10 November 2015 Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP

UK Armed Forces are leading a NATO Land training exercise in the Baltic states, underlining continued support to the region.
 

September 15, 2015: Strategy page

Fear of Russia is creating a new military alliance in northern Europe. Since 2014 Sweden and Finland, while not NATO members, have been training with other Baltic states (Denmark, Norway, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) that are. This year Sweden and Finland participated (along with 15 other nations) in the BALTOPS naval exercise. The 5,600 troops involved were mainly concerned with confirming that everyone’s equipment, procedures and communications worked as needed for joint naval and amphibious operations.

One of the things the 2015 BALTOPS was concerned with was defending Gotland; a key Swedish island between Sweden and Latvia. Whoever controls Gotland dominates the eastern Baltic and access to most of the Swedish coastline. BALTOPS planners also examined retaking Gotland if Russia were to seize it, which Sweden sees as an increasing possibility. Sweden now plans to increase the Gotland garrison and build more fortifications.

BALTOPS also worked on amphibious operations in the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), which are now NATO members and threatened by Russia. Sweden and Finland have long been allies and are increasing their military cooperation and coordination.

10 June 2015 by Royal Air Force
 

RAF Typhoons made a “two-in-one” interception, launching to find and identify Russian aircraft in two different places over the Baltic Sea as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

A pair of Typhoons were scrambled this morning from Ämari Air base in Estonia to intercept an unknown aircraft tracking the Baltic airspace without having filed a flight plan. Having identified it as an Il-20M Coot A surveillance aircraft, they were then re-tasked whilst still airborne to check out another aircraft. It was seen to be an An-26 Curl transport aircraft going north from Kaliningrad.

These two intercepts resulted from close teamwork between the Estonian Air Force and the RAF Air Surveillance and Control System (ASACS) detachment at Ämari. ASACS detachment commander, Flight Lieutenant Paul “Griff” Griffin explained: “The Estonian controllers will have seen it on their radar picture. They evaluate speed, heading, height and whether it has a flight plan. They give it an appropriate ID coloured according to their assessment of its intent. We saw this one show up in a sea of green.”

He continued: “My job as the 121 EAW representative is to provide input to NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem in Germany. It’s almost like a bidding process. Every unit identifies what they can do. In this case the Typhoons were given a ‘Yes’ and one of the Estonians hit the ‘Scramble’ button. As our aircraft get in the air, it’s my job to vector them on. Steering them left, right, faster, slower to get them behind the unknown aircraft.”

Sgt Chris Ashcroft, in the ASACS detachment takes-up the story: “My part is to generate the air picture – so it can be seen in the cockpit to increase the situational awareness of the Typhoon pilots. It takes a bit of training to ensure they have the right footprint visible”.

Interception of two aircraft on the same sortie demonstrates the flexible capability of the RAF Typhoons in policing Baltic airspace and making it safer for civilian air traffic. Detachment Commander, Wing Commander Stu Smiley said: “As we enter our second month of policing the Baltic airspace, this is the fourth intercept tasking we have had. It’s much as expected. Today’s double intercept easily demonstrates the capability we bring to the mission”.

Flt Lt Griffin simply summed it up: “ It’s a bit like waiting for a bus. You wait so long and then two turn up at once. But we are trained to do that.”

9 mai 2015 by NATO

March 11th, 2015 defencetalk.com (AFP)

Polish and Latvian officials on Tuesday voiced scepticism over calls for a European Union army to counter a militarily resurgent Russia.

“It’s a very risky idea,” Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna told Poland’s private Radio Zet in reaction to Sunday’s proposal by European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.

Juncker, a former Luxembourg prime minister, called for the creation of an EU army following rising tensions with Russia, saying the force could help counter new threats beyond the bloc’s borders and defend European values.

“First of all we have to ask where to raise money to finance such an army, how the combat units will work, who will be in charge of training them,” Schetyna said.

His sentiments were echoed by Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma on Monday.

“There is a possibility it could be discussed in July at the European Council, but it’s important to check whether this might be duplicating NATO,” she told Latvian public broadcaster LTV.

Ex-communist Poland joined NATO in 1999 ahead of the three former Soviet-ruled Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania which joined in 2004.

They have all urged the alliance to boost its presence in the region since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula last year.

