Category Archives: NATO

A $20 billion plan to give NATO more flexibility in facing military threats, climate change and China's rise has hit firm resistance from France, which fears the move could undermine its defence priorities, four diplomats and a French defence source said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg proposed in February that allies put more money directly into existing, albeit small common budgets, rather than rely on the current system that each government pays for its own military operations.

That was a response to long-standing tensions with the United States which says European allies do not contribute enough to their own defence. A deal at a June 14 summit with U.S. President Joe Biden would likely shore up transatlantic unity, two of the four diplomats who spoke to Reuters said.

The proposal also seeks to heed French President Emmanuel Macron's 2019 warning that NATO was "brain dead" because the alliance, formed in 1949 to contain a military threat from the Soviet Union, lacked a clear political strategy in the post-Cold War, multipolar world.

But France believes the idea - which the diplomats said was to put some $20 billion into common budgets over 10 years - is unlikely to benefit French military priorities and risks diverting attention and resources away from building up weak defence capabilities among European Union member states.

Most of them are also part of NATO.

"If the idea is to brutally increase the contribution of countries to common budgets and change the philosophy of NATO, moving from national responsibility to the dilution of responsibility, France's response will be clearly no," a French armed forces ministry source told Reuters.

The EU has been working since December 2017 to develop more firepower independently of the United States, led by France, the EU's remaining major military power after Britain left the bloc.

"For us, it is not an issue of NATO versus Europe but NATO versus the national defence of each member state," the French armed forces ministry source said.

The source said Paris was still open to hearing counter arguments and details, however. France already meets NATO's target to spend 2% of economic output on defence.

One of the four diplomats said French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly was upset by Stoltenberg's decision to go public in February with the outline of his proposal. Stoltenberg met Macron in Paris on May 21, praising the French president for France's "significant defence investment".

A NATO official told Reuters that pre-summit negotiations were constructive and that NATO foreign and defence ministers would discuss the proposal, part of Stoltenberg's NATO 2030 reform package, when they convene on June 1.

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Germany and other European allies, as well as Canada, also want to know what any extra money would be spent on before they loosen their purse strings. The summit with Biden may only agree to carry out an analysis of common funding, the diplomats said.

"Some Europeans are asking: do we build up NATO, or do we develop the EU's defence capacity to complement NATO?" said a senior NATO diplomat. "Each euro can only be spent once."

Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, suggested that allies fund collectively more of their deterrent operations on allied territory, rather than the current system that a single ally bears all the costs of a deployment.

Allies could invest in upgrading allied bases to adapt to climate change, protecting telecoms and computer networks against cyber attackers and in space. Stoltenberg said in February: "If we want to do more, we also need more resources."

NATO common-funded budgets amount to 0.3% of total allied defence spending, or some $2.5 billion, to run NATO commands and military infrastructure. That figure is lower than NATO's historical average of about 0.5%, the diplomats said.

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EXCLUSIVE France resists more joint funding of 'brain dead' NATO - Reuters

The Turkish government has agreed to take over responsibility for Kabuls international airport in a $130 million deal with Nato, an Afghan government official told The National.

The deal is likely to be widely welcomed after weeks of uncertainty over the Turkish governments continued commitment to defending Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Several hundred of the Nato members troops are already stationed at the airport, from which civilian and military aircraft operate.

This will provide assurances to the international community and it is a better solution because the Taliban have never attacked the Turks

Mahmood Shah Abibi, Afghanistan Aviation Support Association

As a September 11 total US and Nato troop withdrawal deadline looms and violence surges, the diplomatic community is increasingly concerned over safe travel in and out of Afghanistan.

The details and the exact takeover date are yet to be confirmed, the official said. A second senior source confirmed the deal.

Last month, Afghanistans Civil Aviation Authority asked Nato to hand over control of the air traffic control tower at Kabuls airport, leading to concerns over the Afghan governments capacity to safely and securely run its international airports after the withdrawal.

We are struggling with the transition of taking over the airports from Nato control, a government official said last month.

We dont have the capacity to run the airports with Afghans alone due to a lack of expertise, nor do we have the financial ability to bring in private contractors.

