Ukraine President Zelenskiy Snubbed by Trump, Will Meet Biden and Harris - YouTube

with Rosalind Mathieson of Bloomberg News*Commentary:Trump is traitorously aligned with Vladimir Putin.

Bulletin:Ukraine's 'spectacular' drone strike seen from SPACE as huge Russian depot blasts spark earthquake - YouTube - The Sun - 18 SEPT 2024

with Jerome Starkey,The Sun Defence Editor and Dr.Stephen Hall,Ukraine-Russia expert at the University of Bath*The strike took place in the village of Toropets,Tver Oblast and was a humiliating blow to President Vladimir Putin and a brilliant success for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Inside Ukraine's largest captured Russian town as key signs show invasion caught Putin unprepared - YouTube - The Sun

with Jerome Starkey,The Sun Defence Editor*Ukraine's invasion of Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts has left Putin embarrassed and humiliated.Ukrainian forces are digging in to defend their positions.Suzhda was left largely undamaged by the Ukrainian forces.Misinformed by Kremlin propaganda,the residents feel powerless to control what is happening in the Kremlin.

Russia alleges 'large scale' Ukrainian incursion in Kursk region | DW News - YouTube

with Frank Ledwidge,military expert and Senior Lecturer at Portsmouth University

Kerch bridge strike could follow hit on Putin's submarine as attacks on Crimea grow | Admiral Chris Parry - YouTube

with James Hanson and RDL Chris Parry,Royal Navy ret.,military consultant*The Kerch Bridge is illegal under international law.*Lockheed Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon (LMT)

Putin vows 'mirror measures' if US deploys missiles in Germany - YouTube - The Voice of America

Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service:Russia Prepares for Prolonged Conflict with Ukraine and Confrontation with the West

Kaupo Rosin is Director General,Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service.The most incisive chapter of the report "International Security and Estonia 2024" by the EFIS is entitled "Adapting Russia's Armed Forces For Prolonged Conflict":The objectives of Russia's military reform reflect the leadership's vision of the resources required for the conflict with Ukraine and prolonged confrontation with the West.Russia's goal is to achieve military dominance in the Baltic Sea Region.For Estonia,Russia's military reform entails a significant increase in Russia's forces near the Estonian border in coming years.Increasing the personnel and adding new units to the armed forces is the primary purpose of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's military reform.Russia aims to increase its military personnel from 1.15 million to 1.5 million Soldiers by 2026;restructure 12 land and naval brigades into divisions;and create dozens of new divisions in the land,air and naval forces,as well as in the airborne troops.The formation of many of these units has already begun,but the main challenge is their shortfall of contracted service members and officers,which develop the unit formation process.*Although Russia plans to develop all strategic directions,the highest priority is in the Western strategic direction and Ukraine.The Kremlin is preparing for a prolonged conflict with Ukraine,necessitating additional armies and army corps (3rd and 40th Army Corps,18th Army and 25th Army,for which dozens of new manoeuvre,combat support and combat service units are being formed).*The second priority region is the Finnish direction,where Russia's military posture was minimal until Finland's recent accession to NATO.Russia plans to create the 4th Army Corps,likely based in Petrozavordsk,to address this.This formation will probably be built around at least two or three manoeuvre units,with around a dozen fire support and combat support units.*The growth of Russian military capabilities in the Estonian vacinity,in Leningrad and Pskov districts,primarily results from the potential transformation of existing units into divisions.According to one possible scenario,the personnel strength of Russian land forces and airborne troops in the Estonian direction may nearly double from approximately 19,000 forces from before 24 February 2022 (anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine).The extent to which these units attain combat strength depends on Russia's ability to recruit,train,and retain contracted service members.The success and timeline of Russia's military reform will be largely determined by the course of the war in Ukraine.If Russia manages to implement the reform,NATO could face a Soviet-style mass army in the next decade.This army is likely to be technologically inferior to the NATO Allies' defence forces in most areas,except for electronic warfare and long-range strike capabilities.However,its military potential would be significant,owing to its size,fire-power (including artillery power and inexpensive attack drones),combat experience and reserves.Defending against a possible conventional attack from such an army would require Allied defence forces and defence industries to be significantly more prepared,capable,and better stocked with ammunition than they currently are.*In summary,Russia's plan to increase its military forces is ambitious,especially considering the short timelines and Russia's economic and demographic situation.However,it is also a threat to Europe and NATO,contributing to Russia's aggressive posture,military potential,and growing militarisation reinforcing Russia's apparent path of a long-term confrontation with the West.*Russia is attempting to tilt Moldova back into its orbit by influencing the electoral process of 2024-2025.For its part,Moldova has banned major Russian propaganda channels;shut down numerous local Internet portals disseminating Russia's war propaganda;and decisively resisted political parties directly controlled and funded by Russia.Indeed,in the summer of 2023,Moldovan authorities expelled most Russian Embassy diplomats,after identifying some of them as intelligence operatives.*According to the Financial Times news outlet,the NATO Joint Support and Enabling Command in Ulm,South Germany is devising plans for how NATO forces will deploy across Europe and be sustained and reinforced in the event of a war with Russia.In this process,lessons learned from the ongoing Steadfast Defender 24 exercise,which simulates a large-scale conflcit with an adversary from the East,will be utilised.The scenario for the drills is a Russian attack on Alliance territory.*Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna said NATO may only have three-four years before the Kremlin mounts a test for NATO:But we must understand the Russian war machine has started in the full scale,the capabilities for the production and the mentality as well,because Putin is controlling everything now.*For his part,German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warns the test could come in the next decade,in five-eight years.

