Category Archives: NATO

Eddie Calvo, the Governor of Guam, said on Wednesday, August 9, that there had been no change in the threat level to Guam after North Korea and US President Donald Trump traded threats. At a press conference, Calvo said, There has been a lot of rhetoric coming out, and its important to bring that message to the people of Guam that this is not a time to panic. On August 7, Trump said North Korea should not threaten the US again, and that if they do, they will be met with fire and fury. In response, the North Korean government issued a statement that it was carefully examining an attack on Guam, a US territory located in the Pacific Ocean. Credit: Facebook/Eddie Baza Calvo via Storyful

Trumps tough talk with North Korea has led a precarious situation, however experts believe people remain safe. Picture: AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM

AN ATTACK on the tiny Pacific territory of Guam could escalate to draw in the worlds most powerful nations within 24 hours under a rarely-used clause of the NATO military alliance.

Thats if members of the North Atlantic Council make the political decision that a strike against the island would invoke the key Article 5 of NATOs collective defence strategy that deems an attack against a member state an attack against all.

NATO spokesman Dylan White would not speculate on the possibility, but said the alliance is concerned" by North Koreas pattern of inflammatory and threatening rhetoric.

We call on North Korea to refrain from further provocations and abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, as required by the United Nations, he told news.com.au.

We call on Pyongyang not to raise tensions further, and to engage in a credible dialogue with the international community.

On Wednesday, President Trump continued to ramp up his aggressive rhetoric against North Korea despite being at odds with other world leaders who deemed it unhelpful.

My first order as President was to renovate and modernise our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before, he tweeted.

Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!

It follows earlier comments in which he said North Korea would see fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before if it continued to push its nuclear program, leading to a threat against Guam from the rogue state.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for calm and said people should sleep well at night.

Nothing that I have seen and nothing that I know of would indicate that the situation has dramatically changed in the last 24 hours, he said.

North Koreas missiles are believed to be capable of hitting the mainland US. Picture: AP Photo/Lee Jin-manSource:AP

Guams status as an unincorporated territory of the United States means it is essentially considered part of the country for military purposes, despite residents not being able to vote.

Following the North Korea threat, Governor Eddie Baza Calvo said he was in touch with the White House and told residents there is no threat to our island or the Marianas.

He also reassured worried residents an attack on Guam is an attack or threat on the United States and said, Guam is on American soil.

We are not just a military installation ... I want to ensure we are prepared for any eventuality.

Article 6 of the NATO treaty states an armed attack against a member is also deemed to include their territories, vessels, forces or aircraft inside that territory.

A missile that analysts believe could be the North Korean Hwasong-12 is paraded across Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in April. This week intelligence documents showed North Korean plans are further along than anticipated. Picture: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, FileSource:AP

24 HOUR WINDOW

The collective defence clause was invoked for the first time by the North Atlantic Council following the 9/11 terror attacks when countries moved within 24 hours.

Within one month an alliance of nations had agreed on eight measures to be deployed in NATOs first counter-terrorism operation. It has since been used in Syria and the wake of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Last month the North Atlantic Council council condemned North Koreas launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and called for UN-led sanctions on the issue.

We are deeply concerned by the persistent, provocative, and destabilising behaviour of the DPRK, including both its ongoing nuclear weapons program and its numerous tests of ballistic missiles and ballistic missile technology in 2017, a statement from the council said following the unprecedented Independence Day test.

The DPRKs flagrant disregard of international agreements and confrontational actions undermine regional stability, jeopardise the prospects for lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula, and pose a growing threat to international peace and security.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been described by Trump as wacko but many analysts believe he is hellbent on regimen preservation and is not suicidal. Picture: KRT via AP Video, File.Source:AP

Australia is regarded as a NATO partner state that has contributed troops to missions in the past but is not a fully fledged member.

Earlier this year, NATO Military Committee Chair, General Petr Pavel, said he had the utmost respect for Australian forces and the country is a highly valued, reliable and respected partner.

