US Ambassador Praises Ecumenical Patriarch, Church of Greece

On 12 November 2019,US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt addressed the symposium "Religion in the Contemporary World: Challenges and Prospects for Dialogue and Peace" at the Armed Forces Club in Athens.The symposium was sponsered by Foreign Affairs The Hellenic Edition magazine; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; and the Holy Archdiocese of Athens.
Ambassador Pyatt noted that:
In the United States, there is deep respect for the Greek Orthodox Church, which played a key role in our civil rights movement and continues to promote our commonly held values of religious freedom and tolerance.
The United States has also long supported the Ecumenical Patriarch, valuing his firm commitment to interfaith dialogue and respecting his strong voice for the West.
In that spirit of understanding,I have greatly appreciated my visits with the Ecumenical Patriarch and was very pleased to accept His All-Holiness's invitation to visit Mt.Athos last year. I found the monastic community there to be a uniquely spiritual place where Greece's rich Orthodox tradition thrives in stunning monasteries and remote sketes,amid a virtually untouched natural landscape.
In America, we look forward greatly to His All-Holiness's planned visit to the United States in May of 2020, where the new Archbishop of America, our friend Elpidophoros, has been doing great work to deepen the already strong people-to-people ties between our countries.*
It is no surprise that malign actors like Russia, China, and Iran,who have different interests and values, engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.*
We see the Church of Greece's support of the Ecumenical Patriarch's decision to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as an example of His All-Holiness's moral courage and leadership.*
Russia is using religion as part of its hybrid warfare strategy, as a tool to achieve political objectives and spread false narratives.By competing with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Russia is trying to use the Church as a wedge to foment instability and undermine democracy.And just as Moscow manipulates energy resources to extract political concessions and high prices, it's now cutting off tourism and sacred practices, like commemoration in prayers, from countries that are not toeing its political line.*
Orthodoxy preserved Hellenism through Ottoman occupation and has been key to keeping Greek society together during the economic crisis.*

Former NATO Chief Warns Belarus About Putin

A former NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen,gave a warning to Belarus in an interview he gave to Ukrainian website Liga.net:
The key risk is the repetition of the Ukrainian scenario that includes war and annexation in Belarus.I would advise Belarus to introduce reforms leading to democracy and freedom.
We remember that statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin; he said that Belarus should become part of 'the great Russian power,'as well as the Crimean Peninsula.And I would like Belarus to get more assistance from the West; but we need to see Belarus switch to freedom and democracy.
Yes, he (Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko) does not want to do that; but he also does not want to live under Putin's pressure.He needs to choose between reforming and the Russians' tightening grip.*
As an example of this pressure,Mr.Lukashenko considered a response to NATO deploying intermediate range missiles in Europe in reaction to Russia's violation of the INF Treaty:
Because, together with Russia, we will have to think of reciprocal measures.It would be unavoidable if this happened.It would be even worse if,God forbid, missiles were deployed in Ukraine.*
Mr.Rasmussen was NATO Secretary General from 2009-14.

Greek Prime Minister Visits Turkey,Meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew and President Erdogan

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has made an official visit to Turkey,showing support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate while keeping the Greek-Turkish dialogue alive.On 6 February 2019,Mr.Tsipras attended a Divine Liturgy with His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at Holy Trinity Monastery on Heybeliada Island,Turkey.The monastery grounds contain the shuttered Halki Theological School,which the Turkish authorities closed in the 1970s.Later in the day,Mr.Tsipras called for the reopening of the School,which,he said:
would be evidence of friendship,mutual understanding and brotherhood.
Religious faith should bring people together,not divide them.*
The School was founded in 1844.Its alumni include several luminaries,among them being the late Patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras,as well as Patriarch Bartholomew.*
Prime Minister Tsipras was the first Greek premier to visit the School in more than 90 years.Later on Wednesday,he visited what many consider to have been the greatest church of the Byzantine era,Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.*
On Tuesday 5 February,Mr.Tsipras met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara,seeking to bolster relations between the two neighbours.Positive results of the talks included keeping the lines of communication open;arranging a meeting between the Greek and Turkish ministers of defence;and establishing a Greek/Turkish business forum in Thessaloniki,Greece.
President Erdogan said all issues between the two NATO Allies could be solved:
on an equitable basis and in a peaceful way.*
Mr.Erdogan linked the Halki Theological School reopening to the issue of the treatment of Turks living in Western Thrace,Greece,including their right to elect their own muftis.A set of talks should be held to resolve both issues.

