Presseurop |

Arms industry | Greece still splashes out billions on defence (Die Zeit, Hamburg)

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:08:53 +0100

Frigates, tanks and submarines: Greece may be teetering on the brink, but the bite of austerity hasn’t come near its military. And Germany is profiting from it. (Article)

NATO | Spain signs up to anti-missile shield

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:21:05 +0100

Spain, following the lead of Turkey, Poland and Romania, will participate in NATO's anti-missile shield, Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, said in a surprise announcement on October 5, in Brussels. "Zapatero cedes Rota," runs a headline in left-leaning Spanish daily Público. Zapatero explained that the naval base at Rota, located in southern Spain, near Cadiz, which is already part of the NATO system, will host a further four US war ships, equipped with anti-missile batteries and as well as 1300 additional US troops. Spain will thus become "a key component of the European defence system," the paper says, adding that "the leftist parties and the pacifist movements reject the decision". Zapatero justifies it saying it will bring some jobs as well as economic benefits to the area, the paper explains. Then, comments on the irony of how the PM got from the "Alliance for Civilisations [a peace initiative] to the anti-missile shield," especially since "in 2001 he was opposed to George W. Bush's plan [for an anti-missile shield] supported by [his predecessor, Conservative José María] Aznar". Público explains that the means deployed at Rota will be "one of the three pillars" of the shield, aimed at protecting Europe against ballistic missiles coming from Iran or North Korea. The other two pillars include a radar in Turkey and ground-to-air batteries in Poland and Romania. It will be operational as of 2012 and completed in 2018.

(News in brief)

NATO | Second anti-missile shield in Europe

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:12:16 +0100

"The Netherlands is contributing towards a missile shield," announces NRC Handelsblad. On September 26, the country’s minister of defence announced the installation of the Smart-L radar system on the Netherlands’ four frigates and in its air defence command. These systems are part of NATO’s ALTBMD (Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence), intended to protect the territory of Europe from incoming hostile missiles.

The range of the ultra-modern systems is very high: two frigates, one in the Baltic Sea and one in the Mediterranean, would be enough to cover all of Europe’s airspace. But the project has a price: for the Netherlands, 250 million euros, which be set off against “savings for the ministry of one billion euros" writes the daily. The Netherlands is "the first European country in NATO to contribute significantly" to NATO’s missile shield over the continent, which is independent of the shield that the United States has installed in Romania, Poland and Turkey.

(News in brief)

Czech Republic | Fatty army to go on a diet

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:32:21 +0100

There is no underestimating the weight of the Czech military. “The soldiers are too fat and will have to be given medical treatment,” reports Lidové noviny. According to a study based on medical visits in 2010, half of the 22,000 professional soldiers that are supposed to defend the country are overweight, and one in seven is obese. An order has now been issued for the launch of a “chemical” programme to combat the phenomenon, which is to cost 33 euros per month and per soldier. “Instructing the army to take more physical exercise would have been a more natural and less costly option for the state,” remarks one military doctor quoted by Lidové noviny. The Prague daily also points out that “in a conscription based army, the condition of the soldiers would reflect a slightly soft sample of the general population.” However, in 2004 the Czech Republic established a professional army supposed to have “the honour, responsibility and habits of professional” soldiers. That said, weighty troops are nothing new. The newspaper points out that under Austrian-Hungarian empire, the typical soldier had much in common with “the piggish Baloun” who devoured his lieutenant’s dinner, in the novel The Good Soldier Švejk.

(News in brief)

Libyan war | Europe comes through its baptism of fire (Le Figaro, Paris)

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:44:21 +0100

The campaign in Libya has shown that the EU is able to conduct a major military operation, but it also has revealed its shortcomings, argues a journalist from French daily Le Figaro. (Article)

France-Germany | Paris and Berlin want a maritime EADS

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:10:40 +0100

The project was thought to be a dead letter, but France is to determined to revive it: "Paris courts Berlin for naval dockyard alliance," headlines Financial Times Deutschland, which reports that the French and German governments along with the defence giants DCNS (France) and ThyssenKrupp (Germany) are to hold talks on what could become the biggest industrial joint-venture between the two countries since the launch of EADS in 2000. The "maritime EADS," as President Nicolas Sarkozy has dubbed it, will make France responsible for the production of frigates, while Germany will take charge of the construction of submarines.

