WAR Regional conflict brewing in the Mediterranean
- Thread starter danielboon
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Hummm.....
jward
passin' thru
Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
15m
As #Iran gears up to resume oil exports if the U.S. lifts sanctions, former key clients in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan say they’ll wait for the U.S. green light before investigating terms under which they might buy Iran’s oil again. #OOTT
View: https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky/status/1395670401800409092?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Aurora Intel
@AuroraIntel
34m
#Iran’s #IRGC has announced a new drone called #Gaza. It can reportedly carry 13 munition for 2000km
The munition can be swapped out and a payload of upto 500kg’s of ELINT hardware can be mounted, with a flight time of 35 hours.
Sorry correction the munition can be added along side the ELINT tech.
View: https://twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1395666118237429765?s=20
danielboon
TB Fanatic
Seems the world is really coming unhinged
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/DavidMWitty1/status/1396901110317715457
Zagdid
Veteran Member
Russia deploys nuclear-capable bombers to Syria for training (yahoo.com)
Russia deploys nuclear-capable bombers to Syria for training
VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Tue, May 25, 2021, 11:36 AM
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military said Tuesday it has deployed three nuclear-capable long-range bombers to its base in Syria, a move that could strengthen Moscow's military foothold in the Mediterranean.
Russia's Defense Ministry said that three Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at the Hemeimeem air base, located in Syria's coastal province of Latakia and the main hub for Moscow's operations in the country.
The ministry said bomber crews would fly a series of training missions over the Mediterranean. The Tupolev Tu-22M3, code-named Backfire by NATO, is a supersonic twin-engine long-range bomber which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).
Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad's government to reclaim control over most of the country following a devastating civil war.
The Russian ministry said the runway at Hemeimeem had been extended to host the heavy bombers and a second runway has been modernized.
Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.
As part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to beef up Russia's military amid tensions with the West, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.
The bombers’ deployment marks the first time since Cold War times that Moscow has stationed heavy bombers in the region.
About 60 Tu-22M3s are estimated to remain in service with the Russian air force, and some have flown bombing missions to strike militants in Syria from their bases in Russia.
Russian media reports said that the Tu-22M3 could be modernized to carry the latest hypersonic missiles.
Russia deploys nuclear-capable bombers to Syria for training
VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Tue, May 25, 2021, 11:36 AM
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military said Tuesday it has deployed three nuclear-capable long-range bombers to its base in Syria, a move that could strengthen Moscow's military foothold in the Mediterranean.
Russia's Defense Ministry said that three Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at the Hemeimeem air base, located in Syria's coastal province of Latakia and the main hub for Moscow's operations in the country.
The ministry said bomber crews would fly a series of training missions over the Mediterranean. The Tupolev Tu-22M3, code-named Backfire by NATO, is a supersonic twin-engine long-range bomber which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).
Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad's government to reclaim control over most of the country following a devastating civil war.
The Russian ministry said the runway at Hemeimeem had been extended to host the heavy bombers and a second runway has been modernized.
Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.
As part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to beef up Russia's military amid tensions with the West, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.
The bombers’ deployment marks the first time since Cold War times that Moscow has stationed heavy bombers in the region.
About 60 Tu-22M3s are estimated to remain in service with the Russian air force, and some have flown bombing missions to strike militants in Syria from their bases in Russia.
Russian media reports said that the Tu-22M3 could be modernized to carry the latest hypersonic missiles.
jward
passin' thru
Reuters
@Reuters
Exclusive: Turkey pushed NATO allies into watering down an official reaction to the forced landing by Belarus of a passenger plane and the detention of a dissident journalist on Sunday, two diplomats tell us EXCLUSIVE Turkey pushed NATO allies into softening outrage over Belarus plane, diplomats say
Plain Jane
Just Plain Jane
Zerohedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
Paralyzed Crude Tanker Blocked Strategic Strait In Turkey
BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 - 02:05 PM
Technical problems onboard a massive crude tanker Friday led to the shutdown of Turkey's Bosphorus Strait.
The vessel veered off course in the Bosphorus Strait, a narrow waterway that divides the city of Istanbul and connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
The crude oil tanker RAVA disrupted vessel activity for three hours Friday as tugboats had to intervene and prevented the vessel from plowing into the shoreline of Istanbul's Yenikoy district. The entire operation took eight tugs and five other vessels. The straight was reopened later in the day.
A Turkish Coast Guard source told Sputnik late Friday night:
Here's a video of the paralyzed 249-meter-long oil tanker.
Turkey's Directorate General of Coastal Safety (KEGM) posted images of the oil tanker being towed by tugboats.
At its narrowest point, the waterway is 700 meters wide. The temporary suspension of traffic in the Strait conjured up fears of the Suez Canal blockage in late March. Bosphorus is a strategic chokepoint and represents a substantial geopolitical risk if extended closure were to happen because its critical to global trade between Asia and Europe.
While we may never know what "technical problems" the vessel experienced or what exactly caused it, one thing is sure is that the Strait has become an essential route for Russian naval traffic.
There's probably a lot more to this story that is not being disclosed...
jward
passin' thru
Turkey’s New Drone Base Is a Problem
Kind words will not bring peace to the Eastern Mediterranean; the only strategy that will work in the region is to demonstrate to Erdoğan that Turkey has far more to lose from scrapping the status quo than it has to gain.
by Michael Rubin
Addressing an audience of young people on May 19, 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan explained Turkish military interventions in Cyprus, the broader Eastern Mediterranean, and Iraq, as well as his support for Hamas. “Turkey is not 780 thousand square kilometers for us; Turkey is everywhere for us," he said. He then announced that, on July 20, he would visit northern Cyprus: “The messages we will give from Northern Cyprus concern not only the island but the whole world.” While Erdoğan hinted in his speech that he would announce a major gas find in Cypriot waters, he may also announce new unilateral moves on Varosha, a once-vibrant resort city evacuated against the backdrop of Turkey’s invasion and ethnic cleansing campaign.
Turkey invaded the island in 1974, and less than a decade later established a puppet state—the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus—in the occupied zone. While the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has now served on the island for more than a half-century, neither the UN nor various Western initiatives have resolved the key issue: Turkey’s continued occupation. While some Turkish apologists justify Turkey’s presence as protection to defend against supposed Greek ethnic cleansing, this ignores the fact that the Greek regime whose efforts to annex Cyprus sparked Turkey’s actions fell within days of the Turkish invasion rendering null any reason for Turkish troops to be on the island. The international community, meanwhile, continues to recognize the entirety of Cypriot waters to belong to the Greek Cypriot government.
