NATO Ministerial Meeting and Related Developments
No to the Encirclement of Russia! Dismantle NATO!



NATO Defence Ministers met October 26-27 at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, to "mark progress" in implementing the plans set out at its Warsaw Summit in July. NATO claims these plans are all about "defence and deterrence." Its war preparations in Eastern Europe and its intervention in the humanitarian crisis resulting from U.S. imperialism's destruction of various countries in the Middle East and north Africa are presented as defensive measures as if NATO is the victim of foreign aggression, when in fact by its nature NATO is an aggressive military and political alliance headed by U.S. imperialism.

A NATO news release describes the meetings as marking progress in plans for a "strengthened NATO presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, and in the Black Sea region." This refers to the decision at the Warsaw Summit to create four NATO battalions in the Baltic states and Poland and new plans for the south.

The meetings also discussed "Russia's recent military activity along NATO's borders." (TML emphasis.) The "military activity" NATO refers to are claims that Russia is stationing troops and moving missiles to its western border where there is an ongoing build-up of NATO military forces, including Canadian forces. Similarly, it alluded to the movement of a Russian aircraft carrier battle group sailing past the coast of Norway and other European countries reportedly on its way to Syria. As of November 1 the battle group reached the Mediterranean Sea, a region where the U.S. Sixth Fleet operates. In this way, Russia's moves in response to foreign troops being placed in countries on its border is presented as aggression, while the aggressive movement of foreign troops from countries both inside and outside of NATO into Eastern Europe to surround Russia is presented as defence.

The NATO news release reports that in Brussels defence ministers focused on "NATO's efforts to project stability beyond its borders." Specifically this included reviewing "progress on NATO training and capacity building for Iraq," considering the future of the Alliance's deployment in the Aegean Sea and considering a possible maritime role for NATO in the Central Mediterranean to "support" Operation Sophia, the mission of the EU border agency's Frontex. Operation Sophia currently patrols the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece where thousands of people try to get to Greece by boat and from there to other European countries. Those who are caught are sent back to Turkey.

Implementation of NATO's Agenda to Encircle Russia

The meeting dealt with measures NATO is putting in place to encircle and threaten Russia, interfere in the affairs of countries in Eastern Europe and suppress opposition to wars of aggression, which it refers to as "strengthening deterrence and defence." These relate mainly to decisions announced at the Warsaw Summit, including the deployment of four multinational battalions along with an array of tanks, other armoured vehicles and drones to the Baltic States and Poland planned for early 2017. The battalions comprised of about 1,000 troops each will be led by Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States respectively. The make-up of the battalions was announced at the Brussels ministerial meeting. Albania, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia are to send troops to join the Canadian-led battle group in Latvia. Belgium, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway will join the Germans in Lithuania. Denmark and France will send units to join British forces in Estonia, with Romania and Britain providing troops to the U.S.-led battalion in Poland.

The four new battalions are to be supported by a 40,000-member strong rapid reaction force capable of deploying wherever needed.[1]capable of deploying quickly, wherever needed. In addition to the movement of NATO forces to encircle Russia, the U.S. continues in parallel with NATO, moving even greater numbers of its own troops and equipment to Russia's borders.

Norway's Ministry of Defence announced on October 24 that as of January 2017 the United States will station some 330 marines on a rotational basis at the VĂ|rnes military base near Trondheim. Marines are a first strike force and Norway has a 200-kilometre long border with Russia. The Marine Corps Times reports that the U.S. military "has already pre-positioned thousands of pieces of equipment including M1A1 Abrams tanks in Norwegian caves to support 15,000 Marines for up to one month of combat operations."

"The United States are our most important ally and we have a near bilateral relationship that we wish to develop," Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement. "The defence of Norway is dependent on allied reinforcement and it is crucial for Norwegian security that our allies get the knowledge required to operate in Norway, together with Norwegian forces." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is a former Prime Minister of Norway.

Major General Niel E. Nelson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, said a Marine presence in Norway would "increase NATO's ability to rapidly aggregate and employ forces in northern Europe."

Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko denounced NATO's "confrontational schemes of military planning and military preparations in the territories along our borders," specifically the "forward storage of weapons and hardware and modernizing[of]infrastructure ahead of[the]deployment of big army units, conducting an endless chain of drills, both ground, sea and air, along the Russia borders." He said, "The NATO leaders prefer not to mention national efforts member countries are taking in addition to those measures," pointing to a U.S. tank brigade being deployed on a rotational basis in Eastern Europe and activities being undertaken by "countries which have declared themselves as 'frontline'[to enhance]their military potentials."

