NATO Buildup in Poland Portends Catastrophic Consequences – Vice Admiral

Source : http://www.strategic-culture.org

 

Commenting on the continuing buildup of NATO forces on Russia's borders, including a decision to beef up the rapid response force, and the announcement that the US would deploy heavy equipment in six Eastern European states, including Poland, Vice Admiral Marek Toczek told Sputnik that the dangerous escalation could have catastrophic consequences.

"I consider this to be another step in the escalation of tensions in the situation which has developed around [the conflict in] eastern Ukraine, Toczek stated. "I have always considered that such situations must be resolved exclusively via diplomatic talks," he added.

The Polish Navy veteran turned-politician stated that "this conflict cannot be resolved by military means, especially given the scale being considered. Either this is saber rattling, or a harbinger of something that can affect the people of Eastern and Central Europe, and not only them, –a harbinger of extreme catastrophe of a kind humanity has never known. In Poland there are many people –their numbers difficult to estimate in percentage terms, but very likely a majority, who are against these sorts of political decisions."

Toczek noted that Polish officials' enthusiastic approval of the initiatives to station equipment on Polish soil is aimed in part as a pre-election measure ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections this fall. "I do not believe that this is the way to resolve the conflict, and, by and large, I am very concerned that the leadership of my country is resolved to take such steps and such actions," the official noted.

Asked to comment on the contradictions between NATO's recent announcements and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's statements earlier this month that Russia does not pose an "immediate threat" to any NATO country and that "our aim is to cooperate" with Moscow, Toczek responded by noting that he is convinced "that we are dealing here with a manifestation of a kind of schizophrenia. Not in relation to the politician who uttered these words –it's difficult to disagree with him. However, pressures from various lobbies, which operate surreptitiously, and which are difficult to identify, result in informational chaos, and this also results in a poor understanding of what is truly going on by a significant portion of society."

Marek Toczek served in the Polish Navy between 1965 and 1996, rising to the rank of Vice Admiral in 1994. In the mid-1990s, he left the navy and became the president of the Polish Front, running for a seat in parliament during the 2001 parliamentary elections on the party list of the Alternative Social Movement. Since then, he has been a vice president of the social democratic Polish Labour Party — August 80.

US-Russia military lineup raises fears of war: Experts

Source : http://www.presstv.ir

The lineup of powerful military forces by the United States and Russia so close to each other has raised fears that a potential miscalculation could spark a major conflict between the two nuclear powers, according to a report.

The rhetoric and actions from Washington and Moscow have intensified in recent days amid the worst tensions since the Cold War, which both sides blame on each other.

"Given the tempo of Russian military operations over the last year," said Steven Pifer of the Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank and a former US ambassador to Ukraine, according to CNN.  "You have more interactions, more possibilities for things to go wrong."

The Pentagon has announced it is ready to store heavy military equipment in East Europe to counter “Russian aggression” in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine.

The US Navy is among those participating in a NATO landing exercise in Sweden and the US Air Force has declared it could be sending some of its most advanced warplanes to Europe.

The US has already sent B-2 and B-52 nuclear-capable bombers, F-15Cs and A-10 attack planes as well as Army and Navy assets to Europe for a show of force, according to CNN.

"I could easily see the day -- though I couldn't tell you the day exactly -- when the F-22, for example, rotates in is a possibility. I don't see why that couldn't happen in the future," Air Force Secretary Deborah James said this week, describing Russia as “the biggest threat” in the region.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country would add intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal this year.

“More than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defense systems, will be added to the make-up of the nuclear arsenal this year,” Putin said on Tuesday.

“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,” he added. "It is NATO that is coming to our borders, it's not like we are moving anywhere." 

Moreover, the number of flights by Russian strategic bombers over the US Air Defense Identification Zone doubled last year from their norm, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD.

In the latest provocative incident, Russian military aircraft had to be scrambled to ward off a US destroyer, USS Ross, in the Black Sea after it was found heading into Russia’s territorial waters late last month.

US officials and observers point to the Ukrainian conflict as the underlying issue for the increased tensions. 

Washington has so far bolstered the Ukrainian military through non-lethal aid and training. It has also imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia in coordination with European partners.

US senators are pressing President Barack Obama to provide lethal aid to Ukraine.

US may force Russian military’s hand: Moscow

Source : http://www.presstv.ir

Potential US military buildup near Russia’s borders may force the Russian military to respond in kind by reinforcing its frontier presence, says a Russian military official.

Army General Yury Yakubov, a coordinator from the Russian Defense Ministry’s general inspectors directorate, was responding to reports that the United States Department of Defense is planning to concentrate US heavy military hardware near Russian borders.

"If US heavy hardware including tanks, artillery systems, or other fighting vehicles does appear in some Eastern European and Baltic countries, this would mark the Pentagon and NATO's most aggressive step since the Cold War time of the past century,” he said on Monday.

“And Russia won't have anything else to do but bolster its forces and resources on the Western strategic theater of operations," the official noted.

Yakubov said the response would be initialized by the reinforcement the forces along Russia’s western border.
 
The comments came amid continued high tensions between Russia and the US-led Western military alliance of NATO over the crisis in Ukraine, which the West accuses Moscow of having a hand in. Russia denies the allegations.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that the Pentagon was ready to store heavy military equipment in East Europe to face a possible “Russian aggression” in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine.

The weaponry, which includes battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, was enough for as many as 5,000 American troops, the daily wrote.