Top NATO General: West Should Send Arms To Ukraine

VOA: NATO General: West Should Consider Arming Ukraine

NATO's military commander says the West needs to consider sending defensive weapons to Ukraine to help it counter Russia's continued involvement supporting pro-Moscow separatists fighting Kyiv's forces.

U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove told a Brussels conference that he does not think "any tool of (the) United States or any other nation's power should necessarily be off the table."

But Breedlove acknowledged that sending weapons to Kyiv could destabilize the country amid concerns about the implementation of a shaky month-old cease-fire between the pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian troops.

More News On NATO's Top General Calling For The Arming Of Ukraine

U.S. Should Consider Arming Ukrainians, Top NATO General Says -- Bloomberg
West should consider all tools, including arms, for Ukraine -NATO general -- Reuters
NATO Commander Calls For Using 'All Tools' To Help Ukraine -- Radio Free Europe
NATO Military Chief Philip Breedlove Flags Ukraine Risks -- WSJ
NATO Commander: West Must Fight Russia in Information 'War' -- NYT

NATO Intercepts Russian Jets Over The Baltic Sea

A Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighter flies during a drill in Russia's southern Stavropol region. Four similar jets were intercepted by NATO jets on March 17, 2015. Reuters/Eduard Korniyenko

IBTimes: Russian Military Jets Intercepted By NATO Near Latvia Over Baltic Sea

Seven Russian aircraft were intercepted by the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission while flying in international airspace near Latvia, the country’s National Armed Forces said on Twitter Wednesday. Typhoon fighters from the Spanish and Italian air forces were scrambled on Tuesday to intercept the Russian aircraft, which included four Su-27 fighters as well as two An-26 and one An-12 transport planes.

In a separate tweet on Wednesday, the Latvian military also reported seeing three Russian Kilo-class submarines, support ships and a hydrographic survey vessel just 30 miles from Latvia’s territorial waters.

On Tuesday, a Russian warship was spotted 28 miles from the coast, and on Monday a Russian submarine was seen at a similar distance.

More News On NATO Jets Intercepting Russian Jets Over The Baltic Sea

NATO intercepts Russian fighters over Baltic Sea -- Business Insider/Reuters
NATO jets intercept Russian warplanes as Putin ramps up deadly game of cat and mouse -- Express
NATO Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Planes Over Baltic Sea, Latvia Says -- Msocow Times
Latvia says NATO jets intercepted seven Russian planes over Baltic -- Charter 97

US Sends Heavy Armor And 3,000 Soldiers To The Baltic States To 'Deter Russia'

IBTimes: Ukraine Crisis: US Sending 3,000 Troops To Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania For Military Exercises

The United States is sending 3,000 soldiers near Russia’s doorstep for training exercises with the militaries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the Associated Press reported Monday. The deployment by the Pentagon comes amid rising tensions with Russia on the crisis in Ukraine, in which most of the West accuses Moscow of instigating the military conflict between pro-Russia separatists and the Ukrainian military.

More News On The U.S. Sending Heavy Armor And 3,000 Soldiers To The Baltic States

US Sends Heavy Armor to Baltic States -- Defense News/AFP
US deploying 3,000 troops to the Baltics -- Deutsche Welle
U.S. military equipment for Baltics, Poland delivered to Riga port -- Xinhua
Over 100 US armored vehicles roll into Latvia, NATO flexes muscles in Europe -- RT
Boots on the Ground: US Tanks, Humvees Arrive in Latvia -- Sputnik

NATO: Russia Is Massing Weapons In Crimea

Crimea (BBC)

Business Insider: Russia is turning Crimea into a forward operating base against NATO

Russia is heavily militarizing Crimea as a way to project power deep in to the Black Sea, USNI News reports citing supreme commander of NATO Gen. Philip Breedlove.

“What we have seen is that Crimea has been transformed in some fairly significant ways as far as weapon systems in the Crimea,” Breedlove said during a conference on February 25.

“These weapon systems — from air defense systems that reach nearly half of the Black Sea to surface attack systems that reach almost all of the Black Sea area — have made the platform of Crimea a great platform for power projection into this area.”

Update #1: NATO Commander Breedlove: Imported Russian Missiles Have Turned Crimea into a Black Sea ‘Power Projection’ Platform -- USNI
Update #2: NATO says Russia massing weapons in Crimea -- SKY News
Update #3: Russia massing weapons in Crimea: NATO -- SBS

WNU Editor: Crimea has always had major military bases manned by Soviet and now Russian soldiers .... and in the eyes of many Russias .... the Black Sea has always been seen (wrongly in my opinion) as a Russian lake. So this warning from NATO is not news .... but it raises awareness and concerns .... which was probably the main reason for this news release in the first place.