'Treasonous': Former NATO supreme allied commander blasts Trump's NATO remarks

Hybrid Threat:Poland Reacts as Wagner Group Mercenaries Approach NATO Chokepoint

On 29 July 2023,Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his government had received information that Wagner Group mercenaries were nearing Grodno,Belarus close to the Suwalki Gap,a part of Northeast Poland regarded as a NATO chokepoint,since it connects Belarus with Russia's Kalilingrad Oblast exclave.In a conflict with NATO,Russia and Belarus could seize the sparsely populated area,thus cutting off land access to the three NATO member Baltic States of Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia.Over a hundred Wagner Group mercenaries were reported to be gathering in the area.*Prime Minister Morawiecki feels it is another effort to destabilise the Polish border,after Belarus had sent waves of illegal refugees across the border in summer 2021,causing chaotic scenes.Said Mr.Morawiecki:They (Wagner Group mercenaries) will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants to enter Polish territory,destabilising Poland;but they will also probably try to infiltrate Poland,pretending to be illegal immigrants,and this creates additional risks.*Recall that Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time in 2014 with men in unmarked green uniforms,the so-called little green men.So the Wagner Group could wage hybrid warfare against NATO Ally Poland on behalf of Putin and his crony,Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko.Grodno,Belarus is about 10 mi/16.09 km from the Polish border.Speaking at a press conference,Mr.Morawiecki said that:Now the situation is becoming even more dangerous.This is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory.*Such an attack could activate NATO's Article V,which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.Article V has only been activated once,following the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.The Suwalki Gap is the border between Poland and Lithuania.Lukashenko reportedly remarked to Putin that:The Wagner guys have been starting to stress us.They would like to go West,saying 'Let's go on a trip to Warsaw and Rzeszow.'"Wagner Group has been training Belarusian troops lately.So Poland has reinforced its border with troops and 500 police.Recent drills near the border have been seen by Poland as a provocation.Kaliningrad Oblast is heavily fortified with up to 30,000 Russian troops and heavy artillery.In 2019,there were Russian/Belarus drills near the Polish border.

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.

Will Russia survive Putin’s war? by Alan W. Dowd - American Legion

Will Russia survive Putin’s war?: Ethnic tensions, private armies and the threat of rebellion spell trouble for the regime.

Putin warns after Finland and Sweden invited to join NATO - CNBC

President Biden says Russia threat is 'very high' and predicts conflict ...

