Latest news with #6thFleet
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin raises the stakes on ‘ghost fleet' security, as NATO launches war games in the Baltic Sea
NATO navies are putting on a display of maritime might in the Baltic Sea this month, as thousands of personnel from 17 countries aboard 50 vessels take part in war games led by the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet. Of the nine countries that share a Baltic Sea coastline, only Russia is not a NATO member, and June's BALTOPS exercise aims to ensure those other countries can work together to defend the area, at a time when Moscow is turning up the heat. "This year's BALTOPS is more than just an exercise," said U.S. Vice Admiral J.T. Anderson in a press release this week. "It's a visible demonstration of our Alliance's resolve, adaptability and maritime strength." Over the last year there's been growing disquiet about Russia's malign influence in the Baltic Sea region, with several incidents of severed undersea cables. Suspicion has fallen on Russia's fleet of so-called "ghost" or "shadow" ships: hundreds of aging vessels, mostly oil tankers flying under foreign flags that are used to circumvent Western sanctions or trade in military hardware. Estonian Spy Chief Discusses Countering Threats From Russia There are also well-founded concerns that some of these ships are used for covert intelligence gathering, communication intercepts or to sabotage undersea infrastructure like internet cables or gas and electricity pipelines. Three crew members from a Cook Islands-registered vessel, believed to be part of Russia's ghost fleet, are currently facing charges in Finland over damage to an undersea cable that prosecutors say happened when the ship dragged its anchor for 60 miles along the floor of the Baltic Sea. Read On The Fox News App "There's a growing importance of the shadow fleet to Russia's wartime economy, and a growing awareness that NATO needs to stop it," Tony Lawrence, a naval expert and researcher at the International Centre for Defence and Security in Estonia, told Fox News Digital. But after a number of NATO navies adopted a tougher stance against the ghost ships through stop-and-search tactics, the Russians announced they would use their own navy to escort the fleet through the Baltic Sea. "The Russian military presence in the region has always been visible, this is not a new feature. However, what is new is that Russia is protecting its shadow fleet tankers in the narrow pass of the Gulf of Finland," Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a recent television interview with Finland's YLE TV. NATO governments are keeping a close eye on the latest Baltic Sea developments and preparing for any possible increase in tensions. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke at a meeting of NATO's Nordic and Baltic members this week, and described the Russian threat as real and serious. "We see a more aggressive Russian approach in the Baltic Sea region," she told reporters. The Baltic Sea has relatively narrow waterways, where international maritime boundaries extend 12 miles from the coast, and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) incorporate valuable fishing grounds or offshore wind farms. Add to this some of the busiest ferry routes in the world, commercial shipping traffic, military warships and civilian craft, and it raises the possibility that a more robust Russian naval posture in the area could increase the possibility of conflict. "This is the risk of having more warships floating around the Baltic Sea, there is a potential for miscalculations that could escalate, and risk-reduction mechanisms that used to exist don't work any more because the [NATO and Russian] navies aren't talking to each other anymore," Lawrence told Fox News Digital. Baltic Sea Nations Voice Concern As Russia Considers Revising Maritime Border Does the Russian navy even have the capacity to escort every single ghost fleet ship in the Baltic? That seems unlikely, according to some. "It's an escalation, of course, of Russian misbehavior in the Baltic Sea. But in practical terms I'm not sure it's going to make that much difference," Lawrence said. "Russia's Baltic Sea fleet has always been the junior cousin of the Russian navy, and it's never been particularly well-equipped or enlarged, but it's still the biggest national navy operating in the Baltic, and they have ships that are attuned to the Baltic Sea, which is shallow, and its salinity is such that you need special kinds of sensors. And they know how to hide ships in the archipelagos of Sweden or Finland, so in that regard, they have a certain amount of specialist capability," Lawrence explained. The Baltic Sea war games this month – with the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius and the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney taking part – serve to remind the Russians of the power of NATO's combined naval assets in the region. And some of the smaller navies will be reassured by the presence of the American warships. A few weeks ago, Estonia's navy brought one suspected shadow fleet ship into its territorial waters for an inspection, and it complied. But when the Estonians tried the same tactic for a second time, the ship refused to stop and wouldn't come into port. "That makes things more difficult for other nations because the shadow fleet is learning that it can just ignore what NATO navies do and there's little that NATO can do in that situation, especially if there are Russian ships escorting the shadow fleet," said Lawrence. "But I don't think NATO nations are going to back down. They will still follow and challenge these shadow fleet ships, or even look at other legislation, like requiring proof of insurance, to stop them from transiting the Baltic Sea."Original article source: Putin raises the stakes on 'ghost fleet' security, as NATO launches war games in the Baltic Sea
