LIVE: MI6 chief speaks at the British embassy in Paris - YouTube - 3O NOV 2024 - Reuters

NATO Secretary General press conference at Defence Ministers Meeting, 18 OCT 2024 - YouTube

Takeaways:NATO Exercise Steadfast Noon has about another week to go.The NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany is to be activated this month.It will have about 700 personnel and is located in the Headquarters of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAE-AF) in Wiesbaden,Germany.The Ukraine Victory Plan was politely listened to without comment.It is possible that Ukraine will be invited to join NATO.Moldova is experiencing hybird warfare waged by Russia to derail its sovereignty,and NATO is doing all it can to build up Moldova's defence capability.

NATO Secretary General with the Prime Minister of Latvia 🇱🇻 Evika Siliņa,16 OCT 2024

Canada leads eFP Battlegroup Latvia to protect the Eastern Flank.Latvia participates in the KFOR peackeeping force in Kosovo and in NATO's training mission in Iraq.

Pacific Perspective:Chinese Military Operations from Belarus to the Bering Sea

According to Staright Arrow News,China and Belarus launched military drills along the Polish and Ukraine borders.This is raising concern across Europe.It just points up that China sees itself as a global power.Exercise Eagle Assault was held near Brest,Belarus which is on the Polish border and 30 miles from Ukraine's northern frontier.It was the first time that Chinese troops were on Belarusian soil.The drills are dubbed anti-terrorism exercises and continued through mid-July.The drills began as NATO held the 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington,DC.*Belarus has just joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO),a body praised by China and Russia as a counterbalance to the West.As well,Belarus has provided logistical support to Russia and recently began hosting Russian nuclear weapons,which troubles NATO and the EU.The drills held near Poland are seen as a provocation and power projection.*For its part,Belarus is accused of waging hybrid warfare against Poland by sending hundreds of migrants a day across the Polish border.The migrants,mostly from the Middle East,Asia and Africa,caused the death of a Polish Soldier recently when a migrant stabbed him.Poland is sending 17,000 troops to protect its border,and is on course to create the largest land army in Europe.*Meanwhile,the U.S. Coast Guard issued a press release on 10 June 2024 about encountering four People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships in the Bering Sea.U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756),a Legend-class National Security Cutter,detected three PLAN warships about 124 miles north of Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands.An HC-130J Hercules from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak detected a fourth warship about 84 miles north of the Amrika Pass in the Aleutians.All the PLAN warships were in international waters,but inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone,which extends out 200 nautical miles from the shorline.The PLAN followed international rules and norms,according to RDL Megan Dean,Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander:We must preserve with presence to assure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.*Responding to U.S. Coast Guard radio transmissions,the PLAN said they were exercising freedom of navigation operations.The Kimball continued to monitor the warships until they transited south of the Aleutian Islands into the North Pacific Ocean.The Coast Guard,in coordination with U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM),was fully aware of and tracked the PLAN presence.In September 2021 and 2022,Coast Guard cutters deployed to the Bering Sea also encountered Chinese surface action groups.The Kimball patrolled under Operation Frontier Sentinal,which is a Coast Guard operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters.The Coast Guard's presence strengthens the international rules-based order and promotes the conduct of operations in a manner that follows international norms.*The Kimball is a 418 ft. Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC) homeported in Honolulu,Hawaii.Such National Security Cutters are the largest active patrol class of the USCG,with the size of a frigate.Among the NSC's missions is providing ports,waterways and coastal security;countertterrorism;law enforcement;defence operations and other military operations,including assigned Naval Warfare duties within the U.S. Navy.It has several advanced sensors and processing systems,including radar tactical data links.The NSC has an NBC detection and defence system to repel chemical,biological or radiological attacks.It is armed with 1 x Mk 110 57mm gun;1 x 20mm Block 1B Baseline 2 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System;2 x crew-served M240B 7.62mm machine guns;4 x crew-served Browning M2 machine guns;and has a 50x80 ft. hangar for aircraft.The NSC is optimised for communications with NATO.It is built by Huntington Ingalls Industries.*Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (HII)

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.*

NATO Secretary General - Doorstep statement at Defence Ministers Meeting,13 JUN 2024 - YouTube

NATO Secretary General doorstep statement at the EU Foreign Affairs Council 28 MAY 2024 - YouTube

Russia's Finding Ways to Attack NATO – Using Hybrid Tactics - YouTube - UA News

Bulletin:UK Foreign Secretary Sends Strong Message to Russia

Foreign Secretary David Cameron says Britain has sent an "unequivocal message" after expelling the Russian Defence Attache,a suspected GRU agent.The UK also removed diplomatic premises status from several Russian properties in the UK and capped the the amount of time Russian diplomats can spend in the UK.The actions come against a background of Russia's war on Ukraine and Moscow's attempt to "undermine European security and collective will to support Ukraine",said Mr.Cameron,according to Sky News.*There have been reports of Russian military intelligence hiring British nationals to stage arson attacks on Ukrainian businesses in the UK.MI 5 is the UK's domestic security and counter-intelligence service which develops this sort of information.

Crackdown:UK sends 'unequivocal' message to Russian with expulsion - YouTube - Sky News

NATO Secretary General doorstep at the G7 Foreign Ministers, 18 APR 2024 - YouTube

House Speaker Mike Johnson's 61 billion dollar aid package for Ukraine is scheduled for a vote on 20 April 2024.It has strong bipartisan support.