Russian Jets And Ships Are Using NATO Ships In The Black Sea For Practicing Attack Scenarios

USS Vicksburg (Photo from wikipedia.org)

Eurasianet.org: Russia Says It's Probing Defenses Of NATO Ships In Black Sea

A six-ship NATO naval group is conducting joint exercises in the Black Sea, and the Russian military is taking advantage of the event to carry out war games of a sort.

The NATO group is led by an American admiral aboard the USS Vicksburg, and also includes warships from Canada, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Turkey. The training "will include simulated anti-air and anti-submarine warfare exercises, as well as simulated small boat attacks and basic ship handling manoeuvres," according to a release from NATO.

WNU Editor: With each passing day .... memories of the Cold War are coming back .... NATO lashes out at 'revisionist' Russia, Moscow blasts West for creating new 'divisive lines' (FOX News/AP).

More News On NATO vs. Russian War Games In The Black Sea

Russia’s newest Su-30 multirole jets and Su-24 bombers practiced attack runs on NATO warships in the Black Sea -- Aviationist
Russian Jets Penetrate NATO Ships' Air Defenses in Black Sea -- Sputnik
Tension in Black Sea as Russian jets monitor joint NATO naval exercise -- BGN News
NATO Begins War Games in Black Sea -- Telesur
6 NATO ships to stage war games in Black Sea -- RT
NATO Ships Enter Black Sea to 'Reassure Alllies' -- Moscow Times/Reuters
Russia-NATO Brimming War: Warfare Exercises A Coincidence? -- Morning News USA

U.S. Armor Units Parade 300 Yards From The Russian Border

U.S. military vehicles parading near Russia's border in Narva, Estonia on Feb. 24. (Estonian Defense Forces)

Washington Post: U.S. military vehicles paraded 300 yards from the Russian border

MOSCOW — U.S. military combat vehicles paraded Wednesday through an Estonian city that juts into Russia, a symbolic act that highlighted the stakes for both sides amid the worst tensions between the West and Russia since the Cold War.

The armored personnel carriers and other U.S. Army vehicles that rolled through the streets of Narva, a border city separated by a narrow frontier from Russia, were a dramatic reminder of the new military confrontation in Eastern Europe.

WNU Editor: This story has been more or less unreported in Russia .... which is a surprise to me.

More News On U.S. Armor Units Parading 300 Yards From The Russian Border

US and British army parade 300 yards from Russia border -- The Telegraph
Going toe-to-toe with Putin: British and US military put on show of strength 300 yards from Russian border -- Daily Mail
British and US troops parade 300 yards from Russian border in show of Western unity -- The Independent

Update: Russia is reporting on it now .... US armor paraded 300m from Russian border (VIDEO) -- RT

Nato's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander: Russian Tensions Could Escalate Into All-Out War And NATO Must Be Prepared

The Telegraph: Russian tensions could escalate into all-out war, says Nato general

General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, Nato's deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, says Vladimir Putin could try to invade and seize Nato territory

Tensions with Russia could blow up into all-out conflict, posing “an existential threat to our whole being”, Britain’s top general in Nato has warned.

Gen Sir Adrian Bradshaw, deputy commander of Nato forces in Europe, said there was a danger Vladimir Putin could try to use his armies to invade and seize Nato territory, after calculating the alliance would be too afraid of escalating violence to respond.

His comments follow a clash between London and Moscow after the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, said there was a "real and present danger" Mr Putin could try to destabilise the Baltic states with a campaign of subversion and irregular warfare.

The Kremlin called those comments “absolutely unacceptable".

More News On British Concerns That They Will Not Be Able To Defend Themselves Against A Russian Attack

Nato must prepare for Russian attack, warns UK general -- Financial Times
Britain 'at mercy' of Putin in a war against Russia, former defence chiefs warn -- The Independent
‘We couldn’t cope’: UK would lose war against Russia – senior RAF officers -- RT
Britain cannot defend itself against Putin's military might, top brass warn -- The Telegraph
Britain 'could not cope' with an attack from Russia, warn ex-military leaders -- Express
UK 'Sleepwalking Into Russia Crisis' And We Can't Defend Ourselves, Experts Warn -- Huffington Post
UK MoD chief: Russia 'as great a threat to Europe as IS' -- AP
Putin could threaten the Baltic states, says Defence Secretary: Nato prepared to fight back against 'real and present danger' from Russian president -- Daily Mail
Russia 'danger' to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - Fallon -- BBC

Moscow And Nato Remain On A Diplomatic Collision Course

The Independent: Ukraine crisis: House of Lords criticises EU and Britain for 'sleepwalking into crisis' as Moscow and Nato remain on diplomatic collision course

The fraught relationship between Russia and the West, which was supposed to improve following an agreement over Ukraine, has descended instead into renewed acrimony after a series of tense military and diplomatic confrontations.

