NATO Defender Europe

Though not well-publicized here in Canada, Canada will participate in the NATO Defender Europe 2020 war manoeuvres held in Europe between January 12 through July 10. Science for Peace, which counts as its members the late Ursula Franklin and John Polanyi, unreservedly opposes this provocative and regressive recapitulation of the brutal 20th century. In addition to NATO’s acceptance of a nuclear weapons first strike strategy, a crime against peace under international law, a military strategy permitting the use of nuclear weapons is based on the post Cold War belief that a nuclear war is winnable and is an atrocious gamble with human survival. In addition, the military is the single largest emitter of greenhouse gases and thus poses two threats of human extinction, rendering this era the most dangerous and precarious in human history. Yet the Government of Canada has acceded to NATO policies without any dissent by elected representatives. No NATO countries have signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons leading to the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Superseding NATO and individual nation states is the UN Charter, which defines a war of aggression as the supreme crime as it encompasses all other crimes. The UN Charter is a binding international agreement. Wars are avoidable and they only beget further violence and misery; they are always devastating to life and to the environment. Chapter VI Article 33 of the Charter states that “the parties to any dispute, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.”Read More

We remind the public and members of the Canadian Government that the U.S. broke its promise to Russian leaders by vastly expanding NATO membership to countries surrounding Russia. The structure of NATO shields it from transparency and accountability: its Council has no substantive written rules of procedure. It issues no legal guidance or guidelines that might restrict member states. No internal rules exist that would render NATO responsible for a violation of international law. NATO does not identify which member states participated in a military operation. All of this gives NATO its greatest asset, its capacity to serve as a veil. NATO shields member states from legal and political accountability. (Glennon, Michael J. 2015. National Security and Double Government. Oxford University Press).

We are hopeful that the public and people in positions of responsibility will actively oppose the prevalent turn to militarization in global affairs.

For public information about the scope and extent of the 2020 NATO operations as well as the inclusion of the nuclear weapons option (Trident), here is the schedule of the major 2020 NATO military manoeuvres in Europe that at this time are primarily aimed at Russia: shape.nato.int/nato-exercises

1. RAMSTEIN GUARD 1 20 (NATO) The NATO Electronic Warfare Force Integration Programme is a means to exercise the NATO designated regional elements of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System conducted through the CAOCs (Combined Air Operation Centre) while also including some national systems and assets. It is designed to train Air Command Ramstein and subordinate units on the reporting/ coordination requirements while exposing them to a wide variety of EW (Electronic Warfare) tactics and techniques in a controlled environment. RS (Resolute Support). Norway.

2. GRIFFIN FORCE (NATO Force Structure Exercise) aims to bring together Stand-up VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force) (Land), HQs, HRN (Host Receiving Nation) and all respective stakeholders in order to initiate logistic planning and preparation process and build a foundation for a continued cooperation between HQ’s, HRN, incoming forces and all other enablers. Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland.

3. DYNAMIC GUARD. Norway.

4. BRILLIANT BLAST. To provide CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) W&R (Warning and Reporting) training via Internet. * DYNAMIC MANTA To exercise submarine warfare and ASW (Antisubmarine Warfare) war-fighting capabilities for submarines, ASW surface units and maritime aircraft in order to conduct sea control and sea denial related naval tasks in preparation for future collective defence and crisis response operations. Italy. 24 February to 7 March.

5. NATO ADVISORY LIAISON TEAM PRE-DEPLOYMENT TRAINING (NALT). 1-16 March. Kosovo.

6. RAMSTEIN DUST (NATO)To exercise the deployment in a simulated NATO-approved operation being able to control air missions, to provide area air surveillance and the production of a Recognized Air Picture (RAP), to execute other tactical control functions under the direction of a CAOC (Combined Air Operation Centre)/DCAOC (Deployable Combined Air Operation Centre) or as an independent Air Command and Control function. 1-21 March and May.

7. RAMSTEIN GUARD (NATO) The NATO Electronic Warfare Force Integration Programme is a means to exercise the NATO designated regional elements of NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence System conducted through the CAOCs (Combined Air Operation Centre) while also including some national systems and assets. It is designed to train Air Command Ramstein and subordinate units on the reporting/ coordination requirements while exposing them to a wide variety of EW (Electronic Warfare) tactics and techniques in a controlled environment. 8-12 March, 20-24 April Hungary, Slovenia. 3-7 May Belgium, 17-21 May Portugal, 8-12 June Denmark.

8. KFOR ST (NATO). 10-18 March.

9. TRIDENT JUPITER Article 5 high intensity operation exercises to train the NRF (NATO Response Force) package and evaluate the NRF20 Component Commands planning and conducting a force entry operation, involving appropriate regional NATO C2 and NNEs (non-NATO entities). (Trident refers to nuclear missiles and nuclear submarines). 24 March – 2 April. Europe.

10. BRILLIANT JUMP (NATO) To test the activation of the VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force), the collaborative deployment planning, and the readiness and mounting functions for the VJTF. 13-24 April.

11. RAMSTEIN ALLOY To promote NATO and PfP coordination, enhance relations between air forces in the region and develop interoperability, to exercise rotational Baltic Air Policing (BAP) Quick Reaction Alert (Intercept)(QRA) and regional partner air forces. 20-24 April. Lithuania.

12. DYNAMIC MERCY To exercise through peacetime live and synthetic SAR (Sea Air Rescue) scenarios essential cross-region cooperation/interaction between military and civilian Rescue Coordination Centres and mobile SAR units. Baltic Sea. 29 April-11 May.

13. DYNAMIC MONGOOSE To exercise submarine warfare and ASW (Anti-submarine Warfare) warfighting for submarines, ASW surface units and maritime patrol aircrafts in order to conduct sea control or sea denial related naval tasks in preparation for future collective defence and crisis response operations.