7 October 2011 — Stop NATO
- Panetta Praises NATO ‘Success’ In Afghanistan And Libya, Pushes Missile Shield
- U.S. Army In Europe Pre-Deployed For Wars In Africa, Asia, Balkans
- Pentagon Chief Applauds Stationing Of Interceptor Missiles Warships In Spain
- India Studies NATO Offer To Join Global Missile Shield Program
- U.S.-NATO Missile System Can Threaten Russia’s Strategic Potential
- Syria Escapes Libya’s Fate
- Pentagon Wants Japan To Adopt NATO Guidelines For Refueling U.S. Aircraft
- NATO’s 49-Nation Army In Afghan ‘Well Beyond’ 2014
- NATO To Keep Adriatic Charter Balkans Nations In Afghanistan
- U.S. Shifts Marines To Italy For African Operations
- AFRICOM Chief: More U.S. Military Advisers To Congo For Anti-LRA Operations
- Germany: 13 U.S. Paratroopers Injured In 1,300-Troop Exercise With NATO Ally
- ‘Real-World Crisis Situations’: NATO Exercises In Latvia
Panetta Praises NATO ‘Success’ In Afghanistan And Libya, Pushes Missile Shield
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=65577
U.S. Department of Defense
August 6, 2011
Panetta Cites Progress, Gaps in NATO Defense
By Cheryl Pellerin
-In advance of the NATO Summit in Chicago in May, Panetta said, the alliance must identify, protect and strengthen the core capabilities NATO needs to meet the kind of missions it is most likely to have over the next decade.
An example of such a capability is missile defense, he said.
BRUSSELS: Countries of the NATO alliance must work together to defend common security interests now and in the future, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.
At his final press conference of the Oct. 5-6 NATO defense ministerial, Panetta summarized key issues, praised the alliance and its success in Afghanistan and Libya, and detailed work that is needed to fill gaps in the alliance’s military capabilities.
‘Security in the 21st century will not be achieved by each nation marching to its own drummer,’ the secretary said.
‘The fiscal austerity our nations are facing and the pressure these budget constraints are putting on defense spending,’ he added, ‘make it all the more essential that we have alliances like NATO.’
Joining Panetta in NATO Headquarters’ Luns Auditorium were Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, and Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, supreme allied commander Europe.
In a morning session, the secretary participated in a meeting of ISAF representatives and those of troop-contributing nations to ISAF to discuss the war in Afghanistan.
‘General Allen presented a briefing of the situation in Afghanistan to that group, and reviewed the significant progress we’ve made in NATO’s largest effort’ and the transition from the coalition to Afghan-led security there, Panetta said.
‘It was amazing to look around that room and see all the nations that have contributed,’ he added. ‘ … It’s one of the largest coalitions that has come together in this kind of effort.’
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Another session today focused on the effort in Libya, he said, a ‘remarkable achievement’ that is nearing its conclusion with the fall of the Gadhafi regime.
After the ministerial, Panetta travels to Naples, home of the Allied Joint Forces Command, to meet with NATO commanders involved in Libya operations and receive briefings on that effort.
‘While this campaign has achieved its goals and demonstrated NATO’s effectiveness,’ Panetta said, ‘we all must come away from this experience determined to build on these successes and address some of the shortcomings in military capability that were exposed.’
A major theme of the ministerial was the need to ensure that NATO has the military capabilities it needs to successfully operate in the 21st century, even in a time of growing budget constraints, the secretary said.
In advance of the NATO Summit in Chicago in May, Panetta said, the alliance must identify, protect and strengthen the core capabilities NATO needs to meet the kind of missions it is most likely to have over the next decade.
An example of such a capability is missile defense, he said.
Yesterday at the ministerial, Panetta and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced that Spain agreed to port four U.S. Aegis ships at Naval Station Rota to support NATO’s missile defense system, among other things.
‘Alongside important agreements recently concluded with Romania, Poland and Turkey,’ the secretary said, ‘this agreement represents a critical step in implementing NATO missile defense.’