The proposal has been cautiously welcomed by Berlin, which fears a repeat of the difficulties encountered by Airbus and its manufacturer EADS, which remains subject to the influence of the French state. EADS has been beset by problems arising from the fact that it has "too many production sites, too many arguments over technical issues and slipshod management," remarks FTD, which quotes a German leader who argues that we will have to “face up to the mistakes” that were made at the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

(News in brief)

Afghanistan | French troops to follow US retreat

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:56:51 +0100

"France to withdraw from Afghanistan," headlines Le Figaro. Just hours after President Barack Obama’s announcement that a third of American forces will leave Afghanistan by summer 2012, the Elysée [French president’s office] declared that France will bring home 1,000 of its contingent of 4,000 troops between now and next year. The progressive withdrawal has been motivated by "approaching elections on both sides of the Atlantic," writes the daily. Meanwhile, Le Monde notes that when he was elected, President Nicolas Sarkozy "agreed to reinforce the French contingent, in parallel with the 2009 'surge' in US deployment. Today he is once again obliged to follow in Washington’s footsteps, but without the satisfaction of a mission accomplished."

(News in brief)

Slovakia – Czech Republic | After the Russians, ecological disaster

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:49:11 +0100

"Twenty years without the Russians" On June 21, 1991, as Soviet troops left the territory of Czechoslovakia, 100,000 soldiers and their families and all their military equipment rolled out of more than 70 bases. It was a massive logistical undertaking, photographed by Karel Cudlín and published with a report in the weekly Respekt. In Bratislava, the Slovak daily SME draws up the ecological balance twenty years later: "The Russians left devastation behind them…. After the human wreckage that began with the 1968 occupation, the Soviets went on to ravage the landscape for another 23 years," writes the paper, calculating that Slovakia has paid out some 40 million euros in the fight against “ecological disaster", especially pollution from fuels.

(News in brief)

Poland | Poles dying for US citizenship

Wed, 11 May 2011 12:50:39 +0100

“US Army citizen,” headlines Gazeta Wyborcza, reporting that many young Poles with green cards (permanent US residency permits) are joining the American army to obtain US citizenship. Having completed 14 weeks of training, they are swiftly sent on missions to Afghanistan and Iraq. To date, twenty of them have been killed in action. Dangerous as it may be, many are swayed by the promise of a $1,400 (€975) salary, 30 days of paid holidays, insurance and, most importantly, immediate US citizenship. Under Polish law, it is a crime to serve in a foreign army (without special permission), which is why the Polish Ministry of Defence does not keep figures on the number of Poles recruited by the US military. According to a US Army recruiter cited by the daily, approximately 500 have already signed up and more may follow in their footsteps. “America is the land of dreams and the US army helps to make those dreams come true,” remarks one Polish recruit quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza.

(News in brief)

Belgium-Netherlands | Common army to battle budgetary crisis?

Thu, 05 May 2011 12:45:53 +0100

“Military top brass targets De Crem", Belgium’s Defence Minister,headlines De Standaard. In an internal memo, senior officers deplore “the cumulative effect of a disastrous cocktail of numerous missions abroad, a further salvo of cost-cutting to the tune of 35 million euros, downsizing and the absence of investment credits.” Pieter de Crem wants a smaller high performance army, but according to senior figures in the military, “De Crem has ruined the army’s credibility.” On 4 May, Piet De Crem met with his Dutch counterpart Hans Hillen, who is currently faced with similar budgetary issues. The two ministers discussed “increased collaboration” between the armies of both countries. An opinion piece in De Standard highlights the importance of a European army but notes, which “for the moment, this has only been recognised by smaller countries.” In the meantime, the newspaper argues, more military “integration with the Netherlands could reduce the scope of the problem. We could establish a common navy, or make the Netherlands responsible for the navy.”

