Published January 29, 2024
A massive NATO military exercises slated to run all the way through the end of May has kicked off. Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 is being hailed as the largest NATO exercises since the Cold War. Some 90,000 troops from all 31 members states will take part.
Also, Sweden – which is on the cusp of formally entering the alliance after Turkish parliament belatedly signed off – is expected to sent troops and equipment. “The Alliance will demonstrate its ability to reinforce the Euro-Atlantic area via trans-Atlantic movement of forces from North America,” a NATO statement said.
The focus of the exercises is to improve readiness for deploying NATO assets on a rapid and large scale from North America and other parts in order to defend Europe from an invasion.
Russian media has denounced the planned drills as essentially a rehearsal of war against the Russian state.
For example according to Russian state-linked TASS, “NATO is making it absolutely clear that the maneuvers will be aimed at practicing moves to wage a direct, head-to-head confrontation with Russia as the bloc ups the ante amid abysmal failure by its proxy army in Ukraine.”
Russian military analysts are also decrying the drills as a next major step in NATO and Moscow escalation. “A situation where an enemy is being conjured up is leading directly to a revival of the very idea of maintaining NATO as a counterweight [to that purported threat],” Viktor Mizin, an analyst at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), told Izvestia. “In addition, this will inevitably result in increased defense spending.”
Even US state-linked VOA News has underscored in its initial coverage of the drills, “The exercise is designed to simulate the 31-nation alliance’s response to an attack from a rival like Russia.
Throughout almost two years of conflict in Ukraine, hawks in the West have not infrequently warned that President Putin seeks to expand the war elsewhere into Eastern Europe as well; however, there’s been no evidence that this is going to happen.
The drills are expected to play out even up to NATO’s eastern flank, close to the Russian border, and also will involve at least 80 aircraft and over 1,100 combat vehicles, along with about 50 naval vessels from several member states.
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SOURCE: www.zerohedge.com
RELATED: NATO to hold biggest drills since Cold War with 90,000 troops
Polish military vehicles are transported during TUMAK-22 NATO exercises in an area known as the Suwalki Gap, of crucial significance to the security of the alliance’s eastern flank, at a polygon in Klusy, Poland November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Published January 29, 2024
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SOURCE: www.reuters.com
RELATED: UK to deploy 20,000 troops to NATO military drill to practice repelling a Russian invasion
In a speech today, the defence secretary is expected to announce the deployment of the army, navy and RAF personnel to the 31-nation Steadfast Defender military exercise across Europe.
Some 20,000 army, navy and RAF personnel will be deployed to the NATO military drill. File pic
Published January 28, 2024
The UK will send 20,000 troops to one of NATO’s biggest military drills since the Cold War as the alliance practices repelling an invasion by Russian forces, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to announce today.
Army, navy and RAF personnel will be deployed to the 31-nation Steadfast Defender exercise in a bid to provide “vital reassurance against the menace” of Vladimir Putin, Mr Shapps will say in a speech.
The defence secretary will also warn the West stands at a “crossroads” as he unveils the UK’s contribution to the war games in an address at Lancaster House.
Speaking to Sky News’ Kay Burley, Mr Shapps echoed warnings from his cabinet colleague Lord Cameron, who said on Sunday “the lights are absolutely flashing red on the global dashboard” due to “so much danger and insecurity and instability in the world”.
“Not only have you got the the state, so the Putins of this world and Iran… but you’ve also now got the non-state actors as well, that sort of terrorism that we saw [at] the beginning of this century, individual actors,” said the defence secretary.
“And because of that, this is a more unstable and difficult world. And that’s really the big theme of the speech that I’m making this morning.”
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SOURCE: www.news.sky.com
