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Europe
Cyprus
12.08.2024 British amphibious assault ships have docked off the coast of Southern Cyprus, with over 1,000 commandos positioned at the UK's military base airport in Akrotiri. The number of foreign military forces increases amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced that the US will deploy additional military assets to the Middle East ahead of possible Iranian retaliation after the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Haniyeh on July 31, in Iran's capital, which Tehran blamed on Israel. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Georgia
August 12, 2024 Georgia must adapt its national security strategies to counter not only traditional aggression but also the ‘grey zone operations’ that threaten its sovereignty in what is a low-intensity, yet persistent, conflict. The purpose of ‘grey operations’ in a ‘low-intensity’ format is to disrupt the state resilience of the target country and deplete its resources. An aggressor employs a strategy that seeks to obtain a desired economic, military, diplomatic, and political outcome while avoiding a direct and costly response from the other side. The aggressor country may take care to maximise the diplomatic isolation of the target country from third countries and it is limiting the target country’s access to a promising market of the aggressor. At the national level, ‘low-intensity’ operations usually aim to encroach on Georgian air, maritime and economic space and will continue to do so in the future. A number of major projects, including the Middle Corridor and the Black Sea Electric Cable should give Georgia a unique role in the larger regional geo-economic structure, at least for several decades to come. (Source: Emeging Europe - Romania)
by Kipiani
North America
United States
12 August 2024 The US has sent a guided missile submarine to the Middle East. The Pentagon said Mr Austin had sent the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the region. The submarine can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are used to strike land targets. Defence Secretary Austin also said an aircraft carrier which was already heading to the area would sail there more quickly. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is carrying F-35C fighter jets. The move comes in response to fears of a wider regional conflict, after the recent assassination of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. It signals the US's determination to help defend Israel from any attack by Iran. Iran is being closely watched for any indication of how and when it might respond to the assassination of Hamas's top political leader Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July. The Iranians blamed Israel for the assassination. Israel has not commented but is widely believed to have been behind it. It remains unclear what Iran could be planning to do. The Hezbollah group, the Iranian-backed militia and political movement in Lebanon.has vowed to respond to the killing by Israel of senior commander Shukr, which happened just hours before Mr Haniyeh’s assassination, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. German airline Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Tel Aviv in Israel, Lebanon's capital city Beirut, the Jordanian capital Amman, Erbil in Iraq, and the Iranian capital, Tehran, until 21 August based on its current security analysis. Swiss Air has also cancelled its flights scheduled to travel to Tel Aviv and Beirut over the same period. Air France extended its suspension of flights to Beirut. The Biden administration believes a ceasefire in Gaza that frees Israeli hostages would be the best way to calm tensions in the region, and has called for talks to resume. Finance minister Smotrich had urged Israel to reject the US push for ceasefire talks, saying it would be a surrender to Hamas. Meanwhile the leaders of the UK, France and Germany echoed calls for ceasefire talks to resume. We agree that there can be no further delay, said their statement. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
NATO
August 12, 2024 Three visions for NATO air and missile defense. At the recent 75th anniversary of NATO, the allies paid close attention to their air and missile defense capabilities. The allies now recognize their low capacity in low-altitude sensors and missile interceptors and are investing in their defense industrial base and in off-the-shelf technologies. The alliance has also expanded its focus from defeating enemy aircraft and cruise missiles to defending against a wider spectrum of threats, including ballistic missiles and small drones. Policymakers, scholars, and military officers continue to critique the broader framework in which allies research, develop, acquire, and deploy air and missile defenses on a largely ad hoc, country-first basis. The current federated approach prioritizes domestic politics and economic interests over allied cooperation and interoperability. NATO allies, they argue, should do more to integrate their air defenses into a stronger, collective architecture. 'The visions that emerge from these critiques and ensuing debates aspire for greater NATO involvement in allied air defense development and deployment plans, aim for Europe to expand air defense procurement of common systems to quickly boost defenses, create economies of scale, improve allied interoperability and predict that a federated approach to air defense will continue for years to come, but suggests that NATO can do more at the margins to encourage air and missile defense coordination. (Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies - U.S.)
by Shaikh, a fellow in the International Security Program and the deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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