NATO Military news , pictures & videos thread

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
This will be a separate thread for NATO exercises, involvement, and news. No politics or ideology please.

Naval force, Air Forces, and Army forces exercises and news for NATO should be discussed here.

We have threads for most countries and for the rest of Europe...but NATO includes the US, Canada, Turkey and others and they have regular naval and military exercises that would be best reported on as NATO news.

So here goes with the first News report:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!



NATO-Standing-Naval-Forces-Take-Part-in-Exercise-Joint-Warrior-1024x685.jpg

Naval Today said:
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups ONE and TWO (SNMCMG1, SNMCMG2) ships are in Scotland for the UK-led Exercise Joint Warrior 15-1.

SNMG2, led by U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Brad Williamson, comprised of the flagship USS Vicksburg, HMCS Fredericton, TCG Goksu, and FGS Spessart are in Faslane. SNMCMG2, led by Italian Navy Captain Giovanni Piegaja,comprised of the flagship ITS Euro, TCG Anamur, and FGS Bad Bevensen are in Glasgow. While, SNMCMG1, led by Dutch Navy Commander Peter Bergen-Henegouwen, comprised of flagship FGS Donau, BNS Lobelia, FGS Auerbach, HMS Pembroke, ORP Mewa, HNLMS Willemstad, and HNOMS Rauma are also in Glasgow.

Lieutenant Commander Matthew Hamm, USS Vicksburg’s operations officer, said:

"This exercise is a unique opportunity for us to work with our Allied shipmates. For most U.S. Sailors, our training and qualifications are done with other U.S. Navy ships; multinational exercises like this help our Sailors learn how to cooperate and excel with other navies in a challenging and multidimensional environment.

Exercise Joint Warrior will run until 24 April. Three of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces consisting of 14 ships have joined more than 40 additional warships and submarines, as well as 70 aircraft. In total, around 13,000 personnel from 13 countries are participating in the exercise.

The exercise provides complex coordinated training at the joint level, increasing interoperability between Allied forces and providing valuable experience integrating land, air, and maritime forces. NATO’s Standing Naval Forces will test their anti-air and anti-submarine warfare skillsets, as well as conducting mine countermeasures training in advance of amphibious landings.

In addition to numerous Joint Exercises between nations, and their own individual exercise, NATO provides all of these nations with the opportunity to do even more very pertinent and applicable exercises together.

As a result, the NATO nations naval forces are among the most exercised and experienced in the world. Of course, similar exercises in the Pacific, add Japan, Korea, Australia, and others to a similar state of strong experience and high readiness.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


140226-Kent-Norway-03.jpg
Naval Today said:
NATO’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise DYNAMIC MONGOOSE 2015 (DMON 15) began today, Monday, 4 May 2015, off the coast of Norway, with ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from 10 Allied and 1 partner nation converging on the Norwegian Sea for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare training.

Submarines from Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United States, under operational control of NATO Submarine Command (COMSUBNATO), will join thirteen surface ships from Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States under the command of Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG-2) Rear Admiral Brad Williamson. The surface ships will include the Norwegian Research Vessel H.U.SVERDRUP II and the NATO Research Vessel NRV Alliance. As the host nation for the exercise, Norway is providing support from both the Haakonsvern Naval Base and the Sola Air Base.

To support the simulated multi-threat environment, three Maritime Patrol Aircraft from France and Germany will operate from Sola Air Base under operational command of personnel from NATO Maritime Air Command (COMMARAIR), temporarily located at the base for the exercise.

Additionally, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom are providing personnel to augment COMSUBNATO during the exercise.

The aim of this exercise is to provide all participants with complex and challenging warfare training to enhance their interoperability and proficiency in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare skills. DMON15 provides emphasis on the safety of all participants.

This year NRV ALLIANCE, operated by NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) will participate the exercise. NRV Alliance conducts underwater research and experiments in all oceans of strategic importance to NATO nations, from the Mediterranean to the polar margins of the North Atlantic.

Each surface ship under the tactical command of SNMG2 will have the opportunity to conduct a variety of submarine warfare operations. The submarines will take turns hunting and being hunted, closely coordinating their efforts with the air and surface participants.

These are very valuable, and realistic exercises.

