Messages In This Digest (12 Messages)
- 1.
- New Australian PM Mulls Attending NATO Summit For Afghan War Talks From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- NATO Spokesman To Replace Simmons As Caucasus, Central Asia Rep From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- NATO Warplanes, Helicopter Gunships Violate Pakistan's Airspace From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- Three NATO Soldiers Killed In Afghan Attacks From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- The Utility Of Bin Laden Alive And Free To U.S. War Plans From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- Survey: Swedish Opposition To Afghan War Deployment Rises From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- State Department Promotes Global U.S.-NATO-EU Triad From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- U.S. Recruits NATO For Europe-Wide Interceptor Missile System From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- U.S. Atlantic Council Delegation To Assess Georgia For White House From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- Canada May Deploy Military Planes To Kyrgyzstan And Uzbekistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- War Games: Pentagon Builds Proxy Armies On Baltic Sea From: Rick Rozoff
- 12.
- Malaysia: Military Exercise Portends NATO's Southest Asia Wing From: Rick Rozoff
Messages
- 1.
-
New Australian PM Mulls Attending NATO Summit For Afghan War Talks
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:18 am (PDT)
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8109042/gillard-flags-nato-talks-on-afghan-war
Ninemsn/Channel 9
October 19, 2010
Gillard flags NATO talks on Afghan war
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she may travel to Portugal next month for NATO talks on the future direction of the war in Afghanistan.
The trip to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for the talks follows the beginning of a parliamentary debate on Australia's role in the long-running war.
The NATO meeting will also be attended by US President Barack Obama.
"Yes, I am considering it. I haven't made a final determination about that yet, but I did obliviously in my speech today outline a number of things that Australia will be saying when we sit at the table at the summit in Lisbon."
===========================
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- 2.
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NATO Spokesman To Replace Simmons As Caucasus, Central Asia Rep
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:18 am (PDT)
http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2010/10/19/nato/
Panorama.AM (Armenia)
October 19, 2010
James Appathurai to become NATO representative to South Caucasus
NATO spokesman, James Appathurai will arguably become the representative of the NATO Secretary General to the South Caucasus by the end of November, Georgia Online reported quoting NATO sources. The Canadian diplomat will replace Robert Simmons at the position.
NATO on Thursday announced that it has given a woman its top press job for the first time in its 61-year history as it announced the hiring of international journalist Oana Lungescu as spokeswoman.
She replaces James Appathurai, a Canadian, who is moving to another position within NATO.
===========================
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- 3.
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NATO Warplanes, Helicopter Gunships Violate Pakistan's Airspace
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:18 am (PDT)
http://sify.com/news/nato-aircraft-violate-pak-airspace-yet-again-despite-repeated-assurances-to-contrary-news-international-kktq4kecbbh.html
Asian News International
October 19, 2010
NATO aircraft violate Pak airspace yet again despite repeated assurances to contrary
Despite assuring Pakistan of stopping further intrusions into its territory, NATO's aircraft once again breached the country's airspace today morning over its border town of Torkham, local media reported.
According to a news channel citing paramilitary sources at certain checkpoints in the border area, NATO warplanes and gunship helicopters entered up to 15 kilometers inside Pakistani airspace, English.news.cn reported.
The aircraft flew up to Wali Khel, Sultan Khel and Ayub Kala areas, and took an aerial view of the trucks carrying supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan, eyewitnesses said.
However, official sources have not confirmed the incident so far.
Meanwhile, hundreds of NATO oil tankers and container trucks stand clogged in the Af-Pak border area, as the supply is moving at a snail's pace, the website said.
NATO supplies are very much vulnerable to terrorist attacks in Pakistan, as almost 150 of their trucks in different areas have been destroyed in various incidents of subversion during the past few weeks.
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http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7170520.html
Xinhua News Agency
October 19, 2010
NATO aircraft breach Pakistani airspace once again
NATO's aircraft breached Pakistani airspace once again Tuesday morning at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border town Torkham in the northwest of Pakistan, local media reported.
NATO warplanes and gunship helicopters entered up to 15 kilometers inside Pakistani airspace, local television DAWN News reported citing paramilitary sources at certain checkpoints in the border area....