Three rockets landed close to Kabuls airport in December last year, killing one person and injuring two others. The target and the group responsible remain unclear.

In 2016, a suicide bomber targeted Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum, the exiled Afghan vice president, near the airport. Fourteen people were killed and 60 injured. ISIS claimed responsibility.

The Taliban and ISIS claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on the citys airport intended to kill US defence secretary James Mattis in September 2017. No one was injured and Mr Mattis had left the airport several hours before.

In 2015, a Taliban suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the entrance, killing five people and injuring 16.

Andrew Watkins, a senior Afghanistan analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the deal would calm the nerves of international governments and donors, but many issues would remain, even with Turkey running the airport.

There is a web of capacity gaps in the Afghan authorities security information, screening and inspection procedures to prevent smuggling, as well as concerns over the fairness of the contracting process due to prevalent corruption within the government, he said.

Mr Watkins said there has been no opportunity for Afghanistan to increase its capacity, because air traffic control has been run by Nato military staff since 2004.

The by-product is there is no opportunity for an organic, local specialised labour force in the field of air traffic control to ever develop. It shouldnt come as a surprise to the international powers that have kept it out of Afghans hands that its not something thats transferable and immediately implanted, he said.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, former national security adviser to Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani, said that from 2010 efforts were made to build Afghanistans capacity to run the international airports by 2014.

But the plan did not come to fruition.

A report published in 2015 found that despite the US government spending approximately $562.2 million to support reconstruction of Afghanistans civil aviation system since 2002, it was unable to train enough air-traffic controllers for the country to independently operate airspace management services.

This was partly the reason the planned transition of responsibilities did not occur, the report said. Instead, the US facilitated the Afghan government in establishing contracts.

For the Afghan government to take over control, we need three or four years for transition, but now we have to take over in three months, said Mr Spanta, who spoke to The National before learning of the deal with Turkey.

Diplomats will not trust [the safety and security of the airport] and they will leave Afghanistan. This is very dangerous.

Commercial flights to Afghanistan being stopped is a possibility. Some international airlines refused to land in neighbouring Pakistan for more than a decade, resuming only in 2019, owing to concerns over airport security.

Last week, the Australian government closed its embassy in Kabul. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the closure was because of an increasingly uncertain security environment where the government has been advised that security arrangements could not be provided to support our ongoing diplomatic presence as international troops withdraw.

The concern now for the Afghan government and humanitarian organisations is that other embassies will follow suit.

If that was the case, it would signal a lack of confidence in the current Afghan governments ability to hold things together following the withdrawal.

It would also send a worrying message to Afghans that the international community is abandoning them amid a deteriorating security situation.

That would send a worrying message to Afghans that the international community is abandoning them in a deteriorating security situation.

But Mahmood Shah Habibi, head of the Afghanistan Aviation Support Association, believes that news of Turkey taking over responsibility of Kabuls airport will quell some fears.

This will provide assurances to the international community and it is a better solution because the Taliban have never attacked the Turks, Mr Habibi said.

However, it should be a joint venture with the Afghan government or responsibility should be transferred over to Afghans in the next year.

"Afghans were contracted by Nato, but Nato was never admitting Afghans can do the jobs because it didnt want to lose contracts.

Nato's foreign and defence ministers met on Tuesday to prepare for the blocs first summit with US President Joe Biden on June 14 and to discuss the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In a statement on May 21, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc planned to continue financially supporting the functioning of Kabul airport.

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Turkey to run Kabul international airport in deal with Nato - The National

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress flies over Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia, June 13, 2016. (Nicole Keim/U.S. Air Force)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany U.S. long-range strategic bombers were flying a Memorial Day mission over all 30 NATOcountriesin Europe and North America, officials said Monday.

The B-52H Stratofortress aircraft, deployed to Moron Air Base, Spain, were expected to fly with aircraft from more than 20 allies, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa said in a statement.

Its the second time a bomber task force deployed to Europe has conducted such a mission since the U.S. began deploying bombers to the region in 2018, USAFE said.The mission is called Operation Allied Sky.

Todays mission is an awesome demonstration of NATO air superiority, Gen. JeffHarrigian, NATO Allied Air Command and USAFE-AFAFRICA commander, said in Mondays statement.