(News in brief)

Romania | A khaki-coloured American dream (Jurnalul Naţional, Bucharest)

Wed, 04 May 2011 16:10:24 +0100

The 3rd May announcement that the former military base in Deveselu has been chosen as the site for part of the American missile defence shield has brought a glimmer of hope to an undeveloped corner of southern Romania. (Article)

Netherlands | Austerity homes in on Defence

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:31:33 +0100

“Massive employment cuts in Defence”, reads the front page of NRC Handelsblad. Dutch defence minister Hans Hillen is scheduled to present the government’s austerity programme on 8 April. The evening daily reports expected cuts of €1 billion to the country’s €8.5 billion annual defence budget, which will affect “around 10,000 jobs out of a total of 69,000”. “Half will be forced layoffs, while the other half will come from retirement”. Austerity measures also target military equipment and include plans to reduce the number of F-16 jets and mine-hunting ships. According to De Volkskrant, at the same meeting ministers will also discuss Foreign Affairs minister Uri Rosenthal’s project to close seven embassies and axe 300 civil servant positions.

(News in brief)

Germany | Bundeswehr in choppy waters

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:55:14 +0100

“Game of battleships!” For Tageszeitung, the scandal that has erupted over the Gorch Fock training vessel will compromise the reputation of the German navy and the country’s up-and-coming Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. On 25 January, a parliamentary report publicised the abusive treatment meted out to cadets on the “legendary tall ship,” where four crew members have died since 2008. “Drunkenness, sexual harassment, and the captain wearing swimming trunks:” the report quoted by the Berlin daily raises the issue of hazing in the German military, and the defence minister’s failure to exercise sufficient control. The pacifist daily argues that the scandal will be “a moment of truth” for Guttenberg who has made no secret of his ambition to become a future German chancellor. It also insists that the Bundeswehr should review its training techniques and internal management procedures.

(News in brief)

Austria | Military service is all too passé

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:44:18 +0100

“Away with military service!": Profil is joining the call for the reform of the army set out on 17 January by the Social Democrats (SPÖ). Following on the recent scrapping of military service next door in Germany, Austria’s SPÖ indeed wants to replace conscription with a form of national guard of 10,000 men expected to respond to disasters and with a professional army of 22,000 soldiers. For the Viennese weekly, military service is outdated. Firstly, because it persists only in three EU countries – Finland, Greece and Cyprus. Secondly, because the new threats of terrorism and cyber warfare make it "absurd to recruit 26,000 young people every year." It’s difficult to say yet whether the reform will be adopted. Evoking the civil war of 1934 and the cost of a professional army (almost double), the Conservatives, who share power with the SPÖ, oppose the idea.

(News in brief)

Germany | Auf Wiedersehen citizen's army

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:01:00 +0100

“We are off the hook!” Not surprisingly, Berlin’s alternative pacifist daily Tageszeitung has responded enthusiastically to news that future generations of young Germans will no longer have to worry about military service. On 3 January, the final wave of 12,150 conscripts presented themselves for duty in barracks across the country. After 50 years, military service in Germany will be suspended on 1 July 2011. As a result, the Bundeswehr, which will be reduced by 25%, will employ 185,000 soldiers. TAZ is amazed that the reform, which heralds the end of the “citizens’ army,” which is often described as “one of the cornerstones of democracy” in the country, has been accepted without protest by the German population. The new professional army will involve a greater cost to the taxpayer, notes TAZ, which wonders about the wisdom of undertaking such a transition in a time of economic crisis.

(News in brief)

Military alliance | Towards a EuroNato? (Rzeczpospolita, Warsaw)

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:23:06 +0100

Notwithstanding claims made by participants, the Nato summit in Lisbon did not constitute a turning point: the alliance continues to be undermined by a profound crisis, highlighted not only by the problems it faces in Afghanistan, but also by nagging doubts about the effectiveness of mutual assistance in the event of threats to security. (Article)

Alliances | Nordic countries huddle together (EUobserver.com, Brussels)

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:18:50 +0100

As the world gets bigger, and the rush for the resources beneath the Artic sea intensifies, the countries of Europe’s far North are seeking common cause. (Article)

NATO | The death of the west (România libera, Bucharest)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:24:41 +0100

The NATO summit to be held in Lisbon on 19 and 20 November will be marked by the rise of Russian influence in the alliance. A Romanian editorialist highlights the vital importance of the link between Eastern Europe and Washington. (Article)

NATO | Nuclear weapons to stay put

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:20:26 +0100

“Tactical nuclear weapons to stay in Europe,” announces De Standaard. The Belgian daily explains that NATO’s new strategic concept, to be approved at a summit scheduled for 19 and 20 November, does not call for the withdrawal of 200 American nuclear weapons located in Europe. Some countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Norway believe that “these weapons have no military purpose.” However, given their proximity to Iran and Russia, Turkey and the Baltic countries are staunchly opposed to any withdrawal. De Standaard notes that France is adamant that the Alliance should not be used to promote the cause of nuclear disarmament in Europe.