NATO is countering Moscow’s moves by boosting defences on Europe’s eastern flank with a spearhead force of 5,000 troops and command centres in six formerly communist members, including the three Baltic states and Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.

General Stanislaw Koziej, a security adviser to Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, said Juncker’s idea was an impractical “dream”.

“These days, nobody in Europe, no single country is contemplating giving up its sovereignty,” said Koziej.

“To have an army, you need first of all a political decision-maker who would deploy such an army,” added the general, urging further political integration of Europe first.

10 mars, 2015 Pierre Brassart (FOB)

Après une trêve de plus de 20 ans, assiste-t-on à un renouveau de la Guerre froide ? Pendant près de 50 ans, entre la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et la chute de l’URSS, l’OTAN et l’URSS se sont fait face en Europe, l’arme au pied, tout en luttant directement l’un contre l’autre sur des champs de batailles éloignés et via des armées tierces. Ce fut le cas en Corée, au Viet Nam bien sûr, mais aussi en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient, en Asie Centrale, etc…

Avec la chute du mur de Berlin ainsi que celle du communisme soviétique, on a pensé que la paix et la démocratie allait se répandre sur le monde. Erreur… Aujourd’hui, si l’URSS a cessé d’exister, la Russie est bel et bien sortie de sa torpeur et a repris sa place de grande nation. La guerre de Géorgie  en 2008 a été une première claque pour l’Europe et les USA.  La Russie ne compte pas laisser l’alliance atlantique s’étendre sans réagir.

En 2013, l’Ukraine s’enflamme. Poutine, fin stratège, sait qu’il ne peut intervenir ouvertement. C’est ainsi que l’on a vu des troupes en uniforme, sans signe distinctif, s’emparer des points clés en Crimée, région stratégique pour la Russie. Le fait que ces soldats étaient russes ne faisait aucun doute, mais cette ruse a permis à Poutine de rattacher la Crimée sans que, concrètement, personne n’intervienne. L’affaire aurait pu s’arrêter là, si les provinces orientales et russophones d’Ukraine ne s’étaient pas soulevé à leur tour, entrainant le pays dans une guerre civile longue et sanglante qui n’est pas prêt de s’arrêter. Mais la Russie ayant joué une fois la carte des « troupes inconnues », elle se doit de faire profil bas. C’est ainsi que les séparatistes ukrainiens recevront, comme par magie, suffisamment d’équipement que pour tenir en échec l’armée ukrainienne. Les pays occidentaux se sentiront également menacé par les vols de provocation menés par l’armée de l’air et par l’aéronavale russe. (Mais quand même pas au point de revoir à la hausse leur budget militaire, ou au moins, à la baisse les coupes qui frappe ces derniers dans toute l’Europe).

Mais l’OTAN ne compte pas laisser Poutine faire ce qu’il entend. Si la Russie s’est réveillé, l’OTAN, États-Unis en tête, compte bien lui montrer qu’il y a des limites à ne pas franchir.  L’Ukraine va devenir le nouveau champ de bataille des anciens adversaires russe et américain.

Lancée en 2014, l’opération Atlantic Resolve, menée par les États-Unis, a pour but de démontrer la résolution américaine à contribuer à la sécurité collective des membres de l’OTAN. Ainsi, depuis plusieurs mois, les Américains multiplient les exercices avec les membres orientaux de l’alliance (pays baltes, Pologne), et n’hésitent pas à fournir un soutien à l’Ukraine. D’autres pays de l’OTAN se joignent au mouvement. Le Royaume –Uni va fournir des conseillers à l’armée ukrainienne, la France parle de déployer des Leclerc et des VBCI en Pologne.

Si les pays européens sont encore un peu frileux à l’idée de déployer un grand nombre de troupes et de véhicules, les Américains n’ont pas peur d’envoyer des brigades entières en Europe de l’Est. Après le 2 Cavalry Regiment (monté sur blindés Stryker), c’est au tour de la 1ère brigade blindé de la 3ème division d’infanterie américaine à se déployer en Lettonie. 3000 hommes et plus de 750 véhicules (y compris des chars de combat Abrams et des véhicules de combat d’infanterie Bradley) viennent prendre leur tour de garde à quelques kilomètres de la frontière russe et permettre aux armées baltes de poursuivre leur entrainement.

