Foreign Policy - Situation Report

Foreign Policy - Situation Report - Suwalki Gap
►http://link.foreignpolicy.com/view/52543e66c16bcfa46f6ced1634dlf.1elv/c11237bc

Remember the #Fulda_Gap! Fulda was a legendary spot in West Germany where during the Cold War, U.S. forces stood ready to stop the Soviets as they pounded their way into Europe. And now amid tensions with Russia it looks like the gap is back, at least in spirit, though it has moved a little bit to the east according to Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of the 30,000 U.S. soldiers in Europe. Hodges told FP’s Paul McLeary about the “#Suwalki_Gap,” a narrow strip of Polish territory that sits in the seam between the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad to the northwest and Moscow-friendly nation of Belarus to the southeast, which has become the latest potential flashpoint between an increasingly aggressive Moscow and NATO.

Kaliningrad has long bristled with thousands of Russian troops and advanced weapons, while Belarus recently agreed to house a large Russian air base, making the Suwalki area a small vulnerable land bridge increasingly squeezed by Russian hardware. Hodges acknowledges, “that’s an important piece of geography right there.”

Ah, la #trouée_de_Fulda et les hordes blindées du Pacte de Varsovie, la bataille aéromobile, toussa, toussa…
Et donc maintenant, le déferlement se fera par la #trouée_de_Suwałki

Pentagon’s top Russia official resigns - POLITICO
▻http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/pro-defense-farkas-wrightewing-214223

The Pentagon’s top official overseeing military relations with Russia and Ukraine is resigning amid the ongoing debate within the Obama administration over how to respond to Russian moves in Ukraine and Syria.

Evelyn Farkas, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, is leaving her post at the end of next month after five years with the Defense Department, a senior defense official confirmed to POLITICO.

“She has advised three secretaries of defense on Russia policy, providing steady counsel on how the U.S. should respond to Russia’s aggressive actions and has been deeply involved in securing $244 million in support for Ukraine,” the official said. “In addition, Evelyn has brought fresh thinking to Southeast Europe policies — supporting Montenegro’s interest in joining NATO, expanding defense cooperation with Georgia, and increasing multilateral cooperation with the three Caucasus nations.”

Another senior defense official said the administration would likely have a hard time finding a replacement.
“There are not a lot of Europe experts in this administration who have a long record of accomplishment,” the official said. “There’s no doubt this leaves the Pentagon weaker in terms of its policy-making on European issues.”