Bulletin:Rapid Response to Russia's Deployment of Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus

In recent weeks,NATO has been bulking up its forces-especially on the Eastern Flank of the Alliance-apparently in response to Russia's threat to deploy,and then actual deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia has many more tactical nuclear weapons than NATO does.Last week,the NATO Nuclear Committee held its classified meeting and very likely discussed the potential crisis.* The US Air Force has deployed a squadron of eight fighter jets to Lithuania;the US Army deployed members of an Armored Brigade Combat Team to Germany;the British Army has been deployed to Poland;the US Army deployed a massive 5,000+ troops to Latvia's border,all in apparent response to the new threat.It is in line with Operation Atlantic Resolve,the deployment of US troops to reassure Allies and deter adversaries in light of Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine.The US has warned Russia that any use of tactical nuclear weapons would have unspecified devastating consequences for the Kremlin regime.* At the NATO Summit in Vilnius,Lithuania in July,NATO will agree further deterrence and defence measures in response to Russia's brutal war against Ukraine.* This blog is hearing about even more troop movements than these going on.

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Russia Challenges NATO by Deploying New Missile,Violating Treaty

According to Administration officials who spoke anonymously to The New York Times,Russia has now deployed a new land-based intermediate range cruise missile in clear violation of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.The INF Treaty was signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987.US intelligence has known about Russian testing of such a weapon since 2008 and the Obama administration formally accused Moscow of violating the INF Treaty by testing the missile in 2014.*
Known as the SSC-8 by the Pentagon,the missiles are seen as a direct threat to Europe.Russia has two battalions of the SSC-8.One of them is based at the Russian missile test range at Kapustin Yar;while the other was moved from there in December to an undisclosed location in Russia.Each battalion consists of four missile launchers and more than four missiles,intelligence analysts believe.The short range nuclear-tipped ballistic missile Iskander-M uses a similar type of launcher,but is not itself in violation of a treaty.The Pentagon has drawn up options to respond to the SSC-8 with,such as beefing up European missile defences or developing new US air or sea-based cruise missiles.*
The INF Treaty bans US and Russian missiles that can travel 300-3400 miles.It also forbids the production of launchers for such missiles.*
According to former US Defense Secretary and CIA Director Robert Gates,appearing before Congress in 1985,Soviet deployment of cruise missiles provides them with new multidirectional capabilities against US targets.*
At a 1 December 2015 Congressional hearing,Brian P. McKeon,Principal Undersecretary of Defense for Policy,said that the Joint Staff assessment tells us that the deployment of such a system by the Russian Federation would increase the risk to our allies and be an indirect threat to the US...the Administration determined that we need to consider Russian actions with respect to the INF Treaty in the context of its overall aggressive and bellicose behaviour that flouts international legal norms and destabilises the European security order.Russia is not violating the INF Treaty in isolation from it overall aggressive behaviour.*
Speaking at the same 2015 hearing,Rose Gottemoeller,who was then Undersecretary of Arms Control and International Security,and is now Deputy Secretary General of NATO,saidwe have made it very clear that this is not a technicality,a one-off event,or a case of mistaken identity,but a serious violation of one of the most basic obligations under the INF Treaty.Russian officials have denied violating the Treaty and told us the issue was closed.We do not accept this response.*

NATO Critical of Russian Military Buildup on the Baltic Sea

Russia's new Bastion mobile missile launchers have been deployed to the Russian outpost of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea,in addition to previously deployed nuclear-capable Iskander short range ballistic missiles and long range S-400 air defence missiles there,the Russian Interfax news agency announced on 21 November 2016.NATO responded by saying these anti-ship missiles are aggressive military posturing that doesn't help to lower tensions or restore predictability to our relations.*
For its part,the US State Department responded to Russia's recent military buildup in Kaliningrad during a daily briefing by spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy Retired:
While we understand that Russia has the right to exercise its conventional and nuclear forces on its own territory,the deployment of Iskander and S-400 missiles to Kaliningrad is destabilising to European security.Russia has made threats to move Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad now for the past decade in response to a variety of developments in Europe,none of which demands such a military response.We also call on Russia to refrain from words or deeds that are not consistent with the goal of promoting security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.*
Russia has also deployed Bastion missile launchers to the Syrian coast.Kaliningrad is between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coastline.Russia insists the buildup is only in response to NATO's positioning of US Navy land-based Aegis missile systems in Romania and under construction in Poland.

Russia Steps Up Probing of Nordic-Baltic Region - four NATO Allies respond in one day

US Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work took Russia to task for its recent behaviour in the Nordic-Baltic Region at a press conference following a meeting with eight delegates from the region on 7 October 2016.Finland said two Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jets violated its airspace on separate occasions in the Gulf of Finland south of Porvoo that same day.Russian military aviation over the Baltic Sea has been intense,Finland noted;while Iceland had complained that two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers flew too close to civilian airliners,flying between 1800-2700 meters/6,000-9,000 feet below a flight from Reykjavik,Iceland to Stockholm,Sweden.
There is absolutely no justification for it,Secretary Work said.Regardless of the timing,regardless of the circumstances,these are unsatisfactory manoeuvres that are unsafe and unprofessional.Hopefully we'll be able to see a moderation in them to avoid an accident or a tragic occurrence.Unfortunately,these are becoming the norm rather than the exception.*
Attending the US-Nordic-Baltic forum were Denmark,Estonia,Finland,Iceland,Latvia,Lithuania,Norway and Sweden.The forum dealt with regional security issues such as Russian behaviour in the Baltic Sea and ways to increase defence cooperation-including in the War On ISIL.*
Preceding the forum,the French Ministry of Defence revealed that,on 22 September 2016,four NATO Allies had scrambled fighter jets to intercept two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers:
1.The extraordinary chase began when Norway scrambled two F-16 Fighting Falcons to escort the Blackjacks towards the north of Scotland.
2.The British sent Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept the Russian bombers and shadow them around the west of Scotland and Ireland.As a precaution,more Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Coningsly in Lincolnsire,but didn't intercept the Blackjacks in the end.
3.Two French Rafale fighters then intercepted the Russians 100 km off the Britanny coast.Two other Rafales took over as the bombers headed south.
4.Finally,two Spanish F-18s shadowed the Blackjacks north of Bilbao,at which point the Russians turned around and flew home.*
Russia has also deployed its Iskander-M mobile nuclear-capable missile system to its territory of Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast,which is wedged between Poland and Lithuania.Poland said this was very alarming and of the highest concern;but Russia insists it is only an exercise and has been done before.