First Commander of NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany Appointed

According to the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington DC Communique (July 2024),NATO decided to establish the NATO Security and Assistance Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate its provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine by Allies and Partners.Its aim is to place security assistance to Ukraine on an enduring footing,ensuring enhanced,predictable and enduring support.NSATU,which will operate in Allied states,will support Ukraine's self-defence in line with the UN Charter (international law).NSATU will not,under international law,make NATO a party to the conflict.It will support the transformation of Ukraine's defence and security forces,enabling its further integration into NATO.*The NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany in Wiesbaden is located within the headquarters of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAEURAF) and reports directly to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR),currently GEN Christopher Cavoli,U.S. Army.*The new NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany's first commander is LTGEN Curtis Buzzard,U.S. Army.The Centre is devoted to providing Ukraine the military equipment and training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces it needs to prevail against Russian aggression.Having recieved U.S. Senate approval,LTGEN Buzzard leads about 700 personnel at the Centre.According to NATO:By using military structures,our support will be on firmer footing;will provide more predictability for Kyiv;and will address both immediate and longer-term needs.*LTGEN Buzzard,a man with a broad smile,is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy (West Point,New York).He most recently served as commander,Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore,Georgia,from July 2022-July 2024.Prior to that,he served as Deputy Chief Of Staff for Operations,Plans and Training of the United States Army Forces Command from January to June 2022,and as the 78th Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point,New York) from June 2019 to May 2021.Buzzard received a B.S. in Economics from West Point.He later received a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Master of Military Science from the Marine Corps University.He then served as the U.S. Army Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington,DC.LTGEN Buzzard served as the 82d Airborne Division G3 and commanded its 3rd Brigade Combat Team.LTGEN Buzzard also served as the Army military aide to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.LTGEN Buzzard served tours in both the Iraq and Afghan Wars.In March 2021,LTGEN Buzzard became Deputy Chief of Operations in NATO's Operation Resolute Support,which trained and assisted Afghan Security Forces;Deputy Commanding General for Operations for U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A);and Commander U.S. National Support Element Command for Operation Freedom's Sentinel.LTGEN Buzzard is married and the father of three daughters.*LTGEN Buzzard's Awards and Decorations include Defense Superior Service Medal;Legion of Merit (3);Bronze Star Medal (3);Meritorious Service Medal (6);Army Commendation Medal (3);Air Assualt Badge;Army Staff Badge;Combat Infantryman's Badge;Expert Infantryman's Badge;Master Parachutist's Badge;Presidential Service Badge;Ranger Tab;and numerous foreign jump wings.

US deploys 'combat ready' units to Poland, thousand troops from Armored Battalion to Ukraine border

US Army, NATO. US Airborne and British Army soldiers land in Latvia.Multinational Airborne Force Crisis Response

Airborne U.S. Army arrive in Europe and military equipment in Ukraine.

'It's Excited Nervousness': First Wave of US Troops Heads to Europe as Russia Eyes Ukraine | Military.com

'It's Excited Nervousness': First Wave of US Troops Heads to Europe as Russia Eyes Ukraine | Military.com: The first wave of some 2,000 U.S. troops to beef up NATO's warfighting capacity in eastern Europe deployed from Fort Bragg.

