Category Archives: NATO

With the Islamic State defeated in Mosul and on the ropes in Raqqa, NATO is trying to assess what its role could or should be in the post-caliphate phase of the counterterrorism fight to come. The alliance has an important role to play, but it should stick close to its traditional mission and skillset. At its core, NATO is a military alliance, not a counterterrorism (CT) agency.

The spike in international terror incidents in the West and the unrelenting instability rocking the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, provided a stark backdrop for the blunt comments of President Trump about NATOs need to do more on counterterrorism. NATO, then presidential-candidate Trumpsaidin May 2016, was obsolete.

NATO is not new to the CT mission, having invoked Article 5 for the first time after 9/11 and soon launching the largest combat operation in its history in Afghanistan in response to the terror attacks against the United States. NATO has developed particular expertise at training local security forces in Afghanistan to take on the Taliban, al-Qaeda and ISIS and stabilize the country.

Similar NATO training missions have focused on CT capabilities in in the MENA region as well, including in Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. NATO surveillance planes support the anti-ISIS coalition, and at the NATO summit in May, the alliance announced it would become a full member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

But given the nature of the terrorist threats today, it should not surprise anyone that bothformerandcurrentNATO secretaries general recently concluded there is more NATO can and should do on CT. Despite the near-term battlefield defeat of the so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq, the terrorism forecast is grim.

As ISIS loses territory, the terrorist threat it poses in the region through itsprovincesand terrorist cells and in the West may increase (at least in the short term) as it devolves from governance to insurgency and terrorism. Returning foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) present one threat, compounded by the social-media-driven phenomenon ofhomegrown violent extremism(HVE), which in turn can include a spectrum of terrorist threats from foreign-inspired, enabled or directed plots.

There is no light at the end of the tunnel with respect to the Syrian tragedy, a jihadist enterprise that has givenal-Qaedaa new lease on life, a group that is also resurgent in the Arabian Peninsula and in Africa. To Europes south,Libyapresents a variety of security threats that show no signs of abating and threaten stability across North Africa and into the Sahel, and, as the Manchester attack suggests, up into Europe as well.

Europols 2017TESAT reporthighlights the threats posed to Europe by regional instability outside the EU, including the Western Balkans, Caucasus, Africa, Middle East and in NATO-member Turkey.

The latest Global Trendsreportpublished by the U.S. National Intelligence Council focuses on two key trends that will significantly impact the future direction of theterroristthreat:

First, the resolution or continuation of the many intra- and inter-state conflicts currently underway most importantly, the Syrian civil war, but also conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and the Sahel, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere will determine the intensity and geography of future violence.

The key factor this will impact is the spread of ungoverned space, which to date has created an environment conducive to extremism and encouraged the enlistment of thousands of volunteers eager to fight.

The second factor is how we deal today with the foreign fighter and migrant phenomena. If not properly managed, these will become the recruiting pools for tomorrows terrorist groups.

What more could NATO do in the counterterrorism arena?As the latest State Departmentreporton counterterrorism notes, NATOs added-value in the CT space comes in the three cones of its current strategy: improving threat awareness, developing CT capabilities and enhancing partner engagement.

The creation of a newNATO Strategic Direction-South (NSD-S) Hubin Naples is a welcome development and should help NATO improve situational awareness along NATOs southern flank and provide long-range, horizon-scanning analysis and policy recommendations for NATO HQ, SHAPE and the North Atlantic Council.

This effort should leverage resources to address both existing and future regional security challenges. NATO should play a greater role countering FTFs and the migrant crisis, as an example of current challenges. The EU counterterrorism coordinator hascalledfor increased connectivity between NATO soldiers and Europol for the timely sharing of biometric and other tactical intelligence collected in the field.

NATO could also do more on maritime security related to the EUs migrant crisis, he added. But the NSD-S Hub will have the biggest potential impact getting ahead of future problems by partnering NATO officers and analysts with academics and subject-matter experts to focus international engagement (primarily training) in areas that would benefit from being preemptively inoculated from projected instability.

For example, NATO could focus efforts to prevent the spread of violent extremist organizations in relatively stable but fragile states, such as Tunisia. This must be made a strategic priority over a 10-20-year horizon.