The Australian government failed to respond to questions regarding preparations for a nuclear attack from North Korea.

China, Guam and Hawaii have recently conducted preparations to ready their military and citizens.

Hawaiis Emergency Management Authority made headlines after issuing emergency guidance advising people to seek shelter within minutes of an attack, avoid looking directly at light and staying in blast resistant shelters for up to 14 days.

Recent news reports indicate North Korea may have succeeded in building a nuclear warhead that can fit atop of one of the regime's intercontinental missiles. WSJ's Gerald F. Seib examines what that means for the U.S., where President Donald Trump Tuesday threatened Pyongyang with "fire and fury." Photo: AP

Read the original:
North Korean attack on Guam could invoke Article 5 of NATO Treaty if carried out - NEWS.com.au

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, meets with Raul Khadzhimba, the leader of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia | Alexey Druzhinin/AFP via Getty Images

Russian president visits Abkhazia on anniversary of brief war over the territory.

By David M. Herszenhorn

8/8/17, 6:39 PM CET

NATO rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for visiting the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia on the ninth anniversary of a brief war over the territory and another disputed region, South Ossetia.

Russia has all but annexed the two regions, which exist only thanks to Russian economic aid and the protection of the Russian military and security services. Putin signed an agreement effectively integrating South Ossetia in 2015 and a similar treaty with Abkhazia in 2014.

Russia has been accused repeatedly by Georgia and the West of further encroaching on Georgias territorial sovereignty by surreptitiouslymoving the borders.

Putin met Tuesday with the president of Abkhazia, Raul Khadzhimba, in the Black Sea resort town of Pitsunda, and a NATO spokesman in Brussels quickly denounced the Russian leaders move.

President Putins visit to the Abkhazia region of Georgia on the ninth anniversary of the armed conflict is detrimental to international efforts to find a peaceful and negotiated settlement, the spokesman, Dylan White, said in a statement. We regret that this visit was carried out without prior consent of the Georgian authorities.

NATO is united in full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally-recognized borders, White said. We will not recognize any attempts to change the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as regions of Georgia.

At Putins meeting, the Russian and Abkhazian health ministers signed an agreement to extend Russian government health insurance to Russian citizens living in Abkhazia. Effectively, all residents of Abkhazia can obtain Russian citizenship.

Guests, from wherever they come, including from Russia, should understand and feel that they are under reliable protection, Putin said at the meeting, according to a statement by the Kremlin.

Read this article:
NATO criticizes Putin visit to disputed Georgia territory - POLITICO.eu

A German Tornado jet is pictured on the ground at the air base in Incirlik, Turkey | Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images

Members of the German parliament will visit troops stationed at an air base near Konya in September.

By Connor Murphy

8/8/17, 2:16 PM CET

The Turkish government will allow German lawmakers to visit soldiers stationed at an airbase in Turkey as part of a NATO delegation next month, local media reported Tuesday.

In a letter to the head of Germanys parliamentary defense committee, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the Turkish government agreed to a NATO proposal which allows German members of parliament to visit troops stationed at an air base near Konya on September 8.

Gabriel said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlt avuolu agreed to the proposal.

Germany withdrew its troops from Incirlik air base in southern Turkey in July after Ankara repeatedly refused to grant German lawmakers access to the base. Turkey also blocked a delegation of MPs from visiting the air base near Konya in mid-July.

Under the proposal, NATO Deputy Secretary-General Rose Gottemoeller can take up to seven members of the German parliamentary defense committee with her on a trip to Konya.

This is in our interest, said Wolfgang Hellmich, chairman of the parliamentary defense committee. This is an important step in making it clear to NATO that the right to visit is indispensable.

Hellmich added that visiting as part of a NATO delegation does not replace a Bundestag visit, but is an important step to defuse a conflict that was not at all useful to NATO.

