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15.: Baghdad: NATO Trains Iraqi Officer Corps From: Rick Rozoff

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1.: U.S. Recruits Czech Republic For Interceptor Missile System

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:17 am (PDT)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6505849.html

Voice of Russia
April 16, 2010

Czech Republic may host US missile shield

Two elements of the US anti-missile shield, the radar and the anti-aircraft command center, may soon appear in the Czech Republic, the Czech News Agency CTK reported citing a source in the country's ministry of defence. This information proves that Americans have not abandoned their missile plans in Europe. Russia has repeatedly voiced its concerns over this project but yet no progress has been achieved in negotiating the issue with the US.

Czech officials have discussed Prague's participation in the US missile shield with Under Secretary of Defense for Policy of the US, Michele Flournoy, and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, Ellen Tauscher. The Czech Defence Minister Martin Bartak told the CTK news agency that the country is going to join the US ballistic missile early warning integration. The sides had been negotiating a possibility of deploying elements of missile tracking and managing system at two Czech bases. Martin Bartak said Prague was ready to join the US anti-missile shield, and Washington promised to speed up the process.

The US plans to deploy elements of its anti-missile shield in the Czech Republic are counterproductive, thinks Vladimir Yevseyev of the Center for International Security of the Russian Academy of Sciences

(Voice): On the one hand, these plans may encourage prompter actions to ratify a new strategic arms reduction treaty in the Senate. But on the other hand, they may cause some delays in ratification by the Russian side.

In view of this, it is not advisable to set any deadlines for the deployment of US missile elements on Czech soil.

Mr. Yevseyev admits that the US missile plans run counter to an agreement between Moscow and Washington to press a 'reset' button in relations. To be more specific, the anti-aircraft hardware that may be hosted by the Czech Republic might be used not only to detect rocket launches, but also to direct anti-aircraft missiles. It appears that this hardware might be employed in coordination with the anti-aircraft systems to be stations in Romania. "Russia is again facing the fact that the new system will be deployed without its participation", Mr. Yevseyev said.

Russia finds it redundant to build up a new architecture of anti-missile defense in Europe employing extra sea-based missile systems with Standard-3M complexes. If the situation develops this way, Russia may some day quit the new START treaty.
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2.: Finnish Troops In Their Largest Joint Afghan War Operation

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:17 am (PDT)

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Finns+involved+in+major+NATO+operation+in+Afghanistan/1135256148199

Helsingin Sanomat
April 16, 2010

Finns involved in major NATO operation in Afghanistan

About 30 Finnish soldiers are taking part in a major military operation in the north of Afghanistan. According to the chief of staff of the Finnish crisis management force, Lieutenant-Colonel Marko Korpela, taking part in the operation with the Finns are between 150 and 200 soldiers form other countries of the ISAF forces.

Most of the soldiers taking part in the operation are from the Afghan army. Korpela says that about 1,300 Afghan soldiers are involved, in addition to about 200 police.

One of the aims of the operation is to establish permanent bases of operations in Baghlan Province for the Afghan security forces - the army and the police.
....
The operation, which began this week, is the largest joint operation in which Finland has participated in Afghanistan. Foreign soldiers taking part are from Sweden, Germany, Belgium, and Hungary, in addition to Finland. The Hungarians are responsible for supervising Baghlan.

Korpela says that Baghlan is a relatively calm area, much like the Mazar-i-Sharif area where the Finns are based. However, he admits that the Finnish forces do face the risk of getting caught up in fighting.

Finland currently has 142 soldiers in Afghanistan. By the end of the year this is to be increased to 195. The Finns are part of a Swedish-led regional reconstruction group.

Changes are expected this year in the crisis management operation in the north of Afghanistan, when a force of about 2,000 American soldiers are to be placed near the Finns and the Swedes.

There have also been talks about joining the Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian forces to form a wider unit.

Sweden has about 500 soldiers in Afghanistan, and Norway is in the province of Maimana with a force of 480.
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3.: First In 7 Years: Russian-Ukrainian Navies Resume Joint Drills

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:18 am (PDT)

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15032150&PageNum=0

Itar-Tass
April 16, 2010

Russian, Ukrainian navies resume joint exercises, first in 7 years

MOSCOW: The navies of Russia and Ukraine will resume the practice of joint exercises in the Black Sea.