While Erdoğan is prone to bluster, his current moves on Cyprus are different. On December 16, 2019, Ismail Demir, the head of Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate, announced that Turkey had flown its first drones from the western Turkish province of Muğla to Lefkoniko Airport—or Geçitkale Air Base, as Turkey has restyled it. Turkey has continued to transform Lefkoniko into a drone base. As Erdoğan explained, “now there are two airports in Cyprus, one is Ercan which our citizens in Turkey know, and another one that was there before but which now has a new name [Geçitkale] to which we transfer our unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Initially, Turkey used its northern Cypriot drone base to conduct surveillance as its seismic exploration vessels explored for gas and oil in Cypriot waters but, as it has upgraded Lefkoniko, it has moved many attack drones such as the Bayraktar-TB2 onto the base. Turkey has previously used the Bayraktar-TB2 against Kurdish targets in Iraq and against forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, head of the Egypt-backed, anti-Muslim Brotherhood force in Libya.
While previous versions of the drone only had an effective reach of 100 miles, upgrades to the guidance and operational systems greatly expand the drones’ range, especially given its 27-hour endurance. While Erdoğan has long railed against Israel and Egypt and sought to gain inroads into Lebanon and Gaza, his new drone base in occupied Cyprus now places each into his range. Turkey has already upended regional security by laying claim to Greek islands and infringing on the waters of not only Cyprus, but also Greece and the exclusive economic zone of Israel. The United States, European Union, Israel, and the moderate Arab bloc should expect Turkish aggression and violations soon to become much worse.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Ankara on May 28, 2021. In an interview with Hürriyet, she declared, “The relationship with Turkey is a very critical one to the U.S. Turkey is a NATO partner, a strategic ally, a force in the world….” Perhaps President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Sherman believe such rhetoric will assuage Erdoğan, but they have it backward: Such praise convinces Erdoğan that the United States is weak and will bend to further aggression.
The United States is not without recourse. More than eight years ago, I warned that Turkey was seeking to jumpstart its own arms export industry at the same time the Obama administration was transferring American drones to Turkey. Many Turkish drones—including in all likelihood the Bayraktar-TB2—include either technology reverse-engineered from American drones or imported American components. Congress must act to prevent the further sale or transfer of any American computer or military components to Turkey. The impact of Turkey’s UAV actions are as dangerous to NATO as its use of the Russian S-400.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo loosened the arms embargo on Cyprus to enable sale of non-lethal, defensive goods such as bulletproof vests. Turkey’s establishment of a drone base in occupied Cypriot territory should lead to scrapping the remainder of the embargo. Cyprus has no air force and so remains uniquely vulnerable Turkish drones at a time when Erdoğan appears intent to steal Cypriot natural resources. Biden, Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should immediately transfer to Cyprus Patriot Missile batteries to defend its territory and should also provide to Cyprus jamming technology to hamper if not bring down any drones launched from Lefkoniko. Simply put, Cyprus deserves the right to defend itself
Kind words will not bring peace to the Eastern Mediterranean; the only strategy that will work in the region is to demonstrate to Erdoğan that Turkey has far more to lose from scrapping the status quo than it has to gain.
Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). You can follow him on Twitter: @mrubin1971.
Posted for fair use
nationalinterest.org
Kind words will not bring peace to the Eastern Mediterranean; the only strategy that will work in the region is to demonstrate to Erdoğan that Turkey has far more to lose from scrapping the status quo than it has to gain.
by Michael Rubin
Addressing an audience of young people on May 19, 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan explained Turkish military interventions in Cyprus, the broader Eastern Mediterranean, and Iraq, as well as his support for Hamas. “Turkey is not 780 thousand square kilometers for us; Turkey is everywhere for us," he said. He then announced that, on July 20, he would visit northern Cyprus: “The messages we will give from Northern Cyprus concern not only the island but the whole world.” While Erdoğan hinted in his speech that he would announce a major gas find in Cypriot waters, he may also announce new unilateral moves on Varosha, a once-vibrant resort city evacuated against the backdrop of Turkey’s invasion and ethnic cleansing campaign.
Turkey invaded the island in 1974, and less than a decade later established a puppet state—the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus—in the occupied zone. While the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has now served on the island for more than a half-century, neither the UN nor various Western initiatives have resolved the key issue: Turkey’s continued occupation. While some Turkish apologists justify Turkey’s presence as protection to defend against supposed Greek ethnic cleansing, this ignores the fact that the Greek regime whose efforts to annex Cyprus sparked Turkey’s actions fell within days of the Turkish invasion rendering null any reason for Turkish troops to be on the island. The international community, meanwhile, continues to recognize the entirety of Cypriot waters to belong to the Greek Cypriot government.
While Erdoğan is prone to bluster, his current moves on Cyprus are different. On December 16, 2019, Ismail Demir, the head of Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate, announced that Turkey had flown its first drones from the western Turkish province of Muğla to Lefkoniko Airport—or Geçitkale Air Base, as Turkey has restyled it. Turkey has continued to transform Lefkoniko into a drone base. As Erdoğan explained, “now there are two airports in Cyprus, one is Ercan which our citizens in Turkey know, and another one that was there before but which now has a new name [Geçitkale] to which we transfer our unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Initially, Turkey used its northern Cypriot drone base to conduct surveillance as its seismic exploration vessels explored for gas and oil in Cypriot waters but, as it has upgraded Lefkoniko, it has moved many attack drones such as the Bayraktar-TB2 onto the base. Turkey has previously used the Bayraktar-TB2 against Kurdish targets in Iraq and against forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, head of the Egypt-backed, anti-Muslim Brotherhood force in Libya.
While previous versions of the drone only had an effective reach of 100 miles, upgrades to the guidance and operational systems greatly expand the drones’ range, especially given its 27-hour endurance. While Erdoğan has long railed against Israel and Egypt and sought to gain inroads into Lebanon and Gaza, his new drone base in occupied Cyprus now places each into his range. Turkey has already upended regional security by laying claim to Greek islands and infringing on the waters of not only Cyprus, but also Greece and the exclusive economic zone of Israel. The United States, European Union, Israel, and the moderate Arab bloc should expect Turkish aggression and violations soon to become much worse.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Ankara on May 28, 2021. In an interview with Hürriyet, she declared, “The relationship with Turkey is a very critical one to the U.S. Turkey is a NATO partner, a strategic ally, a force in the world….” Perhaps President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Sherman believe such rhetoric will assuage Erdoğan, but they have it backward: Such praise convinces Erdoğan that the United States is weak and will bend to further aggression.
