February 6, 2012

This Week in EUCOM History: February 6-12, 1959

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The R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, becomes operational at Plesetsk, USSR.

February 3, 2012

SECDEF visits Air Force wounded warrior care facility

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The Secretary of Defense visited Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Feb. 3, to show his appreciation for the dedicated and hard-working service members who ensure wounded warriors receive world-class care.

January 31, 2012

USS Vella Gulf Concludes Port Visit To Sevastopol, Ukraine

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The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) concluded its port visit to Sevastopol, Ukraine, Jan. 30.

January 30, 2012

Combined Endeavor 2012 planning begins in Slovak Republic

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The week-long initial planning conference for exercise Combined Endeavor 2012 (CE12), U.S. European Command’s largest communications interoperability exercise, began today with more than 250 participants attending to begin planning.

January 30, 2012

This Week in EUCOM History: January 30 - February 5, 1953

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The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm that occurred on the night of Saturday, Jan. 31, and morning of Feb. 1, 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.

January 30, 2012

Ukrainian Sailors Tour USS Vella Gulf

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Ukrainian naval officers and sailors visited the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) on Jan. 27 and 28, during a scheduled port visit.

January 27, 2012

U.S. Air Forces in Europe turns 70

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Jan. 28, 2012 marks U.S. Air Forces in Europe's 70th birthday. Throughout the year USAFE and Team Ramstein will honor its mission, people and heritage by reminding everyone of USAFE's accomplishments - then and now - from the Second World War, through the Cold War, and in today's expeditionary era.

January 24, 2012

Dutch Defense Minister Visits Fort Hood

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Dutch Defense Minister Hans Hillen came to Fort Hood Jan. 10 to meet with his troops training here under the 21st Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat).

January 23, 2012

This Week in EUCOM History: January 23-29, 1995

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Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.

January 20, 2012

DOD Seminar seeks insight to revolutions across regions

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Ninety seven participants from 47 countries covering three combatant commands – U.S. Africa, Central and European Command – are working over nine days to better define what’s happening in countries like Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria and other nations. Speakers include academics, military leaders and others involved with the change process in those nations.

January 20, 2012

Polish military leader visits base, student fighter pilots

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As part of a whirlwind tour of U.S. military commands, the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Gen. Mieczysław Cieniuch, visited the 162nd Fighter Wing here at Tucson International Airport Jan. 12.

January 18, 2012

This Week in EUCOM History: January 16-22, 1966

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Within EUCOM’s area of resposnibility, a B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.

January 17, 2012

Bataan Displays Osprey Capabilities

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A small group of French aviators and aircraft specialists flew out to USS Bataan while the ship was transiting the Strait of Bonifacio in order to inspect the Ospreys of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (VMM 263), and to see how they are operated and maintained onboard an amphibious ship.

January 15, 2012

Navy Aircrew Assists in At-Sea Rescue

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An aircrew assigned to Patrol Squadron 47, operating from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, sprang into action to help rescue 68 people adrift on a powerless raft in the Mediterranean Sea, Jan. 15, more than 80 miles from the southwest coast of Malta.

January 10, 2012

RAF Mildenhall, French air force continue relationships

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The 100th Air Refueling Wing hosted 15 French air force personnel from Base Aérienne 125, Istres, France, here Jan. 4 and 5, to build and strengthen partnerships created during Operation Unified Protector.

January 9, 2012

Helping hands: USACE, EUCOM, USAID bring virtual health care to Albanian hospitals

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Designated areas at the “Mother Teresa” University Hospital Center and three other major regional hospitals throughout the country are being renovated to house new telemedicine and e-health centers.

January 8, 2012

This Week in EUCOM History: January 8-15, 1984

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The United States and Vatican City established full diplomatic relations after 117 years.

January 1, 2012

This Week in EUCOM History: January 1-7, 1993

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In Moscow, George Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

December 25, 2011

This Week in EUCOM History: December 25-31, 1991

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On Dec. 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. The next day, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

December 22, 2011

Reconstruction Project Groundbreaking in Pranjani, Serbia

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On Dec. 22, Ambassador Mary Warlick visited the village of Pranjani in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of a $700,000 reconstruction project.

