Skip to Content

NATO preparing a ‘military Schengen’

The US has significantly boosted its forces in Europe, while preparing a "military Schengen" to allow easy movement across borders.

Published: April 25, 2018, 9:45 am

    Read more

    With military divisions streaming into the EU to take part in exercises, the serious buildup will create a potentially offensive posture, as US forces prepare for a Russia-US summit. The NATO military alliance has deployed weapons and troops eastward, to “make clear that an attack on one Ally would be considered an attack on the whole Alliance,” NATO’s website declared.

    NATO is following the advice of two US war hawks Catherine Harris and Frederick Kagan. In a March joint report for the Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, the US think tank cranked up the “Russian threat” considerably.

    “The Russian military is well-positioned to launch a short-notice conventional war in Ukraine and a hybrid war in the Baltic states, the opposite of what Western leaders seem to expect in each theater. Leaders and their European allies are unprepared for the ways in which Putin is poised to wage war in Ukraine and the Baltics,” Harris and Kagan wrote.

    But Ukraine now boasts “an entire new generation of combat-hardened commanders who know Russian weaknesses and how to exploit them,” says Phillip Karber, president of The Potomac Foundation, who together with Wesley Clark, NATO’s former supreme allied commander in Europe produced a report for the other influential Washington think tank.

    A US deployment involving an entire division in a Reforger type of exercise, with troops coming over to use the pre-positioned hardware, is being planned. These forces could potentially see a surge, with a division-level deployment in late 2018 or 2019.

    The Fourth Combat Aviation Brigade and the 4th Infantry Division will deploy to the old continent as part of its Operation Atlantic Resolve. Based in Germany, the forces will participate in multiple exercises near the Russian border in Poland, Hungary, Romania, and the Baltic States.

    NATO is rotating four battalion-size, combat-ready, air-power-supported battle groups in Poland and the Baltic States.

    Poland will host Anakonda 2018, the largest ever NATO military exercise. It will involve about 100 000 troops, 5000 vehicles, 150 aircraft, and 45 warships.

    The scenario is based on the premise of a surprise attack against Russia assembled for offensive, not defensive reasons. It is a clear violation of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, signed between NATO and Russia in 1997, which contains a passage about NATO refraining from the “stationing of substantial combat forces”.

    The battle plans include the creation of a rear-area operations command to be hosted by Germany. Another planned command will ensure mobility in the North Atlantic shipping lanes.

    “We are painfully aware that if there is a medium-intensity conflict and we are going to be part of it, it is going to be against Russia,” Maj. Ivo Zelinka, deputy commander of the Czech Republic army’s 43rd Airborne Battalion, told The Daily Signal.

    Ukraine’s national security doctrine now officially refers to Russia as the “aggressor nation”. But Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu says Europe is intimidating itself by “a non-existent Russian threat” because Russia has no such plans, reported a UNIAN correspondent.

    “Non-stop strengthening of US forces in Eastern Europe is a matter of concern. There is a paradoxical situation: NATO is trying to build up and modernize its military infrastructure at Russian borders, while a myth about the growing danger for Europe is being formed in the public opinion. That is, they intimidate themselves by a non-existent Russian threat, and then systematically increase their military potential,” Shoigu said at the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security on April 4.

    “The activity of the US and other NATO fleets in the Black Sea and Baltics is growing. The number of NATO drills that are clearly anti-Russian has increased, too,” Shoigu added, noting the already 10 000-strong contingent with all types of offensive weapons deployed at Russia’s borders.

    Shoigu says NATO is not interested in starting a dialogue. “In Brussels, they are not ready for a respectful conversation. In turn, Russia is not going to knock on the closed door, and we do not intend to ignore attempts of forceful pressure on us,” he said.

    In February, the US Army held the largest artillery exercise in Europe since the Cold War, called Dynamic Front 18. Seven rocket-launching systems, 94 artillery pieces, including eight German Panzerhaubitze 2000 armored howitzers, 14 British L118 light guns, and 18 US M777 155 mm howitzers were put to use.

    But to launch a conventional invasion of the Baltics for example, Russian commanders would have to shift mechanized forces to the region, and expose Kaliningrad to a NATO counterattack. Currently, there is just one Russian airborne division near the Baltics, signalling the total absence of any large-scale mechanized offensive planned.

    With its many reconnaissance assets, NATO would notice Russian movement immediately anyway. Despite the absence of a threat, the US is nevertheless pushing for a massive build-up.

    The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group in the Mediterranean may remain in the European command’s area of responsibility. Presently, a large number of US war vessels are concentrated in the vicinity of Syria, which is under US Central Command.

    Some 3 600 American soldiers have meanwhile arrived in Jordan. They are participating in the two-week US-Jordanian exercise, Eager Lion, which started on April 15. The training event is a drill for AV-8B Harriers, MV-22 Ospreys, and attack helicopters, following the US, UK, and French air strikes on Syria.