Maintenant que la Guerre froide est relancée, quels seront les prochains pions que les protagonistes avanceront ?

05 Mar. 2015 NATO

NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow has called for deeper cooperation between NATO and the European Union in the fight against new security threats. “We need to work together to manage crises, bring relief, and project stability beyond our borders,” he said. Ambassador Vershbow made his remarks in Riga, Latvia on Thursday (5 March 2015) in a speech to the Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy. “This is a critical time for the security of all our nations,” Ambassador Vershbow said.

The Deputy Secretary General warned that the Euro-Atlantic community faces “new threats and challenges both on our eastern and our southern borders”. To the east, we see “an angry, revisionist Russia that breaks international rules” and continues to destabilise Ukraine and intimidate its neighbours, he said. Meanwhile, to the south, across the Middle East and North Africa, “ISIL’s violent ideology has poured oil on the fire of extremism and sectarianism”. Ambassador Vershbow noted that migrants fleeing turmoil have placed strain on countries like Italy and Turkey, and that violent ideologies have inspired terrorism on the streets of Europe.

The Deputy Secretary General stressed that NATO and its partners must also be ready to counter hybrid warfare, which combines military intimidation, economic and diplomatic duplicity, and media manipulation. Ambassador Vershbow noted that hybrid warfare has been “central to the Russian strategy” in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. He underlined that any response to hybrid threats should be “multi-faceted”, leveraging the complementary hard and soft power tools of NATO and the European Union.

Ambassador Vershbow also pointed to other areas ripe for deepened cooperation between NATO and the European Union, including support for partners like Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova; as well as for nations to the south. “There is a key role for the European Union to help these countries with political and economic reforms, to build strong institutions, and to fight corruption,” he said.

The Deputy Secretary General noted that while NATO-EU cooperation has intensified in recent years, “the logic of closer cooperation between NATO and the EU is more compelling than ever before.” He added that the two organisations should “further coordinate our approaches to counter hybrid warfare, dispel propaganda and misinformation, and defend our shared democratic values.”

Brussels/Riga - 09 February, 2015 European Defence Agency

Riga - 26 January, 2015 European Defence Agency

Tallinn, 20 nov 2014 Marine & Océans (AFP)

Le secrétaire général de l'Otan Jens Stoltenberg a commencé jeudi une tournée éclair en Estonie, en Lettonie et en Lituanie destinée à rassurer ces petits pays membres de l'Otan, inquiets du comportement de la Russie dans le conflit ukrainien.

"L'Otan est là pour protéger et défendre l'Estonie", a-t-il dit sur la base aérienne d'Ämari (nord), où il a rencontré le Premier ministre estonien Taavi Roivas, ainsi que des militaires américains, allemands et estoniens.

Il a notamment félicité Tallinn pour avoir dépensé 2% de son PIB pour la défense, la donnant en exemple aux autres membres de l'Alliance, et rappelant "son rôle de leader dans le renforcement de la cyberdéfense". L'Estonie est considérée comme un des pays les plus avancés dans le développement de technologies numériques. Elle accueille cette semaine Cyber Coalition 2014, le plus grand exercice cybernétique dans l'histoire de l'Otan.

M. Stoltenberg a évoqué aussi l'augmentation du nombre de vols d'avions militaires russes autour de l'Estonie et d'autres pays de l'Otan. "Nous avons eu plus de 100 interception (d'avions russes), ce qui est le triple de l'année dernière", a-t-il dit.

Interrogé sur la vente de deux navires de guerre Mistral français à la Russie, M. Stoltenberg s'est abstenu de tout commentaire. "L'Otan de vend pas de matériel militaire, ce sont les Etats qui le font. Ce n'est pas à l'Otan de décider comment ils doivent conduire leurs affaires", a-t-il dit.

Il devait se rendre jeudi après-midi à Riga et visiter la Lituanie vendredi.

A Riga, il suivra de près la secrétaire d'Etat adjointe américaine pour l'Europe Victoria Nuland, qui s'y est arrêtée en route pour l'Ukraine pour accompagner le vice-président Joe Biden. Elle y a déclaré que les Etats-Unis "attendaient toujours de voir l'engagement de la Russie et des séparatistes" à appliquer les accords de Minsk, citant "un vrai cessez-le-feu sur la ligne de contact, la fermeture de la frontière internationale et le retrait des forces étrangères" du territoire ukrainien.

