Tag: Patriot

NATO missile defense battery in Turkey operational

BRUSSELS (AP) — The first of six Patriot missile batteries being deployed to Turkey to protect against attack from Syria was declared operational and placed under NATO command, the international organization said Saturday.

The battery, provided by the Netherlands, is meant to protect the city of Adana by shooting down missiles that could come over the Syrian border. Turkey has become a harsh critic of the regime in Syria, where a vicious civil war has left at least 60,000 people dead.

The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are providing two batteries each of the latest version of the U.S.-made Patriots. The other five Patriot batteries are expected to be in place and operational in the coming days in Adana, Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

“This is a clear demonstration of the agility and flexibility of NATO forces and of our willingness to defend Allies who face threats in an unstable world,” Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, said in a statement.

NATO reiterated Saturday that the Patriots are for defensive purposes only. Syria has not fired any of its surface-to-surface missiles at Turkey during its nearly two-year civil war and its government has described the NATO deployment as a provocation.

NATO also deployed Patriot batteries to Turkey during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq 10 years ago. They were never used and were withdrawn a few months later.

via NATO missile defense battery in Turkey operational – Yahoo! News.

January 27, 2013
Why were German soldiers ‘attacked’ in Turkey?

Why were German soldiers ‘attacked’ in Turkey?

The recent attack on German soldiers by a group of Turkish nationalists in Iskenderun reveals the distrust some Turks feel toward the West, NATO and the US. It seems likely that more protests will follow.

For the German soldiers deployed in Turkey to work on Patriot missile installations, there’s good reason to feel a bit confused. First the Turkish government demanded the assistance of NATO allies to defend itself against potential rocket attacks due to the turmoil in neighboring Syria.

Yet barely had German soldiers set foot on Turkish soil when they were met by protests and physical attacks by Turkish citizens. For weeks now, a colorful smattering of political groups, made up of nationalists, communists and Islamists have been protesting against the installation of Patriot missiles in Turkey. The attack on German soldiers in Iskenderun this week was the culmination of those demonstrations.

Green tanks roll across a parking lot after exiting the the large ship that carried them. (Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas) German Patriots arrived at Iskenderun’s port in early January

“We’re going to fight until NATO soldiers are driven out of our country,” said Cagdas Cengiz, vice chairman of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB), a left-wing nationalist group, during a demonstration in front of the German consulate in Istanbul, shortly after the attack on the German soldiers.

“We warned you,” Cengiz said to the Germans. “But you didn’t listen.”

Sacks as a symbol

In Iskenderun, under the leadership of TGB Chairman Ilker Yücel, members of the group surrounded plainclothes German soldiers, insulted them and then attempted to stuff sacks over their heads. By using sacks, nationalists were playing on an incident that took place after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. At that time US troops in northern Iraq arrested Turkish soldiers and placed sacks over their heads. Turkish nationalists have yet to forgive that incident.

The shape the protests have taken has made it clear that the German army has stepped into storm of aggressive anti-Americanism – a sentiment which, according to surveys and statements by experts, is widespread. Anti-American attitudes, says Füsun Türkmen, a political scientist in Istanbul, have a firm grip on Turkish society. A Lieutenant Colonel from the German military, Frank Sarak, believes that “demonstrators confused the German soldiers with American GIs.”

A tough spot for the German government

When the German Marshall Fund – an American policy institution that promotes cooperation between North America and Europe – conducted a survey on the popularity of the US in Europe and Russia a few months ago, Turkey came in at the bottom of the barrel. Only 34 percent of Turkish citizens have a positive impression of the US and just one in four would like to see Washington DC in a role of international leadership. Opinions were similar with regard to NATO. A mere 38 percent considered the alliance necessary; in the EU and US the number of NATO supporters is 20 percent higher.

A middle-aged Turksih man looks off camera with a Turkish flag behind him. (Photo: REUTERS/Osman Orsal) Erdogan is facing a presidential election next year

That didn’t used to be a problem for the Turkish government under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan gets along splendidly with US President Barack Obama. Turkish-American relations are better than they have been in a long time.