US,Greece Initiate Strategic Dialogue

The US and Greece are stepping up their relations by holding their first ever Strategic Dialogue from 13-14 December 2018 in Washington,D.C.According to a news release by the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic,the Strategic Dialogue has an agenda including:
Regional affairs and economy;
Defence and Security;
Rule of Law and combatting terrorism;
Commerce-Investment and Innovation;
Energy cooperation;
and People to People ties.*
The Greek delegation will be led by the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs,Giorgos Katrougalos.On Thursday morning,there will be a first meeting with President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser,John Bolton.The two sides will also release a joint statement.
In the afternoon,Mr.Katrougalos will meet privately with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
On Friday,Mr.Katrougalos will meet with business leaders over a working breakfast,covering attracting business in such areas as energy;digital technology;start-ups;and innovation.
A number of Hellenic Republic deputy ministers are accompanying Mr.Katrougalos to focus on Economy and Development;Digital Policy,Telecommunications and Information;Environment and Energy;Citizen Protection;and Education.Admiral E.Apostolakis,Head of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff,will also participate in the Strategic Dialogue.*
The Strategic Dialogue represents the upgrading of Greek-American relations at all levels,while establishing systematic cooperation between the two sides on a wide range of issues,the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic said.*
In its Integrated Country Strategy,the US sees Greece as:
a pillar of stability in a complicated region.Its position in the Eastern Mediterranean in close proximity to the Balkans,the Black Sea region,North Africa and the Middle East elevates Greece's importance in addressing US national security and energy priorities.
By encouraging Greece to grow its role in the European energy sector and pushing education reform,Embassy Athens will combat global adversaries' attempts to exploit Greece's geopolitical importance and structural vulnerabilities to destabilize the region and incite anti-Western sentiment.

Colder As She Goes:Britain's New Defence Arctic Strategy

In the face of a Russia that is reopening Cold War era bases in the Arctic and increasing the number of submarine patrols in the area,not to mention violating British sovereignty by conducting a chemical weapons attack on British soil,killing an innocent British citizen in the process,Great Britain's Minister of Defence,Gavin Williamson,is presenting a new Defence Arctic Strategy to the Conservative Party and the British public.
Beginning in 2019,the UK will deploy 800 Royal Marine and British Army commandos to a new base in Northern Norway,close to the border with Russia,every winter for at least 10 years.They will operate with US and Dutch Marines at the outpost,as well as Norwegian troops,drilling to increase their capacity for Arctic warfighting.
Mr.Williamson explained:
We will not let Russia rewrite the outcome of the Cold War.*
Before addressing his concerns to the Conservative Party Conference,Mr.Williamson revealed that:
We see Russian submarine activity very close to the level that it was at the Cold War,and it's right that we start responding to that...This threat has really come back to the fore.If we want to be protecting our interests in what is effectively our own backyard,this is something we need to be doing.*
The US had previously announced that,at Norway's request,it was more than doubling the number of Marines deployed on rotation to Norway from about 330 to 700,and extending the bilateral agreement with Norway for another five years.*
Russia has criticised both moves,saying they are unnecessary and will only increase tensions in the Arctic.

