NATO Military news , pictures & videos thread

[Miragedriver]

US Deploys in Mediterranean as NATO Brings in 25,000 Troops

Hundreds of US Marines are set to become part of a 25,000 troop NATO military campaign in the Mediterranean in an unusual move that will see them deployed on British and other European ships as tensions in Eastern Europe rise.

NATO is testing its ability to quickly deploy a Response Force, its highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces, in the face of what it perceives as Russian aggression. It has already deployed extra forces in and around the Baltic area, but is now moving to upgrade its presence in the Mediterranean.

US Marines would normally serve on US ships, however, with its forces currently heavily committed in the Middle East, it has been forced to rely on its NATO allies. The marines will initially test the use of their vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the MV22 Ospreys, on the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, as it requires strong flight decks.

The Osprey is used by the US Marines as it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, it can convert to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.

US Marines will also operate from British, Spanish, French and Dutch ships. "They all have ships that could potentially carry an alert force with Osprey," Brigadier-General Norman Cooling, deputy commander of Marine Forces Europe and Africa, told The Times.

The UK will be offering its biggest warship, the helicopter carrier and assault ship HMS Ocean, the Flagship of the Royal Navy. As Britain's older aircraft carriers have been taken out of service, HMS Ocean is the only platform the 150 US Marines can use.

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[Miragedriver]

Reactivated in Lisbon Maritime SNMG 1 NATO Force

(Defensa.com) One of the naval forces of NATO, the SNGM 1 (Standing NATO Maritime Group 1) was reactivated on 8 June at a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. In addition to the flagship, the frigate NRP "D. Francisco de Almeida "(F334) of the Portuguese and the Dutch Navy frigate Zr.Ms." Tromp "(F803), the SNMG1 will later surface with other units, including frigates FS" La Fayette "(F710), FS "Jean de Vienne" (D643) and FS "La Motte-Picquet" (D645) Franceas Navy, the Spanish frigate "Blas de Lezo" (F103), the ROS "Regele Ferdinand" (F221) frigate Romanian Marina The Canadian frigate HMCS "Winnipeg" (FFH 338) and the Norwegian frigate KNM "Fridtjof Nansen" (F310).

Over the next six months, the navy will conduct training missions off the Portuguese coast in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. During the stay in the Black Sea, the Navy will be completed with frigates from the navies of Bulgaria and Turkey. During the mission, the SNGM1 participate twice in the Active Endeavour operation and exercises like Sea Shield, Joint Warrior, Northern Coast and Trident Juncture. As early as June 15, the two frigates will participate in the exercise CONTEX / PHIBEX off the Portuguese coast, along with Portuguese Navy ships and naval units EUROMARFOR.

The SNMG1 is one of the four now integrated into the newly created Joint Task Force high availability, VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force) NATO ensuring the maintenance of a permanent maritime capability multinational naval groups for use operations and other activities, either in peacetime or in times of crisis or conflict. Besides SNMG1, NATO also has the SNMG 2 and two Naval Mine Warfare Groups of SNMCMG (Standing NATO Maritime Mine Countermeasures Group) 1 and 2.

The official ceremony in Lisbon was chaired by Vice-Admiral Peter Hudson of Britain's Royal Navy, the current Commander of the Command Maritime Allied Northwood, UK and was the Portuguese commander of the naval force and Task Force 410, Rear Admiral of the Navy Portuguese Alberto Manuel Silvestre Correia.

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[Miragedriver]

BALTOPS 2015, NATO exhibits muscle at the gates of Russia

(Defensa.com) A total of 49 ships, 69 aircraft and a submarine from seventeen countries will participate this year in BALTOPS, a naval military exercise that NATO organized annually in the Baltic Sea, but this year, before the worsening relations with Russia, and greater involvement of media, is particularly relevant. The exercises began last June 5, after focusing on the Polish port of Gdynia most participants ships before starting its operations in the Baltic Sea.

In addition to the NATO countries also participate nations such as Finland, Georgia and Sweden, although they are not integrated into the Alliance make a bet to interoperate with it. The Polish Navy, nation along the Baltic Republics more demanding greater presence of NATO forces in the area, provides the submarine ORP Kondor and six ships MCM (Mine Countermeasures). Of note is the presence in the British air base RAF Fairford three planes of US B-52 bombers, which simulate launching naval mines in southern Sweden, and even that facility have come ghosts B-2 bombers, which principle participate in the exercise of the Alliance Saber Strike 2015.