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Putin raises the stakes on ‘ghost fleet' security, as NATO launches war games in the Baltic Sea
NATO navies are putting on a display of maritime might in the Baltic Sea this month, as thousands of personnel from 17 countries aboard 50 vessels take part in war games led by the U.S.' 6th Fleet. Of the nine countries that share a Baltic Sea coastline, only Russia is not a NATO member, and June's BALTOPS exercise aims to ensure those other countries can work together to defend the area, at a time when Moscow is turning up the heat. "This year's BALTOPS is more than just an exercise," said U.S. Vice Admiral J.T. Anderson in a press release this week. "It's a visible demonstration of our Alliance's resolve, adaptability and maritime strength." Over the last year there's been growing disquiet about Russia's malign influence in the Baltic Sea region, with several incidents of severed undersea cables. Suspicion has fallen on Russia's fleet of so-called "ghost" or "shadow" ships: hundreds of aging vessels, mostly oil tankers flying under foreign flags that are used to circumvent Western sanctions or trade in military hardware. There are also well-founded concerns that some of these ships are used for covert intelligence gathering, communication intercepts or to sabotage undersea infrastructure like internet cables or gas and electricity pipelines. Three crew members from a Cook Islands-registered vessel, believed to be part of Russia's ghost fleet, are currently facing charges in Finland over damage to an undersea cable that prosecutors say happened when the ship dragged its anchor for 60 miles along the floor of the Baltic Sea. "There's a growing importance of the shadow fleet to Russia's wartime economy, and a growing awareness that NATO needs to stop it," Tony Lawrence, a naval expert and researcher at the International Centre for Defence and Security in Estonia, told Fox News Digital. But after a number of NATO navies adopted a tougher stance against the ghost ships through stop-and-search tactics, the Russians announced they would use their own navy to escort the fleet through the Baltic Sea. "The Russian military presence in the region has always been visible, this is not a new feature. However, what is new is that Russia is protecting its shadow fleet tankers in the narrow pass of the Gulf of Finland," Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a recent television interview with Finland's YLE TV. NATO governments are keeping a close eye on the latest Baltic Sea developments and preparing for any possible increase in tensions. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke at a meeting of NATO's Nordic and Baltic members this week, and described the Russian threat as real and serious. "We see a more aggressive Russian approach in the Baltic Sea region," she told reporters. The Baltic Sea has relatively narrow waterways, where international maritime boundaries extend 12 miles from the coast, and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) incorporate valuable fishing grounds or offshore wind farms. Add to this some of the busiest ferry routes in the world, commercial shipping traffic, military warships and civilian craft, and it raises the possibility that a more robust Russian naval posture in the area could increase the possibility of conflict. "This is the risk of having more warships floating around the Baltic Sea, there is a potential for miscalculations that could escalate, and risk-reduction mechanisms that used to exist don't work any more because the [NATO and Russian] navies aren't talking to each other anymore," Lawrence told Fox News Digital. Does the Russian navy even have the capacity to escort every single ghost fleet ship in the Baltic? That seems unlikely, according to some. "It's an escalation, of course, of Russian misbehavior in the Baltic Sea. But in practical terms I'm not sure it's going to make that much difference," Lawrence said. "Russia's Baltic Sea fleet has always been the junior cousin of the Russian navy, and it's never been particularly well-equipped or enlarged, but it's still the biggest national navy operating in the Baltic, and they have ships that are attuned to the Baltic Sea, which is shallow, and its salinity is such that you need special kinds of sensors. And they know how to hide ships in the archipelagos of Sweden or Finland, so in that regard, they have a certain amount of specialist capability," Lawrence explained. The Baltic Sea war games this month – with the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius and the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney taking part – serve to remind the Russians of the power of NATO's combined naval assets in the region. And some of the smaller navies will be reassured by the presence of the American warships. A few weeks ago, Estonia's navy brought one suspected shadow fleet ship into its territorial waters for an inspection, and it complied. But when the Estonians tried the same tactic for a second time, the ship refused to stop and wouldn't come into port. "That makes things more difficult for other nations because the shadow fleet is learning that it can just ignore what NATO navies do and there's little that NATO can do in that situation, especially if there are Russian ships escorting the shadow fleet," said Lawrence. "But I don't think NATO nations are going to back down. They will still follow and challenge these shadow fleet ships, or even look at other legislation, like requiring proof of insurance, to stop them from transiting the Baltic Sea."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