US Air Force Flying Intel Missions Over Eastern Ukraine

On 27 and 30 December 2021,US Air Force intelligence platforms were flown over Eastern Ukraine with permission of the Ukrainian government.The aim of the flights was to ascertain Russia's force posture along Ukraine's border with Russia,where tens of thousands of Russian troops have been intimidating Ukraine,whch is a former Soviet Republic.Participating were Boeing/Northrop Grumman Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) and RC-135V Rivet Joint SIGINT aircraft.The second flight occurred within hours Thursday of a secure video call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joseph R. Biden at 1500 hours Eastern time.The call,described by Russia as having been "serious and constructive" was held at Mr.Putin's initiative.It lasted 50 minutes. According to the White House readout: President Biden voiced the deep concern of the United States and our European Allies about Russia's escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation.President Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.The two presidents tasked their teams to follow up,the U.S. will do so in close coordination with allies and partners. The presidents also discussed the U.S.-Russia dialogue on Strategic Stability,a separate dialogue on ransomware,as well as joint work on regional issues such as Iran.* Mr.Putin reportedly warned President Biden that imposing severe sanctions on Russia would be "a colossal mistake." Former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes (Obama administartion) said you can't call talking with Mr.Putin a conversation;he has been on a 20-year trajectory of aggression against the Republic of Georgia and Ukraine,and his words are more of a tirade.He tries to draw you into a debate about his view of history.You must plow through his talking points and make your message firmly,despite his "whataboutism."* A Biden administration official calls today "a moment of crisis."Russia's assertive foreign policy can be used to cloak Russia's domestic problems.Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Mr.Putin is ratcheting up his pressure when he is trying to get his way.It's been said that he is seeking to divide NATO in the wake of the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan,which disturbed some European Allies.* The reconnaissance flights didn't find any easing of tension along the Ukrainian border.Indeed,Russia is planning to stage even more drills in nearby Belarus.Former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said: There's no serious negotiations when you have a gun...100,000 guns...pointed at your head.* The 16 JSTARS aircraft are based at Warner Robins Air Force Base,Georgia.They are operated by the Georgia Air National Guard.Built on a Boeing 707 airframe,JSTARS are intended to operate through 2030.Their side-looking radar can observe 20,000 square miles of terrain down to the level of tracking the motions of vehicles.They can also conduct battle management,command and control.* The RC-135V/W is built on a Boeing C-135 Stratolifter airframe with mission systems by L3Harris Technologies. Boeing (BA),Northrop Grumman (NOC),L3Harris (LHX)

Former NATO Commander Warns of Putin's Next Move

According to former Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Wesley Clark,US Army retired,it looks to him as if the Russian armed forces are primed to take swift action against Ukraine.They have been modernised and have likely assured an eager Russian President Vladimir Putin that they can reconstitute part of the Soviet Union in short order if instructed to do so.And Russia has most recently accused the US and Ukraine of planning to use chemical weapons,which could be a pretext concocted to justify a Russian attack on Ukraine.The charge is blatantly false,since the US decades ago canceled its chemical weapons programme.* General Clark,speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer,suggested that Romania,a NATO Ally that borders Ukraine and is located in the Black Sea Region,be reinforced by air to protect against spillover of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.Russian troops,the former 14th Guards Army,illegally occupy part of NATO Partner Moldova,which also borders Romania.He believes the Russian buildup on Ukraine's borders is reaching the point where Russian forces cannot sustain their posture much longer.* Russia has recently made a number of demands that it knows NATO cannot accept,such as forbidding Ukrainian membership in NATO and refraining from deployment of NATO forces in Central and Eastern Europe.So the Kremlin seems to be fabricating a rationale for further aggression against Ukraine.* A senior Biden administration official rejected the demands: We will not compromise on key principles on which European security is based.* Asked by a journalist about Mr.Putin's red lines,President Joseph R. Biden had previously stated: I don't accept any red lines.*

US Official:Russian Invasion of Ukraine Means More US Troops to Europe

A senior US official told reporters that,should Russian President Vladimir Putin order the invasion of Ukrainian territory for a second time,one result would be the US sending additional troops to reinforce Europe: It would certainly be the case that if Putin moved in,there would be an increasing request from Eastern Flank Allies,and a positive response from the United States,for additional forces and capabilities and exercises to take place there to ensure the safety and security of our Eastern Flank Allies in the face of that kind of aggression in Ukraine...a combination of support for the Ukrainian military;strong economic countermeasures;and a substantial increase in support and capability to our NATO Allies to ensure that they remain safe.* Indeed,NATO Ally Latvia has already called for US troops to be permanently based on its territiory.The anonymous US official declined to specify under which circumstances the US military coud get involved if Russia carries out an attack on Ukraine,described by the Intelligence Community as a possible three-pincer strike with at least 175,000 Russian military personnel.As for Ukraine joining NATO (it already has a Membership Action Plan to chart its course to NATO membership),the official stressed that: The US has consistently expressed support for the principle that every country has the sovereign right to make its own decisions with respect to its security.That remains US policy today and will remain US policy in the furture.So that much is straightforward and clear.* There is also some concern that,should Russia barge into Ukraine,China might seize the opportunity to invade Taiwan at the same time.*

