Månad: augusti 2023

The Icelandic government reports that three American B-2 strategic bombers and around 200 airmen are currently placed in Iceland.

The squadron arrived at Keflavík Air Base on the 13th of August. The base serves as the depot for allied exercises in Northern Europe for a couple of weeks. From the American side, this is called a ’Bomber Task Force Mission’. During such missions, strategic bombers are placed in various locations at home and abroad to achieve ”stronger operational resistance” and to ”build lasting advantages and integrated deterrence.”

This is the third time the US Air Force has conducted a placement of this kind in Iceland. This is an important contribution to the deterrence in Northern Europe, maintains the Icelandic government. Läs artikel

This week, American and Finnish air forces are co-training in Lapland, Northern Finland. The aim is to strengthen the Finnish Air Force’s ability to provide host nation support and develop interoperability with NATO allies.

USAFE participates with F-16 fighters, a KC-135 tanker, and C-130 transport aircraft – and will operate out of Rovaniemi Air Base. The Finns are participating with F/A-18 Hornet fighters. […]

At the same time as Finland is working to adapt to NATO, negotiations continue with the US on a bilateral agreement on defense cooperation – similar to the Norwegian-American one that entered into force last year.

The negotiations may potentially lead to military bases in Finland becoming Finnish-American ”agreed areas.”

In that context, the US may be interested in access to and use of Rovaniemi Air Base, according to Charly Salonius-Pasternak, Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. Läs artikel

[…] Being part of NATO, Finland, like all other allies, is expected to actively partake in NATO’s collective defense during times of peace. These duties encompass air surveillance activities in nations including the Baltic countries, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, and occasionally Iceland. Further responsibilities include enhanced forward presence (EFP) forces in the Baltic states, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia as well. The Minister stated that the decisions involving the scale, type and location of Finnish troops will be finalized in the fall while the proposal is still under preparation at the Ministry of Defense.

The Minister emphasized the need for Finland to balance its NATO obligations with its national duty of securing its 1,300 km border with Russia. He underscored the unique structure of the Finnish Defense Forces, which primarily relies on the Army and reservist forces, differing from nations that drive their military strength from professional soldiers. Häkkänen stated that while Finland’s Army and reservist forces are more difficult to deploy at a distance, the nation’s Air Force and naval units are more easily operational overseas. These pre-existing conditions are expected to impact the decisions that will be made for Finland’s defense approach. Läs artikel

Ulf Kristersson visade upp en glättig attityd redan efter uppgörelsen med Turkiet vid Natos toppmöte Vilnius i juli. Utan att blinka deklarerade statsministern att allt var klart: ”Turkiet ska ratificera inom kort och alla förväntar sig en snabb process. Vi förväntar oss att även Ungern gör detsamma” (regeringen.se 11/7).

Nu vet vi att det var en villfarelse. Inget är påskrivet, vare sig i Ankara eller i Budapest. Regeringen tog ut segern i förskott i Vilnius.

Den svagaste punkten i Natofrågan är avtalet från Vilnius. Sverige lovar massor, Turkiets president Erdogan en enda sak: att överlämna det svenska anslutningsprotokollet till parlamentet och verka för att ratificeringen säkerställs. Inget annat. Inget om tidpunkten.

Hans egen utsaga om att det ska ske ”så snart som möjligt” är en modern klassiker. I Erdogans version betyder det att processen påbörjas i oktober när parlamentet öppnar igen, inget är sagt om när den ska vara avslutad. Efter toppmötet har den turkiska ledaren gjort uttalanden som reser tvivel om den ärliga avsikten från Vilnius.

Erdogan ser det som en del av ratificeringsprocessen att Sverige ”fullgör sina skyldigheter” i kampen mot terrorism och ”följer det noga.” Utrikes- och justitieministrarna har fyllt på med att Sverige måste göra mer, inklusive att tillgodose Turkiets krav på utlämning av påstådda terrorister. På listan finns just nu 28 namn (Reuters 21/7, Daily Sabah 21/7, 5/8, 16/8, A Haber 16/8).