The aircraft flew up to the Wali Khel, Sultan Khel and Ayub Kala areas and took an aerial view of NATO supply trucks, eyewitnesses said.
....
Pakistan closed gates at the Torkham border blocking NATO supply after NATO's two helicopters aggressed upon a paramilitary checkpoint inside Pakistan at the Pakistan-Afghan border in the Kurram tribal area on Sept. 30. Three paramilitary troops were killed and another three injured in a NATO gunship rocket attack at the checkpoint.
....
The second airspace breach occurred on October 12 at the Chaman border area in southwest Balochistan province, the second entry point for NATO supply into Afghanistan after Torkham. NATO helicopters took flights 200 meters inside Pakistani territory for about 20 minutes, which was regretted as a mistake by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials.
===========================
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- 4.
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Three NATO Soldiers Killed In Afghan Attacks
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:18 am (PDT)
http://www.todayonline.com/BreakingNews/EDC101019-0000193/NATO-now-says-3-service-members-killed-in-southern-Afghanistan
Associated Press
October 19, 2010
NATO now says 3 service members killed in southern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan: Militant attacks killed three NATO service members in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday.
The international coalition did not give the nationality of the dead service members or provide exact locations of the attacks. One was killed in an insurgent attack and two others by roadside bombs.
....
This year has been the deadliest for international forces in the nine-year Afghan conflict. At least 47 NATO service members have been killed so far this month, and more than 2,000 have died since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
....
===========================
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- 5.
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The Utility Of Bin Laden Alive And Free To U.S. War Plans
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:43 am (PDT)
http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/10/19/27042317.html
Voice of Russia
October 19, 2010
Why is Osama bin Laden still safe, sound and 'living comfortably'?
Boris Volkhonsky
-If Osama's location is more or less precisely known, then what is the use of numerous drone attacks on Pakistani soil, killing dozens of innocent civilians and occasionally one or two Al Qaeda's minor militants?
-With all the intelligence and military power the US possesses, it would not constitute a huge problem to eliminate Osama if the US really wanted it. Not by a drone attack, of course, but by a kind of covert operation on the ground. But the problem is the 'IF'. IF the US wanted to do so, they would have done it long ago. They did not do it, so the conclusion is clear.
-[L]ocal leaders demanded in return that the US present some verifiable evidence that Osama bin Laden had been masterminding the 9/11 attacks. The US did not, and chose a much easier way to handle the situation. They bombarded the whole territory of Afghanistan and then occupied it. What result it has brought is well known. At least, none of the alleged aims has been achieved.
A senior NATO official told CNN on conditions of anonymity that 'terrorist number 1' Osama bin Laden is alive and well and living comfortably in a house somewhere in the rough terrain of north-western Pakistan. The 'number Two' in Al Qaeda, Osama's second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri is also living comfortably somewhere in the neighborhood, although the two are not living at the same place.
The news was presented as something bordering on a sensation. Apparently, it contradicts the image previously presented by Western media according to which the Al Qaeda leaders were on the run, hiding in remote places like caves and underground bunkers trying to avoid US drone attacks.
"Nobody in Al Qaeda is living in a cave," said the unnamed official. He declined to be more specific on the exact location of either bin Laden or al-Zawahiri, but said that they may be residing in a rough mountainous area ranging from the Chitral area near the Chinese border to the Kurram Valley which borders Afghanistan's Tora Bora, one of the Taliban strongholds during the US invasion in 2001.
The Al Qaeda leaders are allegedly protected by the local population and by some officers of the Pakistani secret services.
Actually, there is nothing new in the report. No one has ever definitely stated that Osama bin Laden is dead, although rumors of his death periodically appear in the media. So, if he IS alive, there must be a place for him to live. And the border regions poorly controlled either by the Kabul or by the Islamabad authorities make the most obvious haven for him.
The questions that do arise are the following.
The first question. If Osama's location is more or less precisely known, then what is the use of numerous drone attacks on Pakistani soil, killing dozens of innocent civilians and occasionally one or two Al Qaeda's minor militants? This reminds one of air strikes launched at Al Qaeda bases in Pakistan in 1998. They were excessively advertized, but the result was close to nil: bin Laden 'accidentally' avoided being hit by rockets, leaving the location some time prior to the attack. So, the question is, whether the US is really eager to get bin Laden, or maybe Osama alive suites Washington much better. It is so easy to ascribe all terrorist attacks to bin Laden at present, but who would be the scapegoat when (and if) Osama is eliminated?