Message to Russia:US,UK Bulking Up NATO'S Eastern Flank

In a matter of days,US and British forces will be reinforcing key NATO Allies in the Baltic and Black Sea Regions.On 2 February 2022,the Pentagon announced that,as ordered by US President Joseph R. Biden,3,000 US troops would be heading mostly to Poland and Romania;while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated earlier that the UK would be bolstering its troop presence in Estonia by about 900,on top of the 900 Soldiers already there leading a NATO enhancedForward Presence Battle Group.As well,the UK intends to send warships and fighter jets to the Eastern Flank. The US Air Force has already augmented NATO's Air Policing Mission in Estonia with six F-15 Eagle fighters from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base,North Carolina's 336th Fighter Squadron,and the Harry S.Truman Carrier Strike Group has been leading Exercise Neptune Strike 22 in the Mediterranean Sea. The new US deployment will be separate from the 8500 troops in the US recently placed on high alert for call-up by the NATO Response Force.Two thousand of the newly designated troops will be sent from the US to Poland and Romania,US Army paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps.A small headquarters unit will reportedly be sent to Germany.In addition,a 1,000 member US Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment Stryker Brigade Combat Team already in Germany will be deployed to Romania.These deployments have been under discussion with the NATO Allies concerned for some time. A Stryker BCT is a mechanised infantry brigade centered around the Stryker eight-wheeled variant of the General Dynamics LAV III,which is a light armoured vehicle.* Spain has detailed a minesweeper and frigate to augment NATO'S Standing Maritime Group 2;while France is sending Soldiers to Romania as well.* The rationale of the US and British deployments were articulated by UK officials in recent days.On 1 February 2022,British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke at a news conference in Kyiv,Ukraine alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: we will always stand up for freedom and democracy and Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of aggression.Somebody said we are exaggerating the threat-were the UK and the US trying to big this up? I've just got to say that is not the intelligence we're seeing.This is a clear and present danger and we see large numbers of troops massing;we see preparations for all kinds of operations that are consistent with an imminent military campaign...it is about the whole European security architecture,because be in no doubt about what I think President Putin is trying to achieve here.I think he is trying,by holding a gun,as it were,to the head of Ukraine,to get us to change the way we look at somerthing that was absolutely fantastic.And it wouldn't just be Ukraine that was drawn back into the Russian sphere of influence;you've got to think about Georgia;you've got to think about Moldova,other countries.I've just got to repeat what I said:our view is that time is urgent and this is something that needs to be addressed now.* The UK Chief of Defence Staff,Royal Navy Admiral Sir Tony Radakin,told a Cabinet meeting on 1 February that: a significant proportion of Russia's land combat power was now gathered on the Western border,coupled with deterrence operations such as military exercises on a scale never seen before.* Prime Minister Johnson informed the Cabinet that this: fitted into a pattern of coercion and intimidation that sought to undermine the values and principles of the West.*

82nd ABN Immediate Response Force Deploys To Afghanistan

Afghan War:NATO Airport Mission Gets Name

The current operation under US Forces Afghanistan-Forward,which is commanded by Rear Admiral Peter Vasely,US Navy,has been named Operation Allies Refuge.Its status has also been elevated to that of a Non-combatant Rescue Operation,or NEO.Indeed,it is considered the second largest NEO ever conducted,according to General Mark Milley,US Army,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.US President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been getting special intelligence briefings on the operation daily form Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and General Milley. During an 18 August 2021 breifing for journalists at the Pentagon,SecDef Austin said: This is a war I fought in and led.We have a moral obligation to help those who helped us.* General Milley added that: Currently,the security situation at the airport is stable.The Taliban are facilitating access to the airport by passport-carrying US citizens.We in uniform have a deep commitment.* General Milley went on to note that among the forces at the airport are a battalion from the Minnesota National Guard;two US Marine Corps battalions;an 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters and infantry personnel-all of which amount to 20 US manoeuvring companies on the ground at the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA)in Kabul.As well,a number of fighter aircraft,such as F/A-18 Super Hornets;F-16 Fighting Falcons;AV-8 Harriers;AC-130 gunships;and MQ-9 intelligence and attack UAVs,are flying armed overwatch missions over the airport to protect the US and NATO forces at the airport.There are also B-52H Stratofortress bombers available in Qatar for missions.On the ground,British Army rifle companies and Special Operations Forces are working with the US forces.Also involved are troops from Turkey,France and Hungary.There are 20 sorties by US Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport jets every 24 hours,and a variety of commercial and charter flights are active.General Milley stressed that unexpected challenges can be and are expected.* In the past 24 hours (19-20 August),the operation has evacuated 3,000 individuals,350 of them American.* At the briefing the day before,General Austin revealed to the reporters that: I don't have the capability to go into Kabul.* Despite that,ccording to General Milley: Right now,there's a steady flow of people.* It is clear to this blog,however,that conditions around the HKIA perimeter remain chaotic,dangerous,and tend to hinder access-especially by Afghans.Taliban militants have committed violent acts against some of the refugees.Dead bodies are sometimes seen on the ground.There is a real risk of being trampled at the gates,and without enough troops to mount rescue operations into Kabul itself,nor the authorisation to engage in the combat operations that would no doubt ensue,there seems little chance to smooth the passageway into HKIA without Taliban acquiescence.* Fortunately,President Biden indicated to ABC News that he is open to extending the operation beyond the original 31 August deadline.*

