120 - What happens in Norfolk stays in Norfolk - A series of strategic meetings aboard USS Ford on 19-09-2022

EXPLORING THE INFAMOUS OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

5 IMPORTANT ISSUES:

1. Discrepancy - Crisis on hands!

NOR Defense minister timing of his visit to USA does not match official date.
Gram has visited the USA already on 19-09-2022 - The whistle-blower.

2. Norway plays as NATO's eyes and ears in the Arctic

The post in which a claim is explored that Gram and Store brought important intel to USA 

3.  A series of strategic meetings aboard USS Ford on 19-09-2022

For Norway it was about "the core of Norway’s security"

Norway hastily closes Supplementary Defense Cooperation Agreement (SDCA) 

in the event of a war or crisis

4. Landing of the UK Queen Elisabeth which was on a diplomatic mission

5. Why did NOR meet Office of Management and Budget officials at USS Ford?
Were they there actually two times? With NOR and then on 25-09-2022?

NORWAY - 13-09-2022

13 Sept 2022 - The Minister of Defense visits Forsvarsbygg on 13 September

Bjørn Arild Gram will visit Forsvarsbygg on 13 September 2022 to get a briefing on the agency.

13-14 Sept 2022 - Oslo: Arctic Security Forces Roundtable co-chairs meet, focus on strategy

The Arctic Security Forces Roundtable (ASFR) co-chairs, Norwegian Royal Navy Rear Adm. Solveig Krey of the Norwegian Defence Staff and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Edward Vaughan of U.S. European Command met in Oslo Sep. 14 -15 to discuss the content of future meetings.   

15 Sept 2022 - State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson has a meeting with Germany's new ambassador to Norway, Dr. Detlef Wächter.

15 Sept 2022 - Norway will work with the European Union to seek a more stable gas market 

as soaring prices are not in the Nordic country's best interests, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Thursday. 

15 Sept 2022 - NOR: Meeting with Equinor, Aker BP and Vår Energi

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland have invited representatives from the companies Equinor, Aker BP and Vår Energi to a meeting about the energy crisis in Europe on Thursday 15 September at 08.30. The three companies are the three largest petroleum producers on the Norwegian continental shelf.

16 Sept 2022 - The Minister of Defense will visit FFI on 16 September

 will visit the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI) at Kjeller.

16 Sept 2022 - NOR: The Prime Minister's program week 38

The Prime Minister and ministers normally have these fixed posts in the weekly programme: Government conference on Thursday at 12.30 and Minister of State at the Palace on Friday at 11 a.m. There are also regular meetings of the Government's security committee (RSU).

16 Sept 2022 - Støre: - My colleagues are talking about a war economy

The Prime Minister met the oil and gas companies to discuss the energy crisis in Europe. After the meeting, he emphasized the seriousness of the energy crisis. 

 

ESTONIA, TALLIN - 16-09-2022

16 Sept 2022 - NATO - Tallinn Estonia: Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session

The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO's headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). The commander is based at SHAPE in Casteau, Belgium. SACEUR is the second-highest military position within NATO, below only the Chair of the NATO Military Committee in terms of precedence.

 

PENTAGON - 16-09-2022

16 Sept 2022 - Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram engage in a bilateral exchange at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, 2022.

NORWAY - 19-09-2022

18 Sept 2022 - The Secretary of Defense to the United States 18 - 21 September

Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) is traveling to the USA on 18 September to, among other things, meet his colleague Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon. Gram is also going to Norfolk to visit the US Navy.

 

18 Sept 2022 - The Minister of Defense visits the United States 18.-21. September Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) travels to the USA.

On Monday 19 September, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram will visit the US Navy's 2nd Fleet and NATO's operational command (Joint Force Command) in Norfolk, USA. They will also meet soldiers aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

After Norfolk, the Minister of Defense will continue to Washington DC. Among other things, he will meet his American colleague Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon on Tuesday 20 September.

The security policy situation we find ourselves in now is serious and has changed rapidly. That is why it is more important than ever to engage in close dialogue with close allies, says Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp).  

 

NORFOLK - 19-09-2022

19 Sept 2022 - Støre visited the USA's newest aircraft carrier: - It is important to share information with the USA

Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap), together with Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp), was given an introduction to how the American contribution to security in the Atlantic is during a visit to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford. 

19 Sept 2022 - Norway must rely mostly on its allies

NEWS ANALYSIS: As the leader of Norway’s neighbouring Russia shocked the world again, now with nuclear threats, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre readily concedes that his government must rely on the US and other NATO allies for any needed defense. They’ve all been gathered at the UN General Assembly in New York this week, but just before that, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was flown out to visit a US aircraft carrier at sea.

The carrier visit confirmed once again that the US and Norway are close allies and also that US forces will continue to maintain a strong presence in Norwegian territory, not least along its coast. “What gives Norway security is that we have allies who have capacity,” Støre told newspaper Aftenposten while standing on the deck of the USS Gerald R Ford on Monday.

