Category Archives: NATO

PARIS The White House national security adviser says the U.S. is very sympathetic to France in its dispute with Turkey over a naval standoff in the Mediterranean Sea between the two NATO allies.

The festering row has exposed NATOs struggle to keep order among its ranks, and its diminished U.S. leadership under President Donald Trump.

NATO allies shouldnt be turning fire control radars on each other. Thats not good, national security adviser Robert OBrien told reporters in Paris on Wednesday. He said Trump is available to help defuse tensions, thanks to his personal relationships with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron.

According to French accounts of the June 10 incident, the frigate Courbet was illuminated by the targeting radar of a Turkish warship that was escorting a cargo ship.

France said it was acting on intelligence from NATO that the civilian ship could be involved in trafficking arms to Libya. The Courbet was part of the alliances operation Sea Guardian, which helps provide maritime security in the Mediterranean.

Turkeys foreign minister accused France of lying, and Turkeys ambassador to France said the French navy was harassing the Turkish convoy.

We are very sympathetic to the French concerns, OBrien said, while acknowledging differing accounts of what happened. Were taking it very seriously.

Macron has also accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

The United States is by far the most influential of the NATO allies, but has played a less prominent role under Trump, who has publicly berated European members and Canada for not spending enough on defense budgets. Trump has threatened to take U.S. troops out of Germany without consulting allies, and has pulled out of multiple international agreements that Europeans regard as important to their security.

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US Backs France in Standoff With Turkey Over Warships - The New York Times

An Islamist and expansionist Turkey would be a threat to NATO, a writer for the Jerusalem Post said on Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoans interventions in Syria and Libya are shoring up extremist Islamist forces, Ghanem M. Nuseibeh, chair of Muslims against anti-Semitism and the founder of Cornerstone Global Associates, said.

The expansionist Turkish policies in Libya are an implementation of the global blueprint of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, namely, to establish a pan-national Islamist caliphate, he said.

Erdoans used the traditional relations the secular Turkish state had with the West, especially with NATO, to legitimate his expansionist moves in the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe.

Nuseibeh said Turkeys interests in Libya, where it has intervened military to back the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord, and in the eastern Mediterranean, where it is increasingly asserting its right to drill for hydrocarbons, are at odds with many Western countries.

The gradual Islamisation of Turkey now poses a direct threat to the West as a whole, as well as to the moderate states of the Middle East. The West, led by NATO, needs to adopt a united stance against Turkey, which no longer is the secular, pro-Western state that Erdoan inherited, he said. Turkey under Erdoan is the wolf, and most of Europe is still acting like Little Red Riding Hood.

Turkey has also come under criticism for abandoning secularism in its move last week to re-convert the Hagia Sophia museum back into a mosque.

Alex Galitsky, communications director of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, said the move was more than simply a provocation.

For Turkey, the conversion of the Hagia Sophia represents the death knell for any remaining semblance of secularism in the country, Galitsky said in the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.

It signals Turkeys full embrace of an expansionist, neo-Ottoman foreign policy, unperturbed by its neighbors and allies, and the complete abandonment of its European ambitions that NATO member states once desperately clung onto and used to justify their placation of Turkey amid the country's steady backsliding on democracy and human rights.

Galitsky said it is part of a longstanding oppression of Christianity in Turkey.

For the remaining Christians of Turkey today, who have experienced the steady erosion of their rights to religious freedom and cultural expression over the last two decades, the conversion of the Hagia Sophia is tantamount to a declaration of war on their very right to exist in the lands they have lived in for millennia, he said.

On Friday, Erdoan announced the opening of the Hagia Sophia to Muslim worship after the Council of State Turkeys highest administrative court ruled that the buildings conversion to a museum by modern Turkeys founding secular statesman was illegal.

In a televised address, Erdoan said that prayers will be held at the site on July 24.

The Hagia Sophia, originally built as a Byzantine cathedral in 537, was turned into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul on May 29, 1453, and then became a museum in 1935 under Mustafa Kemal Atatrks presidency.

