Category Archives: NATO

NATO troop activities during Exercise "Arctic Express," Norway, 1970 HD Stock Footage
Link to order this clip: http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675043185_Italian-soldiers_M-60-Tanks_convoy-of-army-trucks_vehicles-pull-ski-troops Historic Stock Footage Archival and Vintage...

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NATO troop activities during Exercise "Arctic Express," Norway, 1970 HD Stock Footage - Video

Nato Green Standup Comedy at The Business-San Francisco
Nato Green performs standup comedy at The Business at the Dark Room Theater during SF Sketchest. February 5, 2014.

By: Nato Green

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Nato Green Standup Comedy at The Business-San Francisco - Video

Pakistan: NATO convoy set ablaze in Khyber ambush
VideoID: 20140505-011 W/S Burnt NATO vehicle M/S Burnt vehicles W/S People nearby the burnt container M/S People nearby the burnt container C/U Burnt driver #39;s seat C/U Burnt container tyre...

By: RuptlyTV

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Pakistan: NATO convoy set ablaze in Khyber ambush - Video

OTTAWA (Reuters) - NATO's top military commander in Europe said on Monday he no longer thought regular Russian troops would enter eastern Ukraine, predicting Moscow could achieve its goals through the unconventional forces stirring up trouble there.

U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove said it was a completely false Russian narrative that it was only Ukrainians rebelling in the east of their country, saying it was clear that special forces troops from Russia were operating there as they did in Crimea before its annexation.

"Remember that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin denied their presence and now he has admitted to their presence in Crimea. The same thing will come out of Ukraine as time rolls out," he told a military and diplomatic audience in Ottawa.

"Exactly what we saw in Crimea is being mirrored in eastern Ukraine," added Breedlove.

Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on its border with eastern Ukraine, prompting fears that Moscow might send ground forces in to protect the rights of ethnic Russians.

Breedlove said that until a week ago, he thought the most likely military response from Russia would be to send in troops to southern Ukraine and secure a land bridge to the peninsula of Crimea - which voted in March to join Russia - before possibly pushing on toward the Black Sea port of Odessa and then further west toward Moldova.

"Today I would tell you I don't think that's the most likely course of action ... I think now that Putin may be able to accomplish his objectives in eastern Ukraine and never go across the border with his forces," he said.

"Now I think probably the most likely course of action is that he will continue doing what he's doing - discrediting the government, creating unrest, trying to set the stage for a separatist movement," and that would make it easier to cement Moscow's military and economic hold on eastern Ukraine, Breedlove added.

"In that case, I think it's the most troublesome for NATO because if the forces do not come across the border, my guess is that many will want to try to quickly go back to business as usual, and I, for one, do not believe annexing Crimea is business as usual."

Shortly before his public remarks, Breedlove discussed Ukraine and Russia in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who told reporters beforehand that the escalation of violence in Ukraine appeared clearly to be "a slow-motion invasion on the part of the Putin regime."

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NATO top commander: Russian troops won't enter eastern Ukraine

The Ukraine crisis will force the NATO military alliance to rethink its strategy once again. Up to now, NATO has focused on being an army ready for deployment well outside of its member states' regions, such as in the extended conflict in Afghanistan. That approach was evident, in part, when it came to decisions on arms and supplies for European forces: fewer soldiers, fewer heavy combat units, and, instead, highly mobile units that could quickly be sent off to operations in far-off lands.

In the course of this restructuring process, Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, reduced its artillery and tanks to a minimum and got rid of compulsory military service. In fact, the Bundeswehr now has just one-tenth of the number of tanks it had 25 years ago, when the Berlin Wall fell. In their place came an increased capacity for transportability and other logistical skills. Was that shift too hasty?

Suddenly, the specter of a Russian attack on NATO territory to the east has re-emerged - a scenario that had vanished from public discourse for years. Although defense against such a land attack within NATO allies' territory in Europe has always been viewed as being among the military alliance's actual core tasks, its political leadership had no longer taken the prospect seriously. With Russia, NATO had strived for as strong a partnership-style relationship as possible. We know now that that approach did not work.

Determent back in fashion

Russia's leaders have understood NATO as an anti-Russian alliance since the end of the Cold War. Now, NATO states must once again intensively examine the issue of defense against possible Russian attacks. Counting tanks and gun barrels was long seen as pass - something for those still trapped in the bygone Soviet era. However, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has made mention for weeks now of "deterring" Russian troops, while being able as a military alliance to defend its eastern member states, such as Poland, Romania and the Baltics, from potential attacks.