(News in brief)

Germany | Minister under attack for gunboat talk

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:27:15 +0100

German Minister of Defence is “Admiral of Trade,” announces Frankfurter Rundschau. On 9 November, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg asserted that “the protection of trade routes and sources of raw materials should be considered from a military perspective.” The remark has sparked controversy because it is similar to a statement made by the then President Horst Köhler last May, which sparked off his resignation amid a flurry of accusations that he was promoting gun-boat diplomacy. “The country, which is the world’s third largest arms exporter, is at pains to insist that the debate on war and peace should be solely determined by ethical criteria,” remarks the daily, which deplores the hypocrisy of German society. According to experts, the only ongoing military campaign which has been undertaken in defence of German economic interests is the anti-piracy operation on the Somalian coast.

(News in brief)

UK / FRANCE | Napoleon's last laugh

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:33:54 +0100

“British Army under French orders,” booms the tabloid Daily Express, giving the new agreement between France and Britain to pool military resources a decidedly chilly reception. Was it not French Exocet missiles that sank so many British warships during the Falkland war, it asks. Commander John Muxworthy, of the UK National Defence Association, is even more sceptical: “This is no way to run a country’s defence. In World War Two we were supposed to be standing side by side with the French and then look what happened.” While broadly supportive of the new Entente Cordiale, The Times warns that “Anglo-French military co-operation has an inglorious history." The only unsuccessful military campaign conducted by Britain since 1945 was Suez, a disastrous joint venture with France and Israel.

(News in brief)

United Kingdom | Torture guide for Her Majesty's army

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:44:45 +0100

“Humiliate, strip, threaten: UK military interrogation manuals discovered,” headlines the Guardian, revealing how British interrogators in Iraq have been trained in “techniques that include threats, sensory deprivation and enforced nakedness.” Classified training materials dating from after 2003, discovered by the newspaper, "tell interrogators they should aim to provoke humiliation, insecurity, disorientation, exhaustion, anxiety and fear in the prisoners they are questioning, and suggest ways in which this can be achieved." The daily notes that the practices constitute “an apparent breach of the Geneva conventions,” and points out that "the leak of the material comes at a time when British military detention and interrogation practices are coming under increasing scrutiny." Several members of British forces are now suspected of responsibility for the murder and manslaughter of Iraqi civilians.

(News in brief)

Austerity | A farewell to arms? (La Repubblica, Rome)

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:08:35 +0100

The crisis is forcing European states to make unprecedented cuts in their defence budgets, leaving their armed forces short on men and means – and eventually eroding their technological edge. (Article)

Diplomacy | Letting Russia into the henhouse

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:37:27 +0100

“Sarkozy, Merkel and a strategic game with Russia”, headlines Rzeczpospolita on the Russo-Franco-German summit which began in Deauville 18 October with presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev and chancellor Angela Merkel in attendance. Top of the agenda was the enhanced cooperation on security matters. Dziennik Gazeta Prawna speculates that France and Germany are willing to “forget about the war in Georgia and the cutting off of gas supplies to Ukraine – all in the name of Russia’s europeanisation”. Many countries, including Poland, are worried that the rapprochement with Moscow may weaken Nato, especially if Paris and Berlin started treating Russia on a par with their EU and NATO allies. “We must be careful not to let the fox in the henhouse”, worries the DGP leader, pointing out that until only recently Russia tried to “undermine both organisations”.

(News in brief)

NATO | Russia divides the alliance (Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, Warsaw)

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:35:49 +0100

Letting Russia join NATO — the new big idea of the alliance's strategists — might make sense to some, but to others who still fear the bear's claws, it is pure folly. (Article)

Germany | Auf wiedersehen, military service

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:38:03 +0100

The Christian-Democrats "rely on career heroes", announces Die Tageszeitung, with a touch of irony. Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, which had been divided over the question of compulsory military service, has finally decided to move ahead in the direction of reform. While compulsory service will be abolished, the alternative Berlin daily wonders aloud if this is truly "a triumph for the pacifist left". Its answer is a firm nein: "On the contrary, when Germany is called on to take part in a war more than 1,000 km away, (the army) doesn't need a horde of fresh recruits, but rather teams of specialists in security and modern weaponry". The daily concludes that while there may soon be fewer soldiers, in the end they will be much more effective.

