September 2, 2011 defpro.com

SHAPE, Mons, Belgium | From 19 to 30 September 2011 the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) will conduct exercises “Steadfast Pyramid 2011” (STPD11) and “Steadfast Pinnacle 2011” (STPE11) in Riga, Latvia. The exercises will be built on a fictitious scenario with special operational requirements to model likely crisis situations.

Latvia is hosting these exercises for the first time and it is just another example of strategic partnership. Latvia will develop the joint operational capability as a host nation and benefit from these exercises by improving abilities to work with other NATO nations and other key regional partners what will be useful in participating in ISAF and other multinational contingency operations around the world.

STPD11 and STPE11 serve as building blocks in the preparation of NATO commanders and their staff to exercise command and control during the planning, preparation and conduct of operations. Both exercises are scenario driven study seminars conducted within the context of non-Article 5 driven crisis response situation.

STPD11 focuses on the role of the military staff in the operational planning and decision-making process and prepares senior staff officers to better support their commanders during the different phases of operations across the full spectrum of NATO’s military missions.

SFPE 11 focuses on the role of the commander at the operational level, preparing senior officers to better lead their commands during the planning, preparation, execution and assessment of current and future NATO military missions.

Both exercises provide opportunities for the participants to increase their understanding of the context and relationships required to ensure NATO’s effective contribution to comprehensive approach. The seminars will also expand the participants’ knowledge about NATO policy, procedures, command and control capabilities, and allied doctrine which governs the planning and conduct of NATO military operations.

NATO regularly exercises to maintain readiness to provide the early establishment of NATO military presence. The NATO exercise programme is under continual review. Holding regular exercises – across the Alliance nations – provides tangible proof of NATO’s readiness and capabilities.

A Media Day will be held at the Latvian National Defence Academy in Riga on 29 September 2011. A separate media advisory is to follow.

August 31, 2011 defpro.com

On 31 August, four Denmark Air Force fighters F-16 will land in Lithuanian Air Base from their permanent place of deployment in Danish Air Force Base located in Skrydstrupe.

On 2 September, Danish Air Contingent will replace the outgoing rotation of the Baltic Air Policing mission – French Air Force Contingent which guarded Baltic airspace since April.

30.08.2011 par P. CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

A deux jours de la fin de la mission Air Baltic 2011, un chasseur français est entré en collision avec un appareil militaire lituanien. L'avion de type L39 s'est écrasé après avoir percuté le Mirage. Les deux pilotes se sont éjectés, selon le ministère de la défense lituanien. Le Mirage français a regagné sa base.

Air Baltic 2011.

Depuis le 28 avril (et jusqu'au 1er septembre 2011), l'escadron de chasse 2/5 de la base aérienne d'Orange, puis l'escadron de chasse 1/12 de la base aérienne de Cambrai déployent quatre Mirage 2000-C afin d'assurer, sous mandat de l'Otan, la sûreté de l'espace aérien des pays baltes (Estonie, Lettonie, Lituanie), 24 heures sur 24 et 7 jours sur 7.

Baltic 2011 est le troisième mandat OTAN de l'armée de l'Air française au profit des pays baltes, les premiers ayant eu lieu d'avril à juillet 2007, puis de janvier à avril 2010. Le prochain déploiement est prévu pour 2013.

23 août 2011 par Nicolas Gros-Verheyde (BRUXELLES2)

L’OTAN est prête à continuer son engagement au delà de l’opération militaire, si requis et nécessaire, afin d’assurer la stabilisation du pays. Mais « sans avoir de troupes au sol. Comme l’OTAN n’a pas de troupes au sol depuis le début de l’opération ». Une contradiction dont la porte-parole est bien consciente et dont les ambassadeurs du NAC doivent justement débattre cet après-midi (et sans doute dans les jours qui viennent). Un rôle que revendique également l’Union européenne d’ailleurs.