February 6, 2012

Key Elements from the Munich Security Conference

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Ah, the Munich Security Conference. Certainly the most prestigious of all the global security conferences, with routine appearances by heads of government, Defense and other ministers of state, brilliant academics, journalists and even a few Admirals and Generals.

January 30, 2012

Outline shaping up for Chicago summit

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After a busy week of meetings and presentations in London, Berlin, and Washington DC, I am beginning to see the outline of key NATO conversations at the summit in May.

January 24, 2012

Trojans, Malware and Botnets got you down…?

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We know that cyber attacks are employed not just for cyber crime (i.e. to access your bank account), but also to discredit national agencies and governments (i.e. the cyber attacks against Estonia and Georgia). It is incumbent on all of us to “know our enemy” to best defend against such attacks. The best means for doing so is for governments to regularly partner with academia and the private sector (i.e. with IT safety enterprises) to form a sort of cyber coalition.

January 17, 2012

Preparing for ILC 2012

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We’ve set a date for this year’s International Legal Conference – Sept. 7-9 – now we just have to find a location.

January 12, 2012

Top Five Books of 2011

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I've spent a lot of time traveling this past year, which is a huge part of the job. As a result, I've had plenty of time to read, which is the best way to build intellectual capital as well as learn about other countries and experiences. Here are five books I particularly enjoyed reading this year.

January 3, 2012

Afghanistan in 2012

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The New Year is unfolding, and I'm thinking about Afghanistan. I think there are three keys to our success in the security sector, where NATO and the International Coalition have the largest share of the work to do.

December 20, 2011

NATO in 2011 – Five Key Events

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As I look back on 2011, I think we had a reasonably good year in the operational sense. Lots of good “end of the year” retrospectives are appearing in various magazines and on-line sites, and I thought I’d chip in with my own top five operational moments for the Alliance this past year – and a hope that it stays at least relatively quiet between now and the end of the year.Stavridis

December 5, 2011

Three Failures and What I Learned From Each …

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I was speaking this past fall to a group of Cadets and Midshipmen, young college students bound for military careers. They asked me to talk a little about my career and what I’d learned along the way. After pausing and thinking for a minute, I realized the three events that swam into focus were all moments of failure. Yet from each of them I learned something valuable that I still carry around in my mind.

December 1, 2011

LOGEX 2011: A Review

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During the past two weeks I really came to realize what a joint environment was really like. Having worked for the EUCOM J4 for only three months my experience was limited at best, despite three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan under my belt.

November 23, 2011

Phishing: You want to let this "phish" get away

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When you think of phishing, what comes to mind? Do you visualize a targeted cyber attack on unsuspecting victims?

November 22, 2011

School donation continues long-standing relationship with Poland

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Just last week, I visited the Krakow School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which was heavily damaged in the spring floods of 2010, to deliver furniture and pianos donated by the U.S. Government.

November 17, 2011

Humanitarian Assistance for Latvian Fire and Rescue

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Since fall 2008 US Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC Latvia) and State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia (SFRS) have identified and submitted 10 Civic Engagement (Humanitarian Assistance) projects for renovations of fire stations all over Latvia.

November 16, 2011

“Black Gold, Texas Tea”

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Cooperation on Energy Security issues is in Lithuania’s and the United State’s common interests. The MOU outlines ways in which both organizations, EUCOM and the Energy Security Center, can continue to work and coordinate together.

November 9, 2011

Interacting with AID

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At the invitation of my good friend and colleague, AID Administrator Raj Shah, I had the chance to speak to his senior team about their extraordinary work on global issues of poverty, disease, and economic development.

November 8, 2011

Our German Hosts

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Despite the above statements professing modesty and a reluctance to lead or assist, after meeting these two groups I was left with the decided impression that “leading” and “assisting” are exactly what our German hosts are doing these days, and doing well.

October 31, 2011

Learning to Institutionalize Partnership

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"2011 Soft Power Symposium" hosted by Pepperdine University and the League for Hope, an NGO that promotes public-private partnership to foster educational, medical, and commercial opportunities for disadvantaged populations.