(News in brief)

Diplomacy | Will the EU cuddle up to NATO?

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:20:21 +0100

“EU leaders to urge closer links with Nato at summit,” reveals the Irish Times. A document drafted for the European Council summit on 16 September presents “closer relations with Nato as a way of exploiting Europe’s bonds with Washington more fully”, especially in economic and strategic spheres, explains the daily. EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton will be tasked with implementing the 27 member states’ recommendation. This is a “politically sensitive move” for Ireland, which reaffirmed its neutrality in the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

(News in brief)

Germany | Military service scrapped

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:49:01 +0100

"The end of the draft", headlines the Frankfurter Rundschau, following the German Ministry of Defence announcement regarding the "suspension" of universal military service, which "will no longer be compulsory". By 2011, the daily explains, "(Defence minister) Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg hopes to transform the army into an all-volunteer corps and reduce personnel by one third, from its current level of 250,000 soldiers to 163,500". The aim: an army that is "smaller, less costly and more efficient", according to the minister. The announcement has aroused some misgivings from members of the ruling coalition, and if it passes, it would be the greatest military reform since the Second World War. So while it will no longer be compulsory, chancellor Angela Merkel has, for the time being, decided that the provisions concerning military service will nonetheless remain in the Constitution.

(News in brief)

Czech Republic | Moscow just can't let go

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:43:30 +0100

"The Russian spy affair". Respekt leads off with the case of Robert Rakhardzho, a Russian psychologist who has collaborated since 2003 with Moscow's secret services. A "veritable star in his own right", he successfully managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Czech army while assuming a high post in their prison system. With the help of his girlfriend, a military psychologist who had contacts with three generals, he was able to collect information on the activities of the military leadership in Prague. Both were recently relieved of their duties, and Rakhardzho has since returned to Russia. Respekt noites that while demonstrating how easy it was for Moscow to destabilise one of the former Soviet satellites that is now a NATO member, the scandal has at least obliged the Czech army, mired in several corruption cases, to put its house in order.

(News in brief)

Economic crisis | Crisis boosts European military cooperation (El País, Madrid)

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:03:13 +0100

Blocked by national interests, European military cooperation is still at an embryonic stage. However, the economic crisis has encouraged member states to break new ground in their quest to take advantage of synergies and share common resources and defence infrastructure. (Article)

Czech Republic | Prague gets its missile defence shield

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:34:31 +0100

"The United States have brought the Czech Republic into the missile defence network", reveals Hospodářské noviny. According to Prague's economic daily, the White House has officially confirmed the Czech Republic's participation in the missile defence shield project based in Europe. Congress could allocate as much as $2.2m (€1.7m) extra to the Pentagon this year for the construction of "an early warning outpost" to detect enemy ballistic missiles. "It is important for the American system", slated to be under construction until 2020, "to be an integral part of NATO's missile defence", notes Karel Schwarzenberg, Czech foreign minister, quoted by the paper.

(News in brief)

Portugal | Wikileaks takes aim at Portuguese army

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:05:47 +0100

A few days following the publication of American documents on the war in Afghanistan by the site Wikileaks, "Portuguese military secrets have also been revealed on the web", reports the Diário de Notícias. Documents of the Republican National Guard (GNR) dating from 2004 pertaining to the activities of al-Qaeda and the Iranian secret service in Iraq, and even on Tony Blair's political choices, have been discovered on the same site by the Lisbon daily. A GNR spokesperson quoted by the paper downplayed the leaks, noting that six years have already passed, and that "the documents contain no particularly pertinent strategic information".

(News in brief)

Rapid Reaction Force | What's the point in a European army?

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:36:37 +0100

For the first time in 2011, Sweden will assume command of Nordic Battlegroup 2, one of the 18 battlegroups that make up the European Rapid Reaction Force. The battlegroups are supposed to maintain readiness for deployment within ten days and a four month tour of duty in conflict zones. Most of their missions, which mainly involve providing assistance to civilian populations, are authorised by a mandate from the UN. However, Dagens Nyheter reports that Nordic Battlegroup 1, which was created in 2007 and placed under Swedish command, was never deployed. Although Europe's battlegroups "are an ideal force for the protection of populations, or the halting of ethnic cleansing," their deployment is often blocked by a lack of political will, and member states' reluctance to provide troops. The daily concludes that the idea of a "rapid" reaction force will remain a misnomer because "the UN is too slow and ponderous, and the United States follows its own agenda."