    Reviving existing agreements, such as the 1989 Prevention of Dangerous Military Activities Agreement or the Incidents at Sea (INCSEA) agreement of 1972, could prevent escalating tensions further, but the US seems uninterested in pursuing such available options.

    The INCSEA prevented a military clash between the Soviet and US navies during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

     

    Consider donating to support our work

    Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.

    Keep ​your language polite​. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in​,​ for example​, ​Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.

    If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violation​s​ of​ any​ law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.

    If your comments are subject to preview ​by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.

    We reserve the right to del​ete​ comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.

    Europe
    Albert Bourla (l.) has close ties to Ursula von der Leyen (center). YouTube screenshot

    The Ursula von der Leyen Affair

    After a criminal complaint in Belgium against the President of the European Commission, the so-called SMS-case, now takes a new turn. The judge responsible for the investigation will likely gain access to the secret messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, at least if they haven't been deleted.

    Daniel Friberg, founder of the publishing house Arktos, tells Nya Tider that they intend to counter censorship by starting new ventures, including an online cultural magazine and an online university. Photo: Arktos

    Publisher of Unique Literature Worldwide Blocked by International Distributor

    Arktos has distinguished itself by publishing groundbreaking philosophers and social critics. Now, the publisher's international distributor has abruptly terminated the cooperation, and more than 400 already printed titles cannot reach their audience. There is strong evidence that the distributor has been under pressure, something that has also happened in Sweden. We have spoken with Arktos founder Daniel Friberg about the ongoing struggle for freedom of speech in a shrinking cultural corridor.

    Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, is one of the Catholic bishops who signed the letter, which was read out in churches throughout Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland over the Easter weekend. Photo: The Catholic Church

    Care prompts bishops to criticize transgender ideology

    The Catholic bishops of the Scandinavian countries presented an open five-page letter criticizing transgender ideology on March 21, just before Easter. The document primarily expresses care and advice and was read aloud in Catholic churches in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, is one of the signatories of the document.

    FREEZING IN THEIR HOMES is the new grim reality for many Brits and Northern Europeans. Margaret is 92 years old and has just come in from the winter cold, but no warmth awaits her at home. She fears her own home more than the icy streets. Next to her are four thick blankets, and on the shelf above the fireplace, which she can no longer afford to buy wood for, is a meter showing the daily cost of electricity (inset). It shows £1.03, about 13 SEK. When it reaches £3, about 38 SEK, she is forced to turn off the little heat she has to afford it. Still image: ITW News

    Brits Forced to Live in Darkness and Cold

    Food prices are rising at a furious pace, fastest in Scotland in almost half a century. At the same time, energy prices are at record highs. People are forced to choose between freezing or going hungry, and a majority of Scots are forced to live in cold and darkness to cope with bills. Old generations' tricks for saving and keeping warm are returning. Nevertheless, it is feared that 10,000 Brits will die of cold homes this winter. We present the Swedish Public Health Agency's guidelines on indoor temperature. Governments in Europe are introducing rationing and monitoring of food purchases. Net-zero emissions are a lie that, in practice, de-industrializes the West and dramatically lowers our standard of living.

    Thousands of Flemish farmers block roads in Brussels against nitrogen policy

    BrusselsMore than 2500 farmers from Belgium's Dutch-speaking Flanders region gathered at Brussels' central Arts-Loi street and blocked roads with tractors toward Brussels to protest the regional government's plan to limit nitrogen emissions.

    Orban: EU energy sanctions costing citizens billions

    BudapestHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that some western states could soon send troops to Ukraine. He also criticized the fact that the EU sanctions against Russia had cost Hungarian taxpayers tens of billions of euros.

    Italy: New leader of the Social Democrats is one of Soros’ ‘preferred politicians’

    RomeDuring the election campaign, Elly Schlein presented herself as the standard-bearer of the poorest. However, her background and previous work raise doubts about her honesty.

    UK greenhouses shut down due to high energy costs

    LondonIn Great Britain, a particularly depressing facet of the crisis is now showing its first contours - and thus anticipating what is likely to happen in other European countries in the near future: because of the exploding energy prices, agriculture is being strangled and fresh produce has to be rationed.

    Lisbon opens borders to all Portuguese speakers

    LisbonNot only the German and Italian governments keep opening new paths for immigration. Portugal, too, has opened a Pandora's box and is paving the way for possibly millions of non-European immigrants to the EU – something which is not mentioned by the mainstream media.

    Illegal immigration to Italy has reached its highest level ever

    RomeIn Italy, despite the overwhelming right-wing electoral success in September, there is still nothing to be seen of the promised asylum turnaround – on the contrary. Giorgia Meloni has been in office for five months, but the arrivals of migrants in Italy have doubled compared to the previous year.

    Go to archive