When asked why he’d taken the time to visit the USS Gerald R Ford at the start of a hectic week in Washington DC and at the UN in New York, Støre told Aftenposten it was to see “the core of Norway’s security.”... Defense Minister Gram added that while Norway “is a small country, it contributes strongly to the NATO alliance through intelligence gathering, new fighter jets, the new surveillance aircraft and special forces.

19 Sept 2022 - Norway Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, SECNAV Visit USS Gerald R. Ford

NORFOLK, Va. - Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram, and the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Sept. 19, 2022.

“The U.S. is our most important ally. The U.S. pledge to support Norway and Europe in times of crisis and war is essential to our security. Norway and the U.S. have a long tradition of close defense cooperation. We are now seeking to develop this even further,” said Støre.

Støre and Del Toro also had the opportunity to hold a series of strategic meetings aboard. 

19 Sept 2022 - Distinguished visitors from the Office of Management and Budget

20 Sept 2022 - HMS Queen Elisabeth - NORFOLK, Va. - The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) had the honor of hosting HMS Queen Elizabeth during the ship’s stay.

On Sept. 20, 2022, it moored at Pier 12 in Naval Station Norfolk for a short stop before taking part in a national conference in New York. 

 

PENTAGON - the FOLLOWING DAY

20 Sept 2022 - Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Remarks Welcoming Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram to the Pentagon

...I'm also mindful of the crucial role that Norway plays as NATO's eyes and ears in the Arctic...

Your support - or you support the entire alliance with efforts like Exercise Cold Response, which wrapped up its ninth edition this March.

So Mr. Minister, thanks for all you're doing for our shared security and thanks again for making the trip and I look forward to a great discussion.

20 Sept 2022 - Secretary Austin Meeting with Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram

03:25 min video: "...The North Atlantic and the Arctic is gaining strategic importance and the United States and Norway, are working closely together on intelligence, maritime surveillance, repositioning of material and reinforcement of forces, training and exercise. It´s important close cooperation,... the World is becoming a more dangerous place,... Democracy needs to prepare for longer confrontation beyond the war in Ukraine..." 

20 Sept 2022 - SECDEF Austin Norway Bilateral Engagement

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram engage in a bilateral exchange at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 20, 2022.

20 Sept 2022 - Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting with Norway's Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III welcomed Norwegian Minister for Defence Bjørn Arild Gram to the Pentagon.

The leaders discussed the strength of our bilateral defense relationship and ongoing work to support Ukraine. They discussed shared security interests in Europe, the Arctic, and across the globe, and bilateral and NATO efforts to advance them. The two leaders look forward to further bilateral cooperation.

Secretary Austin and Minister Gram exchanged views on the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Secretary Austin reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and thanked Minister Gram for Norway’s substantial contribution to Ukrainian security. The two also touched on threats to Arctic Security from Russia. Both agreed that the Arctic is a region that is growing in geostrategic importance.

Secretary Austin thanked Minister Gram for Norway’s approval of the Supplementary Defense Cooperation agreement, which will provide substantive projects that will increase bilateral security cooperation, particularly in the Arctic.

"Supplementary Defense Cooperation Agreement (SDCA) will facilitate more rapid and effective deployment of reinforcements to Norway from the US in the event of a war or crisis." 

21 Sept 2022 - Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III meets with senior enlisted leaders, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2022

 

22 Sept 2022 - Chief of Naval Operations Meets with Chief of Royal Australian Navy; Discusses Increased Operations and Partnership

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday hosted the Royal Australian Navy’s Chief of Navy Vice Adm. Mark Hammond at the Pentagon, Sept. 22.

22 Sept 2022 - US considers suspending ‘special relationship’ label after Liz Truss visit

“We'll shut it down until we can figure out what's going on.”

 

23 Sept 2022 - CNO and Commander of Belgian Navy Meet; Discuss Increasing Capabilities and Capacity

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday met with the Commander of the Belgian Navy Rear Adm. Jan de Beurme at the Pentagon for an office call, Sept. 23.

The leaders discussed building maritime capabilities and capacity, as well as deterrence, defense and the need to continue to protect the stability and prosperity of the seas.

“Collectively, our capacity expands when we sail in company with like-minded navies around the world, and we are grateful for the continued partnership and collaboration with Belgium,” said Gilday. “We will continue to strengthen the bonds we share through increased operations, interoperability, and continued cooperation."

Both heads of navy emphasized the need to develop high-end warfare capabilities, such as advanced mine countermeasures and ballistic-missile defense, while also leveraging enhanced capabilities and technology. The Belgian navy is currently leading a Belgian-Dutch mine countermeasures replacement program, which will supply the Belgian and Royal Netherlands navies with six new minehunter vessels each.

25 Sept 2022 - Office of Management and Budget at USS Ford 

 

[MRT: Is this the same group as on 19th of September or another 2nd visit?] 

NORWAY

26 Sept 2022 - NOR: State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson attended a meeting with the marine insurance company Gard about challenges in connection with the sanctions against Russia.