France and Germany, which had brokered the Minsk accord last week, were yesterday trying to hold together the increasingly fragile ceasefire in Ukraine amid reports that fighting was spreading once again. Kremlin-backed separatists and Cossack fighters triumphantly paraded through the shattered town of Debaltseve, a strategic point they had captured in the past 48 hours.

WNU Editor: Diplomatically .... Russian - NATO relations are in "the toilet" .... and these relations are probably going to be there for a long time. As to this escalating into a military confrontation, the Estonian PM says it right .... Russian Attack On NATO Would Be 'Insane' (SKY News) .... in short .... it is not going to happen.

NATO Intelligence: 'Don’t Get Russia Wrong'

A US serviceman (front), accompanied by Ukrainian soldiers, takes part in military exercises outside the town of Yavoriv near Lviv, September 19, 2014 (Reuters / Roman Baluk)

'Don’t Get Russia Wrong': NATO Intel Warns Against Misjudging Moscow On Ukraine -- RT

Russia doesn’t want Ukraine to be split up, NATO intelligence officials say, warning their colleagues against wrongly assessing Moscow’s policy on the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

That’s according to a report in German magazine Der Spiegel written by intelligence officers from several NATO countries. They argue that Moscow is not interested in escalating the situation in Ukraine, and is not going to repeat the scenario of what happened in Crimea.

The officers believe that the Kremlin is merely interested in seeing the reorganization of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics into functioning administrative units within a federalized Ukraine, if those regions can reach an agreement with Kiev.

Read more ....

Update: NATO warned about "wrongly assessing" Russian policy -- B92

My Comment:  As I had mentioned in a previous post .... the conditions are now right for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis .... that will in turn lessen tensions between NATO and Russia. Unfortunately .... after months of warfare and violence .... trust among all the parties in the Ukraine is non-existent .... and any hopes for a reconciliation are remote at best.

Tensions Continue To Rise Between NATO And Russia

NATO Slams Russia Over Ukraine -- Washington Post

BRUSSELS — NATO accused Russia on Tuesday of destabilizing Ukraine, amid rising concern of a broader confrontation after Moscow announced it would hold more military exercises next year.

In a display of anger from the alliance, which is providing advisers and nonlethal aid to the government in Kiev, foreign ministers from the 28 countries that make up NATO chastised Moscow for its troop build-up in and around eastern Ukraine.

“We strongly condemn Russia’s continued and deliberate destabilization of eastern Ukraine in breach of international law,” the group said in a statement. It said Moscow has provided tanks, air defense systems and heavy weapons to pro-Russian separatists.

Read more ....

More News On Growing NATO - Russian Tensions

Tensions Between Russia And NATO Keep Escalating -- Reuters
NATO ministers condemn Russia, support Ukraine -- Bloomberg Businessweek
NATO sets up funds to provide military assistance for Ukraine -- ITAR-TASS
NATO, Ukraine condemn Russian military build-up in Crimea -- Reuters
NATO, Ukraine Condemn Russian Military Build-up in Crimea -- VOA
NATO Chief Accuses Russia of Replacing Rule of Law With Law of Force -- Sputnik
NATO Chief Says Russia Violating Ukraine Cease-Fire -- Radio Free Europe
Nato approves rapid reaction force -- Independent.ie
NATO announces new Ukraine quick-reaction force, condemns Russia -- AP
U.S. says to discuss possible new Russia sanctions with Europe -- Reuters
US, EU to Discuss Further Sanctions Against Russia: Reports -- Sputnik
Russian Fighter Jets Threaten Civilian Planes, NATO Says -- Moscow Times/Reuters
NATO scrambles jets 400 times this year amid increased Russian air activity -- ITAR-TASS
Russia and NATO trade accusations -- Euractiv
NATO destabilizing Baltic by stationing nuke-capable aircraft – Moscow -- RT
Russia Says NATO Destabilizes North Europe, Aid Draws Ire -- Bloomberg

