US Order against Russia: Italy at attention

 

A Bath, Maine built Navy Aegis (Arleigh Burke class) destroyer prowling the waters of the Black Sea helping (not to defend America) but to take CIA directed instability to the Russian coast on behalf of corporate capital.

Art of war

By Manlio Dinucci (il manifesto, Italy)

Italian Foreign Minister Di Maio and Italian Defense Minister Guerini were urgently summoned to NATO headquarters in Brussels for an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council on April 15: the same day, in Washington President Biden signed the "Executive Order Against Harmful Foreign Activities of the Russian Government". 

As reported by the media, the Executive Order not only decreed expulsions of diplomats and economic sanctions, but established "If Russia continues or intensifies its destabilizing international actions",  then "The United States will impose such costs as to cause a strategic impact on Russia". 

It precisely is the preparation for the "strategic impact", that is an intensified political-military escalation against Russia. The North Atlantic Council was convened at the level of  Foreign and Defense Ministers of the 30 NATO countries and formally chaired by the Secretary-General Stoltenberg, in reality by US Secretary of State Blinken and US Defense Secretary Austin.

 

The North Atlantic Council - the Alliance political body  which according to NATO rules decides not by majority but always "unanimously and by mutual agreement" or in agreement with what Washington decided - has immediately and unanimously approved a 'Declaration of solidarity with the United States on actions announced on April 15, to respond to Russia's destabilizing activities'. 

The Council then listed the charges against Russia: "Destabilizing and provocative behavior, violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia, interference in US and Allied elections, vast disinformation campaign, use of nerve gas against Navalny, support for attacks on US/NATO forces in Afghanistan, violation of agreements on non-proliferation and disarmament”, the same words as in the Biden Executive order.

US military radar in Vardo, Norway - right up close to the Russian border.  It tracks Russian military operations and would assist in missile targeting during a US-NATO attack

 

Regarding these accusations just consider one for all, the latter:  who accused Russia of having violated the agreements on non-proliferation and disarmament is the United States, which has always violated the Non-proliferation Treaty deploying nuclear weapons in Italy and other European countries, and tearing up the INF Treaty by reopening the way for new nuclear missiles installation in Europe.  

The escalation is not just verbal. The day before the North Atlantic Council meeting, the US Army in Europe announced that it will hold back three bases in Germany that it should have returned to the German government, because it will receive two new operational units in the coming months.  

The same day Washington announced an agreement with Norway allowing the US to have four air and naval bases on the border with Russia. In the meantime, the US destroyer Arleigh Burke [made in Bath, Maine] has returned to Europe after undergoing a modernization that has "increased the range and capacity of its armaments". 

The Arleigh Burke destroyer is one of the four advanced deployment missile units of the Sixth Fleet that operate mainly in the Baltic and Black Sea under the orders of the US Naval Forces Command in Europe (their headquarters are in Naples-Capodichino). 

These ships are equipped with Lockheed Martin Mk 41 vertical launchers, capable of launching (according to official technical specifications) "missiles for all missions: anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and attack against land targets". These latter, including the Tomahawk missile, can be armed with a conventional warhead or a nuclear warhead. 

Without knowing it, Russia might assume there are nuclear attack missiles aboard these ships near its territory. 

[In addition the Pentagon has deployed these same systems on land in Romania and Poland - calls them 'Aegis Ashore' launch platforms. It's a Cuban Missile Crisis in reverse and the public knows nothing about it. But they have probably heard about Navalny.]

While London also announced the forthcoming missile unit dispatch to the Black Sea, Moscow announced that no passage of foreign warships will be allowed through Russian territorial waters in three areas of the Black Sea from  April 24 to  October 31. 

The situation will become even tenser when next summer the US-Ukraine Sea Breeze exercise will take place in the Black Sea with over 30 ships supported by airplanes, helicopters, and drones and the participation of other NATO countries.