“Two tankers who as young men could have squared off against each other on the East German border sat in the Russian Embassy [in Brussels] today and talked about ways their two nations could cooperate.”
We are talking about U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov.
They met in Brussels today with an eye to improving the military-to-military relations between the two nations, especially in areas of mutual interest such as antipiracy and counterterrorism efforts and Arctic issues.
U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talks with his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, during a meeting in Brussels, Jan. 21, 2014. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hinton.
And of course with the world’s eyes on the upcoming Sochi Winter Games, the two generals also discussed security at the Games.
The American Forces Press Service:
The Russian military is working in support of civilian security organizations, and Dempsey heard Gerasimov’s assessment of the task. The Russian armed forces are bringing unique military capabilities to the effort, he said, including air defense, the maritime domain, chemical and biological defense, backup medical support for civilian authorities, management of the electronic spectrum and electronic warfare and the like.
“I reiterated the fact that we would favorably consider requests from them,” Dempsey said.
In a statement released yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said U.S. commanders in the region are conducting prudent planning and preparations should support be required. Air and naval assets, including two Navy ships in the Black Sea, will be available if requested for all manner of contingencies in support of — and in consultation with — the Russian government, Kirby said, noting that there is no such requirement at this time.
No matter where the Olympics were being held this year, it would be a problem, Dempsey said, as international terrorists would seek to disrupt the games no matter where they were held. But having the games near Chechnya and Dagestan brings its own set of threats, he noted.
Gerasimov has “a hand-picked, highly trained task force that’s been in place for some time,” Dempsey said. “He believes they have in place the intelligence apparatus, as well as the response apparatus, to deal with the threats as they know them this year in Sochi.”
And, the Russian general is interested in American technology for countering improvised explosive devices that the Russian military might be able to use, the chairman said. The United States would share technical information on the counter-IED efforts, he added, and if it is compatible with Russian equipment, will look to provide that information to Russia in time for the games.
But back to tanks:
The Russian military is holding a tank biathlon next year, and the United States will observe “with the eye on participating downstream,” Dempsey said. The biathlon, he added, could have a Russian T-90 tank competing against a U.S. M-1 tank sometime in the future.
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In a column this evening, the New York Times also discusses the opening of talks “about using sophisticated American electronic equipment in a new effort to help secure the Winter Games in Sochi next month”
The Russian are interested in gaining access to “American technology, developed by the Pentagon to counter improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and Iraq, Defense Department officials said on Tuesday.”
They emphasized that no decisions had been made yet.
According to the Times:
General Dempsey said the Defense Department would be willing to provide equipment designed to detect and disrupt cellphone or radio signals used by militants to detonate improvised explosives from a distance. But he cautioned that technical experts from both nations first needed to make sure that the American systems could be integrated into the communications networks and security systems being set in place by Russia.
Read more here
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