The move comes as the diplomatic rift between Ankara and Berlin continues to worsen. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan accused Germany of abetting terrorists. EU Budget Commissioner Gnther Oettinger told Bild on Monday it was very unlikely the EU would hand over the remainder of a promised 4.3 billion of pre-accession aid to Turkey because of the countrys recent autocratic turn.

See the original post here:
Turkey grants German lawmakers access to soldiers as part of NATO trip - POLITICO.eu

Will Ruger noticed that Pence repeated the pledge to bring Georgia into NATO during his visit there last week:

Pence stated, President Trump and the United States stand firmly behind the 2008 NATO Bucharest statement which made it clear that Georgia will, someday, become a member.

Since this week marks the ninth anniversary of the August 2008 war, it is worth remembering that the commitment made at the Bucharest summit earlier that year significantly added to the tensions between Russia and Georgia. If it had been up to George W. Bush, Georgia and Ukraine would have both received Membership Action Plans, but even the promise of future membership was dangerously provocative. Promising that Georgia would one day become a member of the alliance alarmed Moscow and gave false encouragement to the Georgian government.

Combined with other expressions of U.S. support for Georgia during the Bush years, this commitment by the alliance led then-President Saakashvili to believe that the U.S. and other Western powers would come to Georgias aid in the event of a conflict. He recklessly escalated the low-level conflict in South Ossetia and triggered a war with Russia by shelling Tskhinvali, where Russian troops were stationed in a supposed peacekeeping role. That attack provided Russia with the pretext to invade. The rhetorical support for Georgia proved to be meaningless, and the war drove home how big of a liability Georgia would be as an ally.

As a result of the war, Russia recognized the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, thus making their reintegration into Georgia much less likely than it was before the war. If Georgias NATO aspirations were fanciful before the 2008 war, they became preposterous after it. Reviving talk of Georgias future NATO membership today is irresponsible and dangerous. It is also cruel to keep giving Georgia more false encouragement that it will be able to join the alliance at some point. It isnt going to happen, and it does no one any good to keep pretending otherwise.

Read more here:
Georgia Shouldn't (and Won't) Be a NATO Member - The American Conservative

Relations between Turkey and the European Union already fraught have deteriorated swiftly over the last few months. In June, the refusal of Turkish officials to allow German parliamentarians to visit their troops stationed at the Incirlik air base in southeastern Turkey, who are part of the fight against ISIS, encouraged Berlin to pull its forces surveillance aircraft out of the country and move them to Jordan.

In a resolution passed last week, the European Parliament voted to suspend Turkeys accession talks with the EU, citing Turkeys slide into authoritarianism under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And, according to reporting from Reuters, Germany is now asking the European Commission to pause its negotiations with Ankara on the EU-Turkey Customs Union.

Squabbles between the European Union and Turkey, which has been negotiating accession to the bloc since 1999, are not new. However, the escalation in rhetorical attacks between Turkey and European powers in March Erdogan called the Netherlands the capital of fascism and compared German politicians to Nazis has been unique. That war of words now threatens to undermine the NATO alliance, especially as Turkey pursues the $2.5 billion preliminary agreement it signed with Russia to buy S-400 SAM air defense systems.

What does this mean for the U.S. and the Trump Administration, which relies heavily on Turkey for support against ISIS in Iraq and Syria?

Turkish ties to several EU countries have been damaged this year, but its relations with Germany have seen the sharpest decline. Those relations also offer the clearest look at the effects of a serious deterioration of Turkeys place in both NATO and the EU accession process. On the NATO side, Germanys decision to move its troops from Incirlik air base is significant, but it is a proposed redirection of AWACS surveillance planes from the Konya air base in central Turkey that would be most damaging to NATO unity. As Karl-Heinz Kamp, Director of the German Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin, notes, the AWACS fleets stationing in Turkey was not on the basis of a bilateral agreement with the country, it is part of a NATO agreement.

