Current Events in Europe

From DefenseNews Posted 06/28/07 19:18 Russia Carries Out Successful Missile Test By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESS, MOSCOW Russia has carried out a successful test of a sea-based intercontinental missile from a nuclear submarine, the military said Thursday. The test on the new Bulava ballistic missile was conducted in the White Sea off Russia’s northwest coast, military spokesman Igor Dygalo told AFP. “The missile warhead arrived in the foreseen deadline” in the Kura test range in the Kamchatka region of Russia’s Far East, the spokesman added. The missile was fired from the submarine Dmitry Donskoi, which was used for a test which failed last October. Two other tests h…

From Air Force Times Air Force mum on nuclear bombs at Ramstein Inspection list indicates weapons were removed By Bryant Jordan - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Jul 10, 2007 19:38:03 EDT Maybe they’re gone or maybe they’re not. Officials with U.S. Air Forces Europe simply will not say whether the Air Force removed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, up to 90 nuclear bombs, as was reported July 9 by the Federation of American Scientists. “On issues associated with nuclear weapons, we follow the longstanding Air Force policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence or absence of nuclear weapons at any specific location,” Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jess…

A great source for imagery, geolocation and some analysis of a number of airfields important to Russian strategic aviation. http://geimint.blogspot.com/2007/07/russia...on-imagery.html

From Defence Talk Britain feared US would 'nuke' Afghanistan: ex-diplomat Agence France-Presse | Jun 18, 2007 Britain joined the United States' invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001 because it feared America would "nuke the shit" out of Afghanistan, the former British ambassador to Washington reportedly told a television documentary to be screened Saturday. In comments printed in advance in the Daily Mirror tabloid on Monday, Christopher Meyer said that fear explained why Prime Minister Tony Blair chose to stand with US President George W. Bush in his decision to invade Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks -- to te…

From Defence Aerospace Eurocopter Proudly Announces the Official Acceptance of the first HAP Tiger by the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement. (Source: Eurocopter; issued March 18, 2005) MARIGNANE, France --- Engineer General Jacques Sandeau was at Marignane on 18 March to officially deliver the first of its 80 Tiger helicopters to the French Army Air Corps (ALAT). General Sandeau heads the Service des Programmes Aéronautiques (Aeronautical Programs Department) of the Délégation Générale pour l’Armement (French defence procurement agency). This decisive step not only marks the qualitative acceptance of the helicopters in terms of performances and systems, b…

From Stratfor GEOPOLITICAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT 06.12.2007 Russia: Using Missile Defense as a Geopolitical Lever By George Friedman Russian President Vladmir Putin threw a classic Cold War curveball during his chat with U.S. President George W. Bush at the G-8 summit. Having totally opposed the creation of a U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD) system in Poland and the Czech Republic, Putin suddenly shifted his position, saying he might go along with a BMD system under certain conditions. The system, he said, would be acceptable if the United States used a Russian radar system placed in Azerbaijan and based its interceptor missiles anywhere else, such as on s…

From Defense Aerospace 30 Day Countdown Begins For Launch of First Astute Submarine (Source: Royal Navy; issued May 8, 2007) Four years late, and $1.8 billion over budget, the Royal Navy’s Astute-lass nuclear attack submarine will finally go afloat on June 8. The Royal Navy’s largest and most powerful attack submarine, the first-of-class Astute, is now entering the final stages of preparation for the launch which will take place at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness on 8th June, 2007. With just one month to go before the submarine emerges from the 25,000m² Devonshire Dock Hall build facility, much of the hull is still shrouded in coverings to…

From Defense Aerospace Lord Drayson Announces Financial Solution for New RAF Tanker and Transport Aircraft Programme (Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued June 6, 2007) The Royal Air Force will have total operational control of 14 Airbus A330-200 tanker aircraft, which will be owned and supported by AirTanker Ltd. (AirTanker artist’s impression) Defence Minister Lord Drayson has announced today, 6 June 2007, that the Government has approved a PFI solution as the most cost-effective way of replacing the RAF's fleet of VC10 and TriStar aircraft. The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) PFI deal, as it is known, has been made with AirTanker Ltd., Lord Dr…

From Defence Talk Putin warns he will point missiles at Europe Reuters | Jun 4, 2007 MOSCOW (Reuters): President Vladimir Putin said Russia would go back to its Cold War stance of aiming its missiles at Europe if Washington went ahead with a plan to build a missile defence shield near Russia's borders. In an interview released late on Sunday, Putin acknowledged that Russia's response risked reviving an arms race in Europe but said Moscow would not be responsible for the consequences because Washington had started the escalation. Putin made the tough statement before what is likely to be a frosty Group of Eight summit in Germany on June 6 where, among othe…

From Navy Times France shows off new, roomy amphib By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer Posted : Thursday May 31, 2007 9:59:56 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — The French Navy’s new 21,500-ton amphibious ship Tonnerre towered over the pier at this sprawling naval base, just as high as the 40,000-ton U.S. Navy assault ships tied up at piers on either side. But on coming aboard, a visitor is struck by something just not found inside the nearly twice-as-large American ships: space. Photos View a gallery of images of the Tonnerre The Tonnerre, second of France’s two Mistral-class Force Projection and Command (BPC) ships, is nearly as roomy as a cruise ship. Wide passag…

