The Militarization of the Baltic Sea – a Threat to World Peace
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THE MILITARIZATION OF THE BALTIC SEA – A THREAT TO WORLD PEACE Compiled in November 2017 By Ulla Klötzer and Lea Launokari 1 CONTENTS Quotes – militarization............................................................................................................................ 4 THE RETURN OF THE COLD WAR TO EUROPE SIPRI – world military expenditures rose last year (2016) the second time in a row .......................... 6 The dangers of false, distorted threat and enemy pictures ................................................................ 8 Armament and military activities of the Western countries aim at the encirclement of Russia ........ 8 Nato becomes a neighbour of Russia ................................................................................................ 13 THE SNEAKING MILITARIZATION OF SOCIETY EU is rapidly developing towards a security and defence union ...................................................... 17 THE MILITARIZATION OF THE BALTIC SEA – HAZARDOUS GAME BY THE WESTERN COUNTRIES The western countries in the Baltic Sea region.................................................................................. 21 Russia’s situation in the Baltic Sea .................................................................................................... 23 MULTINATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EXERCISES - Plan for international training and exercises in which Finland is taking part.................................... 26 - Some of the most significant multinational military exercises in the Baltic Sea region 2014 – 2017 involving NATO, U.S.Army Europe and their partners.……………………………………………….27 - Military exercises of the western countries and Russia overlap……………......................................... 30 - Significant exercises in northern Europe........................................................................................... 31 - Significant military exercises in Central Europe and neighboring regions 2014 -2017 involving NATO, U.S.Army Europe and their partners ……...………………............................................. 33 - Russia’s most significant military exercises in the Baltic Sea region and Russia’s western regions between the Arctic Ocean and the Black Sea....................................................................... 34 THE THREAT OF MAKING USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS HAS BECOME GREATER - The UN historical vote in July 2017 ON banning nuclear weapons................................................... 36 INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES – CYBER WAR - Satellites, cables, hybrid centres ....................................................................................................... 38 - Comprehensive intelligence and surveillance activities require constitutional changes ………………. 41 - Cyber war means ”warfare” in cyber space ...................................................................................... 42 2 WAR MACHINERY AND THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ARE BIG POLLUTERS - Some examples of environmental problems caused by military activities ....................................... 42 - Nuclear power plants and other nuclear complexes situated in Europe – no war in Europe can remain nuclear free..................................................................................................................... 47 - Nuclear power plants cause different kinds of emissions harmful to human beings and the environment during “normal operation” ……………………..………………........................................... 51 THE BALTIC SEA – A POLLUTED SEA - The Baltic Sea, our vulnerable inland sea – one of the most trafficked and polluted seas .…........... 51 HOW TO TURN THE BALTIC SEA INTO A SEA OF PEACE? - The capacity to maintain peaceful coexistence with Russia and show mutual respect – a big challenge for Finland, the Nordic countries and the whole Baltic Sea area ….......... 53 - A nuclear-weapon-free zone; Finland and Sweden……………………………............................................. 61 - Nongovernmental organizations must strengthen and enlarge cooperation in the Baltic Sea area and the whole world .......................................................................................................... 62 - The Baltic Sea – a Sea of Peace – Peace between human beings and protection for the environment...................................................................................................................................... 69 3 Albert Einstein 1879 – 1955 ”The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” Fredrik Westerlund, security policy analyst at Swedish FOI, one of Europe’s leading research institutes in the areas of defence and security Aftonbladet (leading Swedish newspaper) 17.6.2015 ”We are back in a period where the use of nuclear weapons in Europe is a possibility.” Helsingin Sanomat (leading Finnish newspaper) 4.3.2016: ”The Baltic Sea region has become the central place for the military exercises of Russia and the Nato member countries – Finland is still concealing even published information about upcoming military exercises.” Mikhail Gorbachev, the Independent 9.7.2016 “Nato has begun preparations for escalating from the Cold War into a hot one.” Foreign minister of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), Reuters 18.6.2016 Comment about Nato’s decision to hold military exercises in Eastern Europe “What we shouldn’t do now is to inflame the situation by loud saber-rattling and shrill war cries,... Whoever believes that symbolic tank parades on the alliance’s eastern border will bring more security is mistaken,...History has shown that dialogue and co-operation have been crucial elements for a successful deterrence policy.” The Guardian 27.10.2016 NATO and Russia playing dangerous game with military build-up... Russia’s president sees NATO as an implacably hostile and aggressive bloc. Paradoxically, NATO’s newest deployments in eastern Europe merely serve to confirm the story that Putin and state television have been telling Russians for so long: that the west is hell-bent on “encircling” Russia and bringing it to its knees…” Iltalehti (Finnish newspaper) 20.11.2016 ”Finnish armed forces military exercises with western partners are taking new turns. Next year Finland will take part in 84 international exercises in total. According to information received by Iltalehti, Finland is going to take part in war exercises connected to U.S. missile defence. Russia is of the opinion that the missile defence system is directed towards them and therefore threatens the national security of the country. The (Finnish) defence ministry does not believe that Finland’s participation in the exercise worries Moscow.” 4 Tomas Ries, security policy expert at the Swedish Defence University Iltasanomat (Finnish newspaper) 2.7.2017 ”In the Baltic Sea a witch circle is in progress - a wicked spiral… the increasing tensions have a bisectional reason. Firstly Russia has, since the Ukraine crises broke out in 2014, used their military forces more aggressively. For that reason NATO has extended its presence in the Baltic countries... When something like that happens, Russia always reacts militarily. For instance by airspace violations and dangerous close by flights ... Especially this summer the situation has escalated ... During big military exercises many situations arise when things can happen by mistake.” EXPRESS – Home of the Daily and Sunday Express 7.6.2017 ”Vladimir Putin warns 'no one would survive' nuclear war between Russia and US.” Washington Post 18.8.2017 “The president would probably never order the use of nuclear weapons.” Frankfurter Allgemeine 23.8.2017 “SPD Chancellor candidate Martin Schulz has sharply criticized the political line of America’s president Donald Trump, and demanded that the American nuclear weapons that are placed in Germany have to be removed.” Frankfurter Allgemeine 30.8.2017 ”Foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel supports the demand presented by the SPD Chancellor candidate Martin Schulz that the American nuclear weapons have to be removed from Germany.” STOPP Ramstein (U.S. air base) demonstration in Germany 9.9.2017 – Oskar Lafontaine, former chair of the SPD party and former finance minister of Germany, nowadays active within die Linke (left wing party ): ” Nuclear weapons have to disappear from the earth.” 5 THE RETURN OF THE COLD WAR TO EUROPE SIPRI – WORLD MILITARY EXPENDITURE ROSE LAST YEAR (2016) FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW The total expenditure was 1 686 billion dollars, around 1 554 billion euro. Military expenditure in North-America rose for the first time since 2010 and the expenditure in Western Europe rose for the second year in a row. The state budget of Finland was 5.5 billion euro in 2017. With the total world military expenditure the Finnish state could be run for a period of 28 years. The U.S. military budget is by far the biggest in the world. In 2016 it amounted to 611 billion dollars. The military budget of Russia was the third biggest in 2016 and amounted to a little more than 69 billion dollars (cp. USA). 6 7 THE DANGERS OF FALSE AND DISTORTED THREAT AND ENEMY IMAGES Creating different kinds of threat and enemy images only serves the military industry and big corporations striving to get hold of declining natural resources, as well as politicians aiming at an undemocratic, power concentrating world order. It does not in any way improve or uphold vital environmental conditions, or secure basic human needs – not to speak of life quality and security. The