Not only does the anti-ISIS coalition lose the capability of the AWACS while they are in transit, the move also forms a diplomatic rift within NATO. This is why NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is currently attempting to mediate negotiations between the two allies. According to Kamp, Stoltenberg is in a very tricky situation where, faced with multiple crises within NATO, he is trying to avoid escalation in any of these conflict areas.

On the EU side of the equation, it is the perceived authoritarian and anti-European bent of the Erdogan government that is driving the diplomatic crisis, and the failed military coup against Erdogan in July of last year marks the turning point from tense relations into a burgeoning crisis. Since then, the Erdogan government has purged of over 100,000 military officers, civil servants, journalists, and academics suspected of involvement in the putsch. They also succeeded in winning a Yes vote in the countrys constitutional referendum that will grant sweeping new powers to President Erdogan when enacted.

European leaders have consistently expressed worry at what they see as the consolidation of powers in Erdogans hands and the multiple alleged human rights abuses committed by the Turkish government during the purge. In response, Erdogan and his allies deny any anti-democratic practices, claim the purge has been necessary to combat pro-coup elements in the country, and maintain that they do not need the EU accession process and that threats to end it will not influence their policy.

Many analysts believed that the severity of these exchanges would die off after Erdogan won the decision he wanted in the referendum. Secure in his power at home, the theory was that he would seek to repair his countrys ties with Europe. However, says Director of the Turkish Research Project at the Washington Institute and author of The New Sultan, Soner Cagaptay, this outcome no longer looks likely.

This is partially due to a new series of provocations including the arrest of ten Amnesty International human rights workers by Turkish authorities this July. But, says Cagaptay, this runs much deeper. According to him, what we saw before the Turkish constitutional referendum in April were not episodic glitches, they actually represented the culmination of [an Erdoganist] political ideology that is driven by a very deep sense of anti-European anti-western sentiment. This means that crises like this will continue to crop up between Turkey and Europe.

Nevertheless, Turkish economic growth is heavily dependent on foreign direct investment and tourism, and the bulk of this outside money is European. For this reason, despite the public saber rattling and chest-beating against Europe, Erdogans government is simultaneously pursuing talks to upgrade its critical customs union with the EU. Germany is now threatening that economic lifeline by asking the European Commission to halt those talks with Ankara but Erdogan still has a trump card to play here: refugees. Basically, says Cagaptay, if Erdogan wants, all three million [refugees] could be in Germany tomorrow, and the rest of Europe in three months.

This kind of exchange between economic support and curbing refugee flows may ease the current crisis with the EU, but it is hardly permanent. This presents a serious problem for the United States, especially where current and new crises intersect with NATO unity. Interestingly, questions about Turkeys place in NATO and relations with the European Union come at the same moment as similar questions about U.S. President Donald Trumps commitment to NATO and ties to key leaders in western Europe.

However, for the moment at least, the U.S. Administration needs some semblance of unity between Turkey and its European NATO allies. The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq relies on Turkish bases, particularly the air base at Incirlik, to provide timely support to its forces and allies on the ground. Any threat to that support whether it comes from intra-NATO disputes or Turkish anger at U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG and the rise of anti-western political narratives could seriously degrade U.S. efforts to fight the terror group. As Stoltenberg attempts to negotiate a deal between Turkey and Germany, the Trump Administration should consider lending its voice to the mix.

See original here:
Turkey's Drift from the EU and NATO Could Be Permanent - The Cipher Brief

By

August 7, 2017, 7:00 PM EDT August 8, 2017, 2:23 AM EDT

The Republic of Macedonias new government is stepping up its efforts to join NATO, arguing that membership in the military alliance will protect the Balkan nation from Russia interfering in its affairs, the countrys defense minister said.

Influences interfering in this strategic goal arent helpful, and theyre not friendly, Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska said in an interview in Skopje last week. Weve seen some leaks, even before the government was elected, about Russian attempts for influence in key political and security areas. And we have been concerned about them. We believe Macedonian NATO membership can put an end to these attempts.