The Netherlands agreed on Sept. 29 to upgrade radars on four air defense and commando frigates in support of the missile defense effort.
Another effort addresses the need to bolster NATO capabilities in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, he said.
The Alliance Ground Surveillance program, or AGS, will allow NATO troops to use advanced radar sensors to perform persistent surveillance over wide areas from high-altitude unmanned air platforms.
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‘I appreciate the willingness of my fellow ministers,’ the secretary said, ‘to fight together [and] defend our common security interests.’
Together, he added, ‘I believe…we can build a stronger and more effective alliance for the future.’
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U.S. Army In Europe Pre-Deployed For Wars In Africa, Asia, Balkans
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=65573
U.S. Department of Defense
October 6, 2011
Army in Europe Has ‘Unique Opportunity,’ Commander Says
By Karen Parrish
-Two weeks ago, U.S. Army Europe participated in the 19th annual Conference of European Armies, Hertling said, which began at the end of Operation Desert Storm as a way for the U.S. Army Europe commander ‘to pull all of the [European] land forces commanders together in one place and have a three-day sit-down about what we were doing.’
-‘We’ve generated a lot of momentum in terms of training together and preparing for combat, and [European] forces have improved incredibly,’ he said. ‘When the war in Afghanistan begins to wind down, what do we do then?’
-Hertling said conference attendees ranged from colonels commanding small nations’ armies to larger countries’ three- and four-star land force commanders – all discussing regional exercises…and NATO’s Article 5 mutual support provision, which states that ‘an armed attack against one or more [member nations] shall be considered an attack against them all.’
WASHINGTON: While the future number of U.S. forces in Europe remains undecided, the NATO operation in Libya and past contingency events in Africa prove the advantage of basing troops there, the U.S. Army Europe commander said yesterday.
Lt. Gen Mark P. Hertling told reporters at a Defense Writers Group meeting here that Europe-based soldiers numbered 213,000 in 1989; today there are roughly 41,500.
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The Army in Europe, like the service overall, is geared toward the primary mission of preparing its forces to deploy, Hertling said. Since 2001, 20 to 40 percent of Europe-based soldiers have been deployed on any given day, with about 11,000 now on missions out of theater, he said.
Between deployments, forces in theater focus on the command’s second priority, which is training with other nations, the general said. His command partners with more than 40 nations in the region.
‘We have a very unique opportunity in Europe to train with the kinds of forces we will be deploying with,’ he said. ‘Last April, as an example, one of our brigades, the 172nd [Infantry] Brigade, did their final readiness exercise to deploy to Afghanistan.’
During that exercise, brigade soldiers trained with troops from nine other nations, ‘the same countries they would be working alongside of in their province in Afghanistan,’ Hertling added.
Training with troop-contributing countries and other partner nations extends beyond readiness exercises to noncommissioned officer and officer education courses, as well as multinational military conferences, the general said.
Two weeks ago, U.S. Army Europe participated in the 19th annual Conference of European Armies, Hertling said, which began at the end of Operation Desert Storm as a way for the U.S. Army Europe commander ‘to pull all of the [European] land forces commanders together in one place and have a three-day sit-down about what we were doing.’
While in past years the conference focused on preparing forces for Iraq or Afghanistan, discussion at this year’s gathering centered on Europe and ‘post-ISAF’ operations, he said, referring to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
‘We’ve generated a lot of momentum in terms of training together and preparing for combat, and [European] forces have improved incredibly,’ he said. ‘When the war in Afghanistan begins to wind down, what do we do then?’
Hertling said conference attendees ranged from colonels commanding small nations’ armies to larger countries’ three- and four-star land force commanders – all discussing regional exercises, their respective homeland security threats, out-of-area crisis response and humanitarian relief operations, and NATO’s Article 5 mutual support provision, which states that ‘an armed attack against one or more [member nations] shall be considered an attack against them all.’
