Business Analyst - June 30

Thursday, June 30, 2022
Ukraine war: US to ramp up
military presence across Europe
tHE uS will increase its
military presence across
Europe as Nato agreed a
"fundamental shift" in its
response to Russia's invasion
of ukraine.
A permanent army headquarters will
be created in Poland, while new uS
warships will go to Spain, fighter jets to
the uK and ground troops to Romania.
Mr Biden said Nato was "needed now
more than it has ever been".
the alliance is having its biggest
overhaul since the Cold War, Nato head
Jens Stoltenberg said.
the new plan in response to Russia's
invasion will mean more than 300,000
troops at high readiness next year, up from
the current level of 40,000.
Mr Biden told a summit in Madrid that
Nato would be "strengthened in all
directions across every domain - land, air
and sea".
the uK's Ministry of defence (Mod)
has also said it is significantly increasing
the availability of forces to Nato's
collective defence, with more warships,
fighter jets and land forces on standby -
although the Mod said it would not give
details on numbers as they are "militarily
sensitive".
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the uS announcement sees it shore up
its presence across the continent but
particularly in eastern Europe where the
new permanent headquarters for its 5th
Army Corps will be based.
Mr Biden repeated the alliance's
commitment to "defend every inch" of its
territory, saying: "We mean it when we say
an attack against one is an attack against
all."
the measures include:
Boosting the fleet of uS naval
destroyers in Spain from four to six
An additional "rotational brigade in
Romania consisting of 3,000 fighters and
another 2,000-personnel combat team
two more squadrons of F-35 stealth
jets to the uK
Additional air defence and other
capabilities in Germany and Italy.
the uK has already nearly doubled the
size of its military presence in Estonia,
with just over 1,600 troops there.
About a thousand more will be
allocated to the defence of the Baltics,
however the Mod said these additional
troops may be held at high readiness back
home.
At the summit Nato leaders agreed to
accept the previously neutral Nordic states
Finland and Sweden into the alliance, with
their membership needing to be ratified
by the governments of all 30 Nato
members.
Mr Biden said this was "exactly" what
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not
want and said his strategy of invading
ukraine had backfired.
Nato Secretary General Mr Stoltenberg
said Finland and Sweden had been
formally invited to join the military
alliance, describing it as the "fastest
accession process ever", and said he
expected the swift progress to continue.
the two applicants must now show
that they meet Nato's standards in politics,
law, and in their armed forces - something
which is expected to be relatively
straightforward for the Nordic countries.
Mr Stoltenberg said ukraine could
continue to count on the alliance's
assistance in the face of Russian
aggression for "as long as it takes", adding
that ukraine was fighting for its
independence but also for values shared by
Nato.
Africa Live: AU calls for
Sudan-Ethiopia restraint
tHE head of the Au commission has called
for "restraint, calm and dialogue" as the
border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan
threatens to escalate.
In a statement, Moussa Faki Mahamat
said "the two brotherly countries" should
settle any disagreement peacefully.
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Ethiopian and Sudanese forces have
clashed at the disputed al-Fashaga border
area following the alleged capture, execution
and public display of the bodies of seven
Sudanese soldiers and a civilian killed over
the weekend.
Al-Fashaga is where the north-west of
Ethiopia's Amhara region meets Sudan's
breadbasket, Gedaref state.
It has been contested for decades but
tensions have increased over the last year
with regular skirmishes reported between
the two countries.