Category Archives: NATO

The announcement of the US and Nato military withdrawal from Afghanistan later this year has elicited many responses, not least expressions of concern about the plight of interpreters and other local staff employed by western military forces. These concerns are not new but now have renewed urgency.

The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners in 2020 as part of a US-brokered peace deal has already exacerbated fears about the insecure future of local Afghan staff. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has long recognised that local Afghan staff, including local interpreters, security guards, cultural advisers and the rest, employed by western states are targeted by insurgent forces due to their association with the western military intervention.

Because the killings of former local staff are not tracked systematically, estimates of the number who have already been killed vary in the range of hundreds to more than 1,000. For many years during this long war, Afghan civilian employees have drawn attention to their need for protection. Advocacy and support organisations across the world have lobbied their governments and the United Nations (UN) to resettle their local staff.

The retired colonel Simon Diggins, a spokesperson for UK advocacy initiative Sulha Alliance and formerly British defence attach in Kabul, has warned against the ghastly betrayal of leaving Afghan local staff behind. American journalist and longstanding advocate George Packer has drawn attention to the USs record of betraying its local allies in Vietnam, where only an estimated 537 of the CIAs 1,900 local staff and 362 of USAIDs 924 employees were evacuated.

The notion of betrayal is a useful lens not only to capture the treatment of local staff, but also to highlight the betrayal of the values and international cooperation proclaimed by western states.

A recent Nato statement on Afghanistan refers to this cooperation, emphasising that our troops went into Afghanistan together [] and now we are leaving together. NATOs reference to the progress of the last two decades to safeguard human rights will likely ring hollow for former Afghan local staff. They are well versed in the language of human rights, as this was the way George W Bushs justification of the US military intervention in 2001 was rather opportunistically framed.

When I spoke to Adil*, an Afghan interpreter who now lives in the UK, he wondered out loud about the selectiveness of human rights.

These western countries who are always shouting about human rights, where are the human rights here? [Western countries] are always shouting [] Afghanistan is doing everything against human rights, but where are the human rights in the UK? Where are the human rights in Germany? Where are the human rights in America? [] We are from Afghanistan, but we are human beings as well. We have rights in this world as well.

A collective of local staff for the German army, which in 2018 staged a year-long protest in front of the military base Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-sharif, a city in northern Afghanistan, published an open letter to the German government ending on the note: We are sure that the Strong German government as human rights advocate will never deprive us of our rights and freedoms.

While Natos Afghanistan mission assembled one of the largest coalitions in history, what they never managed to do together was to set up a coordinated resettlement programme to protect local staff who worked for its member nations. Some countries, like Estonia, do not have any relocation scheme. Existing programmes vary wildly in their criteria and remit.

Former local staff are completely at the mercy of the politics of the nation-state which employed them. If they have worked for the French army, they are judged on their capacity to integrate in France, a criterion which justified the rejection of Afghans who were deemed too Muslim for France, as well as those who had worked as English rather than French-language interpreters.

If they worked for the Americans, they would likely get stuck in the backlog of Special Immigrant Visa applications, facing delays that have in some cases been fatal.

In the UK, a written question in parliament revealed that of the 2,850 locally employed civilian interpreters employed by the British government in Afghanistan between October 2001 and December 2018, a total of 1,010 (35%) had been dismissed for disciplinary reasons, without right to appeal. This has conveniently excluded them from protection through resettlement to the UK.

In some cases their dismissal was for arriving late at work or using a mobile phone. Neither of these constitutes a security risk to the UK nor protects them from Taliban revenge.

Guaranteeing the human rights of local staff in Afghanistan and those resettled to the west would lend greater credibility to Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenbergs appeal to the Afghan people to build a sustainable peace [that] safeguards the human rights of all Afghans.

Without a coordinated approach to the protection of the Afghan local staff that supports its partner nations, Nato risks betraying its promise that their drawdown will be orderly, coordinated, and deliberate.

*Name has been changed for security reasons.

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Afghanistan pullout: Nato betrays its own values if interpreters and other local staff are left at risk - The Conversation UK

Freedom, democracy and the rule of law are at the core of the Nato Alliance. As the worlds largest democracy, these values matter to India, too. Protecting our values and way of life is our shared global responsibility. So it makes sense for Nato and India to deepen our dialogue to protect the international rules-based order and address jointly shared challenges to our security.

For over 70 years, Nato has provided unprecedented peace and security for the Euro-Atlantic area. As a fundamental pillar of the international order, we continue to contribute to global stability, including through our missions and operations beyond our borders. Today, our Alliance represents 30 nations, one billion people, and half of the worlds economic and military might. We are the most successful Alliance in history, because of our unity, our values and our ability to adapt as the world around us changes.