From Jane's Navy International 31 May 2007 UK MoD remains open to three-boat nuclear deterrent option By Jon Rosamond The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has refused to rule out replacing its four Vanguard-class ballistic nuclear missile submarines (SSBNs) with a new generation of just three boats. However, officials said a "significant body of work" would have to be carried out before they can judge whether the UK could maintain a continuous nuclear deterrent at sea with fewer, but more reliable, submarines. They also warned that the financial savings that accrue would not be as large as the one-quarter reduction in the size of the SSBN fleet might suggest…

From Stratfor Red Alert: Ukraine -- Sliding Down a Slippery Slope The Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported May 26 that some of its forces have begun acting on the order of President Viktor Yushchenko and disregarding the orders from the Interior Ministry. Several thousand Interior Ministry troops loyal to the president are reportedly moving toward the capital, Kiev, in defiance of orders from Interior Minister Vasyl Tsuchko. The normal rule of law in Ukraine has become more and more blurred over the past few weeks. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich has repeatedly taken advantage of the country's weak institutions in order to peel power away from the increasingl…

From Defence Talk Bush Preparing For British U-Turn On Iraq Agence France-Presse | May 21, 2007 London: US President George W. Bush has been told to prepare for a British U-turn on Iraq once Gordon Brown becomes prime minister, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said. A Bush administration official, however, described the report as "baseless." Bush has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals during Brown's first 100 days in office, the weekly said. The president was advised on how to handle the aftermath of a British pullout and the end of steadfast support from London, said the broadsheet, citing senior offici…

From Jane's Intelligence Digest 17 May 2007 Russia seeks first-strike capacity against US bases in Europe In mid-January 2007, US officials formally proposed establishing a ballistic missile defence (BMD) radar system, operated by US personnel, in the Czech Republic. The complex would consist of a X-band radar for mid-course tracking and discrimination of ballistic missiles launched from the Middle East. The US and Poland have also begun discussions about possibly deploying 10 ground-launched US BMD interceptor missiles on Polish territory. US officials have justified the deployment as primarily aimed to protect European countries and the US from a future…

Looks like more great scenario fodder. Turkish Navy holds exercise near south of island 11.05.2007 The Observer The Turkish Navy performed a military exercise in the region which the Greek Cypriot side has designated as an exclusive economic zone in agreements signed with Egypt and Lebanon for the purpose of oil explorations. There are two and a half months left for the tender that will see the Greek Cypriot side issuing exploration licenses for the 13 regions. The Turkish Navy performed their exercises on Wednesday, May 2, 12 miles from the Greek Cypriot coast. According to the news from various sources the Turkish Navy and some Turkish Air Force fighter j…

Here's a great geo-political situation for those interested in creating new scenarios. New Protectors for Iceland By GERARD O’DWYER, HELSINKI DefenseNews Norway and Denmark have signed separate defense cooperation agreements with Iceland that provide cover for the North Atlantic island’s land, national airspace and sea defenses in peacetime. The two pacts, signed April 27, fill the void left by the September 2006 withdrawal of U.S. troops and F-18 fighters from Iceland, which has no military. Iceland signed with Norway a broad-ranging memorandum of understanding (MoU) on peacetime security policy cooperation. Iceland’s security needs will remain covered by i…

Underwater hide-and-seek Deeper sections of the Baltic in the Archipelago Sea offer an excellent hideout for foreign navy submarines HELSINGIN SANOMAT By Tommi Nieminen The Finnish Navy's Rauma-class fast attack craft Porvoo picks up a Helsingin Sanomat journalist and photographer from a small jetty tucked away in Lappohja, not far from Hanko. It feels a little strange, to be honest, that this compact Navy warship is able to use a little marina like this. Just next door there are a couple of dozen small boats on a sandy beach, still face down in their winter hibernation. The freighter Metallica is tied up at the quay attached to the local steelworks…

From Defence Talk Missile shield tensions build in Europe as Russia freezes treaty Agence France-Presse | Apr 27, 2007 A dispute over US plans to station anti-missile bases in eastern Europe escalated Thursday as Russia froze a key defence treaty in a move that raised "grave concern" among NATO allies. In heated NATO talks in Oslo, Norway, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Russia was to halt its application of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty and could even pull out if the allies did not endorse it. "It means that we will halt the compliance of our obligations under the treaty," he told reporters, after launching what was de…

From Flight International DATE:25/04/07 SOURCE:Flightglobal.com UK Royal Air Force to end Sepecat Jaguar use next week By Craig Hoyle UK operations of the Sepecat Jaguar are to end far sooner than expected, with the Royal Air Force revealing that training activities with the type are to stop on 30 April. The Jaguar will be formally retired from service on 25 May, several months earlier than previously expected, and all flying will cease by the end of next month. In an unusually public act, the boss of the RAF’s last frontline unit to fly the type announced the news yesterday on the pprune.org website frequented by military pilots. “I have announced to the m…

Navy set to keep 30-year-old ships in service over £3.6bn carrier delays JAMES KIRKUP POLITICAL EDITOR (jkirkup@scotsman.com) Scotsman.com THE Royal Navy could be forced to delay the retirement of Britain's ageing aircraft carriers because of delays in the programme to order replacement vessels, the Ministry of Defence has admitted. The decision would mean the mainstay of Britain's naval power in the next decade will be two ships which are both more than 30 years old. The prospect of prolonging the life of HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal will only heighten concerns about the state of the Royal Navy. Commanders led by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Jon…