Category Archives: NATO

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. and NATO congratulated Ukraine for holding successful parliamentary elections on Sunday.

According to a preliminary assessment released by the OSCE's International Election Observatory Mission, the elections "were transparent and assessed positively overall."

The OSCE, U.S., and NATO recognized that unrest in Ukraine's eastern region and the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula by Russia had impacted the ability of all Ukrainians to participate in Sunday's election.

"Despite a challenging security environment in certain regions, millions of Ukrainians turned out across the country to cast their ballots in an orderly and peaceful manner," President Barack Obama remarked Monday.

Secretary of State John Kerry applauded Kiev for its voter outreach to embattled areas, notably in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.

"Their hard work to provide for alternate voting arrangements, including for internally displaced persons, was a particularly laudable effort to overcome actions by Russian authorities occupying Crimea and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to prevent voters from exercising their democratic rights."

Obama included a message intended for Moscow in his congratulatory statement:

"I call on Russia to ensure that its proxies in eastern Ukraine allow voters in the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk subject to the Special Status Law to choose their representatives in legitimate local elections on December 7, in keeping with the agreement that Russia and separatist representatives signed in Minsk, Belarus, on September 5, 2014."

NATO Secretary Genera Jens Stoltenberg applauded Ukrainians for embracing "an ambitious reform agenda and a European path. I welcome their determination to further promote an inclusive political process based on democratic values and respect for human rights, minorities and the rule of law."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's bloc was the clear winner in Sunday's election, followed by Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk's People's Front. Both parties are pro-European and support further Ukranian integration with the European Union.

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U.S., NATO applaud Ukraine for holding successful parliamentary elections

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- NATO concluded its combat mission in Afghanistan's Helmand Province on Sunday, transferring responsibility of two bases and an airstrip to the Afghan military.

A ceremony was held at the Bastion-Leatherneck complex to mark the momentous occasion in the 13-year war and edging closer to NATO's full military withdrawal. American and British flags were lowered one final time.

"This is truly a historic day," said commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson.

"Years of continuous combat, countless hours of sun-baked patrols and numerous casualties -- this day marks the end of the [coalition] mission here in southwest."

"It is with pride that we announce the end of UK combat operations in Helmand... Our Armed Forces' tremendous sacrifice laid the foundations for a strong Afghan Security Force, set the security context that enabled the first democratic transition of power in the country's history, and stopped it being a launch pad for terrorist attacks in the UK," remarked British Secretary of State for Defense Michael Fallon.

Afghan National Army Maj. Gen. Sayed Malouk, commander of the army's 215 Corps in central Helmand, expressed confidence in the ANA, noting "the ANA has already been conducting operations by themselves, in the battlefield, and no district has been taken over, no checkpoint has been taken over by the Taliban," adding, "We are ready."

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NATO ends mission in Afghanistan's Helmand Province

Sweden's recent obsessive search for a Russian submarine is an amusing story indeed. The Swedes could not see where the signal was coming from: it could be a Russian, a Dutch submarine or even divers. The performance has its director, though - NATO. Pravda.Ru interviewed the head of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Konstantin Sivkov about the situation in the Stockholm Archipelago.

"As long as they have been looking for a strange object so persistently, it appears that there are serious reasons for that. Could it be our submarine indeed?"

"Technically, it could be anything. Technically, a Russian submarine may find itself both in the fjords of Sweden, and elsewhere in the world ocean. But practically, this is impossible. It goes about "Triton" submarine. This is a midget submarine designed for solving tasks in the vicinity of bases. To be used in remote areas, it should be transported on board a surface ship, as a rule, because its range and the time of autonomous work is not large.

"The duration of a typical anti-submarine search operation that NATO forces conduct makes up from three to five days. If they have not found anything there during this time, they are not likely to find anything then. The area of the possible location of the alleged submarine was small. Some reports said that it was discovered visually, other sources said that it was detected by radio-electronic equipment. The primary location of the submarine was indicated with high accuracy. If the sub was there indeed, it would be found within hours after the detection of an electronic signal.

Sweden has anti-submarine aircraft equipped with powerful sonar equipment and radio-acoustic buoys that can detect such a submarine. Therefore, if it was not found then it means that it was not there. Compare it with the recent detection of a state-of-the-art American submarine, Virginia tyoe, that was found in Russian territorial waters near Novaya Zemlya. Everything was very quickly established, proven and appropriate measures were taken.

All the talk about the Russian submarine in Swedish waters is based on NATO's intention to feverishly sculpt an enemy from Russia, to justify its existence. The attempt to create an enemy in the form of international terrorism has led to nothing.

No one believes that. Therefore, one should model a more real and more visible image of an enemy. The myth of existence of a Russian submarine in the area was intended to create an idea of Russia's highly aggressive behavior. This will allow the military to require additional funding, whereas political hawks will seek Sweden's entry into NATO."

"Are reconnaissance missions of submarines to territorial waters of other countries a common occurrence?"

"Of course, they are. The Americans do that regularly. Soviet and Russian submarines do that too, certainly. Yet, why would Russian submarines get into the territorial waters of neutral Sweden? There are more dangerous opponents."

