Newsletter for the Baltics

Transcription

1 Royal Danish Embassy T. Kosciuskos 36, LT Vilnius Tel: +370 (5) Mob: Fax: +370 (5) The Defence Attaché To Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania Newsletter for the Baltics Week The following information is gathered from usually reliable and open sources, mainly from the Baltic News Service (BNS), respective defence ministries press releases and websites as well as various newspapers, etc.

2 Table of contents THE BALTICS... 3 Baltic States discuss how to contribute to fight against jihadists... 3 THE BALTICS AND RUSSIA... 3 Russian aircraft crossed into Estonian airspace... 3 NATO military aircraft last week scrambled 3 times over Russian military aircraft... 3 Belgian aircraft to conduct low-altitude flights in Estonian airspace... 3 Three Russian military aircraft spotted near Latvian borders... 4 THE BALTICS AND EXERCISE... 4 Estonia s 2nd Infantry Brigade takes part in NATO s Arcade Fusion exercise... 4 LITHUANIA... 4 Belgian Minister of Defence to conduct a visit in Lithuania... 4 Lithuania celebrated Armed Forces Day... 5 Lithuania expects breakthrough in talks on Baltic air defence... 5 Defence Minister says universal service impossible if defence spending stops at 2 pct Lithuanian border guards to hold drills at border with Poland... 5 Bilateral Lithuanian-UK consultations on cyber security took place... 6 LATVIA... 6 Leadership of the defence sector thanks NATO efp troops for service to Latvia... 6 Latvian Foreign Ministry s representative calls for strengthening of EU-NATO cooperation... 6 Latvian army to buy nearly EUR 0.5 million worth of spare parts for armoured vehicles... 7 Pildegovics: PESCO creates greater synergy... 7 Bergmanis: Russian pranksters call to Spanish Defence Minister was no coincidence... 7 ESTONIA... 8 Estonia not planning to send more soldiers to Iraq... 8 Estonian President: NATO has been successful in adapting to new situation offers qualify in procurement to buy automatic firearms for Estonia... 9 Commander of Belgian air component visits Amari base... 9 Estonian Navy celebrates 99th anniversary... 9 Four ambassadors NATO visit Tapa military campus

3 THE BALTICS Baltic States discuss how to contribute to fight against jihadists The three Baltic States are discussing how to contribute to the international community s fight against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East. Lithuania is planning to send Special Operations Forces (SOF) troops to Iraq. Lithuania s Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Jonas Vytautas Zukas says that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have dropped plans to send a joint squadron of Special Operations Forces to Iraq, but they are currently discussing other forms of cooperation. Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis said that Lithuania and Latvia will likely contribute Special Operations Forces to the joint unit and Estonia will likely complement it with other capabilities. The forces should leave for Iraq early next year. THE BALTICS AND RUSSIA Russian aircraft crossed into Estonian airspace On 21 November, a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft crossed into Estonian airspace, the Estonian Defence Forces central headquarters said. The aircraft spent less than a minute in the Estonian airspace. Its transponder was on and flight plan submitted. The aircraft had no radio contact with the Estonian aviation service. The Estonian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador and handed him a note over the airspace violation. This is the second time this year that a Russian aircraft has crossed into Estonia. Last year there were seven of such cases. NATO military aircraft last week scrambled 3 times over Russian military aircraft NATO air-policing military aircraft were last week scrambled three times from Lithuania to identify and intercept Russian military aircraft flying in the international airspace. Seven aircraft three transport aircraft and four military aircraft were intercepted above the Baltic Sea. Some of them had their onboard transponders switched off. Belgian aircraft to conduct low-altitude flights in Estonian airspace Belgian F-16 aircraft stationed at the Amari air base in north-western Estonia as part of NATO s Baltic air policing mission will perform training flights in Estonian airspace from 20 to 24 November. The aircraft are to fly over Estonia in areas of low-altitude flying, at an altitude of at least 152 meters and preferably away from populated areas. 3