US Strategic Command:Space,Frontier and Front Line

US Air Force General John E. Hyten,Commander,US Strategic Command,gave the annual John Glenn Lecture at the Smithsonian National Air&Space Museum in Washington on 13 June 2018.Through its component commands,particularly US Air Force Space Command,STRATCOM leads the military effort to secure and sustain America's leadership in outer space.
General Hyten noted that:
When we have adversaries such as Russia and China that openly declare in their doctrine that they are going to build weapons to take away our space capabilities,we have to do something about it.So we're going to change.We're going to change the way we look at space.We're going to look at space,and we're going to define our future,and we're going to treat space as if it's a warfighting environment.There's no such thing as war in space;there's just war.
We have adversaries that are building weapons to take away our use of space,so we have to do something to prevent them from doing that.So we're going to build different systems;and different ways of doing business;and we're going to build operators that think about space as a warfighting domain;so that every adversary that looks at us will not try to contest us in that area,because,if they do,they'll realise that they'll lose.And that will prevent war from extending into space.We're taking measures so that any attack on our space architecture will be met in a manner,time and place of our choosing.That's what our current national security strategy says.We going to put a priority on building new capabilities to defend ourselves.Space superiority is not our birthright.Russia and China are both building weapons that are going to challenge us.*
This place pales in comparison to what we can actually do if we move out into space again.STRATCOM has kept the old Strategic Air Command's motto:"Peace is our profession.."There are two dots at the end of it.We do want peace;but we are ready if you cross the line.Because if you are ready,I do not think that they will ever cross that line.*
We have an amazing partnership with NASA.Both former director Charlie Bolden and new director Jim Bridenstine understand there's a critical role that we have to play,and we have to partner.How do we do that? If we don't treat space as a warfighting domain,war will move into space,and we won't be able to deal with it.The great news is that everybody's aligned on what we have to do to prevent that.That's the good news.I'm not going to tell you in this room exactly what we're doing,because that would kind of defeat the purpose;but just walk around this museum and you'll see all the things we're going to do,because it is the same problem we faced in the air a century ago,and now we have to figure out how to defend ourselves without creating debris.
You can't defend if everything's in the black;and we haven't decided as a nation.My job is to give input to that;but that will be a political decision for the President and Congress to together decide what is that going to be;and that will eventually show up in the budget,and the people will see it and talk about it,and then we'll go down that path.In all domains that we operate in,we will provide a strategic deterrent;and it starts with a nuclear capability,but it also involves space,and so we have to decide how we're going to deter in space,and that's why it's an important topic for conversation.*
Analysis:It's often conjectured that perhaps a lot of what we're planning in space warfighting is being tested on the Air Force's top secret space plane,the Boeing X-37B,which is a very long-duration flyer,staying up in space for years at a time.*
Boeing (BA)

Around a War-torn Region,Part 2:CENTCOM Commander Briefs Congress on the Strategic Road Ahead

US Army General Joseph L. Votel,Commander,US Central Command,continued to brief the House Armed Services Committee on 27 February 2018 on the challenges CENTCOM faces in its massive Area of Responsibility:
We do maintain a constant presence in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,into the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman as well,and through our very close partnership with our partners.We have three combined maritime task forces that are led out of our naval headquarters in Bahrain,that include a variety of different nations.I think that this is a very key way for us to maintain our influence and pursue our interests in the CENTCOM maritime environment.*
In the Bab el Mandeb Strait,60-70 ships a day go through it.Mining is a very real threat that we have to pay attention to,using our intelligence and experience to help our partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE to optimise their capabilities.We absolutely do have intelligence assets on the Bab el Mandeb,and I would be very glad to go into the details with you in a different setting.*
In Afghanistan this season,our intention is to grab the initiative,break the stalemate and begin to expand population control in this year and next (the Taliban currently have 12% of the population under their control,while the Afghan government has 64% of the population,and the rest is contested),and then ensure that we create an environment for credible elections to take place.It's one of the most important things that the Afghan people need to see from their government.
It's very clear that the majority of the ISR (Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance) in the region is being provided by the United States.We have the largest concentration of MQ-9s (drones) down at Kandahar Airfield  to support General Nicholson and his forces,and that's adequate for what he needs right now;but,given his druthers,I'm sure that he would want more,and so we would want more in all these areas.The faster that we can continue to provide those capabilities,the better.*
I am concerned that these areas in the Southwest of Syria are becoming collection zones of
unsavoury elements,and eventually they will have to be dealt with.I am concerned that these will become bigger problems.In places like Idlib,these groups that have come together do potentially pose long-term challenges for the security of the region,above and beyond Syria,General Votel told the Members of Congress on Capitol Hill last month.