Nato is and will remain a regional alliance for Europe and North America. However, the challenges we face are global, so we need a more global approach. The international rules-based order is facing unprecedented pressure from increasing geopolitical competition and mounting authoritarianism, led by countries like Russia and China, who do not share our values. We also face sophisticated cyberattacks, more brutal forms of terrorism, disruptive technologies, nuclear proliferation, and the security impacts of climate change.

Global challenges are greater than any country or continent can tackle alone. So we must work together to find common solutions. As part of our ongoing adaptation, Nato wants to work closely with like-minded countries to protect the rules-based international order and defend our shared interests and values.

I was delighted to participate for the first time in the Raisina Dialogue, Indias premier gathering of global leaders committed to addressing common challenges and working more closely together. I sent a clear message that Nato is ready and willing to increase our cooperation with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific, including with India.

India is a pivotal regional player, a growing economy, and an important global actor. It is one of the largest troop contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions. It is currently a member of the UN Security Council and it will hold the G20 presidency in 2023. Many Nato Allies have well established partnerships with India and they are enhancing their engagement in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, India is increasing its contacts with Europe and the United States.

Over the years, Nato has developed a robust network of partners across the globe, and engaged in fruitful dialogue with non-partner countries like India. We already have a strong political dialogue and wide-ranging practical cooperation with countries in the Indo-Pacific, including formalised partnerships with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

Nato is not only a military Alliance, but also a political Alliance. Political dialogue and security cooperation are important tools to address global challenges, beyond purely military responses. So there are many ways for Nato and India to work together.

India is at the forefront of many of our shared challenges, from Afghanistan, to terrorism, and maritime security. Nato highly values its dialogue with India, and I see great potential to do more. This includes sharing information and expertise, and coordinating common approaches on shared interests, from the changing geopolitical landscape to the role of new technologies, and from safeguarding cyberspace to strengthening global governance, including on arms control.

Nato provides a strong platform on which to build a global community of democracies to defend our values and way of life. As we look to a more uncertain future, we want to strengthen our partnerships and enhance our engagement with like-minded countries, including in the Indo-Pacific, to protect the international rules-based order that benefits all of us.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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Deepening Natos dialogue with India: To protect international rules-based order and address shared challeng - The Times of India Blog

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kulebabelieves that membership of Ukraine and Georgia in the EU and NATO is a matter of time.

He said this during the talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Foreign Ministry's press service.

The membership of Ukraine and Georgia in the European Union and NATO is only a matter of time, Kuleba said.

The parties agreed on further cooperation and coordination of actions to bring Ukraine and Georgia closer to joining the EU and NATO, in particular, obtaining a Membership Action Plan.

The interlocutors discussed security in the region, the buildup of Russia's military presence near the borders with Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea. They paid special attention to strengthening security in the Black Sea region, in particular, deepening the interaction of the navies of Ukraine, Georgia, and NATO member states intheBlack Searegion.

The foreign ministers strongly condemned Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular the blocking of the Kerch Strait, the ongoing occupation of Ukrainian and Georgian territories, the borderisation in Georgia, and the Russian Federation's reluctance to reaffirm its commitment to a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

In addition, the Georgian minister welcomed Ukraines Crimean Platform initiative and confirmed his country's readiness to actively participate in its activities.

As Ukrinform reported, on April 23, Ukraine took part for the first time in a working meeting of the foreign ministers of the three NATO member states - Poland, Romania, and Turkey.

ish

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Membership of Ukraine and Georgia in EU, NATO is a matter of time Kuleba - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

Russian nuclear sub surfaces through Arctic ice (Russian Ministry of Defense)

By Ankur Kundu 04-18-2021 07:32:33

Not all countries regret global warming. Take Russia for example: the country is actively pitching its Northern Sea Route, poised to connect Europe with Asia, as a viable alternative to the Suez Canal for maritime commerce.

However, satellite imagery is also showing a Russian military buildup in Arctic areas recentlyfreed from ice due to global warming. The reason: Russia securing its northern coastline and opening up the Northern Sea Route. The country has amassed considerable military strength in the Arctic, and analysts around the world are watching how this affects the geopolitical balance in the region.

Recently, CNN received satellite imagery by Maxar that detailed Russia's long-running buildup in its Arctic coastline. Along with with underground storage facilities likely to be used for storing the Poseidonnuclear long-range torpedo and other new high-tech weapons, the airfields host bombers and MiG-31BM jets.