With all the intelligence and military power the US possesses, it would not constitute a huge problem to eliminate Osama if the US really wanted it. Not by a drone attack, of course, but by a kind of covert operation on the ground. But the problem is the 'IF'. IF the US wanted to do so, they would have done it long ago. They did not do it, so the conclusion is clear.
The second question or rather a whole set of questions arises when we start analyzing why this NATO official's statement was made at this specific time.
Usually, such leaks are never meaningless and always signify some purpose.
This time it appeared just a day before a senior Pakistani delegation headed to Washington for talks on the strained relations during the latest months. Washington has been accusing Islamabad of a 'double game' from time to time, demanding stricter measures against Al Qaeda militants in Pakistan's north-west. Pakistan has with the same regularity denied all accusations. So, while Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and military chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani are heading to Washington, the apparently incriminating leak may serve as a trump card in Washington's hands.
Such leaks were often used in the past. The most striking case was the pretext for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, when the US demanded that the Pushto people hand over Osama bin Laden to American authorities. Such a demand contradicts the local Pushto habits which are firm on never betraying a person who has asked for refuge. So, the local leaders demanded in return that the US present some verifiable evidence that Osama bin Laden had been masterminding the 9/11 attacks. The US did not, and chose a much easier way to handle the situation. They bombarded the whole territory of Afghanistan and then occupied it. What result it has brought is well known. At least, none of the alleged aims has been achieved.
But it helped the previous US administration to assert its image as a 'fighter against terrorism'.
This time again there seems nothing else behind the NATO official's statement apart from pure PR.
===========================
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- 6.
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Survey: Swedish Opposition To Afghan War Deployment Rises
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:31 pm (PDT)
http://www.swedishwire.com/politics/6796-swedes-want-troops-out-of-afghanistan
Agence France-Presse
October 19, 2010
Swedes want troops out of Afghanistan
A growing number of Swedes want the withdrawal of their troops stationed in Afghanistan, according to a survey published Tuesday.
When asked "should Sweden bring home its troops from Afghanistan?", 47 percent of 1,000 people surveyed said "yes" and 36 percent said "no", according to a Sifo poll published in the Aftonbladet tabloid. The remaining 17 percent said they did not know.
In a similar Sifo poll in July, 42 percent answered "yes" to the same question and 41 percent said "no".
Tuesday's poll came just days after the death of the fifth Swedish soldier in Afghanistan since 2002.
Kenneth Wallin, 22, was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb which injured two other Swedish soldiers. Another two Swedish troops were seriously hurt in a gunfight Monday.
Sweden is officially neutral and not a member of NATO, but has about 600 troops and civilians taking part in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) battling the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The future of Swedish troops in Afghanistan is to be debated soon in the Swedish parliament.
The centre-right minority government is in favour of continuing and even extending the mission while the leftwing opposition wants to set an exit date.
The far-right Sweden Democrats have also said they want Swedish troops to be called home although they have yet to commit to which way they would vote on the issue.
According to a report in the Dagens Nyheter daily Tuesday, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt -- a strong supporter of Sweden's participation in ISAF -- are about to reach a compromise with opposition leader Mona Sahlin on the issue.
===========================
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- 7.
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State Department Promotes Global U.S.-NATO-EU Triad
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:39 pm (PDT)
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2010/149608.htm
U.S. Department of State
October 18, 2010
The United States and Europe: An Agenda for Engagement
Philip H. Gordon
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Remarks at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Washington, DC
October 18, 2010
-When I was in your shoes as a SAIS graduate student, the major preoccupation in the transatlantic relationship was the defense of Europe against the Soviet threat and, when we dared to dream, possibly the defeat of the Soviet Union itself and the end of the Cold War. Today, Europe is unified and we work together on an extraordinarily wide range of issues, from Afghanistan to Iran to climate change to the fixing the global economy.
-The extraordinary success that the United States and Europe have had together in promoting European integration, in consolidating and supporting the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and integrating them into Euro-Atlantic institutions demonstrates the promise of this enterprise. But our work is not done. And so the effort continues in the Balkans and further to Europe's east and in the Caucasus.
