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Good news for weapons manufacturers, not that they needed good news.
European Union reaches deal to make it easier for countries
to jointly buy weapons
By Clyde Hughes
A flag of the European Union flies on the Acropolis Hill, across the Parthenon, in Athens, Greece, on June 22, 2018.
Two branches of the EU passed a new law to make it easier for members to make joint weapons purchases.
File Photo by Orestis Panagiotou/EPA-EFE
June 28 (UPI) -- Two branches of the European Union agreed late Tuesday to a plan to smooth out the path that will allow member states to purchase military weapons together more easily.
The European Parliament and European Council reached a deal on new rules to incentivize members to make defense product purchases together to support its defense industry.
In a time when the multi-member organization is keeping a weary eye on Russia's invasion of Ukraine while offering military support to Kyiv, the deal to swiftly make joint defense purchases has taken on a new urgency.
The legislation will allow groups of at least three countries to jointly procure defense materiel and get some of the money back from the EU budget. There will be some restrictions to ensure foreign contractors outside the EU aren't overly benefiting from the arrangement.
"If Russia's brutal war against Ukraine taught us one thing, it is that we are not prepared to defend ourselves," Michael Gahler, of the EU's foreign affairs committee, said in a statement. "We can no longer afford to ignore that and we need to remedy that situation together as we should have done already much earlier."
I thought that was what NATO was for. Perhaps a good strategy could make NATO obsolete. It has long been my opinion that NATO provoked the war in the Balkans to make themselves look like they were needed after the collapse of Communism. It appears to me that the NATO/America-provoked Russian invasion of Ukraine is the same thing - NATO trying to look useful while being a sales instrument for the military-industrial establishment.
European Parliament and European Council negotiators agreed on a budget of nearly $328 million to finance the implementation of the plan. The European Union will contribute up to 20% to each purchase of the estimated value of the common procurement contract.
$328 million is, I believe, just to cover the administration costs, the costs to Europeans will be in the trillions. Surely, something useful could be done with that kind of money.
"We reached a reasonable compromise on this important file. The EP managed to achieve its main objectives, including securing a higher budget for the instrument, while preserving the financing of the equally important Act in Support of Ammunition Production," Zdzislaw Krasnodebski, of the EU's Industry, Research and Energy Committee, said.
"Such outcome guarantees that both programs will ultimately meet the expectations attached to them in the difficult geopolitical circumstances we are currently facing."
If the western world wasn't run by military manufacturing oligarchs, our geopolitical circumstances wouldn't be so difficult.
U.S. announces additional military assistance package for Ukraine
By Darryl Coote
High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. File Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Defense/UPI
June 27 (UPI) -- The Biden administration on Tuesday announced an additional security package of weapons, munitions and other lethal aid, valued at up to $500 million, for Ukraine as it continues to fight Russia.
The package includes munitions for Patriot air defense systems, 30 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 25 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers and ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, better known as HIMARS, as well as Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems and more, according to a list of its contents provided by the Defense Department.
American arms inventories keep moving at American taxpayers' expense, for no conceivable reason. This is a continuation of the wealth transfer from middle-class Americans to wealthy oligarchs, even while Biden promotes Bidenomics which is supposed to increase the wealth of the middle class.
"As we have since the beginning of Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion, the U.S. will continue to work with our allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements," Defense Department press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a press conference.
"Unprovoked"! What was the purpose of the Pentagon financing more than 2 dozen biolabs in Ukraine. No other country in the world had as many biolabs, and why is American military involved in biolabs?
The package's contents will come from U.S. stockpiles, and is the 41st presidential drawdown for Ukraine since August 2021.
Averaging a billion dollars per drawdown.
The United States, which is Ukraine's largest backer in its war against the Kremlin, has repeatedly announced military aid for Kyiv since Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. The assistance is covered via the presidential drawdown authority, the Defense Department's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and in Foreign Military Financing for Ukraine.
Since the war began, the Biden administration has committed more than $40.5 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, according to the Department of Defense.
"I am sincerely grateful to @POTUS and all [American] people for another $500 million defense assistance package," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted in appreciation of the package Tuesday.
