and territory of its members. The Alliance is founded on the principle of collective defence, meaning that if one NATO Ally is attacked, then all NATO Allies are attacked. For example, when terrorists attacked the United States on 9/11 2001, all NATO Allies stood with America as though they had also been attacked.

Since 2014, NATO has implemented the biggest increase in its collective defence since the Cold War. For instance, we have now deployed four multinational battlegroups to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Their purpose is not to provoke a conflict, but to prevent one.

Managing crises around the world: Promoting stability in our neighbourhood and protecting our people at home can sometimes mean taking action further afield. In the 1990s, NATO stopped further bloodshed from occurring in Bosnia and Kosovo. Since 2003, NATO has helped to ensure that Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for international terrorist groups. NATO has also helped to prevent piracy off the Horn of Africa and, since 2016, has helped address the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe.

Fighting Terrorism: NATO plays an important role in fighting terrorism, contributing more than 13,000 NATO troops to train local forces in Afghanistan. NATO is also a full member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and our AWACS surveillance aircraft continue to support the Coalition. NATO is also training Iraqi forces to better fight ISIS, and our new Intelligence Division helps us to anticipate and respond to threats. In Naples, NATO has set up a Hub for the South to help Allies tackle the threat of terrorism.

Working with our partners: Because threats like terrorism, piracy and cyber warfare know no borders, NATO is committed to cooperation with its global partners. That's why we work with over 40 partner countries around the world, as well as organisations such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the African Union, to spread stability and security.

Troops and Equipment: Whenever NATO carries out a mission, individual Allies commit troops and equipment to be placed under a unified NATO command. These become known as NATO forces. The only military equipment that NATO owns is a fleet of AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control) surveillance aircraft. NATO is also developing a capability for Global Hawk surveillance drones.

NATO's Command Structure: With so many countries working together, having a clear chain of command is vital. Military and civilian personnel from all member states work together every day within NATOs Command Structure. This includes two top-level Strategic Commands: Allied Command Operations, based in Mons, Belgium; and Allied Command Transformation, based in Norfolk in the United States. To remain fit for purpose, the NATO Command Structure is being modernised to enable us to move forces more quickly across Europe and to keep sea lines of communication across the Atlantic free and open.

NATO funding: Every NATO country contributes to the costs of running the Alliance. By far the Allies' biggest contribution comes in the form of taking part in NATO-led missions and operations. For example, one country might provide fighter jets, while another provides ships, equipment or troops. NATO Allies also provide direct funding to NATO to cover the costs of NATO staff and facilities, its Command Structure and its jointly-owned equipment, like its AWACS aircraft.

Defence Spending: At the Wales Summit in 2014, NATO Allies pledged to invest more and better in defence to stop the cuts, move towards spending 2% of GDP on defence by 2024, and to spend 20% of that on major equipment. We are making progress. Over the last three years, European Allies and Canada have spent almost 46 billion US dollars more on defence.

The "Open Door" Policy: The Open Door Policy is a founding principle of NATO and means that any country in the Euro-Atlantic area is free to join NATO if it is prepared to meet the standards and obligations of membership, contributes to the security of the Alliance, and shares NATO's values of democracy, reform, and the rule of law. Since 1949, NATO's membership has grown from 12 to 30 countries. In 2020 we welcomed North Macedonia as our 30th member of the NATO Alliance.

Cyber Defence: Cyber-attacks are becoming more common, sophisticated and damaging, making cyber defence a top priority for NATO. In fact, NATO now recognises cyberspace as an operational domain just as land, sea or air. NATO helps Allies to boost their cyber defences by sharing information about threats, investing in education and training, and through exercises. NATO also has cyber defence experts that can be sent to help Allies under attack.

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NATO - 10 things you need to know about NATO

1. Sweden becomes 'legitimate target' by joining NATO, Russian envoy says  Fox News
2. Swedes will be 'sent to their deaths' if they join NATO, warns Moscow  Euronews
3. Sweden summons Russian envoy over NATO membership threats  DW (English)

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Sweden becomes 'legitimate target' by joining NATO, Russian envoy says - Fox News

UK must halt defence cuts and lead the way for Europe in NATO, says Labour's shadow defence secretary  Sky News

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UK must halt defence cuts and lead the way for Europe in NATO, says Labour's shadow defence secretary - Sky News

1. Why Turkey is stalling on Finland and Swedens NATO bids  Vox.com
2. Dealing With Erdogan: NATO, Sweden and Finland Should Wait Out Turkey's Election  Bloomberg
3. NATO Must Reject Turkey's Blackmail on Sweden's Bid  Foreign Policy

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Why Turkey is stalling on Finland and Swedens NATO bids - Vox.com

1. NATO urges Russia to respect its nuclear treaty, which Russia suspended when the US supported Ukraine  Fox News
2. NATO urges Russia to respect nuclear pact with the US  ABC News
3. NATO Urges Russia to Comply With Last US Nuclear Treaty  Voice of America - VOA News

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NATO urges Russia to respect its nuclear treaty, which Russia suspended when the US supported Ukraine - Fox News

NATO, in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization, International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion after World War II.

A 1948 collective-defense alliance between Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg was recognized as inadequate to deter Soviet aggression, and in 1949 the U.S. and Canada agreed to join their European allies in an enlarged alliance. A centralized administrative structure was set up, and three major commands were established, focused on Europe, the Atlantic, and the English Channel (disbanded in 1994). The admission of West Germany to NATO in 1955 led to the Soviet Unions creation of the opposing Warsaw Treaty Organization, or Warsaw Pact.

Because NATO ground forces were smaller than those of the Warsaw Pact, the balance of power was maintained by superior weaponry, including intermediate-range nuclear weapons. After the Warsaw Pacts dissolution and the end of the Cold War in 1991, NATO withdrew its nuclear weapons and attempted to transform its mission. It involved itself in the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty stated that an attack on one signatory would be regarded as an attack on the rest, and this article was first invoked in 2001 in response to the terrorist September 11 attacks against the U.S.

Additional countries joined NATO in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2017, and 2020 to bring the number of full members to 30. France withdrew from military participation in 1966 but rejoined NATOs integrated military command in 2009.

Originally posted here:
A brief history of NATO | Britannica

1. Nato allies pledge more arms for Ukraine, Germany holds out on tanks  Reuters.com
2. Russia-Ukraine war latest updates: NATO allies consider sending tanks  The Washington Post
3. Ukraine's plea to the U.S. and NATO from the frozen trenches near Russia's border: Send tanks  CBS News

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Nato allies pledge more arms for Ukraine, Germany holds out on tanks - Reuters.com