ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Written by  Alex Gorka ; Originally appeared on  strategic-culture.org The  predictions  have come true about the emergence of a new defense group that will change the European security environment. On June 25, the defense chiefs from nine EU countries signed off on the creation of a new force called the European Intervention Initiative (EII), which is  spearheaded  by French President Emmanuel Macron. The new organization will have a common budget and a doctrine establishing its guidelines for acting and joint planning for contingencies in which NATO may not get involved. The group includes the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, Spain, and Portugal. Italy may join soon. The initiative is not tied to the EU’s Common European Defense, which includes the PESCO agreement as well as NATO. Great Britain has always opposed the idea of creating a European defense alliance, fearing it would undermine transatlantic unity. Now it has done an about-face, as the rifts with

FILE IMAGE: Marina Lystseva/TASS The Russian state-run news agency TASS reports ( source ): A Russian transport aircraft brought the crew of a Kamov Ka-52 Aligator helicopter to a Russian military airfield after they accomplished their missions in Syria, the Russian defense ministry reported on Thursday. “On Wednesday, the helicopter was prepared for transportation and loaded into an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane at the Hmeymim airfield,” the ministry said. “By now, the pilots and the helicopter have returned to their home base in Russia.” According to the ministry, the crews continue to return from Syria. Fifteen aircraft, aircraft maintenance personnel and medics have already returned to Russia.