Fortress Kabul:Thousands of Marines and Soldiers Going In

Since last Friday,the Taliban Islamist extremisits have taken over at least 16 provincial capitals in Afghanistan,including Herat,the country's third largest city,and Mazar-i-Sharif,the capital of Northern Afghanistan.The status of Kandahar,the second largest city,was unclear at this writing,but at the very least,Taliban militants had breached the perimeter yeaterday,causing chaos as small groups of them fired weapons near the Governor's palace.This blitzkrieg so alarmed US officials,including Secretary of State Antony Blinken,Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley,US Army,they devised a military plan to evacuate US diplomats and as many as possible of the Afghan friends of the US who served as interpreters,contractors and in other roles to assist the US Forces-Afghanistan.These friends number in the tens of thousands,by some estimates.The plan was presented to US President Joseph R. Biden yesterday,who authorised the operation,which has no name as of yet.The fresh troops will arrive in 24-48 hours and consist of: Two US Marine Corps battalions and a US Army battalion,totaling 3,000 troops,who will be based at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul; an Army and Air Force support element numbering 1,000 troops to be stationed in Qatar,but who can be relocated as needed;they are to process our Afghan friends for eventual resettlement in the US; an Infantry Brigade Combat Team numbering 3500 troops of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina,who are to fly to Kuwait and wait there to assist in the evacuation from Kabul if needed.* The three battalions of Marines and Soldiers were already in the US CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.They will be armed with mortars,machine guns and personal weapons for self-defence,according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired.* The ANDSF were plagued by poor lines of communication,including inadequate logistics;a loss of confidence following the announcement of the US withdrawal;and the tribal culture of the country,coupled with a weak,corrupt and incompetent central government under President Ashraf Ghani.* Mr.Kirby declined to specify when the evacuation operation would conclude.About 1400 US diplomats reportedly remain in country,down from the original 4,000.They will be reduced further to a core group capable of carrying out a range of diplomatic functions,and,indeed,the US Embassy may even be relocated to the international airport to facilitate swifter evacuation if necessary.* An anonymous official said that Kabul could fall to the militants in as little as thirty days,but other observers believe it could fall even sooner.In the event of militant attacks on the evacuation,the operation could be designated a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO).* Mr.Kirby also said that we will be ready to help our NATO Allies if they desire it and they decide they need to further reduce their footprints in Afghanistan.Both military and civilian aircraft may be used in the evacuation process.*

US Army Paratroopers Killed in Afghanistan Identified

The Pentagon has identified the US Soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan on 29 July 2019 as SPC Michael I. Nance,24,of Chicago,Illinois and PFC Brandon J. Kreischer,20,of Stryker,Ohio.Members of Company B,1st Battalion,505th Parachute Infantry Regiment,3rd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina,they were serving in support of the counter-terror Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
COL Arthur Sellers,commander of the 3rd BCT,said:
These young men were true All-Americans and embodied the qualities of selfless service and courage as they answered our nation's call to deploy to Afghanistan.*
SPC Nance was an automatic rifleman;PFC Kreischer was a rifleman.Among their decorations were the Purple Heart Medal,Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantryman Badge.*
At this time,it appears the paratroopers died at a US forward operating base in Karin Towt,Uruzgan Province,after having been shot by an Afghan soldier in the adjacent Kandahar Province at an Afghan military base,in a green-on-blue attack (insider attack).The shooting was praised by the Taliban militants as having been "sensible".The assailant was wounded and is in custody.The attack is under investigation.
Twelve American service members have been killed in action in the Afghan War so far in 2019.Thirteen US troops were killed in action in the war for all of 2018.*
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord;and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."
-Psalm 33:12