At the end of the day, the NSD-S Hub cannot be just a response to President Trump, in which case it will be focused more on being seen to be doing something rather than actually generating effects. To get ahead of the trajectory of the tomorrows terrorist threat, we must collectively address the two key factors laid out by the NIC: contending with the foreign terrorist fighters coming out of Syria and Iraq and addressing the festering conflicts that createlooming disequilibriaand the ungoverned spaces in which tomorrows threats can fester.

Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler fellow and director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that seeks to advance a realistic understanding of American interests in theMiddle Eastand to promote thepoliciesthat secure them.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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NATO's role in fighting post-caliphate ISIS looms large - The Hill (blog)

WASHINGTON With exercise Saber Guardian coming to a close in Eastern Europe and more than 30 exercises stillto take place during the remainder of 2017, NATO is continuing to build its readiness. Gen. Tod Wolters, commander of NATOs Allied Air Command,highlighted for Defense News the importance of these exercises from the air perspective of the multi-domain effort.

What you want to do is out-work them, out-exercise them, out-train them, he said on how to best NATOsadversaries, such as Russia.

Wolters likened NATO to an athlete, perched in theater in a three-point stance, ready to move forward on the drop of a dimein response to nefarious events.

To maximize get readiness, Wolters emphasized training, training and training as the best way to integrate both layered capabilities and layered domains for this level of maximum readiness. And to get the best juice for your squeeze, he said, the alliance should train with the resources available.

As an example, he said NATO has seven nations that are on the brink of bringing fifth-generation F-35 aircraft into theater. But a crew of mixed fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft makes for an operational challenge.

As the aircraft train in an integrated group, he said, the crews learn how the other types of aircraft react to different situations. They become familiar with communication systems and work out the kinks, allowing for a cohesive crew, he added, in turn increasing deterrence capabilities.

This idea also extends to the interoperability of domains. Each NATO exercise, he said, is designed to incorporate several domains and ensure that allies operate smoothly, side by side and add to a greater effect.

Each one of these exercises they improve your speed, they improve your understanding of the environment, he said. You gain a greater intellectual grasp of what the problem could be, and you certainly gain a greater degree of confidence.

For Wolters, communication is also key to readiness and efficiency. This is especially true in relation to the air domain, as pilots must be cognizant of their environment through which they fly as well as coordinate with operations in other domains.

Wolters said he sees a great willingness from NATO countries both to train and provide understanding in their air domains. And he sees investments being made in ensuring the linkage between domains is open and flowing, allowing an awareness of what other groups are accomplishing.

This greater motivation to participate in exercises and cooperate across borders comes from the recent acceleration of readiness and NATOs shift from assurance to deterrence. Wolters said this shift has driven counties to secure their airspace and not only allow but participate in NATO activities.

The Turkish Air Force maintains airspace security not only for its own aircraft, but also for the aircraft taking off from Turkish soil to participate in Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational joint task force battling the Islamic State group.

You have to be on your toes 24/7, 365 to make sure you understand exactly what is taking place, he said. Its not easy. You have to embrace it intellectually.

But training, training, training in maintaining a razor-sharp edge is critically important, he added. And weve had great success up to this point there.

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NATO readiness strategy: 'Out-exercise them, out-train them' - DefenseNews.com

NavyTimes.com

NATO convoy attacked in Kandahar NavyTimes.com WASHINGTON A NATO convoy came under attack in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, resulting in several casualties, according to Captain William Salvin, a spokesperson for Operation Resolute Support. The attack was conducted using some form of ...

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NATO convoy attacked in Kandahar - NavyTimes.com

Bob Mercer attends the World Science Festival Gala in New York in 2014. Andrew Toth / Getty Images

Federal election filings show that Cambridge Analytica received $11.7 million from Trump and Cruz super PACs in 2015 and 2016. It received $5.7 million from a separate super PAC, Make America Number 1, which first supported Cruz and then Trump, and is primarily funded to the tune of $15.5 million by hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer.

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Mercer, who declined to comment, is also an investor in Cambridge Analytica. Mercer did not respond to a request for comment.

SCL, which was founded in the U.K. more than a decade ago, created Cambridge Analytica as a U.S. arm in 2013. Alexander Nix, who is the CEO of Cambridge, has been a director at SCL since 2003.

