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NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday told allies to boost defence spending, as demanded by US President Donald Trump, if they want to preserve crucial transatlantic defence ties. "This is essential for the continued strength of the transatlantic bond on which our alliance is founded," Stoltenberg said in NATO's 2016 annual report. "For almost 70 years the unique partnership between Europe and North America has ensured peace and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic," he said. "That is an achievement we can never take for granted." Trump caused dismay in Europe when he said on the campaign trail that...

Senator McCain said Rand Paul ‘is now working for Vladimir Putin’ because Paul objected on the floor to Ukraine joining NATO. McCain, the notorious war hawk that never saw a rebel group he didn’t want to arm or a country he didn’t want to bomb, was in disbelief that a United States senator would not want to escalate tensions with Russia by bringing in Ukraine to NATO. Watch below:

Turkey told the Netherlands on Sunday that it would retaliate in the "harshest ways" after Turkish ministers were barred from speaking in Rotterdam in a row over Ankara's political campaigning among Turkish emigres. President Tayyip Erdogan had branded its fellow NATO member a "Nazi remnant" and the dispute escalated into a diplomatic incident on Saturday evening, when Turkey's family minister was prevented by police from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

he Russians wouldn’t want the Turks to choose between Russia and the US; they’d want to bring the US on their side to have a bigger coalition so that instead of competing they could collaborate, said political analyst and Middle East expert Ammar Waqqaf. Russia's Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has taken part in a surprise meeting with counterparts from Turkey and the US in the Turkish city of Antalya. The focus of the discussion was on security issues in Syria and Iraq, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a statement. On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed...

President Trump is set to nominate Richard Grenell, a veteran Republican foreign affairs spokesman, to serve as ambassador to NATO, several news outlets reported Wednesday. Grenell is an outspoken Trump supporter who served as a spokesman for John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and several other GOP-appointed U.N. ambassadors. An openly-gay Republican, Grenell would be one of the highest-ranking gay members of the Trump administration. An official said Wednesday morning that the White House could not confirm the appointment of Grenell.

Fighter jets and the sound of artillery were heard across Northumberland National Park as the Army engaged in an intensive training exercise. Using live firing and simulated training, UK forces were joined by French and Danish troops as they prepared for their role as part of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. Pictures taken from the exercise show troops in full combat readiness displaying the full power of NATO forces.

Pro-government Turkish daily Yenisafak, has claimed that Turkey will use the Incirlik Airbase as a bargaining chip to stop the US from backing the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a prominent force in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leading the Raqqa operation.According to Yenisafak, “Turkey is prepared for possible scenarios with the YPG. Considering the logistical contribution to US air operations, the utilisation permit of Incirlik Airbase is an important leverage to convince the US against working with the YPG.”Incirlik Air base, located in the Incirlik province of the southern city of Adana, has strategic importance to the US. Most of the US’ air operations...

HIGHLIGHTS o Trump said he condemns hate in all its forms as well as the shooting in Kansas last week. o He was referring to a what s being called a 'hate crime' last week when two Indians were shot and one was killed by a US army veteran. o At the same time, he said tightening immigration rules will 'keep America safe.' NEW DELHI: Even as he condemned last week's shooting of an Indian in Kansas, US President Donald Trump said today that enforcing immigration rules is the only way to keep the country safe. "We condemn hate in...

You may recall from the 2016 campaign trail that many of our media mavens lectured then candidate Donald Trump about his plans to bully our NATO allies into paying their fair share of defense costs. This was widely viewed in liberal circles as an unreasonable attitude, with some even suggesting that it could discount America’s place as a global leader. It turns out that, yet again, President Trump decided to make good on his promise when he sent his new Secretary of Defense across the pond to deliver precisely that message. (Washington Post) Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued an ultimatum...

It has become a staple of diplomatic rhetoric that, whatever problems the United States has with the current government in Turkey, diplomats must ameliorate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan because Turkey is too important to NATO and also a staging ground in any operations against the Islamic State.A Turkish flag (R) flies among others flags of NATO members during the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 28, 2015. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir. Certainly, that is the position of the new administration. Vice President Mike Pence has said he foresees a “new day” in U.S.-Turkey relations. Trump himself...

