16 September 2011 — Stop NATO

• Libya: AFRICOM Draws Lessons From Its First War
• White House, NATO Forge Ahead With European Missile Shield
• U.S.-NATO Interceptor Missile Anaconda Coils Around Russia
• U.S. Marine Black Sea Force Integrates 13 Regional Armies For NATO
• Video: NATO ‘Humanitarian’ Wars: Libya, Syria… Algeria?
• Kosovo Showdown: NATO, Serbs Block Competing Checkpoints
• UNSC Emergency Session On Kosovo On Russian, Serbian Initiative
• Video And Text…Russian UN Envoy: NATO Connives With Separatists In New Kosovo Threat
• Video: NATO Ready To Intervene In Northern Kosovo
• Russian Envoy Storms Out Of Kosovo Security Meeting
• Australia: U.S. To Deploy Troops, Gain Bases
• U.S. ‘Cautions’ Russia Over Joint Naval Drills With North Korea
• Border With NATO: New Russian Air Defense Systems In Joint Drills With Belarus
• NATO’s Top Military Chief Awarded For ‘Contributions To Global Peace’
• Dutch Troops Held Accountable For War Crimes In Indonesia

Libya: AFRICOM Draws Lessons From Its First War

http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=65344

U.S. Department of Defense
September 15, 2011

Africa Command Learns from Libya Operations
By Jim Garamone

-‘[M]ost of the intelligence analysts, most of the targeteers across the United States military have done this in previous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and other places,’ Ham said. ‘They know how to do it but, collectively, Africa Command had not previously done this.’
Ways to sustain this expertise is something the command must look at in the future, the general said. The same is true, he added, in the maritime environment.

WASHINGTON: Libya was the first major combat operation for U.S. Africa Command, and its men and women responded well, the unit’s commander said.
Still, Africom – the military’s newest combatant command – is assessing the lessons learned from Libya and will make necessary changes, said Army Gen. Carter F. Ham.

Ham spoke to the Defense Writers’ Group here yesterday.

In March, Africom participated in Operation Odyssey Dawn…Later, the operation was transferred to NATO’s Operation Unified Protector.
Officials have to examine the Libya operations closely to draw lessons, the general said.

‘It would be wrong in my mind to say ‘this is the template, this is the model’ we will follow,’ Ham said. ‘As all military operations are, they are conditions-specific.’

…

Africom was able to respond quickly to aid Libya, he said, because of the U.S. military’s flexible air and maritime forces based in Europe.

‘There was great support from NATO nations for basing and overflight and, in many cases, contributions of forces,’ he said. ‘It was a great international effort, and there is something to be learned from that.’

Operation Odyssey Dawn was able to build on the NATO framework, and other non-NATO allies also were able to fall in on that framework.

‘How you do that in other parts of the world where you don’t have that standing alliance is something we need to think seriously about,’ Ham said.
Officials, he added, also have to look at how to bring together a multinational coalition without NATO standing agreements and interoperability that played such a great role in the Libya campaign.

Inside Africom, the general said, the greatest learning curve involved kinetic targeting.

‘It was not something we had practiced; we didn’t have great capability honed and refined inside the organization, and Odyssey Dawn really caused us to work in that regard,’ Ham said.

The command had to define what effects it needed, and what specific targets would contribute to achieving those effects – a precise endeavor, Ham said. If attacking a communications node, planners must ask themselves what does that particular node do? How does it connect to other nodes? What’s the right munition to use?…What’s the right time of day to hit it? What’s the right delivery platform? And finally, how to synchronize attacks.

‘That level of detail and precision … was not something the command had practiced to the degree that we were required to do in Odyssey Dawn,’ Ham said.

The expertise came very quickly, the general added.

‘It’s unsurprising to you that most of the intelligence analysts, most of the targeteers across the United States military have done this in previous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and other places,’ Ham said. ‘They know how to do it but, collectively, Africa Command had not previously done this.’

