Defense leaders from 10 northern European allies and the head of US European Command met this week at a conference in Latvia to facilitate bilateral defense communication and cooperation. “We discussed the security situation here in Europe. We had candid and very productive discussions regarding the concerns and challenges we continue to face here in Europe, and we discussed how we can both strengthen the alliance and our cooperation between our militaries,” Gen. Philip Breedlove, commander of US European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said in a written release. Breedlove updated US allies on the future Army presence and US commitment to Europe, saying the “persistent, heel-to-toe presence” of an armored brigade combat team “is designed to reassure our allies and partners, to deter our potential adversaries, and to help ensure that we are prepared to fight and win if we have to.” Leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Sweden participated in the defense conference. (Read the transcript of Breedlove’s remarks.)
A three-month continuing resolution that ended in December inflicted less pain on the Department of the Air Force than it had expected, as procurement and construction continue in the new year. The federal government operated under a stopgap spending measure that stretched from the beginning of the fiscal year on…