Anti-Russian "Strong Jazz". NATO creates a springboard for the strategic strike force in Poland and the Baltic countries
In the system of operational and strategic training of NATO troops, the “Steadfast Jazz - 2013” exercise (translated into Russian as “Strong Jazz-2013”) held in November was the culmination of the outgoing year. They passed on land, at sea and in the air. More than 6, thousands of military, around 350 armored vehicles, 57 combat aircraft and helicopters, 11 surface ships and 2 submarines were involved in the training of combat missions.Western media called these exercises the largest in the last decade, tracked their progress. Our media rarely dealt with this topic and were extremely cautious, as if they were afraid to offend NATO with any statement that did not coincide with the official position of the alliance. However, this is a separate conversation.
The scenario of the exercises was commented on by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Joint Command of the Joint Armed Forces of NATO "Brunsyum" (Netherlands), Major General of the French Armed Forces Michel Yakovleff (his grandfather was from Russia). In an interview with ITAR-TASS, he, in particular, said: "The opponent of the multinational NATO forces at these exercises was a fictional country called Botnia that attacked Estonia." And add, captured part of its territory. The North Atlantic Alliance decided to launch a collective defense mechanism and dispatched the Rapid Reaction Force to the area of regional conflict.
Even before the start of the maneuvers, the Alliance’s public diplomacy service began to create a series of pseudo-news TV stories telling about the systemic crisis that began two months before the war in Botnia, a country supposedly located in Scandinavia.
At the same time, according to these plots, it was a question of a large regional power, “possessing significant reserves of oil and gas”. Clear what country is meant.
After the inclusion of Poland (1999) and the Baltic countries (2004) into NATO, the operational equipment of the territory of these countries and the re-equipment of national armies under the standards of the alliance proceeded at an accelerated pace in the post-Soviet space. That was the way NATO moved eastward. It seems that some forces in the alliance decided by 2008 that the time for dividing the riches of the post-Soviet space had come. Then the well-known statements of M. Albright, Z. Brzezinski, C. Rice about the need to share resources appeared. Apparently, therefore, commenting on the results of the exercises, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also stressed that these maneuvers were “not directed against Russia”. Who would doubt that?..
From European countries, only Belarus and Russia did not take part in “Strong Jazz”. In this situation, apparently, it is not difficult to understand who the enemy is, even if conditional. For more than five years, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have offered to hold NATO military exercises on their territory, since they passionately wanted to make sure that the alliance would immediately come to their rescue in conditions of a “regional crisis”. It is also easy to understand where the Baltic countries are from, where the threat is seen.
Analysts have yet to assess these unprecedented operational activities, which, we emphasize, were held in close proximity to the Russian borders, but quite definite conclusions can be drawn today. Thus, the Supreme Commander of the Joint Armed Forces (OVS) of NATO in Europe, Philip Breedlove, made a statement that all the exercises' tasks were successfully completed.
“Strong Jazz” practically opened a new stage in stories Alliance, resuming large-scale military maneuvers, is a step to which NATO goes consciously and prudently.
As is known, in 2014, NATO will complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan. During the 12 years of the Afghan war, the bloc gained significant combat experience. In order not to lose it, to ensure high combat capability, the effectiveness of the interaction of the Allied forces, the alliance began a movement to resume the practice of strategic maneuvers. Alexander Grushko, Russia's permanent representative to NATO, defined the essence of the November Strong Jazz-2013: “... we see that the scenario of this doctrine was built according to the canons of the Cold War, provides for a military clash, partial occupation of the territory, restoration of territorial integrity. And where? In the Baltic region and on the territory of Poland, where the main field phase will take place. ”
However, both land and water, and the air of the Baltic countries have long been turned into a single proving ground for working out joint actions of the NATO allied forces. Previously, the leadership of the alliance explained the conduct of large-scale military maneuvers in the region by their peacekeeping essence, as well as the need for real preparation for participation in the operation as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Now, the aggressive nature of operational and combat training measures is not particularly hidden. According to representatives of the alliance, the exercises in Eastern Europe will reflect the new situation after the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, when the organization once again intends to focus on the protection of the territories of its member countries.
