European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker called for a common EU defence headquarters in September after the Brexit vote, resurrecting an idea that had circulated in the EU for years. Today, the European Union has approved plans for a military headquarters to coordinate overseas security operation, foreign and defence ministers of the 28 member states (Britain having long opposed it) "unanimously" backed the project.
The new MPCC (Military Planning Conduct and Capability facility) will command the EU's non-executive military missions. The facility will initially run three operations - civil-military training missions in Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia - which do not involve the use of force, other than in self-defence. The MPCC will initially have a small staff of around 30 and come under the EU's existing military structures.
But top EU officials, including Ms Mogherini, have had to repeatedly issue reassurances that the bloc is not going to undercut NATO as the primary defence for Europe. Besides Britain, many of the former Communist states of eastern Europe such as Poland and Hungary have argued consistently that NATO must come first, given the need for US support in facing a more assertive Russia.
The EU has also mounted Operation Sophia in the central Mediterranean, which can use force to stop migrant smugglers, and Operation Atalanta, part of international antipiracy forces off the Horn of Africa, these executive operations have their own command centres which will remain separate.
CERPESC European Solutions for Defence & Crisis Management //--> Tag: MPCCMogheriniCSDPThe Swedish government has decided to reintroduce military conscription, abolished in 2010. It means that 4,000 men and women will be called up for service from 1 January 2018, selected from about 13,000 young people born in 1999, who will be asked to undergo a military assessment. The 13,000 who undergo the military tests will be a mixture of volunteers and conscripts. The Swedish recruitment system will be modelled on Norway's. In September, a Swedish garrison was restored to Gotland, a big island lying between the Swedish mainland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states.
The return to conscription was prompted by the security change in the neighbourhood, Russian "illegal" annexation of Crimea[in 2014, the conflict in Ukraine and the increased military activity in the area. Russian menace pushes Sweden towards NATO, Swedish officials say Russian military aircraft frequently infringe Swedish airspace. 70% of the Swedish parliament is behind the decision to strengthen the military and co-operation with the countries around. The closest co-operation is with Finland, she added. Sweden and Finland are not in NATO, but co-operate closely with the alliance. Their Nordic neighbours Norway and Denmark are in NATO. Sweden has about 52,000 full-time military personnel - 20,000 of them permanent staff and most of the others Home Guard members.
Which other European countries have conscription?
Most of the 28 EU member states abolished military conscription. France and the UK - the main pillars of NATO defence in Western Europe - made their armed forces fully professional (France in 2001, the UK in 1963). Germany suspended conscription in 2011, but provision for it remains in the constitution. There is a debate now about reintroducing some form of national service.
Turkey has the second-largest armed forces in NATO, after the US military. Turkey has conscription for all men over the age of 20. They must serve between six and 15 months.
Greece has compulsory military service (9 months) for men from the age of 19. Cyprus - a longstanding source of Greek-Turkish tension - also has conscription.
Denmark, Norway and Finland have limited conscription, but their forces are overwhelmingly professional. Estonia and Lithuania - small Baltic states wary of Russian moves near their borders - have similar recruitment policies.
Switzerland operates a militia system, whereby men have to serve periods in the armed forces from 19 to 34 years of age, and keep their equipment at home.
In Russia all men aged 18-27 have to spend a year in the armed forces and Ukraine brought back conscription in 2014, when tensions with Russia escalated.
Which other East or Nord European countries, near to Russia or Ukraine, will also choice the same u-turn like Sweden?
Source : BBC.com
Tag: Military conscriptionSwedenNATOOn March 1 st EUCAP Nestor, the European Union Maritime Capacity Building Mission to Somalia, will be renamed “EUCAP Somalia”, the EU Capacity Building Mission in Somalia.
A Council decision published on December 12th 2016 in the Official Journal of the European Union, states in article 1, EUCAP Somalia has been established as a Capacity Building Mission in Somalia.
The operational “switch-over” to the new Mission’s name is now taking place.