NATO Forced To Scramble Jets 400 Times To Intercept Russian Aircraft In 2014

Portuguese Air Force fighter F-16 (L) and Canadian Air Force fighter CF-18 Hornet patrol over Baltics air space, from the Zokniai air base near Siauliai November 20, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Ints Kalnins

NATO Scrambles Jets 400 Times In 2014 As Russian Air Activity Jumps -- Reuters

(Reuters) - NATO warplanes have had to scramble 400 times this year in response to an increase in Russian air activity around Europe not seen since the Cold War, the alliance's chief said on Thursday.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members have sought to fill gaps in the alliance's land, air and sea defences since Russia annexed Crimea and backed a secessionist movement in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Speaking to U.S., German and Estonian troops at a newly expanded and renovated air base in western Estonia, which once housed a Soviet military installation, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the problem was not just where the Russians are flying but that they are not turning on their transponders or communicating.

Read more ....

Update #1: NATO reports 400 intercepts of Russian aircraft in 2014 -- Global Post/AFP
Update #2: Baltic Sea countries report surge in Russian air activity, several violations -- AP

My Comment: Only 400?  I recall during the Cold War this number was significantly higher.

NATO Is Learning From Russian War Drills And Russian Jets Probing Western Airspace

Two Tu-95 Bear H Russian bombers were identified and intercepted by F-16s from Portugal. © Wikicommons

Russia's War Games Spill Secrets, Stiffen NATO Resolve -- Bloomberg Businessweek

Russian jets probing NATO airspace and supersized war drills are spilling Kremlin military secrets and scaring European nations into stiffening their armed forces.

The alliance said by late October it intercepted more than 100 Russian planes this year, more than three times the number in 2013. A report by the European Leadership Network, a London security research group, termed the incidents “a highly disturbing picture of violations of national airspace, emergency scrambles” and “narrowly avoided mid-air collisions.”

Yet there are benefits for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Read more ....

My Comment: I guess everything has a "silver-lining" .... especially on revealing secrets. As to stiffening NATO resolve .... on that I am skeptical.

NATO: Russian Troops, Tanks, And Artillery Have Crossed The Ukraine Border

NATO Says Russia Troops Enter Ukraine as East Risks Open War -- Bloomberg

NATO accused Russia of sending columns of troops and heavy weapons into Ukraine in the past two days, as the government in Kiev warned the nation’s eastern combat zone is close to returning to open war.

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied the accusations, according to state-run RIA Novosti. Pressure has been building for days in eastern Ukraine, with the government and rebels accusing each other of gearing up for a renewed military push that risks swelling the death toll of more than 4,000. The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency session in New York today over the intensifying conflict.

Read more ....

More News On NATO reports That Russian Troops, Tanks, And Artillery Have Crossed The Ukraine Border

Russian Troops Crossing Into Ukraine, NATO Says -- New York Times
NATO’s top commander says Russian troops and tanks have rolled into Ukraine -- AP
Russia Sends More Convoys Into Ukraine as Cease-Fire Collapses -- Time
Ukraine crisis: Russian troops crossed border, Nato says -- BBC
Fears of fresh fighting in Ukraine as Russian tanks, heavy weapons and combat troops are spotted crossing the border, says top NATO commander -- Daily Mail
Nato reports sightings of Russian tanks and troops entering eastern Ukraine -- The Guardian
NATO commander: Russian troops, tanks, artillery move into Ukraine -- CNN
NATO: Russia moving combat troops into east Ukraine -- USA Today
Russian troops, tanks rolling into Ukraine, says NATO -- Toronto Star
NATO: Russian troops in Ukraine now -- Al Jazeera
Russian Tanks Move Across Ukraine Border: NATO Chief Breedlove -- NBC
Russian troops 'march into Ukraine' -- Independent.ie
NATO says Russia sent more troops to Ukraine. Russians say NATO full of 'hot air' -- CSM

Russia Denies Reports That Russian Military Forces Have Entered Ukraine

Moscow slams NATO’s accusations of invasion in Ukraine as groundless -- RT
Moscow Denies NATO Allegations of Russian Military Crossing Into Ukraine -- Sputnik
Russia denies NATO accusations over troops in Ukraine -- Reuters
Moscow denies NATO claims that Russian troops in Ukraine -- AFP
Confusion as Moscow rejects NATO claims Russians have invaded Ukraine -- Independent.ie

Cold War Levels? Report Lists 40 Cases Of ‘Brinkmanship’ In Past Eight Months Between Russian And Western Military Forces

A Russian SU-27 Flanker aircraft banks away with a RAF Typhoon in the background. RAF Typhoons were scrambled on June 17 to intercept multiple Russian aircraft in international airspace as part of NATO’s ongoing Baltic Air Policing Mission. (UK Ministry of Defense)

European Think Tank Says Russian Brinksmanship At Cold War Levels -- FOX News

A report from a European think tank has identified more than 40 dangerous incidents involving forces from Russia and those of NATO member states over the past eight months.