TheU.S. Air Forceseight-engine bombers, based out of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., arrived atMoron Air Basetwo weeks ago. Four B-52s from the 2nd Bomb Wing and over 200 personnel deployed on a short-notice tasker, Air Force Maj. Marisa King, 96th Bomber Task Force director of operations, said in a video statement last week.

On Monday, the long-range heavy bombers were expected to conduct aerial refueling and integration flights with the aircraft of several allies over Europe, from Turkey to Norway. KC-135Stratotankeraircraft based at RAF Mildenhall, England, were expected to support the mission, which also included a North American leg over the U.S. and Canada, supported by aircraft from those countries.

The last time U.S. bombers conducted an overflight of all 30 allies was in August,andthat effortinvolved six B-52s out of Minot Air Force Base, N.D., escorted by some 80 fighter jets at various stages.

Since 2018, U.S. bombers deployed to Europe have taken part in more than 200 sorties with allies and partners, mainly as a deterrent response to Russias military resurgence.

Early last week, the Barksdale-based bombers worked with HungarianGripens, Italian Eurofighters and F-16s from Greece, Romania and Bulgaria during simulated target training in the Black Sea region.

The bomberslaterflew with RAF Eurofighter Typhoons and Hellenic F-16s over the east Mediterranean Sea before conducting counter-maritime exercises with P-8A Poseidon aircraft from U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africas Patrol Squadron 40.

The bomber rotation comes as the alliance conducts a series of large-scale exercises across Europe involving thousands of troops. It also follows Russias deployment last month of thousands of troops to the border area along Ukraine, which raised concern among NATO allies.

Bomber missions demonstrate the credibility of our forces to address a global security environment that is more diverse and uncertain than at any other time in our history,Harrigiansaid in Mondays statement.

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stripes - US B-52H bombers fly over all 30 NATO nations with alliance escorts on Memorial Day - Stars and Stripes

June 1 (UPI) -- U.S. B-52H Stratofortress aircraft flew over all 30 NATO allied nations in North America and Europe Monday.

B-52s currently deployed to Morn Air Base, Spain, and U.S.-based aircraft planned to fly with more than 20 NATO allies across two combatant commands, according to a press release issued by U.S. European Command before the flight took place.

NATO allies conducted a similar exercise in August of last year.

It is the latest iteration in a series of Bomber Task Force missions that have included flights in Europe, including a mid-May flight in which B-52s operated in multiple areas of responsibility.

"Bomber missions demonstrate the credibility of our forces to address a global security environment that is more diverse and uncertain than at any other time in our history," Gen. Jeff Harrigian, NATO Allied Air Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa commander, said in the release. "Today's mission is an awesome demonstration of NATO air superiority and together there is no challenge we cannot tackle."

Nations scheduled to participate in the mission included Belgium, Canada, Denmark and Turkey.

KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, were also dispatched to support the flight.

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U.S., partners fly over all 30 NATO nations - UPI News

The Regional Special Operations Component Command (R-SOCC) declared that it has reached Initial Operational Capability on 12 May 2021 as part of exercise Black Swan 2021 (19 April 14 May 2021).

Under the leadership of Hungary, R-SOCC will provide the participating nations (Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia) with a temporary deployable command element specifically dedicated to leading operations of special forces. R-SOCC provides a regional capability similar to the Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC) established by Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands, which reached its Full Operational Capability in December of 2020.

The command will increase the ability of the five participating nations to effectively employ their special operations forces, and will enable each nation to use its own contributions separately, while benefitting from an integrated R-SOCC structure once activated for deployment. The next main milestones of R-SOCC are to reach Full Operational Capability by December 2024 and to make the command available for the NATO Response Force in 2025.

R-SOCC is one of NATOs multinational High Visibility Projects and was launched by the Defence Ministers of the five nations through a Letter of Intent in February 2019. This was followed by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia in October 2019, and by Austria in December 2020.