Ways to sustain this expertise is something the command must look at in the future, the general said. The same is true, he added, in the maritime environment.

Ham said interoperability with non-NATO allies is another aspect that needs to be strengthened. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and others participated in the Libyan operation.

Going forward, Africom has to stress interoperability with partners on the continent…

The United States has to craft those practices with African partners, he added.

====

White House, NATO Forge Ahead With European Missile Shield

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/15/fact-sheet-implementing-missile-defense-europe

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 15, 2011

Fact Sheet: Implementing Missile Defense in Europe

-At the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, NATO made the historic decision to endorse a missile defense capability whose aim is to provide full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory, and forces…
-In March of this year the USS Monterey was the first in a sustained rotation of ships to deploy to the Mediterranean Sea in support of EPAA. Phase One also calls for deploying a land-based early warning radar, which Turkey recently agreed to host as part of the NATO missile defense plan.

‘To put it simply, our new missile defense architecture in Europe will provide stronger, smarter, and swifter defenses of American forces and America’s Allies. It is more comprehensive than the previous program; it deploys capabilities that are proven and cost-effective; and it sustains and builds upon our commitment to protect the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats; and it ensures and enhances the protection of all our NATO Allies.’

– President Obama, September 17, 2009

President Obama is committed to protecting the United States, U.S. deployed forces, our European Allies and partners against the growing threat of ballistic missiles. In September 2009, on the recommendation of the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the President announced the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) for missile defense to provide that protection sooner and more comprehensively. Over the past two years, working together with our NATO Allies, the Administration has achieved significant progress in implementing that approach, and we are on a path to achieve the milestones the President outlined.

Since the announcement of EPAA, the Administration has made clear its desire to implement EPAA in a NATO context. At the Lisbon Summit in November 2010, NATO made the historic decision to endorse a missile defense capability whose aim is to provide full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory, and forces against the increasing threats posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. This decision is consistent with our efforts to broaden and strengthen NATO’s deterrence posture against the range of 21st century threats the Alliance faces. NATO also agreed to expand its current missile defense command, control, and communications capabilities to protect NATO European populations, territory, and forces. Allies at Lisbon welcomed the EPAA as the U.S. national contribution to NATO’s missile defense capability, as well as welcoming additional voluntary contributions from other Allies.

There are four phases of the EPAA to be implemented over the rest of this decade. We have made progress on each phase and are on a path to meet the goals the President set forth in 2009.

Phase One (2011 timeframe) will address short- and medium-range ballistic missile threats by deploying current and proven missile defense systems. It calls for the deployment of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)-capable ships equipped with proven SM-3 Block IA interceptors. In March of this year the USS Monterey was the first in a sustained rotation of ships to deploy to the Mediterranean Sea in support of EPAA. Phase One also calls for deploying a land-based early warning radar, which Turkey recently agreed to host as part of the NATO missile defense plan.

Phase Two (2015 timeframe) will expand our coverage against short- and medium-range threats with the fielding of a land-based SM-3 missile defense interceptor site in Romania and the deployment of a more capable SM-3 interceptor (the Block IB). This week, on September 13, the United States and Romania signed the U.S.-Romanian Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement. Once ratified, it will allow the United States to build, maintain, and operate the land-based BMD site in Romania.

Phase Three (2018 timeframe) will improve coverage against medium- and intermediate-range missile threats with an additional land-based SM-3 site in Poland and the deployment of a more advanced SM-3 interceptor (the Block IIA). Poland agreed to host the interceptor site in October 2009, and today, with the Polish ratification process complete, this agreement has entered into force.

Phase Four (2020 timeframe) will enhance our ability to counter medium- and intermediate-range missiles and potential future inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) threats to the United States from the Middle East, through the deployment of the SM-3 Block IIB interceptor. Each phase will include upgrades to the missile defense command and control system.