The report, released Monday by the London-based European Leadership Network (ELN), specified three incidents in the past year that could have sparked open conflict between Russia and the West.

"We believe [the incidents] are a very serious development, not necessarily because they indicate a desire on the part of Russia to start a war but because they show a dangerous game of brinkmanship is being played, with the potential for unintended escalation in what is now the most serious security crisis in Europe since the cold war," the report's authors wrote.

Read more ....

More News On The Growing Tensions between Russia And The West

Report Outlines Tense Episodes Between Russia and West With Echoes of Cold War -- New York Times
Close military encounters between Russia and the west ‘at cold war levels’ -- The Guardian
Russia ‘is in danger of sparking a war with the Wet’, with more than 40 ‘close encounters’ with foreign militaries in the last eight months -- Daily Mail
Russia’s Provocative Actions at Cold War Levels, Report Says -- VOA
Report: Russia spy plane nearly collided with passenger jet -- CBS/AP
Military 'near misses' rise dramatically between Russia and NATO: report -- CSM
'Highly disturbing' Russian military strategy causing dangerous military encounters - report -- Independent.ie
NATO, Russia Already At Brink Of War – Report -- IBTimes
Report on Russian military’s near-misses with West includes Canadian confrontations -- Globe and Mail/AP
Putin's War Games Are Setting Off Alarms Worldwide -- Bloomberg businesweek
Spike in Russian military activity is about more than Ukraine -- Deutsche Welle
Russian provocations on the rise: Is it a new Cold War? -- Richard Allen Greene, CNN
Full list of incidents involving Russian military and Nato since March 2014 -- The Independent

NATO Reports 'Unusual High Level' Of Russian Air Activity

Nato Reports Rise In Russia Military Flights Over Europe -- BBC

Nato has reported an "unusual" increase in Russian military aircraft conducting manoeuvres over European airspace over the last two days.

A Nato statement said four groups of aircraft, including Tu-95 Bear bombers and MiG-31 fighters, were tracked over seas and the Atlantic Ocean.

Fighter aircraft from Norway, Britain, Portugal, Germany and Turkey were scrambled in response.

Tensions between Russia and Nato states have soared over the Ukraine crisis.

The US and EU imposed sanctions on Russia after its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula earlier this year.

Read more ....

More News ON NATO Reporting An 'Unusual High Level' Of Russian Air Activity

NATO jets track 'unusual' Russian bomber sorties -- Reuters
'Unusual' Russian flights concern NATO -- CNN
NATO says Russian jets, bombers circle Europe in unusual incidents -- Washington Post
NATO Tracks Russian Warplanes in European Airspace -- VOA
Nato jets intercept Russian warplanes following 'unusual level of air activity' -- The Guardian
NATO accuses Russian bombers of flying close to its airspace -- Euronews
Jets scrambled for large-scale Russian activity in European airspace: NATO -- Washington Times
NATO Accuses Russian Military Aircraft of Flagrantly Violating European Airspace -- Time
NATO reports 'unusual' spike in Russian military flights in the past 2 days -- FOX News/AP
Russia conducts maneuvers in NATO airspace as it waits for French warships -- Deutsche Welle
Merkel not acutely worried about Russian violations of airspace -- Reuters
NATO’s allied command in Europe claims Russian Air Force showing unusual activity -- ITAR-TASS

NATO Intercepts Huge Formation Of Russian Military Jets Over The Baltics

A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter (top) is seen with a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter as they fly in international airspace near the Baltic States on June 17, 2014. Reuters

German Typhoons Have Intercepted 7 Russian Air Force Combat Planes Over The Baltic Sea Today -- Aviationist

According to the Latvian military, on Oct. 28, the German Air Force Eurofighter jets on QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) at Amari, Estonia, to provide NATO Baltic Air Policing were scrambled to intercept seven Russian Air Force planes flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.

The German interceptors identified the Russian planes as a large package, made of attack planes and escort, which included 2x MiG-31 Foxhound, 2x Su-34 Fullback, 1x Su-27 Flanker and 2x Su-24 Fencer jets.

