Russia accuses US of assisting Syrian rebels with arms; NATO unveils potential C4ISR acquisition plan
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  • (OCTOBER 22-28)
    According to reports, Russia accused USA on October 25 of “coordinating” deliveries of arms to Syrian rebels, despite assurances by the US State Department that the United States provides no lethal assistance. The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, “Washington is aware of the deliveries of various weapons to illegal armed groups active in Syria. Moreover, judging by the declarations of U.S. officials published in U.S. media, the U.S. coordinates and provides logistical assistance in such deliveries.” Significantly, Russia’s top general Nikolai Makarov said on October 24 that rebels fighting against Bashar al-Assad’s army in Syria are using U.S.-made Stingers, a type of shoulder-launched missile systems also known as MANPADs. On its part, the US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland promptly denied that the U.S. is delivering any such, or any other, weapons to the rebels. “We are providing no lethal assistance to the Syrians,” the spokeswoman said. 1
    In another development, according to reports, NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency has announced 2.1 billion Euros ($2.7 billion) acquisition plan in the area of C4ISR and communication capabilities to support NATO missions and operations. These business opportunities are a forecast for the next 18 months and are tentative as some of the projects are yet to be approved by NATO’s resource committees. The first industry conference of NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency, which was set up as part of NATO agency reform this year was attended by more than 600 senior European and North American industry representatives. 2

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