Tuesday, October 10, 2017
NATO's Brilliant Mariner 17:Certifying France for Leadership at Sea
Brilliant Mariner 17 is a NATO non-Article V Crisis Response Operations exercise aimed at certifying France's Aero-Naval Rapid Reaction Force (FRMARFOR) for command of the NATO Response Force (NRF) Maritime Component in 2018.France will assume command on 1 January 2018 and serve in that capacity for one year.The drills are running from 29 September-13 October 2017.Participating are 3500 personnel,27 warships,two maritime patrol aircraft,and amphibious assets from twelve nations,including:
Canada;Denmark;France;Germany;Greece;Italy;the Netherlands;Norway;Portugal;Spain;Turkey;and the UK.*
The NRF is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force comprised of land,air,maritime and Special Operations Forces components that can deploy quickly wherever needed to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defensive posture,and project stability beyond the Alliance's borders,NATO said.*
Brilliant Mariner 17 is an opportunity for France to exercise command and control at the NRF MCC level.The participating units and crews will evaluate readiness and validate capabilities by operating in a demanding and challenging environment,enhancing collaboration and improving interoperability.*
Brilliant Mariner 17 is headquartered at the French Toulon Naval Base on the Mediterranean.Among the drills conducted so far were:
1.The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond conducted a live firing gunnery exercise (GUNEX) with its 4.5 inch gun at sunrise along with French frigate FS La Fayette;
2.A Maritime Tactical Operations Group (MTOG) from the Canadian Forces conducted small arms training aboard the frigate HMCS Charlottetown;
3.A Royal Danish Navy boarding party disembarked HMCS Charlottetown into a rigid-hulled inflatable boat;
4.Spanish Navy Marines from the Strategic Projection Ship ESPS Juan Carlos I conducted operations on French Military Facility Camp de Garrigues during an infantry exercise;
5.Royal Navy frigate HMS Enterprise received French Rear Admiral Olivier Lebas,who was transferred by helicopter off the exercise flagship,French amphibious ship (LHD) FS Mistral,and winched to the deck.
6.ESPS Juan Carlos I sent Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II Plus jets into night operations.
7.French Army Tigre,NH 90 and Puma helicopters practiced "Touch and Gos" on the flight deck of FS Mistral.
8.Spanish Navy Marines conducted amphibious assault training from FS Mistral,including transport ashore by French catamaran.They were also deployed on land by Spanish Navy Sea King helicopters and a French Army Puma for a projection force helicopter drill.
9.A flotilla of 21 Allied ships sailed in formation in the Mediterranean on 8 October.
Canada;Denmark;France;Germany;Greece;Italy;the Netherlands;Norway;Portugal;Spain;Turkey;and the UK.*
The NRF is a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force comprised of land,air,maritime and Special Operations Forces components that can deploy quickly wherever needed to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defensive posture,and project stability beyond the Alliance's borders,NATO said.*
Brilliant Mariner 17 is an opportunity for France to exercise command and control at the NRF MCC level.The participating units and crews will evaluate readiness and validate capabilities by operating in a demanding and challenging environment,enhancing collaboration and improving interoperability.*
Brilliant Mariner 17 is headquartered at the French Toulon Naval Base on the Mediterranean.Among the drills conducted so far were:
1.The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond conducted a live firing gunnery exercise (GUNEX) with its 4.5 inch gun at sunrise along with French frigate FS La Fayette;
2.A Maritime Tactical Operations Group (MTOG) from the Canadian Forces conducted small arms training aboard the frigate HMCS Charlottetown;
3.A Royal Danish Navy boarding party disembarked HMCS Charlottetown into a rigid-hulled inflatable boat;
4.Spanish Navy Marines from the Strategic Projection Ship ESPS Juan Carlos I conducted operations on French Military Facility Camp de Garrigues during an infantry exercise;
5.Royal Navy frigate HMS Enterprise received French Rear Admiral Olivier Lebas,who was transferred by helicopter off the exercise flagship,French amphibious ship (LHD) FS Mistral,and winched to the deck.
6.ESPS Juan Carlos I sent Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II Plus jets into night operations.
7.French Army Tigre,NH 90 and Puma helicopters practiced "Touch and Gos" on the flight deck of FS Mistral.
8.Spanish Navy Marines conducted amphibious assault training from FS Mistral,including transport ashore by French catamaran.They were also deployed on land by Spanish Navy Sea King helicopters and a French Army Puma for a projection force helicopter drill.
9.A flotilla of 21 Allied ships sailed in formation in the Mediterranean on 8 October.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Boeing to Acquire Aurora Flight Sciences - Avionics - photo
Boeing to Acquire Aurora Flight Sciences - Avionics: Boeing plans to acquire Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., the to-be subsidiary said. Although the sale is not yet official, the two parties have signed an agreement. Terms have not been disclosed. “The combined strength and innovation of our teams will advance the development of autonomy for our commercial and military systems,” said Greg Hyslop, CTO …
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Dateline Finland:NATO and EU Inaugurate Counter-Hybrid Warfare Centre in Helsinki
On 2 October 2017 in Helsinki,Finland,NATO and the European Union inaugurated their European Centre of Excellence,or CoE,for Countering Hybrid Threats.Eleven nations are contributing to the Centre,including the US.Attending the ceremony were NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg;EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini;Finnish President Sauli Niinisto;and Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila.The Centre aims to better understand modern,complex threats and to strengthen our societies against them.