For the occasion, a redesign of the Mission's Website has been launched under www.eucap-som.eu . All past content from www.eucap-nestor.eu has been migrated and will be accessible on the new site.
EUCAP Somalia operates under a new, broadened civilian maritime security mandate. With an active presence in Mogadishu, Hargeisa (Somaliland) and Garowe (Puntland), EUCAP Somalia works to strengthen Somali capacity to ensure maritime security, carry out fisheries inspection and enforcement, ensure maritime search and rescue, counter smuggling, fight piracy and police the coastal zone on land and at sea.
Tag: EUCAP SomaliaEUCAP NestorThe Danish government is paying sickness and disability benefits to Danish citizens fighting in Syria for Islamic State. The PET (Danish Security and Intelligence Service) has identified 28 jihadis, Danish citizens fighting in Syria since 2014, who had been granted an early pension, or ‘førtidspension’, because they were judged too sick or disabled to work, and then gone to take part in the war in Syria.
It is a huge scandal that danish people disburse money from the welfare fund in Denmark for people who go to Syria, staying in a war zone and directly or indirectly taking part in military operations is not something that is in any way compatible with receiving disability benefits. PET provided the information as part of preparations for a parliamentary bill which aims to make it easier to cut off benefits to Danes fighting in Syria.
Last December the Ekstra Bladet newspaper reported that Danish municipalities and the country's state unemployment fund were attempting to claim back a total of 672,000 kroner ($100,000) in wrongfully disbursed payments from 29 of the 36 Danes PET then estimated were had been collecting benefits.
We know, since 2015, that ISIS fighters in Syria have been receiving also unemployment benefits from Denmark, according to the agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR) via PET. Government data revealed that 32 Danish citizens have collected about 400,000 kroner ($57,000) in welfare from the government while fighting alongside the jihadist group in Syria.
Denmark’s unemployment insurance systems is one of the world’s most generous, as those on the dagpenge scheme can receive up to 801 kroner, around £78, per day for up to two years.
Denmark, congratulation! If you often refuse to financing EU CSDP missions/operations, please do not support our common enemies. After the scandal concerning the uneployment benefits, two additional years to unveil the abuse about disability benefits.
Tag: ISISDenmarkAircraft carrier "São Paulo" (ex R99 Foch, built in France between 1957 and 1960) was incorporated into the Brazilian Navy in 2000, based on an opportunity purchase from the French National Navy, for US$30 million — no aircraft were included in the price — with the primary purpose of replacing the former "Minas Gerais" Light-Aircraft, at the end of its useful life, and providing the evolution of airborne operations using fixed wing aircraft and A-4 Skyhawk jet propulsion.
Although it already has 37 years of active service at the moment of acquisition, the Ship fulfilled its mission in the first years in activity by the Brazilian fleet, enabling the Navy to acquire the qualification to operate high performance aircraft embarked.
After several attempts to recover operational capacity of the brazil aircraft carrier "NAe Sao Paulo" (A 12), the Brazil Admiralty concluded that the modernization would require high financial investment contain technical uncertainties and would require a long completion period and decided to demobilize the environment, over the next three years.
A program to obtain a new ship-aerodrome x aircraft set will occupy the Navy's third acquisition priority, following the PROSUB / Nuclear Program and the Tamandaré Corvette Construction Program. The cost of acquiring this new binomial will be substantially lower than the cost of the modernization of the "Sao Paulo" and of the obtaining new aircraft compatible with this aircraft carrier. The AF-1 aircraft are expected to be at the end of their life when São Paulo ends its modernization.
NAe : Navio Aerodromo
Source
An internal Defence Ministry report reveals more details about an unfolding scandal at a Baden-Württemberg barracks involving "sadistic rituals". The internal report seen by Spiegel and DPA describes a female soldier being forced by her trainers to pole dance and also separately being touched in intimate areas.
