Leavenworth Strategist

‘Empire Challenge’ Promotes Intelligence Sharing

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2010 – A demonstration project under way at 20 sites in the United States and overseas is helping to break down technological barriers to promote more interoperability and better intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data sharing among coalition partners in Afghanistan.

U.S. Joint Forces Command’s Empire Challenge 2010 kicked off two weeks ago and continues through Aug. 13, bringing together about 2,000 participants worldwide in a live, joint and coalition ISR interoperability demonstration, Air Force Col. George J. “Skip” Krakie told reporters today.

The annual exercise showcases emerging technologies and provides lessons learned to improve intelligence collection and analysis and test better ways to get it out to warfighters who need it.

This year’s demonstration, based on shortfalls identified by warfighters themselves, is focused on improving multinational interoperability and data sharing, explained Krakie, chief of Joint Forces Command’s ISR integration division...

Belgian Air Component participates in first Red Flag-Alaska

by Airman 1st Class Christopher Gross
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

6/25/2010 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AFNS) -- Twenty-seven members from the Belgian Air Component participated in their first Red Flag-Alaska exercise here.

The BAC 15th Air Transport Wing 20th Squadron arrived here June 8, with two C-130 Hercules, and will be participating until June 25, when the exercise ends.

Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise for U.S. and coalition forces flown under simulated air combat conditions. It is conducted on the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex, the largest air-ground training complex in the U.S.

The JPARC is one of the reasons the BAC is taking part in this exercise. They don't have as much space in Belgium to train. Here they are able to expand on their training while working with their coalition partners.

Exercises like this are helpful because they have a bigger playground to train and improve mission capabilities, BAC Lt. Teodor Speda said. Those participating in Red Flag-Alaska have more than 67,000 square miles to conduct training scenarios.

NATO Member Troops Parade On Red Square

(RFE/RL) Troops from four NATO countries for the first time joined Russia's military parade in Moscow's Red Square to mark the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Soldiers from the United States, Britain, France, and Poland marched along with Russian troops as some two dozen world leaders looked on.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the heads of almost all the former Soviet republics were among the leaders that attended the event.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled their scheduled trips to Moscow in order to focus on the ongoing crisis surrounding the euro currency. There was no senior official from Britain to watch the parade, which was attended by 76 British soldiers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

With 10,000 Russian troops, hundreds of pieces of military hardware, including tanks and ballistic missiles, as well as a total of 127 military aircraft flying past, the 70-minute parade was the largest event of its kind since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Cobra Gold set to begin on Feb 1

(Bangkok Post) The 2010 Thai-US Cobra Gold military exercises has been rescheduled to take place next month, military officers said yesterday.

Joint exercises with China will go on as originally planned, and will include disaster mitigation training, they added.

Cobra Gold, which is usually held in May, will take place between Feb 1 and 11 this year so that soldiers from participating countries can train in cooler and more comfortable weather, according to defence spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng.

The annual drill, in which Thai, US, Singaporean, Japanese, Indonesian, and Korean soldiers will participate, will be held in the navy compound in the coastal province of Rayong.

US representatives will be invited to observe a separate drill between the Thai and Chinese navies, which is also scheduled for early 2010...

EU says war on Somali pirates not over

By MIKE CORDER (AP)

GOTEBORG, Sweden — Hulking gray naval frigates fanned out across the Gulf of Aden have combined with monsoon storms to sharply reduce pirate attacks in the world's busiest shipping lanes in recent weeks.

But the commanding officer of the European Union armada warned Tuesday that it is too early to declare victory over heavily armed Somali pirates in tiny, fast-moving skiffs.

"This is not a thing where we can say 'job done,'" Rear Admiral Peter Hudson said on the sidelines of an EU defense ministers' meeting.

Hudson's warning came as EU officials hailed their anti-piracy flotilla as a resounding success, saying it has helped shepherd hundreds of thousands of tons of World Food Program aid to starving Somalis and foiled 100 pirate attacks since it began patrolling the Gulf nine months ago.

The EU is joined patrolling the region by the United States, which has been at the forefront of fighting piracy, and NATO, Japan, South Korea, and China...

NATO Chief Proposes Linked US/Russian/NATO Defense

By ROBERT WIELAARD (AP)

BRUSSELS — The head of NATO called Friday for the U.S., Russia and NATO to link their missile defense systems against potential new nuclear threats from Asia and the Middle East, saying that the old foes must forget their lingering Cold War animosity.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen appealed for unity a day after the U.S. shelved a Bush-era plan for an Eastern European missile defense shield that has been a major irritant in relations with Russia.

"We should explore the potential for linking the US, NATO and Russia missile defense systems at an appropriate time," Fogh Rasmussen said. "Both NATO and Russia have a wealth of experience in missile defense. We should now work to combine this experience to our mutual benefit."

Fogh Rasmussen said in a speech calling for a rethink of NATO-Russia relations that long-range ballistic missile technology in the hands of such countries as North Korea and Iran threatens the West and Russia in large part because it could lead to regional proliferation...