October 29, 2011

Security and Literacy: Improving and Intertwined in Afghanistan

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I just attended literacy training -- in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

October 24, 2011

National Cyber Security Awareness Month: How are you protecting your cyber-identity?

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This “two-factor” login significantly increases the level of protection used for that account and is also the system used when withdrawing money out of the bank. As we approach the end of October’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), I wanted to draw attention to a similar strategy that is available to help protect personal accounts from abuse.

October 21, 2011

A few words on Human Rights...

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I recently was lucky enough to win the Athenagoras Human Rights Award, presented annually for exemplifying “concern for the basic rights and religious freedom of all people.” Past winners have included Presidents Bush and Carter, Mother Theresa, Bishop Tutu, and many world religious leaders over the past twenty years.

October 17, 2011

Cyber Education: Why it's important to You

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Shaun Cavanaugh's thoughts on formal cyber education and workforce development.

February 9, 2012

Senators discuss drawdown of U.S. forces in Europe

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Defense leaders at this year’s Munich Security Conference discussed several topics to include Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and the drawdown of U.S. forces in Europe. SSgt John Archiquette has this story from Munich.

February 9, 2012

Discussing the necessity of joint training in Europe

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SSgt John Archiquette has this story form the Munich Security Conference. Two leaders at the event recognize the necessity of joint training in Europe.

February 8, 2012

The way forward in Afghanistan

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The Munich Security Conference is one of the largest gatherings on defense policy. This year, the main focus is on the future role of the U.S. and NATO in Afghanistan.

February 8, 2012

Secretary of Defense visits KMC

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A special visitor came to Ramstein Air Base, Germany on Feb. 3. We’ve got team coverage of this event from SPC Abigail Waldrop, who tells us who the base rolled out the red carpet for.

February 3, 2012

A very unique experience

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A training venue was taking place for troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Something that will be very helpful for their upcoming deployment.

February 3, 2012

Going where no man has gone before

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A training venue was taking place for troops from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Something that will be very helpful for their upcoming deployment.

February 3, 2012

The annual Munich Security Conference

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Over the past decade, the Munich Security Conference has brought in defense leaders from around the globe to discuss the latest security issues and challenges affecting today’s world. The conference kicks off today. AFN’s Gary Bautell will be talking to senior defense officials from several nations and gives us a quick look at what we can expect.

February 1, 2012

The USAFE Band traveled all the way to Vienna, Austria, to provide some entertainment at a very unique venue.

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The USAFE Band traveled all the way to Vienna, Austria, to provide some entertainment at a very unique venue...the International Officer’s Ball. SSgt Nathan Parry heard the band building partnerships one note at a time.

February 1, 2012

U.S. EUCOM Chaplain (Col.) Brian Van Sickle speaks to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina local media.

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U.S. EUCOM Chaplain (Col.) Brian Van Sickle speaks to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina local media about the mission of the International Military Chiefs of Chaplains conference this year.

January 25, 2012

Renovation at Special School for Hearing Impaired Children

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Ambassador Moser visited School Number 12 for Hearing Impaired Children in Chisinau's Botanica District to celebrate the renovation of the school's main entrance and the addition of a new wheelchair ramp. The United States has invested over $20,000 in improvements for School Number 12 in addition to private donations from citizens of North Carolina, Ambassador Moser's home state.

January 18, 2012

New goals for Black Sea Rotational Force training

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One example of how units rotate to train is with the Black Sea Rotational Force. Recently the commander of Marine Forces Europe traveled to Camp Pendelton, California, to visit with the unit that’s getting ready to deploy to the Black Sea area.

January 18, 2012

A different mission for the 40th Engineer Battalion

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The Northern border of Afghanistan is a vital supply route for ISAF forces. It’s also an important source of revenue for the Afghan government. Petty Officer Brandon Shelander tells us how Alpha Company of the 40th Engineer Battalion, based in Baumholder, Germany, protects the Afghan border crossing by building relationships and a combat outpost.

January 11, 2012

MPs and German police team up for K-9 training

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Airmen, Soldiers, and German police recently got together to train with man’s best friend. A1C Nate Gettleman has the story from Ramstein Air Base.