The United States is not without recourse. More than eight years ago, I warned that Turkey was seeking to jumpstart its own arms export industry at the same time the Obama administration was transferring American drones to Turkey. Many Turkish drones—including in all likelihood the Bayraktar-TB2—include either technology reverse-engineered from American drones or imported American components. Congress must act to prevent the further sale or transfer of any American computer or military components to Turkey. The impact of Turkey’s UAV actions are as dangerous to NATO as its use of the Russian S-400.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo loosened the arms embargo on Cyprus to enable sale of non-lethal, defensive goods such as bulletproof vests. Turkey’s establishment of a drone base in occupied Cypriot territory should lead to scrapping the remainder of the embargo. Cyprus has no air force and so remains uniquely vulnerable Turkish drones at a time when Erdoğan appears intent to steal Cypriot natural resources. Biden, Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should immediately transfer to Cyprus Patriot Missile batteries to defend its territory and should also provide to Cyprus jamming technology to hamper if not bring down any drones launched from Lefkoniko. Simply put, Cyprus deserves the right to defend itself
Kind words will not bring peace to the Eastern Mediterranean; the only strategy that will work in the region is to demonstrate to Erdoğan that Turkey has far more to lose from scrapping the status quo than it has to gain.
Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). You can follow him on Twitter: @mrubin1971.
Posted for fair use
Turkey’s New Drone Base Is a Problem
Kind words will not bring peace to the Eastern Mediterranean; the only strategy that will work in the region is to demonstrate to Erdoğan that Turkey has far more to lose from scrapping the status quo than it has to gain.
nationalinterest.org
danielboon
TB Fanatic
I was wondering when this nut job was going to start yapping again.
View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1400280478138183682
At some point this'll end up in the Turks and Iranians getting at it.
Normallguy
"just a human bein'"
Don't see a downside.
Let them blow each other to hell.
Turkey is a lousy "ally" anyway.
My concern is for the innocents that will be caught in the middle....
jward
passin' thru
jward
passin' thru
TurkishFacts4u
@TurkishFacts4U
2m
BREAKING: #Turkey to introduce land based version of ATMACA missile with 300+ km range very soon. Kale KTJ-3200 has enabled alot of possibilities.
jward
passin' thru
U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet
@USNavyEurope
BREAKING: #USSixthFleet formally announces participation in the co-hosted annually held #ExerciseSeaBreeze 2021 starting next week in the #BlackSearegion.
@ExSeaBreeze
is designed to enhance interoperability & strengthen maritime security & peace within the region.
View: https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1407014038735892485?s=20
@USNavyEurope
BREAKING: #USSixthFleet formally announces participation in the co-hosted annually held #ExerciseSeaBreeze 2021 starting next week in the #BlackSearegion.
@ExSeaBreeze
is designed to enhance interoperability & strengthen maritime security & peace within the region.
View: https://twitter.com/USNavyEurope/status/1407014038735892485?s=20
Zagdid
Veteran Member
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/ZMASZXTQL5OWFIQJ64BGQYVIJE.jpg)
Libya's Haftar closes border with Algeria
Forces loyal to Libya's eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar have closed the border with Algeria, they said on Sunday, after major deployments of his forces to the south underscored his continued role despite efforts to unify the country.
www.reuters.com
Libya's Haftar closes border with Algeria
Reuters
June 20, 20215:47 AM EDT Last Updated 3 days ago
TRIPOLI, June 20 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Libya's eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar have closed the border with Algeria, they said on Sunday, after major deployments of his forces to the south underscored his continued role despite efforts to unify the country.
Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) last week sent troops into the southern city of Sebha, which was already allied to eastern forces, and then on Saturday to a southern border crossing with Algeria.
"The armed forces has closed the Libyan-Algerian border and declared it a military zone in which movement is prohibited", said the Moral Guidance Department, an LNA media unit.
The nearly 1,000-kilometre (620 miles) border between Algeria and Libya cuts through mostly uninhabited desert and has few crossings.
Haftar was put onto the back foot last year after the collapse of his 14-month offensive against Tripoli, while a new unity government backed by a U.N.-facilitated peace process has called into question his political position.
However, despite progress towards a political solution for Libya after a decade of violence and chaos, most of the country is still controlled by armed groups, corruption is rampant and the outside powers involved in the conflict have not withdrawn.
Progress is expected on Sunday in implementing the terms of a military ceasefire in place since September, with the planned reopening of the main coast road across front lines, and foreign powers will convene in Berlin this week for Libya talks.
Reporting by Reuters Libya newsroom, writing by Angus McDowall Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky
jward
passin' thru
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Update: Russia has urged the United States and its allies to abandon exercises in the Black Sea. The exercises will be held from June 28 to July 10 in the Black Sea, they will involve 5,000 servicemen and 32 ships from 32 countries.
"The scale of the Ukrainian-American Sea Breeze exercise in the Black Sea increases the risk of unintentional incidents in the Black Sea." (RIA)
@EndGameWW3
Update: Russia has urged the United States and its allies to abandon exercises in the Black Sea. The exercises will be held from June 28 to July 10 in the Black Sea, they will involve 5,000 servicemen and 32 ships from 32 countries.
"The scale of the Ukrainian-American Sea Breeze exercise in the Black Sea increases the risk of unintentional incidents in the Black Sea." (RIA)
jward
passin' thru
Samuel Ramani
@SamRamani2
5m
In one week, #Turkey and #Pakistan have both upgraded their security cooperation with #Azerbaijan The Turkey-Pakistan-Azerbaijan triangle in Eurasia is getting stronger.
@SamRamani2
5m
In one week, #Turkey and #Pakistan have both upgraded their security cooperation with #Azerbaijan The Turkey-Pakistan-Azerbaijan triangle in Eurasia is getting stronger.
Plain Jane
Just Plain Jane
Germany calls for foreign fighters to leave Libya – DW – 06/23/2021
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has expressed optimism after a Libya conference held in Berlin. He has also repeated calls for the withdrawal of foreign fighters and weapons from the country.
www.dw.com
Germany calls for removal of foreign fighters from Libya
Heiko Maas has expressed optimism ahead of the Libyan conference held in Berlin. He has also repeated calls for the withdrawal of foreign fighters and weapons from the country.
The Libyan transitional government is planning to hold elections at the end of the year
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on foreign fighters to leave Libya to ensure a peaceful transition in comments made ahead of Wednesday's Berlin conference.
Maas said he was hopeful that the second internationally backed Libya talks to be held in Berlin will boost the transitional government so that Libyans "can take the fate of their country into their own hands."
The German foreign minister made it clear that the planned elections for December 24 this year must go ahead. "We will continue to campaign for them alongside the Libyan government and the UN," Maas said.