French General Takes Over Senior NATO Job

By Lisa Bryant (VOA) Paris, 10 September 2009

For the first time in NATO  history, one of the alliance's supreme commanders is from a country other than the United States. Air Force general Stephane Abrial of France has taken over the job of Supreme Allied Commander Transformation for NATO.

French general Stephane Abrial takes over as supreme allied commander in Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States, just months after President Nicolas Sarkozy France announced his country would rejoin the NATO military command more than 40 years after leaving it.

At a NATO summit in Strasbourg, France, earlier this year, Mr. Sarkozy discussed France's return and assured fellow leaders that France was part of the same NATO family. Everyone can count on France, he said - and France knows it can count on its NATO allies.

The Norfolk position is one of two top command posts promised to France when it rejoined the alliance. Another Frenchman now heads a NATO command in Lisbon. General Abrial takes over the Virginia post from U.S. marine general James Mattis. The French general is the first non-US commander assuming a top NATO command in the alliance's history...

 

Brigades Represent New Iraq Mission, Commander Says

By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2009 – The new advisory and assistance brigades to flow into Iraq in the coming months will bring important new capability as they focus on building the Iraqi security forces, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said yesterday.

Army Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr. called the so-called AABs – reconfigured brigade combat teams that focus on advising, assisting and developing Iraqi security forces – “a concept we believe in” for moving forward in Iraq.

“We think it’s the right way to go as we move from counterinsurgency and full-spectrum ops to our strategy of being done with combat operations for U.S. forces in August 2010,” he told Pentagon reporters via videoconference from Camp Victory, Iraq.

The Pentagon announced the new brigades in July.

The first four brigade combat teams to be assigned the mission are the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams based at Fort Stewart, Ga., and its 3rd BCT at Fort Benning, Ga.; and the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd BCT at Fort Carson, Colo.

They will deploy beginning this fall, and be dispersed throughout Iraq in areas where they can best support provincial reconstruction teams and the training of Iraqi forces, Jacoby said. “We’ve done a fair amount of work studying where we think the advisory assistance brigades can best serve that mission,” he said.

The AABs represent a mindset as well as a mission, Jacoby said, as they operate within the stability operations realm to improve the Iraqi security forces’ ability to conduct combat operations and take the lead in other security operations.

For now, traditional brigade combat teams deployed to Iraq are passing back lessons learned and observations being made to help prepare the AABs for their new mission. Jacoby lauded the “great exchange of information between the theater and back home in the training base.”

AABs will be about the size of a standard brigade combat team, but will include more field-grade officers serving as advisors, and more engineering, military police, civil affairs, transportation and other capabilities to support the training and mentoring mission, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman explained when announcing the new teams in July.

Their pre-deployment training is expected to differ considerably from that of standard brigades, Whitman said. In addition to standard combat training, they will undergo scenario-based training and mission-readiness exercises designed to prepare them for the complex challenges they will encounter in Iraq.

 

US, NATO Military Commander Offers Review on Afghanistan

By VOA News 31 August 2009

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has completed a months-long strategy review and delivered his assessment to U.S. and NATO officials.

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal says the situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and strategic changes must be made.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the assessment does not include specific requests for more troops, but U.S. President Barack Obama and NATO leaders could discuss the issue later.

Whitman said the review is being viewed as a confidential military assessment, and there are no plans to release it to the public.

President Obama had called for the U.S. strategy review in Pakistan and Afghanistan to battle a growing insurgency of Taliban and al-Qaida militants...

Australia, US to Invite China to War Games

By Phil Mercer (VOA)
Sydney
03 September 2009

Australia and the United States will invite China to take part in joint military exercises to help ease fears about an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ties between Australia and China have been strained over concerns about Beijing's military expansion and the precarious nature of trade negotiations.

As a way of soothing tensions, Australian and U.S. defense officials have agreed to approach the Chinese about taking part in joint military exercises.

Admiral Timothy Keating, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, told a Sydney newspaper that talks with Beijing were a positive sign that China was willing to cooperate in the plan. Keating also expressed hope that any joint exercise would help the U.S. and its allies better understand China's reasons for boosting its weapons capabilities...

NATO Approves Intermediate Headquarters for Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2009 – NATO has approved the idea of an intermediate military headquarters in Afghanistan, Pentagon officials said today.

The headquarters is a corps-level organization that will oversee the tactical, day-to-day operations in the country.

U.S. officials would like to see Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, deputy commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan in the post.

The new headquarters would allow the four-star commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, to concentrate on the big-picture parts of the conflict, including building relationships and coordinating with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, as well as as nongovernmental and international agencies, and overseeing training for Afghan security forces.

The intermediate headquarters would coordinate NATO and allied efforts in Afghanistan where about 64,500 servicemembers from 42 nations serve in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. Nearly 30,000 of that total are American. An additional 28,000 Americans are serving in Afghanistan outside of ISAF.

