*[Enwl-eng] Baltic Sea militarisation - RAND study arms control

[ENWL]

Dear peace friends around the Baltic Sea!


Below extremely useful and important information from
Dr. Horst Leps - Elersweg 17 - 22395 Hamburg - 040/60450776

email: horstleps (at) gmx.de




Characteristic of the current military and security situation in the Baltic 
Sea, is not only the fact that the opposing parties (east and west) hardly 
speak with each other anymore, but that there are also no initiatives in 
this direction.


The German Foreign Office in Berlin has supported the American RAND 
Corporation in a study "A New Approach to Conventional Arms Control in 
Europe" which has now been presented (see links below).


https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4346.html
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR4300/RR4346/RAND_RR4346.pdf


The study starts by outlining mutual threat perceptions. For this, 
interviews were made with experts from
NATO and texts by Russian politicians and military as well as political 
scientists were analyzed. A comparison of the perceptions were made and 
analyzed for their military implications. In order to concretize the 
concerns,
the RAND Corporation authors present conflict scenarios: How could a war in 
the Kaliningrad/Suwalki region start?
Then arms control experts from NATO as well as from Russia are asked what 
measures could be taken to prevent military confrontations or to slow them 
down.
The document contains a 10 page long, extensive list of measures which for 
example, could reduce dangers that arise from misunderstandings.
The list includes restricting military activities in strategically sensitive 
locations, the limitation of the number of military exercises, the 
prohibition of strategically important weapon systems in certain locations, 
limits for which capabilities can be used in exercises in strategically 
sensitive locations, notification mechanisms for enhanced readiness of 
forces,
nodes for crisis communications and much more.
(Measures for arms control pages 58 -68)


This study must be made known in all countries around the Baltic Sea in 
order to create public pressure that forces the  governments to implement a 
policy of relaxation, arms control and maybe even disarmament. It is 
important not only to focus on the individual measures proposed, but to 
create awareness that - as the list of measures shows - military relaxation 
is basically possible in the Baltic Sea area, if the governments are willing 
to work for it.


Dr. Horst Leps
___________________________


On behalf of the Baltic Sea Call initiators I hope that you will send this 
RAND Corporation study to your government and your members of parliament 
with your own greetings and wishes. Let us remind them that peace and 
disarmament is possible!


Ulla Klötzer, Women for Peace - Finland


From: Ulla Klotzer
Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2020 4:21 PM
Subject: Baltic Sea militarisation - RAND study arms control

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