-In Afghanistan, in the wake of the President's speech in November 2009, Europe contributed about 7000 additional troops, over 100 training teams for the Afghan army and police, and nearly $300 million for the Afghan National Army trust fund. European nations now have almost 40,000 troops in Afghanistan and the total European contribution to Afghanistan since 2001 comes to $14 billion.
-On missile defense, we gained broad support for our Phased Adaptive Approach which seeks to counter the real and current missile threats Europe faces from Iran and we are moving forward with plans to identify various basing locations. We hope defining Missile Defense as a NATO mission will be a major achievement of the NATO Summit in Lisbon.
-[T]he work of "completing" Europe is not finished. What I think is most notable about efforts now under the Obama Administration is how closely – as part of a deliberate strategy – we are working together with Europe to achieve this goal.
Take, for instance, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. These are the countries of the EU's Eastern Partnership, an initiative that the United States strongly supports and works with....
The same can be said of the Balkans: the U.S. and European view is that Europe will not be complete until all of the countries of the Western Balkans are full EU members. I was with Secretary of State Clinton last week on her trip to the Balkans and I can tell you that our policy toward the region is very closely coordinated with the European Union. On the dialog between Serbia and Kosovo, on the future of Bosnia, on Croatia's path to the EU, we have consulted closely with Europe. We also welcomed Albania and Croatia into NATO, extended Membership Action Plans to Bosnia and Montenegro, and Macedonia will join once the dispute over its name is resolved.
-As you can see, it's been a full two years. But we have significantly more to do. And I think the best way to convey that is for me to describe the three upcoming summits we have with Europe this fall: a NATO Summit, a U.S.-EU Summit, and an OSCE Summit. These institutions are the three pillars of peace and prosperity in Europe and Eurasia. Our agenda for these summits illustrates very well how engaged we are with Europe and how we intend to advance our strategic objectives in and with Europe.
NATO: NATO is the essential mechanism for U.S. security engagement in Europe and for U.S.-European security cooperation throughout the world. We see it at work every day, most prominently in Afghanistan, but its missions in fact start with the defense of Europe and span the globe.
-At the summit, we intend to continue our efforts to revitalize the Alliance to meet 21st century security challenges, through:
A forward-leaning vision for the Alliance in a new Strategic Concept document;
21st century capabilities such as territorial missile defense and cyber early warning systems;
Organizational reform to make NATO more efficient; and
New partnerships and deeper existing partnerships.
-EU: The European Union has become a global actor and a critical U.S. partner. The United States strongly supported the Lisbon Treaty because we want the EU to play an increasing role on all of the most important economic and security issues on the transatlantic agenda and beyond. The treaty marked a milestone for Europe and its role in the world and we hope it will guide the further evolution of the European Union toward a more consistent, coherent, and effective foreign policy.
This U.S.-EU summit will be the first post-Lisbon U.S.-EU Summit and, while the agenda is not yet finalized, we hope to pursue expanded partnership by:
Promoting the recovery and growth of our economies through addressing regulatory barriers to trade;
Coordinating U.S. and EU resources to meet the development needs of poorer countries, as well as those emerging from crises and disaster;
Identifying ways to enhance our efforts on counter-terrorism and security;
Working together on critical foreign policy issues such as Iran, the Middle East Peace Process, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
-OSCE: At the OSCE Summit, we will mark the 35th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, which was a watershed moment in the Cold War, and we will emphasize that the commitments and principles in the Helsinki Final Act still apply equally to each participating state today. The OSCE has matured from its Cold War roots to become a global forum....
===========================
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==============================
- 8.
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U.S. Recruits NATO For Europe-Wide Interceptor Missile System
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:38 pm (PDT)
http://www.krakowpost.com/article/2397
Sofia Echo
October 18, 2010
Region: NATO's New Shield
Nato missile shield could cover all of the alliance's members in Europe
Depending on the decisions of the Nato summit in Lisbon in November 2010, the alliance's proposed missile shield could cover all of the alliance's countries in Europe without exception, Bulgarian media quoted Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov and Defence Minister Anyu Angelov as saying.
Mladenov and Angelov took part in a joint meeting in Brussels of Nato foreign and defence ministers on October 14 2010, held to prepare for the Lisbon summit.