Most of the troops assigned to the intermediate headquarters would come from the U.S. Army’s 5th Corps based in Germany, officials said. Still, other NATO and NATO-allied nations would contribute to manning the organization.

The command arrangement is similar to that used by coalition forces in Iraq, with a four-star Multinational Force Iraq commander and a three-star Multinational Corps Iraq commander working together...

Task force warns of hike in Somalia piracy

(AFP) – Jul 27, 2009
MANAMA — The multinational anti-piracy force operating off the coast of Somalia warned on Monday of an increase in attacks when the monsoon season ends in the next few weeks.

"The Combined Maritime Forces are warning mariners of an anticipated increase in piracy incidents when the southwest monsoon ends in the coming weeks, and are reiterating that merchant mariners must continue to take proactive action to help prevent piracy attacks," said the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain.

The world's naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to the lawless waters off Somalia over the past year to curb attacks by pirates threatening one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes...

African Union Training Somalis to Counter Insurgency

By Alisha Ryu, (VOA) Nairobi, 16 July 2009

The African Union's special envoy to Somalia says the AU has begun recruiting and training Somalis to be soldiers and police officers to help the country's embattled government counter an insurgency led by Islamists with ties to al-Qaida. He says the pan-African body envisions a Somali security force of about 16,000 members in a year's time.

The envoy, Nicholas Bwakira, says the ambitious recruiting and training program for Somalia is a part of the pledge of assistance the United States, the European Union and other key donors made in April at a meeting in Brussels.

More than $200 million was pledged at the conference, much of it earmarked to support Somalia's transitional government's security forces and the 4,300-member African Union's peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM...

"We plan to train 6,000 paramilitary forces and 10,000 policemen," Bwakira said. "This training will be taking place outside Somalia. But some of the training will be done in Somalia. There are already some trainees, who are in Djibouti. So, it already has started and it is going to continue in various countries. We are looking at training time-frame of six to 12 months."

Bwakira says Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda are some of the African nations that have volunteered to train Somali recruits.

 

Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Shares Strategy

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, July 16, 2009 – Patience and time are keys to success in Afghanistan, the commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan told reporters here yesterday.

Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal discussed his views on what it will take to bring and maintain security in Afghanistan and the importance of helping the Afghans establish governance throughout the provinces.

McChrystal became commander of U.S. and international forces in the country last month at a time of increased violence. President Barack Obama nominated him to replace Army Gen. David McKiernan due to McChrystal’s counterinsurgency success in Iraq and his special operations background.

As NATO’s International Security Assistance Force commander here, McChrystal is expected to be in Afghanistan for around 24 months...

NATO air defense drills begin in the Baltics

TALLINN, July 7 (RIA Novosti) - NATO states will start in the Baltic states on Tuesday a series of air defense exercises involving Czech fighter jets, the Estonian Defense Ministry said.

The two-day drills are focused on improving air interoperability and developing NATO air forces' capabilities in defending the air space over the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The exercises will involve four Czech JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets, based at the Lithuanian Siauliai Air Base, and a U.S. C-130 Hercules military transport plane.

The exercises are a continuation of NATO's air policing drills, held last October and this April...

Russia Allows Transit for Afghanistan-bound U.S. Troops

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2009 – An agreement signed in Moscow today permits the United States to transit troops and weapons across Russian territory en route to Afghanistan.

The pact, signed during President Barack Obama’s visit to the Kremlin, permits 4,500 flights per year through Russian airspace, and saves the U.S. government $133 million annually in transportation costs while boosting logistical efficiency, according to a White House statement.

“This is a substantial contribution by Russia to our international effort, and it will save the United States time and resources in giving our troops the support that they need,” Obama said during a news conference with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.

Following today’s meeting between the two presidents, Obama told reporters that he and Medvedev agreed on the need to combat the threat of violent extremism, particularly from al-Qaida. Access to Russian transit routes substantially increases the efficiency of efforts against violent extremism in Afghanistan, the White House statement said...

US seeks European funds, troops for Afghanistan

By Patrick Rahir 
BERLIN (AFP) — Europe must commit more funds and troops to stabilise Afghanistan after the August presidential elections or risk staying in the country indefinitely, the US envoy to NATO Ivo Daalder said Wednesday.

"The US is doing its part -- Europe and Germany can and should do more," Daalder told a conference on transatlantic relations in Berlin.

"Additional troops (sent to Afghanistan to provide security during the elections) must stay after the elections."

Daalder said the United States estimated 17 billion dollars was needed to train and equip the Afghan army and two billion dollars per year to sustain it.

"There is no way Afghanistan can pay for its force," he said, noting that the Afghan government had taken in about 750 million dollars in revenues last year.

He said the United States would pay 5.5 billion dollars this year and 7.5 billion dollars next year but said it was crucial that Europe make up the difference.