With Turkey leaving secularism behind, Erdoan is positioning himself to lead what he sees as a resurgent Islam, with Turkey at its head, Yiannis Baboulias said in the Spectator magazine on Tuesday.

"Erdoans firm friendship with Donald Trump has so far protected him from worse sanctions and responses by European leaders. Will the Hagia Sophia be a wake-up call to a West that has so far tolerated far too many transgressions? Does it even care? The time for complacency is over," Baboulias said.

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An Islamist Turkey would be a threat to NATO - Ahval

NATO Maritime Command has announced that standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) units have entered the Black Sea for the second time this year to conduct further routine operations, and to participate in two regional exercises organised by the Bulgarian and Ukrainian navies.

SNMG2 arrived to the Black Sea on 9 July, and is composed of three frigates from Spain, Romania and Turkey, led by Rear Admiral Manuel Aguirre of the Spanish Navy, with the Spanish frigate lvaro de Bazn (F-101) as the flagship.

SNMCMG2 vessels HS Aliakmon (flagship), ESPS Tambre, TCG Amasra and ITS Gaeta, led by Commander Dimitrios Katsouras of the Hellenic Navy, entered the Black Sea on 7 July, where it was joined by ROS Lupu Dinescu and sailed towards Burgas (BUL) where they arrived on 10 July.

With three Allied nations, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, and two regional partners, Ukraine and Georgia bordering the Black Sea, Standing Naval Group presence in the region is a regular occurrence. Apart from conducting maritime security patrols in international waters, the two exercises will help enhance interoperability between Allies and regional partners.

With visits planned to Bulgaria and Ukraine in the coming days, all activities of the Standing NATO Forces ashore will continue to abide by COVID-19 restrictions, designed to protect their operational capabilities. However, as national regulations are eased, opportunities for key engagements will help reaffirm and build these regional relationships.

SNMG2 and SNMCMG2 are two of our four standing forces that comprise the maritime component of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which is part of the NATO Response Force (NRF). To respond to contingency situations additional forces can be added to these groups, with the NATO command staff onboard and the ships of the group as the nucleus, capable of providing timely support to NATO operations.

NATO warships also will take part in Sea Breeze is a U.S. and Ukraine co-hosted multinational maritime exercise that held in the Black Sea and is designed to enhance interoperability of participating nations and strengthen maritime security and peace within the region.

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NATO Forces return to Black Sea for the second time this year - defence-blog.com

The north-easts new fleet of spy planes have taken part in their first Nato exercise hunting submarines submerged beneath the waves.

Nine P-8A Poseidons will eventually operate from RAF Lossiemouth with two already flying from nearby Kinloss Barracks.

The aircraft have now participated in their first multi-national training drill as crews continue to build their experience.

The Nato exercise Dynamic Mongoose involved six nations honing anti-submarine skills in the challenging North Atlantic.

Crews from RAF Lossiemouths 120 Squadron will be tasked with monitoring the area due to increasing levels of Russian activity detected under the surface with 201 Squadron due to arrive at the base next year.

During the drill personnel were tasked with locating and tracking a simulated submarine across an area of 200 square nautical miles with coordination between ships and aircraft to speed up the time taken to locate, identify and track targets.

On one sortie an RAF Poseidon launched a simulated attack within 10 minutes of taking over contact from a US aircraft also involved in the exercise.

Wing Commander James Hanson, officer commanding 120 Squadron, said: Participation in Dynamic Mongoose offers the trained crews a chance to hone their skills cooperating with ships, submarines and aircraft from a number of Nato partner nations, as well as the Royal Navy.

The exercise offers my crews a great opportunity to be tested against highly professional opposition in the exercise environment, and I know that the crews have relished the chance to show what they can do with our extremely capable aircraft.

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Spy planes in north-east take part in first Nato exercise - Press and Journal

And territorial disputes from the South China Sea to the Himalayas, not to mention Beijing's ambitions in the Arctic, have all been highlighted as threats to world security. Meanwhile, the UK has been tipped to play a major role after the end of the year in accordance with the "Global Britain" strategy referred to by among others Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The report, which emphasises the importance of all member states paying their fair share of two percent of GDP into the alliance, is published by the Policy Institute think tank, based at Kings College London, and authored by among others George Robertson, former NATO Secretary General, Michael Fallon, former UK Defence Secretary, and former Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell.