The report comes from the woman’s account of an incident last year at the Pfullendorf barracks, which has been the centre of scandal in recent weeks. The woman said that she was forced to undergo some kind of recruitment test where she had to dance against a pole in a common room. She also said that throughout the training sessions, trainees were made to strip naked, and women were touched by trainers, not wearing any gloves, in intimate areas. The trainers then did a ‘smell test’ in front of the whole group. The trainers also had trainees sign a consent form, and took pictures which they said were for training purposes.
Internal research also found that the dancing pole had been installed and used regularly while soldiers were drinking. The report also noted that investigators had largely confirmed the woman’s account. Seven soldiers have been suspended amid an ongoing investigation into grievous bodily harm against trainees, as well as false imprisonment, and sexual assault. The investigation reportedly dates back to last October when a female lieutenant reported incidents directly to the Defence Ministry. The lieutenant described how she saw unbelievable scenes of recruits being forced to strip naked in front of their comrades, with trainers filming.
She also reported that trainers had forced the recruits to do exercises that served no purpose other than sexual ones, such as reviewing how to insert medical devices into the anuses of male and female recruits, which was also recorded.
In the US Army Female army members allegedly pressured into prostitution.
© État-major des armées
Dans le cadre de la lutte contre le narcotrafic, le vice-amiral Olivier Coupry, commandant supérieur des Forces armées aux Antilles (FAA), a accueilli du 22 au 25 janvier la troisième édition d’une réunion trilatérale avec la Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), les US Coast Guards du District Seven et les forces armées néerlandaises aux Antilles. Retour sur cet engagement important des FAA contre les trafics de stupéfiants dans la région des Caraïbes.
Lire la suite sur : http://www.defense.gouv.fr/ema/forces-prepositionnees/antilles/actualite...
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© État-major des armées
Dans le cadre de la lutte contre le narcotrafic, le vice-amiral Olivier Coupry, commandant supérieur des Forces armées aux Antilles (FAA), a accueilli du 22 au 25 janvier la troisième édition d’une réunion trilatérale avec la Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), les US Coast Guards du District Seven et les forces armées néerlandaises aux Antilles. Retour sur cet engagement important des FAA contre les trafics de stupéfiants dans la région des Caraïbes.
Lire la suite sur : http://www.defense.gouv.fr/ema/forces-prepositionnees/antilles/actualite...
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Poland’s Lodz-based WZL-1 (Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 1 S.A. (Military Aviation Works No. 1) has completed the modernisation, conducts maintenance, repair, overhaul of a Mil Mi-24V (6W-HCA) attack helicopter for the Senegal Air Force. The secondhand rotorcraft is understood to have been acquired from a former Soviet-era operator.
Acceptance flights were conducted on 12 January by a team of Polish and Senegalese personnel, and witnessed by the customer air force’s commander-in-chief, Brig Gen Birame Diop. This is the first Mi-24 to have been acquired by Senegal, and it is unclear whether the West African nation intends to field additional examples.
Flight Fleets Analyzer records the Senegal air force as already operating a pair of 11-year-old Mi-35s, which it acquired directly from Russia.
WZL-1 is one of the leading aviation companies in Europe. The company established its position on local, national and foreign market thanks to untypical activity which generally covers:
• overhaul, maintenance and modernization of the following helicopters: Mi-8, Mi-14, Mi-17, Mi-24, W-3 Sokół and SH-2G Kaman;
• general overhaul of SO-3/W aviation engines and TW3-117 (III s, M, MT, W) family engines.
© Marine nationale
Le 25 janvier 2017, le capitaine de vaisseau Philippe Le Gac, directeur du Groupe de Transformation et de Renfort à Toulon (GTR/T) a salué une dernière fois les 39 marins du complément d’équipage de la frégate multi-missions (FREMM) Auvergne appelés à rejoindre leur unité à Lorient dans les jours à venir.
Au cours des 6 à 12 derniers mois, ces marins ont été « transformés » par le GTR/T afin de pouvoir occuper, dès leur embarquement à bord de leur nouvelle unité, toutes les fonctions qui leur reviennent, à quai comme à la mer. Dorénavant, ils participeront à la fin de la période d’armement de la FREMM Auvergne qui devrait rejoindre Toulon, son nouveau port-base, très prochainement.