Next 18 Months Critical in Afghanistan, McChrystal Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2009 – The next 18 months will be crucial in Afghanistan, the new commander of NATO and U.S. forces there said today.

“I think that the next 18 months are probably a period in which this effort will be decided,” Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal told Tom Bowman in a National Public Radio interview. “I don't think it will be over. But I think that not only the American people, I think the Afghan people are looking and deciding which way this will go.”

McChrystal took command of coalition and U.S. efforts in Afghanistan on June 15. His job is to carry out the new strategy for the region.

The general said the conflict should not be viewed solely as a military struggle. It is not a question of whether the United States is winning, he said, but whether the Afghan people are winning. The Afghan government is the ultimate deciding factor, and while the government is not winning the war on extremists, “I don't say they’re losing,” McChrystal said...

 

US, South Korea Military Raise Defense Alert Level After North's Threats

VOA By Kurt Achin, Seoul, 28 May 2009

South Korea and the United States have raised their defense alert levels on the Korean peninsula, a day after the North said it was willing to discard the 56-year-old armistice that paused the Korean War. Analysts expect more tension in the days ahead.

South Korea and the United States boosted defense alert conditions to the second highest in a five-level structure, Thursday.

Won Tae-jae, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry, says the two militaries are devoting more personnel to intelligence gathering and analysis, including aviation and reconnaissance. He says South Korea and the United States will cooperate in keeping a watch over North Korea's movements...

Experiment to Examine Joint Operations Concept

Armed Forces Information Service By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Nikki Carter
Special to American Forces Press Service

SUFFOLK, Va., May 29, 2009 – More than 180 representatives from the U.S. military and other government agencies, as well as from foreign militaries, will gather in McLean, Va., from May 31 to June 5 for a war game to test the Defense Department's recently revised Capstone Concept for Joint Operations, or CCJO.

U.S. Joint Forces Command is leading the war game, the culminating event of an overall experiment that has included two previous workshops.

The CCJO, a document approved by Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, envisions how the joint force will respond to an array of future national security challenges in the 2016 to 2028 time frame. The CCJO is a companion piece to the Joint Operating Environment, which describes future operational environments and challenges the joint force may encounter.
The CCJO describes how the joint force will operate to address those challenges, which include winning the nation's wars, deterring potential adversaries, developing cooperative security, defending the homeland, and responding to civil crises...

US Shares Drone Intelligence with Pakistan, But No Joint Control

VOA By Al Pessin, Washington, 14 May 2009

The top U.S. military officer says the United States has shared intelligence with Pakistan that was gathered by unmanned aircraft flying over Pakistani territory. But he says there is no joint-control of drone missions, as a U.S. newspaper reported on Wednesday. The comments came during a U.S. Senate committee hearing, at which one leading senator called on the Pakistani government to be more supportive of U.S. efforts to clear the region of militant groups.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said the United States has provided Pakistan with pictures taken by the unmanned aircraft operated by the U.S. military. But he said Pakistan has not requested any such photos for the past month, while it has been engaged in a major offensive against militants in the Swat Valley, not far from the capital, Islamabad

Turkey to command Somalia anti-piracy force: US

MANAMA (Google/AFP) Apr 24, 2009

The US Fifth Fleet announced on Friday it is transferring command of the counter-piracy international naval force CTF 151 to the Turkish Navy on May 3.

"The US Navy will transfer command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to the Turkish Navy on Sunday May 3, 2009," Lieutenant Nathan Christensen of the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said in a statement.

Rear Admiral Michelle Howard will hand over control of the task force to Turkish Rear Admiral Caner Bener in a ceremony aboard the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, the Navy said.

"Turkey will be the second nation to command the counter-piracy task force. This also marks the first time Turkey will command a Combined Maritime Forces Task Force," the statement said...

(U.S.) Foreign Service Jobs in Afghanistan to Grow

By Karen DeYoung

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 24, 2009; A04

 

The State Department will significantly expand its presence in regional capitals in western and northern Afghanistan in coming months, part of the Obama administration's plans for a "surge" in civilians going to the country.

 

"As part of our expanding efforts in Afghanistan," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a cable sent Saturday to all Foreign Service officers, "the Department intends to create 14 additional FS positions in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif."

 

The cable called the jobs "priority" assignments and "new opportunities" for diplomats about to bid on new postings for later this year...

NATO ships in new anti-piracy mission (Allied Protector)

BRUSSELS (AFP) — NATO warships will be in position next week to conduct a new anti-piracy operation in a major world shipping area off the coast of Somalia, the alliance's chief spokesman said Wednesday.

"NATO ambassadors have now approved the operational plan for the deployment of the standing naval maritime group one to conduct counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia," spokesman James Appathurai told reporters.

He said that seven ships -- one each from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, with two vessels from Germany -- would exit the Suez Canal on March 19...

