Messages In This Digest (15 Messages)

Messages

1.: Blast Kills Doctor, Wounds Twelve In Northern Kosovo

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:00 am (PDT)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66125W20100702

Reuters
July 2, 2010

Blast kills one, hurts 12 in flashpoint Kosovo town

MITROVICA Kosovo: An explosion killed one person and injured 12 on Friday in the Serb part of the divided town of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo, police and doctors said.

The explosion occurred only meters away from some 600 Serbs protesting against the opening of an administrative office which they see as representing the Albanian majority, northern Mitrovica police chief Milija Milosevic said.

Kosovo's Serb minority, financially backed by Serbia, refuses to accept Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008.

Some 20,000 Serbs live in north Mitrovica. They refuse to deal with Kosovo institutions and see Belgrade as their capital.

Milan Jakovljevic, head of the Mitrovica hospital, said the dead person was a doctor who had died of injuries sustained in the blast.

Two years after Kosovo seceded from Serbia, the Ibar river still divides Mitrovica between Albanians in the south and Serbs in the north and tensions remain high.

In May, NATO peacekeepers and police had to intervene to separate thousands of Serbs and Albanians who clashed over the Belgrade-organized local election in the north.

Belgrade effectively lost control its province of Kosovo in 1999 when NATO intervened....

The fragile peace in Kosovo is kept by 10,000 NATO peacekeepers along with European Union police and justice missions.

(Reporting by Branislav Krstic; writing by Ivana Sekularac, editing by Zoran Radosavljevic and Tim Pearce)
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

2.: Clinton Tells Ukraine Door To NATO Membership Open

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:01 am (PDT)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6605IS20100702?type=politicsNews

Reuters
July 2, 2010

Clinton tells Ukraine door to NATO open

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Ukraine on Friday that the door to entering NATO remained open and she backed the ex-Soviet republic's efforts to secure a new deal with the International Monetary Fund.

"Regarding NATO, let me say very clearly: Ukraine is a sovereign and independent country that has the right to choose your own alliances," she told Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko.

"NATO'S door remains open but it is up to Ukraine to decide whether or not you wish to pursue that or any other course for your own security interests," she added.
....
Clinton also expressed the hope Ukraine would reach a deal to secure a new multi-billion-dollar IMF loan and encouraged the country to strengthen its investment climate by economic reforms and protecting intellectual property rights.

"We know that you are undertaking reform plans, which we very much welcome. We hope that Ukraine will conclude an agreement with the IMF shortly to advance this process," she said.

An IMF mission is in Kiev for what the government hopes will be conclusive talks on a loan of up to $19 billion to boost Ukraine's economic recovery.

The Yanukovich leadership will be pleased to have Washington's blessing for what he says is a pragmatic policy that looks both to Russia and the West, and for Ukraine's efforts to stabilize its economy with help from global financial lenders.

Clinton's visit to Ukraine, the first stop on a five-country regional tour, is the highest-level U.S. visit since he was elected....

[A]nalysts expect Clinton to make clear during her visit that Washington remains interested in Ukraine's direction under Yanukovich and its commitment to democracy.

Clinton was due to meet later with Yanukovich himself and late on Friday also see former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Yanukovich's arch-rival who is now in opposition and under the shadow of possible prosecution for alleged misdemeanors while in office.

Analysts expect Clinton to press Yanukovich to ensure that there are no infringements of media freedoms and freedom of assembly in Ukraine. Last week, U.S. Ambassador to Kiev John Tefft expressed concern about reports of pressure on journalists since Yanukovich came to power.
....
Clinton stops in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday for a gathering of the Community of Democracies, a group that promotes democratic norms, and then visits Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have long sparred over Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

(Additional reporting by Yuri Kulikov in Kiev; Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Alison Williams)
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iK9dAkvpirhz7YPdxXXtlATb2Iaw

Agence France-Presse
July 2, 2010

NATO's door still open for Ukraine: Clinton
By Christophe Schmidt

KIEV: The door to NATO membership remains open for Ukraine, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Kiev Friday, after its parliament abandoned the previous administration's bid to join the alliance.

