Category: News

Turkey: Black Sea navies agree on mine clearance

Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria are planning their first major joint operation to clear mines, after each country had previously cleared detected mines on its own. The defence ministers of the three countries are planning a signing ceremony in Istanbul on 11 January. Although the three countries are NATO allies, this is not a NATO operation. Turkey opposes the presence of naval units from other NATO countries in the Black Sea, arguing that they could further fuel tensions in the region. But of course Turkey would ask its allies for help if it was needed, according to the Turkish defence minister. The mines were...

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Tender "Donau" departs for NATO formation

Leadership role for the German Navy Today, the tender "Donau" leaves its home port of Kiel to support the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Maritime) - VJTF (M). Over the next six months, the tender will provide the German contribution to one of NATO's standing formations. In addition, the tender will be deployed as the flagship and command platform of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasure Group 1. The leader of the group is Frigate Captain Artur Krüger (53), an experienced staff officer and "Mineur". The commander of the tender is Korvettenkapitän Stefan Huber (55), who initially sets off for Swinemünde with his 68-strong crew and the embarked staff. There the...

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Pentagon: Baltic states sign 5-year defence cooperation roadmap

The US Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs hosted a three-way signing ceremony for bilateral defence cooperation roadmaps with representatives from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in mid-December 2023. The basis for strong relations between the Baltic States and the United States is long-term and multifaceted cooperation. The roadmap is intended to guide the national security cooperation relationship through 2028 as the U.S. works to improve capabilities and interoperability between the U.S. and Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian armed forces. In addition, the agreements express the intent of the U.S. Secretary of Defence...

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Norway: Will offshore gas deposits remain unutilised?

At the end of 2022, there were over 80 gas discoveries off the Norwegian coast covering an estimated area of more than 1.2 billion square metres. Although many of these deposits have considerable value potential, it is highly uncertain how much natural gas can actually be extracted, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). The challenges cited by the NPD include complex deposits and high production costs. Around two thirds of the country's gas reserves have not yet been extracted. And although production is expected to remain high over the next five years, it is expected to decline "quite rapidly" thereafter, according to the authority. Therefore, it makes...

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Philippines and Japan in favour of mutual opening of military bases

After strengthening maritime cooperation with Vietnam in May 2023, the Philippines has now also begun talks with Japan on a reciprocal agreement that would allow the deployment of armed forces on each other's soil in light of growing tensions in the region. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on the sidelines of a summit between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Tokyo that tensions in the South China Sea had increased rather than decreased in recent months and warned that a "more assertive China" posed a "real challenge" to its Asian neighbours. Manila and Beijing delivered...

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