Yet should the protests against Ankara and its request for NATO troops spread further, Erdogan might be forced to have an emergency meeting with NATO allies. After the incident in Iskenderun, Ankara received strong warnings and criticism from the German government in Berlin.

Protests expected to continue

To date the Turkish protest movement remains small and confined to Turkey’s political fringe. That said, the Turkish Youth Union has recently received the support of parliamentarians of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), a social democratic party and the largest opposition force in the country.

With an election campaign just getting underway in Turkey – both a presidential election and parliamentary elections will take place in 2014 and 2015 – Erdogan’s opponents will likely attempt to utilize anti-Western sentiment.

Men in green battle dress uniforms march in file Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) In Berlin, 240 German soldiers board a plane for Turkey’s border – and Erdogan wants them home ASAP

As a result of the protests the Turkish government would like to rid Turkey of the Patriot missile batteries as soon as possible. When dangers from Syria ultimately subside, NATO weapons will leave the country “on the same day – and even the same hour,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Until that happens the Turkish Youth Union, which has already announced plans for further demonstrations, will continue to protest.

DW.DE

via Why were German soldiers ‘attacked’ in Turkey? | Europe | DW.DE | 24.01.2013.

January 26, 2013
NATO sets up missile defense shield in Turkey

The Patriot missile defense system is meant to protect Turkey, in case neighboring Syria launches an attack. But the area is too big for the existing missile defense shield – not all cities are covered.

At the beginning of February 2013, German, Dutch and US patriot missiles are expected to be set up in southeastern Turkey, facing skywards. The sophisticated weapon systems are to deter possible missile attacks by Syria towards NATO ally, Turkey. The Germans are stationed in Kahramanmaras, the Dutch in the Mediterranean city of Adana and US troops in Gaziantep. Major cities like Diyarbakir or Batman lie outside the protection zone. The six patriot missiles will not suffice to effectively protect the 900 kilometer (560 miles) border with Syria.

German Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Markus Werther stressed in an interview with DW that the decision regarding the German forces’ location had been made within NATO’s framework. There was close cooperation between all countries involved, he said.

“Together with our partners, the Netherlands, the USA and Turkey, Germany decided to go to Kahramanmaras,” Werther added. On January 8th, 2013, the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, began shipping the missiles.

Turkish soldiers patrol in the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar near the strategic Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain on November 14, 2012. (Photo. BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images) The situation on the Turkish-Syrian border has been tense for months

Patriot stationing a symbolic act

The missiles, with a range of 68 kilometers, are only able to protect a few cities in the south of the country. Michael Brtoska, Scientific Director of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, sees the missile defense as a largely symbolic act.

“The protection the missiles can theoretically offer against attacks from Syria is limited to small areas,” he explained.

Large population centers do come within the protective zone. But more extensive protection is not possible with existing resources, Brzoska added.

NATO patriot missiles have been stationed in Turkey before – during the Iraq wars in 1991 and 2003. When five people of Turkish nationality were killed in grenade attacks from the Syrian border in October 2012, Ankara called on NATO for support again. In early December 2012, the alliance gave its green light for the mission. Turkish media reported that Ankara had initially hoped for 18 to 20 systems along its southern border. But that would have meant that a considerable part of all existing patriot entities would have been deployed. Germany, the US and the Netherlands eventually offered to set up two systems each.

Impossible to monitor no-fly-area

Apart from threat analyses and logistical factors, the defensive character of the mission was a decisive factor when it came to choosing the location.

“Most NATO member states were extremely concerned that the patriot missiles could also be used to target planes in the Syrian airspace,” said Brzoska.

In early December, the German government stressed that the goal of the mission was not to set up or monitor a no-fly area above Syrian territory. NATO, which has the command for the mission, also confirmed the mission’s defensive character. Kahramanmaras and Adana are both 100 kilometers away from the border – too far to reach Syria. Similarly, if a US rocket was to be launched from Gaziantep, it would hardly reach Turkey’s neighbor in the south.

Under motorcycle escort at the break of dawn Dutch Patriot defence missiles are transported from their base to the Eems harbor in Groningen. (Photo: EPA/Evert-Jan Daniels pixel) Patriot missiles on their way to Turkey in early January

But the defense missiles can strengthen Turkish air raid defense systems.