With reference to China, the report entitled The future strategic direction of NATO, highlights the fact that China's military spending has increased by 6.6 percent this year, irrespective of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The authors said: "It is clear President Xi Jinping remains committed to the modernisation of the Peoples Liberation Army by 2035 and its transformation into a 'world-class' military by 2049.

Recent events demonstrate the determination China has to bring Hong Kong under its firm grip, raising grave concerns for its future as well as that of Taiwan

Policy Institute report

"Recent events demonstrate the determination China has to bring Hong Kong under its firm grip, raising grave concerns for its future as well as that of Taiwan."

The report adds: "Chinas argument with India, and ongoing disputes with Japan, demonstrate preparedness to press territorial claims from the Himalayas to the South China Seas.

"In addition, China is increasing its activity in the Arctic, creating a 'polar silk road' and a 5+1 group with Nordic nations, similar to the 17+1 group that guides Chinas cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries."

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The onset of coronavirus would inevitably take its toll on the economy, the report acknowledged, with a knock-on impact on defence spending.

The report warns: "Whatever the reason, NATO may see less spent on defence in the next few years.

"This argues for a push on economies of scale, sensible procurement and greater collaboration."

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Nevertheless COVID-19 should not be an excuse for NATO member states to renege on spending commitments made at the Wales Summit in 2014.

The authors said: "All members pledged to move towards two percent by 2024.

"At the time, only three countries met the target; nine now do.

"NATO should continue to push for the pledge to be fulfilled."

As for the role of post-Brexit Britain, the report says: "We want the UK to play a central and leading role in the strategic direction of NATO, in full collaboration with other members.

"Global Britain should have at its core a determination that collective action on defence and security is where the country will make a major contribution.

"We anticipate the UK taking the lead where its expertise and experience can drive ideas, develop new thinking and promote action."

Assessing the future of NATO, Mr Robertson said: "Since it was established in 1949, Nato has played a vital role in preserving a way of life based on freedom and liberal values.

"As new threats emerge from an increasingly aggressive China and Russia, the alliance must step up to meet them and demonstrate its enduring importance in a more uncertain world.

"Failure to do so risks imperilling global security and undermining the prosperity and stability that Nato has helped to create for more than 70 years.

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China threat: Beijing plotting massive territorial gains - with warning issued for Taiwan - Express.co.uk

US resident Donald Trump said in an interview with newspaper columnist Mark Thyssen that he does not want the United States to leave NATO, but the allies must pay dues.

According to former White House national security adviser John Bolton in his book, The Room where it happened: the White House memoir, Trump wanted to threaten NATO leaders at the 2018 summit with the US leaving the Alliance if they did not pay contributions of 2% of GDP. According to him, after that, he discussed Trumps threat to withdraw from NATO with Secretary of state Mike Pompeo; they decided to convince him to stay in the Alliance, but perhaps by reducing US contributions. As a result, in his speech, Trump did as Bolton advised him he declared his support for NATO, but criticized those countries of the Alliance that still have small defense budgets.

In an interview with Thyssen, Trump complained that 2% of GDP is also too little.

There were those who paid almost nothing, and now they are paying. And they asked me an important question: You would leave if and I answered: Yes, I would leave. And if you dont give that answer, theyre not going to pay, said Trump, whose words are quoted by Thyssen in his article published by the Washington Post.

When asked by a columnist whether Trump wants the US to leave NATO, Trump replied in the negative. No, I dont want to leave But I want them to pay their fair share, Trump said.

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Trump said that he does not want the US to leave NATO - FREE NEWS

Jeremy Cook, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who was part of the NATO Peacekeeping force in Bosnia after the Srebrenica genocide, and student Admir Meskovic talk about their experiences on this years anniversary

The atrocities committed in the Bosnian War were truly frightening and I witnessed first-hand the suffering of the victims as we helped them rebuild their lives.

My time in Bosnia taught me that we must always remain vigilant to the threat of those who incite intolerance, hate and discrimination.