As NATO Foreign Ministers Meet,Battle Group Develops Tactical Skills Nearby

The NATO Foreign Ministerial is underway in Riga,Latvia .The foreign ministers will discuss current challenges to the security of NATO and the Euro-atlantic Area caused by the activity of Russian forces at the border with Ukraine,and the migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarus border,the Polish Foreign Ministry said.They will also discuss preparations for the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid,and consult with the foreign ministers of NATO Partners Georgia and Ukraine. With regard to the Russian buildup,on 26 November the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs,Karen Donfried,briefed reporters by phone,saying: As you can appreciate,all options are on the table and there's a toolkit that contains a whole range of options.It's now for NATO to decide what are the next moves that NATO wants to take...we will talk about our assessment of what's happening on Russia's border with Ukraine and we will begin the conversation of what are the options on the table,and what it is that NATO would like to do together.* NATO Seceretary General Jens Stoltenberg added that: If Russia uses force against Ukraine,that will have costs,that would have consequences...This military buildup is unprovoked and unexplained.It raises tensions and it risks miscalculations...this is a miltary buildup by a country that has invaded Ukraine before.* Latvia's Foreign Minister Artis Pabrik called for a US military deployment on Monday before the Foreign Ministerial began: We need additional international assistance.We would like to have a permanent United States presence in our country.And sea and air defence means basically going down to such systems as Patriot (missiles)...We have revsionism at this moment going on in Russia (the desire to reconstitute the Soviet Union having been expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin)...from that perspective,we cannot be late here.* Meanwhile,NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia,led by Canada,was practising the defence of the Latvian capital,Riga,in a snowy Latvian forest at the Adazi Training Ground,simulating the disruption of an enemy advance from north of Riga.Exercise Winter Shield 2021 runs from 22 November to 4 December,developing the cooperation and cohesion needed to protect the Baltic Sea Region.A mechanised brigade of Latvia's Home Guard;Lithuanian Armed Forces;and US Army Europe troops are participating in the drills with the eFP Battle Group,which consists of Soldiers from Albania;Canada;Czech Republic;Italy;Iceland;Montenegro;Poland;Slovakia;Slovenia;and Spain.

STRATCOM Commander's Warning:How Russia and China Threaten the US and its Allies

US Air Force General John Hyten,Commander,US Strategic Command,testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 20 March 2018.In an opening statement and answers to senators' questions in  both open testimony and private visits,GEN Hyten gave an assessment of the current and future threats from our adversaries and STRATCOM's level of readiness to counter them.Two US Army veterans,Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) and Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) are the Second-Ranking Republican and Ranking Member of the Committee,respectively,while US Navy veteran and former POW Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) is Chairman.
According to GEN Hyten:
The most important message I want to deliver today is that the forces under my command (184,000 Soldiers,Airmen,Sailors and Marines) are fully ready to deter our adversaries and respond decisively,should deterrence ever fail.We are ready for all threats.Our forces and capabilities underpin and enable all other joint force operations.*
STRATCOM missions include fielding our nuclear,cyber and space forces.It also synchronises global missile defence plans and operations;electromagnetic spectrum operations and electronic warfare;over the entire continuum of land-sea-air-electromagnetic spectrum and space.*
GEN Hyten continued:
To maintain military superiority in this multi-polar,all-domain world,we must out-think,out-manoeuvre,out-partner,and out-innovate our adversaries.Deterrence in the twenty-first century requires the integration of all our capabilities,across all domains,enabling us to respond to adversary aggression anytime,anywhere.
The bedrock of our nation's deterrence continues to be our safe,secure,ready and reliable nuclear triad (sea,air and land-based systems).While the current triad continues to provide the backbone of our national security,we will eventually consume the last remaining margin from our investments made in the Cold War.
Today our nation is challenged by multiple adversaries with an expanding range of capabilities available to them.Our modernisation programmes are critical and include the B-21 bomber;the Columbia-class Ballistic Missile Submarine;the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent;the Long-Range Standoff Cruise Missile;Nuclear Command-and-Control;and Life-Extended Nuclear Warheads;which will provide without a doubt the nuclear deterrence capability our nation needs now and well into the future.
The biggest difference between the 2018 and the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review is in the return to threat-based planning and the response to great power competition.We started the NPR with the assessment of the threat-it was all about the threat-and based our approach on what our adversaries are doing today and the increasing challenges of the future.
1.Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons
I strongly agree with the need for a low-yield nuclear weapon.That capability is a deterrence weapon to respond to the threat that Russia in particular is portraying.President Putin as far back as 2000 announced that the Russian doctrine will be to use a low-yield nuclear weapon on the battlefield in the face of a conventional overmatch with an adversary.
We do have low-yield nuclear weapons,but those are with our aviation capabilities right now (the B61 nuclear bomb on NATO fighter-bomber aircraft),and those capabilities might not be the right response in terms of timeliness and survivability to get to where the threat is.Therefore,to respond to the threat,we need a small number of low-yield nuclear weapons that we can deploy on our Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles,still in the new START limits.
2.Hypersonic Nuclear Weapons
A hypersonic threat is a system that starts out ballistic,and so you'll see it like a ballistic missile,but then it depresses its trajectory and then flies more like a cruise missile or an airplane;and so it goes up into the low reaches of space,and then levels out and flies at a very high level of speed-and that's hypersonic,that's a hypersonic weapon.Both Russia and China are developing these capabilities.We'ver watched them test these capabilities;so both Russia and China are aggressively pursuing these weapons.I can give the details in a classified session.
Our defence is our deterrence capability.We don't have any defence that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us;so our response would be our deterrent force,which would be the triad and the nuclear capabilities that we would have to respond to such a threat,GEN Hyten explained at the recent hearing on Capitol Hill.