Around a Wartorn Region:CENTCOM Commander Briefs Congress on the Strategic Roadmap

More than 200 military officers from 49 countries are working at US CENTCOM headquarters at McDill Air Force Base,Florida,CENTCOM commander General Joseph Votel,US Army,told the House Armed Services Committee on 27 February 2018:
We are grateful for,and largely depend upon,their partnership.*
In the course of the hearing,General Votel responded to a number of strategically important topics raised by the Members of Congress,mainly concerned with terrorism in South Asia and North Africa,as well as the malign role of Iran in the region.A classified session followed the open session.*
On Iran,General Votel noted that:
The increasing,not just quantity,but quality of their ballistic missiles,and the increasing export of these capabilities to other groups around the region.These weapons threaten to widen the conflict in Yemen,threatening our forces in Saudi Arabia,as well as our partners.They have sent coastal defence cruise missiles to the Bab el Mandeb Strait-some of them have been modified.We know these are not capabilities that the Houthi rebels in Yemen had.The presence of explosive boats,the increased presence of mines in this area are all very similar to the layered threats that Iran has posed to the Strait of Hormuz,and we hold them accountable for that.
Their continuing and changing power projection model-not only their own forces,but their proxies and partners that they are attempting to support around the region.We are helping Saudi Arabia to optimise their capabilities-many of which are from the US-and we are seeing some progress in that regard.*
On foreign fighters leaving following the massive defeats of ISIL in Iraq and Syria and going home to Turkey (900 fighters) and Saudi Arabia (1760 fighters):
They have experience and tactics that could be applied to other places.They're radicalised;so they have the ability to bring others on board with this.We have always attempted to isolate these areas and prevent the escape of these fighters,so they're either killed or captured where we take them on,and I think that we're successful in that.We do have some ability to interdict foreign fighters as they attempt to evacuate the areas.
Turkey has been absolutely vital to the campaign plan.We're keeping clear,open and professional lines of communication to Turkey as to what we're doing with other partners.*
Success in Afghanistan and in South Asia will require a strong relationship and the cooperation of Pakistan.I do have frequent and routine,very professional communications with my counterpart.We talk almost weekly.We meet frequently face-to-face.I can't characterise the relationship as trustful at this particular point.There is a lot of history there that has to be overcome;but what I would also tell you is,we are beginning to see positive indications.Through these communications,they're reporting to us some of the actions they are taking on the ground.There are positive indications that they are moving in the right direction.It does not yet equal the decisive action that we would like to see them take in turns of a strategic shift,but they are positive indicators,and it gives me hope that our approach is the right one.It gives me hope that we can restore this very important relationship.*
US strikes in Yemen have had a very significant impact on Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.Certainly it has impacted their ability to conduct external operations.It's gone to the areas where they have had sanctuary;it has continued to present them multiple dilemmas that they have had to deal with;so not only are they contending with our strikes,but they're also contending with partner operations that we work up with our Arab partners on the ground and our Yemeni partners on the ground.And this has become very,very effective.And I will tell you that we are extending that to ISIS in Yemen as well.That is not as well-developed as AQ is,but of course it is ISIS.We understand their ideology;we understand where they're going,and so we're concerned about them as well.*