The proposal is for the missile defence to be built in three or four stages over the course of 10 years and that it would embrace all member countries. The estimated cost is 200 million euro over this 10-year period.
According to a report by Bulgarian National Television (BNT), the protective shield over Europe would most likely be developed as a Nato project, not just a purely American mission.
===========================
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==============================
- 9.
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U.S. Atlantic Council Delegation To Assess Georgia For White House
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:19 pm (PDT)
http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1768627.html
Trend News Agency
October 19, 2010
U.S Atlantic Council's delegation arrives in Georgia
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: A delegation of the U.S Atlantic Council arrived in Georgia to get acquainted with the political situation in the country.
After the visit to Georgia, the Atlantic Council will develop recommendations. Future U.S. policy towards Georgia will be based on these recommendations.
Members of the delegation will get familiar with the activities of all government departments of the country.
The visit is scheduled to end on Oct. 21.
===========================
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==============================
- 10.
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Canada May Deploy Military Planes To Kyrgyzstan And Uzbekistan
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 3:19 pm (PDT)
http://en.trend.az/regions/casia/uzbekistan/1768452.html
Trend News Agency
October 19, 2010
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan air bases could host Canadian planes
The Canadian government is considering a German air base in Uzbekistan or an American air base in Kyrgyzstan as a possible short-term fix for the loss of Camp Mirage, the Canadian air base near Dubai, the Toronto Sun newspaper wrote according to the Qmi Agency.
The United Arab Emirates is evicting the Canadian Force from Camp Mirage in three weeks because the Canadian government refuses to grant the country's national airlines additional flights to Canada.
Without Mirage, the Canadian Forces require another site near Afghanistan from which to fly cargo in and out of the country.
A senior defence department source confirmed two possible temporary replacements: Germany's air base in Termez, Uzbekistan, and the U.S. air base in Manas, Kyrgyzstan.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said several potential locations have been identified, "that will replace the forward operating nature that Camp Mirage has provided for us."
"There's negotiations happening right now between planners at my department as well as foreign affairs to secure an alternate location," he said.
But neither MacKay nor Catherine Loubier, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, would identify the possible locations.
"We can't comment on operational matters that say anything about where we're going and what it represents and logistics, because of obvious reasons. It wouldn't be secure to do that," she said. "We are currently supported by several locations in the world. "That's going to remain."
Navy Capt. Dave Scanlon, the senior spokesman for the defence department, said without Mirage, Canada would need stop-over locations en route to Afghanistan.
He added, though, neither Termez nor Manas are scheduled to receive major investments in Canadian assets.
"But if you're hearing that there's a possibility we could have places that we need to phase through - or pass through - like a connecting airport concept, then that might be a possibility," Scanlon said.
Camp Mirage was an open secret in Ottawa, with the Canadian Forces and the government never officially confirming its existence or role.
Located in the UAE Al Minhad air force base, Mirage is a trans-load facility established in 2001 as a hub to resupply the 2,750 Canadian troops fighting in Kandahar.
===========================
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- 11.
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War Games: Pentagon Builds Proxy Armies On Baltic Sea
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:10 pm (PDT)
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/18845/
Defence Professionals
October 19, 2010
Baltic-US exercise Sabre Strike begins in Latvia
-The Baltic states will host Sabre Strike for the first time at the proposal of the US military command. The event is planned to be held in all the three Baltic States on a rotational basis.
On 2010 October 18, the official opening ceremony of the multinational exercise Sabre Strike was held at the Training Centre of the Adazi Military Area, Latvia.
Troops of four countries - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the USA - Defence Minister of Latvia Imants Liegis, Chief of Defence of Latvia Raimonds Graube, Commander of the Latvian Land Force Col Dzintars Roga, and conductor of Sabre Strike US Col Keith Sledd attended the event.
Defence Minister of Latvia Imants Liegis in the ceremony delivered a welcoming address and wished good luck to the participating personnel. He stressed that it was the biggest exercise since the country joined NATO. The modern world faces many challenges that require excellent preparation: the training event was of the utmost importance for the participating states as only joint action ensures successful implementation of set tasks.