Foreign ministers from the US, Russia, China, Turkey and Egypt were planning to take part in the Berlin talks, the second meeting in the German capital to discuss the situation in the North African country.
Watch video10:24
Libya's civil war: What's behind the fight?
Maas optimistic about progress
The previous talks, held in January last year, also sought the withdrawal of foreign soldiers and weapons from Libya. According to the UN's most recent data, some 20,000 foreign fighters are still in the country.
Maas struck an optimistic tone, pointing out that the collaboration between the Libyan transitional government and the UN had helped avoid a much worse disaster.
"Almost two years ago, Libya was on the edge of spiraling into chaos and violence," the German foreign minister said.
Libya was dragged into a bitter civil war in 2011 as different political groups battled it out in the power vacuum left by the overthrow of the country's dictatorial President Moammar Gadhafi.
Global players meet in Berlin
US Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken will take part in the talks as part of a short trip to Europe. He is the highest-ranking US official to take part in the Berlin Conference on Libya.
Alongside key foreign actors, Maas underlined the role that Libyans themselves should be allowed to take in this new phase of the talks where they "will not just talk about Libya, but with Libyans about the future of their country."
Maas welcomed Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush on Tuesday evening. He tweeted that Germany would "continue with our support for peace and stability in Libya."
ab/nm (AFP, dpa)
jward
passin' thru
Rob Lee
@RALee85
21m
We're about to see an interesting Russian exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. 2 MiG-31K, an Il-38 ASW aircraft, and at least 3 Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at Kheimim airfield in Syria. This is the 1st deployment of MiG-31K and 2nd of Tu-22M3 to Syria. https://tvzvezda.ru/news/202162532
View: https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1408270056728018946?s=20
The two MiG-31K interceptors (red 90 and 96), which can carry the 2,000 km range Kinzhal missile, and 3 Tu-22M3 bombers (red 15, 28, and 50) at Khmeimim airbase. Russia just extended its runway and completed a 2nd runway at Khmeimim in May (when the first Tu-22M3 arrived). 2/
View: https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1408272332578344966?s=20
The Black Sea Fleet's Moskva Project 1164 cruiser, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov Project 11356 frigates, Stary Oskol and Rostov-on-Don Project 636.3 diesel submarines, Tu-142MK and Il-38 ASW, Tu-22M3 bombers, and MiG-31K will train to defend Russia's bases in Latakia. 3/
@RALee85
21m
We're about to see an interesting Russian exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. 2 MiG-31K, an Il-38 ASW aircraft, and at least 3 Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at Kheimim airfield in Syria. This is the 1st deployment of MiG-31K and 2nd of Tu-22M3 to Syria. https://tvzvezda.ru/news/202162532
View: https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1408270056728018946?s=20
The two MiG-31K interceptors (red 90 and 96), which can carry the 2,000 km range Kinzhal missile, and 3 Tu-22M3 bombers (red 15, 28, and 50) at Khmeimim airbase. Russia just extended its runway and completed a 2nd runway at Khmeimim in May (when the first Tu-22M3 arrived). 2/
View: https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1408272332578344966?s=20
The Black Sea Fleet's Moskva Project 1164 cruiser, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov Project 11356 frigates, Stary Oskol and Rostov-on-Don Project 636.3 diesel submarines, Tu-142MK and Il-38 ASW, Tu-22M3 bombers, and MiG-31K will train to defend Russia's bases in Latakia. 3/
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Russia launches Mediterranean drills amid rift with Britain
The Russian military has launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes capable of carrying hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press
25 June 2021, 07:10
MOSCOW -- The Russian military on Friday launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes capable of carrying hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea.
Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea that Russia claims as its territorial waters. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon and said she was sailing in Ukrainian waters.
The Russian drills that began Friday in the eastern Mediterranean come as a British carrier strike group is in the area. Earlier this week, British and U.S. F-35 fighters from HMS Queen Elizabeth flew combat sorties against the Islamic State group.
Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government to reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that a pair of MiG-31 fighter jets capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles arrived at the Russian airbase in Syria and flew missions practicing strikes on targets in the Mediterranean. The Hemeimeem airbase, in the coastal province of Latakia, serves as the main hub for Moscow’s operations in the country.
It's the first time the warplanes capable of carrying Kinzhal have been deployed outside Russia's borders.
The military says the Kinzhal flies at 10 times the speed of sound and has a range of up to 2000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles).
The Defense Ministry said the maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean also involve several warships, two submarines and long-range Tu-22M3 bombers along with other combat aircraft. The supersonic, nuclear-capable Tu-22M3s were first deployed to Syria last month in a demonstration of an increased Russian military foothold in the Mediterranean.
The Russian military has modernized the runway at Hemeimeem to accommodate heavy bombers and built a second one to expand the operations there.
Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.
The Russian military has increased the number and scope of its drills amid a bitter strain in relations with the West, which have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. As part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to beef up Russia’s military, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.
Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the eastern Mediterranean has become more “congested and contested” with the heavier Russian military presence in Syria, resulting in regular encounters with Russian ships and warplanes. He noted that a Russian warship has come within 10 kilometers (16 miles) of the carrier.
In Wednesday's Black Sea incident, Britain insisted the Defender had been making a routine journey through an internationally recognized travel lane and remained in Ukrainian waters near Crimea. The U.K., like most of the world, recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the peninsula’s annexation by Russia.
Russia denounced the Defender's move as a provocation and warned that next time it could fire to hit intruding warships if they again try to test the Russian military's resolve.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Friday derided the British denials that the Russian military fired warning shots at the Defender and urged Britain and its allies not to “tempt fate.” He added that the Defender is "just a juicy target for the Black Sea Fleet's missile systems.”
———
Menelaos Hadjicostis contributed to this report from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Russia launches Mediterranean drills amid rift with Britain - ABC News (go.com)
The Russian military has launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes capable of carrying hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press
25 June 2021, 07:10
MOSCOW -- The Russian military on Friday launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes capable of carrying hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea.
Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea that Russia claims as its territorial waters. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon and said she was sailing in Ukrainian waters.
The Russian drills that began Friday in the eastern Mediterranean come as a British carrier strike group is in the area. Earlier this week, British and U.S. F-35 fighters from HMS Queen Elizabeth flew combat sorties against the Islamic State group.
Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government to reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that a pair of MiG-31 fighter jets capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles arrived at the Russian airbase in Syria and flew missions practicing strikes on targets in the Mediterranean. The Hemeimeem airbase, in the coastal province of Latakia, serves as the main hub for Moscow’s operations in the country.
It's the first time the warplanes capable of carrying Kinzhal have been deployed outside Russia's borders.