Clinton is the highest ranking US official to visit Ukraine since the election of president of Viktor Yanukovych, who has scrapped his predecessor's staunchly pro-Western stance in favour of closer ties with Russia.

As well as Ukraine, Clinton is to visit several other ex-Communist countries in Russia's backyard on a major tour against the background of the discovery of an alleged Cold War-style Russian spy ring in the United States.

"Ukraine is a sovereign and independent country that has the right to choose its own alliances and NATO's door remains open," Clinton said at a meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart Kostyantyn Gryshchenko.

"But it's up to Ukraine to decide whether or not you wish to pursue that or any other course for your own security interest," she added.

....
The country's economy shrank by over 15 percent last year amid the economic crisis and the previous administration was beset by sometimes comical infighting.

Kiev received a 16.4-billion-dollar rescue loan package from the IMF but the fund halted disbursement of the loan after the previous government violated the IMF's austerity rules and the authorities are now seeking to have this reopened.
....
There has also been international concern over the Ukrainian energy sector after a dispute between Kiev and Moscow over gas in early 2009 led to several European countries being deprived of energy supplies.

Clinton said the United States was ready to help Ukraine by investing in its energy industry "including in the nuclear energy sector, as well as helping developing the gas sector."
....
The US ambassador to Ukraine complained last month there had been "troubling reports of pressure on journalists" and warned there should be no going back to the "old system" of government pressure.

Clinton's tour will also take her to Poland, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia but not Russia itself.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

3.: NATO Loses Two More Soldiers In Afghan Fighting

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:01 am (PDT)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hai95wKMpdfmLDGZ6WhXzhbkM6Fw

Agence France-Presse
July 2, 2010

NATO reports soldiers killed in Afghanistan

KABUL: NATO said Friday that two foreign soldiers had been killed while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The soldiers died in separate insurgent attacks, one in the east, the other in the south of the country, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.

The deaths bring to 325 the number of international soldiers killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

They are the second and third deaths for July, following a record 102 in June alone, according to an AFP toll based on that kept by the independent icasualties.org website.

As battles intensify during what is known as the "summer fighting season" the number of casualties among foreign troops is expected to continue climbing.

The US and NATO have 140,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting as part of an enhanced counter-insurgency strategy aimed at taking the battle to the Taliban and speeding an end to the war now in its ninth year.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

4.: France: Boat Sunk, Crew Killed By U.S. Sub In 2004 NATO Drill

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:05 am (PDT)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6611TD20100702

Reuters
July 2, 2010

France to look at possible U.S. sub link to sinking

PARIS: Suspicions that a U.S. submarine may have accidentally sunk a French fishing boat, killing five sailors, will be investigated by magistrates, a French appeal court ruled on Friday.

The Bugaled Breizh sank mysteriously in the English Channel on January 15, 2004, a day before NATO forces started military exercises in the area.

A first court ruling had ruled out any military involvement in the incident.

However, the sailors' families appealed in light of a research report which concluded that the ship may have been pulled under by a U.S. submarine patrolling the area.

(Reporting by Thierry Leveque and Pierre-Henri Allain; Writing by Julien Ponthus and Sophie Taylor; Editing by Michael Roddy)
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

5.: U.S. To Deploy Advanced Interceptor Missiles To Poland

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:09 am (PDT)

http://www.wbj.pl/article-50184-us-to-deploy-sm-3-interceptor-missiles-in-poland.html?typ=ise

Reuters/Warsaw Business Journal
July 2, 2010

US to deploy SM-3 interceptor missiles in Poland
Alex Brown

As part of US President Barack Obama's updated missile defense system, Poland will receive SM-3 interceptor missiles from America between 2015 and 2018.