According to a company spokesman, however, Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group are "two very different companies that shouldn't be conflated." The two companies, which are both private, have "separate management, staff, and offices," he said. "The group is being reorganized in order to improve brand identity. Henceforth all political and commercial work is being conducted as Cambridge Analytica and all our government work as SCL Group. A corporate reorganization along these lines will follow."

In the past SCL Group has been involved in elections around the world from St. Lucia to Nigeria. That work has only involved free and fair elections, the spokesman said. All work on U.S. elections has been conducted by Cambridge Analytica.

SCL Group was awarded its first contracts with the State Department in February and March of 2017 to help the government's Global Engagement Center (GEC) effect behavior change amongst potential recruits to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The two contracts, totaling $496,232, are described as "target audience research." The contracts were not opened up for competitive bidding due to "national security" concerns before they were awarded to SCL, according to the website

In 2015 SCL Group ran a NATO training program on behavioral change science at the NATO-affiliated Centre of Excellence in Latvia.

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Trump-Linked Data Firm Removes State Dept., NATO Logos After NBC Questions - NBCNews.com

Updated at 5:07 p.m.

BRUSSELS President Trump did not explicitly endorse the mutual-aid clause of the North Atlantic Treaty at the NATO summit on Thursday despite previous indications that he was planning to do so, keeping in place the cloud of ambiguity hanging over the relationship between the United States and the alliance.

Speaking in front of a 9/11 and Article 5 Memorial at the new NATO headquarters, Trump praised NATOs response to the 9/11 attacks and spoke of the commitments that bind us together as one.

But he did not specifically commit to honor Article 5, which stipulates that other NATO allies must come to the aid of an ally under attack if it is invoked.

The only time in history that Article 5 has been invoked was after the September 11 attacks, a fact that Trump mentioned. The memorial Trump was dedicating is a piece of steel from the North Tower that fell during the attacks.

NATO, Meet Donald Trump

We remember and mourn those nearly 3,000 people who were brutally murdered by terrorists on September 11, 2001, Trump said. Our NATO allies responded swiftly and decisively, invoking for the first time in its history the Article 5 collective-defense commitment.

Trump did refer to commitments, saying of the memorial, [t]his twisted mass of metal reminds us not only what weve lost, but forever what endures: the courage of our people, the strength of our resolve, and the commitments that bind us together as one. ... We will never forsake the friends who stood by our side. And we will never waver in our determination to defeat terrorism and to achieve lasting prosperity and peace.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday evening that Trump would use the speech to finally endorse Article 5. Though top members of his administration, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence have done so, Trumps refusal has shaken NATO allies.

Trump has been a harsh critic of NATO overall, at one point calling it obsolete. He has repeatedly criticized other allies for not paying their fair share of the defense burden of the alliance. He has pushed the alliance to do more to combat terrorism. At the NATO leaders summit, counter-terrorism and burden-sharing will dominate the agendanot Russia.

Trump did mention the Russian threat in his remarks on Thursday. The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration, as well as threats from Russia and on NATOs eastern and southern borders, he said.

But he spent the bulk of the speech haranguing the other members of the alliancestanding only feet from himfor not meeting their spending obligations.

Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying for their defense, Trump said. We should recognize that with these chronic underpayments and growing threats, even two percent of GDP is insufficient to close the gaps in modernizing, readiness and the size of forces, he added. Two percent is the bare minimum for confronting todays very real and very vicious threats.

Trump even took a slight dig at the new NATO headquarters, which are being unveiled in time for this leaders meeting. I never asked once what the new NATO headquarters cost, Trump said. I refuse to do that. But it is beautiful.

After the speech, televisions in the press center at NATO showed Trump in discussion with a group of other leaders including NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

NATO had sought to make Trumps inaugural visit as smooth as possible. The conferences two topics of focusspending and counterterrorismare the two main thrusts of Trumps critique of the alliance.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer, speaking to the pool reporters after the speech, said that despite the presidents omission, Were not playing cutesy with this. Hes fully committed.

If you are standing at a ceremony talking about the invocation of Article 5 after 9/11 and talking about that, that is a pretty clear indication of the support that exists for it, Spicer said. Ive seen some of the questions Ive gotten from you guys, but theres 100 percent commitment to Article 5.