NATO military activity in the Baltic countries and Poland in 2010 – 2012 steadily increased, only in 2012 was 13 conducted large-scale exercises, during which questions of the transfer and use of troops were worked out. In 2013, before the “Steadfast Jazz-2013” in the Baltic region, several NATO exercises took place at once - “BALTOPS”, “Saber Strike”, “Baltic Eye”, “Kevadtorm”. Practically, the preparation for the teachings lasted more than two years. Editor in Chief of National Defense Magazine and Director of the World Trade Analysis Center weapons Igor Korotchenko, following the results of the exercise “Steadfast Jazz-2013”, noted that NATO had completed the scenario of full-scale military operations against Russia.
The initiator of the "Steadfast Jazz-13" was the Polish side. During the exercises in Latvia, the headquarters of the NATO Rapid Reaction Forces was located in NATO and command and staff exercises were held, and field exercises were held at the Dravsko - Pomorsk training ground in Poland. Note that the land phase of the maneuvers, which received the code name "Land Livex", ended with an offensive operation in an easterly direction.
“The military is always training. This is their job. Problems arise not when exercises are conducted, but if these exercises are not sufficiently transparent. This year we have made very important steps with Russia in terms of increasing mutual trust, but we still have the potential for further work, ”said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Alas, the head of the alliance is somewhat cunning. The Steadfast Jazz-2013 exercise led a long list of past maneuvers with the “strong” cliché. However, according to the Minister of Defense of Latvia Artis Pabriks, during the “Strong Jazz”, the real scenario of repelling an attack on the Baltic States was finally played: “... a specific attack was directed against Estonia. Additional NATO forces arrived, eliminated the enemy in the occupied territory and returned the country’s sovereignty. ” Pabriks expressed particular satisfaction with the fact that he received from the high command of the armies of NATO countries praise to Latvia as the host country and their command center. On the thesis of the "host country" should pay special attention.
Within the framework of the Steadfast Jazz-2013 exercise, the Baltic Host maneuvers were held, which are a test of the readiness of the Baltic countries to receive military contingents on their territory.
The alliance’s Internet resources indicate that after the withdrawal of the Western coalition troops from Afghanistan, NATO’s plans will focus on Eastern Europe, primarily Poland and the Baltic States. It is assumed that the US, UK and United States 9 divisions will be redeployed from Western Europe. Germany.
At the same time, the United States and Great Britain intend to increase their Baltic presence fleet.
In Lithuania, an inter-ministerial committee has already been established to receive new NATO units. At the airbase in the city of Lask (Poland), American F-16 airplanes are being redeployed from Aviano's air base (Italy). In Poland, 5 advanced fuel and lubricant bases and 6 early warning radar sites were created. In 2012, the NATO Energy Security Center appeared in Vilnius.
According to the plans of the US military presence in Europe, significant changes will occur with the grouping of troops, primarily in Germany. Currently, about 52 thousand American servicemen are deployed in the Federal Republic of Germany. According to the State Department’s dispatch of a new military strategy for the United States before 2015, the Federal Republic of Germany must leave a total of 10471 from an American soldier. The cuts will affect 23 locations of US troops, located mainly in the federal states of Hesse and Baden-Württemberg. The full withdrawal of the American contingent is still out of the question. In particular, the largest military base in Ramstein, where the European missile defense command center is located, will continue to function. Of the more than 40 thousands remaining in the FRG until the end of 2025, about 15 thousand will be relocated to Poland and the Baltic States.
The territories of Poland and the Baltic countries have actually become a springboard for accommodating and transferring advanced parts of the United States to the European continent. In particular, the ports in the cities of Swinoujscie and Gdynia (Poland) were rebuilt according to the standards of the alliance and are capable of receiving American and British landing and transport ships. The increased US interest in the development of the port of Klaipeda is of particular caution. Thanks to the program to improve the military infrastructure of the NATO member countries, the cargo turnover was increased and the capacity of the Klaipeda port to receive vessels of various displacement was expanded. In response to the “aggressive actions of Russia,” the United States is ready to begin building up the naval group in the Baltic Sea.