"Poland's Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said the Americans promised to bring the SM-3s here after 2015 but definitely before 2018," Defense Ministry spokesperson Janusz Sejmej was quoted by Reuters as saying.
....
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in October 2009 agreed to participate in Mr Obama's missile shield plan. The new scheme succeeds former President George Bush's plan to build a fixed missile defense shield in central Europe to protect against possible long-range attack.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

6.: THAAD: U.S. Develops Mobile, Integrated Missile Intercept System

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:13 am (PDT)

http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/07/01/41752-thadd-nails-lowest-target-seventh-of-seven-in-testing/

Army News Service
July 1, 2010

THADD nails lowest target, seventh of seven in testing

-The test results "continue to prove that THADD will be an effective regional missile defense system," said Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency. "Over time, it will be integrated with sea-based interceptors and PATRIOT systems."

WASHINGTON: The Army launched a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile, June 28, from Kauai, Hawaii, which successfully intercepted and destroyed another missile launched just minutes earlier.

This was the seventh successful intercept test of seven such tests for the operationally-configured THAAD system. Additionally, the intercept was at the lowest altitude to date for the THAAD interceptor missile, which has the capability to engage targets both inside and outside the earth's atmosphere.

The test was conducted by the Missile Defense Agency and Soldiers with the 6th Air Defense Artillery Brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas.

The test involved the intercept of a short-range target inside the earth's atmosphere. The target, representing a short-range ballistic missile threat, was launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform.

The THADD system acquired and tracked the target, developed a fire-control solution and launched an interceptor missile, which acquired and successfully intercepted and destroyed the target missile.

The test results "continue to prove that THADD will be an effective regional missile defense system," said Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency. "Over time, it will be integrated with sea-based interceptors and PATRIOT systems."

Lehner said with the THADD system, the United States will have "an architecture to cover short- to medium-range threats anywhere in the world."

The THADD includes a missile, a launcher, radar and command and control systems. The system is an element of the nation's Ballistic Missile Defense System, and is designed to strike down enemy ballistic missiles as the move toward their target. Specifically, the portable THADD system targets enemy ballistic missiles in their "terminal phase," as they are approaching their targets.

"What it does is give the Army the ability to field a mobile missile defense system," Lehner said. The system is most effective against short- to medium-range enemy ballistic missiles, which Lehner says are the most likely to be encountered now in theater.

The THADD system is still in development, but Lehner said by next year it is expected the first operational units can be delivered.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

7.: China Opposes Joint U.S.-South Korea Military Exercise

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 6:19 am (PDT)

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/07/02/chinaopposes-us-south-korea-joint-militaryexercise.html

Asian News International
July 2, 2010

China opposes US-South Korea joint military exercise

New Delhi: A top Chinese military official has objected to the proposed joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea in the Yellow Sea.

General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, told reporters that the location of the upcoming military drill is very close to Chinese territorial waters.

General Ma's comment was China's first public opposition to the drill, the China Daily reports.

The US and South Korea announced the combined military drill in early June to counter North Korea's alleged sinking of an ROK's warship Cheonan in late March that killed 46 sailors.

Soon after it was announced, the anti-submarine drill was delayed to mid-June, and then postponed again to the last week of June.

On June 28, South Korea again postponed the drill to July to ensure US attendance, the paper reports.
----------------------------------------------------------
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/7049568.html

China Daily
July 2, 2010

China opposes US-ROK military drill

A top Chinese military official on Thursday objected to the proposed joint military exercise between the United States and the Republic of Korea in the Yellow Sea.

General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, told reporters that the location of the upcoming drill is very close to Chinese's sea area, and China strongly opposed it.

Ma's comment was China's first public opposition to the drill.

The US and the ROK announced the combined military drill in early June to counter the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's alleged sinking of an ROK's warship in late March that killed 46.

Soon after it was announced, the anti-submarine drill was delayed to mid-June, then again postponed to the last week of June.

On June 28, the ROK again delayed the drill to July, according an ROK official, to ensure the US' attendance.

The confusing signals sent out by the two sides on whether the aircraft carrier USS George Washington would take part in the drill has made the exercise an even hotter topic.

Debates in the US have revealed concerns about angering China, as there are currently sensitive military relations between the two countries.