L’expérience de l’OTAN

Selon le porte-parole de l’Alliance, Oana Lungescu, l’OTAN a une certaine crédibilité sur ce sujet. L’alliance pourrait ainsi apporter en particulier « une aide pour la réforme du secteur de sécurité en Libye, un domaine où l’OTAN a une expérience extrêmement importante. Plusieurs alliés – d’ex-pays communistes – ont fait cette réforme avec l’assistance de l’OTAN. Expérience que l’on peut mettre à disposition de la Libye ou des autres pays de la région. »

Petite contradiction sur la présence au sol

L’OTAN reste cependant très prudente, et disserte sur ce futur rôle. Sur les contours exactes de cette future mission, la porte-parole a précisé que « cela reste à décider. Notre rôle reste un rôle d’aide, ce ne sera pas un rôle principal, et sans avoir de troupes de l’OTAN sur le terrain » a-t-elle encore précisé. Reste à savoir si on considère des formateurs ou des experts (en habits civils) comme des « troupes sur le terrain ». On le voit, on joue sur les mots. Mais nous sommes sur un terrain très glissant.

WASHINGTON, July 29 (RIA Novosti)

The United States is in talks with a number of NATO states on the deployment of a radar system as part of its mooted missile shield in Europe, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State said.

"We're talking to a number of countries within NATO about this radar system and when it might be deployed but I don't want to get into the substance of those discussions," Mark Toner told a daily press briefing adding that Turkey is among the possible countries.

He reiterated that the missile shield in Europe would not be aimed against Russia and poses no threat to the country at all.

"In terms of Russia's opposition to missile defense plans, we've sought - long sought a cooperative relationship with Russia on missile defense. We continue to seek to cooperate with them on missile defense. We've been clear for many years now that this is not focused on Russia. It's not a threat to them in any way," Toner said.

Russia has retained staunch opposition to the deployment of missile-defense systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security threat. NATO and the United States insist that the shield would defend NATO members against missiles from North Korea and Iran and would not be directed at Russia.

PLA Air Force HQ-9 Surface-to-Air Missile

2011-07-28 (China Military News cited from globalsecuritynewswire.org)

NATO has warned Turkey not to purchase antimissile technology from Russia or China if Ankara wants to have access to ballistic missile threat information from radar stations in alliance member states, the Hürriyet Daily News reported on Monday.

The military alliance has agreed to establish a missile shield covering all of Europe. As part of that effort, member states are to augment and connect their individual antimissile capabilities.

U.S. defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are competing as a team to have their Patriot interceptor technology selected for Turkish air and missile defense acquisitions. Their competitors include China Precision Machinery Export-Import's HQ-9 and the S-300 air defense system manufactured by Russian state firm Rosoboronexport. The Italian-French team of Eurosam is also marketing its SAMP/T Aster 30 to Ankara. A decision is expected in late 2011 or early 2012.

A number of analysts and officials from Western nations noted that the Chinese and Russian air defense technologies could not work with alliance systems. Awarding missile defense contracts to firms from either country could give them a window into secret NATO intelligence and might jeopardize the integrity of the alliance's operations, they said.

"If, say, the Chinese win the competition, their systems will be in interaction, directly or indirectly, with NATO's intelligence systems, and this may lead to the leak of critical NATO information to the Chinese, albeit inadvertently. So this is dangerous," said one Western specialist.

"NATO won't let that happen," a different Western official said to the Turkish newspaper. "If the Chinese or the Russians win the Turkish contest, their systems will have to work separately. They won't be linked to NATO information systems."

Ankara, however, has yet to take off the table the possibility of purchasing Russian and Chinese missile defense systems, arguing there is no rationale for removing them from consideration.

"One explanation is that Turkey itself doesn't plan to (ultimately) select the Chinese or Russian alternatives, but still is retaining them among their options to put pressure on the Americans and the Europeans to (lower) their prices," the Western analyst speculated.