After undergoing the first change in leadership in more than a decade in June, the nation of 2 million people is trying to rejuvenate its efforts to join the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

As part of that push,Prime Minister Zoran Zaevs government is trying to rebuild regional ties after accusing the previous administration of deliberately fueling a naming dispute with Greece dating back to 1991, when the nation broke away from Yugoslavia and called itself Republic of Macedonia. Greece, which blocked its neighbors attempts to join NATO because of the dispute, believes that to be a territorial claim on its neighboring northern province of the same name.

Get the latest on global politics in your inbox, every day.

Get our newsletter daily.

While some countries that gained independence after the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s have joined the EU and NATO, laggards like the Republic of Macedonia are now caught in a power struggle between Russia on one side and Europe and the U.S. on the other. Tensions escalated after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, prompting the biggest standoff with the U.S. since the Cold War. They deepened further after U.S. President Donald Trump raised questions about the future of NATO and relations with Moscow.

Russia remains opposed to NATO expansion in Europe and has been accused of trying to derail the regions western accession efforts. Last year, Montenegros government said the Kremlin led a failed coup during parliamentary elections, allegations that Russia denies.

Sekerinska, the 45-year-old deputy chairwoman of the ruling Social Democratic Union, said the cabinet was seeking to improve ties with Greece and commit to domestic reforms within nine months to be able to join NATO as soon as possible.

The country needs to address issues regarding the rule of law and judicial independence that are now seen as a problem for Macedonias NATO entry, Sekerinska said.

Well stay committed to making these reforms a reality, but well keep asking NATO member states to appreciate these efforts, take into account the results and make decisions as soon as possible, she said.

As it strives to follow the example of Montenegro, which joined the alliance in June, the country will start boosting defense spending in 2018 from below 1 percent of gross domestic product, she said.

Sekerinska, who also serves as a deputy premier, hailed last weeks visit of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to Montenegro, which she said delivered a key message that removed all doubts from earlier this year about whether the U.S. remains committed to NATO and the region.

Those doubts have disappeared, she said.

Read the original:
Rep. of Macedonia Eyes NATO to Ward Off Russian Interference - Bloomberg

The warning comes after several battles between Turkish proxies and U.S.-backed YPG, as well as a reshuffling of top officers in Turkey's military.

The Turkish Armed Forces are massing on the Syrian border days after a reshuffle of top brass in the country's military in anticipation of a potential invasion that could dramatically complicate Syria's ongoing civil war.

RELATED: US Sharply Snubs Turkey as It Announces Arms for Syrian Kurds

Kurdish militia backed by U.S. forces are currently taking part in an assault against the Islamic State group in their Syrian stronghold Raqqa. Turkey accuses the militia, known as the YPG, of being a terrorist group tied to the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, against whom Turkey has waged a decades-long counterinsurgency campaign.

There have been regular exchanges of rocket and artillery fire in recent weeks between Turkish forces and YPG fighters who control part of Syria's northwestern border. On Monday morning, the YPG official website released video of its fighters firing an anti-tank guided missile system, or ATGM, at a tank belonging to the terrorist groups under the Turkish armys command a reference to Turkish-backed Free Syria Army fighters near the city of Azaz, Syria. Other footage showed YPG forces firing multiple rocket launcher systems at FSA targets.

Recent clashes have centered around the Arab towns of Tal Rifaat and Minnigh, near Afrin, which are held by the Kurdish YPG and allied fighters. However, the YPG's release of a video showing the deployment of an ATGM system is controversial, especially because the White House approved the arming of the group in May despite protests from the Turkish government.

Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO after the United States, reinforced the northwestern section of the border over the weekend with artillery and tanks, and Erdogan said Turkey was ready to take action.

We are determined to extend the dagger we have put into the heart of the terror entity project with new moves, Erdogan said in a speech on Saturday in the eastern town of Malatya.