Enligt avtalet ska Sverige överlämna en färdplan för ”kampen mot terrorism i alla dess former”. Det står inget om när. Läs artikel

Danmark vil levere F-16-fly til Ukraine, men de kommer på én betingelse.

Det forklarede forsvarsminister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen (V) søndag, hvor han uddybede, hvordan kampflyene konkret må bruges.

– I de andre våbendonationer, vi har lavet (til Ukraine, red.), er det en betingelse, at man bruger det til at forsvare sig, og det gælder også her, sagde han til TV 2.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen pointerer mandag, at de 19 danske F-16-fly skal buges til at ”drive fjenden ud af Ukraines territorium”.

– Og ikke længere end det, lyder det fra Venstres formand ifølge Ritzau.

Men hvad betyder det, at kampflyene kun må bruges til forsvar af Ukraine?

Ifølge major og militæranalytiker Esben Salling Larsen fra Forsvarsakademiet vil det få den praktiske betydning, at F-16-flyene både kan beskytte Ukraine på landjorden og det ukrainske luftrum. Et forsvar indebærer konkret, at F-16-flyene kan benyttes til at angribe Rusland i de besatte områder af Ukraine. Läs artikel

Det brenner et blått lys for Wikileaks-grunnlegger Julian Assange. Tidligere i sommer avviste en britisk domstol anken hans mot beslutningen om å utlevere ham til USA, der han risikerer 175 års fengsel for spionasje.

Det siste halmstrået Assange har å klamre seg til, er muligheten for at et dommerpanel skal gå med på å gjenoppta saken. I helga samlet derfor hans norske støttespillere seg utenfor den britiske ambassaden på Frogner i Oslo, for å levere et brev med krav om å stanse utleveringen og sette Assange fri.

Markeringen ble åpnet med at film- og teaterlegende Liv Ullmann leste diktet «No man is an island» av den britiske barokkdikteren John Donne. […]

Hun er klar på hva hun mener bør skje med Assange.

– Han skal frikjennes. Han er en australier, og skal ikke utleveres fra England til Amerika og risikere en dom for det han opprinnelig gjorde: å avsløre forferdelig skittent spill fra amerikanerne. Det kan gjelde hvem som helst som gjør noe slikt, sier hun. Läs artikel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on Sunday (Aug 20), with energy security and Sweden’s membership of NATO on the agenda for both countries. […]

Both countries’ parliaments are currently on holiday. ”We can come back to the issue at the autumn session,” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook, ”We have agreed to stay in touch.”

The two countries have also discussed strengthening their energy cooperation, given that Hungary already receives a large proportion of its gas via the TurkStream pipeline, which transports Russian gas across the Black Sea. Läs artikel

Volodymyr Zelenskyj har fått sitt efterlängtade löfte om leverans av stridsplan av typen F-16 från Danmark och Nederländerna. På sociala medier skriver den ukrainske presidenten att det rör sig om många flygplan. ”42 plan. Och det är bara början.”

Increased Russian propaganda and sharpened rhetoric towards Finland have not surprised the Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF), General Timo Kivinen. […]

Finland is currently negotiating a bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA), with the United States, Nato’s most important member. Sweden has also opened similar negotiations with the US. Denmark is also negotiating and Norway has an agreement already in place. Kivinen clarified why a separate bilateral agreement with the US is necessary for Finland, despite being a member of a Nato.

”What Nato members do with each other also strengthens Nato’s collective deterrence and defence capabilities. It would be very strange if, now that we are allies, cooperation with allied countries did not deepen,” Kivinen replies.

According to Kivinen, the agreement allows for deeper military cooperation.

”In normal circumstances and also in a crisis situation, should one arise,” Kivinen pointed out. The United States is likely to have access to one port and one airport in Finland, should the need arise.

”Since the spring of 2020, a US unit has been deployed in Finland almost every week, with the longest deployment lasting more than two months. Any such exercise under the current model, where there is no treaty, would be prohibitively expensive,” Kivinen said.

According to Kivinen, the DCA agreement will help in the future with the practical organisation of US exercises in Finland. Läs intervjun