USS Gettysburg to return to Naval Station Norfolk after near 8 month deployment
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Sailors aboard the USS Gettysburg are returning to Naval Station Norfolk Friday after a near eight-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations. The crew departed in Sept. 2024 as a part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, which consisted of the USS Harry S. Truman, USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham. While deployed, the strike group completed exercises with NATO Allies and combat operations in the Red Sea. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rubio reassures allies of US commitment to Nato as Trump sends mixed signals
US secretary of state Marco Rubio and the Trump administration's new envoy to Nato are seeking to reassure wary allies of the US commitment to the alliance. Mr Rubio on Thursday decried 'hysteria and hyperbole' in the media about President Donald Trump's intentions despite persistent signals from Washington DC that Nato as it has existed for 75 years may no longer be relevant. Mr Rubio and newly confirmed US ambassador to Nato Matt Whitaker are in Brussels for a meeting of alliance foreign ministers at which many are hoping Mr Rubio will shed light on US security plans in Europe. 'The United States is as active in Nato as it has ever been,' Mr Rubio told reporters as he greeted Nato chief Mark Rutte before the meeting began. 'And some of this hysteria and hyperbole that I see in the global media and some domestic media in the United States about Nato is unwarranted.' 'President Trump's made clear he supports Nato,' Mr Rubio said. 'We're going to remain in Nato.' 'We want Nato to be stronger, we want Nato to be more visible and the only way Nato can get stronger, more visible is if our partners, the nation states that comprise this important alliance, have more capability,' he said. In a statement, Mr Whitaker said that 'under President Trump's leadership, Nato will be stronger and more effective than ever before, and I believe that a robust Nato can continue to serve as a bedrock of peace and prosperity.' But he added: 'Nato's vitality rests on every ally doing their fair share.' – Concerns about US commitment to allies Despite those words, European allies and Canada are deeply concerned by Mr Trump's readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees Nato as a threat as the US tries to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, his rhetorical attacks and insults against on allies like Canada and Denmark. And Mr Trump's Wednesday imposition of new global tariffs, which will affect allies, have added to the uncertainty and unease. Asked about concerns among European allies about a possible US troop drawdown and the importance of getting clear messages from the Trump administration, Mr Rutte said: 'These issues are not new. There are no plans for them to all of a sudden draw down their presence here in Europe.' Indeed, the Trump administration has not made its Nato allies aware any plans it might have. But several European countries are convinced that US troops and equipment will be withdrawn, and they want to find out from Mr Rubio how many and when so they can fill any security gaps. 'We need to pre-empt a rapid retreat, but we've had nothing precise from the US yet,' a senior Nato diplomat said ahead of the meeting, briefing reporters on his country's expectations on condition that he not be named. – Rutte's dilemma Meanwhile, Mr Rutte is in a bind. European allies and Canada have tasked him with keeping the US firmly in Nato. Around 100,000 US troops are stationed in Europe along with the Navy's 6th Fleet and nuclear warheads. US firepower ensures that Nato's ability to deter Russia is credible. This means he cannot openly criticise Mr Trump, who is commander in chief of Nato's biggest and best-equipped armed forces. What is clear, is that US allies must ramp up defence spending even more than they already have since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, so that they can defend Europe with less American help and keep Ukraine's armed forces in the fight. 'The US expects European allies to take more responsibility for their own security,' Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said, which means that 'European Nato countries rapidly have to strengthen the European pillar of Nato and have to increase their defence spending.' Since defence secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that US security priorities lie elsewhere — in Asia and on the US's own borders — the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen. In Europe and Canada, governments are working on 'burden shifting' plans to take over more of the load, while trying to ensure that no security vacuum is created if US troops and equipment are withdrawn from the continent.