At least five submarines will run various individual and group attack and recon scenarios against individual and groups of vessels from ten countries. Thirteen surface vessels in all.

In addition, three MPA aircraft from France and Germany, will join in and assist in finding and prosecuting the subs. That will mean Atlantique II and P-3C Orion aircraft respectively.
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!



Göteborg-Sweden-Hosts-SNMCMG1-1024x683.jpg

Naval Today said:
On Friday, May 1, the seven ships of Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group ONE (SNMCMG1), under the command of Dutch Navy Commander Peter A.J. Bergen Henegouwen, arrived in the port of Göteborg for a routine port visit.

The flagship of SNMCMG1 is FGS DONAU, an ELBE-class German tender. The mine hunters assigned include BNS LOBELIA (Belgium), HMS QUORN (UK), and FGS AUERBACH (Germany), HNLMS WILLEMSTAD (Netherlands), ORP MEWA (Poland), and HNOMS RAUMA (Norway).

Commander Bergen Henegouwen took command of the Group from the Lithuanian Navy on January 22 during a port visit to Den Helder, The Netherlands.

The Group continues to play an integral role as it deploys in support of sustained assurance measures following completion of this port visit.

These are good exercises, and they give the MCM vessels and capabilities a real boost.

The German Elbe class will be the focus of my next Class post on this thread.

Versatile ships.
 

Bernard

Junior Member
Big news? UK, US, and Germany should come together and combine their best characteristics of their tanks into one super tank? /Dream
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Germany and France are considering cooperation on developing a successor to the tank “Leopard 2.” The current model has been in service since 1979, and aging Bundeswehr equipment is currently in stark focus.

The German Defense Ministry announced its plans for the “Leo 3″ (as it’s likely to be nicknamed in Germany) in a report on Friday to the Bundestag, which was obtained by multiple media outlets.

“Technologies and concepts will be investigated between 2015 and 2018 in joint studies also involving German industry,” Markus Grübel, a deputy minister in the German Defense Ministry told his parliamentary colleagues. He cited the Leopard 2’s long years of service as the reason that a new battle tank was required.

The Leopard 2’s 50-year service life is set to expire in 2030. The tank, which came into service in 1979, was conceived as part of a plan for Cold War-era land defense. Germany commissioned more than 2,000 of them at the peak of the arms race of the early 1980s. Currently, however, only about 240 are in active service; but last month, citing the security situation in Ukraine, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen annnounced plans to reactivate 100 mothballed Leopard 2 tanks. In November of last year, von der Leyen also announced a move to add more than 100 additional “Boxer” armored personnel carriers to the Bundeswehr’s ranks.

The Defense Ministry is in the process of drawing up a new “white paper” listing Germany’s security policies and goals for the present day.

The manufacturer of the current Leopard 2, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, is scheduled to fuse with French firm Nexter Systems in the course of this year. This has prompted media reports in Germany saying that the new Franco-German firm, with more than 6,000 staff and a combined turnover of around 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), could be a strong candidate to win the contract to develop a new battle tank for the German Bundeswehr.

Equipment shortfalls in sharp focus

The plans come at a difficult time for the German military, especially where hardware is concerned. New parliamentary ombudsman to the Bundeswehr, Hans-Peter Bartels, called on parliament in his inauguration on Thursday not to scrimp on military spending, saying German troops needed “100 percent” of the required gear, not “70 percent.”

His predecessor, Hellmut Königshaus, told DW this week that his job had often been difficult, and that Bundeswehr reform is very much a work-in-progress. In January, Könighsaus also pointed out that some barracks were “dilapidated,” but it is its weaponry that has dominated the headlines in 2015.

Even the Bundeswehr’s standard-issue assault rifle, the G36, has come under fire for losing accuracy as the weapon heats up. Meanwhile, Airbus’ new military transport plane, the A400M, suffered a crash this month and is being thoroughly scrutinized. Its Transall predecessor is therefore expected to stay in the skies longer than planned.

Other problems have hit Bundeswehr helicopters operating in anti-piracy missions off the Horn of Africa, and more generally, Germany is under pressure from NATO to meet the bloc’s defense spending targets. However, very few alliance members spend the recommended 2 percent of total economic output on their armed forces.

