NATO is preparing for the largest military drill since 2002 – Trident Juncture 2018. According to preliminary estimates, more than 40,000 troops from 30 NATO member states and partners will take part in them.
The main stage of the exercises is planned to be held from October 25 to November 7 in Norway with preliminary maneuvers in the waters of Iceland from October 15 to 17.
The purpose of these exercises is to ensure containment and protection from “any threat, from any point and at any time,” US Navy Admiral James G. Foggau told journalists in Brussels this week.
According to the US military, Trident Juncture will demonstrate the unity of NATO and the readiness of the bloc to defend using collective defense. From this perspective, the scenario of the exercises is a violation of the sovereignty of NATO’s ally, in this case Norway.
At the same time, Vice Admiral of the Norwegian Navy Ketil Olsen noted that to this day they do not see a “real threat” for their country.
He stressed that although Norway is a very small country that exists next to a very large country, Russia maintains a “professional neighborhood”, “works very well on the border,” and Oslo does not see it as a threat.
Against the backdrop of tense relations with Moscow, in recent years, NATO’s permanent bases have been established in the three Baltic countries, Romania and Poland, and a series of large-scale military exercises on the Russian border have been carried out.