It is also planned a practice landing near the Polish coastal city of Ustka, west of Gdynia, which undertake 700 troops, shipped mainly amphibious ships USS San Antonio and HMS Ocean, belonging to the US Navy and the Royal Navy. Further notes in the accompanying photo, the presence of four attack helicopters AH-64W Apache and Chinook, on the cover of the British ship.

In addition to Poland, involved more than 5,000 troops from the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, the UK, USA, Turkey, Belgium, Norway, Canada, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Georgia. (July Corn)

Photo: First you can see the amphibious ship of the "Royal Navy" HMS "Ocean", just behind the USS "San Antonio" and further good background of the participants ships in BALTOPS 2015.

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[Miragedriver]

Smoke from detonated landmines rise over Dutch military vehicles partipating in the Nato Noble Jump military exercises of the VJTF forces in Zagan, Poland
Picture: Sean Gallup/Getty Images


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[Miragedriver]

NATO Exercises Ongoing Near Russia Since 2014

Great to see NATO members working together on a regular basis like this, especially in the face of Putin's aggressive expansion! The Russian reaction to these legitimate operations is sounding like a broken record. Too much crying and whining from Putin's government and the Kremlin-controlled press.

Putin's government wants people to think something fishy is going on here, but the reality is that all these exercises are taking place in the territory, airspace, and waters of NATO member states. It is perfectly legal to hold these exercises and they are not in violation of any treaties or international law.

Ironically, anti-NATO propaganda from Putin's government has worked against Russia. We probably owe Putin some thanks for creating the right conditions to bring all the NATO partners back together after 2 decades of waning interest from some members. Putin provided the perfect opportunity for NATO members to "renew their vows" and unite to face the current threat to peace in Europe. They couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to maintain and strengthen the alliance. It will be NATO's strength and unity that will contain and deter Putin from making any more land grabs in Europe. That is great news for everyone... except Putin's government.

Besides, I don't see NATO troops in a country where they aren't welcome, either on duty or "on vacation".


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[Miragedriver]

Old news

Dragoon Ride: 2d Cav. Regt. returns home to Germany

VILSECK, Germany -- More than 400 Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Europe's 2d Cavalry Regiment completed a

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mile road march across Eastern Europe April 1.

The road march, dubbed Operation Dragoon Ride, began as Stryker Armored Vehicles driving from Estonia, Lithuania and Poland towards the unit's home base at Rose Barracks, here.

All three convoys of vehicles converged in the Czech Republic and then, together, continued home.

Altogether the convoy consisted of

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vehicles and included around 60 Stryker Armored Vehicles.

In addition to the Soldiers of 2d Cav. Regt., Soldiers from 4th Infantry Division's Mission Command Element, from Fort Carson, Colorado, provided oversight and assistance throughout the operation.

Helicopters from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Army logisticians from the 21st

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, NATO jets and U.S. Air Force assets also assisted in the mission's success.

Operation Dragoon Ride's vehicles began marching home on March 21, marking the effort to showcase NATO unity and solidarity the longest vehicular road march by U.S. forces in Eastern Europe since World War II.


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[Miragedriver]

Army Looking to Store Tanks, Equipment in Eastern Europe

U.S. Army Europe will soon dispatch a survey team to eastern Europe to scout locations for tanks and other military hardware as part of a broader effort to bolster the U.S. military presence in a region rattled by Russia's intervention in Ukraine, the Army's top commander in Europe said Friday.

"We are doing surveys here in the next few weeks up in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria to see if there is a place where perhaps some of that equipment could be stored there," USAREUR chief Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said during an interview with Stars and Stripes. "Maybe it's a company, maybe it's a whole battalion, we don't know yet until we do the survey."

In 2015, the Army expects to rotate a full-sized, U.S.-based heavy brigade of some 3,000 troops and additional tanks and other armored vehicles through Europe in connection with the service's Regionally Aligned Force initiative. Last year, the program kicked off on a smaller scale, bringing combat tanks back into Europe after a brief absence following the elimination of two Germany-based heavy brigades in 2013. Now, the regional concept is picking up steam, with plans for 220 armored vehicles in Europe.