In a press conference on Wednesday before the summit, Stoltenberg had downplayed Trumps silence on Article 5. He said that because Trump has expressed support for NATOwhich he declared no longer obsolete during Stoltenbergs visit to Washington last monthhe has also of course expressed strong support of Article 5, because Article 5, collective defense, is NATOs core task.

At a press conference after the leaders meeting on Thursday, Stoltenberg was asked repeatedly about Trumps refusal to verbally commit to Article 5. He maintained his position, arguing that Trump has shown sufficient commitment to NATO, and thus to Article 5. President Donald Trump dedicated a 9/11 and Article 5 memorial, Stoltenberg said. And just by doing that he sent a strong signal. We have had a clear message from the U.S. administration, he added, citing assurances he received from top administration officials as well as from Trump himself in meetings. Its not possible to be committed to NATO without being committed to Article 5.

Asked if Trumps demands about burden-sharing had troubled any allies, Stoltenberg said they had already heard Trump being blunt on spending before. We have to invest in defense not just to please the United States but we have to invest in European defense because it is in our own interest to do so, he said.

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Trump Declines to Affirm NATO's Article 5 - The Atlantic

"Two Spanish F-18 jets assigned to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission scrambled from Estonia's Amari Air Base on Tuesday morning to intercept unidentified non-NATO military aircraft near Estonian airspace," acting NATO spokesman Dylan White said in a statement.

He added that Finnish jets also scrambled to intercept the Russian aircraft which he identified as two MiG-31 fighter jets and an AN-26 transport plane.

NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission involves allied aircraft securing the airspace of the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The incident between NATO and Russian military aircraft comes less than 24 hours after US Vice President Mike Pence visited Estonia where he reaffirmed America's commitment to NATO's collective defense clause in the face of Russian aggression.

"No threat looms larger in the Baltic States than the specter of aggression from your unpredictable neighbor to the east," Pence said an appearance with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

"Under President Donald Trump, the United States of America rejects any attempt to use force, threats, intimidation, or malign influence in the Baltic States or against any of our treaty allies," he added.

The incident also saw the Spanish aircraft "accidentally" entering Finnish airspace.

"In handing over the intercept to the Finnish jets, the Spanish jets accidentally entered Finnish airspace. NATO's Air Command has explained the incident to the Finnish Air Operations Centre to improve future coordination," White said.

Finland, which is not a member of NATO, appeared to confirm the incident Tuesday with its ministry of defense issuing a statement saying the two Spanish jets were "suspected of having violated Finland's airspace on Tuesday morning."

"We have seen an increase in air activity in the Baltic region, but with few exceptions, the vast majority of the intercepts are conducted in a safe and responsible manner by all parties," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters last month following a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.

He also referred to a Finish Initiative which recently convened a working group of representatives from Russia, NATO, Sweden and Finland to discuss the issues involving the congested Baltic airspace.

"They are working in a good way," Stoltenberg said.

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NATO jets intercept Russian aircraft near Estonian airspace - CNN

Even more worrying, top American military officers say, is that the maneuvers could be used as a pretext to increase Russias military presence in Belarus, a central European nation that borders three critical NATO allies: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

The great concern is theyre not going to leave, and thats not paranoia, Gen. Tony Thomas, the head of the United States Special Operations Command, told a national security conference in Aspen, Colo., in July.

Peter B. Zwack, a retired one-star Army general who was the American defense attach in Moscow from 2012 to 2014, said: First and foremost, the messaging is, Were watching you; were strong; weve learned a lot; dont mess with Russia.

Western military officials caution that the United States and Russia are not on the brink of war. But they expressed concern that the heightened Russian military activity could lead to unintended confrontations.

For this installment of the Zapad maneuvers, a Cold War relic revived in 1999 and held again in 2009 and 2013, Russia has requisitioned enough rail cars to carry 4,000 loads of tanks and other heavy equipment to and from Belarus.

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redeployed and/or expanded.

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The Russians already have about 1,000 air defense troops and communications personnel stationed in Belarus, and logistical teams are surveying training sites there. By mid- August, advance elements of the thousands of Russian Army, airborne and air defense troops that are to participate in the exercise are expected to arrive. The rest of the force is expected to reach Belarus by early September ahead of the Zapad exercises, scheduled for Sept. 14 to 20.

The United States is taking precautions, including sending 600 American paratroopers to NATOs three Baltic members for the duration of the Zapad exercise and delaying the rotation of a United States-led battle group in Poland.

