this is a REALLY BAD IDEA >>>> ------------------------------------------ A new rapid reaction force, likely numbering at least 4,000 and ready to be deployed within 48 hours, will be created in Eastern Europe, after a decision by the 28 NATO member states following a conference in Wales. “This is a demonstration of our solidarity and resolve,” said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the summit, largely dedicated to Ukraine, and attended by the country’s President Petro Poroshenko, wrapped up. Should you even think of attacking one ally, you will be facing the whole alliance.” NATO said the reason for the new unit is “a security environment which is more unpredictable than ever, including Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, violent extremism in the Middle East and instability in North Africa.” “This spearhead will include several thousand land troops ready to deploy within a few days with air, sea and Special Forces support,” said Fogh Rasmussen. The Baltic States and Romania have already offered to host the force, whose exact numbers have not been agreed, with Downing Street saying it will likely number 4,000 and Warsaw 5,000. Poland, the largest NATO state in Eastern Europe, is expected to house the headquarters. The Baltic States have been among the most vocal advocates of NATO strengthening in the region, but the organization is bound by a 1997 agreement with Russia, which bars it from placing permanent bases in Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia. This can be circumvented by staging constant rotations of “exercises” that can in practice amount to the same thing. The new force will be the vanguard of the existing NATO Response Force (NRF) that began operations a decade ago. The 25,000-strong NRF can take up to a month to deploy, by which time any military incursion can become a fait accompli. “We must be able to act more swiftly,” said UK Prime Minister David Cameron, whose country said that it will provide up to a quarter of the new force’s troops. rt/news/185444-nato-rasmussen-spearhead-force/
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 17:38:37 +0000
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