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NATO
April 14, 2025 Asked about the most critical US bases in Europe, retired lieutenant general Twitty, a distinguished fellow at CEPA and former Deputy Commander of US European Command said that all of them are 'pretty doggone' essential, provide a strategic depth, ’in terms of influence, deterrence, logistics, and because the US doesn’t fight wars on its homeland, but away from it’. ’If the US is in Europe, it is deterring our adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, and others’. ’Whether you look at bases such as in Vicenza, Italy, which houses our 173rd Airborne Division, or in Vilseck, which houses our cavalry regiment, or Ramstein Air Base, which brings in strategic airlift and support. They’re critical.’ The Sixth Fleet, for example, in Spain or down in Naples, are critical ports and airports „where we have long-term basing relationships that are available for US contingencies because of agreements with the host community”. ’These are critical facilities that allow us to deploy at a moment’s notice, we don’t have to wait for permission’ to have access. ’By being stationed in Europe, it provides the gateway into other areas where we may need to operate. Case in point: When we invaded Iraq, we used many of our European bases as a stepping off point to conduct that invasion and to support logistics and maintenance into the Middle East theater. It was easier to use our Europe bases instead of our US bases to do that type of work’. „Another case in point: Landstuhl hospital. When our soldiers go into combat, the fastest way to get them to a level of care necessary is to fly them to Landstuhl, not the US”. ’These bases provide reassurance to our allies and partners over in Europe’. How would Russia and China interpret US Base closure and troop withdrawal from Europe? Over 600,000 Americans were killed as a result of World War II. They made a terrible sacrifice. „We can never forget that. And we have got to stay strong in Europe, in my mind, as a result of it’, he said. 'Our European partners will be the folks who we’ll be counting on to help us, just as they helped us after 9/11', Twitty added. „They did not have to do that, but NATO voted on Article 5, and they jumped in behind us in both Afghanistan and Iraq. We can never forget that'. „We drew down from 200,000 soldiers to between 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers in Europe today”. Now, there’s a significant disruption and ’there’s a threat to stability in Europe from Russia’. ’We still have some naysayers who think that this war is just a regional war, and it really does not impact Europe. So why do we need all that military capability there? Because in the big scheme of things, when folks look at it, Ukraine’s not part of NATO. Why do we care? Why should we get involved? On and on and on. And so, I think you have those things that are playing against our bases, against our military capability in Europe, and how important both are”. Pulling away from that now „we’re going to walk away from everything we stand for in terms of what we put in place in the Marshall Plan.” ’Our European bases provide us the geopolitical wasta [influence]’. We want to fight our wars not here on the homeland, but away. We want to play an away game. Our European bases allow us to do that’. /Source: Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) – with offices in Washington, D.C., U.S. and Warsaw, Poland/.
Global
April 14, 2025 Maintaining a robust US presence in Europe is essential to defending American interests, said retired from the U.S. Army as a Major General, " Skip" Davis, a non-resident senior fellow at CEPA, former deputy chief of staff for operations and intelligence at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and director of operations at US European Command. European basing offers distinct strategic advantages. US bases - particularly in countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Italy, and Romania - ’deter aggression, especially from Russia’. They reassure allies under NATO’s Article 5 and enable rapid response via land, air, or sea due to geographic proximity to potential crises. Their presence supports diplomacy, enhances influence in institutions like NATO and the EU. The US presence contributes to stability in tense regions like the Balkans, the Aegean, and the Black Sea. Europe hosts the most developed US alliance network, with shared command and logistics structures. This strengthens NATO, supports Israel, and bolsters regional partners’ defenses. ’Several European nations host US nuclear weapons and provide dual-capable aircraft, reinforcing nuclear deterrence under NATO’. Europe’s location - at the intersection of Africa, the Middle East, 'and Central Asia' - makes it ideal for rapid deployment in all directions. US Army stocks and Navy sustainment capabilities in Spain, Italy, and Greece lower the time and cost of mobilization, air bases like Ramstein (Germany), Aviano and Sigonella (Italy), and Mihail Kogălniceanu (Romania) support rapid ’global response’. ’Globally’, the strategic objectives of US bases in Europe serve as launch points for operations. The bases support ’global’ logistics, airlift, and refueling, many house critical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, essential for ’global awareness’. They also offer joint and multinational training that boosts coalition interoperability - ’a necessity for global missions’. Beyond defending Europe, US forces in Europe directly support homeland security - enable early warning and reduce the distance between emerging threats and the US ISR capabilities based in Europe. Bases also serve as hubs for missions targeting transnational terrorist threats that could impact the US directly. Davis cautions that a large-scale withdrawal – „drawdown” - could embolden Russia and China, ’it would make US power projection slower, costlier, and less effective. ’It would diminish US credibility, hinder crisis prevention. 'Russia would likely view it as a weakening of US commitment to NATO and a chance to expand its influence in Central and Eastern Europe. This could embolden Russia to increase military pressure on vulnerable NATO members or non-members like Moldova or Georgia. 'It could build up forces near NATO’s borders or in Kaliningrad and increase naval activity in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. China would exploit the perceived power vacuum to present itself as a stable, alternative global partner, using tools like foreign investment, technology, and trade - especially in Southern and Eastern Europe, targeting economically vulnerable nations. /Source: Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) – with offices in Washington, D.C., U.S. and Warsaw, Poland/.
Space
Sunday, 20 April 2025 A Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft carrying American Pettit and Russians Ovchinin and Wagner landed in Kazakhstan today. It was the fourth time in space for Mr Pettit and Mr Ovchinin, while it was Mr Vagner's second spaceflight. The crew's seven-month science mission started on 11 September 2024. They orbited the Earth 3,520 times over 220 days in space. Mr Pettit, who returns from space on 70th birthday, had been conducting research to enhance in-orbit metal 3D printing capabilities, advance water sanitisation technologies, explore plant growth under varying water conditions and investigate fire behaviour in microgravity, according to NASA. It was the fourth time in space for Mr Pettit and Mr Ovchinin, while it was Mr Vagner's second spaceflight. (Source: Sky News - United Kingdom)
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