The government in Berlin is also seeking to reinvent Germany’s international approach to military affairs, gradually moving away from the overwhelmingly pacifist stance adopted in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Critics at home argue however, the government should concentrate on solving the Bundeswehr’s equipment problems, before adopting a more active international military footing.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Velvet Revolution, Czechoslovakia, 1989
Bulldozer Revolution, Yugoslavia, 2000
Rose Revolution, Georgia, 2003
Orange Revolution, Ukraine, 2005
Jeans Revolution, Belarus, 2006
Grape Revolution, Moldova, 2009

There were many more "color" revolutions all over the world, and as you correctly noticed, they're not in the eastern part of Europe.
Yes...and when you look at the line from the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) who also strongly broke away, across Belarus, to Ukraine, and then to Georgia...what you find back then was the entire block of nations along Russia's border going over.

Now, Belarus has gravitated firmly back to Russia...but the others have not. Hence Russia's very real concern.

When you add Moldavia, Romania, Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic, Poland, etc. etc., into it, ...you see the split in depth. In fact all of the following, which used to be part of Warsaw, are now a part of NATO:

Albania
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Romania
Slovakia

20140830_IRM987.png
This is why Russia is so concerned...they are trying desperately to halt NATOs expansion to the east. With Estonia and Latvia, NATO is already touching Russia's border. Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldavia are about all that are left...and of those, really only Belarus is firmly in the Russian camp.

This drastic...monumental...sea change and turn of events over the last 25+ years is what fuels Putin's angst and concern...and speaks directly as to why he is so determined to not allow Ukraine, under almost any circumstances, to go there. Even to the point of allowing (or even helping) the country (Ukraine) to break up.

One need only look at that map above to understand this...and also understand Russia's history and concern about not having a "buffer" between themselves and the powerful nations to their west. You may not agree with it...you may think he is going about it all wrong...but you have to understand it in the calculus of what is happening.
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Interesting chart on NATO deployments
507echt.png



Back to bottling my Grenache
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!



BALTOPS-2015-to-Launch-on-Friday-1024x610.jpg

US Navy 6th Fleet said:
Seventeen NATO and partner nations will participate in the 43rd iteration of the multinational maritime exercise BALTOPS 2015 in Poland, Sweden, Germany, and throughout the Baltic Sea, June 5-20.

BALTOPS is an annually reoccurring multinational exercise designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, as well as demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region.

"This exercise represents an important opportunity for our forces, as allies and partners, to enhance our ability to work together and strengthen capabilities required to maintain regional security. This exercise will be conducted in a truly joint environment, and I look forward to working with and learning from so many different nations and services." - Vice Adm. James Foggo III, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet and commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO

Approximately 5,600 ground, maritime and air forces from participating nations will conduct air defense, maritime interdiction, anti-subsurface warfare, and amphibious operations in a joint environment.

While BALTOPS remains a U.S.-led exercise, Commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) is responsible for executing this year's exercise.

BALTOPS is an exercise that brings together both NATO and non-NATO countries to increase interoperability in the spirit of the Partnership for Peace program.

A total of 49 ships, 61 aircraft, one submarine, and a combined landing force of 700 Swedish, Finnish, and U.S. troops are scheduled to participate.

Participants in #BALTOPS2015 include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.


BALTOPS-2015.jpg
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
NATO Drills Begin in Lithuania

According to Lithuania’s Defense Ministry, NATO's
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
exercise using US Paladin
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
artillery systems.

RIGA, (Sputnik) – NATO exercise Fire Thunder using US Paladin M109A6 artillery systems has begun in Lithuania, the country's Defense Ministry said.

Servicemen from Lithuania, the United States, Poland and Portugal comprise the 450 military employees who are participating in the drills.

The NATO soldiers are expected to perform coordination and shooting exercises. According to Lithuania's Defense Ministry, the drills will take place at two training areas in the country.

The ministry said that this is the third Lithuanian Armed Forces
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
NATO collaboration drill, with the number of participating NATO allies increasing every year.

NATO launched exercise Joint Warrior in Scotland, with the participation of more than 50 warships and submarines, alongside 70 aircraft and 13,000 personnel from 14 countries.

Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said the country is monitoring the scope of NATO exercises in the United Kingdom.

Link:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!



Back to bottling my Grenache
 
Top