The military says the Kinzhal flies at 10 times the speed of sound and has a range of up to 2000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles).
The Defense Ministry said the maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean also involve several warships, two submarines and long-range Tu-22M3 bombers along with other combat aircraft. The supersonic, nuclear-capable Tu-22M3s were first deployed to Syria last month in a demonstration of an increased Russian military foothold in the Mediterranean.
The Russian military has modernized the runway at Hemeimeem to accommodate heavy bombers and built a second one to expand the operations there.
Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.
The Russian military has increased the number and scope of its drills amid a bitter strain in relations with the West, which have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. As part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to beef up Russia’s military, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.
Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the eastern Mediterranean has become more “congested and contested” with the heavier Russian military presence in Syria, resulting in regular encounters with Russian ships and warplanes. He noted that a Russian warship has come within 10 kilometers (16 miles) of the carrier.
In Wednesday's Black Sea incident, Britain insisted the Defender had been making a routine journey through an internationally recognized travel lane and remained in Ukrainian waters near Crimea. The U.K., like most of the world, recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the peninsula’s annexation by Russia.
Russia denounced the Defender's move as a provocation and warned that next time it could fire to hit intruding warships if they again try to test the Russian military's resolve.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Friday derided the British denials that the Russian military fired warning shots at the Defender and urged Britain and its allies not to “tempt fate.” He added that the Defender is "just a juicy target for the Black Sea Fleet's missile systems.”
———
Menelaos Hadjicostis contributed to this report from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Russia launches Mediterranean drills amid rift with Britain - ABC News (go.com)
Last edited:
jward
passin' thru
Rob Lee
@RALee85
15m
Russia has announced a NOTAM in the Mediterranean Sea south of Cyprus near where the HMS Queen Elizabeth has been operating. Apparently, Russian Navy ships or submarines will be launching missiles in the area. 14/ https://militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=
jward
passin' thru
Kevin Sky
@EmirLouise
Arm embargo by Nato countries push Turkey to develop indigenous solutions for its Navy's requirements. 76mm Naval gun CIWS Antiship missile MDAS Vertical Launching System -Etc
View: https://twitter.com/EmirLouise/status/1410371276611391489?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Russia, Turkey discuss new agreements on Syria - North press agency
3 minutes
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu – Circulated
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, Turkey announced that it is working on new agreements with Russia regarding the situation in Syria.
This was stated by Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu in a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Wednesday in Antalya Province, southwest Turkey.
Cavusoglu indicated that the two countries “will continue to work for peace and the political process in Syria.”
“Besides bilateral relations, there are regional issues that we are working on. We discussed the developments in Syria and Libya,” he added.
“Our aim is to maintain stability and peace in these regions,” he explained.
The holding of this conference conincides with the approaching date of the vote in the Security Council regarding the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid to Syria across the border and the possibility of Russia using its veto to extend the period of the entry of humaniterain aid throgh the only crossing to Syria.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said “there is an agreement between both sides to activate the Idlib agreement, which stipulates the formation of a demilitarized zone.”
The two parties did not provide any details regarding the agreement, which they called a “demilitarized zone.”
Lavrov stressed the Russian objection to a new draft resolution put forward in the UN Security Council on opening a second corridor for cross-border aid transportation to Syria.
He also referred to “the ways to continue the Astana talks and solve the Syrian crisis.”
The de-escalation zone has been witnessing military escalation and mutual bombing between Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed armed groups despite the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in March 2020.
The agreement stipulated the cessation of military operations and the conduct of joint military patrols between the two parties, but this agreement was not implemented on the ground.
On August 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had suspended joint patrols with Turkish forces in Idlib on the M4 Highway due to what it described at the time as “provocations by the armed groups.”
Agencies
npasyria.com
3 minutes
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, Turkey announced that it is working on new agreements with Russia regarding the situation in Syria.
This was stated by Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu in a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Wednesday in Antalya Province, southwest Turkey.
Cavusoglu indicated that the two countries “will continue to work for peace and the political process in Syria.”
“Besides bilateral relations, there are regional issues that we are working on. We discussed the developments in Syria and Libya,” he added.
“Our aim is to maintain stability and peace in these regions,” he explained.
The holding of this conference conincides with the approaching date of the vote in the Security Council regarding the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid to Syria across the border and the possibility of Russia using its veto to extend the period of the entry of humaniterain aid throgh the only crossing to Syria.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said “there is an agreement between both sides to activate the Idlib agreement, which stipulates the formation of a demilitarized zone.”
The two parties did not provide any details regarding the agreement, which they called a “demilitarized zone.”
Lavrov stressed the Russian objection to a new draft resolution put forward in the UN Security Council on opening a second corridor for cross-border aid transportation to Syria.
He also referred to “the ways to continue the Astana talks and solve the Syrian crisis.”
The de-escalation zone has been witnessing military escalation and mutual bombing between Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed armed groups despite the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement signed between Russia and Turkey in March 2020.
The agreement stipulated the cessation of military operations and the conduct of joint military patrols between the two parties, but this agreement was not implemented on the ground.
On August 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had suspended joint patrols with Turkish forces in Idlib on the M4 Highway due to what it described at the time as “provocations by the armed groups.”
Agencies
Russia, Turkey discuss new agreements on Syria - North press agency
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, Turkey announced that it is working on new agreements with Russia regarding the situation in Syria. This was
npasyria.com
jward
passin' thru
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
58m
Update: The United States has for the first time included a NATO ally (Turkey) in the list of countries involved in the use of child soldiers. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey.
Posted for fair use.....
www.france24.com
Egypt opens strategic Mediterranean naval base
Issued on: 03/07/2021 - 19:12
Marsa Matrouh (Egypt) (AFP)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday opened a strategic naval base on the Mediterranean Sea to "secure shipping lines", the presidency said.
"It is the latest Egyptian military base on the Mediterranean, and will be focused on securing the country's northern and western front," the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and by the chairman of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi.
The base lies some 255 kilometres (160 miles) west of Alexandria, towards the border with Libya, a country where both Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have played a key military role.
Libya's new transitional executive emerged from a UN process that was launched in November in Tunis, then voted on in Geneva and confirmed by Libya's parliament on March 10.
Egypt and the UAE had long been considered as key backers of Khalifa Hafta, the eastern based Libyan military strongman who had tried to seize the capital Tripoli from the previous government.
In April, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli travelled to Libya, where he had talks with interim prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, in a new sign of warming ties between Cairo and Tripoli.
Dbeibah visited Egypt in February on his first official trip abroad after his election.