Before the beginning of the naval exercises in the framework of the “Steadfast Jazz-2013” in the Polish port of Gdynia 27 in October, a meeting of representatives of the Navy of NATO member states was held on board the ship “De Ruyter”. The commander of the naval component of the exercises was a Pole M. Koschelsky. In total, 17 naval officers from Poland, 3 from Italy and 3 from Latvia were included in the headquarters. In addition to the flagship De Ruyter, Polish warships (frigate Gen. T. Kosciuszko, submarine Sokol2, anti-submarine helicopters Mi-14PL, deck helicopter SH-2G) and Italian destroyer Duilio took part in the exercises on the Baltic Sea .
In total, 15 ships from NATO 8 countries participated in the exercise, as well as a special NATO mine defense team from 6 ships of the Navy of Poland, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, reinforced by minesweepers Czajka (Poland) and Ledbury (Great Britain) .
Sea maneuvers were held in the Baltic Sea and the Gdansk Bay. Despite the small composition of the naval grouping, large-scale tasks were set for it. According to the statements of the Polish Navy command, during the “Steadfast Jazz-2013”, questions of “covering” the navigable waterways and ports were worked out, in particular, repelling an air attack and countering enemy submarines, as well as conducting search and rescue operations. The NATO Mine Action Group improved the procedure for joint action to clean up areas from minefields.
In this regard, we note that, despite protests from Russia about the militarization of the Baltic region, NATO, under the auspices of the United States, continues to explore the Baltic Sea and the territory of the Baltic countries as a potential theater of military operations. Back in 1999, the NATO exercise Baltops-30 was conducted in 99 kilometers from the territorial waters of Russia in the Baltic Sea. 46 ships, four submarines and up to 50 aircraft from the USA, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, France, Holland took part in them. Latvia was represented by observers. Since then, such exercises in the Baltic Sea began to be held annually. Nowadays, operational and combat training activities of NATO's Joint Armed Forces regularly take place both on the territory of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and in their territorial waters.
A curious fact: in August, the international operation “Open Spirit – 2013” took place in the Baltic Sea to destroy the remaining 20th-century world wars. mines and other explosives. According to Lithuanian Navy Commander Admiral Kestutis Matsiauskas, this is the largest joint demining exercise in Lithuanian sea waters from 2010, where 12 teams of warships were involved, including from the Baltic squadron BALTRON, and four diver teams. The operation involved military personnel from 10 countries: Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Italy, USA, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Estonia. But this is not the whole truth. Under the guise of a mine search and clearance operation, the interaction of the headquarters of individual countries is being improved, a map of the minefields, and bottom features for the passage of American submarines are specified. Such operations in the territorial waters of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been carried out since 1996 on the initiative of Sweden. Since 2002, the Baltic republics have taken over the organization of operations.
It should be particularly noted that the most important component of the preparation of the maritime component of the Steadfast Jazz-013 exercises was the development of elements of the strategic offensive operation to block Kaliningrad, which consisted of mining the Baltic Sea areas and the port water area. In the event of a crisis, such an operation will provide a strategic advantage in terms of the transfer of naval assault ships from the US and the UK by transport ships, and most importantly, will ensure the neutralization of the forces and means of the Baltic Fleet of Russia located in the Kaliningrad region.
According to Russian military experts, the concept and specific strategic actions to encircle, dismember, and destroy the Kaliningrad group of forces were developed in the US 5-6 years ago.
Exercises in this scenario have already been conducted in Poland and Lithuania: with the transfer of troops, building up aviation and maritime alliance groups in the Baltic region. The same issues were worked out during the operational exercise “Strong Jazz”. This state of affairs resembles the situation with the blocking of Soviet ships in the Gulf of Finland during World War II.
