The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military-political bloc that unites most of the countries of Europe, the United States and Canada. It was founded on April 4, 1949 in order to "protect Europe from Soviet aggression." Since the beginning of the Cold War, 12 countries have become NATO members: the USA, Canada, Iceland, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Italy and Portugal. One of the declared goals of NATO is to ensure the containment of any form of aggression against the territory of any NATO member state or protection from it.
After the collapse of the "Eastern Bloc", despite the guarantees previously received by Russia "on the non-expansion of NATO to the East", the former countries of the "Warsaw Pact" were admitted to this organization: Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and even the Baltic republics that were part of USSR: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Albania and Slovenia also became members of the organization. Georgia and Ukraine expressed their desire to join NATO to “protect against the Russian threat”.
In connection with the latest events in Ukraine and the incessant accusations of Russia by its "Western partners" of the escalation of violence in the southeast of this country on September 5, 2014, at a meeting of NATO leaders in Newport, it was decided to create a rapid reaction force. This force of approximately 4,000 people is designed to react quickly in the event of a Russian attack on any of the NATO countries. The main base and command center of the force is planned to be located in the UK. The planned time for the transfer and deployment of units in countries bordering Russia does not exceed 48 hours.
Despite the official end of the Cold War, the United States continues to maintain significant military capabilities in Europe. The largest forces are stationed in Germany, mainly in the federal states of Hesse and Baden-Württemberg. Infantry and tank units with a total number of about 52 thousand people are deployed at 12 military bases of the ground forces. There are also 4 army aviation bases and one logistics base, which is almost a quarter of all foreign bases of the Pentagon.
AWACS E-3 aircraft and KS-135 tankers at Geilenkirchen airbase
[center] F-16 fighters at Spangdahlem airbase
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Attack aircraft A-10 at Shpangdahl airbase
The largest base of the US Air Force in Germany, and throughout Europe, remains the military base in Ramstein, where the European missile defense command center is located.
Military transport aircraft and tanker aircraft at Ramstein airbase
The occupying forces of the United States and Great Britain are still located on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is perceived by many Germans as painful. A gradual reduction of foreign military contingents is envisaged, but there is no talk of their complete withdrawal. As long as the occupation forces remain within the borders of Germany, this country, despite its developed economy and its own armed forces, cannot be considered completely sovereign.
As of the summer of 2013, about 180 thousand people served in the own armed forces of the FRG (Bundeswehr). Since 2011, there is no conscription in the FRG, the entire army is contractual. In total, the ground forces include: 23 brigades (nine deployed mechanized, two airborne, two logistic support, mountain infantry, air mechanized, army aviation, artillery, engineering, air defense,RChBZ troops and three mechanized reduced strength); command of special forces; German component of the Franco-German brigade.
These units are armed with more than 1000 Leopard-2 tanks, about 2500 armored combat vehicles, more than 600 guns, mortars and MLRS, 140 helicopters.
Bundeswehr medical ambulances
Echelon with German armored vehicles
German tanks "Leopard-2"
SAM "Hawk", which was in service with the air defense units of the Federal Republic of Germany
After the unification of the two Germany on September 12, 1990, the armed forces of the GDR became part of the Bundeswehr. At that time, the Air Force was the maximum number after the Second World War - 100 thousand people. At present, almost all Soviet-made combat aircraft have been withdrawn from the Air Force. Part of the aircraft of greatest interest was transferred to the "American allies." The rest of the aircraft were scrapped or kept in museum expositions. The "European fighter" Eurofighter Typhoon, which was put into service, has no special advantages over the Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters inherited from the GDR. Writing off the latter was a purely political decision.
Soviet-made aircraft at the Berlin Aviation Museum
The German Air Force has about 100 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, about 200 Panavia Tornado IDS and Panavia Tornado ECR aircraft, about 100 military transport aircraft and about 100 training aircraft.
Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado IDS aircraft at Nörfenich airbase
The Luftwaffe uses American-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. As of 2010, the German Air Force was armed with 28 Patriot PAC-3 air defense missile systems.
SAM "Patriot" near Walheim
The FRG Navy includes: 6 Project 212A submarines, 20 frigates and 10 missile boats. In naval aviation there are about 90 anti-submarine, transport and patrol aircraft and helicopters.
German missile boat
Basic patrol and anti-submarine aircraft Breguet Br.1150 "Atlantique"
The closest American ally in Europe is Great Britain. This country strictly follows the path of US foreign policy and has its own nuclear weapons. The British Navy currently has four Vanguard-class SSBNs with 58 Trident-2 D5 missiles. All British SSBNs are based in Scotland, in the area of the Clyde naval base - at the Faslane base in Gar Lough Bay.
The home point of the British SSBNs Faslane
There are four American military installations in the UK. The largest American air base in the British Isles is RAF Lakenheath.
American F-15 fighters at Lakenheath Air Force Base
At the nearby Mildenhall airbase (RAF Mildenhall), American strategic bombers regularly land and KS-135 tanker aircraft and C-130 military transport aircraft are based on an ongoing basis.
Tanker aircraft KS-135 and military transport S-130 at Mildenhall airbase
American and British combat aircraft at Leuhars AFB
On the territory of Great Britain there are American radar complexes in Menwit Hill and Saltergate.
Saltergate radar complex
Currently, the British armed forces number 125 thousand people. The ground forces are armed with 380 Challenger 2 tanks and about 1,000 armored vehicles.
British tanks at the training ground
The Royal Air Force has about 100 Eurofighter Typhoon F1 and Eurofighter Typhoon T1 fighters, 117 Panavia Tornado GR4 and GR4A fighter-bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, 7 E-3D AWACS aircraft, 280 training aircraft, 80 military transport, 170 helicopters …
Fighters Eurofighter Typhoon
Fighter-bombers Panavia Tornado GR4
Aircraft AWACS E-3D at Koeningsby airbase
As part of the British Navy, in addition to four Vanguard-class SSBNs, there are five Trafalgar-class nuclear submarines and two Astyut-class nuclear submarines. The main surface forces of the fleet consist of six Type 45 destroyers, thirteen Type 23 frigates, and three Ocean and Albion-class amphibious assault ships.
British amphibious assault ship "Albion"
There are currently no aircraft carriers in the British fleet. The only Invincible-class light aircraft carrier Illastries has been withdrawn from service.
British light aircraft carrier "Illastries"
The two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers under construction, which are to replace the Invincible-class aircraft carriers after 2016, will at the first stage be used only as helicopter carriers (until the arrival of the F-35B aircraft). All existing VTOL Harriers have been decommissioned or sold in the US, where they will supplement the Marine Corps' natural decline.