Les groupes de transformation et renfort de Brest et Toulon (GTR / B et GTR / T) ont pour mission de soutenir et de renforcer les équipages des FREMM de chaque port base, tout en assurant la transformation des marins devant être affectés à bord de ces unités. Ces bâtiments de nouvelle génération requièrent une transformation spécifique préalable à l’embarquement ; leur équipage optimisé nécessitant de délocaliser au sein des GTR tout ou partie du « compagnonnage » tel qu’il était réalisé à bord des bâtiments des générations précédentes.
En savoir plus sur le GTR : www.colsbleus.fr/articles/9206
Vos réactions: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet© Marine nationale
Le 25 janvier 2017, le capitaine de vaisseau Philippe Le Gac, directeur du Groupe de Transformation et de Renfort à Toulon (GTR/T) a salué une dernière fois les 39 marins du complément d’équipage de la frégate multi-missions (FREMM) Auvergne appelés à rejoindre leur unité à Lorient dans les jours à venir.
Au cours des 6 à 12 derniers mois, ces marins ont été « transformés » par le GTR/T afin de pouvoir occuper, dès leur embarquement à bord de leur nouvelle unité, toutes les fonctions qui leur reviennent, à quai comme à la mer. Dorénavant, ils participeront à la fin de la période d’armement de la FREMM Auvergne qui devrait rejoindre Toulon, son nouveau port-base, très prochainement.
Les groupes de transformation et renfort de Brest et Toulon (GTR / B et GTR / T) ont pour mission de soutenir et de renforcer les équipages des FREMM de chaque port base, tout en assurant la transformation des marins devant être affectés à bord de ces unités. Ces bâtiments de nouvelle génération requièrent une transformation spécifique préalable à l’embarquement ; leur équipage optimisé nécessitant de délocaliser au sein des GTR tout ou partie du « compagnonnage » tel qu’il était réalisé à bord des bâtiments des générations précédentes.
En savoir plus sur le GTR : www.colsbleus.fr/articles/9206
Vos réactions: Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yetDowning Street has been accused of covering up a Trident missile malfunction weeks before a crucial Commons vote on the future of the submarine-based missile system.
A Trident II D5 missile test ended in failure after it was launched from the British submarine HMS Vengeance off the coast of Florida in June 2016. The weapon is 13 metres long, weighs 60 tonnes and can carry nuclear warheads with up to eight times the destructive capacity of the bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the second world war. Trident missile can hit a target 4,000 nautical miles away and be accurate to within a few metres.
The problem is that when HMS Vengeance, one of the UK’s four nuclear submarines, test-fired the missile off the coast of Florida, the missile was not out by a few metres but several thousand miles. It had been targeted at the southern Atlantic off the coast of west Africa. Instead, it was heading in the opposite direction, over the US.
The four previous UK tests – in 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2012 – were successful, it was the only firing test of a British nuclear missile in four years and raises serious questions about the reliability and safety of the weapons system. But the error was hushed up. The cause of the failure remains top secret, but quotes a senior naval source saying the missile, which was unarmed for the test, suffered an in-flight malfunction after launch. According to defence sources, the missile did not veer off in the wrong direction because it was faulty but because the information relayed to it was faulty. This explanation is not reassuring.
It was reportedly intended to be fired 5,600 miles to a sea target off the west coast of Africa but may have veered off towards America instead. There was a major panic at the highest level of government and the military after the first test of our nuclear deterrent in four years ended in disastrous failure. In July, MPs voted by 472 to 117 to back the renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear deterrence. The overwhelming vote supported the Government's plans to spend up to £40 billion on four new Successor-class submarines.
Some analysts say the fact that UK tests are infrequent is not important because the US tests much more frequently and both share the underlying technology. There are over 150 tests over almost 30 years, with a sub-3% failure rate, and well under 1% since British submarines began carrying the missiles.
Source
http://www.independent.co.uk/
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/
https://www.theguardian.com