RELATED: 'Staggering, Disastrous': Monitors Slam US-Led Attacks in Syria

We would rather pay the price for spoiling plans against our future and liberty in Syria and Iraq rather than on our own soil, he added, referring to the YPG in Syria and PKK bases in Iraq. Soon we will take new and important steps.

Erdogan's comments follow the appointment of three new leaders of Turkey's army, air force and navy last week moves which analysts and officials said were at least partly aimed at preparing for any campaign against the YPG militia.

"With this new structure, some steps will be taken to be more active in the struggle against terror," an anonymous Turkish government source told Reuters. "A structure that acts according to the realities of the region will be formed".

The battle for Raqqa has been underway since June, and a senior U.S. official said Friday that 2,000 Islamic State fighters are believed to be still defending positions and "fighting for every last block" in the city. Even after the recapture of Raqqa, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has left open the possibility of longer-term American assistance to the YPG.

Turkey, however, has adopted an increasingly angry tone in public communications with its NATO partners, raising fears in Washington of a potential split in the organization.

Last month, Turkey's official Anadolu Agency wire service published a detailed map revealing the locations of U.S. airports, military bases, and personnel in Syria in the Raqqa countryside. While the Pentagon complained that the release jeopardizes U.S.-led coalition efforts, Ankara was likely nonplussed by the complaint in light of their view that Washington is colluding with forces who pose a terrorist threat to Turkish national security.

In July, Erdogan noted that Turkey had reached the final stage of negotiations with Russia for the acquisition of Russia's S-400 air defense system, which is inconsistent with NATO's treaty-wide air defense network.

Read the original:
In NATO Split, Turkey Warns of Syria Invasion Against Kurds - teleSUR English

The Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON) annual naval war games kicked off Monday, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced, local media reports. War ships from three NATO states are set to practice various military tactics amid the blocs build-up near the Russian border.

Starting from Tuesday, warships from Latvia, Lithuania, and Germany will take part in the BALTRON Squadron Exercise 17/2 in the Baltic Sea and Lithuanian territorial waters.

Over the course of five days, the vessels will practice naval maneuvers, submarine target defense, communication, as well as search-and-rescue and minesweeping operations under the supervision of Lithuanian Navy Commander Tomas Skurdenis.

Read more

Taking part in the exercise will be the Lithuanian LNS Jotvingis N42 ship, Suduvis M52 and Kursis M54 minehunters, Aukstaitis P14 and Selis P15 patrol ships, Sakiai rescue vessel and H21 harbor cutter in the exercises, while the Germans will use a Pegnitz M1090 minesweeper.

The Latvian contingent will consist of its Rusins minehunter ship and Varonis support vessel.

The BALTRON naval squadron was inaugurated in 1998 and comprises the navies of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, with each contribute one to two minesweeping vessels to the group. Working under the NATO umbrella, its stated purpose is to minimize mine hazards, enhance security of the Baltic States territorial waters and help to remediate environmental damage in the territorial waters and economic zones of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The exercises come amid a heightened period of NATO build-up and military activity in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, which has intensified since the Ukrainian crisis. In June, 5,300 troops from 10 NATO countries participated in the 10-day Iron Wolf military drills in Lithuania, with the stated purpose of deterring the perceived Russian threat.

Read more

Part of the drills took place on a 104-kilometer (64.6-mile) patch of land in the Suwalki Gap, which borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Around 1,500 troops took part in the drills, which were aimed at training them to respond to potential aggression.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned that such behavior could be seen as provocative and undermine regional security. In July, Russias permanent representative to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, said that the alliances military activities near the Russian border pose a threat to national security.

Its clear for us that such activities not only ensure a reinforced military presence of the allies in the immediate vicinity of Russias borders but in fact represent an intensive mastering of the potential theater of military operations, accompanied by the development of the necessary infrastructure, Grushko told reporters.

Claiming that the growing NATO military presence in Eastern Europe undermines stability in the region, Grushko said that Moscow cannot leave such steps unanswered and will undertake necessary steps to boldly defend our interests.