Russian-Ukrainian naval exercises, the first after seven years, will be held in Sevastopol from June 22 to 25.

The second planning conference on the Fairway of Peace 2010 command and staff exercises discussed the preparation. The meeting was held in accordance with the plan for international cooperation between the Russian and Ukrainian defence ministries, a source from the Russian Black Sea Fleet information group told Itar-Tass.

Working groups of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy participated in the conference, which concluded its work in Sevastopol on Thursday.
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4.: U.S., NATO To Launch Kandahar Offensive In June

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:11 pm (PDT)

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/29/kandahar-offensive-begin-june-senior-officials-say/

Fox News
April 16, 2010

Kandahar Offensive to Begin in June, Senior Officials Say

WASHINGTON: NATO forces will launch a major offensive in the Afghanistan city of Kandahar in June, sources told Fox News, part of a new war strategy that began earlier this year with the offensive in Marjah.
....
Part of the objective in Kandahar is to be done with the "clearing phase" of operations by the beginning of August, before Ramadan, two senior U.S. officials told Fox News. The U.S. and its allies already are laying the groundwork for the offensive by removing corrupt politicians from power to make way for new leaders.
....
They hope to bring large numbers of U.S. and Afghan troops into the city at the height of the Afghan surge this summer....

Kandahar is considered the spiritual heartland of the Taliban and a stubborn holdout of insurgent fighters. The southern city was the seat of government for the Taliban when it ruled Afghanistan prior to the U.S. led invasion of the country in 2001.

Fox News' Justin Fishel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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5.: Kyrgyzstan Extends Treaty On U.S. Military Transit Base

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:12 pm (PDT)

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6500703.html

Voice of Russia
April 16, 2010

Kyrgyzstan extends treaty on US base

The lease of the US Manas air base, used to supply troops and cargo to Afghanistan, will be extended for a year.

A statement to that effect came from the republic's interim government. Earlier, former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev planned to withdraw foreign forces from the Manas Transit Center owing to numerous protests.

But after reconsidering the issue, he extended the agreement allowing the US military to continue using the base, with the annual rent cost of 60 million dollars.
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6.: NATO To Send Troops To Lithuania For Troops In Afghanistan: DM

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:20 pm (PDT)

http://www.defpro.com/news/details/14543/

Lithuania Officer of the Chief of Defence
April 15, 2010

Lithuanian peacekeepers deployed to the multinational ISAF mission

On 2010 April 13, a deployment ceremony of the eleventh rotation of the Ghowr Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-11) and the fourth shift of the National Support Element (NSE-4) to the international mission in Afghanistan took place in the central square of Taurage Town, at the town's castle.
....
Vice Minister of National Defence Rimas Stanislovas Jonaitis, Chief of Defence Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, Commander Land Force Brig. Gen. Jonas Vytautas Zukas, commanders of divisions of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, representatives of administration of Taurage District, town, and region, guests and relatives of the leaving troops gathered to see off the departing peacekeepers.
....
"Troops of the Lithuanian Armed Forces are going to enforce NATO's principles. The 'one for all' principle must be observed. That is why the Lithuanian sky is daily protected by NATO's fighter-jets, NATO's warships come to our seaport, and our partners are ready to arrive in case our nation is in need of help", Lithuanian Chief of Defence said.

Maj. Gen. A. Pocius highlighted that in exchange for security provided to Lithuania our responsibility is to fairly fulfil our duty in the multinational operation in Afghanistan....