Multi-National Force-Iraq Announces Force Reductions

MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ PRESS DESK (Iraq)
March 08, 2009

BAGHDAD - Multi-National Force-Iraq announced today that two Brigade Combat Teams, who are scheduled to redeploy in the next 6 months, along with associated enabling forces such as logistics, engineers, and intelligence, will not be replaced. Additionally, an F-16 squadron recently redeployed and will not be replaced.

This drawdown of forces from Iraq will reduce the total number of U.S. Brigade Combat Teams from 14 to 12. Additionally, a British Combat Brigade will also redeploy without replacement. The reduction is possible due to the increased level of security and stability that Iraq has achieved over the last 12 months, the growth in capability and capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces, and the transition from counterinsurgency to stability operations throughout most of Iraq.

U.S., NATO Have ‘Unity of Purpose’ in Afghan Mission, Clinton Says

By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2009 – U.S. and NATO allies showed “unity of purpose” during discussions about their shared mission in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday.

Following a meeting with NATO officials in Brussels, Belgium, Clinton said there was broad agreement among allies to ensure safe Afghan elections in August, boost economic development there and take a regional approach that includes Pakistan.

“We expressed a unity of purpose with respect to Afghanistan, NATO's most important ongoing operation,” she said. “In Afghanistan and in the border regions of Pakistan, we face a common threat, we have a common challenge, and we share a common responsibility.”

Participants at the meeting acknowledged a need for more resources and personnel in the region, said Clinton, whose trip comes a week before Vice President Joe Biden is expected to discuss future NATO contributions with allies in Brussels...

Europe Willing to Boost Civilian Aid to Afghanistan

DW-WORLD.DE 24.02.2009

The United States would like to see European states send more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. The EU's foreign ministers have said they're ready to help, but that more soldiers are not necessarily the answer.

The European Union has launched programs in Afghanistan to help train police and judges to do their jobs. It’s these types of programs that European leaders are committed to supporting. At the same time, there's much less enthusiasm among the EU's foreign ministers for sending troops to fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

 

"There are ways of cooperating on Afghan's stability apart from just by the military," the bloc's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 23.

Solana said the EU could do more to assist Afghanistan, but not with military means. He was backed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Turkey Joins Counterpiracy Mission in the Gulf of Aden

Navy NewsStand  Newstory Number: NNS090227-07, Release Date: 2/27/2009 1:50:00 PM

By Lt. John Fage, Combined Task Force 151 Public Affairs

MONTEREY, At Sea (NNS) -- The Turkish frigate TCG Giresun (F-491) joined
Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 Feb. 26 and began conducting counterpiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden alongside other coalition naval forces.

"Bringing another professional navy into the fold is going to make it even more difficult for the pirates to operate out here," said Rear Adm. Terence McKnight, commander, CTF 151. "Giresun and her crew will add even more experience and manpower to a very robust counterpiracy mission. We're making life very difficult for those looking to disrupt the free flow of commerce in the area."

Commanded by Capt. Cenk Dalkanat, Giresun joins CTF 151's flagship USS Monterey (CG 61), the Danish flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16), and other ships from the U.S. and U.K., which have conducted operations as part of the task force...

 

NATO allies reluctant to increase Afghan presence

International Herald Tribune/The Associated Press, Friday, February 20, 2009

KRAKOW, Poland: NATO defense ministers concluded two days of talks here Friday with indications that few allies were willing to offer significant numbers of additional combat troops for Afghanistan but that they might seek to compensate by deploying more civilians to train local security forces and build the country's economy.

The announcement this week that the Obama administration would send 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by the summer was met with formal offers from allies numbering only in the hundreds of fresh troops of their own.

Afghan Officials Join US Review of War Strategy

(Voice of America) By Barry Newhouse, Kabul,15 February 2009

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his government will participate in President Barack Obama's strategic review of the war in Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai announced the agreement after meeting with U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Karzai described talks with ambassador Holbrooke as frank, detailed and fruitful and said he looks forward to working with President Obama on reviewing U.S. strategy in the region.

NATO Nations Scolded for Shirking Duties In Afghanistan

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 16, 2009; A16

Britain's defense chief yesterday sharply criticized NATO's other European members for failing to do their part in Afghanistan, saying some of them had "limited appetites" for the operation and preferred "freeloading on the back of U.S. military security."

The assessment by British Defense Secretary John Hutton followed what one Pentagon official called a "disappointing" response this week to a request from NATO headquarters for additional troops and other resources to provide security for Afghanistan's elections this fall...

US VP-elect Biden promises help in Afghan visit

By Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press Writer / January 10, 2009

KABUL, Afghanistan—Vice President-elect Joe Biden pledged long-term American support for Afghanistan during a visit Saturday, and the commander of NATO-led forces told him that thousands of new American troops expected this year will need more support against surging Taliban violence...

Earlier, America's top general in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, told Biden that thousands of new American troops expected in the country's south will need more support to beat back surging Taliban violence.

