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1.: Three More NATO Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:36 am (PDT)

http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20101014-three-nato-troops-die-afghanistan-petraeus-visits-london

Radio France Internationale
October 14, 2010

Three Nato troops killed, Petraeus visits London

Three Nato soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan on Thursday, bringing to 584 the total number of personnel killed so far this year. The confirmation comes on the day that the top US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, is in London to meet British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The US-led International Security Assistance Force said the latest attack occurred in the west of the country. Six US soldiers were killed in attacks on Wednesday, while four Italians died in a blast in western Afghanistan last week.

Petraeus's visit to England comes shortly after a kidnapped British aid worker was killed in Afghanistan during a US-led rescue bid.

According to a report in The Guardian newspaper on Thursday, a US special forces soldier who threw a grenade that may have killed Norgrove during the botched rescue attempt could face disciplinary action.

Officials had initially said that Norgrove was killed pn Friday when one of her Taliban captors blew up a suicide vest. The US has ordered an investigation into the incident and Cameron said on Tuesday that the circumstances surrounding Norgrove's death were still "unclear."

"The responsibility for Linda's death lies with those cowardly, ruthless people who took her hostage in the first place," he insisted.
===========================
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2.: Flanked By Thaci, Clinton Forces Kosovo Cause Celebre On World

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:36 am (PDT)

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Clinton-to-Push-for-Wider-Kosovo-Recognition-104901414.html

Voice of America News
October 14, 2010

Clinton to Push for Wider Kosovo Recognition
David Gollust

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci give a press conference in Pristina, Kosovo, 13 Oct. 2010

Brussel: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged to work for broader international recognition of Kosovo on Wednesday during a visit to Pristina, the first by a U.S. chief diplomat since Kosovo's independence in 2008....

Secretary Clinton received a hero's welcome from hundreds of Pristina residents as she stopped her motorcade at a nearly four-meter-high statue honoring her husband - former President Bill Clinton - along a boulevard named for him.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton smiles in front of a statue of her husband former President Bill Clinton, in Pristina, Kosovo, 13 Oct. 2010

The Clinton administration is revered in Kosovo for having backed the 1999 NATO air campaign that ended a...crackdown by Serb forces, and put the majority ethnic-Albanian region on the road to independence.

In talks with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and other officials, the Secretary of State pledged continuing U.S. political support for Kosovo, and its quest for broader international recognition and full European Union and NATO membership.

At a press event with Mr. Thaci, Clinton said she was heading for Brussels, the last stop on her four-day European trip, with a list of countries the United States will try to persuade to recognize the Pristina government.

About 70 nations, with some EU members notably absent, have recognized Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia. Clinton said that number should increase following the International Court of Justice's ruling upholding the legality of the independence move.

"We think it's important to continue to increase the numbers of countries that recognize [Kosovo], especially after the ICJ opinion, which we believe settles the matter of independence once and for all," she said. "I also believe that the approach that the government of Kosovo has been taking has really earned admiration and support from around the world."

Clinton, who visited Belgrade prior to her stop in Kosovo, welcomed Serbia's commitment to heed a U.N. General Assembly appeal to open dialogue with its former province, even though Serbian President Boris Tadic on Tuesday reaffirmed his government's refusal to recognize Kosovo.

Standing alongside Clinton at a press event, Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the ICJ opinion and the U.N. resolution should end any debate over his country's political legitimacy. He added that Kosovo is ready to engage with Serbia on an equal footing. He is heard through an interpreter.

"We see a new chapter being opened now, a new phase being opened in our relationships between the state of Kosovo and Serbia," he said. "The future chapter of cooperation between these two countries has been opened. It's time to close the more that one century-long conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. The time is to cooperate and look toward the future."

Clinton balanced her political support for Kosovo's government with gestures toward the country's ethnic-Serb minority, which has dwindled in recent years.