Latvian troops participating in the training event will join NATO's ISAF operation in Afghanistan this December. The company based on National Defence Volunteer Force Vytis Military District 5th Territorial Unit that represents Lithuania in the exercise in Latvia begins an intense training course before deployment to Ghor province, Afghanistan, next autumn.
Over 1,6 thousand military personnel from Estonia, the USA, Latvia and Lithuania are involved in the exercise. Lithuania has delegated over a hundred of soldiers to the event.
On the first week of the exercise Sabre Strike participants will train on tasks likely to occur in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Every day troops will deploy to training locations and refine their skills in conducting a spectrum of operations. Today, October 19, troops are engaged in convoy operations organized by instructors of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Butigeidis Dragoon Training Battalion. Later soldiers will conduct patrolling in populated areas, control and check-post search, live-firing, base guarding, etc.
On the second week of the exercise soldiers will train in an integrated exercise.
Military personnel brought a spectrum of military equipment to the exercise: STRYKER combat vehicles, all-terrain vehicles HMMWV, trucks M 1075, M-915, etc.
On October 16 the Lithuanian delegation settled in the Lithuanian camp in the exercise area and began preparing for the exercise. Lithuanian and Pennsylvania National Guard troops installed the exercise camp which would provide accommodation for the majority of participants of Sabre Strike to live, train and prepare for potential multinational operations.
The aim of the exercise is to improve military cooperation between the Baltic states and the USA in order to provide relevant training for military personnel with the prospect of deployment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and to other multinational operations.
The Baltic states will host Sabre Strike for the first time at the proposal of the US military command. The event is planned to be held in all the three Baltic States on a rotational basis.
===========================
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- 12.
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Malaysia: Military Exercise Portends NATO's Southest Asia Wing
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:10 pm (PDT)
http://wfol.tv/analysis/asia/5535-bersama-padu-military-exercise-natos-future-sea-wing.html
World Future Online
October 19, 2010
Bersama Padu military exercise: Nato's Future SEA Wing?
Written by Abdel Jabber
Riau Islands/Indonesia: From the Bersama Shield exercise to the Bersama Padu - both in the Malay language - it is clear that Western entities are working hard to bring Malaysia on board the future 'Nato' South East Asia wing to support Nato's expansion as a 'global' military force. The fact that the military exercises are named in Malay is an indication that the Western generals - with Nato's consent indeed - are concerned about ways to drag Malaysia into the picture.
With Malaysia's efforts to be noted by the American administration headed by President Barack Obama, the exercises could not come at a better time for the nation to implement its arm stretching strategy.
According to the Australian Defence Department, the Exercise Bersama Padu (BP10), which means 'together united' in Malay, aims to cultivate regional ties and seeks to enhance Australia's interoperability with the armed forces of Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
The exercise allows Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) nations' armies, navies and air forces to exercise and conduct combined and joint operations at an operational and/or tactical level for the defence of Malaysia and Singapore.
The FPDA was dormant for decades but is currently being re-ignited in order to give a better regional sense to aspects of Nato's push in the region. Nato's heads have already visited New Zealand and Australia in a bid to re-inforce these nations' confidence in the Western-backed global armed forces that are involved in the military offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Exercise BP10 will be conducted from 11– 9 October, with the live exercise phase conducted from 24–27 October.
Overall, the exercise will involve more than 3,000 personnel, up to 13 ships and 60 aircraft, plus various support elements.
Australian Defence Force assets involved in BP10 include HMA Ships Success, Tobruk, Toowoomba, and Arunta, one Australian Clearance Dive team, eight F/A-18s from No 3 Squadron RAAF Williamtown NSW, one Army platoon from Butterworth and around 60 support staff from across the ADF for the Headquarters.
"BP10 is a well-planned activity that aims to train and evaluate our capabilities, processes and procedures while minimising any impact on the population and within the exercise area.
"BP10 allows the RAAF to test and practise its deployment capabilities so that it can operate away from its home base.
"In addition to eight F/A-18 Hornets from No 3 Squadron participating in BP10, a C-17A Globemaster from RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland and a C-130H Hercules from RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales will provide airborne logistics support (carrying personnel, equipment and stores) for Australian Defence Force units travelling to and from BP10. The C-17A Globemaster and C-130H Hercules will not be participating in the exercise."
Source: ANS/www.defence.gov.au
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