During a dinner at the conference, Hertling said, one attendee from the United Kingdom told him the gathering of 38 land force commanders could not have been organized by any other nation.
The general said he had been on the battlefield with many who attended the conference, and with their forces, in 2003 and 2008.
‘There is a world of difference in our coalition partners,’ Hertling noted. ‘It is not the same group of guys that came to the battlefield when this fight started. They have used this war to grow a tactically savvy force.’
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Security threats across Europe also include drug and human trafficking, cyber attacks, and radical extremism, Hertling said, as well as ‘old ethnic threats’ such as an ongoing taxation dispute between Kosovo and Serbia that resulted in protests and blockades in recent weeks. U.S. Army Europe has training and oversight responsibility for the National Guard troops deployed to Kosovo, and contributed helicopter resupply support to the Guard when the blockades obstructed ground-based supply routes, he said.
U.S. soldiers in Europe serve as a forward-deployed force, and help build partner militaries’ capacity to prevent problems, Hertling said.
‘For the last 10 years, if you look at the four ‘P’s’ of the national security strategy – prepare, prevail, prevent, preserve – we have really been focusing hard on preparing and prevailing; getting troops ready to go, and then making sure they win,’ he said.
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Pentagon Chief Applauds Stationing Of Interceptor Missiles Warships In Spain
http://www.eucom.mil/english/fullstory.asp?article=Department-Defense-Announces-Increase-US-Naval
U.S. Department of Defense
October 5, 22011
Department of Defense Announces Increase of U.S. Naval Presence in Spain
Statement by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Stationing Aegis Ships at Rota, Spain
‘Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here. This is my first meeting here at NATO as secretary of defense and I am particularly delighted to be here alongside President Zapatero and Secretary-General Rasmussen to join them in announcing this very important agreement to station United States Aegis ships at Rota Naval Base in Spain. I’d like to thank President Zapatero for making the trip to Brussels in order to make this important announcement. The American people greatly appreciate his work and his efforts to help forge a deeper bilateral security relationship between our two nations and his strong support for the NATO alliance.
‘Today that security partnership takes a major step in the right direction. With four Aegis ships at Rota, the alliance is significantly boosting combined naval capabilities in the Mediterranean…This relocation of assets takes place as part of the United States ongoing effort to better position forces and defensive capabilities in coordination with our European allies and partners.
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‘These ships will also support NATO’s critical efforts to build effective missile defense. Alongside important agreements that were recently concluded with Romania, Poland, and Turkey, Spain’s decision represents a critical step in implementing the European Phased Adaptive Approach, as our leaders agreed to in Lisbon. For its part, the United States is fully committed to building a missile defense capability for the full coverage and protection of all our NATO European populations, their territory and their forces…
‘Beyond missile defense, the Aegis destroyers will perform a variety of other important missions, including participating in the Standing NATO Maritime Groups, as well as joining in naval exercises, in port visits, and maritime security cooperation activities.
‘By hosting these ships, Spain will continue its vital role in enhancing the security of the European region, the Mediterranean Basin, and the Atlantic Ocean. The agreement also enables the United States to provide rapid and responsive support to the U.S. Africa and U.S. Central Commands, as needed.
‘Again, I’d like to close by thanking President Zapatero and Secretary-General Rasmussen for their vision for their support of this important effort, and for their shared commitment to the continued strength and vitality of this NATO alliance. Thank you.’
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India Studies NATO Offer To Join Global Missile Shield Program
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2515627.ece
The Hindu
October 7, 2011
India studying NATO offer on joining missile programme
T.S. Subramanian
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) invitation to India in the first week of September to be a partner in its ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme is being analysed, according to V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.
‘We are analysing the report. It is under consideration,’ he said on September 30 after the successful launch of the Agni-II ballistic missile from the Wheeler Island on the Orissa coast.
India has so far conducted six interceptor missile tests as part of its quest to establish a credible shield against ballistic missiles launched from adversarial countries. Of these, five interceptor tests, including the first three in a row, were successful.
