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NATO Upgrades Deterrence and Defence,Develops Strategies to Deal With Contingencies - plus Finland's Key Role in NATO Land Forces

According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:Allies have agreed the most comprehensive defence plans since the Cold War to deter and defend against global threats,including Russia.Our military planners are translating these plans into concrete requirements,identifying the forces needed to defend us.Allies are offering forces to NATO's command at a scale not seen in decades.Today we have 500,000 troops at high readiness across all domains-significantly more than was set out at the 2022 Madrid Summit.NATO has also doubled the number of battle groups in the Eastern Flank.Allies are also taking on larger,more demanding exercises to test our capabilities.The many threats we face demand significant capability requirements from Allies in areas such as weapons and ammunition;air and missile defence;logisitics;and long-range weapons. Over the next five years,NATO Allies across Europe and Canada plan to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems;850 modern aircraft,including fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters;and also many other high-end capabilties.We have also invested in more innovation,including one millon in the NATO Innovation Fund...We also discussed the ongoing adaptation of our nuclear capabilities.We are a nuclear Alliance committed to being responsible and transparent,but clear in our resolve to preserve peace;prevent coercion;and deter aggression...Many Allies have already expelled a large number of Russian intelligence operatives.This is considered necessary to counter the hostile actions that Russia is accountable for.And there's a pattern here,an intensified campaign by Russia to conduct hostile actions:sabotage;arson;cyber attacks against NATO Allies.There have been several arrests across the Alliance:in the UK,Poland,Germany and in the Baltic countries-all people who have been accused of working with the Russian intelligence services to conduct sabotage against infrastructure and other facilities in our countries.Restriction of the movement of Russian intelligence officers has already been imposed,but we are welcoming further such actions by Allies.The South is of course important to NATO.NATO has the ability to pivot in any direction that is needed.And that is why I have asked for and established a group of experts that presented their report on how NATO can utilise the opportunities in our Southern neighbourhood;and also address some of the challenges we face there,at least in Africa.This report is part of something we are addressing at NATO,and I am sure it will lead to decisions,conclusions by Allies to further strengthen our approach to the challenges that we see in our Southern neighbourhood.NATO has a presence-we have a training mission in Iraq.We have Partnerships with Mauritania;with Iraq;with Tunisia and others;but of course we can do more.I think it's important to remember,when we are investing in new military capabilities,that it's also relevant to the South.*Moreover,according to the Reuters news agency,Finland will host a new land command unit of the NATO Alliance,Finnish Defence Minister Anti Hakkanen told reporters in Brussels on 13 June 2024.Said Hakkanen:I'm pleased to state today that all NATO member states have given their political consent to Finland's key goals in its NATO integration.Finland will host a NATO command and there will be land force presence in Finland.*According to Hakkanen,the NATO land command will be tasked with directing land warfare operations in Northern Europe and Scandanavia.He declined to specify the location of the command or how many NATO troops could be posted to Finland,as planning was still ongoing.*Under NATO's new command structure,all Nordic countries are under Joint Forces Command,Norfolk,Virginia,which are in charge of North Atlantic defence.*Said Hakkanen:With these decisions,the security of Finland and,at the same time,the security of Northern Europe is strengthened,and they significantly benefit the security of the entire Alliance.*

Images of US Air Force's new B-21 Raider stealth bomber on its first flight on 10 November 2023

A brief film of the undisclosed first flight is followed by stills and earlier footage of the unveiling.The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider was escorted by a Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon.A Reuters journalist was monitoring the activity at the Palmdale,California Plant 42 facility in the Mojave Desert.Plant 42 is owned by the US Air Force and operated as a component of nearby Edwards Air Force Base.It is a Government-Owned,Contractor-Operated facility (GOCO).Besides developing classified aircraft,it also services existing aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.Lockheed Martin (LMT),Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Northern Coasts 23:Defending the Baltics from Enemy Attack

About 30 warships and 3200 military personnel from 14 nations are carrying out an annual exercise intended to enhance defence of the Baltic Sea Region.It will concentrate on high-end warfare and collective deterrence and defence by NATO Allies,NATO said.The drills began on 9 September and last two weeks.Said Dylan White,acting NATO spokesperson:Seven-soon to be eight-NATO Allies border the Baltic Sea,so the area is of critical importance to our Alliance.Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has radically altered the security situation in the Baltic Sea,and NATO has substantially increased its defensive presence in the region at sea,onland and in the air.Exercises like these send a clear message that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory.*The two weeks of drills are currently underway,including amphibious operations;air defence;strikes from sea to land;and securing sea lanes.Participating are Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1,as well as military personnel from Allies Belgium,Canada,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,France,Germany,Latvia,Lithuania,the Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Partner Sweden and the US.Germany is leading the manoeuvres.The drills are also featuring participation of land and air forces from the 14 nations.The scenario of the exercise simulates a Russian attack on the Baltics,according to ERR News (Estonian Public Broadcasting).*Vice-Admiral Jan Chrisitian Raack,commander of the German Navy,told Reuters that warships will practise sea lane defence primarily off the coasts of Estonia and Latvia.Germany is also commanding the operation from its new Maritime Command Headquarters at the city of Rostock on the Baltic Sea.Said VADM Raack:Finland and the Baltic States depend to almost 100% on the maritime supply routes through the Baltic Sea.*For its part,the US Navy is contributing the USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19),an amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio-class.*Rostock is on the Bay of Mecklenburg,an arm of the Baltic Sea.The city is in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.The new HQ will reportedly serve as NATO's go-to HQ for Baltic Sea Region defence.* Please excuse any delays as this blog experienced an outage while writing this post.