"Additional Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, ammunition for HIMARS, Patriots and Stingers will add even more power to the [Ukrainian] Defense Forces. Each package of such assistance is a step towards our common victory over the [Russian] aggressor."
The package was remarked upon by White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton during a Washington press conference Tuesday, stating that President Biden and Zelensky had spoken on Sunday.
Biden on Monday told reporters in Washington that he and Zelensky have agreed to stay in "constant contact" after Russia's top military brass avoided a revolt by private military company Wagner Group over the weekend.
Wagner personnel, who have been on the frontlines fighting in Ukraine, turned and headed back toward Moscow last weekend over disagreements with the Russian Defense Department about the war, but the potential mutiny ended when the militia's head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Russian President Vladimir Putin ally, reached a deal to live in exile in Belarus.
It is unclear how the development will affect the war, but it revealed signs that Putin's grip on power may be weakening.
Not sure how you could arrive at that conclusion considering that the rebellion lasted less than two days and was completely quelled. Wishful thinking?
Ryder reiterated to reporters Tuesday that they view the situation as "an internal Russian matter" and that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also reiterated that U.S. support for Ukraine "will not change and that remains our focus."
"As it relates to Ukraine, the war there continues," he said. "Russia's illegal occupation continues, and so we are not going to lose sight of that fact and we're going to continue to work closely with them to provide them with the kinds of capabilities that they need to execute the operation that they planned and that they're conducting."
He said the package announced Monday was not connected to the situation in Russia.
Denmark to spend 143 billion kroner on defence over next decade
BEN HAMILTON
JUNE 29TH, 2023
Bar the odd training exercise in remote areas, Denmark has always hid
its military clout pretty well. But all that will change over the next decade
Expect to see more of this over the next decade (photo: Forsvaret)
Ever got caught behind an armoured vehicle on a country road, or come across a few squaddies at Central Copenhagen Station and wondered why you so rarely see them? Well, Denmark’s military clout is about to become a lot more evident.
As was reported in late May, the government will invest heavily in defence over the next decade: 143 billion kroner. And yesterday, it was confirmed it has the backing of a broad parliamentary majority to do exactly that.
143 billion Danish kroner = about $20 billion USD. That's about 23,000 Danish Kroner for every man woman and child in Denmark.
The spending should mean that by 2030 Denmark will fulfil NATO’s goal of all its members spending 2 percent of their GDP on defence.
Denmark’s Armed Forces will consequently grow, and the country will invest heavily in arms.
And the rich will get richer, and the poor will get poorer.
Deemed necessary in current climate
The increase has been felt necessary in what is becoming an increasingly volatile world – as long as Russia continues to fight the War in Ukraine, it will pose a threat to European security.
Last year, a large majority of Danes voted yes to join the EU’s defence co-operation – ending an opt-out that had stood since 1993.
The government parties had the backing of left bloc duo Radikale and SF, along with the entire blue bloc: Liberal Alliance, Konservative, Danmarksdemokraterne, Dansk Folkeparti and Nye Borgelige. This meant only Enhedslisten and Alternativet stood outside the agreement.
Milestone for Danish defence
Troels Lund Poulsen, the acting defence minister, hailed the agreement as a “milestone” that will provide “a historic and in every way much-needed boost” for Danish defence.
“With the situation resulting from Russia’s attack on Ukraine, it is absolutely crucial there is broad support behind Danish defence and security policy,” he said.
“Russia’s attack on Ukraine has shown us that we can no longer take peace and freedom for granted. There is war in Europe. We take that very seriously. We must show the will and ability to contribute to our common security – in NATO, the EU and with our allies and partners.”
Up to nearly 20 billion by 2032
The agreement promises that Denmark will play a more active role in co-operation on security and defence in the EU, including the union’s military missions and operations.
Earmarked spending includes 27 billion on putting buildings in order, building IT and strengthening personnel over the next ten years, and 11 billion on necessary investments in personnel and materials.
For the remainder of this year, 6.7 billion has been set aside. By 2032, annual spending will amount to 19.2 billion.
Imagine what good things that kind of money could do?
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