Africa Command to airlift peacekeeper equipment to Darfur

by Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

1/7/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- U.S. Africa Command officials are laying plans to airlift heavy equipment to Sudan to support African Union and U.N. peacekeepers involved in the country's Darfur region, an AFRICOM spokesman said Jan. 6.

AFRICOM members will transport about 75 tons of heavy equipment -- water tankers, fuel tank trucks, forklifts and other oversized cargo -- from Kigali, Rwanda, to Darfur aboard two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, Vince Crawley said...

US May Double Troop Presence in Afghanistan

(VOA) By Kent Klein, Washington, 20 December 2008

The top U.S. military officer says the United States may double the number of troops it has in Afghanistan next year.  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, says as many as 30,000 more troops could arrive by mid-2009. 

Admiral Mullen told reporters in Kabul the additional troops may reach Afghanistan in spring or summer, to join the 31,000 U.S. troops already there. "Some 20- to 30,000 is the window of overall increase from where we are right now," he said...

U.S. Will Push U.N. for Somalia Mission

By Colum Lynch, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, December 14, 2008; Page A26

UNITED NATIONS -- The Bush administration will mount a last-ditch push this week to muster international backing for a relatively small U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia, in an effort to help stem piracy and prevent the resurgence of Islamist militants in the lawless East African nation, according to State Department officials.

The initiative -- which Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will raise at a high-level United Nations meeting on piracy here Tuesday -- comes as the U.S.-backed Ethiopian military is preparing to withdraw its forces from Somalia at the end of the month, raising concerns that Islamist militants may seize control of Mogadishu for the second time in less than three years...

Multinational conference focuses on joint solutions

By Sara Moore
American Forces Press Service

(OSLO - Nov. 19, 2008) -- Representatives of the United States and its allies are meeting in Oslo, Norway, this week in an effort to develop joint solutions to common defense challenges.

About 230 participants from 33 countries are meeting at the Concept Development and Experimentation Conference to focus on the problems facing their armed forces and to develop partnerships to solve those problems in the long term, officials said.

This year’s conference, which began Tuesday, deals with unconventional enemies and terror networks, strategic communications and military support for stabilization and reconstruction efforts, Navy Rear Adm. Dan Davenport, director of joint concept development and experimentation for U.S. Joint Forces Command, said in a teleconference from Norway.

NATO calls for more troops as Afghan insurgency heats up

MONS, Belgium (AFP) — NATO commanders in Afghanistan need more troops and equipment to combat the Taliban, the alliance's top officer warned Monday, as insurgent attacks mount in southern and eastern regions.

US General John Craddock said that, based on a new assessment, the commanders would need three military brigades -- around 10,000 troops -- on top of the single brigade the United States is set to deploy in January.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Is Gloomy on Afghanistan

(NY Times) By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON — With security and economic conditions in Afghanistan already in dire straits, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that the situation there would probably only worsen next year.

 

“The trends across the board are not going in the right direction,” the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, told reporters. “I would anticipate next year would be a tougher year.”

 

Admiral Mullen said Afghanistan was likely to continue what a nearly completed intelligence assessment called “a downward spiral” unless there were rapid, major improvements. Those improvements include curbing Afghanistan’s booming heroin trade, bolstering district and tribal leaders to offset a weak central government in Kabul, breathing life into a flagging economy and stemming the flow of militants who are carrying out increasingly sophisticated attacks from havens in Pakistan.

Gates Seeks European Troops for Afghanistan

By Peter Finn
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 9, 2008; A15

OHRID, Macedonia, Oct. 8 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Wednesday asked defense ministers from southeastern Europe to send more troops to Afghanistan, a message that he is likely to forcefully echo at a meeting with other NATO defense officials this week.

"As the situation on the ground in Iraq continues to improve, I urge you to consider sending your military forces to Afghanistan, where there is an urgent need for trainers as they expand their army," Gates said at a meeting of the South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial, a 12-member organization composed of NATO members and countries such as Macedonia that want to join the military alliance.

Russia-Georgia Rift Prompts Questions About NATO’s Future Role

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2008 – Russia’s attack on Georgia, the first invasion orchestrated by Moscow since the end of the Soviet Union, raises questions about NATO’s future role in the region, defense officials said.

“We have heretofore, since NATO began to enlarge in the '90s, operated in an environment where the presumption was that Russia was a partner for NATO, not an adversary,” Eric S. Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, said last week . “Unfortunately, Russia's behavior in the last month has now called that into question. And that's going to have to be reassessed,” he said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

On a Vital Route, a Boom in Piracy

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, September 27, 2008; A01

ABOARD A YEMENI COAST GUARD VESSEL -- Somali pirates plying the Gulf of Aden in speedboats equipped with grenade launchers and scaling ladders have launched what the maritime industry calls the biggest surge of piracy in modern times, sending shipping costs soaring and the world's navies scrambling to protect the main water route from Asia and the Middle East to Europe.

Pirates from the failed African state of Somalia have attacked at least 61 ships in and around the Gulf of Aden this year, 17 of them in the first two weeks of September alone, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia. That compares with 13 attacks in the area for all of 2007.