The first interceptor missile test took place in November 2006.
These six tests featured a missile launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on the Orissa coast, mimicking the path of a ballistic missile coming from an ‘enemy country’ and an interceptor launched from the Wheeler Island destroying the incoming missile in mid-flight.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is the author of India’s BMD programme and Dr. Saraswat is the programme’s architect. He is DRDO Director-General.
BALLISTIC CLASH
A top DRDO official had described an interceptor destroying an incoming ballistic missile in mid-flight as ‘hitting a bullet with a bullet.’
After three successful test-flights of Shourya, Prithvi-II and Agni-II missiles, all surface-to-surface missiles, on September 24, 26 and 30, the DRDO is getting ready to launch Agni-II Prime from the Wheeler Island. ‘The two stages of Agni-II Prime, their rocket motors and the re-entry vehicle are ready,’ the DRDO Director-General said.
Tessy Thomas, Project Director, Agni-II Prime, said: ‘We are flying’ the Agni-II Prime in the first week of November and that ‘everything is ready’ for the launch. The two-stage missile has a range of 3,000 km.
It will lift off from a road-mobile launcher, that is, a huge truck. Ms. Thomas was confident that a problem in the control system of Agni-II Prime in its maiden flight in December 2010 would be overcome this time.
The DRDO is also busy with the maiden launch of the Agni-V ballistic missile in December. The three-stage, surface-to-surface missile can take out targets 5,000 km away.
ON SCHEDULE
‘Agni-V is on schedule. We will launch it as announced by the Raksha Mantri [Defence Minister A.K. Antony] by the end of this year,’ said Avinash Chander, Chief Controller (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO. ‘All the sub-systems have been tested.’
Both the Agni-II Prime and Agni-V can carry nuclear warheads.
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U.S.-NATO Missile System Can Threaten Russia’s Strategic Potential
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/10/06/58287446.html
Voice of Russia
October 6, 2011
Russia calls post factum ABM decisions ‘unacceptable’
Alexander Vatutin
Moscow doesn’t think the US Administration’s is ready to take into account its concerns with Euro ABMs since Russia has no guarantees that the system doesn’t target its nuclear potential. This comes in a statement by Russia’s Foreign Ministry after a US–Spain agreement to deploy ships with American SM-3 missiles in that country.
Russia is annoyed with Washington’s intent to expand the territory of ABM deployment and to build up its military potential while paying no attention to other parties concerned. Moscow finds such post factum practice unacceptable as America’s decisions may negatively affect security and stability in the region. Such behavior may minimize chances provided by the Russia-NATO Lisbon summit to cooperate on ABMs instead of wrangling over them.
NATO’s Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has stated that the ABMs in Europe will be completed in 2018. The US plans to deploy interceptors in Poland, SM-3 ground based missiles in Romania and early warning radars in Turkey. None of these countries have asked Moscow’s advice.
Russia believes that the ABMs should be discussed on a parity basis involving trust and transparency. Russia also can’t see its role in the ABMs: if the US sees it as a passive observer, the country is not happy with this. The new system should comply with arms reduction principles and strategic stability. The current situation is quite the opposite, says political analyst Pavel Zolotarev:
‘America’s plans contradict the common nuclear reduction and non-proliferation trends. If the ABM parties don’t change their position, a Russia-US compromise is impossible. The problem is with the US.’
Thus, Russia insists on legal guarantees that ABMs will not target its nukes. Otherwise a second arms race may begin.
Pavel Zolotarev explains:
‘It also depends on the ABMs’ capability to hit Russian missiles. Russia will not accept violation of its strategic stability. The US, however, doesn’t guarantee non-boosting of its ABM potential and doesn’t want to sign any legally binding documents in this respect.’
Therefore Russia has decided to create its own air and space defenses and put it in operation already in December. However, ABM talks should go on, as cooperation between the nuclear superpowers is essential. They should be open and respect security of all parties involved.