December 19, 2011

International Combatives

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While fighting an enemy military force has become very high-tech, troops never know when they'lll find themselves in a situation where the fight will go hand-to-hand. Airmen of the Belgian Air Component came to Sembach, Germany, to train at Regional Training Center Creek Defender with U.S. troops.

December 19, 2011

KFOR troops test freedom of movement in Kosovo

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Kosovo has been relatively calm over the past few years. However, freedom of travel restrictions in the country have become a recent concern for NATO and the region.

December 15, 2011

Intelligence Soldiers work with German troops to "clear" city

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In Hamelburg, Germany, U.S. troops teamed up with their German counterparts to sharpen their skills by clearing an entire town.

December 15, 2011

Soldier honored by German government for gallantry

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In the United States military, heroes aren’t hard to come by. When a Soldier receives as high an award as the Medal of Honor from another country, his peers know he must have done something uniquely extraordinary.

December 9, 2011

Soldiers of the Special Operations Command Europe pride themselves as quiet professionals, but sometimes certain actions deserve special recognition.

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Soldiers of the Special Operations Command Europe pride themselves as quiet professionals, but sometimes certain actions deserve special recognition. SSG Joe Labutka has more on a valor ceremony for several heroic men and their amazing deeds.

December 8, 2011

Combined Endeavor 2011 Exercise

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Combined Endeavor 2011 is the world's largest communications interoperability exercise, preparing international forces' command, control, communications and computer systems for multinational operations. Hosted by USEUCOM, this year's exercise has made great strides in moving from functional testing towards operational testing.

December 8, 2011

Cyber Endeavor 2011

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Cyber Endeavor is the United States European Command's paramount cyber security collaboration, familiarization and engagement program designed to strengthen partner nation cyber defense capacities through seminars, events and exercise support. Cyber Endeavor builds cyber defense partnerships with NATO, partner nations, academia and industry. Its purpose is to improve force readiness for deployment in support of exercises, multinational crisis response and future missions.

February 10, 2012

Cameron hits back at Argentina over Falklands

(Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron hit back at Argentina on Thursday over its plans to protest to the United Nations against British "militarisation" of the Falklands, saying islanders would have London's backing for as long as they wished to remain British.

February 10, 2012

Romanian parliament approves new government

(AP) — Romania's Parliament approved a new government led by a former spy chief on Thursday, and he promised to keep up the austerity measures the country imposed to win international loans but to raise public-sector salaries as soon as he can.

February 10, 2012

Nine Islamists jailed for plotting terror attacks

(AFP) -- A British court on Thursday jailed nine Islamists inspired by slain Al-Qaeda lynchpin Anwar al-Awlaqi for planning terror attacks on targets including the London Stock Exchange.

February 10, 2012

Russia must see 'reality' in Syria: EU's Ashton

(AFP) -- Russia must confront "the reality" of the deadly crackdown in Syria, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said Thursday, after Moscow vetoed a UN resolution condemning the violence.

February 10, 2012

United Russia Site Attacked by Hacker Group Anonymous

(The Moscow Times) -- A United Russia party website was knocked offline Thursday after hackers from the group Anonymous claimed to have directed a denial of service attack on the site.

February 10, 2012

UN chief meets with Serbian foreign minister, with focus on Northern Kosovo, dialogue

(Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday met with Vuk Jeremic, the foreign minister of Serbia, and the two discussed the current situation in northern Kosovo and the European Union-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.

February 10, 2012

Strait of Hormuz: Iran's Disruptive Military Options

(IISS) -- Could Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, or significantly hinder traffic passing through it? A recent decision by the European Union to impose a total embargo on the purchase of Iranian oil has prompted threats from Tehran to close the world's most important oil chokepoint.

February 9, 2012

Sarkozy advises against military strike on Iran

(AP) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy put his reputation as a stalwart friend of Israel on the line Wednesday, warning that military action was no way to deal with nuclear-minded Iran at a dinner hosted by France's main Jewish group — and his likely presidential election rival in the audience.

February 9, 2012

Russia reaches lake under Antarctica

(AP) — After more than two decades of drilling, Russian scientists have reached the surface of a gigantic freshwater lake in Antarctica that had been hidden under miles of ice for 20 million years, potentially holding life from the distant past and a clue to the search for life on other planets.