UK, Canadian, and French Space Command Officials Push the Importance of Space Security - Via Satellite

UK, Canadian, and French Space Command Officials Push the Importance of Space Security: In a keynote at Space-Comm Expo, the commander of UK Space Command said he is “convinced” that space has a PR problem, as people do not understand the importance and essential nature of space.

NATO Secretary General pre-ministerial press conference at Defence Ministers Meeting,14 FEB 2024

NATO:Tabloid's Disclosure of Chilling Russian Intentions is for a Bundeswehr Training Exercise

A chilling disclosure by the German tabloid Bild suggested that Russia would escalate the Ukraine war to a hybrid war against NATO Allies in 2024 that could then lead to an attack against NATO Allies in 2025.NATO has responded to the disclosure by saying it refers to a Bundeswehr (German military) training scenario.The escalation was to begin in the Eastern Flank in 2024 and intensify to a major armed conflict in Europe in 2025.In fact,Russia is planning a major military buildup of its army from 1 to 1.5 million Soldiers.Recently,Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Ukraine with an unrecoverable blow that would annihilate Ukrainian statehood.*The secret document obtained by Bild said there would be a Russian spring 2024 offensive against Ukraine,followed by a hybrid war against the Baltic States with cyberattacks and other hybrid warfare tactics.In October 2024,Russia will build up its Kaliningrad enclave with troops and missiles.In December 2024,Russia will instigate border conflicts in the Suwalki Gap,a rural area of Northeastern Poland that borders Lithuania and is seen as a NATO vunerability as it is the fastest route between Russia and Belarus.Post-US 2024 Presidential elections and the vulnerability of a presidential transition,Russia will invade a NATO Ally,possibly assisted by Belarus.Thirty days later,NATO will carry out large reinforcements to its Eastern Flank.Indeed,a Sulwalki Gap conflict engineered by Russia could cause many casualties.In a NATO D-day scenario,300,000 NATO troops would be deployed to the Eastern Flank,including 30,000 Bundeswehr personnel.*Possibly this scenario is what led Sweden to warn its people to prepare for a crisis or conflict in Europe.It contains realistic elements that were perhaps garnered by the Intelligence Community.

NATO Secretary General with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia 🇲🇰 Dimitar Kovacevski 21 NOV 2023

Poland reinforces border troops, claims airspace incursion by Belarusian helicopters

Mi-8 and Mi-24 Belarusian military helicopters were ascertained to have crossed into Poland at only 50-60 metres/164-196 feet in altitude,below the radar level.Polish residents and tourists submitted videos and photos proving an incursion had occurred and NATO was notified.Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia,as well as NATO,have gone on alert in consequence of the Belarusian incursion and the insertion of Russian Wagner Group mercenaries into the Belarus border with Poland.

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.

NATO Secretary General with Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine 🇺🇦 Olga Ste...

Heading Forward:NATO Strategy After the London Leaders Meeting

The North Atlantic Council met in London from 3-4 December 2019 to celebrate NATO's 70th anniversary.
Details of the defence plans agreed may be classified, or not yet completed,but the outlines have been presented in the concluding statement by the North Atlantic Council and the closing press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Here are some interesting points from the statement:
As an Alliance,NATO faces distinct threats and challenges emanating from all strategic directions:
Russia's aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security;
Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains a persistent threat to us all;
State and non-state actors challenge the rules-based international order;
Instability beyond our borders is also contributing to irregular migration;
We face cyber and hybrid threats.*
We have taken decisions to respond to any threat,at any time, from any direction.*
We stand firm in our commitment to the fight against terrorism and are taking stronger action to defeat it.We are addressing and will continue to address in a measured and responsible way Russia's deployment of new intermediate-range missiles, which brought about the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and which pose significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security.We are increasing action to protect our freedom at sea and in the air.We are further strengthening our ability to deter and defend with an appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional, and missile defence capabilities, which we continue to adapt.*
As long as nuclear weapons exist,NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. We remain open to a constructive relationship with Russia when Russia's actions make that possible.*
North Macedonia was represented in London and will soon be our newest and 30th ally, demonstrating NATO's open door policy.*
We will continue to increase the resilience of our societies,as well as of our critical infrastructure and our energy security.*
NATO and Allies, within their respective authority, are committed to ensuring the security of our communications, including 5G, recognising the need to rely on secure and resilient systems.*
We have declared space as a fifth operational domain for NATO, recognising its importance in keeping us safe and tackling security challenges, while upholding International law.*
We are increasing our tools to respond to cyber attacks, and strengthening our ability to prepare for, deter, and defend against hybrid tactics that seek to undermine our security and societies.*
We recognise that China's​ growing influence and international policies present both opportunities and challenges that we need to address as an Alliance.*
We invite the Secretary General to present to Foreign Ministers a Council-agreed proposal for a forward-looking process under his auspices, drawing on relevant expertise, to further strengthen NATO's political dimension, including consultation.*
From the Secretary General's news conference:
 NATO is responding to Russia's deployment of intermediate-range, nuclear-capable missiles in a defensive and coordinated way.And we have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force, so we can quickly reinforce.And then we today launch the new Readiness Initiative, where we add even more forces to act quickly and reinforce if needed.
And today we have agreed to the updated plan for the Baltic countries and Poland.So I welcome that.We have just implemented the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation.*

A guide to Russian propaganda. Part 1: propaganda prepares Russia for war