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Syria Escapes Libya’s Fate
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=news-section&page=news-section&code_title=55
The Island (Sri Lanka)
October 6, 2011
Syria escapes Libya’s fate
An attempt by the US and its allies to turn Syria into another Libya has been foiled by China and Russia by vetoing a US Security Council resolution condemning Damascus and calling for ‘targeted measures’.
The defeat of the European-drafted resolution against Syria has come as no surprise because the Security Council stands sharply divided over the blatant abuse by the US-led western coalition of a UN resolution to effect a regime change in Libya on the pretext of protecting civilians in that country.
The US says it has been outraged by what China and Russia did. Its envoy, Susan Rice, called opposition to the anti-Syrian resolution a ‘cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people’. But, when her Syrian counterpart Bashar Jaafari, promptly pointed out that the US was using its power of veto to protect Israel and such action could be considered aiding and abetting genocide, she beat a hasty retreat and staged a dramatic walkout.
Jaafari is obviously defending a repressive regime, but one fails to see why the US has got so outraged. Does it have any concern for human rights? In 1986, it was the only country that voted against a Security Council resolution condemning Iraq (then under Saddam Hussain’s jackboot) for mustard gas attacks on the Iranian troops. The First Gulf War and sanctions the US engineered subsequently left over 500,000 Iraqi children dead. Over 600,000 Iraqi people have perished since the invasion by the US-led forces of their country in 2003. Tens of thousands of victims of Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant the US military sprayed on forests during the Vietnam War have been denied compensation. The US-backed anti-Gaddafi war has so far killed over 50,000 people in Libya as the rebel leader himself has admitted. In Afghanistan and the frontier provinces of Pakistan many civilians are being killed in US drone attacks. And Washington is championing human rights!
‘Today, the courageous people of Syria can see who on this council supports their yearning for liberty and universal human rights and who does not,’ an indignant Rice told the Security Council. How would the people who were oppressed by the US-backed brutal dictators like Suharto, Marcos, Pinochet, Papa Doc, Baby Doc, Shah et al have felt on hearing Rice’s statement? What about the people suffering under the pro-American repressive regimes in Yemen and Bahrain? Why hasn’t the US taken up the cudgels for those civilians crying out for help? Why isn’t the US championing the cause of the hapless Palestinians? It has threatened to use its power of veto to scuttle their move to achieve nation status through the UN, hasn’t it?
Germany has told the Security Council that the world should show solidarity with Syrians on the streets. Yes, that must be done! But, the problem is that it is not out of any love for them that the US and its allies are trying to move the UN against Syria. They want to oust Assad, who is loyal to Russia and China, and install a pro-western puppet regime in Damascus as part of their strategy to consolidate their power in that region. If they are really driven by a strong desire to protect human rights and promote democracy, as they claim, let them fight for the rights of the people of Yemen and Bahrain as well.
There seems to be only one way the ordinary Syrians could be extricated from the present mess. The western coalition must refrain from backing armed groups in Syria and trying to abuse the UN to bomb that country into submission; China and Russia ought to use their influence over President Assad to make him act with restraint, be tolerant of dissent and expedite the implementation of his promised democratic reforms.
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Pentagon Wants Japan To Adopt NATO Guidelines For Refueling U.S. Aircraft
http://www.stripes.com/news/new-tankers-allow-japan-to-refuel-u-s-aircraft-1.157083
Stars and Stripes
October 6, 2011
New tankers allow Japan to refuel U.S. aircraft
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa: Newly acquired fuel tanker aircraft will allow Japan to perform aerial refueling of U.S. military aircraft during joint exercises, the U.S. Department of Defense said this week.
In the past, the two countries signed an agreement for mutual air-to-air refueling, but the U.S. alone accomplished the work for both militaries because Japan lacked the aircraft required under NATO refueling guidelines, according to the DOD.
Japan recently bought four Boeing KC-767 tankers that will allow its military to fuel U.S. aircraft during exercises performed under the two countries joint security treaty, a move that could expand military capabilities, DOD said in a release.