26 Sept 2022 - Norway oil safety regulator warns of threats from unidentified drones

26 Sept 2022 - Norway calls for vigilance over unidentified drones near oil and gas fields

26 Sept 2022 - The Minister of Defense will visit the Norwegian Navy at Haakonsvern on Monday 26 September / Bjørn Arild Gram | Ministry of Defence

Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram will visit Bergen on 26 September.

Gram will meet management and personnel at the Norwegian Navy's base at Haakonsvern. He will receive an orientation at the National Naval Operations Centre, visit the frigate squadron, Bogøytoppen, the minesweeper squadron and the corvette squadron. The Chief of the Norwegian Navy hosts the visit, which lasts the whole day.

27 Sept 2022 - The Norwegian Defense Forces have had a patrol ship in the area since yesterday.

 

PENTAGON - NORFOLK

27 Sept 2022 - Pentagon: CNO Delivers Remarks at Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence Future Maritime Warfare Symposium *(Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday)

Admiral Bauer … Admiral Dwyer … Fellow Heads of Navy … Shipmates … Good morning!

27 Sept 2022 - CNO Delivers Remarks at Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence Future Maritime Warfare Symposium 

I hope you will all accept my regrets for not being able to attend in person today. Believe me when I tell you … I’d rather be down there in Norfolk … where I can smell the salt water … the water front … and listen to the world-class discussions that you are having today. I’ll just have to live vicariously through Victoria Krikorian and Admiral Dwyer for the next couple of days.

NOTE -> Ms. Krikorian is the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Dwyer is a commander of US Second Fleet responsible for operations in the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean.

 

PUBLIC PERCEPTION MANAGEMENT

27 Sept 2022 - The C.I.A. had warned European governments of potential attacks on pipelines

[MRT; Was this information released to protect the USA?]

 

NEW YORK

28 Sept 2022 

 

RELATED POSTS:

078 - Antony Blinken and those odd post Nordstream attack Tremendous opportunity remarks on 30-09-2022

194 - Awards, promotions and demotions in the Nordstream affair

OTHER RELATED POSTS

most of the research about UK´s role, motives has been conducted in 2023

The summary is here:

121 - Hersh´s claim vs Hard data - and - Mortymer´s Nordstream hypothesis recap

***

- INDEX -

***

Uncovering the truth took over two years of self-funded, tireless investigation.

I decided to open it for free, no paywall, despite huge investment.
Because the truth matters.
Please consider supporting my work with a donation.

Every bit helps keep this mission alive!

mortymer001

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119 - The day before the attack on 25 Sept 2022: Blinken on a potential U.S. response to nuclear weapons | 60 Minutes

Interview 1 day before Nordstream is attacked

the USA could not stop the attacker

and now tries to de-escalate

[MRT: Note that his father passed away the day before. 

Yet he did not cancel as the message was very important.]

This post is a small but important part of another post:
"The USA de-escalates possible Russian nuclear response even before Nordstream is hit, NATO protect Trans-Atlantic alliance afterwards"

25 Sept 2022 - Secretary Antony J. Blinken Interview With 60 Minutes on CBS With Scott Pelley

QUESTION: How concerned should Americans be about the prospect of nuclear war?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Scott, we’ve heard a lot of irresponsible rhetoric coming out of Vladmir Putin, but we’re focused on making sure that we’re all acting responsibly, especially when it comes to this kind of loose rhetoric. We’ve been very clear with the Russians publicly and as well as privately to stop the loose talk about nuclear weapons.

QUESTION: Privately, the United States has been in communication with the Kremlin about these threats of nuclear war?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yes, it’s very important that Moscow hear from us and know from us that the consequences would be horrific, and we’ve made that very clear.

QUESTION: You called the nuclear talk loose talk, but isn’t Vladimir Putin telling us what he’s going to do if he is backed any further into a corner?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Vladimir Putin has a clear way out of the war he started, and that’s to end it. If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends.

QUESTION: Is there anyone in the Kremlin who can tell Vladimir Putin, “No,” if he decides to launch a battlefield nuclear weapon?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: They have a chain of command – whether it works or not, to be seen – but I think what you’re pointing to is a larger challenge, and that is the Achilles Heel of autocracies anywhere, there is usually not anyone who has the capacity or the will to speak truth to power. And part of the reason I think Russia has gotten itself into the mess that it’s in is because there is no one in the system to effectively tell Putin he is doing the wrong thing.

QUESTION: In our interview last week, President Biden told us that he had a message for Vladimir Putin on the use of nuclear weapons.

President Joe Biden, last week: Don’t, Don’t, Don’t.

QUESTION: He went on to say the U.S. response would be “consequential.” What did he mean by that?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: I’m not going to get into what the consequences would be. Any use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic effects for, of course, the country using them, but for many others as well.

QUESTION: If you can’t give us specifics about a U.S. response, can you tell us that the administration has a plan?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: We do.

QUESTION: Is it a plan that would prevent World War III?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: President Biden has been determined that as we are doing everything we can to help the Ukrainians to defend themselves, as we’re doing everything we can to rally other countries to put pressure on Russia, we’re also determined that this war not expand, not get broader.

