NATO tests integration of joint high-end maritime strike capabilities

Source: NATO

On 24 October 2024, NATO kicked-off “Neptune Strike 2024.” This enhanced vigilance activity will take place across Europe, from the central Mediterranean and Adriatic up to the North and Baltic Seas and will run until 31 October 2024. During this period, NATO will take operational control of cutting-edge maritime warfare capabilities from numerous Allies, including multiple aircraft carriers and expeditionary strike groups that will be deployed across several operational domains.

In total, some 20 surface vessels and submarines, along with special operations forces and numerous aircraft, are participating, with around 15.000 supporting personnel. Participating nations to this NATO deployment include Albania, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a powerful demonstration of Allies’ ability to work together through NATO to deter and defend.

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Chair of the NATO Military Committee: ‘Finland will never again navigate the darkness alone.’

Source: NATO

On 24 and 25 October 2024 Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Bauer visited Finland, upon the invitation of its Chief of Defence General Janne Jaakkola. Admiral Bauer’s visit underscored the value of Finland as a NATO Ally and the important contributions it provides to NATO’s deterrence and defence.

On Thursday 24 October, Admiral Bauer visited the Guards Jaeger Regiment and met with Finnish Defence Support Association members. This gave the opportunity to engage with members and meet current Finnish conscripts.

In the evening, Admiral Bauer addressed the Finnish National Defence Course Association. This association brings together leaders from across society Finnish society who complete a prestigious national course covering in-depth topics of security and defence. Admiral Bauer’s speech praised the spirit of resilience engraved in Finland’s national defence and emphasised what NATO can learn from Finland’s Comprehensive Security Strategy and Total Defence Concept. 

Admiral Bauer took the opportunity to discuss Finland’s transition to NATO membership, and looked ahead to the future of its membership in the Alliance. The Chair of the NATO Military Committee stated “Finland’s movement into NATO is a transition, not a transformation. It is an opportunity to inspire Allies, whilst embracing a posture of international resilience. I urge you all to hold the spirit of ‘sisu’ as a firebrand leading the way as you carve out this new path. Knowing that there are friends on either side. And that you need never again navigate the darkness alone.”

On Friday 25 October, Admiral Bauer met with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, Minister of Defence Anti Häkkänen and the Finnish Parliamentary Defence Committee. These engagements allowed Admiral Bauer the opportunity to discuss strategic developments in NATO’s deterrence and defence and the need for continued support for Ukraine. In his engagements with the Finnish political and military leadership, Admiral Bauer praised the strength that Finland’s membership brings to NATO. Admiral Bauer commended the synergy of Finland’s civilian and military infrastructures and sectors in contributing towards societal resilience. He also underscored the crucial role of defence industries in Allied deterrence and defence.

NATO Allies and experts discuss intensifying hybrid campaigns against the Alliance in Prague

Source: NATO

More than 100 Allied experts and representatives met at the NATO Hybrid Symposium in Prague, Czechia on 24-25 October to address the challenges posed by adversarial use of hybrid tactics. Participants discussed the worsening threat environment and how to strengthen NATO`s approach to countering hybrid threats and deter these threats more effectively.

Opening the conference alongside the Czech hosts, James Appathurai, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, said: “This meeting comes at an important time. Russia in  particular is stepping up hybrid attacks against NATO Allies. Our partners are also experience increased hostile grey zone activities by various actors. This meeting will help us improve our assessment of the threats, and step up our resilience, defence and deterrence against hybrid threats’’.  

The Symposium also had sessions with representatives from private sector and academia as well as from NATO partners such as the European Union, Ukraine and Japan to explore their experience in countering hybrid interference. The annual event offers an opportunity for the Allied hybrid community to foster cooperation among experts and exchange views and best practices. The event was co-organised with the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.  

Criminal network that manufactured narco-boats to smuggle drugs dismantled

Source: Eurojust

The criminal group set up several warehouses in Spain and Portugal where boats that are illegal in Spain were manufactured in Portugal. The boats were then sold to other criminal groups, who used them to transport drugs such as heroin and marijuana into Spain. The criminal group also used its own boats and crews to transport drugs to Spain.

The authorities began investigating the criminal organisation at the end of 2022, when they learned of the group’s production and sale of narco-boats. As the group was active in Portugal and Spain, an international operation was required to stop the criminals in their tracks. A joint investigation team (JIT) was set up at Eurojust, to enable Portuguese and Spanish authorities to investigate the organisation together.

The JIT allowed the authorities to exchange information and evidence directly and quickly, to cooperate in real time and to jointly carry out operations. Due to this cooperation, coordinated by Eurojust, all the members of the group were identified and enough evidence was gathered to launch an international operation that dismantled the criminal group.

During the action day in Portugal and Spain, the authorities intercepted two boats with drugs before they could depart. The operation that deployed 200 agents led to the arrest of 28 suspects in Spain. Authorities seized 23 kilos of heroin, two marijuana plantations, four narco-boats and more than EUR 150 000 in cash.