See the original post here:
Anti-sub defense, minesweeping ops on agenda at NATO's Baltic States war games - RT

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Social Democrats on Sunday rejected NATO's target of spending 2 percent of national output on defense and accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservatives of kowtowing to the demands of U.S. President Donald Trump.

With Germans set to vote in a national election next month, SPD leader Martin Schulz and Thomas Oppermann, who heads the center-left party in parliament, issued their strongest criticism to date of Merkel, the NATO spending target and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

"We say a clear no to the 'two-percent target' of Trump and the CDU/CSU," the two leaders wrote in an essay for the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain, referring to Merkel's Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party.

"It's not only unrealistic, it is simply the wrong goal," they said, in comments aimed at differentiating the SPD from Merkel's conservatives after four years in a "grand coalition".

The comments put the SPD on a collision course with U.S. officials, who began pressing Germany long before Trump's election last November to increase its military spending.

The SPD leaders, whose party is lagging Merkel's Christian Democrats in the polls by 15 percentage points, said Germany would have to nearly double current defense spending from 37 billion euros to meet the NATO target. That would make it the largest military power in Europe - a goal they said "no one could want" given Germany's Nazi history.

Instead, they said, Germany should focus on building a strong European defense union and, ultimately, a European army - a stance that may resonate with a deeply pacifist German public that remains skeptical of military engagements.

"Merkel and the CDU/CSU make themselves small vis-a-vis Donald Trump when they answer his provocations around the two-percent target by saying, 'Okay, fine, we'll put in more money,' as if we didn't have any better ideas what to do," they wrote.

They said increased military spending should be matched by higher outlays for diplomacy, humanitarian aid and crisis prevention.

Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a former SPD leader, has also questioned the NATO target, but the Schulz-Oppermann essay was far more explicit, driving a further wedge between the parties in Merkel's right-left coalition.

Merkel, who is poised to win reelection on Sept. 24, insists that Germany is committed to reach the two percent target. She has also chided Gabriel pointedly, noting his predecessor signed off on the NATO commitment when it was first made years ago.

Merkel's conservatives have about 38 to 40 percent support in the polls, and hope to form a coalition government with one or more of the smaller parties, after the election.

Political analysts say the SPD's tougher stance on military projects could help lay the groundwork for a post-election coalition with the pro-environment Greens and the Left party.

But Sevim Dagdelen, a leading member of the Left party, said it was deceitful to call for more spending on European defense projects as the money would still probably come at the expense of social programs.

In June, the SPD also reversed course and rejected plans to lease Israeli drones that can carry weapons to protect German soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Mali, sparking sharp criticism from von der Leyen and the top officer in the German air force.

The essay also criticized von der Leyen's leadership as defense minister since late 2013, citing continued problems with equipment, a lack of planning, and challenges in recruitment.

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mary Milliken and Gareth Jones

See the original post here:
Germany's SPD rejects NATO 2 percent defense spending target - Reuters

KABUL (Reuters) - Romanian soldiers from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan killed an Afghan policeman who was trying to carry out an insider attack after a training session in the southern province of Kandahar on Saturday, officials said.

One Romanian was wounded in the attack while an Afghan policeman was wounded in the crossfire, a statement from Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul said.

"The advisers had completed a scheduled law enforcement training and were preparing to return to base when they were attacked by a member of the Afghan National Civil Order Police," the statement said.

Romanian soldiers providing security returned fire and killed the attacker, it said.

The attack, which came as the United States is considering increasing the number of troops it has in Afghanistan, was the latest in a series of so-called "green-on-blue" incidents that have complicated the training and assistance mission.

In June, three American soldiers were killed and seven wounded in two separate incidents, a week apart. In May last year, two members of the Romanian special forces were killed and a third was wounded when a local policeman opened fire on them.

Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Stephen Powell

Read more here:
NATO soldiers suppress attempted insider attack in Afghanistan - Reuters