In April, Dbeibah also paid a visit to Abu Dhabi, where he was warmly greeted by Sheikh Mohammed, who expressed support for the new Libyan administration.
Sisi and his guests witnessed military manoeuvres involving several vessels, attack helicopters and fighter jets.
State-run newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm reported that the new Egyptian base includes an airstrip and a 1,000-metre (3,280-foot) long pier.
The base was named "July 3" after the day eight years ago when Sisi led the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt has three other naval bases in the Mediterranean and one in the Red Sea.
Egypt opens strategic Mediterranean naval base - France 24
Egypt opens strategic Mediterranean naval base
www.france24.com
Egypt opens strategic Mediterranean naval base
Issued on: 03/07/2021 - 19:12
Marsa Matrouh (Egypt) (AFP)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday opened a strategic naval base on the Mediterranean Sea to "secure shipping lines", the presidency said.
"It is the latest Egyptian military base on the Mediterranean, and will be focused on securing the country's northern and western front," the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
The ceremony was attended by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and by the chairman of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi.
The base lies some 255 kilometres (160 miles) west of Alexandria, towards the border with Libya, a country where both Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have played a key military role.
Libya's new transitional executive emerged from a UN process that was launched in November in Tunis, then voted on in Geneva and confirmed by Libya's parliament on March 10.
Egypt and the UAE had long been considered as key backers of Khalifa Hafta, the eastern based Libyan military strongman who had tried to seize the capital Tripoli from the previous government.
In April, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli travelled to Libya, where he had talks with interim prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, in a new sign of warming ties between Cairo and Tripoli.
Dbeibah visited Egypt in February on his first official trip abroad after his election.
In April, Dbeibah also paid a visit to Abu Dhabi, where he was warmly greeted by Sheikh Mohammed, who expressed support for the new Libyan administration.
Sisi and his guests witnessed military manoeuvres involving several vessels, attack helicopters and fighter jets.
State-run newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm reported that the new Egyptian base includes an airstrip and a 1,000-metre (3,280-foot) long pier.
The base was named "July 3" after the day eight years ago when Sisi led the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt has three other naval bases in the Mediterranean and one in the Red Sea.
danielboon
TB Fanatic
And the next problem in the region is a Dam in Ethiopia. It seems Egypt and Sudan are not happy. Here are a couple of tweets
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Shifting the balance
German submarines are giving Turkey an edge over Greece
That may make the eastern Mediterranean less stable
The Economist
July 3rd 2021
On the southern shore of the Gulf of Izmit, at the Golcuk shipyard, Turkey’s naval future is slowly taking shape. The first of six German-designed submarines lies in the water, after being floated out from its dock in March. The Piri Reis will join the fleet next year; five other Reis-class subs will follow in successive years. It is a triumph for Turkey’s navy—and a headache for Greece.
Over the past year Turkey and Greece, despite both being members of nato, have sparred in the Mediterranean. Their warships collided last summer after Turkey sent a survey vessel into disputed waters. Greece responded by rallying allies in Europe and the Middle East, bought a slew of French warplanes and, in December, announced a doubling of defence spending to €5.5bn ($6.6bn). That, though, is still less than half the Turkish level. Turkey’s navy is bigger and newer. And the Anadolu, a Spanish-designed light aircraft-carrier, is in the final stages of construction.
The new submarines would compound the problem. The Reis-class is a version of Germany’s Type 214, which is operated by the navies of Portugal, South Korea and Greece itself. An important feature is air-independent propulsion (aip), which allows subs to go without the air supply that a diesel engine would usually require. A traditional diesel-electric sub can stay under water for two or three days. Those with aip can do so for three weeks, says Johannes Peters of the Institute for Security Policy Kiel, and with “almost zero noise emissions” compared with noisier nuclear-powered subs, whose reactors cannot be turned off. That is perfect for the shallow waters around Greco-Turkish flashpoints.
The addition of six cutting-edge boats is a plus for nato. The alliance’s southern flank is heating up: on June 23rd Russian ships fired shots towards a British destroyer in Crimean waters. Two days later Russia began air and sea exercises in the Mediterranean, sparring with a British aircraft-carrier strike group in the region. Then an American nuclear-armed submarine showed up in Gibraltar. At the same time, the subs “will reshape the naval balance between Greece and Turkey”, says Emmanuel Karagiannis of King’s College London.
A two-edged sword
The subs could be used for intelligence-gathering in disputed waters, including snooping around undersea cables that Greece plans to build to reach Cyprus, Egypt and Israel. The subs may be armed with medium-range anti-ship missiles which could “largely neutralise Greek anti-submarine warfare capabilities”, adds Mr Karagiannis, although much depends on how well Turkey can integrate its indigenous weapons into the German design.
Although Greece did not oppose the sub deal when it was agreed in 2009, last year’s jousting changed things. “We’re not saying, ‘You shouldn’t sell them to Turkey,’” says a Greek official. “What we are saying now is, ‘You should not sell them to this Turkey.’” Greece wants Germany to halt the sale and says that the subs could be sold to another country. It points to the example of America, which barred Turkey from buying f-35 jets two years ago after it bought a Russian air-defence system. Yet these pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Several eu countries limited arms exports to Turkey in 2019, following its offensive in Syria. But after last year’s kerfuffle in the Mediterranean, Germany, Italy, Spain and others blocked a Greek push for a full arms embargo. Then on June 13th Germany’s ruling parties rejected a motion backed by socialist and Green parties to stop weapons sales to Turkey.
Germany’s resistance to scuttling the submarine deal is unsurprising. It is thought to be worth $3.5bn, a hefty sum compared with total German arms exports of $14bn over the past decade. The country commands the world market for submarines, in particular, having sold more than 120 of them to 17 navies since the 1960s. The latest potential customer is Australia, which is toying with the idea of buying German Type 214s to fill the gap until newer French subs arrive in the 2030s.
Yet pecuniary motives are not the whole story. Turkey’s relationship with the eu and its place in nato have become deeply divisive issues within both institutions. France, Greece and Cyprus are eager to push back at what they see as Turkey’s aggressive and expansionist behaviour. By contrast, Germany—like Italy, Poland and Spain—wants to prevent the relationship from collapsing in acrimony.
In part, that is to keep migration in check. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, is “obsessed” with the issue, complains the Greek official. “She’s allowing Turkey to blackmail Europe,” he adds. After an eu summit on June 24th, Mrs Merkel said that the bloc had agreed to provide €3bn for migrants in Turkey to follow on from a €6bn package approved in 2016. Although the number of illegal crossings from the eastern Mediterranean is down by half compared to last year, there remain over 3m refugees in Turkey.
