Current Events in Europe

From Jane's Defence Weekly Aiming for the high ground By Rob Hewson Editor Jane's Air-Launched Weapons London In the global market (excluding Russia and China) the US dominates the industrial and operational landscape in two ways. With the largest deployed air force it obviously has the largest weapons requirement. US manufacturers will always be supported by this single, fiercely protected market that guarantees sales. For example, the US Air Force (USAF) plans to replace its AIM-9M Sidewinder stocks (about 4,400 missiles) on an almost one-for-one basis with the AIM-9X (4,000 missiles) by 2012. No other customer has this kind of buying power. Europe's missi…

From Defense Aerospace HMS Invincible Retires Early (Source: Thales UK. Issued Aug. 4, 2005) The Royal Navy's flagship, the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, has been retired from service in Portsmouth six months early. She had been in service since 1977, and was deployed in the Falklands war. She was honoured on her final trip by a fly-past involving Sea Harriers, Sea King helicopters, the Lynx Pairs Display Team and RAF Chinook helicopters. With the Ark Royal currently undergoing a major refit and due to re-enter service late next year, Invincible's retirement leaves the Illustrious as the only aircraft carrier in operational service. In 2012 the MoD…

HMS CREWLESS Daily Mirror EXCLUSIVE Royal Navy unveils Britain's biggest ever ships ..but there's not enough sailors to man them By Chris Hughes NAVY chiefs are desperately looking for more than 1,000 new recruits to help crew Britain's two biggest ever warships. The two £1.5billion 60,000-ton aircraft carriers - three times heavier than the ones currently in the fleet - are not due to be ready until 2012. But top brass are desperate to start recruiting now. One senior source revealed yesterday: "This is a crisis as we need hundreds more marines and engineers to be ready in time. "We are moving on from the Cold War. That's over, but the need for …

From Defense Aerospace U.S. Argues Against EU Lifting Arms Embargo Against China (Source: US Department of Defense; issued July 21, 2005) WASHINGTON --- The European Union lifting its arms embargo against China would bring "serious and numerous" consequences, according to a Defense Department report released this week. The European Union has embargoed arms sales to China since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. In the past year China has run an intense lobbying effort to have the ban lifted, a move strongly opposed by U.S. officials. "We think the Chinese would be able to obtain in Europe a lot of military or dual-use technologies that would be of g…

Eshera - Russia's secret military base? By M. Alkhazashvili TheMessenger Weeks after the signing of the agreement about the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia, sensational information about the existence of a secret Russian submarine base in Abkhazia has surfaced. The submarine base is alleged to be found in Eshera, a town in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia. This information can not be verified by Georgian officials, as Georgian representatives are barred from entering the territory of Abkhazia. Rumors have long circulated about the existence of a Russian military base in Eshera. Current reports about the existence of the base are being c…

Cuts in the number of warships diminishing Navy's global role By Michael Evans, Defence Editor TimesOnline THE Royal Navy has had to cut back on its presence around the world because it is running out of warships. After last year’s announcement that the Navy’s fleet of frigates and destroyers was to be cut from 31 to 25, the Ministry of Defence has been reviewing all maritime commitments. John Reid, the Defence Secretary, announced yesterday that three of the Royal Navy’s main tasks would have to be cut back, although none of the commitments would be dropped, as feared by MPs on the Commons Defence Committee in a recent report on Britain’s defence capabilitie…

From Defense Aerospace Fourth Submarine of the 212A Class Received the Name "U34" at a Formal Ceremony (Source: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; issued July 1, 2005) HAMBURG/EMDEN, Germany --- More than 30 years after the construction of the first submarines of the 206 Class for the German navy, the fourth submarine of the 212A Class was launched in Emden in the name "U 34". For the time being, U 34 is the last unit of the German Navy's block booking for the construction of a total of four units of the 212A Class that are being built at the Nordseewerke in Emden, "U 32" and "U 34", as well as at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, "U 31" and "U 33". …

From DefenseNews NATO Chief Hails Ukraine’s Bid To Join Alliance By YANA DLUGY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, KIEV NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hailed June 27 the commitment of this former Soviet republic’s new leadership to joining the alliance. ”I’m here in a new and changed Ukraine and it gives me... a lot of pleasure knowing the ambition of the Ukrainian government for Euro-Atlantic integration,” Scheffer said at a press conference in Kiev, where he was on a one-day visit. ”The process... is very much supported by the 26 NATO allies,” the NATO secretary general told reporters after talks with Ukraine Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk. ”On the road to NA…

From DefenseNews Turkey Causing Security Problems: Greek Minister By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ATHENS Greece’s defense minister on May 6 accused Turkey of “systematically” violating international law and causing “grave problems to regional stability and security” two days after a spate of alleged airspace infringements by Turkish warplanes which Athens deemed “particularly provocative.” “Turkey’s provocative behavior systematically violates international law, causes great problems to regional stability and security, dynamites attempts to improve Greek-Turkish relations and undermines [Turkey’s] European prospects,” Spilios Spiliotopoulos said, according to a de…

From Norwegian Ministry of Defence Excerpt from the Summary: "This Strategic Concept states the political basis for the operational activities of the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF) in the field of security and defence policies. In doing so, it serves the role as strategic level political guidance. The document, thus, provides the political basis for the development of NAF doctrines and the NAF's operational activities." More at the link above.