To build up the aviation grouping in Poland, according to NATO standards, seven airfields were equipped, capable of receiving all types of aircraft. In addition, airplanes and flight crews from the United States constantly participate in combat training of the country's air force. This allowed American pilots to explore the alleged theater of operations in Eastern Europe. It should be added that the Lithuanian and Latvian airfields at Zokniai and Lielvarde air bases were modernized accordingly. In addition, the reconstruction of Emari airbase in Estonia was completed last year. In the summer of 2012 in Emari, during the Saber Strike exercise, American A-10 attack aircraft and KC-135 tankers from the National Guard (Michigan air base) were based. Another aviation group from an air base in Maryland visited Emari this summer.
Separately, it is worth noting that from year to year the alliance is improving ways of delivering weapons and military equipment to the Baltic region. In addition to railways and sea lanes already tested at last year’s exercises, another one is being actively developed - air.
And for some reason, nothing is known about the removal of military equipment and weapons from the region, which were regularly delivered there to participate in exercises. The question is, of course, interesting ...
To ensure the actions of a group of troops in the region, an appropriate infrastructure is being created. In Lithuania, there is an interdepartmental committee for the admission of NATO troops to the country's territory. It consists of deputy heads of ministries and departments who can be employed to ensure the deployment of alliance military personnel on Lithuanian territory. One of the main tasks of the committee is to coordinate the activities of various state bodies of Lithuania in the interests of receiving and deploying NATO armed forces in the country. Back in 2010, issues of strategic redeployment were worked out, ports and airfields, railway and highway infrastructure were equipped, roads were built even in the Baltic dunes. But the implementation of the Rail Baltica project, which envisages the construction of a railway from Tallinn to Warsaw, was abandoned by Latvia and Estonia. For the reason, they say, the lack of necessary funds. But finances were found on the high-speed railway Riga - Moscow. (What is not a classic example of the operational equipment of the territory of the alleged enemy by proxy and at the expense of others?)
So the routes of the movement of the NATO groups after deployment in the Baltics are quite obvious: Riga - Moscow and Tallinn - St. Petersburg.
As you know, before the battle of Klyastitsy from July 30 to August 1 1812 (the battle took place on the territory of today's Belarus, Russia and Latvia) Napoleon said: “If I take Kiev, I will take Russia by the legs; if I seize Petersburg, I will take her by the head; taking Moscow, I will hit her in my heart. ” What ended his story is well known. Do not forget that the alliance also never defended, he always attacked first. Today, the “oppression” of Latvians in the Pytalovsky district of the Pskov region, the Poles in Belarus, the accusations of Russia of “wrong sharing” of the Arctic shelf, etc. can be used as a pretext. Large NATO exercises may well be harbingers of very specific military operations in the center of Europe. There are considerable examples of this, but above all - the brutal bombardment of Yugoslavia in March of 1999 and the air operation against Libya in 2011.
Steadfast Jazz-13 exercises were held at 11 training grounds in Poland and the Baltic countries. For the first time, Polish territory turned out to be a zone of major military exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance since Poland joined NATO. The importance of Poland remains relevant today, which 18 of 1939 in October was noted in his diary by the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the Nazi Wehrmacht Ground Forces, General Franz Halder: “Poland is a German springboard for the future” - but adjusted for time. “Of course, this is a signal to anyone who might have intentions to attack a NATO ally,” said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, head of NATO, about the exercises.
In his commentary to Pravda.Ru, military expert, First Vice-President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Konstantin Sivkov suggested the following:
“The West is working out the establishment of a new world order. The fact that neutral Finland and Sweden are participating in NATO exercises suggests that a wider bloc is forming in the western direction.
The goal is the redistribution of raw materials in the face of inability to get out of the global financial crisis. Cheap available raw materials can be secured by force. It is no coincidence that in the last elections to the European Parliament, the right and the far right, personifying aggressive aspirations, are leading. There is fascization of the West. We saw the same phenomenon in 1930, which also coincided with the global economic crisis. Then the exit from it was war. Apparently, the situation is repeated.
