Russian Steregushchiy-class corvette Boikiy (532) approaches Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gravely (DDG-107) in the Baltic Sea during the BALTOPS 2019 exercise. Exercise and regional leaders have said that all recent interactions with the Russian Navy had been safe and professional. USNI News photo.
ABOARD USS GRAVELY, IN THE BALTIC SEA – “Away, SNOOPIE team, away. Surface contact on port side.” Read More
The following is the June 27, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
HMS Albion (L14) conducted officer of the watch maneuvers today (25th May 2109), in company with HNLMS Johan de Witt (L801), HDMS Absalon (L16), RFA Argus (A135), HNoMS Glimt (P964) and HNoMS Steil (P963). The maneuvers are a test for the bridge team, operating in such close proximity to the other ships in the task group. HMS Albion is currently deployed on Baltic Protector 19, the inaugural deployment of Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime). Royal Navy photo
ABOARD HMS ALBION, IN THE BALTIC SEA – The U.K. and its partners are testing out a first-responder force that could beat NATO to the punch if a crisis were to occur in Northern European waters. Read More
A Spanish amphibious assault vehicle brought Spanish ground forces ashore during an amphibious demonstration at Palanga, Lithuania, during BALTOPS 2019. USNI News photo.
PALANGA, LITHUANIA – Spanish amphibious assault vehicles swam ashore from an American amphibious dock landing ship, with ground forces filing out with their machine guns and taking a position on the beach. Romanian ground forces spilled out of a Polish PTS tracked vehicle, shortly before seven landing craft from three nations slid up onto the beach in perfect symmetry. British forces fast-roped down out of an AW101 Merlin helicopter at the same time Spanish troops did the same from their AH-3 Sea King helo.
As the U.S. Navy and its NATO allies showed off the various ways they could take a beach from the sea, they were also showing a deeper commitment to collective security in the Baltic Sea and in Europe in general. Read More
There is a stark divide between where the United States and its NATO allies and European Union partners stand when it comes to considering a Chinese company to provide 5G ultra-wideband communications.
Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. DoD Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, B-52 bombers and sophisticated air defense systems were rushed to the Middle East in early May because intelligence suggested an Iranian-led “campaign plan” taking shape to disrupt the region, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff said Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, and Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, met in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 7, 2019. Iceland Embassy photo.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent visit to Iceland and last year’s Trident Juncture joint military exercise in the High North send a “clear signal” to the Kremlin that “we stick together,” Iceland’s foreign minister told a Washington think tank audience Thursday. Read More
The U.S. and Turkey are at a political impasse over the pending sale of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to the NATO ally, experts say. Read More
An Air Force F-35A in Australia on March 30, 2019. US Air Force
THE PENTAGON — The Defense Department is seeking alternate suppliers for parts of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter currently provided by Turkish companies, as Turkey’s pursuit of a Russian air defense system threatens its continued participation in the jet program. Read More
Undated photo of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kremlin Photo
Vladimir Putin could turn out to be the big winner economically and diplomatically if the United States sticks to its pledge of no more sanction waivers for countries buying Iranian oil, a leading expert on the Middle East said on Monday. Read More