Militarization of Refugee Crisis in Europe

Also announced in Brussels is a new maritime operation to be launched in the Central Mediterranean called Sea Guardian that was previously announced at the Warsaw Summit. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said at the time, "We have decided to transform Operation Active Endeavour into a broader security mission called Sea Guardian." He added, "We intend to work closely with the European Union's Operation Sophia in the Central Mediterranean, building on our swift and effective cooperation with the EU to cut lines of international human trafficking in the Aegean." Operation Active Endeavour began in October 2001 as part of NATO's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since that time NATO ships have been patrolling the Mediterranean and monitoring shipping to "help deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorist activity."

According to Stoltenberg, under Operation Sea Guardian, NATO ships and maritime patrol planes in the Central Mediterranean will now include the provision of situational awareness and "logistical support" to Greece and Turkey and the EU's border agency Frontex operating in the Aegean Sea. Since February, NATO has had a group of seven ships from various countries in the Aegean Sea as its contribution to the EU operation there. At the Brussels meeting, Turkey's Defence Minister told reporters there was no need for NATO's Aegean mission to continue beyond December, saying it was a temporary mission that has achieved its goal and there was no need to extend it. In spite of Turkey's position, the next day the NATO Secretary General announced that NATO had decided to continue its mission in the Aegean along with its new plans for the Central Mediterranean.

"Thanks to our joint efforts, together with Greece and Turkey, the flow of migrants has decreased substantially," Stoltenberg said, calling this "yet another example of NATO and the EU working hand-in-hand to increase European security." What he did not say is that with the Aegean route effectively blocked, many refugees are now opting for the more perilous Central Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy, where NATO's new maritime mission is to operate. On October 26 UN refugee agency spokesman William Spindler said, "We can confirm that at least 3,800 people have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, making the death toll in 2016 the highest recorded."

Compounding the problem, the EU recently declared Afghanistan -- a country invaded and occupied by the U.S. and NATO -- a "safe country," opening the door for member states to deport Afghan refugees on the grounds that they are "economic migrants" rather than war refugees. As with the EU-Turkey arrangement, this will only force those affected to choose more dangerous routes and arrangements to try to make it to Europe.

NATO in Iraq and Jordan

Calling it an effort to "project stability in its wider neighbourhood," Stoltenberg announced in Brussels that in January 2017 NATO will begin the training and "capacity-building" of Iraqi armed forces in Iraq itself, "building on existing training of Iraqi officers in Jordan." He also announced that the previous week NATO began flying Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft in support of the[U.S.-led]coalition fighting ISIL.

The training is presented as something new and not aggressive when in fact it goes along with the ongoing U.S. intervention in Iraq and attempts to take control of the country and its public institutions. At the height of the open U.S. occupation of that country (2004 to 2011) NATO was engaged in training 15,000 Iraqi officers inside the country.

More recently NATO says that "in response to a request from the government of Iraq," it agreed to offer "a package of defence capacity building measures to provide assistance in a number of priority areas, including: countering improvised explosive devices, explosive ordnance disposal and demining, security sector reform, military medicine and civil military planning." The first phase of training was launched in April, with a 'train-the trainers' course provided to 350 Iraqi officers in Jordan.

Officials indicate that on top of training police, Canada is training Jordanian security forces under Operation Impact to support "Jordan's ability to prevent and respond to terrorist activity." Among other things this is reported to include helping Jordan conduct "enhanced monitoring and identification of terrorist and criminal activities across its border." Presumably that would be a role for Special Forces. Jordan borders Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Note

1. At the 2014 Wales Summit, it was agreed to "enhance the capabilities of the NATO Response Force (NRF) in order to adapt and respond to emerging security challenges posed by Russia, as well as the risks emanating from the Middle East and North Africa." NATO describes the NRF as "the spearhead of the Alliance. It is a rapid-reaction force on land, sea and in the air. It can defend any Ally, deploy anywhere and deal with any threat."

"It was decided to incorporate a Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) within the overall NRF structure, increasing the size of the NRF to 40,000 and providing NATO with a highly capable and flexible air, land, maritime and special forces package capable of deploying at short notice when tasked. The VJTF comprises a multinational brigade (approximately 5,000 troops), with up to five manoeuvre battalions, supported by air, maritime and special forces. Once fully operational, the VJTF will be supplemented by two additional brigades, as a rapid-reinforcement capability, in case of a major crisis. If activated, the force will be available to move immediately, following the first warnings and indicators of potential threats, before a crisis begins, to act as a potential deterrent to further escalation. The rapid arrival of this small but capable military unit would send a very clear message to any potential aggressor: 'any attempt to violate the sovereignty of one NATO nation will result in a decisive military engagement with all 28 allied nations.'"

(NATO, Globe and Mail, RT, Reuters, Xinhua, Tass, teleSUR, Press TV)

(TML Weekly No. 44, November 12, 2016)