NATO to boost special defense forces to 40,000 - Stoltenberg

Source : http://rt.com

 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that the Spearhead Force deployed in Eastern Europe will be extended to 40,000 troops.

"All together we expect this force to be 40,000 strong,"Stoltenberg said.

The announcement was made in Brussels ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers.The current strength of the Spearhead Force is 13,000 troops.Secretary General Stoltenberg said the threefold increase in troops was “substantial.”

"This will enable us to deploy our forces as quickly as we need when crises arise, while maintaining full political control," Stoltenberg said.

NATO member states welcomed the deployment of American military hardware in Europe. Stoltenberg said it doesn’t violate the Alliance’s international obligations. According to the NATO head, the Alliance won’t get into an arms race with Russia, but it has obligations to protect its allies.

NATO aims for a dialogue with Moscow, yet strengthening the Alliance’s defense capabilities doesn’t contradict this goal, said Stoltenberg. He stressed that strong defense is one of the conditions for a dialogue with Russia.

Although military cooperation between the Alliance and Moscow is on hold, political dialogue on various levels is ongoing. Direct communications between the militaries are also active to avoid incorrect interpretations of military activities.

During the media conference on Wednesday, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said that Russia and NATO were “saber-rattling” to provoke and intimidate one another, adding that “ it is important also that the alliance ... continues to commit to the collective will to defend all its members.”

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that Washington plans to station its military hardware, including tanks and armored vehicles, in a number of European countries.

Heavy armaments are going to be deployed to Europe for the purpose of conducting military drills, said Stoltenberg, answering a question about the move being possibly considered a provocation against Russia.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania will be hosting up to 250 vehicles, including Abrams tanks, Bradley armored vehicles and self-propelled howitzers.

NATO is preparing to adopt an assistance package for Moldova to help it modernized its forces, Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said he will meet the Ukrainian defense minister on Thursday to “review the challenges” the country faces. “We will also review the support we are providing for a strong and sovereign Ukraine,”said the NATO chief.

 

NATO conducting biggest beef up of defenses since Cold War – alliance chief

Source : http://rt.com

NATO is implementing “the biggest reinforcement” of defense since Cold War times, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, adding that the alliance is facing challenges from “the behavior of a more assertive” Russia.

“The NATO is facing a new security environment both caused by violence, turmoil, instability in the south, ISIL in Iraq, Syria, North Africa, but also caused by the behavior of a more assertive Russia, which has used force to change borders to annex Crimea and to destabilize eastern Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

He asserted that the alliance “has to respond” and they “are responding,” while meeting with the alliance’s soldiers in Poland on Thursday.

“We are doing so by implementing the biggest reinforcement of the collective defense since the end of the Cold War.”

Despite the comment, Stoltenberg stated that NATO “does not seek confrontation”with Moscow.“We continue to strive for a more cooperative and constructive relationship with Russia. And we don't seek a new arms race.”

On Tuesday Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if NATO threatens Russian territory, Moscow will respond to the threat accordingly.

“If someone threatens our territories, it means that we will have to aim our armed forces accordingly at the territories from where the threat is coming. How else could it be? It is NATO that is approaching our borders; it’s not like we are moving anywhere,” Putin said.

On Sunday it was reported that Poland and Lithuania were in talks with Washington about permanently stationing warehouses for US army equipment on their territories. Heavy weapons could be stored in the Baltic States, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.

At least 49 vessels from 17 countries, involving 5,600 troops overall, are now taking part in the US-led BALTOPS exercises in the Baltic Sea. The training operation kicked off from the Polish port of Gdynia on June 5 and then moved out into the Baltic Sea. It will run until June 20.

This year’s exercise involves the participation of 61 aircraft, a submarine and an amphibious landing force of 700 troops.

NATO member states Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Turkey, the UK and the US have dispatched their naval forces to take part in the drill.

The group has been joined by three partners outside the alliance – Finland and Sweden, which both have access to the Baltic Sea, as well as Georgia.

BALTOPS has been held annually since 1971. This year, NATO’s website stresses that the current, 43rd edition of the drill “is not held in response to any specific threat.”

Nato chief Stoltenberg need to bolstering European defense against IS and Russia

Source : http://interfax.ru

Moscow. June 18. INTERFAX.RU - The Alliance has to strengthen the security of its European partners in connection with the actions of the "Islamic State" (IS) and the policy of Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"NATO is a new step to strengthen security, which sparked a wave of violence, unrest and instability in the south - LIH actions in Iraq, Syria and North Africa. It is also due to increasingly aggressive behavior of Russia, which uses the power", - said Stoltenberg reporters in Poland , where he arrived to oversee the exercise of NATO Response Force.

"Therefore, we have to give the answer. We are responsible, and conduct the most extensive strengthening our collective security after the end of" Cold War. "The advanced power (rapid reaction force - IF) are a key element of the gain is great that you can monitor their activities, and that the teachings are in Poland "- said the secretary general.

The exercise involved more than 2 thousand. Soldiers from Belgium, the Czech Republic and Germany. Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway. Poland and the United States.

On the eve of Commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove said that Russia's actions can not be called the behavior of responsible nuclear powers. So he commented on the statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin that this year the nuclear forces of the Russian Federation will join the 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, later wrote in his Twitter account that plans to modernize Russia's nuclear potential is not contrary to the country's international obligations.