So far, no Japanese aircraft have refueled U.S. aircraft. The department said the new tankers will be able to be used once Japan formally signs on to the NATO guidelines on refueling.
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NATO’s 49-Nation Army In Afghan ‘Well Beyond’ 2014
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-1DF0ADA6-2D371597/natolive/news_78932.htm
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
October 6, 2011
ISAF Ministers pledge support to Afghanistan beyond 2014
Today, Defence Ministers of the 49 nations which contribute to ISAF expressed strong commitment to support Afghanistan throughout the transition process and well beyond.
Ministers…stressed that Transition is not departure, but rather NATO will continue to support Afghanistan after 2014.
‘Let there be no mistake: transition is not departure. We will not take our leave when the Afghans take the lead. NATO nations have agreed an Enduring Partnership with the Afghan people and we will live up to it’ said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during the press conference following the meeting.
Defence Ministers exchanged views regarding the support that ISAF can provide to the Afghan authorities as the transition process continues. They agreed that at the NATO Summit in Chicago next May, they will outline in practical terms how to continue supporting Afghanistan after 2014.
‘At the Chicago summit, we will decide what comes next and how we can support the Afghan security forces further’, the NATO Secretary General highlighted.
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NATO To Keep Adriatic Charter Balkans Nations In Afghanistan
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-1DF0ADA6-2D371597/natolive/news_78982.htm
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
October 6, 2011
Adriatic Charter nations contribute collectively to training in Afghanistan
The Defence Ministers of Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro joined lead nation Croatia and contributing nation Slovenia today in pledging concrete support to the training of Afghan Military Police. In the margins of the NATO Defence Ministers Meeting, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding governing contributions to the Military Police School in Kabul, as part of NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan.
‘An engagement of this kind clearly demonstrates our full support for the new Allied strategy in Afghanistan through enabling critical capabilities and expertise for a successful implementation of the Transition process,’ said Croatian Defence Minister Davor Božinovi? in his opening remarks at the ceremony.
The joint initiative, supported by the US, contributes to the Afghan Military Police School in Kabul with the trainers needed to develop specialised skills…With this initiative, Croatia also hopes to reinforce the cooperation of the Adriatic Charter members and the efforts of those Charter member countries who aspire to become NATO members. The Defence Minister of Bosnia Herzegovina also attended today’s signing, reflecting the country’s plan to also contribute trainers to the initiative in February 2012.
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U.S. Shifts Marines To Italy For African Operations
http://www.stripes.com/news/marines-in-support-of-africom-establish-task-force-in-sigonella-1.156957
Stars and Stripes
October 5, 2011
Marines in support of AFRICOM establish task force in Sigonella
John Vandiver
STUTTGART, Germany: Marines began moving into their barracks this week at a U.S. base in Sigonella, Italy, which will serve as the new home to a special task force of reconnaissance troopers tasked with training African militaries fighting Africa-based terror groups.
The newly formed Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 12, which has been more than two years in the making, includes roughly 125 Marines, who will be focused mainly on training militaries across the Sahel — a northern region of Africa…
‘It’s not necessarily limited to that, but it is our primary focus,’ said Maj. Dave Winnacker, executive officer of the Marine task force. ‘We’re eager to put these skills to work wherever there is work.’
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For the past three months, members of the new unit has been making preparations at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. One of the main areas of focus has been getting Marines, who have spent much of the past decade fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, out of war-fighting mode…[sic]
Because the Marines also will be operating in relative isolation, without the kind of back-up support available in a war zone, they are also learning force protection tactics, according to Marines.
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The missions will be one year in length, roughly seven months spent overseas with the rest of the time focused on pre-deployment training and redeployment.