"In my time here, I must say, this is the most concentrated period of destabilizing activity I have seen in the Gulf of Aden," said British Commodore Keith Winstanley, deputy commander of the Combined Maritime Forces, whose members have confronted the pirates repeatedly since mid-August. The coalition, headquartered in Bahrain, includes the militaries of the United States and 19 other nations.

The latest hijackings include the capture off Somalia on Thursday of a Ukrainian cargo vessel with 33 Russian-made T-72 tanks aboard, as well as ammunition. As of Friday, the Somali pirates were holding 14 oil tankers, cargo vessels and other ships with a total of more than 300 crew members, demanding ransoms of $1 million or more per ship.

US Defense Secretary in Afghanistan as Top Commander Calls for More Troops

By Al Pessin (VOA), Kabul, 16 September 2008

As U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Kabul Tuesday, the top U.S. and NATO commander there said he needs well over 10,000 more troops, in addition to several thousand President Bush announced last week. The commander, Army General David McKiernan, also announced he has issued new orders, stressing the need to avoid civilian casualties, in the wake of several controversial U.S. air strikes that have killed dozens of Afghan civilians in recent weeks. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Kabul.

General McKiernan told reporters at his headquarters here that he needs more troops, and not a temporary increase like the one that recently ended in Iraq. "I don't like to use the word 'surge' for Afghanistan because I think what we need are increased capabilities on a sustained basis," he said.

Gates Urges Cautious NATO Stance on Russia After Georgia Conflict

By THOM SHANKER (New York Times)

LONDON — With NATO divided over how to respond to a newly assertive Russia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he would urge alliance ministers meeting here to adopt a cautious and deliberate approach that would reassure newer members along the Russian border without provoking hostilities.

Mr. Gates has said he does not anticipate any armed Russian incursions into the territory of NATO member countries, but said Moscow was more likely to pursue strategies of “pressure and intimidation,” including restricting its supplies of oil and gas, on which Europe depends.

Venezuela Announces Early Plans for Military Exercises With Russia in Caribbean

NY Times- By SIMON ROMEROand CLIFFORD J. LEVY

CARACAS, Venezuela— Chafing at the reactivation in recent weeks of an American naval fleet in Latin American waters, President Hugo Chávez said Sunday that Venezuela could engage in naval exercises with Russian ships in the Caribbean before the end of the year.

Mr. Chávez’s words echoed news reports here over the weekend that four warships with as many as 1,000 sailors from Russia’s Pacific Fleet could take part in a training exercise in November off Venezuela’s coast. Salvatore Cammarata Bastidas, Venezuela’s chief of naval intelligence, said the exercises were aimed at strengthening military ties.

Continue reading "Venezuela Announces Early Plans for Military Exercises With Russia in Caribbean " »

NATO Press- Support for NATO is on the rise according to the latest annual Transatlantic Trends survey released by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Some 57 per cent of Europeans agreed that NATO is essential to their country’s security, up four percentage points since last year.

Increased support was seen in eight of the 12 European countries surveyed, and was particularly marked in Spain, France and Germany.

The poll also analyzed support for NATO's mission in Afghanistan. It showed that Americans and Europeans share high levels of support for providing security for economic reconstruction projects, for helping training Afghan police and military forces, and for combating narcotics production. Differences remain on conducting combat operations, where support among Americans was 76 per cent, compared with 43 per cent of Europeans.

Published on 10 September, the poll was conducted in June – before the crisis in Georgia – in 11 European Union countries, Turkey and the United States.

NATO Press Release, 28 Aug 08- The Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), a group of NATO warships, conducts routine port visits and exercises with NATO member nations bordering the Black Sea since 21 August.

This deployment is routine in nature and has been planned for over a year, notification of the requirement to transit the Turkish Straits was given in June well before the current Georgia crisis and is completely unrelated. In accordance with the terms of the Montreux Convention, the ships will stay no longer than 21 days in the Black Sea. 

SNMG 1 currently comprises the Spanish SPS Adm Juan de Borbon, the German, FGS Luebeck and the Polish, ORP General K Pulaski and the US frigate, USS Taylor.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) By PAUL AMES — The United States urged NATO allies Tuesday to step up political and military ties with Georgia and to consider scaling back high-level meetings and military cooperation with Russia if its military does not abandon positions across Georgia.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice proposed setting up a permanent NATO-Georgia Commission that would solidify ties between the western alliance and the Black Sea nation.

Diplomats said Washington also proposed increasing training for the Georgian military, which was quickly defeated by Russian forces last week after a failed attempt to recover the pro-Russian separatist province of South Ossetia.

By VOA News (13 August 2008)

A senior U.S. defense official says the United States has canceled a joint naval exercise with Russia, scheduled for this week.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said Tuesday that in the wake of the fighting in Georgia, there is no way the joint exercise can take place at this time.