Afghan War Developments:Two US Troops Killed;One Croatian Soldier Killed Near NATO Base

NATO's Resolute Support Mission said two US troops were killed on 29 July 2019.According to the Afghan Army,they were shot dead by an Afghan soldier in a green-on-blue attack (insider attack).The US Army's 82d Airborne Division revealed that the two were its Soldiers.Their identities will be withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin.*
In a separate incident,a Croatian Soldier was killed in action and two others were wounded on 24 July near a NATO base on the outskirts of Kabul,when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle collided with their vehicle.It was the first non-US NATO death in the Afghan War of 2019.*
President Donald Trump has informed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that he wants more US troops withdrawn from Afghanistan before the 2020 American election.Some US troops would remain to continue the counter-terror Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

Iraq Update:Fallen Soldiers Identified - Iraq Campaign continues

The Pentagon has released the names of the two US troops who died in Northern Iraq on 13 August 2017 while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.Both were with the 2nd Battalion,319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment,2nd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Hood,Texas:
Sergeant Roshain Euvince Brooks,30,of Brooklyn,New York and Sergeant Allen Levi Stigler Jr. of Arlington,Texas.
SGT Brooks joined the Army in July 2012.He was deployed to Afghanistan from June-November 2014.
SGT Stigler joined the Army in November 2013.He was on his first deployment.*
According to Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning,US Army,an Army artillery section was conducting a counterfire mission against an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant mortar site at the time of the incident.An investigation is ongoing.
To the west of Mosul,the 9th and 15th Iraqi Army Divisions maintain defensive positions on the west forward line of troops near Tal Afar,and the coalition continues to support the Iraqis as they reset and prepare for follow-on operations in the Western Nineveh Province,COL Manning added.*
The Iraqi Security Forces said the Soldiers died when a shell exploded in a cannon they were inspecting.

As Battle of Mosul Ebbs,US Army Officer Killed in Iraq

Even as the Iraqi Security Forces near perhaps the greatest victory in their history by having liberated all but a pocket of the longtime Islamist extremist stronghold of Mosul,a young US Army officer was killed in action on 29 April 2017 by an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant IED as he helped secure the outskirts of the city.He was identified by the Pentagon as 1st Lieutenant Weston C. Lee,25,of Bluffton,Georgia.1ST LT Lee was on a patrol in support of Operation Inherent Resolve,providing security as part of advise and assist to partnered forces,when the IED exploded.ISIL militants have heavily mined and booby-trapped all the areas of and around Mosul they withdrew from,making the city and surrounding area extremely hazardous.*
1ST LT Lee was a member of the 1st Battalion,325th Infantry Regiment,2nd Brigade Combat Team,82nd Airborne Division,out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina.An ROTC graduate of the University of North Georgia,he had enlisted in the Army in 2015 and excelled in pistol marksmanship as an ROTC cadet.Commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in December 2014,1ST LT Lee earned his Ranger tab prior to his Parachutist badge.Among his other decorations were the National Defense Service Medal,Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.The paratrooper was on his first tour in Iraq,having deployed there in December 2016,and posthumously received the Bronze Star Medal,Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.*
At this point,the ISF have wiped out most of the 6,000 ISIL fighters that had been holding Mosul.Only 200-300 remain,and they are surrounded in the city's northwest,dug in among about 400,000 civilians running short on food,water and medicine in the historic Old City area.Mostly the US-trained Counter Terrorism Service and Federal Police are fighting inside Mosul;while the Iraqi Army regulars,Shiite volunteers and Kurdish Peshmerga control the perimeter.A total of about 100,000 ground troops supported by OIR coalition airpower and artillery have been battling ISIL in the Battle of Mosul since October 2016,which is expected to be concluded in a maximum of three weeks' time.