Three B-52 Stratofortress bombers have arrived at RAF Fairford, UK, for a mini-deployment lasting two weeks.

On Jun. 4, two U.S. Air Force B-52 from AFB Barksdale, and one from Minot AFB, landed at RAF Fairford, England, for a short deployment.
The aircraft relocated to Europe to conduct training activity in the U.S. European Command area of operations, to provide opportunities for aircrews to sharpen skills in several key operational sets and become familiar with airbases and operations in the region.
Although the official release does not mention it, a patch produced for the deployment suggests that the B-52s were deployed to take part in the Baltops and Saber Strike 2014 exercises.
Whereas Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2014 is an annual multinational maritime exercise held in the Baltics with assets from 13 participating nations involved in training scenarios that include air, surface, subsurface and mine warfare, Saber Strike is a U.S. Army Europe-led security cooperation exercise which, focuses, on the three Baltic States: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Once there was Pivot to Asia. Nowadays there is a Pivot to the Baltics.
During the deployment to Fairford, lasting about two weeks (and according to rumors involving more B-52s coming from U.S. airbases in the next few days), a Stratofortress will also take part in the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration.
theaviationist

Hungarian Aircraft to Perform Air Policing Over Slovenia, Baltic States

Under the terms of a NATO agreement, the fighter aircraft of the Hungarian Air Force will perform air policing over Slovenia and the Baltic States in the near future, Minister of Defence Csaba Hende announced at an event held in Miskolc on Tuesday, November 13.

defencetalk

Se pide precaucion a miembros de la OTAN en ventas de material militar a no aliados/ Caution Urged on Sales to Non-NATO Members

El ministro de defensa de Letonia, ha urgido a que existan consultas entre los países miembros de la OTAN, antes de realizar ventas de armamento a países no aliados. Rusia ha entablado conversaciones con Francia, Holanda y España, para la venta de buques de asalto anfibio, y el ministro ha citado a un general ruso, que ha declarado que si Rusia hubiera dispuesto de este material, podrían haber atacado Georgia, el pasado 2008, en 40 minutos, en lugar de en 24 horas. El ministro habló de lo peligroso de estas posibles ventas, y que las decisiones deberían tomarse al amparo del artículo 4 del tratado de Washington, que habla de la necesidad de consultas entre los países miembros de la OTAN, ante las decisiones que pongan en peligro la integridad territorial, la independencia política o la seguridad de los países miembros.
El secretario de defensa de España, no ha realizado ninguna declaración sobre la posibilidad de que la española Navantia venda buques de asalto a Rusia, pero ha dicho que de producirse se haría en cumplimiento de las normas de la Agencia Europea de Seguridad, sobre exportación de material de Defensa.
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Latvian Defense Minister urged consultation among allied countries when NATO members consider selling power-projection equipment to non-allies.
Russia has recently been in discussions with France, the Netherlands and Spain about the purchase of an assault ship and stated that a Russian general said that if he had had this equipment at the time of the attack on Georgia, it could have been done in 40 minutes and not 24 hours. Latvian Minister said there should be open consultation with all NATO countries before a sale is made, as it is very dangerous for decisions to be taken by countries without discussion, according to Article 4 of the Washington Treaty that states that the Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened
Luis Manuel Cuesta Civis, secretary general of defense policy at Spain's Ministry of Defense, would not comment on shipbuilder Navantia's chances of winning the order from Russia, but said that the tender is in compliance with the European Defence Agency's code of conduct on the export of defense material. He also said the tender complied with a new law creating strict controls, which had been passed in Latvia in 2008.
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Maniobras aéreas de la OTAN en los países bálticos/NATO air forces to train over Baltic countries

Fuerzas de la OTAN realizarán maniobras en los estados Bálticos a finales de marzo de 2010. Se realizará sobre Letonia, Lituania y Estonia y participarán Mirage 2000 franceses y F-16 polacos, además de avisones cisterna norteamericanos. La OTAN, mantine un destacamento rotatorio de cazas en el Báltico desde que los tres países se unieron a la alianza en 2004, ya que estos no disponen de cazas adecuados para la misión. Las relaciones entre la OTAN y Moscú se enfriaron tras la invasión de Georgia en 2008, pero han mejorado con la administración Obama .
Esto ha sido tomado por los países bálticos como una amenaza para su seguridad, y se encuentran alarmados por la posible vente de 4 buques portahelicópteros clase Mistral a Rusia por parte de Francia, lo que según ellos desequilibraría enormemente las fuerzas militares de la zona. Estos países ya han emitido su queja a Francia.
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NATO air forces will conduct an exercise later this month over the Baltic states. The training over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will involve French Mirage 2000 and Polish F-16 fighters and U.S. aerial tankers.
NATO has kept a rotating detachment of fighter jets for air policing duties in the Baltics since the three countries joined the alliance in 2004. None of them possess the fast jets. Relations between NATO and Moscow were frozen after Russia's 2008 war with Georgia, but have improved significantly under the Obama administration, which has sought to enlist Russia's assistance in the escalating war in Afghanistan.
The improvement, however, has put Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on edge, for they see neighboring Russia as a regional security threat and they were particularly alarmed recently by the possible sale of up to four French 20,000-ton French Mistral-class command and control helicopter carriers to the Russian navy, which would greatly enhance its ability to project power.
The Latvian and Lithuanian defense ministers have both complained to France over the Mistral sale. Military analysts in the three nations have said the vessels would change the balance of power in the region.