LETS ROLL BACK:

THIS is the USA feeling the need to de-escalate:

So the USA folds and withdrews from Baltic sea:

21 Sept 2022 - Ex-Putin adviser warns UK cities could be hit with nuclear weapons if Britain ‘continues to be aggressor’

Sergey Markov says ‘a lot of people in Western countries’ could be killed in nuclear war on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme

An ex-adviser to Vladimir Putin has claimed UK cities could be a nuclear target for the Russian president and blamed the Ukraine war on the West as he launched into a bizarre rant on British radio.

Sergey Markov made a host of unsubstantiated claims - including that Western countries are using Ukrainian soldiers “as slaves” - before shouting down the phone line during his interview.

He threatened the West with nuclear war before he was asked any questions on BBC’s Today programme on Wednesday morning.

“Good morning to you,” the presenter said, to which the ex-Putin advisor replied: “Good morning. Well it’s not good morning ... for everybody.”

He continued: “For Western countries, for you, British listeners, I would say that Vladimir Putin told us he would be ready to use nuclear weapons against Western countries, including nuclear weapons against Great Britain.

Mr Markov said “your cities will be target..” before being interrupted.

After claiming Russia wanted peace, Mr Markov was challenged by the BBC presenter who said: “You haven’t been talking much about peace, have you? You’ve just threatened us all with complete destruction, nuclear missiles coming to London, you said, and now you talk about peace.”

Mr Markov replied: “If Great Britain continues to be aggressor against Russia, if the prime minister of Great Britain, Liz Truss, still has a plan to destroy Russia, people in London should understand this threat comes from Liz Truss who is aggressor.”

 

The NATO died,

or was "zombified"

the USA has chosen own security over the security of its NATO allies

***

***

- INDEX -

***

Uncovering the truth took over two years of self-funded, tireless investigation.

I decided to open it for free, no paywall, despite huge investment.
Because the truth matters.
Please consider supporting my work with a donation.

Every bit helps keep this mission alive!

mortymer001

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118 - German Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack and Nordstream

He knew, he knows,..

There were 2 warnings...

The 2nd could be from NOR on 19-09-2022 when NOR blew the whistle
Other naval exercises in Baltic sea Rekin22, Archipelago Endeavor 22.

. 

Chief of Navy - Jan Christian Kaack

Germany’s chief of navy is called “Inspekteur der Marine”, literally Inspector of the Navy. He leads the entire naval force and represents it externally. He is responsible for the personnel and material readiness of the Navy; he advises the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr on all naval and maritime matters. Within the Federal Ministry of Defence and in multinational military committees, he represents the maritime perspective of the Bundeswehr.

He became acting Inspector of the Navy (commander of the German Navy) as a result of Kay-Achim Schönbach's resignation of the 22nd of January 2022. As of March 11th, 2022 he became the Inspector of the Navy.

NORTHERN COASTS EXERCISE:

About the exercise:

Northern Coasts is a recurring exercise which has been taking place in the Baltic Sea since 2007. It is hosted by a different Baltic country each year.

German Navy Admiral Stephan Haisch will lead the units involved in the exercise from the German Navy’s operations center in Glücksburg. As part of the exercise scenario, a fictitious regional country raises territorial claims over islands in the Baltic Sea using its naval forces to threaten freedom of navigation.

Acting on a UN-mandate, Allied and partner forces will seek to restore freedom of navigation. Training will also include maritime surveillance, naval combat, air-defence, anti-submarine warfare and mine-clearance.

 "The Baltic Sea is of vital importance for the Alliance and is bordered by six NATO countries”, said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu. “Northern Coasts is now in its 13th year.'

ORIGINAL TIMING 

Note Bundeswehr statements: 

The increased presence in the Baltic Sea has also had an impact on the Navy's annual autumn maneuvers: Northern Coasts lasted longer than usual this year at four weeks, from 29 August to 28 September. This provided an opportunity for more participation from Germany's Baltic Sea partners.

[MRT: This statement could be understood that German navy was guarding Baltic infrastructure for a month and there was a reason for that. Perhaps the original USA strategic warning was specific and German navy knew who could be the suspect and what possible targets there were? Perhaps the political changes in the UK and the death of Queen just delayed the mission so exercises had to be extended?]

15- 19 Sept 2022 - FRA: The Tripartite Minehunter (CMT) Céphée made a stopover

at the port of Klaipėda from September 15 to 19, as part of the multinational exercise "Northern Coasts 2022", organized by the German Navy to strengthen cooperation in the Baltic Sea .

19 Sept 2022 - “Schleswig-Holstein” visits Lithuania

Over the weekend from September 16 to 19, 2022, the frigate “Schleswig-Holstein” was in the port of Klaipėda - for multinational exchanges during the Northern Coasts exercise. The submarine hunting frigate from Wilhelmshaven is currently taking part in this naval exercise, alongside other ships and boats from the German Navy and naval forces of friendly nations... Immediately after docking on Friday morning, September 16, Brune and Commander Frigate Captain Andreas Mückusch welcomed on board dignitaries from the city of Klaipėda, the host Lithuanian Navy and representatives of the German Embassy.