ADMIRAL KUROYEDOV PLANS IMPROVEMENTS TO RUSSIAN NAVY By Roger McDermott Friday, June 10, 2005 Eurasia Daily Monitor Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, has promised improvements to the Navy in response to the challenge of meeting emerging and future threats to the Russian state or its interests. These reforms, long overdue and vital if the collapse of the Navy is to be avoided, envisage the creation of strike forces in conjunction with other service branches. It also underscores Kuroyedov's confidence that he will retain his post, despite the catalogue of Naval disasters that has plagued his tenure in recent years, and despite …

From Defense Aerospace US, Europe Still Split on NATO's Role (Source: Deutsche Welle German radio; issued Jun 9, 2005) At the NATO Summit on Tuesday, Europe and the US will discuss the direction the alliance will take. Behind all the talk of harmony are some major differences on how much political power the organization should have. In the days after he made them, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's comments that NATO was no longer the "primary venue" for discussing global strategy offered a cue for every one to jump into an increasingly controversial debate. US President George W. Bush saw in them a threat to sideline the security organization and t…

Eight retired submarines to be transported to Severodvinsk this summer Bellona Four civil crews from Severodvinsk are preparing the submarines for transportation at the navy base in Vidyaevo. 2005-06-08 19:00 Total eight nuclear submarines of 671RTM (Victor-III) project will be tugged from the Northern fleet bases to the Zvezdochka shipyard for scrapping in July and August, Interfax reported. Three subs located in the Ura Bay, two – in Zapadnaya Litsa, and three – in Vidyaevo. The dismantling works will be sponsored by Canada, which promised to allocate $18m for this purpose. This Canadian initiative is the part of the one billion Canadian dollars obli…

Defence Aerospace Operational Practice Firing of the Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier Self-Defence System (Source: Eurosam; dated May 25, issued June 1, 2005) On 25 May 2005, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier conducted another operational practice firing of its SAAM-FR antimissile self-defence system. The purpose of this firing was to engage a high subsonic anti-ship target with a salvo of 2 Aster 15 equipped with warheads. All the objectives of this firing were achieved. Once again, the system demonstrated its outstanding precision, with a direct hit of the target engaged by the Aster 15 missile. This firing is the latest in a 100%-succe…

Royal Navy 'Robots' to Hunt Down Underwater Mine Menace UK Ministry of Defence May 30, 2005, 13:10 The Royal Navy is to take delivery of a fleet of high-tech unmanned underwater 'robots' to help track down deadly sea mines. Known as REMUS - short for Remote Environmental Monitoring Units, the battery-powered vehicles will scan the seabed in water up to 100 m deep to ensure there are no underwater mines lurking to destroy ships and landing craft. Under the £2.75 million programme 10 vehicles will be bought by the Defence Procurement Agency before entering service early next year. It will be the first time the RN has had an advanced unmanned underwater ve…

From Defence Aerospace Ike, French Carrier Work Together During Multinational Maritime Exercise (Source: US Navy; issued May 26, 2005) ABOARD USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER --- USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) opened her flight deck to the French navy May 25 during Multi-National Maritime Exercise (MNME) 05-1. A multi-role strike fighter Rafale M jet performed landings, and an E-2C Hawkeye from the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle (R 91) trapped and launched from Ike’s deck during MNME 05-1. It is the first time in more than four years Ike has worked with multinational forces. MNME 05-1, which incorporates more than 17,000 Sailors from Canad…

It might be more accurate to call them "Ships of Battle" than Battleships RUSSIA TO GET NEW BATTLESHIPS Novosti MOSCOW, May 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Navy is set to acquire 10 to 20 new battleships by 2015 that will set it back 5 to 10 billion rubles per frigate, Biznes, a business daily, reported. The keels of a new frigate and a new large amphibious landing ship will be laid July 31 on Navy Day, said Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy. The new Mk 22350 multi-role and long-range frigate will conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, hitting other naval targets. It will take three or four years to complete o…

EU Creates New Rapid Reaction Forces By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BRUSSELS DefenceNews The European Union on May 23 launched two new “battle group” rapid response forces, part of a growing number of such units able to rush to crisis zones worldwide. France, Germany and Spain agreed to set up one such force, while Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Germany also signed an agreement to create another at a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels. The force is a “concrete contribution to the rapid reaction capacities that the European Union has decided it wants to have,” French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on the sidelines of the Brussels ta…

From DefenseNews Finland Accuses Russia of Numerous Airspace Violations By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, HELSINKI Russia has repeatedly violated neighboring Finland’s airspace despite official protests from Helsinki, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said May 20. Russian military planes flying to or from Kaliningrad, situated on the Baltic Sea near the Polish border, have illegally entered Finnish airspace on numerous occasions over recent months, the ministry claimed. “Violations have continued despite the fact that Russian authorities have been approached and a cessation of violations has been demanded,” the ministry said in a statement. At least 10 …

Bulgaria To Offer Three Bases To U.S. Associated Press May 16, 2005 Military.com SOFIA, Bulgaria - Bulgaria said Saturday it will provide three military bases for use by U.S. forces. American officials have said they could use Bulgarian sites to deploy troops on rotational training tours as part of a broader U.S. strategy of shifting troops based in Europe further east. An American team was expected in Bulgaria next week to discuss the bases, senior military officials have said. Defense Minister Nikolai Svinarov said three bases will be offered to the Americans but "it remains to be determined which bases are to be chosen," according to the state …