4 Three Russian military aircraft spotted near Latvian borders On 17 November, three aircraft of the Russian armed forces were spotted near Latvian borders, the Latvian National Armed Forces informed. Two Russian Su-27 aircraft and an Il-76 transport aircraft were detected flying over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea close to Latvia s territorial waters. THE BALTICS AND EXERCISE Estonia s 2nd Infantry Brigade takes part in NATO s Arcade Fusion exercise On 21 November, a two-week exercise of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, Arcade Fusion 2017, which was also attended by soldiers of the Estonian Defence Forces 2nd Infantry Brigade, ended in Insworth, United Kingdom. Nearly 2,000 soldiers took part in the exercise and the main focus was on conventional warfare. Estonian Defence Forces 2nd Infantry Brigade was part of the Danish division, along with Germany s 21th Armoured Brigade and Denmark s 1st Infantry Brigade. LITHUANIA Belgian Minister of Defence to conduct a visit in Lithuania On 24 November, Minister of Defence of Belgium Steven Vandeput and a delegation of Belgium s Members of Parliament are conducting a visit in Lithuania. The guests will meet with Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis, leadership of the Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Lithuania s and Belgium s defence ministers will hold a bilateral meeting, which will be followed by them visiting Belgian soldiers deployed in Lithuania as part of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Rukla. During the bilateral meeting the Ministers are planned to discuss the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, results of the NATO Defence Ministers meeting and further work, new initiatives in the format of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy, as well as bilateral defence cooperation of Lithuania and Belgium. 4

5 Lithuania celebrated Armed Forces Day On 23 November, Lithuania celebrated the Armed Forces Day and marked 99 years since the reestablishment of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The main event took place at the Cathedral Square in Vilnius, which included a line-up of Lithuanian and Allied troops, followed by a parade along Gedimino Avenue to the Independence Square. The line-up included troops of Lithuania s Armed Forces and its units, NATO Allies, and the joint Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian brigade. The Lithuanian Armed Forces Day was also celebrated in other cities of the country. The event was attended by the country s political leaders, including President Dalia Grybauskaite and Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis, military commanders, Ambassadors, Defence Attachés and other foreign diplomats. Lithuania expects breakthrough in talks on Baltic air defence On 22 November, Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis stated that Lithuania expects to achieve a breakthrough in NATO talks on the Baltic Sea region s air defence principles by mid Karoblis says that details on this issue are currently being worked out at the technical level, but he expects a breakthrough at the political level as well. First of all, we want air defence to be included into forward presence defence plans, into working plans, and want it to be ensured through NATO Command Structure s reform, he said at a news conference on 22 November. Defence Minister says universal service impossible if defence spending stops at 2 pct. Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis says that universal military conscription in Lithuania is only possible if the country spends more than 2 percent of its GDP on defence. If the funding stopped at 2 pct. of GDP, we would not afford to have universal conscription. That would be too heavy a burden, he told reporters on 22 November. A plan for implementation of the program of Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis government called for assessing, by the end of 2017, the possibility of introducing universal military service. Lithuanian border guards to hold drills at border with Poland On 21 November, Lithuanian border guards reintroduced controls at the border with Poland for four hours, as part of an exercise. The drills were conducted at the former Kalvarija and Lazdijai border checkpoints. Border guards randomly checked people, vehicles and items entering Lithuania between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The exercise is aimed at improving the skills of reintroducing internal border controls, as well as interoperability with the police and other bodies, and the Polish Border Guard Service. 5

6 Bilateral Lithuanian-UK consultations on cyber security took place On November, Vice Minister of National Defence Edvinas Kerza and a delegation attended bilateral consultations at the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom. Representatives of the Ministry of National Defence met with Deputy Leader of the House of Lords Earl Howe and Nick Dean from Cyber and National Security Capabilities Department. Lithuanian and British representatives focussed on the dimension of cyber security and related points of bilateral cooperation. The Lithuanian representatives concentrated on discussing possible prospects of bilateral cyber security and defence cooperation both in NATO and the EU formats. Vice Minister E. Kerza offered for the UK to join Lithuania s initiative of forming EU cyber rapid response force which could, according to the Vice Minister, be a security and defence link between the UK and the European Union in the future. The officials also addressed bilateral defence cooperation and security situation in the Baltic region. LATVIA Leadership of the defence sector thanks NATO efp troops for service to Latvia On 21 November, Latvia s Defence Minister Raimonds Bergmanis and Lt Gen Leonīds Kalniņš, Chief of the Defence Staff, presented national commanders of NATO efp group medals. These medals will be passed on to efp battle group troops in recognition of their service in scope of their Latvian rotation since June. During the ceremony, leadership of the defence sector thanked national commanders of NATO efp battle group Latvia for active presence of their troops and input in strengthening the regional security. The ceremony will be held regularly, starting a new tradition of honouring troops who are finishing their rotation in Latvia. Awarding of the medals of recognition was attended by Col Atis Ilmārs Lejiņš, Commander of Land Force Mechanised Infantry Brigade. Latvian Foreign Ministry s representative calls for strengthening of EU-NATO cooperation On 20 November, Latvian Foreign Ministry s Parliamentary Secretary, Zanda Kalnina- Lukasevica, took part in the fourth Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Symposium in Ottawa, Canada. Kalnina-Lukasevica noted that due to the deployment of NATO forces to the Baltic States and Poland, there is a low risk of physical threat to Latvia; however, campaigns of disinformation and slander concerning the presence of NATO troops are growing more frequent. In this context, the Parliamentary Secretary called for strengthening of the EU and NATO cooperation in cyber security and strategic communications. Kalnina-Lukasevica also stated that the EU and Canada have a shared understanding of how international organizations can facilitate peace and security across the globe including by responding to modern threat 6

