Thursday, May 30, 2013

No NATO Presence Planned In The Arctic

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NATO Rejects Direct Arctic Presence -- Defense News

HELSINKI — Norway’s ambition of persuading NATO to establish a strong direct military presence in the Arctic High North — and as a strategic counterweight to Russia’s intensifying rearming programs in the region — suffered a setback after the leader of NATO said the alliance has no plans to expand its role there.

Russia’s multibillion-dollar rearming of its northern and eastern naval, air and land combat capabilities has raised the ire of its Nordic neighbors in recent weeks.

On March 30, Russian fighter jets and bombers staged a large-scale, Cold War-type simulated bomb-run attack on military and industrial targets on the Swedish mainland. That produced a highly critical riposte in political quarters in Sweden after it emerged that the Swedish Air Force (SAF) had no capacity on that night to scramble JAS Gripen fighter jets to deal with the simulated threat.

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My Comment: The Russians are adopting a different policy.

Update: Coast Guard To Navy: Arctic’s Covered; White House OKs Arctic Icebreaker -- Breaking Defense

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