After Russia's Five-Day War with Georgia in 2008, those in NATO's planning circles considered such scenarios more carefully, but without any pressure from politicians. The US, NATO's most important partner, has also withdrawn massive amounts of weapons and troops from Europe. Meanwhile, Russia has reformed and newly equipped both its conventional as well as its atomic armed forces since 2008. The Russian army at the country's western border is home to a large and swift tank force that can transition from routine maneuvers into actual battle within days. That's according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Philip Breedlove, a US general.

Thinking through the unthinkable

NATO could do little to combat these troops at the moment. Combat brigades would first have to be brought in from the US and Western Europe - to Eastern Europe, Poland or Estonia. NATO's current strategy is to protect its eastern allies with rapid response troops that consists of continuously alternating units from the other member states. But the new reality on the ground will have to be taken into account during a NATO summit in September at the latest. Its defense plans must be quickly re-worked.

US President Barack Obama set the tone during his March visit to Brussels, saying Europeans need to spend more on defense. After all, Russia has raised its defense budget by nearly a third, while European countries have condensed their defense spending for years. After the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US is also looking to save on defense. Nonetheless, the US military budget remains 10 times as large as Russia's.

European defense politicians were happy to be able to drastically reduce their spending during the financial crisis. But that now seems to be a thing of the past. Europeans have to recognize that defense will be expensive and will strain budgets in the years ahead.

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Opinion: NATO needs to rethink its strategy

NATO's top military commander in Europe said on Monday he no longer thought regular Russian troops would enter eastern Ukraine, predicting Moscow could achieve its goals through the unconventional forces stirring up trouble there.

U.S. air force Gen.Philip Breedlove said it was a completely false Russian narrative that it was only Ukrainians rebelling in the east of their country, saying it was clear that special forces troops from Russia were operating there as they did in Crimea before its annexation.

"Remember that [Russian President Vladimir]Putin denied their presence and now he has admitted to their presence in Crimea. The same thing will come out of Ukraine as time rolls out," he told a military and diplomatic audience in Ottawa.

Breedloveis embarking on two days of talks with Canadian political and military leaders just as heavy clashes erupt between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces in Ukraine's eastern region.

He met briefly with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson and Chief of the Defence StaffGen. Tom Lawson.

"Exactly what we saw in Crimea is being mirrored in eastern Ukraine," added Breedlove.

Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on its border with eastern Ukraine, prompting fears that Moscow might send ground forces in to protect the rights of ethnic Russians.

Breedlove said that until a week ago, he thought the most likely military response from Russia would be to send in troops to southern Ukraine and secure a land bridge to the peninsula of Crimea which voted in March to join Russia before possibly pushing on toward the Black Sea port of Odesa and then farther west toward Moldova.

"Today I would tell you I don't think that's the most likely course of action ... I think now that Putin may be able to accomplish his objectives in eastern Ukraine and never go across the border with his forces," he said.

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NATO commander says Russia may achieve goals without invading Ukraine

Doug Lute U.S. Ambassador to NATO in Berlin
On April 30, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador Douglas E. Lute visited Berlin. In this video he outlines the current situation in the Ukraine...

By: usbotschaft

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Doug Lute U.S. Ambassador to NATO in Berlin - Video

Lithuania: NATO ships arrive in Klaipeda ahead of Baltic drills
VideoID: 20140503 027 W/S NATO Warships M857 and M917 behind Norway flag C/U Lithuanian and NATO flag M/S NATO Warship M857 M/S Ship #39;s deck W/S NATO Warships M857 and M916 M/S NATO Warship...

By: RuptlyTV

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Lithuania: NATO ships arrive in Klaipeda ahead of Baltic drills - Video

NATO Expansion and European Security after the Cold War
Twenty years ago, the 1994 Brussels Summit marked the beginning of NATO #39;s post-Cold War expansion. It was a process that resonated differently on opposite sides of the former "iron curtain"...

By: WoodrowWilsonCenter

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NATO Expansion and European Security after the Cold War - Video

Frisian Flag 2014: C-17A Globemaster III NATO take off at departure day!
C-17 Globemaster III take off from Leeuwarden Air Force Base at the departure day of Frisian Flag 2014.

By: Rick Aviation Photography

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Frisian Flag 2014: C-17A Globemaster III NATO take off at departure day! - Video