7 such as cyber-attacks, hybrid threat and fake news and urged the strengthening of partnership between the EU and Canada. Latvian army to buy nearly EUR 0.5 million worth of spare parts for armoured vehicles On 19 November, the Latvian Defence Ministry announced that the Latvian army will buy nearly EUR 0.5 million worth of spare parts for armoured vehicles. EUR 440,000 worth of spare parts for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) will be supplied by the US company Brighton Cromwell LLC. The Latvian Defence Ministry has also announced a major tender for purchase of armoured vehicles but for now would not disclose the exact number of vehicles to be acquired and the planned financing. Pildegovics: PESCO creates greater synergy On 19 November, Foreign Ministry State Secretary, Andrejs Pildegovics, said that those EU member states that want deeper security and defence integration should be given such an opportunity. Commenting Latvia s accession to PESCO framework for security and defence, the state secretary noted that the Baltic States have affirmed their readiness to get involved in the new initiative from day one and that Latvia wants the EU to achieve greater synergy on matters covered by PESCO. PESCO is aimed at closer security policy integration within the EU in order to provide mechanisms, financing and greater synergy to peacekeeping operations and military procurement, and the military Schengen is an essential point for which countries will be seeking solutions. Latvia believes that the EU needs greater synergy on these matters, Pildegovics said. In his view, NATO remains the cornerstone of Latvia s security, but those EU member states that want deeper integration in the areas of security and defence, should be given a chance, and Latvia has chosen to be in the core both financially and in security terms. Latvia is especially interested in participation in a project aimed at speeding up and enhancing the mobility of military personnel and transport across Europe. The project would enable a quick response to emergencies on the EU s external borders by moving troops, including NATO forces. Bergmanis: Russian pranksters call to Spanish Defence Minister was no coincidence Last week, Russia s so-called phone pranksters Vovan and Lexus rang up the Spanish Defence Minister, Maria Dolores de Cospedal Garcia, last weekend, posing as Latvian Defence Minister Raimonds Bergmanis. In the telephone conversation, they said that the Latvian secret services have information that former premier of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont is a Russian spy, and that he might stage a Ukraine scenario in Spain. The recording of the conversation has been 7

8 posted on YouTube. Defence Minister Raimonds Bergmanis believes that the call to Spanish Defence Minister was no coincidence but rather a sinister salute to him and Latvia, which last week marked 99 years of its statehood. Unfortunately, it does not surprise, but reminds yet again about what kind of a neighbour we have to reckon with, the minister said. As reported, over 300 Spanish troops are serving with the multinational NATO battle group in Latvia since the summer. ESTONIA Estonia not planning to send more soldiers to Iraq On 23 November, the Estonia Defence Ministry said that Estonia is not planning to send additional units to Iraq, when commenting on the words of commander of the Lithuanian Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Jonas Vytautas Zukas, who said on Wednesday that Baltic countries are holding consultations for setting up a joint unit to send to Iraq. A press officer for the Ministry of Defence told BNS on Thursday that Estonia has actively contributed to the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization in Iraq for years. A team of instructors of the Estonian Defence Forces trains the members of Iraqi Armed Forces, an Estonian senior officer advises Iraqi defence structures as part of the international coalition, and one Estonian instructor is taking part in a NATO training program. Estonia has also sent weapons and ammunition to Iraq. The forces should leave for Iraq early next year. Estonian President: NATO has been successful in adapting to new situation On 23 November, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid stated, at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, that NATO has been successful in adapting to the new security situation. The increased presence of NATO allies has been very successful and it is important to continue with strengthening deterrence and defence, the head of state said. Kaljulaid said that the alliance must also deal with the challenges originating from the south and confirmed that Estonia is seeking for possibilities to contribute with its own expert into the so-called south center in Napoli, Italy. The cooperation between NATO and the European Union has reached a new level within the year. I am glad about the parallel training and cooperation in the cyber field. In addition to increasing the existing areas of cooperation, I see military mobility as a new topic, Kaljulaid said. Developments in the European defence field do not compete with NATO, but offer new possibilities for cooperation, the president said. Topics discussed at the meeting also included the NATO summit to be held next year, partnership relations with Ukraine 8