PRT-11 is based on the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kestutis Motorised Infantry Battalion, it is the first division of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to undergo deployment to Afghanistan for a second time.
....
Around 60% of the new shift have already been deployed to Afghanistan once, 80% of them have served in the Balkans region, Iraq and Afghanistan; the present international deployment will be the first for only one fifth of the rotation.
....
National Support Element (NSE-4) led by Maj. Vidas Sileika will include 20 soldiers from across the Lithuanian Armed Forces, two representatives sent by Ukraine and two by the USA....
....
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7.: MDA Chief: New START Lifts Constraints On U.S. Interceptor Missiles

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:24 pm (PDT)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jl3ku5oM0O0ai72ekYZidFdw6Nxg

Agence France-Presse
April 16, 2010

New START treaty good for US missile defense: US general

-"Our targets will no longer be subject to START constraints, which limited our use of air-to-surface and waterborne launches of targets which are essential for a cost-effective testing of missile defense interceptor against medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the Pacific region."

WASHINGTON: A new US-Russian arms reduction treaty will be beneficial for US missile defense capacity, the head of the US Missile Defense Agency told congressional critics of the agreement on Thursday.

Republicans lawmakers have criticized the successor START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) deal, signed amid much fanfare in Prague last week by President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.

They argue it will inhibit development of adequate US anti-missile defense systems, but Missile Defense Agency (MDA) head Lieutenant General Patrick O'Reilly rejected that claim.

"The new START treaty actually reduces constraints on the development of the missile defense program," he told the House of Representatives subcommittee on strategic forces.

O'Reilly said the agreement would allow previously prohibited tests for the development of anti-missile defense systems.

"Our targets will no longer be subject to START constraints, which limited our use of air-to-surface and waterborne launches of targets which are essential for a cost-effective testing of missile defense interceptor against medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the Pacific region," he said.

The new treaty must be ratified by the Senate, though not the House of Representatives, to take effect.

Ratification requires yes votes from at least 67 of the 100 senators, meaning support from several Republican lawmakers must be secured.

O'Reilly's comments came during a hearing on the proposed 2011 budget beginning October, which includes a request for 9.9 billion dollars for missile defense, up 670,000 million dollars from last year.
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8.: New START To Unleash U.S. Air, Sea, Land Interceptor Missile Plans

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:31 pm (PDT)

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15031504&PageNum=0

Itar-Tass
April 16, 2010

New START agt with Russia to promote ABM development-Pentagon

WASHINGTON: The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed with Russia not only sets no obstacles for the creation of the American anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defence system, but on the contrary, lifts the earlier restrictions, Director of the Pentagon' s Missile Defence Agency (MDA) Lieutenant General Patrick J. O'Reilly said in the US Congress on Thursday.

He took part in hearings that were held in the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives and focused on the Obama administration's 2011 National Defence Authorization Budget Request for Missile Defence Programmes.

The Department of Defence, in particular, would like to get for these purposes 9.9 billion US dollars. Republican Congressman Michael Turner touched upon the issue of the interrelation between the strategic offensive and defensive weapons that was fixed in the START on Russia's demand. He said that he is still worried that such a link may potentially result in the US self-restriction of activities related to missile defence.

O'Reilly said that in actual fact, the new agreement, compared with the old START, liquidates restrictions on the development of ABM systems. He said the United States conducts many tests of antimissiles over the Pacific Ocean. And the previous treaty prohibited the US side using for this purpose target missiles launched from planes and ships. There are no such restrictions in the new treaty.

According to O'Reilly, the use of such targets will cut the costs linked with the tests of interceptors designed to destroy medium- and intermediate-range missiles.

He said that the new START also allows for displaying much more flexibility regarding the flight range of the tested antimissiles. In the past the tests were limited by 1,000 kilometres, he explained. Now it is allowed to test the interceptors against targets at a distance of 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 kilometres. The new treaty does not limit it in any way, the official noted.

Republican lawmakers had from the very start insisted that the new treaty should not contain clauses that would impede the missile defence system development. They warned Obama that otherwise the document will face major difficulties in the process of its ratification in the US Senate. The Republicans believe that in the conditions when, as the US intelligence claims, Iran and North Korea are strengthening their missile potential, Washington should not have its hands tied regarding the creation of antimissiles and their deployment closer to the countries from which the corresponding threat emanates.

START was a bilateral treaty between the USA and the USSR on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994. It barred its signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads atop a total of 1,600 ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and bombers. START negotiated the largest and most complex arms control treaty in history, and its final implementation in late 2001 resulted in the removal of about 80 percent of all strategic nuclear weapons then in existence. Proposed by US President Ronald Reagan, it was renamed START-1 after negotiations began on the second START treaty, which became START-2.