"The big question for us right now is ‘where are they going to go?' Obviously, a part is going to stay here," Hodges said, referring to the Grafenwöhr training area. "We really want to put some in southeastern Europe, some in the

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, some in Poland. Those countries want them bad -- an obvious reason, they're a deterrent aspect."

Once the surveys are concluded, a formal recommendation will be submitted to European Command chief Gen. Philip Breedlove, Hodges said. That will happen sometime in February.

In the meantime, the challenge is finding places to store all the inbound heavy gear. Initially, the regional brigade concept called for forward positioning enough equipment to support a battalion rotating through Europe at any given time. Hodge's plan calls for expanding those "European Activity Sets" to the brigade level, making it easier for larger elements to move in and out of Europe for training missions.

"The European Activity Set is growing obviously," Hodges said. "The ultimate EAS will include the full armored brigade combat team, three maneuver battalions, a reconnaissance squadron, artillery, engineers and all that. That's probably about 220 armored vehicles, tanks, Bradleys."

Hodges expects all the heavy armor equipment to be in place by the end of 2015.

"Some of it is already here now, in fact, its right at Grafenwöhr," he said.

Meanwhile, USAREUR could for a time hold on to at least one site that it had previously planned to turn over to the Germans -- Coleman Barracks in Mannheim -- which has the potential to be used as a temporary storage site until permanent locations are found in the east, according to USAREUR.

Hodges, who was at the Army's sprawling training center in Hohenfels, Germany, on Friday to observe U.S. soldiers working alongside Canadian, British, Dutch and Hungarian troops, said the Army plan to rotate a heavy brigade through Europe comes at a crucial time. The latest rotational brigade bound for Europe -- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division -- fits into an overall European Command strategy that aims to deter Russian aggression, reassure allies in the east, and strengthen training partnerships with allies, Hodges said.

Europe-based troops also continue to play a key role. In the spring, the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade will deploy a battalion into

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to train the country's national guard and Defense Ministry personnel in a range of tactics, Hodges said.

For nearly a year, Ukrainian forces have been at war with Russian-backed separatists in the country's east. While Moscow has denied sending troops into Ukraine or providing heavy weapons, Hodges said there are numerous signs of Russian involvement.

"Hundreds of armored vehicles, rocket launchers and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that are being provided, either employed by Russians or by their proxies in the eastern Ukraine," Hodges said. "The sky is full of Russian UAVs and they are immediately finding all the Ukrainian formations, and (the Ukranians) are suffering huge causalities from artillery, rockets."


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[Miragedriver]

Unfortunately, this is a typical AP story, which is a total piece of propaganda. Defense Minister Carter is seems to be trying to feather his own political nest by sounding important. America deserves better military leadership than this.

Carter: US to provide weapons, aircraft, commandos for NATO

MUNSTER, Germany (AP) — The U.S. will contribute weapons, aircraft and forces, including commandos, for NATO's rapid reaction force, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday, to help Europe defend against security threats, including Russia from the east and violent extremists from the south.

Under the plan, the U.S. will contribute intelligence and surveillance capabilities, special operations forces, logistics, transport aircraft, and a range of weapons support that could include bombers, fighters and ship-based missiles. It would not provide a large ground force.

Carter announced the new details about the U.S. contribution after meeting with defense ministers from Germany, Norway and the Netherlands. Those countries had agreed to provide the initial troops for the so-called very high readiness task force, which was announced last year at the NATO summit in Wales. The U.S. had pledged to support the task force, but NATO has been waiting to hear specifically what America was willing to provide.

U.S. officials said there have been no final decisions on the number of troops that could participate, or where they could come from. The officials said many of the forces could come from those already stationed in Europe. But the plan could result in a temporary increase in US forces in Europe in the event of a crisis, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss details of the agreement publicly.

No U.S. troops or equipment will move immediately, but instead they would be made available within 48-72 hours if requested, and approved by American leaders, in response to a crisis. Officials said the top U.S. commander in Europe, currently Gen. Phil Breedlove, would make the request for any troops or equipment needed.

Carter said the U.S. is contributing aid "because the United States is deeply committed to the defense of Europe, as we have been for decades."

