NATO’s largest exercise since the Cold War, with 90,000 soldiers mobilized to simulate the response to a Russian attack on an Atlantic Pact country. Operation codename: “Steadfast Defender”, literally unshakable defender. The German news agency Dpa, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, provides the number of 900 thousand men, which comes from sources present at the meeting between the Chiefs of Defense of the Atlantic Alliance, taking place in Brussels.
The exercise will take place between February and March and, as mentioned, will be NATO’s largest in Europe since 1989, the year that marked the end of the Cold War. The exercise will have to simulate a quick response in the event of aggression on NATO soil by Russia, and will take place between Poland, Germany and the Baltic countries, the eastern zone closest to Russian borders that includes the Kaliningrad exclave. Furthermore, what is in preparation will not be the only annual exercise.
NATO is therefore studying a response to the worst escalation of the conflict triggered in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. The exercise aims to verify ways of responding not only to a traditional military attack, but also to forms of hybrid warfare, fought with unconventional weapons. German and Swedish military intelligence recently raised the hypothesis that Moscow could attack a European country through some reports that ended up in the press. “We are preparing for a conflict with Russia and terrorist groups” and “if they attack us, we must be prepared”, said the president of the NATO military committee, Dutch admiral Rob Bauer, as reported by the German website Focus.
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