The treaty expired on 5 December 2009, but currently remains in force indefinitely pending agreement on a successor, since Russia and the United States failed to reach an agreement on a new pact until the deadline.

START-2 followed START-1 and, although ratified, the treaty has never entered into force. The historic agreement started on June 17, 1992 with the signing of a 'Joint Understanding' by the presidents. The official signing of the treaty by the presidents took place on January 3, 1993. It was ratified by the US Senate on January 26, 1996 with a vote of 87-4. However, Russian ratification was stalled in the Duma for many years. It was postponed a number of times to protest the American invasion of Iraq and military actions in Kosovo, as well as to oppose the expansion of NATO.

On April 14, 2000 the Duma did finally ratify the treaty, in a largely symbolic move since the ratification was made contingent on preserving the ABM Treaty, which it was clear the US was not prepared to do. START-2 did not enter into force because the Russian ratification made this contingent on the US Senate ratifying a September 1997 addendum to START-2 which included agreed statements on ABM-TMD demarcation. Neither of these occurred because of US Senate opposition, where a faction objected to any action supportive of the ABM Treaty. On June 14, 2002, one day after the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty, Russia announced that it would no longer consider itself to be bound by START-2 provisions.

The treaty was officially bypassed by the SORT treaty, agreed to by Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin at their summit meeting in November 2001, and signed at Moscow Summit on May 24, 2002. Both sides agreed to reduce operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,700 from 2,200 by 2012.
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9.: COIN: U.S. Has More Than Doubled Special Forces For Afghan War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:40 pm (PDT)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/16/c_13253424.htm

Xinhua News Agency
April 16, 2010

U.S. doubles special forces in Afghanistan: report

LOS ANGELES: The Pentagon has more than doubled the number of highly trained special forces in Afghanistan to hunt down Taliban leaders, a newspaper report said on Thursday.

"The secretive buildup reflects the view of the Obama administration and senior military leaders that the U.S. has only a limited amount of time to degrade the capabilities of the Taliban," the Los Angeles Times noted.

With the new buildup, there will be more of the special operations forces in Afghanistan than there were in Iraq at the height of the U.S. troop buildup there in 2007, the paper quoted a defense official as saying.

"Although we will have less general purpose forces than we had in Iraq, we will have more special forces," the unidentified official said.

The move came as the U.S. military was gearing up for an expected offensive this summer in Kandahar, the southern Afghan city that is the Taliban's spiritual heartland, according to the paper.
....
Special operations forces have been involved in some botched strikes that ended up killing civilians, the paper said.
....
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10.: State Department: U.S. To "Assist Democracy" In Kyrgyzstan

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:46 pm (PDT)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20100417/158619067.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
April 17, 2010

U.S. to assist Kyrgyzstan in development of democracy, economy

WASHINGTON: The United States will be assisting Kyrgyzstan in the establishment of democracy and in development of social, economic and security bodies, the U.S. Department of State said.
....
"The United States remains committed to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kyrgyz Republic and to helping the courageous Kyrgyz people achieve their aspirations for developing a peaceful, economically prosperous democracy," Philip Crowley, department's assistant secretary, said in a statement.

"The United States will continue to assist Kyrgyzstan in developing its social, economic and security structures and is in discussion with the interim Kyrgyz government on how best to help the country return to a democratic path," he added.

Crowley also said the United States welcomes all efforts by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations in cooperating with the interim Kyrgyz government to find the ways to resolve the political standoff peacefully.
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11.: Europe: NATO Exercise With 60 Aircraft, Interceptor Missile Systems

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 6:57 pm (PDT)

http://www.usafe.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123199666

U.S. Air Forces in Europe
April 14, 2010

USAFE units participate in BRILLIANT ARDENT 2010
by Master Sgt. Keith Houin
USAFE/PA

-In addition to air assets, tactical employment of Theater Missile Defense and Ground Based Air Defense assets will be extensively exercised.