The naval exercise was to have started Friday off the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok with Britain and France also taking part. There is no word whether they will still participate.

August 14, 2008
By RFE/RL

The first U.S. military plane bringing aid to Georgia landed in Tbilisi overnight, with U.S. officials promising many more to follow.

The military airlift is to be complemented by U.S. naval ships delivering aid to Georgian ports in the days to come.

The inflow of aid is intended to send two messages.

The first is clear and easy to read: Washington will help Georgia recover from its mauling at the hands of the Russian Army.

The second message is more subtle. The aid is being delivered by U.S. military forces in a sign that Washington is committed to Georgia's statehood and eventual NATO membership even if Russian forces are on Georgian soil.

(NY Times) By THOM SHANKER and NICHOLAS KULISH

WASHINGTON — The United States and Poland reached a long-stalled deal on Thursday to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory, in the strongest reaction so far to Russia’s military operation in Georgia.

Russia reacted angrily, saying that the move would worsen relations with the United States that have already been strained severely in the week since Russian troops entered separatist enclaves in Georgia, a close American ally. At a news conference on Friday, a senior Russian defense official, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, suggested that Poland was making itself a target by agreeing to serve as host for the anti-missile system. Such an action “cannot go unpunished,” he said.

Transatlantic public opinion survey shows support for NATO rising

NATO Press- Support for NATO is on the rise according to the latest annual Transatlantic Trends survey released by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Some 57 per cent of Europeans agreed that NATO is essential to their country’s security, up four percentage points since last year.

Increased support was seen in eight of the 12 European countries surveyed, and was particularly marked in Spain, France and Germany.

The poll also analyzed support for NATO's mission in Afghanistan. It showed that Americans and Europeans share high levels of support for providing security for economic reconstruction projects, for helping training Afghan police and military forces, and for combating narcotics production. Differences remain on conducting combat operations, where support among Americans was 76 per cent, compared with 43 per cent of Europeans.

Published on 10 September, the poll was conducted in June – before the crisis in Georgia – in 11 European Union countries, Turkey and the United States.

NATO ships in Black Sea on routine visit, unrelated to Georgia crisis

NATO Press Release, 28 Aug 08- The Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), a group of NATO warships, conducts routine port visits and exercises with NATO member nations bordering the Black Sea since 21 August.

This deployment is routine in nature and has been planned for over a year, notification of the requirement to transit the Turkish Straits was given in June well before the current Georgia crisis and is completely unrelated. In accordance with the terms of the Montreux Convention, the ships will stay no longer than 21 days in the Black Sea. 

SNMG 1 currently comprises the Spanish SPS Adm Juan de Borbon, the German, FGS Luebeck and the Polish, ORP General K Pulaski and the US frigate, USS Taylor.

NATO mulls closer ties with Georgia

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) By PAUL AMES — The United States urged NATO allies Tuesday to step up political and military ties with Georgia and to consider scaling back high-level meetings and military cooperation with Russia if its military does not abandon positions across Georgia.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice proposed setting up a permanent NATO-Georgia Commission that would solidify ties between the western alliance and the Black Sea nation.

Diplomats said Washington also proposed increasing training for the Georgian military, which was quickly defeated by Russian forces last week after a failed attempt to recover the pro-Russian separatist province of South Ossetia.

US Cancels Joint Naval Exercise with Russia

By VOA News (13 August 2008)

A senior U.S. defense official says the United States has canceled a joint naval exercise with Russia, scheduled for this week.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said Tuesday that in the wake of the fighting in Georgia, there is no way the joint exercise can take place at this time.

The naval exercise was to have started Friday off the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok with Britain and France also taking part. There is no word whether they will still participate.

U.S. Aid Arrives As Washington Stresses Commitment to Georgia

August 14, 2008
By RFE/RL

The first U.S. military plane bringing aid to Georgia landed in Tbilisi overnight, with U.S. officials promising many more to follow.

The military airlift is to be complemented by U.S. naval ships delivering aid to Georgian ports in the days to come.

The inflow of aid is intended to send two messages.

The first is clear and easy to read: Washington will help Georgia recover from its mauling at the hands of the Russian Army.

The second message is more subtle. The aid is being delivered by U.S. military forces in a sign that Washington is committed to Georgia's statehood and eventual NATO membership even if Russian forces are on Georgian soil.

Russia Lashes Out on (US-Polish) Missile Deal

(NY Times) By THOM SHANKER and NICHOLAS KULISH

WASHINGTON — The United States and Poland reached a long-stalled deal on Thursday to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory, in the strongest reaction so far to Russia’s military operation in Georgia.

Russia reacted angrily, saying that the move would worsen relations with the United States that have already been strained severely in the week since Russian troops entered separatist enclaves in Georgia, a close American ally. At a news conference on Friday, a senior Russian defense official, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, suggested that Poland was making itself a target by agreeing to serve as host for the anti-missile system. Such an action “cannot go unpunished,” he said.