NATO to conduct largest military exercises since 1991
On Tuesday, October 2, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO will conduct large-scale military exercises Trident Juncture, which will be the largest since 1991, reports Deutsche Welle.
These exercises will take place from October 25 to November 7, in Norway, the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic. Approximately 45 thousand soldiers from 31 countries, as well as more than 110 aircraft and 60 ships, will take part in the maneuvers. The exercises are not aimed against Russia, they have defensive nature and will imitate NATO’s response to an armed attack on one of the alliance members, said Stoltenberg.
All OSCE countries, including Russia, received invitations so that they could send their observers to the exercises.
The North Atlantic Alliance significantly expanded the scope of military exercises since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014. Russia is also conducting major maneuvers. This September, the Russian Federation conducted its largest exercises since the USSR times, Vostok-2018.