From the Air Force to the Army, America's military service branches are busy preparing ambitious proposals to expand, as President Trump renews his pledge to rebuild a fighting force he says has become "depleted." "Our country will never have had a military like the military we're about to build and rebuild,” Trump said at last week’s press conference. “It won't be depleted for long." The president made rebuilding the military a centerpiece of his campaign, and sent a fresh signal of his intentions with his choice for national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster – who for months has sounded...

Candidate Donald Trump set off a furious controversy when he said NATO countries should pay their "fair share" of mutual defense costs and, later, that the treaty organization was "obsolete" because not enough of its efforts were directed against radical Islamic terrorism. On Monday, Vice President Mike Pence took the Trump message to NATO headquarters in Brussels. And after all the controversy and complaining, NATO's response could be boiled down to a single sentence: Yes sir, Mr. Trump.

Note too that Pence specifically took ownership of this position: US President Donald Trump expects NATO allies to make real progress by the end of this year towards meeting the increased defence spending target agreed by the alliance, his Vice President Mike Pence said Monday. “The president and the American people expect our allies to keep their word and to do more in our common defence … the president expects real progress by the end of 2017,” he said. “If you have a plan to get there, our alliance needs you to accelerate it,” Pence said. “If you don’t yet...

Merkel said Germany is committed to spending more, but will do so at its own pace. Berlin is set to increase expenditures by 8 percent this year and aims to reach the NATO benchmark of 2 percent of gross domestic product in about eight years. “We will do everything we can in order to fulfill this commitment,” Merkel said, adding that a strong Europe is also in America’s interest.

U.S. troops deployed in Bulgaria on Wednesday and armored vehicles and heavy equipment are to arrive by the end of the week under a planned NATO operation to support its Eastern European allies, the Bulgarian defense ministry said. The U.S. deployment at the joint U.S.-Bulgarian military base at Novo Selo in the east of the Black Sea country is part of operation Atlantic Resolve, aimed at showing Moscow Washington's commitment to its allies, the ministry said. In moves agreed last year under former U.S. President Barack Obama, NATO is expanding its presence in the region to levels unprecedented since the...

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania, Feb. 16, 2017 — Soldiers, tanks and M88 recovery vehicles from the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment’s “Fighting Eagles” recently arrived at the airbase here in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The soldiers unloaded M1A2 Abrams tanks from the first train that arrived Feb. 14 to this eastern Romanian airbase located about 12 miles away from the Black Sea. The arrival of the tanks and roughly 500 soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, marks the beginning of a continuous rotation of U.S. troops in southeastern Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. So far, more than...

Thank you, Secretary General, for the opportunity to contribute to this launch of a much needed process to develop the new Strategic Concept, a concept that will adapt NATOÂ’s stance to the changed security landscape. ItÂ’s been a long day and I will quickly make my points recognizing that much has been said here today with which I fully agree, and some of which I do not, allow me to humbly outline some of what a military commander expects of a new Strategic Concept, one that will ensure NATOÂ’s armed forces provide relevant military capability when you call on us...

Secretary of Defense James Mattis reaffirmed U.S. commitment to NATO Wednesday, CNN reported, but warned other member nations they must meet the alliance’s financial requirements or that commitment could be moderated. Mattis met with defense officials from the 27 other NATO member nations in Brussels and made his first address to the alliance as U.S. defense secretary. In the speech, he called the NATO alliance the “fundamental bedrock for the U.S. and all the transatlantic community,” according to CNN. However, because only five of the member nations currently meet the spending target — 2 percent of their gross domestic product...

Of all Trump’s policy unorthodoxies, demanding that Europe boost defense spending is the most justifiable. Among 28 members, just five — five — complied with the NATO guideline last year of devoting two percent of GDP to defense.Now here’s Mattis earlier today in Brussels with a message that came straight from the boss: “I owe it to you all to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States and to state the fair demand from my country’s people in concrete terms,” Mattis said. “America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to...

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday issued a sharp ultimatum to NATO Wednesday, telling allies they must start increasing defense spending by year's end or the Trump administration will "moderate its commitment" to them. He did not detail what the United States might do if NATO members failed to fall in line. Echoing a demand made repeatedly by President Donald Trump, Mattis said NATO must adopt a plan this year that sets milestone dates for governments to meet a military funding goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product. The Pentagon chief called it a "fair...