The following authorities were involved in the operations:

  • Portugal: PPO Viana do Castelo; Policia Judiciária
  • Spain: Juzgado de Instruccion num. 2 of Cambados, Galicia; PP Antudrug Pontevedra; EDOA Group of Guardia Civil

Two Key Figures of Notorious Serbian Clan Arrested in Barcelona

Source: Europol

The clan leader was apprehended in Barcelona on 18 October, followed by the arrest of his lieutenant on 22 October. Both were wanted for charges including murder, attempted murder and kidnapping of rival gang members in Serbia, Austria, Germany and Spain.The clan leader was considered one of Europe’s most wanted and dangerous fugitives.The ” VračarClan”, a sub-clan of the “Kavač”…

National Armaments Directors meet to enhance Allied defence planning and production and strengthen their engagement with partners

Source: NATO

As NATO works to enhance defence production and ensure better defence planning, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke to the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) on the urgency of the task ahead. “Defence industrial issues are at the core of my agenda,” Mr Rutte explained. “NATO has made significant progress in kick-starting defence production, supporting Ukraine with munitions, and rebuilding stockpiles, but there is more to do, together.”

The meeting on 23 and 24 October brought representatives from Allied and Interoperability Partner nations together at NATO Headquarters for their 2024 Autumn Plenary Session. Delegates discussed the most pressing challenges for the armaments community across the Alliance and beyond. They addressed defence planning and production, joint procurement, and standardization. They also spoke about how to strengthen engagement with partners, in particular on supply chain security and defence industrial cooperation.

The CNAD plays an essential role in delivering the interoperable capabilities needed for the Alliance’s deterrence and defence. The Secretary General commended their work, highlighting the important part that Armaments Directors play in “turning political priorities and decisions into action.” This is vital not only among Allies but also with Partners. The recently appointed Assistance Secretary General for Defence Investment and CNAD’s Permanent Chair, Tarja Jaakkola, underscored the value of the of “ensuring that the CNAD contributes to bringing on board partners in NATO discussions to the fullest extent possible.”

The dark side of fake goods

Source: Europol

As consumers prepare for year-end festivities, many are looking for great deals. But a new report from Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is warning that scammers and organised crime networks use legal entities and loopholes to avoid detection by authorities, and profit from consumers’ appetite for low prices with fake products.The report, ‘Uncovering the Ecosystem of…

Support to German-led action to halt at least EUR 300 million in online fraud

Source: Eurojust

The General Public Prosecution Office of Dresden and the Police Directorate of Chemnitz started investigations in June 2020, following complaints from online investors. They had been lured to professionally designed websites, promising high returns on low investments. Victims only received a maximum of 3% of their initial investment, if any money was returned at all. Through the websites, the perpetrators managed to gain access to personal data and bank account details, creating fake customer accounts to lend credibility to the scheme.

To date, around 120 German victims are known, who have lost approximately EUR 12 million. However, further assessments by German investigators indicate that there are many more victims worldwide, with the fraud totaling at least EUR 300 million. It could even be as high as EUR 500 million. As result of these investigations, a number of suspects have been identified, including the one alleged main perpetrator, who has now been arrested. Investigations into the fraud are ongoing.

Due to links with Serbia, a JIT was set up with the help of the Agency in February this year, to ensure close cooperation between German and Serbian judicial and law enforcement investigators. Eurojust also organised four coordination meetings with participation of German, Cypriot and Serbian representatives to prepare for the action day and assisted with the execution of European Investigation Orders and requests for Mutual Legal Assistance to Serbia.

During the action day, 22 places were searched in Cyprus and Serbia. Furthermore, computer equipment, hard drives, mobile phones and digital data have been seized. Germany will ask the Cypriot authorities to surrender the arrested suspect.

The action day was carried out at the request of and by the following authorities on the ground:

  • Germany: General Public Prosecutor’s Office (Generalstaatsanwaltschaft) Dresden; Police Directorate (Kriminalpolizeiinspektion) Chemnitz
  • Cyprus: Cyprus Police
  • Serbia: Special Prosecutоr’s Office for High-Tech Crime, Service for Combating High-Tech Crime (MOI)

16 arrests as police target migrant smuggling across the Sava River

Source: Europol

Using overcrowded boats, the suspects willingly put the lives and safety of the migrants at risk. After crossing the river, the migrants were clandestinely transported in various types of vehicles. Hiding them in passenger cars or the cargo areas of transport vehicles, the criminals would move the migrants towards Slovenia, Italy, Germany, and other EU countries. It is estimated that…

Network smuggling migrants via Belarus busted in Poland

Source: Europol

The Polish Border Guard, supported by Europol, has successfully targeted a large criminal network smuggling migrants from Belarus and Russia into the EU. The investigation was conducted within the framework of a Europol Operational Task Force, made up of authorities from Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. A Europol expert supported the operation on the ground in…