500 paratroopers were dropped over Lielvarde Airbase in Latvia, to take control and clear the airfield of enemy forces during Exercise Steadfast Javelin II. Photo Nato.

10 September 2014 army-technology.com

The member countries of Nato have completed the large-scale, multinational Steadfast Javelin II exercise, which tested the allied interoperability.

Carried out in Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the seven-day exercise involved the participation from more than 2,000 troops from ten allied nations.

The participating countries included Poland, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Germany, Latvia, the UK and the US.

The Nato Allied Land Command-led drill was aimed at increasing interoperability and synchronising complex operations between allied air and ground forces through airborne and air assault missions.

Joint Forces Command Brunssum (JFCB) commander general Hans-Lothar Domrose said: "With this exercise, Nato sent the clear message that it is committed and ready to protect member nations' territory at any time.

"The alliance is capable and willing to defend the countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland should the need arise."

During the exercise, 500 paratroopers were dropped from a US Air Force's (USAF) C-130 aircraft over the Lielvarde Airbase in Latvia, in order to take control and clear the airfield of enemy air defence and forces.

In addition, 160 allied force paratroopers were dropped in a similar operation in Lithuania.

The airdrops were combined with air-assault raids across Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, to demonstrate how well Nato air and ground troops work in tandem.

Before the start of drill, air and ground forces gathered at the Ramstein Airbase in Germany to begin planning, rehearsals and the loading of equipment and paratroopers necessary for the successful completion of the mission.

1 September 2014 Ministry of Defence

The handover marks the conclusion of a four-month NATO deployment to secure NATO’s airspace over Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania

Royal Air Force No 135 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) has formally handed over the role of supporting nation in the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission to the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The handover ceremony marked the conclusion of the four month deployment of four RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft that have been providing reassurance to the UK’s allies in the region.

Over the past 10 years the BAP mission has seen NATO allies deploy air defence aircraft to secure NATO’s airspace over the Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

Additionally, the role of lead nation was handed over from the Polish Air Force to the Portuguese Air Force.

The British Ambassador to Lithuania, His Excellency David Hunt said:

    The deployment of the RAF Typhoons has been seen as an act of solidarity during a period of genuine insecurity in Lithuania’s Eastern neighbourhood. Our bilateral relationship is already close but the RAF’s augmentation of BAP has added another dimension to our growing defence cooperation.

    The RAF has enhanced the UK’s reputation over the last four months and I am very grateful for everything they have done.

25 mars, 2014 Guillaume Belan (FOB)

Le ministère letton de la Défense a confirmé, la semaine dernière, le contrat d’acquisition de 120 véhicules blindés CVR-T (Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance-Tracked) d’occasion acheté au Royaume Uni. Cet acquisition est la concrétisation d’un accord (LoI) signé entre Londres et Riga lors du meeting des représentants pays de l’OTAN,  qui s’est tenu à Bruxelles le 27 février dernier. La valeur du contrat est estimée à environ 70 millions d’euros. L’achat de ces 120 CVR-T s’inscrit dans le cadre du programme de modernisation de l’armée lettonne, qui prévoit la mécanisation de ses brigades d’infanterie. Divisé en deux phases, ce programme sera financé jusqu’en 2020 grâce à un investissement d’environ 250 millions d’euros.

En ce qui concerne les 120 CVR-T, il devrait s’agir plus précisément de FV107 Scimitar que la British Army a retiré du service après les avoir utiliser durant la guerre du Golfe, en ex-Yougoslavie, en Irak et en Afghanistan. Produit par Alvis Car and Engineering, le Scimitar est un chenillé de la classe de 7,8 tonnes, armé d’un canon L21 RARDEN de 30 mm et d’une mitrailleuse coaxiale L37A1 de 7,62 mm OTAN.

« Il s’agit d’une première étape d’un projet plus vaste de modernisation de nos forces armées »  a commenté Raimonds Vējonis, le Ministre de la défense letton. Car le programme letton prévoit également l’acquisition de véhicules blindés de transport de troupes, aujourd’hui inexistants dans l’infanterie.