"It's a very tough call," Susan Shirk, a former state department official and an expert on Asian security at the University of California at San Diego, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying. "You don't want to be too proactive. But you need to send a clear message."
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.ptinews.com/news/759016_China-objects-to-US--Korea-military-exercises-

Press Trust of India
July 2, 2010

China objects to US, Korea military exercises

Beijing: China, currently conducting exercises in the East China Sea, has objected to the proposed joint military drill between the US and South Korea in the Yellow Sea, saying the location of the war games was too close to its maritime region.

General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said the location of the upcoming drill is very close to Chinese's sea area due to which China strongly opposed it.

Ma's comment was China's first public opposition to the drill, state-run China Daily reported today.

Washington and Seoul had announced the combined military drill in early June to counter North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship in late March that killed 46.

Soon after it was announced, the anti-submarine drill was delayed to mid-June, then again postponed to the last week of June.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

8.: Petraeus Leaves NATO Headquarters To Assume Afghan Command

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 8:43 am (PDT)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD9GMVS000

Associated Press
July 2, 2010

Gen. Petraeus arrives in Kabul to lead NATO forces

KABUL, Afghanistan: NATO says Gen. David Petraeus has landed in the Afghan capital to take command of U.S. and international forces fighting the nearly 9-year-old war.

NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks says Petraeus arrived Friday from Brussels where he sought to reassure allies that the war against the Taliban was on track despite rising casualties and problems regaining control over key parts of the country.

Petraeus is scheduled to appear with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry on Saturday at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and a formal change-of-command ceremony will be held in the next few days.

Petraeus succeeds Gen. Stanley McChyrstal, who resigned after making disparaging remarks about Obama administration officials in Rolling Stone magazine.
....
Separately, NATO on Friday reported the deaths of two coalition service members. One was an American who died Friday in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan. The other was a Royal Marine who died Thursday in southern Afghanistan, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

9.: 1990-2010: London Declaration Marked Advent Of New Global NATO

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 11:54 am (PDT)

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_64790.htm?selectedLocale=en

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
July 2, 2010

20 years ago: London Declaration marks birth of new NATO

"Today, our Alliance begins a major transformation. Working with all the countries of Europe, we are determined to create enduring peace on this continent." NATO's Declaration on a Transformed North Atlantic Alliance issued at its London Summit of 5-6 July 1990 was a seminal moment in Alliance history.

Opening the historic meeting, the then NATO Secretary General Manfred Wörner expressed the significance of the moment: "The Cold War belongs to history. Our Alliance is moving from confrontation to cooperation. […] Never before has Europe had such a tangible opportunity to overcome the cycle of war and peace that has so bedevilled its past."

The London Declaration was the Allied leaders' response to the dramatic changes in the security environment that rapidly followed the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. It set the scene for the transformation of the Cold War NATO and laid the foundations for what NATO has become today.

"Europe has entered a new era. […] Europeans are determining their own destiny. They are choosing freedom. They are choosing economic liberty. They are choosing peace. They are choosing ***a Europe whole and free***. As a consequence, this Alliance must and will adapt."

"Our Alliance must be even more an agent of change. It can help build the structures of a more united continent, supporting security and stability with the strength of our shared faith in democracy, the rights of the individual, and the peaceful resolution of disputes."

(London Declaration, July 1990)

NATO's new and broader approach to security was enshrined in a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance, issued in November 1991. The Allies reviewed the Strategic Concept again in 1999, reflecting the need to adapt the Alliance to further changes in the security environment.

Today, on the eve of NATO's Lisbon Summit in November 2010, the Allies are engaged in in-depth discussions on a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance. It is an opportune moment to look back at the transformation process that was launched at the London Summit, and to be reminded of the fundamental principles that underpin the Alliance and its capacity for both continuity and change.

Partnership

At the 1990 London Conference, Allied leaders recognized that "in the new Europe, the security of every state is inseparably linked to the security of its neighbours." They extended a "hand of friendship" across the old East-West divide and proposed a new cooperative relationship with all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The London Declaration outlined proposals for developing cooperation with NATO's former Cold War adversaries across a wide spectrum of political and military activities....