In fact, all Russia's neighbors in this area, thank God, except for Belarus (as long as they haven’t made a “color revolution” and planted an analogue of Saakashvili-Yushchenko), they have claims against us, some countries openly express them.
And it is quite clear that all of them - Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, can participate in the war with the Russian Federation. The elites of these countries are Russophobic, as in Poland, Latvia, Estonia, or coldly neutral.
Speaking about the danger of neighborhood with the Russian Federation from these countries are heard regularly, for example, in 2007, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, the Minister of Defense of Finland Jüri Häkämijes said that the three main threats to the security of Finland are Russia, Russia and again . And his opinion in Finland is shared by many politicians and public figures. The Russian threat is regularly stated in Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, this topic has become particularly acute in connection with the August 2008 war. In addition, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway expressed doubts as to whether the NATO bloc could protect them if anything happened. Latvia, Estonia and Finland have territorial claims to the Russian Federation (which are not clearly expressed yet, but what should be heated up for them ?!) for a reason for war. ”
According to K. Sivkov, Germany remains the most adequate neighbor in this area, although we have “rich” experience of wars with it. In Berlin, there are no tantrums about the Russian threat. But Finland and Sweden are increasingly inclined to the idea of joining NATO. For example, Sweden, a neutral country, became a participant in the war against Libya. Moreover, the army of Sweden is not “strengthening” NATO in the form of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This is one of the most combat-ready armies in Europe, a state with a powerful military-industrial complex, a leader in a number of military areas, for example, naval submarines (non-nuclear submarines).
Military analyst of the Belarusian portal “Military-Political Review” Semyon Zalevsky believes that the objectives of the NATO maneuvers in the Baltic region are the neutralization of the Baltic Fleet and the localization of the Kaliningrad region. Indeed, history teaches that teaches nothing. Captured in Stalingrad, Hitler's Field Marshal Paulus, who was directly involved in developing the Barbarossa war plan against our country, later testified that "the seizure of Moscow was to be preceded by the seizure of Leningrad," namely, "many goals were pursued, namely: capture of the main bases of the Russian Baltic Fleet ... "Today, NATO is actively developing this potential theater of military operations. Since February 2012, the NATO Council, for example, has extended for an indefinite period the mission to control the airspace of the Baltic countries. An information campaign is growing up on charges of the Russian Federation for allegedly increasing the number of troops and armaments in the Western Military District and the Kaliningrad Region. And let me emphasize: in the western direction against Russia, the “northern mini-NATO” is also taking shape in order to counter our interests in the Arctic. This topic has already been specifically heard in London, where in January 2011, under the chairmanship of England, the North European Summit was held. It was attended by the United Kingdom, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
On the eve of the “Strong Jazz” exercise, the commander of NATO ground forces, Lieutenant-General Frederick Ben Hodges stressed that no one can today with NATO: “Whoever wants to speak out against what NATO or its member states stand for is looking for others to achieve its goals ways They can never beat the NATO Air Force or Navy. They are looking for other ways ... ”Nobody dared argue and hardly dares in the near future: soldiers from 20 of NATO member countries (total 28) - Albania, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, the USA, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France and Germany, as well as from Ukraine (naval infantry company), Finland, the Alliance's partner state, and officially neutral Sweden .
So, the alliance has recently fought in the Mediterranean with Libya (a tactical group), wages a protracted war in Afghanistan, occupied Iraq, but at the same time, under the legend of certain operational-combat training activities, it creates in the northeast of Europe a strike force of a strategic level equal to there is no world.
Given this, one cannot seriously take statements of this kind that, they say, NATO does not threaten anyone in modern conditions. It is clearly seen that the sense of existence of NATO is still a movement to the East. The strategic concept of such expansion was adopted by NATO in 1999, in the days of the bombing of Yugoslavia, and no one has canceled these plans.
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