…

Moving forward, the Administration will continue to consult closely with Congress and with our NATO Allies to implement the vision the President set forth in September 2009. We will also continue to rigorously evaluate the threat posed by ballistic missiles and the technology that we are developing to counter it. The United States remains committed to cost-effective and proven missile defenses that provide flexibility to address emerging threats.

For more information on U.S. missile defense policy, please see the Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR):

http://www.defense.gov/bmdr/

====

U.S.-NATO Interceptor Missile Anaconda Coils Around Russia

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/15-09-2011/119052-romania_usa_missile_defense-0/

Pravda.Ru
September 15, 2011

USA and NATO tighten Anaconda loop around Russia
Vadim Trukhachev

-’Their task is to neutralize our nuclear weapons and push us out of the major areas of the world’s oceans. In this case – even from the Black Sea.?Turkey, of course, has its own views on the missile defense system, but Romania is a pawn in the hands of the U.S., and its elite exist only because of American support. The same can be said about Poland. As a result, there is a chain of U.S. missile defense sites along the Russian border, stretching from Turkey through Romania and Poland to Norway.’?

The U.S. and Romania signed an agreement on deployment of the elements of a U.S. missile defense system. Earlier it was reported that some elements of the EUROPRO system will appear in Turkey. Everything indicates that the U.S. military machine and NATO are inexorably approaching the Russian borders.

?The US-Romanian agreement was signed on September 13 during a visit to Washington of Romanian President Traian Basescu. The document was signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries – Hillary Clinton and Theodore Baconschi. Later Barack Obama met with the participants of the talks, although initially he was not planning to meet with Basescu.

According to the document, by 2015 elements of a U.S. ground-based missile defense system will appear at the former Romanian Air Force Base in Deveselu. They will include a radar (SAR) complex Aegis, an operational control center, and mobile missile batteries with Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor missiles. Approximately 200 U.S. military personnel will reside at the base, but if necessary this number will be increased to 500.

Nothing was said with regard to the fact of who the missile base will be directed against. Earlier, U.S. officials and Basescu had repeatedly reiterated that the missile defense is not directed against Russia. However, recently there was another event that made the Russian side doubt that statement.?

Some time ago the United States and Turkey announced that Turkish territory would host an early warning radar system, EUROPRO. Spokesman of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Selcuk Unal said that the decision to implement a projected system of protection against missile attacks by the U.S. and NATO was adopted at the Lisbon summit in 2010. Turkey has actively contributed to these original plans and made a significant contribution to the work. He added that there have been negotiations on the extent of Turkey’s participation in this system, which have finally entered into the final stage.

According to the Turkish diplomat, the radar will be located in the southeastern part of the country. This will allow ‘scanning’ the area with a radius of several thousand kilometers. Turkey insists that the new object is not directed against anyone, especially against Russia. This will only allow the country to contribute to the development of a new security system of NATO.?

According to the American plans, Turkey will first host a mobile radar detection system AN/TPY-2. By 2015 there will be a new sea-and land-based modification of the SM-3. Subsequently, the system will be improved further so that it successfully reflects the threat against the United States and Europe from missiles of medium and long range.

The appearance of the two similar objects in the immediate proximity of Russian borders could not but worry the leadership of the country. In his statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed the need to sign a special agreement clearly stipulating that the elements of a U.S. missile defense are not directed against Russia. ‘The developments only increase the urgency of the need to obtain solid, legally binding assurances from the U.S. and NATO that missile defense facilities being deployed in Europe are not directed against Russia’s strategic nuclear forces,’ commented MFA.?

‘The agreement with Romania to deploy a ground-based version of SM-3 missile system and Aegis at the former air base at Deveselu, as well as the recent announcement of the impending deployment of the U.S. forward based anti-missile radar AN/TPY-2 in Turkey, suggests that the implementation of U.S. and European missile plans is quick and smooth. This is happening amid a lack of progress in the NATO-Russian and Russian-American dialogue on the subject of missile defense,’ the Ministry commented.