Turkey's T-Loramids system was developed to defeat both hostile aircraft and missiles. The program exists entirely apart from the alliance's initiative to establish continent-wide missile protection.

The military bloc is in discussions with Ankara on installing an advanced X-band radar system on Turkish land. High-ranking Turkish and U.S. officials conferred on the issue earlier this month in Istanbul when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to the country. Officials said the talks were productive on reaching a radar agreement.

The X-band radar is envisioned as providing early warning should any ballistic missile be fired from the Middle East toward NATO territory. Standard Missile 3 interceptors deployed on U.S. Aegis warships stationed in the Mediterranean and eventually from a base in Romania could be launched to eliminate the threat.

22 Jul 2011 DefenseNews AFP

BRUSSELS - NATO is investigating claims by the hacker group Anonymous that it plundered sensitive data from alliance computers, a NATO official said July 22.

"We are aware that Anonymous has claimed to have hacked us and we have security experts investigating these claims," the official said.

"We strongly condemn any leaks of classified documents, which can potentially endanger the security of NATO allies, armed forces and citizens," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The group posted a message on Twitter this week claiming to have looted about a gigabyte of NATO data and said it was too sensitive to release.

"Yes, we haz (sic) more of your delicious data," the Twitter post read.

"You call it war; we laugh at your battleships."

Last month, NATO said it was notified by police dealing with digital crimes that an alliance website was probably breached by hackers.

The e-Bookshop website, a separate service for the public to access alliance publications, did not contain sensitive information.

Lundi 18 Juillet 2011 atlasinfo.fr

Le Royaume-Uni a demandé aux Etats-Unis de renforcer leur soutien à la mission de l'Otan en Libye afin de multiplier les chances de réaliser des résultats tangibles de cette mission qui se poursuit pour le quatrième mois.

Selon le quotidien britannique, Financial Times paru lundi, le ministre britannique de la Défense, Liam Fox, a demandé à son homologue américain, Leon Panetta d'augmenter la contribution américaine au conflit, notamment en matière de renseignement, de surveillance, de reconnaissance et de ravitaillement en vol.

Cette demande a été faite lors d'une conversation téléphonique la semaine dernière entre les deux responsables, précise le quotidien, ajoutant que les responsables britanniques attendent toujours une réponse de leurs homologues américains.

La requête laisse l'administration du président Barack Obama devant le choix embarrassant de décevoir son allié ou de lancer un débat épineux dans le Congrès américain, qui devient de plus en plus sceptique vis-à-vis de ce conflit, commente le journal.

Après avoir pris les devants au début de la campagne militaire contre le régime du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, les Américains se sont tenus au second rô le en raison de problèmes au Capitol Hill, laissant les commandes effectives aux Britanniques.

Dans une intervention télévisée, M. Fox a accusé dimanche des pays membres de l'Otan de ne pas apporter un soutien suffisant aux missions militaires de l'Organisation, notamment celle menée en Libye.

Cependant, un conseiller du ministre a souligné que le Royaume-Uni est satisfait du niveau d'engagement des Etats-Unis en Libye, relevant que Washington fournit des drones, apporte un soutien en matière de renseignement et participe aux raids aériens en cas de besoin.

La demande britannique intervient à l'heure où plusieurs officiels occidentaux expriment des doutes quant à la capacité des rebelles libyens à réaliser des résultats probants dans leur bataille contre le régime de Tripoli, laissant entrevoir que le bout du tunnel ne peut être atteint qu'à travers les canaux diplomatiques.

Dans son intervention, M. Fox a affirmé que des préparatifs sont en cours pour entamer des pourparlers avec les membres du régime Kadhafi, insistant que l'objectif demeure de mettre fin à ce régime.

" Quand on parle aux forces de l'opposition (à) ils disent qu'il est impossible d'envisager la sécurité du peuple libyen sous le règne du Colonel Kadhafi ", a-t-il dit.