Wider considerations are at play. Some are strategic. Germany sees Turkey as a bulwark on nato’s southern flank, where Russia is reasserting itself. Others are domestic. Germany has the largest Turkish diaspora anywhere in the world, with around 3m people of Turkish origin. “Germany’s relationship with Turkey is not only a matter of foreign policy, but also a domestic issue,” says Sinem Adar of the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies in Berlin.
It helps Germany’s case that the Mediterranean is calm for now. So far this year nato has convened six rounds of talks between the Greek and Turkish armed forces, leading to the creation of a military hotline for use in crises. Negotiations between the two countries over drilling rights and related issues resumed earlier this year, though progress is slow. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, met Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, on the sidelines of a nato summit on June 14th.
Even so, just over a week later Turkey announced military exercises in the Aegean after accusing Greece of breaking an old understanding to avoid such exercises in the summer months. Next year the drills may involve the Piri Reis, watching silently from the deep. ■
German submarines are giving Turkey an edge over Greece | The Economist
German submarines are giving Turkey an edge over Greece
That may make the eastern Mediterranean less stable
The Economist
July 3rd 2021
On the southern shore of the Gulf of Izmit, at the Golcuk shipyard, Turkey’s naval future is slowly taking shape. The first of six German-designed submarines lies in the water, after being floated out from its dock in March. The Piri Reis will join the fleet next year; five other Reis-class subs will follow in successive years. It is a triumph for Turkey’s navy—and a headache for Greece.
Over the past year Turkey and Greece, despite both being members of nato, have sparred in the Mediterranean. Their warships collided last summer after Turkey sent a survey vessel into disputed waters. Greece responded by rallying allies in Europe and the Middle East, bought a slew of French warplanes and, in December, announced a doubling of defence spending to €5.5bn ($6.6bn). That, though, is still less than half the Turkish level. Turkey’s navy is bigger and newer. And the Anadolu, a Spanish-designed light aircraft-carrier, is in the final stages of construction.
The new submarines would compound the problem. The Reis-class is a version of Germany’s Type 214, which is operated by the navies of Portugal, South Korea and Greece itself. An important feature is air-independent propulsion (aip), which allows subs to go without the air supply that a diesel engine would usually require. A traditional diesel-electric sub can stay under water for two or three days. Those with aip can do so for three weeks, says Johannes Peters of the Institute for Security Policy Kiel, and with “almost zero noise emissions” compared with noisier nuclear-powered subs, whose reactors cannot be turned off. That is perfect for the shallow waters around Greco-Turkish flashpoints.
The addition of six cutting-edge boats is a plus for nato. The alliance’s southern flank is heating up: on June 23rd Russian ships fired shots towards a British destroyer in Crimean waters. Two days later Russia began air and sea exercises in the Mediterranean, sparring with a British aircraft-carrier strike group in the region. Then an American nuclear-armed submarine showed up in Gibraltar. At the same time, the subs “will reshape the naval balance between Greece and Turkey”, says Emmanuel Karagiannis of King’s College London.
A two-edged sword
The subs could be used for intelligence-gathering in disputed waters, including snooping around undersea cables that Greece plans to build to reach Cyprus, Egypt and Israel. The subs may be armed with medium-range anti-ship missiles which could “largely neutralise Greek anti-submarine warfare capabilities”, adds Mr Karagiannis, although much depends on how well Turkey can integrate its indigenous weapons into the German design.
Although Greece did not oppose the sub deal when it was agreed in 2009, last year’s jousting changed things. “We’re not saying, ‘You shouldn’t sell them to Turkey,’” says a Greek official. “What we are saying now is, ‘You should not sell them to this Turkey.’” Greece wants Germany to halt the sale and says that the subs could be sold to another country. It points to the example of America, which barred Turkey from buying f-35 jets two years ago after it bought a Russian air-defence system. Yet these pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Several eu countries limited arms exports to Turkey in 2019, following its offensive in Syria. But after last year’s kerfuffle in the Mediterranean, Germany, Italy, Spain and others blocked a Greek push for a full arms embargo. Then on June 13th Germany’s ruling parties rejected a motion backed by socialist and Green parties to stop weapons sales to Turkey.
Germany’s resistance to scuttling the submarine deal is unsurprising. It is thought to be worth $3.5bn, a hefty sum compared with total German arms exports of $14bn over the past decade. The country commands the world market for submarines, in particular, having sold more than 120 of them to 17 navies since the 1960s. The latest potential customer is Australia, which is toying with the idea of buying German Type 214s to fill the gap until newer French subs arrive in the 2030s.
Yet pecuniary motives are not the whole story. Turkey’s relationship with the eu and its place in nato have become deeply divisive issues within both institutions. France, Greece and Cyprus are eager to push back at what they see as Turkey’s aggressive and expansionist behaviour. By contrast, Germany—like Italy, Poland and Spain—wants to prevent the relationship from collapsing in acrimony.
In part, that is to keep migration in check. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, is “obsessed” with the issue, complains the Greek official. “She’s allowing Turkey to blackmail Europe,” he adds. After an eu summit on June 24th, Mrs Merkel said that the bloc had agreed to provide €3bn for migrants in Turkey to follow on from a €6bn package approved in 2016. Although the number of illegal crossings from the eastern Mediterranean is down by half compared to last year, there remain over 3m refugees in Turkey.
Wider considerations are at play. Some are strategic. Germany sees Turkey as a bulwark on nato’s southern flank, where Russia is reasserting itself. Others are domestic. Germany has the largest Turkish diaspora anywhere in the world, with around 3m people of Turkish origin. “Germany’s relationship with Turkey is not only a matter of foreign policy, but also a domestic issue,” says Sinem Adar of the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies in Berlin.
It helps Germany’s case that the Mediterranean is calm for now. So far this year nato has convened six rounds of talks between the Greek and Turkish armed forces, leading to the creation of a military hotline for use in crises. Negotiations between the two countries over drilling rights and related issues resumed earlier this year, though progress is slow. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, met Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, on the sidelines of a nato summit on June 14th.
Even so, just over a week later Turkey announced military exercises in the Aegean after accusing Greece of breaking an old understanding to avoid such exercises in the summer months. Next year the drills may involve the Piri Reis, watching silently from the deep. ■
German submarines are giving Turkey an edge over Greece | The Economist
intothatgoodnight
. . .
Submarines are not inexpensive to build/purchase, nor operate.Shifting the balance
German submarines are giving Turkey an edge over Greece
That may make the eastern Mediterranean less stable
The Economist
July 3rd 2021
On the southern shore of the Gulf of Izmit, at the Golcuk shipyard, Turkey’s naval future is slowly taking shape. The first of six German-designed submarines lies in the water, after being floated out from its dock in March. The Piri Reis will join the fleet next year; five other Reis-class subs will follow in successive years. It is a triumph for Turkey’s navy—and a headache for Greece.