‘Scheduled for deployment in Romania by 2015, regardless of the evolution of real missile challenges,a missile defense base is another link in the strategic infrastructure of the global missile defense system developed by the U.S. The NATO-Russia Council needs to develop effective and targeted decisions about the purpose and architecture of the missile defense in the region’, stressed the Russian Foreign Ministry.?

It may be added that the objects in Romania and Turkey are not the only ones of this kind. The United States and Poland agreed to deploy Patriot interceptor missiles at a Polish base in the town of Morag. The distance from this object to Kaliningrad is no more than 100 kilometers. As in the case of Romania, the Polish authorities also have repeatedly stated that Russian missile defense is not threatened. Initially it was planned to place these missiles near Warsaw, but they were eventually ‘pushed’ to the Russian border. ?Finally, further north there is an American radar in Norway, in the town of Varde, located near the Russian border.

Although officially its function is to monitor space debris, the Russian military and diplomats suspect that it was placed in violation of the ABM Treaty of 1972. Russia conducts regular talks on the operation of this facility with both the U.S. and Norway.

What does the emergence of a chain of objects of a U.S. missile defense system at the Russian borders mean? Military expert and senior vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Issues Konstantin Sivkov spoke on this subject in an interview with Pravda.ru:? ‘The U.S. and NATO continue the policy of encirclement of Russia with their bases in the framework of the project ‘Anaconda loop.’ Our country is still perceived by the Americans as the main strategic adversary, and they do not even make any secret of it.

‘Their task is to neutralize our nuclear weapons and push us out of the major areas of the world’s oceans. In this case – even from the Black Sea.?Turkey, of course, has its own views on the missile defense system, but Romania is a pawn in the hands of the U.S., and its elite exist only because of American support. The same can be said about Poland. As a result, there is a chain of U.S. missile defense sites along the Russian border, stretching from Turkey through Romania and Poland to Norway.’?

====

U.S. Marine Black Sea Force Integrates 13 Regional Armies For NATO

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/76989/bsrf-11-officially-comes-close-romania

Black Sea Rotational Force
September 14, 2011

BSRF-11 officially comes to a close in Romania
Story by Cpl. Tatum Vayavananda

-The Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force has been operating in Eastern Europe since April, participating in the security cooperation between American and regional partner nations to build military capacity, provide regional stability, and develop lasting partnerships with the allied countries, to include: Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Macedonia, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Bosnia, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia.
Along with the closing ceremony was combined-forces counterinsurgency demonstration between U.S. Marines and Romanian Marines to display the interoperability aspect of the mission.

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania: U.S. Marines and sailors stood alongside Romanian sailors, naval infantry and soldiers in a large formation to commemorate Black Sea Rotational Force 11’s deployment in the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions.

The closing ceremony was attended by Brig. Gen. Charles Chiarotti, deputy commander of Marine Forces Europe and Africa, Brig. Gen. James Lariviere, commanding general, 4th Marine Division, and Romanian Vice Adm. Aurel Popa, chief of Navy staff, as well as other officers of other nations that participated in BSRF.

‘[The ceremony] was put together to highlight the five-and-a-half months of engagements here in the [European] theater with all these countries,’ said Chiarotti.

‘We had [dignitaries] from Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Ukraine present at the ceremony. They represent only a fraction who we’ve reached out to; there was a total of 13 countries,’ he added.

The Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force has been operating in Eastern Europe since April, participating in the security cooperation between American and regional partner nations to build military capacity, provide regional stability, and develop lasting partnerships with the allied countries, to include: Romania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Macedonia, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Bosnia, Albania, Montenegro and Croatia.

Along with the closing ceremony was combined-forces counterinsurgency demonstration between U.S. Marines and Romanian Marines to display the interoperability aspect of the mission.

‘We’ve been building relationships but we also want to make sure they are proficient at conducting COIN operations if they have to,’ said Lt. Col. Nelson S. Cardella, commanding officer, BSRF-11.