Look, well be ready; well be prepared, said Lt. Gen. Frederick B. Hodges, the head of United States Army forces in Europe. But were not going to be up on the parapets waiting for something to happen.

In 2014, Russias stealthy forays into eastern Ukraine and its rapid capture of Crimea were seen as skillful exercises in hybrid warfare, a combination of cyberwarfare, a powerful disinformation campaign and the use of highly trained special operation troops and local proxy forces.

But there is nothing subtle about the tank-heavy unit at the heart of the coming Zapad exercise.

The First Guards Tank Army, made up mainly of forces transferred from other units, including elite motorized and tank divisions near Moscow, has an extensive pedigree. The unit battled the Germans during World War II on the Eastern Front and eventually in Berlin before becoming part of the Soviet force that occupied Germany. In 1968, it participated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring.

After the end of the Cold War, the unit was withdrawn to Smolensk, near the border with Belarus, before being disbanded in 1998. But it was reconstituted by Mr. Putin to give the Russian military more offensive punch and present a visible demonstration of Russian power.

That name was chosen for a reason, said Philip M. Breedlove, a retired four-star Air Force general who served as NATO commander. It sends a very clear message to the Baltics and Poland.

In addition, the Russians have fielded a new motorized division near Smolensk, close to the border with Belarus, which could be used in conjunction with the tank unit. In combination with the highly mobile tank army, that force has about 800 tanks, more than 300 artillery pieces and a dozen Iskander tactical missile launchers.

That is more tanks than NATO has in active units deployed in the Baltic States, Poland and Germany put together, not including armor in storage that would be used by reinforcements sent from the United States, noted Phillip A. Karber, the president of the Potomac Foundation, who has studied Russian military operations in and around Ukraine.

There is only one reason you would create a Guards Tank Army, and that is as an offensive striking force, General Hodges said. This is not something for homeland security. That does not mean that they are automatically going to do it, but in terms of intimidation it is a means of putting pressure on allies.

Mr. Karber cautioned against exaggerating the First Guards Tank Armys capability, noting that not all of its units were fully manned and that some of the most modern tanks earmarked for it have not arrived.

But if fully deployed into Belarus, he said, it will be a powerful offensive formation and a way for the Russian military to rapidly project power westward, which is all the more important for Moscow. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that Russian forces lost Belarus and Ukraine as buffers.

Just the presence of the First Guards Tank Army near the Polish border would put NATO on the horns of a dilemma, Mr. Karber said. Does NATO reinforce the Baltics or defend eastern Poland? NATO does not have enough forces to do both in a short period of time. It adds to the political pressure Russia can bring to bear to keep the Baltic nations and Poland in line.

The Russians have also announced that the First Guards Tank Army will be the first formation to receive the T-14 Armata tank, a new infantry fighting vehicle, as well as advanced air defense and electronic warfare equipment.

A more immediate concern, however, is whether Russia will use the Zapad exercise to keep Belarus in line. Belarus has long worked closely with Moscow, and its air defense units are integrated with Russias to the east. But with friction between the nations autocratic president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, and Mr. Putin have come reports that Belarus is reluctant to host more Russian forces permanently.

As part of the maneuvers, units of the First Guards Tank Army are expected to establish a forward command post in western Belarus, and to hold exercises in training areas near Brest, on the Polish border, and Grodno, near Poland and Lithuania.

Russian officials have told NATO that the maneuvers will be far smaller than Western officials are anticipating and will involve fewer than 13,000 troops. But NATO officials say the exercise is intended to test Russias contingency plans for a major conflict with the alliance and will also involve Russian civilian agencies.

We have every reason to believe that it may be substantially more troops participating than the official reported numbers, Jens Stoltenberg, NATOs secretary general, said in July.

Adding to the concern, the Russians have yet to agree that international observers can monitor the Zapad exercise. American officials have long said that monitoring is important, given the difficulty of Western intelligence in determining whether Russian military activity is merely an exercise or a preparation for an armed intervention.

The United States, in contrast, allowed Russian, Chinese and even North Korean observers to monitor a recent Army exercise, called Saber Guardian, in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

At least two battalions of First Guards units, or some 3,000 armored troops, are expected to participate in the Belarus maneuvers. The total number of Russian troops, security personnel and civilian officials in the broader exercise is expected to range from 60,000 to as many as 100,000.