February 9, 2012

Five killed as Turkish forces clash with PKK militants

(Reuters) -- Kurdish militants launched an attack on Turkish security forces near the Iraqi border in southeast Turkey early on Thursday, triggering clashes in which one soldier and four Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters were killed, security sources said.

February 9, 2012

Israel's stance on Iran could be 'catastrophic': Moscow

(AFP) -- Israel's mounting speculation that Iran is moving closer to developing a nuclear weapon could have "catastrophic consequences", a senior Russian foreign ministry official warned Thursday.

February 9, 2012

Spy chief unveils new Romanian government

(AFP) -- Romania's incoming prime minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu rang the changes at the economy and finance ministries Wednesday when he unveiled his new government.

February 9, 2012

Romanian accused of hacking NASA-JPL computers

(AP) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a Romanian citizen on charges he hacked into 25 climate-research computers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

February 8, 2012

Last known WWI veteran Florence Green dies at 110

(AP) — Florence Green never saw the front line. Her war was spent serving food, not dodging bullets. But Green, who has died at age 110, was the last known surviving veteran of World War I.

February 8, 2012

Argentina to complain to UN over Falklands

(AFP) - Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner slammed Britain for its "militarization" of their conflict over the Falklands, saying she would lodge a formal complaint with the United Nations.

February 8, 2012

Greece, Bulgaria battle flooding; 8 dead

(AP) — Swollen rivers in Bulgaria and Greece burst their banks Tuesday, leaving dozens of homes underwater, as Bulgarian officials declared a day of mourning for eight people confirmed killed after a dam collapse nearly washed away their village.

February 8, 2012

Russian Navy to Boost Its Combat Capabilities

(Voice of Russia) - The government will finalize a detailed 30-year plan of strengthening Russia’s naval forces by June 2012, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Tuesday.

February 8, 2012

Lavrov In Syria To Strongly Back Assad

(Moscow Times) - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, sending a clear message that Russia intends to stand by its strongest ally in the Middle East amid an international outcry over the country's response to a civil revolt.

February 6, 2012

Putin promises Russians bigger say in politics

(AP) — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is running for a third term as president, on Monday promised Russians a bigger say in politics amid the growing public discontent with his dominance of power.

February 6, 2012

Queen Elizabeth II marks 60 years on throne

(AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II marks 60 years as monarch on Monday with a deliberately low-key programme of visits to eastern England, kicking off five months of diamond jubilee celebrations.

February 6, 2012

Conservative wins Finland presidential vote

(AP) — A former finance minister won Finland's presidential election Sunday and will become the country's first conservative head of state in five decades.

February 6, 2012

Snow traps thousands in Bosnian villages

(AP) — Bosnia used helicopters on Sunday to evacuate the sick and deliver food to thousands of people left stranded by its heaviest snowfall ever.

February 6, 2012

Israel's intentions toward Iran remain unclear

(LA Times) -- Analysts differ on whether Israel's threat of a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is a bluff to spur tougher sanctions, or a real warning.

February 1, 2012

European cold snap death toll rises to 71

(AP) — The death toll from a severe cold spell in Eastern Europe rose to 71 Wednesday, most of them homeless people.

February 1, 2012

4 UK men admit London Stock Exchange bomb plot

(AP) — Four British men pleaded guilty on Wednesday to involvement in an al-Qaida inspired plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

February 1, 2012

UN nuke official: New trip to Iran planned

(AP) — A U.N. nuclear team on Wednesday announced plans to revisit Tehran "in the very near future," indicating some progress on its quest to wrest information from Iran about allegations that it is secretly working on an atomic arms program.

January 30, 2012

Winter cold snap kills 32 in eastern Europe

(AP) — Heavy snow and a severe cold snap killed at least 32 people across eastern Europe and many areas were under emergency measures Monday as schools closed down, roads became impassible and power supplies were cut off.

January 30, 2012

Israel, Palestinians exchange blame over talks

(AP) The Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday blamed each other for the impasse in newly launched peace efforts, raising doubts about whether the dialogue would continue just weeks after it began.