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[la forge] 29/3/2020 12:27

Avalon.red
NATO warns ‘very likely that Russia will try to take action’ over Covid-19
0
By LLB Reporter at 12:10 pm March 29, 2020 Business News, Coronavirus, World News

The UK has seen a spike in “unusually high levels” of activity in the English Channel by Russian warships, and three weeks ago Russian bombers flew along UK airspace in Scotland.

Europe is now exposed to Russia, and military experts fear Putin could use the coronavirus pandemic as a cover to start a military strike.

NATO exercises have been scaled back in Europe as the UK are using the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fight against coronavirus.

Despite Russia locking down 145m people, the Russian military remains operational.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “It is very likely that Russia will try to take action while the US and Nato is distracted with Covid-19, arguably the first time we have a serious home threat that is impacting our readiness.

“In terms of overall readiness, the question is: how many soldiers can you cut from a brigade before it is inoperational?

“The other challenge is the logistics and supply of strategic medical reserves. The US’s number poised: Putin one priority is saving American lives. This means fewer personnel abroad and less resources.

“All this is ringing alarm bells in foreign capitals.”

The former US diplomat Brett Bruen, the head of the Global Situation Room think tank, said the decision made by the US to send just 6,000 US troops to Europe’s exercise, Defender Europe 20, and move troops back to the US to help with coronavirus was “carefully watched by Putin.”

Last week nine Royal Navy warships shadowed seven Russian warships after “unusually high levels of activity” in the English Channel and North Sea.

As the Royal Navy prepares to help the NHS and other government departments deal with the response to the coronavirus outbreak, nine British ships have been shadowing seven Russian vessels in waters around the UK.

Three weeks ago six RAF fighter jets were scrambled as a Russian bomber tried to enter UK airspace over Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence said the unidentified aircraft was tracked heading towards Scotland which prompted three pairs of Typhoons from its Quick Reaction Alert programme.

Two pairs of Tornadoes were dispatched from RAF Lossiemouth near Scotland, whilst the third flew from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

A Voyager tanker, the air-to-air refuelling aircraft, from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, was also deployed.


LONDONLOVES BUSINESS

[la forge] 29/3/2020 12:26

Avalon.red
NATO warns ‘very likely that Russia will try to take action’ over Covid-19
0
By LLB Reporter at 12:10 pm March 29, 2020 Business News, Coronavirus, World News

The UK has seen a spike in “unusually high levels” of activity in the English Channel by Russian warships, and three weeks ago Russian bombers flew along UK airspace in Scotland.

Europe is now exposed to Russia, and military experts fear Putin could use the coronavirus pandemic as a cover to start a military strike.

NATO exercises have been scaled back in Europe as the UK are using the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fight against coronavirus.

Despite Russia locking down 145m people, the Russian military remains operational.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “It is very likely that Russia will try to take action while the US and Nato is distracted with Covid-19, arguably the first time we have a serious home threat that is impacting our readiness.

“In terms of overall readiness, the question is: how many soldiers can you cut from a brigade before it is inoperational?

“The other challenge is the logistics and supply of strategic medical reserves. The US’s number poised: Putin one priority is saving American lives. This means fewer personnel abroad and less resources.

“All this is ringing alarm bells in foreign capitals.”

The former US diplomat Brett Bruen, the head of the Global Situation Room think tank, said the decision made by the US to send just 6,000 US troops to Europe’s exercise, Defender Europe 20, and move troops back to the US to help with coronavirus was “carefully watched by Putin.”

Last week nine Royal Navy warships shadowed seven Russian warships after “unusually high levels of activity” in the English Channel and North Sea.

As the Royal Navy prepares to help the NHS and other government departments deal with the response to the coronavirus outbreak, nine British ships have been shadowing seven Russian vessels in waters around the UK.

Three weeks ago six RAF fighter jets were scrambled as a Russian bomber tried to enter UK airspace over Scotland.

The Ministry of Defence said the unidentified aircraft was tracked heading towards Scotland which prompted three pairs of Typhoons from its Quick Reaction Alert programme.

Two pairs of Tornadoes were dispatched from RAF Lossiemouth near Scotland, whilst the third flew from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

A Voyager tanker, the air-to-air refuelling aircraft, from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, was also deployed.