This paved the way for the establishment in December 1991 of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) as a forum for bringing together NATO and its new Partner countries to discuss issues of common concern – the first of NATO's formal instruments for pursuing cooperation with non-member countries. (The NACC was succeeded by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997.)

Such was the pace of change in Europe at the time that the first meeting of the NACC itself witnessed an historic event: as the final communiqué was being agreed, the Soviet ambassador announced that the Soviet Union had dissolved during the meeting and that he now only represented the Russian Federation.

New security challenges

At the London Summit, NATO Secretary General Manfred Wörner warned that "Europe is not yet immune from future risk or danger. This Alliance, which has contributed so much to overcoming Europe's painful division, must play its full part alongside other Western institutions in extending the stability and security we enjoy to all European nations."

"There are many potential instabilities, both within and without Europe, that we must plan for prudently today if we are not to be their victim tomorrow," he cautioned.

He explained that NATO's impact would be critical in four areas: clearing away the legacy of the Cold War; helping to erect a new European security architecture; ensuring membership of a reunited Germany into the Alliance; and continuing to prevent war.

Transformation

The London Declaration referred to ongoing work on the adaptation of the Alliance to the new circumstances, which had already been launched by Allied foreign ministers at a meeting in Turnberry a month earlier in June 1990.

The transformation of NATO...called for a restructuring of NATO member countries' forces to make them smaller, more mobile and versatile in order to give Allied leaders maximum flexibility in deciding how to respond to a crisis.
....
Reviewing NATO's Strategic Concept
....
In the years to follow, the operational value of partnership, which helped develop the ability of NATO forces to work together with those of non-member countries, was demonstrated by the contributions of non-member countries to the NATO-led operations in the Balkans.

NATO's Strategic Concept was reviewed again in 1999. This reflected the need for further transformation of the Alliance to adapt to further changes in the security environment and the increasingly important crisis-management and peacekeeping role of NATO. It also emphasized the importance of strengthened partnerships with non-member countries and for cooperation with other international organizations.

Consultations and discussions are ongoing on NATO's new Strategic Concept that is to be published at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010. The Alliance continues its process of transformation in order to be able to address more effectively the ever-evolving security challenges of the 21st century. Yet, the basic principles set out in the London Declaration twenty years ago remain valid today.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

10.: Virginia: NATO, Pentagon Plan "Defending Access To Global Commons"

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 12:01 pm (PDT)

http://www.act.nato.int/news.asp?storyid=543

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
July 1, 2010

ACT, USJFCOM, collaborate at Global Commons conference
By Jacob Boyer, USJFCOM Public Affairs and ACT Public Affairs

-[T]he power of NATO is its ability to provide standards accepted by its 28 Member Nations which are often adopted globally.
-"The global commons are so diverse, but the real purpose of the conference is to talk about those common interface mechanisms that allow us to deal with those ungoverned spaces. How do we deal with places in which no one nation has territorial responsibilities?"

Leadership from NATO's Allied Command Transformation (ACT), U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense joined together in Virginia Beach, Va., this week for the "Cooperation and Conflict in the Commons" conference June 29-July 1.

The conference, sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), the National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies, USJCOM's Joint Futures Group and ACT, provided an opportunity for senior leadership to address efforts to enable civil and military forces in the globally shared and ungoverned operating areas of outer space, international waters, airspace and cyberspace.

Featured speakers included James Soligan, ACT's Deputy Chief of Staff for Transformation; Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Forces; and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Lawrence Rice, USJFCOM Director of Strategy and Policy.

Daniel Oliver, NPS president, delivered the conference's opening remarks. He said the conference was imperative because of a recognized national and international need to ensure access to the global commons.

"Our goal is to better understand the nature and impact of cooperation and conflict dynamics within and among the commons where competing interests and motivations potentially threaten security and prosperity," Oliver said.