(News in brief)

Armies | An austere disarmament (Il Sole-24 Ore, Milan)

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:39:37 +0100

Emergency measures enacted to reduce public spending and deficits are now being applied to the Defence budgets. Pulling out of foreign missions, reductions in weapons maintenance, and a decrease in military purchases are therefore the order of the day, at the expense of efficiency, notes Il Sole 24 Ore. (Article)

Czech Republic | Prague, nuclear disarmament capital

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:30:28 +0100

"Obama and Medvedev to sketch out a new world in Prague," headlines Hospodářské noviny on the day the US president and his Russian counterpart signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in the Czech Republic capital to replace an expired arms control treaty signed in 1991. The daily reports a heavy security presence, noting, "Prague has never witnessed such high security measures". Following the signing ceremony in the presence of Czech President Vaclav Klaus at the Prague Castle, President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with government leaders from 11 former communist Eastern Bloc countries "to provide reassurances after Washington dropped a plan to install anti-missile defence systems in the Czech Republic and Poland." That policy change, writes Hospodářské noviny, "probably won't go against the interests of countries that Russia still considers to be within its sphere of influence."

(News in brief)

Nuclear disarmament | US/Russian pact revives spectres (Mladá Fronta DNES, Prague)

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:50:59 +0100

A year after he launched an appeal for global nuclear disarmament, US President Barack Obama has returned to Prague to sign a treaty with Russia to reduce the arsenals of the worlds two major nuclear powers. However, bridge-building between Washington and Moscow alarms some commentators in a region, where memories of Soviet invasion have not been laid to rest. (Article)

Arms industry | Germany Europe's biggest arms exporter

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:49:44 +0100

Germany has become the world's third-largest arms exporter with 11% of the world market, behind the US (30%) and Russia (23%), reports Frankfurter Rundschau. According to a March 15 report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPIRI), German arms exports have nearly doubled since 2000, with growth fuelled by sales of the Dingo armoured vehicle, the Leopard tank, BO-105 helicopter, and Type-204 submarine. "We're not proud that Germany has joined the ranks of wholesalers in the arms business," runs the German daily’s leader. "While most of the buyers are stable democracies, the supply of submarines to longstanding rivals Turkey and Greece – two key customers – is not exactly an act of détente."

(News in brief)

Aviation | France and US in trade battle

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:31:58 +0100

"Trade dispute prompts political crisis" reads the headline in Le Figaro. The French daily reports on the diplomatic quarrel between France and the United States that has emerged two days after EADS, the parent company of Airbus, and its American partner Northrop Grumman withdrew their bid for a 36 billion euro contract to supply the US Air Force with aerial refuelling tankers. In 2008, the Pentagon opted to award the contract to EADS. However, this decision has now been cancelled and the European consortium insists that the terms of a revised call for tenders have been skewed to favour Boeing. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning to discuss the issue with Barack Obama when he visits Washington later this month. The decision to rearrange the call for tenders has been roundly criticised by a number of French MPs and the European Commission as "protectionist" and "deliberately tailored" to accommodate the American aircraft manufacturer. That's an opinion shared by The Wall Street Journal, which notes that "after this debacle", every bidder will know that rules guaranteeing free and fair competition for US military contracts "can be violated with enough political pressure."

(News in brief)

Common Defence | Time to close ranks (European Voice, Brussels)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:16:24 +0100

When it comes to defence, each member state has so far been content to pump money into its own army. But challenges posed by the conflict in Afghanistan may force a rethink of this policy. (Article)

Germany | Trouble in the Bundeswehr

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:53:47 +0100

"Anything but fight," headlines Die Zeit, in a special feature on the Bundeswehr, Germany's federal defence force. Much has changed since 1989 when 495,000 German soldiers waited for a Third World War that was supposed to take place on their territory. Troop numbers have been reduced by 50% in a force which now conducts operations in countries all over the world. Most missions, like the training of police in Djibouti, are not dangerous, but the complexity of international relations has prompted the rise of legal specialists within the military. Worse still, Die Zeit reports that an intergenerational conflict is now raging between an old guard of "soldier civil servants stuck in the Cold War" and young often "idealistic" officers "who have cut their teeth on 15 years of intervention in foreign conflicts." The former remain attached to the notion of an army "which only leaves the barracks to protect the nation state." The latter are waging a war in Afghanistan and are increasingly weary of being misunderstood in Berlin. The "Kunduz syndrome" named after the air strike which resulted in 142 casualties, including many civilians, in September 2009, has only polarized the conflict even further.