‘They’ve been training in COIN and peacekeeping operations before, so they were very familiar [with operating together] at the squad and platoon level,’ added Cardella.

The Marines traveled throughout the region conducting military-to-military engagements to advise and work with partner nations in COIN and PKO as well as a non-commissioned officer academy that spent the tour helping allied nations understand the importance of a strong non-commissioned officer corps…

BSRF-11 is slated to redeploy back to the states this month. BSRF-12 is slated to return for the next iteration of the Black Sea Rotational Force program next year.

====

Video: NATO ‘Humanitarian’ Wars: Libya, Syria… Algeria?

http://tv.globalresearch.ca/2011/09/humanitarian-wars-libya-syria-algeria

Global Research
September 15, 2011

Video

Julie Tiel examines in-depth the background, context and disinformation around the political situations in Libya and Syria in light of US/NATO intervention and crimes against humanity being committed in these regions, as well as the potential implications for Algeria.

====

Kosovo Showdown: NATO, Serbs Block Competing Checkpoints

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=09&dd=15&nav_id=76412

B92/Beta News Agency
September 15, 2011

KFOR blocks one checkpoint, Serbs another

German members of KFOR are seen at Jarinje (Tanjug)

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: NATO troops in Kosovo, KFOR, tonight used barbed wire to shut down the Jarinje administrative line checkpoint between Kosovo and central Serbia.

As a consequence of this, the traffic at the checkpoint has come to a complete halt.

A little after 19:00 CET,, local Serbs in northern Kosovo used trucks to block the second administrative crossing, Brnjak.

The trucks are placed on both sides of the administrative line.

Serbs also blocked access to Jarinje with one truck.

At the same time, the main bridge in the ethnically divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica remains blocked with large quantities of gravel the Serbs placed on the road.

Serbs also completely blocked the Kosovska Mitrovica-Ribari? road in several places in the Zubin Potok municipality. Near Zup?e they created a barricade out of tree trunks, stopping the traffic in both directions.

A large number of cars are seen parked nearby, while Serbs from the Ibarski Kolašin region also joined the local residents at the barricades.

…

The situation in Zubin Potok is described as peaceful but tense.

All this comes as tensions are running high after the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština announced they would on Friday install their police and customs at the two checkpoints in the north.

Local Serbs reject the authority of the government in Priština, as well as the unilateral declaration of independence made by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in early 2008.

====

UNSC Emergency Session On Kosovo On Russian, Serbian Initiative

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/15/56234178.html

Voice of Russia
September 15, 2011

UNSC to hold emergency session on Kosovo

The UN Security Council will hold its emergency session on Kosovo on Thursday, Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s permanent envoy to the UN said earlier in the day.

The gathering was earlier initiated by Russia and Serbia, which has repeatedly expressed regret over the ongoing cross-border check points spat between Pristina and Kosovo Serbs, which Churkin said contributes to fueling tensions in the region.

====

Video And Text…Russian UN Envoy: NATO Connives With Separatists In New Kosovo Threat

http://rt.com/news/north-kosovo-unsc-clashes-601/

Video

RT
September 15, 2011

Fears rise of Pristina subduing North Kosovo by force

Tensions are growing in North Kosovo, as the UN plans emergency debates over a possible repeat of recent clashes on the Serbian border. Russia’s ambassador to the UN is worried the international peacekeeping forces are taking sides in the conflict.

The UN Security Council will focus on a July incident in which Kosovo’s authorities sent police to border posts in the north to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia.

This move, widely criticized as provocative, resulted in clashes with local residents, who are mostly ethnic Serbs unwilling to acknowledge Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. In these clashes, a border post with Serbia was burned down, a Kosovo policeman was killed and several others were wounded.

NATO had to deploy peacekeepers in the area to break up the two parties.

But Vitally Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, is worried that NATO, instead of fulfilling its peacekeeping function, is siding with the Albanian authorities.

