NATO AGREES BIGGER MISSION TO STOP MEDITERRANEAN SMUGGLERS

070813-N-5459S-543 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 13, 2007) - The ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 transit in formation for a photo exercise. From left, Portuguese frigate NRP Alvares Cabral (F331), Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto (FFH 333), guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), German replenishment tanker FGS Spessart (A 1442), Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen (F805), and Danish corvette HDMS Olfert Fischer (F355). Normandy is flagship for SNMG-1, which is conducting NATOÕs first maritime out-of-area deployment by circumnavigating Africa. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Vincent J. Street (RELEASED)

Sourced : The Daily Herald NATO agreed on Thursday to broaden its operations in the Mediterranean to help the European Union stop criminals trafficking refugees from North Africa but will not act until the fate of rescued migrants is cleared up. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a meeting of NATO foreign ministers supported… Continue reading NATO AGREES BIGGER MISSION TO STOP MEDITERRANEAN SMUGGLERS

CAN ALLIES COUNTER THE RUSSIAN BLACK SEA FLEET ? NATO MULLS A PLAN

Sourced The Wall Street Journal By Julian E. Barnes Romania has a newly operational missile defense site, but it wants more. Romanian officials said they are pressing the alliance not to forget about its southeastern border as it goes about reinforcing the northeastern one. Alliance officials have said in recent days that Poland and the… Continue reading CAN ALLIES COUNTER THE RUSSIAN BLACK SEA FLEET ? NATO MULLS A PLAN

INDRA DRILLS TO BE HELD IN RUSSIA’S FAR EAST IN SECOND HALF OF 2016

Sourced : TASS Joint Russian-Indian war games Indra-2016 will be held in the period of July to December 2016 on the Sergeyevsky practice ground in Russia’s Far-Eastern Primorsky (Maritime) territory, Alexander Gordeyev, the chief press officer of the Eastern Military District told TASS after a conference on preparations for the exercise. The conference was held… Continue reading INDRA DRILLS TO BE HELD IN RUSSIA’S FAR EAST IN SECOND HALF OF 2016

RUSSIAN MIG-31 INTERCEPTS U.S P-8 PATROL AIRCRAFT NEAR RUSSIA’S FAR EAST

Sourced : The Aviationist On Apr. 21, a Russian Air Force MiG-31 jet intercepted a U.S. P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying in international airspace near Kamchatka Pensinsula, in Russia’s Far East, where a firing range used also to test intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from Borei-class strategic nuclear submarines is located. The Russian Soviet-design supersonic… Continue reading RUSSIAN MIG-31 INTERCEPTS U.S P-8 PATROL AIRCRAFT NEAR RUSSIA’S FAR EAST

DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS POLISH ARMY WILL BE 50 PERCENT LARGER

Polish army soldiers of the 18th Airborne Assault Battalion receive orders to advance on a building during a training exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany, Dec. 14, 2006. Senior polish military leaders visited approximately 500 of their soldiers who are training at the JMRC in preparation for their country's first-ever deployment to Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Gary L. Kieffer) (Released)

Sourced : Radio Poland Speaking to journalists in the city of Bydgoszcz, north central Poland, where he opened a new building for a NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU), the minister forecast that the number of Polish soldiers will reach about 150,000. “The Polish army will be bigger, we envisage a fundamental increase in the army,… Continue reading DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS POLISH ARMY WILL BE 50 PERCENT LARGER

US BACKS NATO FORCE OFF LIBYA AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SOAR

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) transits the Mediterranean Sea. Stout is on a scheduled deployment supporting U.S. 6th Fleet operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christopher B. Stoltz/Released)

Sourced : Voice of America By : Henry Ridgwell A NATO-led mission aimed at stemming the flow of migrants from Libya to Europe could be up and running by July, according to the Italian government.  There are fears the numbers of migrants could soar as the route through Greece and the Balkans remains blocked. Libyan… Continue reading US BACKS NATO FORCE OFF LIBYA AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SOAR

US AND GERMANY SAY NO TO POLAND ON NATO BASE

Sourced : Eurobserver By Andrew Rettman The US and Germany have unequivocally said that Nato will not build new bases in Poland, citing tactical and political reasons. “Nato’s not talking about establishing bases … we support an enhanced presence, but we can do it without bases, bases, bases,” James Townsend, a senior Pentagon official, said… Continue reading US AND GERMANY SAY NO TO POLAND ON NATO BASE

ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV TO GO TO MEDITERRANEAN SEA CARRYING NEW FIGHTERS

Sourced: TASS The Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft carrier of the Russian Navy in autumn will arrive in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, its aviation grouping will include fighters Sukhoi Su-33 (Flanker-D) and Mikoyan MiG-29K (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-D), a source told TASS on Saturday. MiG-29K/KUB fighters were tested at the Admiral Kuznetsov back… Continue reading ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV TO GO TO MEDITERRANEAN SEA CARRYING NEW FIGHTERS

U.S TO BEEF UP MILITARY PRESENCE IN EASTERN EUROPE

Associated Press By LOLITA C. BALDOR U.S. officials say the Pentagon will be deploying an armored brigade combat team to Eastern Europe next February as part of the ongoing effort to rotate troops in and out of the region to reassure allies worried about threats from an increasingly aggressive Russia. The officials said the Army… Continue reading U.S TO BEEF UP MILITARY PRESENCE IN EASTERN EUROPE

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR KURDISH INDEPENDENCE

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S Ron Dermer expressed Tel Aviv’s support for the Kurdish people’s aspirations for independence in the Middle East. Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported that the ambassador’s statements were made during an interview with a Kurdish television station. Dermer said: “Israel has another people in the Middle East who truly love freedom, and… Continue reading ISRAEL ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR KURDISH INDEPENDENCE