RAMSTEIN, Germany: The 22nd Fighter Squadron at Spangdhalem Air Base and 351st Air Refueling Squadron from RAF Mildenhall are partnering with air forces from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Turkey to participate in Exercise BRILLIANT ARDENT 10.

The large scale NATO Response Force Air Live Exercise hosted by Germany began April 12 and will run through April 22. Participation by U.S. Air Forces in Europe units directly aligns with the command key mission areas of providing forces for global operations and building partnership.

Sixty aircraft ranging from fighters, attack aircraft, helicopters, tanker and airborne early warning aircraft are operating from air bases located in Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, and UK.

In addition to air assets, tactical employment of Theater Missile Defense and Ground Based Air Defense assets will be extensively exercised.

The aim of BAT 10 is to train, test, integrate and validate the interoperability, readiness and capabilities of NATO Response Force 15 nominated air forces and associated command structures by exercising NRF missions and tasks in a challenging and realistic scenario.

The exercise is also open to "non NRF" air units from NATO, as well as Partnership for Peace nations, and provides an outstanding training opportunity. The exercise scenario is based around a United Nations mandated NATO-led Crisis Response Operation in a fictitious geo-political setting, a scenario specifically designed for this exercise. [Rusian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin has accused NATO of basing the scenario on a Georgian-South Ossetia conflict.]

The NRF concept provides the Alliance with a robust capability to meet the challenging security environment of the 21st century by providing a highly trained and agile force, at high readiness, able to deploy at short notice wherever and whenever directed to do so by the North Atlantic Council.

The NRF comprises deployable NATO Land, Maritime and Air Forces provided by Nations on a rotational basis. Training of the force is both essential and continual in order to maintain assigned forces at peak readiness. It is only through exercises such as BAT 10 that NRF forces can be operationally certified as trained, capable and ready to fulfill the NRF mission.
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12.: Warships, Submarines, 6,500 Troops: NATO NRF War Games In Baltic

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:32 pm (PDT)

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-0E547009-E9A2A653/natolive/news_62556.htm?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
April 14, 2010

NATO's Response Force conducts maritime exercise

-Six thousand five hundred military personnel from 10 NATO nations (France as Maritime commander, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and United States) are taking part in the exercise, together with one Partnership for Peace country (Sweden). The exercise involves 31 warships (including an aircraft carrier, frigates, tankers and mine counter measure vessels), 4 submarines and 28 aircraft.

A large fleet of warships, submarines and auxiliary vessels from NATO's Response Force (NRF) sailed from ports across Europe on 12 April to take part in the key maritime exercise "Brilliant Mariner" in the North and Baltic Seas.

The ships and submarines will take part in integration training that will enable them to respond to operations or crisis situations anywhere in the world if required. The exercise, which will end on 22 April 2010, will be operating in Northern European waters and airspace.

Six thousand five hundred military personnel from 10 NATO nations (France as Maritime commander, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and United States) are taking part in the exercise, together with one Partnership for Peace country (Sweden). The exercise involves 31 warships (including an aircraft carrier, frigates, tankers and mine counter measure vessels), 4 submarines and 28 aircraft.

The maritime forces departed from Wilhemshaven, Eckenförde and Cuxhaven in Germany early Monday morning. As part of the exercise, NATO's Mine Countermeasures Group, comprising a dozen vessels, navigated the Kiel Canal to the southern Kattegat to conduct mine clearance and ordnance disposal operations.

Exercise Brilliant Mariner is coordinated by the Allied Maritime Command, based in Northwood, London. The response force is faced with a realistic scenario presenting a number of challenges for the commanders at sea, including asymmetric or terrorist threats, maritime security operations and embargo operations.

"Exercise Brilliant Mariner is an opportunity to really put NATO forces through their paces," said NATO's maritime commander, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar....

Rear-Admiral Jean-Louis Kerignard, commanding the French maritime force, is conducting the exercise from the flagship 'FS Mistral'. "As Maritime component commander during Exercise Brilliant Mariner, I will conduct force integration training, working closely with all the participating nations in order to certify our readiness for NRF15," he said.
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13.: Australia: NATO's Top Military Commander On South Pacific Trip

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:36 pm (PDT)

http://www.aco.nato.int/page272204250.aspx

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
April 14, 2010

SACEUR visits Australia

Admiral James Stavridis continued his official visit to the South Pacific with a trip to Australia's capital city, Canberra, on 13 April.