The question NATO officials are asking is whether all of the troops and equipment in Belarus will leave.

Said General Hodges, I am very interested in what goes in and what comes out.

Earlier versions of this article mischaracterized Kaliningrad. It is an exclave of Russia, not an enclave.

Michael R. Gordon reported from Washington, and Eric Schmitt from Washington and Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.

A version of this article appears in print on August 1, 2017, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Russian Exercise On NATO Border Has U.S. on Alert.

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Russia's Military Drills Near NATO Border Raise Fears of Aggression - New York Times

Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. strongly supports Georgias ambition of joining NATO, even as Russia remains hostile to the military alliance expanding its influence in Moscows former Soviet backyard.

We see Georgia as a key strategic partner and stand by your territorial integrity and your aspirations to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Pence said at talks with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump asked me to extend greetings to you this morning and to say we are with you, Pence said.

The vice president is also attending joint military exercises involving as many as 800 Georgian and 1,600 U.S. troops during his visit. The Noble Partner 2017 drills, which also include German, U.K., Turkish, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Armenian forces, are the largest in the Caucasus republic since Georgia fought a brief war with Russia in 2008 over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Pence arrived in Georgia Monday after delivering a similar message in Estonia to leaders of Baltic nations facing the specter of aggression from Russia, which he called the greatest threat to their security as NATO members. Georgia wants to join NATO against opposition from Russia, whose annexation of Crimea and involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine has strained ties with the U.S. and Europe the most since the Cold War. Russia accuses NATO of seeking to undermine its security by expanding the alliances presence near its borders.

The U.S. is monitoring preparations for major Russian exercises planned on NATOs eastern border amid concerns about the scale of the military buildup, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Some 13,000 troops are to take part in joint military drills from Sept. 14-20 in Russia and neighboring Belarus, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, which said Russia will also send about 280 military vehicles to the Zapad 2017 exercises.

Pences visits to Estonia, Georgia and Montenegro are taking place amid spiraling tensions with Russia after President Vladimir Putin said the U.S. must slash staff at its diplomatic mission by 755, or nearly two-thirds, in retaliation for new sanctions approved by Congress.

Trump will sign the Russian sanctions bill soon, Pence said at a news conference later with Kvirikashvili. While the U.S. wants better relations, Russia has to change its behavior before this can be achieved, he said.

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Kvirikashvili said Georgias facing daily provocations from Russia, which has encroached deeper into its territory in recent weeks by shifting the dividing lines with the breakaway regions established after the war. Russia has stationed thousands of troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia after recognizing them as independent republics. The international community considers the regions as part of Georgia.

NATO declared at a summit shortly before the 2008 war that Georgia will become a member at some point. While it hasnt agreed to accept Georgia since then, partly out of concern about antagonizing Russia, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Tbilisi in September that the alliance is committed to the goal and that the bonds between NATO and Georgia are stronger than ever.

Pences visit is an important milestone in the bilateral relationship as we work to further strengthen security, economic, and trade cooperation, Kvirikashvili said Monday after the vice presidents arrival.

Two-thirds of Georgians support joining NATO while 23 percent are opposed, according to a survey conducted by the Caucasus Resource Research Centers for the National Democratic Institute. The poll of 2,261 respondents was conducted between June 18 and July 9 with a margin of error of no more than 2.2 percentage points.

With assistance by Henry Meyer

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Pence Says US Backs Georgia in NATO Over Russian Objection - Bloomberg

ArmyTimes.com

NATO helicopter has hard landing in Afghanistan; 2 injured ArmyTimes.com KABUL, Afghanistan A U.S. Black Hawk helicopter encountered a mechanical problem that forced a hard landing in eastern Afghanistan, according to a NATO statement. The region is where American troops are supporting Afghan security forces in a ... and more »

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NATO helicopter has hard landing in Afghanistan; 2 injured - ArmyTimes.com

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

How US Allies Undermine NATO Wall Street Journal (subscription) Worse, many of these free riders also punish U.S. companies for manufacturing weapons used by the Pentagon to defend NATO allies and other countries. Specifically, several NATO member governments have divested from or even criminalized the ...

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How US Allies Undermine NATO - Wall Street Journal (subscription)