Over the past year Turkey and Greece, despite both being members of nato, have sparred in the Mediterranean. Their warships collided last summer after Turkey sent a survey vessel into disputed waters. Greece responded by rallying allies in Europe and the Middle East, bought a slew of French warplanes and, in December, announced a doubling of defence spending to €5.5bn ($6.6bn). That, though, is still less than half the Turkish level. Turkey’s navy is bigger and newer. And the Anadolu, a Spanish-designed light aircraft-carrier, is in the final stages of construction.
The new submarines would compound the problem. The Reis-class is a version of Germany’s Type 214, which is operated by the navies of Portugal, South Korea and Greece itself. An important feature is air-independent propulsion (aip), which allows subs to go without the air supply that a diesel engine would usually require. A traditional diesel-electric sub can stay under water for two or three days. Those with aip can do so for three weeks, says Johannes Peters of the Institute for Security Policy Kiel, and with “almost zero noise emissions” compared with noisier nuclear-powered subs, whose reactors cannot be turned off. That is perfect for the shallow waters around Greco-Turkish flashpoints.
The addition of six cutting-edge boats is a plus for nato. The alliance’s southern flank is heating up: on June 23rd Russian ships fired shots towards a British destroyer in Crimean waters. Two days later Russia began air and sea exercises in the Mediterranean, sparring with a British aircraft-carrier strike group in the region. Then an American nuclear-armed submarine showed up in Gibraltar. At the same time, the subs “will reshape the naval balance between Greece and Turkey”, says Emmanuel Karagiannis of King’s College London.
A two-edged sword
The subs could be used for intelligence-gathering in disputed waters, including snooping around undersea cables that Greece plans to build to reach Cyprus, Egypt and Israel. The subs may be armed with medium-range anti-ship missiles which could “largely neutralise Greek anti-submarine warfare capabilities”, adds Mr Karagiannis, although much depends on how well Turkey can integrate its indigenous weapons into the German design.
Although Greece did not oppose the sub deal when it was agreed in 2009, last year’s jousting changed things. “We’re not saying, ‘You shouldn’t sell them to Turkey,’” says a Greek official. “What we are saying now is, ‘You should not sell them to this Turkey.’” Greece wants Germany to halt the sale and says that the subs could be sold to another country. It points to the example of America, which barred Turkey from buying f-35 jets two years ago after it bought a Russian air-defence system. Yet these pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Several eu countries limited arms exports to Turkey in 2019, following its offensive in Syria. But after last year’s kerfuffle in the Mediterranean, Germany, Italy, Spain and others blocked a Greek push for a full arms embargo. Then on June 13th Germany’s ruling parties rejected a motion backed by socialist and Green parties to stop weapons sales to Turkey.
Germany’s resistance to scuttling the submarine deal is unsurprising. It is thought to be worth $3.5bn, a hefty sum compared with total German arms exports of $14bn over the past decade. The country commands the world market for submarines, in particular, having sold more than 120 of them to 17 navies since the 1960s. The latest potential customer is Australia, which is toying with the idea of buying German Type 214s to fill the gap until newer French subs arrive in the 2030s.
Yet pecuniary motives are not the whole story. Turkey’s relationship with the eu and its place in nato have become deeply divisive issues within both institutions. France, Greece and Cyprus are eager to push back at what they see as Turkey’s aggressive and expansionist behaviour. By contrast, Germany—like Italy, Poland and Spain—wants to prevent the relationship from collapsing in acrimony.
In part, that is to keep migration in check. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, is “obsessed” with the issue, complains the Greek official. “She’s allowing Turkey to blackmail Europe,” he adds. After an eu summit on June 24th, Mrs Merkel said that the bloc had agreed to provide €3bn for migrants in Turkey to follow on from a €6bn package approved in 2016. Although the number of illegal crossings from the eastern Mediterranean is down by half compared to last year, there remain over 3m refugees in Turkey.
Wider considerations are at play. Some are strategic. Germany sees Turkey as a bulwark on nato’s southern flank, where Russia is reasserting itself. Others are domestic. Germany has the largest Turkish diaspora anywhere in the world, with around 3m people of Turkish origin. “Germany’s relationship with Turkey is not only a matter of foreign policy, but also a domestic issue,” says Sinem Adar of the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies in Berlin.
It helps Germany’s case that the Mediterranean is calm for now. So far this year nato has convened six rounds of talks between the Greek and Turkish armed forces, leading to the creation of a military hotline for use in crises. Negotiations between the two countries over drilling rights and related issues resumed earlier this year, though progress is slow. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, met Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, on the sidelines of a nato summit on June 14th.
Even so, just over a week later Turkey announced military exercises in the Aegean after accusing Greece of breaking an old understanding to avoid such exercises in the summer months. Next year the drills may involve the Piri Reis, watching silently from the deep. ■
German submarines are giving Turkey an edge over Greece | The Economist
Greece hardly has the national budget to support a submarine force.
Last I had heard, Turkey did not, either - per se.
Who is Uncle Sugar, behind the economics, on Turkey's new subs? German deep-state central bankers?
No direct threat to the U.S., nor Russian, naval forces in that AO - from the perspective of how the "deck" is stacked, today.
intothegoodnight
jward
passin' thru
TurkishFacts4u
@TurkishFacts4U
BREAKING: Pakistani officials are in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also discussing a mutual defence pact. This would mean the TRNC comes under a nuclear umbrella & allows for Pakistani bases.
3:50 AM · Jul 13, 2021·Twitter Web App
@TurkishFacts4U
BREAKING: Pakistani officials are in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also discussing a mutual defence pact. This would mean the TRNC comes under a nuclear umbrella & allows for Pakistani bases.
3:50 AM · Jul 13, 2021·Twitter Web App
jward
passin' thru
tom
@tom_bullock_
Check out the@JanesINTEL Russia summary for last month. Particularly interesting that elements of the 58th Combined Arms Army still appear to be in Crimea.
Significant because Russia claimed all these forces withdrew following the March/April build-up
View: https://twitter.com/tom_bullock_/status/1415250470717755392?s=20
@tom_bullock_
Check out the@JanesINTEL Russia summary for last month. Particularly interesting that elements of the 58th Combined Arms Army still appear to be in Crimea.
Significant because Russia claimed all these forces withdrew following the March/April build-up
View: https://twitter.com/tom_bullock_/status/1415250470717755392?s=20
Interesting......