“In the unlikely case of Syria attempting to enter Turkish airspace with planes or even intermediate-range missiles, Turkish air raids alone would hardly be in a position to prevent that from happening,” Brzoska explained.

Intermediate-range missiles in particular would overwhelm Turkish systems. The Syrian army has both intermediate-range missiles and chemical weapons. Neighboring countries are concerned that the government in Damascus could use these weapons as a last resort if threatened with defeat in the Syrian civil war.

Ready within seconds after missile attack

In the worst-case scenario, the patriot missiles could react instantly to approaching missiles, planes or drones. The airspace is monitored around the clock, said Lieutenant Colonel Werther. “In case of attack, which is still highly unlikely, the weapon system would stand ready for action within seconds,” he added.

Brzoska sees no reason for the government in Damascus to launch attacks on Turkey. Under the conditions of the current mandate, he said, the risk for German soldiers to be involved in combat action is low.

“Chances are very high that the soldiers are looking at a quiet time there,” Brzoska noted.

via NATO sets up missile defense shield in Turkey | World | DW.DE | 20.01.2013.

January 21, 2013
Communists Describe Missile Deployment in Turkey as Illegal

Damascus, Jan 13 (Prensa Latina) The Turkish Communist Party said that the decision to deploy Patriot missiles and foreign troops in Turkey was taken without approval of the National Council, against its will and illegally, local television reported on Sunday.

In a letter addressed to the Council members, the party stated that the government of the Justice and Development Party, led by Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan, has engaged Turkey in an inevitable war.

This gives Turkish parliamentarians in a great responsibility, because the deployment of forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in our country, under the pretext of supervising the Patriot missiles, is illegal and a constitutional crime, the communist organization denounced.

It noted that the ruling party has pledged Ankara with the acts of violence in Syria and is playing the role of protector and patron of extremist opposition groups operating there and guided by the West.

International media and declassified information confirm the open financial and logistical support that Turkey gives Syrian insurgents.

The first lethal missiles will be deployed near the Syrian-Turkish border in the coming weeks.

Countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Syria itself have strongly criticized the decision, which they have described as unjustified and provocative, as an incident could spark a conflagration of unpredictable dimensions in the Middle East.

jg/iff/lr

via Prensa Latina News Agency – Communists Describe Missile Deployment in Turkey as Illegal.

January 14, 2013
Czechs join NATO defense mission in Turkey

In the next couple of weeks, four Czech soldiers are set to join other troops from Germany, Holland, Slovakia and others in Turkey. The NATO-approved mission aims to help the Turks protect their border with Syria and prevent the civil war in Syria from spilling over.
German Military trucks and other vehicles for the ‘Patriot’ defense missiles are loaded onto the Danish ferry in the harbor of Luebeck, January 8, 2013, photo:
German Military trucks and other vehicles for the ‘Patriot’ defense missiles are loaded onto the Danish ferry in the harbor of Luebeck, January 8, 2013, photo: CTKGerman Military trucks and other vehicles for the ‘Patriot’ defense missiles are loaded onto the Danish ferry in the harbor of Luebeck, January 8, 2013, photo: CTK In early December, the US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced to the Turkish military that America was ready to help defend its NATO ally. Soon after, the German and Dutch parliaments also approved the deployment of their Patriot PAC-3 missile defense batteries that will protect the southern Turkish-Syrian border. To service the missile defense system and help the Turkish army reinforce their other defense mechanisms, a little over 1,000 NATO troops have also been deployed.

The Czech soldiers will join their Slovak and Polish colleagues from the 3rd NATO communication battalion by the end of January. German and Dutch troops should already be on the ground in southern Turkey. According to Petr Pavel, the chief-of-staff of the Czech army, the Czech soldiers are going to Turkey in an assistance capacity.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, Petr Pavel, photo: CTKCzech Prime Minister Petr Nečas, Petr Pavel, photo: CTK “The Turks have asked for the Patriot missile defense system after a Turkish airplane was shot down in June of last year. Our soldiers will not be directly part of the Patriot system. They will be in supporting positions of its command and operations system.”