After a welcome ceremony and inspection of Australian troops, Adm Stavridis met with Air Chief Marshal Houston, Australia's Chief of Defence Forces, and Dr Ian Watt, Australia's Secretary of Defence. He took part in a round table discussion with dignitaries of Australia's government and participated in a special Chief of Service meeting.

Adm Stavridis and his wife Laura also visited the National War Memorial in Canberra, where they viewed a poppy-decorated wall listing the names of fallen Australian service members, and toured the memorial. Adm Stavridis took part in a wreath-laying ceremony while at the memorial.

While in Canberra, Adm Stavridis spoke before 900 officer cadets at the Australia Defence Force Academy regarding International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and leadership.
....
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14.: NATO's Virginia HQ Hosts 100 Latin American Defense Students

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:39 pm (PDT)

http://www.act.nato.int/news.asp?storyid=502

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
April 15, 2010

IADC students visit HQ SACT
By U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carla Burdt

Nearly 100 Latin American students from the Inter-American Defence College (IADC) visited Allied Command Transformation (ACT) April 15 for command briefings.

The IADC course is a graduate-level study for senior military and government officials and provides an opportunity to study global security issues. Students develop these competencies through the study of political, economic, social and military factors. Visits such as this help the students further understand the role of ACT and the NATO Alliance.

ACT Chief of Staff, Royal Navy Vice Admiral Robert Cooling welcomed the students to ACT.

"This is an exciting time for Allied Command Transformation because this is the first time that we have welcomed your course here," said Cooling.

Following Cooling's opening remarks, the students received a command brief, explaining the mission of ACT and the benefits provided to the Alliance.

Following their visit to ACT, the students attended briefings at United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM).
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15.: Baghdad: NATO Trains Iraqi Officer Corps

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff

Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:56 pm (PDT)

http://www.jfcnaples.nato.int/ntmi/articles/2010/article_13_10.html

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO Training Mission - Iraq
April 15, 2010

Italian Ambassador lectures in Iraq on NATO training mission

-The aim of this project is to provide a selected audience from the NDC [Iraqi National Defence College] and other prestigious Iraqi military educational institutions with a political perspective from a range of NATO countries, focusing on different approaches to Iraq and the future of the Gulf region, and a general overview about the NATO organization and its current roles.
-The subject of the Ambassador's discourse was "The European Union as a factor of peace and stability; the role of Italy."

Baghdad: The Italian Ambassador, His Excellency Maurizio Melani, gave a lecture to the students of the Iraqi National Defence College (NDC) in regards to NATO Training Mission – Iraq April 14, at the Cultural Centre, home of the Iraqi National Defence University.

The dissertation inaugurated a cycle of conferences that will be held by Ambassadors of NATO nations, in the framework of the NTM-I initiative to support the Iraqi NDC.

The NDC is the lead cross departmental Institute for the delivery of high level courses, both for military and civilian high-ranking officials, focusing on Grand Strategic and Military Strategic issues.

The aim of this project is to provide a selected audience from the NDC and other prestigious Iraqi military educational institutions with a political perspective from a range of NATO countries, focusing on different approaches to Iraq and the future of the Gulf region, and a general overview about NATO organization and its current roles.

Distinguished guests in attendance included Staff Maj. Gen. Jassim, Commandant of the National Defence University, Staff Maj. Gen. Ali, Commandant of the National Defence College, and various professors and NDC military teachers. On behalf of NATO, UK Brig. Gen. John Wootton, NTM-I Chief Training Educational Doctrine and Advisory Division, took part in the event.

The subject of the Ambassador's discourse was "The European Union as a factor of peace and stability; the role of Italy."

Ambassador Melani said, "Bilaterally and as a member of the European Union and of NATO, Italy stands on the side of the People and of the democratically elected institutions of Iraq in this crucial phase of the history of the Country, backing the efforts to build a free, democratic and prosperous Iraq."
....
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