"The Voice of Sweden said one could install special sensors in those fjords to record information and then use the fjords to shelter Russian submarines in an event of emergency. Could it be possible?"

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NATO troops to march into Russia as peacekeepers?

NATO Intercepts Russian Jets Over Baltic Sea
HELSINKI NATO scrambled fighter jets twice in two days to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea, it said Tuesday amid reports that Russia...

By: Alma News

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NATO Intercepts Russian Jets Over Baltic Sea - Video

NATO Says Russian Army Still in Ukraine: Putin denies sending troops into Ukraine
Russia still has troops in eastern Ukraine and retains a potent military posture with thousands of soldiers still camped along the border NATO has said. Only last week Presdent Putin claimed...

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NATO Says Russian Army Still in Ukraine: Putin denies sending troops into Ukraine - Video

ISIS can #39;t crack Jordan. But can Jordan crack ISIS? (NATO Review)
In this video NATO Review looks at how Jordan has managed to stay so calm in the face of not just ISIS #39; murderous threats to the country, but also the other security challenges it is trying...

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ISIS can't crack Jordan. But can Jordan crack ISIS? (NATO Review) - Video

Uncharted 3 multiplayer #5 NATO...I #39;m Masters pfff

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Uncharted 3 multiplayer #5 NATO...I'm Masters pfff - Video

KABUL, Afghanistan The international military coalition said Sunday it would continue to provide air support to Afghan forces after the scheduled end of combat operations in December, even as it shuttered a major regional command in the violent Helmand province.

Maj. Paul Greenberg, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said in a statement to Stars and Stripes that cooperation with the Afghan police and military after the transition to Afghan control "will include continued aviation support" by the coalition.

The framework for the continued air support was laid out in a recent agreement between Afghanistan and NATO, said Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi.

"According to our new agreement, the NATO air forces will support Afghan security forces until the Afghan air force is sufficient," he told Stripes in a phone interview. He said the current goal is to have the Afghan air force fully operational by 2016.

That news came as the United Kingdom essentially ended its combat mission in Afghanistan by handing over control of Camp Bastion to the Afghan forces in Helmand. Neighboring Camp Leatherneck was also formally transferred, signaling that the mission for U.S. Marines in the province is also nearing its end.

The planned American drawdown announced by President Barack Obama calls for about 9,800 U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan next year for a "noncombat train, advise, and assist mission." Other NATO partners have pledged to send about 2,000 troops. It is not clear whether coalition air forces will be counted in those numbers.

Continuing violence in the country has led the Afghan government to retain a massive national security force and to seek additional support from NATO.

There has been much speculation about the exact nature of future international military backing. Now ISAF says combat aviation forces may be part of that support.

While he said the past two years have seen "exponential growth of the Afghan Air Force and the ability of the ANSF to operate independently," Greenberg said military support will continue.

"Upon the request of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), the International Security Assistance Force has provided robust aviation support to the ANSF throughout Helmand Province in the form of close air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft," he said in the statement to Stripes. "This support has been provided consistently over the past two years. Upon request of the ANSF, NATO will continue to provide aviation support to Afghan forces during Resolute Support."

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NATO promises Afghans air support after 2014 as it shuts key base

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan The NATO coalition ended its formal mission in restive and dangerous Helmand province Sunday, handing over two major bases and an airstrip to the Afghan military as U.S. Marines and British forces prepare to withdraw.

The transfer of Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion, the hub for coalition forces in southwestern Afghanistan, is the most dramatic signal to date that the 13-year-old war is drawing to a close.

For now, British forces and U.S. Marines will continue to secure the perimeter of the adjoining bases while they await orders to withdraw completely. When they do, it will essentially mark the conclusion of the war in Afghanistan for the Marines and British forces, officials in both countries said.

This is truly a historic day, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command. Years of continuous combat, countless hours of sunbaked patrols and numerous casualties this day marks the end of the [coalition] mission here in southwest.

British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon acknowledged that mistakes were made in Afghanistan by politicians and generals, comments that will add to the long-running debate in Britain about whether the mission was worth it.

Mistakes were made militarily, mistakes were made by the politicians at the time, and this goes back 10, 13 years, some time now, Fallon told the BBC on Sunday. But lets dont ignore what has been achieved.

Fallon said the majority of British troops would be home by Christmas.

Although about 34,000 coalition troops remain in Afghanistan, President Obama has pledged to cut that number in half by January. Under a security agreement that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently signed with the United States, Obama plans to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan next year.

About 3,000 troops from other nations are also expected to remain in Afghanistan to help train and support the Afghan army and police force.

Sundays ceremony means Afghan security forces now have full access to a sprawling military complex that includes more than 6,500 acres of desert land.

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NATO coalition hands over two major bases to Afghan military

NATO air policing mission intercepts two Russian Ilyushin-20 surveillance jets over Baltic airspace
Fighters jets from NATO #39;s air policing mission scrambled to intercept a second Russian Ilyushin-20 surveillance jet in NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday. Two Canadian F-18 Hornet...

By: TomoNews US

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NATO air policing mission intercepts two Russian Ilyushin-20 surveillance jets over Baltic airspace - Video