The four soldiers from the Lipník nad Bečvou military base belong to the 102nd communication division and are trained to operate the DCM communication module, which usually serves mobile command posts. Their role in the mission is to set up and oversee the communication system between the commanders of the NATO mission and the units operating the Patriot defense system.

Binnish, Syria, photo: CTKBinnish, Syria, photo: CTK The Syrian government and media cried foul immediately after NATO agreed to send Patriot missiles and troops to Turkey, claiming that the Northern alliance is actually trying to protect insurgents in the north of the country. But Turkish officials say they are simply trying to prevent any Syrian missiles from penetrating their airspace again. The Patriot missiles, they claim, will be positioned far enough from the border that they would not be able to help anti-government troops in Syria.

So far, the allied mission in Turkey is set to take place in four three-month rotations of army specialists. NATO is likely to request the Czech Republic to participate in each of them, but as of right now the Czech soldiers are planning to return home in April.

via Radio Prague – Czechs join NATO defense mission in Turkey.

January 12, 2013
Europe’s armies use Patriots for Turkey as argument against cuts

By Adrian Croft

BRUSSELS | Tue Jan 8, 2013 1:18pm EST

(Reuters) – Sending Patriot missiles to Turkey has a hidden benefit for Europe’s shrinking armed forces: it helps them to justify expensive and little-used weapons systems at a time when their governments are slashing military spending.

The German and Dutch armies have both held media opportunities to show off their deployment of two Patriot missile batteries and up to 400 personnel each in response to Turkey’s request for NATO to bolster security along its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria.

Syrian shells have repeatedly landed inside Turkish territory during the 21-month insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, drawing Turkish retaliation and fanning fears that the Syrian civil war could spread.

The Patriots, anti-missile systems intended to counter any threat from Syrian Scud missiles, will guard three southeastern Turkish cities. The United States is also sending a pair of batteries; all are expected to be operational by February.

The deployment provides the Europeans with the perfect argument that there is a need for their sophisticated systems and highly-trained operators, sending a signal to austerity-hit governments that might be seeking further defense cuts.

“It does show that a capacity like this is relevant,” said General Tom Middendorp, commander of the Dutch armed forces.

Ballistic missiles and laser technology pose a growing threat, he told reporters as the Dutch Patriots set off for Turkey on trucks on Monday. “Having modern missile defense systems at our disposal is therefore by no means a luxury,”

Governments across Western Europe, wrestling with an economic crisis and ballooning budget deficits, have already slashed defense spending, a politically easier target than social services, particularly as Europe faces no pressing military threat.

U.S. CONCERN

The Dutch government said in April 2011 it would cut 12,000 Defense Ministry jobs and scale back its fleet of tanks and fighter jets to save 1 billion euros.

Even relatively prosperous Germany is cutting its military as it moves from a conscript to a professional army. It is halving its current total of 24 Patriot batteries.

Washington has voiced concern about the growing chasm in capabilities between the U.S. military and its European allies.

Edward Hunt, a defense expert at IHS Jane’s Consulting, said the Patriots were “probably less likely to be used than maybe infantry equipment or reconnaissance aircraft or transport aircraft or naval vessels, which are used almost constantly. The missiles are only used in extremis or as a deterrent”.

But he warned that if governments got rid of them, “you also lose all the skills and capabilities of the crew and that takes a lot longer to get back into readiness”.

Patriots, which can be used to intercept aircraft, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drones, do not come cheap.

The U.S. administration notified the U.S. Congress last July of a possible sale to Kuwait of 60 Patriot PAC-3 missiles and associated gear in a deal worth up to $4.2 billion.

Raytheon is the prime contractor for the Patriot system and Lockheed Martin produces the PAC-3 missile.

The Dutch military, at least, has never fired a Patriot in anger. “We have done several operations – in Turkey twice and Israel once – but it was never needed to fire a missile,” Middendorp said.

(Additional reporting by Sabine Siebold in Berlin; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

via Europe’s armies use Patriots for Turkey as argument against cuts | Reuters.

January 9, 2013