Regardless to whether the Russian aircraft were involved in one of the frequent training missions in the Baltics or were commuting to/from the Russian airfield in Kaliningrad oblast, the package on Oct 28 represents one of the largest “formations” intercepted by NATO fighter planes during the last couple of years.

Read more ....

My Comment: The is becoming the "new normal" .... Nordic, Baltic states face 'new normal' of Russian military threat (Reuters).

NATO And Russia Give Cautious Support To Today's Ukraine Ceasefire Agreement

Nato Leaders Cautiously Welcome Ukraine Ceasefire Agreement -- The Guardian

Both Ukrainian military and pro-Russia rebels have agreed to a ceasefire under terms proposed by Vladimir Putin

Nato leaders cautiously welcomed an apparent breakthrough in the five-month Ukrainian conflict after the country's president, Petro Poroshenko, and one of the leading pro-Russia separatist leaders agreed to order a ceasefire on Friday.

But Poroshenko, who expressed cautious optimism about the truce, caught Nato officials off-guard with the disclosure that, while Nato was not arming Ukraine, at least one country, which he did not name, was providing Kiev with high-precision weapons.

The ceasefire, part of a seven-point peace plan proposed by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday, would freeze forces in their positions at around midday on Friday.

Read more ....

Update: Kremlin welcomes signing of protocol at meeting of Contact Group on Ukraine -- ITAR-TASS

My Comment: Everyone is adopting a "wait and see" altitude.

NATO Vs Russia (In 99 Seconds)

The Potential For War Between Russia And NATO Is Escalating

BBC

Are NATO And Russia Setting The Fuse For A Hot War? -- Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor

NATO's plans for a 'rapid response' force, in combination with the Kremlin's intention to declare NATO an 'adversary' of Russia, could inadvertently spur open conflict.

Moscow — As NATO moves to install a symbolic "rapid deployment" force near Russia's border and the Kremlin plans to rewrite its official military policy to explicitly define NATO as an adversary, the potential for a wider war may be looming.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday visited Estonia, a tiny Baltic member of NATO whose population is one-third ethnic Russian. He drove home the message that any further attempts by Moscow to destabilize neighboring countries on grounds of "protecting compatriots" would not be allowed.

In practical terms, Obama pledged to send more US air force personnel and aircraft to the Baltics, possibly to be stationed at Estonia's Amari Air Base. At the NATO summit in Wales later this week, the US will promote the idea of a 4,000-person "rapid response" force for Eastern Europe, to be deployed in several permanent "reception centers" scattered around the three NATO Baltic states and Poland.

Read more ....

My Comment: Being one who grew up during the Cold War .... we are nowhere near that crisis point. But when I read reports like this today ....

Russia's strategic nuclear forces to hold major exercise this month -- Reuters
U.S., allies to stage exercises in West Ukraine as battles rage in East -- Reuters

.... it is telling me that the "trend lines" are all going the wrong way. And as to the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997 .... that agreement is now all but dead.

Update: NATO Can't Do Anything to Save Ukraine -- Linda Kinstler, New Republic

NATO Wants New Bases, Troops, And Equipment In Eastern Europe To Blunt Russia’s Aggression

NATO Plans New Military Outposts to Stop Putin—Just Don't Call Them Bases -- Eli Lake, Daily Beast

To blunt Russia’s aggression, the Western alliance is considering new bases, new troops, and the economic equivalent of a nuclear bomb. Will the Obama administration go along?

With Russian forces entering into Ukraine, NATO is putting together a plan to place the alliance’s troops in bases behind the former Iron Curtain. One U.S. official who was not authorized to speak to the press said the presence of U.S. troops inside these bases in Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia would act as a “tripwire for Russia. If Putin considers any military action in these countries, they will know that they will be involving U.S. forces too.”

Officially, however, the Obama administration has gone to great pains to explain that the proposed outposts in these Eastern European countries are not bases, per se. “I do not believe we're talking permanent basing,” said Navy Captain Gregory Hicks, who is the spokesman for U.S. European Command. “I believe NATO will be discussing basing for the duration of a level of activity, whether it be an air detachment, ground presence, or port. The discussion is for a persistent rotational presence, it’s not about establishing bases. The concept is to use existing infrastructure to accommodate the training.”

Read more ....

My Comment: The Russians are all too aware of where this is heading, and are responding accordingly .... Moscow will review its military strategy in face of NATO plan for rapid-reaction force (Washington Post)