This past spring, Finland and Sweden broke with decades of neutrality by announcing their intent to join NATO, ostensibly in response to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. The accession process has been held up by Turkey over Stockholm and Helsinki’s support for Kurdish fighters Ankara classifies as “terrorists,” and could drag on into 2023.
Military Thought, the Russian Defense Ministry’s official theoretical journal, has outlined some of the concrete measures the Russian military will be forced to take if and when Finland and Sweden become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“Although the planned accession of Finland and Sweden into the NATO bloc represents the legal registration of long-established relations, this must be considered as one of the most urgent challenges to the Russian Federation, which will require the adoption of a series of adequate measures,” a paper published in the journal’s December issue indicated.
The need for such “adequate measures” is related, first and foremost, to the fact that once the Nordics join the bloc, more than 1,000 km of NATO territory will appear on Russia’s borders, after which the alliance can deploy military equipment, troops, and tactical missile systems there that would threaten the military-industrial and transport infrastructure of Russia’s Arkhangelsk region.
Military Thought outlined the measures Russia’s Armed Forces will need to take in response to the emergent threat. “On our part, this will require building up the ground and coastal forces in the northern direction, missile forces and artillery, air defense and aviation, including unmanned aircraft, as well as the planning of strikes using long-range precision weapons against targets in Finland and Sweden,” the article warned.
Such a shift in the regional balance of forces would ruin decades of trouble-free relations that Moscow and Helsinki enjoyed for decades going back to the post-WWII period, which allowed both countries to limit defense expenditures and force presence along one another’s borders, and to engage in economic and cross-border cooperation.
Moscow has expressed concerns over the impact that Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO would have on regional security. Last week, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that their accession could lead to “increased militarization of the Arctic region,” and a consequent “significant increase of tensions and security risks.”.....more below
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