Al-Ahram Weekly
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Rubio tries to reassure wary allies of US commitment to NATO as Trump sends mixed signals - War in Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration's new envoy to NATO are seeking to reassure wary NATO allies of the U.S. commitment to the alliance. Rubio on Thursday decried 'hysteria and hyperbole' in the media about President Donald Trump's intentions despite persistent signals from Washington that NATO as it has existed for 75 years may no longer be relevant. Rubio and newly confirmed U.S. ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker are in Brussels for a meeting of alliance foreign ministers at which many are hoping Rubio will shed light on U.S. security plans in Europe. 'The United States is as active in NATO as it has ever been,' Rubio told reporters as he greeted NATO chief Mark Rutte before the meeting began. 'And some of this hysteria and hyperbole that I see in the global media and some domestic media in the United States about NATO is unwarranted.' 'President Trump's made clear he supports NATO,' Rubio said. 'We're going to remain in NATO.' 'We want NATO to be stronger, we want NATO to be more visible and the only way NATO can get stronger, more visible is if our partners, the nation states that comprise this important alliance, have more capability,' he said. In a statement, Whitaker said that 'under President Trump's leadership, NATO will be stronger and more effective than ever before, and I believe that a robust NATO can continue to serve as a bedrock of peace and prosperity.' But he added: 'NATO's vitality rests on every ally doing their fair share.' Concerns about US commitment to allies Despite those words, European allies and Canada are deeply concerned by Trump's readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat as the U.S. tries to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, his rhetorical attacks and insults against on allies like Canada and Denmark. And Trump's Wednesday imposition of new global tariffs, which will affect allies, have added to the uncertainty and unease. Asked about concerns among European allies about a possible U.S. troop drawdown and the importance of getting clear messages from the Trump administration, Rutte said: 'These issues are not new. There are no plans for them to all of a sudden draw down their presence here in Europe.' Indeed, the Trump administration has not made its NATO allies aware any plans it might have. But several European countries are convinced that U.S. troops and equipment will be withdrawn, and they want to find out from Rubio how many and when so they can fill any security gaps. 'We need to preempt a rapid retreat, but we've had nothing precise from the U.S. yet,' a senior NATO diplomat said ahead of the meeting, briefing reporters on his country's expectations on condition that he not be named. Rutte's dilemma Rutte is in a bind. European allies and Canada have tasked him with keeping the United States firmly in NATO. Around 100,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe along with the Navy's 6th Fleet and nuclear warheads. U.S. firepower ensures that NATO's ability to deter Russia is credible. This means he cannot openly criticize Trump, who is commander in chief of NATO's biggest and best-equipped armed forces. What is clear, is that U.S. allies must ramp up defense spending even more than they already have since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 3 years ago, so that they can defend Europe with less American help and keep Ukraine's armed forces in the fight. 'The U.S expects European allies to take more responsibility for their own security,' Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said, which means that 'European NATO countries rapidly have to strengthen the European pillar of NATO and have to increase their defense spending.' Since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere — in Asia and on the U.S.'s own borders — the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen. In Europe and Canada, governments are working on 'burden shifting' plans to take over more of the load, while trying to ensure that no security vacuum is created if U.S. troops and equipment are withdrawn from the continent. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