Through lectures, panel discussions and small working groups, participants explored how the global commons can be used as an organizing construct for national and defence strategies. The conference was framed around four questions and points of focus:

• How does the global commons paradigm alter the U.S.' strategic calculus?
• How will opponents and adversaries deny and/or disrupt the commons?
• How might the U.S. and its allies ensure the military use of the commons?
• How can a comprehensive approach - integrated government, commercial and military effort - assure access to the global commons?

Soligan kicked off the second day of the conference with a presentation on "Preparing the Alliance," where he talked about how NATO's strengths can help define and solve the complex challenges found in these spaces. He said that the power of NATO is its ability to provide standards accepted by its 28 Member Nations which are often adopted globally. NATO also can influence national decisions at a time in which countries have different priorities and fiscal restraints. He said he saw the conference as a way to discuss cooperation throughout these domains.

"The global commons are so diverse, but the real purpose of the conference is to talk about those common interface mechanisms that allow us to deal with those ungoverned spaces," said Soligan. "How do we deal with places in which no one nation has territorial responsibilities?"

Collected results from the conference will be distributed to inform forward-looking documents, to include USJFCOM's Joint Operating Environment and NATO's Strategic Concept, as well as operations.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

11.: 2nd Generation Psychological Warfare: "Military Information Support

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 12:16 pm (PDT)

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/07/ap_psy_ops_070210/

Associated Press
July 2, 2010

Army 'psy ops' gets new name

-Many in the psychological operations community dislike the new name. They say it makes it harder to explain what they do.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The Army is dropping the name "psychological operations" for the branch in charge of influencing enemy soldiers and civilians.

The name that dates back at least to the Vietnam War has been changed by the Defense Department to "Military Information Support Operations," or MISO.

U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Ken McGraw says the new moniker better reflects the mission of changing minds behind enemy lines with things like air-dropped leaflets and radio broadcasts.

Fort Bragg, N.C., is home to the 4th Psychological Operations Group, the Army's only active duty psychological operations unit. Psychological operations soldiers are trained at the post.

Many in the psychological operations community dislike the new name. They say it makes it harder to explain what they do.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

12.: UK, U.S., Canadian Navies In Amphibious Assault, Anti-Sub Drills

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 2:46 pm (PDT)

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=54413

Navy NewsStand
July 1, 2010

Royal Navy Amphibious Task Group Arrives in Norfolk
From Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. - The Royal Navy's Amphibious Task Group (ATG) arrived at Naval Station Norfolk June 30 for a port visit during Operation Auriga.

The Royal Navy landing platform dock ship HMS Albion (L14), landing platform helicopter ship HMS Ocean (L12), Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Largs Bay (L3006), and the 3 Commando Brigade will spend several days in Norfolk before conducting joint operations with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and II Marine Expeditionary Force in July.

Auriga is the major 2010 Royal Navy deployment that focuses on a series of U.S. and Canadian exercises with the principal aim of enhancing operational capability by training with coalition partners in traditional war fighting areas of carrier strike, amphibious assault and anti-submarine warfare operations.

The U.K. ATG will partner with the U.K. Carrier Strike Lead Task Group (CSLTG), which deployed to the East Coast in April in support of Operation Auriga.

Carrier Strike Lead Task Group is comprised of the Royal Navy Fleet flagship HMS Ark Royal (R07), frigate HMS Sutherland (F81), destroyer HMS Liverpool (D92), Royal fleet auxiliary Fort George (A388), French submarine FS Perle (s606), and the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52).

The carrier strike and amphibious capabilities are at the core of the U.K.'s expeditionary maritime strategy.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

13.: Polish Military Transformed Into "Modern NATO Force"

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 2:50 pm (PDT)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j27L1zRrIvC4NOWOb3kN_IzPwceA

Associated Press
July 1, 2010

Poland opens recruitment for reserve military force of 20,000

WARSAW, Poland: A Polish military spokesman says recruitment has started for a volunteer reserve force that is to have 20,000 trained members by the end of 2011.

Janusz Sejmej said recruitment of the first 10,000 volunteers — whom the military hopes to enrol this year — started Thursday.

The men and women will be paid to train 30 days a year and will be assigned tasks like fighting floods, assisting anti-terrorist operations or executing search and rescue actions in support of the 100,000-strong professional army in times of need.