July 12, 2011 Daniel Goure, Ph.D. / Early Warning Blog, Lexington Institute - defpro.com

NATO is more active today than it has been at any time in its 62 year history. Some 40,000 non-U.S. troops, most from NATO member countries, are operating in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In addition, NATO countries have been engaged in a three month air campaign to defeat the government forces in Libya and protect innocent civilians. This campaign involves tens of thousands of air sorties and several thousand strikes on a range of targets. While neither operation could take place without extensive U.S. involvement and support, NATO nations have contributed a lot to combat operations in both arenas and in Afghanistan they have paid in blood.

Nevertheless, the era of the Atlantic Alliance may be coming to an end. In an earlier blog I discussed former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ valedictory speech to the NATO Alliance on June 10, 2011. In it he severely chastised members of the Alliance for insufficient spending on defense and for spending what they had unwisely. But as the Secretary noted, he was but the latest in a long line of U.S. officials to offer the same critique all to no avail. Even when the Soviet Union was at its zenith and dozens of tank divisions and thousands of nuclear weapons stood poised for action along the Iron Curtain, most NATO members provided inadequate resources for their own defense. Now that there is no threat to its survival is it any wonder that Europe does not see wisdom in greater defense spending?

Gates was also not the first Secretary of Defense to propose that NATO spend what resources are available more wisely and strategically. This means spending more on critical enablers and much less on personnel and weapons platforms. It also means consolidating Europe’s fragmented defense industrial base along the line of international giants such as EADS and MBDA. If European governments were to do this, U.S. leaders would need to think strategically about the need for continuing collaboration with such trans-Atlantic defense companies as BAE Systems and Finmeccanica. Gates’ suggestions make eminent sense.

Where I part company with the former Secretary is with the sign-off portion of his speech in which he warned our allies that if they did not do more to shore up their defense capabilities the American people may decide that NATO is no longer worth the effort and commitment. There is no value in continuing to beat up our allies in Europe for their unwillingness to spend more. U.S. government officials and members of Congress would be well advised to change their approach and recognize that the role of NATO changed with the end of the Cold War. Rather than trying to restore the Alliance to its limited glory, it would be better to take NATO for what it is able to be and to plan accordingly.

This does not mean that NATO will have no relevance but that its role will be increasingly restricted to managing the relative quiet of the European continent and nearby commons, bringing nations on the margin of modern Europe into the fold and serving as a hedge against an aggressive Russia. Even this third role may only be of a short duration as a combination of abysmal demographics and weak economic performance creates something of a death spiral for the Russian government and state. Let’s be honest; the real threats to U.S. security and interests in the 21st century lie elsewhere, in the Middle East and Asia. If Europe is peaceful this is a good thing. If some NATO members such as Great Britain, France and Turkey can form coalitions of the willing with the United States to take on some of the burden in these regions that would be great. But let us stop trying to command the tide of history to recede.

SAINT-PETERSBOURG, 5 juillet - RIA Novosti

La Russie et l'Otan pourraient mettre en place un centre commun destiné à détecter les menaces balistiques, a annoncé mardi à Saint-Pétersbourg le secrétaire général de l'Alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"La Russie a fait une proposition intéressante. Il existe une possibilité de créer un centre commun Russie-Otan où nous pourrons détecter les menaces liées aux missiles balistiques (…). Ces propositions me semblent prometteuses", a déclaré M.Rasmussen intervenant devant les étudiants de l'Académie maritime de Saint-Pétersbourg.

Selon M.Rasmussen, plus de 30 pays possèdent à présent la technologie de création des missiles balistiques. "Certains de ces missiles sont capables d'atteindre les pays de l'Alliance. Nous devons défendre nos territoires, et la Russie est confrontée au même risque", a estimé le SG de l'Otan.

Dans son discours, M.Rasmussen a de nouveau indiqué que l'Otan ne constituait pas une menace pour la Russie.

"Je ne considère pas la Russie comme une menace pour l'Alliance atlantique, et je vous assure que l'Otan ne représente pas de menace pour la Russie", a-t-il déclaré.