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) listens to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as they arrive for th …

His remarks in Munster came shortly after he delivered a speech in Berlin, calling for Germany and other NATO allies to stand together in the face of Russian aggression and other security threats in the region. But Carter insisted that no one is looking for another Cold War or new hot conflict with Moscow.

Speaking not far from Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate, Carter pointed to the progress that Europe has made since the end of the Cold War, and said Russia must not be allowed to turn back the clock.

"We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot war with Russia," Carter said at Atlantik Brucke, a Berlin think tank that focuses on the German-U.S. relationship. "We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake: we will defend our allies, the rules-based international order, and the positive future it affords us. We will stand up to Russia's actions and their attempts to re-establish a Soviet-era sphere of influence."

Carter's stop in Berlin is the first of several in Europe, where a key theme is how the United States, NATO and other partners can best deal with the Kremlin in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and its military backing of separatists battling Ukraine's government on the eastern border.

Part of the calculous, Carter said, will be a new playbook for NATO that deals with Russia's aggression while also recognizing its important role in the nuclear talks with Iran and the fight against Islamic State militants.

A Ukrainian serviceman investigates a crater left by a Grad rocket in the village of Toshkivka, Luha …

He said that as Russia modernizes its military, it also is trying to undermine NATO and threatening to erode economic and security stability with its recent nuclear sabre-rattling.

He also continued to urge Germany and others to adhere to promises made at the NATO summit in Wales last year and increase defense spending. He warned against a tendency for countries to turn inward.

Carter will next travel to Estonia, in Russia's backyard, and Brussels, where he will attend a meeting of defense ministers.

The Pentagon chief, who will attend his first NATO meeting as secretary of defense this week, said he wants to lay out a two-pronged approach to allies, which involves bolstering Europe's military ability to deter Russia's military actions, while working with Moscow to fight terrorism and hammer out a nuclear agreement with Iran.

Carter's trip comes as the European Union extended economic sanctions against Russia until January to keep pressure on Moscow over the conflict in eastern Ukraine. And it follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that he will add more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles that are capable of piercing any missile defenses.

In other comments during a question and answer session, Carter said the U.S. is already supporting Ukraine through training and other equipment, and that "we provide weapons to Ukraine." Officials clarified that the U.S. has still not decided to provide lethal weapons, but continues to provide defensive equipment such as radars. In later remarks, Carter said the U.S. was providing only training and equipment.

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[FORBIN]

Portuguese Navy exercises with Allies

 

[Miragedriver]

The Scorpion for customers in Europe and America

(Defensa.com) The Scorpion AirLand Textron system is actually a proposal for light attack missions which in turn complements the functions of reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence and all with the prospect of operating at reduced costs. Developed jointly by US companies and AirLand Entrerprises Textron, began its conception in 2012, being built by Cessna booked in Wichita, Kansas character.

The apparatus has a curb weight of 5,352 kilos and its maximum takeoff weight stands at around 9.6 tons. Powered by twin Honeywell TFE731 turbofan engines capable of providing a top speed of 833 km / h. The cabin has two seats in tandem, which correspond to the pilot and the operator of the sensors and weapons systems respectively. Most of its components are parts used in the Cessna Citation and platforms, making their development and production costs are significantly reduced by using materials whose warranty and development costs are amortized. Another important factor is the cost of operation, in this case, Textron the figure at less than $ 3,000 per flight hour, that with his reduced manufacturing costs make the system very competitive.

One of the most significant aspects of their image and outside line, is undoubtedly the back tail of the aircraft, the V system similar to the F-18 gives a very own image and improve its operation. The horizontal stabilizers have been sized to provide greater maneuverability even at high speeds. Texton still working on the integration of mission systems; for example, has recently joined the radar Thales I-Master in the bottom of the fuselage, and consequently has an integrated 15-inch monitor in the rear cabin to manage said sensors. Six points located at the bottom of the fuselage, allowing you to carry up to 2.8 tons of weapons systems, including standard incorporated precision guided munitions or weaponry.

As multimission system and low cost, in the near future it will concur in competitions in Europe, USA and South America; always hunting the first client to make the project viable. The first flights reproduction to meet the standards and certification is expected by early 2016

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