So says Jeremy Cook, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Colleges and Student Experience) at Durham University, reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

In July 1995, over 8,000 people mostly Bosniaks in and around the town of Srebrenica, part of modern day Bosnia and Herzegovina, were killed by units of the Bosnian Serb army under the command of Ratko Mladic.

The graves at Srebrenica Picture: AMRA MUJKANOVIC

The United Nations had declared Srebrenica a safe area under its protection, but failed to prevent the towns capture or the subsequent massacre.

Prior to joining Durham University, Mr Cook served with the British Army and in 1995 he was part of the NATO Peacekeeping force in Bosnia a few months after the Srebrenica genocide.

Last week was the UKs Srebrenica Memorial Week for 2020, with remembrance activities taking place across the region. In Durham, Srebrenica genocide flags were flown from Durham Cathedral; Durham Castle, home to University College, Durham; and County Hall, headquarters of Durham County Council.

Flying the flag in Durham Picture: GAVIN WORT

The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of Durham, encouraged people to pray for continuing peace. Cllr Angela Surtees, Durham County Councils Cabinet member for social inclusion, said the lesson of Srebrenica was that hatred and intolerance can flourish if left unchallenged.

Admir Meskovic was only a child when the Bosnian War started. Fearful of what was to come, his family relocated to live with relatives. It proved to be a wise choice: not a single bomb exploded in their new home town during the four-year conflict.

Nevertheless, the young Admir was close enough to hear explosions and the movement of hostile tanks. He recalls his family turning out the lights to avoid hostile attention, sleeping in jeans in case you had to move quickly during the night and child refugees from the region around Srebrenica living in his home.

Now studying for an MBA at Durham University Business School, Admir reflects: There are frightening stories of those people who survived that hell. Not many, because few have survived. These kind of stories cannot be paraphrased, you have to hear directly from a person witnessing the horror.

Admir Meskovic

This includes my peer, a then-seven-year-old boy Fahrudin who survived the mass executions of civilians from his village, including his father. Fahrudin was wounded in his arm and leg, and was saved by the Red Cross driver who noticed that something was moving in the mass of dead bodies that was waiting to be transported to the mass grave.

The driver who saved the young boy was not considered a hero, however. He suffered the consequences because of his betrayal during his life, and his funeral later was attended by only the closest relatives.

If we say that it is important to remember the Srebrenica genocide, we talk about something that happened in the past and finished. It is incomparably more tragic to see that the ideology which led to genocide is still live and active.

The annual Memorial Week is co-ordinated by the Remembering Srebrenica charity and this years theme was Every Action Matters. Lucy Adams, chair of the charitys North East board, said she was delighted to see Durhams University, Cathedral and County Council marking the anniversary.

Just some of the names of the people who died

County Durham has long-standing links with Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the 1984-5 Miners Strike, miners from Tuzla sent aid to striking miners in the North-East. Then during the war, Durham miners reciprocated, sending aid to Tuzla.

Durham University also has links with the area through its School of Government and International Affairs and the Durham Global Security Institute. Dr Stefanie Kappler, an Associate Professor in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding, has conducted extensive fieldwork in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

With Dr Lydia Cole and the University of Manchester, she is currently working on a project exploring how art can be part of peace processes, with Bosnia-Herzegovina as one of four case studies. She has also researched how the ways past atrocities are remembered can impact the quality of peace in the present.

In April 2018, Dr Kappler organised for the interreligious choir Pontamina, from Sarajevo, to perform at Durham Cathedral. The event featured Nedzad Avdic, a Srebrenica survivor, telling his story and Dave Temple, from the Durham Miners Association, speaking about the historic links between Durham and Tuzla.

Srebrenica graves Picture: Rooful Ali

Speaking about this years Memorial Week, Smajo Beso, a former Bosnian refugee who is now an architect and lecturer at Newcastle University, said: We were warmly welcomed to the North-East more than 25 years ago and supported by the incredible people of this region. I dont think you will find anyone in our community that hasnt lost a loved one or that isnt still suffering with the traumatic effects from the war.