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Four NATO Allies and one partner boost Special Operations Forces capabilities - NATO HQ

On April 14th 2021, President Joe Biden announced his plan to have all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021 to end what he called the Forever War. NATO quickly followed suit, agreeing to begin withdrawal May 2021 to hopefully be completed by September 2021. As reported by the Washington Post, the United States currently has 2,500 troops in Afghanistan with additional aid of 7,000 NATO troops. The second largest contingent of troops is from Germany, with around 1,300 soldiers in Afghanistan. While President Trump originally planned to remove all troops by May 1st, Biden pushed this deadline back in order to leave the country in a state of peace.

When officially announcing this plan during a briefing last Wednesday, President Biden stated We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit. Well do it well do it responsibly, deliberately, and safely. And we will do it in full coordination with our allies and partners, who now have more forces in Afghanistan than we do. That being said, Biden has been firm on his zero troop stance and there has been pushback from some members of Congress. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell says he believes the plan is a grave mistake. It is a retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership. While Biden does have a lot of support in the U.S. and worldwide, Politico has also reported on possible unease from NATO members that Bidens plan is too hasty.

President Bidens decision is in direct contrast to the condition-based military strategy of the past two decades. The conditions-based approach is how the United States and NATO has operated within Afghanistan in order to try to fix the government and to maintain peace within the country. The Biden White House claims continuing with this approach would keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan indefinitely as the country heavily relies on the United States for aid and military support to ensure a stable government. Ending the conditions-based presence and removing all U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan could leave the already unstable country in a more vulnerable position.

According to the New York Times, President Biden has been very straightforward in his decision to remove all troops from Afghanistan and he has been against increased troop presence in Afghanistan since his time as Vice President. While continued presence in Afghanistan has put the U.S. government and military in a stagnant and subpar position, there is worry of Kabul falling to the Taliban and civil war breaking out after the removal of U.S. and NATO troops. Therefore, before pulling all troops out of Afghanistan, a strong contingency plan needs to be put in place to continue to support the country against civil unrest.

The United States presence in Afghanistan began in response to the 9/11 terrorist attack, making it Americas Longest War. According to Brown University, this war has cost the U.S. more than $2.26 trillion and resulted in the death of over 2,400 U.S. troops. The Wall Street Journal reported that a conditional peace deal was signed between the U.S. and the Taliban in February of 2020 to try and stop fighting within the country. Unfortunately, this peace deal stalled as the Taliban waited to see what a new U.S. presidential administration would bring. Discussions of U.S. troop removal have been ongoing for years. While President Obama was in office he stated he would begin removing troops from Afghanistan in July 2011. But, he did not set a deadline for all troops to be removed. This has resulted in the United States being in the same predicament 10 years later in 2021, as now President Biden calls for the removal of all troops.

While there is grave concern over the removal of all U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan, President Biden is firm in his decision for zero troops and an end to a condition-based presence. While making headway in ending the longest U.S. war is crucial, experts are concerned about the haste of Bidens call for troops to come home. By removing these troops, the U.S. backed government in Kabul has a good chance of falling to the Taliban, leaving Afghans in a dangerous situation. It is necessary for the United States to have a strong plan in place to support the country through peace treaties, aid and humanitarian support as removing these troops could result in a debilitating setback for the countrys democracy.

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Biden Calls For NATO And U.S. Troops To Leave Afghanistan - The Organization for World Peace

Today (10 May 2021), NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg participated in a meeting with Heads of State and Government of the Bucharest 9 Initiative, which includes Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

The NATO Summit next month offers us a unique opportunity to start a new chapter in transatlantic relations to reinforce the unity between Europe and North America and to prepare our Alliance for the challenges of today and tomorrow, Secretary General Stoltenberg said. In a more unpredictable and competitive world, we must do more together and demonstrate transatlantic solidarity not just in words, but in deeds. So at the Summit, we will have an ambitious and forward-looking agenda; strengthening our commitment to defend each other, broadening our approach to security, and taking a more global approach, to safeguard the rules-based international order. This meeting today is an important opportunity to take this agenda forward.The Bucharest 9 Initiative was launched by Poland and Romania in 2014 by the Presidents of the 9 countries. Its aim is to consolidate views on issues of interest in the Alliance for the participating nations, and to support joint security projects.