She went to the Serb enclave of Gracanica, outside of Pristina, and visited a 14th century Serbian Orthodox religious shrine, where the chief cleric complained to her that Kosovo is impeding the return of Serbs who had fled unrest in the country.
....
Clinton said she will press for full European integration for Balkan states in meetings in Brussels with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and at a meeting of NATO defense and foreign ministers on Thursday.
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3.: NATO Ministerial: Pentagon Chief Pushes Cyber Warfare Capacities

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:36 am (PDT)

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/10/14/europe.nato.cyber.threat/?hpt=T2

CNN
October 14, 2010

Gates: NATO cybersecurity policies are 'inadequate'

NATO faces serious new cybersecurity threats, according to the U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and the alliance should invest in new programs to "remedy these weaknesses."

NATO's vulnerabilities in cyberspace are well-known, Gates told foreign and defense ministers gathered in Brussels, Belgium, Monday. He added that the plans in place to respond to these new emerging threats are "inadequate."

A review of NATO's cybersecurity policies should be "a matter of priority," Gates said, adding that the treaty organization needs "to identify what more must be done to protect our vital information systems. And then we need to agree to fund the capabilities that are necessary to protect these systems"

The defense secretary's comments came during a review of a draft of the new Strategic Concept for NATO, written by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Gates applauded the review for highlighting the cybersecurity threat the alliance faces, but said "the language could be sharpened further."

Gates also discussed a second emerging threat highlighted in the review, that posed by ballistic missiles. And he praised Rasumussen's report for doing a "good job of capturing the complexity and uncertainty of today's security environment."
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4.: Afghan War: NATO Loses 13 Troops In Two Days

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:37 am (PDT)

http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC101014-0000281/NATO--Two-more-soldiers-killed-in-Afghan-insurgent-attack-days-total-7,-13-dead-in-2-days

Associated Press
October 14, 2010

NATO: Two more soldiers killed in Afghan insurgent attack; day's total 7, 13 dead in 2 days

KABUL, Afghanistan: Seven NATO troops have been killed in a spate of attacks, including four in roadside bombings in war-ravaged Afghanistan, where 13 service members have died in the past two days.

It has been the deadliest year for international forces in the nine-year Afghan conflict. Troop numbers have been ramped up to turn the screws on insurgents and casualties have mounted. The escalating toll has shaken the commitment of many NATO countries, with calls growing to start drawing down troops quickly.

An improvised explosive device in the west killed three service members Thursday, an alliance statement said.

NATO later announced another three service members died in the south - two in an insurgent attack and another in a blast. It said a service member also died in a militant attack in the east.
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5.: Over 1,000 NATO Troops Turn Cornwall Into Afghanistan

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:49 am (PDT)

http://www.piratefm.co.uk/news/review.php?article=293885

Pirate FM
October 14, 2010

NATO Troops Descend on Cornwall

A small corner of Cornwall becomes Afghanistan.

RAF St Mawgan is hosting a major NATO training exercise, the first of its kind in the UK.

Around five hundred soldiers heading for Kabul are learning to deal with everything from civilian deaths to election fraud.

Brigadier Paddy Allison has told Pirate FM it is about rebuilding the country, "Clearly that doesn't need too many of us running around shooting rifles and the like. We need to be training and getting our thoughts together about what will and won't work in Afghanistan and considering how to get the people of Afghanistan to take ownership."
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http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/news/Nato-group-test-tour/article-2757715-detail/article.html

This Is Cornwall
October 14, 2010

Nato group put to test in Cornwall before next tour of Afghanistan

More than 1,000 servicemen were put through their paces ahead of being deployed to Afghanistan.

Elements of the Headquarters of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), which is a NATO group made up from 15 countries, travelled from their Gloucester base to take part in the exercise at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall.

The ARRC servicemen were in the county preparing for their final training before being deployed for operational service in Afghanistan next year.

Exercise ARRCade Spear II aims to offer recruits training ahead of their work as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, in crisis-hit Afghanistan.

Their year-long tour of duty will begin in January.

An ARRC spokesman said the training would offer realistic experience of life in Afghanistan.

He added: "Based on an authentic Afghanistan-type scenario, the exercise will use 'real world' problems and challenges of the type NATO forces face every day in Afghanistan, with support from numerous subject matter experts.