NATO and the US have expressed increasing concern in the wake of this buildup, especially after reports were revealed about Russia's troop movements near the Ukrainian border. Speaking to CNN, a senior State Department official said, "There's a military challenge from the Russians in the Arctic. That has implications for the United States and its allies, not least because it creates the capacity to project power up to the North Atlantic."

Norway to host the biggest exercise inside Arctic Circle since the Cold War

The Russian buildup, both in the Arctic and the Ukrainian border, has prompted Norway to plan the biggest exercise inside the Arctic circle since the cold war. Dubbed 'Cold Response 2022,'next years war games will see active participation from Norway's Navy and Air Force. Set to take place in an area where U.S., British and Dutch soldiers frequently drill in Arctic warfare, it's meant to be a show of strength to the Kremlin as much as an exercise.

EU nations and NATO-aligned countries are committing more resources and military training in the region, according to General Eirik Kristoffersen, head of the Norwegian Armed Forces. There is a significantly increased interest among our allies for the north and the Arctic, he told The Barents Observer.

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NATO Keeps Wary Eye on Russia's Military Buildup in the Arctic - The Maritime Executive

News & Politics

(PAP) ej/md/mf April 21, 2021

Nato has welcomed the deployment of a Polish military force to Turkey, saying it will help support the alliances operations.

The contingent will support Turkey with maritime patrols in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea using Polish M28 'Bryza' aircraft. The mission will also cooperate with Nato maritime groups in the region.

A Nato spokesperson tweeted that the move "demonstrates Nato solidarity in action."

"Maritime patrols will help increase the Alliance's situational awareness in the region & enhance our shared security," Oana Lungescu wrote on Twitter.

Nato allies agreed a package of support measures for Turkey in 2015 in order to assist it in reacting to an unstable security environment. Those measures include increasing the presence of AWACS observation aircraft in the region, intensified maritime patrols in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, intelligence, observation and reconnaissance activities and information exchange.

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Poland sends contingent to Nato mission in Turkey - The First News

Written by Shannon Vavra Apr 19, 2021 | CYBERSCOOP

Member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have banded together in recent days to confront an apparent cyberattack carried out against a NATO members critical infrastructure, according to the alliance.

NATO is also working to battle a stream of disinformation about the attack against island state Berylia that has flooded social media, the alliance said.

While many world leaders have faced off with blended cyber and disinformation operations in recent years, the NATO members in this case are not in fact facing a real threat. NATO crafted the scenario, which was carried out by a fabricated non-NATO nation-state Crimsonia, as part of an annual simulation exercise. Known as Locked Shields, its designed to test leaders readiness to deal with live cyberthreats. Berylia, the target of the fake attack and disinformation, is also an imagined state.

The exercise which had Crimsonia target Berylias financial services sector, mobile networks and water supplies concluded Friday.

While the targets and attackers in the scenario were imagined, the blended operations depicted in the exercise are ones that world leaders have been grappling with for years.

The fabricated Crimsonia actors targeted Berylia citizens with information operations meant to sow seeds of doubt and discord. Thatsan approach that the governments of Iran and Russia used in information operations targeting U.S. citizens during the buildup to the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, according to a recent U.S. intelligence memo.

This year, the exercise featured several new dilemmas for the strategic decision-making element as well, Michael Widmann, the chief of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) Strategy Branch, said in a statement. The cyber domain and information warfare operate hand in hand in the modern environment. Strong strategic communication policies can mitigate the effects of an enemys information warfare campaign.

It was just five years ago that NATO members agreed that a cyberattack on one NATO member state could be interpreted as an attack on all, which would trigger a collective response.

The inspiration to simulate both cyberattacks and information operations simultaneously came in part from the pandemic, during which Russia and China have conducted both cyber-operations and information campaigns to target democracies, NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoaa said.

Russia and China have tried to use the COVID-19 crisis to exploit vulnerabilities, including those in cyberspace, with cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns, designed to sow distrust and division in our democratic societies, Geoaasaid in a statement.

Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, too, have been top of mind for intelligence communities around the world for years. Just last week the U.S. intelligence community noted in an annual threat analysis that China is capable of causing damage to critical infrastructure in the U.S. and that Russia is known to target critical infrastructure such as underwater cables and industrial control systems.

Participants in the NATO simulation, which was organized by the CCDCOE, included the FBI, Estonias defense ministry, Cisco, Microsoft and the European Defence Agency, among others, according to Estonian World. More than 10 NATO allies participated, according to the alliance.

Its just the latest virtual cyber exercise allied national have convened to test leaders readiness to respond to cyber attacks that hit simultaneously with physical attacks or information operations campaigns. Cyber Command and allies participated in a virtual exercise last year, during which they simulated how they would respond to an attack on a European airbase. In that attack, hackers targeted virtualized industrial control systems.