19 Sept 2022 - Baltic Guard: An Interim Assessment

Since spring 2022 , the Navy's most important contribution to the Enhanced Vigilance Activities has been the Baltic Guard measure . A work cell in the Maritime Operations Center ( MOCMaritime Operations Center) in Glücksburg near Flensburg organized to move as many national exercise projects as possible from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. This is intended to increase the presence of the fleet there....

“There has been a significant shift in the projects of our ships, boats and aircraft from outside to the Baltic Sea,” confirms Frigate Captain Ulrich F. from the MOCMaritime Operations Center. And he adds: “This applies to both national and international units. However, exact figures, data and facts are classified.”

At the same time, the Navy with Baltic Guard is offering its partners in the Baltic Sea region the opportunity to take part in all of these exercises. Above all, this means that not only corvettes from Warnemünde and minehunters from Kiel, but also increasingly frigates from Wilhelmshaven are training their craft directly on NATO's northeastern flank - together with ships from the Polish or Estonian navies, for example.

"Our allies expect a leadership role from us"

[MRT: Which allies and why? USA? Perhaps because the US was leaving Baltic Sea? Because the US told EU they are on their own, USA preferring own security?] 

The German Navy had made half of its fleet, including submarines, auxiliary and reconnaissance ships, available for the Enhanced Vigilance Activities in the spring - partly before the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine. In February, the naval command assigned 28 of them, practically all of them that were not in a shipyard for maintenance and repair, to NATO units or diverted them from individual training projects in the North Sea to the central and eastern Baltic Sea.

“The motto was: Everything that swims goes out,” said Inspector Kaack in a recent interview with Welt Online. “Was it sustainable? No. Was it right? In any case. Because we have shown: Not with us, Mr. Putin!” As a result, the Navy was able to determine “normal behavior of the Russian fleet with a few exceptions in the aviation area.”

[MRT: Looks like some attack was expected. But here he tells it was not from Russia until the date of 19-09-2022 when things took unexpected turn to worse.]  

The content of Northern Coasts 2022 was initially the usual training in cooperation between warships of different types and nationalities.

[MRT: What was the latter content then?]   

In addition, the large-scale exercise this early autumn had other focuses: including training anti-submarine warfare specifically in the Baltic Sea.

[MRT: So does he tell that that there was a HUNT for a SUBMATINE?]   

Those involved also practiced creating a multinational, cross-military, detailed military situation picture of the region and continuously updating it over the period of the maneuver.

[MRT: So the exercise has been a joint effort to find a sub where members exchanged and shared data?]    

The major maritime military training event ended on September 20, around 40 hours earlier than planned.

[MRT: So the training part only ended on 20th but then there was a live submarine hunt because officially the Northern coasts ended on 28-09-2022?

Why 40 hours earlier? So it was supposed to end on 28th. A new mission order seems to be received: To hunt the sub and protect pipelines? This matches timing of other events.]    

The success is considered assured, the balance sheet is positive. The participating naval forces of 14 nations have shown to be operationally ready. The German Navy is prepared to take on responsibility in the Baltic Sea region. 

23 Sept 2023 - German Navy F125 Class frigate FGS Rheinland-Pfalz inbound to HMNB Devonport,

Plymouth late yesterday afternoon following the earlier arrivals of replenishment ship FGS Berlin and corvette FGS Oldenburg

27 Sept 2022 - Details: The CIA warned of attacks on the gas pipelines

As recently as last weekend, Jan Christian Kaack, a senior commander in the German Navy, warned of attacks on infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

[MRT: What did he know and is not sharing? What intel he had to say that?] 

28 Sept 2022 - Underwater Critical Infrastructure Unprotected

The threat to the underwater infrastructure was not a secret. Last week, talking with Die Welt newspaper, German Navy inspector, Admiral Jan Kaack, noted that at the bottom of the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, there are many elements of critical infrastructure such as pipelines or underwater IT cables.

[MRT: Based on my findings many parties actually seem to know about the threat a lot.]  

He did not make a specific reference to the sabotage of the two Nord Stream pipelines, but Kaack told the Die Welt: “There is a reason why Russian underwater or surface units are in the area of these cables.”

[MRT: One explanation is that they also were aware of the vulnerability and were also protecting pipelines..]  

Underwater Critical Infrastructure
The two Nord Stream pipes are part of a complex network of critical infrastructure elements on the bottom of the seas, an infrastructure which has attracted the attention of the military and of emergency planners in the civilian sector. Among the notable critical infrastructure elements on the bottom of the Baltic Sea:

· High-voltage cables such as NordBalt cable between Sweden and Lithuania

· The 1172-kilometer C-Lion connection which runs from Finland to Germany

· Russia undersea cables, which connect St. Petersburg to the Kaliningrad region via a cable of around 1100 kilometers.

