The huge American bomber planes were escorted into the Arctic Circle by Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighters on March 6, the same day as Donald Trump talked with his aides in Washington D.C. about a possible dramatic NATO policy shift.

According to ABC News, Trump said about European NATO allies: ”If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.” Meanwhile, inside the Arctic Circle, two B-52 bombers were on a so-called ”training mission.” Such missions have taken place several times since last year, often reported about by the Barents Observer.  However, drop of live-firing bombs is not everyday procedures.

”B-52 bombers carried out air-to-ground drops now for the first time in Finland,” the Air Force confirmed Thursday evening. Läs artikel

Work is under way to make all men in Poland undergo military training, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

In a speech to the Polish parliament, Tusk said the government aimed to give full details in the coming months. Efforts are being made to ”prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in Poland,” he told the Sejm.

”We will try to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in the event of war, so that this reserve is comparable and adequate to the potential threats.” Läs artikel

Sveriges försvar måste växa snabbt men exakt hur många som kan mobiliseras om kriget kommer är uppgifter som Försvarsmakten håller hemligt.

”Det är ett politiskt beslut hur stora vi ska vara och hur många vid ska bli vid mobilisering”, säger Michael Malm, totalförsvarsstrateg på Försvarsmakten.

I Regeringens senaste försvarsbeslut talas det om två brigader som ska bli fyra till 2030. Läs artikel

Informationen är knapphändig men beskedet gäller övningar där USA är en viktig pusselbit för helheten av övningsverksamheten i Europa och i förlängningen försvaret av den europeiska kontinenten.

Enligt Expressens källor gäller det amerikanska planeringsstoppet inte beslutade övningar som ska genomföras under 2025.

– Det gäller övningar som just nu ligger på ”ritbordet”, alltså lite längre fram, säger en av Expressens källor.

Om beskedet står sig betyder det att Sverige och övriga Nato-länder tvingas planera övningar utan amerikanskt deltagande eller med endast små amerikanska enheter i övningarna.

Från amerikansk sida vill man minska de militära utgifterna i Europa och lägga dem någon annanstans. Trump har uttryckt att han vill prioritera den indo-pacifiska regionen och då handlar det framför allt om att punktmarkera Kina. Läs artikel

Statsminister Mette Frederiksen åbnede forud for EU-topmødet i dag for at snakke om atomvåben som en del af det danske forsvar. Noget, der, ifølge politisk analytiker på TV 2 Ask Rostrup, er et svar, som ingen anden dansk statsminister de sidste 30 år ville have givet. […]

Journalist:Er det her noget der sker i anerkendelse af, at vi ikke længere kan være sikker på at have USA som vores allierede?

Mette Frederiksen: Det korte svar er ”ja”.

[…] In between Eisenhower and the current boss, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, it’s always been an American at the desk, holding the lofty title of Supreme Allied Commander Europe. With Cavoli’s three-year tour expected to end this summer, one question up for debate is whether the time has come for a European general to step into the role. The decision will largely depend on the outlook of President Donald Trump, who has demanded that Europeans shoulder a larger share of the security burden on the Continent. A move to Europeanize the top NATO command post could be one way for Trump to signal he wants the United States to play a smaller role. The long-standing tradition of an American SACEUR isn’t a NATO mandate but more of a “gentlemen’s agreement” that also entails the alliance’s civilian leader be a European, according to Jorge Benitez, a NATO historian with the Atlantic Council think tank. […]

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to begin discussions with his European counterparts about providing a nuclear deterrent for Europe. If such moves are a prelude to a European SACEUR, the alliance would suffer, some security analysts say. “I think turning this over to Europeans would seriously damage NATO deterrence and weaken the alliance,” said a NATO scholar, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job. “One of America’s major strengths, which no European country can replicate, is our ability to herd the cats that are the various defense establishments across the Continent.” While a European country could fill the slot, it would lack the credibility and authority that an American four-star officer brings to the table, he said. Läs artikel

Compulsory military service should be reintroduced this year in Germany, a leading official of the party that won recent federal elections said this week amid growing questions about the reliability of U.S. defense commitments. “The first conscripts will have to walk through the barracks gates in 2025,” Florian Hahn, a defense policy spokesman for the center-right Christian Democratic Union, told the German newspaper Bild on Tuesday. Germany suspended military conscription in 2011, but the CDU and its Bavarian counterpart, the Christian Social Union, say the current security situation makes the status quo no longer tenable. “We cannot stand by and watch as the world around us becomes more unsafe,” Hahn said. […]
Meanwhile, Andre Wüstner, the chairman of the German Armed Forces Association, which represents volunteer reservists, said some form of a draft should begin immediately. “Without some kind of new conscription, we will not be able to recruit and retain the personnel we need,” he said Tuesday on Welt-TV. Läs artikel

1. The European Council held an exchange of views with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine.

2. The European Union has from the very beginning stood by Ukraine as it exercises its inherent right to self-defence against Russia’s full-scale war of aggression, and it will continue to stand by Ukraine and its people. The European Council reaffirms its continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. […]

9. In the light of negotiations for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, the European Union and Member States are ready to further contribute to security guarantees based on their respective competences and capabilities, in line with international law, including by exploring the possible use of common security and defence policy (CSDP) instruments. Security guarantees should be undertaken together with Ukraine, as well as with like-minded and NATO partners.

10. The European Council recalls that all military support as well as security guarantees for Ukraine will be provided in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States. Läs uttalandet

Från april till juni ska sex till åtta Gripenplan med piloter och servicepersonal baseras i Polen för att patrullera polskt luftrum och vara en del i Natos luftövervakning. Detta är första gången Sverige deltar med stridsflyg i Natos framskjutna försvar, enligt regeringen.

– Det syftar till att avskräcka ett anfall eller i värsta fall bedriva försvar om alliansen skulle utsättas för väpnat angrepp, säger Pål Jonson.

– De kommer att verka i Natos norra område för luftövervakning.

Förbandet som utgör den svenska styrkan kommer från flygflottiljen F21 i Luleå. Utöver piloter rör det sig om markpersonal på ungefär 110 personer.

Regeringen vill också att upp till åtta Gripenplan i sommar ska skydda Natos verksamhet i Polen, NSATU, för att understödja och samordna vapenleveranser till Ukraina. NSATU finns på plats i Polen med personal, byggnader och uppställningsplatser.

– Skyddet är centralt för att det militära och civila materielstödet till Ukraina ska kunna fortgå, säger utrikesminister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).

– Genom att delta i insatsen bidrar vi till att stödet till Ukraina kommer fram.

Regeringen lägger i dag fram en proposition för att riksdagen ska godkänna en sådan insats. Regeringen föreslår också att Sverige ska bidra med luft- och sjöövervakningsförmåga och flygburen transportförmåga. Läs artikel