But now to have our pain and suffering acknowledged in such a visible way is incredibly powerful and cathartic. Were a small community but we all proudly call the North-East our home. Thank you to all those that have supported us and continue to do so.

For more information, please visit: srebrenica.org.uk

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University lecturer who part of the NATO Peacekeeping after the Srebrenica genocide reflects on the 25th anniversary - The Northern Echo

On 19 June 2020, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoan participated in an online discussion of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit. The session about the Military Backbone of Democracy covered the current global security issues we face today and the resulting new challenges for global multilateral cooperation, including the COVID-19 outbreak. The Deputy Secretary General gave his perspectives on how the military and security partnership is important for democracy.

Speaking about COVID-19, he underlined that while all countries have been challenged by the pandemic, NATO nations have come together to support each other. He stressed that military forces from across the Alliance have transported medical personnel and hundreds of tons of supplies, facilitated the construction of almost 100 field hospitals.Speaking about the economic recovery, the Deputy Secretary General underlined that the security and defence sector can also be a powerful engine for economic recovery, as investments in critical infrastructure, logistics, and military mobility can boost jobs, investment and innovation.The Deputy Secretary General concluded that it is important for international peace and security that all countries act within the framework of international law to ensure stability and predictability and promote cooperation.

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NATO Deputy Secretary General stresses the importance of security partnership for democracy - NATO HQ

The United States Navy dock landing ship USS Oak Hill joined the guided missile destroyer USS Porter in the Black Sea on Thursday (18 June 2020) for maritime security operations and to train with Allies and partners in the region. Porter entered the Black Sea on Wednesday.

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu welcomed the deployment, saying: The Black Sea is of strategic importance to NATO. Since Russias illegal annexation of Crimea, the Alliance has increased its presence in the region. This includes maritime security operations such as this one, as well as training for partner navies and coast guards, and information sharing. By working with Allies and partners, we continue to ensure the security of the Black Sea region.

The arrival of the USS Oak Hill marks the fourth time a US Navy ship patrols the Black Sea in 2020. The two vessels will not be making any port calls in the region, but stay at sea to avoid any potential COVID-19 exposure. The US Navy and other NATO navies routinely operate in the Black Sea, consistent with international law, patrolling the waters for around two-thirds of the year.

Three NATO members Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey are littoral Black Sea states, with their own forces in the region. NATO is also strengthening support for its partners Georgia and Ukraine. In April, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed to conduct more Black Sea exercises with both countries, as well as stepping up joint work to counter hybrid warfare and share more air traffic radar data.

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NATO Allied ships patrol in the Black Sea - NATO HQ

Washington: NATO is reassessing its situation with regards to China, a top American envoy to the powerful military grouping has said, asserting that Beijing is on its radar more than ever in the past.

China can be a peaceful partner but it is not projecting that at the moment, Kay Bailey Hutchison, US Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), told reporters at a virtual meeting here.

"China could be a peaceful partner, a good trade partner, but they're not showing that right now, and I think NATO partners are looking at this, and NATO is beginning to assess what China is doing as well," she said.

"It's much more on our radar screen, and I think it should be because we should assess the risk, hope for the best but prepare for the worst," Hutchison said on the aggressive behaviour and provocative actions of China against Taiwan, Japan and India.

On whether a risk of an actual military confrontation was on the horizon, she said, "I think NATO is now looking to the East."

Everything that has been happening with the 5G networks is being dealt with in the US and Europe throughout the alliance, Hutchison said.

"We're trying to keep our communications secure and seeing that some of the Chinese competitors do not have the capability to control the contractual obligations that are made by communications providers all of those things, including the Belt and Road Initiative, are raising concerns, concerns among our allies, about what is the intent of China," she said.

The United States is very clear that it wants China to be a partner in the world order and it is known that China has stolen intellectual property, violated tariff and subsidies set down by the world courts and the World Trade Organization, Hutchison said.

"So we know that China has the capability to compete on a level playing field, and we're asking them to do that, but we're also turning a wary eye to their behaviour right now in the South China Sea, militarising islands that they said would never be done, as well as the clampdown on Hong Kong," she said.

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China is on NATO radar more than ever, says US envoy - Economic Times