2 Oct 2022 - Ruler of the oceans

After seven other countries, German naval aviators will also receive the P-8A Poseidon to ensure maritime surveillance and submarine hunting capabilities for at least a decade.

The Naval Aviation Squadron 3 "Graf Zeppelin" in Nordholz, after the ordeal with the unreliable and antiquated P-3C Orion, you can look forward to a “great aircraft”. rejoiced Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Inspector of the Navy.

The Naval Aviation Squadron 3 "Graf Zeppelin" in Nordholz, after the ordeal with the unreliable and antiquated P-3C Orion, you can look forward to a “great aircraft”. rejoiced Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Inspector of the Navy.

Comprehensive equipment

If everything works out, the naval aviators will be “at the forefront again” internationally. because the P-8A is currently the only “high-end” solution available and offers a comprehensive range of capabilities. Especially when it comes to the increased need to hunt submarines, for example in the Baltic Sea and the Norwegian Sea off Norway, there is probably no better aircraft at the moment. Overall, Boeing speaks of "unique multi-mission capabilities" the Poseidon, from submarine hunting to combating ships, long-range maritime surveillance and use in search and rescue missions.

3 Oct 2022 - GER: "The person responsible for the Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks is unlikely to ever be held accountable", Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Commander of the German Navy, told Monday's "Aktuaalne kaamera".

"The basis for seeing possible events is a clear picture of the sea, or observation. If there is a clear picture of the air, surface or subsurface — almost clear, because you cannot always be completely sure — then you can look at anomalies in the system and then you can bring a special unit to the area where the anomaly was detected," Kaack said. 

3 Oct 2022 - German Navy Commander: Nord Stream attacker unlikely to be prosecuted

The person responsible for the Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks is unlikely to ever be held accountable, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Commander of the German Navy, told Monday's "Aktuaalne kaamera".

"Our partners in the east, and I would put Finland in there as well, they are very dependent on the critical marine infrastructure on the seabed. We will see whether anyone will be able to be held accountable — I don't think so," he said.

"But we can show now is solidarity and support by sending units that can have a look at the leakages and also support our partners with air surveillance and sub-surface surveillance and that is what's are doing."

17 Oct 2022 - FGS Oldenburg (F263), a German warship, outbound from Devonport Plymouth early this morning.

3 Nov 2022 - German Navy now guards energy facilities

"The German Navy takes part in passages to and from sea maneuvers in these areas, but also with recurring flights with the P-3C Orion off the Norwegian coast," explained the Navy Inspector, Vice Admiral Jan Kaack, on Thursday. The P-3C Orion aircraft are so-called maritime patrol aircraft - they monitor large areas of the sea from the air. They also provide a picture of the situation under water and can detect and combat submarines.

9 Jan 2023 - Europeans wade into fighting seabed threats with drones and sensors

“The number of sensors that have been developed even to date are generating huge quantities of data,” he said. That explains his agency’s appetite for novel information-processing techniques that can translate signals picked up by sensors into actionable intelligence.

German Navy chief Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack has made a similar case for keeping tabs on infrastructure in the country’s territorial waters of the North and Baltic seas. His idea is to integrate sensor data generated by operators, oceanic research institutions, police and the Navy into one operational picture that covers activity above and below water, a sea service spokesman told Defense News.

“Keeping such a picture current would help detect anomalies quickly and enable follow-up,” the spokesman added.

[MRT: Seems there was anomaly, data, but it was not acted upon to.] 

30 Jan 2023 -  Inspector of the Navy speaks about “turning point in the Navy” 

“We have been warning about the threat to critical maritime infrastructure for years.” According to Kaack, the navy remains regionally rooted but has global obligations. Everything must be subordinated to national and alliance defense.

9 March 2023 - A job for professionals

In the first days after the attack, several countries sent investigative teams, including Germany. "On September 26th, we had a fleet service boat in action on the Baltic Sea, whose crew could hear the explosion," says Jan Christian Kaack, Navy Inspector in an interview with ZEIT ONLINE . The German Navy was then asked for help by the NATO partners and sent two boats with divers and underwater drones to the site of the explosion. "The location of the detonation is actually outside our jurisdiction," says Kaack.

The type of destruction clearly shows external intervention. Parts of the pipeline flew away a hundred meters. "But forensics does not allow a specific nation to be blamed for the explosion," says the naval inspector.

10 Sept 2023 - Marine inspector: Better protect critical infrastructure

Russia has made significant progress in underwater communications, navigation and effectiveness. An opponent now has the opportunity to evade the electromagnetic spectrum on the surface. "That is, he could navigate both surface units and underwater units based only on bottom relief. And that's difficult to explain." Unmanned or manned systems could be moved unnoticed.

 [MRT: Only large navies have this capability and it seems it has been used.] 

"On September 26th I received a call from my Swedish colleague pointing out that Nord Stream 1 and 2 were virtually destroyed and asking me to prepare to see whether we could provide support," said Kaack. The Navy had a research ship and a mine hunter with mine divers and drones ready. "We then went down again with the Americans, at their request, for a forensic examination and were able to notice things of our own," said the vice admiral.