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NATO Secretary General speaks with the leaders of the Bucharest 9 Initiative ahead of NATO Summit - NATO HQ

On Monday (10 May 2021), the Secretary General welcomed the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, to NATO HQ for discussions about the strong partnership that exists between Austria and the Alliance.

The Secretary General thanked Austria for its contribution to NATOs mission in Afghanistan. Mr Stoltenberg acknowledged that the decision to withdraw international forces from the country was not easy, and it entails risk, but that the alternative would have been an open-ended military commitment. Mr Stoltenberg added that Allies are now looking into how they can continue to support to the Afghan forces, including with funding and training.

On the Western Balkans, the Secretary General reiterated that the Alliance remains committed to the region and he thanked Austria for its long and substantial support to NATOs KFOR peacekeeping mission and peace in the Western Balkans.

The bilateral meeting was followed by a signing ceremony of the agreement between NATO and the Austrian Federal Government on the legal status of NATOs Liaison Office in Vienna. Once in force, this agreement will pave the way for the formal establishment of the NATO Liaison Office to the OSCE and other international organisations in Vienna. During the ceremony, the Secretary General welcomed Austrias role in backing strong ties between the EU and NATO and in hosting the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

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NATO and Austria sign agreement on liaison office in Vienna - NATO HQ

The Weekly Debrief: NATO Goes To Space | Aviation Week Network

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Gen. Andre Lanata, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, dropped by the commands ostensibly temporary Colorado headquarters at Peterson AFB. Lanatas visit signaled no new policy or announcement by NATO in space. The arrival of the French general instead reflected a growing appreciation by U.S...

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Tensions between Turkey and other Nato members represent the biggest threat to the alliances cohesion, Greeces Defence Minister said.

Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Greece was not seeking to isolate Turkey from a series of initiatives it agreed on with countries, including the UAE, to promote regional stability.

But he said Ankara must abide by international law and tone down its often inflammatory rhetoric to be included.

The already frayed relations between Nato members Greece and Turkey plummeted last year amid a row over maritime territory and access to gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean. The EU was dragged into the dispute, with the bloc backing member state Greece.

The main threat to Natos internal cohesion comes from the strains between Turkey and other allies. I wouldnt want to include just Greece in that, Mr Panagiotopoulos told a webinar hosted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

He referred to the tense situation last summer, when France temporarily withdrew support for Natos Mediterranean mission after a French frigate came precariously close to clashing with Turkish vessels.

While the Greek defence minister said the situation with Turkey had since improved, the tension of 2020 ultimately serves to destabilise Natos cohesion.

But I do believe that in order to keep a stable and coherent Nato, especially in its south-eastern flank, we must make sure that tensions of this sort do not repeat themselves, he said. Thats the shared opinion of all our friends and allies in Nato and Europe.

A soldier hangs from a helicopter during a military exercise in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. AFP

Turkey's research vessel, Oruc Reis, center, is surrounded by Turkish navy vessels as it was heading in the west of Antalya on the Mediterranean, Turkey. AP

Turkish seismic research vessel 'Oruc Reis' heads in the west of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea.AFP

A Turkish Navy warship patroling next to Turkey's drilling ship "Fatih" dispatched towards the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus. AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord , during their meeting in Istanbul. Turkey signed a military deal late on November 27, 2019, with Libya's UN-recognised government following a meeting with Turkish President in Istanbul, his office said. AFP

Last month, a landmark meeting in Paphos brought together senior foreign affairs officials from the UAE, Greece, Cyprus and Israel in order to strengthen their partnership.

Mr Panagiotopoulos said Greece wanted Turkey to be a good neighbour should it want to be included in similar partnerships.

We would like Turkey I dont want to be misunderstood on that to become a member of these schemes. But in order for that to happen, Turkey has to comply with the rules, he said.

I understand that Turkey has faced its own internal problems economic problems, political problems that compelled President Erdogan to align himself with a more hardcore nationalist element within the Turkish political framework.

"But in order to be a reliable security providing actor in the region, I think that the first thing that one needs to do is to agree to comply by international law.

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Greece warns that tensions with Turkey represent major threat to Nato cohesion - The National