Sejmej said computer specialists and engineers are the most sought-after and the reservists could be deployed abroad.

He said the recruitment is part of the process of reforming Poland's army into a modern NATO force.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

14.: Bulgaria: U.S. Marines In Live-Fire Exercises

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 2:54 pm (PDT)

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=117703

Sofia News Agency
July 1, 2010

US Marines to Train with Bulgarian Soldiers at Novo Selo

-The Novo Selo Training Ground is one of the four Bulgarian military facilities used by the United States under an intergovernmental agreement, which also provides for the stationing of 2,500 US soldiers in Bulgaria, and up to 5,000 for up to a month during their rotation.

US marines and soldiers from the Bulgarian Army will engage in shooting training at the Novo Selo Training Ground near Sliven.

The military drills will take place on July 2, announced the Bulgarian Defense Ministry.

The joint Bulgarian-US training is entitled "Black Sea Rotating Forces – 10".

The platoons of the US marines and the Bulgarian military base 24 150 at Stara Zagora will focus on improving their shooting abilities.

The Novo Selo Training Ground is one of the four Bulgarian military facilities used by the United States under an intergovernmental agreement, which also provides for the stationing of 2,500 US soldiers in Bulgaria, and up to 5,000 for up to a month during their rotation.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

15.: Attacks Greet 140 South Korean Troops Deployed To Afghan Air Base

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

Fri Jul 2, 2010 8:22 pm (PDT)

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2922653

JoongAng Daily
July 3, 2010

New unit arrives to protect Afghan site
By Jung Ha-won

Some 140 Korean troops arrived in Afghanistan yesterday to protect Korean aid workers helping rebuild the war-ravaged country, with a Wednesday rocket attack on their base fanning security concerns on the aid team.

According to Korean military officials, the troops from the recently formed Ashena unit arrived at Bagram Air Base, the biggest U.S. airbase in Afghanistan, in Parwan Province yesterday, pushing the number of Korean troops operating in the country to about 230. "Ashena" means friend or a partner in the provincial dialect.

Some 90 troops of the unit arrived in Afghanistan in June to set up military communications and logistical systems. They are responsible for transportation of Provincial Reconstruction Team members and for guarding their base, which is about 30 percent complete at the moment. When finished, the base - located in Charikar, the capital of Parwan Province - will accommodate a hospital, residential units for aid workers and military, vocational and police workforce training centers for locals.

"The role of the Ashena unit is now even more significant, in light of the rocket attack on the construction site," said one military official who asked for the customary anonymity. The official was referring to two rockets fired Wednesday night toward a site where nearly 60 Korean workers were building facilities.

Unidentified attackers fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the site where the PRT base is under construction. A total of 147 Koreans, including civilian workers, policemen and troops, are currently operating in the area, and an additional batch of team members are scheduled to arrive in July, driving up the total to 289, including 49 civilians, eight policemen and 232 soldiers.

The Korean team also decided to press on with a planned ceremony to mark the official opening of the Afghan mission, despite the recent attack, which took place just hours before the event on Thursday. About 220 figures, including Korean Ambassador to Afghanistan Park Hae-yun and Kwon Hee-suk, head of the PRT, attended the event.

No one has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday attack, and the local authorities, the Korean PRT and the U.S. military have been unable to identify the shooters, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official in Seoul.

"The shots were likely fired from the mountainous areas southwest of the site," said the ministry official, who declined to be named. "It's hard to determine who was behind the attack."

The official added, "We are open to all possibilities and trying to gird for the upcoming PRT operations."

Wednesday's attack, which caused no casualties and little damage to the base facilities, raised further concerns about the security of the Korean reconstruction team and the troops protecting it. Even the heavily-fortified Bagram Air Base has come under attack twice so far this year, including a rocket explosion near the base on March 15 and a May 19 attack by some 30 Taliban insurgents who fought their way toward a gate at the base, leaving one U.S. contractor killed and nine soldiers wounded.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

Back to top
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)