A few weeks later, the Navy had another mission because Norway had noticed unknown drones. Germany sent a special aircraft - a so-called maritime reconnaissance aircraft - and several ships. And during an inspection on the important Europipe 1 natural gas pipeline from Norway through the North Sea to Germany, the operator also found an object that could have held 500 kilos of TNT. However, mine divers discovered that it was industrial scrap. 

Deterrence can also be achieved if acts can be attributed. "If the opponent knows that we know that he is acting there, he is less likely to do something. If he does something, then the question is who can do the work. And that's just us. So for me this is a bycatch of national and alliance defense. If there's a bang, I'll have to do it anyway." How to act against attackers - Kaack speaks of the "forces with effective means" approach. - is still a “very special question that you have to face”. And in his opinion it has not been answered.

[MRT: Note that this statement includes a scenario in which an allied nation, e.g. UK, is known to have a planned mission to blow Nordstream, then until they do so it is technically and legally hard to prevent it. Every country draws different scenarios and mission for future contingency and even trains for it. Klaack answers this scenario which most likely happened last year. Germany, allies KNEW about the threat t least from June 2022 - CIA warning - and tried to prevent infrastructure but ultimately failed... ] 

[MRT: Seems that almost one year after the event happened GER navy still does not know how it should of acted.]

 

NORTHERN COASTS 2023

29 Sept 2023 - Northern Coasts First Balance Sheet 2023

[MRT: It is basically a rerun of 2022 - anti submarine and without the UK. Last year the USA has basically vacated the Baltic sea in the extended part of NOCO-22 here]

[MRT: One flag is missing - again!]

***

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117 - Mette Frederiksen "Things can happen that we have not had the imagination to imagine"

 

Mette Frederiksen learns about who was behind

She is worried about Russian retaliation

The SWE and DK possess hydro-acoustic data.

Their ships were alerted shortly before it happened and chased a submarine.

27 Sept 2022 - Denmark's Prime Minister on the gas leaks: - Talk about deliberate actions

Both Sweden's and Denmark's prime ministers believe the gas leaks are deliberate actions, but deny that it is an attack on the countries.

[MRT: Those who started to call it "sabotage" had to know who has done it and know motives. post here.] 

Nevertheless, the Norwegian Defense Intelligence Service assesses that there is no increased military threat to Denmark, says the Prime Minister.

[MRT: What does NOR government know to make such statement? Is it perhaps because they knew something beforehand? Read this post how NOR was likely the whistle blower in the Nordstream affair.]  

Not an accident

Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, Defense Minister Morten Bødskov and Climate, Energy and Supply Minister Dan Jørgensen are also present at the press conference.

The nature of the leaks and their size indicate that it cannot be an accident, says Minister of Supply Dan Jørgensen.

[MRT: The carful wording means that Denmark is still unsure how to handle the case and is in intense discussion with other states while conducting own investigation.]   

The ministers will not say anything about what they believe is the motive behind the sabotage of the pipeline.

[MRT: Some important information was already known There is a ban on sharing that data - that data could already show the motive - this means the identity of the perpetrator is known at this stage. Legally it could mean that they are aware that definition of the event could lead to a war "armed attack" or sabotage "a competing company". More about it here and here]   

Increases preparedness

Defense Minister Morten Bødskov says that preparedness around Bornholm is now being increased. The Norwegian Defense Forces have had a patrol ship in the area since yesterday.

Today, the frigate Abasalon was sent to the area, says Bødskov.

The Norwegian Defense Forces have also placed a helicopter on Bornholm. 

The Norwegian Defense Forces have had a patrol ship in the area since yesterday.

 [MRT: What can a helicopter do what patrol ship can not? Perhaps Anti Submarine Warfare?]  

Defense Minister Bødskov will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to meet NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. NATO confirms the visit.

Sweden's government is also holding a press conference on the gas leak on Tuesday evening. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist and Foreign Minister Ann Linde are participating.

The government cooperates with Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany and the USA, says Andersson.

[MRT: No cooperation with the UK.]  

Andersson states that on Tuesday she spoke on the phone with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the matter.

She says that Norway has notified Sweden of increased drone activity in the North Sea.

[MRT: There drone activity before and after the Nordstream attack is discussed here] 

27 Sept 2022 - Sweden's Prime Minister: - Probably a question of sabotage

Andersson says that on Tuesday she spoke on the phone with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the matter.

We do not speculate on motive and actor. What we can ascertain is that this is probably about sabotage, says Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde.

- Now it is important that both the EU and NATO continue to stand together. It is our most important weapon, says Linde.

[MRT: The SWE investigator later excluded both USA and Russia from the pool of suspects. The investigation has shown that there is a strong case that USA, NOR, GER, FRA and other actors knew about the threat by one member state and tried to prevent it. Unfortunately their efforts failed. Disclosure that it was known could lead to problems with NATO and EU political unity and borders criminal activity of helping the perpetrator in the act or neglecting protecting the key European infrastructure.]