"This will prepare staff for their final training phase, the Mission Rehearsal Exercise at NATO's Joint Warfare Centre in Norway."

Armed Forces specialists from across the world have also attended the training sessions to offer advice to servicemen.
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6.: Afghanistan: Latvian Troop Deployment Extended For Antother Year

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:50 am (PDT)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/latvian-lawmakers-extend-afghanistan-mission-for-1-year-104936354.html

Associated Press
October 14, 2010

Latvian lawmakers extend Afghanistan mission for 1 year

RIGA, Latvia: Latvia's Parliament has voted to extend the Baltic state's participation in the NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan by one year.

Sixty-four lawmakers supported the extension, 16 voted against and 20 did not participate in Thursday's vote.

Latvia maintains a contingent of approximately 175 soldiers who are in the eastern and northern provinces of Afghanistan.

The Baltic state joined NATO in 2004.
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7.: NATO's 21st Century Priorities: Missile Shield, Cyber Warfare

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:59 am (PDT)

http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/nato-lay-out-vision-cyber-missile-defence

Radio Netherlands
October 14, 2010

NATO to lay out vision for cyber, missile defence

NATO defence and foreign ministers meet Thursday to reshape the alliance into a modern force against cyber and missile threats, at a time of tough fighting in Afghanistan and budget cuts at home.

The diplomatic and defence chiefs hold a rare joint meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels to deliberate on a draft of the "strategic concept" that will lay out the alliance's vision for the next decade.

The mission statement will then be endorsed by NATO leaders meeting in Lisbon next month, replacing a document written in 1999, two years before the September 11 attacks on the United States sparked the war in Afghanistan.

"My firm intent is that the Lisbon summit will put in place an alliance that is more modern, more efficient and better able to work with our partners around the globe," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this week.

The 11-page blueprint, drafted by Rasmussen, has not been made public but it is expected to touch on 21st century threats including cyber attacks, missiles from "rogue" states, global terrorism and piracy off the Somali coast.

The ministers will also discuss proposals to reform NATO's command structure and cut the number of agencies, an idea pushed by Rasmussen to make the 28-nation alliance "leaner and more efficient."

At the same time, Rasmussen and US officials have urged allies to resist cutting too deeply into their own national defence budgets despite austerity drives across debt-laden Europe.

"My worry is that the more our allies cut their capabilities, the more people will look to the United States to cover whatever gaps that are created, at a time when we're facing" fiscal pressures, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters travelling with him to Brussels late Wednesday.

Rasmussen has emphasised that despite tough economic times, allies should invest in a missile shield amid concerns about the intentions of Iran and North Korea.

The NATO chief also wants allies to invite Russia to cooperate in the anti-missile shield in order to ease Russian concerns about the aims of the system.

Gates said there was "broad agreement" on missile defence plans and that the cost of linking NATO members into a common network was "relatively modest."

Diplomats, however, say France and other nations want more details about how much the system would cost and how it would work.

© ANP/AFP
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8.: NATO To Continue Funding Facilities In Poland

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:11 pm (PDT)

http://www.thenews.pl/international/artykul141536_nato-cuts-to-spare-poland.html

Polish Radio
October 14, 2010

NATO cuts to spare Poland?

NATO defence ministers, currently meeting in Brussels, are discussing savings and cuts in the Alliance budget affected by the global financial crisis.

The move has been deemed mandatory due to cuts in military spending introduced by several member countries affected by hard felt budget deficits. At the same time, the Alliance would like to increase funding for the mission in Afghanistan.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that this will require savings in investments as well as in the Alliance headquarters, for example NATO's North Atlantic Command in Lisbon.

Diplomatic sources at the Alliance's Brussels headquarters indicate Poland seems to be exempted from the planned cuts. This would leave intact the Joint Forces Training Centre and the Signal Battalion Headquarters, both located in Bydgoszcz, mid-northern Poland.
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9.: 22nd Polish Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:11 pm (PDT)

http://www.thenews.pl/international/artykul141571_polish-soldier-killed-in-afghanistan.html

Polish Radio
October 14, 2010

Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan

One Polish soldier has been killed and another seriously injured while on patrol in the southern part of Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

The Polish patrol unit was attempting to defuse a roadside mine on the Highway 1 route near the Warrior Base when they were attacked by mortar fire.

