Large scale NATO exercises begin in Lithuania
On June 12, the largest multinational military exercises this year, Iron Wolf 2017 will begin in Lithuania.
According to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, the maneuvers will involve roughly 5,300 military personnel from Lithuania and nine NATO states: Belgium, Great Britain, the US, Poland, Luxembourg, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Portugal.
The Iron Wolf 2017 exercises will take place in southern, central and eastern parts of Lithuania between the 12th and the 24th of June. In the context of the exercises in Lithuania, the readiness of the military personnel of NATO’s recently established international battalion will be assessed.
Furthermore, during the maneuvers, exercise participants will collaborate with former NATO soldiers from Poland in order to unite forces in the Suwalki Gap.
The Iron Wolf 2017 exercises are part of the “Saber Strike” annual maneuvers held in Baltic states and Poland. The exercises are organized by the staff of the US land forces in Europe.
From the 3rd to the 15th of June, NATO’s “Saber Strike” international exercises, which involve more than two thousand soldiers from eight countries, are being held in Latvia. Part of the Saber Strike maneuvers was held in Estonia, and involved 1,500 people.