30 Sept 2022 - The Prime Minister ok DK travels to London and Brussels to discuss the destruction on Nord Stream 1 and 2

31 Sept 2022 - UK Prime Minister Liz Truss meets with her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen in London - video before meeting.

On energy security more widely, the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Frederiksen agreed on the need for likeminded democracies to work together to increase our energy independence.

[MRT: There was no mentioning about any suspects and possible UK submarine being in the area in the area during September]

01 Oct 2022 - Metter Frederiksen "Things can happen that we have not had the imagination to imagine"

[MRT: Looks like she understood very well what happened that one NATO country destroyed EU-RU key energy infrastructure.]

We are vulnerable, we are worried, and we are in very, very close dialogue with our allies.

[MRT: It is known that it was not Russia. There are strong clues that USA, Germany, France and Netherland knew about the threat from the UK, tried to protect pipelines but failed. It looks like that Denmark and rest of EU, NATO including the UK are seriously worried about Russian retaliation.]

No country can handle this task alone, says Mette Frederiksen...

[MRT: This is about a unity of the NATO. Note that the UK is excluded from new exercises but is protected by NATO as see here.]

I listen a lot to what Putin says. Both in his speech yesterday, but also on other occasions.

[MRT: She means these news - here]

And I notice that it is said directly from Putin's side that several different weapons and methods may be used. 

 [MRT: She meant these two news which I will post here bellow. Note that the same messages were contributing to the decision of USA to withdraw its naval forces - the Kaersarge group from the Baltic sea a week before on 22nd and 23rd of September - post is here and here. Denmark seemed to have some knowledge about a certain asset which left hydro-acoustic data which was recorded by Denmark, Sweden and USA. See here.]

Russian nuclear positioning before the Nordstream is attacked - post here

21 Sept 2022 - Putin mobilizes and threatens nuclear weapons

President Vladimir Putin has announced partial mobilization in what is a clear Russian escalation of the war in Ukraine. It includes 300,000 reservists.

- I am not bluffing, said the Russian president when he announced the decision in a televised speech on Wednesday morning.

Shortly afterwards, Defense Minister Sergej Sjojgu stated in a televised interview that 300,000 people in the reserve forces will be mobilised.

He assured that this should not apply to conscripts and students, only those who have relevant combat experience.

The West wants to destroy Russia

In the speech, Putin said he is willing to use all available means to defend Russian territories while accusing the West of wanting to "weaken, divide and ultimately destroy our country."

- To those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind that our country also has various means of destruction, Putin said.

- When our country's territorial integrity is threatened, we will clearly use all the means we have to protect Russia and our people. This is no hoax, he added.

Nuclear threat

At the same time, Putin accused the West of carrying out "nuclear blackmail", after which he referred to "statements by some high-ranking representatives of leading NATO countries about the possibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia". It is unclear which statements he was referring to.

[MRT: Was it the UK? If it was the USA top official level Russia would put its nukes to silos and rang the nuclear preparedness alert.]

21 Sept 2022 - Former Putin adviser threatens nuclear strikes on UK: ‘Your cities will be targeted’

Ex-Russian lawmaker Sergei Markov blames Biden, Johnson, Truss for war after Putin announces partial mobilization; UK minister: ‘Talk of nuclear war is completely unhelpful’

A former key adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Britain with nuclear strikes in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, shortly after Moscow announced a widespread mobilization of troops.

“In Russia there’s partial mobilization and for your British listeners Vladimir Putin told you that he would be ready to use nuclear weapons against Western countries, including nuclear weapons against Great Britain,” Sergei Markov told the BBC.

“Your cities will be targeted,” said the former Russian lawmaker, who serves as a key public defender of the Kremlin to the international press.

“Everybody in the world now is thinking of nuclear war,” Markov said, claiming that a potential escalation would be due to the “crazy behavior” of US President Joe Biden, as well the former and current British prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

“Biden, Johnson and Truss are fully responsible for the war in Ukraine,” he claimed, nearly seven months after Russia invaded its neighbor.

“It was absolutely clear that Russia has no war against Ukraine, Russia has no reason to use technical nuclear weapons against Ukrainians,” Markov said.

Putin has previously warned the West not to push Russia against the wall and has rebuked NATO countries for supplying weapons to help Ukraine.

In his address, which was far shorter than previous speeches about the Ukraine war, Putin accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and noted “statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.”

He didn’t identify who had made such comments.

“To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said.

He added: “It’s not a bluff.”

RELATED POSTS:

208 - Consistency of non-Russian claims about Nordstream affair

199 - Consistency of Russian claims about Nordstream affair

***

- INDEX -

***

Uncovering the truth took over two years of self-funded, tireless investigation.

I decided to open it for free, no paywall, despite huge investment.
Because the truth matters.
Please consider supporting my work with a donation.

Every bit helps keep this mission alive!

mortymer001

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