Meeting with the Finnish leaders,Mr.Stoltenberg praised Finland for its contributions to international security,especially airspace security in the Baltics,and expressed gratitude for Finland's close partnership with NATO.He also emphasised the close cooperation between the EU and NATO:
Our relationship has never been closer.*
NATO and the EU have agreed to 42 measures on the hybrid challenges,cyber defence,and security in the Mediterranean Basin.Both organisations hope to expand cooperation into even more areas later this year.*
Mr.Stoltenberg pointed out to the media that Finland's border with Russia is longer than that of all the NATO Allies and partners combined,so Finland offers NATO and the EU special insight and expertise regarding Russian activities and on relations with its giant neighbour.
Last November,Finnish President Sauli Niinisto became the first Finnish president to visit NATO headquarters in Brussels.Finland contributes to NATO missions and operations in the Balkans,Kosovo,and Afghanistan.They participate in NATO exercises and the NATO Response Force.Mr.Stoltenberg noted that:
This year was the hundredth anniversary of Finland's independence from Russia.And you know better than I,that those hundred years is very much about Finland's relationship to the neighbour to the east,to Russia,in good times and in bad times.*
We use the phrase "hybrid" to cover actually many things,Mr.Stoltenberg explained:normally a kind of mixture of military and non-military means of aggression;a combination of covert and overt operations and measures,everything from propaganda,from disinformation,actually the use of regular forces,from tweets to tanks;sometimes soldiers in uniforms,sometimes soldiers without uniforms;and sometimes something that happens in cyber space and sometimes things that happen at our borders.And this combination of so many different things at the same time with the aim to hide the real intention,that has got the name "hybrid threats."And it's a kind of buzzword I hear everywhere I go now.
We have responded in close cooperation with the EU,responded in close cooperation with countries like Finland:
1.We have improved our situational awareness,established a new division within NATO only working with intelligence:improved situational awareness to be able to foresee and understand what is going on;
2.significantly increased the readiness of our forces,tripling the NATO Response Force to 30,000 troops,including the new VJTF,Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,a brigade that can react in a few days.We have deployed four battle groups to the three Baltic countries and Poland,and also strengthened our presence in the Southeast of the Alliance.If we see small,green men showing up somewhere they should not show up,NATO will be there;
3.the third thing is to increase our resilience in infrastructure,energy security,but in particular cyber.There is no military activity;there is no military conflict without a big cyber dimension.So we have to be able to support and defend our own networks.
And I strongly believe that to have a Centre like this as a hub for sharing information,for sharing experiences,for learning from each other,for organising training,and for also doing some practical work and looking into how we can address specific hybrid threats,will be of great advantage both for the EU,for NATO,and of course for all our member states,including Finland,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concluded.*
Even on the plane out of Helsinki,Mr.Stoltenberg and Ms.Mogherini were photographed continuing their dialogue.
Meeting with the Finnish leaders,Mr.Stoltenberg praised Finland for its contributions to international security,especially airspace security in the Baltics,and expressed gratitude for Finland's close partnership with NATO.He also emphasised the close cooperation between the EU and NATO:
Our relationship has never been closer.*
NATO and the EU have agreed to 42 measures on the hybrid challenges,cyber defence,and security in the Mediterranean Basin.Both organisations hope to expand cooperation into even more areas later this year.*
Mr.Stoltenberg pointed out to the media that Finland's border with Russia is longer than that of all the NATO Allies and partners combined,so Finland offers NATO and the EU special insight and expertise regarding Russian activities and on relations with its giant neighbour.
Last November,Finnish President Sauli Niinisto became the first Finnish president to visit NATO headquarters in Brussels.Finland contributes to NATO missions and operations in the Balkans,Kosovo,and Afghanistan.They participate in NATO exercises and the NATO Response Force.Mr.Stoltenberg noted that:
This year was the hundredth anniversary of Finland's independence from Russia.And you know better than I,that those hundred years is very much about Finland's relationship to the neighbour to the east,to Russia,in good times and in bad times.*
We use the phrase "hybrid" to cover actually many things,Mr.Stoltenberg explained:normally a kind of mixture of military and non-military means of aggression;a combination of covert and overt operations and measures,everything from propaganda,from disinformation,actually the use of regular forces,from tweets to tanks;sometimes soldiers in uniforms,sometimes soldiers without uniforms;and sometimes something that happens in cyber space and sometimes things that happen at our borders.And this combination of so many different things at the same time with the aim to hide the real intention,that has got the name "hybrid threats."And it's a kind of buzzword I hear everywhere I go now.
We have responded in close cooperation with the EU,responded in close cooperation with countries like Finland:
1.We have improved our situational awareness,established a new division within NATO only working with intelligence:improved situational awareness to be able to foresee and understand what is going on;
2.significantly increased the readiness of our forces,tripling the NATO Response Force to 30,000 troops,including the new VJTF,Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,a brigade that can react in a few days.We have deployed four battle groups to the three Baltic countries and Poland,and also strengthened our presence in the Southeast of the Alliance.If we see small,green men showing up somewhere they should not show up,NATO will be there;
3.the third thing is to increase our resilience in infrastructure,energy security,but in particular cyber.There is no military activity;there is no military conflict without a big cyber dimension.So we have to be able to support and defend our own networks.
And I strongly believe that to have a Centre like this as a hub for sharing information,for sharing experiences,for learning from each other,for organising training,and for also doing some practical work and looking into how we can address specific hybrid threats,will be of great advantage both for the EU,for NATO,and of course for all our member states,including Finland,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concluded.*
Even on the plane out of Helsinki,Mr.Stoltenberg and Ms.Mogherini were photographed continuing their dialogue.
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