‘Another very disturbing element in this situation is the international presence, which is there to preserve peace,’ Churkin told RT in an exclusive interview. ‘They seem to be cooperating with this very dangerous plan of the Albanian authorities.’

The Albanian plans for northern Kosovo are far from democratic, he added.

‘The intension was announced by the Kosovo-Albanian authorities in Pristina basically to take over northern Kosovo by force,’ Churkin stated. ‘They are citing all sorts of arrangements about the customs situation at the administrative border between Serbia proper and the province of Kosovo. Potentially it may create clashes and a crisis there.’

Watch RT’s full interview with Vitally Churkin:

http://rt.com/news/russian-un-ambassador-churkin-615/

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The northern area of the newly proclaimed country, along with Serbia itself, has refused to accept the mandate of the Pristina government.

====

Video: NATO Ready To Intervene In Northern Kosovo

Euronews
September 15, 2011

Video: NATO on standby for unrest in Mitrovica

====

Russian Envoy Storms Out Of Kosovo Security Meeting

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/16/56238917.html

Voice of Russia
September 16, 2011

Russian envoy storms out of Kosovo security meet

The Russian ambassador on Thursday stormed out of a regional security forum in Belgrade that brought together ministers of several European countries, foreign policy and security experts.

Alexander Konuzin was angered by the participants’ reluctance to discuss the situation in Kosovo, where he said NATO-backed Albanian separatists were poised to overrun two checkpoints on the border, separating the province from Serbia.

The UN Security Council is holding an emergency session in New York to discuss the situation Serbia’s breakaway province.

====

Australia: U.S. To Deploy Troops, Gain Bases

http://m.smh.com.au/world/us-australia-inch-towards-troops-military-deal-20110916-1kcsb.html

Sydney Morning Herald
September 16, 2011

US, Australia inch towards troops, military deal
Simon Mann

-[Defence Minister Stephen] Smith added that the new arrangements would denote the ‘single largest change to the day to day working arrangements of the alliance since the establishment of those joint facilities’.
-A communiqué issued by the parties elaborated on their decision to include cyber attacks within the treaty, committing them to going to war in the event of a massive cyber attack against either nation.

Australia and the US are edging closer to a deal that would see more US troops using Australian facilities for training and joint exercises, as well as the positioning of US military equipment in Australia.

Concluding a day of ministerial talks marking the 60th anniversary of the Australia-US alliance, both nations reported progress on their plan to deepen military ties amid a fast-evolving Asia Pacific.

…

The ramping up of co-operation ‘should present no difficulty at all’ for regional players, the foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, assured reporters at a joint news conference, citing America’s stabilising influence in the region and the fact the US had been invited to join the East Asia Summit.

…

Newly confirmed US defence secretary Leon Panetta was more blunt: ‘Our goal is basically to build on a very strong relationship … as best we can so that we can send a clear signal to the Asia Pacific region that the United States and Australia are going to continue to work together to make very clear to those that would threaten us that we’re going to stick together.’

The US has clashed recently with China over rights in crucial international shipping lanes, with Beijing rejecting a US proposal to host talks between China and Japan on the issue…

The extent and terms of the new cooperation between the ANZUS partners could be ready for unveiling during President Obama’s two-day visit to Australia in November.

…

Mr Smith added that the new arrangements would denote the ‘single largest change to the day to day working arrangements of the alliance since the establishment of those joint facilities’.

The so-called Australia and US Ministerial consultations (AUSMIN) talks were held in San Francisco’s sprawling former military base-cum-national park the Presidio, beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, where the ANZUS treaty was signed in 1951.

A communiqué issued by the parties elaborated on their decision to include cyber attacks within the treaty, committing them to going to war in the event of a massive cyber attack against either nation.

The parties, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, exchanged compliments over the nations’ enduring partnership.

…

She added: ‘The communiqué we have produced today is forward-looking and action-oriented, and it reflects our confidence in this alliance and what our two countries can, and will, accomplish together.’