PFC Adam Szada-Borzyszkowski from the 25th Airborne Cavalry Brigade was killed on the spot. His wounded colleague was quickly rushed by helicopter to a military hospital in Ghazni. His condition is reported as being stable.

The assignment in Afghanistan was PFC Szada-Borzyszkowski's second foreign mission having also served in Iraq in 2007. He was 28, married with one child.
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10.: Bulgaria: U.S. Practices Air Combat Against Russian-Design Planes

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

Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:11 pm (PDT)

http://www.usafe.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123226180

U.S. Air Forces in Europe
October 13, 2010

U.S., Bulgarian Airmen partner to control the skies
by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

GRAF IGNATIEVO AIR FORCE BASE, Bulgaria: High above the busy work of crew chiefs, security forces and ground equipment maintainers stands a familiar piece of landscape for Airmen all over the world - the tower.

On Graf Ignatievo Air Force Base, Bulgaria, the tower is full of U.S. and Bulgarian Airmen working together to keep eyes on both Bulgarian and 480th Fighter Squadron aircraft as they participate in Operation Thracian Star.

The operation's tactical training is intended to provide Spangdahlem's F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots the opportunity to fly with and against MiG 29 and 21 aircraft as well as suppress and destroy enemy air defense systems, according to Lt. Col. Andrew Walcott, 480th Fighter Squadron commander.

Airmen from the 52nd Operations Support Squadron play a vital role in accomplishing these mission objectives while sharing the operations tower with their Bulgarian counterparts.
....
"The best thing is to share the experience [the U.S. Air Force] has with our pilots, maintainers and logistics members, and to share the experience between two nations to become more capable with North Atlantic Treaty Organization standards," said Maj. Stoyan Petkov, Bulgarian air force air traffic controller. "I would like to see these kind of exercises happen more often."
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http://www.usafe.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123226218

U.S. Air Forces in Europe
October 13, 2010

U.S., Bulgarian air forces partner for training
by Maj. Jillian Torango
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

GRAF IGNATIEVO AIR FORCE BASE, Bulgaria: An F-16 Fighting Falcon and a MiG 29 trying to outmaneuver each other in the skies above Eastern Europe was the stuff of legends until this month's combined training exercise between the 480th Fighter Squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and the 1st and 2nd fighter squadrons from the Bulgarian air force here.

The 480th FS is spending three weeks training alongside members of the Bulgarian air force in Operation Thracian Star, a weapons training deployment used to help pilots maintain proficiency in some basic flying qualifications.

"Much of Central Europe has restricted their air space to low altitude and other types of flying so being able to come here and do this training in Bulgaria is invaluable," said Lt. Col. Andrew Wolcott, 480th FS commander. "Here we are able to do flying maneuvers and drills in a low altitude environment and very quickly regain our pilots' low altitude proficiency."

The U.S. pilots are also regaining or retaining proficiency in basic and advanced weapons delivery, basic fighter maneuvers, tactical intercepts, defensive and offensive counter-air, destruction and suppression of enemy air defenses, large force engagement and close air support.

While flying is the main focus, Spangdahlem's pilots aren't the only ones learning during this training deployment.

"Everyone participating in this exercise, from both the U.S. and Bulgarian air forces is getting training," said Colonel Wolcott. "We are completely integrated here to maximize the training and learning opportunities on both sides."

On average each pilot will fly three to five sorties per week and with 35 pilots taking part in the exercise the entire operations support team is working to make each sortie happen.
....
Because the Bulgarian air force is in the process of upgrading their aircraft and processes, their maintainers and pilots are keenly interested in how and why the U.S. Air Force does what it does on a daily basis.
....
"Bulgarians are strong US allies and we are really fortunate to be able to come here and train and fly with them," said Colonel Wolcott. "This is the first operational deployment we've done since reactivating the 480th FS on July 13 and it is the first deployment for many of our Airmen and I can't think of a better place for it."
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