LONDONLOVES BUSINESS

[la forge] 27/1/2020 10:27

FORBES


Ukraine Joins NATO Procurement System
Katya Gorchinskaya
Katya Gorchinskaya
Contributor
Leadership Strategy
I cover politics, business and leadership in Ukraine and the region.

UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

A Ukrainian serviceman load cartridges into a machine gun belt during night combat against ... [+]AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine joined NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and made its first purchases through its system last year, opening a way for the country to buy legal weapons and other defense-related purchases directly from NATO suppliers, according to Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk.

“The ministry can now procure directly, without intermediaries, through NATO. This was not the case before,” Zagorodnyuk told Interfax-Ukraine agency.

According to the minister, Ukraine made its first purchase in December, after finishing all the procedures for joining the procurement agency. The nation originally joined NSPA in 2015, but did not complete the process to use the services.

NSPA is a logistics and procurement hub for NATO members that operates on a “no profit-no loss” basis.
Today In: Leadership

The minister said previous direct procurements through NSPA were blocked by vested interests, including the nation’s behemoth national arms holding UkrOboronProm, which acted as an intermediary in most defense purchases. Ukraine ended up paying double the price or more as a result of using intermediaries.

“In three months we unlocked it, removed all obstacles and made the first agreement, made payment. These were the first three test purchases,” the minister said. He did not reveal any more details about the December contract.

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Ukraine spends $10 billion on defense and security per year, about 5.4% of its GDP, but only $1.2 billion is earmarked for procurement this year.

Reuben F. Johnson, an analyst at Jane’s Defense Weekly, says joining the new platform is a big step for Ukraine: “Getting people familiar with processes in NATO is always going to be good, and opens new possibilities.”;

Johnson says it also means that Ukraine's defense ministry has significantly improved its capacity: “Some time ago the Ministry of Defense was given authority to buy its own stuff, without [intermediaries], but there were only 5 people to do it. Now they staffed up.”

Johnson says Ukraine should also use the opportunity to become a better partner for NATO by increasing its role as a NATO supplier through NSPA - especially for Eastern European countries that have a lot of Russian-made weapons systems that need upgrading, and Ukraine is capable of doing it.

NSPA records show that Ukrainian companies do provide services to other NATO members.

For example, NT Engineering supplied remediation services in the period between April and June 2019, worth 111,900 euro. System TR supplied a warehouse management software system to an undisclosed buyer worth 105,841 euro between July and September 2019, and Construction Machinery Ltd. provided two excavators worth 146,000 euro in the same period.

Ukraine has an aspiration to join NATO, which is written into the nation’s constitution. For the past six years it has also been at war with NATO’s long-term adversary Russia, after it illegally annexed Crimea and stoked war and separatism in Ukraine’s eastern provinces.

Ukraine and NATO have what the alliance describes as “the most substantial of NATO’s partnerships,” which has increased significantly since 2014. NATO assists Ukraine in defence and security sector reform, among other types of cooperation. Last year, NATO upped its presence in the Black Sea to keep Russia at bay.

[waldron] 03/12/2019 07:22

European markets set to rise despite global trade tensions; NATO leaders meet
Published Tue, Dec 3 20192:10 AM EST
Silvia Amaro
@Silvia_Amaro



Key Points

President Donald Trump announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina.
The U.S. trade representative also said Monday that it could put duties of up to 100% on certain French products.

European stocks are set to open slightly higher Tuesday morning despite an escalation of global trade tensions during the previous session.

The FTSE 100 is seen up by 4 points at 7,289; the CAC 40 is set to open up by 9 points at 5,794 and the German DAX is seen up by 40 points at 13,011; according to IG.


President Donald Trump announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina on Monday — sparking further global trade tensions.

Furthermore, the U.S. trade representative also said Monday that it could put duties of up to 100% on certain French products. This is on the back of France’s decision to apply a tax on digital companies. The U.S. trade office concluded that the French levy is harmful to U.S. tech companies.

Meanwhile, investors are monitoring several high-level meetings as NATO leaders gather in the U.K. to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the organization. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is receiving German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On the data front, there will be euro zone producer prices due at 10 a.m. London time. There are no corporate earnings to note Tuesday.