This was the first time NATO has hosted this cyber exercise virtually. Past iterations of the event were hosted in person in Paris and London in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

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NATO tests its hand defending against blended cyber-disinformation attacks - CyberScoop

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 19

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar completely ruled out the four-nation Quad ever evolving into a NATO-like structure.

Military alliances have never been Indias heritage... The people who use NATO-kind of analogy either dont understand us at all and dont know what our Independence means to us. One explanation I have is complete ignorance and lack of understanding of the Indian mindset, he said at All India Management Associations (AIMA) National Leadership Conclave today.

S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister

Military alliances not Indias heritage

Military alliances have never been Indias heritage... The people who use NATO-kind of analogy either dont understand us at all and dont know what our Independence means to us.

Or these people are using these words deliberately to discourage or dissuade or mislead us from doing what is in our own interest, he said.

Jaishankar suggested a military alliance would be tantamount to abandoning Indias independence of approach. On Quad, he said it was very reasonable in international relations to have countries with convergences and shared interests to work together.

But I wouldnt exaggerate and wrongly create the imagery of a NATO military alliance, cold war etc. That has never been Indias heritage. During the cold war also, we stayed away from NATO, he added. Jaishankars outright rejection of the Quad evolving into an Asian NATO comes at a time when border talks with China and peace talks with Pakistan are stalemated.

Giving an insight into what is discussed at Quad, Jaishankar said the four ministers discussed how to ensure students move around and travel in a Covid environment easily.

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Quad will never be like NATO: External Affairs Minister - The Tribune India

Athens organised the Iniochos 2021 annual multinational military exercise in Andravida base to deepen military cooperation with NATO and Middle Eastern allies. The exercise was joined by fighter jets from the US, France, Israel, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Andravida base on Tuesday. We cannot be naive. We are facing a new set of threats, Mitsotakis said. Our world is extremely complex and our neighborhood is, unfortunately, becoming more unstable. Greece will continue to strengthen its defense capabilities and upgrade its armed forces, the Greek PM added.

In the light of an escalating crisis with Turkey, Greece is following an 11.5 billion military upgrade program over the next five years. A 2.3 billion order for 18 French Rafale fighter jets and an upgrade of compatible missiles has already taken place while the air force maintains US-made F-16 fighters.

Moreover, Greece and Israel signed a $1.65 billion defense agreement under which Israels Elbit Systems Ltd. will operate a training centre for the Greek air force in a bid to tighten bilateral political and economic relations. The agreement includes the supply of 10 new M-346 training aircraft produced by Italian company Leonardo, as well as the maintenance of the Greek air forces training fleet for a period of 22 years. (Theodore Karaoulanis | EURACTIV.gr)

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Greece seeks military cooperation with NATO and Middle Eastern allies - EURACTIV

Another 14% of those surveyed are convinced this is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Photo from UNIAN, Mykhailo

A total of 64% of Ukrainians support the initiative for Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

That's according to a recent surveyrun by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF) with the assistance of New Image Marketing Group, an UNIAN correspondent reported.

In particular, 43% of respondents fully support Ukraine's accession to NATO, 21% say they "rather support" it.

Read alsoMost Ukrainians positive Ukraine-Russia war ongoing in Donbas pollAt the same time, 7% of respondents "rather oppose" the idea, while 12% fully oppose it.

Oleksandr Shulha, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, has noted that these indicators remain dynamic.

"When tensions risein our country, when Russia deploys its troops, when there'sdirect invasion as it was in 2015, the number of those who believe that Ukraine needs to join NATO increases greatly. During periods of relative calm, the figure falls, but the share of those who believe that it's necessary to join NATO always exceeds the number of those who believe there's no need to join," he explained.

The number of NATO accession supporters has changed dramatically since 2014, when only 15-20% of respondents believed Ukraine needed to join the Alliance, while half of the respondents believed the country should not.

Read alsoZelensky: It's time for proposals for Ukraine to obtain NATO MAP, EU planAt the same time, the survey shows respondents remain rather skeptical about the near-future prospects for joining NATO. Only 7% of respondents are sure this is possible in the near future, up to a year from now, while 28% suggest such rapid accession is possible.

Another 37% of respondents are convinced that joining is possible, but not in the coming years, while 14% believe it is unlikely, and 14% believe Ukraine will never join NATO.

*** The survey was conducted in April. Some 1,148 respondents aged 18 and older were involved in an online survey on an interactive structured questionnaire in all regions except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%.