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AFRICOM Chief: More U.S. Military Advisers To Congo For Anti-LRA Operations
Stars and Stripes
October 4, 2011
AFRICOM boss talks Libya, budget and the LRA
By John Vandiver
STUTTGART, Germany: As NATO’s military mission in Libya nears the end, U.S. Africa Command is looking at ways it can continue to provide security support to the country’s new leadership amid concerns about weapon proliferation in the region, Gen. Carter F. Ham said on Tuesday.
During an appearance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Ham, head of Africa Command, said it will likely need to retain a certain amount of capacity to assist the National Transition Council of Libya…
[W]hen asked by an audience member what the command is doing to eliminate the threat posed by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group operating in central Africa, Ham said his command remains committed to providing intelligence gathering support to regional militaries.
AFRICOM also could be sending more advisers to the region, such as sending more trainers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where AFRICOM has already trained one battalion taking part in operations against the LRA. ‘We’re in discussions in the DRC about increasing that effort,’ Ham said.
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Germany: 13 U.S. Paratroopers Injured In 1,300-Troop Exercise With NATO Ally
Stars and Stripes
October 5, 2011
Paratroops injured during Germany exercise involving 173 Airborne
By Steven Beardsley
HOHENFELS, Germany: Thirteen paratroopers suffered head, spine and pelvic injuries during a large-scale parachute drop here on Wednesday, the opening day of a monthlong training scenario for the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and several multinational units, garrison clinic officials said.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, 35 soldiers had been tended to for injuries due to the drop, including 10 with serious injuries evacuated by helicopter and eight transported by ground to a hospital in nearby Regensburg, a garrison clinic official said. Fifteen were treated at the clinic, a staging point for the injured. Several more soldiers were en route to the clinic.
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More than 1,300 soldiers jumped into the Hohenfels Training Area in two waves on Wednesday to begin a massive training exercise known as a full spectrum training environment. Most were paratroopers with the 173rd, although a unit of Polish soldiers also jumped.
Most of the injuries came from the first wave of the morning drop, when roughly 650 soldiers jumped, according to officials.
After a first pass by the planes, witnessed by a reporter, eight parachutes could be seen hanging in trees on the northeast side of the drop zone. On two more passes, most soldiers landed in the drop zone.
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‘Real-World Crisis Situations’: NATO Exercises In Latvia
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
October 6, 2011
NATO’s Overarching theme is ‘SMART’ for Exercise Steadfast Pinnacle 2011
Written by U.S. Army Major Robin L. Ochoa
Latvia, a NATO member since 2004, was the scene of the Steadfast Pinnacle and Pyramid Exercise 2011. The annual exercise is built on fictitious scenarios that resemble likely real-world crisis situations and put commanders and senior staff members through real-life training to meet the demands of the ever-changing operational environment.
During the exercise, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Polish Army General Mieczys?aw Bieniek, had the opportunity to visit and engage with senior officers and commanders whose activities were mostly driven by the newly developed Comprehensive Operations Planning Directive (COPD) and who were required to refine their skills to meet the complex operational environment.
‘The aim of this exercise, conducted alongside Steadfast Pyramid, was to allow commanders and senior staff to develop additional skills that will enhance their effectiveness in leading their commands and staff during the planning and conduct of operations,’ said Bieniek.
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While in Latvia, Bieniek also had the opportunity to meet with Latvian Chief of Defence, Major General Raimonds Graube. They discussed the current and future situation of Latvian armed forces as well as cooperation with ACT, and NATO’s way towards the NATO Summit in Chicago.
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Bieniek then paid a visit to the Latvian National Armed Forces Joint Headquarters and Joint Operations Centre where he received a brief on the Latvian Defence Planning Process and Capability Development.
Graube stated, ‘We want to be a provider of capabilities to NATO, not only a user of them, NATO is created not only to defend Latvia, but to defend all NATO Members.’
In a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Girts Valdis Kristovskis, Bieniek and Kristovskis discussed the Multinational Approach Task Force initiative and development of the Latvian Armed Forces.
‘Latvia is interested in international cooperation in the area of capability building and involvement in the Multinational Approach projects,’ said Kristovskis.
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