(News in brief)

Strategy | Anti-missile shield resurfaces in Romania

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:21:18 +0100

"Who is the anti-missile shield protecting us from?” wonders România liberă the day after the country’s Supreme Defence Council decided to host American interceptors on Romanian territory from 2015 on. The daily reminds its readers that it was Barack Obama who had “invited Bucharest to contribute to the revised version of the American shield”. This adjusted American plan will “significantly improve the country’s security,” Romanian president Traian Băsescu has declared, insisting that the system is not “directed against Russia”. România liberă points out that the former project to set up bases in Poland and the Czech Republic was dropped as unviable last autumn because it was “too close to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad”. However, “American officials have made firm approaches to Moscow, offering to include Russia within a general shield system designed to ward off potential threats from Iran and North Korea.”

(News in brief)

EU-Russia | Sweden pushed onto Baltic chessboard

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:18:13 +0100

The EU-Russian summit in Stockholm has prompted some reflections on Sweden’s foreign and defence policy in the Svenska Dagbladet: “Now that the Lisbon Treaty is about to enter into force, requiring all the member countries to come to the aid of any member attacked by a third country, Sweden has changed its tack. Henceforth, should any Baltic state be the target of armed aggression, Stockholm will be bound to intervene militarily.” This U-turn comes as Russia flexes its military muscles in the Baltic, notes the Swedish daily: in September, Moscow carried out its biggest military drill in ten years, based on the scenario that NATO is attacking Russia. “These exercises do not constitute a threat yet,” opines the paper, but “the big question is how Russia will behave in future, what with a new generation of Russians raised in an anti-Western spirit.”

(News in brief)

France/Poland | Paris and Warsaw cosy up on defence

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:43 +0100

In Paris today, the French President and Polish prime-minister will announce a common defence initiative for Europe. According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the Franco-Polish declaration will touch on subjects such as reform of the so-called EU Combat Groups, strengthening of civil capabilities (i.e. better reaction to natural disasters), and common European defence planning. The Donald Tusk and Nicolas Sarkozy plan also provides for a tightening of EU-NATO relations. Sources in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs call this new initiative a repeat of Saint Malo 1998, but with Poland taking the place of Britain, given that David Cameron's Conservatives, most likely to take power in 2010, is unwilling to pursue the partnership with Paris in building a common defence programme. The seed for the Franco-Polish defence partnership was planted in July when the Polish Foreign Secretary Radosław Sikorski presented his plan to his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner. Tusk and Sarkozy will also sign a declaration on the EU energy policy.

(News in brief)

Poland | Biden's "virtual" shield gets short shrift

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:31:13 +0100

US VP Joe Biden came to Eastern Europe with a burble of warm words but with empty hands, laments the Polish press. Two months after Barack Obama’s adminstration scrapped the long range anti-missile project of his precedessor, George W Bush, Warsaw daily Polska is none too impressed by the American latest floater of a SAM 3 shield to replace it. Useful only against short and medium range rockets, and as yet untested, Polska describes the idea as “futuristic” and a sop to Poland that feels abandoned to a resurgent Russia breathing down its neck. Polska also regrets that President Obama has ditched several promising projects such as Airborne Laser or Kinetic Energy Interceptor programme. SAM 3 is nothing but an “inferior” subtitute and lacks the mark of the “serious proposal” presented by the Bush administration of fond memory. “In fact, its potential benefits for Poland were so great that Kremlin did everything possible to sabotage the project”, the daily complains.