Special Report:Russia's Massive Airstrike on ISIL

More than two dozen Russian Backfire,Bear and Blackjack bombers launched from a base in Southern Russia Tuesday night and released air-launched cruise missiles that struck the ISIL capital of Raqqa,Syria.According to Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Steve Warren,US Army,at the same time,a multi-ship formation of Russian warships in the Caspian Sea fired sea-launched cruise missiles at the same location.The missiles flew through Iraqi airspace and it was also the first time Russia had struck targets in Raqqa,COL Warren added.Russia notified the US beforehand,but didn't share its target set.The US neither cooperated nor coordinated with Russia on this strike;nor are there currently any plans to do so in the future,according to COL Warren.There is daily communication with Russia,but only to test the communications link.Right now,I see no indication they hit anything in our target set,the OIR spokesman told reporters via teleconference.*
A Russian spokesman said that the strike hit 14 important ISIL targets,including command posts that coordinate ISIL activities in Idlib and Aleppo Provinces,as well as munitions and supply depots in Northwest Syria.The Russian General Staff has developed a new plan for the air campaign involving the deployment of 25 strategic bombers,including eight Su-24 Fullback attack jets;four Su-27 Flanker fighter jets;plus the variable-sweep wing Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-22m Backfire jet bombers and the prop Bear bombers.The Bear and Blackjack bombers carry at least 20 tonnes of weaponry.All of the aforementioned bombers have a range of thousands of miles.*
At the G20 summit in Antalya,Turkey last weekend,US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to strike more ISIL targets with Russian airpower.Previously,Russia had primarily been going after opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

US Marine Corps Augments European Presence - response to Russian threat

In light of the continued heavy fighting in Eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces,as well as the presence of Russian troops themselves in Ukraine,tension remains high in Eastern Europe.In response,the US Marines are augmenting their Black Sea Rotational Force,a integral part of NATO's policy of assuming a more robust defence posture to deter Russian aggression,with a Combined Arms Company.
On 16 August,the Marines received a shipment of tanks,artillery and light-armoured reconnaissance vehicles at Bremerhaven,Germany to support NATO allies and international partner countries,said Captain Richard Ulsh,Marine Corps Forces Europe.The equipment was accompanied by the CAC's 160 Marines and will be transported to Bulgaria by rail to demonstrate our allies' and international partners' ability to move heavy equipment across the region to support operations during a crisis,CAPT Ulsh pointed out.
The CAC will be based at the Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria.The transport of a Marine Combined Arms capability in the Black Sea region has fostered improved communication and coordination with the allied force and its partners,said Lieutenant Colonel John Sattely,director of logistics for US Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa.The result of this collaboration and coordination is that the various agencies and organisations involved are familiar with each other now,rather than learning about one another after a crisis happens,LTCOL Sattely explained.*
The Black Sea Rotational Force is a semi-annual rotation of Marines and Sailors able to respond to a broad range of military operations in the US European Command's area of responsibility.It is based at the Mihail Kogliceanu Air Base,Romania.*
Marine Corps Commandant General Joseph Dunford,who will soon become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,addressed the Russian threat at his recent confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee:
My assessment today is that Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security.Russia is not just threatening;it is actually doing it.It is a nuclear power that could pose an existential threat to the US, and their recent acts are nothing short of alarming,GEN Dunford observed.There is concern about Putin engaging in asymmetric instigation in the Baltics and elsewhere in Europe.It is critical for our allies to keep to 2% of GDP defence spending,and to improve their intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,as well as their strategic airlift and cyber capabilities,GEN Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee on 9 July 2015.