Translation: Yevgeny Matyushenko

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Some 64% of Ukrainians stand for Ukraine's accession to NATO poll - UNIAN

Brussels has been the focus this week of a full court diplomatic offensive by U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken who arrived earlier this week and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin who landed in Belgium Wednesday for his first in-person meeting since the coronavirus pandemic began with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

The main goal of the meetings with NATO and European Union leaders has been to repair transatlantic bonds strained during Donald Trumps tenure in the White House.

There are many issues to be discussed, Stoltenberg said on welcoming Blinken to the Belgian capital, noting appreciatively that Americas top diplomat had been in Europe recently for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers.

The fact that you are back again this month together with Secretary Austin, I think that demonstrates the strong U.S. commitment to NATO, to our transatlantic bond, Stoltenberg added.

But the Biden team is encountering some of the same headwinds that contributed to the straining of Euro-U.S. ties, first during Barack Obamas tenure in the White House, and then to a much greater degree under Trump, who identified Europe as an economic adversary and was querulous about NATOs purpose.

All EU national governments have welcomed President Joe Bidens aim of revitalizing U.S.-European ties. The adversarial language has gone, but Washington is now facing an EU thats turning inward with the bloc focused on protecting its own post-pandemic market and preoccupied about how to stem the coronavirus, analysts say.

And the post-World War II transatlantic consensus is being complicated by splits within the bloc over the best ways to handle the rising power of Communist China and how to manage Russia, they add.

Even before the flurry of diplomatic visits to Brussels this week some analysts were warning of challenges ahead. The rebuilding could well prove more difficult than it first appears, noted recently Steven Pifer, an analyst at the Brookings Institution, a U.S.-based research organization, and former U.S. envoy to Ukraine.

Worries on Russian buildup

But how to handle Russia, which is now piling up troops and military hardware along the eastern Ukraine border, and in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, is becoming the most pressing issue facing Western powers.

And it is one that may determine the longer run prospects for Bidens bid to revitalize the transatlantic alliance, some diplomats and analysts believe.

The largely unexplained Russian military buildup is prompting questions about whether the Kremlin is actually plotting another incursion into Ukrainian territory or whether it is taking the measure of Biden and testing the new U.S. president. Russia has told western officials the military buildup is just an exercise, but Kremlin officials have said publicly it is in response to Ukrainian aggression, a claim rejected by Ukrainian officials. The Ukrainians fear whatever Russias intentions the situation is become highly unstable and could easily tip into a full-scale war.

The U.S. and NATO have offered unwavering support to Ukraine and have denounced the buildup as provocative. Secretary of State Blinken said Wednesday, after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, that he was pleasantly surprised at how all the NATO member states unreservedly condemned the Russian buildup.

What was striking to me was, in the North Atlantic Council meeting, listening to every single ally, all 30 of us, express those concerns and a determination to see Russia take steps to de-escalate the tensions that it is creating, Blinken said at a press conference.

Ukraine wants more

But a nervous Kyiv is looking for more than just words. That was stressed Tuesday by Ukraines foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, after meeting Blinken in Brussels. He told reporters condemnation needed to be supported by actions that will make it very clear for Russia that the price of its aggression against Ukraine will be too heavy for it to bear.

Kuleba added, It is better to act now to prevent Russia from further escalating the situation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will emphasize the same message to French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris Friday, say Ukrainian officials.

Despite the Ukrainians sense of urgency, the Biden administration and its European partners have so far not agreed on clear steps to deter Russia. Some fault a risk-averse and pandemic-preoccupied Europe for this.

While the U.S. has called on Russia to de-escalate, France and Germany have urged both Russia and Ukraine to show restraint. France and Germany are treating the perpetrator and victim of aggression alike, worries Edward Lucas, author of The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West.

In a commentary for the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a non-partisan research group headquartered in Washington, he noted that Frances Macron and Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel recently discussed the Ukraine crisis with Putin over the Ukrainians heads.

"That sends a demoralizing message to the rest of Europe, and an encouraging one to the Kremlin: when things get serious, Berlin and Paris pursue their own interests, not wider ones, he added.

Former Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves cautions that the Franco-German overtures risk reinforcing the impression in Moscow of European weakness. He suspects Putins military buildup is an act of intimidation to see how the West responds and he will play it by ear and see how it goes, he said at an event in the U.S. capital.

According to former U.S. envoy Pifer, the big dilemma facing the Biden administration is how to revive the transatlantic security alliance while not letting things get derailed by difficult issues that could divide the allies.

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Ukraine Wants NATOs Action to Match Words on Russia - Voice of America