9 and Georgia and relations with Russia. Furthermore, Kaljulaid stated that NATO has done pretty heavy lifting in relation to the battle groups deployed to the Baltic States and Poland, adding that work is ongoing in the alliance to support and strengthen those units. The battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are capable of interoperability and in terms of Estonia, the unit of allied forces has been integrated into the 1st Infantry Brigade. 9 offers qualify in procurement to buy automatic firearms for Estonia Nine out of the 14 offers made in a tender to procure automatic firearms for the Estonian Defence Forces and other power structures for an estimated 75 million euros have qualified for the procurement. By the end of this year, the qualified tenderers will be provided with the terms and conditions of the procurement for the submission of tenders. Tenders must be submitted during the first quarter of 2018, and a framework agreement covering a seven-year period will be concluded with the winning tenderer. The Centre for Defence Procurement wants to buy new 5.56-millimeter and 7.62-millimeter automatic firearms for the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades in the tender that was announced in June. Besides the Defence Forces, the Ministry of Justice and the Police and Border Guard Board have been included in the procurement as they are also in need of new firearms. According to the procurement plan, the Centre for Defence Procurement is to buy about 11,000 automatic firearms in In addition, the contract has to enable to buy up to 18,000 more automatic firearms until Commander of Belgian air component visits Amari base On 21 November, Commander of the air component of the Belgian Defence Forces, Maj. Gen. Frederik Vansina, visited the Amari air base in north-western Estonia and met with the Belgian soldiers serving there. According to Chief of Staff of the Estonian Air Force, Kert-Robert Nomme, Beligum s air component has substantially contributed to guarding the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Estonian Navy celebrates 99th anniversary On 21 November, the Estonian Navy celebrated its 99th anniversary with a line-up at the Miinisadam naval harbour. Commander of the Navy, Navy Capt. Juri Saska said that today s Navy is more confident in its actions than ever before. This year s pinnacle was the staffing of posts of commander and staff of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 by personnel of the Estonian Navy. The biggest challenge in the next two years will be the modernizing of minehunters. 9

10 Four ambassadors NATO visit Tapa military campus On 20 November, the ambassadors to NATO from Estonia, Kyllike Sillaste- Elling, France, Helene Duchene, Great Brittan, Sarah MacIntoshon and Denmark, Michael Zilmer Johns visited the allied units stationed at the Tapa campus, according to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ambassadors were greeted by commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Defence Forces Col. Veiko-Vello Palm along with head of the allied battle group Lt. Col. Owain Luke. The diplomats were given an overview of the 1st Infantry Brigade, the allied battle group, the training of the units and future exercises. During a tour of the territory of the Tapa campus, the ambassadors observed the living conditions of the troops, visited an exhibition of weapons and met with the allied soldiers serving here, the press officer of the 1st Infantry Brigade said. After visiting the campus of the Estonian Defence Forces, the ambassadors met with director general of the Foreign Ministry s political department Paul Teesalu and Chairman of the parliament s foreign affairs committee Marko Mihkelson. The ambassadors on November 20 are to also visit the International Centre for Defence and Security and meet with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid. Newsletter was prepared by Anders Faarup Nielsen (intern, Tallinn), Jakob Greve Kromann (intern, Riga), Jacob Dalsgaard Pedersen and Leah Elizabeth Winther Hamborg (interns, Vilnius) 10