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Anti-missile shield | Russia inspires fear and foreboding (Presseurop, )

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:17:56 +0100

Barack Obama's decision to abandon plans for a missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic - promised by George Bush - has not been welcomed in either country. The European press expresses its concern about the influence of Moscow in the region. (Article)

Netherlands | Dutch nukes without a home

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:31:16 +0100

De Volkskrant announces, "No nuclear arms in the Netherlands." The Dutch daily is referring to the position adopted by the Party of Labour (PvdA) in parliament, which has asked Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen (of the CDA, Christian-democratic party) to remove American nuclear arms from Dutch territory, now that the Dutch air-force fleet of F-16 fighter planes is to be replaced. The aircraft earmarked to take over from the F-16, probably the F-35 JSF, may not be capable of transporting atomic weapons. De Volkskrant further points out that "the storage location of nuclear weapons, which can currently be deployed by the F-16s, at the Volkel air-force base is an open secret" – a fact, which annoys Labour MP Martijn van Dam, who believes "the Netherlands should tell America's President Obama to come and take them away." The call from the PvdA may be greeted with a positive response from Verhagen. According to De Volkskrant, "Verhagen welcomed Obama's announcement of support for worldwide nuclear disarmament." He himself has also attempted to convince NATO of the need to make disarmament a priority.

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Romania | Bucharest snubs arms "code of conduct"

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:28:21 +0100

Leading with the front page headline, "The only country in Europe!" Cotidianul reports that Romania is now the only EU and European Defence Agency member not to have signed the 'Code of conduct for arms exports,' approved by the Union in 2005. The daily further notes that this is "the second time" that Romania has refused to sign. The first occasion "was in 2007 just after it joined the EU." Cotidianul believes that the reason for Romania's systematic refusal to come into line with other member states is that the 'Code' is designed to bring greater transparency and more competition to the arms business. Romania, which is world's 39th ranked arms producer, sold 37 million euros worth of arms in 2005.

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Poland | US to drop Czech and Polish missile shield

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:26:48 +0100

It is almost certain that the US will scrap its plan to build elements of anti-missile shield in Poland and Czech Republic, Warsaw daily Gazeta Wyborcza has discovered. According to Riki Ellison, chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance in Washington, the White House is already looking at other options. At a recent conference concerning the anti-missile shield, US generals did not even mention Poland or Czech Republic as the administration of Barack Obama seeks to deploy mobile anti-missile rocket launchers on warships and in military bases in Israel, Turkey and possibly in one of the Balkan countries. Although the strategic review of the anti-missile shield project launched under the new president has not yet been completed, experts are adamant that the chances of sites in Poland and Czech Republic are very slim, with Washington sensitive to Russia’s objections to the idea. Others point to high costs and Obama’s advisors lack of faith in the effectiveness of an anti-missile shield as main obstacles to the project.

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Caucase | Romanian arms for Georgia

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:49:37 +0100

On the anniversary of the outbreak of the war in the South Caucasus, Cotidianul reports that "in late 2008, in spite of Russian warnings, Romania exported 3.6 million euros worth of infantry weapons and anti-tank grenades to Georgia." The daily quotes an employee of the conventional arms department of the Romanian National Agency for Export Controls, who confirms the value of the arms shipped and adds that he cannot comment on sales in 2009, because "the report for the year has not been finalised." Bucharest has been selling arms to Georgia since 2006. Cotidianul notes that "the exports are not illegal," though there is a concern that "they could sour Romania's relations with Moscow." The Russians have threatened Ukraine with economic sanctions if it continues to supply arms to Tbilisi.

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Military | Poland's Dad's army

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:43:07 +0100

“Fit and healthy army and police officers retire after 15 years of service. They return the very next day, but this time as civilian employees," reports Gazeta Wyborcza on its front page. The military currently employs close to 7,000 retired officers, which at the end of 2008 accounted for 13 percent of the military's total headcount. A similar phenomenon, though on a smaller scale, occurs with the police. “I was an inspector, working as head of the administrative office,” says a 40-year-old former career officer from southern Poland. “I retired after 25 years of service. The next day I reported to the

same office, only this time as a civilian employee. I do more or less the same as before.” How do retired army and police officers get civilian jobs in the army? “You strike up acquaintances over years. If you do well by people, they won't let you die," explains a police officer who has just retired.

This week, Rzeczpospolita reports, the last conscripts left the barracks as the Polish armed forces became fully professional. However, while the army has no money to recruit conscripts returning to civilian life, it obviously finds enough to employ ex-officers receiving pension or disability benefits.

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