And here we go again.
If you cant trust the Swedes and the Norwegians who can you trust?
LOL The Russians are fast displacing the US as the "most hated nation" and for good reason.
Europe is running scared.
Again for good reason. Russia KNOWS it will have to accede to any demands made of it by China so to keep its populace in check it has to regain all of its former slave countries plus add Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
France gets a free pass for now but not for long.
Within ten years France will be fully a part of the NEW Soviet Union.
Hope they have alot of fun with it. LOL
Once again whos left out in the COLD.
Surprise!! Surprise!!
The UK.
But dont worry my cousins I will move there to help strengthen your resolve against these nefarious shenanigans. Well that is if you still wish to clean my clock at darts. LORD knows I need a pint whether I win or lose. LOL
Long Live!! Weymouth/Portland.
The Local - Swedish army warns of growing Russian threat
Swedish army warns of growing Russian threat
The Swedish Armed Forces are calling for more military resources inside the country following a revision of its stance on Russia.
Major General Michael Moore however warns against perceiving the news as "alarming", stressing that the military does not regard the level of threat to have dramatically increased.
"We are seeing the crystallisation of a changed strategic situation in northern Europe. This is partly due to pressure created by economic advances in China and India, which are demanding more and more energy," Moore told newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
The growing importance of energy, Russia's renewed economic power, and the growth of Baltic trade have all contributed to altering the overall picture, according to Moore.
Colonel Stefan Gustafsson, head of the Armed Forces' strategic analysis unit, agrees that the situation in Russia has changed.
"The country has the financial capacity to invest more in defence. That is not to say that Sweden is at risk of attack.
"Such threats emerge from a combination of resources and intentions. And we do not predict any such intentions in the foreseeable future," he said.
The Swedish Defence Commission will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue of national security. These discussions will form an important basis for a parliamentary resolution on national defence later this spring.
The Swedish Armed forces have previously prioritised international engagements.
Russia reclassified as a military threat - Aftenposten.no
Russia reclassified as a military threat
Norwegian defense officials aren't declaring a new Cold War with Russia, but Norway's huge neighbour in the northeast is once again being described as a threat, also in the military sense.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been working hard to restore Russian self-confidence and build up its military.
Relations between Russia and Norway have been strained of late, over incidents ranging from illegal fishing in the Barents to collapsed investment prospects in Russian gas fields to Russian restrictions on salmon imports.
At the same time, Russia has been asserting itself all over Europe, often in unpopular ways. It has cut off gas supplies to countries that don't agree to its terms, it has refused entry to top officials traveling to Russia on business, and it has rekindled Russian nationalism to a degree that worries human rights activists. Suspicious murders of government critics also have sparked widespread international concern.
Newspaper Aftenposten has gone through a series of recent speeches and reports written by Norwegian defense officials, and documented use of descriptions of Russia that reflect the recent tensions.
The most revealing was a fresh report from the defense institute FFI (Forsvarets forsvarsinstitutt, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment ) that analyzed threats against Norway. In the report, which sets the premises for the Defense Ministry from 2009 to 2012, Russia is identified as a "military threat." There's no fear of invasion, but rather a "limited, military action."
The report notes that the institute may be criticized for its classification of Russia, but even Defense Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen has altered her word usage of late. She has stressed that Russia isn't likely to exert power, but notes that its military build-up can't be overlooked.
"We must be aware that developments can take another direction than we want and expect," Strøm-Erichsen said in a recent speech before the defense group Oslo Militære Samfund.
'Demand for attention'
Espen Barth Eide, state secretary attached to the Defense Ministry, says Russia has consciously positioned itself as an "international player with a demand for attention and influence." Oil income and foreign currency reserves have helped give the country new economic clout that it lacked when the Soviet Union fell apart.
Barth Eide also rejects any talk of a new Cold War, but notes that Russia "is back on the international stage." Its president, Vladimir Putin, is working hard to keep it there, and boost Russian self-confidence.
"It's more important than ever that we continue our policies based on dialogue and concrete cooperation, both multilaterally and bilaterally," Barth Eide told Aftenposten.