====

U.S. ‘Cautions’ Russia Over Joint Naval Drills With North Korea

http://en.rian.ru/world/20110916/166877169.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
September 16, 2011

U.S. cautions Russia over joint naval drills with N. Korea

Washington: Any form of cooperation with North Korea should not jeopardize international efforts to convince Pyongyang to halt its nuclear weapons program, the U.S. State Department said.

The Russian military said on Tuesday Russia and North Korea could hold joint naval drills in the Yellow Sea in 2012 with the focus on sea rescue and humanitarian missions.

The plans were outlined during the visit of Russia’s Eastern Military District Commander Admiral Konstantin Sidenko to Pyongyang in August.

‘We are aware from press reports that Russia and North Korea have announced their intention to hold joint naval exercises next year,’ the State Department commented on Thursday.

‘Any engagement with the North Koreans should be conducted in a way that does not detract from the international community’s clear message of concern about the North’s weapons programs, and the necessity for Pyongyang to do what is necessary to return to the Six-Party talks,’ the State Department said.

…

The Six-Party talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan came to a halt in April 2009 when North Korea walked out of negotiations to protest the United Nations’ condemnation of its missile test.

====

Border With NATO: New Russian Air Defense Systems In Joint Drills With Belarus

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20110916/166879603.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
September 16, 2011

Russia to deploy S-400 air defense systems in joint drills with Belarus

-The joint Russian-Belarusian regional military force was formed 10 years ago. Its main objective is to defend the Union State’s western border and the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Russia will deploy advanced S-400 air defense systems during joint military exercises with Belarus in September, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Union Shield 2011 drills will be held in central and southern Russia on September 16-22. The exercises are aimed at improving combat readiness of the Belarus-Russian regional joint force, as well as raising interoperability between the units of the two countries.

Col. Vladimir Drik said on Thursday that S-400 and Pantsir-S air defense systems will be deployed during the operational phase of the exercises at the Ashuluk firing range in the Astrakhan Region.

The Union Shield 2011 drills will involve a total of 12,000 troops, as well as up to 50 aircraft and 200 combat vehicles, including 100 tanks.

Defense and security cooperation is an important part of the Russian-Belarusian Union State’s activities. The joint Russian-Belarusian regional military force was formed 10 years ago. Its main objective is to defend the Union State’s western border and the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Moscow and Minsk also signed an agreement in February 2009 on the joint protection of the Russia-Belarus Union State’s airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defense network.

====

NATO’s Top Military Chief Awarded For ‘Contributions To Global Peace’

http://www.aco.nato.int/afcea-david-sarnoff-award-banquet-2011.aspx

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 15, 2011

Adm Stavridis receives 2011 David Sarnoff Award

September 14, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) presented Admiral James G. Stavridis, U.S. Navy, Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, with the 2011 David Sarnoff Award.

AFCEA established the David Sarnoff Award, its highest honour, to recognize individuals who have made lasting and significant contributions to global peace. Recipients have demonstrated a sustained and personal commitment to furthering communications, electronics, and information technologies toward achieving a more secure tomorrow.

====

Dutch Troops Held Accountable For War Crimes In Indonesia

http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/dutch-held-accountable-war-crimes-indonesia

Radio Netherlands
September 14, 2011

Dutch held accountable for war crimes in Indonesia

A court in The Hague has held the Netherlands accountable for damage caused by war crimes in the Java village of Rawagede in 1947. The court said on Wednesday that the case is not subject to any statute of limitations.

Relatives of the victims had claimed damages for the suffering caused by the Dutch army.

The war crimes were committed by Dutch troops in a retaliatory exercise in the village. In the massacre 431 villagers were killed. The Dutch government has never acknowledged guilt or responsibility for the crimes.

At the time the Dutch army was attempting to counter revolutionary forces which were striving for Indonesian independence from the Netherlands.