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MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS-DEFENSE/. Many of the tanks had unique characteristics but remained only “objects” that were not produced. Some experts called them exclusive designs in the global tank construction.

The United States responded swiftly and effectively in close cooperation with its NATO Allies to the European security crisis brought about by Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The U.S. contributions to the Alliance's response were enabled by the substantial forces that the country had already stationed in and deployed to Europe, including robust prepositioned equipment and stocks, as well as substantial investments in infrastructure and military mobility enabled by European Deterrence Initiative funding.

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS-DEFENSE/. The Russian army will introduce Ukrainian tactical and fire experience into combat training in summer, head of the main combat training department of the armed forces Colonel General Ivan Buvaltsev told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization continues to change even as it defends the 30 nations of the alliance, Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. permanent representative to NATO, told the Defense Writers' Group on June 1, 2022. Smith spoke about the challenges from Russia due to that country's unprovoked war on Ukraine and the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid. Jim Garamone, U.S. Department of Defense, reports

The German Federal Government will equip Ukraine with 50 anti-aircraft tanks of the Gepard type, von Bjorn Müler writes in Wir sind die Reserve. This was announced by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) at the meeting of the "Ukraine Security Consultative Group" at the US base in Ramstein. The Consultative Group is a platform created by the USA to coordinate arms assistance among the Western powers, primarily the NATO countries.

According to data published on April 25 by the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), the total global military expenditure increased by 0.7 percent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2113 billion. The five largest spenders in 2021 were the United States, China, India, the United Kingdom and Russia, together accounting for 62 percent of expenditure.

The cooperation on the SAMP/T air defense system is a good opportunity for faster normalization and even deepening of political relations between Turkey and Europe Haci Mehmet Boyraz and Selim Yesiltas write in Daily Sabah. While the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, there has been an important development that could facilitate a positive agenda in Turkey-Europe relations.

On March 21, the Council of the European Union formally approved the document “A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence: For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security”. The Strategic Compass sets out a plan to strengthen the EU’s security and defence policy by 2030 aiming to become a “more assertive and decisive security provider”. It assesses the EU’s strategic environment and entails policy objectives, means to achieve these and timelines to measure progress.

C. Todd Lopez reports on the U.S. Department of Defense's website that it has been nearly a month since Russia illegally invaded Ukraine, and Russian forces have been unable to achieve what Pentagon leaders believe to be their goals. "We're on day 26 the Russians have clearly not achieved many or almost all of the objectives that ... we believe they were setting out to achieve," said Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby during a briefing today. "They wanted to get after population centers so that they could take control of key ports, key cities, key government institutions. And supplant the government of Ukraine with one more friendly to Russia and then, basically, over time, erase the sovereignty of Ukraine."

As reported by Jim Garamone on NATO’s website, Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine has changed the security environment, and the North Atlantic Alliance will change, too, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the conclusion of a meeting of alliance defense ministers in Brussels on March 16. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III attended the meeting for the United States.

According to Helen Wright in ERR.ee, an understanding that NATO's eastern flank needs to be strengthened is gaining support among NATO allies, the Estonian Ministry of Defense has said. Estonia's ambassador to NATO believes permanent air defenses are required. Further decisions about the defense of the eastern flank will be taken at the alliance's Madrid summit this summer.

The Kremlin on Friday, March 11, said it is in favor of the deployment of Syrian fighters in Ukraine, a response, according to Moscow, to the delivery in support of Kyiv of "mercenaries" in the pay of the West. At a meeting of Russia’s security council, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said there are 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East who are ready to fight alongside Russian-backed forces in the breakaway Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

On March 1, 2022, Jim Garamone published on U.S. DoD's website that Russian troops invading Ukraine have made some progress in the southern part of the country but are facing a logistics breakdown with vehicles running out of fuel and troops running out of food, a senior defense official said. Some Russian units are surrendering without a fight. Others are made up of inadequately trained conscripts who have never been in combat before. "Some of them, we believe, weren't even told they were going to be in combat", a U.S. DoD official said.

Jim Garamone, DOD News, reports that U.S. President Joe Biden has directed that 7,000 U.S. service members be deployed to Germany to enhance deterrence of Russia. Consequently, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the deployment of those 7,000 service members. The major unit in this tranche of troops is the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, said a senior defense official speaking on background.

On Sunday, February 27, David Vergun published on the U.S Department of Defense’s website that U.S. officials don't doubt reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed Russia's nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, a senior defense official said at a press briefing on Sunda: "We have no reason to doubt the validity of these reports," the official said.

Russia test-fired ballistic and cruise missiles at a strategic deterrence exercise on February 19. Supreme Commander-in-Chief President Vladimir Putin and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko observed the drills from the situation center in Kremlin. The Defense Ministry said: “The strategic deterrence exercise was planned in advance to check the readiness of military command bodies, launch teams, warships and strategic bombers for the missions, as well as reliability of strategic nuclear and conventional forces.”