A television performance by two U.S. soldiers has achieved remarkable strategic effect. In fluent Russian they explain what the American soldiers are doing during an exercise in Estonia. It sends the right message to both the Russian minorities in the Baltic countries and to Russia as a potential enemy.
Sanctions are a tool of reward, not of punishment
It is doubtful that Western sanctions have had any effect on Russia’s behavior but that doesn’t mean that the sanctions don’t work. They will be good bargaining chips some day when things are less emotional.
Seems like SPIKE will be Estonia’s new anti-tank missile
It looks like Estonia will buy a EuroSpike anti-tank missile system, since no other company has made a bid in the competition. Spike is a well-tested missile with a long range and sophisticated features. This is the second step in the modernization of Estonia’s anti-tank force, which began when they acquired the smaller Javelin missile a few years ago.
Estonia buys new 5.56 and 7.62 mm rifles from LMT
Estonia has decided to buy American rifles from the Lewis Machine & Tool Company. It is a somewhat unconventional choice. Only New Zealand has purchased LMT rifles at this scale for armed forces before.
Unmanned technology will soon be cheap enough for small countries
Prices for unmanned technology and artificial intelligence drop quickly, and soon it will be a realistic option for smaller countries. That was the topic of the Finnish Naval Defense Day 2018, which Corporal Frisk covered nicely.
Two Russian ships also collided when Ukrainian tug was rammed
When a Russian coastguard vessel struck a Ukrainian tug in the Kerch Strait this week, they also hit their own partner. In fact, it looks like he damaged his countryman badly.
Poland expands army with new division
The timeline has been approved for the formation of Poland’s new Army Division. This will bring the number of Polish divisions up to four, and it is a part of the ambitious plan to strengthen the armed forces.
U.S. Navy wants more submarines but cannot maintain the number they have
The U.S. Navy wants to increase the number of attack submarines from 56 to 66. But a new government report documents that their shipyards cannot maintain even the ones they have already.
Poland begins sea trials on OPV “Ślązak”
Poland’s new offshore patrol vessel “Ślązak” will be delivered next year. It is a capable platform, which in size resembles the German “Braunschweig-class”.
Assessment of the radio traffic before “Helge Ingstad” collided and sank
A few comments on the radio traffic before the Norwegian frigate “Helge Ingstad” and the tanker “Sola TS” collided, and the warship sank. This recording will go over in history as an example of how not to avoid an accident.