SOTCHI, 4 juillet - RIA Novosti

Moscou espère que la réunion du Conseil Russie-Otan qui se déroule lundi Sotchi au niveau des ambassadeurs renforcera l'aspiration des parties à un véritable partenariat stratégique, a annoncé le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères Sergueï Lavrov inaugurant la rencontre.

"Nous avons aujourd'hui la possibilité de renforcer notre détermination à un partenariat stratégique capable de créer une interaction positive entre les Etats euro-atlantiques", a-t-il indiqué.

Selon le chef de la diplomatie russe, le succès du Conseil Russie-Otan servira de catalyseur à une coopération au sein d'une architecture plus large de sécurité euro-atlantique.

"Je suis convaincu que la rencontre avec le président russe donnera un nouvel élan à la coopération, (…) renforcera l'interaction entre les parties dans la lutte contre les défis communs", a conclu M.Lavrov.

Le président, Dmitri Medvedev, et le secrétaire général de l'Otan, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, participeront à la réunion.

July 1, 2011 defpro.com

NATO’s Command Structure has been reviewed, as part of a major reform process, to make it more efficient, flexible and responsive. While the Alliance’s level of ambition remains the same, the changes will make its Command Structure more affordable, reducing the overall number of staff from 13,00 to 8,800 posts.

The reform will also create a more deployable, streamlined command configuration. Keeping its two Strategic Commands – Operations and Transformation – the new structure will have two Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQs). For the first time, each JFHQ will be able to deploy into theatre to exercise Command and Control up to the level of a major joint operation.

The reforms “will make NATO more effective – focusing on the capabilities and command systems we need,” said Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in a statement on 8 June 2010.

The review process took into account the Command Structure’s core functions such as planning of operations, conduct of operations, development and transformation, military cooperation, and support activities. It also considered a number of new tasks stemming from the 2010 Strategic Concept and key principles such as the ability to conduct Article 5 operations, deployability and sustainability, as well as Alliance cohesion. Greater interaction between NATO headquarters and national headquarters will also be developed as a result of this reform.

Brigadier General Patrick Wouters, Deputy Director Plans and Policy Division, International Military Staff, gave a technical briefing on the reforms on 9 June 2010.

He said the reform aims to make the command structure “more fit for purpose”.

“It will be able to meet the current and the future challenges and it is designed in a forward-looking way.”

29/06/2011 LeFigaro.fr AFP

L'Otan dispose d'assez de ressources pour mener à bien l'opération en Libye mais les Européens membres de l'Alliance devraient davantage coopérer entre eux pour en faire un meilleur usage, a déclaré le secrétaire général de l'organisation, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"Je peux vous assurer en premier lieu que nous avons toutes les ressources et tous les moyens nécessaires pour continuer l'opération (en Libye) et la mener à bien", a déclaré M. Rasmussen devant la presse, mercredi à Budva (Monténégro). Le secrétaire général de l'Otan venait de s'entretenir avec le Premier ministre monténégrin, Igor Luksic, en marge de la réunion de la Charte adriatique, qui regroupe plusieurs Etats des Balkans, membres de l'Otan ou qui aspirent à la rejoindre.

"Les investissements européens en matière de défense sont trop limités", a poursuivi toutefois M. Rasmussen. "Une façon d'avancer consisterait à coopérer davantage pour partager et (mettre ensemble) des ressources de façon à en accroître l'efficacité", a-t-il souligné.

"L'opération en Libye démontre que les alliés européens, avec le Canada et les pays de la région (sud-est de l'Europe) peuvent avoir une responsabilité primordiale", a déclaré d'autre part M. Rasmussen. "Nous étions habitués auparavant à une direction américaine pour toutes les opérations. Cette fois ci, la majorité des appareils ont été fournis par les alliés européens, le Canada et les pays de la région", a relevé le secrétaire général de l'Alliance atlantique.